Author's Note: Sorry this update is so late. To be frank, I forgot all about it. It's been a busy week. This one is a bit longer than the first two chapters, so I hope that makes for my carelessness. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

Chapter 3

Edward

"James Keller," I say, tossing the case files on the desk of the briefing room. "Jessica Stanley's ex-boyfriend of three months before she called it off. Apparently, they met at a bar some five months ago and immediately hit it off. Bella says Jessica was crazy about him, at least, until she realized how obsessive Keller was of her. Bella claims Jessica never talked about him again and was even seeing another man at the time of her death."

Emmett jots down the information expertly. Rosalie is completely focused. "How does Bella know him?" she asks.

"She was at the bar with Jessica when she and Keller met. It was a company dinner, she said. Jessica introduced Keller to Bella." My face hardens. "Apparently, Keller was interested in Bella as well and flirted with her up until Bella left with her friend."

"Did she give a description?" Emmett asks.

"Small, maybe around five-seven, but very muscular. He has blue eyes and long blonde hair. The night of the attack, he was wearing an army green parka with fur on the hood, jeans, and combat boots. He was unshaved."

"This is excellent," Emmett says. "I'm going to go run it through." He hurries out just as Charlie comes in.

"Is she okay?" he asks anxiously. "My daughter?"

"She's fine now," I assure him. "You have a very brave daughter, Charlie. We're grateful for her help."

He blows out a sigh. "Why her?" he mutters.

"Charlie, I want to assure you that we're going to do everything we can to assure Bella's safety," I say. "She's a key witness to this case, and she's already given us more information than we had before her."

He looks up, startled. "What, you gonna take her away?"

Leave it to a law enforcement officer to figure that out right away.

"Yes," I admit. "We're placing her under the Witness Protection Program straight away. Keller had no idea she was up there on the roof, but we aren't taking any chances."

"Not to mention the mole," Rosalie mutters under her breath.

Charlie's eyes are wide. "What mole?"

I shoot her a look. She just frowns at me. "Recently, some of our cases have gone awry thanks to a mole at the agency who's working as an inside man. We haven't traced him yet, but there's a chance he may tip off our man."

"Jesus," Charlie breathes.

"Charlie," Rosalie says. "Please don't worry. We'll keep Bella perfectly safe. No one will know where she is."

"I'll personally assure her safety, Charlie," I add. "It looks like I may be placed in charge of her protection."

Charlie sighs and nods once. He shakes my hand and pleads, "Please take care of her."

"I will." And I mean every word.

Bella

I lose track of time. I've been sitting in my father's office for so long that I feel like it's been days and months rather than hours. At some point, Charlie checks up on me, but resolves to leave me alone. His deputy, Mark, also stops in to check on me. He brings a sandwich and a bottle of juice with him and places it in front of me. He pats me on the back before leaving me alone too.

I don't eat. I can't eat. I can still see James doing unforgivable things to Jessica in my head, can still see him pushing her over the railing underneath my eyelids when I try to sleep.

Then, when the afternoon turns to evening, there's a commotion that I can hear all the way from Charlie's office. A familiar high soprano voice is inconsolable, as she demands to see me right away.

I vaguely register Charlie trying to calm my best friend down. She does quiet as he talks to her, but then, her demands start again. A few moments later, the office door bursts open and Alice hurries inside.

"Bella!" She hurries to me and hugs me tightly. "Are you alright, honey? God, I heard what happened! You should've told me! Have you been suffering alone since last night? Oh, you poor thing!"

I hug her back. "Alice..."

"Don't worry about work. People already know what happened and the boss gave you some time off. I heard you're being placed under the Witness Protection Program! Bella, that's crazy! What if I never see you again? And that James Keller! I knew he was trouble from the first moment I saw him! There's a nationwide search for him. He's all over the news."

Her fast talking makes me smile wanly. Some things never change. Always jumping from one subject to the next.

The office door reopens and the blonde FBI agent steps inside. She scowls slightly at Alice, then looks at me. She glances at the untouched food and pity flashes in her eyes. "You should eat, Bella."

"I can't believe this is all you're giving her," Alice snaps, straightening. She's barely five feet, but when angered, she's like lightning. "Bella gave you precious information so that you can start looking for your man and all you give her is a sandwich?"

"Alice," I say, tugging on her sleeve. "Mark gave this to me. And I don't feel like eating."

The blonde closes the door behind her and approaches me. She makes a face at the sandwich. "Yes, very unappetizing. We'll get you something better right away."

"That's better," Alice sniffs.

Blondie makes a funny face, like she's torn between annoyance and amusement. Alice does that to people. She turns to me. "My introduction is a bit late, I suppose. I'm Rosalie Hale. I'm one of the FBI agents assigned to this case. I just wanted to thank you for what you've done. That was incredibly brave of you, and I respect that. I want to assure you that your safety is everything to us and we'll make sure Keller never finds you."

