Oh my goodness. I just can't seem to stay away! I have a majority of the story written already and I'm anxious to get to the really good stuff. I combined a few chapters here just to move everything along.

Also, I wrote a little note at the end. I like to babble, apparently.

Shane watched me intently from the passenger seat as we drove home in my truck. He had told me he intended on staying with me nearly every second for the next three days so I didn't try to run away.

I wouldn't have bothered at this point; I was tired of running away from danger. It was at every turn, no matter what I did. It was about time I accepted it. I couldn't bear to risk the lives of those around me any more.

We pulled into my driveway and I sighed as I turned off the ignition.

"Your father will be home any minute, correct?"

I looked at him. "Yes."

"You're being eerily calm about all of this," he noted.

I sighed again and picked up my backpack, pushing open my heavy door. "I've accepted it."

Shane followed me in my house, stepping on the back of my shoe once. I realized then that these three days wouldn't go exactly as I'd hoped.

The phone rang and I ran over to it.

A hard hand grabbed my wrist. "Don't you dare answer that."

I looked at Shane, his expression truly frightening.

"I'm not going to try anything," I hissed.

He let go of me, albeit reluctantly. I ran over and picked up.

"Hello?"

"Bella!" Jacob yelled. "I just wanted to tell you I'll pick you up at 7 tomorrow."

I cast a panicked glance at Shane. He noticed. In one step, he was in front of me, ripping the phone out of my hands and placing it back on the cradle.

"You're not going," he growled.

"How did you-"

"Bella, do you not comprehend at this point that I know everything? You're not allowed to go."

"If I don't go, it'll be suspicious. I promise you that."

He considered me for a minute, his eyes scanning my face. With a sigh, he stepped back.

"Maybe you have a point. I'll be watching."

"I figured," I muttered, picking up the phone to call Jake back.

Plans were set; he'd be there at 7 and I'd be home by 11. It sounded good to me. Four hours wasn't nearly enough time to say goodbye to my best friend in my opinion but I had to take what chance I had.

I started looking around for dinner, ignoring Shane's glare. I decided to do one of Charlie's favorites- breakfast for dinner.

I broke the eggs and listened to them sizzle on the pan.

"What do they have in mind for me?" I whispered after a while, not sure if I wanted to know at all.

"I couldn't say," he answered distractedly. I looked over at him. He was staring out the window, an unfathomable expression on his face.

I decided to let the matter drop. I knew deep down inside that, as he said before, I was better off not knowing.

EPOV

Another month, week, day, hour, minute, second. How many have passed since I was last at Bella's side? I'd lost count now.

I thought as I ran from her I'd be able to count each millisecond for eternity. That was before I realized that I would get to such a point in misery, I wouldn't be able to remember my own name.

The only name that existed to me was Bella. The only face I saw was Bella's.

The dark, musty room I rented out was just above a butcher's shop. How ironic. The metallic scent drifted up, nearly bowling me over with its vileness. I wondered what Bella would do if she were here. Surely she'd faint from the scent.

I shifted uncomfortably. I wondered what she was doing at that very moment. There was no clock around so I couldn't be sure of the time. Faint light drifted in through the boarded up windows but that meant nothing. It could just be street lights, after all.

I hoped she was happy, whatever she was doing, wherever she was. A pang of pain coursed through my body but I tolerated it as I'd tolerated the other waves of torture. I hadn't gotten used to it, oh, no. I'd merely survived it. But I knew, with my entire sorry existence, I wouldn't survive much longer.

The prospect of returning to Bella crossed my mind every five minutes. I waged a battle internally with what was right and what I wanted. The two couldn't be reconciled.

I knew with my whole dead heart she'd moved on. She needed to. She was too beautiful, too desirable. I grimaced as I thought about her with another man, a human, who could cater to her needs in ways I never could.

It was better this way. I wouldn't return. I would be strong. I'd stayed away from her before, hadn't I?

Then I realized I hadn't been successful that time, either. But this was different. I had to stay away now- more than ever.

I wondered idly if she'd accept me back, if I were to go back. I didn't deserve it, that was for sure. But I knew, as sweet and as good as Bella was, she'd be at least pleasant to me.

Another indescribable wave crashed down on me. This time, I moaned audibly. My empty insides clutched with agony. I had to go to her. I had to tell her I lied. I had to kiss her, had to place my cold cheek against her warm chest and listen to her heart thump wildly. I wanted to smell her, touch her, hold her. I didn't care that I was inferior to her anymore. Dammit, I wanted her!

No, no, no, no, NO!

I couldn't go back. I refused. She deserved better and she would have it. There was no question in my mind of that.

My cell phone vibrated across the room where I'd flung it the night before. I stared at it, surprised the battery had lasted that long. I'd charged it last week when I first moved into this flat, just to call Carlisle and tell him I was in London. He hadn't been pleased.

He made it clear that everyone was suffering from my decision and from my absence. I couldn't help it; the thought of being around them like this… It was better they didn't see it.

