No this is not a fake-out. I really did update this soon after my last chapter, haha. I forgot to mention this last time. On my freeweb (which can be found on my FF profile) there is a "cast" for Secret and underneath the Secret page on my freeweb is a picture of Bella's Black Widow costume.

Chapter Song: A Girl Like You by Edywn Collins (the lyrics are spectacular, as is the song)

I don't own Twilight but I think you already know this by now ;)

Saturday I was freaking giddy. I swear to God I checked my hair about seven times and I changed my clothes four. In the end I did the girl thing and wore the first outfit I started out with.

Isabella and I arranged to meet at Emmett's house this afternoon. Rosalie was going to be out shopping but Emmett assured me she was informed of the arrangement and completely fine with the situation. We were supposed to meet at noon so I drove over to Emmett's house a little early.

I parked my Volvo in front of their house, leaving the driveway empty for Rosalie when she came back. When I was greeted at the door by Emmett in his Seahawks jersey I wasn't the least bit surprised. He told me Isabella and I could use the formal dining room since it had a sliding door for privacy. I checked his fridge to make sure he had beverages besides beer and sat on the couch.

I did that fucking nervous thing where you sit ramrod straight and place your hands on your knees. It's like you don't even know how to behave. Emmett arched an eyebrow at me and I forced myself to relax. And it was painful how obvious it was that I was forcing it. I glanced at the clock numerous times and the damn thing felt like it never moved. I chanced a look at Emmett and he was watching me through narrowed eyes with his arms across his chest.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back," I rushed from the living room, down the hall, and into my safe haven.

I'm sure Emmett was wondering if I was beating off or something but I couldn't even think about that right now. Now that Vanessa was out of the picture and with the way everything just became heightened the other night I was unsure of where we stood now. Sure Isabella had a boyfriend but with a little convincing I was certain I could get him out of the picture.

But did I really want to start anything with her? Was it really her or was it the chase of her? The fact was she was unattainable and definitely off limits. I wasn't sure how long she'd been with Jacob but I had a suspicion that it was more than just a few months. I'd have to ask her today.

I moved to the bathroom sink and placed my hands on either side. I looked at myself in the mirror, willing my confidence and composure to show themselves. I was acting like a twelve-year-old schoolboy.

"Get it together, Edward. She's never going to be interested if you're a fucking sweaty, nervous disaster," I was actually fucking talking to myself.

I threw my head back and looked at the ceiling. When did things get so complicated with her? I sat down on the toilet seat and put my head between my knees.

The doorbell suddenly rang and my head snapped up, which then banged into the shelf that was behind me. I winced and cursed when the superfluous items from the shelf went tumbling to the ground. Who the fuck puts a shelf with random shit in a bathroom? Isn't that what a cabinet is for?

I put the items back haphazardly and probably not in their right places. I wrenched the bathroom door open. Emmett was standing outside with Isabella, off to his left, behind him. Their eyes were wide.

"What the hell were you doing in there, Edward? Are you alright?" Emmett asked concernedly.

"Yeah. I just…um…never mind," I walked past him and went over to Isabella.

"Hi," she looked amused.

"Hi, sorry."

"No, it's fine. I apologize. I'm sorry I'm a little late. I just got back from visiting my grandmother and the cab driver was a little new to this route," she smiled.

"I hadn't even noticed," I smiled back, "Shall we?"

I gestured towards the formal dining room and she walked forward. I looked back at Emmett, who was standing back towards the living room. I shot him a warning glance. He raised his chin, narrowed his eyes once again, and nodded softly. He walked away with a knowing look and disappeared.

I rolled my eyes and met Isabella in the dining room. I closed the door behind us and watched her. She was looking at Emmett and Rosalie's pictures. I went and stood behind her because well…fuck I just wanted to be close to her without actually doing it. She was looking at a picture of Mr. McCarty and Emmett.

"That's his dad," I spoke.

She jumped a little and bumped into my arm. I moved back and she touched her chest. Her heart must have been racing. Isabella looked back at the picture and smiled wistfully.

"They look a lot alike. Does he have a good relationship with him?" she inquired.

"Yeah, Emmett and Emmett Sr. talk all the time. He's a good man. A better man that most," I spoke honestly.