I nod once. "Where's Edward?"

"Who's Edward?" Alice demands immediately.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. There's a knock on the door and it opens to reveal Edward Cullen, who looks unsurprised that Rosalie is there. He does look curiously at Alice.

"This is Edward Cullen," Rosalie introduces. "The FBI agent in charge of this case."

"Hello," Edward says, nodding at Alice. "I assume you know Bella, then?"

"I'm her best friend, Alice Brandon," Alice says. "I work with her at the company."

"Then you must have been cleared during questioning," Edward says, and she nods. "I see. Can you tell us anything about James Keller that Bella might have missed?"

Alice frowns. "Just that he was a greasy sort of dude."

"He didn't try to flirt with you?"

She scoffs and holds up her left hand. Her wedding ring glistens on the fourth finger. "Hello, it's pretty obvious I'm married, even if I do go by my maiden name. And he was so not my type. Something was off about him, I thought. He was all over Bella, but I tried my best to keep him away. We even left early that night, remember, Bella?"

I nod silently.

"Anyway, Jessica talked about him for a couple months while they were dating, and then, she broke it off."

"Did she say why?"

"Said he was too obsessive. He sent flowers to her once every week and each time, she would throw them out."

"Bella didn't tell us this," Edward says, glancing at me.

"Probably because she didn't know. I knew Jessica more than she did because Jess sat next to me at work. Sometimes, James would be waiting for Jess after work and more than once, she turned him away."

"Anything else?" Rosalie asks. "Jessica never said anything about Keller coming back?"

Alice shrugs. "That's all I know. God, if I'd witnessed something like this..." She shudders.

"Thank you, Miss Brandon," Edward says. "Every detail helps."

"Sure thing." She turns to me. "Jasper is so worried about you, honey. I'm going to go call him. Be right back." She hurries outside.

"Who's Jasper?" Rosalie says into the silence.

"Her husband," I reply. I'm suddenly starving. Maybe it has to do with the familiarity of Alice's presence. "Can I go get something to eat?"

"No," they chorus.

"It isn't safe to go around by yourself anymore," Edward says. He looks apologetic. "If you tell us what you want, we can get it for you."

"I feel stuffy in here, though."

He smiles at my defiance. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

I must be, since I blush at that.

"We'll take you somewhere safe really soon," he promises. "But until then, I need you to stay in here. It's for your own safety."

Rosalie chimes in. "Your friend can stay in here until you have to leave. What do you want to eat, Bella? I'll get it for you."

I sigh. "I really want something from Taco Bell. I don't care what it is. Just make sure you have curly fries and a Coke with it. And just so you know, I eat a lot."

Edward chuckles while Rosalie smiles. She assures me, "I'll go right now. Sit tight, Bella."

"Take Emmett," Edward suggests. "He's groaning about his stomach again."

"Will do." She leaves, walking like a model on a runway.

"Who's Emmett?" I ask.

"My brother. The other FBI agent."

"He's your brother?" My eyes are wide. That huge bear? "You guys look nothing alike."

"We're adopted."

"Oh." I sit back down.

Edward looks weary for the first time. He runs his fingers through his hair, looking preoccupied. "I'm sorry," he says, sounding frustrated.

His apology surprises me. "For what?"

"For everything." He leans against a cabinet, looking effortlessly cool as he does so. "It shouldn't be taking this long. We should already have gotten you out of Seattle."

I bite my lip. "Do I really have to leave Seattle?"

"Yes, you do. I'm sorry about that too."

"But what about my work, my apartment?"

"It's already been taken care of."

I didn't want to know what 'taken care of' means right now. "My dad?"

He hesitates.

"He's the only family I've got," I say. "I can't just leave him here."

Edward sighs. "I'm sorry. But it's for your own safety."

"Why can't I stay in Seattle?" I argue. "You can just move me somewhere else. Why do I have to go out of the state? Now that the entire country is looking for him, don't you think James is going to go somewhere else? It might be safer for me to stay here."

He suddenly cracks a smile. "I like your spunk, Bella. It's much better than seeing you helpless and crying."

I blush again. "Don't avoid the question."

"I'm not." He takes a couple steps forward, his eyes staring intensely at me. "While that may be the case, I think it's much safer to move you somewhere you're not associated with. There's a lesser chance that he won't look for you at the safe house."

"Where am I going?"

"I don't know yet." He glances at his watch. It looks very expensive. Rolex, maybe? "I'm waiting for the call right now."

"I'm not going anywhere until my Taco Bell gets here," I say.

He laughs. "I won't ask you to."

