J

My shift finally ends, an hour after Bella left. I step out of the diner and take a deep breath of the night air, gagging slightly when the blood sucker's scent finds its way up my nose. Gotta stop doing that right after he's been here. I slip my helmet on and kick my motorcycle to life, revving the engine I race out of the parking lot.

I know I should do something, anything at all, he's dangerous and who knows what he could be planning to do to Bella. I know Sam said he doesn't kill people but how long can he keep that up? I turn up the street to Bella's apartment, determined to at least talk to her, she might hate me afterwards but I need to warn her somehow.

I park in front of her building and walk to the door, taking another deep breath to steady myself I catch the vampire's stench again. The wind blows from further up the street and I catch Bella's scent as well. Did she go somewhere tonight? She didn't say anything. I notice her aroma is mixed in with his. I jump back onto my bike and peel out down the street, following her trail. At each crossing taking a deep breath and going where it leads.

I end up downtown and my progress nearly stops, getting somewhere fast in a crowded city on the road is nearly impossible. I pull off to the side and park my bike, taking up the trail on foot. Running would be too suspicious so I have to walk. A few blocks down from where I parked and about an hour since I got off work, the trail ends at a restaurant. Looking at the hours it says they close at eleven, I pull out my phone and see that it's almost midnight. I walk a little closer, making sure nobody inside sees me I listen as hard as I can, tuning out the city and finding the conversations inside.

I immediately recognize Bella's voice, and his, and a few others. Probably the boss and staff that are still there, they sound a little pissed that it's getting late but the boss keeps telling them to keep quiet. Seems he got paid a big chunk of change to only serve Bella and the leech tonight.

Bella suddenly stops talking, I want to look inside but I'll be seen if I move. Nearly pressing my ear to the door I hear her say, "Thank you so much Edward, but this was really too much. You didn't have to do this."

"It was selfish on my part, I admit, having to share you with other people does not sit well with me. I wanted us to have some measure of privacy." He says in that perfect-English-and-no-slang way he always talks.

"Why?" she asks, sounding a little nervous. Maybe he's gonna break up with her, I think to my self anxiously. Could I be that lucky?

"I have something very important that I want to ask you and please answer me honestly." He's nervous too.

"Sure Edward, of course."

There's a pause before he asks, "How would you describe what I am to you?"

There's no response. Come on Bella, say 'boss' say anything that sends him away.

I hear her take a deep breath, "Well, I'd describe you as my boyfriend."

Of course I'm not that lucky. I think to my self, turning and watching the traffic go by I hear him say that he is happy to hear that and he feels the same way. I step away from the door and back onto the sidewalk. Turning down the street I walk back to my bike. Crossing the road I look back in time to see them walk onto the sidewalk in the opposite direction. In the dim light of the city I watch him pull her close, gently tilt her chin up with his finger and kiss her.

For a moment I hope she smacks him, kicks him, screams even, but her arms wrap around his waist and I know I've lost. I can't compete with a guy like him, not with our history. I turn away feeling myself start to shake. I feel that primal need to take out my aggression, destroy an obstacle, jump across the road and tear that blood-sucking monster limb from limb.

I turn away, walking towards where I parked my bike, trying to get far away from them so I don't do something stupid. I rein my self in, my thoughts becoming more rational as the distance widens. I turn back and see them get into a car and take off down the road. Being the idiot I am I grab my bike and take off after them, keeping my distance so I'm not spotted.

We end up at a high rise apartment building, his car disappears inside and I pull into an ally. Fine, if he wants her, we are having it out first.

E

That would have been far easier if that insolent mongrel had not arrived. The instant I smelled it my mind raced, how to get Bella away from here without letting on that something was wrong. I could not risk the beast catching her scent and tracking her. The safest place for her to be is in my apartment where I can guard her. I suggested that since it was late she could stay with me tonight and I could take her to the studio in the morning.

We ride the elevator from the parking garage up to my floor, my arm around her waist while she leans against me. The doors slide open and we step into my apartment. I turn on the lights for her sake, I watch as she takes in the room.

"It's very…open in here." She says. The main living area and bedroom are only divided by a partial wall, high enough to be completely obscured from view and not reach the ceiling but not wide enough to really divide the space.

"I suppose so," I chuckle to myself, "I rarely have company so privacy was not a priority when I designed it."

"How rarely?" She asks playfully. I suppose it is a valid question though.

"You would be the first." I say honestly, I have never had a human in this apartment before. I lead her into the sleeping area and gesture to a door, "The bathroom is through there if you need it."

She looks around the room, "Where…where are you going to sleep?"

It is an innocent enough question but the undercurrent in her voice and the sound of her heart racing betrays her curiosity. I gently pull her close, placing one hand on her cheek I lean in and kiss her softly. I feel her hands cautiously wrap around me, her heart races and I feel the heat between us begin to rise. As right as this feels, I stop and break the kiss. That racing heart of hers, the blood coursing through her is beginning to enthrall me again. I do not think I can risk being this close to her for much longer. "I will be sleeping on the couch tonight."

She lays her head on my chest and sighs, "You…you don't have to if you don't want to."

I gently kiss the top of her head. If I cannot do this, can I really expect to stay with her? I've been wading in this entire time - it is time to take the plunge. She looks up at me, her eyes searching for an answer I lean my head down and kiss her. Pulling her close I wrap my arms around her and carefully untie her dress.