Chapter 2: Warning

"We're not going to do anything. If you don't want to go to the police…I can't make you. But this is a mistake."

"We can't," Jessica whispered, walking over to her. "Ness, they'll know that we were there. How can we prove that we weren't involved?"

Renesmee paused, licking her lips as she leaned over the counter. The bottom of her stomach churned nervously, and she had a bad feeling in her gut.

"I don't know, Jessica, I-"

"I…I'm scared, Ness."

Jessica's words echoed in Renesmee's mind. With a heavy sigh, she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

"Tell me again what she said, Nessie."

Her eyes flicked up to meet her grandfather's. His concern was visible on the drawn lines of his face. He looked as tired as she felt. Then again, not sleeping for almost thirty six straight hours would do that to a person.

"She said she gave him her phone number. She was worried that it would lead him to her. And she was right."

"Now, Ness—"

"No, Charlie. She was right. He found her right away. And now…" She trailed off, wringing her hands together. The image of Jessica's bloodied, mangled body on her kitchen floor would be permanently frozen in her mind after that morning. She had called and called, and had finally gone over to see what was up. She was met with the gruesome scene of her dead best friend. When she returned home, a message had been sloppily scrawled on her living room mirror. She winced, just thinking about the message, written in what had turned out to be Jessica's blood.

You're next.

She shivered, glancing down at the coffee in her hand. The half a cup she had consumed earlier in the day churned in her stomach, making her even sicker than she already felt. The outside of the cup was warm, and it soothed her a little to know that she was sitting in the safest place she could be right now – the police station. Her grandfather, the chief, had been one of the first people to the scene. Before she knew it, her downtown apartment had been swarming with cops and covered in yellow caution tape, as she was sure Jessica's apartment was.

"We'll get this taken care of, Ness. They won't get away with anything," Charlie reassured her. He patted her hand, nodding slightly at her.

She forced a weak smile, avoiding his large brown eyes. They were so warm and loving and completely accepting of her and anything she did that she felt bad for her actions. If she hadn't been out partying that night like she shouldn't have been, she wouldn't be in this mess in the first place. Charlie's eyes were the same deep, rich color as her mother's; sometimes she felt like they were looking into her soul. Secretly, she feared he could read her every thought by just looking at her.

"Thanks Charlie."

"Is there anything else you can possibly think of that would help us out?"

She shook her head. No, she had been over the gruesome details over and over again in her mind. The only thing that became brutally clear was that there was a killer out there, and that she was next on his hit list.

I'm never going to feel safe again, she thought.

Renesmee shifted in the uncomfortable plastic chair. The image of Jessica's mangled, bloodied body was burned into her mind.

Charlie looked up over his glasses. He sighed, dropping his Bic pen on his desk. "We're going to find this guy, Nessie. He's obviously a lunatic; guys like that leave traces – traces we're bound to catch, sooner or later."

She felt her stomach twist again "Sooner or later? What's that supposed to mean, Charlie? I'm just supposed to sit and wait for this psycho freak to come and hack me up into pieces like sushi?"

Charlie grimaced slightly, rubbing his worn, slightly wrinkled fingers over his mustache. His face twisted for a second as he thought; it was obvious to Renesmee that he was trying not to scare her.

"Where are your parents?"

She made a disgusted sound, leaning back in the plastic seat. "Vacationing. Where else? I can't even keep track anymore."

Charlie's somber face tightened at the mention of his daughter. He pursed his lips and thought. "You wanna stay with your grandpa?"

She shivered. Charlie's bachelor pad was not where she wanted to stay.

"No, I can't….put you out like that Charlie. I can't avoid my house forever."

"I just wish you felt safer."

"Me too."

"We'll catch this guy, Ness. In the meantime…just go home and try to get some rest."

Renesmee shifted in her chair. "Right," she replied sarcastically.

Her grandfather sighed deeply, obviously upset that his granddaughter was so upset.

"I'm going to make sure they…cleaned up when they were done with the investigation," Charlie muttered.

