I've the seen the Twilight movie three times now so if you wanna talk about it you can PM me all you want now ;) I personally adored it (couldn't you tell?). I'll probably see it a fourth time this weekend as well, haha.

Song for this chapter: A Beautiful Mess by Jason Mraz (the lyrics fit Edward's conflicting emotions about Bella almost perfectly)

I don't own Twilight but Rob Pattinson owns me in that scene with his fcksexylittlesmirk ;)


I sat on that park bench for another hour. I could feel my hands slowly numbing but I made no move to go back to the apartment. That apartment defined me in a way I'd never thought a materialistic thing could define a person.

And Jesus I didn't even want to think about what I'd have to do with Vanessa. I wasn't going to dump her because the truth was she had done nothing wrong. She'd had every reason to be angry with me and—fuck me—the girl was supposedly in love with me. I closed my eyes and shook my head.

I was a mess. I was a classic disaster. The kind you see in those extreme weather shows you watch on the History Channel. And reality, which was currently waiting for me back at the apartment, was the eye of the storm.

I was startled by the sound of a truck coming down the street. I looked up and the bulbous cab was a rusted red. It looked like an old Chevy and it sounded like a construction site. The car swiftly drove past me and turned into a driveway a few houses down from where I was sitting. Thankfully, the deafening sound was cut off but only after the car backfired. I chuckled lowly to myself.

The driver hopped out of the driver's seat. It looked to be a petite woman—maybe 5'3 or 5'4. Suddenly, a bike came zooming down the block. I glanced up and the bike pulled into the same driveway. The woman jogged over to the man on the bike and waited for him to take off his helmet. The man got off the bike and towered over the woman. I strained my eyes to see. There was something so familiar about this couple.

My breath caught in my throat. It felt like every part of me was constricted. It was Isabella and him. That was her house or his house, whichever. I swallowed back the saliva that had pooled in my mouth. My stomach abruptly felt empty and a wave of nausea hit me like a freight train. I got up and stalked off in the opposite direction.

I would not sit there and watch her live her picturesque lifestyle with him. The concept of her was fucking with my mind already. I didn't need to confuse the hell out of myself even more by watching them be affectionate. That bothered me more than it should and definitely more than I was capable of understanding. It was a fact. I was attracted to her but for some reason I had this nagging feeling that it might be something more. I refused to believe that fact.

My eyebrows pulled together as I walked determinedly back to the apartment. Just five minutes ago I had been avoiding it, and now here I was, itching to get back. I was starting to wonder if I was bipolar or some shit. I sucked in a cool gust of wind and sighed. I was thankful when I walked into my building and was met with warm air.

I took the elevator upstairs in silence. I unlocked the apartment door and walked in silently. The lights were still on from when I had left. I placed my coat on a dining room chair and switched the lights off. I opened the bedroom door tentatively and was pleasantly surprised to see Vanessa passed out on my bed.

Her hair was strewn chaotically across my bed linens. The stark contrast between her dark hair and the white sheets was almost poetic. I slipped in soundlessly and placed my sneakers on the floor without making a sound. I looked at Vanessa. She looked so much more peaceful than when I had last seen her. Her forehead had a slight wrinkle, suggesting she wasn't completely at ease but her long lashes made her seem somewhat serene.

I closed my eyes and tried to will away all my random thoughts. Just as I was about to slip into a deep sleep I felt a small hand raise slowly up my chest. My eyes fluttered open and Vanessa's were still closed. I turned on my side and studied her face. Her lashes began to flutter a bit when finally her piercing blue eyes were revealed. Her eyebrows almost instinctively pulled together as she scowled at me. I was about to open my mouth to apologize when her lips came crashing down on mine.


The following morning I woke up feeling cold. The sun was burning with a fury on my eyelids however. I opened my eyes and looked at my alarm clock.

6:12

Nice. I'd be waking up in another three minutes if things had gone my way this morning. I turned the alarm off and rolled over. Something equally as cool but softer and more feminine was pressing into my left side. I looked down and Vanessa was sound asleep. The sheet that was wrapped around her wasn't doing much to hide the fact her body was reacting to the cold. I looked away with determination.

The events of last night were flooding back to me. I'd had a rather angry and passion-filled night with Vanessa. And despite the fact I was making changes in my life I could smile on the inside knowing that we'd finished up only two hours ago. I got out of my bed and took a shower. As the warm water beat against my chest I found myself thinking of all the reasons why last night was such a mistake.

