A/N: Did you know that on Word they don't except Volturi, but vulture is the top suggestion? Seems a little fishy to me…

Song For This Chapter: Hands Of Time- Rachel Diggs

BPOV

I felt it come over me in a wave, with no advance notice of the sort. One second I was just there, dying in the fact that Renee was coming to visit, and then I needed to cut. It was the natural reaction to a situation of stress, but one that, for the most part, at least, I had learned to control. I briefly recovered myself enough to exit the house with a slight goodbye to Charlie, and though it was awkward, at least I was out.

Outside, I was met with a very distressed looking Edward. As I took the last step down from the porch, I felt the need to cut hit in full intensity, as I knew would come. The intense, gnawing craving set in, and like a heroine addict that needed her fix, I became instantly unfocused. I needed to cut. I needed to freaking cut.

It was almost like a literal pain, and it was hard to fight the urge to run back inside and grab anything I could find—but I knew I would never get that far with Edward watching me. I felt my breathing become erratic- the normal symptom, for me at least.

And this should be perfectly natural. It had been a while since my last cut, and added on with all the stress I'd been feeing lately, it was enough to make me feel dizzy. Upon this realization, I gradually sunk down to the ground and closed my eyes, willing the spinning to stop and the ringing to cease its racket in my ears.

Like coming out of a trance, Edward was at my side in an instant, hands outstretched as if to take away whatever was hurting me.

He was careful with me, and I realized that he probably thought I was still just upset over Charlie's confrontation.

"Okay?" Edward asked gently, and I could barely detect a strained hint in his voice. Desperation? I urged my mind to come up with something logical to say in response to his inquiry, but it just wouldn't function. He knelt down next to me, onto the bare cement.

"I'm sorry this has become a pretty screwed up mess," he told me, and I laughed at his word choice. Though Edward would deny it for the rest of eternity, I knew some of the more modern vocabulary was getting mixed into his eloquent tongue.

He smiled, too, and in an instant I was in his arms as he loaded me into his shiny silver Volvo. The strain was still there, just as the urge to cut still hung around in my brain.

The heat upon entering his car only caused my shivers to become more palpable. Damn that car.

I started to speak, but didn't get the chance to finish, as per usual.

"We have to go to my house, Bella," Edward said as he took his spot in the driver seat. My forehead wrinkled in confusion. We had school, and I had to get to Jake's later.

An icy thought filled my brain. What if-

"It's not about you," Edward interjected, making me sigh in relief. But then upon farther thought, he added, "Though... though maybe that would be a good idea. Kill two birds with one stone, as you say." He flashed me that crooked smile, and from my dizzying vision I had the impulse to tell him that no, it was not a very good idea- even though my heart was soaring from that smile…

But I still hadn't recovered enough to speak, and he finally seemed to notice this, or, well, notice it more.

"Bella, are you okay now, love? You seem very pale." Ha, I wanted to add. Good one, Edward—because it's not like I'm pale every single day of my life. Very funny.

Instead I just kept on with my near-hyperventilation, until finally I had mustered up the strength (and courage) needed to ask him what I really wanted to know. What was really preoccupying my thoughts. Clearly, my attention span was that of a squirrel's.

"Did you take away my razors? Or was that Charlie?" I breathed out. He gaped at my sudden question, clearly finding something hard to believe. After a moment he recovered himself, if just barely.

"You were looking for them?" Edward spat at me, and this time I felt as if I fully deserved the venom in his voice.

I should have waited for Jake's, I truly should have. I had a few spare hidden around his house where Billy wouldn't find them, and I knew that I'd be going today. So really, why had it seemed so important to make sure I had them last night? I hung my head at his words, and he let out a long breath before turning on some Debussy and heading in the direction of his house.

Despite the circumstance, the drive was lovely. Over time I'd grown accustomed to the never changing greenery that was Forks, and how the barely-there sun made everything sparkle, including Edward's skin. Neither of us felt the need to say much, and though it was spent mostly in silence, save for the occasional 'You ate something, right?' or 'How did you sleep?' (Horribly, but of course I didn't tell him that) it was nice to be in the company of somebody I loved, who at least said that he loved me back. I still wasn't quite ready to believe him, though I'd told him countless times before that I did. It just…not after last time. I wouldn't open up so fast, I couldn't. We'd said we loved each other and he'd left me. After those dark months of his absence, it was like his words had lost some of his value. I still couldn't trust him.

We arrived at his house five minutes before school would have been starting, and I looked at him curiously yet again, for he still hadn't explained to me the reason for us being here instead of school.

I was proud that I had mostly recovered, or at least controlled myself enough that I was no longer shaky- though the need to cut still burned in the back of my brain. Stupid Cullen's, I thought. It hadn't been like this until I'd told Edward, God I still couldn't believe I could have done that! And it had only been yesterday? Unbelievable. I stopped cold in my tracks as I realized what I was coming up against: Alice.

Alice would have told the rest of his family, as was his request. She definitely would have, right? And Carlisle was a friggen' doctor! I'd be in therapy in no time if he could help it, and he'd probably assign someone to 'watch me' so I couldn't… Crap. Just crap. I'd had enough of doctors to last me a lifetime back in Phoen-

I stopped short in my thoughts. Why was I thinking about that again? I couldn't. I wasn't supposed to. I groaned.

I was interrupted from my thoughts again by Edward, who had apparently been trying to get my attention for a while now judging from the look on his face. He rolled his eyes at my feigned innocence, then helped me out of the car before he led me up the steps to his house.

"I told you before, this really isn't about you." Edward said. He spoke slowly, glancing at me every so often as we walked up the long driveway. "I mean, that's not promising that it won't be, um, later. But this time," he sighed, "we have bigger problems to worry about."

I stared at him in shock. Why the hell was he telling me this now?

"The uh, The Volturi are on there way, Bella." I gaped at him. "Not for you!" He quickly cut in, "But...but while there here," he breathed, and it clicked into place for me instantly.

"They might as well kill two birds with one stone," I whispered, throwing his earlier line back at him. He pulled me in for a hug then, and though I was starting to shake- for who knows what reason, this time- I heard him whisper my safety.

"I won't let anything happen to you. You know that. I love you, Bella, and I'd die for you my love." I breathed in the sweet smell of his skin, mentally preparing myself for the long day ahead.

From behind me, I heard the low grumbling of something that brought an instant smile to my face.

"And apparently, others would as well," Edward deadpanned. With that said, I stepped back from his embrace and looked into the eyes of a large, russet colored wolf, also known as my former best friend, Jacob Black.