Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer.

All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author (Emmamama88) is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. All other characters, and the original story of Love Rescue Me are the intellectual property of Emmamama88, copyright 2010.

** Hello again. When last we left Stalkerward, he was staying the night at the Pacific Inn, Forks….

******************************LRM**************************

Chapter 5 - A Narrow Escape for The Born Skeptic

Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn…..and Damn it.

I was sitting in a booth in the Forks coffee shop, cursing every stupid decision that led me to this town. Alice was getting a piece of my mind later today.

If I'm not in jail. Or shot.

Sure, when I went to bed everything seemed wonderful. I'd gotten to spy on, er I mean admire Isabella from a distance. I should have known that last night was too good to be true.

I got up early and checked out of the motel. I had on my beanie, hoodie and dark glasses, so I was pretty sure that the manager remained oblivious to my identity.

In serious need of coffee, I pulled into the coffee shop a block away from the motel with the intention of grabbing a quick breakfast, and hitting the road.

The waitress was an elderly woman who hesitated when first looking at me, probably wondering where she'd seen me before as she took my order. Before she had a chance to figure it out though, the door chimed with the arrival of more customers and her attention was drawn away.

A couple minutes later, I heard a distinctive voice coming from a booth near the front windows.

Emmett Swan.

Luckily, I was seated behind a divider and a pillar on which rested an enormous elk head. These, thankfully, obscured me from the view of the Swan family.

At least for now.

I peered over at them and got a better look at the man I'd seen last night. Bella's father. He was obviously going to work after breakfast because he was in his uniform. His police uniform. Bella's father was a cop.

I am a fucking dead man.

What kind of deal could I make with God to get me out of this clusterfuck? If that deputy from last night mentions me to Bella's father, and her Dad finds out that she knows me, I'm sure he'll put two and two together and realize that I was stalking his daughter.

I wouldn't blame him for shooting me.

He'd probably let Emmett beat the living shit out of me first, and then shoot me.

I was trapped. I didn't dare leave the diner, because I'd have to go past them to reach the door. I couldn't go to the rest room, on the off chance that one of them would see me. So I just sat. Waiting. Drinking coffee.

Every now and then I would peer over the divider. I almost forgot about my shitty situation as I gazed at Isabella. She was dressed casually, no makeup, and still took my breath away.

I noticed several local residents asking Emmett to pose in photos with them. This gave me a measure of satisfaction, because his celebrity helped keep all eyes on him, helping me to remain incognito.

As much as I loved to be near Isabella though, I'd never been happier than when I heard the Swans getting ready to leave. Too much coffee had made a visit to the rest room my top priority, and I'd almost decided to make a dash for it whether or not that exposed me to her grizzly bear of a brother, and gun-toting father.

After they finally left, and my bladder issue was resolved, I threw a hundred dollar bill on the counter and made a bee-line for the Mercedes. After that, Forks didn't see me for dust.

-V&V-

Once I passed the Forks City limits, I slowed down and took my time. There was no way I wanted to catch up with Emmett's hummer out on the road.

I decided to pass the time by listening to music. I made a mental note to update some of the music on my ipod later.

Maybe I can come up with a 'Bella' playlist.

After stopping outside of Port Angeles for gas, I decided I'd put enough distance between myself and the hummer, and drove the speed limit back to Seattle.

When I finally pulled into my parents' garage, I breathed a huge sigh of relief that I'd made it back without incident. A few near misses, but no damage done.

I just need to make sure that I don't meet Bella's Dad face to face for a long time.

When I went inside, Alice met me near the door. She had her arms crossed over her chest, as she glared at me.

"I'll have you know Edward Cullen, that I gave up shopping today, not just shopping, but the day after Christmas bargains, just to find out about your trip." She kept staring at me until I finally broke down and smiled.

As I thought about seeing Bella last night and today, I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. As soon as I did, Alice smiled knowingly and she grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the kitchen.

We sat at the barstools, eating leftovers and drinking Dad's eggnog, as I relayed the entire trip to her. Jasper joined us just about the time I was telling about the deputy pulling me over.

By the time I got to part about the coffee shop this morning and having to hide behind the stuffed elk head, they were both doubled over in laughter.

