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A/N: I was asked how many chapters I thought there were to go. Well, that depends. I'm stuck on chapter 14, but once I get through that one, there will probably be a few more. (Theoretically. I haven't thought through it too much yet.) It depends on whether you people want me to continue it and if I can come up with some ideas for it. By the way, great response for chapter ten. I'm posting a little earlier than usual because of that. I'm really glad you all liked it.

THE TWILIGHT MOVIE COMES OUT NOVEMBER 21ST!! I'm not kidding. I didn't believe it at first, but I checked the official movie website and it's TRUE!! Three weeks early!! How cool is that!? XD

CH. 11-On the Run

Bella's POV

I waited nervously in Carlisle's Mercedes. I hoped that my mother wouldn't show up now while I was alone and take me away. I stared intently at the door of the station waiting for Carlisle to come out.

I didn't have to wait long. He stormed out and climbed agilely into his car. He stuffed the keys that I left in his seat into the ignition and stomped on the accelerator. He stared silently out the windshield. I noticed that we weren't going to my house to get my stuff, but I didn't want to say anything. He must've noticed my discomfort, because he told me that Alice had already cleaned out my room. Duh, how stupid of me to forget. Of course Alice would've already seen this and done anything she could to help. I had forgotten how much of a blessing she could be during times like these. "Is everyone else back, too, then?" I asked.

"Yes. Their flight landed about an hour ago."

After we arrived at the Cullen mansion, I hadn't so much as opened the car door when Alice yanked me out into a fierce hug. "I missed you, too, Alice," I said patting her spiky hair.

"We have to go shopping!" she squealed.

"Uh, now's not the time."

"Of course not, but tomorrow is another day."

I groaned—nothing could dampen her mood—and Emmett came out to greet me with another suffocating hug followed by Rosalie. I was amazed. Rosalie had actually given me, Bella Swan, a hug. I smiled like and idiot and hugged her back. Esme took Rosalie's place as soon as it was vacated. "We've all missed you so much, Bella." Her cool breath tickled my neck.

"I'm just glad you're back; it took you long enough," I said in a light, teasing tone.

"We would've come back sooner, but someone wouldn't let us—not mentioning any names. We wouldn't have left in the first place if Edward wasn't such a moron." That's Emmett for ya.

I smiled at him, but it was short-lived. My mind kept drifting back to Edward. I knew it was irrational, that nothing was going to happen to him, but I was still afraid. I didn't want to lose him again.

"So what's this I hear about you being in a coma for a month?" Carlisle asked me. I blushed. Esme looked shocked. Rosalie and Emmett simply stared at me, and Alice and Jasper smiled encouragingly at me.

I couldn't tell them. "Ask Alice or Jasper." I ran upstairs into Edward's—and now mine, presumably—room and sat down on his leather sofa. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. His scent lingered in the room. I sighed, and when I opened my eyes, Esme was standing in the doorway, obviously distressed. "We never should have listened to him, Bella. I'm so sorry for everything you've been through, for the pain we've caused you."

"You were forgiven the moment you came back." I got up and walked over to her and hugged her again. She stifled a sob in my shoulder.

"It still doesn't excuse what we've done."

"Let's just keep the past in the past and focus on the present, okay?"

"Whatever you say. Now let's get my son back."

"I was thinking the exact same thing." I smiled at her and we walked downstairs to find the rest of the family sitting silently staring off somberly into space. "Who died?" I was trying to break the tense atmosphere.

Emmett turned to look at me with pain-filled eyes. "You almost did, Bella. You almost died because we left. How can you even look at us right now?"

I looked down, the blush returning to my cheeks. "I care about you more than my own life. It's that simple," I said looking up to meet his gaze.

Not one of them knew what to say to that. Even Emmett was speechless—a very rare occurrence. The atmosphere was tense, and I had to escape it. I walked to the door and announced that I was going for a walk. No one made any move to stop me, so, after donning my jacket, I walked outside and headed wherever my feet took me.

Edward's POV

The feeling of loneliness returned the moment she walked out the door. I stared after her longingly. I backed up until I felt the cement wall against my back and sank to the ground with a sigh. I brought my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around my legs hiding my face from view. I coughed a little trying to hold back the torrent of sobs that wanted to tear from me. "I'm so sorry, Bella," I murmured. I tried to tune out the thoughts of everyone around me so that I could wallow in my sorrow in peace, but the deputy's train of thought caught my interest.

