A/N: Good news: Term paper is pretty much done in terms of time consuming work.

Bad news: Mom just had surgery on her shoulder and is requiring a bit of assistance from yours truly.

Good news: More time to write since term paper is complete (somewhat).

Bad news: Freed time is now taken up by mother and College Criminal Justice homework.

In terms of the delay of this chapter, that is the only explanation I can give you… :( Hope it's worth it!

Enjoy!

Please Don't Leave Me

EPOV

I felt my eyes stinging as I slowly began waking up. I rubbed my eye with one hand, then the other. Something was sticking to my face as I tried to roll over, and I brushed it way, jumping as I realized it felt like a shirt. My eyes shot open to reveal Bella lying next to me, my arm under her and her arm around me, her hand in my hair. Flashes of the night before went through my head and I groaned, putting my hand over my eyes. She inhaled deeply before exhaling, a small sound coming out as she slowly stretched. It sounded almost like a yawn. I moved my hand to find her looking at me, a small smile on her face.

Good morning, she said, using the hand that wasn't still wrapped around my shoulders.

What really surprised me was how she was able to say that like nothing had happened the night before, like she hadn't walked into my room as I cried like a baby, needing her to comfort me about something that happened almost an entire year ago. I felt the familiar flow of self-loathing rise up, but I pushed it down for later.

"Morning," I said, my voice heavy with sleep. She stretched again, closing her eyes like it was the best feeling in the world at that moment. But that's when I realized something.

"Bella, were you just sleeping?" I asked quietly, disbelieving. She relaxed her body and opened her eyes, looking at the ceiling. She shrugged before turning her face to me.

I guess you could say that, she signed. I go into a kind of trance that helps me relax. She shrugged again.

"Does it have to do with your power?" She shrugged again. This seemed to be a topic that she was reluctant to talk about.

I guess it helps with it. I do it because it helps me…feel…normal, you could say. It helps burn time, instead of me trying to find ways to entertain myself. It's what I do when I go into the woods, if I'm not hunting.

I nodded, but didn't ask anything else. I lay back down so that my head was resting on my free arm while the other was still around Bella. She didn't seem to mind, not moving the arm that was around me even though I had been prying. I sighed and closed my eyes, relaxing as she started running her fingers through my hair again. We stayed there like that for a while, until I sighed and started leaning up. Bella's hand paused and I looked at her.

Are you okay? She signed.

"Yeah, I just remembered we still have school today, which means I need to get ready," I said, mentally groaning. She shook her head.

No, not that. Are you okay after yesterday? She signed this slowly, like she thought it was going to set me off. I just nodded.

"I guess it was just a shock, that's all. It wasn't what I was expecting to see in there," I said quietly, picking up the blanket I had ended up laying on. I ran my fingers over it before draping it across my pillow, tears filling my eyes again. It still smelled the same.

She nodded and I realized she didn't even know what it was Esme had shown me. But she didn't ask. She ran her fingers through one last time before getting up and helping me to my chair. I sat down and went over to my dresser. I heard the door open, but not close, so I looked to see Bella half way into the hall. She was looking around and then at me, her eyes questioning. I smiled.

"I'm okay. I'll call if I need something." She visibly relaxed and nodded, smiling before closing the door behind her.

I grabbed a pair of pants and a shirt, realizing I had never changed out of yesterday's and went into the bathroom. I set my clothes down on the arm of my chair, put on the brake, and moved myself to the higher chair at the sink. I brushed my teeth and tried to tame my bronze mop, quickly giving up on it just like every other day. I finished up in the bathroom, managing to get dressed without having to call for help, and wheeled myself into the hall. I almost ran straight into Bella. She stopped with less than an inch between her toes and the wheels of my chair.

"Oh! Sorry, Bella. I wasn't paying attention," I said, blushing slightly.

The first day she was spending with us is the day I almost run her over…I thought to myself, but she just waved it away. I continued down the hall and Bella moved to my side.

I was just coming back to get you. Your door was shut, so I was waiting to hear it open. I…kind of made you breakfast, she signed. I looked up as we came into the kitchen to see her smiling sheepishly, like she wasn't sure she should have.

