All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

The characters and events in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. No part of this fiction may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the author's prior approval.

Chapter 11

Breathe.

Taylor Swift.

"No..." I cried as I stumbled out of my bed. I had to catch up with Edward. I couldn't just watch him go. Things couldn't just end that way.

I was eighteen. Even if Rosalie brought the courts into things, nobody really had rights over me. I was a grown up. I had things to do. I had to get Edward back. The thoughts passed through my head, endless and broken. The thoughts were unwelcome. Unwanted. They made no motion to stop passing through, though.

I stumbled over random things on my floor, and into my closet. I didn't waste my time on anything other than a jacket and some socks and boots. The socks were huge, one of Edward's pairs that he wore out in the cold weather. They were warm and I found myself wearing his boots over them. The only shoes in the house that were big enough to go over the thick socks. After I was somewhat dressed, I turned to make my way out the door.

Instead of going out the front door, once I got downstairs, I ran the opposite ways. I found myself going out the back door. I knew the route to Rosalie's well. The only fallback was that it was nearly pitch-black outside. All of the lights were out, and the clouds that were dropping snow covered up any light that could have came from the moon. None of that could have stopped me as I reached the fence and ran to Rose's house.

Upon entering through her back door, I kicked my boots off and ran through the living room. I didn't intend to be as loud as I was, but my mind was too out of it to pay any attention to that. I ran past the picture covered walls, ignoring all of the faces that were smiling at me. When I got to the kitchen, I realized that I had no idea why I was even there. What had even brought me there. I turned, and walked back to the staircase.

"Who's there?" Emmett's menacing voice came from above. I turned my head to see him at the top of the stairs, his baton out and ready to beat someone with.

"It's me. Bella." I answered, turning to duck my head in between my knees. I was beginning to get a little bit lightheaded.

"Oh, hear to get some booty-call?" He joked, coming down the stairs. When his large from sat down next to me, and he gasped, I knew that he had realized that I wasn't in the mood to play around. "What's going on? Rosie is already at the hospital."

"I..." I tried to begin telling him, but my voice cracked upon thinking about all that had happened. He sighed.

"Don't cry. You know I hate tears." His voice had softened completely as he wrapped his large arms around my shoulders. "Did Charlie and Renee say something to you?"

"S-sort of." I sputtered, trying to gain control. After sucking in some deep breaths, I sat up a bit straighter and turned to look at him. He pulled his arms back, his eyes curious as they scanned over me. He seemed genuinely concerned. This only brought more out of me. "I had a nightmare...Edward...he came in to comfort me. Charlie and Renee overheard and kicked him out...he left...I...I just...I need him. I can't live without him now, Em."

"You know that he didn't leave for good," he spoke, taking my right hand into his. I watched as he fiddled around with my Claddagh ring. "He probably just wanted to get out of there before he lost his job. He'll be back, Bella. That man loves you."

"What if he doesn't?"

"You're eighteen. You find him. Honestly...Charlie and Renee aren't big enough to end what you guys have. Don't worry about that." He reassured me.

There was something about the seriousness in Emmett's tone that grounded me. I began to understand how Rosalie was capable of turning to him for all of her problems. As much of a goof as he could be, most of the time, he could bring back in comfort. He was literally a big rock. Without thinking, I let myself go slack, slumping into Emmett's huge side as he whispered random happy-thoughts to me.

I felt him wrap an arm around me before letting me relax.

"I have work in a bit...you have school." He breathed.

"What time is it?" I muttered, not wanting to get up from where I was seated. I wanted Edward to show up. He would know where to find me at Rose's. I was safe at Rose's.

"It's after five-thirty. You fell asleep for a while...I didn't have the heart to move you." He explained and I nodded, my head aching with each move.

"I need to get ready...for school." I used his shoulder as leverage, shoving myself up and onto my feet.

"Maybe you should miss a day...you know...skipping never hurt anyone." Emmett rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes full of worry and confusion. I knew that he didn't really know how to act around a distressed teenage girl. It was probably almost awkward for him, having to make decisions for me.

