SM owns Twilight.

Do you listen to the songs? It'd be pretty cool if you did. There's a link to the song for this chapter on my profile. The artist is amazing, and has given me a lot of inspiration for this story. I would very much recommend checking it out if you are able. I just need you to picture the intro plucked on a guitar instead of a piano…

BTW, has anyone told you how awesome you are yet today? Because you are. Thanks for reading! I'll leave you alone now.

. . . . . . . . . .

"Seriously Jasper, this has to be the most epic bachelor's party I've ever been to. How long did it take you to plan this?"

"Pff, it was easy," he slurred happily, smiling as he draped an arm around my shoulders and leaned into me. "I suck at this sort of thing, and B knows it," he laughed. "I barely had to do a thing, she gave me a list of phone numbers," he said with a proud, shitfaced grin.

I looked around at the packed private room of the night-club that had been rented out and decorated with a Vegas theme, slot machines, black jack and poker tables, and it seemed like there was a show girl dressed in sequence and feathers on every other table top shaking their asses.

"His sister planned this for him?" I hissed into his ear.

"I know right? God, I wished I had a sister," he laughed loudly. "She's always spoiled him. From what Alice has told me though, this is a freaking Disney movie compared to what she's doing with Rose right now."

"Fuck, I can't wait to see what she did for the wedding," I mused, and he nodded.

"So you're coming?"

"Of course."

"Are you bringing a date?" He asked with a knowing grin.

"Fuck off Jasper."

He laughed, and Emmett dropped down in the seat between us.

"Fuck, I'm going to kill you for doing this to me," he sighed, glaring at Jasper before hiding his face in his hands. Then his head snapped up. "She helped you! Didn't she?" Jasper started giggling like a little girl. "Damn it, I should have known better." He flinched away from a woman in violet sequence who tried to wrap her arms around him.

"What makes you say that?"

"Some women keep big scrapbooks for planning their weddings, not B. She's been planning my fucking bachelor's party for years. Go away!" He shouted at a pair of twins in blue that tried to climb into his lap, making us laugh.

"Only another hour, then we can take you home," Jasper laughed, patting him on the shoulder.

"Why aren't you dancing with anyone?" Emmett asked me, the same fucking knowing glint in his eyes as Jasper.

Fuckers.

"You both know exactly why," I growled. None of these women even existed. As fun as the party was, I just wanted to go home.

Not even home, I want to go where she was, but I had no fucking clue where that was. It had been so long since I was given the chance to talk to her, I barely saw her at the club over the past two weeks, and the times I did, she came nowhere near our group. The desire to be near her hadn't lessened in the slightest though.

"Where's the bachelorette party?"

"At the club. VIP section is closed off to all men tonight," Jasper mused. I sighed.

"Dude, it's fucking weird seeing you mope over my sister. Snap out of it. You'll see her tomorrow."

"Fuck off Emmett."

"You're really serious about this, aren't you?"

"More serious than I've ever been about anything in my life." I looked up to find them both watching me. "What? If you're going to fucking 'warn' me again, save it. I don't fucking care."

"Yeah, I can see that," he stated, watching me with a slight frown before he sighed. "Fuck, she's going to fucking kill me if she ever finds out I told you this."

"Tell me what?"

He watched me for a long minute. "She doesn't date."

That was an odd thing for a brother to say, that his sister only did what, one night stands? "What, you mean like exclusively?"

He looked at me seriously, a hint of irritation in his expression.

"No, I mean like, ever."

I laughed. "You can't be fucking serious."

"I'm completely fucking serious. She doesn't even talk to men, except for the ones that work for her. Which is why it's so fucking weird seeing the way she is with you. She hates men."

"Except for Emmett and I!" Jasper announced proudly, raising his glass up to no one in particular and laughing.

"Yeah." Emmett said. "But we're her fucking brothers and have known her for years," Emmett said pointedly. "I don't know what she thinks about you, but it's obvious she doesn't fucking hate you. That's a rarity. I just thought you should know."

"Oh, well… thanks, I guess." I couldn't bring myself to believe his words. It was unfathomable that a woman like her wouldn't have dated before. Yeah, she was intimidating, but she was smoking hot, chill, funny, caring, feisty…

Those aren't the words that even stuck out the most though.

She hates men.

Why? What happened to her?

And did this have anything to fucking do with that scar on her hip?

I couldn't ask Emmett that, because I knew he wouldn't tell me even if he knew. I had to find out though.

. . . . . . . . . .

I drove down to the address we were texted this afternoon with my parents, parking where Rose told us to then walking down the block together.

"Are you okay sweetie? You seem tense," my mom asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," I said, surprised with how calm my voice came out.

"This seems like an odd place to have a wedding," my father speculated as we walked into the ordinary, yet well-kept apartment complex. There was a giant man, about six-five and close to three hundred pounds, dressed in a black suit and dark shades, standing next to the elevators.

"Wedding?"

"Yes," I said, looking at the man curiously.

"I need to see your IDs."

My father scoffed, but followed my lead when I quickly gave the man my driver's license.

"No electronics, cell phones, or cameras are permitted. I have to ask that you leave them here. They'll be kept safe until you leave."

