Sequel to "Angel": As the wedding approaches, Bella wants Edward to come clean about his past. Edward has been leaving nights and coming back early in the morning. Is he cheating on her? When Bella catches Edward sneaking back in one night, she demands the truth. And sometimes, the truth is not something you want to hear…

A/N: I know I have made you wait and wait and wait for this sequel and I apologise profusely for that. Writers Block is a common illness among writers ;) I rushed this out on the spur of the moment, seeing as I was listening to Comptine D'un Autre eté from the movie Amelie, and is supposedly Bella's lullaby in the movie…Ooh, I can't wait!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this and please leave a review!

--

Chapter 1

Fr Anonymous: You better run, Cullen boy. Run, run as fast as you can…

Emmett was right when he said that weddings were the longest, most boring things that could happen. Not the actual ceremony, God no. All the preparation and the getting ready was what left me sick and tired at the end of the day.

Bella? She was enjoying herself. Running around shop after shop for dresses with dear old Alice and her magazine quizzes. The latest one is: Does your fiancé really want to marry you?

I would have thought that kind of thing would have left Bella insecure about my intentions when really, it just boosted her confidence. When I asked her about it, she tossed her head and arched an eyebrow. Then she asked me if I had a problem with that.

"Of course not. Only…you used to be so…insecure." I muttered, looking down at the bills of the flat I now shared with Alice, seeing as Jasper moved out to go to the next college in town.

"Oh my God, did Edward Cullen just say a big boy word?" Alice asked mouth wide in mock shock.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Watch it, Maid of Honour." I growled. Bella laughed and kissed my cheek, my anger ebbing a little.

"OK, OK, calm down. I was just saying…"

"Saying what?"

"Nothing." She said, hiding her face behind her magazine.

I let it drop.

Jasper, my long, long term best friend had dated Bella for months before I came into the picture. They had been inseparable. Wherever Jasper went, Bella had been the constant shadow behind him, always there, never able o get out of people's minds…especially mine. That was what had landed me in trouble in the first place. I had tried to seduce Bella and take her away from Jasper, without me even knowing it. I know it would sound harsh but…you weren't there. You wouldn't have known how hard it was to watch your best friend and his girlfriend (The girl you were crushing on for a while) make out all day, at home (In the apartment) and at school (Everywhere).

In the end, I think it was Bella who started it. Sure, I encouraged her and in the end, when I was teaching her how to dance, I was acting more like her boyfriend than just her…friend.

Basically, she broke up with him, we got together and Jasper…disappeared. Well, after giving me a goodbye punch in the face. But still. After that, I didn't hear from him or talk to him. I tried at first but then gave up when all I got was a curt nod.

And now I was getting married to the most beautiful woman in the world, who was walking towards me with a steaming mug of coffee.

"What?" She asked, red tinting her cheeks.

Alice rolled her eyes. "I'm outta here. You kids play nice." she stalked out of the room, chuckling quietly.

"So? Why are you staring?"

"Why wouldn't I be staring?" I murmured, setting the mug aside and wrapping her up in my arms. She giggled, embarrassed and ran a hand down my chest. Many times when we were in bed, she would ask me why I had a perfect, God like chest. To hide my embarrassment, most of the time I would say it was the dancing.

She pressed her lips right at the centre of my chest and laughed when my breath hitched.

"I love you." She whispered.

"You are my life now." I replied simply and held her. Whenever we saw Jasper, Bella would suffer seeing as he was suffering though he was dating Alice. I think the only couple who is always happy is Emmett and Rosalie. They married the day I asked Bella to be my wife.

"My angel." I kissed her hair and smiled when she sighed.

My arms fell away from her and I drank the steaming coffee from the mug. Bella grabbed her books and kissed my cheek, saying she was going to meet some friends and look through dress catalogues.

I rolled my eyes but didn't object, letting her wander out of the door and skip to her car.

--

"Dance? You want me to dance? Now?" I asked Bella that night, looking up from where I had been kissing her collarbone.

Bella rolled her beautiful chocolate brown eyes. "No, idiot. Not now. Sometimes, I wish you would dance as often as you used to. Just because you got into one of the most advanced dance schools in the country, it doesn't really mean you should stop practicing."

I crawled up her body and lowered myself on top of her, the silky pyjamas she wore brushed lightly against my naked chest. I ducked my head and kissed the patch of skin under her ear.

"I was thinking about quitting." I murmured. Bella gasped and pushed against my chest.

"What?!" She hissed, staring at me, "You worked so hard for this!"

"I know. I just…I don't want to miss out on anything between us. I want to concentrate on the wedding and then about building up our relationship. This is really important to me, Bella." I said softly, giving her my best 'please don't be mad' look.

She groaned and flopped her head back onto the cushion, facing the window.

