Author's Note: There's nothing more relaxing than spending an afternoon listening to records and reading. My parents are making carne asada in the backyard and there's a nice wind blowing through my room. I'm so glad finals are over, spring break is awesome.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. This includes Twilight.

I woke to the buzzing sound of the alarm clock. The hazy sunlight filtering through the curtains reminded me that I was alive and still breathing. All I wanted was to pull the covers over my head and fall back asleep. I never thought I would wish for the thick fog of Forks.

I hadn't had any nightmares in a long time, but the last few nights had awakened some hidden fear of mine. There were no forests in my dreams, no werewolves, just a darkness that engulfed me. I guess living with a vampire that may or may not be my friend had me on edge.

I was still unsure of what side Gregory was on, I couldn't come to terms with the fact that he had intentionally befriended me. No matter how much I told myself to be scared of him, I wasn't.

I yawned, stretched, and placed my bare feet on the cool wooden floor. I had work later that morning. Work seemed overrated, especially when there were vampires stalking you in the night and other life threatening things to worry about.

I quickly dressed and headed for the fridge. 'Please go to the store. You ate all my food,' read the note on the fridge. It was kind of ironic since Gregory didn't really eat food. I grabbed my messenger bag and decided to take a quick trip to the store before heading for work.

I fumbled with my ipod, trying to untangle the headphones, and nearly fell when I stepped out of the elevator. I reached the store and realized I would have to make this quick. I walked through the store as quickly as I could; only getting the necessities. There was no way I would make it to work on time, but I still half sprinted back to the apartment.

I stepped into the elevator right before the doors closed and searched for the key Gregory had given me. I was still looking for the keys when the elevator slid open to reveal a semi opened door. I could make out Gregory's voice from the hall.

'I thought he was at school,' I was standing in the elevator debating what to do. I strained my ears to listen but his voice was no louder than a whisper.

I stepped towards the door hoping he wouldn't hear me; I had to keep reminding myself that he wasn't human.

"I understand. I am keeping an eye on her, she's actually living with me at the moment." He was on the phone.

"I—I was not trying to hide her from you, its just I—I wanted her to trust me. It would make things easier." Was he referring to me?

"Yes, I'll be on the next flight."

The elevator doors closed, the sound was loud and evident in the quiet corridor. I had to flee. There was no other way, but how could I keep my heart from leaping out of my chest. Like a flailing fish, my lungs were gasping for air. Could I really deceive a vampire into thinking I was completely relaxed? No, I couldn't. How was I supposed to get out of this? Think Bella!

Even if I did deceive him, what then? Where would I go? I couldn't run forever. It was clique to even think it, but it was now or never. I had to make a choice. I exhaled, and entered the room. He was standing there, waiting. He watched my every move with a disguised indifference. As if he didn't hear the throbbing of my heart against my chest.

"Shit, I was looking for the keys and the elevator closed and I left the groceries in the elevator, and I'm late for work." I was babbling.

"Could this day get any worse," I said as I lifted my arms in despair. My acting skills were not incredible but I was hoping he was too engulfed in his telephone conversation to notice.

"Yes, uncle, I'll see you soon," he said into the phone before hanging up.

"I'm sorry did I interrupt something?"

"No, it was just my uncle. I'm actually leaving to go visit him today."

"Oh. Well, I better go find our groceries," I said as I headed towards the elevator as quickly as possible. I could sense Gregory walking behind me.

"Wait. I have to leave in the next half hour, and I want to make sure you'll be okay. I mean, are you going to be okay alone?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you kinda go into zombie mode when something bad happens."

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me. Just go and have fun." I said as a patted his shoulder in a sorry attempt to show some type of affection, it was obvious I was trying to keep my distance.

"What's with the shoulder pat? Give me a hug." He pulled me into a tight embrace that took me by surprise. It felt so normal to hug him, like I had known him forever. He couldn't possibly be planning on hurting me. He pulled away and looked straight into my eyes.

"Maybe you could call that old friend of yours and he could spend a couple of nights with you. I just don't feel right leaving you alone." He looked around the apartment searching for signs of anything that might be unsafe. Gregory suggesting that I spend time with Edward was unexpected to say the least.

"Greg, I'll be fine. Now I'm definitely late for work. Have fun and bring me back something." I said as I walked out of the apartment as calmly as possible. He was glued to the spot where we had been standing with an anxious look in his eyes.

"Find the groceries for me, please," I yelled as I stepped into the empty elevator. He smiled a sad smile and nodded.

I hurried through the busy streets of the city trying to get as far away was possible. I could still feel Gregory's cold arms wrapped around me. Uncle…I doubted that, probably some other vampire…

Work went by as usual, at a painfully sluggish pace. People came and went, all stuffing their faces. Usually, I enjoyed work but with everything that was going on it wasn't enough to keep my mind from wandering. Anabel was waiting for me when my shift ended, and I was glad. I needed the company.

