A/N As I'm sure you noticed, I told my reviewers that this chapter was going to be up last weekend. Then I was waiting to release this until this chapter was validated on Twilighted but I couldn't wait any longer. :)

Special thanks to my betas HEAR and Sirenastarot through PTB. And as always, I don't own Twilight.

Chapter Seven: Meeting the Chief

BPOV

I stared at Edward in wonder after he released me. His sparkling emerald eyes bored deeply into mine with what I could interpret as full of emotion, desire, and relief that I had not turned him away. My eyes cloud over as reality set foot in my mind. Regardless of how he felt or how I felt, he still did not belong in my world and I didn't belong in his. Confusion appeared on his face.

"Bella..."

I cut him off. "Edward... I cannot deny how I feel about you. But can you stop time? You have to go back eventually. Then what? We exchange texts and call each other for a few weeks before the novelty wears off? Before this," I gestured between him and I, "just fades to a pleasant memory for you? As you laugh it off with whichever woman strikes your fancy next?" I questioned bitterly. How this relationship would turn out seemed so very clear to me at that moment.

Edward looked shocked and hurt. "Bella, it won't be like that." He squeezed my hands tightly in his desperation to make me understand.

"So you aren't going to leave?" I demanded, already knowing the answer.

Edward winced before slowly responding. "I do have to go back," he admitted. "I have to start shooting my next movie at the end of September, but that doesn't mean this has to end." He cupped my face with his hands again. The heat from his palms seared into my skin as his eyes pleaded with mine to believe him. "I have never felt like this with anyone before. Just because I have to go back to LA doesn't mean I'm not going to come back to you, that I don't want to be with you. Nothing could change how I feel about you."

I closed my eyes. I had to break the spell of his mesmerizing gaze so I could think clearly. I wanted to believe him so badly.

"Bella, please!" He was practically begging now. He cupped my face as he spoke. "Let me show you how serious I am about this, how much I care about you. Two nights isn't enough, but I don't have to go back to LA until the movie starts filming. Let's see what happens while I'm here. I can't think of a place I'd rather be more than right here with you."

I finally opened my eyes and all I saw was Edward. I couldn't fight my heart any longer. My mind shouted for me to take a step back before I got hurt, that no matter if he was telling the truth and he really did come back, eventually our worlds would violently collide and I would not survive it. But my heart was louder than anything my mind could say. It screamed that I could survive anything as long as he was with me.

I tentatively reached my hand out and caressed his cheek, feeling the chiseled planes of his face, the two days worth of stubble that tickled the pads of my fingers. He sighed and closed his eyes as I continued to explore his face. My hand drifted to his beautiful bronze hair that I'd been itching to touch from the first time we met. His hair was as soft and full as I had imagined it to be. I continued my exploration from his temple to the nape of his neck. His eyes opened again and their green depths burned into mine. My hand balled up at his neck, tangling into his hair. He moaned deep in his throat and crushed his lips against mine.

While our first kiss just a moment before had not been delicate, this kiss made it seem so in comparison. His hands slipped from the sides of my face to my neck, across my shoulders and down my back. The trail his hands left burned deep inside me. My other arm locked around his neck and pulled him closer. His breath caught as he wrapped his arms around my waist to bring me even tighter against him. Our lips stayed connected the entire time, pressing against each other, forming and reforming, our tongues tasting and sensing, never stopping. A low moan escaped my lips before I realized it. He finally pulled away from me just long enough to be able to breathe again. He buried his face in my hair and I could feel his ragged breathing begin to slow. I sagged against his lean torso, breathless.

"Wow," I whispered. He only nodded. I didn't know if my heart would ever stop its rapid thudding in my chest.

My body betrayed me in that moment when my stomach growled. The spell was broken. Edward looked down at me with that endearing, heart-stopping, crooked grin on his face. "Hungry?"

I couldn't resist what I said in reply, "In more ways than one." My eyes danced as I rose from the couch and saw a goofy grin spread across his face before I turned and headed into the kitchen.

He pulled out a chair for me at the table where the candles still burned. After I was settled, he went back to the stove and portioned out our dinners. He was obviously comfortable in a kitchen, even an unfamiliar one such as mine. A man of many talents, I observed silently. He gently laid my plate in front of me on the table and poured the wine into our glasses.

