I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and I hope you have fun reading it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or Charmed

Chapter 25

My heart pounds furiously, but my hands are steady as I point the gun straight at Edward.

His eyes widen, although his face remains impassive as he slowly raises his hands in a pleading stance. "Bella what are you doing?" Always calm and collected but I notice the slight edge to his voice.

"Who are you?!" My voice has reached a screech as I hold the gun pointed towards Edward.

"I can explain Bella. You don't have to do this, it's not what you think."

"What do I think Edward? Huh? You tell me. Because I think you're a sick fuck with some sort of obsession with me. I think you've been lying to me this entire time about everything! Now you tell me what the hell is going on?"

"Bella, please put the gun down," he pleads with me. His aloof mask slowly dropping, I can see the fear and worry on his face. "I promise I will tell you everything."

"No. I am done trusting you. Rose called me, she had someone investigate you, look into your history. I know Edward Masen doesn't exist," I sneer. "So, who are you? Tell me now!" I scream and try to calm my now shaking hands. I pray he doesn't notice.

He pauses as if considering his next choice of words carefully, an agonized look on his face. Finally, he takes a deep breath and shuts his eyes.

"Bella…six months ago I was sent here to San Francisco…to kill you."

It's as if my entire world pauses for a moment and suddenly begins spinning in the opposite direction.

With his words, he's stuck a pin into me and the air whooshes out of me all at once. I can hardly register the words as they ring out in my ears.

Kill me.

Kill me.

The man I'd fallen in love with, the man I'd trusted with every part of my being was sent here… to kill me.

"What?" My voice is barely a whisper, but he hears me. He always hears me.

"I'm sorry Bella, I'm so sorry," his voice catches at the end.

"W-w-why?" is the only word I can get out.

"I'm not entirely sure, I just take the orders. I'm only starting to piece everything together myself Bella," he shakes his head to himself.

"Take orders? From who? What? Are you a part of some gang?"

"You are a very important person to a very powerful man," he says slowly, emphasizing each word.

These words have no meaning though. The devastation he's caused is quickly turning into an emotion that threatens to consume me.

Rage.

He lied to me for months. Made me fall in love with him. Slept with me. Made me consider a future with him. All of that just to kill me?

"So why not just kill me when you had the chance huh, why would you put me through all of this if you planned on killing me?" My voice catches, but the gun in my hand points towards him and is no longer shaky. "Was this just some sick twisted game to you? Fuck the poor pathetic girl before you killed her?! Answer me!"

He flinches.

"I couldn't Bella…I tried. God, you don't know hard I tried. But I couldn't. At first, I was sent to gather as much information as I could about you. I knew everything, Bella. Your likes, fears, family history. I knew everything. I had to in order to get you to trust me and get close to me." He takes a step forward and I step backward on instinct. He chuckles sadly. "Well, I thought I knew everything. I wasn't prepared for the actual woman behind the file, the real Bella. I got to know you, not some girl from pictures. I got to know this beautiful woman who cares about others more than she should, who's been through complete hell but is the most hopeful person I know…"

He pauses, perhaps waiting for me to say something, but I let him continue.

"You don't know how many times I tried….to do it…," he shakes his head. "The night of our first date and then when you slept over after the fight with Rosalie. That night you were so…. vulnerable…an easy target. I gave you that drink to knock you out. I thought it would be easier to do it then. It was my last chance, they'd given me the final order. But even then, I knew I couldn't have even thought of hurting you… it was physically impossible…"

"Oh God," I murmur. My heart breaks listening to his words, so many things begin to come together. Memories of how strange he'd been acting that night, how tired I'd been, how strange he was when I woke up. I feel my stomach moving violently. I think I'm going to be sick. I shake my head furiously.

"And I know now… it's because I've fallen in love with you Bella," his voice breaks on my name.

My eyes shut at his words and the pain in my chest expands. How I've dreamt of him saying those words. I dreamt of how I would hold him tightly and say them back to him. Never could I have predicted that this would be how I'd hear them.

He was lying to save his life.

"Stop it. I don't believe you," I angrily whisper.

"It's the truth, Bella. I admit that everything else was a lie, but not that. Not my love for you, you have to believe that. Bella, you have my soul."

"Please stop it," I'm whimpering now, fighting back the tears threatening to fall.

I'm still processing his words, words I would have never expected in a million years. Could I truly trust him? Could he really love me after being sent here to kill me? Could I still love him after hearing that? Was he just saying these things because there was a gun pointed at his head?

After all, there was still a job that he had to finish.

He takes a step forward again.

"I'm sorry baby, I'm so sorry," he shakes his head and I swear I see his eyes glisten.

"Shut up. Don't call me that," I lash out. Rage is the easiest emotion to feel right now. I don't know what to think anymore. I close my eyes tightly. My head is pounding.

"What do you know about your father Bella? Charlie? About his work, his history?" He asks suddenly.

"What does my dad have to do with anything?" My eyes pop open and I stare at him heatedly.

"What do you know?" He repeats again more adamant.

"My dad was a police officer Edward, you know this."

"No Bella, there's more. There was more to your parent's death than you know," he says unwaveringly.

"What do you mean? Are you saying my parents were m-murdered?" my heart lurches. Oh, no.

No no no. Please no.

