I'm back, lovelies! :) My vacations were funnnnnnn...whoooo...so...WARNING: MANY MISTAKES...with that said...enjoy :)

The words hung between them like the smoky haze of breath exhaled into chilled air. The torrent raged around her, roaring in her ears, blinding her of everything except him. Each bead of rain that splattered against her skin felt like the prick of a pin. Her shoes sank into the dampening ground, soaking through the thin mesh and muddying her socks. A chill crept up her back as her clothes clung to her skin, hair plastered against her forehead and cheeks.

She watched silently as his face fell, as the glimmer of the flame of hope in his eyes flickered before being extinguished. She watched his lips part to say something, saw his fingers itch to reach toward her. She saw all of this, and she ran. Puddles sloshed up onto her pants, her hair blocked what little was left of her sight, but she didn't slow down. Her heart cracked when he called her name, his voice a shout of agony. She turned around one last time, seeing him stare after her, green eyes wide. She'd never been so thankful for the rain before. Because when it was raining, nobody could see your tears.

X.O.X.O.X

She groped for the key where she knew it was hidden in the plant, frustrated as she pushed her hair out of her eyes and jammed the jagged edge into the lock, willing the door open with a protesting groan. Charlie wouldn't be home. He spent most of his time with Billy Black, catching up on their fondest memories with a can of beer and a bag of chips. For once, she was thankful for his absence. She kicked off her sopping shoes, leaving them on the porch and stomping into the kitchen, dripping raindrops and tears onto the linoleum floor. Leaning against the counter, everything was so familiar. The shapes and colors of the aged appliances, the chips and cracks in the countertops, the rusty hinges and askew cabinet doors—it was normal, comforting even. Best of all, it was nothing like the high-scale kitchen she used at Edward's house.

She wrung out her t-shirt in the sink, watching the liquid swirl down the drain before hanging it over a chair. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the hallway mirror, cringing away from the Bella that peered back at her. Gone were her curious eyes, her pink cheeks and small smile. Instead, her face was stiff from the salt of her tears, her eyes swollen and red. The pain she was feeling was bringing back her savage memories from so long ago. She couldn't do that to herself. Flinching away from the reflective surface, she combed her fingers through her hair, feeling the familiar pull of untangling knots, shivering as droplets of rain dripped down her bare back, racing each other to the floor.

What was Edward Cullen doing to her? Had she been silly to accept the position knowing full well who Edward Cullen was? What he could do? She gripped the back of the chair tightly, the knuckles of her hands turning even whiter with the pressure. She looked down at her side, seeing the long and thin pink scars that littered her abdomen. Images flashed across her mind. Cold blue eyes eying her appreciatively. The glint of a knife blade shivering in the moonlight. There was a loud thump, and Bella soon realized that it was her falling to the ground. She tried to clamber back to a standing position, but it was too light. The nightmares were encompassing her, leaving her to try to claw free of the brutality.

"Hey, Belly-B," the boy with the kind smile said from behind the counter. Bella returned his grin as she started in his direction, passing aisle after aisle of camping and hiking equipment. His blond hair was cropped short from his summer at boot camp, his blue eyes sparkling with delight. Everything around her stopped as she ran at him, watching his arms spread wide to engulf her in his embrace.

The arms surrounding her were so familiar, yet so different. They had the same funny freckles dotting the tanned skin, the same silly scar from falling off the swings when he was twelve. Yet, they were stronger, filled out with thick muscle. His blue veins were more pronounced, his fingernails broken and dirty, but he was still Mike. He was still hers. She rested her cheek against the rough canvas of his uniform, tracing the letters of his name patch with her fingertips, feeling his kneading into the small of her back. "I missed you," she mumbled into his chest, feeling his even breaths below her face. He seemed to have grown over the summer, but he still smelled exactly as Mike always had, manly with the tiniest hint of vanilla.

She felt him plant a kiss on her temple before he pulled back. "Did you?" His eyes were genuinely concerned that she didn't miss him. His expression darkened for a moment, but her quickly covered it up with a smile. She felt her curls brush her shoulders as she nodded quickly, feeling his fingers tighten around her upper arms and lead her into the storage room. It was Mike's mother's shop, someplace they'd always been together, especially when they had the same work hours in high school.

The lock clicked as he turned a key in the handle, shoving the door open and springing the dust motes free. Bella had to hold her breath to prevent herself from coughing as she followed him into the dimly lit room. The door shut with a dull thud behind the pair, shrouding them in darkness momentarily before Mike reached up and pulled the chain connected to a naked bulb. A yellow, flickering light pierced her eyes, illuminating shelves of cardboard boxes. The storage room was five degrees colder than the rest of the store. Bella shivered.