What is wrong with Chief Swan? It's clear that Cullen cares about her. Even I can see that Bella means the world to him. Doesn't the Chief see that he's hurting Bella more than he did by putting her through all of this? This is getting way out of hand. No kidding—I'd have never guessed. Kidnapping—you've got to be kidding me. The next thing we know, the Chief will be trying for the death penalty. I've got to do something. Oh, the Chief's gonna kill me.

I looked up when I heard a key clicking in the lock. The deputy looked down at me with nervous and apologetic eyes. "Hurry up, you don't have much time. Chief Swan might notice you're gone any minute." I stared at him for a moment, at a complete loss for words. "Get out of here! Go to her!" He gestured madly towards the door and looked nervously over his shoulder. A smile broke out across my face. I couldn't believe it. The deputy was undermining the sheriff. I jumped up, overjoyed that I could get back to Bella, and ran towards the door. I shook his hand very exuberantly and gave him my thanks over and over again. "GO!" His voice was a loud whisper. He didn't have to tell me again. "Oh, and if anyone asks, the door just happened to be unlocked!"

I smiled back over my shoulder. "Got it." Once outside, I noticed that my Volvo was in the lot—how convenient. That must be how Bella had gotten here. Thoughts of my car wrapped around a tree or rolled over in a ditch flashed through my mind. What made them all the worse were images of Bella broken and bloodied in the wreckage. Bella and that much horsepower would get along similar to water and electricity. I shuddered at the thought. I jumped into the driver's seat and brought the engine to life. I could smell Jasper's scent—strange. He had never driven my car that I was aware of. The lightbulb clicked on in my head. Jasper had driven Bella here. I relaxed immediately—what a relief. I'd have to thank him later. I was on the run from the law; I was a fugitive. I nearly laughed at the thought—running from false charges.

I wasn't thinking when I tore out of the parking lot, eager to get home, and made the tires squeal. That was really stupid. Charlie might realize that I was missing sooner than was safe. I gunned the engine once I was on the highway anyway. If he was coming after me, I might as well have a head start.

The whole way back to the house, I was thinking of where Bella and I could go to get away from this whole ordeal. I wasn't about to take a very human Bella to Denali, so I had to think of another secluded place flourishing with wildlife. The best choice was probably somewhere in Canada. I wanted to take her far away from all of this chaos. I just wanted us to be alone together so that we could focus on repairing our relationship—the one that I had so foolishly torn apart.

The first thing that alerted me to the fact that Charlie had realized I was gone were the sirens wailing in the distance, but now, when I looked in my rearview mirror, I saw flashing lights pursuing me. How the hell had he caught up to me?! There was no way—it just wasn't feasible. I looked closer at the driver and noticed that it wasn't Charlie, just another officer. Of all the times I could have been caught for speeding, it just had to be now, didn't it? I pressed harder on the accelerator and got further ahead of the police cruiser. I heard a radio transmission go through, and slightly slowed down to hear it better. Charlie had figured out I was gone. Realization dawned on the officer's face and he told them that he was following me—wonderful. I had heard all that I needed to hear and floored it. I whipped out my cell phone and dialed the house. Emmett picked up. "Hello?"

"Emmett, get Bella out of there. I've got all of Fork's Police Department after me, and Charlie will take her any chance he gets." Silence. "Emmett, what's going on? Where's Bella?" I yelled.

"Umm, she went on a walk about a half hour ago."

"You idiot! Why on Earth would you let her go alone?! Go find her!"

"I'm on it. By the way, how'd you get out without exposing us? And couldn't you have done it a little more inconspicuously? The cops are the last thing we need on our trail."

"The deputy let me go, now GO FIND BELLA!" I heard him call to everyone and tell them the situation, and then nothing. He had hung up on me. Oh well, at least he wasn't wasting any time—for once.

I raced up the driveway a short while later. They were still right behind me, and I jumped out of the car as soon as it had stopped, leaving it running and the door open. I couldn't hear anyone's thoughts from inside, so I took off towards the woods at a very fast, yet believable, human speed until I hit the trees and then sped up considerably. Through his thoughts, I knew that the officer had radioed in that I had fled into the trees. Could this day get any better?

A/N: Can it? Only I know! Review!