"It's okay, Em. You don't have to play dad with me...that's not your job. Uh...do you think Rose will care if I wear something from her closet?" I looked down at my scanty clothing. Sweats and a tattered t-shirt just weren't going to cut it. Much less Edward's boots and messy hair. I needed a shower too. With a sigh, I looked back up at Emmett.

"Oh, she definitely won't care." he nodded quickly, his eyes widening. "And if Rose is going to be your mom, then I can be your dad. Even if I have to be the goofy step-dad, you know?"

"I just don't want you to feel obligated to babysit me, and stuff. I'm adult anyway, as much as it sucks." I shot him a sheepish smile, making him laugh.

"Don't worry about it. Just go up and find what you need in Rose's closet. The towels, as I'm assuming you'll want to shower, are down under the sink. If you need anything else, just holler. I'm going to go finish ironing my pants...it's required down at the station." He looked nervous again, probably unsure about using a house appliant without Rosalie around.

"Okay, and if you need help with that...I can always give you a hand after I'm ready." I laughed awkwardly, still trying to decide if he needed help or not.

"Could you? I honestly have never done it before. It has always been Rosie's job. I'm afraid I'll burn a hole right through my pants." He nodded, his eyes calming a bit.

"Of course. I'll be back in half an hour." I nodded, turning to go up the stairs.

When I got to their room, I wasn't surprised by the amount of class that it held. The color scheme was black, white, and red. I noticed a few hints of purple and silver around the room. Their king-sized bed was still tussled on one side, the other perfectly made for the day. I knew exactly which side was Rosalie's. I slowly approached the closet, and slid the black, wooden doors open. I decided to wear something in the back, as I didn't want to wear any of her good clothes. There was a blue t-shirt and some jeans. After gently tugging them from the hanger, I closed the doors and made my way to their bathroom.

I shut and locked the door, quickly stripping and starting the water. I ignored my reflection completely, not ready to take in my messy appearance. I could just feel the bags under my eyes, the slow, soreness in my muscles. I knew that I probably looked much worse than I was feeling. But I wasn't sure if the gaping hole that seemed to have taken over my chest could have been seen from the outside or not. I quickly fleeted those thoughts, climbing into the scalding shower and closing my eyes tightly.

A shower was the worst form of distraction. It was a very common place for me to contemplate and think about everything that I had ever done. It was a place for me to dwell on my life and the little things, things that could and couldn't be changed. I needed a distraction. I needed to find something to do. After scrubbing my head raw, and then caking it in conditioner, I shut the water off. The time between the shower, getting dressed, and going downstairs was short and rapid.

I was happy to find that Rosalie's clothing fit me perfectly. The jeans were a bit long, but nothing that I couldn't handle. After putting them on, I went back to her room to find a belt. Again, I chose one from the back and quickly put it on. After walking back to the bathroom, where I pulled my hair into a half-pony, using a deep blue clip that Rosalie had sitting out. I decided that I looked presentable and turned to walk out of the room.

When I got downstairs, I found Emmett's giant pair of pants draped across an ironing board. There was an iron next to it, sitting up, plugged in, and ready to go. I didn't take the time to see where he was, or if there was anything he needed as I folded the pants correctly and began ironing them. Emmett walked in, wearing his button-up shirt for work, but still in sweat-pants as bottoms. I smiled impishly at him, trying to be a bit more conversational.

"Are you sure that you want to go today? You can hang out here. I'll even call in for you." He offered and I shook my head.

"I need to go...I've missed so much this year as it is." I reminded him, thinking of my six week break.

"Right, well, call me if you decide you want to go home. I can pick you up." His voice was soft and I couldn't help but shoot him a real smile. He was being so nice to me.

"Thank you, Emmett."

"Thank you. I seriously was stressing about having to iron my damn pants." He laughed as I unplugged the iron, leaving his pants to cool. After the iron was put in it's case, and I had folded the table, Emmett came over to retrieve his pants. "They're perfect! Don't tell Rose, but I'm thinking you did a better job than she even does."

