Note... The beginning takes place three days before the end of Chapter 32... Bella's POV takes place where Chapter 32 left off.

Baby You Can Stop Running
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight

Chapter Thirty Three

Edward – Three Days Before

"Carlisle…" I ran a hand through my hair while I knocked on his office door with the other.

"Come in."He was sitting at his desk and was shuffling through a few papers. "You know you don't have to knock."

I nodded and flopped down into one of the large, dark brown leather chairs in the room. "What are you looking at?"

"There's a patient and we are just having some problems diagnosing her."

"Can I see?"

He shrugged and tossed the file towards me.

"We thought it was Lyme disease but the tests were negative."

"Fibromyalgia?" Carlisle shook his head. "Any kind of rash?"

"No."

"Lupus?"

Carlisle cocked his head to the side. "I never thought of that."

I just shrugged. "There was a girl I went to med school with who had it."

"I'll have the staff look into that… Thank you." I put the file back on the desk and thought about inquiring about other patients but thought the better of it and just nodded.

A few moments of silence passed between the two of us before I gathered the strength to tell him what it was that had brought me to his office in the first place. "I'm going crazy here Carlisle… I need to get out of here."

"You can't… You know that," he sighed as he leaned back in his chair.

"Just… An hour a week at the hospital… Something. Anything."

"I know you aren't use to being locked up but you know there isn't anything you can do. If you go to the hospital you are putting yourself and the patients in jeopardy."

I pulled at my hair again. "I just need something to take my mind off of all this… I can't keep pretending that this is going to be okay… I can't keep acting like it's not happening."

"I know son… But Sam said they had a lead…"

"Fuck Sam always thinks he has a lead and it doesn't go anywhere… I'm the only one that can make this end…"

"Edward… What about Bella?"

"What about her?"

"If something happens…"

"Don't you get it? I can't have a future with her unless something changes! I can't keep sitting here waiting for things to change when I'm the only one who can make it happen."

"You need to think about this before you act on it."

"It's all I've been thinking about."

"Then you have to tell Bella."

"That will kill her."

"If you are going to sacrifice yourself, you have to tell her what is happening. She has the right to know."

"If I tell her then I won't go through with it."

"That's kind of what I'm hoping."

I sunk further into the chair. I hated everything in that moment. I had thought that I had come to accept it. That I had accepted what my parents had done and my fate but the more I was there in that house. The more I was left to my thoughts the more I hated and resented everything. I wanted a future with Bella more than anything else in the world and the more time that passed, the more I was beginning to see how little the chances of that happening were. My mother might have been dead and yes, I would always love her, but I wasn't sure I would ever forgive her for leaving me with this mess.

"I have to do it…" I whispered as I looked at the wall. I wanted to meet Carlisle's eyes. I wanted to look at him and show him that I knew I was doing the right thing, that I was man enough to face my problems head on instead of hiding from them. But as much as I wanted to, I couldn't find the strength to turn my head because I knew what I would see: the terror that I was certain any father would feel knowing that his son was making a decision that could ultimately lead to his death.

"There really isn't anything I can do to change your mind is there?" He was quiet and I looked up and saw that he had his head in his hands.

"No."

Bella

I didn't want to go. You know that feeling deep down when you know something is wrong? When you leave the house and you can't remember if you unplugged the curling iron… That's the feeling that I had as I let Alice drag me away from the house and from Edward's arms. It was the look on his face as though he might be looking at me for the last time and he just wanted to take it in. It was fleeting, probably only gracing his beautiful face for a few moments but it was long enough to tell me that something was different, that something was about to change.

I wanted to run to him, to wrap my arms around his neck and never let go, mainly for fear of what it was that was coming. I wanted to tell him that I loved him and that I wanted nothing more than to be with him for the rest of my life. But I didn't do that, I let Alice drag me by the arm as I looked at him over my shoulder, tripping every so often because I refused to look where I was walking. I wanted to drink him in, to preserve him in my memory for fear that I would never see him again. The fear, the dread, all of it, was a feeling that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.

If Alice was talking, I couldn't be sure because I wasn't focused on anything. I couldn't. I was too concerned, too worried. But maybe she didn't know why… Maybe she just knew how much I hated shopping, how much I would have rather been with her brother.

