DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc., are the intellectual property of the respective author. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.

-Chapter Thirty-Four-

Edward jumped up, naked and beautiful, and ran to the window. He parted the drapes, shone a light stream into the room, and surveyed the outside parking lot. I was a frantic mess as fear took over, and the possibility of getting caught invaded my thoughts. I struggled with the simplest of tasks, like getting dressed. The only thing steady on me was my hands, and I picked up all the strewn cash on the bed and stuffed it into my oversized purse.

"Fuck, we don't have much time," Edward said, striding to the bathroom. He flushed the toilet and returned wearing his gray boxer briefs a second later. He snapped his fingers, gesturing towards the closet. "Hurry up and get your shit together. We've got less than five minutes."

Throwing on my shirt, entirely inside out, I rushed around the room and picked up anything lying around. Thankfully, I'd learned to keep all my clothes in my duffel bag, and it took me less than two minutes to pack and be ready.

"You set?" Edward asked, shoving his gun into the front waistband of his pants and walking back towards the window.

"Yeah." I nodded, glancing around the room again to ensure. It was practically spotless and devoid of my belongings. "I've got everything."

"Shit!" he said, storming away from the window, and frantically began pacing the room. "We're too late."

Poking my head out the crack in the drape, being careful not to move it and signal our whereabouts, I saw a patrol car parked next to the Chevelle. The cop was circling it and speaking into his walkie-talkie, alerting backup. He glanced up to the second floor, and his eyes met mine. I jerked my head back, feeling lightheaded and nauseous.

It was over.

My stupidity had sentenced us to life in prison.

"We gotta fucking get out of here," Edward said, clasping my shoulders and shaking me out of my stupor. "Are you hearing me?"

I nodded. "Yeah…but how? They'll have the place surrounded in no time."

"I know," he sighed, resting his forehead against mine. It was quiet for a moment as he pondered our options, then an epiphany and his head snapped up. "The bathroom!"

"What?"

"Come on," he said, gripping my hand. "There's a window in there."

"No," I said, digging my heels into the carpet and pulling on his arm, trying to stop him from finishing that sentence.

"Bella, we're only on the second floor. It's not that far down," he assured me.

It didn't ease my fears, and when he propped the window open and threw our bags outside, I could feel my breakfast coming up. Yeah, there was no way I was jumping out a window.

"I can't," I said, gulping loudly, backing away from him.

He was standing on the toilet with his hand outstretched to me. "Bella, come on, we don't have a lot of fucking time. If you hang by your hands, the distance to the ground isn't that far down."

I walked back into the bathroom, mere inches from Edward, but still hesitating. I didn't know which one was worse, breaking my legs or going to jail. At this rate, jumping out the window, I could end up doing both.

"Here, I'll go first and catch you, okay?" Edward said, grabbing me by the back of the neck and pulling me to his lips, kissing me urgently and roughly. "Trust me. It'll work. You just gotta be brave, alright?"

I nodded.

Crawling out the window, Edward grasped the ledge with his fingers and hung down. I stepped on the toilet and leaned over, watching his feet dangle and trying to gauge the distance to the ground. He was tall and long, and his 6'2 frame shortened the gap. After a moment, he let go, falling and landing lithely on his feet. He shot his eyes back up and waved me down.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to find some semblance of courage in my gut, hoping it to carry me through. Instead, it seemed like time was moving slowly as my legs wobbled beneath me, giving away my nerves. Then, when I heard fists pounding on our hotel door, my fear of getting caught overridden my fear of breaking my legs, and a wave of bravery washed over me, kicking my ass into gear. It propelled me out that window, and copying Edward's technique, I crawled out and hung my legs down. My fingers grasped and clung to the lip of the windowsill, and Edward was two to three feet below me, encouraging me to let go.

Resting my forehead on the stucco, I took one last deep breath and said a prayer. Then, unclasping my fingers one at a time, I let myself fall. It was a short distance, and Edward caught me in his arms, just like he said he would.

He set me down on my feet and brushed the scattered strands of hair from my face. "You alright, baby? Are you hurt?"

"No, yeah, I'm okay," I said, shooting my head back up and seeing how far up our window was. It made my stomach cramp with anxiety. "Let's not do that again, okay?"

"Deal," he said, throwing the bags over his shoulders. "Now, we gotta fucking move."