Music from the stereo wove its way into the kitchen, wrapping us up in its magic. The food was delicious. I idly made a mental note to ask Edward for the recipe later. We hardly talked during our meal. Words were not necessary at the moment. Occasionally, we would look into each other's eyes in wonder. It was all so new, so raw, and so different from anything we had felt before in our lives. Sure I loved Jacob when we were together in college, but the burgeoning feelings I felt towards Edward were completely different.

After dinner, we walked out to the backyard and lay on the grass together, side-by-side. We watched the sun set over the lake, casting a deep red glow over everything. Edward shifted and propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at me. He reached his hand out and touched a strand of my hair, which was billowing gently in the wind.

"You are truly the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."

I blushed and looked away. I felt his fingers on my chin, turning my face back towards him.

"And I love seeing you blush," he murmured softy.

Edward held my chin in his hands and softly kissed me. It was a delicate, sweet kiss, one that didn't demand answers or ravage the soul, just the soft kind that melted the heart.

When he pulled away and lay back down on his back, I was disappointed but happy. This was enough for now. I had a month of this to look forward to and enjoy. I'd savor each and every day I had with him. I'd worry about the day after he left later. I sighed and he pulled me closer to him so the back of my head was resting on his chest. He circled his arms around me and intertwined our hands. They rested on top of my stomach, rising and falling with my even breathes.

I found myself nodding off in his arms. I normally wasn't tired at this time of day. It was the middle of my average workday. But the stress of the past two days was catching up with me. My head rolled to the side as I drifted off. The movement woke me up with a start causing Edward to chuckle. I blinked my eyes a few times before I realized that it was completely dark out.

"Edward, what time is it?" My voice was sleepy, still semi-awake.

"Sometime after ten I think." Hearing his voice through his chest was a very pleasurable sensation. It was like a gentle rumble before the smooth caress of his voice left his mouth.

"Tis too early..." I mumbled off, about to fall asleep again.

"Yeah, but we've both had two very exciting days haven't we?"

I felt Edward shift behind me and suddenly I was in the air, as he carried me back to the house.

"I can walk Edward," I protested.

He shushed me with his lips. "Yes I know you can. But you are dead on your feet so I'm taking care of you." He kissed me lightly again to ward off any further arguments.

"Fine," I grumbled.

He walked me back to the house, back into my room. I had forgotten that I had not officially shown him my room yet. Suddenly the room felt very small with him in it. He looked at me and smiled when he saw the anxious look in my eyes.

"Don't worry. Your virtue is safe tonight," he whispered.

He laid me down on my bed and kissed my forehead before he quietly walked out of the room and closed the door. I heard him walk to the other side of my house and go into his room. The night was quiet after that.

I stared at the ceiling for a long time. My mind was going in a million directions as I ran through the events of the day. The focus was our first kiss. That scene repeated itself many times. That kiss set my body and soul on fire. Never before had anything felt that right. It was like some kind of 'click' had occurred when our lips met. The second kiss was enough to burn the sun from the heavens. Eventually, even the thoughts of Edward's soft and sensual lips were not enough to keep sleep at bay. I slumbered with a smile on my face, dreaming of Edward.

----

I woke up from the most marvelous dreams, one in which the most gorgeous man in the world wanted to be with me. This man had piercing green eyes, messy bronze hair, and an awesome body. Only in my dreams could I come up with a man so perfect looking, I thought ruefully. I shook my head, trying to clear the sleep from my mind. Too bad it was just a dream. I shifted in my bed and realized I was still wearing my work clothes. This caused the memories of last night to come pouring in. I gasped as I felt the fire from his first kiss again. That was no dream. I slowly crawled out of bed and changed out of my clothes, tossing them absentmindedly about the room as I walked into the bathroom. The shower quickly woke my mind up and cooled my body down.

Refreshed and finally awake, I dug in my closet or another set of work clothes. Only one set left. Time to do laundry. I dressed quickly and combed the tangles out of my wet hair. I didn't feel like blow-drying it so I left it to air-dry. When I walked into the kitchen, Edward was nowhere to be found. I heard faint snores from down the hall. Quietly, I tiptoed my way down to his door and carefully cracked it open, being as silent as a mouse.

