STEPHANIE MEYER OWNS ALL THING TWILIGHT.

Caught

Finals week flew by in a blur of studying, sleeping, and paper writing. Before I knew it, I was done and Emmett and Edward were helping me load my car to go home for the holidays. Though I had a small car, I never took that much home with me on break. I really only needed help when I was doing to official move in or move out.

"I'll see you Saturday for shopping," Edward said as he pushed the hair out of my face and tucked it behind my ear.

"I can't wait. I will brainstorm for ideas for your mother's present." I was leaning against the driver side of my car. Edward would head out after me. Emmett and Alice both lived in Columbia when school was not in session. Neither of them had to be in any rush to get home.

"Thanks. I want it to be great." Edward was close with his mother, a trait that I had always admired in him.

I nodded. I was unsure what the separation from my friends would mean for my grief. I'd been stable since Jake's death. Without the distraction of school, I did not know what to expect. Edward was worried too. His eyes gave his fear away. I gave my them hugs and jumped in my car unsure of what was lying in wait for me in Charlotte.

Not long after getting home, I fell into an easy routine. During the day, I helped mom around the house with the holiday décor and other projects. At night, while my parents watched TV, I read and escaped into the fictional worlds that I lately preferred more then ever.

Before leaving school, Edward and I signed up for our classes together. I ended up in three History classes and two English classes. My English classes would both be with Edward. The one class I was most excited about was our fantastic fiction class. The class involved reading such books as Gulliver's Travels, Harry Potter, 1984, and other works that had a nod towards the science fiction genre.

I began rereading the books on the list so that I would not have to try to read all of the books in such a hurry. Most of the books on the list I had read at some point, whether for another class or on my own. I started with rereading Harry Potter though I had that book nearly memorized. I had three nights to stay busy between getting home and meeting Edward at the mall. James was still working on finals, so we made plans to see each other on Sunday. I did not really want to see him, but I needed to lay the foundation for the breakup. I was planning on calling Laurent before meeting him. If Laurent couldn't be there, then I would not meet with James. I'd learned my lesson.

Saturday came more quickly than I anticipated, and I woke early to get ready to go out with Edward. I got up and took Scout on a long walk. It was easier to get going when you had something to look forward to and when you had a puppy scratching your face to take him out. I came back inside and grabbed a shower and tried to make myself as pretty as I could. I spent much longer than normal getting ready. I needed Edward to know that I was surviving, and I wanted to look as nice as possible for him. I was trying to decide what earrings to wear when he called.

"Hey Edward." I answered as I decided that I would wear the silver hoops.

"Hey Darling. You ready for a fun time today?" I could hear the joy in his voice that we would be together today. I was thankful that he was just as excited.

"I am. Where are you?" I put the earrings on in front of my mirror.

"Well, I left a little earlier than I thought. So I'm closer than I expected."

"How close?" I said focusing on my earrings.

"Look out your window." I went to the window and saw him leaning against his shiny silver Volvo. I could not help, but smile. Renee and Charlie had gone to visit Billy for the day, so I said goodbye to Scout and ran out the door. I ran to Edward, and he picked me up as he hugged me.

"You are a sight for sore eyes. I've missed you so much," he said refusing to put me down.

After finally being placed back on my feet, I responded. "I missed you to. Do you feel better now that you know I haven't thrown myself into a pit of misery and despair? You can even call my mom to check my eating habits if you must." I said jokingly as I gently shoved his arm.

"Keep it up girl, and I'll leave you here. You know I just need to make sure you're ok. On a serious note, I'm actually surprised at how well you are doing." He opened my door for me and once I was inside, he ran to the driver side and got into the car. He did not play any music; we just spoke while on the way to the mall.

We got to the mall and after struggling to find a parking space, we entered the mall by the bookstore. That was a favorite place to start for both of us. We both found books, both for us and for other people on our list and headed back into the mall in search of a present for his mother.

"Hey Bella. I'm going to head to the bathroom real quick." Edward said as he pointed to the men's room straight ahead.