"No problem...and why would I tell her that?" I laughed, and he shrugged, turning to walk out and finish getting dressed.

I made my way to the kitchen and found a cup to fill with water. I wasn't hungry, but I knew that I needed something to wake me up a bit more. After chugging the water, I found Emmett. He was dressed and ready to hit the road. He went around and shut the lights off before coming in and waiting for me to rinse out my cup. Everything was ready to go, so I followed him out and to his giant Jeep.

The drive to school wasn't necessarily awkward. It wasn't very exciting either. Emmett turned on some music, a weird, ghetto-rap type song blaring through the car. I smiled at him as he bobbed his head, getting way too into the music for his own good. I found myself looking out the window, taking in the lightly snow-covered streets of Forks. It wasn't pretty though. Between my background music and the slushy mess, the day just seemed to grow drearier.

When we got to the school, I thanked Emmett for his help and all but ran into the building. He pulled away once I got in the doors, and I didn't bother looking back. I scurried to my locker, rushing to get my bag and books for the day. I was suddenly happy that I hadn't left my things in Edward's car, like I usually did. My school day already seemed so broken.

When I found myself in biology, I was ready to go to sleep. The little nap that I had taken at Emmett's didn't seem to amount to anything, in comparison to a school day. I put my head down, letting a soft sigh go. Mr. Molena walked over, and I looked up when he bent down to my level. It took me a second to really focus on him, and what he was saying to me. Even then, I had to ask him to repeat himself.

"What?"

"Are you feeling all right?" He asked me, his brow coming together in concern.

"I..." I was going to tell him I was fine, but then I realized that I had a ticket out of class. I didn't pass up the opportunity, as I already knew everything that there was to know about Charles Darwin. "I...don't know. Can I go to the nurse?"

"Absolutely, just fill out your pass." He nodded, and I quickly did as he asked and got it signed.

"Thanks." I grumbled, standing and collecting my things. I ignored the eyes that followed me right out the door.

When I got into the hallway, I frowned at the sudden silence. It was eerily quiet as I turned in the direction of my locker. As I made my way down the hall, I froze when I heard something hit the floor. I couldn't see what it was, but it was loud and made me jump in my place.

I began to back up as a shiver ran down my spine. I had no idea what I had heard, all I knew was that it made me feel a bit uncomfortable about the empty hallway. I backed all the way into a locker, just as someone stepped around the corner.

He wasn't a student. I wouldn't have even pegged him for a teacher, either. He was too rugged, and beady-eyed. His hair was long, blond, and tied back in a ratty pony-tail. I watched as he creepy blue eyes trained on me. I quickly registered his torn jeans and worn-looking, old band shirt. Slowly, reminding me of a snake, an evil grin began to sweep over his cheeks. Just as I got my brain together, and was ready to run, he yelled, his gritty voice making me want to cry out loud.

"Freeze, little girl!" He shouted, and I instinctively put my hands up, dropping my things on the ground.

"Yes?" I asked, refusing to turn around and look at him again.

"Turn around." His voice was low again, causing my heart stop. It pumped wildly as he began shouting again. "I said to turn around, dammit!"

"I'm sorry!" My voice wavered, and I shot around to face him.

"You should be." He growled and I swallowed thickly. Who was this man?

"Who are you?" I spoke without thinking. For the first time in my life, I had wished that I couldn't speak. I wished that I was so silent that I could just fall into a black hole and have nobody notice.

"Oh, you don't know? Your daddy didn't tell you?"

"I don't have a dad." I half-lied. My birth father had died in a drunk-driving accident. Rosalie reassured me that he wasn't intending on following through with a fatherly role. It didn't bother me at all. I had Emmett, for as much of a father that he could be.

"Lying bitch!" He seethed and I pursed my lips.

"Please...I don't."

"Really? What would Chief Swan say if I told him that?" He asked me and I sighed.

