TayBee wrote this chapter! (It's great isn't it?)

Happy birthday Anissa! A is for Angel

Thanks Valorie for saying happy birthday, ON my birthday! SO did Anissa! First one to say it!

And to you. Cuz quite frankly, you all ROCK!

CHAPTER 18

EPOV

Bella cocked her head to the side, a small smile gracing her face. What could she be so happy about at a time like this? Her stalker, who had seemingly vanished for months, was suddenly sending her more letters than ever. They were the most threatening, disturbing, vivid letters we had ever seen.

"Bella, where did you get that ring?" I asked again. I tried my hardest to keep my voice calm, but I didn't do very well.

"I was wondering when you were going to fess up to it, Edward. Thank you very much for it." she said while a small, beautiful blush appeared on her cheeks.

"What are you talking about, Bella?" I asked, horrified about what she was about to say.

I will get my mark on you soon enough, Isabella Swan. I will get a ring on your skinny little finger or I will leave my initials carved into the back of your neck. This is your choice, baby doll.

That was one of the last letters we had received before his vanishing act. We decided not to let Bella see it.

"The night we went to The Killers concert, Edward. I found it on my doorstep that night, after you brought me home. It matched my necklace perfectly. Didn't you get it for me?"

Another letter flashed through my mind.

I think I have found you, baby doll. I think I found your home. It seems like a home you would like, and I plan on leaving you gifts on your doorstop. If you know what's best for you, you'll accept them.

I dove at Bella, snatching the ring off of her finger. I held it up in front of her face. "This ring, Bella, did it come in a box? Was there a letter with it? Did he say anything?"

"Edward, what are you talking about? Isn't that ring from you?" Bella asked, her voice slightly cracking. A small tear ran down her cheek.I instantly felt awful. I has scared her.

I pulled her into my chest. I wiped the tear from her cheek and lightly kissed her lips.

"No Bella, don't cry. This will all be okay." I whispered to her. I held her tight for a few seconds more, trying my best to comfort her.

I heard Carlisle clear his throat from behind me, reminding me of the business we had to handle.

I sat back down on the couch, pulling Bella into my lap. I tossed the ring onto the coffee table. It bounced with a sickening metal thud.

"Bella," I said softly to her, "I need you to tell me everything about that ring."

And then Bella told me. She told me about the box it came in. She told me that it came without a letter. About a large "B" carved into the wood. She brought the box into the living room, letting us inspect it carefully. I planned to send it off to the police department, along with a few letters, hoping for a DNA identification.

And then I told Bella. I told her all about the threatening letters we had been getting. I told her how terrible they were. She knew that he stopped writing several months ago. She didn't know he had started writing again within the last few weeks. Her face paled a small amount as we told her how vivd the letters were. She shivered when I told her that ring had been from her stalker. She whimpered when she realized that meant this man knew where she lived.

Alice spoke up after we told her everything. "What do we do now?" she whispered.

Bella straightened up in my lap. "We sell this house. No, we don't. We let him think we still live here. But we are moving out tomorrow. I can't have you girls living here. I couldn't stand it if he hurt you, especially trying to get to me."

My arms tightened around her waist, hearing Bella talk like that made me sick to my stomach. She was so self-sacrificing. She wouldn't care if anything happened to her, but she couldn't see anything happen to her friends. That would hurt her more than her own physical pain. Bella looked to my eyes, and buried her head in my neck for a short moment. I found it extremely ironic that I was the body guard right now. Bella was the one with the cool collected plan. I was the one falling apart at the seams.

Bella pulled her head from me and spoke again. "He can't get to me in public, we know that. I have the best security there is to offer. The only real threat he poses is knowing where I live. So if I don't live there anymore, if he doesn't know where I live, he can't pose a real threat. We're moving. Tomorrow."

We all nodded in unison. "Hopefully the police will be able to get some DNA off the box or the envelopes. We have enough letters saved to put this guy in jail." I said.

"DNA results can take weeks, months even." Emmett muttered. I jumped in my seat. I had almost forgotten the whole family was here. Whenever Bella was in the room, she was the only one I noticed.

We talked a while longer. We all agreed to move the girls into a more secure location. We would talk to a realtor wouldn't take anything with them. They would go shopping, so it didn't look like they were moving. I had a small plan formulating in my own mind, but said nothing of it just yet.

The girls all head off to bed for one last time. Carlisle and Esme went home for the night, and Jasper, Emmett and I decided to stay the night in the house, just in case.

I talked to the boys for most of the night, we took turns staying awake, making coffee, and the like. I told them what I thought about moving the girls. Eventually, I dozed off in to a restless sleep.

"Edward. Edward man wake up. You're annoying the hell out of me." I heard Emmett whisper as he elbowed me in the ribs. "Dude, go sleep with Bella. That should stop the nightmares."

I sat up and rubbed my eyes. "How did you know I was having nightmares?" I asked in disbelief. In reality, I was glad he woke me up. I had a nightmare that I was on the side of the stage, waiting for Bella to walk next to me to take the mike. The announcer called her, but she never appeared.

As the panic started to settle in, the stage and audience started to slowly turn into a black hallway. "Bella!" I yelled, sprinting down the hallway. I called her name again and again, but she never answered. Emmett woke me up right after I heard her scream.

"You kept calling for Bella in your sleep. You were getting pretty loud, man. It's annoying. Go sleep with Bella. It will calm you down." Emmett shook me from my thoughts.

I nodded and stumbled to Bella's room. She was curled in a ball under her covers.

"No, please don't. Please." she whispered frantically. Did she think I was someone else?

"Bella it's okay. It's me, Edward."

"Please, don't hurt him." It was then that I realized Bella was asleep. I almost laughed at the fact that we both had nightmares without each other. Almost. Her next words made my stomach churn.

"I love him. Please, don't hurt Edward."

I rushed to her bedside and crawled under the covers to hold her, hoping it would make the nightmare go away. "I'm fine, Bella. Love, no one is going to hurt me." She stirred a small amount and finally settled in my arms.

Her cries slowly faded as she took several deep breaths. "I love you, Edward." she murmured in her sleep.

I kissed her forehead. "I love you too, Bella."