Chapter 1:Fear

BPOV

"CULLEN! What are you doing here?" My work place. MY work place and he just keeps coming here. He couldn't believe that I knew what I was doing, last time we worked together; I was just a squint. Well aarrgh him. Seriously. Who he is, you ask? FBI; Agent Edward Cullen. We worked together once before. He wouldn't believe in my findings. Nobody could be able to tell what kind of weapon there was used, just by looking at the bones. Well I can – I have denied to work with the FBI ever since.

"Swan, come on. I'm not that bad. I have a case for you. I really, REALLY need your help on this one." Of course he does. Why else would he be here? Fucker.

"Not interested, Cullen. Now, if there is nothing else, I would like you to either leave or go talk to your sister. Stop bothering me. And don't call me that." Go. Like right now.

"No can do. Your boss man told me, that you would go with me. So suck it up Swan, you are going with me to the green Forks, Washington." You got to be kidding me.

"No, I'm not. Maybe you could have made me go, but not there. I'm not in the mood for Forks. And again, stop calling me Swan. Call me by name or if you don't want that, call me – I don't know, professor." Okay, maybe in the mood is the wrong way to put it. I would never again be in the mood to go there. I loathe Forks. I grew up in Forks. Da… Charlie is in Forks. Nope; not happening. No Forks for me.

"Well, you have to. I can't do anything about it. Banner told me that I could take you."

Okay, so it is not normal, too so flat out protest against your superior- but, Forks?- Come on. I haven't been there since Charlie told me that my mother had left because of another man. He stopped any investigations there were about her disappearance, even when they found some of her jewellery in the woods. She left by her self; No crime. I didn't believe that; my brother didn't believe in that – we left. I haven't talked to him since then.

"Please, leave me alone, Cullen. I need to make a phone call and talk to Banner." Luckily he left with that, no more words from him. I looked at my watch and decided what my plan would be. I could call Emmet, but there would no need for that if I could get out of this case. So Banner it is.

I took my phone and dialled his room number. Not even two rings in and he had picked up.

"Bella, I know what you are going to say, but there is no way around it. You are going to Forks. This should be an interesting case, just forget that you have to work with the FBI. Now, you are leaving tomorrow, so maybe you should go home and pack, there is no telling how long you are going to be there." Not even a 'hello' or 'how are you, Bella?' This just keeps getting better and better.

"Well, hello to you, too, Banner; Is there any possible way around this? I'm willing to work with him, if I can do it from here. I would just really not go to Forks." I know I'm pleading, but I also know that if I go to Forks, there is no way around talking to my dad. He is, after all, the chief of police in that rainy town. Therefore, the one we would be working with.

"No, there isn't; you have to be there. There is no telling what else they would find and who would be able to help with that. We are a federal institution; therefore, we can not say that we won't work with them. Now go back. Call me when you arrive." Fuck.

EPOV

"Sis! Hey, there. What are you doing?" My sister Alice works for with the squints, therefore she is a squint and with that, she might be able to tell me, why it is that Bella is fighting tooth and nail against working with me and on this case.

"Hey, Edward; what are you doing here? I thought that Bella once and for all got you kicked out the last you were here." I could see her hold in a laugh. Shoulders shaking, holding her hands on her stomach.

"Thank you for the reminder, Alice. Now, are you going to tell me or do I have to drag it out of you?" Come on, come on, come on.

"Tell you what? Why she hates your guts? I thought you knew that." Ouch. Yes I know that I wasn't that kind last time we worked together, but it went against everything I have been doing.

"Yes, I do know that, so no it isn't that. Why won't she go with me too Forks on a case?" Yes, she protested before she heard the name, but when she heard it, there was fear in her eyes. I can't, by any chance, figure out what that was about.

"Forks? Forks, Washington? Hadn't you read her file, the last time you worked with her? I'm quite sure that the answer is in it." That didn't help me by a long shot. I can't remember to ever had heard the name Forks.

"Sis, please tell me. She is going no matter what and if there is something about that town. I need to know; you have to tell me." Easy as that. If there is just the smallest thing that can do something to the investigation, they have to tell me.

"Fine, but don't tell her that you know. Her father is there. She grew up in that town and she hasn't been there since….." I cut her off.

"Her mother disappeared. Fuck! What do I do? I really need her there; there is no one else who can do what she does, but her." This wasn't something I thought I would have to go up against. I know about the case. She doesn't know that, her brother doesn't know that. Neither talk about it. Well, I guess that she has talked with Alice and Emmet has talked with Rose, but they had never mentioned it to me. I read it in her file.

"Do you think I should talk to Emmet? Ask him how to approach this? This is really fucked. Ali. I know she hates me and all, but I really don't hate her and I don't want her to be in pain." What can I say? I'm a masochist. The first time I saw Isabella Swan, I was gone. She everything in a woman that I would like to have and make it even better, she is the precise opposite of my ex-wife. I would never tell her that, though. I do think that her laughing at me is something I would rather not have happening.

"You could; I don't know Edward. She is stubborn. Emmet would say the same, but if she gets the order, she will do it, even if it hurts her, and it will. Her father is the police chief in Forks; you would be working with him and not against him, which she would prefer. What about taking him with you? Could that be something?" That would be something. But this is a federal investigation and I would never be allowed to do it.

"What about getting him to tell her, that he has told me about it and that she can talk to me if she needs it? I know it is a long shot, but it could be the way to go. I wouldn't be allowed to take him there."

"Call Emmet, listen to what he says and go on from there. Anyway, call me if you need. I know her; I know how she reacts to stuff about her mother. It will take a lot out of her and she will need a friend. She only has you there, so you have to be on your best behaviour. Promise me. You are my brother, and I love you, but if you do anything to hurt her over there, I will hang you upside down by the means of your dick – do you hear me?" Yes, sir.

