Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any characters involved. No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: Okay my fantastic readers! Here is the moment we've all been waiting for - Chapter 1 of the sequel to Perfectly Imperfect. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and give me some feedback, positive or negative. I could really use both. Please review if you can, no pressure. :)

Chapter One

Daddy's Little Defect

Edward was propped on his elbow as he gazed down at me. I tried ignoring him by looking at the stars but he got to me as usual.

"What?" I asked with a smile.

He shook his head with his crooked grin, still watching me.

I glanced away from his penetrating eyes, suddenly shy and self conscious. "Don't you think we should get home?"

He sighed and got up. In a flash I was right by him, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Beat you there," I whispered in his ear before I sprinted toward his house, leaving the magical meadow. He laughed behind me and was soon catching up. We burst through the doors, smiling like fools. His family watched us curiously before going on with their previous affairs. I went up the stairs and to the bedroom that now belonged to both Edward and I. A bed had been put in along with a television and a new wardrobe for me.

I plopped onto the bed, kicking my jeans off as I searched through the clothes, looking for a pair of sweats. Edward entered soon after and turned on the television. The news lady's voice poured into the closet.

"Local police officer's daughter has gone missing."

My ears pricked and I was standing in front of the T.V. in a second. A picture of me with a group of friends popped onto the screen, zooming in on my face.

"Chief Swan's teenage daughter, a high school cheerleader and prized student, went missing just last week. She was last seen with her boyfriend who is also absent." It cut to an interview with my father.

His eyes were red and he looked exhausted. My breath caught. "Bella's a good girl…I don't know where she would've gone to. Dr. Cullen's son is also missing and we're doing everything here in investigation." He looked directly at the camera. "Bells, if you're watching this, please come home. Your mom…your mom and I miss you."

The news lady's serious face took the screen again. "If you see or have heard anything about Isabella Swan or Edward Cullen, please contact the hotline listed below. In other news…"

I turned to Edward, my eyes wide. "We have to go see my parents."

His face was torn. "Bella, I don't think that's such a good idea. You're still brand new to all of this. You could seriously injure, possibly even kill, one of them. We can't take that kind of risk."

"That's as far as you know Edward…what if I don't kill them?" I could hear the doubt in my own voice. Just the thought of coming close to a human scared me so bad that I isolated myself to the Cullen's home and the forest for the past week.

He opened his mouth to speak again when a light knock came to the door. Edward sighed exasperatedly. "Come in Alice…"

"Did you see the news?" Her face was a perfect façade of calm and serene. I narrowed my eyes at her, jealous of her tranquility.

"Of course," Edward answered for both of us. He studied her for a while before his eyes turned into slits. "We haven't made that choice yet."

She rolled her eyes and delicately sat next to me on the bed. "Edward, people are really going to get suspicious…she at least has to let them know she's okay."

"She can call," he snapped.

"Edward!" I chided. It was unusual to hear him speak to his favorite sister like that.

"Even with a call, they can trace the number right back to us," she insisted. "We cannot take on something chancy like that. They could easily find out about us."

"And how do you propose we explain the absence? Her stunningly different eyes? How about the fact she's not so human anymore?"

Alice smiled victoriously despite Edward's hateful and disagreeing tone. "Easy. We have two options. One: you both were so in love that you decided to runaway together and in the turn of events, chose to come back home."

I was already shaking my head when she started the first option. "No, my father would kill Edward and even take this into lawful matters. I can't have that."

"Okay, two: you guys got lost while hiking in the woods but since Edward took a survival class when he was in boy scouts, you successfully endured." She beamed at both of us.

"Boy scouts?" Edward retorted, cocking one eyebrow. "And what about her appearance?"

She whipped out a contact lens case out of nowhere, displaying it before us. "Brown contacts -we can throw these in her eyes and make her wear some boring sweat pants like the ones she has on right now and call it good."

"But what if I have to stay with them?" I looked at the two for answers. This seemed to stop them in their tracks. I watched them mentally throw ideas at each other for a moment. By the time they were done, I was more than anxious.

Edward's eyes were filled with regret as he stared at me. The realization of what their plan was hit me, knocking the breath out of me.

"I can't…" I whispered in disbelief. "It would be so wrong." For the first time since my change, I completely hated myself and what I had become. I would have to hurt people around me just so I could go on with my life. It was selfish and disgusting.

Alice grasped my hand. "It's better this way, Bella. You'll get used to seeing everyone you love die. It's something we can't help."

"But - but what about Jacob?" I choked up. "He'd figure it out and probably point his finger at you guys happily."

"We'll leave," Edward said softly from the other side of the room. "That way, no one will know."

I got up from my position to go stand by him. He immediately wrapped his arms around me and placed a kiss on the top of my head. We watched the sun slowly come up.

"Edward, I at least have to see Jake one more time. You know that."

"Alice, could you for once just stop trying to be right?" Edward mumbled.

She sighed. "Sorry."

I looked at him questioningly.

"She told me that you would say that," he muttered explicitly.

"Anyone could've figured it out though, Edward." I took his face between my hands, forcing him to look at him. I couldn't help but be a little smug that he wasn't able to move out of my grip, my newborn strength too powerful for him. "He's my best friend. I have to let him know that I'm alive and fine."

He looked at me painfully and pleaded, "Bella…"

"Edward, I have to. Just let me have this," I whispered, closing my eyes and leaning on him, "please."

There was the sound of the door clicking as it closed. I was suddenly in Edward's arms as carried me to the king sized bed. He gently laid me down on the thick golden comforter, taking his place next to me. I guess Alice had left.

