A/N - Thank you to LatteLady for helping me with the first chapter of this story.

I do not own any of the characters in Twilight; I'm just enjoying their company for a while, playing dress-up and pretending.

Chapter One

The last four years had flown by and it hardly seemed possible that I'd soon be graduating from college. Arizona State University had been a natural choice for me. I could save lots of money by still living at home with my mom, I got a great academic scholarship to attend there, and all my friends from high school had chosen to go there as well. What I didn't know was how much it would feel like home to me and how much I was going to miss the familiar campus now that it was time for me to move on to a career in the real world and a whole new life.

The bright Arizona sun burned through my window far too early and I groaned pulling my pillow over my head to shut it all out and sleep a little longer. It didn't do me any good, my alarm clock clicked to 6:30 AM and the latest Linkin Park song exploded out the speakers, making me nearly jump out of my own skin. I allowed my heart to return to a normal speed before giggling at my own nerves. Today was the ASU Senior Class Job Fair and I hoped to get a few job interviews lined up before the end of the day.

I flipped the lights on in the bathroom and gazed at myself in the mirror. My mom had forced me to go to a salon yesterday for a makeover. My eyebrows were now perfectly manicured emphasizing my dark brown eyes, my fingernails were polished with a neutral nude color, my hair was still long, but the over-zealous hair stylist had given me more than just a few layers. The new hairstyle framed my heart-shaped face making me look more glamorous than I ever had the hope to be. Overall I was pleased with the new me, but change was difficult for me and I resisted the new reflection in the mirror by sticking my tongue out at it and crossing my eyes.

The hot shower helped calm my nerves. The lather of the soap and the sweet strawberry shampoo grounded me with a sense of normalcy. I needed that today as everything else that I was about to do was completely out of the norm for me. I dried myself off and applied deodorant. I threw on a pair of light cotton shorts and a tank top while I got ready, not wanting to get anything on my suit. I dried my hair the way the stylist had shown me. She promised me that it would be easy enough for me to do at home and I was mildly surprised to see the layers taking shape the way they had the day before. All that was left was a little make-up and I could get dressed.

My mom bought me the black pantsuit for graduation. Despite my protests she had it tailored to fit my body. "Bella, a good suit is the key to a successful job interview."

"Oh really, too bad I wasted all that time and tuition on college Mom. Why didn't you tell me sooner?" My sarcastic reply only made my mom stick her tongue out at me while the tailor pinned a measured and marked my suit. We were a pair of real classy, mature women that was for sure.

As I got dressed, I had to admit my Mom was right. This suit looked great on me. It flattered my curves without looking like I was relying on them to get me the job. Maybe I would get lucky and have a job by the time that I walked out of the job fair today. That would be a miracle.

I grabbed my purse, my job folder, and a granola bar as I hurried out the door. I wanted to be there early so that I could get to as many companies as possible.

I couldn't believe that I had an interview for an editor position with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. When I had approached to give them my resume and to attempt to schedule an interview, the receptionist had glanced at a piece of paper on a clipboard and told me that she would let a recruiter know that I was there and that he would be with me in just a few minutes.

My heart jumped into my throat when a very tall handsome black man entered the room and called my name. He led me into one of the ASU conference rooms and held out a chair for me.

"Ms Swan, it's nice to meet you. My name is Anthony Banner, won't you please sit down."

I quickly sat down and held my breath as Mr. Banner looked over my resume. The butterflies in my stomach were hard to ignore. I had hardly expected to get an interview with such a prestigious newspaper.

"May I call you Isabella?" Mr. Banner asked me politely.

"Please call me Bella." I smiled warmly.

"Thank you. Bella, please tell me about your experience working with the ASU newspaper as the editor and tell me about what you'd like most about working for a larger newspaper such as the Intelligencer."

I took a deep breath, collecting my thoughts. My time as editor for the ASU newspaper had been a wonderful experience. I had worked on the newspaper at Paradise Valley High School, my freshman year of college I worked as a student reporter, focusing mostly on campus life issues, a year later I applied for the job of editor when the editor left for a job in New York. I got the job and became the youngest head editor in the history of ASU. I had won three prestigious awards and was recognized for my achievements with the newspaper in the Arizona Republic.

As I rattled off my achievements and talked of my many positive and a few negative experiences, my confidence began to grow. I loved what I did and was good at it. I had a gift, and I knew it.

"I respect the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and I know of its outstanding reputation. I'm ready to start a new chapter in my life and I look forward to the new challenges and the new surroundings that a job with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer would provide me."

Mr. Banner nodded and asked me a few more questions. He asked to see my portfolio and I handed it to him. We sat in silence while he looked at it. When he turned to the last page, he cleared his throat and smiled at me.

"Ms. Swan, Dr. Wilcox is a good friend of mine and he recommended that I meet with you today. He said that your performance in his English class and your work as the editor of the ASU newspaper would make you an ideal candidate for a position with our newspaper. Brad has never been wrong before and I feel confidant in offering you the job. Would you be interested in moving to Seattle?"

My eyes widened with shock. I struggled to maintain my composure.

"I would be thrilled to accept your offer Mr. Banner. Thank you for this opportunity! Thank you!" My enthusiasm got the better part of me and I nearly squealed with joy.

Mr. Banner just smiled his eyes warm and understanding. He pulled some papers out of an open briefcase and handled them to me. As we went over the details of the job I was shocked to learn that they would need me in Seattle in less than a month.

"Is that going to be a problem Ms. Swan?"

"No sir, I can make it."

"Great, we'll look forward to seeing you June 1st."

"Thank you very much Mr. Banner."

"I look forward to seeing you in Seattle Bella."