We ran, hard and fast, across the field, heading for the forest line and distancing ourselves from the gathering police. Through our labored pants and stomping feet against the flat ground, we heard more sirens ascending upon the quaint Super 8 hotel. We never looked back and kept a straight trajectory into the brush. Once securely hidden behind the vast pine trees, we slowed to a walk, out of breath and exhausted.

It was crazy; this life of mine was in a constant state of flux, rapidly chopping and changing. Yet, we never sat still, and I doubt we ever would.

"Fuck!" Edward yelled. His voice echoed throughout the woods, scaring off some birds and sending them into flight. "What the fuck are we going to do now, Bella? Huh? We don't have a fucking car."

He had dropped my hand long ago and was now several paces ahead of me. I followed closely behind him, trying to keep up, but my feet were clumsy and awkward and kept getting tangled in some underbrush. "I'm sorry about your car, Edward."

"Oh, now she's fucking sorry." He laughed dryly, keeping his back to me.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. I was just..."

"No, you never do, but somehow, shit just keeps on happening around you, doesn't it? Is that a fucking coincidence? No, I don't fucking think so."

It stopped me short, his tone and his anger directed toward me. I glared at him, burning a hole in the back of his stupid skull. "You know what, asshole; you're as much of the blame in all of this as I am."

"What?" He swung around to face me, his eyes were crazed with rage, and his fists were clutched tightly at his sides. "You're the one who never fucking listens to me. I have these fucking rules in place for a reason, Bella. It's not because I want to ruin your good time, alright? They've kept my fucking ass out of jail. Do you get that?"

"Yeah, I get that," I spat, pushing past him. He grabbed my arm, tightening his fingers around it, and I jerked it away. "Don't fucking touch me."

"I'll do whatever the fuck I want," he said, grabbing my arm again to prove his point. "You're mine."

"Oh, really?" I shot back, seething with anger. I yanked my arm from his grip, and I narrowed my eyes. "You may have your name tattooed on my skin, but you don't fucking control me."

"Yeah," he scoffed, waving his head toward our hotel, swarming with police. "That's fucking obvious. We wouldn't even be in this situation if there was any way to control you. We'd be at home, fucking high and fucking."

I stepped back from him, shocked. "So, all that shit you said last night was a lie? And you do blame me for everything: the Lamborghini, the assault on Phil, and basically all that shit with your father? Everything is my fucking fault."

"No, Jesus, woman," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I didn't fucking lie, alright?"

"I admit that I fucked up royally today, okay? But you're so arrogant. Where the hell was this level head of yours twenty minutes ago when we could have been making our grand escape, huh? In your dick, that's where! You didn't seem so concerned about losing your car when you were fucking me." I shoved him hard against his chest, sending him back a couple of feet. "Get away from me."

Stunned into silence, he gave me a wide berth to storm ahead of him. I didn't know where I was going, but anywhere was better than being with him.

"So what?" Edward said, jogging after me. "I'm not allowed to be fucking angry with you? You're just going to turn this shit around on me, and somehow make it all my God damn fault?"

"No, you've made it pretty clear whose fault this is. I get it. I'm a strain on your perfect little existence," I said, keeping my eyes straight away from Edward's beautiful and alluring face. No, I hated him. He was an asshole. I had to remember that. "I am doing us a favor by ending this now."

He got ahead of me, blocking my path. "Ending what?"

The words left my mouth before I could rethink them. "This train wreck of a relationship we have. It's not fucking working. We're toxic together."

It was the most idiotic thing for me to say, and there was no way I would ever be able to live without him, but I was mad. And to be perfectly honest, I was testing him. It was one of those things where you wanted them to say how much they didn't want things to be over. You hoped that they would contest your decision.

He nodded in understanding. "You wanna fucking break up with me now? Is that how you want to play this?" he asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't see this shit working anymore."

He stared at me, looking for any small fallacy to my words, but my poker face was air-tight.

"Alright, fuck it then," he said, waving me off. "Leave. Go, and do whatever you want, kid."

The indifference in his voice broke me, and I had a hard time keeping up a brave front. Somehow, through my anger, I managed to choke out a sentence that didn't reveal how much I was dying inside.

"Fine, I will then, and don't you dare fucking follow me," I said, stomping my feet like a five-year-old through the forest.

Suddenly, I was lost and unsure where I was going, and Edward was no longer at my side. Instead, he had fallen back some distance. When I came to the main road, I noticed that he wasn't behind me. He was gone, and I was alone. Hell, I didn't even have my bag or purse. Edward had everything that belonged to me, including my heart.

"Shit," I hissed, falling to my ass on the soft grass.

