AN - Hey again, and thank so much for your wonderful reviews! I'm glad I'm not the only one who enjoyed watching Laurent get tortured like that. I had way too much fun with that part. And for the record, yes I have watched the MTV coverage and am pretty much going to melt into a pile of useless goo at the movie theatre.

Today's chapter is a bit shorter, and I apologize in advance. I might print it out and come back to add more, but for now, here's what you get. Please don't hate me. :)

Characters to SM, as always.

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Chapter 21

I am so whipped, I thought to myself as I raced home to let Carlisle and Esme know where we were. I wanted to get in and out of that house as fast as possible, so I could get back to Bella's side.

My foster parents didn't put up any argument, they just nodded and told me to be careful. They were genuine, their thoughts were only worried for our safety, they didn't feel the need to dwell on why we weren't going to be coming home, nor did they feel the urge to lecture me about morality. We had our own rules to live by. Well, live in a theoretical sense. Our rule was that if we felt like we were in the right, and that we could live with ourselves after we had done whatever we were debating, then we would be ok.

We tried to follow human rules as much as possible, but sometimes it just isn't feasible. Or in this case, desirable. Never being held accountable for your actions except by oneself tends to change the perspective.

I zipped back to the hotel, carefully sticking to the shadows. I heard the briefest whispers on the streets about the screams that Laurent had so deliciously produced for us. Several men had run to the site where the screams were heard from, but there was nothing to be found. Of course there wouldn't be. A vampire as old and practiced as I am does not leave a trace.

Bella's window was still open and I climbed through it. She was lying on the bed, seemingly pretending to sleep again. She must have heard me come in and opened one eye. She patted the space next her and, closing her eyes again, said, "Come sit by me."

Who was I to object? I closed the window behind me and sat next to her, one leg crossed in front of me and the other still hanging off the side of the bed. "Are you trying to sleep again?" I guessed softly, looking down at her small form curled up beside me.

She sighed and opened her eyes, but didn't look up to meet me, "No. I was trying to wipe that memory away. Of tonight. I don't want that man in my head."

"I'm sorry," I said, truly feeling it, "I wish I could take it away from you. But you'll find your vampire memory is perfect. We never forget."

"Never forget? Anything?"

"Well," I sighed, "Memories you acquired as a human will fade away with enough time, since they were formed before you were changed. Your brain works a little differently now."

She smiled wryly, "I noticed." She looked down at her hands, the hands that transferred her pain and memories away.

For what I did next, I can only say it came from the after-thrill of the hunt, and the stillness of the night, and knowing that we were completely alone. In any other circumstances, I would have to remember to keep my distance, to remain proper and upright. And distance, that ever important distance that was rapidly becoming less and less important. I wanted nothing more than to be near to her.

"Oh, Bella," I sighed softly, and lifted one hand to stroke her hair.

It was as soft as I had imagined it, like the downy of a newborn chick. Its rich brown strands curled gently at the ends, from where she'd had it pinned up all day. It was luxurious, and unbelievably relaxing to just run my hands from start to finish.

She reacted well. She startled at first, her eyes flashing up to mine for the briefest of moments, but then she just sort of settled down to my ministrations. Her eyes drifted shut and her muscles relaxed from their tense curl. She was loose, comfortable.

Gradually, she inched closer, leaning into my hand so I could better reach. Soon her head was resting in my lap, and I leaned back against the headboard, stroking this gentle beauty.

My bare hand would touch her scalp now and then, but even in her relaxation, she had her firm wall up and I didn't get anything she didn't want me to get. But it was also then that I noticed I didn't feel the shock of her skin against mine. It was more of a release.

It was like I had been holding my breath, and by touching her I could release it, I could breath in and out properly. It felt so comfortable and natural that I could not believe it. I'd never felt like that before, I'd never known someone who could put me at ease simply by touching me.

It felt good.

I never wanted to move. And until sunrise, I got my wish.

Not long after the sun had broken past the horizon, a shrill shriek pierced the air. The maid sent to wake Laurent up had found his body.

"They're coming to check on you," I whispered quickly and regretfully stood from my comfortable position. "It's time to wake up."

"What should I do?" She asked, looking a bit flustered. Even after not spending the night not sleeping, she still was clearly not a morning person.

"Act surprised. Tell them to call for me, and I'll come get you. Say you think it's too dangerous here or something."

"You won't take long will you?" She looked anxious. I couldn't understand why, she was more than capable of doing this.

"You won't have time to miss me," I smiled, and emboldened by the night I'd just spent so close to her, took her left hand, and bent over it, pressing my lips against it gently. "I'll even beat the message." I smiled again and jumped out the window, running just far enough away to be in human hearing range of the shriek so that I had an excuse for rushing back.

