Hey, here's the next chapter! I'm posting way late (2 a.m.) because I'll forget in the morning. Ha. I was excited to see how many people put me on alert, so thanks for that! Reviews would be even more awesome, because I need validation like no other, and I just love reading them. So be kind? :D

Thanks again to my super awesome beta, who beta-ed the majority of this from her iPhone while on vacation. I heart her like whoa for that.

Disclaimer: Not SM. Don't own the characters I'm shamelessly toying with. I do, however, own enough yarn to have my own herd of sheep.

(Song: 'Streets of Philadelphia'- Bruce Springsteen (for the beginning of the chapter until around when Edward's phone rings) Also a good one for that part: 'Mad World' by Gary Jules.)

August:

I stepped into my dark apartment and sighed. I hated coming here lately. It wasn't home; it was just a place to do laundry and sleep. Lately it wasn't even used for the latter, since two out of my last three jobs required me to be out of town or to stay with a client.

Those were the most awkward of my assignments, the ones where it was best for the client if we stayed in their home. It always felt like a fucking intrusion, and I suppose it was, but it was the job. I was grateful to not be working, but coming back to this empty place didn't improve my mood.

Jasper Whitlock, my best- and only- friend, and I were bodyguards for a private agency based in the greater Seattle area, though we were sent all over the country for jobs. Our agency specialized in personal bodyguards, spies of a sort, and assassins that put any government goon to shame. We were one of the top bodyguard teams in the agency, put on the biggest and toughest cases, usually dealing with protecting people from mob jobs and terrorist threats. Jasper was the brains, I was the brawn. We both knew how to fight, how to take motherfuckers out in any fashion necessary, and we were both capable of using state-of-the art technology. Jasper preferred the technological aspects, such as surveillance and set up, and I was glad. I had no patience for that bullshit no matter how important it was for getting the job done. I preferred the fighting, getting my hands dirty and seeing the results. Jasper was grateful for that. We knew our strengths, we stuck with them, and we were perfect partners for each other.

I wasn't an especially large guy, tall and lean to the average eye, but I had the muscles and the will to do my job and do it well.

I flipped the lights on in the entryway and sighed again. The walls were the same boring white they always were, and it should have comforted me. It didn't. I didn't have any pictures or paintings hanging, and it just reminded me of how empty I'd let my life become. I shook off this bleak assessment, reminding myself that all I wanted was a shower and some sleep right now.

I dropped the bag containing my dirty clothes off in the laundry room, and then went to one of the extra bedrooms, unpacking my equipment and returning it to the drawers and closets I kept them in. I used this room to hold any weapons and tools I needed, and I always kept it locked with a key I wore around my neck. I didn't need the few visitors that did come to my place stumbling upon that shit and wondering why the hell I had it.

Finally, I stepped into my bathroom and into my blessed shower, turning the water on as hot as I could tolerate it. I stood there and let the water from the four jets beat the stress and tension from my body, washing myself absently while I let my thoughts unravel.

People knew what I did for a living, but not all of it. They knew I was in security and lived under the assumption I guarded malls or something. I never corrected them, and I never told them that I was a bodyguard assigned to the innocent to protect them until their tormentors were put to justice, legally or not.

Thankfully, the only people I had to worry about lying to by omission were my ex-foster parents, Carlisle and Esme Cullen. They were the closest fucking thing to family I had, and I owed them so much in my life. They couldn't have kids of their own and decided to become foster parents around the time I became an orphan.

After my parents died when I was twelve, I was stuck in the fucking system and would have become a waste of humanity if it weren't for them. My sister, Alice, came along a couple of years later, taken in as a foster kid as well when her mother met her tragic end by a drug overdose and her father was a no-show since conception. She was two years younger than I was and managed to be bubbly and energetic despite her tragic home life before the Cullens. We weren't siblings by blood, but we acted like we were and loved and protected each other fiercely.

Now at twenty-five, I wasn't legally bound to them or the system anymore, but they still treated me as their son, and I still treated them as family, visiting them on holidays and calling them once in a while. They would never replace our parents, and they didn't try to, but they still loved us unconditionally and gave us a comfortable life.

Alice met Jasper when I brought him home for Christmas three years ago, and they've been together since. Sometimes it was sickening to watch them together, but I was glad Alice had Jasper. I don't think she could have done better, and he managed to balance her energy out nicely with his quiet, calm demeanor. Alice was always mentioning how I needed to stop working so much and find myself someone to settle down with, and I always came back with some smart-ass comment about being tied down to some nagging bitch. It was usually mindless banter between us about it, but I knew she was truly concerned about me being alone.

I stayed in the shower until the water ran cold. I stepped out and toweled myself off, tucking the towel securely around my waist. I wiped the mist off of the mirror to take a look at myself and let out a humorless chuckle. I was a hot fucking mess. My reddish-brown hair was in wet disarray, which was about par for the course. I could never do anything with it so I let it do its thing and didn't worry about it. I was never into that metrosexual shit anyway using 'product' and bows or whatever the hell else those pansies used. My green eyes were tired and hollow, bruise-like shadows under them from the lack of sleep from my last job. I was in desperate need of a shave but decided that could wait until the morning.