I smile up at him. The sound of his laughter makes me happy. It's rather contagious. "Thank you, Edward."

He looks at me curiously. "For what?"

"For listening. For caring. I don't know if it was an act and you were just trying to calm me down enough so you can do your job, but I still appreciate it. I feel like I can live now."

For a long moment, he seems lost in thought. Then, he says, "It's usually an act. I'm good at what I do. But strangely, I wasn't acting with you. I really wanted to calm you down. I really needed you to be okay. And you are now. So I'm okay too."

That's a very honest confession, in my opinion. So honest, in fact, that I duck my head, blushing red again. I realize Edward Cullen is a very straightforward man, bluntly honest and sincere. It's refreshing. I like that about him a lot. More than I should.

Our comfortable silence is interrupted by a buzzing sound. The phone flashes to his ear. "Carlisle." He listens closely, then frowns heavily. "What? But..." He listens again. "I know I did. And I will take responsibility. I'm fully prepared to be in charge of her protection, but don't you think this is a bit too much?"

I watch him curiously. If anything, I would say he looks more nervous than upset. He doesn't seem to be the nervous type. Edward Cullen is sexy, confident, and cool. He's good at his job. What can possibly be making him anxious?

Suddenly, he nearly yells, "No!" Then, he glances at me, looking embarrassed. "I mean, that won't be necessary." His voice lowers. "Damn it, Carlisle, I won't let Black take care of her." His expression grows surly. "Fine. No, I don't have a problem with it. Okay. Yes, we'll move her within the hour. I'll call you when we arrive." He hangs up, looking irritated.

"Something wrong?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "It's nothing. I'll be right back, Bella." He shoots me a reassuring smile and leaves the office.

I watch through the glass windows as he makes his way to a sergeant and speaks to him. The sergeant nods and points at the fax machine. A couple papers slide out and Edward claims them. He borrows a pen and signs three times, then instructs the sergeant to put the papers through the fax machine again.

The door opens, distracting me. Alice comes back in, looking glum. "I hear they're moving you in an hour. Do you have any idea where you're going?"

I shake my head. "They're taking me out of Seattle. Out of Washington."

"They can't do this," she whines. "They're taking away my best friend for who knows how long!"

I sigh deeply. "Maybe it is for the best," I mumble. "James Keller...I don't want to see that man ever again. It was so scary, Alice. Knowing I couldn't do anything to save her...I feel so damn guilty."

"Don't you blame yourself for this, Bella!" Alice snaps. "This isn't your fault. Of course you couldn't do anything! If you showed yourself, you might have been hurt too, or even worse..." She shudders. Dead.

I shake my head quickly. "Let's not think about that."

"Onto brighter topics." Alice plops down on the spare chair. "That FBI agent is sizzling hot!"

"Who, Rosalie? She really is beautiful. She has a good fashion sense too." Alice is crazy about fashion.

"Not Blondie! Edward Cullen! Bella, I swear, he had this look in his eyes." Her eyes are shining.

"What look?" I ask absently. I take the bottle of juice and twist the cap off. I'm really thirsty.

She makes an impatient noise. "He was into you, Bella! He was so into you!"

I nearly choke on my drink. "What?"

"There's this sort of intensity in his eyes," Alice says dreamily. "And damn, he's sexy! Can you imagine all that muscle underneath those clothes? What a hunk!"

"Alice!" I am shocked and embarrassed. So much that I can feel my face burning. "Don't say that! What if he hears?"

She snorts. "I bet he knows how hot he is. Who cares? Besides, I can tell he thinks you're beautiful too."

"Don't be ridiculous. He's the agent in charge of this case."

She wrinkles her nose. "What does that have to do with anything?"

She's right. It's irrelevant. But at this point, I'm willing to say anything to shut her up.

There's a knock on the door. Alice gasps in surprise when the bear agent comes in. Emmett Cullen. He really is huge, taller than his brother by another two or three inches, with broad shoulders and bulging muscles. He looks very awkward in my father's office, like a giant trying not to break anything. And yet, he has this huge, goofy smile on his face that reminds me of a teddy bear. He isn't that intimidating when he isn't working, I guess.

"'Sup, Bella?" he says in his deep voice. He holds up the paper bag from Taco Bell and a large drink that holds my Coke. "I got your food. Hungry?"

"Starving," I answer. My stomach rumbles as the smell of tacos wafts toward me. "Gimme, please. Thank you, Emmett."

Alice gapes at him. For tiny Alice, this man is a real giant. "Holy shit, you're huge!"

Emmett grins. "And you're tiny."

She laughs. "True enough. I'm Alice Brandon." She holds out her hand.

He shakes it. "Emmett Cullen."

She gawks and glances at me. "Cullen?"