I didn't look at Bella's face before I left, but I knew mine was radiant with the thought that I had just kissed her hand.

I ran in through the front door of the inn, only to be greeted by the startled innkeeper.

"Edward Cullen! What are you doing here so early?" She looked frazzled.

"I was coming to fetch Marie for breakfast and heard a scream on my way over, so I rushed here as fast as I could." I switched to Bella's fake name. I still hadn't asked her about that… "Has something happened?" I feigned a worried expression.

"Never mind all of that. Go tend to Miss Marie. She must be beside herself with fright."

"What happened? Please tell me," I urged. I wanted to have a legitimate reason for knowing all that I did. I rarely made the mistake of saying too much, but it never hurt to have a buffer.

"Oh, I suppose you'll hear it all soon enough. It's terrible," she said wringing her hands, "Mr. Laurent was found this morning stone cold dead."

"No," I gasped, hiding my delight.

She nodded, excited to share this juicy bit of gossip firsthand, "And what's more, it's seems as if every bone in his body was broken. But he was locked in his room! There was no way for anyone to get in and out of there, and he couldn't have done that to himself!"

"Is everyone else alright?"

She saw through my question, "Miss Marie is a little frightened, but other than that perfectly alright."

I excused myself and jogged up the stairs to Bella's room, where she was pacing anxiously. I'd only been gone a moment, but it felt so much longer. I took her hands in mine, once again feeling the release that simply being near her seemed to provide me.

"Are you alright?" I asked, partially for the sake of our audience – the maid was still standing in the doorway, making sure Bella was calming down - and partially for true worry. I had never seen her acting skills before and I couldn't tell if the worry etched on her face was real or not.

It turns out that she was a lousy actress. I felt the briefest prick of fear at her touch before she could cover it up, and she didn't relax even after the maid left.

"Bella, what's the matter? I'm here now, we're okay." I was truly baffled as to what could have upset her so much.

"No, I'm sorry, I'm just being silly," she tried unsuccessfully to reassure me.

Bella," I said, having none of that. I turned her face to mine, only a few inches separated us. "Tell me."

"You'll laugh at me."

"I highly doubt that." She still didn't say anything. It was unbearable, not knowing what was causing her pain. "Speak, Bella."

She tore her gaze away from mine, focusing on her hands. "I was worried about you," she finally admitted in a small voice.

"About me?" That was not the response I was expecting.

"You could have been seen in the wrong place or not seen in the right place or they wouldn't buy your story for how you got here so fast or you'd run off or I don't know," she babbled off, somewhat incoherently.

I couldn't help it, I had to laugh just a little. She tried to step away, indignant, but I tightened my grip on her wrists. "I'm sorry Bella," I apologized, a smile still on my lips. "It's just that you're worrying about the wrong things, if you need to be worrying at all."

I loosened my grip and moved to hold her tightly clenched hands. I lightly kissed her knuckles again. "You only need to be worried about yourself. My only worry is about you."

She didn't have anything to say to that, but she stopped struggling to get away from me and stood stock still, staring up at me, trying to see if I was really telling the truth. I was, of course, so there was nothing for her to see but pure sincerity.

The easy silence between us was broken with a loud commotion just outside the door. The police had arrived to investigate the scene next door. The police…oh no! Bella's father! He would recognize her instantly, blowing everything. Bella felt me tense up and it was her turn to pester me with questions asking what was wrong.

"We need to get out of here." I said stiffly. "And quickly."

I waited just long enough for Chief Swan to enter the room next door before we exited our own. With a hurried explanation to the innkeeper that, given the circumstances "Marie" would be staying at our home and there was no need to hold the room for her any longer. The innkeeper nodded in understanding, but couldn't keep the thoughts of disappointment from her mind as business flew out the door.

We made it home, and the latest gossip seemed to beat us there.

Esme gathered us both up in her arms, "Are you both alright?"

"We're fine, Mother," I said with a grin. "How did you find out so fast?"

She let go of us, "Carlisle was working at the clinic and a call came in when someone heard screaming. The rescue team has been out all night looking for the source and Carlisle was covering their shifts, since he was too valuable to be out wandering the streets."

"Hmm. They didn't find anything, of course, though. Did they?"

"No, nothing. They're all completely baffled."

"Good." I looked at Bella. She looked very tired but still high-stung with nerves. I turned back to Esme, "I think we're going to take a break for awhile and go running."

"Be careful not to be seen." She cautioned, "It's cloudy out, but still bright enough to see you."

I waved that off and turned to Bella, "Are you ready for a jog?"

She smiled, her face lighting up, "Yes, please!"

We headed into the woods, sprinting at full speed, releasing all the pent-up energy and nerves. The rushing wind against our faces seemed to whip away our concerns and it was just the two of us, running free.