Disclaimer: The great Stephanie Meyer owns all things Twilight. I'm just using her amazing characters to tell you a story.

I couldn't post anything without thanking my pre-reader and friend Loulabelle19. Thanks for keeping me on track, babe. Love you.

I can't say thanks enough to my new super beta, agoodwitch, for taking on this story when my friend had to take a step back for awhile. You're awesome lady. Thanks for stepping up for me.

As always, a big thank you goes out to all my WC girls. Thanks for keeping me writing.

Chapter 2 - The Beginning

December 14, 2009

"You have to give me everything Bella; names, dates and places. I need full details of everyone involved whether you think they're significant or not. I need you to be as specific as possible. Are you willing to give me that?" He asked hesitantly.

I grabbed my chair and moved it to the opposite side of the table. I still didn't want him sitting that close to me especially when I dove back into my past. There was only one other person I had ever explained my past to. Look how that turned out.

I leaned my elbows on the table and put my head in my hands. I just had to think.

How much should I tell him? I can't tell him everything…can I?

I lifted my head and saw him staring at me. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul and I really hoped that was true. As I looked into his eyes now, I saw kindness, compassion and…something else. Something I'd only seen one other time.

"Can I trust you?" I asked with the greatest apprehension.

"With your life, Bella." His answer was simple.

"I hope you feel that way when this is over counselor." I leaned back in my chair to get comfortable and took myself back to the day we met.

~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~

June 4, 2005

Graduation day. We were so excited. It felt like it took forever to come. Out of the five of us only Emily, Sam and I were graduating. Jake and Leah were a year behind us so they still had to wait.

After graduation was over, the crowd was let out of the arena where they packed into the hallways coming together in little groups of families to celebrate. I didn't have any family that would be hanging around to congratulate me. My parents died just before I started college and I didn't have any brothers or sisters. I was lucky enough to have my best friend Emily around to help me get through it all. I didn't know how I would have made it without her.

Emily Young and I met in our junior year in high school. She was beyond beautiful. She's Native American, so she had naturally brown skin that was as smooth as silk. Her eyes were the darkest brown I'd ever seen. You would think they were black if you saw them from a distance. She had a gorgeous complexion. I don't think I'd ever seen a pimple on her face since the day we met. Her hair hung to the small of her back, and looked and felt like it was made of charcoal colored satin; it was that soft.

We were supposed to meet by section A on the main level so that's where I was headed. I had to push my way through the crowd to find them. I saw her coming from the opposite direction.

"Emily!" I shouted so she could hear me over the commotion made by all the graduates and their families.

She turned and waved when she heard me. "Bella!" She yelled back as she jumped up and down in her excitement.

I ran up to her and wrapped her in a big hug. "We did it, girl! Can you believe it?"

"Yeah, it's about time too. I was getting so tired of this place." Emily laughed.

"Hey, what about me?" Sam, Emily's boyfriend, said with a hurt look on his face. I let go of Emily and threw my arms around him next as he lifted me off the ground.

Sam was a big guy. He was six feet five inches tall with big, broad shoulders and muscles that you wouldn't believe. He's an ex-football player. I say ex because, now that college was over he wasn't going to play anymore. It was never his dream to go pro. He used his skills on the field to get scholarship money. He always wanted to work as a book editor.

"Hey babe, aren't you glad we're done?" I asked him and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Shhh…I thought we were gonna keep us a secret. You can't call me that with this one," he jerked his head in Emily's direction, "standing too close. And you know you shouldn't be kissing me when she's around."

I slapped my hand to my forehead, "Damn it! I keep forgetting that part. You better put me down then before she gets suspicious."

"Oh God…you two are absolutely ridiculous," Emily said making us all laugh.

"Where's Leah?" Sam asked after our laughter died down.

Leah Clearwater was Emily's younger cousin. She was a year behind us in school so she hadn't graduated with the rest of us. She looked a lot like Emily but she was just an inch or two shorter.

"I sent her to get the car and bring it around front," Emily said.

"Well then, let's get the hell outta here." I grabbed her hand and started pushing people out of our way as we headed for the door.

After making our way outside, I looked up and groaned. The sky was a dull gray with some dark gray clouds, almost black, not too far off in the eastern sky. They looked like they were going to bring one hell of a storm. I hated stormy days like this. Something bad always seemed to happen on these kinds of days.

Leah pulled the car up to the curb and we ran to jump in. With everyone loaded, we headed to the restaurant for lunch. It was a local steakhouse, not a five-star restaurant but nicer than we had ever been to.