Edward Cullen, the man of my dreams, was sprawled across the bed, dead to the world, snoring all the while. I smiled as I watched him sleep. He was dangerously bare-chested. The muscle tone that I perceived under his t-shirt that first night was in plain sight. The muscles of his arms, chest, and abdomen were well defined without being too much. His lean, lanky body would look odd with a heavy, muscle-bound build. A smattering of bronze colored chest hair only improved the sight of his chest. His usual mussed hair faired no better in his sleep. If possible, it looked even better. I could see the top of a pair of boxers around his narrow hips peek out from under the sheets. The line of his boxers only emphasized the v-shaped muscle line across his hips. My vision started to get fuzzy. Breathe Bella. My eyes roved about the room and saw several shopping bags in the corner. So that is where he ran off to yesterday. It also explains the clothes he wore last night. In my surprise over the prior night's events, it didn't dawn on me until now that he had been wearing new clothes. My eyes returned to his chest.

My ogling was interrupted when his breathing changed. I blushed, afraid that I had just been caught. Thankfully, he only rolled over onto his stomach, his face turning away from me. However, that gave me something else to stare at. His back was just as tone as his front. As he resettled in his sleep, I stared as the muscles rippled across his back. Desire started to coil deep in my belly. Before my thoughts could go any further into the gutter, I backed away and closed his door.

I walked back to the kitchen and started rummaging around in the cupboards. He made me breakfast and dinner yesterday so it was time to reciprocate and show my appreciation.

I was whisking the hollandaise sauce vigorously when he walked into the kitchen about twenty minutes later. He broke into a huge smile when I finally looked up from my bowl and whisk. Edward was just as sexy as he was last night. I was slightly disappointed to notice that he had put on a t-shirt.

"Hi," I whispered.

"Hi." He walked over to me and gently kissed my forehead.

"Did you sleep okay?" I asked politely. I set the bowl with the hollandaise sauce down and walked over to the oven.

"Like a rock," he replied. He sniffed the air appreciatively. "What is that glorious smell?"

I opened the oven and pulled out a sheet of golden brown biscuits. "Home-made biscuits."

His stomach growled loudly in response. We both laughed. Edward shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the counter. "As you can tell, my stomach thinks they smell delicious."

"Thank you. I hope you like eggs benedict. I make mine with biscuits instead of English muffins."

"Sounds good to me."

Edward and I enjoyed our second breakfast together. He thoroughly enjoyed my version of eggs benedict. His plate was completely clean when he was finished. While I had cooked for others before, cooking for Edward was something different. There was a different feel to it, a sense of comfort I hadn't felt before. It was still so crazy, all this happening so fast. I never would have imagined three days ago that I'd be in my kitchen making breakfast for Edward Cullen who happened to be the handsomest man I had ever met. Of course, there was more to him then his looks, but it was definitely the first thing someone noticed.

Edward wrapped his arms around me from behind as I finished wiping down the kitchen counter after we finished breakfast. I sighed and leaned back into his embrace. He leaned his face down and nuzzled the back of my neck, wet hair and all. "A man could get used to this," he said softly.

I turned in his embrace to face him. His green eyes twinkled at me. I blushed and smiled back. "It is nice, but I have to go to work." The twinkle in his eyes faded slightly but he nodded his head.

"No rest for the weary, eh, Ms. Swan?" He buried his face in my neck again.

It took me a moment to collect my thoughts. He was learning how to distract me very quickly.

"Yeah..." I replied breathlessly, "Mr. Cullen." I pulled away before my body could refuse. "What are you going to do today while I'm at work?"

He shrugged his shoulders and smiled crookedly at me. "I don't know. I haven't figured that out yet." There was a gleam in his eye, similar to the one from last night when he came into the bar asking me to come home early. He was up to something, but I wasn't going to press him for details. Yet.

"Alright, I'll be home sometime after two when we close for the evening. Call me if you need anything."

I walked into the hallway towards the front door to get my bag and car keys. He followed me to the door and kissed me gently on the lips. This all struck me as incredibly domestic. I giggled as a rerun of Leave It to Beaver came to mind with Edward as June Cleaver. Edward looked down at me curiously, wanting to know the source of my giggles.

"Am I that bad of a kisser that you feel the need to laugh at me?" he scoffed playfully.

I swatted his arm. "Not at all. You are anything but a bad kisser." My cheeks blushed in memory of last night's kisses.

