Title: Distraction

Disclaimer: "Twilight" and all related characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. Breaking Dawn Spoilers!

Rating: M

Word Count: 2,214

Summary: Edward and Bella are on the run.

Warnings: Sexual content

The news came, as always, suddenly.

They were careful this time, and Alice barely caught them. It was a stray decision in Felix's mind, barely formed, that gave Alice the brief flash of him pursuing Edward in order to destroy him. But of course, the Volturi would not send one vampire alone to take another down. They'd proven their love of uneven matches.

Little of this had filtered through my mind at first. No, in that moment, my only response was pure panic. Edward. They were after my Edward.

"I'm leaving," he'd announced as soon as he'd understood the situation, long before the rest of us had managed to comprehend. "They'll use Demetri to track me – if I'm gone, they won't come here."

"Then I'm coming with you," I'd insisted immediately.

"No. No, there's no reason for you to be involved."

"Like hell! You're my husband – I'm inherently involved! Besides, I can protect you. What if they send Jane, or worse, Alec? You'll be incapacitated – you won't even have a fighting chance. You need me, Edward!"

"And what if this is a ruse?" he'd argued, though without much conviction – I could tell he didn't believe his own words. "A trick to get you and me away from the others so they can attack them?"

"Dad," Renesmee had spoken up, "We'll be fine here – we'll call in friends if that makes you feel better, but you know their plan since the first time has been to isolate us. It's obvious they were trying to hide their approach, hoping to surprise you alone, without Mom to shield you. She's not the one you should be worried about protecting right now. Please, let her go with you."

As usual, Edward's resolve had crumbled. He could never say no to Renesmee.

Now, we were on the road in the latest, sportiest, fastest car in Edward's collection, hidden behind windows tinted more darkly than what was legal. The plan was to head for a very big, very sunny city. We were going in the general direction of California, probably to Los Angeles. It all depended on where we would be able to stop during nighttime.

Edward was tense behind the wheel, as tightly strung as a guitar string, ready to snap at the slightest wrong tuning. I knew he didn't worry for himself – that simply wouldn't occur to him – but rather for the family we left behind – especially our daughter, who we'd only had the joy of knowing for eight years – and for me. He still cringed at the sight of me hunting anything more dangerous than an elk. The Volturi were not on his list of acceptable risks for me.

"Would you like me to drive for awhile?" I offered. "Maybe you could relax for a bit."

"No," he sighed. "Thank you, but I'd rather be doing something. I hate that we're running from them. We could be running from them for all eternity – maybe they'll give up this time, but what about the next time? When can we be at peace?"

"I don't know the answer to that, Edward. That's something to think about later. Let's just get through this crisis first."

"Right," he sighed again, but I knew he was still fretting.

The rest of the journey was quiet and excruciating. Our path took us across the country – we lived in Maine now – and the Midwest flew by in a blur of fields and small towns. The fields turned to mountains, and the mountains turned to desert. Though I'd grown up in Phoenix, the desert was entirely foreign to my new eyes, a riot of colors, bright and shimmering under the blazing sun. I took in the skittering life forms – lizards and beetles pattering across the rocks and sand, snakes slipping along, birds of prey overhead. The vegetation, though nothing like the plants and trees of the northern states, seemed extraordinarily vital to me. I was surprised I'd been observant enough as a human to catch this kind of beauty.

The sun was beginning to set and the lights were beginning to pour over the streets as we passed through Las Vegas. I suggested to Edward that we have another wedding, but he declined, muttering something about Elvis and polyester. I didn't ask for elaboration.

Los Angeles was abuzz with nightlife when we arrived. Edward drove straight to a hotel in the priciest, swankiest part of town. Typical. If we were on the lam, I thought we ought to play the part and hide out in a seedy motel, but I wasn't going to risk more complaints from Edward about synthetic fibers by saying as much.

Edward offered a shiny credit card to the woman manning the front desk. The woman set us up with one the best rooms, sneaking glances that she didn't think we saw. She handed Edward the keys with a disappointed sigh, and I realized that, in her mental once-over, she'd realized she wanted Edward and also realized the competition was too stiff for her. It was a refreshing reminder that I was equal to Edward, something easy to forget when I was still constantly amazed by him.

The penthouse was taken, much to Edward's dismay, but we had a suite on the second-highest floor with a view of the city. The lights spread out like a field of glittering jewels below us. It would have been romantic in a better situation.

Edward settled immediately into a chair with his phone waiting on the armrest. He seemed to have every intention of sitting there until the call came from Alice that the Volturi had changed their minds and returned to Volterra, or until some vampires came knocking at our door.

The hours crept by as I paced the floor. Edward never moved, and it was driving me mad. He was clearly deep into a brood, paying no attention to me or anything else outside his dark thoughts.

Finally, I'd had enough.

He didn't notice me coming closer. He'd closed his eyes several hours ago, and I was very quiet. He did notice, however, when I climbed onto his lap.

"Bella –" His voice had already turned to that gentle but disapproving tone he'd always used when my human hormones took over.

"No," I said immediately, brushing off the hands that came up to push me away. "You need to snap out of it."

He scowled. "Snap out of what, exactly?"

