Hello Lovelies! I need to apologize for the length of time past since the last update. I wish I had a better excuse than just RL in general, but that's all I got.

Check the bottom for a little response to a question/concern raised in a "guest" review. Unfortunately, with "guest" reviews I am not able to reply to those to respond to questions/concerns. Because I felt this particular one needed addressing I will do that at the bottom of the chapter.

To my superbeta, Jessica1971, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You're awesome, hon! MWAH!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, it all belongs to SM. No copyright infringement is intended with this work of fiction. I'm just appreciative that SM allows us to play around with her characters.

Enjoy ...

Someone Like You

Edward watched as Bella ended a call and lowered her hand to her side. She stood before the double French doors that led out onto the deck, her back to him. Bright red-gold light streamed through the glass, setting her deep auburn hair on fire. Even pulled back in a simple ponytail, it still hung in a soft wave to the middle of her back. His hands itched to pull the tie out, watch it fall, and then run through it repeatedly. Preferably, while they were both naked and he was buried deep inside her body. He bit back a groan at that thought.

Remi's head popped up and he stared at Edward as if he knew what was on his mind at that moment. Edward mouthed the words, "Sue me." Remi huffed and Edward would have sworn, were it possible, Remi would have rolled his eyes before he returned to watching Bella from his bed across the room.

What could Edward say? He certainly wasn't going to deny his desire for Bella, not even to the dog. Nor could he continue to ignore his frustrations with their current situation. While it was true they were living in the same house, sleeping in the same bed, that's all that had been going on in aforementioned bed—sleep. Between the presence of Bella's father in the house, the stress of the current situation, and just general fatigue, they had not had sex in quite some time.

It wasn't as if Bella was the one to initiate sex on a regular basis, but she was always more than ready with the slightest indication on his part. When he had approached her several days before, she had been receptive and seemed to enjoy his attention. Now he wasn't so sure.

True, their relationship had hit a speed bump and they'd fought because of his idiocy weeks before, but they had moved past that. Or more, they were working toward moving past that incident. That is, until he'd received the call from Stefan. Then again, if he really thought about it, there had been something off with Bella for days.

Maybe there was more to what was going on here than just the situation with Demetri. Was it possible that's why he had made such a confession to Charlie? Was it the unsettling sensation that Bella were distancing herself from him? It wasn't in any tangible way he could explain or put a name to, exactly. He could simply feel it; she was withdrawing from everyone. Well, that just wouldn't do.

He needed to remedy that situation—now.

Before he thought further about his actions, Edward crossed the room. Gently, he reached out and placed both hands on Bella's shoulders. She gasped, going rigid before recognizing his touch and releasing a sigh.

"Bella," he whispered, placing a kiss just behind her ear. A very satisfied smile spread when he felt her shiver.

He began to knead the muscles in her shoulders, frowning slightly at the amount of tension there. They were incredibly tight. His hands moved down her back, thumbs gliding along the delicate canyon created by the muscles on either side of her spine, adding a little extra pressure and circling the tighter spots as he went. A low moan of ecstasy was his reward.

Damn, he thought and swallowed, making a valiant—albeit pointless—attempt to slap a lid on his reaction to that sound coming from his woman.

"Um," he said, clearing his throat. "When I came in you were on the phone. Were you talking to your mom?"

Bella shook her head slowly. "No, I was following my dad's advice."

"Your dad's advice?" Edward asked, surprised. She had suddenly decided to listen to something her father suggested. Lord knew she had done little else they had asked recently.

"It was my psychologist," she said. "I made an appointment for next week."

Although he had agreed with Charlie's suggestion, and had made the same one a few days before, her reaction had certainly not been acquiescence. He wasn't sure how to respond. Not wanting to upset her with an inane reply, he simply hummed in acknowledgement and continued to work the taut muscles of her back.

Bella turned to face him, her hands ghosted over the contours of his chest to rest on his shoulders. The smile on her face was heartbreakingly sweet. He slid his hands along her back, coming to rest at the top of her hips. His fingers slipped under the hem of her top, playing delicately along the soft skin above the waistband of her pajama pants.

