So, raise your hand if you want to beat me with a stick. Haha, yeah, I'm really sorry that it has been a dry pool of updates, but my sophomore year started a few months ago and since that time, I haven't had a moment of peace. Between swim team, and fundraising for my trip to China next summer (haha, suckers – I get see to the ******* pandas… and my parents won't be present… and I'm going to see the Olympic stadium where Michael Phelps made history… I knew taking Chinese would pay off), and keeping up with the ghost of my social life, and fighting with my dad, and getting in my hours to get my license, and schoolwork (notice how it comes at the bottom of the list.) I have had no time to write for this story. Please accept my humblest apologies.

Previously: "Mary Alice Brandon. Why?" But I hung up without an answer.

Chapter 5

There it was again. That embarrassed pang at the back of my head. I mean, here I was, sitting in the middle of a high-end Chinese restaurant, waiting for someone that I didn't even know. Well, I knew her – kind of – but she didn't know me. I wondered how 'stalker' was defined in the dictionary.

After my night-owl phone-call with Jasper, I had stayed up all night contemplating my sanity.

It didn't take long to think through. I was crazy, and I knew it. Normal people don't decide to play Fate. Sane people don't become obsessed with people they haven't seen in person – actually, they don't become obsessed at all. And psychologically sound people definitely don't call their best friend's girlfriend and invite them to lunch – without said best friend's knowledge.

The next day Jasper and I had gone out to lunch as usual; it was a local sandwich deli this time. It was popular on Fridays, and that day had been no exception. He shoved his way into line and I weaseled out a table. He handed me his crap, and told me not to be a dipshit and lose it. I answered sarcastically that I would try my hardest to fight the urge to throw it in the trash.

It took me a while to find a spot, but eventually a couple of high school girls moved aside from their window seats – giggling flirtatiously at me as they threw their trash away. I noticed that they had left numbers on the napkins remaining on the table, and I threw them away in disgust. Insane, yes. Pedophilic, no.

I ran my fingers through my messy hair, and rubbed at the five-o-clock shadow on my jaw. My thoughts were going back to old messenger bag, as they seemed to be doing a lot lately. Consequentially, this made me think of my little discovery and how I was supposed to handle the situation. And then I was blind-sided by an idea. Brilliant, but stupid. Without thinking about it, I shuffled through Jasper's belongings and found his phone. I flipped through the contacts quickly as possible and found her name. I transferred the number to my phone as discreetly as possible and put his phone back into his jacket pocket.

Lunatic. I was an utter lunatic. And I was oddly okay with it.

I was twiddling with my thumbs idly when the waitress made an appearance.

"Someone up says they're here to see you, Mr. Cullen." She said. I could barely hear her; she was so quiet. "Her name is Ms. Brandon…?" I gave her a warm smile and nodded. She returned it nervously and flitted away.

My nerves were buzzing and I couldn't stop twitching. It took all of my restraint not to bolt before Alice made her appearance; she would most certainly pin me as the psychopath that I was. Underneath my embarrassed surface of emotion, I was surprised at how much I felt I needed Ms. Brandon's approval. It shouldn't matter to me. She was just a stranger. Then again, I felt like I knew her quite well, but that was only the Alice I knew in the videos. What if she was different in reality?

"Hello, Mr. Cullen." Her bright and cheery voice broke through my reverie. I looked up and blinked in surprise when I saw her blinding smile. I stood up abruptly and thanked the waitress and thanked her blandly. The nervous Asian woman murmured something unintelligible and stumbled away.

Alice was much shorter than I had perceived her in the videos. She only came up to my mid-bicep. She was still smiling at me brightly. I wondered if she was crazy too and grinned at the thought. We'd get along just fine if that was the case.

"Hello, Ms. Brandon." I answered a bit late, but she didn't seem to mind much, sliding into the opposite side of the booth. She motioned for me to seat myself as well, as if she were the one that had arranged this meeting. I sat.

We were silent for a long time, but it wasn't awkward; we were too busy sizing each other up for it to be tense. She looked down and ripped open her package of chopsticks. She pulled them out daintily and held them out towards me. I blinked at them and looked to her face.

"Could you open them for me? If I do, I'll get a splinter." I smirked and snapped them apart for her.

"You sound like it's a sure thing." I said, ready to weigh her reply. The Alice I knew from the videos had an uncanny sense of intuition.