"That's cool. I'm just going to sit on the couches just around the corner here. I will see you in a second."

As I walked around the corner, I saw him. James was there, in all of his glory, standing in the middle of the mall and making out with some blond chick who probably had the intelligence of a gnat. Strangely enough, the sun shined down through the windows and seemed to focus on the couple, seemingly highlighting what was my ticket out of my self- induced hell, if I chose to use it. I froze and all I could do was just stare as the options on how I should react to the act of betrayal being played out before me.

I felt hurt, but was not in extreme pain that he had found someone else. Maybe this would mean that he was ready to let me go. In a way a strange sense of freedom hit me, though accompanying this freedom was the ever-familiar feeling of rejection. The feeling of freedom, however, was stronger for the first time in my life. It was so strong that it almost made me drunk. I gave into it. I had what I needed to make my escape, and if I could figure out Edward's true feelings, then maybe I could finally have a good and healthy relationship. Before I realized what I was doing, I began walking towards the sickening display of lust. I tapped James on the shoulder.

He turned around, at first angry that someone had interrupted what I am sure he thought was his spectacular work. Then he took in the full magnitude of the situation and his anger turned to a mixture of fear and worry. A combination that made what I was about to do even more pleasurable after three years of dating him. The look on his face was priceless and if I would have had a camera, I would have taken a picture so that I could savor the feeling forever. He had accused me of cheating because he himself was cheating. Nothing like doing something yourself to make you paranoid that everyone else is too.

"Bells, babe. What are you doing here?" Why was it always Bells? I told him a hundred thousand times before that I hated that version of my name, and yet even now he could not show more respect for me than that. A calm rage began to build as I as answered the boy standing in front of me.

"It's Bella, not Bells. How many times do I have to tell you that? Edward came up with me to do some Christmas shopping. He wanted to hang out since we had not had much time together during exams except while studying and he knew I would be missing Jake right about now. However, I should be the one asking the questions. Who is this?" I directed the question to her as well as James.

"I'm his girlfriend, who the hell are you?" The blond twit had a nasally voice that made me want to hit her over the head with the book I had just bought. I saw James flinch at those words and found myself enjoying watching him squirm. I stood there wondering why in the world anyone would choose to date someone who epitomized every blond stereotype ever conceived.

"I am his, as of now, ex girlfriend. Good luck on your relationship. You two make a perfect couple." I began to walk away knowing that what I had said was not an epic comeback that would be remembered forever. I cared little that it was, well, boring. Suddenly, I felt a hard grip on my wrist. It felt like my wrist was breaking in two. I fell to the floor from the pain.

The grip on my wrist was still there when James leaned over and said, "You really planning to leave Bells? I don't think you truly mean that do you?" He twisted my wrist causing me to cry out.

"Yes!" I cried out. I could not focus on anything. My vision was blurred. I felt the tears on the verge of falling but wanted nothing more than to resist. I refused to satisfy his lust for power over me anymore.

"Well, I'm not going to let that happen, and your precious Jake isn't here to protect you now." He spat at me before giving me a quick kick to my ribs. The sharp pain reverberated throughout my body making it difficult to breath. I did not scream that time. I did not want to give him the satisfaction and years of undergoing such abuse had helped me keep my pain internal and not express it outwardly.

I looked up in time to see Edward's arm fly through the air and make contact with James's face. Protection finally triumphed over support. It was nice to see. A part of me wondered if the reason protection had not won out all along is because he secretly did not care enough, but that I knew now was another thought of my former less confident self.

James fell to the ground and had a stream of ruby blood flowing down his chin. The blonde stood back at first with a confused yet concerned look on her face. She stayed silent as she slowly bent down to check on him. Something for which I was grateful for a plethora of reasons, most of all was that I could not stand her voice. The immediate area was full of people who had apprehensive looks on their faces. I'm sure that it caught everyone off guard as the two boys involved in this particular fight both seemed by outward appearances to be respectable young men. Though there were plenty of people around, no one made a motion to help James or to call any authorities. Maybe they had seen him jerking me around like a sack of potatoes or maybe they just figured it was a "boys will be boys" scenario.

