A/N: So this story is still kicking me. Hard. And I had a really hectic weekend which didn't help. I appreciate the wonderful reviews you left on the last chapter because even though I'm still beating myself up, it helped me. a lot. So thanks for that so much.

This chapter is dedicated to my Monkey Man! And his highly anticipated return to the nine-oh! I'm probably going to lose my voice but it was so worth seeing him!

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

Edward POV

"You can't just...you can't just leave Edward." She cried as she clung on to my arm and tried to stop me from putting my shirt into my open suitcase.

"I have to." I jerked my arm out of her grasp as I flung the shirt in the bag and turned around to grab some more, not even caring to fold them as I shoved them in.

"Where are you going to go?"

I didn't answer her as I threw my shoes in on the top of my clothes and then pushed the top closed and zipped it up. It was messy and disorganized, but it would have to do. I just had to go.

"Please Edward." She pleaded and her eyes filled with tears.

My resolve wavered for a fraction of a second. Would it really be that bad? Did I really have to just run away and never come back? Was that what I was doing? I shook my head and bent to kiss the top of her head.

"I don't know where I'm going yet." I sighed as I pulled my suitcase off of my bed and pulled the handle up. "But I have to go."

Her tears were flowing hard and fast and it broke my heart to see her cry. "Why? Why do you have to go?"

"To save myself."

The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes was that the bus wasn't moving anymore. We had only just stopped to eat dinner in St. Louis, how in the world had we made it to our next stop so quickly? As I was pondering that question, I realized something else. Bella's head was resting on my shoulder. Her face was tilted up and her full lips were parted as her sweet breath blew across my face. A stray piece of hair had fallen in her eyes and I reached my hand up to move it behind her ear. And then I noticed something else. The snow.

It was coming down hard and fast and the windows were so fogged up that I hadn't seen it at first. According to the low babble of voice that was slowly spreading throughout the bus, others hadn't either. My hand was still frozen on Bella's cheek and I only noticed it when I felt a slight movement and I looked down to see her staring at me confusedly.

"Snow." I whispered and nodded my head behind her. She sat up and moved her body so that she could see outside, her eyes wide. My hand immediately missed the warmth her cheek had been issuing and I wanted to hit myself for even thinking that.

"It's like a blizzard." She said, her voice full of terror and wonderment at the same time. "It's so white."

"Haven't you ever seen snow before?" I asked incredulously.

"Sure. On television." She sighed not once looking away from the window. I had to chuckle at her. She had her hands pressed up against the glass along with the rest of her face as she tried to angle herself to look towards the front. The voices on the bus were getting louder by the minute as we all sat and waited for what was sure to come. There was no way we could get through this, even if we were crazy enough to try.

Bella pulled back from the window and shivered slightly. It was then that I noticed we were in the middle of a blizzard and she was wearing a sun dress. I rolled my eyes and slipped my ever present leather jacket from off my shoulders.

"Here" I said quietly as I positioned it around her shoulders.

"No...Edward, you'll freeze."

"Yes Bella." I insisted as she tried to push the coat off of her and back into my hands. "Please?"

She sighed heavily but slumped her shoulders forward and I knew the fight had been won. For now. The hum on the bus had slowly turned in to full blown talking, some voices still steadily climbing in volume more so than others and I felt myself cringing away from the harsh cacophony of voices.

"Listen up." The driver shouted from the front and almost immediately the noise died down. "The national weather service has issued a white-out warning for this area of Missouri. Now, unfortunately, the only roads that lead in and out of town have been closed to through traffic until they can be cleared. So until further notice...we're stuck here."

The noise level reached a deafening level rapidly and Bella covered her ears with her tiny hands. The bus driver had officially lost every single one of the passengers as they tried to out curse one another as though that would somehow make the snow stop and the plows get to work. Rolling my eyes I stood up and put my fingers in my mouth. I could see Bella pressing her hands harder against her ears as she anticipated my next move and before the noise could get any louder, I whistled. Loudly.

It seemed to work as the voices ceased and heads started to turn in my direction. I took a deep breath in and steadied myself as every eye settled on me. Some stares were, I thought as I saw Lauren lick her lips, less welcome than others.

"I know everyone wants to get home. It's the holidays, you don't want to miss it, I get that. But this isn't going to help anything." I gestured my arms to the people around me. "What will help is getting off the bus and finding any lodgings you can until the roads can be cleared."

I could see that my words had their desired effect as people started nodding and then gathering up their belongings. The bus driver nodded in thanks and turned to pick up his CB radio, talking rapidly into it. I sat back down and waited for further instructions, watching as one by one people slowly started to leave the bus.

"Where are we anyway?" Bella asked softly as the coach started emptying of passengers.

"I have no idea." The bus driver turned to tilt his head toward the door and I nodded as I stood up and pulled my bags with me, before reaching out and grabbing Bella's for her as well.

I walked out into the aisle and gestured or her to pass before me. She smiled as she lifted herself up from the seat, pulling my jacket tighter around her as the colder air from the open front doors reached us.