He ran the back of his hand along my cheekbone, causing me to blush even more. Now was his turn to laugh. "Okay, Bella. I'll see you later tonight." He gave me another quick kiss on the lips before I walked out the door and into the midday sun.

As I drove to the bar, happy Edward thoughts kept bouncing through my head. They brought me back to earlier last night, just after Edward had left the Midnight Sun when he told me he was sticking around for awhile. Good old Jessica recognized Edward for who he was immediately.

"Isabella Marie Swan," she shrieked, running over to the bar. "You have been holding out on me!"

I looked at her, trying to keep up my poker face. "What do you mean?"

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her. "You know EXACTLY what I mean! That was Edward Cullen! THE Edward Cullen. The very same Edward Cullen who left in the middle of his concert last night!" She pouted. She was still pissed off about that. But seeing him here at the bar was enough to push that irritation aside.

I shook my head in denial. "Jessica, his name is Anthony." Jessica huffed as I continued. "He looks a lot like Edward does, but that's it." I knew the truth, but neither Jessica nor anyone else needed to know that yet.

Jessica looked at me shrewdly. She knew something was up. "Anthony eh? So what did he come running in here to ask you? I've never seen Anthony come in here before. He acted like he knew you."

"He's been here once before. He came in here to ask for directions." Wow, lying was getting easier for me, even if it was only a partial lie.

Jessica eyed me up and down again. "Uh huh. You realize that Anthony is Edward Cullen's middle name, right?"

I was getting exasperated with Jessica's questions. I wish she would just shut up about Edward Cullen already. "Anthony is a pretty popular name."

She bore into me, feeling that her goal was in sight. "He also was holding a Seattle Mariners ball cap. Edward's brother Emmett plays for the Seattle Mariners."

Jessica definitely knew her facts about Edward. It was kind of scary. But if I hadn't already figured out who Edward was, her statement probably would've cleared it up. Hearing Emmett's name reminded me of the story Edward had told me about the wrestling match and the bet... and the dress. I started giggling.

Jessica cocked her head to one side, not understanding why I would giggle after she told me about the ball cap.

"Oh, Jessica. You are so silly." I kept giggling.

Her eyes narrowed briefly but my laughter was infectious. Before a minute had passed, the corners of Jessica's lips were twitching. "Yeah I suppose I was being pretty nutty about the whole thing. Imagine, someone like Edward Cullen, a musician and movie star, here in Vermilion." She spun around and walked back to her tables before she saw the look in my eyes.

Yep, imagine that, I thought to myself, reality dragging its ugly face into view again.

I shook my head to break myself from those depressing thoughts. It was still something I would have to deal with eventually if things worked out. But like an alcoholic locked in a wine cellar, I was going to enjoy it while it lasted. My mind went back to last night while I was still at the bar. I was trying to convince my good friend and business manager, Angela Webber, to close up shop for me. She was off the night before, so she had no idea about the mysterious stranger I danced with.

"Bella, you've never allowed anyone to close up for you before," Angela said, surprise coloring her face.

"You know how to do it, Angela. You've closed up with me a ton of times."

"Yes, but-"

"Maybe I finally need to loosen the apron strings a little. You are more then capable, Angela. If you weren't, you wouldn't be employed by me."

The compliment brought a fair blush to Angela's cheeks. She was a quiet woman, quieter than even me. And she wasn't used to compliments, just as I wasn't.

"Thank you, Bella." She looked at me, happiness shining in her eyes. Angela was touched that I finally trusted her enough with my baby to close it up.

"Just call me if you have any questions or need anything. You'll have Jacob here too." Angela blushed again when I mentioned Jacob's name.

Angela has a thing for Jacob? Interesting....

I pulled into the Midnight Sun just as my opening crew was arriving. Jessica and a few of the other staff members trickled in after I unlocked the door and flipped the lights on. I looked around to see if anything was out of place. But my trust in Angela was definitely put in the right place. She had closed everything down exactly how I would have done. Not a thing was out of place. Relieved, I started pulling chairs down off the tables.

The afternoon passed quickly. My happy mood made everything go by faster and easier then usual. Before Edward came into my life, I was content with what I had. I didn't realize I was missing anything until now. Now I was more then just content; I was happy too. Jessica could tell my mood had changed and apparently most people in the bar had picked up on it. She was still suspicious of who my mystery Anthony really was. Occasionally I'd catch her looking at me, her eyebrows furrowed deep in thought. Jacob even glanced at me a few times from his post at the front entrance. Finally, he mustered up enough nerve to talk to me about it.