"Seriously?" My dad sounded a little annoyed. I handed my phone over though and watched as he slipped it into a labeled bag from the table behind him.

"Dad, this is important, just do it."

"Why?"

"Please?"

"I'm a doctor, if there's an emergency-"

"Oh, Doctor Cullen?"

"Yeah."

"One second." He brought his hand to his ear. "Miss Tanner, there's a Doctor Cullen here and- yes, are you sure? Yes ma'am, I will." He looked back at my dad and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry Doctor Cullen. Miss Tanner is making an exception for you, but asks that you refrain from taking pictures."

"Okay, that's fine," he said, seeming surprised to have gotten his way. The guard grinned at his curious expression.

"Apparently she owes you a favour, she said that you were the chief of staff at your hospital and understands the obligations with such a title. Please don't misplace her trust."

"Uh, yeah, of course."

The man nodded for us to go through a metal detector and into an elevator. There was another man in an identical suit that hit the button in the elevator for us, and we rode up in silence.

"Who's this Tanner, and why does she owe you a favour?"

"No idea," my father whispered back.

"It isn't Bree Tanner, is it?"

"Esme love, I really don't know," my father said with a sigh, and she nodded while looking deep in thought.

We all paused in surprise when the elevator opened up to the roof top.

"Wow, it's beautiful!" My mom whispered, stepping out into the cool air with a bright smile.

The roof was a giant garden, the trees were glowing like fire with the colours of autumn, and lit up by the strands of white twinkle lights that seemed tied into every tree, shrub and bench. There were ropes of them draped over everything, making a ceiling of stars above us. There were vases of white and red roses covering every surface, along with what seemed like thousands of flickering tea lights. We were escorted by another security guard past the reception area tables to where the seating for the ceremony was. White wicker chairs were arranged in arching rows, separated down the middle by a crimson red runner that led up to a large arbour weaved with more red and white roses. The chairs were filling up quickly, and we took our assigned seats. I was next to my parents, the third row back right next to the aisle.

"Don't you think they went a little overboard with the security?" A woman whispered from behind me. I listened carefully.

"Yeah, I get that they each own big businesses, but it seems a little excessive. I can't believe they took my phone!"

"Did you hear that Emmett's sister is down from Chicago? I heard that she's some sort of mob boss, maybe they're trying to protect us from some kind of gang war?"

I turned around to look at them, and they both froze before smiling brightly at me.

"Oh my god! You're Edward Cullen!"

"Yes, I am," I said evenly.

"They didn't take your phone too, did they?"

"I'm the reason they're taking people's phones," I made up quickly. I didn't trust these women, they were gossipy, and the thought of Bella being endangered from this night made me feel ill.

"Oh, that makes sense," she said, grinning at me. "I guess this place would have gotten swarmed if the paparazzi knew you were here," she purred.

I didn't say anything, but just turned back around and looked up front, ignoring my parents' questioning glances.

The seats seemed full ten minutes later, and the crowd started to quiet down after the minister walked down the aisle. He was followed by a man I didn't know, Jasper, then Emmett who took their positions by the arbour. They were all wearing black tuxedos with crisp white shirts, crimson red vests, and all had a red rose in their lapels.

Everyone turned around when the music started playing, and my mom squealed as Alice walked down the aisle in a dark red dress. It was strapless and looked like silk, and had a white sash that wrapped around her waist and tied into a bow on her back.

My heart stopped when Bella walked out behind her wearing an identical dress. I'd never seen her wear an actual bright color before, and it make her full, red lips stand out even more. Her hair looked darker, almost black and was in thick shiny curls that were partially pinned back, and her eyes looked bigger, darker with the smoky make-up she was wearing. This dress was much shorter than the one she had worn two weeks ago on her birthday, and as she walked by I could see the design of black, blue and violet stars wrapping around her thigh and disappearing up her skirt. If I hadn't been slightly obsessed with her, I probably never would have recognized her.

And that wasn't her only tattoo, that thing was tiny compared to the grey and violet feathered wings that seemed to cover her entire back, and disappeared into her dress.

Fuck.

Fuck fuck fuck.

I'm pretty sure I actually died for a minute.

She took her place in front of Alice, and leaned in to give Emmett a kiss on the cheek. He hugged her tightly, and when she stepped back the music changed.

Rose walked down the aisle, and the world went silent. She was stunning in her white strapless dress. It hugged her body, flaring out at mid-thigh in ruffles. The back was tied like a corset, the ribbons going from her shoulder blades all the way down past her waist. She was beaming at Emmett as she walked towards him slowly, eyes watering with love and joy as she looked at him.

Emmett looked like he was a blind man who had seen for the first time, tears escaping his eyes as he watched her like she was the only other living being in the universe.

Mom was already crying.

It was a beautiful ceremony, and not very long. The whole crowd laughed and awed when the minister asked for the rings, and Emmett let out an easy cat call. Zeus trotted down the aisle with a white pillow tied to his head, sitting down in between Rose an Emmett who each scratched his ears. They practically sped through their words before lunging at each other and kissing with an inappropriate enthusiasm for public.

They walked back down the aisle together after signing their certificate, followed by Bella and Jasper who were linked arm in arm, then Alice and the man I didn't know. Zeus skipped down the aisle behind them all, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth excitedly.

