A/N: Here goes the next chapter. Haha. Thank you all for reviewing. Virtual sugar cookies all around! You guys rock my world. By the way, the first to name the band that sings the title song gets EXTRA cookies. ( : ( :

Eleven

Running Just to Catch Myself

BELLA

"What do you mean 'It's him'?" I asked anxiously, fiddling with the strings on my black-and-white plaid winter coat.

"Mike. He's coming, Bella. He should be walking through that door in three… two…"

I held my breath, refusing to believe it. Mike was nowhere close.

"One."

The door in the front of the restaurant swung open, slamming loudly. "Bella!" Mike roared, ignoring the hostess as she offered him a menu. "What are you doing here?" The question was directed toward Edward, but he would not speak.

"Eating," I said, trying to sound nonchalant. After all, I had a vampire on my side, did I not?

"Oh, eating, well excuse me for interrupting!" he shouted, sarcasm thick in his voice. "Can I speak to you for a moment, alone?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea," I cautioned.

"Did I ask for your opinion?" he was yelling. I blinked away the tears that were threatening to spill out onto my face.

"No, but I don't need an invitation from you," I said calmly, collecting myself.

"That should be rejection enough for you," Edward finally spoke up, his arm still secured around my waist.

Mike lunged at him, and before I had any idea what was happening, Edward had him pinned against the wall, holding him up by the collar of his red and green shirt. "You're lucky, Bella. You couldn't fend for yourself. So you had to find this punk to hide behind! Does he know that he's nothing more than your shield?"

"That's not true and you know it!" I shouted, standing up to him, my face inches from his. Edward released him, taking my hand in his.

"Oh really? Because I happen to know that that's all you've ever been, Bella! Scared!" he rebutted, stepping closer to me.

"Well you've given me a reason to be, haven't you?" I whispered serenely, looking away from his piercing gaze.

"What's that, Isabella?" he spat, inching closer to me once again. I felt Edward's fingers tighten around mine as he tried to pull me in the other direction.

"You're the reason, Mike, the reason I'm so defensive. The reason I won't let anyone within inches of me. The reason I'm so indecisive, so slow to trust! I hope you're proud of yourself! I hope it makes it easier for you to sleep at night, knowing that you've ruined me!" I said furiously, angry tears rushing in rivers down my face. I made no effort to wipe them away as he stared at me, dumbfounded.

"So this is how you're going to be then?" he asked finally. "This is what you choose?"

I nodded. "Yes. I can't live the way you want me to, Mike. It's inhumane. I prefer being bruise-less myself."

Edward tensed beside me, and I patted his chest softly. Mike took another step, and his green eyes flashed red suddenly, the tears I thought I'd seen earlier in the bedroom turning out to be nothing more than a reflection of the furiousness he felt. How could I have been so stupid as to assume that he was crying? Vampires didn't cry… did they?

"We're leaving now, Bella," Edward demanded, never taking his eyes away from Mike.

"Oh, no, you're not!" Mike argued, grabbing my elbow. "You owe me more than this, Bella!" I cowered. What else did a wimp like me do in this sort of situation?

"You don't owe him anything, Bells," Edward soothed, yanking my arm away from Mike's rough, calloused hand.

I started to reply, but abruptly felt Mike pulling me backward by my hair. I squealed, doubling back in agony. Edward pressed his elbow into Mike's face, knocking him a good ten feet away from me. Our waitress, who had been very still and deathly quiet until this point, walked over nervously, extending her hand to me. I took it, looking graciously into her topaz eyes, and used it to steady myself as I stood up shakily.

Edward waltzed, a little too fast, to my side, and I buried my face in his chest. He held me tight for a moment, his eyes black and lifeless, before guiding me back to the parking lot. "I'm so sorry, Bella," he was whispering repeatedly. "So sorry."

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EDWARD

I'd scared him temporarily, but I could have done so much more. He would be back for her now. I knew that. If I'd only taken extra precautions… I would hate myself for this later, for sure.

"Bella? How do you feel?" I asked, opening the door on the passenger side for her.

