A/N: I know it's taking a while… I'm sorry. This chapter DOES have a song that goes with it. It's by Superchick, and the actual name of the song is the chapter title.

Seventeen

Stand in the Rain

EDWARD

Why now? She was doing so well! Bella had finally come to terms with the fact that Mike was a part of her past that could not be erased, and she was doing surprisingly well with that realization. And now this.

Bella cringed farther into my chest, if that were at all possible, and I pressed the back of my hand to her face gently. "There's nothing for him to do, Bella. He's outnumbered, and by a house full of vampires, no less."

She nodded, mumbling something incoherent repeatedly.

"Really, Bells, you've nothing to worry about," I assured her. "Emmett, Carlisle, Jasper, Esme, and Alice will stop him before he even thinks about going for you."

"W-what about Rosalie?" she wondered.

Stupid, stupid Edward! Of course she would pick up on that. She was so perceptive. "Rosalie's not feeling well, Bella."

"I'm not a little girl, Edward. You can tell me if something's wrong with my future family members," she teased lightly. I kissed her temple.

"She's just-"

"EDWARD!" Emmett bellowed. "Are you gonna come kick this guy's butt or do you want me to do it for you?"

Bella glanced at me uneasily. "Later?" I asked. I'd been doing a lot of explaining lately.

She inhaled sharply, pulling her right hand to her stomach. "You don't have to do this, Edward. It's not too late to turn back."

I chuckled, another stupid move. "What do you mean, Bella?"

"You could always… give him what he wants," she whispered.

I must have looked confused, because she quickly added, "I mean, you could just let him… have me. That would save everyone a lot of trouble…"

I coughed. "You're joking, right?"

She looked hurt. Great, I'd hurt her again. "Bella, you actually think I'm capable of that? Haven't you been listening to anything I said in the last hour? I love you! I need you. Keeping Mike at bay is such a small price to pay if it means that I get to spend forever with you!"

"It… it is?" she wondered. I smiled.

"Yes, Bella, it is. Now if you don't mind, I think I've got some human butt to kick, according to Emmett, anyway."

She giggled softly and started to stand as I did. "Oooohhhh, no," I objected. "You're staying right here. This won't take more than… two or three minutes, love."

"No way," she argued. "If you're going, I'm going."

"You're going to make me explain myself, aren't you?"

"If you must."

"I don't want you to see this, Bella. I don't want to… scare you… anymore than you've already experienced."

"I don't scare easily."

"We both know that's a lie."

"You're right. But I love you. You've got to trust that nothing's more powerful than that. If you don't let me do this, I might be forced to jump out of the window and into that truck down there to wait for Mike," she threatened.

"EDWARD!" Emmett called.

"And I'd choose fast. Emmett's not going to wait forever."

I rolled my eyes and secured my arm around her waist. "Fine. But when we get down there, you stand back. Don't take lightly the fact that you're the only other human in there."

"Right."

"And Bella?"

"Yes?"

"I love you, too."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

BELLA

I knew that face. Edward was trying to talk me out of joining him with Mike so close. I also knew that he wasn't really afraid of Mike winning. Three to one aren't very good odds anyway, and the three that were on my side were supernaturally enhanced.

Edward was, however, afraid of himself. That's right, he wasn't worried about my sadistic ex-boyfriend, because after the Cullen boys were done with him, Mike wouldn't even remember why he was here. But he couldn't say the same about himself.

He had been pushing the limits of his self-control with me, as it were, for as long as we'd been dating. That's what he was thinking. That if he, or anyone else, was stupid enough to bite Mike, they wouldn't be able to help coming after me. I trusted him, he just didn't trust himself.

I took his hand as we approached the last set of stairs. "Edward," I said softly. He looked up at me like a prisoner inching toward his execution.

"Yes, love?"

"You know you don't have to worry so much about it."

"About what?" I knew that he knew what I was talking about. He was stalling. He hoped that if I waited long enough to think about it, I would come to the logical conclusion and turn back around. Well, he was wrong.

"About me. About you being in control. I know you can do it," I told him.

He looked down. "What makes you think I'm worried about that?" he asked the carpeted stairs.

"It's not too hard to guess."

He smiled sadly at me. I took his cool face between my two hands, standing on tiptoe to kiss him. He sighed and wound his arms around my body, holding me to him. I wasn't complaining about that.

"I'll always worry about you," he admitted.

"Why?"

"For the same reason that I'll never let Mike get his hands on you again."

"Because you love me?" I offered.

He smiled, for real this time. "Well maybe it's not that hard to guess."

"No. Especially since you can't seem to stop reminding me of it," I laughed.

"And do you know why that is?" he asked. I shook my head.

"I should think it would be 'easy to guess'," he mimicked. I slapped his arm playfully, careful not to pull it back and rub the sore palm. That would only cause Edward more pain.

"Well it isn't."

"Because it's true."

"Hmph. I could have guessed that," I stomped my food juvenilely. He kissed me again. And again, no complaints.

"We should go now," he reminded me, breaking the kiss. I groaned.

"One more?" I pleaded, attempting a puppy-dog expression.

He grinned and wound his fingers through my curly mass of hair, touching his lips to mine again. Even though he was almost unbearably cold, my scalp and lips burned from his touch. He molded our bodies together and stroked the length of my arms, leaving a trail of wildfire, before breaking apart.

"Uhh, now we can go," I said dizzily. He held my hand.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

EDWARD

I could hate myself for being weak and succumbing to Bella's kiss later. For now all that I cared about was her happiness. And Mike's demise, of course. I'd let him escape once unscathed. This was the final straw.

"Umm, Edward, we have a problem," Emmett informed me as soon as Bella and I rounded the corner.

"What do you mean, 'a problem'?" I spat, my voice a bit more venomous than intended.

"It isn't Emmett's fault!" Rosalie sputtered, coughing violently. Emmett patted her back.

"Yes it is."

"Will someone please just tell me what's happened?!" I shouted. Mike was grinning, which was, admittedly, not the reaction I'd expected.

No one said anything. They didn't have to. Mike held his hand out, revealing a hideous, reddish-purple mark in the shape of a semi-circle.

"YOU BIT HIM?" I roared, facing Emmett again.

"I bet you know what that means, Pretty Boy," Mike finally spoke.

Bella fainted.

A/N: Thanks a million times to -Azn-Grl-Twilight-Fan- for the idea for this chapter!!

REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, and then REVIIIEEWW!!!

C.J.