"Thanks, Bella," I said. "I probably would've just grabbed a granola bar or something." I smiled up at her and she looked away, a small smile on her face.

I wheeled over to the counter to pick up the plate that was up there, but Bella shooed me towards the table. I went over and stopped at my spot, shaking my head. She came behind me and set the plate down, her arm brushing my shoulder and leaving a slight chill on my skin. I tried to hold back a shiver, but she noticed, smiling apologetically as she sat down next to me. She handed me a fork and I started eating the waffles she had obviously just put in the toaster oven. She sat there looking out the window as I ate.

"Bella?" She turned to me, cocking her head to the side slightly. "Can I ask you something? I mean…you don't have to answer. I'm just curious." I saw her hesitate, but she nodded.

"I…Why didn't I wake up cold since I slept next to you? Just now I felt chilly, but why wasn't I freezing by the time I woke up this morning?" I asked in a rush.

She looked down at the table and played with her fingernail. After a few seconds I focused on my food, thinking she wasn't going to answer. I felt her brush my arm and turned back to her, my mouth stuffed with food. She still looked undecided, but started signing.

I…I'm not like other vampires. I still have to drink blood and the sun reflects off of my skin, but there are certain things, like my temperature, that are different. I…I'm not ready to talk about my power yet, but it has to do with that. Is that okay? She asked, her eyes pleading with me to understand. I nodded and a small smile crept onto her face.

Thank you. I promise that I will tell you, along with the others, but just not yet. I'm…I'm not ready to remember, she said, her gaze moving back to her hands. I smiled and took her hand in mine, forgetting the food on the table.

"I know exactly how you feel. We both have something to share, but it'll have to wait until both of us are ready." I glanced at the clock on the wall. "For now, though, we have school to go to."

She smiled at me before standing and taking my plate to the kitchen. I went to the door and grabbed my coat, slipping it on as I waited for her. She came out with her keys in hand and we went out to her truck. She helped me up and folded my chair, putting it on the backseat before getting in and starting it. I looked around and noticed everyone else was already gone, probably hearing that we were talking and deciding to leave without us.

I sat back and sighed as Bella drove towards the school, a soft beeping coming on twice. It was on her side the first time, then mine as we pulled into the parking lot. She pulled into a spot right next to Emmett's Jeep, turning slowly but not getting anywhere close to hitting it. Before I could blink the truck was off and she was opening my door. I unbuckled my seatbelt as she unfolded my chair, and I lowered myself down to the floor of the truck. She helped me the rest of the way before I backed up so she could shut the door and lock it.

I turned around and sat there, pulling my gloves out of the little side pocket in my chair while she got our stuff. I put my gloves on as she put my bag on the back of my chair, leaving one hand on a handle so she could tell where I was going. We made our way towards the school in silence, me scanning the crowded sidewalks for the one person I did not feel like dealing with today. I spotted Emmett's massiveness and headed in that direction, Bella quickly noticing the slight change in direction.

Alice turned and spotted us, waving like a little girl. Everyone else turned as well, and Emmett joined her frantic waving. I couldn't help but laugh at him.

He'd been trying really hard since I came to live with them to make me happy. He usually succeeded, but then something would happen and he'd start all over again. Alice tried, but she didn't have as much patience as Emmett seemed to have. Jasper left me alone unless he had something to say or wanted me to know he was helping with my emotions. I could tell it bothered him to mess with me, but he did it when he could tell I needed it. Rose was just there. She would talk to me sometimes, but not often. Carlisle and Esme left me alone to "deal with my grief." So, besides Emmett and Alice, I was pretty much the lone human in a house of vampires.

"Hey, guys! Sorry we didn't wait for you, but you seemed to be busy," Emmett said, wiggling his eyebrows. Alice gasped and looked at me, waiting to hear what she missed.

"We were just talking, Emmett," I said. He laughed.

"I know, but I like seeing Alice's potential gossip reaction. Her seeing the future kind of makes it scarce." Alice punched him in the arm and walked away, Jasper waving behind him as he followed.

