The Beginning

by Killing Me Softly Song Contest

Major Edward Cullen agrees to a set up arranged by his sister, expecting disappointment. Instead, he finds his someone to watch over. This is actually ch2 of an unpublished full-length fic. EPOV.

"KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG" ANONYMOUS O/S CONTEST

Title: The Beginning

Rating: T

Penname and FFn link:

Title of Song Used for the Serenade and Artist: "Someone to Watch Over Me" both Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra's versions

Word Count: 4,713

Disclaimer: Twilight and all related characters and content belong to Stephenie Meyer.

Summary: Major Edward Cullen agrees to a set up arranged by his sister, expecting disappointment. Instead, he finds his someone to watch over. This is actually ch2 of an unpublished full-length fic. It's the beginning of Edward's side of the story, so it should be easy to follow.

Athens, Georgia 30 January 2007

In her usual way, Alice knew that I had Wednesday off work. The other Major in my unit and I traded off regularly. Our Colonel didn't seem to mind so long as the unit was covered over the weekend. He needed Saturday to spend with his kids, so I took over for him. I spent a quiet shift checking translations and making sure that all of the wiretaps were being monitored. We had some new linguists whose work had to be monitored, and until they were up to scratch Major Hamilton and I would be working around the clock.

Alice called on Tuesday morning and asked me to make the hour and a half drive from Ft. Gordon to Athens Georgia that night in order to "see a show." I knew perfectly well that "see a show" was code for, "I have a girl I want you to meet." I wasn't excited about the prospect of meeting another one of Alice's friends.

I love my sister. However, Alice's taste in friends was always a bit eccentric. They all had names like 'Moonbeam,' or some other new-aged crap. I did, however, miss my sister a great deal, so I agreed to the midweek trip knowing that it included a set up.

Alice had scored tickets to a show at The Georgia Theater. In order to make it there in time, I had to leave directly from base, without any time to stop by my house in North Augusta and change. I had an overnight bag in the back of my car, and I probably could have packed an extra set of clothes to slip into on the way, but I often found that the military uniform in that particular town meant that people left me alone.

I approached the theater, which was really more of a nightclub, at around nine. The show hadn't started yet. I gave my name to the bouncer at the door, as instructed by my sister. He looked at me and my uniform twice before asking for my ID and checking his clip board.

"Oh, you're with Bella!" His demeanor suddenly changed and he smiled broadly. "She and the pixie are already inside, most likely making nice with the band. Have fun, man."

"Um, thanks," I said and pushed the door open. Whomever Alice was hanging out with seemed to have some pull. He'd said Bella and the pixie. The pixie had to be Alice, it was an apt description of my little sister. I decided to adopt it as my own.

It was obvious that the band was fairly popular, as the dance floor and bar were both filled with college students milling about, and it was still early. I fruitlessly scanned the crowd for my little sister. She was only five feet tall, so finding her would have been a miracle. I gave up and decided that she could search for me much more easily.

I decided to hit the bar for a drink, as the night was likely to be long. It was when I turned that I saw her. I could only see her profile, but it was enough. My heart skipped a beat, and I stopped breathing for a brief moment. Her long, brown hair fell down her back and over a 1960's Army issue BDU blouse. It appeared to have been tailored just a bit to accentuate her natural curves. She wore a black top underneath it with jeans and a pair of chuck's.

Typically, I wouldn't have approved of the altered military uniform, but in context, I loved it. She was somewhat slim but possessed soft curves. I desperately wanted to touch her, to feel those curves up against me on the dance floor. I really hoped that Alice didn't seriously intend for me to like this 'Bella' girl, because it seemed that I had found the reason for my existence.

The bartender, a rather large Native American man, got the girl's attention and spoke to her for a moment. She threw back her head and laughed, exposing her white throat and causing her hair to swing back and forth.

She took a long draw from her straw and turned to scan the room. Her eyes met mine and she blushed instantly. Her eyes were brown and warm. I felt like she knew me with that one glance. I could feel all of my sins laid bare before her, and she knew my soul. I wanted it to be better for her, but there was no hiding. Just as I was about to step forward the bartender spoke to her again, and she turned completely away from me.

A tiny hand wrapped around my bicep. I knew that it was my sister. I looked down and she merely smiled at me.

"Shall we?" she asked.

When I furrowed my brow, her smile grew.

"I want you to meet my friend, Bella, the girl at the bar whom you've been staring at for a solid two minutes." She pulled me along. "By the way, in case we don't get to talk again tonight: Hello. You're welcome, and be safe."

