I'm back with the second chapter! It was mostly filler, but I hope you like it anyway. Please R&R and let me know if I should just give it up. Plus, it's nice to know someone's reading. Haha!

-kae

thank you all so much for the reviews so far!

Two.

"Victoria?" I repeated quietly, my heart beating fearfully against my ribs. I opened my eyes, not remembering that I had closed them, and looked up into Edward's face. His eyes seemed even darker than before, edged deeply with something akin to anguish. I shook my head slowly, as my breathing simultaneously became faster, uneven. I shuddered, thinking of the pale face, framed by the long waves of fiery red hair; a crimson-eyed, fierce vampire, bent on revenge. Her partner and love, James, had tracked, trapped, and severely injured me in a thirsty attempt to kill, but Edward and the rest of the Cullen family had come to my rescue. They had been merciless. And now, Victoria sought to avenge him by murdering me. "Don't leave me again, Edward," I whispered, unthinkingly. Suddenly, strong, solid arms encircled me roughly, pulling my into a tight embrace.

"I would never leave when she's around," he replied immediately, his voice thick as he pressed his cold lips to my forehead. I suppressed a second shudder at his reply and pressed my face into his shirt, breathing in the smell of it slowly. What about when she's not around? I wanted to ask, but resisted the urge. He would dodge the question- it was always about whichever option was best for my human life, my soul. If Victoria were dead, and I was safe, would he leave me again? No, he loves me, I told myself sternly, feeling a wave of quiet gratitude that he couldn't hear my private thoughts.

"Okay," I said lamely, not wanting to think about the prospect of him leaving me again. I wouldn't survive it. "What was the vision?" I asked curiously, pulling away from his arms but keeping a strong grip on his hands. Edward looked down at me somberly for a moment, then sighed.

"It was quick, blurry," he said, and I stared at him blankly. "It wasn't...set in stone," he explained, searching for the words.

"Victoria keeps changing her mind about what she wants to do with me," I supplied carelessly, nodding. It made sense, but I shivered slightly at the thought of how many revenge plans she was coming up with for me. Edward stared at me in surprise.

"Yes," he agreed, still looking at me pensively. "How did you know that?" I slid my gaze away from his warily, then pulled away from his hands altogether, turning and surveying the small pile of dishes in the sink behind me. as casually as I could, I turned on the hot water and drizzled some dish soap over the dirty plates. I felt Edward come up behind me, his hands settling on my waist as he leaned his face in against my neck, smelling it delicately. I felt my knees quiver, but I was determined not to bring up any subject that would lower his mood, and answering his question was sure to do so. "Bella," he said after a moment, using his melodious voice to draw out my name almost pleadingly.

I turned, trying to scowl at him. "Yes?" I asked, as if it wasn't obvious what he wanted. Edward frowned patiently at me, and I nearly laughed.

"How did you know what I meant, about how Victoria hadn't made up her mind in Alice's visions?"

"You are so very persistent," I told him informatively after a moment, avoiding the question, but he didn't give up his incessant staring into my eyes. I felt a slight blush dust across my cheeks as his eyes smoldered demandingly. "And very persuasive, too," I admitted grudgingly, which earned me a very short laugh. I smiled weakly back at him. "Alright. But you won't like it." He shrugged, but I thought I saw his lips twitch. "Well... In March...When Alice and I were going after you, to Italy. To Volterra. She kept having odd visions of you... doing things... and she told me how you hadn't made up your mind for how to... anger the Volturi..." I stopped talking and his expression was stiff, guarded. "Edward, please," I pleaded after a long moment, rubbing my thumb on the back of his hand. "I didn't want to make you think of that..."

"Isabella Marie Swan," he eventually sighed, giving me a tiny smile. I looked up at him, curious at the use of my full name. "I love you, my darling, my sweet, my life." He looked careful as he spoke, almost as if he didn't know what to expect for my reaction.

I beamed happily at him, "I know you do," I answered smugly, and he laughed again. "Edward Anthony Masen Cullen," I continued, very slowly, trying to look solemn. "I love you as well, forever and ever." If he had caught the hint at my longing to be with him for eternity, he ignored it. Part of me was grateful, for now we wouldn't have to argue about my mortality.

"What now?"

