Legal Disclaimer: No money is being made from this fan fic and no copyright infringement is intended. Everything belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

Chapter 14

Murder

New Years came and went. My silent resolution was not to kill anyone this year. The spring semester would be starting up soon at Dartmouth, and I was looking forward to it at least as a way to occupy some of my copious free time.

"It'll be so nice when we can travel," I mused as Edward and I sat in our private living room. I was sitting between his legs with my back and head against his chest. We were watching the travel channel; I was starting to enjoy television again since I could now control the murderous fantasies. "I'm so bored of being cooped up in here. Hunting trips don't really count. I'd even go shopping with Alice and Rosalie at this point."

Edward laughed. "Now that worries me," he teased.

"It should. I'm going stir crazy. You never warned me about this."

"It's just a year or two out of forever, Bella. You'll survive."

"I know," I sighed. "But that doesn't keep me amused now."

"Hmm."

"What?" I craned my head back to look into his eyes; I saw an idea forming. "What are you thinking?"

"You've been doing very well with controlling yourself lately," he said slowly. "Far better than expected. I wonder if it isn't time we started introducing you back into the human world."

I looked at him like he was insane. "Edward, I could kill someone." I imagined what would happen if I was allowed anywhere near humans.

"I'm not going to just drop you in the middle of a mall and leave." Edward rolled his eyes at me. "I was thinking of smaller experiences to start with. Taking you into town in the middle of the night, for instance, before school starts up again."

"But how will that help?"

"Think of it almost like an inoculation. At first, you couldn't even smell traces of humans without losing control. But now you've got a pretty good handle on that. You can watch tv again too, and sit through class without becoming a monster. So its time to take the next step. There will be a lot more human scents in town, and they will be a lot stronger, but you have to be exposed to them to help you gain more self-control."

"It's still risky," I replied. Town wouldn't be completely empty, and there was always the chance I would break into a house and kill someone while they slept.

"It's always risky for us, Bella. Even after all these years. Look at what almost happened when I first met you. There's always the chance you'll encounter a person who's blood smells too good to resist. The only way to avoid risk is to never leave the house again."

I shuddered at that thought. I loved our house, but it was starting to feel like a posh prison.

"Ok," I conceded, "so when do you want to try this little experiment?"

"Tomorrow night," he responded. "Tonight we'll go hunting for some extra security."

The next night, Edward and I set out for town, along with Alice, Emmett and Rosalie as my guard. I was practically bouncing with anticipation as Edward drove along the deserted streets. He parked in one of the Dartmouth commuter lots.

As soon as I stepped out of the car I was hit with a wall of smells. The vampire went crazy; she didn't know which direction to turn first. There were too many scents to choose from.

I sorted through the smells. Most were old; it would be pointless to follow them. But there were some stronger, newer scents in the parking lot as well. Several terminated abruptly, indicating that the humans had gotten into cars. I picked up two distinct scents that were relatively fresh: maybe only twelve hours old. Two females had crossed the parking lot, heading east toward the Dartmouth dormitories. My head automatically turned in that direction as I sank into a hunting crouch.

I took in my surroundings now. We were in one of the more remote parking lots. A lonely sidewalk weaved between maintenance buildings. Behind those buildings I could see the taller dormitories rearing up, their windows dark and mostly empty. Still, those two girls were somewhere within one of the those buildings, probably asleep and completely unaware of the danger lurking outside.

"Bella." Edward was now standing in front of me, blocking my view of the dormitories. "If you can't control yourself I'll take you home."

I didn't want to go home yet. His gentle threat was enough to take the vampire out of hunting mode; she was content with exploring tonight, but I couldn't gain back complete control of my mind.

"I'll behave," I promised.

We walked in a tight group away from the dormitories and toward the town of Hanover. Every few feet I encountered new smells and new scenarios popped into my mind, but as promised, I didn't do anything but file away the information for possible future use.

After an hour of walking around the empty streets, I was able to gain a little more control over the vampire. She was becoming used to the older scents, and with Edward using his mind reading talent to ensure we didn't come close to any humans, I felt a little more comfortable.

We got home just before sunrise. The car ride had allowed me to push the vampire completely into the back of my mind again.

"So was that a useful experience?" Edward asked as we lounged on our king sized bed.

"Yes, actually. I realized the vampire can be in control but still not have to hunt. And now those little scents that come in on things from the store don't bother me at all."

It was a little after eight in the morning when Carlisle called us downstairs. Edward immediately adopted a concerned expression, but wouldn't tell me what was wrong.

The rest of the family was already in the living room, all watching the television intently. The local morning news was on. The pretty anchor woman was recapping the top stories with a grim look on her made up face.

"And for those of you just joining us, our top story is out of Hanover this morning, where police are reporting a homicide on the Dartmouth Campus." A photo of a young woman flashed onto the screen and my hand automatically flew to my mouth in shock. It was the same girl who Edward had been partnered with in philosophy class; the one I'd tried to kill three months ago.