A hum rumbled deep in his chest as his eyes roamed her face, dropping to take in the view. From his vantage point, her cleavage was on full display in the tiny tank top she was wearing.

Bella moved against him, creating a sinful amount of friction. Her expression was one of complete innocence, though he knew that without a doubt she was aware of exactly what she was doing to him. His excitement was clear for both of them as it pressed into her abdomen. He lowered his mouth to hers, unable to resist her luscious pink lips any longer.

Slowly, tenderly he told her without words how much he loved her. He smiled at her soft whimper when he moved away from her mouth, gliding over the curve of her chin, nipping softly at her jaw until he found the satin skin of her neck. He placed open-mouthed kisses there, making his way down along the column of her neck. Very gently, he sucked the skin between his lips, until her pulse jumped beneath his mouth.

Bella moaned quietly, her hips moved against him in a dangerously seductive slide over his erection. He slid his hands down to cup her bottom, holding her still.

"If you keep moving like that, baby," he murmured, "I won't be responsible for my actions."

Bella chuckled and leaned further into him. His heart soared at the sound. It had been far too long since he had heard her laugh. They definitely needed to get out of the house; to get away from everything going on around them for a little while and just be a couple. An idea hit him in that moment and he smiled.

"Why don't we get out of here for the night?" he asked, his voice thick and rough.

"Really?" she asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.

Edward chuckled, sliding his hands over her back. "Yes, really."

He kissed her mouth once more and then rested his forehead against hers. His hands moved to her hips in an attempt to keep her close but also stop her from moving against him anymore.

"I thought that since your dad is here," he said, "he wouldn't mind watching Remi for the night. We could take the Harley out and just see where we wind up."

Bella's eyes went wide and her body was completely rigid against him. She looked him in the eye, searching as if she couldn't believe what he'd said. It seemed as though she thought he were playing a trick on her.

He was surprised at her reaction and straightened, frowning as she continued to stare at him. "Bella?"

"You're serious?" she asked, softly.

"Very." He nodded, his frown deepening.

Her eyebrows shot up in astonishment. "You want to take your bike out—on a trip—with me—alone?" she asked. "As in, just the two of us and no one else."

"Yes," he said, uncertainty clear in his tone. "Why do you seem so surprised by that?"

"I'm not—that's not—um, okay, yeah, that's great. Let's do it. When do you want to leave?"

Bella turned her head, tried to pull away. Edward grasped her chin gently and forced her to look at him. When he had her attention, he asked, "What's going on, Bella?"

"Nothing," she said. Immediately she averted her eyes but not before emotions that he didn't understand flashed behind them. "I—I need to throw some stuff together. I doubt it would fly if we just up and left so you have some phone calls to make. You know to let everyone know what we're doing—where we're going."

She began trying to pull away again and Edward tightened his hold, not willing to let her go.

"Wait a minute. Don't do that, baby," he said, cupping her cheek in one palm while keeping one arm around her waist. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head, pressing her lips together in a tight line. Tears began to fill her eyes. One leaked from the corner and he wiped it away with a swipe of his thumb.

"Don't shut me out," he whispered. "Please, sweetheart, talk to me."

She opened and closed her mouth several times but no words came out. More tears followed the first. Her expression was utterly miserable and his heart broke.

"Do you not want to go? We don't have to, you know. It was just a thought. If you're afraid—"

"No!" Bella all but shouted, and she jerked out of his grasp. "No, I'm not afraid—not of going away with you. I want to go. God, I want nothing more—" she broke off when emotion overtook her and covered her face with both hands.

Not caring what the problem was, only knowing that he couldn't stand seeing his woman so broken, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Shh, baby," he cooed. "Please don't cry."

Kissing the top of her head, he breathed her in and held her close. Bella's arms snaked around his middle. Her hands curled in the fabric of his shirt at his lower back. She clung to him as though she was drowning and he was a floatation device. They stood there, wrapped in one another's arms for a long moment while Bella cried.