Isabella smiled a small smile once again and walked over to the dining room table. She sat down and dropped her bag to the floor. I took the seat next to her, at the head of the table, and folded my hands.

"So…" I began, "are you hungry or anything?"

She shook her head 'no' and smiled.

"Are you still working on the Dylan Humphrey case?" she wasted no time.

"Yeah, we've hit a brick wall for the most part though."

"Well, I think I may just have your break," she smiled and dug in her bag.

Isabella placed a folder on the table and opened it up. It was a lot of notes, background checks, newspaper clippings, phone numbers, and other random items. I grabbed the folder and looked at some of the rap sheets. They were men I recognized. They were all linked to Fiori and were brought down to headquarters or other precincts every once in a while for questioning or to be brought up on charges.

"What is this?" I looked at her confusedly.

"I don't know if Charlie ever told you this or not but I knew Dylan."

I nodded and told her how sorry I was.

"It's fine. I mean…I wish I could do something for his mother," she looked down at the table, trying to hide the desperation and pain in her eyes.

"It's not your responsibility to save the world," I reminded her.

She laughed once and looked back up at me. Her face was enigmatic.

"But that doesn't mean I shouldn't try. Look, the point is that after he was murdered I did a little investigating. The head bartender at the bar Dylan used to go to sometimes is pretty good friends with me. Jacob and his friends play there pretty often so I know him well. I wanted to know if he'd seen any shady characters with Dylan before he was murdered and—"

"Wait! Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt. It's just that...well; we visited that bar you mentioned. The bartenders told us they didn't know anything."

"If you'd let me finish Lieutenant," she smirked.

I nodded submissively.

"The bartenders didn't know much but it was just my luck that when I went there that evening there was a man there. He wasn't a regular but when he heard me talking about Dylan he told me he might be able to help. He saw Dylan's picture in the paper after he was murdered. Apparently he'd seen him a few weeks earlier. Dylan was hanging around the docks from time to time.

"He didn't look like he was doing anything suspicious but it was strange for him to be there at the time he was. It was normally around 11 in the morning. The men working the docks are usually pretty preoccupied but there was this one worker. He'd come. Talk to Dylan for a few minutes, give him a hug, and Dylan would disappear."

I sat there and chewed on that for a minute. So if Dylan was at the docks why hadn't anyone reported that they might have information? And why were Fiori's footmen and soldiers so quick to deny any relation to him when there were witnesses. According to Isabella's source, he was there regularly in the fucking daylight. Surely they had to think that there might be someone who'd implicate them.

"After I spoke to this man, I visited Dylan's high school. I talked to a couple students that afternoon. None of them were very forthcoming and according to them Dylan was a stand-up kid. I couldn't find much after that but I did brainstorm for a little while and I came up with a couple theories."

"Which are?" I prodded.

"I think Dylan was dealing."

"What makes you think that?" I wondered. That was a pretty big accusation.

She swallowed and looked at the wall across from her while she spoke.

"I remember this one time we were at the bar. I went to use the bathroom…there was this girl. And she was completely strung out. I checked her vitals and her pockets. I took a better look at her clothes and she had Blow on her shirt. She was obviously not sober but she kept saying: Red gave me this…."

It was completely silent. There was no sound, not even the sound of our breathing. Emmett's TV couldn't even break this silence.

"Edward…I talked to those kids in school and they all called Dylan 'Red,'" Isabella looked back at me when she was done and her eyes were cold.

It was like the life had been sucked out of her. My mouth hung open and I didn't even know how to respond. Dylan was a kid she knew. She thought he was a good kid. She'd seen him alive and well, dead and cold. And now she knew another side of him. I knew she didn't want to believe it was true because if it was then things were just as bad as they were when she began her little pseudo-vigilante-writing-service.

Isabella wanted to believe that she was making a difference in even the tiniest of ways. She didn't want to believe what she was fighting against was bigger than she'd imagined. I sighed and my eyebrows furrowed together. I scowled at the rap sheets before me.

"Do you think that man you spoke to could I.D. the man Dylan was meeting with?" I brushed my fingers against the papers.

"No, I already asked him. Those men in there are just my best guesses."

"What do you mean your best guesses?"

She looked back at me and we stared at each other.

"Edward, there's something you need to know if we're going to work together."

I nodded.