We were all lead to the seating area then, and there were waiters everywhere carrying trays of champagne, wine and hors d'oeuvres. There were three different bars, and I practically ran to one and pounded back a tall glass of scotch to try and calm myself down. He topped me up immediately, and I went and sat with my parents. Our table was right next to the wedding party's to my excitement.

"That was so beautiful! I need to talk to Rosalie's wedding planner, this is amazing."

"Emmett's sister planned it," I spluttered.

"Oh, the young woman with all the tattoos?"

"Yeah." Those fucking tattoos were going to kill me. I wanted to trace them with my tongue and see if they tasted like strawberries.

"So, we know who this Miss Tanner is then," Carlisle said sadly.

"What's wrong dear?"

"She thinks she owes me…" he whispered, shaking his head sadly.

"For what?"

"She had dislocated her arm a while back, she refused to go the hospital and Alice tricked her into seeing me at her apartment. Thank god too, it had set wrong, she could have had some major, permanent damage. Kid's tuff as nails, didn't shed a single tear. Alice was bawling her eyes out," he said, shaking his head again with a small smile.

"Oh no! What happened to her?"

"No idea."

I had to look away from my parents. I knew exactly what happened to her… and I couldn't tell them a word.

Everyone stood and clapped when the wedding party came back in and took their seats. Rose and Emmett sat down, not taking their eyes off each other for a second and grinning. Bella and Alice were on Rose's side, the groomsmen on Emmett's. As soon as they took their seats, Bella stood up, and was handed a microphone by one of the servers, who she nodded to. She smiled at her brother and his wife, squeezing Rose's shoulder before smiling at the room.

"Hey everyone! Before I say anything else, I think we should all raise our glasses in congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Tanner!" Everyone cheered, raising their glasses before clinking with the others at their tables. "Today is a very special day for me too," she said, turning to look at the smiling newlyweds. "Rose, you've been like a sister to me for years already, but I have to say it feels nice to know that it's official, and to be sharing my name with you. My brother could never have found a more perfect woman. No one has ever been able to keep him in line or put up with his shit like you have. Seeing you two together gives me faith that there is such a thing as true love in this world. I couldn't be happier for either or you, which puts me in a difficult position. So, all I can really say is, if either one of you hurts the other, I'm probably just going to have to kill both of you. So keep your shit together." The room burst into laughter, and she winked at them before tossing the mic over to Jasper. He caught it expertly.

"Emmett and I have been best friends since his sister here introduced us three years ago," he said happily. "When he first introduced me to Rose two years ago, I knew in that exact moment that these two were all in, they were destined for each other. You two balance each other perfectly, I've never seen two people more perfect for each other. Treasure it always guys, and never take it for granted. The love you share is a rare and precious thing, never forget that." He clapped Emmett on the shoulder before tossing the mic over to Alice.

Speeches went on for about an hour, the microphone being handed around the room as everyone told stories about them. I had to admit, I didn't hear too much of it. I was staring and the goddess sitting almost directly across from me.

And she wasn't ignoring me either. Every once in a while she'd catch me watching her, giving me pointed looks back that clearly said 'stop fucking staring at me.'

Every time, I just mouthed back 'no,' which would sometimes make her smile, and other times roll her eyes in annoyance.

When the speeches wound down, the microphone was given back to Bella, but Jasper waved for her attention quickly.

"Hey, pass the mic." I was able to hear him because our table was so close, and Bella tossed the microphone back over. I wondered if they had practiced tossing it before hand, because they both threw and caught it oddly well. "Do we have a second one of these?" He asked, and someone ran over with a second microphone, and he motioned for him to give it to Bella. She took it with a confused yet indulgent smile. "Hey, B?"

"Yes Jasper?" She said with a bit of a laugh, which was echoed around the roof.

"Do we still have a little time before dinner is served?"

"Eighteen minutes to be exact," she said with a big smile, making an exaggerated motion to look at a watch she wasn't wearing. "Why? What do you want?"

"I was thinking we could give Em and Rose their gift now, because you know…" He coughed out a horribly disguised 'free bar', earning a few more laughs.

"I think that's a wonderful idea," she said back with a bright smile, and put down her microphone when she stood up and started walking over to the DJ. A few people were whispering curiously as she pulled out a stool and set it off to the side of the DJ's table, and Jasper started speaking again as she was handed a violin and an acoustic guitar that was wired with an electric receiver, connected to the DJ's equipment.

"Mr. and Mrs. Tanner, would you join us for your first dance as a married couple?" Jasper asked, standing up and bowing with a flourish. Emmett was quick to jump to his feet, scooping up Rosalie and running over with her while she laughed. Jasper followed, sitting on the stool as Bella handed him the guitar, and she took the spot next to him, winking at her brother and Rose.

Jasper started, plucking a soft melody on the guitar that was carried through the invisible speakers that must have been hidden everywhere. After a few bars, Bella lifted the violin to rest against her collarbone, under her chin just as Jasper started strumming softly, and when she brought her bow down on the strings she made that instrument sing. It was more beautiful than any voice, and I found myself incredibly jealous that it was Jasper she was playing with. It only got worse as I thought about how much time they would have spent practicing together. It didn't matter that he was dating my sister, it was a completely irrational anger, but I just so badly wanted to be the one playing with her.