My concern, however, went to Edward immediately. I looked up to him and I saw the familiar jaw clench, but it was not subsiding with its usual speed. I had not seen Edward that way before, but I was strangely not afraid. In fact, with the sun shining through the windows and into his copper hair and the strength of his expression, he looked like my own personal liberator sent to defend me against the captor from whom I was trying to escape. He had an intensity to him that was stronger than anything I had witnessed in him before. Intensity that was always there, yet hiding behind a calm façade.

Edward bent down and slowly put his arms under both of my arms. He slowly lifted me off the floor and rubbed his hand against my check. Then he positioned himself between James and me, and began to speak though his jaw remained clenched.

"Listen to me carefully because I will not say this twice. I have stood by and let you treat her in an inexcusable manner for almost a year now because she wanted to be with you. She does not want to be with you anymore, and I will not allow you to continue to treat her with such disrespect. Don't ever touch her again, and don't think for one minute that because Jake is no longer on this Earth that she has been left unprotected. You will find that you underestimate her ability to make friends and overestimate your ability to keep them. If I see you near her again, you're going to need more than a few stitches." His eyes were tight together and almost looked closed. His jaw was still clenched.

James sat on the ground looking at Edward. He knew that his reign was finally over and his face was what I would imagine that of a king would look like before being put to death by his subjects. I revealed in that look, but that emotion was soon overshadowed by my worry for Edward. His temper was always under control, until now. The relationship ended much the same way as it had begun, except now James was playing the role of Riley and Edward stepped into the role of James. That was the only similarity between the two. I knew that Edward was no James. I lightly grabbed Edward's arm and gently pulled him away from James. Edward acquiesced to my nonverbal direction.

Edward and I walked through the mall in silence, his left hand in my right. He moved his right hand very little and I could see his fingers beginning to swell. Shades of purple and gray were already painting a picture across his skin. A picture that told me, he had most likely broken something. As we walked, I slowly led him towards the food court, as breathing for me was harder than it had been at the start of our journey. I walked up to the first counter I saw.

"Can I have a cup of ice," I asked the girl at the register. She fixed the cup of ice and stared almost drooling at Edward. Edward released my hand and walked away, as I grabbed the ice and found an open table. I struggled not to look back at her and give her the death stare. Edward sat down beside me. I took his hand and put it into the ice. He flinched before finally speaking.

"I'm sorry Bella," was all he said. I looked at him and could tell that his temper was back in check. I felt a little at ease for him, but his hand was banged up more than I knew he would admit. The adrenaline going through his veins and the stoic manner with which he carried himself, would not betray the true pain he was feeling.

"Sorry for what exactly? For trying to make me understand who I was really dating or for punching someone who hurt me?" I asked as I turned my focus back on his hand.

"I should not have lost control, but I am really sorry that he was treating you like that." His tone was shifting back to normal.

"It's not your fault. I stayed with him, even when you guys tried to warn me. However, the fault truly lies with him. He is the one who cheated. He is the one who treated me badly for most of our relationship, and ended up resorting to violence. I did not deserve it, and you had nothing to do with it. It's good in a way though. It's over now. How's your hand?" I asked staring into his eyes hoping to find the real answer.

"You find your boyfriend cheating on you and get kicked in the midsection and yet you worry about me? Man, you are too good. How are you doing?" He grabbed my hand with his left and squeezed. I flashed back to one of the last times I had with Jake when he squeezed my hand to let me know that he was not trying to hurt my feelings when speaking the truth. I suppressed a sigh. He would turn this into how I was doing. I wish that he would be a little selfish every now and then. It did not make trying to support him very easy.

"I'm okay. I feel a strange sense of freedom." I withdrew my hand from his and felt my side. I could tell the bruise was already forming and I could barely move without wanting to scream.

"Really? I thought you would be devastated." I felt my head shifting towards the table and moved it upward tossing the hair out of my face. I had no reason to look down anymore.