"I promise, Ali. Got to go. I have to get in touch with Emmet before I go home to pack. I will call you when we reach Forks and I will stay in touch while we are there."

BPOV

I remember my last time I talked to Charlie like it happened yesterday.

Flashback

"She didn't leave, Dad, not by her own choice. She would never leave us. It's not possible." My dad chose this moment to be stubborn, indicating that my mother had had an affair for a long time and now she apparently decided to skip town. The ironic thing is that everyone knows that it is my dad who has had someone on the side. He has for years.

"Isabella, I won't talk about this any longer. Just get over the fact that she didn't want us and she didn't want this life. Forget her." Didn't want us? Didn't want this life? Bullshit. She has worked harder than anyone to get her marriage to work, looked away from his mistress, and closed her ears to the gossip. This is absurd.

"Stop the case and I'm out, Dad. They found her necklace in the woods. Why would it be in the woods? Why would she? She hated the darkness! I'm not going to sit by silently, while you fuck around and don't care that my mother is missing, probably hurt some where!" Fucker.

"Isabella, this is something for the grown-ups, you might be old enough to vote, drink and whatever else, but you are still my daughter, and if I say this is it than I mean it. Don't you start something you don't know anything about!" This is it. Who would have thought that I would lose both my parents in the span of a week? Not me.

"Fuck you, Charlie. I'm out. We never meant anything to you, and this just shows it to the world. Have a happy life; hope you can sleep at night." And with that I left, I thought I would have to go alone, but to my surprise, mere minutes later, my brother was in the car with me. We decided to go to the motel for the night, and then we could go back and pick up our stuff tomorrow, when Charlie is at work.

End flashback

And now I would have to go back. Those where the last time I spend in that God forsaken town. Never did I think that I would return, with the FBI in my back. Okay, so that's a lie, but I always thought that I would return like that because of my mother's case.

I'm in dire need of a talk with my brother. Of all people, he would know how I could do this. Working with Charlie, in the city that holds so many memories for me.

"Emmet?" my voice was strained, was I crying? I haven't even noticed before now.

"I know squint. Edward told me you have to go to Forks. I told him. I hope that is okay with you. He saw how you reacted to the mere name of the town and was concerned. He needs to know. He is going to see you there and we both know that the feelings- your feelings- will be front and center. He will also be able to stop you from doing anything stupid when you see Charlie." He is right. Not that I like Cullen to know anything about my private life. The name is private life, not public life and I have absolute no trust in him.

"Yeah, you're right. What do I do? Do you think Charlie knows that I'm coming? And what about the dead person, what if it is someone I know? I deal with deaths everyday, but it is never somebody I know or knew." For the first time ever, I'm scared. Scared for the facts. The only thing I know is that the remains are found in the woods. They are old. But not older than me, so there is a good chance that I will know this person.

"I know you. But remember, use Edward. He is a good person. He will listen if you need it. If that don't help, call Rose, Alice or myself. Anytime, any day. Just keep you head up high and be the bigger person. You don't have to be the bigger person and be friendly with Charlie, just be the specialist you are. Talk bones with him, don't dive into anything else, he will use it and you know it." Yeah. Easy enough, right? Right.

"Thanks, big brother. You know that I love you right? I will call you when I get there; I'll tell you if it looks like it used to, okay?" This sucks. How is it that I'm sucked into going to the only place I never wanted to go again? The place, all my nightmares are coming from? I hate this. I hate Cullen. I hate Charlie. And for the first time in my professional life, I hate my job.

EPOV

Okay, so I'm going to Forks with a person who hates me, who hates the place we are going to and who hates the person we will be working most with there. Tell me again, why it is I am doing this? Right! Justice.

I don't know what we will find. They seem to think that it is human remains they have found in the forest up there. I do hope they are right. Not for my sake, especially not for the victim, but for Swan. Bella. I don't know what to call her. She doesn't like me calling her Swan, I know for a fact that she hates being called Isabella, but calling her Bella… that is personal. I would like to be able to do that, but we are not personal. She… troubles me. That won't make this case any easier. But like I said to her – suck it up. That goes for me, too.

I admire her. She is so good at what she does. I have deep regret for the way I reacted last time we worked together, but she won't accept my apologies. So what is a man going to do? Hell if I know it.

The talk with Emmet helped a little. He promised to tell her that he told me. He understood why I had read the files; Bella wouldn't. He would tell her to use me as a confidant while we are there, she would need it, he said. I will try my best to be what she needs. I will try to keep away from Chief Swan. I wonder if it is because of him, she don't like to be called Swan. No matter what, I will do what she asks while we are there; lessen her burdens. Make it lighter for her.

The thought that she might even know the victim there is also cause for the unwillingness to go. All in all, this case is no good for her. I honestly feel like it's because of me that she is going. I asked for her. Yes, she is the best, but if I just had thought things through before I did it, she would not be in this position right now. I even called Banner after my talk with both Alice and Emmet, to say that we could just send the remains, then she could do her thing from here. That could have worked; it would have been harder, because she would have to be with me through satellite almost constantly. He flat out denied it. He has a feeling about this case. This is going to be big, he said. If it is, we are going to be there. We need the Pr. Fucker. Pr is apparently more important than the people who work for him. That is really the reason that we are here now. Going from Washington DC, to Washington State, in a couple of hours.

This is most likely going to be one of the hardest cases I have ever worked – just because of all the background history I know about my partner. Even if she doesn't like me, that is what she is – my partner. And I always look out for my partner, back my partner up and am there to be leaned on, if that is needed. That is just who I am. No matter what!