"Hey, Bells." He leaned up against the side of the bar, trying to look nonchalant.

"Hi, Jake. What's up?" I continued wiping the bar down.

"Not much. You seeing that Anthony guy again?" The way he asked made me dread where this conversation was heading.

"Probably," I replied lightly.

His dark brown eyes darkened slightly, like his face wanted to scowl but he wouldn't get that far. "So you like that clown?"

I tried not to let the insult bother me. "Yeah, I suppose I do. What's it to you?" I tried to keep my voice soft and friendly but my eyes narrowed.

"Nothin'," he whispered as he looked down at his feet.

Something dawned on me then. "Are you jealous, Jake?"

His face froze, then a rich dusky blush rose to his cheeks. "No, it's just..." he trailed off, not able to find the words to express what was going through his head.

I smiled at him gently. "I understand, Jake. But you have to let it go eventually. It's been over five years."

He turned his face away from me, embarrassed. "I know."

I reached up and held the side of his face in my hand. "You'll find someone, Jake. You just need to open your eyes a bit more.

He turned his face back to me, puzzled.

"I think Angela likes you."

His blush deepened. "Really?" he asked shyly.

"Yes. She's a real nice girl too, Jacob. Honest, hardworking, and very sweet."

He nodded slowly. "That she is. Thank you, Bella." His eyes moved away from me now and focused on something far away. Jacob turned and walked back to his post by the front door. He looked deep in thought as I watched him at his point by the front door.

Happy Hour progressed into the night. I didn't trip or fall or break any beer bottles. All in all, it was a pretty good night. I caught Jacob talking to Angela a few times. Angela kept looking at him shyly as they spoke, the occasional blush creeping up her cheeks.

I was disrupted from my happy thoughts by the one man who could single-handedly ruin my day. "Hey there, Beautiful. How about a beer and a date on Friday?"

I ground my teeth together so hard I was sure my dentist was going to notice it at my next cleaning. Slowly, I turned and glared at Mike Sullivan. He smiled at me, full of arrogance and self-importance. He thought his all-American boyish good looks made him irresistible to any and all women.

He was wrong.

I grabbed a beer from the cooler and had to stop myself from chucking it at him. I envisioned the bottle smashing into his temple, splattering him with beer and hopefully knocking some sense into him. Ah, if only.

I set the beer down before him, none too gently. I practically snarled at him. "My name is Bella. There's your damn beer. And as I've said many times before, no on the date. Not on Friday. Not on Saturday. Not on ANY day that ends in 'y'!"

He only looked at me, nonplussed, that arrogant smile still on his damned face. I'm sure he thought that if he kept on asking, eventually he'd get a yes out of me. Fat freakin' chance of that!

Thankfully he got up from the bar and made himself comfortable at one of the tables. There, at least he would be out of my hair. To be on the safe side, I kept an eye on him periodically through the night. I assumed that he would try to make a move on me again.

One of Edward's songs came on the jukebox and it made me smile. I actually stopped what I was doing, lost in the moment. Jessica just happened to be looking in my general direction at that moment and caught my happy, faraway look. Her curiosity got the best of her again and she came bounding over.

"I knew it! He IS Edward Cullen!" she squealed.

I rolled my eyes. This was really getting old. "Jess, I smiled because I happen to like this song. And, it's a song that Anthony and I danced to the other night."

Her eyes narrowed. "You don't dance. You never dance."

"Usually," I agreed. "But we weren't really dancing. We were swaying. My feet never left the floor."

Jessica only looked at me unconvinced. "So when can I meet Anthony?"

I laughed. I couldn't help it. "Never if you keep this up!"

She laughed too. Jessica still didn't believe me but would wait for another time to pounce. The battle wasn't over yet.

Around eleven that night, Jessica took her lunch break so I covered her tables. I made the unfortunate discovery that one of Jessica's tables had Mike as an occupant. Damn. I really didn't like dealing with this creep at all. I tried to distance myself from his table as much as I could. But it was unavoidable. In order to go to and from the tables, I would have to brush by his table. It was only a matter of time before he said or did something to get my attention.

"Hi, Beauuutiful," he drawled. He wasn't drunk yet, but he was getting there quickly. He was just starting to slur his words.