"Yeah. You already met Edward, right? He's my little brother. We're partners."

"But you look nothing alike!"

"We're adopted," he says, just like his brother did before. "I'm the cool one."

"I doubt that," I say, my mouth full of my taco. I reach for my drink.

"You might be the muscular one, but he's definitely the cooler one," Alice agrees.

Emmett looks mockingly offended. "Damn, these girls are trying to wreck me. So rude."

Alice giggles. "It's still nice to meet you."

"Thanks. You, too."

"Have you eaten yet, Emmett?" I ask after swallowing. "I heard you were hungry."

"Yup, on my way back here. I'm still hungry though." His eyes fall on the untouched sandwich in front of me. "Can I have that sandwich?"

"Be my guest."

With an easy grin, he takes it and retreats. "Girl knows how to eat," he says approvingly at my healthy appetite. "Slow it down just a little, or you're gonna get indigestion. Wouldn't want you throwing up on the plane because you get air sick."

I nod once, still shoving the food in my mouth. "Noted."

With a chuckle, he exits the room. Alice trills out a laughter. "I like him. He's cute. Rosalie is lucky to have him."

"Eh?" I cock my head to one side.

She rolls her head. "It's obvious Emmett and Rosalie are together, isn't it? I think I saw an engagement ring on her hand too..."

My eyes widen. "No way. Really?"

"So oblivious, Bella. And slow down. He's right; you're gonna get indigestion by eating so fast. And you're still in shock after last night."

"But I'm hungry."

She sighs. "I'm really gonna miss you, Bella. Promise me that you'll try to keep in touch, okay?"

"If they'll let me."

"Poor baby."

"What did Jasper say?"

"He said to tell you good job. That you did the right thing. And that he's proud of you."

I finish my taco and start on the next one. "Tell him thanks."

"He's worried about you. He said to be careful."

"Will do."

"Slow down!" Alice chides. "Here, drink your Coke."

"Want some?" I offer.

"No, I'm good." Her face alters into a more somber expression. "I'm so sorry this happened to you, Bella."

I grow more serious too. "It's not like I'm the one who's dead." Suddenly, the taco is so unappetizing. I throw it into the bag, unfinished, and pick up the curly fries.

"Don't say that!" Alice looks ready to cry. "If you were the one who was dead instead of Jessica... God, I don't even know what I'd do. And Charlie! All he has left is you!" She seizes my hand, making me drop my fry. "Promise me you'll protect yourself, Bella. I don't care if the damn president is trying to protect you. Only you can find the will to protect yourself, do you understand?"

I stare at my best friend. Finally, I nod. I can't say no to this woman. Ever. I wrap her into a hug. "I promise, Alice. Thank you."

There's a knock at the door, and Edward comes in, looking apologetic. "I'm sorry to interrupt. Bella, are you finished?"

We pull away and I answer, "Yes."

"Good. We're leaving now. Come with me, please."

I rise, taking my Coke with me. "Where are we going?"

"I'll tell you later," he replies, glancing at Alice. "It isn't that I don't trust your friend. It's policy."

"Of course," Alice pipes up. "I understand."

Alice and I follow Edward out to the front desk, where Emmett and Rosalie are waiting. I take a peek at her left hand and see that Alice is right, as usual. A ring glistens there brightly.

"Ready to go?" Rosalie asks.

"Yes," I say. I look around. "Where's my dad?"

"Over here, Bells."

I turn around and head straight to him for a hug. He hugs me back tightly and we sway a little.

"You be safe, Bella," Charlie says. He sounds like he's been crying. Or sulking. "Your safety is important, you understand?"

I nod. "I love you, Dad. I'm sorry."

"I love you, Bells." He pulls away and pushes me gently toward Edward. "You go now."

"The car's out front," Emmett says. "We have to go now if we want to catch the flight." He and Rosalie leave first, after a reassuring nod at Charlie.

"Edward," Charlie says. "Please take care of her."

Edward nods. There's no hint of a joke in his eyes. "I will, Charlie. Don't worry." He turns to me. "Bella?"

Alice throws herself at me for one last hug. "I'll miss you!"

"Bye, Alice," I whisper. "I'll miss you too. Give my best to Jasper."

And they watch as I follow Edward outside into a sleek black Mercedes with tinted windows. I slide in beside Rosalie in the back seat while he seats himself in the driver's seat. I glance back to see Alice pressing her nose in the window with Charlie right behind her. She waves, obviously crying. I wave back, but I don't know if she can see.

"You'll be alright," Rosalie says softly. "We'll take care of you."

We speed out into the highway in a matter of minutes. Edward is a competent driver, and he drives extremely fast.

"Where am I going?" I ask again.

This time, Edward answers. "Chicago."

AN: Thank you for reading!