"You okay?" he asked after she seemed to have finally calmed.

She nodded her head without lifting it from his chest and he tightened his hold just a little more. Bella released a sigh and pulled back, resting her hands on his chest as she looked up at him. Every emotion possible swam behind the deep chocolate of her eyes. The one most prominent, the one that made his heart skip a beat, was the love shining there.

Unable to stop himself, Edward leaned down to cover her mouth with his in a soft kiss. Bella moaned and opened willingly when he ran his tongue along her bottom lip. God, how he loved her!

Reluctantly he slowed their kiss until it was no more than a series of chaste pecks, making Bella smile against his lips. Ultimately, that was his goal. She should smile, just like that, always.

"Can you tell me why you're crying?"

"I have a better idea," she whispered, stepping out of his embrace only to take his hand in hers and pull him through the doors onto the back deck.

With a deep sense of confusion, Edward followed as she led him to the chaise lounge. Bella turned to face him and he smiled.

"What are you—"

She placed a hand in the center of his chest, pushing until he fell into the seat. Though he continued to be confused as to what she was up to, his smile widened when Bella sat between his legs, snuggling into her favorite position against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her automatically. Without conscious thought, Edward dropped his nose to her hair and breathed in deeply.

A sigh of contentment slipped from his lips as comfort and familiarity washed over him. Sitting outside, either in early morning or late at night in that chair, just as they were at that moment was their thing. It suddenly occurred to him that weeks had passed since the last time they had done anything like that.

He frowned, thinking. As he did, he began to realize that since his epic fail regarding Heidi and the whole shit-storm surrounding Demetri's escape blew into their lives, the things that had been an integral part of their relationship had fallen to the way side. Light caresses in passing, meaningful looks, simply holding hands, or sitting together as they were at that moment. Little things that, in reality, weren't sexual at all. Those things had been missing from their lives recently.

They had been together almost constantly for the better part of close to two weeks, yet when the last time he held her for the simple joy of having her in his arms. Of course, he'd held her in an effort to offer apology for being such a complete ass the night of the charity ball. He'd given comfort and in support when she was upset since discovering the details of Demetri's escape. When had he spent any time with her as just what they were—a couple?

Bella had seen it, had feared their relationship was in danger. They had stopped putting their relationship first and allowed all the things happening in their life outside of that to come between them. He corrected his thoughts immediately; he had stopped. For lack of a better explanation, he couldn't see the forest for the trees so to speak. So wrapped up in making sure Bella was safe, he lost sight of everything else. It wasn't simply about Bella's physical safety—though that was of great importance—he'd failed to ensure she felt secure within their relationship. She wasn't pulling away from him she just wasn't sure what was happening to them. Obviously, she wasn't comfortable enough or she was simply unable to put it into words.

That's what she was trying to show him.

"I think I understand what you're trying to tell me," he said, his voice rough with emotion.

Bella shifted her position so that her chin rested on his chest and she could look into his eyes. "I've been so afraid, Edward," she whispered. "I don't mean of Demetri. Don't get me wrong, I'm terrified of what he's going to do. But it's more than that … I feel as if I'm such a burden to everyone. I don't want to be that to you or anyone. And—"

"Bella," he interrupted, placing a finger over her lips. "How can you even think that? I can't even put into words how important you are to me. I love you so much. It could never be a burden to make sure that monster is caught and put away before he hurts you or anyone else."

Her lips trembled beneath his fingertips. She reached up to close her fingers around his and pulled them away from her mouth. "We haven't been … us."

He nodded, his chest tightening with emotion as she confirmed what he'd only just realized himself.

"We've had maybe three conversations in the last couple of weeks that didn't revolve around either us fighting or all this mess. We used to go for runs every morning. We haven't done that in weeks. You're living here, and I'm so happy about that but it hasn't changed anything. We're no more than roommates right now and I know that's not fair but … I've felt so alone, Edward, even though you've been right here the whole time."

