Title: Middle of Nowhere Squared

Author: Roguie

Fandom: Twilight

Pairings: Edward/ Bella, plus canon sets.

Rating: M for language and potential future sexy times.

Summary: Fate dealt a Bella a bad hand. Armed only with her best friend, she left Forks in search of her destiny. Three years later, she's waiting tables in the middle of Nowhere, Nevada – Alice has found her home, will Bella's time come finally in the form of a certain green eyed stranger? Or will the secrets they choose to keep hidden be the final nail in a coffin Bella's long sensed coming? AU/AH

Disclaimer: Twilight obviously doesn't belong to me, Stephanie Meyer gets that right. Me? I just borrow her characters and mutate their inner voices for a bit of fun. Please don't sue: my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have.

A/N: Hmm, sadly I'm starting to think that no one is actually reading this story. You'll have to let me know if it's worth continuing. I was enjoying it, but there's really no point in keeping going if no one else is, really I'd just be embarrassing myself. Just let me know if it's worth it, if it's not, no big deal, I'll just head back to writing Confessions of a Baby Vampire and leave the Twilight world be. At least I know where I stand with TVD community. I've never tried writing an AU/AH fic before now… am I doing it wrong or something?

*shrug* For this chapter, we have Edward's pov. Who is the green eyed devil that teased our poor innocent Bella so mercilessly and wouldn't give her his name? Tonight, we shall find out.

~~VV~~

Part Two: Cloudy with a Chance of Redemption

~~VV~~

Far be it from me to pretend I didn't have a pretty cushy life. My dad played doctor to some pretty important people, people that valued nothing more than their privacy, so they paid very, very well. We wanted for nothing as kids; our mother didn't have to work, we went to the best schools and when we graduated, those very same people were more than happy to offer us our own cushy jobs. We had our choice of any positions we wanted, whatever would make us the happiest, because by extension of our father, we were family.

I turned down the opportunity when I first got out of school. It wasn't that I didn't appreciate what was offered, but I'd seen the turmoil that keeping someone else's secrets had taken on my father. When things were bad, they were very bad. My dad kept up his public practice, choosing to fund and operate a free clinic on the outskirts of Seattle, maintaining a reputable status among the public, but in private, people came and went at all hours. No one came to him at two in the morning for the flu, and it wasn't a bout of chicken pox that they paid him to keep quiet. My father spent more mornings than he cared to admit elbow deep in blood, saving lives that didn't deserve saving, stitching up wounds that were well earned. The whole business aged him, and at the ripe old age of twenty four, with a fresh business degree in hand, I thought I was strong enough to walk away from everything the experience offered.

Emmett didn't live with my misconceptions. We grew up rich and spoiled by a lifestyle that no other career could support. Em didn't want to leave the luxury he was accustomed to, and how could I blame him? While I spent the last four years of my life living paycheck to paycheck, working a twelve hour a day blue collar job trying to make ends meet and failing miserably, Emmett took advantage of his size and brute strength, fitting in where I didn't think I could. He lived a life of fast cars, faster women, and wads of cash showered on him for working less than fifteen days a month. When he bailed me out financially six weeks ago, for the fourth and final time, I had no choice but to go with him to a meeting he'd set up with his employer. I couldn't keep going the way I was going and not end up living in a cardboard box, visiting a soup kitchen on Sundays just to stay alive. I gave up, I sold out, but for what it's worth, the job that I landed was decent overall. No late night visits to my father's basement operating room for me. I didn't actually have to see any of the action that I potentially created.

For lack of a better term, I'm a tracker. Plenty of people out there owe my new employers money, and it's my job to find them if they've gone to ground. Since I'm new at the game, they set me up with a mentor of sorts, and have me digging into dead files until I'm used to the job they want me to do. Lucky me gets to spend the next six months trying to find people who've been gone for three or four years. Considering the bonuses they're offering me for a successful locate, I'll be back to living life the way I've always known it if only two or three of those files work out. For now, I'm still living paycheck to paycheck, and I really need to find a cheap place to live. I need to get my ass off Emmett's couch pretty quickly, but I'm taking each day as it comes right now.

Today was a little brighter than most. My first instinct was to strangle Emmett for dragging me out to the middle of nowhere, only to abandon my ass to hit on some blonde he had no chance in hell of landing. Money and bling only worked on a certain type of woman; considering the sardonic look in Bikini Blonde's eyes as Em loped over to her, this particular woman did not fit that type. Of course, without Emmett's foray into rejection, I'd not have met Bella.

It seems a bit underwhelming, I'm sure, since I didn't even give the girl my name, but something about her begged for my attention, screamed for it even, and it honestly had nothing to do with my first impression of her.

Absolutely nothing.

Why would I lie to myself?

