A/N: WOW! Finally posted! haha I can't believe it. It's taken me so long to do! So anyway, first chapter - only a draft. Will put edited one up asap, so bear with me. Hope you enjoy it and all the rest - tis a bit different to start off with! Any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Might not be able to answer them (yet), but we'll see! Read and review! xox L

Like an uncontrollable force, the wind pushed the rain down from the sky in diagonal sheets of water droplets, so fierce that they stung with every landing on your bare skin. I cursed softly to myself as I tried to lock up the library while making sure my umbrella wouldn't run off with my scarf, both of which threatened to escape at any moment.

I had only been out of the library for no more than two minutes, and my hair already clung to the nape of my neck, making me look like a drowned rat with blonde highlights. Cursing again - more than I'd ever cursed, I now realized - I began the never-ending war with my umbrella, which had decided that being turned inside out was more fun than actually doing its job.

It was like someone had pulled a perpetual rain cloud over Philadelphia. Not even Forks rained this much during the summer, and that was saying something.

Maybe I had brought my sour mood with me. The four weeks of my (supposedly) summer internship and I hadn't seen a drop of blue sky.

Not that never-ending rain and grey, stormy clouds didn't have their upside. One reason I had been dreading this summer was because of one main reason: the more sunlight, the less Robert was in my life. It had never been a problem before. Not until I had gone and realized that I was falling in love with Robert, which had apparently turned him visible to the rest of human kind. At least now I wouldn't get crazy looks when I talked to him.

If I had been spending the summer in Forks, then Robert's visibility wouldn't have been a problem. Robert was now living with the Cullens when he wasn't with me or at the hospital, completing his own internship. But I was here, in Philadelphia, where sunshine had been predicted for most of the summer. Thankfully, someone had decided that Philly hadn't been getting enough rain lately, and my summer had turned into a torrential downpour of never ending rain.

Thinking of Robert, I glanced at my watch, once more cursing this horrid place.

It was quarter past five already. Robert, who was utilizing Dr. Cullen's crown of Possibly the Best Medical Professional Earth Has Seen in the Last 300 Odd Years, was due to be coming straight from his Penn State afternoon classes to the Horror House of Terror for six pm, sharp. It would take me at least fifteen minutes to get back to the Horror House, and at least twenty minutes to make myself more like a human than a drowned rat. Which left ten minutes of possibly having to converse with the Spawn of Satan.

Or possibly Satan himself.

I rubbed my left temple, feeling the onset of a headache that usually came with any sort of mention or thought of the man who though he had the right to claim me as his 'daughter'. As I quickly hop-scotched over a series of puddles, I thought about the events - and people - that had led to my worst ever summer vacation.

What had seemed like yesterday, but was really only about six weeks ago, after almost been caught by my guardian (and resident Chief of Police) Charlie Swan in what was a very heavy make out session with Robert, a thick envelope had arrived in the mail.

Apparently Lynette, my boss at the Forks Public Library, had nominated me for a four week summer internship program at the University of Pennsylvania's main library. I had won the place, of course. Not that winning wasn't exciting. The library at Penn State was one of the oldest in the country, holding documents and first editions leading back to the 1700s. I had also lived in Philly for six months - one of the happiest six months of my life too, before being shifted by the Agency to Rhode Island.

I had been ever so excited for probably all of an hour and ten minutes when I received a phone call from Amanda, the lady who had been in charge of placing me in foster homes before Charlie had decided to legally become my guardian.

My world came crashing down when I learnt that my father - not Charlie, not any of my foster dads, but my father, the one who had left my mother ten days after I was born, wanted to meet me. Not just meet me, oh no, but have me stay with him for a while, get to know the daughter he abandoned so many years ago.

My first reaction had been no. There was no hope in hell that I was giving that man any satisfaction in thinking that I acknowledged him as my real father. Why should I make the effort of getting to know him, when he had plainly refused to know me for the last eighteen years?

I had talked it over with Robert after much deliberation, and finally decided to go. Coincidentally, my 'father' lived in Philadelphia, which meant I had somewhere to stay that was reasonably close to the campus at Penn State. So I had accepted both the internship and my father's offer of 'reconciliation,' and two weeks later I was living my own personal nightmare, complete with my own personal rain cloud. From the very first time I saw Luke Davies, the man who was supposed to be my father, I knew I'd be having a terrible time.

Not that it was all bad. My little ray of sunlight was in the form of Robert, who had rented out a one bedroom apartment close to the university. When he wasn't attending his classes, I was hanging out with him, limiting the time I actually saw John to an hour per day. If I was lucky.

Robert and I had grown closer than ever before. Even though I wished sometimes that he was still invisible, I loved being around him. If we were apart for too long, that old, familiar sense of pining came back. I felt calm when Robert was around, as if nothing bad was going to happen.

Bad things were going to happen though, I could feel it. If I didn't get back to the Horror House in time, and if he was there, my evening would be ruined. I hurried along the street faster, seeing the row of buildings, and more importantly, my father's townhouse.