"I don't know whether to say your luck is exceptionally good, or terribly bad Edward." Jasper laughed. "And I hate to tell you, but the one you needed to worry about was Rose. She attacks first and asks questions later. You're a damn lucky soul that she didn't see you."

We all laughed again. "Anything exciting happen here after I left?" I asked.

"Oh my gosh!" Alice said as her hands flew up. "Wait until I tell you."

Then Alice launched into the story of the events of yesterday evening. "After you left, I let everyone believe that you'd be right back after dropping Dorothy. Even though I knew there was more than a fifty percent chance that you'd be taking a drive to Forks." She said as she winked at me.

I smiled and shook my head. "Some of us went into the music room, and the Weiss's son Colin treated us to a few Christmas carols on the piano. He was pretty good, but no one compares to you brother dear." She said as she patted my hand.

"I'd say, after about thirty minutes, I noticed that Simone had disappeared. I don't like her, and I don't trust her, so I decided to find her. I figured I'd catch her snooping through our personal belongings, but I was wrong."

I was intrigued, but puzzled. "Well, where'd you find her?"

Alice made a sour face. "I found her in your room Edward."

"What?" I asked incredulously. "What the hell was she…"

"Oh just let me finish, because I know exactly why she was in there." She said with a mischievous grin. "I found her waiting for you, in your bed, wearing nothing but her underwear."

I was horrified. What a nasty piece of work she grew up to be. She'd fit right in with some of the women I'd met in Hollywood. Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time that a woman showed up, uninvited, in my bed.

I never thought I'd have to put up with this is my own parents' house though.

"That settles it, I can't sleep in that bed. I'm going back to the hotel." I said acidly, still not believing the nerve of that witch.

Alice laughed. "Don't worry Edward, I washed all the bedding today, knowing you're as big a germaphobe as I am."

"What did she have to say for herself?" I asked, still pissed off.

"She tried to claim that you'd told her to wait for you there. The lying little hussy. I then informed her that I knew she was lying, because you didn't plan to return, and that she needed to leave our parents' house."

"Things got a little ugly between her parents and Mother and Dad when they found out what happened. I doubt they'll be over again." Alice grinned.

"Oh that's too bad." I answered sarcastically.

-V&V-

When my parents arrived home that evening, there was hell to pay for not returning the night before.. Alice hadn't told them where or why I'd gone, not knowing how much I'd want to share with them.

Mother seemed so hurt that I hadn't come back, that I found myself once again relaying the entire story of my adventure. My parents didn't laugh, they just stared at me in stunned silence until I finished.

I began to worry that they'd ban me from their company because of my stalker tendencies, when my mother suddenly smiled brilliantly as her eyes filled with tears. At the same moment, I saw my father drop his head and rub the back of his neck with his hand as he sighed.

Mom was the first to speak. "Oh Edward. You're in love."

I opened my mouth to protest. "No Edward, don't argue with me. You show all the signs honey. You can't fight it, and you can't deny it."

My father nodded and agreed. "Son, no one does the things you have done unless they've got it bad. You don't recognize it because you've never been in love before, but that's what it is."

I couldn't even process what they were saying. My feelings were all over the place. They could be right, but the skeptic in me wasn't ready to commit to this line of thought yet. We were still in the information gathering phase.

My mother grabbed my face between her hands. "Oh honey if I died tonight, I'd die a happy woman knowing that my son finally has a chance at happiness."

"Good God Mom, that was dramatic. I thought I was the actor in the family." I gave her a goofy grin.

She and Dad started laughing. "I know, I'm being silly. I'm a woman, I'm allowed to get emotional. Suffice it to say I'm very happy, and I want to meet her soon."

"I think it's probably a good idea for me to get to know her first okay Mom?"

"Of course dear. Maybe you can bring her to dinner on Tuesday night?" My Mother insisted, completely disregarding what I'd just said.

"On that note, I'm going to bed. See you both in the morning." They smiled as I left the room.

After I showered, I went to get in bed. I had a difficult time settling down every time I remembered that Simone had been doing God knows what in my bed. I decided to text Bella in an effort to calm my mind.

B-

How was your day? I still miss your smile.

-E

About a minute later I got a reply.

E-

It was kind of long, mostly boring. Emmett flew to Wisconsin for his game tomorrow. How was your day?

-B

Ah yes, the season was winding down for the Seahawks.

