DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM TWILIGHT. THEY ALL BELONG TO STEPHENIE MEYER. I'M JUST MANIPULATING THEM TO DO MY BIDDING!

EPOV

With those five words, Jason was over here like a shot. Literally about thirty seconds later he ran into my house. I knew that his house was close to mine, but I didn't realise it was that close. Well, I guess it had to be in case of situations like these.

My father thought that I would want some form of privacy when I was here, so instead of allowing Jason to love in the same house as me, he was in a smaller, more Jason-y, the only way I can think of putting it, house a little way away from mine. There was a path and a driveway that branched off of mine leading off to it, but like the main entrance to my driveway, if you don't know its there, then you don't really notice it.

He looked as though he had just run a marathon. He must have run here as soon as I hung up. I thought., still worried about the fact that someone had been in my home, especially while I and my friends were here, and my girlfriend was in the next room.

I think that scared me more than anything at the moment. The threat that Bella had been under. If she had come out of the bathroom while he was still in my bedroom then he could have seriously hurt her, or worse. That thought made my stomach crunch up into a tight knot. It did when I thought of that happening to any of my friends.

"What happened, kid?" Jason asked me quickly, scanning the area that he could see quickly. He had gone into full security mode right now. It was like a switch that he just flipped in his brain. No matter what else was going on, if he was needed, he was there, no questions asked. "Edward? What happened?"

I told him about the letter that had come in the package that my father had sent me, which he asked to see. I took it out of my pocket and handed it to him. He read it over quickly and his face turned to stone. It wasn't good when it did that. It meant that he was analysing the situation and preparing for the worst. I knew that look very well. We had become quite acquainted in the last two months or so. I then told him about the argument between Bella and I, her friends coming upstairs to talk to me, Bella and I apologising to each other, then my going downstairs to talk to her friends while she went into the bathroom. I finished by telling him how when I went upstairs the window was open where it had been closed before and that the journal that I was writing in at the moment had gone missing from its usual spot.

"You didn't just put it down somewhere else?" He asked me and I shook my head.

"I looked over the whole room." I told him, running my hands through my hair. "You know I always put it in the same spot."

"Yeah, I know." He sighed. "I thought I would just ask, you know, just in case." He thought for a moment. "What about Bella?"

"What about her?" I asked confused.

"Do you think she would have taken it?" He asked me, with conviction in his voice.

I thought for a moment. Honestly, yes in the beginning I did think that she'd taken it. But then I saw the open window, remembered the note and came to the conclusion that she hadn't. I remembered that when she came in, she took off her jacket and bag. They were down by the door. There was no place she could have hidden my journal if she'd taken it. "No." I answered simply.

"Look, Edward, if you're just trying to protect your girlfriend I understand, but you need to be honest with me." He said his eyes narrowing.

"I am being honest with you. I don't think she took it." I told him, not breaking eye contact with him. I told him what I had just realised and he nodded his head.

"I'm sorry, Edward. But I just had to make sure, you know?" He did sound sorry, so I nodded my head. "I'm going to get the team in here, to do a quick sweep of the house alright?" I nodded, my stomach clenching again at the thought of him still being in my house.

"Do you really think they're still in here?" I asked, the fear evident in my voice.

"I don't know." He told me truthfully. "I honestly don't know. But you know what? I'm not gambling with your safety, Edward. You mean too much to me for me to do that." I smiled slightly at this, and he returned it, obviously feeling the strain of the situation in the same way that I was. "Stay where I can see you." I nodded and he moved a little way away, taking out his phone.

I sat down on one of the sofas in the living room, making sure that Jason could still see me. He would freak out if he couldn't, so I made sure I was good and stayed in the same room. Personally, I didn't really want to be in any of the rooms in this house on my own at the moment. The thought that someone could still be in here, right now, and had been in here, while my friends and I were in here at the same time, chilled my blood.

A few minutes later the door to the house flew open and several of the security team, well more than several, probably a dozen or so, walked swiftly into the house. Jason must have left the door unlocked so they could get in. He was the only other one with a key to the house.

They told Jason and I to stay where we were as they searched the house from top to bottom. They were everywhere. My room, the dining room (which I still had yet to use), the kitchen, the pantry, the smaller sitting room, the studies, the guest bedrooms (that again, still had to be used. When slumber parties were held, everyone just crashed on the sofas. Worked for us so we weren't going to complain and use up extra energy walking upstairs when we were perfectly content where we were), the bathrooms, my music room, that held my baby grand piano, the basement (which I didn't even know I had), the garage that held my Volvo and the car that I had travelled here in and lastly by bedroom and adjoining bathroom.