"My name is Bella, Mike."

"Yeah, like I said, Beautiful."

I sighed and squared my shoulders. "Do you need something, Mike?"

He smiled at me lewdly. "Yes. I need you to go get me another beer and then come running back over and straddle me."

Fury lit up my eyes. If I could burn someone with my gaze, he would be an inferno. "Drop dead, Mike."

I turned away from him and started to stalk back to the bar. Just as I turned away, Mike reached out and grabbed my butt, hard. I whipped around, completely and totally infuriated now, my eyes blazing. He shrank back slightly when he saw the look on my face, but it was too late. I slapped him hard across the face, hard enough to leave my hand print. The stinging in my hand felt good. This sleaze ball had crossed the line. "Do not EVER touch me again, Michael Sullivan. This is your last warning."

He merely smirked at me. Clearly he was enjoying this, even as the side of his face continued to redden in the shape of my hand.

Jacob met me over at the bar, worry and concern written all over his face. "Bella, I am so sorry I didn't stop him in time. I had just gone to the men's room. He knows how to pick the perfect time, that's for sure. Do you want me to throw him out?" He looked dangerously at Mike. He was eager to get his hands around Mike's neck.

"No, not yet. I am hoping he finally learned his lesson."

Jacob looked doubtful but did as I asked and returned to his position by the front door.

Shortly after that mess, Jessica came back from her break. I had paperwork to do so I filled her in on Mr. Grab-hands and advised her to tell Jacob the minute he got out of hand again. I finally got to retreat to the sanctuary of my office. My research for the restaurant addition plan still needed a lot more work and I needed to approve the supply order that Angela had done the night before. I settled into my paperwork as I pushed the noise of the bar into the back of my mind. It didn't take long to approve the supply order. Angela was very trustworthy so I barely had to look at it before signing it.

The restaurant research was infinitely more time consuming. I had only picked at my proposed plan here and there for the past several months. If I was ever to get this underway, I needed to focus and push all distractions out of the way. I pulled out some booklets on grants and entrepreneurship and started taking notes. Eventually I was too engrossed to pay attention to any particular noise. The restrooms were near my office so I was used to hearing some foot traffic from time to time but after awhile it all became background noise.

The noise from the bar masked his approach to my office.

"Hey beaauuiiitifulllllll," he slurred, truly drunk now.

Startled, I jumped out of my chair. "Mike-"

He cut me off as he lurched suddenly towards me. He cupped one hand over my mouth and used the other to pin me against my desk. I struggled to free myself but he was double my weight.

"Shhhhhh, now baby, don't be like that..." he cooed at me, his disgusting beer breath blowing into my face. His eyes ogled my body. I could only imagine the things he was thinking, things he had no right to imagine. It made me feel dirty and violated. "Now this is how it's going to go." He slowly moved his hand that was holding me against my desk. His mere presence, inches from mine, was enough at the moment to keep me where I was. "I'm going to move my hand from your mouth and you are not going to make a sound. If you do, I'll have to use this."

I finally saw where his free hand had gone after he released his hold on me. A knife was in his hand. It wasn't a large one, but it didn't have to be to still be deadly. My eyes darted wildly around my office, trying to find an escape. My brain whirled a mile a minute trying to gauge my chances of escaping unhurt. He was obviously drunk, but he had the distinct advantages of his larger size and being armed.

"See how easy that is?" he murmured in my ear, making me shiver. He moved his hand from my mouth and trailed his fingers down my neck to my collarbone. My skin crawled where his touched mine. "All you have to do is let me in, beautiful." His voice was losing some of the slur as his desire increased. I felt something hard poking me in the stomach. It was difficult to fight the urge to be violently ill.

"I will never let you in," I whispered scornfully.

"Ah, but you will, Bella. My beautiful Bella." He took the dull edge of the knife and pressed it against my throat. Then he trailed it down my chest to my belly button and back up to my neck. When it came back up, he flipped the knife over so now the business end was against my neck. I closed my eyes and willed my heartbeat to slow and the panic to cease. I had to be calm to survive this.

He watched my breathing slow and took it as an encouraging sign. "That's right, beautiful."

"Take your hands off her. Now," a voice demanded from behind Mike's back. The voice sounded familiar, but it was deadly, full of cold fury.

