AUTHORS NOTES – Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter. I am glad you enjoyed it and am now pleased to present you with the next instalment. Please when you are finished take the time to review. Thank you.

Chapter 8 – Man In The Mirror

BPOV

As it began to sink in that this Beckett was in fact a human drinker I started to fear for my friends lives. Angela, Ben, Tyler, Eric and others were only a few feet away and I knew that a vampire like him being this close to them was a huge danger.

Edward continued to grip onto me. I knew he was happy to see his friend after so long, but that was also coupled with the same fear I had. Edwards was slightly different however, the difference being the only person he cared about keeping safe at that moment was me.

The awkward silence we now found ourselves in had me praying for some way to escape from here, and it came in the form of Angela. As she approached us with that excited smile of hers my throat hitched and I was scared for her life.

"Bella, Bella come outside. My Dad wants to take pictures."

I instantly felt Edward relax at my side as she said this, obviously eager to get me as far away from his 'friend' as possible.

"Yes love go with Angela. I will get Carlisle and the others to take Beckett to the house and then I will come and join you." Edward practically begged as he edged me closer to Angela and further away from Beckett.

My friend was pulling me through the crowd and towards the exit whilst I looked back at my Edward being kept away by his.

We got to the door and as Angela approached her parents and called me over I couldn't help but take another look at the scene I had left behind. Edward and Beckett seemed deep in what looked like a heated conversation and as the rest of the family reached them I noticed the biggest reaction come from Emmett. He didn't look too happy at seeing our visitor. In fact as he realised I wasn't around he seemed to look downright angry.

Before I could get another glimpse at the situation playing out in front of me I was being dragged in front of the camera by Angela and Eric.

"So who was that dishy guy with you and Edward?" Angela whispered in my ear as her dad clicked away.

"An old friend of his. He has come for the wedding." I responded nervously.

After another 10 minutes of mindless posing, people started to leave and it was as Angela said goodbye and left that I saw the Cullen's and Beckett bundling into the cars and driving away. But wait where was Edward?

I pushed my way through the departing crowd and entered the emptying auditorium. It was as I looked around for a couple of minutes that I spotted him. He was sitting on the edge of the stage, his head clutched in his hands.

"Edward," I called in a worried tone as I got ever closer to him. He looked up at this, reached out for my hand and gently pulled me onto his lap.

I knew what was worrying him. He was scared for my safety. I so wanted to put his mind at ease, but how could I? Every time I had ever come close to a vampire of Beckett's kind before Edward would always make a point of keeping me as far away from them as possible, 100 percent convinced that my life would be at risk if our paths crossed. But this time was different, different because it was not just some other bloodthirsty vampire we faced, but a bloodthirsty vampire who just happened to be one of my fiancée's oldest and best friends.

There was one thing that was even worse than all those things though, and that thing was that Beckett has taken a shining to me. This was not good, not good at all.

"Babe, talk to me." I asked Edward whilst stroking his hair, his head rested against my chest listening to my heart.

At hearing my pleas Edward lifted his head so our eyes met.

"I don't know what to do love. He is my best friend so I don't want to send him away but then I don't want him near you either. I won't let you get hurt again." He responded, his voice full of concern and confusion.

Come on Bella it's time to think, I said to myself. I wanted to make this easier for Edward and if that meant putting up with a vampire who wanted to drink me dry for a week then I would find the strength to do it for Edward, and for Edward alone.

I was deep in thought, trying to come up with some solution, and just as one came to mind Edward broke our momentary silence.

"Bella, what are you thinking about? Tell me, please." He begged

"Umm, would it be better if I moved back to my house until the wedding is over?" That way he won't get so close to me and he will be kept away from town." I suggested.

"No Bella, I am not going to have you pushed out of your own home, not after everything you have been through. We will think of something else." Edward promised, fully convinced that my idea was not the solution.

"Edward, think about it. It will only be for a week and no doubt Alice will be with me all the time hassling about last minute things so it's not as if I will be there alone." I protested.

"But love I don't want you to get upset again. There are too many memories in that house, you said so yourself."

"I, I think it will be good for me. It will help me to move on, and besides they are all good memories and I want to remember my Dad."

"I am still not comfortable with this." Edward said, creasing his forehead.

"Ok, how about you come and stay in the house with me. It will give us some alone time and a small taster of married life, and don't worry I won't throw myself at you, I did agree to wait until I was changed." I finished sarcastically.

Edward smiled at this, obviously in agreement with what I had said.

"Great idea, let's go and sort it out now." Edward smiled.

"We better check the house first to make sure that everything is ok. It might need a good dusting and I don't want to take all our things there and then find out that it has burnt down or something." I joked, suddenly becoming nervous at my own words.

"Are you sure you can do this?" Edward asked, lifting me to my feet and pecking me on the lips.

"I am sure. Once I am through the front door and I have seen everything it will be fine. I might just need a hand to hold for the first few minutes." I reluctantly smiled.

Without another word Edward took my hand in his and smiled, "My hands are always here if you need them."

