Chapter one

"Do you like my shoes?" asked Angela Weber to Ben Cheney. He was driving his flashy lime green Dodge Neon along the main street in Forks.

"I do" he replied, dark blue eyes glinting mysteriously "they're really nice"

"Hm" Angela replied, twirling a bracelet around her wrist nervously. She and Ben had been to twenty action films in the movies since they started dating, but still she felt nervous around him, and her heart pounded in her chest. Ben was her height, with unruly, curly blonde hair and dark blue-almost-black eyes.

Ben pulled into Bella's driveway, and sat anxiously in the car while Angela went to meet her friend. He didn't really like the Cullens, he found they were so… intimidating, but Angela didn't seem to have a problem. He'd do anything for Angela, and she really wanted to double date with Bella and Edward so much. But now he doubted his decision.

He saw the door of Bella's house open, and Angela appeared, waving at him with a soft smile on her face. She also looked a little flustered as she ran over to the car. Ben wound the window down.

"They'll be out in a minute. Bella fell down the stairs… again"

Ben was alarmed. "She only sprained her arm this time, Edward is bandaging it"

Half an hour later, Ben was rushing along the highway in time to see the latest action film, Escape to Danger. They all sat in the theatre that was strangely empty. One man sat right at the back, shrouded in darkness. Ben attempted to concentrate on the movie; a really good fight sequence was coming up, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the man was staring at him. He was a tall man, with shoulder length, midnight black hair and piercing eyes as black as night, only he had red around them. Near him, Edward and Bella were looking very frantic, whispering to the other. He caught Bella saying the word, "singer".

"Ben…" whispered Edward, leaning across Bella, "maybe we should leave… now"

Ben was confused. Why should he leave in the middle of such a great movie? Sure, he'd seen it three times before (illegally, on the internet) but he really loved this part…

"No" protested Ben, stubbornly, "why?"

Edward looked like he didn't know what to say. Ben thought he was being very rude, after all, surely even if he was bored, he should hold his tongue and enjoy the company of his friends?

Bella interjected, "Angela isn't feeling well, are you, Ang?" she nudged Angela, who stammered, "yeah… I guess… I do feel a little under the weather…" Bella and Edward stared at him meaningfully for a few seconds before he grudgingly agreed. Reluctantly, he followed the other three out of the theatre, sneaking a glance back at the strange man, who was gone.

"Where's Edward?" Ben asked as they walked out of the cinema.

"He just had to make a phone call" replied Bella, peering around nervously. When Edward returned, Ben and Angela started to debate whether they should go to dinner. Edward just muttered "Lost him" but Ben couldn't ignore his instincts, Edward was hiding something.

Ben ended up deciding to go to a Russian restaurant, Dasvadanya, across the road from the cinema. They sat at a table for four.

"So, what did you think of the movie, Ang?"

"Yeah, it was good…"

"Good? Brilliant, you mean!" exclaimed Ben, face lighting up in excitement, "you just didn't get the full experience. We should go watch it again!"

"When?" asked Bella, one eyebrow raised.

"Now?" Bella, Angela and Edward groaned.

"What about a romance or comedy next time, Ben?" suggested Angela. Ben rolled his eyes, and said, "If you want"

Bella and Angela started to discuss wedding plans, while Edward stared expectantly at the window as a yellow Porsche pulled up outside. Edward sighed in relief. At least Ben will be safe now he thought to himself.

Edward, relaxing his tense stance, placed a cool hand on Bella's. She looked up at him and smiled. They would be married in two days*. Angela looked and Ben, who was still a bit sulky about not being able to watch the movie again,. Angela and Ben's eyes connected, and all his sulkiness dissolved in an instant.

"Let's have a picnic next week" decided Ben, whispering in Angela's ear. She smiled, blushing, "yeah, that would be nice. With Bella and Edward?"

Ben shook his head, "Nah, just us"

Xavier Ivanov paced through his fancy Seattle apartment. It was now dawn, and even though he had feasted on a few humans back in forks, his thirst had not subsided. The blonde human had appealed to him like no one else had, and the burn in his throat flared even at the memory of Ben Cheney's scent.