"I don't know Bella. But…I believe so. I'm sorry you had to find out like this. I'm so sorry,"

I have to grip the chair beside me to steel myself. Revelation after revelation threatens to drown me. Edward continues.

"I don't know much about the connection between them and my boss. But I know the information I was sent to find was tied to them, the people who sent me thought you may hold the key to something. What that is I'm still trying to figure out." Edward says softly, I can tell he wants to reach out to me.

Now my parents are somehow involved in all of this, their death wasn't just some freak accident? People are after me because I hold some key. What the hell does any of this even mean?

This is too much. It's as if the walls are beginning to close in on me, his words are terrifying and heartbreaking all at once. I have to get out of here. My eyes began to dart around to the front door.

He steps toward me, involuntarily I think. Perhaps he sees I'm about to flee. I clutch the gun tighter.

"Bella, I'm not going to hurt you."

I chuckle darkly. Says the guy sent here to kill me.

"How can I believe a word that you're saying right now? About any of this? You've lied to me over and over and over. You were sent here to fucking kill me. Why should I believe a word you say?" I sneer. He winces and his eyes shut tight.

A bitter chuckle escapes me. Rose warned me. God, she's probably worried sick right now. I hung up on her. She tried to warn me about him and then I ran right towards the danger she warned me about.

I ran to the one person who up until now felt like the safest person in the world. A person who had just confessed his love for me. The person who was sent here to kill me.

The pain from these admissions cut deep, I can barely hold myself up. The gun in my hand shakes. The sad part is I know no matter what I could never use this gun on him. Regardless of all these confessions, a deep part of me still loves him.

I hate myself for it.

But the look in his eyes, his beseeching, and agony-filled eyes, almost seem as if a part of him may actually love me too.

A piece of me hates him even more for that.

Minutes pass filled with silence. I don't know how long we've been standing here. I'm trying to figure out where to go from here. Do I go to the police? Turn him in? He said a powerful man sent him. Who the hell thought I was so important? Important enough to be murdered. Like my parents.

"Bella, I know that you're scared-" he starts.

"I'm not scared," I shoot back quickly.

"You pace when you're nervous," he says softly.

"Do I?"

"Yeah, you're doing It right now."

I stop and face him again. This time I stare into his eyes as if I can see into his soul. I don't think he'll hurt me, something deep inside of me believes him when he says that. But that's all I can allow myself to believe right now, nothing more.

I need to get away from him.

I hurriedly put the safety on the gun and tuck it into the waistband of my jeans. I step backward, away from him, but still facing him.

"I'm leaving," I say slowly.

"Bella, I can't let you do that," he shakes his head apologetically.

Scoffing, I roll my eyes. As if he could stop me.

"I'm getting the fuck out of here and away from you Edward. If that's even your real name," I chuckle humorlessly.

He ignores the quip and continues.

"Bella, I was sent here to kill you. And now that they know I've failed, they are going to send more people here to do it, and this time they won't spare you…or me," he says each word calmly.

Chills run through my body. I don't understand, what the hell is so important about me? Why are there suddenly people being sent after me?

"Then it sounds like I need to go to the police," a tremor goes through my voice.

"Bella, I wouldn't suggest that, there are so many things you don't know, hell even I don't know. I don't know who we can trust- "

"Hmph, we?" I stop him there.

"Yes, we," he sighs pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't know if there are undercovers sent by Aro- "

My breath catches at the name.

"Aro? You know Aro?" My feet move forward involuntarily.

He nods slightly.

"The man from the picture," my voice trails off. I've been searching for weeks and this entire time the man I was dating knew him. That meant he was still alive. "Edward, what the hell is going on?"

"Bella, we need to go to a safer place- "

"No, I'm sick of the lies, and the runarounds, and the secrets. You're going to tell me right now or I'm gone."

"Bella, please you don't understand- "

"Tell me!" I yell.

"Bella," he sighs, "Please, I'm begging you…let me protect you."

Removing the gun from my waist I point it at him again, cocking it.

"I remember when you warned me about evil, Edward. You told me to protect myself… I had no idea you were warning me about you," I shake my head, my voice cracking slightly. His face crumbles at my words but I steel myself. "I'm leaving."

There's a finality in my tone as I began backing towards the door again. I grab my bag from the corner of the chair as I do so. There is pure desperation on his face but there's nothing he can do to stop me as I continue backing away. He clutches his side that is bandaged up, eyes following my every moment. I break our gaze when I hit the door, turning and bolting away from Edward.

I don't allow the tears to fall until I'm tucked inside of my truck with the doors locked. The sun has long set now, it's been hours since Rose called.

I don't know what to do. Where do I go? I can't go home, what if someone comes there to hurt me? I can't risk them hurting Rose and Alice too. Maybe I can go to the police.

'But he told you not to,' that little voice says and I know deep down there's a reason for Edward's words.

My tears continue to fall. They fall for my parents. They fall out of the fear that is threatening to consume me. They fall for Edward. They fall because of the anger I have towards him and the entire situation I've found myself in. And they fall because of the love. The love that's deep inside of me for this man. This murderer.

I'm so consumed by grief and anger that it's a moment too late before I realize I'm not alone. I sense the person behind me and then I feel the cold metal of the gun against my temple.

"Isabella, it's a pleasure to see you again."