"She might be small, but she really hurts," Emmett whined, rubbing his arm. He huffed. "And isn't that man whipped!" he exclaimed, probably hoping Jasper would hear him. He got the bird over Jasper's head, so I guess he did.

"He's not whipped, he's just dedicated," Rose said. Emmett kissed her.

"Why are we being all positive all of a sudden, Rosie?" he said. She punched him in the same arm as Alice, but wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm just speaking the truth." Emmett grimaced as he rubbed his arm again. I laughed.

"Well, I have to stop at my locker before class starts, so I'll see you later," I said.

They waved before heading in the direction of a secluded corner. I stopped that train of thought before it went too far and made my way through the front doors, Bella moving in front of me to hold them. I stopped in front of my locker just in time for a certain football hero slash idiot to bump my chair, slamming my legs into the lockers. I held in a gasp of pain as Lucas stood behind me and laughed.

"Whoops. Did I bump into you, Cullen? I guess you should watch where you park that thing," he said, his friends breaking out in laughter.

But I wasn't concerned about them. My attention was more focused on the pain that I shouldn't have been able to feel. I ground my teeth together, willing it to go away. It felt like someone was stabbing me in the same places over and over again. These places just so happened to be my scars from the accident. I scrunched my eyes closed and breathed through my nose, trying to calm myself.

Maybe it was just that phantom pain Carlisle told me about. He said I could feel pain, but nothing would really be happening to me. Kind of like veterans who lost a body part but still feel pain in it. It was just their mind making them feel it, even though there was nothing to give the pain.

The problem was that it was just getting worse. My legs started to burn and my breathing was turning ragged. I felt someone's hand on my shoulder, but I couldn't get myself to open my eyes and see who it was. My back started bending, bringing me into a hunched over position.

Hands cupped my face, turning it gently towards the person attached to them, and I could tell it was Bella. She was the only one who would touch me when I was like this. Everyone else would just walk away like they didn't see anything, or start making excuses. Teachers would just stand there waiting for someone to think of something. It had to be her. I heard someone talking, but I couldn't focus on what they were saying. All I could feel was Bella's chilly hands on my face and my burning legs. I needed to tell her what was going on, but my sentences were choppy with my pain.

"My-my legs…they feel…like they…are burning. Be- Bella…it hurts…it really…hurts," I gasped.

I still hadn't opened my eyes, so I couldn't see if she was trying to tell me something. The burning just kept getting worse, and I could feel myself losing consciousness. I felt myself separating from the pain, but I could still tell that it was there. Bella's hands were still on my face, and I felt the cool brush of her thumbs over my eyes. She was trying to get me to open them, but I couldn't get my body to listen to me.

Suddenly, there were more hands on me, and someone asking what was wrong. The booming voice filled my mind, but Emmett didn't stop. He just kept asking me, shaking my shoulders as I stayed curled up in my little ball of pain.

One of Bella's hands left my face, and I grabbed at where it had been. My heart beat even more frantically and my hand flailed around, trying to find hers. I ended up just grabbing the hand that was still on my face and holding it there, the coolness feeling good against me. Emmett's hands left my shoulder's, and Bella's other hand went back to my face. I clutched at them like they were my lifeline.

"We've got to get him out of here," someone said.

Bella tried to take her hands away, but I wouldn't let them go. My face was burning up and her hands were my only relief at that moment. She ran her thumbs over my cheeks and tried again. I still didn't let go.

"Edward," Alice's voice said in my ear," you have to let go of Bella so we can get you home. She's not going anywhere." A hand fell gently on my shoulder, confirming what she said. Bella slowly moved her hand away and I let go, immediately missing the coolness against my flaming face.

Her arm wrapped around my shoulders and pushed me upright. The other went behind my knees, and she lifted me, cradling my pained form to her. I heard the clinking of my chair folding and a slight jostling as Bella ran me out of the building and to her truck. She laid me down on the back seat and put my head in her lap, replacing her hands to their previous position. I almost sighed with relief. I heard the sounds of doors closing and someone climbing into the driver's seat.