Yet he had been guarded by another vampire. He had heard of this "vegetarian" clan. The Cullens were the largest clan after the Volturi. Xavier shuddered at the thought of not being able to drink human blood. One of the Cullens, the one guarding his signer, was even going to marry a human. The brunette one, who smelled of freesia… Xavier thought he'd like to try her blood, too, but knew it was impossible. But Ben's blood had smelled so much better… and he had to drink it. Soon, it would be the Cullen wedding, and there he would devour Ben.

Ben and Angela arrived at the reception and went to see Austin and Eric. Ben on the guitar, Angela singing, Austin on drums and Eric on bass, had put together a band and Bella's wedding was their first real gig. Angela was still in her bridesmaid dress, and even though Bella looked beautiful, Ben had been unable to take his eyes off Angela the whole time.

"I wonder where Jessica and Mike are" Austin commented. Everyone shrugged, but something wasn't right.

After a while, Angela began to get worried.

"We need the piano for the second song. I think I'll go and call Jess"

Angela picked up her phone and dialed the number.

""Hi… you've reached Jess's phone! I'm not here right now… so, like, leave a message!"

Angela, flustered, hung up.

"Where is she?" asked Austin, adjusting the drum set.

"I don't know, but this isn't like them. Jess is usually here first, ordering us around" said Austin, doing a crude imitation of Jessica being bossy.

"I wonder…" started Ben, eyebrows knitting together.

Angela didn't want to worry Bella, especially since she looked so happy today. They asked Edward to play the piano part, and the band was momentarily distracted from their worries by the beauty of the music. However, when the song finished, Angela's heart rate picked up from staring too long at Ben's face and she went outside to get some air.

Ben saw Angela leave, and made to follow her. Austin put a hand on his arm.

"Hey, can you help me pack up the drums? They're gonna put the cake here, so we have to be quick" Ben nodded his head and went to help him. The drums were on slight platform, and before stepping up, Ben looked back at the door to see Angela standing in the doorway, hair illuminated in the golden afternoon sunlight. Momentarily distracted, Ben didn't notice that the big drum had come he turned around, it fell of the stage, clambering with immense speed and power towards Ben's head. Suddenly, Edward's cold arms grabbed him and pushed him to the side.

"Ouch!" Ben exclaimed as he thudded to the floor. He looked around to see the shocked faces of Bella, Austin, Eric and… Angela.

"Oh Ben, Oh Ben, Oh Ben!" she crooned, pushing his hair out of his face, "are you okay?"

"Yes…" he mumbled. Over Angela's shoulder he could see a tall, dark haired man, torn between staring longingly at Ben and glaring at Edward, so he had a strange expression of hunger and hate on his face. Something about the man's physique reminded Ben of someone, but in his dazed and disorientated state he couldn't put a finger on it. Edward glared back at the man, and Ben wondered what was wrong with them both.

He only had a second to concentrate on this thought, as suddenly he was being whisked away by Jasper, as Alice, Edward and Emmett were in front of him, guarding him and glaring at the intruder. This all happened in a second, and before Ben knew, he was being pushed away from the crowd and upstairs.

"What's going on?" Ben very nearly shouted, disturbing his usually peaceful temperament. A second later, a wave of tranquility washed over him and he was unable to feel the anger he felt at being away from his beloved Angela.

"Uh… I just wanted to show you my book collection, Edward says you're quite a fan" Jasper said, as he led Ben into his office. Ben was amazed at the sight before him: row after row of his favourite comic books, and he and Jasper began a conversation about their favourite characters.

Ben thought it was very strange that he was cruising through these comics while Edward and Bella's wedding party ensued, but he ignored his sneaking feeling of suspicion bravely. Ben decided that out of the Cullens, he liked Jasper the best. They had a lot in common and he seemed like a really nice guy. Often, however, Ben felt Jasper looked sad and out of place, as if there was something missing from his life.

When Ben returned downstairs with Jasper, he was confronted with a scene of destruction, as several broken chairs and a mutilated drum kit blocked his path. The guests were gathered outside, and it didn't take Ben long to find Angela through the sea of faces.

"Ang, are you okay? What happened?" Ben asked.

"I'm fine. It was just some crazy weirdo. He must've escaped from that loony asylum in Seattle. It was really scary. But we're safe now, and together. I love you, Ben"

"I love you too" he replied as they both kissed passionately, "Angela, will you go on that picnic I promised tomorrow? There's something I need to tell you"

"Of course"

The pair congratulated Edward and Bella and strolled off to the Dodge Neon, holding hands.

End chapter.