Disclaimer

No Copyright intended, I'm only borrowing Stephenie Meyer's characters to tell my own story.

SO yeah, I am restarting because I started this story a while back and to be honest I feel like my writing has improved. At least I hope so. I really wanted to get back into this story and so I posted a chapter that I had typed up back when I was posting constantly but THEN I realized the writing was something I was proud of so I made the difficult choice to restart the story. Before anyone freaks out, I am pretty much just tweaking the words but the general story is still the same. It's still an Edward and Bella fluffy story, and it will head in the same general direction. This time however I do am to write longer chapters and hopefully better.

Please let me know what you think, feedback is soooo greatly appreciated. Thank you for your patience and i'll see you in a few days.

Chapter 1

Bella

September 13, 2013

"Happy Birthday, Bells! I'm sorry I'm not there today, you know how big this James Martin case is for me, he has to pay for all the time that has been lost and what he did to those people. He thinks he's going to get away with it but I just know there's something he missed, I know he did it. I'm so close to proving it. Anyways, call me back, I love you, honey."

I sigh as I replay the message. I missed my Dad, I really did but sometimes he could really grind my gears. This was the third year in a row that he wasn't here for my birthday. I didn't resent him for it, but was it too much to ask for him to be here today? He spent all his time in New York because of the case and surely one day wasn't going to be the end of the trial. I was still doing our old tradition of eating at the local diner, watching a movie and eating ice cream from the tub until I got sick, but now that I was a legal adult it was a little sad.

I glanced at the time, 8:06 am. That's just too early to function. Even though it was a Friday, I got to stay home thanks to the greatest thing to happen since Betty White. Online education. I still got to hang out with my friends which was great, just had the perks of not having to deal with school rules, dress codes and times.

After staying in bed and browsing Instagram for 30 minutes, I start making my way downstairs to make something to eat. Before I reach the bottom landing, the bell rings. I hop down the last 3 steps and open the door, half expecting it to be Alice but find no one when I open the door. Instead, there is a box addressed to my Dad. I pick up the deceivingly light package and leave it on the table by the stairs before locking the door and heading back towards the kitchen.

I'm in the middle of frying bacon when my phone rings. I fish it out of my pocket and put it on speaker.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BELLA!" Alice shrieks. I smile and flip the strips.

"Good morning, Sunshine! Thank you, took you long enough, here I thought you had forgotten about me." I tease.

"What are we doing today? My schedule is free after 1:30 then we can do whatever your heart desires," She nearly signs, "We have to celebrate your parents having unprotected sex 18 years and 9 months ago, Swan."

I scoff "Classy. Come to my house after school. We can walk the beach and take it from there."

"Fantastic. I'll see you after I get out of purgatory."

I laugh, "Bye, Brandon." Ever so dramatic.

Once Alice and I arrive at Leadbetter Beach, we decide to walk around as she catches me up on the everyday drama of school. Rumor has it that Lilian cheated on John with Brady before Brady dumped Jessica. As Alice goes on to tell me what evidence there is I am reminded as to why I decided to go the online route. Alice talks and talks and for someone so small she sure can get a massive amount of words out in a single breath. After a while, we stop by the diner and Alice is practically bouncing as she sits at the booth and a waitress takes our order.

"So Jasonr is single again!" Alice practically shouts as her green blue eyes practically bug out of their sockets, "This is my chance, I've waited forever for this!"

"You say that every time he's single."

"It's not my fault no one can resist that thick english accent and practically jump his bones as soon as he's single."

"So like… You?" I say in fake shock, "You've been friends with him ever since he moved 2 years ago, all you ever talk about is Jason yet you haven't, in all this time, even ask him to the movies alone. You know he's not the brightest bulb in the house, you gotta be the one to make the move before it's too late, Al."

"...Rude. At least I've dated someone. You know I can't do that, he has to ask me. That's the way it has to be. I can't just say 'hey, wanna go out with me?' He has to be the one to realize I'm all he's ever wanted. Besides what if he says no?" As IF anyone could say no to Alice.