There was nowhere for me to go. The highway stretched out into the endless road in both directions, and across the way was just another forest line. God only knows where that'll take me. The smart thing was to sit here for a minute and plan my next move. There were only so many favorable options at my immediate disposal. They all sucked.

I couldn't go home and lead an everyday life.

That shit was over.

It was jail or die for me now.

Bloop. Bloop.

My eyes shot to my right, and I saw a police cruiser flying down the highway. Panicked, I laid down flat on my stomach in the tall grass, hoping the slope of the ditch would hide me from the cops' view. Thankfully, the car flew past me, the tires kicking up pebbles on the side of the road, and faded away in the distance. I remained there, face deep into the ground, not wanting to move. Then, when I heard a car pull over to the side and someone's feet crunch on the dirt, I decided to push myself up into a sitting position.

It was Edward, and he was still a few yards away from me. He ran his fingers through his shaggy hair, eyes frantic as he half-whispered and half-shouted my name. He hadn't seen me lying in the mud and hiding from the law. I got up to my feet and brushed off my pants, throwing my shoulders back and trying to pretend that I had some dignity left.

He looked relieved when he saw me and took significant strides across the field. "Thank fucking God. Come on, Bella, let's go."

"Why?" I replied. "We're over."

"Baby," he said, glancing back up at the road. "Please, just get in the car."

"No!" I said, shaking my head and walking away from him. "Get the fuck away from me."

He grabbed my wrist and yanked me back, pulling me into his arms. He gripped the sides of my face, keeping me still as he kissed me forcefully. I struggled, trying to pull away, but he was strong and kept his glorious lips firmly glued to mine. The softness and warmth, mixed with his taste, were intoxicating, making me dizzy.

"Get in the fucking car," he whispered. "Please."

I was pushing against his chest with my fists and stumbling back, nearly tripping over my stupid feet and falling on my ass. I spoke with as much venom as I could sustain. "We broke up, Edward, remember? It's over. We're done."

"The fuck we are," he growled, bending down and throwing me over his shoulder.

"Jesus, Edward, put me down."

"Fuck you," he said, holding me tight and keeping my legs restrained as he walked me back to the car on the passenger side. He opened the door and gently tossed me in.

So, I could no longer keep up the act of fighting the love of my life and decided to buckle my seat belt and get comfy. He joined me a second later, shifting the car into drive, peeling out into the road, and heading in the opposite direction of the hotel.

It was quiet for a moment as I assessed my surroundings. The car was an Acura sedan with dark-tinted windows, obviously stolen. Edward blasted the air conditioning on my flushed and heated face.

After I cooled down, my anger slowly flowed out of me, making me see sense.

Edward loved that car, and now it was impounded and being searched by police because of my thoughtless actions. There weren't enough words to express my immense guilt and shame at that moment.

I would have to make do with sincerity.

"Edward," I said, wriggling my hands in my lap and glancing up at him. "I'm sorry—about everything. It seems like you keep sacrificing things that you love for me…."

"Hey," he said, looking over at me and smiling weakly, "I love you." He reached over and rubbed my leg. "It's just a fucking car, Bella. I can replace it. I can't replace you."

"I love you," I said, leaning over the center console and wrapping my arms around his neck. I kissed his cheek, brushing my lips across his two-day post-shave stubble. "You let me get away with far too much shit."

"Ain't that the fucking truth?"

I sighed. "I really am sorry, Edward. I didn't mean for you to lose Tanya. I wasn't thinking…about what would happen…it was stupid."

"It's fine, baby. I promise. It just makes me realize how silly that tattoo on my arm is." He shrugged. "I guess that fucking prick was right after all…well, except for the fact that he was talking about the wrong lady."

"Dude, I'm not trying to fucking low-ball you, but it's a piece of shit car, and a thousand bucks is more than fucking reasonable. Why are you trying to price gouge my ass? Do I look like an idiot?"

The guy stuttered under Edward's intense gaze. "It's a dependable car. You won't have any troubles with it. Fifteen hundred is a fair price."

"It's a 76' Civic with a fucking hatchback, man. The fenders are four different colors. You're full of shit if you think you can do better than a thousand."

The guy was undecided. He glanced at the car, Edward, and even me, pleading with his eyes to talk sense into my boyfriend. I wanted to laugh. He was lucky that we were even offering to buy it from him.

Typically, we did things differently.

