A/N: Sorry for the delay. I sort of neglected this story because I have been wrapped up in my other one. I'm sorry!! :) Hope this chapter clears stuff up.

Erotomaniac - EDWARD

"So Edward, what was the point of dragging us all the way out into the wilderness?" Emmett asked. We had just hunted and now I felt quite stable after Bella nearly drained me. Jasper already knew how I was feeling but he didn't know to what extent.

"Well, it's about Bella," I began. I didn't feel comfortable talking about my wife in front of my brothers. They were so insensitive sometimes, but Carlisle wasn't much help. I just needed to get this off my chest.

"What about her…" Jasper was getting impatient with my anxiety.

"Well…she's been…she…and I," I stumbled searching for the right word. "She's been demanding…a lot from me," I whispered though I knew they heard me.

"But isn't that a good thing? I mean if only I was getting some like that," Emmett trailed on. It was disturbing and inappropriate and images began to flash through his mind. Of course, I received the short end of the stick.

"Emmett, it is quite sickening when you think such perverted thoughts about Rosalie."

"Sorry," He muttered. "But doesn't Bella ever express or think about things like that?" He seemed too jumpy about this topic to be serious. I saw Jasper perk up in attention.

"Yes…but they are all…scary. For me, anyways."

"What are some?" Jasper asked. I scanned their thoughts.

I wonder if they are anything that I would have done.

Maybe she's a bigger freak than she leads on.

"Stop thinking about her like that!" I snarled. They ducked their heads in embarrassment. But now I was slightly anxious to share what my sweet Bella thinks. "Most recently she had random ideas about public places like the meadow and the counter. Which counter, I have no clue. And then she had the image of a girl in her head. I don't know what all that means yet."

Emmett nudged me in the arm. "Dude, you got yourself an Erotomaniac!" Great, now my love was a freak.

"How can you say it like it's a good thing?" I demanded.

"Edward, it's not bad. She's just taking control of what she wants and you seem to be a little slow about getting there. Am I right?"

"Yes," I grumbled.

"Maybe you should go just as fast as she wants you to…"

"But doesn't that defeat the purpose of living forever and never having to sleep. So, we can take our sweet time?"

"NO!" Jasper and Emmett shouted together.

"Edward," Jasper began, "you need to talk to your wife and tell her how you feel."

"I don't think that's possible. When I'm around her, she gets anxious and one thing leads to another…"

"Can't you have some self-control?"

"I missed her, so I went along with it."

"Well, she is still your Bella. But just a freakier one. Maybe once she reaches her first birthday her crazy craving will dwindle away with her power."

"Maybe you're right. I'll just have to give it sometime. But for now, I'm going to have to lay down some rules and limits with Bella."

"Good, be a man, Edward." They patted my shoulders as I smiled in satisfaction.

Time - BELLA

Edward had left me. I convinced myself that it wasn't permanent, but it still hurt that he left. Did he feel this way when I "left" him? I figured it wounded him worse because he didn't know if I was ever coming back.

But all I had was time. All we ever have as vampires is time. Time to chill. Time to work. Time to get rich. But never time to grow old. I wanted time with Edward, but he wanted to go away with his brothers.

I could call Jacob. I needed to apologize to him for a behavior. But I didn't know how to word my apology. Jacob and I never really got back on good terms after I married Edward. I must have broken his heart. But he broke mine, too. He put me in an awkward situation and made me choose between my two loves. Why couldn't he just stay a friend? Was that too much to ask?

Now, I was getting bitter. I needed to call him before my attitude colors my tone. I grabbed my cell phone that Edward insisted on buying and dialed Jacob's number.

"Hello." It was Billy.

"Hi, Billy. This is uh…Bella. I'm calling for Jacob. Is he there?"

The line went silent.

"Hello?" I called out.

"Um…Bella. Jacob's not here right now." That must have been a lie. Billy was always covering for Jacob when he didn't want to talk to me.

"Oh…well, is he with Sam?"

"No."

"Quil? Embry? Paul?" I was getting desperate.

"You know, I'm not really sure at the moment."

"Well can you give him a message?"

"Sure."

"Could you tell him that I'm sorry and I was out of mind? And that when he matures enough to answer the phone that he can call me." And with that I slammed the flip phone closed, ending the conversation.

Frustrated, I sat on the disarrayed bed. I had to think of something to do to occupy my time. I need to get a hobby. I found myself cracking my knuckles in anxiety. What could I do? I could only think of one thing now.

"Alice," I whispered. I was about to rap lightly on her door, when she flung it open.

"Yes! Let's go, now!" she screamed.

"But, you didn't let me ask."

She turned to me, excitement riddling her eyes. "Forget formalities, let's hit the road now. I ready to shop."

"Thank you," I mouthed. The first one on my list to make amends with: Alice.

We approached her slick Porsche in the garage with Alice in high spirits. "So I figured it the weather would be just perfect for us in New York. So, if we get to the airport in the next…35 minutes, we can make the last morning flight," she prattled.

"Wait! Who said anything about New York?" I crossed my arms stubbornly.

"Me, silly. Obviously, you're missing Edward even though he's only been gone for…15 minutes. You need to get out like he did. I would take you out of the country, but I would like to save that for another day. Maybe after Tomorrow. Now let's cut the chitchat. Do you want to shop or not? Valuable shopping time is ticking." Alice had now opened her trunk.

"Yes."

"Okay, now get in."

I widened my eyes in horror. I didn't think the trunk was appropriate place to store a person.