"All this worrying and…and pessimism! I'm not even sure if pessimism is the right word for your attitude. Fatalism would be better, perhaps."

"I worry for my family," he said sourly. "I don't see how that's wrong."

"You do it too much!" I qualified. "It's called moderation. You should try it. I know this isn't the best situation, but really, Edward, we've had worse."

"I can't just stop worrying."

"Yes, you can."

"How – "

I kissed him firmly, throwing all my might into it. He responded reluctantly, moving his mouth with mine, but his hands stayed locked on my hips, ready to move me aside.

"Focus on me, Edward," I demanded against his lips. I ground my hips hard into his. "I'm right here, and I want you."

He groaned. "Bella, don't talk like that. You know what it does to me."

"I do know, and it was quite intentional," I told him. His growing arousal made me wet. I grasped at his shirt and tore. "Don't fight it, Edward."

His fingers tightened on my waist, and instantly, we were on the floor. He tore at my shirt with his teeth, shredding it easily. Thank God Alice had sent us with extra clothes. …Ugh, maybe she had seen this happening.

"Focus on me, Bella," he warned, sensing my distraction and using my words against me. His lips traced my jaw, my throat, nipping carefully at my skin. My nails raked down his bare back, leaving faint marks that would disappear by tomorrow.

"You want to play rough, do you?" he growled. "I always win, you know."

"Hardly," I scoffed. He ripped my bra off in response. I had to retaliate, so I tore open the fly of his jeans and pushed my hand inside. His moan came out weakly as I grasped him in my fingers and stroked.

"That's…playing…dirty," he gasped, his head dropping against my chest. I didn't stop, but he recovered enough to pull one nipple into his mouth, laving and sucking, trapping it between his teeth. I only released him to squirm out of my own jeans. He used my momentary distraction to pull us both from the carpet, letting my pants fall to the floor as he carried us to the bed.

I landed roughly, sinking into the soft mattress. He shed his jeans and boxers and launched himself over me, landing in a crouch on top of my near-naked body. His eyes, the color of dark chocolate, simmered down at me.

"Is this what you wanted?" he asked as his fingers teased my nipples, pinching lightly. My hips jumped reflexively, at which he smiled. Slowly, he slid down the bed to place his mouth on my inner thigh, nipping with his teeth all the while. His hands gripped my hips, holding me captive. "Tell me what you want, and you'll have it."

"I want you inside me all night long," I answered as I ran my hands through his hair, scratching my nails against his scalp.

Edward smiled and pushed my legs back, hooking them over his shoulders, at the same time that he tore away the flimsy silk panties I'd been wearing. Already, I felt the advantage of this position; I could feel myself stretching, feeling sensations in new places.

"So be it, then," he grinned, and he thrust into me without any sign of tenderness. I was tight, spread this way, and I cried out in wonderful, stinging pleasure as he filled me.

"Oh, God, Edward!" I moaned, clutching the sheets with my idle fingers. My ankles crossed behind his neck, trapping him close. He held my hips in place as he began to move within me at a grueling pace. I burned for him as he pumped relentlessly, forcing sensation upon me without reprieve. My climax came within minutes, fueled by the sounds of our bodies slapping together and his grunts of agonized pleasure. My world went up in flames and I clenched violently around him, but he didn't join me in my release.

No, he merely flipped me onto my stomach and entered me again from behind. We'd only done this a few times before, but every time, I was surprised by the intensity of what I felt, how from this angle he could hit just the right spot inside me. He liked to watch me while we were intimate, to see my face, so this only happened when he was in a particularly feisty mood. I smiled to myself, unnoticed by him. I loved it when Edward let go of his tender, gentle side with me. Unrestrained, he was the sexiest thing in the world.

I moaned helplessly as he rocked into me, supported by his arm around my waist. His growl rumbled in my ears as his pace grew quicker and frantic. I was hit with such intense sensation that I couldn't see straight, couldn't support my own weight – my arms fell and my head sagged to the bed. I felt like I was held to the earth only by his iron grip.

His release came with a strangled cry that drove me over the edge again. My nerves from head to toe burned in sweet ecstasy as I trembled beneath him, and then we collapsed together, still joined. His weight was like a blanket over me.

I would have been content to stay that way for a long while, but now that we'd grown quiet, I could hear the insistent ringing of the cell phone in the sitting area, signaling a call from Alice. We both groaned aloud as Edward pulled away from me and went to answer it. I consoled myself with the sight of his naked rear as he left.

"Yes?" I heard him answer. "They have? All of them? …Good…no, I'm not sure…you're clairvoyant, figure it out…goodbye, Alice."

He came back into the room, and I tried to decide whether I liked the frontal or rear view better. "Well?"

"Alice sees them all returning to Volterra," he replied, rejoining me on the bed. I immediately tangled my body with his, like ivy clinging to a stone wall.

"I knew you were worrying for nothing," I sighed – but I didn't care so much now.

"Yes, well, maybe we should stay here a few more days, just to be safe," he said. His tone was serious, but his expression was wry. I raised my eyebrows.

"And what if I don't feel like distracting you anymore?" I challenged.

He grinned. "Then I'll just have to distract you instead."

He rolled us and captured my lips once more, and I smiled. Distraction, indeed.