"Right, let get going." He continued. I nodded slightly, wrapping an arm around his waist as we walked towards the exit.

As we stepped out under the overcast sky and made our way to the cover of the trees I couldn't help but feel anxious about my first visit to the house since the nightmare began.

We stopped when we were completely shrouded from view. Edward kissed my forehead, gave me a heartfelt embrace and then slowly lifted me on to his back, because the others needed the car to get Beckett to the house.

It took less than 10 minutes to reach our destination and as Edward set me down I couldn't bring myself to look at it. Maybe Edward was right, I couldn't do this. From somewhere deep inside I managed to gather the strength to take a look. I felt my eyes sting with tears almost instantly.

"Bella we really don't have to do this. I will think of something else." Edward said whilst wiping my tear away and engulfing me in his arms.

"Edward I can go in there, I need to. I'll be ok as long as you are here." I said, managing to calm myself down as he kissed away the salty pools.

"Ok then let's go in now or it won't get any easier." Edward suggested, concern and trepidation still radiating off of him as we approached the front door.

As I took one deep breath and reached for the door knob Edward stopped me, lifted my chin with his hand so I couldn't help but look at him and said "if it gets too much tell me and we will go. Promise me?" he lovingly requested with blazing golden eyes.

"I promise." I answered, pecking him on the lips and then pushing the door open.

It was dark when we entered and shut the door behind us and when Edward reached around the side of me and flicked on the light switch there was only one thing that caught my eye.

The chair which Charlie was always practically stuck to remained in the same spot it always had. It was like a dormant memorial to its absent occupier. It was as I stepped closer and ran my fingers over the distressed leather that something became clear in my mind. I wasn't met with the sad memories I thought I would be when I came in this house, only the happy ones. I had fully convinced myself that when I eventually did come back and see all my dad's belongings then all I would be able to think about was his death, the circumstances behind it and the weeks that followed. But as I walked around the house whilst Edward cleaned and dusted in vampire speed all that came to mind were thoughts of me and dad relaxing in front of the TV, eating dinner in the kitchen, joking around in the back yard, and shouting at each other innocently as we waited for the other to come out of the bathroom in the mornings.

This and the memories of me and Edward that came back to me as I entered my bedroom made it all the more easier for me to relax back into thinking of the house as my home again.

"Honey, are you ready to go and get our stuff now? I have put all the sheets in the wash and the house is clean so we don't need to worry about you picking up any dust allergies." Edward smiled as I brushed a smudge of dust off of his cheek.

"Yep, let's get back. The sooner this day is over then the sooner I can get back to preparing for my wedding." I smirked suddenly excited at the thought.

Five minutes later I had my 'home' all locked up and Edward and I were travelling back to the Cullen house and also back to the family 'friend' who had caused all the days problems.

When we reached the house and my feet were planted on stable ground Edward took my hand and urged "Bella, from everyone's thoughts everything seems to be ok in there but I still want you to stay by my side at all times, just to be sure."

"I would stay next to you anyway." I smiled hoping the worst was over.

"I just wish I could hear Beckett's thoughts to, and then I could be certain." Edward added in a whisper so the people inside wouldn't hear.

"Wait, what do you mean you can't hear his thoughts? I thought it was just me." I continued in shock.

"No Bella, you're different. I have no clue as to why I can't hear yours but with Beckett it's something else. I used to be able to but then he caught an almost unique disease which affects only vampires, it is what is known as mind blindness. It does not affect him but anyone who has an ability similar to mine can't hear or feel a thing."

With that Edward was finished, so he pulled his signature crooked smile, grasped on to my hand and led me through the front door into a living room full of vampires, all of whom were now looking up at me.

The two vamps that first caught my eye were Jasper and Emmett. Jasper looked completely confused and overwhelmed whereas Emmett seemed to be gripping himself on to the chair just so he wouldn't boil over.

Everyone else looked rather complacent and reserved which for some reason put me at ease. Well, that was until Beckett came towards us, stopping in the middle of the room.

"Edward buddy, I am really sorry. I should have rung instead of just showing up." Beckett said with a cheesy grin.

"It's ok, don't worry. I just wanted to make sure everyone was safe back at the school. I guess I kind of overreacted." Edward answered, still latched on to my hand. I knew he didn't think he was overreacting but if he had to fib to put his mind at rest, then that was fine with me.

"Good, then we are even." Beckett giggled stretching his arms out to Edward. As Edward approached him I let go of his hand, moved behind Beckett and stood next to an awaiting Alice.

Just as Edward stepped into the hug and our eyes met over Beckett's shoulder I mouthed the three words that would always bring a smile to my fiancée's face "I love you." As Edward mouthed the words back to me my attention was captured by a reflection coming off of the mirror behind him. What I saw was not the face of someone sharing a hug with their friend but was the face of someone trying to suss out their enemy. And, it was as they pulled apart and Beckett's grimace was overshadowed by a fake smile that I realised I should beware the man.

The man in the mirror.

I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to continue on this journey sooner rather than later then there is just one thing to do, review.