I hadn't once opened my mouth to apologize. I hadn't once really focused on the girl who was giving all of herself to me through her body. Vanessa had offered herself up and laid her emotions on the line and I'd forced her to take it from behind so I could visualize having sex with another woman—any woman other than the one I was drilling into. God, I was really fucked up.

I turned the water off and pressed my forehead against the tile that was coated with condensation. Why couldn't things ever be easy for me? Why couldn't I just have an epiphany and things just fall into place after? I got dressed and left for work early. I didn't want to see Vanessa this morning. It was a cowardly thing to do but I couldn't look at her and not feel guilty. Besides I could use the time to think.

Was staying with her really the best idea? I was being completely consumed by a woman I didn't even like all the time. It seemed to be like taking the easy way out if I broke up with her though. I hadn't even had the chance to put a solid effort in making our relationship work. Maybe that was what I needed to try. Maybe having a relationship was what would be the thing to put me in the right direction. So it was decided then. I'd make it work with Vanessa. I'd fight through these conflicting and confusing emotions I was feeling about Isabella. They wouldn't control me.

I made it to my office without consequence and sat at my desk. I read through a couple of newspapers. I made a few phone calls and before I knew it Emmett was bursting through my door for his morning ritual of bullshitting.

"Rosie and I saw you on TV last night," he smirked.

I rolled my eyes.

"She told me to tell you that you look better in person," he laughed.

"Thanks," I muttered in a sour tone.

"What happened though? You completely zoned out for a solid minute."

"I got distracted," I avoided mentioning the reason why.

"By what?" he chuckled as if there were no way possible I could be distracted.

"Nothing important. Did you do a follow-up on the suspects we were supposed to get on Sunday morning?" I changed the subject.

"Yeah. We got two foot soldiers who were supposed to be working the dock on Sunday morning. Everyone has been tight-lipped though. They're acting as if they're completely distraught by this Humphrey kid getting killed. It was pretty funny to see how disgusted they seemed to be around us. They're still going with the whole 'the SPD purposely bombed the warehouse' theory," he grinned.

"So, no leads?"

"No. Not for now anyway," he was spinning a dime on my desk.

"Has Charlie said anything about Fiori? I mean we can't just let this kid's death go unpunished."

"The A.D.A. just filed a subpoena to get Fiori's warehouse schedule for the last month. If he gets the schedule then we can go from there and round up some more suspects. They're also trying to speak to some people in the area. He wants to see if we can get an I.D. on the men who supposedly were in that Bentley. And hell if we can get a plate number then we'd be up to our ears in incriminating evidence."

"You know we're never going to get a plate number. And I highly doubt we'll find many witnesses in the area. If they haven't come forth already you know Fiori's already gotten to them."

"You're a real optimist Edward. Did you know that?" Emmett chuckled.

"I'm just being realistic here. Talk to Captain Oliveros and see if he can get some more men on this case. We need some more options here."

"I'll call him after I come back from lunch and we'll let the D.A. know when we've got some plans. When he gets the subpoena I'll call you," Emmett stood up.

"Thanks," I replied.

"Listen, I know I said this yesterday but I really am sorry about what happened with Iz."

"Emmett it's fine. Stop apologizing, please. You're beginning to make me feel bad for chewing you out," I laughed.

"Pssh, as if you could ever feel bad about anything," he laughed and closed the door behind him.

I barked out a sharp laugh and stared at my bookcase. Gees, even my best friend thought I was a heartless fuck. For some reason I wanted to prove him wrong. I figured it had to do with this whole purpose-thing I was trying out but it felt like it was more than that. I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't a callous person.

I opened my filing cabinet and took out a folder I rarely ever looked at. I opened the cover and stared at the black and white numbers and letters. It was Vanessa's file. There were a few drug possession charges. One harassment charge. It was all pretty standard. It was only a few misdemeanors but they spoke volumes. I could very clearly remember when I'd gotten curious and found her rap sheet after I'd first met her.

I'd met her six years ago at this point and the fact of the matter was that even when I'd found her rap sheet she'd already been clean for at least four years. Most of her charges were from when she was a teenager. She hadn't touched any sort of drug in ten years. And I was proud of her. I wished I could put forth that sort of effort in achieving something. I sighed and put the folder back. Why was I even looking at this?

I opened my door to go down the hall and bumped into something warm. I steadied the clumsy object and tensed.