"God, baby, I never want you to feel like that," he said. "I'm so sorry."

"That's just it, I know you didn't intend for any of this to happen," she said as her breath caught. "I've been so angry. I'm so damn mad, at everything and everyone. It's not fair that you have to deal with this. You shouldn't have to worry about this stuff. You left Chicago because you didn't want to do this kind of work any longer. Thanks to me, you've been dragged right back into the thick of it. You've had to work with your ex-brother-in-law again for God's sake. You can't stand the man. It's only a matter of time before you finally realize it's too much, that it's not worth the hassle. That I'm not—"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," he said, his voice low and dark. Edward's eyes narrowed as his temper rose at the sheer insanity of what she was trying to say. "That is just about the most stupid thing I've ever heard. How could you even think such a thing?"

"It's not stupid!" Bella pushed away, sitting back on her heels between his bent knees. "It's not! It's true. Look at what it's doing to us so far. It's been little more than a few weeks and we're already drifting apart. I know you love me, but—"

"No, Bella," he said, his tone much softer. He reached out to frame her face between his palms and looked deeply into her eyes. "You listen to me. There is no 'but'. I will never feel that way. It is not possible for me ever to think that something related to you isn't worth any amount of trouble or dealing with people I can't stand or whatever the hell it is I need to do to keep you safe and with me."

Edward slid his hands to curl around her shoulders and he lay back. She followed willingly until she was lying fully on top of him.

"I've neglected you—neglected us," he said softly. "I forgot to remind you through all of this just how much I love you. How much I need you to be a part of my life. I want you with me every second, and every minute of every day for the rest of my natural life. That's not going to change, ever."

Bella's elbows rested on either side of his head. She reached up to brush the hair away from his forehead, and leaned forward to kiss him there.

"I want that, too," she said, matching his quiet tone. "I'm sorry. I just … I never wanted to live like this again, always looking over my shoulder—feeling as though I have no control over anything in my life. I never wanted Demetri to have that kind of control over me again. I hate all of this. I hate him for what he's doing to me, to you, to us. I can't get him out of my head. Damn it, he's not even here and he's ruining my life all over again."

Edward brushed the back of his curled fingers over her cheek. He slid his hand to curve around the back of her head, his thumb making lazy circles along the underside of her jaw.

"We're not going to let him do that—not anymore. From here on out, all you need to think about is that when this is all over and that bastard is rotting in a prison somewhere, you and me," he said, raising an eyebrow, "we're going to be together. Always. Forever. End of story."

Bella's smile was brilliant as he pulled her mouth to his.

"Forever, huh?" she whispered against his lips.

"Forever."

Hope you enjoyed ...

Okay, as I said I needed to address a question/concern brought up through a "guest" review. This "guest" expressed a concern as to Bella in fics where she has a stalker not having some form of self-defense training. It was suggested that this might alleviate her "helpness" in the situation. So, here's my thoughts on that. SLY Bella has had self-defense training. She knows how to take care of herself physically. Possibly that hasn't been clear in previous chapters, and if that's the case, I apologize. But in my mind Bella has always known how to protect herself, in addition to this, she has Remi.

With that being said, any perceived helplessness Bella is feeling at this point is due to the fact that she knows Demetri better than anyone, she understands how relentless he will be in his pursuit of her. It is not that she is truly helpless in defending herself but a frustration with the situation on the whole. Her life was just beginning to become what she had always wanted, and now ... he's back. Regardless of her ability to physically protect herself, or Remi's presence or that of her father and Edward, she is frustrated and fearful of what Demetri is capable of. Let's not forget this man also abused her for a period of time prior to his attacking her, after she had left him. She has reason to feel frustrated and helpless in many respects because there is only so much she can actually do.

I hope that has cleared up any questions. It may have brought up others. I respectfully request if you're going to ask a question of this magnitude please create an account and sign in so I have the opportunity to address it without taking up this space within the chapters. Thanks!

Until next time ...

xoxoxoxo

bellasunderstudy1