Disclaimer, Stephenie Meyer is the great and powerful Twilight originator and owner. I appreciate her work more than I can say. I own none of these characters, but I sure am having fun making them jump through my hoops.

Chapter 3

…Face to Face…

While I waited for Alice and Rosalie to finish hunting, I sat on a rock and thought about my situation. On the one hand, I could run far away. I could just leave. The family would probably even come with me. We had moved for other family members in the past after mistakes had happened. With our assets, I could set myself up any place in the world. We'd be moving soon anyway as we had been in Seattle for a very long time. I could even continue my current line of work. That really wasn't the problem.

The problem was that I now knew that my blood singer was out there. Would I be able to resist searching him out? I knew that I could find him very easily. I could kill him even more easily.

Yes, I could kill him. I could drink that heavenly blood, and, for the first time in my vampire life, I would be totally satisfied…sated. There was a part of me that wanted that, more than I could even imagine. But just how big was that part? Was my moral compass going to be tossed aside? Was everything that I had believed about my life as a vampire going to be left on the wayside?

I hated that this was being forced upon me. Yes, as a newborn it had been hard, almost impossible to ignore the craving for human blood. To be satisfied by animals instead. But, from the moment I had opened my eyes to Carlisle and Esme, to learn what I had become and the way they lived, that's what I had wanted for myself. I had wanted to be good enough to earn their respect. I already had their love, but I wanted more.

It had certainly been a challenge those first several years of my new life. We had lived in the far north of Alaska…far away from humans. After a couple of years they started to take me to villages, and then as my control had grown, we had gone into crowded cities. It had taken me years to reach that sort of control. I knew that they would have forgiven me if I had messed up. But, I had never wanted to make that mistake, no matter how strong the call for human blood had been.

I knew that Esme had killed, twice, as a newborn. I also knew how much it weighed on her still. Carlisle had helped her through it. But, I never wanted to be in that position, to be the one needing forgiveness.

Alice and Rosalie joined me, and we returned to the house. Alice had hunted, too. She decided that she and Jasper's plan to go away for the weekend should be pushed back. Better to be at home and see what happened here.

~o~O~o~

Emmett and Jasper were waiting in the living room when we got back. I could smell Edward's scent from the doorway. I closed my eyes and felt my mouth fill with venom. A burning sensation filled my throat as I swallowed it down.

Jasper rose and held out a black button down shirt to me. The waves of scent were pouring from it. "I got this out of his laundry basket." He rolled his eyes and looked over at Emmett. "HE wanted to bring the guy's socks--the dirty ones!"

As I eagerly snatched the shirt from his hands and buried my face in it, I heard Emmett say, "They didn't look THAT dirty. I figured they would've had a lot of AROMA." Ah, brothers, what joy they brought to my life…or not!

As I stood there with my face buried in Edward's shirt, so many feelings rolled over me. I was nearly overcome with the urge to find a deeper connection, deeper than just inhaling a scent. I turned to the door.

I suddenly found myself sitting on the couch, with Jasper and Emmett on either side of me. They had their arms loosely held around my shoulders. My guess was that they had read my body language pretty clearly. Jasper had felt the urge start to grow as I had, and they had taken protective measures. I really did love my brothers. They had also gotten to me before I could throw my shield. I really was distracted. In this case, that was a good thing!

As everyone joined us in the living room, Carlisle started to speak.

"Your meeting is at three. I know that you usually meet with new clients alone." I nodded, and he continued. "I think that in this case, that wouldn't be prudent." He cocked his head down at me and smiled ruefully.

"Emmett and Rosalie, as your support team, should attend the meeting with you." He glanced at them, and they nodded. "Jasper could 'drop by'. You are his sister-in-law, and his office is just across the parking lot. He could help with emotional control." Jasper agreed with a nod.

"I've read through the concerns that Edward and his assistant, Jessica, have been having. He's a famous guy, and they get lots of fan mail, etcetera. That's to be expected. But, recently, some of the letters have been getting more intense, in a bad way. Gifts have been left at places that he has been. And the gifts have been getting more aggressively violent." Carlisle paused while we digested this information. "The last one was a toy piano, broken into many pieces, tucked in a box, with a red rose and hearts glued to it."

That did sound pretty creepy. My nose was still firmly pressed into Edward's shirt. The fire in my throat had dulled to a coal. I lifted my face and said, "Having you three with me for the meeting sounds like an excellent plan." I paused as I considered the decision that I had made to NOT kill Edward.

"I will get through this. I will win." I looked them all in the eye before continuing, "We'll sort out his stalker, and then I'll move on. And I'll let him continue to BE. I'll know he's out there, know that I want his blood, but also know that I won't take it."