"Where's Jake?" Sam asked Leah when she asked for a table for four.

"He couldn't take off work. He's really sorry he's going to miss everything but they've got him headed for a short trip out of town today," Leah said apologetically. "He'll be back tomorrow."

Jacob Black drove a truck for one of the area trucking companies. He was Leah's age and they had been dating since their freshman year in college. He was as nice a guy as you'll ever find and he treated Leah like gold. I had never seen a couple that belonged together more than those two.

"Well, we'll just have to get him a meal to go then. Pick something good, Leah." I was feeling generous. I loved Jacob and, in a perfect world, he would have been my kid brother. We were as thick as thieves from the minute we met so I always tried to be good to him.

We went through our meal just talking and laughing and hanging out like we always did. It was nice to know that none of us had to leave because we were studying for something or we had a class that we couldn't miss. Freedom was good thing. Personally, I was going to be enjoying it.

The waitress was bringing our desserts to the table and, as she tried to put my cheesecake in front of me, she dropped it. The cheesecake stayed in one piece and landed on the floor with the plate but the strawberry topping was all over my pants.

"Fuck!" I screamed when I felt it hit my leg.

"Oh I'm sorry. I'm sorry," the waitress apologized as she handed me one of the rolled up napkins she pulled from another table. "Please, let me help you."

In a minute the calmer side of me prevailed. "It's okay. I'll just go and wash this off."

"I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened," she continued to apologize.

"It's okay really. I've waited enough tables to know that things just happen," I said trying to let her know that I was okay.

"I'm so getting fired over this." Now she was just sounding resigned to the fact that she was going to lose her job. I couldn't have that happening over an accident.

I put my hand on her shoulder. "Listen, let me go clean up and I'll have a talk with your manager. I don't want you to get fired over a small mistake." I gave her a smile and walked to the bathroom.

Emily and Leah came into the bathroom a couple of minutes later telling me how they saw the manager really letting the girl have it. I blew out a deep breath and finished rinsing off my pants. I didn't want to walk out of the bathroom with a big wet spot in the front so I stepped into the stall and took them off.

My girls saved me. Leah stood guard at the door to make sure no one wanted to come in and Emily held my pants under the electric hand dryer attempting to dry the spot quickly. It only took five minutes because my pants weren't very thick; no jeans thank God.

Once I was dressed, I made sure I looked okay before walking back out to the table. As the three of us left the bathroom, a very, very handsome blond man was walking toward us. The girls walked past him and he came directly at me.

Fuck me! Did I say this man is handsome? Hell no, he is fucking gorgeous. I thought.

"Excuse me, Miss."

He stopped me. This had to be the manager. He was dressed in a nice black on black suit with a white tie. He looked like he could be one of those rugged outdoor types if he didn't have to keep a nice clean-shaven appearance for work. He had ice-blue eyes that made me weak at the knees. He could probably be a model or something. He was just too damn sexy for his own good.

I stumbled over my response, "Umm…y-yes."

He smiled at that and he revealed a perfect set of gleaming white teeth. That smile alone made my stomach fill with butterflies. Other parts of my body reacted too, but I couldn't worry about those right now.

"I am aware of the recent incident and I want to express my deepest apologies."

He looked sincere enough.

"I assure you I will take care of this situation immediately."

I had to stop him. "No please, it was a simple mistake. It could have happened to anyone. Please allow this to slide. I wouldn't want this to cause trouble for anyone."

He flashed that smile again. "Well at least allow me to take care of your meal then. It's the least I can do."

I put one hand up in a motion for him to stop. "No, you don't have to do that. It's not necessary."

He grabbed my hand and held it between both of his. "Please, I insist."

My mind focused on the feel of his hands on mine. The smile returned to his face. I was sure I was making a fool of myself because I was at a loss for words at the moment.

He used my hand to pull me a little closer. He stepped to my side and put one hand on my back to guide me forward. He spoke as we walked. "So, what do you say? Will you allow me to do this for you as a sign of how sorry I really am?"

I looked over at him and he had an angelic expression on his face. "I guess that would be okay. It's completely unnecessary though." I couldn't refuse that face.

"Great." His smile widened and I swear there was a gleam in his eyes. "I do hope this experience will not stop you from visiting us again."

He led me back to the table and he apologized again to everyone this time. He nodded to me and turned to walk back towards the kitchen. About ten minutes later the waitress brought Jake's meal and the check and handed both to me. I thanked her as I looked at the check.

Holy shit! This can't be right.

"Excuse me," I called to get the waitress' attention.