"What's that supposed to …" Any thought of conversation with Alice ended. She'd brought me to my Mystery Girl.

"Bella Swan, meet my brother, Edward Cullen. Edward, this is Bella," Alice introduced us before she disappeared into the crowd.

"Hi," Bella whispered shyly. She blushed again.

"Hello," I said in return.

"So, you're Alice's brother?" she asked.

"That's what they tell me," I responded. "I take it that you're the new best friend responsible for keeping her from studying?"

"I wouldn't say that." She smiled. "Alice is my TA for Psych 1101."

How old is this girl? Did Alice just set me up with jailbait and leave?

I not so smoothly looked at the back of her hand and found a black "x" there. She was under twenty-one. What had Alice been thinking? She set me up with a kid. I had to be at least eight years older than her. The fact that she was taking Psych 101 led me to believe that it was a bit closer to ten.

"She's your TA?" I asked. She nodded in response. "Do you typically hang out with your TA's?"

"I hang out with Alice," she said. "Could you please stop staring at the x on my hand? It's a bit disconcerting. I'm twenty, and I seem to get along better with people older than myself." She took another long sip of her drink, which I could guess was soda.

"Sorry, I just …"

"You just reacted exactly how Alice said you would." She smirked.

Of course Alice and her precognitive ability had known exactly how I'd react. She'd probably seen the whole thing in a vision. It seemed that my dearest sister had finally laid a trap for me that I couldn't resist, and she knew it.

"You know about Alice?" I asked.

"She has an uncanny ability for knowing what's going to happen," Bella mumbled. "Sometimes, I think that she sees the future."

Smart girl, very perceptive ….

I really liked her.

"Since it seems to be an issue for you, exactly how old are you, Edward?" She chewed on her straw and glanced at me from under her lashes.

"I'm twenty-eight." I couldn't help but smile at her.

"Oh, you're so old!" she mockingly whined and twirled a piece of hair around her finger. She dropped the façade, and drank the last of her soda before turning back to me. She suddenly looked very sad and vulnerable. The act was over; this was the real Bella. I had the urge to touch her but restrained myself. "I'm here as a favor to Alice. If you don't want to spend time with me, I'm okay with that. Enjoy the free pass to the show, and I'll hang out with my friend Jake." She indicated the bartender.

I'd bruised the girl's ego and felt bad about it. It wasn't that I wasn't interested in her. I was simply shocked by her age. I had to make a decision. I could either walk away and never see her again, or I could take a chance with this girl. In truth, I didn't think that I had the strength to walk away from her.

"Jake," she called the bartender, waving her hand a bit in the air, and turned completely away from me. Her voice sounded like it was on the verge of breaking.

"Please," I said and reached up to pull her hand down. My fingers touched the back of her hand and I felt warmth spread from her body to mine. The sensation spread like a fire from my fingers, to my chest, to other areas. I wanted to touch her more. I could completely lose myself if I wasn't careful.

"I'm sorry," I leaned in and whispered in her ear. She brought her hand down willingly and allowed me to hold it in mine. Bella drew in a shaky breath before expelling in forcefully, and bringing her other hand up to her eyes to wipe them. She was very sensitive. I felt like a world-class jerk. She turned to give me a fake smile, and I didn't feel any better.

"What can I do?" I asked. She shook her head and looked down. My heart ached. I caused her pain and it was physically painful to me to watch it. "What are you drinking? Can I buy you another? Maybe we can talk … get to know each other? Unless … Have I completely ruined my chances here?" I sounded like a fool. I was desperate to fix this.

"It's just a Coke," she whispered.

"I'll get you another." I touched her cheek with my free hand. Her breath hitched, and she nodded. It seemed that I had the same effect on her that she had on me.

"Got a problem here, Bells?" a gruff, masculine voice asked. I turned briefly to see the bartender, Jake.

"I was just apologizing," I answered for her, turning my head to see her face. "I'd like to buy the lady another Coke."

"Bells?" he asked. I dropped my hand from her cheek, and she nodded at him. "Anything for you?" he asked me a little less gently.

"I'll have a Coke, too."

"Two Cokes, coming up," Jake sighed. I heard glass wear clinking but didn't look away even when the drinks were placed in front of us.

"Listen …" She started fidgeting with her free hand. "I don't really date. So, I'm not used to rejection. If you're going to walk, I'd appreciate if you'd do it now and spare my somewhat tender feelings." She looked away.