B-

I'll be sure to watch that game. My day was long also. The morning was interesting, definitely not boring.

-E

Seeing you in the coffee shop, and wondering if I would escape with my life.

E-

Oh, that's nice. I envy you the excitement.

-B

Exciting, yes. But is that always a good thing? I needed to change the subject.

B-

Sometimes excitement isn't always welcome. What are you doing tomorrow?

-E

I'm back in stalker mode.

E-

Church, and then probably the grocery store. Very exciting. ; )

-B

I think Bella just virtually winked at me.

B-

I can assure you that it's better than what I'll be doing.

-E

I'll probably spend the day thinking and worrying about you. I refrained from asking what church and what grocery store she went to, knowing that I wouldn't be able to stay away.

E-

Well, I'd better go. It was nice to talk to you again Edward. See you Monday.

-B

I wish I had the balls to phone her instead of just texting.

B-

Pleasant dreams, Beautiful Bella.

-E

-V&V-

The next day I actually stayed around Mom and Dad's longer than I'd planned. I watched the football game with the family. The Seahawks lost miserably. After that, I stayed for dinner, before phoning Sidney to drive me back to my hotel.

Because it was Sunday afternoon, the fitness room was deserted when I went for my workout. I wasn't accosted by any fans to or from my suite either. Normally I would crave that kind of solitude. Today, I just felt lonely.

Back in my suite, I decided to start a 'Bella' playlist for my ipod. The first song I added represented the first thing that I noticed about her, the first thing that drew me to her. 'Brown Eyed Girl' by Van Morrison would always make me think of Bella's beautiful eyes.

Standin' in the sunlight laughin', Hidin' behind a rainbow's wall, Slippin' and a-slidin', All along the waterfall, With you, my brown eyed girl, You my brown eyed girl

I couldn't help but hope that someday she'd be my brown eyed girl. Just before turning in for the night, I sent a text to Isabella, letting her know what time Sidney would be picking her up in the morning.

She responded with a short note, and I was able to settle down and sleep peacefully, knowing that I'd see her in a few short hours.

-V&V-

By 9am, I was pacing a hole in the carpet of my suite. I was so anxious to see her again.

I wonder if she's anxious to see me?

When I heard her timid knock at the door, I rushed to open it, half expecting her to disappear. For a moment, I'd worried that my mind had possibly conjured her up and that none of this was real.

Her voice startled me out of my fog as I stared at her.

"Um, hi Edward, are you going to let me in?"

I smiled, relieved that maybe I wasn't losing my mind after all.

We proceeded to go over my schedule for the week.

I knew that we had about an hour and a half to spend alone until the camera crew came to set up for my interview.

Such a short span of time in which to know Bella better, but I have to use whatever I've got.

"Well, Bella. Here we are again." I smiled at her.

I then began to question her about her chosen career path. So many things about her intrigued me, but the fact that she wanted to become a writer, told me much about the Bella I have yet to know.

I teased her, telling her that I expected her favorite authors to be feminine ones. Of course I knew better. Isabella had a keen mind, and I could never see her filling her leisure hours with just romance stories. She would want the romance yes, but she'd also be a fan of action and mystery as well.

I wasn't surprised that most of her favorites could be numbered among my own. I taunted her a little about the series of 'vampire books' that were all the rage.

Little did she know that I'd already been approached by the movie studio to see if I'd be interested in the lead role. The film adaptation of the first book was in the very early stages when I spoke with them about it. I'd left most of the negotiations in the capable hands of Jane and Jasper, although everyone involved knew that my participation would hinge on whether or not I liked the script. I assumed that sometime in the next month, said script would be delivered to me.

Bella did surprise me when she named Tolkien as her favorite author. I loved his stories. Her reasons though, troubled me. When she spoke of leaving all pain and sorrow behind, I remembered Rose referring to her as 'fragile', and I began to worry about what could have happened to her.

She explained that she would tell me everything soon, but that she wasn't ready yet. I reassured her, telling her to wait until she was ready.

It was painful to learn that my suspicions had been correct. She was damaged yes, but I hoped not broken.

I could have literally killed whoever was responsible.

There was an awkward silence.

Feeling the need to change the subject, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Tell me about your father. What does he do?" I asked, knowing exactly what she was going to say.