"Yes ma'am."

"I think you made a mistake. It was only supposed to be my meal that was taken off." I was shocked. "This says there's no charge at all."

She answered with a smile, "No ma'am that is correct."

"But this is almost two hundred dollars worth." I was at a loss. No manager in his right mind would do something like this if he wanted to keep his job.

"The manager sends his deepest apologies." With that last statement, she walked away leaving me staring after her.

I turned back to the table and Emily ripped the folder out of my hands. "Are you serious? The whole check?"

"Yeah." I grabbed the folder back from her to take the receipt and stick it in my purse. I needed proof that this was for real before someone came to arrest me for walking out without paying.

As I pulled the check out of the folder I notice the small business card underneath. The restaurant logo was in the upper left corner, the phone number in the lower right corner and in the middle it read 'James Denton, manager'. I pulled it out and noticed the writing on the back. 'See you again' was all it said.

~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~

"You know, I should have known." I paused and he spoke before I could finish.

"What should you have know?" He asked.

"That something bad was going to happen." A small laugh escaped my lips. He just sat in his chair with a curious expression on his face. "The feel of that day with the dark clouds and the storm moving in, something bad always happens on those kinds of days."

"I'm not following you," he said and his face looked even more confused.

"I wish I would have seen it back then." The puzzled look never left his face. "I've had a lot of time to think about this. He set me up that day."

"How so?"

"Come on counselor. I know you're not stupid so think about it. Who would really comp an entire check worth two hundred fucking dollars? His intention was to catch my eye…to get me interested."

Just thinking about him and his games made me want to punch something. I couldn't believe I fell for it. I got out of my chair and walked over to the window again. I thrust one hand into my hair and clenched my fist. The pull relieved the tension that was starting to build up in my head.

"If I'm being completely honest, I think he told that waitress to do it. He needed to see." I let the sentence die on that last word.

"See what exactly?" He asked another stupid question.

"If you're not smart enough to figure that shit out counselor, I don't know if I want you working on this case."

"Don't get pissy with me, little girl. You wouldn't speak to a soul until I showed up and the only words you've spoken to me are ones that I'm sure were meant to piss me off and get me to leave. Now that you're actually talking, you expect me to know all the answers right away." He was out of his chair pacing the room.

I really did like pissing him off. Watching that vein in his forehead swell up and his face get all red was really a funny sight. It's the only fun I allowed myself to have here. This time it wasn't intentional though. He really was asking some stupid questions.

He walked over and stood right in front of me as he spoke. "All you've told me so far is that a guy did something for a beautiful woman so she would notice him. You believe he set you up and he was waiting to see something but you won't tell me what that something is."

I sighed knowing I had to spell this out for him. "He wanted to see my reaction. To see if I would get angry over what happened. When I didn't he knew I was the type of girl he wanted."

His eyes flickered back and forth between mine before he walked back to the table. He sat down and wrote a few notes on his legal pad. He spoke a few seconds later. "We still have little time today. Is there anything else you want to go over with me?"

I shrugged. "I'll tell you about the day I'll regret for the rest of my life."

~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~

July 2, 2005

"No, get that dark orange one. It looks better with your skin tone." I pointed to the shirt Leah had in her left hand. She was trying to find the perfect outfit to wear for the Fourth of July party that we were having.

"Do you really think it looks good? You think Jake will like it?" She knew her style but for some reason she always looked for approval on her clothing choices.

"Leah, it's perfect. You know Jake doesn't care what you wear. Besides he'll be coming home from four days on the road, right. He'd probably prefer you wear nothing at all." I winked at her.

"Ugh, Bella…" Her voice trailed off as she turned and stormed back into the dressing room.

"Come on Le, you know you love it," I called after her. She didn't answer but I heard her little giggle from the other side of the door.

A minute later she came out of the dressing room with the orange halter and a black mini skirt hanging over her arm. She hooked her arm in mine and we walked to the check out counter.

We weren't supposed to meet Emily for lunch for another half an hour so we decided to wander the downtown streets for a while before heading to the restaurant. Leah spotted a sports store and wanted to go check out their merchandise.

Jake's birthday was coming up and she had been looking for something to buy for him. The new football jerseys were hitting the shelves and she wanted to buy one for him since football season was only a couple of months away. She finally picked out the one she wanted and we left the store.

It was just about time so we made our way back the two blocks to the restaurant. When we got there, Emily already had a table for us. After our greetings, we picked up the menu and made our choices.