"I knew it was over for a long time now, but did not have the courage to end it until I saw him cheating and got the shit kicked out of me. In a way, it's a blessing, but it still bruises the ego and the ribs."

I began holding my side and tried to focus on Edward and not the pain that was shooting through my ribs. It was easy to focus on him, when I thought he was injured and needed to have his temper kept in control, but now I could no longer ignore my pain. Edward's uninjured hand came up and brushed my cheek. I looked at him and stopped trying to fight back tears. He whipped the tears away and moved up to sit beside me on the bench.

"Are you really ok?" He said as he continued to brush his thumb against my check.

"I'm having a little trouble breathing. Believe me when I say that these tears have everything to do with physical pain. I really am glad that I am not with him anymore. I fell out of love with him a long time ago." Before I knew what was happening, Edward's lips crashed against mine. I kissed him back with all of my might. I had only one kiss before in my life that compared to this, and that was with Jake. I moaned from the pleasure and never wanted this moment to end. It was, as cliché as it sounds, like fire works had begun going off. The kiss with Jake was nothing compared to this. I ran my tongue along Edward's bottom lip as he opened his mouth and allowed me to run my tongue along his. There were sparks between the two of us. I pulled back slowly and rested my forehead against Edward's before pulling back.

I smiled and we got up from the table. We dumped the ice and went on with our shopping. As the day went on, however, I felt a growing distance building between Edward and me. There were little things that he was no longer doing, such as putting his hand on my back, or standing over my shoulder while looking at things. He kept a good distance from me and stood at least a foot away the rest of the day. I was nervous that maybe he did not feel the same way about the kiss that I did. I hoped that I was wrong and maybe the pain was affecting him more than he let on.

We finished our shopping and he drove me home. It took me awhile to get the seatbelt around me as twisting my torso was not an option right now. We listened to a variety of music from the sixties. I got out of the car and he helped me unload my bags and place them on the front porch. Well, he helped as much as he could with a busted hand.

"Do you want to come in for a little bit before you have to go," I asked thinking he may want a drink and something to eat before making the four-hour drive to Charleston.

"I better start making my way home. I have a long drive ahead of me. Are you going to be ok?" He always checked on me, but gave little away about his own feelings. It was frustrating being the one to share their feelings when you knew that the other person was holding back. But, I could not help but loving the fact that he cared.

"I'll be fine," I said as I bit my lip secretly wishing that he would kiss me again. However, I was disappointed when he gave me a quick hug and then got into his car. I waved as I watched him drive down the street and turn the corner. I grabbed my bags and went inside. I drudged up the stairs and dropped my bags in my room. I slowly crawled onto my bed and lay down. I quickly found out that I was unable to lay on my right side, where James had kicked me.

My mind swirled with the events of the day. For the first time since my sophomore year of high school, I was single. I had no boyfriend to answer to or turn to, not that I could ever turn to my ex boyfriends. I felt relieved to be free from James's criticism and abuse. I felt hurt that he felt he should cheat on me instead of just letting me go, but worse in that he would still not let me go without a fight in the end. I remembered the kiss with Edward, and how right it felt. A myriad of emotions arose in me until I just wanted to scream. I picked up the phone and dialed Jake's number. I hung up and tried not to cry. After weeks of trying to pretend it was not true, the fact that my best friend was dead finally became real. I longed to speak with him and hear his ever-reassuring voice. I pulled the quilt that my great- grandmother made over my shoulders and began tracing the pattern with my fingers, as I always did when lost in thought.

Edward was distancing himself. I know it was only one afternoon, but I felt that it was going to be something more permanent than that. I was not quite sure why I felt that way, or even why he was creating distance between us. Maybe he finally realized that I am a neurotic mess. Maybe he lost patience with me; the same way he had lost patience with my relationship with James. Maybe that kiss was not as magical for him as it was for me. The two people who had so often been my confidants and my rocks in life were somehow inaccessible now. What would I do when I could turn to neither of them? I picked up the phone and called the next person who I knew I could depend upon.