"Bella, where are your keys?" Rosalie's voice asked.

One of her hands left me again, but quickly returned after a slight jingling sound. The truck started up and Rose immediately backed it out of the spot. My head started feeling light and I squeezed one of Bella's hands. She made a shushing sound and rubbed her thumbs across my cheeks. My vision slowly blackened as the truck sped down the road. I could still feel Bella, but I couldn't see anymore. And my whole body was on fire, but I couldn't make a sound. My breathing had quickened, and I felt the truck make a sharp turn, almost sending me to the floor. Bella grabbed me in time, holding my hip until the truck's balance was centered again.

After a short time, Rose slammed on the brakes and the door was open before I even realized we were home. Bella scooped me up again and jumped out of the truck, not bothering to get the door. She ran up and through the door, a voice following her down the hall.

By this time it felt like my body weighed nothing, that there was nothing left of me but my slowly fading mind. I couldn't feel my body, I couldn't see, my mind was slowing so that I couldn't even make out what people were saying around me. All I knew was that Bella was holding me and bringing me somewhere.

Bella suddenly stopped and I heard a clicking, but it sounded so far away. She started walking again and I felt myself being lowered down. I couldn't feel what it was, but the sensation of falling told me I wasn't in her arms anymore. The coolness of her arms left me, and I made a small sound of protest. It felt like I was thrown into an inferno as soon as she let go of me. I felt someone raise my head and the coolness of Bella's body overwhelmed me just as I heard Carlisle's distinct voice.

BPOV

I had no idea what was going on. Today had started out so well, then collapsed quicker than I could have imagined. I barely saw what happened in the hallway, thanks to the overwhelming amount of people, but I did know that Edward was no longer okay. One minute he was saying he needed to get some things out of his locker, and the next his form is doubled over in pain. I heard that kid from yesterday talking to Edward, but I hadn't been paying any attention.

Now Edward was lying on his bed with no idea what was going on around him. Jasper told us he was still in pain, but he couldn't tell why he was so relaxed. When I picked him up to bring him in the house, his body had just flopped, like he had no control whatsoever.

It was scaring the crap out of me.

The only things he had done were protest when I took my hands away from his face and squeeze my hand. Otherwise he hadn't really moved.

I had picked up his head and laid it on my chest so that I could try to cool down his burning body more. I was half under him and I had his face in my hands, but he was still burning up. I didn't know what else to do when Carlisle walked in.

"What's going on?" he said, his tone referring to Edward and not why all of us were at home instead of school. I laid my head on top of Edward's and closed my eyes tight, letting the others explain. His rasping breaths would have muffled the conversation if it hadn't been for my enhanced hearing.

"Something happened in the hallway," Alice's voice said from somewhere near the foot of the bed. "I saw Edward in pain, but we couldn't get there fast enough without revealing ourselves."

"Yeah," Emmett chimed in. "I heard that one kid from the football team talking to a teacher saying he didn't do anything. They didn't mention what he might have done, but I doubt that he's innocent. Everyone in the school knows about his and Edward's argument during first period yesterday." Emmet's voice got so low it sounded like he was suppressing a growl.

"Is that all we know?" Carlisle asked, slipping into doctor mode. There was a pause before Jasper spoke up.

"Well…Bella was with him when it happened," he said. I buried my face in his hair as I felt all eyes turn to me.

"Bella," Esme's voice said softly, "we need to know what happened so Carlisle can help him."

I knew this, but I didn't know how I was going to tell them anything. I only heard that kid talking and the sound of something hitting the lockers. Then Edward was in pain.

I turned my head to look at them, seeing six figures standing before me. I thought I saw them look at each other, but I couldn't tell for sure. Esme walked over and kneeled down next to the bed, resting her arms on the side nearest me.

"Could you write down everything you saw or heard for us? We don't have much to go on right now to find out what's happening to him," she reasoned.

I reached over and took her hand, ignoring Edward's whimper for just a second, before placing her hand on his burning forehead. She gasped and I let go, replacing my hand on the side of his face.