"Police say that nineteen year old Bridget Perkins was found slain in her dorm room just after four o'clock this morning. The gruesome discovery was made by Lana Hendrickson, Perkins' roommate, who woke after hearing Perkins scream. Police report that Hendrickson saw a woman in their room, bending over Perkins. When Hendrickson got out of bed to confront the intruder the woman ran from the room, escaping through their third floor window. Police are asking hospitals in the area to be on the lookout for anyone coming in with severe leg injuries that were possibly sustained in a fall."

"Right now, police aren't releasing exactly how Perkins was killed, but they have stated that the death is being treated as a homicide. Police are looking for a woman between the ages of eighteen and twenty four, about five foot, two inches tall to five foot, five inches tall, with long dark brown hair. If anyone has any information at all, please call the number at the bottom of the screen. We will continue to update you with more information as it becomes available."

I looked around the room as the newscast switched over to weather. Every eye in the room was looking at me and I knew why; the police description could match me perfectly. And from what the anchor had said, it seemed liked that the assailant was less than human.

Carlisle gave Edward a pointed look, but Edward shook his head. "No, it's not possible. She never left our sight and I haven't left her since we got home."

"I swear, I didn't touch that girl," I started, but Carlisle raised a hand to stop me.

"No one is accusing you of anything, Bella. I believe you and Edward, and I'm sure Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie will attest that you never left their sight last night." The others nodded.

"But this can't be coincidence, can it?" I responded.

"What else would it be?" Rosalie asked back. "We know you didn't do this Bella, there was no opportunity. And Alice would have seen it anyway."

"Hopefully, it was just someone passing through," Edward added. He looked just as shaken as I did; it wasn't very comforting.

"But why wouldn't a nomad hit a big city, like Manchester or Montpelier?" Jasper asked. "They had to know that an attack on a student at such a prestigious school would make national news."

"Maybe she intended to hide the body, but was interrupted by the roommate," Emmett supplied with a shrug.

"But why not just kill the roommate then. Hiding two bodies wouldn't be hard. The semester doesn't start again for a few days, so it could be over a week before they were discovered missing," replied Jasper.

"Especially after being seen well enough for the girl to give a description," Edward agreed. "Killing her wouldn't have been difficult."

"Unless Bridget was her specific target," I said meekly, not wanting to sound like I understood the mind of a murderer. In this case, however, I did. When I had tried to hunt Bridget I had only intended on killing her and no one else.

"That's another option," Carlisle conceded. "But I agree that it was likely just someone passing through. Perhaps something about Bridget's blood highly appealed to this vampire. She might not even have intended to hunt."

That was Carlisle, always trying to find the good in people.

"Regardless, this is going to be on every news channel in the country," Edward replied. "We're going to have to be extra careful until this blows over." I knew he was talking about me.

The spring semester began a week later. At first, all anyone could talk about was the unsolved murder, even the professors. After a few weeks, however.the story about the murdered girl disappeared from the headlines. Police, unsurprisingly, didn't have a suspect in custody. In fact, they had almost no evidence, which just hardened our suspicions that it had been a nomadic vampire passing through the area.

After three weeks and no other slayings, Edward felt it was safe to once again take me out into the town at night. This time Jasper, Alice, and Esme came with me. We waited until after two in the morning, so that the bars could empty out. Already it was easier to control the vampire. This trip took us around the Dartmouth campus, which meant I had a lot more scents than last time. Hundreds of students criss-crossed the campus daily, but I was able to get the vampire in check. Edward seemed impressed by how quickly my self-control was developing.

I was on pins and needles the day after our excursion. I was terrified that another student would be found murdered on a night that I was conveniently out and about. Thankfully, nothing more exciting than a minor break in had occurred.

"You seem jumpy," Edward commented that night.

"The murder of that student really threw me for a loop," I replied. "I know it wasn't me, but at the same time, it seemed too timed with my outing to be coincidence."

Edward gave me a crooked smile. "You're paranoid," he teased.

And I had every right to be paranoid, because a week later two students went missing.

Once more the entire family was gathered in the living room, watching a news report.

"It's the same person who killed Bridget, I know it," I moaned.

"Don't jump to conclusions, Bella," Esme soothed. "Humans go missing all the time with no help from our kind."

Edward seemed to share her feelings.

And then they found the bodies in the local landfill.

"Still think they are unconnected?" I asked Edward moodily. Carlisle had broken into the morgue to get a look at the bodies. He thought it was a vampire, but a week in a landfill had destroyed any scent left behind.

"It doesn't mean it's the same vampire," Edward responded. "The bodies were hidden this time, and it was a cleaner kill. I don't think it's the same perpetrator."

"Still, two vampire attacks within a month, in a small town? Like Jasper said, why aren't they attacking larger cities with much higher crime rates? Something isn't right."

"Bella, just relax." He started rubbing my shoulders. I imagined it was like trying to massage granite; yet it still felt good. I'd been stressing myself out over the past month.

I slouched into the sofa as my muscles relaxed under his touch. Edward bent down to kiss my neck tenderly.

"You're just trying to distract me," I mumbled.

"Is it working?" He moved to kiss my lips.

A little more of that and it would be. Edward took my silence as a yes and continued to kiss me in criminal ways. The murders slipped from my mind.

The weeks slipped by, with no further incidents.