"Hey Girl, How are you doing?" My roommate was far to chipper for my current mood, but it was nice to hear her voice. "How was your day with Edward?"

"I'm still debating how I am doing. The day was eventful. You got time to talk?" I continued tracing the pattern.

"Of course girl, what's up?" Scout jumped up and curled beside me. Dogs always know when their owners need affection.

"I saw James while we were at the mall today. He was standing in the middle of the mall and was making out with some blonde." I heard her gasp on the other end, but continued telling the story. "I walked up to him and tried to break it off. James did not take it well. But the end result, is that I am now single." I said feeling a smile sneak on my face despite my missing Jake and the feeling I had that something had changed in the dynamic between Edward and I.

"How did Edward react?" She asked now fully paying attention to me where as before she had sounded distracted.

"He was not there at first. He was in the bathroom. I happened upon James while going to sit and wait for Edward. Then when I was walking away, James grabbed my wrist and I thought he was going to break my arm. I ended up on the ground. He asked if I really planned to leave him. When I said yes, he kicked me in the ribs." I looked at my arm and could see the bruise that was already beginning to form. I remember feeling glad that it was winter and long sleeves were able to hide it without suspicion. A mindset one learns after dealing with abusive and toxic people. "Edward must have just rounded the corner at that time because he punched James right in the mouth." Silence and then she spoke again.

"Wait, Edward punched James? Our Edward?" As she spoke, I heard Jasper laughing in the background and Alice hushing him. I knew he would enjoy this story with the exception of my getting kicked.

"Yep. Edward Cullen punched James. I could not believe it myself. He was distant after that. I wish you could have seen him. He was not treating me the same way. I'm scared that something has made him not want to be friends with me anymore." Saying it aloud, made the fear more potent. I tried to shrug it off and focus on Alice.

"Bella, Edward adores you. I'm sure he was just freaked out that he actually punched someone. Not to mention, his hand probably hurt like hell. Are you okay? Do you need to get checked out?" Her reassurance helped ease the pain, but the fear still lurked somewhere under the surface. I did not go any deeper into my feelings with her. She had Jasper there, and though he would be fine if Alice needed to speak to me, I did not feel comfortable trying to go any deeper into the conversation. Maybe I could handle it on my own. I told Alice that I was fine and that I really did not want to talk about any further and then got off the phone. I did not tell her about the kiss. I couldn't get her hopes up because I would get too excited. I had just shown how much I had grown over the last year, not only to myself but to my friends as well.

At length, my parents arrived home. I made sure their presents were stashed in my closet before going downstairs. I knew my eyes were swollen because I had been crying about Jake. I hoped they would not notice, but I should have known that they would.

"Hey Sweets. How was the mall?" Dad always called me sweets.

"It was good but busy. I saw James there. I broke up with him." There was no point in hiding it.

"About time," my mother said. "I never liked him. Now you can find a nice guy at your school." I should have known there would be no questioning as to why. My parents had never really liked him, and what did they care what the reason was, as long as we were over.

"Yeah. You're right." I did not want to go into too much detail about my love life with my parents. It was just too awkward.

"Is that all that's wrong? You look like you've been crying." Mom said as she came up and gave me a hug with scout jumping on her legs trying to get her attention.

"I just miss Jake." I said and sat down at the kitchen table.

"Oh Sweets, it was only a few weeks ago. That is understandable." I changed the subject as soon as I could. I didn't know whom I needed to talk to, but I just knew that my parents were not it. They were supportive and loving, but I guess I just needed something different. I was not sure what the something different entailed. I almost felt lost like a child who had lost her parents in a grocery store and could not find them. I needed someone to turn to, but had not idea where to turn. The phone rang and I immediately picked it up and walked out of the kitchen and into the office at the back of the house.

"Edward?' I said all too anxiously.

"Waiting by the phone for me? I'm touched Bella." His normal tone was back. Maybe Alice was right, may he was just in pain.

"You home safely? How's your hand?" I was sounding like a worrying mother hen. I did not care.