I nodded my head. Yes, this was going to be my challenge, probably for life. I would be the better person, the better vampire, for this. I would prove it to myself.

Again, Alice smiled. She felt the force of my decision and approved. THAT would make this easier, if there was any way to make any of this easier. Just knowing that SHE had seen the fruit of my decision firmed it up even more in my mind. I would allow Edward Masen to live. I wouldn't be the cause of his death.

~o~O~o~

I called Angela at nine to let her know that I wouldn't be by the office this morning. That I'd work from home and then go straight to the appointment.

"Okay, Boss," she said. After a short pause, she asked, "Are you sure you don't need me to take notes?"

I laughed quietly and said, "Not today. But at the meeting, I'll set it up so that he can come by the office tomorrow to sign the contracts." I let her squeal of delight run its course before I continued, "I'll let you know what time he'll be by so you can have the papers ready." I think she panted into the phone!

"Okay, I'll be waiting for your call." We discussed a couple more office issues then said goodbye and hung up.

I read through the info packet that Edward and Jessica had filled out. His house was in one of the nicest sections of Seattle; a gated community, with a guard at the entrance. That's why they had been so bothered by that last gift. It had been found on his front porch. How did the stalker get into the area? I wondered if it might be someone living in the neighborhood. Just because an individual was rich, it didn't make them a good person. Didn't make them a bad one either, but people would be human.

By this time, I was wearing his shirt like a baggy dress. He was so much taller than I; it hung clear down to just above my knees. Alice finally couldn't stand it any longer. She came towards me, holding a wide, red leather belt.

"Stand up," she commanded.

"What?" I was confused.

"I get that you want to have his scent around you, but this is NOT a good look." She wrinkled her little nose and once again commanded me, "Get up."

I laughed and stood up for her, holding my arms out to the side. She placed the belt around my hips, buckling it loosely. Then she took some pins and deftly fitted the shirt on my shoulders, making it look a lot better.

"There, now you can go back to work." She laughed. "I can almost like this look on you!"

I laughed, too, and ducked my head to get a good sniff from the collar. "You know," I said. "Except for the burn, he really does smell good. If I had spit instead of venom, I think my mouth would be watering!" I shrugged as I looked at Alice. "I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing!"

"As long as it's helping you to get some control, that's all that really matters." She waved and went back to her office.

She and Esme had an interior decorating business. We didn't have enough houses for them to renovate and decorate, so they looked to express their interests elsewhere. Their clientele were very upscale. Esme did the designing and renovating side, and Alice did the decorating side. The arrangement suited them both.

Besides catering to the rich and famous, they also had their hand in decorating Ronald McDonald houses. These were houses located near children's hospitals, where family members of those little ones who are hospitalized could stay. It was their way of giving back.

Although our closest friends were also vegetarian vampires, they still didn't understand the reasons why we brushed shoulders with humans on a regular basis: Esme and Alice with their renovation/decorating business; Carlisle as a doctor who treated humans; Jasper enjoyed teaching history since he had lived so much of it; Rose, Emmett and I in our bodyguard business.

I think we did it in part to give back. We had so many gifts, and though at times it seemed like there were curses, too, we really did have so much.

The diet of animal blood made our covens more like families. At least, that's what others told us. Our ties were much closer for some reason. Maybe it kept our human side closer to the surface. Anyway, they thought we were "weird" to be rubbing shoulders with humans.

I thought back to what Jessica had said about Edward giving back with his concert tour. After I had read the information they had provided, I did an internet search. There was a LOT to be read about Edward Masen. He had started his "Giving Back Concerts" two years ago. He had toured ten cities and had brought a lot of money in for the schools that he played with.

This year's tour had started in Portland, Oregon. They had played there last month, in August. The concert this weekend in Seattle would be number two on the list of ten. From here, they were going to Salt Lake City in two weeks. There was a break after that, probably so that Jessica could have her baby and have time to recuperate. The tour would pick up after the New Year.

A lot of pages came up on the internet search. His family name was a well known one. His father, Edward Sr., had founded a medical research facility in the 1950's. He had used old family money to start it. Instead of resting on his laurels after their first big break, he had led the field in cutting edge technologies.

He and his wife, Elizabeth, were well known for their patronage of the arts and their charitable endeavors. Several of the articles that I read commented on how wonderful and unassuming they both were.

There were also many pages pertaining to their deaths in a plane accident five years ago. They had been flying back to their home in Colorado after a conference when their plane hit some major turbulence. A lightning strike had knocked out the electrical systems of the private plane, and the pilot wasn't able to get back in control. They had crashed in the Colorado Mountains. There were many tributes to their lives and such sadness at their passing.