"Charlie will be home soon," he replied musingly, glancing at the digital clock on the microwave. It's almost four." Two hours, I thought sadly, and then Edward mustn't be caught here. I thought back to a night roughly two months before, outside of my house with Edward, and my recently-come-wolf best friend, Jacob Black. Mentally, I cringed. Jake was born to a line of werewolves, but he had never believed the tales until he had accidentally transformed a few months ago and gotten a tail himself. Werewolves and vampires were true enemies of each other, but that hadn't mattered to me when Edward was gone, leaving me with a gaping wound in my shattered heart. I befriended Jake before he entered his powers, and I wanted to remain friends with him still after that. But then, Alice and I rescued Edward, and Jake still cannot stand the fact that I am with Edward, and want to be with Edward- forever.

I had come home with Edward at night, even though Charlie had banned me from seeing him, and there, on my front lawn, was the motorcycle I had ridden once after spending long hours with Jake while he rebuilt it. Bright, shiny red, it had stuck out like a sore thumb. And there, in the shadows, was Jake. He had hoped to get me in trouble with Charlie- not knowing that my dad had already grounded me- so that I wouldn't be able to be with Edward. I was furious. And then out came Charlie, red faced and wide-eyed in the doorway, hollering for me to get inside this instant to accept my punishment.

So now, Edward is a secret kept from my father.

So now, I dread the clock, and the telling of the hour when Charlie will come home from work.

Very slowly, Edward reached his hand out and brushed the back of his fingers across my cheek, along my jaw, against the warm skin of my neck. I shuddered, anticipant, and leaned closer to him. I smelled his cool, fresh breath as it wafted gently in and out past his slightly parted lips.

"Promise me," I whispered questioningly, demandingly, into the scarce space between us. Never leave me again. He seemed to understand the unspoken words that flitted around my quick-beating heart, rushing along my veins and flushing up against my cheeks. I love you, I love you, I love you.

"Promise," Edward agreed huskily, his voice even quieter than mine. I lifted my gaze reluctantly from his lips and looked into his eyes for a moment, feeling like I might burst with the fullness of our affection. Then he leaned in and pressed his mouth up against mine, and the taste and the smell of him so close made my knees quiver as I wound my fingers needfully into his hair. Instead of backing away from my intensity, this time he leaned in closer, pulling me into his arms for a miraculously long moment. Then, almost regretfully, he turned his face aside. But I could have sworn he smiled a little, as I regained my breath.

"That was nice," I tried to say simply, but my voice caught a bit and was too high. He kept me in his arms for a moment, looking with seriousness down into my face. But his eyes glimmered, pleased.

"I shouldn't have," he began to tell me, but then I pressed my hot fingertips against his mouth and held back all the words.

"No, not that speech again," I moaned dramatically, and it worked. Instead of listening to Edward tell me how dangerous it was for him to get too physical with me, I grabbed his glacial hand and tried to tug him into the living room. He resisted, easily; I looked over my shoulder at him, trying my best to look sad and pout. He laughed at me, but then he followed me anyway. I put a Romeo and Juliet DVD into the disc drive beside the television, then curled up right against his side on the couch.

"I believe you have this movie well memorized, by now."

"No, actually I've never seen it before." His delicate brow furrowed at this and he frowned at me.

"Bella, please," he said, through some traces of amusement.

"No!" I insisted, a little annoyed. "This is a sort of...modern version. Leonardo Di'Caprio and Claire Danes. It's the same original story and it has same Shakespeare language, but it's set in our current times. It's complicated to explain, but it's great. You have to watch it."

"I thought you never saw it," he reminded me, and I felt myself blush immediately.

"I only saw it once," I amended, "and when it comes to good movies, the first time doesn't count."

"Oh, I see," Edward teased lightly, still looking amused. I scowled.

"Can we just watch it now?" He nodded and looked resigned, but I decided that it was all a show and that really, he did want to see the movie with me. I sort of thought of this as our movie, ever since we watched it together and he had picked at the flaws of Romeo's character. But then, later, after all the complications of him leaving me, the Volturi, all of it, he had told me- "The odds are always stacked against us. Mistake after mistake. I will never criticize Romeo again...". I glanced over at him, trying to be subtle and discreet. He smiled and slid his arm around my shoulders as I fast forwarded through the previews.

Nearly two hours later, I was still snuggled up against Edward's granite side, though he was considerably warmer by now. I didn't say anything to him as the tears dried on my face, slowly. I hiccupped.

"These stories really get to you?"

"Yes," I murmured wearily, turning to press my face into his neck. "Wasn't it just so sad? At the end when Juliet... when she..." Edward delicately turned my face from his neck, smiling slightly, soft and sad. He leaned it, brushing his lips against mine too quickly.

