Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer, therefore I do not own any Twilight characters. Big thanks to my beta, Permanent Rose!

Chapter Dedication: Allusioned Thoughts. Thanks for the nice feedback (:


I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
And the reason is you

-Hoobastank, The Reason


Chapter Two: And That Matters... Why?

Edward's Point of View

"Lauren," I said slowly, trying to force the incompetent girl to listen. "Emmett and I aren't going to be able to make the conference meeting… Is it your place to ask me questions? You're my secretary; your job isn't to dig into my personal… Tell them our mother's been in an accident… No, Lauren. Think up something, I assure you it isn't that hard. Just tell them. Got it?"

I hung up, pinching the bridge of my nose. This was going to be a huge setback. Was it possible to hate somebody that had done nothing to you? I thought so.

Emmett had called the number on her wristband, desperate to help. Rosalie, the girl, had answered on the first ring, and she was coming as quickly as she could. I heard Carlisle's calm voice upstairs, telling Emmett what to do.

A girl walked in briskly, her gaze not even drifting towards mine as she walked up the white marble steps. The girl was beautiful, with long legs and curled blonde hair. She wore tattered jeans and a strapless yellow shirt, yet she didn't act uncomfortable even though she was standing in a place where people didn't arrive in less than tuxedos.

"I'm Rosalie Hale," she said, turning to me on the third step. "I'm Bella Swan's emergency contact. I need to see her."

I pointed lazily up the steps, and she nodded.

I groaned as Alice walked in, her short black hair fanning around her face. The girl turned to her, a small smile on her face.

"Sorry," Alice apologized, stopping the girl again. "I just got off the phone with Carlisle. They're stitching her up. It'll be a few hours."

The girl, Rosalie, took a shaky step back. Her eyes scanned the empty room before they landed on mine. I waited for her to greet me, complimenting me on my business like so many people did. But she seemed to not know who I was.

"I'm looking for an Emmett Cullen," she said to me slowly, her arms still shaking as she bawled them into fists at her side. "He said he found Bella."

I rolled my eyes, pointing towards the steps again. Alice hit my arm, and Rosalie paused, looking at me for a second time. One hand landed on her hip, and her head tilted to the side. She glanced between the Alice and me, making a connection.

"Brother and sister?"

Not the connection I was waiting for, but I nodded stiffly anyways. Emmett ran down the stairs, and she waved him over with a finger. He sat next to me, looking up at her with an uncomfortable expression on his face.

"You said you wanted something?" she questioned him directly. I knew she was strong. She turned to us, her lips bending into a frown. "Bella gets in situations sometimes."

"Obviously," I muttered, but the girl froze. She leveled with me, her eyes as black as flint.

"You think you have a right to make fun of her," she accused me, her eyes menacingly dark, "but you don't know anything about her."

"If you don't mind our asking," Emmett said, trying to break the tense silence. I could have cared less for the girl, but the blonde's deathly stare was frightening. The girl's brown hair flashed through my mind, and I was surprised when my mind wondered what it would look like if there wasn't blood covering it. "Why does she have the wristband?"

Alice jumped up, pulling me to the side. She straightened her black pencil skirt, staring up at me as she led me away from the girl. I was annoyed – as little as I cared, I was curious about the wristband.

"You may have saved her, but you didn't want to." It wasn't a question. I paused, looking into my sister's eyes in astonishment. She wasn't fazed though.

"And that matters...why?" I asked her, raising my eyebrows. For all she knew, I had saved this girl. I couldn't stay mad at my sister, though. We'd been through so much together. It wasn't that I honestly hated the girl. She hadn't intentionally done anything to ruin my life. But I had reasons for the way I was acting.

"Listen to me," she whispered, "I talked to the girl on the way in. She's rooming with somebody already, and Bella can't go back to her old dorm. She's going to live with you for two months until they can raise enough money to give her a place of her own.

I looked at her, disgust in my voice.

"You expect me to let this vile creature in my house?" I spat. Alice glared at me.

"You're a selfish man, Edward," she informed me. I blinked. I had never heard her this blunt, especially to me. She was a three years younger than I, and although she had her opinions, she was my best friend. "She can help you. And this can be good for your publicity, if that's what you want. I'm asking for two months. Only two, please. She needs it."

"Absolutely not," I hissed, throwing my hands in the air. "She's a…"

"A what?" She spat, rage flashing through her eyes. She poked me in the chest, and I glared down at her. "She's a girl, Edward. She's just a year younger than me, and she needs the help. She served me coffee once, did you know that?"

"What's that prove?" I spluttered, looking down at my sister. She just rolled her eyes at my ignorance.

"It proves that she's not what you fear most."

She knew me too well. Her eyes softened, and she reached up to place a hand on my shoulder. I'd always looked out for her, even when I'd gone to business school. She was the only one that could really ever get through to me.

"Edward, I'm only asking for two months," she begged me. "Rosalie and I have talked about this. Bella will be at college during the day, and she'll keep out of your business at night."

"Fine," I relented, running a hand through my hair. I couldn't deny my sister. "But I swear to you, if she causes any troubles for my business, or even tries to talk to me, you're going to be getting a new roommate."

Her eyes sparkled, and I wasn't sure why she was excited, but I knew better than to ask. She reached up, hugging me around the shoulders.

"There's something you need to know, though," she said, chewing on her bottom lip. "She has this problem..."

"Save it," I said, walking away from her. She yelled for me, but I was too agitated to stay around to listen to her talk about manners. I had planning to do. I had to make calls, and run meetings. In fact, I was making it my personal mission to lock myself in my room for the next few months. I would just have to wait it out in secret. I would not let her in. I would not let her know the agonizing affect her presence was going to have on me. I would close myself up, like I had so many times before, and I would ignore her completely. As hard as this was going to be, I had to face the one simple fact that I simply could not ignore.

I, Edward Cullen, was getting a new roommate.


AN/ I'm sorry it's so short. The next one's longer, to make up for this! Stick with me, it picks up from here. Edward's got his reasons, you'll just have to review to find out, won't you?

Review, because my house is full of smoke, I burnt my dinner, and I need a very hefty pick-me-up!