So what if her legs were well toned and seemed endless under that tiny excuse for a jean skirt that she happened to be wearing today?

So what if she was bent forward at such an angle that the denim hugged her ass like a second skin, taunting me with the absolute perfection of her curves, reminding me exactly how long it's been since I'd had a woman laid out before me, tempting me with the ingrained knowledge of how perfectly my hands would fit over her hips, how easily her soft skin would mould beneath my fingertips, how breathtakingly her ass would shape itself to my body when I pulled her back against me?

So what if I lied to her about the desert air building that shock that passed between us the moment my fingers brushed over hers? I may have lied to her, but I certainly didn't lie to myself on that regard; there was no way that was a mere build up of static electricity; that particular shock was a build up of something entirely different. I felt the energy that flew between us down each and every single inch of my spine, and it took whatever blood I still had in my brain and pooled it in much more uncomfortable places as it traveled. That shock told me everything I needed to know about Bella, starting with and ending with the fact I needed to know more.

Fucked if now my own jeans didn't fit correctly. I groaned quietly, adjusting myself gently as I lay back on the sofa. My traitorous cock only got harder as I mercilessly poured over my afternoon. Her big dark eyes were so freaking innocent and unsure, but at the same time they sparkled with the promise of unrestrained mischief. Her neck was long and exposed by the tight ponytail into which she'd tied back her dark hair. My brain couldn't turn off the way her entire body flushed on a dime at the barest hint of embarrassment. Or fuck, her poor abused bottom lip, red and plump, caught between perfect white teeth more often than not as she sat talking to me. Didn't she understand what that could do to a guy? My cock twitched in agreement as my mind forced me to replay every second that she bit down on her lip on constant repeat while I groaned into the semi-darkness of the living room. It fucking amazed me that I had the sense of mind to not leap across the tiny table and claim that lip as my own. If she wanted it bitten, I'd be the one to bite it. If she wanted it sucked on, she could be damned certain that I'd be the one sucking on it. Fuck, the same went for any of her other more neglected body parts. The girl was practically my perfection in a bottle, and I'd be willing to wager my next paycheck that she had absolutely no clue as to the effect she had on me.

Nope, her gaze was too uncertain, her blush too simplistic, her grin too surprised and proud to fully understand that the entire time we were talking, my dick was hard enough to cut through glass, and that was all thanks to her. Bella, whose last name I was too retarded to ask. Bella, whom I knew nothing about except where she worked. Bella, I grinned, pulling William Hale's card from my wallet and quickly dialing his number into my cell, who with a bit of luck is about to become my favorite new neighbor.

"Good evening, Mr. Hale?" I grinned into the phone, finally relaxing as the call connected. "I'm sorry to bother you, sir, but my name is Edward Cullen. I was in your diner this afternoon?"

His voice was rough and warm, if not slightly surprised to hear from me. "Mr. Cullen. I trust you're not calling to complain about our Bella, are you?"

I chuckled softly. "No, sir. Honestly, I noticed you rented trailers on a semi permanent basis?"

"Sure do, son. Didn't figure you for a life of trailer park living, though."

I sighed. "As it turns out, I need a place to stay for six to eight months, possibly longer, depending on the contract I'm currently filling. It's honestly a work from home position, so I really just need something warm and comfortable to keep the rain off my head until I see if this all pans out."

It was his turn to chuckle. "Son, I lived the life of a contract worker for years before I built this place. Never knowing where my next paycheck was coming from, never knowing if this year I'd be in California and next year freezing my ass off working a pipeline in Alaska."

"Fortunately it's not quite that kind of contract work, sir. I'm mostly computerized these days. No heavy labor needed." I grinned.

"Ha, then you're lucky that I love my daughter, Mr. Cullen. About a year ago she got to whining at me about the poor reception on the TV and how she had to depend on her cell phone for any access to the internet. Since I can hardly deny that girl a thing, we've got top of the line satellite cable reception and internet out here. Should be just about anything you need to get your contract up and running. 'Course I gotta kick that into the price of a single, you understand, if you're gonna be using it."

"Of course, sir, that's completely understandable." Sometimes I loved the life in which I'd been raised. Treating people with respect came naturally to me, and was not lost on the man on the other end of the phone.

He hummed and hawed a bit over the price, perhaps sensing I'd have done some research and am more than familiar with the fact that around Las Vegas, a mobile rental could go anywhere from $300 a month up to $900 a month depending on the area. My employers paid me a decent amount, but I wasn't sure $900 a month would be feasible until my bonuses started coming in. A guy still had to eat and as I was considering moving almost an hour out of the city, I had to consider buying a car for traveling and gas expenditures too. Fuck, the whole thing was a bit of a spur of the moment dumb ass decision if you'd ask anyone else, but it made sense at the time.