"Gregory called. He said to keep an eye on you," she said mockingly.

"He's so dramatic. I'm fine really; I practically lived alone back in Forks."

"I needed a movie night with my best friend anyways."

"Fine, what masterpieces did you bring from your collection?" Anabel had one of the biggest movie collections I had ever seen. From French new wave to the corniest horror flicks.

"I thought we'd start with Romeo and Juliet, you know, the version with the guns."

"And why did you pick THAT movie out of the hundreds you have?"

"I'm a Shakespeare fanatic, you know that. Plus, I have to compare film adaptations of Shakespearean plays for my film studies class. 10 Things I Hate About You would be the second film on my list."

I scoffed. "So, this is a 'keep an eye on Bella while doing homework night'?"

"Don't be silly. You love Shakespeare more than I do. You'd probably write a better paper."

We reached the apartment and I realized a night alone wouldn't have been that bad. Make take a long bath, listening to old records, even catch up on some reading. Now, here was Anabel expecting me to do something insane. I turned around and saw Anabel on the balcony. I guess I wasn't the only one with problems.

"Bella, do you remember when we met?"

"Of course, we met at a thrift store in Brooklyn."

"Yeah, and we ended working up in the same diner, too."

"Yeah, that was a happy coincidence," I said absent mindedly as I searched for the popcorn with extra butter.

"Did you really think it was a coincidence, Bella?" I turned to look at Anabel but someone different was standing in her place. The girl I was staring at had piercing red eyes and full ruby lips. Her hair was the same as Anabel's, almost white blonde hair.

There was no mistaking the fact that the person in front of me was a vampire, a non vegetarian vampire. She stood there waiting for me to soak everything in. Anabel was a vampire.

"It's my gift. I'm good at blending in." She strolled casually back to the balcony. I had no chance of running away and she knew that. I wasn't scared, in fact I was angry.

"So, I guess your wondering why the big act, right?" She stared at me and sighed.

"Very well, I'll tell you my story since you're obviously a bit shocked. Where to begin…," she said as she paced back and forth.

"I was born in 1910 in New York, my parents were Irish immigrants but they didn't have enough money to feed all ten of us. So, I was left at an orphanage where I lived until I was fifteen." She looked at me; was she hoping for sympathy?

"I know you're angry, and I also know you're a fair person. I hope you'll hear me out before you pass judgment. Why don't you sit?" She motioned towards the couch and I reluctantly took a seat.

"I was forced to become a beggar, a thief for the first few years after my release from the orphanage. But I soon became very good at burglary, like I said I'm good at blending in and that came as a great benefit to me. I even joined a gang of thieves and the like." Her pacing was making me dizzy.

"Could you stop…moving. You're making me dizzy." I said in a low voice. She turned to look at me and her red eyes took on a sad look.

"Very well. I'll cut the story short. I'm sure your wondering what I'm going to do with you. When I was twenty, I tried to break into a house but what I didn't know was that a vampire lived there. Of course, he caught me but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to kill me."

"Now, here I am. I joined the Volturi during the 1960's. I was tired of moving. I wanted a family, so I became part of their guard."

"What about Gregory," I asked.

"I was living in London in the 1980's when I saw him. Something drew me to him, and for my own selfish reasons I turned him. He became my brother and best friend."

"So, the Volturi sent you to kill me or just play with my head?" I was demolishing the box of popcorn in my hand. I wanted to chuck it at her, but that would have been useless.

"We were to transport you back to Italy where Aro would give you the option of joining our guard or dying." She looked towards the window that overlooked the city; she seemed to be making a decision at that precise moment.

"For some reason Gregory couldn't bring himself to hurt you. I think he accidentally fell in love with you. The Volturi began to pressure us, and sent Heidi to keep a close eye on the situation. He was summoned back to Italy when Heidi realized we had been keeping information from Aro. For all I know Gregory could be dying as we speak. Aro doesn't like it when we disobey his orders." She tapped her foot impatiently waiting for me to respond, but I wasn't sure what to say.

"Okay, so what now?" I never thought this would be the day I died. I was hoping that day would be reserved for Edward.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. If you run, someone will find you. If I take you to Italy, and they turn you, you'll never get to see your lover boy again. Then, there's the option of death which doesn't exactly turn out well for you."

I sighed. "Edward is in New York, I'm sure you know that. Maybe…."

"He's no longer in New York. He went after Gregory. He didn't know I was a vampire, my power basically covers everything."

I nodded. She could fool anyone including other vampires.

"Bella, sweetheart, I have to say you've been the best friend I've ever had," she hesitated, "I think I have a plan that doesn't involve heartbreak or death."

Playlist:

Stella was a diver and she was always down- Interpol

Rock Tonic Music Juice – Saves the day

This is not a competition – Bloc Party