"Oh! Sorry, Edward," she smiled brightly.

My hands were gripping her arms too tightly but I couldn't relax myself. I was being assaulted by the memories of last night. I'd thought of her at times while I drilled into Vanessa.

I also briefly considered the idea of telling her I knew where she lived but for some reason that sounded creepy. If I told her I was at the park I'd most likely have to explain what I was doing there. She could be a nosy one and I doubted she'd let it go if I said I was talking a walk. For some reason I didn't feel like explaining myself to her. She moved from my grasp and stepped back. She seemed nervous.

"Um, I know I probably should have called but I was in the area and I was hoping we could talk," she looked at me timidly.

I backed myself against my door and gestured for her to come in. Isabella walked with her head down and sat silently in Emmett's chair. I closed and locked the door behind us. I walked over to the window and stared out at the city. I couldn't allow myself to look at her. It was too awkward for me.

"I'm sorry. Are you okay? You seem a little tense. I can come back next week," she offered.

"It's fine," I replied curtly.

"Edward, I was thinking about this arrangement yesterday and I feel like we need to change some things about it," she began.

I chuckled darkly.

"Oh, really? For instance…" I prodded.

"For instance, I think we should meet somewhere outside of the department. Too many officers are beginning to recognize me. More people than I'm comfortable with know who I am now and I think it's best to disappear in a sense."

I had thought of this myself this morning. I was planning on talking to Charlie about it first but hell if she was here I might as well get it out of the way. I placed my forehead on the glass and closed my eyes.

"I agree. Do you want me to give you my number so you can just call me?" I suggested half-heartedly.

I didn't want to stop seeing her. It was completely absurd and I shouldn't feel this way but I felt like I might fall apart if I stopped seeing her. She was the first person in a long time that challenged me. She made me feel different. Even if I would never pursue her I would still want her as a friend or acquaintance. Now that she'd made an impact on my life in such a short amount of time I couldn't be without her.

"No. I think it's good to see each in other person. I'm not much of a phone person," Isabella giggled.

My chest clenched with the sound. I pulled my eyebrows together in frustration and my jaw locked. I released the tension and opened my mouth to reply.

"You're supposed to be an anonymous reporter. You're not a phone person?" I chuckled without humor.

"No, I only do it when I need to. I trust you," she replied with firmness in her voice.

I nodded my head and opened my eyes. I mentally prepared myself for when I looked at her. I was going to have to look at her already. I turned around quickly so I wouldn't prolong the inevitable. She was sitting there. Her eyebrows were sort of raised like she was nervous or anticipating something. Her bottom lip was sucked in. I walked over to my chair and sat down with a thump.

"I saw you on TV yesterday," she smiled.

I looked at her confusedly. She'd been there. What did it matter that she'd seen me on TV?

"Jake and I were at our friend's house all day yesterday, painting their new apartment. We were there for hours," she groaned.

"Hours?" I responded despite my utter mystification.

"Yeah, I went there straight after I left your office," she was still smiling.

Wait, what? I had to be missing something here. I was not mistaken. She was at the press conference yesterday. She'd helped me out when I'd lost my concentration. She'd been the reason I'd lost my concentration.

"You were painting all day?" I repeated.

"Mhm, Jacob's best friend Sam just moved in with his girlfriend Emily. They needed help painting their new apartment and Jake and I were the only ones who weren't busy during the day. The rest of our little gang came over later though. They saw the press conference too. Jacob says you look exhausted," she laughed loudly.

My stomach dropped. No, there was no way. Isabella had to have been there. I couldn't have imagined her being there. It was too vivid. I could remember every detail of the way she looked with perfect clarity. I could remember how she prompted me when I'd been staring at her for too long. And I sure as hell remember that look of lust she'd flashed at me.

"So you weren't at that press conference yesterday?" I asked despite how nervous I was for her answer.

"Nope," she popped the 'p.'

I swallowed back the saliva that had pooled in my mouth. I was abruptly nauseous. She sat there—across from me—still smiling ignorantly. I let out a shaky breath and put my head on the desk.

"Edward? Edward, are you okay?" she sounded concerned.

I waved my hand weakly.

"Are you sick or something? Do you need some water? Are you diabetic?" she rattled off questions.

I laughed at her last suggestion and shook my head.

"Well then are you hypoglycemic? I mean you look paler than usual. It's not quite flu season just yet."

