Hello! It's time a for a new fic from me. I hope you enjoy it, and I will warn you now, that it is very different from Red Strings of Fate. Also, as fair warning, I just moved to Japan, so I may update at odd times or intervals for awhile until I completely adjust.

A million thanks to Anechka86 for being a great beta and fantastically supportive of my writing process, and many thanks to Adair7 for being my beta reader.

Disclaimer: Characters belong to SMeyer, I'm just playing with them.

PLEASE READ: I accidentally uploaded the wrong version. If you read when I first published, please reread the chapter as there are differences. If not, please ignore this message. :) Sorry about that.

Sweeter Than Anything

Edward and Jasper search for the scents that sing to them in order to share them with the world in the form of renowned perfumes. But more than anything, what makes these perfumes precious is the secret ingredient that either man would take to the grave with him.

Chapter One

Fourth Girl Abducted This Month, the headlines called in bold black and white. The recent outbreak of missing girls was splashed across the cover of every front page, despite the complete lack of any leads. Edward tucked the newspaper under his arm as he paid the vendor and dashed out from the under the morning mist and into the small store where he worked. Glistening bottles of every size lined the walls and counters, filled with some of the most expensive scents and perfumes in the country. Among these diamonds of bottles, you would never find the penny bottles. These were the best of the best, and Edward was only one of their makers.

Edward Masen was only part of the equation that was Cantante Parfumerie . His partner, Jasper Whitlock, was the mastermind that took Edward in under his wing. Jasper was also new to the perfume business, but he hadsomehow discovered a method or ingredient that produced undeniably remarkable results.

"Morning, Jasper," Edward called as the tinkling bell announced his entrance. His voice was still deep with sleep and he stifled a yawn, groaning.

Jasper looked up from the counter where he was working on his laptop, "Morning." He rolled his eyes at the paper in Edward's arms. "Why do you still get the printed version? You can get the same information online for free."

"I like to be able to physically hold it," Edward shrugged. "Makes it seem more real to me, I don't know."

"Anything good this morning?"

"That depends on your definition of good," Edward said and spread the paper out on the counter, so he could read it. "Looks like there's another girl missing, from the same part of town where your little Alice lives."

"I heard about that," he pointed to his screen, "Strange. It's not a bad part of town." Jasper didn't seem troubled, though.

Edward eyed him curiously, "You're not worried about her?"

He shrugged. "Not particularly. You know her, if it's not in her plans, it doesn't happen. And I highly doubt she's made any plans to get abducted."

Edward chuckled. "Fair enough."

The bell above the door chimed, signaling a customer, and the two men got to work.

The shop was founded only a short time ago. Jasper's family had been in the perfume industry as well, which was how he was first introduced to the process, and he began work with his father. After Jasper's discovery, business exploded and he dropped out of school and became a partner in the family business.

Tragically, a short time later his parents died in a car accident. They had been driving to the coast to meet some friends for the weekend, despite the poor weather, and they drove off a bridge and drowned. Jasper miraculously survived and inherited everything, taking over the shop and the manufacturing of any new scents.

When he met Edward, Jasper's career was still on the rise and he was looking to expand. Edward was a simple clerk in the shop, working to pay his way through school. Ever curious, Edward began to dabble in perfume-making himself, and with the Jasper's tutelage, produced
remarkable scents as well.

They usually maintained a steady flow of business throughout the day, even if they didn't make a sale with every visitor. Many women came in just to sample the smells or simply to gawk at the two owners, for both men were very attractive, albeit in different ways.

Jasper was the fairer of the two, with blonde hair and pale blue eyes. He had a broad, open face that invited people in and an easy smile. He could make conversation with anyone and put even the stodgiest man at ease. He was well-respected and a prominent member of society, even if her tended to keep to himself outside of the shop.

Edward on the other hand, had darker hair with a hint of copper in the sunlight and dark green eyes. He was a very private man and rarely spoke about anything other than business except with the few privileged that he considered friends. Regardless , he knew how to be charming and polite and he broke more than his fair share of hearts among the young women of the city.