"Bella?" I groaned and snuggled my cheek against his chest as he wrapped his arms around me. I was in too much of a sleep induced haze to really think much so I concentrated on the way things felt. His chest, warm and hard against my cheek.

"Are you asleep?" I shook my head and felt as his hand ghosted up my bare back and smoothed out the long strands of my hair. "I love you Bella… Nothing will ever change that."

"What do you mean?" I mumbled against his chest before angling my head so I could meet his eyes.

"I just love you…" He replied, leaning down and placing a kiss to my forehead.

"I love you too."

I should have heard it in his voice but I didn't. He was saying goodbye. Just in case.

My phone buzzed in my hands breaking me from my thoughts and I looked down to see it was a text message from Edward.

I love you… Forever.

I glanced over at Alice. Her hands were gripping the steering wheel and she chewed on her lower lip as she looked out the windshield. It was in that moment that I knew.

"I need to go back Alice." She shook her head but continued her assault on her lower lip. "I have to go back."

"I can't let you Bella…"

"It's your brother Alice."

"I promised him I'd make sure you were safe… Jasper is meeting us in Port Angeles… We'll go to Seattle for a few days before we hear from Edward."

"You mean if we hear from Edward." I was angry. He had no right to make this decision and to leave me out of the plan. I knew how restless he was getting; there had been countless amounts of times that I had heard him complaining to Carlisle and to Sam about being held captive in his own home and how he was sick of hiding. But it didn't matter. He should have told me. This wasn't just his life anymore… It was mine… He was my life. Anything that affect him, anything that would take him from me, would affect me as well.

I began to text furiously.

Don't you dare do anything stupid!

I looked out the window as I waited for his response. My heart was beating wildly in my chest as I tried to take deep breaths to steady it but it didn't seem to work. I felt something nudge my shoulder and I looked to see Alice's hand containing a bottle and I just looked at it.

"Take one Bella… Please… It will calm you down."

I took the bottle. Xanax. And Edward was the prescribing doctor. He wanted her to fucking sedate me.

"I'm not taking that."

"Please… He just…"

"He had no right… You had no right. This isn't just his life Alice… He is my life and he's taking himself away from me. What does he think will happen if he doesn't come through?" The phone buzzed again.

Just tell me you love me Bella… I need to know that.

You know I love you. But if you get yourself killed I'll hate you forever. I was about to press send.

"Don't tell him that," Alice interrupted and I looked over my shoulder at her. "Don't Bella…"

"Why shouldn't I Alice? He didn't tell me."

"Because he's doing what he has to do."

"By leaving me?"

"You don't know that he is leaving you."

I pressed send anyways and I heard Alice groan when I did. I could chalk it up to being angry later. Then again… Would there be a later?

"I told you not to do it." I scowled at her words.

"I hate you," I grumbled and flipped the phone over and over in my hands. This wasn't how I was expecting my day to go. I bit my lip and looked out the window. "Why did he do this Alice?"

"Because he wanted something better for both of you. You know as well as I do that you both can't have a future unless you this past is fixed."

I looked back down at the phone and watched as a tear hit the screen, falling just to the left of his name.

I love you… Don't forget that. You have every right to be angry. Be safe please… I'll call you as soon as I can.

You be safe… Please come back to me.

There was nothing else to say. Nothing I could to do change what he had already set into motion. The tears came easily, but it was the pain that I hated the most. I hadn't felt that scared and that alone since I gave birth in California all those years ago.

So I welcomed the pain because there was no way I could run from it. I just could only hope that it would turn out better this time. I could only hope that he would come back to me and that he would be okay because if he didn't, I wasn't sure I could find the strength to go on.

Edward

I ran into the house and began tossing clothes into a bag after Alice's car had disappeared around the corner. I couldn't waste time. The sooner that this happened, the sooner I could hopefully get back to my life, to Bella. I just wanted to fix everything and I just hoped that I could do that and stay alive. There was still so much more that I wanted to do with my life.

The look in her eyes as she was being dragged off by Alice was enough to tell me that Bella knew. I had hoped that she wouldn't. I didn't want to see the look in her eyes, the heartbreak. But it was there and all the while I kept yelling at her in my head, wishing that she could read my mind. I'll be back… We'll be together… I love you… Please forgive me…

I looked at my phone. I love you… Forever. It was all I could tell her, but it was everything she needed to know. I was certain she had figured it out, but she had to know that it was all for her.