"Charlie's pulling in," he told me lightly. I was up right away, my body reacting even before my thoughts, grabbing the DVD and stuffing it back into it's case, shutting off the television set in the process. Chuckling, Edward scooped me up into his strong arms and nearly flew up the staircase, depositing me very gently onto my bed.

"Don't leave," I said urgently, remembering Alice's vision of Victoria. I didn't want to be completely alone and vulnerable; nor did I want Edward alone, dwelling by himself on any thoughts about my safety that may cause him to think to lead Victoria away by leaving me again.

"I won't," he said after a moment, then grinned. "Closet, again?"

"Closet," I repeated, nodding as I hauled my backpack onto my bed and pulled out a random spiral notebook. Edward had disappeared.

"Bells?" I heard the soft thumping as Charlie padded up the stairs. I could picture him, calling softly, politely, but still with something strictly stern about the tone. I heard a very faint sound of displeasure, and then Edward was a blur flashing out of my closet doors and out the window. Startled, I stared wide-eyed at the place where he had disappeared, then at the closed closet doors. I looked around in time to see my dad appear in my bedroom doorway, poking his head in and glancing in at me. "Bells?" He repeated, a little questioningly. I blushed pink.

"Sorry, you surprised me," I began honestly. "I think I must of been drifting off to sleep on accident. I didn't even hear you come home..."

"Oh, all right," he said easily, as if he accepted the excuse for my nervous blushing, but his eyes were flickering about left and right. My stomach churned. "Bella," he sighed softly. "I wish you wouldn't be seeing him."

"Who, Dad?" I asked politely, hoping I sounded properly confused but not too much so. He looked at me suspiciously.

"That Cullen boy," he finally said, and I rolled my eyes up towards the ceiling.

"I can't stop seeing him," I said honestly. "But I know I'm grounded right now," I added hastily. Charlie shuffled into my room and peered behind the door. Then he strode in further, opened the closet, and stared inside it for a long moment, as if hoping to spot Edward pressed against the ceiling. I was so relieved he was no longer hiding in there, I could hardly breathe without making too much noise through my throat. Then, I couldn't resist- "Aren't you going to check under the bed?" I asked sarcastically.

He sighed. "I'm sorry, Bella. I should trust you better," he admitted. My stomach churned, again, flipping and twisting with sad nerves. No, you really shouldn't, I thought to myself grudgingly.

"It's okay Dad, really," I said straightaway, not wanting him to feel bad when I was going along behind his back anyway. "Do you want me to make dinner?"

"No, no," he waved his hand, casting aside my proposal. "You do enough, it's great. I'll have leftovers from last night."

"Okay," I said softly, as he shut the door gently behind him and left. "Edward?" I whispered even quieter, holding my breath. My heart thudded perpetually.

"Bella." I gasped, suddenly he was through my window again, vaulting over the small space to my bed and wrapping his arms around me. "I broke my promise."

"You did?"

"Yes. I left you." For a moment, my heart seized. I imagined the veins in my wrist and neck swelling with the buildup of blood as my pulse momentarily ceased. Then, I breathed, realizing what he meant and relaxing. He looked concerned, which I ignored.

"It's all right. I'd rather you do that...very temporarily... then get caught by Charlie." Edward grinned at this, flashing his perfectly white, straight teeth.

"I heard his thoughts," he explained to me, "I knew he meant to search the room."

"Oh," was all I said, my voice small. I had hardly thought of that.

"You need to sleep," he instructed, suddenly interrupting the bubble of silence that seemed to enclose my room. I glanced lazily at my alarm clock, the obnoxiously red, digital letters glaringly presenting the time.

"It's hardly even seven o'clock," I protested in surprise. It felt so much later.

"You've been staying up so late, though," Edward argued, sliding my backpack off my bed and onto the floor again. "And right now your exhausted. I can feel it. I can see it." I glared at him hopefully, but it was useless. And, he was right, too. "Bella," he said after a moment. Softly, decidedly. Resigned, I flopped backwards onto my pillows, then patted the area next to me until he shut off the light and lay down beside me, propped on one elbow with his eyes glinting in the darkness. I reached out for his hand and rubbed circles on the palm with my thumb, enjoying the coolness of his smooth skin. My eyes drifted shut, despite my initial protests. I was extremely tired, though I wouldn't admit it. He sighed contentedly across my brow and I drifted away into the fitful darkness.

I woke, startled, to the soft, murderous noise of a deep throated growl. I opened my eyes wide, sitting up in disorientation as I tried fruitlessly to adapt to the sudden light and wakefulness. All I could see was Edward at my window, a snarl across his face.