One of those unfortunate women was Bella Swan, though she had never set foot inside the little shop. She was a shy girl of only 17, who kept close to home. Her father was the Police Chief, and preferred to know Bella's whereabouts at all times. Having been privy to some of Seattle's more gruesome crimes, he'd grown somewhat over-protective, though he always meant well. He had several pairs of eyes that watched his daughter on his behalf, and nothing happened to or around her without his knowing. And since he frowned at any opportunity for Bella to be alone and vulnerable, she had very few opportunities to wander the city and encounter Edward.

But today was going to be different. With birthday money burning a hole in her pocket, and her father's rare encouragement to buy something nice for herself, she set out for Cantante Parfumerie. Today, she was going to meet Edward Masen.

The bell chimed as Bella timidly pushed open the door.

"Welcome to Cantane Parfumerie ," Edward called reflexively, his back still turned to her as he finished lining up bottles of their signature scent, Maria. Each of their scents were named after a women. In Jasper's words, "The women are the key, the inspiration, and the secret."

"Can I help you with anything today?" He put on his charming smile and turned to face her.

Bella froze like a mouse caught in the eyes of a rattlesnake. She thought she'd be prepared, that there was no way Edward Masen lived up to the rumors, but she was mistaken. "I'm, um, just browsing," she squeaked.

But Edward was likewise hypnotized. As he slowly made his way toward the timid girl, he breathed in. "Oh, beautiful girl, I always hate to say this, but you don't need any perfume from me. What you're wearing now is perfect for you."

Bella blushed hotly, "I'm not wearing anything." As her words echoed back at her, her blush deepened, spreading down her neck and to her ear. "I mean, not wearing any perfume," she clarified.

"Then you were blessed with one of the most beautiful natural scents I've ever encountered!" Edward said.

"I'm sure you're exaggerating," Belle muttered. "Or else insane." She was suddenly alarming aware of the fact that when she planned to meet Edward Masen, she had not planned what to do should she accomplish that first task.

"Promise, I am not." Edward smiled warmly. "In fact, I can tell you right now that you are going to be the inspiration for my newest scent. I'm Edward, by the way."

"Isabella. Or Bella, for short. Most people call me Bella."

"Isabella," Edward tried the name out, and Bella fought back the shivers it gave her. "Perfect."

"Thank you." Bella was suddenly quite aware of the fact that they were the only two people in the shop, a rarity for that time of day. She shifted her weight awkwardly, unsure of what to do next.

"Do I have to do anything?" She asked after a moment. "As an inspiration, I mean?"

"You'll have to have dinner with me, tonight," Edward answered, looking at her intently. "And I won't take no for an answer."

"Tonight?" Bella thought nervously. "Actually, um, I don't know if that will work."

"And why not?" He sounded indignant. It wasn't often a women turned him down.

"Today is actually my birthday," she explained, "And I'm sure my dad wanted to take me out tonight."

"Ah," Edward considered this, frowning. "I'd hate to steal a daughter away from her father on her birthday. Tomorrow, then."

"I'll see what I can do."

"It's a date," he grinned widely, all white teeth and sparkling eyes.

The doors chimed again, signaling another customer's approach. Edward glanced in her direction, scrunched his face up in a split second of disgust, then turned back to Bella. "I'm very sorry, but that is a customer who most definitely needs the help of a perfume if she ever wants a man to come near her." Bella giggled as he winked conspiratorially. "Until tomorrow night, then?"

"Until tomorrow." He reached out to grasp her hand, then brought it to his lips in a gentle kiss before leaving her to tend to his newest and neediest customer.

Bella walked out of the shop, still in a daze. It wasn't until she was halfway home that she realized that not only did she still have her birthday money to spend , but that she had no idea where to meet Edward tomorrow or even how to contact him. She considered turning back to ask, but was too embarrassed. Sure she might have snagged a date with one of the city's most eligible bachelors, but she wasn't smart enough to get the details of said date? Ridiculous. She resolved to visit the shop again the next day in hopes of seeing him again under the guise of buying a gift for someone else perhaps.