"My source is very knowledgeable. There are things that will have to stay between us. And you must understand and accept the fact I cannot reveal him or her under any circumstances. Got it?"

"I understand," I promised verbally.

"Well, the source that I work with isn't involved with Fiori's organization but has tons of inside-knowledge. I'm sure you know Fiori's Trinity, right?"

I nodded once again and waited for her to continue.

"Tenorio, Cassavetes, and Vega all take care of one part of Fiori's less-than-legal business. Vega runs the Cocaine dealing, Tenorio does the racketeering and gambling, and Cassavetes handles firearms. Under the three of them, work dozens of subordinates. Those six men in the folder are the six that I think were responsible for Dylan's 'extra-curricular' employment."

I spread out the rap sheets and looked at each man closely. We hadn't interviewed any of these men yet. We'd only gotten foot soldiers. We needed the Captains, the Consigliore's. It'd take more than good-cop-bad-cop routines to crack them but we'd work on it. I decided in that moment to screw questioning no-name footmen.

This was it. If I wanted to take out Fiori and put him behind bars I needed to get the big evidence and the only way I was going to do that was if I started handling the bigger crimes. It'd be a bitch to investigate and catch them but if were persistent, clever, and smart we'd find a way. Monday it was time to initiate a new game plan. That even included going after the politicians, Peter fucking Herman included.

"We need to go after the politicians."

"What? Edward I thought you were looking for Dylan's killer. They won't know anything about that," she was insistent.

"I want to find Dylan's killer but Fiori is the larger problem right now. My first objective is to get him first. If we find out who Dylan's killer was in the meantime, that's more than great but Fiori must be taken out. We're going after Peter Herman. If we press the right buttons on him he'll sing like a canary. He's first."

She looked at me and the worry crease started to form between her pulled eyebrows. She nodded but it wasn't firm like she usually was. I could tell she wasn't completely committed to the new game plan and if she wasn't then that was fine. I wanted her out of danger.

"Isabella, if you want to back out now that's fine. In all honesty I don't think I could live with myself if you got hurt. And things will certainly get dangerous now if we go after Herman and Fiori. I know you signed onto this after Dylan so really…I understand."

"No! I said I was going to help and I am. I'm just a little overwhelmed. I didn't actually think this plan would ever get set into motion. You have to know though…getting to Herman won't be easy. If you do it, it's going to have to be through blackmail or undercover and even then it's a 50/50 shot."

"We can handle the blackmail. I'm sure if we fabricate something and get the evidence to look convincing he'll crack. I mean he's a pretty simple-minded man. I'm sure some phony evidence on hiring a prostitute or embezzling isn't far off the mark."

Isabella nodded and grabbed her folder. She put it in her bag and looked at the table. There was an awkward silence suddenly. My lips parted to say something but she beat me to it.

"So, I didn't realize you lived outside the city," she smiled and glanced at me.

I laughed shakily. Sweetheart, I knew.

"Yeah, that's something,"

"I wasn't expecting to see you at all. I was utterly shocked when you were at the door."

"No kidding," I mumbled.

She smiled widely and we heard the door slam. I jumped a little and Isabella looked at me with a surprised expression on her face. I stood up and opened the sliding door. I could hear Rosalie yelling.

"EMMETT! What the HELL is Edward's car doing out front? Where is he?!" she snarled.

I looked over my shoulder and Isabella was sitting silently. Her hands were folded on top of the table and her eyes were wide. I think I even saw a faint hint of that blush I saw the other night.

"God damnit, Emmett! We were supposed to have alone time this afternoon. Where is he?" she was still yelling.

All of a sudden she turned the corner and I saw a tall, pissed off, blonde was headed my way. She was carrying a couple Victoria's Secret bags and stomping towards me. I stepped away from the door and waited for the wrath of Rosalie. She raised her arms and was about to yell when she stopped short. Rosalie focused on something behind me and cocked her head to the side. She looked confused.

"Who the hell are you?" she was unconsciously rude.

I looked over my shoulder and Isabella was sitting there, slack jawed. I would have laughed in any other circumstance but I had promised her Rosalie would be cool with us meeting here.

"Rosalie this is a colleague of mine, Is—adora," I almost said Isabella but thought better of it.