The food was good and we spent most of the time talking about the party in a couple of days. We were making lists and making sure we had everything ready when the waiter came around and asked if we wanted dessert. We ordered and I picked up my pen to finish writing our To Do List.

Out of nowhere Emily started laughing. Leah and I just looked at each other wondering what we missed. We both look at Emily confused.

"Feel like sharing," Leah asked with raised eyebrows.

"Bella, you ordered the cheesecake," she said as she tried to control herself.

"Yeah…so. Don't I always?" This shouldn't be news to her. Strawberry cheesecake has been my dessert of choice since I'd known her.

"Oh yeah." Leah joined in now and I was seriously wondering about the mental health of my two best friends.

"You two have some serious problems. What the hell is wrong with you?" I was a little annoyed because I was obviously the butt of this little inside joke of theirs.

"Bella, don't you remember?" Emily asked me but I was still lost.

"Lunch after graduation," Leah finished her thought.

It took me all of two seconds to remember that day. Once I did I was laughing right along with them. "I actually forgot about that. Well shit, I better pay more attention this time. Strawberry sauce definitely doesn't go with these white shorts."

The laughter continued until Leah saw the waiter coming with our desserts. We sobered up quickly and I made sure to keep my hand under the plate as the waiter put it down. He got a little offended but I was not going to wear another cheesecake.

"Okay now that we're all thinking about it, did you ever see that guy again?" Emily's curiosity got the better of her.

"Why would I? It's not like we can afford to eat there all the time." I wished we could have gone in there again but the funds just wouldn't cooperate with that plan.

"Well, we come here all the time," Leah said like her point should be obvious. "Why don't you just walk around the block and go see him?"

"Yeah, I never thought about how close we were. You should do it, Bella." Emily pushed.

"I can't just walk in there. He's working." I totally would have but something like that could get him in trouble. That was definitely not the way to make an impression.

"He's the manager, Bella. Who's going to say anything?" Leah had a point.

"No I can't. It's been too long." I tried to come up with a good excuse. "He wouldn't remember me anyway."

"Excuses, excuses." Emily got a mischievous grin on her face. "I dare you, Bella."

"No, I double dare you," Leah piped in.

"Triple dare." They were trading dares back and forth before I could even say anything.

"Alright, what are we…ten? I'll go if you two shut the hell up about it." I wasn't upset or angry with them even though they pulled out the fifth grade dare cards. As I expected, the juveniles in front of me exchanged high fives with big ass grins on their faces.

Emily couldn't get the check fast enough. We were out the door and the two of them were pushing and dragging me down the street. I was nervous to see him. I just didn't do shit like this. I may be bold with my friends but we had been together for so long we're more like a family than anything else.

"I can't do this." I jerked away from them as his restaurant came into view.

"Bella, just walk in." Emily was behind me, not giving me the option of turning and running away.

"What would I say to him?" My hands started to shake and my palms started sweating.

"We have to make this good." Leah got the twinkle in her eye and went into matchmaker mode. "Alright, walk in there and ask for the manager. When they go to get him, you turn towards the window so he can't see your face. Turn around slowly when he's standing behind you to give him just that little bit of anticipation."

Damn, how did she get so good at this? I wondered.

"What if it's not him? What if he's not working today?" That thought made me even more nervous because I didn't want to make a fool of myself.

Leah stood in front of me with her hands on my shoulders and looking me right in the eye. "That's a risk you're going to have to take."

Emily leaned in now and whispered her vote of confidence in my ear, "You got this, Bella. Now get in there," she said as she shoved me hard toward the door.

My feet felt like they had turned into one hundred pound weights. My throat instantly became dry and I didn't think I could talk. It was honestly only twenty steps to the door but it felt like it took an hour to get there. I reached for the door and noticed how much my hands were shaking. My girls were on the corner waving their hands in a frantic shooing motion making sure I didn't give in to my fear causing me to run as quickly as I could in the opposite direction.

I took in a deep breath and pulled the door open. Cool air greeted me in a rush as I stepped in. It was a relief to my overly heated skin.

The hostess gave me a polite greeting, "Good afternoon Miss. How many will be dining with us today?"

"Umm…none," I hesitated. I drew in one more deep breath to gain some courage. "Can I please speak with your manager?"

"Yes Miss. Please wait here." She smiled as she walked away.

I turned to the window just like Leah told me to. I was ready to throw up right there, but I tried to reign in my anxiety. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the girls crouched down by the corner of the front window trying to watch. The sight of the two of them hiding there trying to keep from being seen was funny and I let out a small laugh.