"Do you want to go out tonight?" Edward asked in mid March.

I did, but the old murders still bothered me. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was more wrong than we thought. "No, that's ok. We can stay in."

"Bella." Edward saw through the charade. "Stop being paranoid."

"Not as easy as you make it sound," I shot back.

"Come on. I have someplace special for tonight."

He was appealing to my curious side. Damn him.

"I'll even let you drive," he wheedled.

How did he know I had been itching to take my Christmas present out again? "Ok," I conceded, unable to resist.

An hour later, I was driving us toward Hanover. Alice, Jasper, and Emmett were in the back seat.

"You know, this truck can go over fifty-five," Edward complained as he peeked at the speedometer.

"Yes, but the speed limit is only forty-five," I returned, continuing to drive at the same speed.

"I'll warn you if there are any speed traps ahead," Edward responded. "I didn't buy you a new truck so you could drive slow."

I laughed. "You're the one who said I could drive."

"And it'll be the last time," he muttered.

"At this rate, we'll get there around sunrise," Alice teased from the backseat. I shot her a dirty look.

"Fine." I pressed down on the accelerator and brought the truck up to seventy miles per hour. "Happy now?"

The campus was mostly deserted, and Edward kept us clear of any bar stragglers.

"So where are we going?" I asked, still curious.

"There," he pointed to a large stone building near the center of campus. It wasn't until we reached the front doors that I realized it was the library.

Edward had a side door opened for us in half a second. I followed him inside and breathed in the musty aroma of books; I had always loved the way libraries smelled.

The library was closed, so we had the entire place to ourselves. The smell of the librarians and students tested my self control, but my excitement for the books overshadowed the vampire. Edward watched me explore. Alice, Emmett, and Jasper had felt it was safe enough for them to go to different floors.

Edward and I were on the fourth floor, looking through the stacks of novels near the eastern wall, when we both saw movement outside.

"What was that?" It had been going too fast to be a human, but I had only caught the movement out of the corner of my eye.

"I'm not sure," Edward's eyes narrowed with worry. He looked out the window again and then toward me. "Stay here. I'm going to go find out."

Edward sprinted for the steps. I did as he said and stayed in the row of shelves. With Edward gone, it was my first true test of self-control. I was alone, and the vampire knew it. Her whispering increased. I could practically taste the scent of the two students that I had encountered during my first trip. The bean bag chairs near the windows were doused with the aroma of students. I could see dormitories from the library window. It wouldn't take long to get into one of the dorms and find just one student; it would satisfy my thirst and I might even get back before Edward.

I fought against the vampire. I wasn't going to be that suspect in the news story this time. I walked farther down the aisle of tomes, away from the windows and temptation. I pulled a random volume off the shelf and settled onto the floor before cracking it open. It was Machiavelli's The Prince. It wasn't the type of reading that helped keep the vampire under control.

I was through the first forty pages when Edward returned.

"Bella?" I heard something like panic in his voice.

"I'm over here," I called as I stood up and replaced the book.

Edward appeared around the edge of the stacks. He looked relieved to see me. "We need to leave." He grabbed my hand and started dragging me toward the exit.

That didn't sound good. "Why? What happened? What's out there?"

"There's been another murder," he replied simply.

I stopped in shock, using my strength to prevent him from towing me any farther. "What?"

"Bella, now is not the time. Let's go." His eyes were begging me. Something was horribly wrong.

We ran down the steps and into the lobby. Alice, Jasper, and Emmett were waiting for us there, looking grim. Edward beat me to the truck and hopped into the driver's seat. I wasn't about to protest as I climbed into the passenger seat. I barely had the door closed before we were speeding away, doing much more than seventy.

"What the hell happened back there?" I demanded once we were outside the city limits.

Edward's response surprised me. Without looking away from the road he muttered, "I don't know yet."

The other's were strangely silent the whole way home.

We barely stepped through the door before Edward called the other family members.

"A security guard on campus has been murdered," he reported. He left no question with his tone that it wasn't a typical murder. The vampire that had killed those students was evidently back.

"Did you see the body?" Carlisle asked.

Edward nodded. The expression on his face changed suddenly, and I couldn't understand why he suddenly looked so anguished.

"Did you pick up a scent?" Rosalie asked from her perch on the arm of the sofa.

"Yes."

Alice, Emmett, and Jasper still hadn't said anything. Had one of them accidentally lost control? Is that why the tension was so thick is was palpable. Would we have to leave this place? Worse, would the wolves back in La Push hear about this and come after us?

"Well, spit it out," Rosalie replied, agitated. "Did you recognize it?"

Edward nodded. He looked like he was in pain.

"Damn it, Edward, we can't all read minds."

Esme put a restraining hand on Rosalie's arm. She seemed to be a step ahead of her daughter.

"Edward, you need to tell us, dear. Whatever happened. We can deal with it."

Edward took a deep breathe. It was only then that I realized he hadn't met my eyes since we had gotten in the truck.

"I did recognize the scent," he said slowly. I waited for him to tell us that it was one of his siblings, or a member of the Volturi. I wasn't prepared for what he said next. "It was Bella's scent."

A/N: As always, reviews are not required but are very much appreciated.