Music, among other things.

It got worse and worse as their beautiful melody went on, hypnotizing me as Bella swayed from side to side, a small, content smile playing on her lips as she played with her eyes closed.

Halfway through she opened her eyes, and met my gaze for a moment with a slightly bigger grin before looking away again quickly.

This woman was killing me, and slowly driving me mad.

Their beautiful song finished, I'd definitely heard the melody before but had no idea what it was called, and they grinned at each other and high-fived when everyone started clapping. Bella and Jasper were quickly pulled into hugs by Emmett and Rose, and when they handed back the instruments some quiet music started up in the background, and severs started bringing out plates as they took their seats once more.

I'm sure the food was delicious, but I didn't taste a thing. It was like the longer I knew her, the more unattainable she became. This woman wasn't fucking human. An angel, a goddess, some dream trapped down on this world and stranded on this mortal plain.

There was no choice though, she had become my passion, everything I strived for and desperately desired. I needed her.

I was trembling in my seat until the plates were cleared away, and Emmett dragged Rose back out to the dance floor. I forced myself to walk over to her slowly, sitting in Rose's seat next to her.

"Hey Hollywood, having fun?"

"No."

"Excuse me?" She looked slightly offended.

"No, I'm not having fun, you've been torturing me all night and I think I'm about to lose myself to the insanity."

She just stared at me, seemingly lost for words.

That was a first. Emmett appeared by my side. "B! Come fucking dance, let's show these guys how it's done!"

"Hell no."

"It's my fucking wedding and you're my only blood relative, you have to dance with me."

"Low blow bro," she sighed, and let him drag her away, shooting me a confused glance.

Fucking Emmett.

He pulled her over to the DJ, and a moment later her head was hung as he led her back to the center of the dance floor that was being vacated quickly, a quick Latin beat scaring most of them off. As they neared the center, Emmett lifted her hand that he was holding, and started spinning her. She followed his lead effortlessly, letting herself be twirled around him until he stopped on a beat and they started to dance together in obvious familiarity. It was fast yet a little conservative for the style, but I think that was more because of the fuckhot dress Bella was wearing. It was a really beautiful dance though, and I don't think they even noticed the applause they got as they shifted into a waltz. My parents, and Alice and Jasper joined them, and I grabbed Rose's hand with a wink before pulling her to join me.

"Congratulations Rose. Emmett's a lucky guy, and he fucking knows it. I hope you guys have a great life together."

She smiled, but I didn't miss the flicker of pain in her eyes. "Thank you Edward."

"And you look gorgeous. This party's pretty awesome." She laughed, and the sound grew as I gave her a quick spin, and seemed to relax a bit more as we continued to dance. The song started to come to a close, but Bella and Emmett caught my eye. They had stopped dancing, and were just hugging each other tightly.

"Maybe you should go get in on that?" I said lightly, and she nodded before giving me a kiss on the cheek and walking over to them. I smiled as she got pulled into their hug.

"Watch out Cullen," Jasper said, using Alice to knock me back. I caught myself before face-planting, and as I turned around Bella almost walked right into me.

She seemed to freeze at the same moment as I did, and I started to get pulled into her warm brown eyes. God, she smelled so good, and she was so beautiful that it was painful to even look at her. I wanted to touch her so badly. I knew she wouldn't dance with me, but I asked anyways. I couldn't help it.

"Can we dance?"

She shifted uncomfortably, looking around. It was an odd behaviour for her, but this whole fucking night was weird. I caught on quickly though, I was starting to know her.

"You don't really like being touched." She stared at me for a moment, then nodded. I'd obviously noticed this, but I'd also noticed that she didn't have as much of a problem when it came to her touching other people. Like she just didn't like losing that bit of control. "What if I let you lead?"

"Seriously?"

"Sure, though I can't promise that I won't take over eventually. If you get uncomfortable though, I'll back off."

She looked ready to bolt to be honest, and I was entranced by the way her teeth caught her plump, bottom lip in between them. She didn't run though, and surprised the shit out of me when she held out her hand to me. Her expression turned slightly teasing as she tried to twirl me, and I indulged her with a smile, ducking under her arm before gently settling my hand on her small, silk-covered waist as her hand rested on my shoulder. At first I just thought she was uncomfortable, but as I felt her body relax, I thought it seemed like she was just uncomfortable leading. She gave me the sweetest smile, slightly nervous, shy almost, and I decided then to try and take over. It was fucking weird being led by a girl. I held onto her a little more tightly, just enough to take over the movements, and she let me without missing half a step.

Then, she seemed to relax completely, and the smile on her face almost stopped my heart.

I was fucking dreaming, I knew it. There was no way that the creature letting me hold her in my arms was real.

The music ended too quickly, and when it shifted into something slow her body language completely shifted.

I wasn't going to push my luck.

"How about a drink?" I said, stepping back from her. She relaxed instantly, and smiled before nodding. We walked over to one of the bars together, and I pulled out a chair for her to take. Fuck, every time she smiled at me I worried that I'd just stop breathing.