But we needed a legitimate car that wouldn't draw attention to us and one we could comfortably drive in without the constant fear of being pulled over. We had that with the Chevelle, and I found out that he didn't even have registered under his name. That was why he wasn't worried about the cops linking us to the car.

That was until I fucked it up with my impromptu robbery in Iowa.

Everything was forgotten and forgiven, my transgression was a state away, and no one in Wisconsin knew who we were.

Finally, after two minutes of indecision, Edward got fed up with the old guy.

"Fuck it," he said, clasping my hand and pulling me towards the road. "Come on, baby, let's go."

We didn't even get passed the front lawn when the guy came chasing after us.

"Alright, alright, you win. A thousand bucks will be fine."

Edward looked at me for a second with a smug smirk before wiping all emotion from his face. "You take cash, I presume?"

It was too much, and I couldn't do it. My hand hovered over Edward, inching closer and closer, the loud buzzing in my ear, and I couldn't fucking do it. It would be too painful to watch, let alone do it.

"Here," I said, turning the monstrous machine off and setting it down on the counter, "I can't do it."

"What? Why?" he asked, staring at me through the mirror.

"I like your hair," I said, pouting.

Since we've become public figures in the past few weeks with the senator scandal blowing up with those pictures, conveniently turning the crudeness of it into media nonsense, and the multiple robberies we continued to pull, Edward thought it was a good idea to change our appearance. So I offered to dye my hair blonde, and he wanted to shave his head, cutting and taking away those beautiful bronze locks.

I was instantly against it.

He rolled his eyes. "It's just hair."

"It's not just fucking hair, Edward," I said, running my hands through it, feeling the silkiness slip through my fingers. God, I loved his sex hair. I shook my head, unplugging the clippers from the wall and backing away from him. "Yeah, no, you're not allowed to cut it or dye it. Wear a baseball cap."

He laughed. "Wear a fucking baseball cap? That's your solution? It's not much of a disguise, kid."

"Oh, and shaving your head is? No, it's not happening. I'm sorry. Think of something else. Wear a fucking beanie. I don't care. You're not shaving your head."

"Baby," he said, getting up from the chair and narrowing his eyes at me. He was trying to assert his dominance in this relationship. It was hot as all hell when he did it, but I wasn't budging. He huffed. "Give me the clippers, I'll do it myself."

"No," I said, hiding the evil things behind my back.

"Give them to me…NOW!" Edward growled, slowly edging closer to me, stalking me like I was his prey.

"No, I will not," I squeaked, seeing the sly smile creep up on his face.

"Fine, we'll play it your way." And then he lunged for me, knocking me down on the bed and tickling my stomach, causing me to scream and thrash around. Then, finally, he could pry those damn clippers from my hands. He rose from the bed, looking disheveled and sexy and ultimately victorious. "That wasn't so hard now, was it?"

"You're mean," I said.

He winked at me, walking back towards the bathroom, more determined than ever to shave it off.

Irritated, I threw my head against the pillow and turned on the TV. "Fine, look ugly! I don't care."

The buzzing noise was loud and obnoxious, and I turned up the volume, refusing to hear the demise of his sex hair. Flipping through the channels, I stopped on CNN. It was unavoidable, and honestly, I wanted to see how the senator was faring since the backlash of those pictures. He was still in the polls, and the numbers were rising. It was unfair. He managed to twist everything that surrounded him, good or bad, and make it work in his favor.

But CNN wasn't talking about him tonight. No, they were talking about Edward and me. It was a featured story about our string of crimes. Right off, they'd managed to link us to the Lamborghini. Next, they sprouted out some nonsense about security footage and DNA samples, but they assumed we did it since we were so close to where we abandoned it. Then they moved on to our robbery in Iowa, Wisconsin, and so on. It was an extensive story, going point by point on how we operated. The last few robberies were masked up - due to Edward's insistence - but they weren't stupid.

They knew who we were.

"These two armed and dangerous lovebird criminals are this generation's Bonnie and Clyde," the female reporter said.

"Holy fuck!" I gasped as my hands flew over my mouth. "Edward!" I screamed. "Get your ass in here."

"What?" he hollered.

"Just fucking get in here!"

"Jesus Christ, woman, I'm not shaving it, fucking relax," he said, strolling back into the room.

"No," I said, pointing to the screen and unable to fucking articulate words anymore.

"What is it?" he asked, following my stare. He watched for a few moments, sitting with me on the edge of the bed. Then, finally, he chuckled, shaking his head. "Somewhere, right now, Jasper is saying, I told you so."