Author's Note: Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're eating the chocolate off somebody.

Four

Edward stood in front of his door for a while, debating with himself. I don't feel….but he couldn't bring himself to even think it again. He prepared himself to go in and then realized he wasn't sure how. Can I walk straight through? Oh, this is ridiculous. Put your hand on the doorknob. He did and it felt solid in his hand, a relief. He went to open the door, but the knob would not turn, locked. Edward huffed a laugh at his predicament, pacing at his doorstep. I can walk through people…and I'm locked out of my own house. It was almost too bizarre to think about. He remembered how he was able to get from the forest to his own street without actually making the journey. Ok, I can do this, it just takes…I don't know, focus? He closed his eyes, feeling slightly absurd. I'm inside; I see the kitchen on the right, front room on the left and the stairs in between. He opened his eyes; he was still staring at the front door. Edward thought for a moment and realized what he was doing wrong, he closed his eyes again. Bella.

He was inside, standing near the front window seats in the dining area that shared space with the galley kitchen. Bella paced in the kitchen, a phone pressed to her ear. He saw the tears streaming down her face, her eyes were swollen from crying, one of them lightly bruised. When she turned to go back the way she came, he saw the bruise on her cheekbone from where the man hit her. It blossomed a dark purple on her pale skin; Edward clenched his hands into fists. I should have kept her from this. She wore a large white t-shirt, one of Edward's he noticed, and sweatpants. Her hair hung down, stringy as if it hadn't been washed in a few days.

"Bella," he took a step toward her, but she made no move to face him.

"It's been three days! How can there be nothing, he didn't just disappear! I am calm! Don't you patronize me –" she paused, listening. "Fine," with that she hung up her cell phone and leaned over the counter. Her body shook visibly and Edward went to her, although he was afraid to try and touch her.

"I'm here, Bella," he stopped when a sob racked through her body. She grit her teeth together and made a noise in her throat that could only be described as pure pain.

"You're not dead, you're not dead," she said between sobs. "You promised you'd never leave me!" She covered her face in one hand, gripping her middle with the other.

Edward stood there in shock, watching, unable to do anything. He shifted his weight toward her, trying to will her to feel better. He couldn't bear to touch her, to see his hands pass through her body. He moved as close as he dared. "I'm here Bella, I haven't left you."

"I should have waited," she slammed her fist onto the counter and then held it close to herself, hurting.

He moved his hand forward instinctively to touch her hurt hand, but stopped, instead hovering over her hair. "Please don't do this to yourself, it's not your fault, love," he said helplessly.

Bella inhaled deeply and held onto her side, standing up. Edward followed her out of the kitchen and up the stairs; she walked left into the master bathroom off of their bedroom. In the bathroom, she seemed to avoid her reflection. She turned on the shower and slipped the shirt over her head. A bruise covered a large space over her ribs and Edward clenched his fists, his face contorting with pain. She took off the rest of her clothes slowly, carefully. She stepped out of the small pile and got into the shower. Edward looked at her blurry form through the sheer curtain. She stayed quiet throughout her shower, sometimes sniffling, but mostly letting the hot water work on the knots in her body. Edward stayed to watch over her.

That night as Bella got into bed, Edward waited, unsure what to do. He let her get comfortable before testing the mattress with his hand; when he felt the blankets he moved closer. Climbing onto the bed, he never took his eyes off of Bella, a part of him hoping she would react. When she didn't, he sighed and moved closer, his face right next to hers. He said nothing as she lay there, afraid of what, he didn't know.

Some time later, after Bella was asleep, Edward spoke. "I haven't left you Bella, I'm right here. I won't leave you alone," as he said it, he knew he couldn't promise anything.

Am I hurting her more by being here?

Yet he knew he could not leave her.

He held a hand over her body, starting at her hair, moving down her shoulder, to her waist. He didn't dare touch her, if that's what it could even be called. Edward moved a little closer, their noses almost touching, he felt her breath on his face, could hear her heart beating. He brought his hand back to her face, hovering over her cheek, desperate to touch her. He looked at her tenderly, "I love you, Bella."

Had he fallen asleep? He couldn't be sure, but he didn't think so. Suddenly, he was back in the woods, staring dimly upward. He lay on his back, unable to move. He struggled to breathe; he could feel air come in short, hitching gasps. Edward willed himself to open his eyes wider, but he could not. He strained to listen to the things around him; he could make out a faint rustling. It sounded like wind moving through the trees. He couldn't feel much, but he knew he was on the edge of feeling, that pain was close. He kept listening, trying to shape what was happening to him. He heard…water? It was too quiet to be able to tell. Then he felt it. His heartbeat. It was faint, but it was unquestioningly there.

Edward sat up swiftly on the bed, his hand to his chest. At first, he thought he was still in the woods, but then he heard the quiet breathing next to him. "I'm alive."