I sat as close to her as I dared, my back to the party as I tried to make our conversation as private as possible. I wanted to go back to that day at the park, I'd never been so comfortable talking to someone, and the irony that this specific someone tended to make most people uncomfortable didn't escape me. The bartender asked what he could get for us when he finished with another man. He was the other groomsmen, and I really didn't like the way his eyes travelled over Bella before he left. She didn't even acknowledge him with a look though.

"Scotch for me, what would you like?"

"Whiskey sour," she said to the bartender. "A double please."

"Sure thing beauti- uh, yes ma'am," he said, like he just realized who she was.

Smart fucking move bro.

She grinned, and looked back at me.

"You can't blame him, you look fucking stunning," I said, and the man gave me a worried glance that I ignored.

"You don't look so bad yourself, Hollywood."

"Thanks," I said, feeling slightly flustered. Pull your shit together Cullen.

"God, this is so weird," she said, looking around at the party. I noticed that her hand had a slight shake to it as she knocked back her drink and motioned for another.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, it's just… I'm not used to this. Being around so many people like this, being part of the crowd and not just watching it. It's weird, you know? After a while, you kind of get used to feeling invisible. It's unsettling."

"I can't imagine how fucked up that must feel." I could never picture her being invisible though either, even in her workout clothes, did she not see how she just drew people in with her confidence and beauty? I knew what it was like to have to be invisible though, living a life where it wasn't always safe to try and do normal, everyday things that so many took for granted.

She shrugged. "It's only one night, tomorrow things will go back to normal," she said in an empty voice, scanning the crowd.

"Hey, you need to just shut your mind off for a while and enjoy it, you're stressing me out just looking at you," I laughed. She grinned, then straightened up as she looked over my shoulder.

"Good evening Doctor Cullen," she said politely, giving him a calculating look. He grinned.

"Hi, Bella is it?"

Her face paled, and she looked around worriedly. It was then that I realized that throughout the entire evening, no one had actually used her name. My father had met her before though. Her eyes lingered on the bartender for a few seconds. "Um, just B, actually."

He gave her a curious look. "How's that shoulder?"

She flexed her arm with a smile. "Perfect, thanks."

"Edward, aren't you going to introduce me?" My mom hissed, smacking me.

"Oh, uh, B, this is my mom Esme. Mom, this is Emmett's sister B." I looked at her apologetically, but she gave me an understanding smile.

"It's very nice to meet you dear! You did an amazing job with this party, you've got quite the knack for this sort of thing," she gushed.

"Oh, well actually I think I should be thanking you," she said, smiling shyly.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a bit of a fan of yours," she said with a smile. "I was in town for that charity ball you did in central park last summer, it was my inspiration."

Esme gasped, looking around. "Ah! I see it now. Well, you did an excellent job, are you independent or doing this work through a company?"

"Oh, no, this was just a one-time occurrence, for Em and Rose. I don't do this sort of thing often."

"Oh, well that's too bad, you could really make a name in the industry with this talent."

My heart sank. She couldn't make a name anywhere, there were so many things she was capable of doing that would have done it for her easily. She wasn't safe.

And I still didn't know why.

"Well, it was really nice to meet you," mom said, smiling at the two of us, her eyes flickering back and forth between us so quickly that it looked like she was watching a game of badminton on fast-forward. My face flushed red as I gave her a pleading look to cut it out. "We'll leave you two to be, I hope we see each other again soon!" She took my dad's arm and dragged him away with him to talk to my aunt and uncle.

"Fuck, I'm sorry about that, I-"

"Hey," she said, laughing. "Nothing to apologize for. Your parent's seem really nice," she said, watching them with an almost pained look in her eyes. I didn't want her to stop smiling.

"How long have you been playing the violin for?"

"Oh, uhm… since I was about five I guess."

"You're really good," I told her with a bright smile. She gave me a tentative one back.

"Thanks."

"Do you have any more secret talents I should know about?"

She grinned. "You'll just have to wait and find out now, won't you?"

"I'm looking forward to it," I purred, leaning in towards her a little. She shifted in her seat, and I sat back up straight. Fuck, this wasn't easy. I felt like a damn magnet, the urge to touch her was getting physically painful. Not even in a sexual way, I'd be thrilled just to hold her damn hand, and this draw to her was really starting to fuck with me. I felt like shit for making her uncomfortable though. "I'm sorry, I'm trying, but it's hard. I can't stay away from you. You're all I've thought about since that first night I saw you standing in the corner at the club. It's terrifying, but I wouldn't trade these feelings for anything in the world."

"Edward…"

My heart caught in my throat, my pulse pounding in my ears. "Say it again," I whispered.

"What?"

"My name. You never call me by fucking name."

She rolled her eyes.

"Edward," she said with a laugh. I sighed.

"Bella," I whispered, much too low for anyone else to hear. "I want to know you. You already know I'm crazy about you, do you not feel any of this at all?"

She was silent for a long minute. "I never said that," she said quietly, looking back up at me sadly.

"Said what?"