"It was." She corrected. Her face was more cautious now. "Mr. Cullen, why don't you tell me why I'm here?" She didn't sound remotely curious; she knew my answer and was already considering her reply. My lips twitched. This Alice was parallel to video-Alice.

"I have something that belongs to you." I said quietly. "But you already know that." She was playing the dumb façade and it irritated me.

The nervous waitress was back. "What can I get you two?" She was clicking her pen annoyingly.

"Just water for now." I sighed, not particularly hungry.

"The same for me." Alice said, tapping her chopsticks on the table like a pair of drum sticks. The waitress shot off in the directions of the kitchen.

"Poor girl." Alice noted, still drumming on the table.

"What?" I looked over at her, mystified.

"She has a little crush on you, Cullen." I raised my eyebrows.

"When did you decide to drop the 'Mr.'?" I asked, not acknowledging her assessment.

"We're going to be friends, Edward." Alice said simply, flicking open her menu and browsed the selection in a bored sort of way. I was taken aback by her ease with saying something so heavy. But I believed her.

"I see." I said, mimicking her and opening my menu. When I looked up again, she was absolutely beaming at me. I shot her a puzzled look.

"It's nice to know that you're accepting it so easily. It took me forever to crack Bella's egg." She explained without a question to answer. "You understand me. And I you." Oh yeah. This girl was a weirdo. But I think that's why we were going to get along so well. Two peas in a pod.

Again with the nervous waitress. "Have you two decided?" She murmured, giving me a sideways glance that was a confirmation of Alice's observation.

"Some vegetarian egg rolls, please." Alice said in a sing-song voice. I wondered if she was being condescending.

"Chicken Lomein." I handed her my menu, and she scampered away. Alice let out a bubbly giggle. I shifted in my seat uncomfortably.

"So. About my stuff." She looked at me with an easy smile and raised her eyebrows pointedly.

"I'm just returning your belongings, Alice. Please don't make me sound like a drug-dealer." She laughed more loudly than necessary and several people swiveled in their chairs to send her snobbish, scandalized looks. Alice crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue playfully and I snickered. Her unfailing immaturity reminded me of Emmett, although he was a bit different in his style.

"Come on, Edward. Let's cut to the chase here. Or did you lie over the phone about my things?" I reached under the table and pulled up what had become my constant companion over the past couple of days. Alice reached for it eagerly and I slid it across the table to her. Quicker than I thought possible, she had flicked open the cover, pulled out her precious camcorder, and sent the bag back to me across the table. I frowned at her as she cradled and caressed her camera like a long-lost child.

"Don't you want the bag as well?" She looked at me and a mischievous spark floated through her dusky grey eyes.

"Why would I want that?" She asked coyly.

"So you can return it to your friends." I said, fighting the impatience in my voice.

"But you should do that, so they can give you proper thanks." Still coy. I fought the irritation. I just wanted to wash my hands of this crazy obsession.

"It doesn't really matter to me," I pressed, shoving the back at her. I didn't like the way it was still calling to me like a beacon of fate.

"But it will matter to them." Her voice was no longer coy. It was determined. I stared at her unfathomably as she pushed it back to me. Not normal. But neither was I.

"Alice." I leaned forward and locked my gaze with hers, trying hard to be persuasive. "Alice, can't you just do me a favor?" She wasn't affected like most people usually were when I pressed for something. She smirked at me.

"Common courtesy, Edward." She grinned.

"The kind of courtesy isn't common." I was still using my most persuasive voice with her, though I knew she would win. Come on, Alice. Help me wash my hands of the Crazy.

"Why are you so set on having me deliver it?" She suddenly leaned back and fit her fingers together. I somehow saw the Godfather in this small, elfish woman. The concept was ridiculous and I snorted.

"Because it's easier. I don't have a lot of time on my hands." Lie. I had all the time in the world. My job was convenient. Can't you see I don't want to be so obsessed with something that has nothing to do with me? Help me, Alice.

"Then we'll go see h—um—them right now." I froze in shock. Go…right…now? "Come on, Edward. You have the day off." She whined. My eyes narrowed.

"I never told you that." She looked sheepish.

"Um…Jasper told me?" It came out as a question. She was hiding something. The tables had turned.

"You have some explaining to do, Ms. Brandon." She finally showed her temper and bristled.

"So do you, Mr. Cullen." I noticed that she had followed suit in usage of surnames. I folded my hands on the table and smiled.