I continued with my research. Apparently Edward had been playing concerts for the past six years to critical acclaim. I was glad to note that his parents would have known of his success. After going on a couple of solo tours, he had decided to play with the local orchestras in the cities where he played. He had two CD's on the charts. I found a Youtube video of some of his work and let the music play while I continued my surfing. He really did play with feeling and enjoyment.

Edward wrote a lot of the work he played. I wondered why I hadn't heard of him. I could only guess that I had just been busy with work and the family.

There were LOTS of pictures of him; the People Magazine shots; playing the piano on tour; out with some hot model or actress, taken at some award show or another.

Then I came upon one that really touched me. It was taken at his parents' funeral. He had such a haunted look on his face. I couldn't imagine how hard it had to have been to lose both of his parents at one time. I hated to even think about losing Esme or Carlisle. One of the many plus sides to being a vampire was immortality. I wouldn't have to lose them to old age.

Well, Angela was certainly right about one thing: His green eyes were fascinating. Several photographers seemed to think so, too. There were close-ups everywhere. They were a deep green, with golden highlights.

I wondered if they were a true representation, or a fix-up from Photoshop. I guess I'd find out in the next couple of hours. I closed up the computer and took another sniff of his shirt. I figured I'd better change before the meeting. Although it might've been interesting to see his face if he recognized the shirt I was now wearing as a dress over my gray leggings. I'd be taking the shirt with me in the car, to keep the smell close to me. I could only hope and pray that it would be enough to keep me from attacking him.

~o~O~o~

Jasper planned to meet us in the parking lot at 2:45. Emmett drove Rosalie and me in his jeep. Carlisle, Esme and Alice had seen us off at the house. Alice had smiled and said that she thought things would "go well". I held on to her belief. If she had seen it, then it could go that way. I never bet against Alice. She was right too many times.

Rosalie looked over her shoulder as we parked in the lot. "How are you holding up back there?" she asked.

I buried my nose in Edward's shirt and took a last deep breath, then set it down on the seat. "As well as I can be, I guess. Let's do this."

We could hear the music as we crossed the lot to where Jasper was waiting for us. As we approached him, I felt a wave of comfort, love and assurance flow over me. He never bet against Alice either.

As we walked into the foyer, I spotted Jessica. She was holding a clipboard like she had been the day before. Angela, who didn't know that I had already seen her earlier, had told me this morning that Jessica would meet us at the entrance and then show us the way to Edward's office. She said we'd know her because she was pregnant. She was due in two months.

I knew the moment she spotted us. Her heartbeat picked up, and her face registered amazement at our appearance. The lures we used were our faces, our bodies and our scents. It was all designed to draw our prey--humans--in. Our appearance was generally overwhelming to a human. By the time they realized that the hair on the back of their neck was standing up, it would be too late.

Emmett chuckled under his breath at the way Jessica first succumbed to awe and then quickly looked slightly frightened and confused. It always amused him that humans felt that way. Of course, the fact that he was 6'5" and built like a linebacker usually caused people to respect his personal space, even without the vampiric enhancements.

I approached her and held out my hand. "Jessica Newton? I'm Bella Cullen of Elite Guardians." Jessica took my hand gingerly, and I gave hers a gentle shake. Her eyes were wide as she took in the four of us. I held her hand and led her forward to meet them. "This is my brother Emmett Cullen and his wife, Rosalie. They're my partners." They both held their hands out to shake hers. I could see that her fingers trembled a bit in their gentle grasps.

I turned her to Jasper. "And this is my brother-in-law, Professor Jasper Whitlock. He's a history teacher here at the University." Jasper smiled down at her, and as I felt her back relax under my hand, I knew that he was working his magic on her. "His office is just across the parking lot, and he thought he'd like to meet the man that he has been hearing play this week."

"Nice to meet you all," Jessica stumbled a bit over her words, her left hand sitting protectively on her tummy. We all waited a moment while she got her composure back a bit. "Edward is just finishing up with his solo practice. If you'd like to follow me, I'll take you to the conference room the University has allowed us to use these two weeks."

As she spoke, I took a deep breath. Edward's scent was clinging to her. I closed my eyes and took a second breath. It was tolerable, even with the burn deep in my throat. I felt my siblings' eyes on me and nodded my head fractionally. I could do this.

Rosalie, who winked at me first, turned to Jessica and asked, "Could we stand at the back of the Hall and listen for a few moments? His playing really is breathtaking."

That would be a good test of my control; Edward on the stage and me at the back, with three vampires ready to subdue me. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

Jessica's face lit up. "Sure. He's just going over one more song, and then he'll be done for the day." It seemed she really was proud of his achievements.