"That's exactly what you need to do. And HEY! Me rude? You rude. I dated Jacob remember?"

"Jacob doesn't count. You were drunk, slept together and stayed together out of fear of ruining the friendship. Which of course is exactly what happened." The bell above the door rings and a redhead walks in, she must be a tourist, no one that actually lives around here dresses with clothes that could pay a semester of college tuition. She stands out like a lighthouse. "You need to find someone to actually count as a boyfriend."

Once our food arrives, the conversation ends. There is no conversation worth it enough to get in between Alice and Mud Pie.

Once I get back home, I decide it's a good time to call my dad before Alice comes back from her house to spend the weekend.

"Happy Birthday, honey," Charlie says after the third ring. "How was your day, did you and Alice head out for the day? I'm sorry I couldn't be there today sweetheart."

"Hey Dad, thanks, it was actually pretty great. We went out to the beach then Mud Pie at the diner. Right now she's at home picking up some stuff and she's staying for the weekend. Just don't worry about it Dad, it's your job. It pays for my stuff so I'm okay with that." I say in mock seriousness.

"I'm glad you had fun honey. Ouch though, that's all you see from your old man? Wallet with legs?" He chuckles, "Here I am trying to catch the bad guys and my daughter sees me as book money."

"Daddy, a girl needs her stuff."

"I love you too kid." I can almost hear his smile, "But hey, I'll be back next Saturday for a few days, I'll make it up to you, we can do anything you want."

"That sounds great, we shall make a trip of it. I can't wait." The bell rings, "That's Alice, I have to go Dad."

"You girls have fun, call me if you need anything. Love you, Bells."

"I love you too, Dad." I run to the door as I hang up and find Alice in bright pink pajamas, holding a bottle of Moet, "I don't know about you Swan, but your birthday weekend is about to start. Properly."

September 23, 2017

The next 10 days pass in a blur, I go to a party with Alice, Charlie arrives, we spend all day together and even though something seemed a little off about him, he really did make it up to me.

"Hey, remember the package that arrived in the mail for me? When did that arrive?" He asks me suddenly in the middle of watching Avengers for what must be my 20th time.

"I think it arrived the morning of my birthday. Why?"

"Did you open it? Did someone drop it off? Was anyone driving away?"

"Was I supposed to open it? It was just there, no one was around. The bell rung and it was on the porch."

I hear Charlie sigh and he remains silent for a minute before saying, "Listen to me, I need you to stay home tomorrow while I make some calls, just stay until I go back to New York. Can you do that for me?"

"I had plans with-"

"Can you do that for me?"

"I… Okay yeah sure."

The following day I bring Charlie food late in the day after noticing he never left his office after waking up. He spends the day speaking sharply on the phone in clipped tones and I figure he must be working on the case.

I head into my room and pick up my laptop, assuming he's working on the James Martin case I look up if there was any new information on him in the past couple of hours and was the reason why my dad was all flustered. After about an hour of finding no new evidence for the case on James, I realize that Charlie has to be working on a new case. Maybe if I got my hands on the box that-

"Isabella, please come down here," Charlie calls up the stairs. There's no way he'd know I was about to snoop around for the box. I shut the laptop and head down the stairs, stopping only briefly outside his office to put the laptop on the table against the wall. I push the door and quickly notice we have a visitor. "Isabella, please sit darling."

I quickly peek at the man in the dark gray suit as he stands up and gives a short little head bow. He's tall, about half a foot taller than me, easily 6'2 or 6'3. Auburn hair, fair skin and as he glances up, the oddest shade of eyes, at first sight, they seem forest green. Before my staring gets to be classified as creepy, I turn from him towards my dad.

"Who is he?" I ask.

"Masen, this is my daughter Isabella. Isabella this is Mr. Masen, your new bodyguard."

I stretch my hand out towards Mr. Masen and as soon as my hand touches his I stop. NEW bodyguard, doesn't that mean I should have an OLD one in the first place? I turn sharply towards Charlie."Excuse me? Bodyguard? Dad, I'm 18, I practically live alone, I stopped needing a nanny since I was 15 why is he here now?" I stare at him as if he has lost his mind because he probably has.