I didn't need any more people knowing what she looked like. Something over Rosalie's shoulder caught my eye and I saw Emmett behind her. Rosalie turned around to assumedly ask him what the hell all these people were doing in her house.

"Emmett, tell Rosalie you know my friend Isadora, right?" I nodded vigorously behind Rosalie's back.

Emmett looked slightly confused but went along with my horrible fake name. He nodded and told Rosalie that there was an emergency at work and we needed to meet here for safety. Rosalie bought the excuse and didn't say anything else. She gave a rather rushed apology to Isabella and disappeared upstairs. I walked back to the table and sighed heavily.

"I am so sorry. I told Emmett to tell her and he promised me he did. I thought she knew and was okay with this. Look, why don't we go sit out in the backyard? Rosalie might decide to rant again or Emmett might not be able to control his libido and I highly doubt you want to hear either," I laughed.

Isabella giggled quietly and bit her lower lip. She nodded and grabbed her stuff. I took her to the patio and we sat underneath the umbrella. It was drizzling lightly. I stared at Rosalie's little garden while Isabella stared off into space. I was suddenly aware of my attraction and borderline obsession with her again.

When talking about work it was easy to get distracted by the task at hand but when it was just me and her—us—it was so easy to be reminded of my fascination with her. I would glance at her occasionally and each time I did my body felt like it was on fire.

I got this tingling sensation that shot through my forearms to my fingertips. And ever so abruptly I lost my ego and got self-conscious. I wondered what she was thinking about so I asked her. A smile appeared briefly on her lips and she looked at me with soft eyes.

"I was just thinking that I hope everything I do really does have meaning to it."

I cocked my head to the side and studied her. Even with that response there was still so much going on in the pretty little head of hers that I was unaware of.

"I love what I do but sometimes I feel like I was meant to do so much more with my life than I already am. I feel this compulsion to do something great for the world and leave my mark—to transcend all the everyday and do something meaningful and powerful. That's why I write the things I do. It's my gift and to me it's my responsibility to make a difference with it and not in the obvious way. I don't want to write an inspirational book or award-winning novel. I just want my writing to affect people.

"Make them stand up and take the initiative—to do even greater things than I aspire. Some people can change the lives of others through music. I want to change the lives of people through my dedication to justice. I want people to challenge the status quo if it's unjust. I want people live for the principles upon which lives of peace and tranquility were meant for us. Do you ever feel that way sometimes? Like you're still trying to find your purpose. Like you're supposed to do something so simple but with that you'll make the world just a little better."

I nodded because even though I wasn't trying to fix the world like this incredible woman next to me was doing I knew I had a deep compulsion to at least fix my city. And I did have a deep-rooted compulsion to find my purpose in life and do something with it.

Isabella looked at me once more and then looked back at the yard. I looked down at my shoes and wondered if she had these sorts of conversations with Jacob or if maybe these secret aspirations were something she only felt comfortable telling me because I didn't know her well enough to judge. I didn't care. I was glad she was open with me like this.

I wanted to know everything about her and that statement alone told me a lot. It added to my insane interest in her. And I'd be damned if that didn't make me want to be better person too and do something great for humanity. I wanted to be a good person the same way she was. I wanted to be honest the way she was.

"Why did you tell Rosalie my name was Isadora?"

My head snapped to hers and she was smiling.

"I guess I just thought it'd be better if we had one less person who knew your identity," I replied truthfully.

"Edward, you don't have to lie to her. I really doubt Rosalie will tell anyone. Besides I just feel wrong, lying about my identity to someone who's letting me in their home," she spoke quietly.

A blanket of silence fell over us again when I thought of something.

"Hey, Isabella?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you going to Charlie's Christmas dinner thing next month?" I wondered.

She froze.

"Why?" she responded with a touch of anxiety coloring her voice.

"I don't know. I just thought maybe he invited you. You two are friends and all," I looked at her closely to study her reaction.

"Yes, actually. I am going."

"Really?"

"Mhm."

"Cool."

"Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering I guess," I said nonchalantly but on the inside I was screaming like a little girl.

"Do you have to wear your uniform?" she smirked.

I chuckled.

"Yes, we do. The mayor is going to be there and stuff. It's the city's annual Christmas Banquet held by the Chief. It would be crude not to dress formally," I smiled back and spoke with mock horror at the thought. She giggled back.