"Bella," I got her attention. "I'm not going anywhere." I returned my hand to her cheek and leaned closer to her. My forehead touched hers and I breathed her in. She smelled like vanilla and flowers. I started to tilt her head slightly so that I could kiss her until I heard a throat clearing from behind the bar. "Sorry," I mumbled and released her.

Jake was irritated. His arms were folded across his chest and I knew that I'd done something wrong other than not paying him. I pulled out a few bills for the drinks and apologized to him. I seemed to be doing a lot of that.

"Do you want to go up to the balcony? It's quieter up there." Bella's teeth tugged at her lip.

"Anything you want," I responded. We started to walk away from the bar, but Bella was called back after we'd made it a few feet. I was positive that her friend was telling her what I would tell any female friend of mine, 'be careful.' She smiled and laid a hand on his bicep, patting it lightly before walking back to me.

"He's just concerned," she explained.

"I would be, too."

She led me back toward the entrance and up the stairs to a very smoky balcony. I was fairly certain that it wasn't just cigarettes that I smelled. My uniform would have to be cleaned, and soon. There were rows of seating in the balcony. I followed her to the center of the front row. Her head bobbed slightly to the beat drummed out by the band below. There were few other patrons up there, and Bella was right about the noise level. It was a little quieter. I hadn't realized that what we registered as whispering had probably bordered on yelling prior to moving away from the noise. We sat down and faced each other.

"So… You're in the army," she said nervously.

"Yeah, I'm stationed at Fort Gordon."

"That's a bit of a hike for a week night. My mom, sister, and stepfather live in Augusta."

"Do they?" I smiled and she nodded. "I picked up a shift for a friend over the weekend, so I have tomorrow off. The drive's not so bad."

"It's about two hours, and I'm guessing that you had to come straight from work. It must have made for a long day. Are you going back tonight?" she asked.

"I was planning on crashing at Alice's." I captured her hand again. "What's your major?"

"Journalism," she answered. "I work for the campus radio station, that's how I got you and Alice into the show tonight."

"I was wondering about that."

"Why?" Her forehead crinkled and her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Well, you seem a bit shy but everyone seems to know you," I explained. "The bouncer at the door, the bartender …"

"I'm less shy on the radio," she said. "I'm on really early in the morning when a lot of these guys are just heading home, so a lot of the late night, early morning crowd is familiar with me. However, Jake has been a friend of mine since we were kids."

"He's very protective of you."

"He doesn't like to see me hurt. He's had to watch it before. Jake fancies himself my bodyguard. He thinks that I need protecting." She grimaced.

"You don't think you need a bodyguard?" I couldn't help but ask questions; I wanted to know everything about her.

"I'm just a college student, not some movie star. I'm hardly worth the trouble." Her expression bothered me when she said this. She really believed that she wasn't worth it, not that she could take care of herself, but that her friend shouldn't bother to take care of her.

"I think that you are," I said. "You're beautiful, and gentle, and rather forgiving considering my treatment of you earlier. I think that you need someone to watch over you."

She snickered quietly, and I gave her a questioning look. Her eyes were dancing.

"What?" I prompted.

"This band actually covers that song," she said, grinning from ear to ear.

"I think they're my new favorite band," I said. "Perhaps they'll play it."

"Perhaps," she murmured. That didn't sound promising. I wondered if she found my questions too prying and was considering bolting.

"Am I being too nosey?" I asked. "I just want to know about you."

"No, it's fine," she answered, and rubbed her thumb across the back of my hand. It had the instant effect of relaxing me. "I generally don't talk this much, it's kind of embarrassing, actually."

The girl was a walking contradiction. She didn't like to talk, but she was majoring in journalism and seemed to have half of the town wrapped around her little finger. She probably didn't realize that fact.

"What do you do?" she asked, changing the subject.

"I'm a Major attached to the Signal Corps, which means that I monitor a bunch of linguists all day," I answered.

"Okay, so it's safe to assume that you're a polyglot?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am." I smiled and put on a little bit of charm. Girls tended to like a polite man in uniform.

"Yeah, save the ma'am for work," she chuckled and shook her head causing some hair to fall out from behind her ear. "The whole 'officer and a gentleman' act doesn't work on me. My dad's a cop."

"Ah, so you've been bred to be a skeptic," I teased. "I think that I can change your mind on that." I reached up and touched a strand of her hair before lightly touching her cheek again. I loved touching her.