I lifted my head slightly and looked at her through hooded eyes. My vision was blackening. I was sure I looked drunk or something. I was getting warmer and the room was feeling stuffier. I could feel the color draining from my face.

"Hypogly-what?"

"Hypoglycemia," she responded with a smug grin, "it's a medical condition. Basically it's when a person has low levels of glucose in their system. Low blood-sugar."

"Oh, I dunno," I mumbled and put my head back down.

"Stay there and I'll get something from the employee lounge," she ordered.

Yeah, like I was going to be able to move. The nausea was overwhelming and I knew that at any minute I was going to blow chunks. I had to keep swallowing back the taste in my mouth. It felt like licking envelopes.

Isabella reemerged two minutes later. I could hear her coming around my desk until suddenly she was at my side. She lifted my head tenderly while her doe eyes examined me. She grabbed the waste basket next to my desk and placed it in my lap. She opened a bottle of rubbing alcohol and I relieved myself into the waste basket.

Instead of scurrying away like most people would do, she stood over by my side and rubbed my back soothingly. I placed my forehead on the corner of my desk and put the waste basket back on the ground. She handed me a cup of orange juice and placed a cookie on the corner of my desk. I drank the orange juice furiously so I could get the taste of vomit out of my mouth.

She handed me the cookie and looked at me meaningfully. I took a bite and finished the cup of orange juice. I sat in my chair for a few minutes while I tried to make the room stop spinning. I could feel the tint of color come back to my face. I looked over at her, completely befuddled. Where was this tenderness and softer side coming from?

"Why did you do that?" I wondered through a thick voice.

"You were sick," she responded simply.

I continued to stare at this impossible woman with confusion. She was an enigma. Every day she became more complicated. I could never count on any one reaction from her. Last week, she was smacking me. This week, she was rubbing my back while I puked.

"Are you sure you're okay? I mean you kind of changed in just a few minutes," she looked at me worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll be fine. I'm just a little overwhelmed right now," I spoke a half-truth.

"Anything you want to share?"

"No, not really."

"Okay. That's fine."

She sat back down in Emmett's chair and we sat in silence for a long moment.

"How did you know the orange juice and cookie would work?" I broke the silence.

"My Grandma Marie is diabetic. I visit her pretty regularly—about every 2-3 weekends. People who suffer from hypoglycemia are a lot like diabetics. The orange juice would give you some iron and sugar and the cookie would give you sugar as well," she replied.

"You visit her every 2-3 weeks?" I was shocked.

"Yeah, my mother lives in Florida with her husband. He's a minor leaguer," she sounded sour.

"And you don't like him?" I guessed.

"No, it's just that he's younger than me. My mother is 46. I guess it just bothers me that he's so young. And she moved all the way across the country just to cater to him while my grandmother is shacking up in a retirement home. If I didn't visit her…no one would," her voice was quiet.

"I'm sorry, Isabella."

It was an inadequate response but it was all I could give. Her head snapped up and her eyes widened. It seemed like she hadn't meant to be so forthcoming about her personal life.

"I shouldn't have said all of that," she murmured.

"No, I won't say anything. I promise. It's nice to know I'm not the only one with a screwed up family history," I laughed bleakly.

"What's wrong with your family?" she wondered.

"Nothing now. I had a pretty fucked up childhood though," I sighed.

"What happened?" she urged.

"Well my dad walked out on my mom and me when I was eight. I haven't seen him since. I haven't spoken to my grandparents since he left either. They could be rotting six feet under for all I know. And now well…my mom is remarried. She lives in Chicago with my stepfather and stepbrother. I was always kind of the black sheep of the family so that's why I just continue to live in Seattle."

"Do you like your stepfather and stepbrother?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah, Carlisle is great and Jasper is the best brother anyone could ask for. What about you? Do you have any siblings?"

"No, I'm an only child."

"What about your dad?" I asked.

She blinked rapidly and slightly flushed.

"Ummm, I don't really talk to my dad either."

"Why?"

"It's complicated," she looked down at her lap.

"I think I can keep up," I pressed.

"Look, I don't really want to talk about it. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

She sighed. I chewed on the inside of my cheek. Why was she so reluctant to tell me about her father? He couldn't have been any worse than the prick that I shared DNA with. Her father was probably a saint in comparison.

"What about what's-his-face? What's his family like?" I tried to be conversational even though I really didn't care.

"Jacob," she smirked.

"Yeah, whatever."