"This one is called Elizabeth's Dance. He wrote it for his mother when he was only 13." Her face held the memory of loss.

She led us to the doors of the auditorium, her pregnant belly leading the way. Jasper hurried to hold the door for us all. She smiled shyly up at him, and he nodded down at her.

We quietly filed in, standing just inside the door. The music once again washed over me, easing my tension somewhat. The melody was sweet, with an undertone of elegance. It actually reminded me of my own mother, Esme.

I looked to where Edward was playing on the stage. Today, he was wearing a dark green casual shirt and jeans. Again, his hair was mussed; one of the articles I read had called it "sex hair." I could see where that title could fit.

Emmett and Jasper flanked me. Jasper let his power subside, letting me judge how I felt in the moment. I caught a small hint of scent from the stage. It was powerful, but not the slam it had been the day before. I think that using his shirt for the past several hours had helped me. I rather wished that I was still wearing it and not the tailored blue suit that I had on.

Again, I nodded to them. They relaxed the slightest bit, and I took several more deep breaths, feeling the burn in my throat, as the music wound to a close.

A couple moments after the final note sounded, Victor stepped up beside the piano. He and Edward began discussing a couple of the passages.

Jessica started down the aisle towards the stage, beckoning us to follow her. Once again, I took several deep breaths and then followed.

As we neared the stage, she called out, "Edward, these people are Elite Guardians. They've come about the stalker situation." As she spoke, he turned on the bench and watched our approach.

His eyes rested on each of us, starting with my very tall brothers. I saw his eyes widen when he reached Rosalie. She really was stunning at 5'9" with wavy blonde hair down to the middle of her back. She walked with the grace of a runway model, and she had the attitude to carry it off. Most men didn't take their eyes off of her after first seeing her.

To my surprise, he blinked, and then his eyes were on me. He blinked again, and I saw something pass over his face, almost a look of recognition. I didn't know what to make of it and filed it away for future analysis. I knew that I had never met him before. THAT I would have remembered.

Right then, all I could think of was taking another breath and keeping control. The scent, and therefore the burn, was getting stronger with every step closer we took. I felt Jasper passing some pretty strong waves of calmness to me. Venom was pooling in my mouth, but again, it wasn't the slam that it had been the day before. Apparently there was something about the desensitization that was working.

Edward stood up and walked to the edge of the stage, his eyes still on mine. He broke our connection as he glanced over his shoulder to say goodbye to Victor, who then moved to the back of the stage and out a door. Edward jumped from the stage to join us.

Once again, I felt Emmett and Jasper near me. I needed to focus on what was happening and not just on Edward's scent and his green eyes. They really were as gorgeous as all those pictures on the internet had shown them to be.

I was finding it hard to focus on what was happening. I was surprised to find that Jessica was speaking; she was introducing us all to Edward. When a slight blush covered his cheeks as he was introduced to Jasper, I felt my throat constrict a bit more. Then Jessica turned to me and began my introduction. I swallowed and stepped forward.

"This is Bella Cullen. She's the President of Elite Guardians." Edward took a step closer to me and held out his hand. Emmett had casually moved back beside me.

As I approached Edward with my hand out, I had to tip my head back to look into his face. He WAS tall. I took another deep breath and slipped my hand into his. I didn't know if it was because his hand was so warm and mine so very cool, but it was almost as if a static charge had passed between us. His eyes were still staring into mine, and again, that look of recognition was on his face.

As strong as the scent had been on his shirt, it was nothing like it was now, with him right before me. This time, the warm linen smell was at the fore. But as he held my hand in his for a few moments longer, I could almost see the musk tones starting to overshadow it.

I took a step back, releasing my hand from his. I had to take control of this meeting. With a nod of my head, I began, "Mr. Masen, we've looked over the information you sent us. And we all agree that this stalker situation is getting out of hand." I glanced over at Jessica. "You said that you had kept the items that have been sent through the mail; and those that have been left for you. We'd like to take a look, if that's okay." I looked between the two of them.

Edward nodded. "Yes, we have all of that. Come on back to the conference room, and we can go over them." Edward gave me another long look and then put his hand on Jessica's back to lead her out the side door.

In a voice too fast and quiet to be heard by them, Emmett asked, "Well? How's it going?"

I spoke fast too, "It is hard, but I feel that I can control the urge to kill him." I swallowed the little pool of venom that was in the back of my throat. "Let's get his stalker sorted and move on."

They all nodded as we followed them out the door and to the conference room.

So…? What do you think?

Coming up next is Edward's POV about this first meeting. I know you can hardly wait! Me either… ;)

Thank you to everyone who are reading AND reviewing. I appreciate it!

Kathie