"I take it that the world of translation is an exciting one?" Her voice dropped slightly in tone. I wasn't sure, but I thought that she liked me touching her too.

"Not usually." I shook my head and frowned. "I can't say much about what I do, but it'd be nice to be assigned someplace other than the Signal Corps. What I do right now is less exciting than some other positions, but I have to take what's available when my assignment runs out, and the choices are sometimes limited." I sighed. "It is nice to be able to visit Alice, though."

"You two seem very close," she commented.

"We are. For a time growing up, we were all each other had. Our mother died when we were young, and it took a few years for Dad to find Esme, our stepmother." Why was I telling her this? This was definitely not 'I just met a girl in a bar' conversation. She was just so different.

"If you don't mind my asking, what happened to your mother?"

From anyone else, I would have refused to answer the question.

"Essentially, she worried herself to death," I sighed. "She developed high blood pressure and several other health related problems. Ultimately, it killed her."

"Was she a work-a-holic, or something?"

"No, my dad's job was pretty dangerous. She worried about him all the time until it finally ran her into the ground," I explained.

"I'm sorry," she said with a grimace.

"It's been a very long time," I said.

"Still, growing up without a parent has to be rough." She placed her hand over mine. I hadn't realized that I was still touching her cheek.

"Where did you grow up?" I asked to change the subject.

"A few different places," she answered, and for a moment I thought that she'd leave it there. I was disappointed until she spoke again. "I was born in Washington State, moved to Phoenix with my mom when I was around three, and then came back to Washington in the ninth grade to live with my dad."

"I thought you said that your mom was in Augusta?" I asked.

"She is now. Her husband, Phil is, well was, a minor league ball player. He moved the family to the South, and that's when I went to Washington. They started off in Florida, but now he has a job with the Augusta Green Jackets. I'm not quite sure what exactly he does, but I know that he doesn't play anymore," she explained.

"Ah, okay."

It was then that the music changed.

"There's a saying goes, love is blind," the lead singer started. Her voice was suddenly deep and husky.

I slid my hand from Bella's cheek down her shoulder, her arm, and landed at her hand. I brought it to my lips, and stood.

"Dance with me?" I leaned down and whispered into her ear. She had to dance this one song with me.

"Um … I don't …" She leaned back a fraction of an inch to look at me. I knew that I was probably staring at her intensely. "We'll never make it to the dance floor, it's a three minute song," she argued.

"Then, right here," I said.

"I'm a terrible dancer," she whimpered, biting her lip and looking around wildly.

"Please, just this once, this one song," I pleaded. Her eyes softened, and she moved to stand.

I pulled her close to me and rocked gently to the music in the narrow space between the seats and the edge of the balcony. I managed to turn us in a tight circle, singing along. The band was playing Ella Fizgerald's version. I harmonized with my best Sinatra.

"Looking everywhere

Haven't found [him] her yet …"

Bella relaxed into my arms, and I leaned my head down close to hers. My nose brushed over her cheek. She shivered and I pulled her even closer. Her soft curves fit perfectly into my body. There was no space left between us, but it wasn't enough. I continued our little circle and kissed the shell of her ear on impulse. She gasped and burrowed her head into my shoulder, while tightening her grip on my arms.

"There's a somebody I'm longing to see

I hope that (s)he turns out to be

Someone who'll watch over me …"

I moved from her ear to her cheek. She lifted her face slightly, and I found her mouth. I kissed her lightly at first, just brushing my lips against hers. She responded in kind, and I pressed a little harder. My hands slid down to rest on her hips. Her mouth opened as I grazed her sides, and I tentatively reached my tongue out to touch hers.

Suddenly, she was glued to me. She took control of the kiss, moving her hands up, one into my hair and the other on the back of my neck. Her tongue rubbed aggressively along mine. I think that I moaned. She made soft, insistent noises that made me wish we were someplace more private. We stopped dancing entirely.

When we parted, the music had ended and a cheer erupted from below us. It was then that I noticed the spotlight. Some jerk operating a follow spot had decided to draw attention to us. Bella blushed from head to toe, and gave a tiny, mortified wave to the crowd on the dance floor. I took a cue from her and waved as well, only to hear Alice hoot and whistle in response. The pixie would pay for this; she had to have seen it coming.

I ushered Bella out of the light, further back on the balcony where there were no spotlights. She let out something between a laugh and a sob.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just … that was a bit out of my comfort zone," she said.