"He's got two sisters. Jake's the big brother in the family. His dad lives up in La Push. We visit him pretty regularly too—mostly on holidays and stuff. His little sister, Rachel, goes to school in Tacoma so we see her every few weekends. She's dating his best friend Paul so she visits pretty often."

"Isn't La Push like a million miles away?"

"Yeah, it's a pretty long drive but Billy only has their dog and his friends. Jacob's mom died after giving birth so we like to visit him pretty often. He's in a wheelchair," she explained.

I nodded.

"What about his other sister?"

"Rebecca lives in Hawaii with her fiancé. He's a surfer. We don't get to see her much—only around the major holidays when Will has time off. She and Rachel are twins."

"Sounds like one big happy family," I muttered.

"Well, I don't see my family much and my family is pretty small as is. They're almost like my surrogate family," she smiled wistfully.

"This is different," I murmured.

"What is?"

"Us. Just sitting here, talking. It's different."

"Yeah, I guess it is," she grinned.

"Do you think we'll be able to keep it up?" I smiled response.

"Hmm, it's unlikely. I'm feeling generous today and well…you were sick. I'm a sucker for sick people," she laughed.

"I'll have to keep that in mind," I smirked.

"So are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah, I guess. I still feel a little woozy but I'm alright."

"Good, I should probably get going. I've got laundry to do and I've got to work on my article before it goes out for publication."

I immediately remembered something.

"Hey, did you ever do that feature on me? I missed the paper Sunday."

"Um, well no."

I cocked my head to the side and tried to figure out what her next response would be. She seemed a little uncomfortable with the subject.

"To be honest I never planned on publishing it," she laughed nervously.

"But I thought Charlie set it up with the PR manager and stuff?"

"He told you that?"

I nodded.

"Oh, well that was probably just a ruse to get you to do the interview. He asked me to do the interview but he never actually specified that I had to publish it."

I smiled. She was good. And truth be told I was glad she hadn't published it. Being that we were working together now, she needed to seemingly have as little ties to me as possible. It was just our luck that she was a deviant.

"That's good. We need to seem as unassociated as possible."

"Speaking of which, where should we meet up for our next rendezvous?" she pursed her lips.

I looked at my paper weight. Shit. Where were we supposed to meet up?

It couldn't be public. That would never work out well. And I wasn't too sure if having her come over to my apartment was in the best interest of either of our relationships. I wasn't sure if I had that kind of restraint yet. The thought of her and my bedroom only being feet apart was screwing with me. Ha, screwing. Besides I wasn't too keen on her knowing that we lived only a mile and a half apart.

"We can alternate between friend's places," I suggested.

"Huh?"

"Next time you need to talk you can call me and we'll meet at Emmett's place. Rosalie won't mind having anyone over. It'll keep us out of the public eye."

"Yeah but isn't that a little personal?"

"Do you have any other suggestions? If people are staking out our homes—which in a few months they very well could be—then we obviously wouldn't want to show up at each other's place. That will blow our cover immediately. The fact of the matter is no one is interested in following us right now. In a few weeks we'll work out another arrangement if need be. For now it's the best idea I've got."

Isabella nodded. She still seemed to be uncomfortable with the idea. My hand did that thing I almost chopped it off for yesterday. The thing where it thinks it can reach out and do things like touch her hand. I put it on my lap determinedly. She looked down at her lap and bit her lip. I really hated when she did things like that.

"Edward, can I be honest?" she stared at her hands.

"Of course," I replied.

"I'm sort of scared about this whole thing. I've never been so vulnerable before. I mean…I just…if something were to happen to Jake or even you I'd never forgive myself."

My heart tugged at her innocence but my ego rolled its eyes at being lumped in with him.

"Nothing is going to happen. I made a promise to you and Charlie."

"You make it sound so simple," she looked up at me with disbelieving eyes.

"It is that simple," I lied.

"Just promise me that if things get dangerous you'll get out. I can't deal with the guilt of knowing that you might get hurt because of my information."

I couldn't promise her that. It was my job to protect her now. I wanted to protect her. I wasn't sure in what capacity exactly but she meant something to me. I could literally kill myself if anything happened to her. She would be a causality in a game that she was never meant to partake in. A game I let get out of hand in the first place; a game that was corrupting my city.

I nodded. I would never make that promise to her with my words and I think she sensed that because she let it go. Isabella stood up and I did the same in response.

"It was good seeing you today, Edward. I kind of like this whole we-can-be-friends-thing," she giggled.