"I've never said that I didn't feel anything for you." My mouth popped open in astonishment, but before my thoughts could run from me she continued speaking. "But whatever this is… it's not fair to you. There's too much that you don't know about me, and the stuff you don't know… you'll be happier keeping it that way. I just… I don't want to hurt you."

"The only thing you could do to hurt me is walking away."

She sighed, and knocked back the rest of her drink. She watched me for a long minute. "No, it isn't."

"Please, just give me a chance. Let me prove to you that I'm not going anywhere."

"How?"

"Tell me why you're in so much danger. What happened to you?"

I saw fear flash through her eyes, but she quickly turned away. No, I was so close, I could feel it. Very slowly, I reached forward and gently placed my hand on her shoulder. She stiffened, but when I didn't pull away, she relaxed after a few seconds.

"Okay."

It was barely a whisper, but I heard it.

"Just… not here. The party should wind down in another hour or two, then-"

She was interrupted by a scream, and I jumped to my feet, tucking her in behind me while I looked for the source of danger.

It was Rose, she looked like she was about to cry, gripping a piece of white paper with trembling hands. She looked over at us, and she and Emmett dashed over. She pushed me out of the way.

"B, what is this?" She cried.

"Calm down Rose, it's just a little wedding present," she said uncomfortably, the whole room was watching them.

Rose stared as her, and then wrapped her arms around her tightly in a hug. "Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you, I can't believe you did this," she sniffled. Bella smiled, closing her eyes and hugging her back.

"Uhm, what's going on?" I asked Emmett, who was watching the two with teary eyes.

"My sister paid for our honeymoon, two weeks at a resort in Fiji. We leave tonight apparently," he said, stepping forward and hugging the two of them.

"But we can't, with the businesses and-"

"I'm taking time off from work while you're gone, I've got them covered, really. You guys have nothing to worry about," she told them seriously.

"Thank you," they told her again. She smiled.

"Sure sure," she said, seeming to get very uncomfortable with the attention. "Alice packed bags for you, they're waiting in a limo downstairs when you two are ready to go. Enjoy the party though, he's not going anywhere."

"When's the flight time?"

"Whenever you get there," she said easily.

"But how-?"

"Don't ask questions, just enjoy it," she said, leaning in and kissing Rose on the cheek. "Now go socialize! You're getting me all wet," she said with a laugh, wiping at Rose's face carefully with a cloth napkin before pushing them away.

No one but me was there to see the pain in her eyes as she watched them walk away.

"That was very generous of you," I said cautiously. She smiled.

"They're all the family I've got, I'd do anything for them," she said quietly. A painful twinge went through my chest. I glared at the security guard that came over and leaned in to whisper something to her. She sighed, and nodded before smiling at me.

"I have to go take care of something," she said, before shifting uncomfortably on her feet. "Uhm… I'm not going to come back and talk to you during the party. It's just, you draw a lot of attention. Sorry. I didn't want you to think I was trying to ignore you or anything." I gave her an understanding nod, making sure not to let my disappointment show, and she gave me an awkward wave then walked away with the man. There was a small group of them cluttered by the elevators, and they walked out together. It made me a little anxious, but Alice came and distracted me by pulling me onto the dance floor with her.

I didn't see her again until the bride and groom announced their departure to everyone, thanking them all for coming and telling them to enjoy the drinks and take advantage of the driving service that was giving free drives home to anyone that needed them. That's when she popped back up out of nowhere, giving them hugs. Rose threw her bouquet from the elevators before Bella left with them, and Jasper was beaming when Alice caught it.

The roof started to clear out quickly after that, and I said goodbye to my parents and sister as they left, but hung back by the bar. I nursed my scotch nervously in anticipation as I waited for her to come back. I was so close to getting the other pieces to the puzzle that was Bella's life, and worried that she might change her mind.

It was obvious that she was hoping I would have changed my mind. There were less than a dozen people left when she came back to meet me.

She looked fucking nervous.

"You're still here."

"Of course, you didn't think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?" She gave me a tentative smile. "So, are you ready to get out of here?"

She looked around again. "Yeah, okay." She held out her hand for a second, and I was surprised to see my phone, still in that clear bag. I'd forgotten all about it, but thanked her for it with a smile.

I jumped to my feet and followed after her as she walked over to the DJ, and she grabbed her violin before leading the way over to the stairwell. There was a man standing in front of the door, and he opened it for her when she approached.

"It's still quiet out there, no more photographers came back."

"Thanks Jared. I'm calling it a night. Let everyone know to just go to Sam if anything comes up, he knows how to reach me."

"Of course." He looked over to me. "Is he bothering you?"

She laughed. "Yeah, but I can handle it." He grinned at her, and stepped aside for us to pass through.

I followed behind her silently as she went down one flight of stairs, then exited into an empty white hallway. I watched her curiously as she stopped at the first door on the left, and then knelt down to take off one of her boots. She snapped the heel back and pulled five keys out of little slots that were hidden inside.

"I've never seen shoes like that before," I mused. She grinned.

"Then you haven't looked hard enough," she replied. She undid five different locks on the door then opened it up.

Zeus ran to the door, and started jumping around us excitedly.

"Calm down goofball, you saw me like two hours ago," she said affectionately, rubbing his ears. "Now, go lie down somewhere and chew on something." The giant black beast shot me a warning look, then trotted away.