"Are you bringing Vanessa?"

This time I stiffened.

"Um, no. Vanessa and I kind of broke up," I didn't really want to admit that.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. I'm sure you're really upset," she seemed genuinely apologetic.

"No, it's fine. It was sort of a long time coming."

She nodded understandingly and looked down at the ground.

"Can I ask you something?"

She nodded without looking up from the floor.

"How long have you and Jacob been dating?"

Isabella finally looked at me and an inexplicable emotion flashed through her eyes. She paused and looked back down at the floor before she answered.

"Um, I guess you could say we've been officially dating for two years but I've known him for much longer," she replied somewhat cryptically.

I decided to leave it alone and broach the subject another day. Rosalie knocked on the sliding glass doors behind us and stepped outside with Emmett. They sat at the patio with us and I decided then that I would tell Rosalie the truth about Isabella, especially since she was actually here.

"Hey, Rose. I have something to tell you," I began.

Rosalie raised her eyebrows and folded her arms across her chest.

"I have to be honest. I lied earlier."

Rosalie scowled and waited for me to explain myself. I glanced at Isabella and she knew what I was attempting so she helped me out. She leaned forward and sat in a more approachable and casual position.

"What Edward means to say, Rosalie, is that um…my name is Isabella Woods. Not Isadora. I'm a reporter for the Seattle Weekly Journal and well, the subject of my identity is highly sensitive. Edward thought it best to keep as few people in the know about my identity as possible but I felt it was wrong to not tell you who I really was. You've opened up your home to me and it's the least I can do in return," she spoke confidently and politely.

I chanced a look at Rosalie and my jaw dropped when I noticed how surprised and not livid she looked. Emmett and I made eye contact while Isabella just sat there and awaited Rosalie's reaction.

"You're the girl who slapped Edward?" Rosalie finally spoke.

I groaned and slammed my head down onto the patio table. Emmett guffawed and Isabella giggled a little.

"Um, yes I guess I am."

I looked back up at the three of them with an expression of un-amusement.

"Will I never live that down?"

"Nope," Emmett laughed.

I shook my head and muttered a 'thanks' to Isabella. She shrugged her shoulders and smiled widely. I wanted to be mad at her for not helping me out but she so looked so beautiful smiling like that that I didn't even care. Hell, I was beginning to feel like I'd let her slap me again if it meant she smiled wide and beautiful like that. The embarrassment was endurable if she smiled like that.

A few hours and Rosalie's dinner later I was waiting with Isabella at the front door. I was giving her a ride home due to the fact I was:

A. not cool with her taking a cab,

B. pathetic enough that I wanted to drop her home,

C. anxious to do the whole "So this is where you live?" thing with her,

D. informed that Jacob was unaware of her meetings with me and her current whereabouts (so him picking her up was out of the question), and

E. just totally obsessed with this girl.

I let her direct me to her house and completely played up the façade that I had no idea where she lived. I got close to revealing my little secret once but covered it up skillfully. Once we were outside her house I didn't want to let her go. This afternoon and whole day had been perfect. She got along perfectly with Emmett and Rosalie. She made me laugh but still managed to argue enough that things were never dull.

She told me things about herself and revealed things that made me confused and so certain at the same time. She was honest and I loved it. But mostly I just had a small dose of what she was like and I was hooked. I wanted more. I wanted everything. And just like that bitchy girl from Willy Wonka, I wanted it now. I didn't want to have to wait until our next meeting.

A friendship was out of the question though. Things would get complicated and fast. I didn't want to put her in that situation so I'd let things stay the way they were even if I slowly died until I saw her again. Her hand hesitated on the passenger door handle.

"Thanks for meeting with me, Edward. I really had fun afterwards too. Rosalie and Emmett are great. Call me and let me know what your plan with Herman will be. I'd like to help," she smiled.

"Absolutely. I'll see you soon?" I hoped.

"Soon," she agreed and opened the door.

She slammed it shut and walked up the front walkway to her home. She waved over her shoulder and I drove off. I don't even really remember how I got home or getting into the apartment because I was in a daze. My life was euphoric in a way it had never been. It didn't feel empty. It felt like it had liveliness to it. Isabella was like the Technicolor to my black-and-white. I fell onto my bed in a heap. My jaw was beginning to hurt from smiling but I couldn't help it.