"Not in the trunk. In. the. Car." Alice had dumped two suitcases into the trunk. She must have packed my suitcase without my knowledge. I guess she figured I was going to come around someday.

In revelation, I climbed into the passenger seat while Alice joined me. "Okay…I see that New York is out. We are going to Los Angeles," Alice muttered to herself. "This is good because I can drive my car and still look hot." Then she turned to me ready to go.

"Let's go," I smiled as she slipped on a pair of pearl white aviator sunglasses.

"Here, Bella." She threw a black pair at me and I slid them on feeling like a superstar. I forgot about everyone else for the moment. This was going to Bella time, the only person I needed to make amends with right now. I didn't care if Jacob ever accepted my apology, and I didn't care if Edward never came home. For a while.

Accelerating at alarming speeds down a wide stretch of highway, Alice and I rocked out to our new favorite "Shut Up and Drive." We were approaching the chorus again when my phone rang. It was Edward.

"Answer it and it will be your last," Alice announced gravely. I thought about it for awhile as the phone continued to ring in my hands. Did I really need to talk to him? I looked at the phone one last time before I made the decision to leave him hanging. He was going to really have to miss me. "Good, Bella, now you're making him work for it."

"It?" I questioned.

"I already know what you guys are…at ends about. It's obvious. But you, Bella need to get a hold of yourself." She had taken her eyes off the road to look at me. Her expression was demonic and reproachful. "You are moving way to fast for slow Edward. You could have given him a heart attack with what you did. Though clever, you need to downsize your seductiveness and be patient. You want so much that he has to hunt all the time. Slow down…" she explained.

"But I don't want to. I like moving fast. We are vampires, remember?" Crossing my arms, I stared at her as she processed my response. Then, almost giving as whiplash, she broke her speed down to fifty.

"Bella, we may move fast normally, but when it comes to love, you want it to last forever, right? Don't you love they way he cradles you and holds you tight as if afraid to let you go? Or they he kisses you ever so slowly and then gradually gets deeper into it? Or they he caresses you as if you were made of porcelain?" Her eyes returned to the road as we passed highway patrol. The guys in the car eyed Alice's Porsche suspiciously as if her car was screaming for trouble.

"Yes, I love all those things."

"Then why would you MESS THAT UP!" she scorned.

"Because I need him. It's like I can't control it, I just need Edward." Alice looked at me, worried. "No, I'm not 'crazy' anymore, it's just that it's like instead of craving power, I crave him. All the time. My thoughts, my demeanor, it's all changed. It's good that he's gone; I would be going crazy right now. This is like my temporary addiction right now until I'm perfectly balanced again."

"Hmm…"

"But you know what is truly interesting. Is that afterwards, I feel…high, like I'm intoxicated with him. It feels good, but strange."

"It doesn't sound healthy," she voiced while picking up speed.

"It's not." I knew it wasn't healthy, but then again fast food wasn't healthy for humans and it still was good. And Edward was good. Now, he truly had become my brand of heroin. "So, I called Jacob…"I began.

"Did he answer?"

"No – the jerk. He had Billy lie for him for like the umpteenth time. I'm seriously getting fed up with him." Anger crept into my voice. "He is always making me choose. It's like everything in his world is in black or white – I either be with him or be with Edward. Now, when I try to apologize and reconnect as a friend, he totally belittles my attempt. Ugh!"

Alice turned to me with the gentlest eyes and her voice rose into her silver tinkling pitch. "It's only important that you tried Bella. That's all people can expect - is that we try. Oh we'll be in Los Angeles in another hour or so. The stupid patrol broke my rhythm."

I pondered over her explanation as she fussed over schedules. Is that really what people expected, just that we try? But sometimes, trying doesn't seem like enough. And my trying wasn't good enough.

"What are you doing?" she hissed.

I was dialing Jacob's number as I reassured her, "Relax, it's not Edward." I put my ear to the earpiece.

"Hello," the voice hesitated.

"Jacob," I whispered.

"Bella? Is that really you?"

"Yes." Why couldn't I bring my voice over one decibel? "Jacob, I'm really sorry about…everything. I messed up. Big time and I couldn't control it. I'm sorry."

"Bella," he chuckled. "It's okay. I understand that you are sorry."

"No, you don't. Is there anyway I could make this up to you? Anything?" I pleaded.

"Actually, Bella," he voice dropped in seriousness. "I think the best thing for us right now is to stay away from each other. We're natural enemies, now. It would only complicate matters worse right now. Truthfully, I don't think you're stable right. You see a little off…"

"No! I'm fine! I promise. Jacob, don't do this to me. You of all people know that you would always be my friend. What do you need?"

"Time."

"Time?" I was confused yet humbled by his request.

"Yes, we just need time. I need to…heal."

"But you are healed. You have to be; werewolves heal quickly."

"You have the missed the point."

"No. Wait? What point?"

"Bella, I have to go --"

"Wait, Jacob –" The line went dead, but I kept the phone up to my ear, praying the miraculously he would come back. He had to come back he was Jacob, my Jacob. I felt on the verge of breaking down.

"Bella, honey, you tried. That's all that matters," Alice tried to comfort, but sadly trying wasn't enough. In silence we rode into Los Angeles. This trip now seemed like a bad idea. I thought I was going to be running towards adventure, but now it seems like I'm running from home to escape the madness that I caused that I cannot fix.

Hopefully the trip gets better, but as they say things take time.