"Excuse me, Miss. My name is James. How may I help you?" I forgot how nice his voice sounded.

I turned slowly just as Leah instructed. It was a good thing too because I was sure I would have fallen if I turned too fast. I made sure I was smiling as I turned to face him. When he saw me, his eyes and then his smile doubled in size.

"Well hello. It's nice to see you here again." His brow furrowed slightly. "Are you dining alone today?"

"No. I… uh… just ate. I came in here to talk to you." I couldn't be any more nervous if I was standing in front of a firing squad. Actually, I might welcome that firing squad right now.

"Please sit." He motioned to the couches to the right of the hostess desk.

I did as he asked and sat on the couch. I kept my head down, looking at my hands while he took a seat next to me. I was at loss for words. I had no idea what I was going to say to him when I walked in here. I didn't do things like this.

He was bold enough to put a finger under my chin to lift my face to his. "You came in here to talk, right. Please, just talk." He flashed his smile.

"Well… uh… um… I was having lunch around the corner. My friends asked if I had come in here since…" I trailed off when I remembered that day. "Oh gosh I never thanked you for the last time."

"It was nothing." He put his hand up to dismiss the subject. "Please don't mention it. It was the least I could do."

"But that was a lot of money. You really shouldn't have done that. I felt really guilty about it. How did they not fire you?"

"They're not going to fire me so you shouldn't feel guilty. Besides, I got you to come back and see me didn't I?" He reached out and touched my hand lightly as he smiled. I was about to say something but the hostess interrupted us.

"Excuse me, Mr. Denton." I saw a tiny flash of annoyance in his eyes as he looked up.

"Yes Kate," he answered politely.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but you're needed in the kitchen." She stood quietly, waiting for his response.

He pulled his hand away from mine and balled up his fist. The smile was still on his face when he answered, "Please tell them I am on my way."

The hostess turned and walked away. I felt guilty again. I knew I shouldn't be bothering him at work. I stood up so I could leave him to his business.

He was on his feet immediately. "Wait, don't leave." He grabbed for my hand again, but he got my wrist instead. "This will only take a second."

"No, I shouldn't have come while you're working. I'll tell you what…" I took a pen and fished his business card out of my purse. I wrote under the words that he wrote me the last time I was here. I handed the card back to him. "We're having a party on the Fourth. You can stop by if you're not working." I felt the extreme blush shoot from my neck up to my forehead as I realized what I had just done.

Oh my God Bella! You just asked him out! The voice in my head screamed.

Before my embarrassment completely overtook me, he asked, "What time?"

His eager question made me smile. "Seven o'clock."

He flipped the card over, saw my address written there and gave me a smile that made my body go into overdrive. His blue eyes came back to mine as he took a step closer to me. He leaned in, kissed my cheek and whispered in my ear, "I'll see you then."

He excused himself and walked away. I walked outside and saw the girls waiting to pounce. I sprinted past them and made my way around the corner before I stopped to let them catch up. They found me leaning against the wall practically hyperventilating.

"Bella, are you okay?" They were both concerned.

"I asked him to come to the party," I said while staring at the ground.

They stood in shock for a second before I heard the high-pitched screams and felt their arms around me.

~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~..~

"The signs were there, even then. Why the FUCK didn't I see it?" My screaming caught the guard's attention but I could care less. I couldn't control the anger flowing through me. I shot out of my chair and was beating my fists against the wall within seconds. I needed the release.

I felt hands on my back, and out of sheer reflex, I swung at their owner. I watched him stagger back a few steps after my fist made contact with his cheek. In a flash, the door swung open, my hands were behind my back and the guard had his handcuffs around one of my wrists.

"LET GO OF ME!" I fought against him with every ounce of energy I had. He wasn't getting the other wrist without a fight. A second guard appeared with his gun pointed at my chest. I knew I wasn't going to win.

"Gentlemen, please that's not necessary. You can let her go." He had one hand raised to the guards and the other was on his cheek covering the spot where my fist made contact.

"Fuck you, counselor! I don't need your help." I was still fighting the guard who was trying to put the cuff on my other wrist.

"Keep it up, Swan. You're only making this worse," the guard warned.

"Please, it was just a misunderstanding. Let her go." He was a little more forceful with his second request.

I felt the tightening around my wrist just before I heard the final click. "I told you, you couldn't help me!" I yelled as I kicked at the second guard who had just put his gun away. He grabbed my ankle and jerked me hard enough to get me off my feet.

"LET GO OF ME!"

He now had both my legs and the two guards were carrying me out of the room. I fought them the whole way.