The phone vibrated again, casting a blue hue through the small room. I ignored it. It was probably Alice for the millionth time to plead with me to go back. It didn't help that she occasionally caught glimpses of my plans to go back in moments of weakness.

A few minutes, or hours, later, it vibrated once more. I sighed with frustration and indecision. It could be important. Maybe it was Carlisle.

I crawled over slowly and reached for it. Reluctantly, I picked it up.

"Edward?!" Alice cried.

I said nothing.

"Oh, Edward, thank goodness you answered. I thought I was going to have to come to London personally."

I groaned and rubbed my eyes with my free hand. "What do you want, Alice?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"You need to come home. Immediately."

"You know I can't do that," I murmured quietly.

"Please, Edward!"

I heard desperation in her tone. Something was going on.

"Is everything alright?"

"Get here as soon as you can!"

"Is it Carlisle? Is everyone okay?"

"Everyone here is fine," she whispered, "for now."

"What does that mean, Alice?" I yelled, fully aggravated with her evasiveness. Then a thought came over me, nearly crippling me with distress. "Is it… Bella?"

"I don't know," she whimpered. "I can't see anything clearly. I don't think it has to do with her. But I know with every dead cell in my body that something horrible is about to happen. You need to be here with us until it passes. Please, Edward. For all of us."

I threw the phone down, effectively smashing it into pieces. She didn't need to hear my answer; I was sure she was already having a vision of me flying on a plane in the next few hours.

What else could I do?

BPOV

I woke with a start, hand clutched to my chest. Shane was against the wall opposite my bed, staring at me. He hadn't moved since before I finally drifted to sleep.

So it wasn't all a nightmare.

Judging from the light outside, it was very early morning.

I looked back at Shane, who was now watching me with anticipation.

"School," he said simply.

I nodded and slowly made my way out of bed.

"Don't you have to go home and change?" I asked him.

He grinned. "Naturally, but you'll be accompanying me for that. Go get changed and have your breakfast. And hurry."

Somehow I was showered, dressed, and fed within the next half hour. We made it to his house in five minutes and three minutes later he was next to me again in the car, impatiently ordering me to drive us to school.

We drove in silence, thankfully, and in no time we were parked next to Lauren of all people. She glared at me with hatred, flicking her eyes to Shane and then back to me, clearly jealous we were together. I suppressed a smile. If she only knew!

"Like I said yesterday, Bella," he told me, easing his way out of my truck, "don't try to pull anything."

I nodded and started making my way to school. Before I could blink, I tripped and was headed for the pavement. Shane grabbed my wrist and pulled me up with force, nearly breaking the bone in the process.

"Ow," I grimaced, rubbing my arm.

"Would it be an unreasonable request to ask you to stay alive until we get to Italy? It would make my job a lot easier."

I ignored him and walked into school.

The day passed uneventfully. How odd that it would be my last school day ever. It was so anticlimactic. I couldn't bring myself to be sad over it. I knew true sorrow.

The final bell rang and I barely acknowledged Shane leaning against my truck.

We drove home in the silence we'd already become accustomed to.

"Do you ever wonder where Edward is?" he asked me as we turned onto my block.

I froze. My heart pounded and I was sure my face contorted in anguish.

"You might as well answer," he laughed. "I'll force it out of you one way or another."

I shivered involuntarily, not doubting the veracity of his statement.

"Every second," I whispered.

He didn't ask me anything more, thankfully.

I lost track of time as the night progressed so I was quite surprised when I heard the doorbell ring. I flicked a glance at the clock and was startled to see that it was indeed 7.

Unable to shake the image of Shane sitting on my bed upstairs, watching over everything, I reached for the doorknob with shaky hands.

Jacob stood there in all his glory, grinning happily at me. He really did look handsome, even to my biased eyes. Jeans that seemed specifically designed for him hung on his hips. He wore a dark blue shirt that complimented his skin tone nicely. It was a nice change to see him dressed up.

"You look nice," I said, stepping aside so he could come in.

He laughed but I could tell he was embarrassed. "Thank you," he said. "You look beautiful."

I blushed and looked over at Charlie who sat proudly on the couch.

"Good to see you, Jacob," he said, waving his hand like a little kid.

"Hey, Charlie. Good to see you, too."

Charlie turned back to his game. "You two have fun, now."

"Bye, Dad," I called.

We walked over to Jake's car. I couldn't help but look around suspiciously, wondering where Shane was hiding now.

"Are you okay?" Jake asked, concerned.

"Yes," I said quickly, jumping into the car next to him.

He shook his head and started it up. "You're a terrible liar, Bella Swan."

I smiled weakly at him. "So where's the party?" I asked, hoping to distract him.

"Back to the beach. We're having a nice little bonfire."

He noticed my shaking hands and narrowed his eyes at me. "Bella, what's going on?"

"Absolutely nothing," I replied, hoping my innocence was believable.

He turned back to the road, obviously deciding to not press it any more. But I knew it wasn't forgotten.

"The hot dogs were delicious," I said to Jake.

I'd barely had any; my stomach couldn't bear it.

"Mmm."