They finished the search about half an hour later, making sure that they had searched every inch of the house.

"There's no one else in here, Mr. Stone." The head of the security team addressed Jason. I'd never heard him called Mr. Stone before. He had been with my family for the last twelve years and yet I had never heard him called that. Or maybe I just never paid attention. "But you were correct in your original assumpution. The lock in the third floor bedroom was intentionally broken from the outside. They're searching for fingerprints in that room now."

"We think that they may have taken something." Jason looked worried. "A journal. There's a lot of sensitive information in that journal and if it fell into the wrong hands then……"

I tuned out what else was said. I knew that it didn't matter what I thought at the moment. That was what these guys were for. They were here to protect me from this psycho. It didn't help that this guy always seemed to be one step ahead. But isn't that they way these things work? The bad guys always know what's happening when the good guys are always left in the dark.

I rested my head down on the arm of the sofa, curling my legs up close to me so I was lying in the fetal position on the sofa. I was suddenly missing the comforting arms of my parents more than ever. When I was younger, they were always there when I was scared, or when there was something wrong. Now, when I was more scared than I had ever been in my life, they were over a thousand miles away. I just wanted my parents at this moment in time. I knew that one hug from them could make me feel like everything was going to be okay, even in a situation like this. It must be something about the bond parents form with a child or something like that. I don't know. I guess I'll never find out until I have children. If I have children, I corrected myself.

I closed my eyes, listening to the hubbub that was going on around me. I heard the security guy saying to Jason that he needed to talk to me about what had happened, quickly followed by Jason telling him, rather harshly I might add, that it could wait until the morning. Thank you! I cheered in my mind.

I guessed that I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, I was opening my eyes, still on the couch downstairs but I had a blanket draped over me and Jason was either asleep or at least dozing on one of the other sofas.

I got up off of the sofa, stretching out my muscles and walked over to the kitchen. I saw that it was 8:15AM. Shit! I thought panicking. I would have to get ready for school soon.

I looked out the window and my heart fell. It was a raging storm outside. It was the kind of storm that caused trees to double over and buckle and usually results in floods, but thankfully, with Forks being on a cliff, that wasn't the case here.

I looked over to the couch and found that Jason was gone. I looked around for him confused and jumped slightly when I saw that he was standing with his back to me, looking out the window.

"School's cancelled today." He told me turning around. "The storm knocked out the power."

I nodded and made to get in the shower. Walking into my room I saw that Jason had bolted my window shut, something I silently thanked him for. I walked over to my closet and pulled out a towel, with some fresh clothes. It still creeped me out, thinking that someone was in my room last night, but I reasoned that Jason was here now, so I would be alright.

"Edward?" He called. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I called back to him. "Just getting in the shower."

"Alright." He called up the stairs. I knew why he was so agitated. It probably freaked him out, as much as it did me that something had happened last night. He hated when he wasn't able to protect me or my parents. It was what he was hired to do in the first place, but now we think of him more as family.

I walked into my bathroom and clicked the lock, checking to make sure that it was in fact locked before turning around. Looking in the mirror I saw that I looked awful. I had purple bags forming under my eyes, signs of not getting enough sleep, and my eyes were dull and lifeless. Whereas my skin was normally pale, and looked healthy, now it just looked sullen and washed out. I need to get this thing sorted, I thought to myself as I undressed. Or else I'm going to end up in the hospital for neglecting to take care of myself. I wonder how long it'll be kept under wraps about who I am then.

I turned on the shower and waited for a moment before stepping underneath the steaming jet. The hot water felt good as it relaxed all my tensed up muscles. My shoulders and back were stiff from sleeping on the couch last night, and I slowly rotated my shoulders to try to loosen them up. It worked to a certain extent, but I knew the other reason I was stressed and, and it wasn't because I had slept in an awkward position last night.

As I washed myself, I found myself wondering what they had found last night. I knew that they wanted to talk to me, but I didn't think that would be happening today, looking at the storm. I wanted to see Bella, but I knew that there was no way my Volvo would make it to Bella's. At least not without getting blown off the road. Maybe Bella's truck would make it. But then again I didn't trust Bella's truck in favourable conditions, let alone when the weather was like this.

I stepped out of the shower and towelled myself off, resigning myself to thinking that today was a day that I wouldn't be able to see Bella. My heart sank at the thought. She had only been my girlfriend for a day, but I felt this need to be near her, like some sort of invisible pull to be close to her.