Mike turned to the new person, angry at being interrupted from his fun. "Back off buddy, she-"

His disgusting, drunken slur was cut off as a fist cracked squarely with his jaw. Mike's head snapped back around before he collapsed against my body, pushing me further into my desk.

"Ah, ouch!" I cried out as the knife that Mike had in his hand bit into my neck before it tumbled to the floor as he lost consciousness. I felt warmth trickle down across my collarbone. My already unsettled stomach seized at the smell of my blood in the air.

"Oh God, Bella, are you okay?" Edward's voice was all I heard as Mike's unconscious form was pulled from my body and tossed to the floor. I no longer had the energy to stand when Mike's weight no longer pinned me to my desk. I started to fall so I closed my eyes and prepared for impact.

Except the impact never came. I groggily opened my eyes to brilliant, emerald eyes, Edward's eyes. He caught me before I fell and held me against his chest as he sat on the floor. I turned my head and winced as I was reminded of the cut on my neck. I reached up and felt the hot, sticky, wetness and smelled that salty, irony smell that fresh blood gives off. My sensitive stomach began to churn anew. I hoped it wasn't a deep cut despite how it bled. I didn't do well with blood.

"Bella? Bella, look at me." Edward's eyes were full of concern and anxiety as he took in my bloody neck and sallow pallor.

"Edward..." I reached up with my other hand and touched his face. He was my angel. My stomach seemed to be trying to regain control. Edward's face calmed me.

"I need to get you to a doctor. And I need to get this monster out of here." Edward lifted me like he did last night, cradling me carefully to him. He carried me out to the hallway and hollered for Jacob. I felt like I was going to pass out. Everything was getting fuzzy. He looked down at me again, tenderly this time. "It's okay, Bella. It's all over. I'm here. You're safe."

Jacob came running over. As soon as he saw me with blood all over my shirt in Edward's arms, he looked like he was going to attack Edward. "You filthy, stink-"

"Jacob, it wasn't me! I walked into her office to surprise her and found Mike with a knife to her throat!" Edward explained urgently.

Jacob looked in my office and saw Mike laying on the floor and the knife not far from him. Jacob ran in and grabbed the knife before Mike could wake up and use it on someone else.

He turned to Edward and I, the same concern and anxiety that Edward had mirrored in his eyes. "Bella, are you okay?"

I nodded weakly in Edward's arms. "Call my dad, will you please?"

Jacob nodded darkly and walked back into my office to use the phone. Edward looked at me again, puzzled. "Shouldn't we call the police and get an ambulance to take you to the hospital?"

"Jacob is doing that. My father is the police chief."

"Oh."

Edward continued to hold me in the hallway outside of my office while Jacob guarded Mike. Angela stood by the entrance of the hallway to keep gawkers away until the police and EMS arrived. Jacob also grabbed some paper towels and gave them to Edward to hold at my neck. It only took a few minutes for sirens to be heard. A squad car came screaming into the parking lot and an ambulance wasn't far behind. I heard my father's voice long before I saw him.

"Bella? Bella! Where's my daughter? Bella!" Chief Swan stormed into the Midnight Sun. His face was a writhing cloud of fury mixed with worry and concern for his one and only daughter. He came running around the corner and stopped short as soon as he saw me in Edward's arms. He looked at me, then at Edward, then back at me again.

"Bells... are you okay?" He walked up to me slowly, reaching a hand to the wad of bloody paper towels at my neck.

"I'm fine, Dad."

"If you are fine, then what is up with all the blood?"

I winced. "Mike had a knife. When E-" I quickly edited myself, "Anthony punched him, Mike fell against me and the knife cut into my neck." When I mentioned Edward as Anthony, Edward looked down at me quickly before returning his attention to my father.

Edward nodded and continued the story. "When I walked in, he had her pinned against her desk. I told him to let her go. When he didn't, I punched him. He fell on her causing the knife to nick her neck."

My father's murderous gaze now locked onto Edward's. I felt a bout of sympathy for him. This was not the ideal way for a man to meet the father of a woman he was interested in. "And I assume you are Anthony?"

He looked down at the floor for a moment. "Yes, sir, uh, Chief Swan. I'm a friend of Bella's."

My father looked Edward up and down again. Then he relaxed slightly. "Thank you for saving my daughter."

Edward nodded but didn't say anything else. The tension I felt in Edward's shoulders lessened.