I watched Paul chase Quil around, tackling him to the sand whenever he caught him. Their laughter sounded so far away.

When I looked back at Jacob, I was startled to see him staring at me. He stood up and held out a hand to me.

"Let's go for a walk."

I nodded and stood, dusting the dirt off my behind. I was grateful for a walk but I knew it could get me into trouble. Especially since I knew Jacob was like me; he'd never let up on me until I told him what was going on.

We walked longer in silence than I'd expected. Finally we reached a large, smooth rock that jutted out over the water. Jacob led me to the edge and carefully helped me sit down so that my feet dangled over. When he saw I wasn't going to topple over, he joined me.

My stomach turned with anticipation. I licked my lips to distract myself but it didn't help. My hands were shaking again and I looked around, sure Shane wasn't too far.

"Bells," Jake whispered, reaching out for my hand. "It's going to be okay."

I met his eyes and instantly relaxed. The world could come crashing down around me and I'd still be at ease in Jake's presence. The thought amused me; the world actually was crashing down around me.

"You're going to get over him," he said confidently. "I guarantee it." He squeezed my hand and smiled.

I stiffened, knowing just who he was talking about. He watched my reaction with pity. I pried my hand from his and wrapped my arms around my torso, heaving in deep breaths of much needed air.

"I'm sorry," he moaned. "I shouldn't have brought it up…"

"It's okay," I sighed, reaching out for his hand again when I was positive I wouldn't crumble. "You're just being a friend."

He winced at my words. "Bella, there's something I want to talk to you about."

"Okay," I said in a guarded tone, watching him suspiciously.

"I think it's fairly obvious… how I feel about you."

I said nothing. I didn't like where this was going.

"Well, I was wondering if I could do something. You can tell me no and I'll never bring it up again, but I think you'd enjoy it."

My breath caught. I knew what he was talking about. He'd asked for one before.

"Jake, please," I begged, preparing to stand up and flee.

"Just one kiss, Bella."

Not now! Didn't I have enough to deal with?

"No, Jake, never," I growled out harshly. I immediately regretted it. He looked so sad.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, looking ashamed. His eyes were focused on the rolling waves.

I stood unsteadily. "I should be going."

With a sigh, he stood and hugged me. "I'm sorry, Bella. I'm always doing the wrong thing around you nowadays. I keep forgetting what you need most now is a friend."

I eased into the hug, not realizing until that moment how much I'd missed being in his arms. My sun, my comfort, my best friend all in one- I'd never see him again.

I pulled away and begged myself not to cry.

"I love you, Jake. You know that, right?"

He nodded but wouldn't look up.

I pulled his face towards me and forced him to look me in the eye. "I love you. You're my best friend. If it hadn't been for you, I would have died months ago."

Jacob pulled me in for a tight hug and whispered my name in my ear.

A while later, Jacob said his goodbyes to his friends and drove me home. He was in another world on the drive back, thankfully. I was glad for it. If he had seen my expression, he would have known immediately something was terribly wrong. I couldn't risk involving him in this mess. And as sure I was of my imminent death, I was sure Shane would know I'd confided in him.

Jake pulled up my driveway slowly.

He turned off the car, leaving us in an awkward silence.

"Bella. I-"

"Shhh," I whispered. I hugged him once more, digging my hands into his back. I never wanted to let go.

He turned his head to give me a peck on the cheek but what I did next shocked the both of us.

I turned my face and pressed my lips against his. We shared a kiss, lasting no more than a minute. I felt nothing, of course. It was wrong to do it to him, I knew. My heart belonged to another and it would always be that way. I was leading him on and in a few days he'd wake up to find me gone from his life forever.

But in that moment, in his car, in the oppressive silence, wrapped in his loving, warm arms, I had to do it. It was my version of peace. He deserved whatever he wanted and he wanted a kiss. I owed it to him, after all. The only thing he didn't know was that it was my goodbye.

I pulled away first and watched his face. He had a faint smile that slowly widened into an ecstatic grin. His eyes fluttered open slowly. He looked utterly blissful.

I smiled warily. I was glad I made him happy one last time, no matter the cost.

"Goodnight," I whispered, getting out of the car.

He didn't say anything. Slowly, he turned the car on and backed out, throwing one dreamy glance my way before driving off.

The tears fell freely now.

Goodbye, Jacob.

Breaking Dawn is out in just THREE days!! It's unbelievable! Thank God! Naturally, since we'll all be busy reading the real stuff, I won't be posting the next few chapters for about a week... Unless I decide to post again tomorrow... muhahaha!

So I tried the different POV, trying to capture Stephenie's tone in the outtake she posted on her site. I hope I did her vision some justice. Edward is certainly a complicated character.

Thanks for reading and thanks to those who have reviewed- it means a lot and inspires me to write, write, write! Keep it up; I love hearing what you all think. I feel a little over my head with this stuff sometimes.

I hope you all pre-ordered your copy of Breaking Dawn!! Happy reading! (And please, please, PLEASE Stephenie... put in a wedding night scene...)