After I had gotten dressed, I walked back downstairs to find Jason in the kitchen, cup of coffee in hand, whislt reading the paper. He had a concerned crease in his brow and I couldn't help but ask what was bothering him.

"Hey," I said walking into the kitchen. "What's up?"

"Sorry?" He asked, looking up from the paper, the crease still evident on his face. "What do you mean?"

"You've got that crease in your forehead." I indicated across my own forehead to emphasise my point. "You know, the one that gives away when you're worried about something." I sat down and raised my eyebrows at him, telling him silently that he wasn't getting out of it.

"You, Edward Cullen, are too perceptive for your own good." He grinned at me, but the crease in his forehead remained in place. I gave him a look that told him he wasn't getting out of it and he sighed, resigned in the knowledge that he would have to tell me what was going on. "This." He handed me the paper. "Is what's got me worried."

I looked it over and saw that it was the evening edition from yesterday. I sighed and looked at the headline, with a picture of my blurred face. Thank God Dad made that threat of a legal suit if my picture was put in the paper. I wondered if this counted though. I looked at Jason and he nodded, indicating for me to carry on.

Edward Cullen……in hiding?

In the recent weeks there has been absolutely no sign whatsoever of the young socialite, heir to his father's billions and Cullen Inc.

Is there a reason for this?

Well we, and you, seem to think so.

Though none of them have been confirmed there have been several rumours being circulated as to the young Cullens' whereabouts and the reasons behind his sudden disappearance. Some of these include a possible fatherhood by the seventeen year old boy, causing him and whichever young girl has been lucky enough to bag him, disappearing for fear of bringing shame to his family.

Other reports claim that there is the possibility of an impending criminal record. None of the reasons behind this particular rumour have been disclosed but we are eager to find out what the Cullens have been hiding about their seemingly perfect son.

Another, more substantial rumour is that Cullen has in fact been admitted to an off-shore rehabilitation clinic, after rumours of alcohol and drug abuse has begun circulating. Could there be some underlying issues that the young Cullen has been unable to cope with in his young life.

Being the heir to such a vast fortune has to have its pressures, don't you think?

Well, no one is perfect, are they?

Before his disappearance, it appeared that Edward Anthony Cullen might possibly be, but recently, speculations have arisen to knock him off of that pedestal.

Though none of the rumours have been validated we feel that it is within the publics rights to know all that they can about the up and coming CEO of Cullen Inc. one of the most influential electronics and software companies in the world.

Rest assured we will be keeping our noses to the grindstone and bringing you any new information on the young Cullen.

I looked at the article once again and I could feel my blood pressure rising.

"Possible fatherhood"?

"Criminal record"?

"Feel that it is with the public's rights to know"?

What the hell is wrong with these people?

It's as if I'm not a real person, only something to be gawked at like an animal in a zoo.

"What the hell is this?" I asked Jason, not really believing what was written. "Is this a joke?"

He shook his head solemnly and took another gulp of his coffee. "I'm afraid not. They know that you're not in Europe. They know that you're still in the country, but thankfully, they don't know where." He looked out the window at the storm. "Try not to worry about it. Maybe you should go to Bella's. She'll help you calm down and keep your mind off of it."

"You're really expecting me to go out in this?" I indicated the storm that was raging outside. "Do you really think that I'll make it there alive?"

"I do," He reached into his pocket and handed me a pair of keys. "Especially seeing as this came yesterday after you zonked out on the sofa."

I took the keys from him cautiously. "What is it?" I narrowed my eyes at him, willing him to give away whatever it was he was hiding. I didn't like surprises, and he damn well knew that.

"Let's just say, it's a little present from Daddy." He moved his head from side to side, obviously thinking of how to phrase it so that I wouldn't get mad at him. "To ……… help keep you safe as it were."

Now I was confused. What the hell could keep me safe that required a set of keys. Unless my father had bought me a tank, which knowing the state of mind that he was in recently, was entirely possible. I stood up and made my way to the garage, still overly cautious of what I was walking into. I had had enough surprises and stress over the last day or so and I really didn't think I could handle anymore.

I walked into the garage and clapped my hands once, causing the lights to turn on. A nifty little add-on I might add. It meant that I didn't have to walk around in the dark, trying to find a lightswitch.

I noticed that along with the car I had been bought to Forks in, and my Volvo there was another car at the end of the garage. It was covered by a tarpauline so I couldn't see what it was. I looked at Jason and he nodded me over to go and uncover it, a large grin on his face. The grin unnerved me slightly. He was too happy about whatever it was that was hidden under the sheet of plastic.