"Oh!" she jumped as I reached out for her hand. Pain equaled only by a knife plunging into my heart shot through my body as she flinched away from my touch. "I… I'm sorry, Edward," she whispered, sensing the horror I felt.

I shook my head. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Bells," I said argumentatively. "No one ever said you had to heal as quickly as you did. It's perfectly normal for you… not to… trust… me."

She stood up abruptly, closing the door behind her as she fell into my arms. "Edward," she said, her chin resting on my shoulder. "I trust you more than I trust myself."

"Really?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Really. And not just because I'm so bad at taking care of myself." Her hand wandered aimlessly to the back of her head.

"You're so brave, Bella, you know that?" I said, kissing her hair.

"Right," she scoffed. "Bella, the run-away-and-trip-over-her-own-feet girl. What a hero."

"You're my hero," I muttered, moving my lips to her cheek, her nose, and then, finally, to her lips. She wound her fingers through my hair smoothly, pulling herself closer to me. I pushed her away, gently as I could manage, after a few moments of this. "Self-control," I reminded her, half-smiling.

"I believe you are more in control than you give yourself credit for, Mr. Cullen," she teased, holding my face in her warm, tiny hands.

"Is that right, Miss Swan?" I replied jokingly, leaning closer to her.

"Yes, it is," she said, gulping, nervous now. I tilted my head until our lips were centimeters apart. She held my gaze longingly, inching forward a bit.

I pulled back swiftly, taking her hand. "Well you're wrong."

She huffed, stomping her foot, agitated. "You're mean."

"You're right," I answered, pulling her behind me. "And also tired. I think you'd better go on up to bed. Charlie and Renee will be looking for you."

She cringed when I said 'Charlie'. "I… don't want you to leave," was her excuse. I knew the secret meaning behind those words. She didn't want me to leave her alone with Charlie.

"Don't worry, Bells," I soothed, leaning in for a chaste kiss as we stepped onto the porch. "I'll be up in about five minutes, when they've gone to bed."

"Well… okay," she agreed, hugging me quickly before descending into the house. My poor Bella. What had she done to deserve such fate?

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BELLA

"Where have you been?" Charlie demanded, skipping the greetings that were pretty much only for show, anyway.

"Out… I went to get some sushi, you know… to get away from all of the pizza…" I stammered, hoping he would buy my lame excuse.

"Whatever," he muttered, turning back to face the television.

I took the momentary lapse in conversation as my queue to leave. I took the stairs two at a time, rushing into the bathroom to change into my flannel pajama bottoms and a white tank top. I was lounging comfortably on the bed when Edward got there, seemingly flying up through the open window.

I gasped. "Are you ever going to get less breathtaking?" I asked the angelic figure sincerely. His appearance seemed so… surreal, more so every time I saw him.

"Well, I hope not," he laughed, snuggling into the bed beside me. He draped an arm over my stomach, rolling over to look at me. "Do you know that I'm as tired as a vampire can get right now?"

I giggled. "That's amazing. So… you never… sleep?"

"No," he said, almost apologetically. "I can't sleep. That's why it's such a comfort for me to watch you sleep."

"Well, then I am glad to provide a service for you, Edward," I said, mock-businesslike. "And I'm sorry. It seems like it makes you sad, not being able to sleep and all."

"Not as much as it used to," he answered, tucking the sheet around my slowly freezing body. "Now that I have you." Talk about surreal!

"That's ridiculous," I said. "Looking at me, and then at you… It just doesn't add up. You're so much more together, so much more… beautiful. I don't deserve you."

"You have it backwards, dear," he chuckled halfheartedly. "But that's a conversation for another day. Now you must sleep."

I started to argue, but the darkness and comfort of sleep sucked me in. I slept that way, in the confines of Edward's able arms, safer than I'd ever felt.

A/N: Alrighty, well, no cliff hanger there. Lol. Please, please, please review, you guys. I didn't particularly like this chapter… and it was hard to write. But I want to know what YOU people think. If you want another chapter, please don't forget to review. Thank you, thank you,

C.J.