"Do you remember the box that arrived? Well, the contents of the box are the reason he is here."

"A box? Mr. Masen I don't think your services will be required over some packing tape."

"Isabella, I'm not kidding around, this is very serious. We are dealing with dangerous people. I've hired Masen here to look after you but," Charlie falters, taking a deep breath before continuing, "But, I can't take a chance on you, I need to do all that I can to keep you safe. We're moving you."

I focus on a loose thread on the curtain behind Charlie. Had I been drinking water, this would be the part I spit it out and delicately let go of the glass for a dramatic crash. If I was a little more mature I would be accepting my fate, knowing that if what he says is true, it's the best and safest option for me. But what IS he saying?

"Are you out of your freaking mind?!" I shoot up from my seat, guess I'm not as mature as I would like. "You've got to be insane if you think that this man, no, this BOY can take care of me. What does your job have to do with me anyways? You're the one dealing with the 'dangerous people', not me. I don't know this man, I can't move. What the hell in the package?"

"Isabella, I am your father, I'm looking out for you, don't question my motives. Masen here has been working with the best since he was 18, there is one-"

"Yeah, a year of experience doesn't justify anything."

"No, Ma'am, I'm actually 24," Masen speaks for the first time. I turn to look at him and he is looking straight.

"Dad, what in the world was in the package." I continue to stare at Masen as I hear Charlie lay something down gently. I finally turn, only to find polaroids filled with markings. I take some from the pile, trying to make sense of it. Body parts, nothing too distinguishable, the polaroid being heavily damaged by an X done in red ink. "I don't understand what this has to do with me." I continue flipping through the pictures as they start to get farther away, the red X on all of them. Slowly, I start to see the problem. It's all here. It's me. Me at the mall, the diner, at Alice's my house. As I start to reach the end of the pile, I flip faster and faster till I reach the end. It was taken the day before my birthday. On the white space under the polaroid, there's a single sentence.

May she have many more happy healthy years ahead, Mr. Swan.

"What the hell is this." I finally ask. No one says anything for a minute. When I finally look up, I see a red faced Charlie.

"We're not exactly sure but your father suspects this is related to the James Martin case he is currently handling. Without proof, it's all just speculation and he can't really go after anyone or rather James without further evidence that he was involved in this." Masen answers.

"We are doing this as a precaution but I can only assume this means I'm getting closer to finding the evidence that would put him away for good. The guy is sick, I can't take any sort of chances." Charlie sighs, "I'm sorry, Bella, I really am. I should've been more careful. I should've assumed that someone as sick as him could do something like this. I wasn't careful enough."

I shake my head. "What could he possibly gain by getting to me?"

"If he gets to you, I drop the case and he goes free and continues to do what he has been doing." He looked gravely at me. "You leave tomorrow with Masen. Don't tell anyone. You can't take your phone, computer or ANYTHING that could be traced to your identity. Take a few pair of clothes, some books if you wish." Identity? What the hell is he talking about.

I shake my head, trying to keep the tears that are burning in my eyes inside, "What, I'm supposed to just drop everything and go? What will happen to all my stuff, all my friends? Alice?"

"If you truly care about Alice, you won't tell her a thing. You would only be putting her at risk. He was able to take all of these pictures without anyone noticing, he could easily track you down if we aren't careful. As for your stuff, it'll all still be here, and anything and everything else you'll need and want I will be taking care of through Masen. You'll both leave in the morning. You can go and pack now as we finish making arrangements."

My mind goes blank, not really believing that I am here in this moment. Not being able to think of anything to argue. "Where am I supposed to go?"

"Washington."

Now THIS I'm proud of. For those of you that read the first draft. What do you think? Yes the story will still be Edward and Bella, and the story won't be changing TOO much. But I still felt that I needed to make this change to the story and thanks to that I am now very proud to share it with you and I actually have a lot of new ideas to add.

Please let me know your thoughts and I will see you as soon as possible.

-Luna Riley