"You live here?" I asked curiously, following her inside. She kicked off her other shoe, and I fought not to smile as she lost four inches of height.

She was tiny.

"Yeah, I own the building actually," she said uncomfortably. I followed her inside.

It was a gorgeous apartment, but nothing like mine. I guess it was a bachelor's apartment; a long open room with cream walls, and the entire far wall was floor-to-ceiling glass. The wall on the left side of the room was covered in what looked like hundreds of books, the shelves covering everything except for a large fireplace with a flat screen hanging above it. There was a giant, squared sectional couch in front of the entertainment center with a round, glass coffee table. On the other end of the large room was a bed fit for a king. It was a huge, four-poster bed with a fluffy white duvet and a ton a dark purple pillows. The headboard looked like a giant fucking cushion, a dimpled, dark brown leather that matched the colour of the wood.

The image of having her pinned up against it, her small hands gripping into my shoulders as I thrust into her, filled my mind and I tried to quickly shake the fuckawesome image, storing it away for a later date.

I don't know what I had really been expecting Bella's home to look like, maybe something cold and formal like her office at the club, or her attitude towards most people. It was nothing like that though. It was very homey, cozy, mismatched pillows and throws on the couch, pictures and knickknacks all over her walls and shelves. She even had a couple plants.

There was one long metal desk centered along the glass wall with three large computer monitors and a bunch of gadgets that looked like they belonged in a spy movie. One of the monitors were on, and different things kept flashing over the screen. She went over to it immediately, leaning over and inspecting the screen for a moment, clicking on a couple things before standing up and walking back across the room. There was a large open kitchen with a bar next to the front foyer. She stopped at the bar.

"You want something to drink?"

"Uh, sure, whatever you're having."

She grinned, throwing two round ice cubes into two tumblers, and then walked over with the glasses and a giant bottle of eighty-five year-old Chivas Regal. I followed her over to the couch, and sat down as close as I dared to her.

It wasn't close enough.

She poured us each a glass, and downed hers quickly with a shaking hand. I knew she was nervous about this, and though I was pretty excited to finally get some answers, I despised knowing that I was making her uncomfortable.

"You don't need to be nervous Bella, you're not going to scare me away." She nodded once.

"I'm not sure where to start. I've never really just… done this before."

"Done what? Have a drink with someone in your apartment?" I asked teasingly.

She grinned. "Yes actually, Emmett and Rose are the only people that have ever been to my house before," she said with a laugh. "I meant that I've never really..." She huffed, rubbing her hands over her face firmly. She was silent and tense for a long minute before she straightened up, her eyes looking determined yet sort of… vacant. The light from her eyes just fucking disappeared, and for the first time I lost all desire to know anything, and was starting to get filled with a sense of dread. "Fuck it."

She stood up, turned on her TV, and pulled a red book off of one of her shelves. She took a disk out of the book-safe it was apparently hiding, and stuck it into her PlayStation. She walked back over with a remote, clutching the red book tightly to her chest, and sat back down next to me while taking another long drink and topping off her glass again.

I'd have to think about how hot it was seeing her drink scotch another time.

I raised an eyebrow when the start-up menu came on. I knew this movie. It was the first big movie I ever did.

"Bella, why-"

"Please, just watch," she whispered. I frowned, and took another drink when she did. She pulled a blanket down from the back of the couch, and wrapped herself in it while tucking her legs under her.

She was gripping onto that tumbler like her life depended on it, but her expression was blank as she stared at the screen. That look on her face broke my heart, and reminded me too much of the night of her birthday.

I forced myself to watch curiously, trying to see where the point to this was, but doing my best to comply with her wishes. It was a sad movie. The character I played had a younger sister that I was extremely close with. A new guy joined in my year, joined me on the football team and we quickly became friends. We didn't know that he had a secret though. He was stalking my little sister, and one night when I came home, my sister was gone. There was blood all over the white carpet in our living room that trailed out the back door.

And my friend's letterman jacket was sitting on my couch.

Bella paused the movie suddenly, an hour into it. I looked at her curiously. I knew the rest of the story of course, the man had kidnapped my sister, tried to rape her, but I was able to hunt them down and save her. I accidentally killed my friend in my rage when I found him, and got my sister to the hospital. I won a fucking football scholarship.

"This is where things are different," she said in a cold voice, looking at the frozen frame of the blood-stained white carpet. She opened up her red leather book again, and handed me an old, worn letter. My hands started to shake slightly as I read it.

Dear Isabella,

I wanted to extend my thanks to you. Mr. Volturi told me that you chose me to lead in the film personally. The story you wrote was sad yet moving, and I was honoured to be a part of it, and to help in any way that I can to bring this monster to justice.
I wanted to thank you personally, but I've been told that it wasn't possible. It's a shame, I idolize your work and it would have been an honor to have met you. You've changed my life by giving me this large step towards my dream of becoming an actor, and I'll always be grateful.

Yours sincerely,

Edward Anthony Cullen.

I looked up at her in shock.

"How did you get this?" I whispered, part of me already knowing the answer. I remembered the night of her birthday, seeing her crying in the alley.

Victor Hunter had made his first kill in almost two years.