"Ladies first." I said calmly. She scowled at me and opened her mouth to say something testy, I was sure, but the jumpy waitress was back once again. She clanged the plates together quite and bit as she set them down.

"Enjoy your meal." She said, looking at me sideways again. I don't know what happened, but suddenly a more confident smile was on her face when she looked at me. I looked down at my food. Not interested. I was never interested. Then the waitress was gone again.

"Well." Alice said, suddenly without reserve. "I know your name from both Jasper and your articles, Edward. I used to work as a photographer for a newspaper before I landed my job with Vogue, and I'm afraid that my habit of scoping out competition didn't go away with the occupation. I've seen that you have some underlying talent under those ridiculous stories." Her lip curled back and she rolled her eyes.

"I don't write those out of my own interest." I interrupted her icily.

"Of course." She agreed without teasing or questioning. "Anyway, when you called me a couple of days ago, I decided to do some research and make sure that you weren't some… you know. My job has its perks – it wasn't too much trouble to dig up your files." I raised my eyebrows. What kind of files? "I decided that you were legit, and here we are." She folded her arms resolutely and waited for my rebuff.

"Files." I said blankly.

"You know: work schedule, address, dental records." Dental records. And I thought I was a stalker. "Come on Cullen, give me the dirt. How'd you find me out?" Her voice was easy again. Playful banter.

"It was difficult, tracking you three down," I sighed, rolling my neck around to get rid of the kinks. "There wasn't any kind of identification inside the bag, or in the wallet. The cell phone was dead, and wouldn't charge with my cord, and I figured that it was a waste of money to go buy one that went with it. So…" I flinched mentally as I prepared for her reaction. "I tried looking at the camcorder, and ended up watching all the videos." Alice giggled. Giggled. What the hell? Who laughs at a creepy—?

"Sorry, Edward." She said, looking at my bemused expression. "It's just a bit funny how determined you were, when you could've just left it at the Lost and Found office at the station." My head hung and she continued quickly. "Don't worry, Edward. I probably would've done the same thing."

Yes. Very reassuring. You're probably crazy too. Despite my biting, sarcastic thoughts, I couldn't help but be slightly comforted by her words. I continued with my head still down.

"So I found out your names. I tried looking through the phonebook. I tried calling the New York operator. I tried looking online. I couldn't find you anywhere." I gave Alice a frustrated look, and she returned it pityingly. "Then Jasper mentioned your name in passing, and I made a connection." She blinked.

"And he just gave you my number?" She said.

"No. I stole it off his phone." I sounded sheepish and embarrassed again. "But why couldn't I find you on the internet or—," She cut me off.

"You should ask a certain someone else. That's not my place to explain." Alice responded, and I recognized the 'protective' mode that girls sometimes went into when protecting a friend's secret. I sighed and nodded.

We both stood at the same time and laughed. Neither of us had so much as touched our food, but we had somehow come to the silent, mutual agreement that neither of us was really hungry. I left a generous bill on the table. We strolled out of the restaurant together. I decided that I liked Alice.

I didn't think about it as I turned away from her toward the subway entrance, bag over my shoulder. Then her hand clamped around my jacket. I looked down at her in surprise and she grinned.

"Come on, Edward." She said with a grin. "When I said 'right now', I meant 'right now'."

I'm sorry if you readers would prefer if it were Bella he was meeting, but I just wanted explore the relationship Edward has with Alice because so few writers do. What I'm trying to do is flesh Edward out.

ATTENTION!!! ATTENTION!!! ATTENTION!!!ATTENTION!!!ATTENTION!!!ATTENTION!!!ATTENTION!!!ATTENTION!!!ATTENTION!!!ATTENTION!!!ATTENTION!!!ATTENTION!!!ATTENTION!!!ATTENTION!!!ATTENTION!!!ATTENTION!!!ATTENTION!!!ATTENTION!!!ATTENTION!!!ATTENTION!!!ATTENTION!!!ATTENTION!!!ATTENTION!!!ATTENTION!!!

I have a proposition for you guys. I'm trying to reach 1000 reviews by the time this story is finished. Now, I'm not asking this of you all without some sort of reward for reviewing. Because everyone who reviews will receive special bonus material. Now, I'm not saying what it is, but trust me, it'll be worth your while. Sometimes it'll be a different POV, sometimes it'll be cut scenes – who knows, maybe even a preview of the next chapter. So yeah, review to win your prize.

Izzy x Edward.