There was a rustling that drew her attention back to Mike, his usually content expression now replaced with a more somber one. "Bella," he said, letting out a shaking breath. It blew over her skin, warm in comparison to the room. "I've come to realize that I, I love you." Bella stopped breathing momentarily, watching him twitch uncontrollably, something he did when he was nervous. They'd never said those words before, not even before he left for basic training. Bella felt her own eyes widen and did her best to shield her shock.

"I, I love you, too," she quickly replied, blinking away her doubts. His mouth lifted into a small smile, and he stepped closer to her, reaching one hand into his pocket and bringing the other to the hem of his jacket.

"When I was at Basic, I realized that even more, and I, I just wanted to profess my love for you." She stared in horror as he lifted the edge of his uniform, puckered, red lines spelling out the letters of her name, flakes of crimson blood at the edges.

"Mike!" she yelled, lifting the fabric up to expose even more. Hearts and stars and other crude images were carved into the once smooth flesh of his belly. She gingerly reached out and touched one of the marks. "What have you done to yourself?" She splayed her fingers across a tracing of a handprint, it matched hers exactly, and she shied into the wall.

"Shhh, Belly-B. All the guys at their girls are doing it. This is what love is." The way he said it, so sure, so confident, made Bella want to vomit.

"Mike, love isn't pain." She watched his other hand emerge from his pants' pocket, a small Swiss Army knife clutched in his fingers. She backed flat up against the wall, his eyes boring down on her face. He pressed his hips against hers, firmly holding her against the wall as he raised her shirt, discarding it to the side before flipping open the blade and resting the cool metal against her smooth flesh.

"Isn't it, Belly-B?"

Edward

"Emmett!" he hollered, his fist banging against the wood of the door. "Gosh, darn it! EMMETT, OPEN THE DANG DOOR!" He beat it harder, his control slipping a little with each connection. He was mid-swing when the door swung open, revealing a rather mussed looking Emmett. His short, dark hair was tangled and knotted, his lips slightly puffier than normal, his shirt missing. There was a look of annoyance on his face.

"Can this wait? I'm kind of busy." Edward pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and middle finger, really not wanting Emmett to elaborate on what busy meant. Without asking for permission, Edward shoved his way past his best friend, hearing something being mumbled about the black eye making Edward lose his manners. He stalked to the kitchen of the apartment, throwing himself into the nearest chair and resting his head in his arms.

"I messed up, bro," he said, the crook of his elbow doing nothing to soften the pain in his voice.

He heard Emmett come over and sink down next to him, giving him an awkward pat on the back, which Edward shrugged off. "Come on, man. You know as well as I do that that shot was cheap." Edward tilted his head toward his friend, giving him a what-the-hek look. "We are talking about your football career. Aren't we?" Edward slapped his palm against the table, scooting back the chair and getting to his feet in one swift motion.

"No, Emmett! I am not talking about football anymore. I don't even care about football! If this dang sling ends my career, you know what? I don't care! All I can think about is her! And I messed it up!" He exhaled, his shoulders shaking with inner rage. He dropped his gaze to injured arm and sighed. "I messed it all up."

Emmett's face had paled, his eyes widening at Edward's sudden outburst. "Aw, man. I have no idea what to say. I—"

"You don't have to say anything, Emmett," Edward said, lifting his green gaze to his friend's. "You just have to tell me where she is." Confusion was prominent in the huskier friend's features.

"She…" Edward scrubbed his hands over his face, his nostrils flaring with irritation.

"Bella, Emmett. I want to know where Bella is." This time, Edward dodged the fist, expertly ducking to avoid the connection. As Emmett steadied himself, having been thrown off balance by his punch, he glared down Edward. A flash of blond appeared from Emmett's bedroom door, and Edward's eyebrows pinched together.

"You're breaking the bro-code by doing this," Emmett said in a measured tone, hauling Edward back to a standing position. Edward shook off his friend's touch, still staring at the girl in the doorframe, dressed in one of Emmett's t-shirts that fit her like a dress.

"Just tell me where I can find her, Emmett. Please." He tore his gaze away from the tall girl with blond curls to plead with his friend, his hand clamping down on his shoulder. Emmett stood motionless for a moment, glaring at Edward. Edward could see the ripples of his tense muscles, the bead of sweat condensing on his temple, the pulse of his vein in his forehead.

Through gritted teeth, Emmett growled, "You don't get to fall in love with my sister, Edward." Emmett looked taken aback when Edward simply chuckled, his eyes skimming over the curious girl again, amazed that the world really was in fact small. "Why the hek are you laughing, Edward? Are you a lunatic?"

Edward chuckled once more before clearing his throat, nodding his head in the direction of Emmett's bedroom, where the girl had disappeared to. "Now, Emmett, your command seems to be very hypocritical. You gave me this black eye because you thought that your sister was coming home with me. Just now you were about to make my face symmetrical because I am falling in love with your sister. Why is it that I can't love your sister, but you can love mine?"

Muahahaha...anybody remember the "Mike" incident from the first chapter...:) I'm evil...alright...review, lovelies...