That night at dinner, when her father asked her about her day, she found herself unwilling to share her good fortune with him.

"Did you have a good day today?" Chief Swan asked as he picked at his chef's salad. The chief was never one for fanciness nor did he prioritize healthy eating habits. He could have quite happily lived off of pizza, beer, and the occasional fish fry and McDonald's. Tonight, he felt that Bella deserved a first class meal, and chose an actual sit-down restaurant with three course meals.

Bella would have been just as happy at a low-key place, but didn't want to pop her father's balloon. "Yeah, it was pretty good."

"Did you buy yourself something nice? Since you wouldn't let me spoil my little girl?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "Dad. I looked, but I didn't find anything. I was planning to go out again tomorrow, maybe try some of the shops by that nice Thai place?"

"What do they have over there?"

She shrugged. "Nothing in particular, I just remember seeing some interesting things in that World Market over there."

"Oh. Well you know I'm on patrol tomorrow night, right? You'll be on your own for dinner, so maybe you can treat yourself to another nice meal if you're going to be in that area anyway."

"Maybe," she said noncommitedly as she took the last bit of her own salad.

At that moment, their waiter came by with their main courses and switched all topic of conversation to their meal.

Bella didn't know why she didn't tell Chief Swan about Edward. Since her mother had passed away when she was very young, she and her father were quite close. Bella didn't share every detail of her love life with him, but she usually kept him in the loop on things.

Perhaps because this new thing with Edward was so unexpected and unusual she wanted to keep it a secret until she was sure it was real. Better save herself the embarrassment for when it turned out to be a cruel joke.

That night, she fell asleep dreaming of what her date tomorrow would bring. She'd barely spoken to the man for all of five minutes and already he was taking over her subconscious and occupying her dreams. What would become of her after they actually went out?

She slept restlessly that night, wholly unprepared for what she was about to get herself into.

***

Edward, on the other hand knew exactly what he was doing and went straight to work as soon as there was a lull in business.

He spent as much time as possible in the basement of the shop where he and Jasper mixed their perfumes in progress. The process had been tattooed into his brain after so many applications.

First he needed to prepare the essentail oils that he planned to use.

He scanned the oils that he'd already prepared and kept in ready stock for the other scents that were still in production. These oils were kept in small vials and were clearly and neatly labeled in Edward's precise handwriting.

"Which one will best suit her..." He mumbled to himself.

The bell chimed from upstairs, interrupting his thoughts, and he grumbled to himself as he quickly climbed the stairs to assist the customer.

It was a girl in her late teens, holding a bright yellow clear cylinder that Edward could only assume was another brand of perfume. It was labled Pina Colada Party and had a cartoon coconut on the front.

"Can I help you?" he asked through gritted teeth, fighting to keep a warm expression.

"Um yeah," she said, holding the bottle up. "I bought this perfume from, uh, Walmart I think? And it doesn't last very long? Can you, like, make one that lasts longer? I mean, this one is really strong at first, but it fades like, really fast."

"Excuse me?" Edward dropped any attempt at a warm demeanor.

"You can do that right? Make custom bottles and stuff?"

"Get out of my store."

"What?"

"Get. Out. Of. My. Store."

Edward glared at her, spitting out each word like venom, but the girl wasn't backing down. If her request wasn't already a clear indication of her intelligence, Edward would've seriously questioned her ability to function.

"Excuse me, but I am a paying customer! You can't talk to me like that!" She shouted.

In one long stride, Edward appeared directly in front of her, snatched the bottle, and spoke in a low, clear voice. "This is not perfume. This is an insult to perfume. This synthetic poison is an insult to anyone with any sense of smell. The fact that you even like this only shows that you are just as trashy and worthless as this peddled dog piss!"

With that, he threw it as hard as he could, ignoring it as it bounced twice, then rolled out of sight behind the register.

The girl stared at him open-mouthed, blinked, then spun on her heel and ran out the store.

Edward watched her go. Taking a deep breath, he walked calmly over to retrieve the offending bottle and toss it in the trash, then went back into the basement to resume his work.