"He would agree." I was probably right. Charlie wanted no part of me. I got that last night. I didn't need this man to remind me.

"Oh, is that so? What? Is daddy's little princess a rebel?" He inquired, his voice cold. I knew that he was making up everything. He had no idea what he was talking about. All he knew was that he had a vendetta against someone who may have done him wrong.

"What do you want?" I choked out, half curious. The other half of me was hiding from the thoughts of what he was willing to do to me.

"I want your father to pay. Obviously, I can't shoot a police officer. He has a vest and all of that. Too much work. But I can get the next best thing – a man's daughter. An eye for an eye. Your father shot my wife. It's time for me to show him what he put me through." He drabbled on and on. I felt my heart beat rapidly, my brain trying to figure up my options.

I watched as he pulled his hand out from behind his back. In it, he held what looked to be a very lethal gun. I swallowed, my throat running dry and my blood running cold at the sight. This man had come to my town, hunted me down, right down to where my locker was, and was ready to kill me. He had done all of that to see that I died. I knew that the odds were against me. I was going to die and I wanted no part of that.

Too bad I was frozen in my spot. My muscles were so incredibly stiff that they ached.

"Please...he doesn't even like me. I'm his granddaughter...his daughter ran off when she was young." I explained, but then wanted to take it back. If he was after Charlie's daughter, then I didn't want him to know about Rosalie. It wasn't right. One of us had to die. "I mean, she ran off and got in a drunk driving accident." I lied, knowing that there was no turning back. "He didn't really want me...he just didn't have a choice. Really."

"Oh, and I'm supposed to believe that load of shit? Yeah right! Nice try, princess."

"Stop calling me that!" I shot back. If I was going to die, I wasn't going to go down without my opinion.

"You don't like it, princess?" He provoked me, his sinister voice making me want to cry out in anger. I held back, not wanting to lose my dignity.

"Please...just let me go..." I pleaded, pretty much stomping on my chances of keeping my dignity.

"Not happening!"

"Then shoot me!" I argued, knowing better.

"You would like that, wouldn't you?" He laughed.

"What's going on out here?" I didn't take my eyes off of James. I recognized Mrs. Goff's voice behind me. She was the petite Spanish teacher. The teacher's lounge was behind me also, and I began to wonder what all they could hear in there.

"Hell no!" The man screamed, turning the gun on her. She screamed, but wasn't heard over the pop of the gun. I didn't waist any time, turning to run around the corner. I should have just stood there and taken it, instead of trying to stumble down the hall. I was way too clumsy, and my legs just didn't have the speed to outrun a bullet. Another pop sounded, but this time I couldn't hear it over my own screams.

My own body hit the floor with a thud. My mind barely factored this in with the pain that I felt in my side. I groaned loudly, and then found myself screaming sharply. The pain in my side was unbearable. My shaking hand reached over and gently touched the warm spot. I tried to look, but I couldn't see that part of my body. I could see the tile next to it, which was no longer white. My blood was flowing right out of my body, making its way down the hallway. Just the sight of this made me scream until I was dizzy. I turned my head away, my other hand trying to stop my side from bleeding out.

It was no use. I couldn't focus on anything. Not my hand, not the room, not the man that was then running away from the two women that he had just killed. All I could think of was the fact that I was going to die and never see Edward Cullen ever again. My heart lurched, trying to break my ribs at the thought of it. My breathing picked up, and I knew that I didn't have anymore time. My number was up, and I couldn't avoid death more than I already had.

"Edward..." I felt the warmth in my face as tears fell. "I'm sorry." I was crying to nobody. Nobody could hear me. I needed to speak though. I had spent so much time in silence that I needed to use my last moments to speak. "I'm so sorry, Edward. I'm so sorry. I love...I love you."

And then, it was dark.

FINISH.

A/N: JUST KIDDING.

I mean, all of this happened...it just not over yet. Duh.

I mean, it doesn't have to be over.

If you review!

BUM-BUM-BUMMMMM!

- Ro