"Alice," I said as I poked my head into her room. She was on her computer and I noticed that she was still looking for apartments.

"What's up?" She asked, looking up from the laptop that was resting on her knees.

"You need to take Bella tomorrow… Take her to Seattle, and take Jasper with you."

"What's going on?"

"I'm going to fix this…"

"Edward?"

"I'm not changing my mind," I replied as I began to back out the door.

"I know. Just… Be careful?"

"You know I will be… There's too much at stake."

The familiar beep of a new message pulled me from my thoughts and I looked down at the screen.

Don't you dare do anything stupid!

I pinched the bridge of my nose before responding.

Just tell me you love me Bella… I need to know that.

"Edward… Are you ready?" I pressed send and looked up to see Charlie standing at the door.

"As ready as I'm going to be."

"Sam is downstairs… He wants to go over protocol." I nodded. "Thank you… For sending Bella away."

"I couldn't let her stay here."

"Just… Thank you."

My phone beeped again as Charlie placed his hand on my shoulder. It wasn't forgiveness… Not yet. But it was comfort and I took it. I wanted Bella but right now, her father would be enough.

You know I love you. But if you get yourself killed, I'll hate you forever.

"You didn't tell her?" I shook my head and closed my eyes trying to keep the tears from escaping. "You know she doesn't mean it right?"

I nodded. "She's upset."

"You did the right thing Edward."

"I know."

"She'll forgive you."

"I hope so," I replied before typing my last message.

I love you… Don't forget that. You have every right to be angry. Be safe please… I'll call you as soon as I can.

Her response was nearly immediate and I knew what I had to do.

You be safe… Please come back to me.

Charlie left me in the room for a few moments to compose myself. I'll come back to you Bella. I love you too much to leave you behind.

Bella

The city was dark and I stood by the large window and gazed outside. We had been in Seattle for six hours and there had still been no word from Edward. Alice continued to press the notion that not hearing from him was good… That he was fine and he would come back to me, to all of us. But as much as I wanted to believe her, I wasn't as certain. I was too afraid.

"You should go to bed." I turned to see Alice standing at the door to my bedroom. She had insisted on the suite saying that because we could be there for awhile it was better to have more room. I was too tired to argue.

I nodded and she just continued to stand there. "I know Bella… I know how hard it is."

"What would you do? What would you do if Jasper just left you to do what he thought was right without asking?"

"I'd be angry but I'd realize that he was right…"

"Easier said than done…"

"He is my brother Bella... You aren't alone in this."

"I know… I'm sorry."

"Just get some sleep… You'll feel better in the morning. I promise that if I hear from Edward I'll call you."

She left with that and I just sat on the edge of the bed, willing my phone to ring. I hadn't been away from him in such a long time now and I was afraid to sleep alone.

My phone buzzed again and I looked down to see that someone was calling. An unknown number from an area code that I thought belonged in Florida.

"Hello?" I asked as I accepted the call hoping that it was Edward.

"Are your friends in the room?" My hand began to shake with the deep timbre of the voice.

"No."

"Get on the first flight to Jacksonville and you better be alone."

"Who is this?"

"That's not what matters… What matters is that I have your mother and if you want her to live you'll come here."

The phone went dead before I could respond. The lights in the common room were off and I knew that Alice and Jasper had retired to their room. I'm sorry Edward.

I didn't bother packing my things again. There wouldn't be a point and it would only weigh me down. Instead, I walked to the desk and scribbled a note. They would find it in the morning. They would know but it would be too late because I would already be there.

A/N:

Please forgive me for how long this has taken and for the well… Subpar posting… I'm not that thrilled with it but it's getting more difficult to write as things are heating up… I hope I'm doing justice.

Cliffhanger… Kind of… Sorry about that but I couldn't give it all away and well… I wanted to keep the tension high.

Anyways… Only a few more chapters left of this story! But I'm working through figuring out the sequel…

Please let me know what you think about this… Like I said… This has been a pretty difficult chapter and I think that's why there was so much dialogue.

And thank you to everyone who keeps adding this to your story alerts/favorites. You all are amazing! You're even more amazing when you review!

I hope you all had a great weekend. I'm sad to see the end of my Spring Break….