"Well, I'm home safely. As to my hand, I am actually heading to the emergency room. My dad thinks I broke something, and since he is a doctor and all I'm going to get it checked."

"How did he take that?" I could feel myself biting my lip as I sat down in the recliner we had in the back office.

"When I explained to him what went down, he was actually proud I used such force. How are you?"

"Bruised." I said falling back on my bed.

"I'm sorry. I should have stayed with you. Are you okay?"

"I guess I'm ok. I don't really know. I'm definitely ok with the fact that I am single. I just feel alone right now." I said feeling a tear run down my cheek.

"I'm sorry love, but we love you. I have to run. I'm at the ER. I'll call when I know more."

The call was ended and I went back towards the kitchen and towards to my parents.

"Mom? Dad?" I said holding my side with the adrenaline finally running out.

"Bella what is it?" Charlie said looking worried.

"Can one of you drive me to the hospital? I think I may have broken a rib." I said biting my lip waiting for their reaction.

"Of course, but how did this happen?"

"James was not very happy when I broke up with him. Let's just say he ended up kicking me in the ribs, before Edward punched him." My father let out a string of profanities, while my mom remained silent. We headed to the hospital, for the long wait in the ER.

While waiting to be seen, Edward sent me a text message to say that he had three broken bones in his right hand and he would be in a cast until we got back to school. He said that he would call me later.

The doctor ordered x-rays and came back advising that I had hairline fractures to four of my ribs on my right side and another to my right wrist from where James had twisted my wrist. They took pictures along with x-rays. I told them that I would not be pressing charges. After they found that urging me to do so was having no effect, they told me that they would keep the x-rays along with the photos for up to a year, in case I changed my mind. I was to be in a wrist brace until I got back to school as well, and I was told to take it easy and give my ribs time to heal.

My parents were furious at first that I did not pursue the charges. I tried to explain that I was just glad to be done, and with Jake's death, I could not handle anything else now. With the mention of Jake, they relaxed and told me that it was my decision.

I tried to handle the pain by myself. The pain had nothing really to do with James. I was glad to be free of his tyranny. The pain was focused on the fear of losing what I never really had with Edward and the loss I still felt over Jake. I had never really come to terms with Jake's death while still at Preston. Going home forced me to live life without him. The pain was also due to the stupid wrist brace I had to wear and the fact that I had to be careful in movements because of my ribs.

A couple of days after my trip to the hospital, I was laying in my bed reading when the phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and smiled a rare smile during that time.

"Hello Embry. What in the world are you up to?" I said trying to sound lighthearted.

"Well, I just got back in town from a brief trip to Italy with my parents. I got a few phone calls while I was gone. Is there anything you want to tell me?" My mind raced as to which one of the many sources could have told him the story.

"Well, if you are referring to the breakup, then yes. How much of the story do you know?" I said trying hard to sit up a little further and flinching from the pain of doing so.

"All of it, except why you are not pursuing charges against him."

"Embry, I cannot do it. It is not because I do not want him in trouble, but because I have enough on my plate without dealing with police, and giving testimony and being grilled by lawyers." Maybe it was the pain medicine or that I felt awkward talking to Alice, but I then just unloaded my feelings to Embry. "I have barely heard from Edward in the last two weeks, even though he kissed me after I broke up with James, I have four broken ribs, and am dealing with my best friend's death, for whom I had stronger feelings than friendship that I only realized days before he died." I felt my breathing become labored. I tried to calm down because I had to avoid a panic attack with my ribs being in their current condition. I was having enough problems breathing. I did not need to add fuel to the fire.

"Edward has not been in touch with you?"

"No. Well, a email here and there, but nothing of any consequence."

"And yet he kissed you after he punched James and you broke up with him?" I had never heard Embry sound angry, until this conversation.

"Yes." I said fidgeting with the Velcro on my wrist brace.

"Ok Bella, I get why you aren't wanting to deal with the court. Let's deal with one thing at a time. You have me to talk to if you need me. Secondly, I am so glad that you broke up with that tool."