By now the paramedics couldn't be held back by my father any longer. They came up to me and started to treat my wound. It really wasn't that bad. It was just one of those kinds of cuts that bled a lot. I wouldn't even need stitches. They tried to get me to go to the hospital but I refused. My father tried to press me but I put my foot down. All I wanted to do was go home, preferably in Edward's arms. I didn't want to be fussed over any more tonight.

As the paramedics were finishing cleaning me up, my father handcuffed and arrested Mike, who was finally starting to wake up. After I was pronounced fit by the paramedics, an officer took my statement for the police report. The bar floor was pretty empty as everyone had gathered around the hallway to see what was going on after Charlie came charging in yelling.

I just wanted to go home.

Edward was more then happy to accommodate my request. He told Jacob and Jessica that he was taking me home and that I would call them tomorrow to see if I was up to coming in. I was too tired to argue. And to be honest, I really didn't have a good reason to argue. He scooped me up in his arms again and carried me out to his Volvo. The entire time after Edward saved me, he only let me go when the paramedics were cleaning me up. A few minutes later we were pulling into my driveway. Before I could get out of the car, Edward was already at my door lifting me out carefully. He cradled me like a precious, breakable doll as he walked into the house and laid me down on the couch. Edward made sure I was comfortable then went into the kitchen and came back only moments later with a glass of water and handed it to me. I realized as soon as the glass was in my hand that I was very thirsty. I drank nearly the whole glass on the first try.

Edward laughed softly and brushed a stray hair off my forehead. "How are you holding up?" His emerald eyes held mine with such a tender, lovingly look in them.

I touched my bandaged neck. "I've been better. But I could've been a lot worse if you hadn't come in when you did. Thank you. Thank you so very much. I can't thank you enough."

He sat on the floor by my head and looked me in the eye. "You're welcome. I don't know what I would've done if I had shown up any later. That scum should be glad that I came in when I did. If he had a chance to do anything else..." His voice trailed off. His face darkened and became more frightening. His liquid green eyes hardened. "If he had the chance to do anything else to you before I walked in... he would not be alive to do it at this moment."

My eyes widened. He was not joking. "Edward.... it's done and over. I'm alive and relatively unhurt. Let's just be glad that this," I gestured to my neck again, "is all that happened."

He only nodded before he leaned over and kissed my forehead. "You should get some rest. But first you need to get out of those bloody clothes."

I looked over at him. "I think I got some on you too."

Edward looked down at his button-down shirt, now ruined with blood splotches on it from where he held me. He shrugged his shoulders, indifferent to the damage done to his shirt. "It's alright."

He scooped me up in his arms again and walked into my bedroom. After he sat me up on the edge of my bed, he put his hands on my shoulders and looked deeply into my eyes. "Oh, Bella..." he trailed off, all the concern and worry clouding his beautiful green eyes. Before he could say anymore, he turned and started to walk out of the room.

"Edward, wait." I didn't want to be alone. Not tonight. Not after what happened.

He turned and looked back at me tenderly with a soft smile. "I'll be right back, Bella. I am going to change my clothes. Don't you want to get out of that bloody shirt?"

I nodded, relieved he was coming back. He turned back towards the door and left the room. I could hear his footsteps across the house as he walked to his room. I carefully got up, still a little unsteady on my feet, and changed into a pair of sleep shorts and a t-shirt. I had just crawled into bed when I heard a soft knock. A moment later, Edward peeked in the door. He smiled crookedly at me, making the physical and emotional pain of tonight wash away. Shyly, he walked in and sat down next to me on my bed. He was wearing something similar to what he wore this morning at breakfast; boxers and a t-shirt. I reached out to him, pulling him down next to me.

"Please, stay with me," I asked. I felt so safe with him. I knew I wouldn't get any sleep tonight if he wasn't here with me.

His green eyes turned molten as he gazed at my face. He reached out and caressed the side of my face. The fire I had felt the past two days when he touched me was still there, but it was different this time. Instead of the fire bringing out desire and need, now it brought comfort. I sighed and laid my hand over his. The need for sleep was calling too strongly now so I pulled his hand down from my face, settling it around my waist as I lay on my side. I could feel his breath stir my hair as he scooted next to me, curling his body around mine protectively. I sighed once more before I fell asleep.

A/N Please read and review!

Have you seen Remember Me yet? What did you think?