It was standard routine to have a couple of days off between jobs, and I looked forward to sleeping through most of it this time around. I grabbed my cell phone from the pocket of my discarded pants on the floor and shuffled from the bathroom to my bedroom, pulling the covers down on my bed. I dropped the towel from around me, setting my phone on the nightstand, and fell into bed naked, covering up and passing the fuck out.

My dreams that night managed to remain calm, and I was thankful for that. I really needed the sleep and didn't want my nightmares fucking up my time off. They were always the same, and I knew what was coming, but it didn't stop me from waking up panting, in a cold sweat, every time.

My phone ringing woke me early the next morning, and I cursed whoever was calling. I lifted my face from my pillow and cracked an eye open to read the screen before I answered it.

"Jasper, what the fuck? You're supposed to have the day off too, so why the hell are you bothering me at," I checked the clock on the stand, "eight in the goddamn morning? If you're calling because Alice wants to do something together, tell her to fuck off for a few more hours."

Jasper chuckled a little, sounding as tired as I was. "Yeah, like Alice would let me live if I tell her that, regardless of the fact I'm the messenger and not the source. No, I'm calling because Laurent called me about another job and left it up to me to call you."

"What the fuck?" I groaned, rolling onto my back. "Did you happen to mention that we're taking our standard time off because we just finished a fucking job last night?"

Jasper yawned before responding. "Yeah, I told him that. He said that's why he called me and not you. He knew you'd cuss him out and insult everyone in his family, and he just wasn't up for that this morning. He also said it's a really big job, required our expertise and he's expecting us at nine."

I groaned again. "Fucker." I sighed and rubbed a hand over my face. "You're driving this time, and you bring the coffee."
"Yeah, Alice is already up and making the coffee. She knew it was my turn. She's uncanny. I think she said something about muffins too."

"Muffins? Bless her." I muttered. "Alright, man, call me when you get here."

"Will do."

I closed the phone and lay in bed for a few minutes, trying to relish the last bit of time off. I finally dragged my ass out of bed, throwing clothes on and spending five minutes shaving the scruff off of my face, almost saddened by the fact that it didn't make me look any less like hell. I didn't give a shit about my looks per se, but I knew I'd catch shit from Alice if she happened to see me this way, and life was just easier when she wasn't bitching at me.

I still had time to kill before Jasper showed up so I decided to catch up on any emails and bills. I sorted through my mail, pitching junk, and rifled through the bills before I walked over to the computer. I checked my email and found most of it was junk as well. After deleting the four emails about penis enlargement and two emails about finding sexy coeds online, I was left with three emails from Esme and two from my crazy fucking ex, Tanya.

I skimmed through the emails from Tanya, snickering to myself at her desperate attempts to tell me we belonged together and how much she missed me and what she'd do to me if we spent time together. I'd dumped her like a hot fucking potato when I realized what a goddamn, gold-digging, psycho slut she was. No way was I getting into that shit. She was fine for a good time or two, but the sex was not worth dealing with the rest of her.

I read through Esme's emails telling me what she and Carlisle were up to, how they missed Alice and me, and subtly mentioning about how it had been a long time since we'd come home for a visit. I replied to her three messages with one long one about how work was fine, I was fine, how I missed the both of them, and a vague response to when I'd be able to come down.

I heard my phone ring in my room, and I grabbed it and headed out when I saw it was Jasper calling.

I slid into the passenger seat of Jasper's blue BMW 128i and immediately zeroed in on the travel mug waiting for me in the cup holder. I sipped on the liquid energy and sighed in contentment. Alice had made it just how I liked it, tons of sugar and a drop of cream. Bless her hyperactive heart. Jasper handed over a fucking gigantic blueberry muffin, and I almost cried in joy when I felt that it was still warm. If I'd had no pride I would kiss her feet when I saw her next, but no way would I ever do something so fucking ridiculous and emasculating. She'd poked fun at me for taking my coffee so "pussified" before, and I'd told her to can it or I'd take a pair of scissors to her prized Prada bags.

I began to devour the muffin as Jasper wove expertly through downtown traffic. While I appreciated the excellent tuning of his car, I still preferred the feel and speed of my precious Volvo. I loved that car like a member of the family, and no one, I mean no one, was allowed to drive her. Alice made fun of me for having such a 'soccer mom' car and suggested I buy something as awesome as her Porsche or Jasper's Beemer, but I shrugged it off. My Volvo had plenty of character and speed for me.

We arrived at the agency and walked inside the sleek building. It was located in the business area of the city, surrounded by other flashy buildings that housed yuppies kissing ass to climb the corporate ladder. We rode the elevator in silence, sipping our coffee and trying to become coherent enough for real conversation.