Finally Bill Hale offered me $500 a month for a single, all amenities, pool, satellite and internet included, with a fifty percent discount at the diner for being a resident.

Best goddamned offer I'd had in two years, short of the cardboard box I'd been considering before my move.

I hung up the phone, letting the man know I'd be there with in the hour, and quickly stuffed my small amount of belongings into the duffle bag I'd tossed at the foot of Emmett's sofa.

"Hey, Em?" I called through the apartment, shaking my head as I received only a tired grunt in response. What kind of thirty year old man needed to take a nap in the early evening after a day of doing practically nothing? "I'm moving out, man."

"That's cool, bro. No more accountant on the sofa, cramping my style."

I snorted. "You have no style."

"Just because it's not your style, Eddie, doesn't mean it don't work for the rest of the world."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll text you tomorrow."

"Just don't forget to let the boss know where you're at."

I sighed. Drawback number one to being in the business I'm in. Personal space is not an option. Ever.

"I'll email that asshat, James, when I get settled. He can let the boss know when it matters."

"Fair enough." A set of keys came flying out of the bedroom, bouncing off a lamp and crashing down loudly onto the glass coffee table. "Take the jeep. I'm bored with it anyway. Gives me an excuse to go buy a new toy tomorrow."

"When have you ever needed an excuse?" I muttered darkly, unable to completely mask the bitterness I still housed at the way everything in his life had been dropped at his feet.

"Careful, college boy; I'm gonna start thinking you're jealous of a simple meathead like your big brother."

"That'll be the day."

"Yeah. Everyday."

"Fuck you, Em."

"Love you, too, bro. Don't wait too late to throw me that text tomorrow; I want to take the ATVs back out to the Everything. I made some good headway with Rosie today. Don't wanna let that momentum slide."

I chuckled, quietly. "You can thank me later, then, bro."

"Thank you for what? Sleeping on my sofa? Eating my food? Taking my ride? Oh, I know, using up all the hot water to get a little bit of sand out of your perfectly coiffed hair."

I could practically hear him roll his eyes.

"Moving into the Everything, giving you, dear brother, ample reason to hang out in the middle of nowhere squared?"

Silence came from the bedroom, followed by a sudden thump and Emmett's very naked form appeared in the doorway.

"Aw, fuck, man; put away the twig and berries before I go blind!"

"I'm gonna hug you, bro." His voice was dead serious, the expression on his face unreadable as he took a step forward, wiping an imaginary tear from the corner of his eye.

"Not fucking naked you're fucking not!"

"You're the best little brother a guy could ever ask for." He took two steps closer, completely ignoring the horror on my face, opening his arms widely.

"Seriously, dude, back the fuck off until you at least put on a pair of shorts."

"I love you, Eddie!" he cried, launching himself across the living room, knocking me to the sofa.

"EMMETT! GET OFF!"

Three hundred pounds of naked man flesh is not what I needed crushing me into cold, uncomfortable leather. He drove my nose into his armpit as he rubbed his knuckles into my skull, practically bouncing on my spine.

"I'm seriously canceling all your fucking debt to me, bro, and we're chilling every fucking weekend at your place. Rosie won't know what hit her!"

He fisted my hair again before pulling me up, batting my flailing hands away from his face like I was an infant.

"You're not gonna know what hit you if you don't get the fuck off me, now. Jesus, Em, it's like I don't know you!"

"Quit whining and get your shit. Can't get Operation Rosie going if you're just gonna lie around here all day drinking in the awesomeness that is me!"

I shoved my way out from under him, careful not to come into contact with any rogue dangling bits as I dropped to the floor. I purposely kept my eyes on my duffle bag as I scooped the keys up off the coffee table, slung the bag over my shoulder and made my way to the door.

"I'll text you tomorrow, Em. Do me a favor, though? The next time I see you, I don't want to actually 'see' you, okay? That's just disgusting, man."

He laughed at me, lying back on the sofa, tossing a leg over the back, making me flinch one last time as I walked out of the apartment.

"Don't think you're fooling me, bro. I know jealousy when I hear it."

"Keep telling yourself that, Em, and maybe it'll be true someday."

"Don't let the door hit you on the way out!"

We didn't mean any of it, not really. Emmett saved my ass more times than I cared to admit, and me? I covered his ass more times than he deserved. That's what brothers are for.

At least when we're both dressed.

Fucking Emmett. Moving out is the best thing I could be doing for our relationship. We've always been close, but tonight, no, tonight was just a bit too close for my comfort.

I chuckled to myself as I loaded the duffle bag into the back of Emmett's jeep. I hopped into the front and started it, pulling out into the streets of Las Vegas, heading for Hale's Everything about an hour up the road.

For the first time in a long time I can honestly say, it had been a damned good day overall.

Tomorrow's forecast was just as promising.

~~~TBC~~~