The guy had taste, I have to admit. The townhouse was in one of the nicer neighbourhoods of Philadelphia, where poplar trees lined the streets and the grass was always green. Lawns and hedges were neatly trimmed, and the only sounds you could hear where those of dogs and the occasional child. It was the perfect American suburb, I thought, walking down the footpath. Thinking about it made me feel sick. The wives cooking Daddy dinner before he came home from work while helping young Timmy with his homework; Big Brother shooting hoops to keep his spot on the school basketball team, the family dog snapping at his heels playfully.

I quickened my pace. Happy families I didn't want to think about right now. My family was back in Forks, and I was stuck here in hell.

The townhouse was one of six that sat in the middle of Maple Avenue. I opened the little gate, letting it swing shut with a clang behind me. My usual plan of action was about to take centre stage, in the attempt to avoid the Devil at all costs. I opened the front door quietly, scuffing my feet on the welcome mat. My room - and bathroom - was off to the right on the ground floor, so I had every chance of sneaking in and back out un-noticed.

My hand reached out towards the closed door that would let me enter safety.

"Ally? Is that you home?"

I closed my eyes, letting my hand drop. I had no choice but to give myself up.

"Yes!" I called, banging my bag against the door as I opened it. Hopefully he would take the hint and leave me alone.

"Can we talk?"

I rolled my eyes. Talking with my father usually ended up with me tying my hands together so I couldn't reach for the kitchen knife.

I walked into the kitchen, where Luke was standing behind the island that sat out of place in the modern kitchen. A glass of red wine was in one hand, while the other shuffled through a stack of papers. A tie hung loosely around his neck, dragging on the tiles as he moved papers around the counter.

A hand rand instinctively through the tips of my blonde hair. We looked so alike, it scared me. Even our mannerisms were the same. He set the wine glass down, his hand moving towards his chin. His thumb rested lightly under his chin, the forefinger skimming his bottom lip. His index finger sat on one side of his nose, lightly tapping to an unseen beat.

I coughed, making my presence known.

He shoved the papers to the side, looking up. "How was your last day? I thought we could have some wine to celebrate." He held up his glass of wine.

"I'm going out," I said, my voice monotone. I walked over to fridge, pouring myself a glass of orange juice. I was going out and now it looked as if I wouldn't have enough time for a shower and thus look like a drowned rat for Robert.

"Out where?"

I shrugged my shoulders, knowing full well that I was acting like the kid in the Zits comic.

"Who with?"

What was this - twenty questions?

"Robert." I drained my glass, dumping it in the sink before turning around to leave.

"I'm not finished yet," Luke said. I spun back round. He had picked up a couple of sheets of paper again, and was staring at them with fierce intensity. Maybe his Satan eyes were going to red and turn them to fire.

"Look, Robert's going to be here in…" I checked my watch. "Less than fifteen minutes. I have to get ready."

"That can wait. This cannot," he said, looking at me. I rolled my eyes. One more night. I had to get through one more night, and then I would be back home, where I belonged.

"You like Philadelphia, don't you?" he asked, looking back at the papers. It irritated me. If he wanted to speak to me that badly, he could at least have the dignity to talk to my face.

"Of course I like Philadelphia," I answered. "I've always liked it here."

"And you liked Penn State?"

I nodded. "The campus is beautiful. The library was amazing. What's not to like?"

Luke finally set the papers down and looked at me.

"Alexandra, I want you to move in with me. I've taken the liberty of enrolling you at one of Philadelphia's top schools. You'll get top marks, I know, which would guarantee you early admission into Penn State. You'll keep the room you're in now, I'll buy you a car. You don't need to lift a finger. Just a word and consider it done."

I felt my mouth slowly drop as Luke made his speech. When he finished, I couldn't help but laugh out loud. "You have got to be kidding me."

When he looked at me with that, "I'm not kidding, I'm deadly serious" look, I almost had a fit.

"There is no way in hell that I would ever consider moving here. Especially not to live with you! You can't just waltz back into my life and pretend that nothing ever happened. You left us. You left us with nothing, and now she's dead and you want me to live with you?"

I panted, feeling the blush creep up my face in anger. How dare he? I looked at the man who had deserted me. And now he wanted me back?

I needed to get out of there. And fast.

"I'm leaving," I said, shaking my head. "Tonight. There is no way I'd ever live with you. I have a home back in Forks. Not here with you. Certainly not here with you. I went through hell for years because of you." I was repeating my words, but the shock of what he was saying made saying anything else but no impossible.

"Alexandra, please. Let's just talk about this. Look at the brochures. You'll see it's a good idea in the end." The look on Luke's face was blank, as if he didn't get why I was yelling at him. I opened my mouth, ready to give him another round of verbal abuse when the door bell rang.

Talk about being saved by the bell.

I picked up my bag, not bothering that I was still drying off from the downpour and I looked like a drowned rat. My savior was here. Batman to the rescue!

"I'm leaving. Goodbye," I called out, turning my back on the man who had once done the same to me.