I walked over to the car and cautiously grabbed the plastic, taking a deep breath before pulling it back to reveal the car.

My mouth dropped at the sight. It was a brand new Mercedes Guardian! These things weren't supposed to be available even in Europe yet, so how the hell had my father been able to get his hands on one? I snorted, Stupid question Edward, I told myself, running my hand gently over the hood of the car. Very stupid question.

"I take it you like it then?" Jason grinned coming up behind me.

I could only nod in response. "Why did he get this for me?" I asked, numbly, still staring at the car.

"Well, he wants you to be safe." He told me, clapping me on the shoulder. "This little baby will keep you safe on the road, and if you ever need to, you can hide in here and no one'll be able to get you."

"Great," I snorted. "Thanks for keeping me optimistic about the situtaion there Jase."

"Gotta keep your head on your shoulders." He told me. He was right of course. "But………this little baby, is all yours."

"You're serious aren't you?" I eyed him nervously, wondering if he really was being serious or if he was going to snatch the keys away and tell me that my father and he had thought it would be funny to wind me up like this. He nodded and I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face. "This is so cool."

I ran back into the house and grabbed my leather jacket that was hanging on the hook and putting on some shoes. I had heard that these cars were pretty much indestructible and I had no real worries about it being pulled off of the road by the wind. I didn't really think that would happen. I grabbed my phone off the side and called Bella quickly.

"Hello?"

"Bella?" I said, my voice portraying the smile that was on my face.

"Hey, you." I could hear her smiling now as well.

"What are your plans for today?"

"Well, seeing as there's no school today, I was probably going to sit around and not do much. You?"

"I was actually wondering if I could come over and see you." I didn't want to sound desperate, but I was hoping that she would say it was okay.

"And you're going to get here how? I don't think that your Volvo could handle the weather, love." Love? I liked hearing that.

"Don't worry I've got it covered." I leaned against the counter as I waited for her reply.

"Alright, but as long as you're sure you'll be okay. I don't want you getting hurt." She actually sounded really worried.

"Don't worry. It's all under control." I told her. Whether or not she believed me was another thing, but I wasn't going to push it for now. I just wanted to see her. "I'll see you in a few?"

"Okay. See you in a few." She actually sounded happy that I was coming over. That was something that I could get used to.

I hung up and walked back into the garage, where Jason was still standing there, looking longingly at my new car. I couldn't help but grin as I looked at it. It was incredible. And I was pretty sure that it was one of the only ones in the country. I wouldn't be able to drive it a lot, but that didn't matter to me. I knew that I had it sat in the garage, and that was all that mattered.

But then again the deeply tinted windows made it so that no one could see who was driving it. Something that would work to my favour and against it. I knew that anyone seeing this car, would know that it belonged to someone who was in the limelight a lot, just as I was.

I shrugged, getting into the car. Jason flashed me a grin that I couldn't help reciprocating. This was definitely one of the best gifts that I had been given. If not topping the list.

The garage door opened and I turned on the ignition. Hardly a sound. The only indication I had that it was even running was the slight vibration that it gave off with the power of the engine and the dashboard lighting up.

I grinned as I pulled out of the garage and made my way down the driveway. The car maneouvered down the winding driveway with perfect ease, responding to the lightest of touches.

There must have been something coating the windscreen because all I knew was that the rain was still thundering down outside but I could see clearly. Thank god for car engineers with brains, I thought. A lot of the time, it was about making the car look pretty and making it go fast, which I was all for mind you, but still, there had to be some practicality to the car as well. That was definitely one of them. I could see where I was going clearly, not that it would have mattered. There were no other cars on the road, which made it easier.

I pulled up to Bella's house a few minutes later, taking longer than I would have normally, due to the rain and my initial worries about the car, which were gone now, mind you. I noticed that the cruiser belonging to Charlie wasn't there and I got out of the car, quickly running up to her doorway, getting soaked along the way, but not really caring because of who was waiting for me on the other side. I turned around and locked the car, before turning around to knock on the door.

It opened a few seconds later and Bella stood there a huge grin on her face.

I stepped up to her and cupped her face with my hands, pressing my lips to hers in a lasting kiss. She moaned slightly in her throat before pulling back smiling at me.

"What was that for?" She asked, her eyes shining.

"Have you forgotten our little agreement yesterday at lunch?" I asked. She looked confused at me and I raised her eyebrows. Her face lit up in realisation and she grinned at me, stepping back so I could walk into the house.