I was really starting to enjoy hearing her giggle.

"Yeah, well don't count on it. I take my job seriously. We might have a couple arguments."

"I can handle that," she smirked and opened the door of my office.

"See you around."

"I'll call you as soon as I have something," she responded.

I nodded and watched while she left. She was wearing khakis today. They were a little snugger around her curves. She was wearing a pea coat as well. Isabella glanced over her shoulder as she stopped by the elevator, waved, and disappeared.

I sat back down in my chair and stared out the window. I wasn't even going to try and think about what had just happened. I organized my case files for tomorrow. I needed to go to court and give a testimony on a case I had been involved with last month.

The hours passed uneventfully and I eventually found myself rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I looked at the clock. It was 7:30. I had been functioning on coffee, workaholic-ism, and two hours of sleep. I grabbed my coat from my locker and locked my office. On my way out, I passed by Valence's cubicle. He was still here. He seemed to be on the phone with someone. I nodded at him and he waved.

I walked down the hall to the elevators and glanced over my shoulder. He was speaking hurriedly to whoever he was speaking to and seemed frustrated. Girl problems, I thought to myself. I passed by Captain Oliveros on my way out and slipped into the Volvo. It was cold again tonight. I turned the heater on and opened my phone. I needed to call Vanessa. The phone rang a few times until she picked up.

"Hello?" she sounded disdainful.

"Hey, Vanessa. Are you at your apartment? We need to talk."

"Yeah, Jules just left. Where are you?"

"I just left the office. I'll be there in five minutes."

"Fine," she hung up.

I looked at my phone incredulously. I shook my head and threw my phone on the passenger's seat. I pulled up to her building two minutes later and parked. I jogged the few flights of stairs up to her apartment. I knocked on the door once but it was open. I let myself in and locked the door for her. I went straight to her bedroom and knocked on the door.

"Come in," she called out.

She was sitting on her bed. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail and she was reading a magazine. I sat on the edge of her bed and waited. I needed to gather my thoughts.

"Listen, Vanessa…last night…I'm sorry. I should have said it before things got out of hand. I can't really explain why I did what I did but please just know I didn't mean to hurt you. The press conference thing was a mistake and I was an ass. I know this isn't much of an apology but I'm trying," I offered.

It was the best I could give her. It was the best I could give her of myself right now because I wasn't completely ready to be dedicated to anyone. My life was just too much of a confusing mess to make sense. I had my own issues so for now this was the best I could do by her.

"Edward, last night doesn't matter. I just need to know if this is really what you want."

It felt like all time had stopped. Here I was. I had the chance to get out of this relationship and figure things out on my own. Or I could stay with Vanessa and give her the shot she deserved. She was giving me a Get-Out-of-Jail-Free-Card. Should I take it?

"Yes," I immediately regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth.

I wanted to kick myself. It felt like I was signing away my life with just that one simple word. It wasn't that I didn't want to be with Vanessa. I just felt like this was going to be a problem now. With uttering that one word it felt like a dark cloud had just formed and that little by little it would creep up on our relationship. I had a feeling that something bad would happen as soon as I said that word.

I chanced a look at Vanessa and she was analyzing me. It looked like she was looking for something and that if she found it she knew she could trust me. I guessed she must have found it because she nodded and kissed me. I pulled back after a minute. One kiss was fine for right now. I wasn't sure if I could handle more after this new sense of foreshadowing. I smiled weakly and put on a face. It was the best I could do.


Okay so be honest. How many of you really knew that Bella was, in fact, not at the press conference. That Edward imagined her being there. I know at least Steph knew ;)

I know a lot of you are going to be upset with me that he's staying with Vanessa but please trust me. They'll break up before you know it. I'm not sure if I'll start next chapter or not but time will be speeding up so we can get to some of the more interesting plotlines.

*This chapter should be up on Twilighted tomorrow along with a smuttake. It's an outtake that features Vanessa and Edward. The ladies at Twilighted convinced me (acireamos - this is for you). Nothing plot-related happens though, anything that's important was mentioned this chapter so if you find the idea offensive there's no need to read it. I'd really like to avoid what happened last time this idea was presented so please refrain.

You are, however, invited to come and share your thoughts on the story at the AU-Human board on Twilighted(dot)net. The Secret board has been pretty lonely since I last updated. Also teasers will be posted there a few days before chapters are posted if you're interested.