When we arrived on our floor, we walked down the hall to Laurent's office. His assistant, Corrine, smiled as we approached and stood to greet us.

"Edward, Jasper," she acknowledged. "Laurent is expecting you, so go right on in. Do you need anything?"

We shook our heads and raised our coffee mugs to show her we were good to go and opened the door to Laurent's office.

"Gentlemen." Laurent was sitting behind his wide cherry desk, attacking his keyboard with fervor. He spared us a glance from behind his glasses and gestured for us to sit in the chairs across from him.

Jasper and I settled into the black leather chairs, waiting silently as Laurent finished his business. We knew when he was in the middle of something you left him to finish without interruption or you faced his cutting attitude.

The skyline of Seattle was spread behind Laurent, visible through the windows of his cushy corner office. The sky was gray, per usual, but at least it wasn't fucking raining. While I didn't mind the amount of overcast days that Washington was famous for, I hated being soggy when it rained for days on end.

Laurent finished whatever he was working on and pushed his keyboard away from him, leaning back in his ergonomically designed chair. Laurent was probably at least ten years older than Jasper and I, but didn't look nearly that old. His espresso skin and mahogany eyes contained a rare youth that belied his age.

"Something's come up, boys," he began, pressing his hands together in front of him as he addressed us. "I know you just finished up the Rancetti job last night and you're supposed to have the next five days off, but a situation has arisen that requires you two to do your job starting tomorrow."

"What's the job, boss?" Jasper asked, finishing off his coffee in one big gulp. I'm glad he was awake, because I wasn't ready to speak to Laurent without giving him my choice words about being in on my day off. I just stared blandly at the man behind the desk.

"Charlie and Renee Swan were killed in an unfortunate automobile accident two weeks ago," Laurent stated, pulling a file from a pile on the corner of his desk. He opened it and rifled through the papers to get the information he needed to tell us what had to be done.

"Bummer," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

Laurent gave me a pointed look before continuing. "They leave behind two grown children, Isabella and Emmett Swan, ages twenty-four and twenty-seven respectively. Charlie was the police chief down in Forks who got in over his head tangling with the Francis family."

I snorted. "What the hell? The Francis family has people in that podunk town to be messed with in the first place? What fucking interests are there in that shithole?"

"No interests, just a quiet place to do business without people noticing. Lots of woods to have secluded residences and that sort of thing. Charlie was suspicious and started poking around and must have gotten too close for the Francis family's comfort. In any case, Charlie and his wife were visiting their daughter in Port Angeles, and their car explodes when they start it."

"Exploded?" Jasper piped up. "Were there any other casualties?"

Laurent shook his head. "No, the daughter lives towards the outside of town, so no neighbors were close enough to have been affected. She was quite traumatized by the experience." He paused and closed the file, setting his hands on it before looking at us again. "Here's the job, boys. You're being assigned to watch over Isabella. At her house."

Jasper and I groaned together. "We have to stay at another stranger's house?" Jasper asked, practically whining. "We just got done doing that."

"Sorry, boys, the Francis people are looking at her too, in case her father said anything to compromise them." Laurent replied gravely.

"What about the brother?" I asked. I really hoped Jasper and I wouldn't have to split up because no way did I want to suffer alone in someone else's house.

"Ah, he lives in Olympia, and we've sent another team to watch over him and his fiancée." I sighed inwardly, relieved. "James and Victoria. They're staying with them and doing their own surveillance to get ahead of these people. Which you two need to do while staying with Ms. Swan. Keep an eye out, check things around town, see what you can find out about the Francis people and what they're up to. You start tomorrow, so plan what you'll need and pack today. She's expecting you two in the morning, no later than ten because she has meetings she needs to attend."

"So wait," I piped up, irked to have been called to work at the ass crack of my day off so I could work on the rest of my time off. "What the hell makes her so damn special that Jasper and I have to start working right away to protect her? She ain't the key to the goddamn universe; she's just some small town girl whose father was doing his job and died for it. That should be it. Unless she's nosing around in their business too, I don't see why we have to be inconvenienced."

Laurent sighed and leaned forward. "She's not. She teaches high school English in Port Angeles and she keeps to herself pretty well. Like I said, they're afraid she knows things because of her father and don't want to risk her saying anything to anyone."

I wondered who was bankrolling this shindig, since I knew teachers made shit for pay and being the police chief of Forks was hardly better. I knew better than to ask though, since Laurent would tell me it's none of my business anyway, and I didn't care enough as long as I was being paid for my bit.

So instead of asking and wasting my time getting shot down, I scoffed and rolled my eyes again. "We'd better get extra time off when this bullshit is over."

Ok, hope you liked. I'll be out of town for a couple of days, so I hope to get the next chapter cranked out while I'm away with no internet. Hopefully I can have it done and ready to be up sometime next week.

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