Three weeks later I was getting ready to meet Isabella again. We had plans for a stake out on Herman's office and home. I was just about to get in the shower when my cell phone went off. It was Vanessa's house phone. I rolled my eyes and sent the call to voicemail. Vanessa had tried calling me numerous times since our break-up and I ignored them. I had seen her about five days afterward and from then on we hadn't spoken.

Flashback

I was walking through the lobby on my way to lunch when I felt an arm grab me. I immediately went defensive and almost knocked the person out. When I realized who it was I was frozen. It was Vanessa and she looked haggard. Her eyes were bloodshot as if she'd been drinking or crying a lot and she was in bummy clothes.

Once we made eye contact the tears started to well up in her eyes again. I hugged her to me slightly and sighed. I didn't want to give her the wrong impression but I didn't want to be completely heartless either, especially not after the weekend I'd had. I was finally feeling good about life.

To avoid a scene I took Vanessa to my car and we sat inside. It was silent. I knew she wanted to talk, otherwise she wouldn't have come but she was still sobbing. She couldn't speak. I felt horrible, knowing I'd done this to her, but at the same time I knew I'd given her fair warning.

Besides it was better that we'd ended things. There was no way I could be with her again. I'd just continue to unleash my unconscious destruction on her and she deserved much better. I held my head in my hands and waited for her to speak. I just needed to know what she wanted.

"Vanessa? Are you going to say anything?" I spoke softly.

She looked at me and tried desperately to keep herself together.

"Ed-Edward…I wa-was fired," she cried.

My eyes widened. What do you say to someone who's lost their job? For some reason 'my condolences' or 'I'm sorry' seemed inadequate to even dream of saying out loud.

"What happened?" I tried.

"Edward, I'm falling apart. I can't be without you," she sniffed.

"Vanessa, we can't. We tried it. It doesn't work. All I end up doing is hurting you. It's better this way."

"How is it better if we're not together?"

"Because I can't hurt you anymore. You deserve someone better than me, someone who can love you and be devoted to you. I tried. It's not me," I attempted to explain.

"Edward, please! Just give me another chance. We can try again. I promise I won't push you as much," she pled.

"I'm sorry. We can't. Look, I think you should go home. Lie down and rest. You're obviously very worked up right now. Is Jules home?"

She shook her head and sniffed again. I opened my glove compartment and searched for tissues. I handed her the pack and patted her hand. It was an insignificant and almost insulting gesture but I wasn't sure what else to do. I turned the engine on and drove to Vanessa's apartment.

We parked outside for another ten minutes before I urged her to go back inside. She broke down once again and finally left. Once she was gone, I drove back to headquarters and buried myself in work. It was a much needed and welcomed distraction.

End Flashback

When I came back from the shower, my cell phone was going off like crazy. I groaned and grabbed the stupid machine. I was off today! I glanced at the caller I.D. and it was Captain Oliveros. I picked up because I knew he'd only call me if it were important.

"Hello?"

"Edward?"

"Emmett?" I wondered.

"Yeah. Hey. Um, you really need to come down to headquarters," he sounded nervous and anxious.

That was a bad sign.

"Why? Is everything okay? I mean I kind of have plans with Isabella today. You know that."

"Yeah but they're definitely cancelled for right now. Call her on the way but get your ass down here already. I'll explain more when you get here."

"Emmett I'm not leaving until you tell me what's going on," I protested.

"Edward, I know you're my boss but fuck right now you need to just listen to me. If you need Oliveros to make the order more official so be it. Just get the fuck down here now," his voice had no more room for argument.

"Okay," I agreed.

Another cliffhanger....

I'm just getting deviant, aren't I? Oh and just a warning there might be another one coming up soon. Get used to it. The dramatics are starting to flare up in this story if you couldn't tell.

Just a note for all you Bella & Edward smut lovers. My best friend/kind-of-but-not-really beta/and Queen of Sexual Positions, Steph, is getting two side-shots dedicated to her. They will be involving the Secret story and characters (Bella & Edward) but will be unrelated to the story. They're just gratuitous smut. So if you would like to be notified when I post them this week, add me to your author alert.

As always there's fun to be had at the Secret board on Twilighted so stop by.