"I want you to have a future-"

"You are my future-"

"-Other than me," She gave me The Look. It basically meant the entire if's in the world. What if we broke up, what if we didn't love each other, what if it turned out this was a mistake…then she'd ask "What would you do?" And naturally, I wouldn't have an answer seeing as committing suicide was out of the question.

"Baby, I wouldn't care what would happen if we broke up. I'm a dancer. I can find jobs in clubs and theatres…and I have a half degree. That must count as something."

She giggled, playing with a lock of hair that fell just below my ear. "A half degree?"

"Yeah, baby. I did half of the exams so I get a half degree…don't I?" I frowned.

"No."

"Oh. Well then, I'll have no degree." She laughed again and pulled me onto her, kissing me hard.

"You're mad." She whispered against my lips. I laughed and rolled away, propped up on my elbows.

"I might be mad, but you're the one who agreed to marry me." Bella laughed and closed her eyes, sighing quietly. The room was silent and only the wind batting against the window told me it was night outside.

Minutes ticked by, and Bella's breathing deepened, becoming slow and rhythmic. She was asleep.

Quietly, I kicked away the bedcovers and crawled off the bed, extracting my jeans from the floor. The denim rustled slightly and I grimaced, glancing over at Bella. She hadn't moved. I shrugged into my leather jacket not bothering with a shirt first. I was going to be back in the morning, and it would be harder to explain to Bella why I was sleeping fully clothed. If I was wearing only my jeans I could blame it that I had been cold during the night and I put on the first thing I could find.

Taking my trainers in my hands, I gently closed the bedroom door behind me and slipped down the stairs, careful to avoid the creaky ones and the ones that would make my feet sound like the ones of an elephant.

Once outside, the wind bit at my face and it was with shaking hands that I tied up my laces and got on my bike. I had to wheel it half way down the street before I could turn it on. I had bought the bike after Bella agreed to marry me, realising that the trips I would have to take at night weren't going to be safe if she looked out and saw my car gone. Nor she nor Alice knew I owned the bike. I had stored it somewhere private that Bella and Alice wouldn't even think to try and look.

He must be waiting for me. Like always. Sheathed in black from head to foot and never saying anything to anyone if it wasn't purely business. He was the man who had landed me in trouble the first time. The man who had landed me in reform school but also managed to give me a new identity after I got out.

And now, I would need another favour from this man. For me and my wife. For the future.

I parked the bike on the curb of the road and slipped off, heading into the pub where I knew was his permanent residence. Just as I thought, he was sitting at his usual table, drinking his usual beer with that same, usual look of death on his face. I swear I never saw him smile.

"Ah. Edward Cullen returns." James rasped. I smiled tightly and slipped into the seat opposite. He patted my hand. I shuddered in my leather jacket at the touch of his cold, fatal skin mine.

"I need to ask you a favour." I hissed, bending over the table so he could hear me.

"A favour, eh? Like the ones in the past?" he chuckled, drinking his beer.

I shook my head. "No. This is different. I'm getting married soon and I need new documents for me and my wife. You've heard the threats aimed my way. I can't stay here much longer." It was hard to make James understand when something was urgent. He was neutral. Everything and everyone had their own pace and nothing in his mind was deathly urgent.

"Well then, why not leave immediately?" I knew he was going to ask that question.

"My fiancée – Bella – wanted to get married with her friends and my family present. I couldn't take her away like this, without an explanation, nothing. It would be stupid and…I don't want to lose her."

James made a tsk-tsk noise and didn't answer. He just ran the tip of his index finger over the rim of his beer glass, over and over again.

Finally, he answered, "I might have to charge you interest for this, Cullen, but it could be done. Do you need totally new identities?"

I sighed in relief. "The usual, really. Names and birthdates and maybe even fake diplomas. I'm a dancer and that won't take me far in life."

"Mmm. You do know all this will cost you a fortune?" without answering, I slid the white envelope across the table to him. James opened it with secure, quick fingers and took out the fifteen single hundred pound bills from inside.

"The interest will be on its way. That's how much I was able to get out of the bank without Bella noticing it. She has quick eyes, understands everything in a flash."

"Then why haven't you told her about the…threats, and the fact that you must leave sooner rather than later?" James eyed me suspiciously. Maybe he thought I was going to rob him of his dignity.

"I will. After the wedding." James nodded and I stood up, turning to leave. I knew that the documents would show up on my doorstep at midnight the day after.

"Edward?"

I turned. He smiled.

"I'm hurt that you didn't invite me."

I laughed quietly. "You have an open invitation to every one f our festivities, James."

James nodded, satisfied. "I'll remember that." He patted his pocket where the envelope was hidden safely, where his cold heart beat quietly, morosely.

Without looking back, I left the pub. And maybe, just maybe, even my future.

So, what do you think? Reviews…?

Devilslawyer123