"Charlie is the Chief of Police in Forks." She stated.

"No kidding?" I asked, faking amusement.

He's the CHIEF. I can NEVER show my stupid face in Forks again.

I continued questioning Bella with a smile on my face, inside I was dying a slow death. "Was it hard being the Chief of Police's daughter?"

"No. Everyone pretty much left me alone."

Did I catch a twinge of sadness in that answer? What happened to her to make her so sad when talking about her past?

Even though it was unintentional, I got the feeling that I'd stumbled into another area that Bella felt uncomfortable discussing.

I knew this was the case when she changed the subject, inquiring instead about her duties as my personal assistant.

I had a decision to make. If I wanted Bella to feel comfortable around me, comfortable enough to tell me about her past, then I needed to be honest.

I proceeded to confess that there wasn't much in the way of 'work' for her to do this week, and that I just wanted, no needed to spend time with her. I even explained that I'd originally thought that spending time together would 'put the need to rest', but that the feelings I had for her seemed to be growing instead of diminishing.

I watched her closely to gauge her reaction to my words.

And then I said the words that would force a reaction from her. "I don't know if I can stay away from you anymore."

I braced myself for the response that would either save or break me.

"Then don't" She answered.

I was shocked.

Could I even dare to hope that she felt even a small portion of what I did? Possibly.

After that, we were able to relax and spend the rest of our time getting to know each other. We fired questions back and forth. Some were funny, some were juvenile, others quite telling.

I made a mental note of Bella's dream car, knowing I would want that information later.

The story about Rose at the car show had me in hysterics.

Bella would be a great writer. She's already a wonderful storyteller.

I felt strange relaying the fact that I owned two of my dream car. I knew that her brother was wealthy now, but Bella's family had not been well off before, and her Dad had probably struggled to provide for them.

Being wealthy wouldn't be something she'd be comfortable with. At least not yet.

When I asked her favorite color and she answered 'green' while looking into my eyes, I felt my heart rate spike, and had to admit my favorite to be 'chocolate brown'.

I touched her cheek, causing her to blush.

God how I loved that blush.

"You fascinate me Bella. I didn't know that I could be this attracted to anyone. Tell me you fee it too." I had to know how she felt.

"Yes, I feel it." She responded.

This is more than I could have hoped for.

We continued to talk, and when she spoke about the vacation she and her family planned for this summer, I couldn't help but wish that I could go with them.

I'll have a break from filming at that time. Who knows what the future will bring? There were a lot of things to be resolved between now and then though.

My disappointment was palpable when the camera crew arrived, disturbing our time together. I decided we could continue our talk over lunch. I was a little bothered that Bella had to witness the over-zealous attention of a few of my fans, but tried to be nonchalant about it.

A while later, I would have preferred a hundred fans over the one strange woman that approached our table. When I realized she was the make-up artist sent for the interview, I knew I was in for trouble.

She was pretty nasty, and things only got worse back up in the suite. I had to admire the way that Isabella handled her though. After she took her into the hall for what I assumed was a 'dressing down', the woman appeared a bit cowed, and behaved for the rest of the time she was there.

The first part of the interview went well. Rose was very professional, I would have never guessed that she still probably wanted to physically damage me over the whole 'personal assistant' issue. I made sure to thank her, trying to make amends for anything I'd done to offend her.

When I heard her mention to Isabella that she'd see her later, my heart sank. I became painfully aware that my time with Bella, at least for today, was almost at an end.

I had to find a way to see her tonight. Maybe dinner?

Knowing that she probably needed a little distance from me after spending all day together, I fully expected her to turn me down.

At first, I thought that was exactly what she was doing, but imagine my delight when she not only agreed, but offered to cook for me.

I have done nothing to deserve this beautiful girl.

I wasn't even paying attention when she asked my food preference. I was distracted, gazing into her beautiful eyes.

Six o'clock couldn't get here soon enough.

********************************A/N*************************

A/N There you have it. Another chapter done. Edward has fallen fast and hard.

I'm working on the next chapter for V&V. Not sure which will post first V&V, or another LRM.

Have a great Halloween. I'm not a huge fan of it…I think it stems from my real and abiding fear of zombies. *shudder*.

I've decided I will only answer the door for vampires. Male vampires. Hot male vampires. Okay I'm only answering it for Edward.