She knocked back the rest of her drink and set the glass on the table. She didn't look at me as she spoke, staring as the trail of blood frozen on the screen.

"Emmett didn't find me. Victor had tried to knock me out first, that's where all the blood had been from, but I guess he just couldn't hit me hard enough. He was able to get me out to his van and tie me up though. Emmett called the police, my dad actually, he was the chief of police in our town, when he found the trail of blood and Victor's jacket. After he… After Victor finished me in his van, he pushed me out of the car while he was driving along the highway and left me for dead. That's the last thing I remember of that night, my face hitting the gravel. I woke up in the hospital two months later. Victor disappeared, they never caught him. I was thirteen, so my identity was protected from the press at least.

"I thought I'd be doing the world a fucking favor if I shared the story. My ending wouldn't sell though, so I wrote a happier one. I thought maybe if I made him famous it would be easier to catch him, but they never did." She finally looked over to me. "All I did was create a serial killer. He's still out there. He's found me a few times in the past... well, a lot of times actually. He must have some contacts in the government, because like I told you, no matter what they did with us he always found me. Until we got out on our own and moved here. The night of my birthday… They found another body. He did the same thing to her, but when he tossed her out of the car, she died. Just like all the others."

She watched my face patiently, waiting for me to say something. I was fucking speechless. What do you say about something like that?

I couldn't think properly. I felt sick, angry- no, furious. I wanted to scream at something, hit and break something. I wanted to hold her and tell her I was sorry, I wanted to hunt him down and kill him, and anyone else that had ever hurt her.

But I forced myself to stay seated where I was, breathing deeply while practically vibrating in anger. I couldn't let myself break in front of her, because no matter how hard this was to hear, it was probably harder to be the one telling it. So we sat there in silence until I could breathe almost calmly again.

"You chose me to play Emmett," I said quietly. She nodded. "Why?"

"Because you had a little sister too. No one else would have been able to understand the role right."

I shook my head. "Nope."

"What?"

"If I had met you, I'd remember you," I stated, positively sure that no matter what, I would have remembered Bella's stunning face.

"We never met, the auditions were sent to me by video."

"Oh, okay." That made sense, I guess. I took a deep breath, I needed to get my thoughts in order, and turned back to look at her.

"It's not your fault that she's dead. Any of them," I told her seriously. I had dealt with this same issue in therapy for years. "This guy is a psychotic asshole, his fucked up actions aren't your fault."

"But if I'd never written the fucking screenplay-"

"No, not even then. Bella, this is not your fault. What happened to you is horrible, unimaginable, but it's not your fault for surviving."

She slumped back into her seat, and turned off the TV. She seemed to curl into herself protectively.

This was not my Bella, the Bella I fell in love with.

But I loved her even more because of this other side of herself. It made her seem more… real. Human. I needed some way to comfort her though. I knew nothing I said could change what had happened to her, all I could really do was try to lighten the mood and distract her.

I huffed, and sat back against the couch heavily. She looked up at me expectantly, and I laughed.

"What?"

"You seriously thought this would scare me away from you?"

She watched me, silently, and I shook my head.

"Wow, you have really underestimated my feelings for you," I said easily, picking up the remote and fiddling with it. "You got any other movies?"

"Aren't you mad that I didn't tell you earlier?" She asked, and I couldn't identify the emotion in her eyes as she looked at me.

I sighed quietly, and didn't break eye contact with her as I answered her honestly. "No. I get why it's something that would be hard to talk about. Besides, I find it incredibly difficult to make myself angry with you," I said with a teasing smirk.

"I've noticed that. You have the patience of a saint."

I laughed loudly. "Only with you. I didn't think I would ever hear someone speak those words about me in this lifetime."

We watched each other for a long moment, and a slow smile started to play with the corner of her delicious-looking mouth before she laughed. I watched that light come back to her eyes as her body relaxed in visible relief. She had thought this was going to scare me away, and was relieved it didn't.

Which meant she didn't want me to leave. Which was pretty fucking awesome.

"So… movie?" I nodded, and she got up, taking the DVD out and opening up a big CD case, and took out something else. She walked away while the movie started, and came back five minutes later wearing a pair of black yoga pants, and a loose white t-shirt with all of her make-up washed off. She curled back up in her blanket, and topped off both our drinks before sitting back.

We sat in comfortable silence for a little while watching it, but I couldn't pay attention to the film. My body was buzzing with her proximity, my mind still spinning from the information. It explained so much, why she'd never dated someone, why she hated being touched by people that she didn't know. Why Emmett was so protective of her, why she had to work so hard to protect her identity and seemed to isolate herself.

But… she was here with me. She told me her secret. She was letting me in.

She half admitted that she felt something for me too.

Very slowly, as to not startle her, I slid closer to her on the couch, and then gently draped my arm over her shoulders.

She stiffened for a long minute, but when I didn't pull away, I felt her slowly start to relax.

Ten minutes later, she leaned into my side, resting her head against my shoulder tentatively.

. . . . . . . . . .

And now you know. A few of you got pretty close in your guesses!

Do you think Edward should just run while he can? Or is he in too deep already? Reviews are awesome, I'd love to hear what you think!