"Mine too."

"Do you think that we can hide up here until everyone else is gone?" she asked.

"Doubtful," I replied and then kissed her forehead.

"I'm … I'm so sorry," she said.

"Why?" I couldn't figure out why she would feel that way. The kiss, although very public, had been the best in my life.

"That was very forward of me, and I don't know how it happened." She was staring intently at her shoes. I hooked a finger under her chin and lifted it until she looked at me. When our eyes met, she let out a little shiver.

"Other than the spotlight,that was, hands down, the best kiss ever," I whispered to her.

"Really?" She sounded so hopeful, like no one had ever given her a compliment.

"Definitely." I kissed her forehead again, and breathed her in. "We could wait until everyone else is distracted by the music again and sneak out. It might be less awkward than waiting until closing," I suggested.

She nodded, and we waited until the concert seemed to be back in full swing before slipping back down the stairs and out the door. The bouncer smirked at us, obviously having heard what happened. Bella swatted at him playfully.

"Where are you parked?" I asked.

"Oh, I... um... rode with Alice, but the station's not too far. I can walk and sleep there for a bit." She ducked her head and pulled away from me. There was something about that that I didn't like at all. It was a strange possessive sort of feeling that was altogether new to me.

"I'll drive you," I volunteered, tugging at her arm a little to pull her close to me. I felt better with her body tucked next to mine.

"Thank you," she whispered.

I led her to my car, I'd taken the Volvo that evening, fully anticipating having to drive a drunken Alice and friend home. I opened Bella's door and settled her into the passenger seat, resisting the urge to click her seatbelt for her. Although, my fingers twitched toward the strap. Thankfully, she saved me and pulled the belt across her own lap. She nuzzled her head into the leather seat and inhaled with a sleepy, but pleased, expression.

I painfully extracted myself from her door and walked around. She gave me directions down the short few blocks to the station. I was glad that she'd agreed to ride with me. The area looked dark and unsafe.

She directed me to an older yellow building that seemed to stick out like a sore thumb on that section of campus. I rushed to open her door, only to find her standing in front of me when I reached it. She was going to have to get used to a man behaving like a man. I didn't know what kind of jokers she'd been hanging out with in the past, but her standards should have been higher.

I walked her up the sidewalk to an automatic door, which seemed to be shut off. She reached for a small call box on the side of the building and punched in a few numbers. The phone buzzed, and a male voice answered.

"WUOG, this is Jack."

"Jack, it's Bella. Can you come let me up?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, sweet thang, I'll be down in five," he answered. The box crackled and disconnected.

She turned to me and said, "You really don't have to wait."

"I want to." I took her hand and led her to a little stonewall that stood just outside the door. I sat down and pulled her with me. The night was quiet and still, but I didn't want to leave her alone. A lot could happen in five minutes.

I held her hand, and we sat in companionable silence. It wasn't something that I was used to being able to do. Normally, I was surrounded by noise. The guys in my unit were hardly ever quiet, and neither was Alice.

Bella's head drifted softly down to my shoulder. I felt it settle there and couldn't help the grin that spread across my face. She nuzzled her nose into my jacket, and I pulled an arm around her. I was completely content.

"Bella, would you mind if I called you this week?" I asked.

"Of course not," she responded quietly. I felt her words hum along my skin and warm me from the inside out.

"I'd also like the opportunity to take you out on a date, maybe next week sometime." The following week seemed so far away.

"I'm a little busy, but I'd love to do something with you," she said. "I've got a few hours free on Monday after my news shift."

"News shift?" I asked and sniffed her hair.

"I do the evening news for the station on Monday nights, and I'm one of the anchors for our Wednesday night news program." Her voice was soft and almost dream-like.

"I'll buy you dinner on Monday, then."

"Okay." She nuzzled against me again.

I heard an elevator inside the building ding, and looked up to see a scrawny-looking kid emerge from it. He made his way to the sliding doors and pressed a button.

"Coming, Bells?" he asked.

"I'll be right there." We stood, and I pulled her close to me. I placed the briefest kiss that I could manage on her lips and released her.

"Sleep well, Bella. I'll get your number from Alice," I said.

She nodded and walked unsteadily toward the kid. I assumed that he was Jack. They walked up a few steps to the elevator, and I waved one last time when the doors closed. My heart ached just a bit in her absence, but as I ran over the evening in my head I fought the urge to dance over to my car like a fool. My life was about to change forever.