"Welcome to Boonesville, Missouri." The driver said gruffly as he scooted aside to let us pass out the doors.

I watched Bella carefully as she guided herself down the steps, holding tightly on to the railing on the side of the steps. The snow was already starting to drift onto the bus and it was falling so heavily that even with my twenty-twenty vision I couldn't see more than a few feet in front of us. When she had finally reached the bottom I let myself relax and joined her as the bus driver pointed out the way to the nearest, not to mention only, hotel in town.

I tried to keep my distance from the girl beside me. I tried to not let myself get to close to her, or match my step up with hers. It was easier that way, I told myself. It was easier to not get too close to someone. And for Pete's sake, I didn't even know the girl. So I kept my distance, and it seemed to be working. Until she stepped on a solid sheet of ice that covered the last little area of parking lot we were traveling through. Almost instinctively, though my reflexes would probably never be that good again, I reached out and grabbed the back of her elbows and pulled her into a standing position.

"Thanks." She breathed as she leaned back into me. "That would have sucked."

"Yeah.." I laughed as I loosened my hold on her arms but kept her close to me. "It would have."

I helped her walk the rest of the way into the hotel, my hand attached to the small of her back as I watched where every footstep landed, trying to prevent a catastrophe before it could happen.

The warm air in the hotel lobby made me realize just how cold it was outside. I was thankful that I always kept my coat on me when I saw some of our fellow passengers shaking as they stood waiting to collect luggage. Bella's cheeks were red, but other than that she seemed fine. I knew that if she saw me shivering though I would probably not hear the end of it so I bit my lip to keep it from trembling and stepped away from her as furtively as I could. She looked at me oddly as I did though and I knew that she had noticed it, no matter how hard I tried to hide it.

"Can I help you?" I turned to see an older woman with frizzy red hair seated behind the desk that was right beside me.

"Yes..." I smiled as I took Bella's hand gently and pulled her with me to the counter. "We're on the bus traveling to Seattle and we're going to need lodgings."

The woman faltered for a second as she stared at me. It was something my sister had always blamed me of doing and yet I never realized I was. Alice called it shameless flirting, I called it my superior genes.

"Well... actually I think we just gave away our last room. I'm so sorry." She mumbled as she looked down to an old fashioned registry on the counter in front of her.

"You don't have anything?" Bella asked from beside me, her brown eyes wide as she stared at the older woman.

"Afraid not dear." She nearly snapped and any pity I may have felt for the woman vanished instantly.

"Look, we need a place to stay so if you can't help us, can you please direct us to someone that can?" I said sternly and she focused her attention back on me.

"This isn't 'The Nativity Story' I'm afraid. We don't have a manger."

"Dolores?" A man appeared behind the woman, his dark hair was graying in some parts and he walked with the aid of a cane. "Is there a problem?"

"Not at all Nathan." Dolores smiled at the old man, looking away from Bella and I to do it.

"Why don't you go on break and I'll help these kids out." He smiled and she nodded her head, throwing one last look in our direction before marching off through a door in the back. "Sorry about her." Nathan smiled as he sat himself down in the chair. "She's menopausal."

Bella tried to hide her laughter in her hand but I chuckled as the old man gave a wink in my direction, his old eyes twinkling.

"Well, what Dolores doesn't know is that we do have vacancy." He smiled kindly as he spun his chair around and stood up to look over the board behind him that had the various numbers of rooms on it. "Ah..here it is."

He sat back down and turned the chair to face us as he handed me the key ring and a pen to sign my name on a piece of paper.

"Thanks." I said as I picked up our bags and brandished the key in his direction as Bella smiled and said goodbye.

"That was really nice of him." She said once we were out of earshot and in the small elevator that seemed almost too old to be safe.

"Yes it was." I answered honestly. Though for some reason, I couldn't quite shake the feeling that all wasn't quite what it seemed.

The elevator stopped and the metal doors opened noisily as I clambered out behind Bella and took off in the direction of the room.

"Here we go." I said as we finally reached the door to room number 34 and I set our bags down to stick the key in the lock and open it for Bella who looked like she really needed to sit down soon.

The door swung open and I fumbled for a few seconds for the lightswitch before I finally found it on the wall and flipped it up. And then, we both froze.

"You have got to be kidding me." I hissed while Bella giggled from beside me and I had to fight the urge not to smile along with her. That laugh just..did things to me.

As I stared at the room before me I was half tempted to shove Bella inside and sleep in the hallway, but before I could do just that, Bella's hand was gripping my arm as she tugged me inside and shut the door, laughing the whole time. Shutting the door behind her I had to sigh. This was definitely going to be a long trip.

A/N: I know. I'm terrible. But this is why you love me right?...right? Is anyone still there?
Review still equals a sneak peek. How awesome is that? And to those of you lovely readers who didn't get one... I'm deeply sorry and I hope you can forgive me. It shall not happen again. So who's up for Bella and some backstory next?
Besos.