"You can see him," he said in a low voice.

I grinned and pulled him down into a deep, lingering kiss. "Thank you," I sighed against his lips. Something inside me began to stir as he hovered above me. My fingers automatically knotted into his hair, holding him close to me. As easy as cutting into butter, I hastily ripped the over sized shirt I had on into two pieces, leaving me in just a bra. The thought of finally being with Edward would've made my heart pound. Edward's hands began to roam my body. Then unexpectedly, he stopped.

I jerked back in worry. "What? Is something wrong?"

He shook his head as he pushed himself upright, adjusting his clothes into the right position. "No."

"Then why did you stop?" I watched his face for any emotion, but as usual, he didn't show anything.

"Because, I already took one thing from you…I'm not taking another."

"Well," I said with a twinkle in my eye and ignoring the first part, "what if I took something from you? Wait, that wouldn't work…it's probably been gone a while." I looked away, slightly humiliated.

Then something flashed across his face so quick I wasn't sure it even happened. He quickly stood up and made his way to the bathroom.

"Whoa whoa, is there something you need to tell me Edward Cullen?" I raised my eyebrows and was soon behind him as he stood in front of the sink. I wrapped my arms around his waist, trying to peek at him in the mirror.

He avoided my gaze, pretending to be entertained with the things on the counter, which were very few.

I gasped in sudden realization. "No way! You're still a -"

"Yes, yes!" He threw his hands up. "I'm still a…virgin." He wrinkled his perfect nose

I giggled. "Mr. Cullen, I think I have a proposition." I started to place little kisses on his smooth back.

He turned around swiftly, his eyes shut as he put my hands to my side. "No, Bella."

"Why not?"

"I'm not taking this away from you unless it's done correctly."

I snorted. "What do you mean? Like getting married?"

"Exactly," he said.

"You don't mean that." I rolled my eyes.

"Oh don't I?" He exited the bathroom and straight to the closet. He began to dig through our clothes.

"No, you don't," I argued.

He whirled around at the tone of my voice, a dramatic expression of shock on his face. "Do you not want to marry me, Isabella?"

"I never said that." I stood up straighter trying to hold my ground.

"That's what you were implying," he pointed out.

"I wasn't even implying that! I would marry you in a heartbeat -"

He folded his arms across his chest, amused. "Then why aren't you agreeing to this?"

I grumbled in frustration, grabbing a plain blue t-shirt out of the drawer and slipped it on quickly. When his expectant face was still there, I escaped the giant closet to go into the bedroom.

Alice was waiting patiently in a skinny jeans and a plain white t-shirt with a grey vest. She smiled encouragingly but I couldn't help but feel there was a double meaning in it.

"No," Edward growled from the closet.

I flustered. "Edward, Alice is here…I don't think we should be talking about this right now."

Alice stuck her tongue out in the direction of Edward before she spoke to me. "He wasn't talking about that. I just thought that I should be the one to take you home to see your parents."

"And she thought wrong. I don't care what you can see Alice, we aren't putting her or her parents into a dangerous situation like that." He finally came out of the closet in a black v-neck t-shirts and dark jeans. I would've jumped him if Alice wasn't right there, and whether he wanted to or not.

"She'll be fine Edward," she replied convincingly. "Come on, you should be home anyway…resting up since you save Bella from a mountain lion!"

He gave her a puzzled look. "Now your imagination is just getting out of hand."

"Look, you didn't start off well with Charlie when you guys made yourself a couple. I'm Alice, I can charm anyone…and I already have a plan." She sighed when his expression didn't change. "You can see what I see Edward! Why aren't you comprehending that this will work?"

He looked at both of us for a second before finally deciding. "Fine…but I'm going to be in the trees while you're in the house and I will be following you on the way home so I can monitor for you."

Alice beamed and hooked her arm through mine. "It'll be alright, Edward."

Less than five minutes later I was sliding into the seat of a black Dodge Viper. I rubbed the leather interior, fascinated. Alice grabbed a few things and took her place in the driver seat. She smiled excitedly. I managed the best one I could. Her face fell immediately as she started the car, the rumble vibrating the car.

"I'm sorry you have to go through this Bella," she said sadly as we sped down the drive way.

I grimaced and looked out the window, thinking to myself. It still amazed me at how quickly my life could change in a matter of months…in a matter of days. Just thinking about the pain I went through in what I had learned was three days made me shutter. Edward had explained everything to me the night I woke up.

We had been heading back to the car so he could take me home when a threesome of vampires showed up unexpectedly. Alice said it would be fine but sent Emmett just to be sure. Laurent, one of the vampires, had noticed me and Edward made up every excuse he could just to keep them from attacking me, but it just instigated them on. James, another vampire, held him down while Victoria, James' mate, grabbed onto me.

He had told me that after Victoria escaped with me, Emmett showed up. Even with his own speed and Emmett's strength, Laurent and James had turned out to be quite the match, stalling them from following. If it hadn't been for Alice seeing where she had taken off with me, I would be lying in a grave right now. I owed my life to both her and Rosalie, who followed Alice to the location to help. It had been difficult for them to carry me home with my blood, but they somehow managed to get me back to Carlisle. Edward got back just as the venom started to settle, making it too late to reverse the change. He still blames himself no matter what I tell him.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, we pulled up in front of my house. Alice handed me the case with the brown contacts and a helpful smile. I grasped the little piece of plastic as I looked at the windows where I could hear the television on and silverware hitting plates…and where I could hear the heartbeat of two humans full of blood.