From that point onward, Embry called me at least once a day. He even came up once to spend time with me before returning to Preston. When things became too hard to handle, I just focused on reading or called Embry. I just wanted to have a good Christmas and not bring my family down with my pain. I tried as best I could; knowing that at least for me there was a shadow. Luckily, my parents did not notice the gloom following me like in the cartoons. I could be a good actor when I needed to convince people that no worry was needed. Anything to prevent others from feeling the pain was worth it, no matter the cost to me.

EPOV

I turned the corner to get back to Bella only to see a guy holding her by the wrist with her arm twisted in a very unnatural position. I knew who it was in that instant I ran to her as quickly as I could and heard the tail end of the conversation. Bella was trying to leave him. Normally, I would be thrilled, but just before I got to her, James landed a kick right to her ribs. I saw red and my fist flew to his face as quickly as I could land it.

I saw James fall to the ground and for a second I focused on the look of surprise and fear on his face. Finally, someone was standing up to him. It's what I should have done all along. I turned my attention back to Bella and lifted her up by placing one arm under each of her arms. I had to be careful with that wrist and her ribs. She had to be in pain. Once I knew she was ok I turned back to James, finally getting to say what I should have the time her came to campus to see her.

"Listen to me carefully because I will not say this twice. I have stood by and let you treat her in an inexcusable manner for almost a year now because she wanted to be with you. She does not want to be with you anymore, and I will not allow you to continue to treat her with such disrespect. Don't ever touch her again, and don't think for one minute that because Jake is no longer on this Earth that she has been left unprotected. You will find that you underestimate her ability to make friends and overestimate your ability to keep them. If I see you near her again, you're going to need more than a few stitches."

It is no secret that I am very protective over Bella. I am typically a pretty calm and mild tempered individual, but when Bella was concerned my temper could come out in a matter of milliseconds. I stood there for what seemed like forever, unable to get my temper in check. I eventually felt that familiar electricity on my arm and a gentle tug. I followed Bella and began calming down and focusing on something other than my anger.

Bella got a cup of ice for my hand and I looked down at it knowing that I had at least one broken bone, but I knew I would do it again in a heartbeat.

My angel sat there worrying over me, after everything she had just been through. I just couldn't understand it. I needed to know if she was really okay. How I was depended on her.

"You find your boyfriend cheating on you and get kicked in the midsection and yet you worry about me? Man, you are too good. How are you doing?" I grabbed her hand with my good hand and squeezed. I needed a connection with her. I needed her to be alright.

"I'm okay. I feel a strange sense of freedom." She never ceased to amaze me.

"Really? I thought you would be devastated."

"I knew it was over for a long time now, but did not have the courage to end it until I saw him cheating and got the shit kicked out of me. In a way, it's a blessing, but it still bruises the ego and the ribs."

She began holding her side and a look of pain flashed across her face, before she whipped it off. She was not fooling me, but I decided not the press her. My good hand reached towards her almost on it's own accord and brushed her soft cheek. She stopped trying to hide and tears streamed down her cheeks. She was opening up and trusting me like I could assume she had done with Jake. I began to brush the tears away.

"Are you really ok?" I asked brushing my thumb against her cheek.

"I'm having a little trouble breathing. Believe me when I say that these tears have everything to do with physical pain. I really am glad that I am not with him anymore. I fell out of love with him a long time ago." Before I knew what I was doing, my lips were on hers. It was a feeling more powerful than I had ever imagined. Electricity flowed through me. To my surprise, she was the one to deepen the kiss. Eventually, she pulled away and rested her forehead against mine. I mourned the loss of her immediately.

We walked away and worked on finishing our shopping. As the day progressed, an overwhelming fear hit me. I did not want to be the most recent version of James. I did not want Bella to be with me just because I saved her from James. I could not be her rebound guy. It would rip me to shreds. I needed it to be more than that I needed to know that she was over Jake and James. I needed time, and I needed to figure out how to do that without losing her.

A/N JAMES IS GONE! YAY! Hope you all enjoy. I need more reviews!