"I'll get you some dry clothes to change into." She said, quickly running up the stairs. She returned a few minutes later with a large white t-shirt and some grey sweats. I raised my eyebrows at her and she shrugged. "They're Jazz's. He left them here after a sleepover before you got here and I just haven't given them back to him yet." I nodded and she pointed up the stairs. "Bathrooms the first door on the right. There are towels in there and if you gimme your clothes I can toss them in the dryer." I made to open my mouth to protest but she stopped me. "They're dryclean only aren't they?" I nodded. "Is it okay if they're put over the radiator?"

I thought for a moment. "I think so. I'm not really sure."

"Well, they better be." She smiled. "If not then I'm sorry." I grinned at her and kissed her again. She giggled and I walked up the stairs to her bathroom to change.

Her house was quaint. Smaller than I was used to, but it seemed perfect for Bella and her father. I hadn't met the Chief of Police, but I imagined him to be a lot like his daughter. I mean, she's got get it from somewhere right?

I changed quickly, rubbing my hair vigorously with the towel that made it stick up no end. I ran my hands through it a couple of times, trying to sort it out, but to no avail. I decided to give up and gathered up my clothes, that were still soaking wet, and walked downstairs. These'll be ruined now, I thought as I made my way down the stairs. I wasn't going to tell Bella that though, or she'd only end up feeling guilty about causing me to ruin my clothes just to see her. Honestly, it didn't matter to me. To her the price might seem extortionate, but to me it was merely pennies. I wasn't going to bring that up though. I didn't want to upset her even more.

"Gimme." She said, holding out her hands for the clothes. I looked at her confused and she giggled. "I'm not going to steal them, silly. Yes, your clothes may be expensive but I don't wear men's clothes."

I chuckled and handed them to her, watching her walk around the house, laying them over various different radiators. She placed my shoes underneath a radiator, but not close enough so the heat would ruin them, just so they would get dry. She also hung my leather jacket over the back of a chair in the kitchen, before coming back into the living room and grinning at me.

"What do you want to do?" She asked me, sitting down on the sofa, pulling me down with her.

"We could just watch a movie," I suggested and she nodded. "What do you want to watch?"

She looked at me skeptically. "You're letting me choose?" She raised her eyebrows at me and I chuckled.

"Yes, Bella. I'm letting you choose." I laughed at her and she seemed to relax slightly. "What do you want to watch?"

"Um," She thought for a moment. "Oooh, I know." She jumped up. "I've got it, but it's in my room I'll be right back."

She made to go up to her room but I called her back, remembering something from last night.

"Bella?"

She turned around. "Yes, love?" I smiled, I could really get used to her saying that.

"Did you move my journal last night, after I went downstairs?" I asked her, looking into her eyes, knowing that they would hold the truth. At the moment they only held confusion.

"What journal?" She asked her voice portraying the same confusion that her eyes and expression held. I could tell that she didn't know what I was talking about because she may be beautiful, but she was a terrible liar.

"Never mind." I said, softly, smiling at her. She grinned and ran up the stairs.

I took the time that I was alone to look around the room. I stood up and walked over to the mantel and look at the pitcures that were lined up on it. I smiled as I saw that they were pictures of a young Bella. There was one of her as a baby, in a man I presumed to be Charlie's arms. One of her at her first birthday party, sitting by a cake that was shaped like a one, a pretty woman holding her. Her on the swings looking about two or three. Another of her eating an ice cream. The pictures suddenly changed and she wasn't in the same place as she had been before. It was sunnier in these pictures. The same woman that was in the photo at her first birthday party was there, but she was with another man. This man I supposed to be Phil, her mothers new husband.

When it seemed she got to about the age of thirteen or so, the background appeared to shift back to Forks. Something had brought her back here, and I wanted to know what it was, but I couldn't very well ask her, when I was keeping things from her. It wasn't fair.

I decided to stop looking at the pictures and find out where Bella was. Surely it didn't take this long to find a film.

"Bella?" I called out from the bottom of the stairs.

"Up here," She shouted back and I followed her voice up the stairs to the end of a room.

I walked in and she had her back to me. She had something in her hand and her head was bowed as though she was reading.

"Everything okay?" I asked her. She mumbled a reply, not looking over at me, seeming enraptured by what it was she was reading. I leaned my head round to see what it was when my breath caught.

She must have heard my gasp because she turned around, still holding what it was she was reading. I felt my eyes go wide as I stared between it and her. She looked at me and then at the small book she had in her hand when she realised what she was holding.

My journal.

Uh-oh, naughty Bella :P
Next chapter will be BPOV, purely because I want you guys to know the whole story :D
There will be a bit of overlap, but its not huge.
Please review.
xx