"Carlisle, he's burning up," she whispered frantically. I buried my face back into his hair as they ran in and out of the room. I didn't look to see what was going on, but focused on my friend burning up in my arms.

He was still having trouble breathing, his chest heaving with the effort of each one. His body was hot against mine, my lower body temp only seeming to keep him slightly comfortable. His body was splayed across the bed from when I put him down. His arms were slightly apart from his body and his legs were bent so his knees were pointing towards the side of the bed, or as far as I could tell, they were.

The only thing I wanted was to be able to see his face.

I felt Esme's hand on my arm and nodded turning my head again. I closed my eyes and nodded. I heard her move away before there as a soft hissing near Edward's head. I immediately tensed and looked up.

"It's okay, Bella. It's just an oxygen mask. Hopefully, it will help him breathe a little better," Carlisle said. I let myself relax a little, but was still on edge. I heard someone approach and turned to them.

"I have a notebook and a pen for you to write down what you heard or saw. Do you want to do it now?" Edward's soft whimper of pain answered for me. I nodded and she put the pen in my hand and guided me towards the white blank in my line of sight.

"I'm going to hold it and you write, okay?" She asked quietly. I nodded and began to write out everything I could remember, ending with the fact that Edward was the only one who knew more and asking if hitting his legs could have triggered something in his mind. I handed the pen to Esme, who took it and read off everything I had written. I just closed my eyes and laid my head back down on Edward's.

"She might be on to something," Carlisle whispered. "If what she says is what's going on then there's nothing I can do for him. His mind is creating all of his body's reactions from that incident and there's nothing I can really do to stop it. It's just a waiting game," he finished solemnly.

I squeezed my eyes shut and hugged him closer to me, a small hiccup escaping from my mouth. That was the last thing I had wanted to hear. A hand was placed gently on my shoulder, but I didn't open my eyes.

"Bella, you're going to stay with him?" Carlisle's voice asked me. I nodded once. "Okay, will you promise me that if anything changes with Edward that you will come get one of us? Alice is going to keep an eye on him through her visions, but I want you to let us know as soon as anything happens if we are not already in here." I nodded again.

I heard all of them walk slowly out of the room, but just buried my face in Edward's hair. He groaned in pain again and I brushed my thumb over his cheeks. He started gasping and I moved so I could look at him, even though his face was more of a blur to me than anything. It sounded like he was trying to say something, but couldn't get enough energy to get it out.

"Be…Bell…Bella," he whispered, his voice just audible even with my hearing. I moved my thumb over his face again, letting him know I heard him.

"Please…don't…don't leave…me." His voice broke my heart, and I moved us so my body hugged his, his back to me and my arms around him. My one arm wrapped around his waist while the other wrapped gently around his neck, making sure to touch the sensitive spot there. I moved his legs with my own and sandwiched them between mine. I made sure the mask was still near his face and pointing at him before I laid my head on his shoulder.

I wasn't going anywhere.

A/N: So? Was it worth it? I'd really like to know…Anyway, Thanksgiving is coming up, as you all know, and more of my precious little time might be taken up preparing to go to my grandmother's or wherever it is we go for this holiday…I can't remember…

I'm aiming to update Saturday or Sunday, but I can guarantee nothing. I have a Sweet 16 to go to tomorrow, so that will take up a few hours, but I should be able to get at least a start on the next. And the title of the chapter is from Pink's song Heartbreaker. But since the title didn't fit, I just put the section of lyrics that did.

ATTENTION ALL READERS OF INFECTIOUS: The one reason I have not updated that story is the number of people who wanted that sequel compared to the number of reviews I have been getting. The last chapter got 2 reviews, one of them being my little sister. Quite frankly, if no one wants it anymore, I'll just change it into its own story and forget about writing a sequel for Fate Brought Us Together. I know a lot of people don't read sequels, but I even asked if anyone would read it and a bunch of you said yes. I'll make a decision eventually and keep you posted through this story, but I'm not putting anything else up for that one.

Okay, now it's time to review for this one. Let me know what you thought! I love hearing from all of you, and, after the day I've had, I need something to make me happy… :(

Please review!