Renesmee looked away, her eyes tearing up. Her best friend was dead, and her blood had been smeared on her bathroom mirror. The gruesome sight of the words You're next had surely been cleaned off by now; her apartment was surely back to normal. But how could she go there, knowing that he had been there? The man that was on the hunt for her...

And rightfully so. She had seen him kill a man in cold blood, without even batting an eye. Had the unlucky guy in the alley been the first? Something told her no. She doubted anyone could react so passively to their first murder.

No. He had killed before.

And now, he wanted her to be next.

Movement on the other side of Charlie's office door caught her attention. She peered through the small opening, watching as a man in handcuffs was putting up a fight as an office dragged him in. He began yelling something incoherent; he was obviously drunk. Even in handcuffs, he was quite the menace; she laughed to herself a bit as he bit into the arm of an officer, who yelped in pain.

"Ow! Now what did you do that-"

The officer wrestled with the man again, trying to get a better grasp on his flailing body with no avail.

He swung again, his hands handcuffed together, at another victim. Her smile quickly faded, however, when a loud resounding crack echoed in the air. He fell backward, quickly slumping down against a chair.

A deep, smooth voice cockily replied, "That ought to quiet him down."

Renesmee peered out the crack in the door, trying to see who the voice belonged to. Then, she saw him.

This man would make marble statues hang their heads in shame and envy. She imagined that the color toffee would automatically use this man's skin as a definition. With his wide, muscled shoulders, golden skin, and otherwise 'hulking' physique, he was one of the most attractive men she had ever seen. Her chest grew tight as she stared at him, suddenly in utter awe of the way his tight, navy blue t-shirt was delightfully stretched across his pectoral muscles. The edges of the shirt looked strained as they fought against his round, sculpted arms, and Renesmee definitely took notice. Clearing her throat, she sat up in her chair slightly and leaned forward to get a better look. At the same time, the brown eyed stranger looked up, meeting her gaze.

Time stood still for a brief second as he watched her. She felt her mouth fall open slightly without her control, but she was utterly powerless in that tiny second in time.

Suddenly, the drunken man kicked at him, making the tight-muscled cop jump and curse under his breath.

Charlie slipped back in the door, an annoyed look gracing his features.

"Sorry about that. No good, drugged out…" he muttered under his breath, shuffling past her.

Charlie was probably a few short years away from retirement, Renesmee noted to herself with a pang of sadness. Charlie was growing old; it was evident in his tired eyes and steadily wrinkling skin. However, the police force was what gave him joy, and her family couldn't bear to encourage him to retire. After her mother married and moved away with her father, being a police officer was one of the only things Charlie Swan looked forward to in life, and Renesmee knew that.

"It's okay, Grandpa," she said, rubbing her temples. Her tired, stressed to the max state of mind was making her head throb, and she desperately wanted to go home and get a good night's sleep. But what will be waiting for me at home? she thought worriedly.

"You should go home and get some sleep," Charlie said, echoing her thoughts. "We'll be doing everything we can, Nessie. In the meantime…try to think of anything else."

Renesmee took his advice, heading home soon after. There was nothing she could do besides worry and think about Jessica, and neither of those would change with the scenery. Giving up, she crept back to her apartment building, all the while wishing her family lived closer. Her parents were on vacation on their private island off the coast of Rio, and her grandparents had recently moved to upstate New York to be closer to their other children, Alice and Rosalie. Renesmee was all alone.

The door to her apartment swung open, and to her chagrin, her fancy, upscale surroundings had never looked more bleak. The sleek, modern furniture and sparkling view of the city did nothing to make her feel better. Instead, it made the whole space seem daunting and empty.

Walking in, she flipped on as many lights as she could, to make her surroundings as comforting as possible. For some reason, she felt like bright lights would scare away an intruder. She kicked off her shoes, retreating to her bedroom to get into her pajamas. While she was in her closet, hunting for her favorite pair, her mind began to wander.

Was that a noise? Did I hear something scratch at the window? Where's my pepper spray? I should have bought that baseball bat! her mind screamed as she changed her clothes. She slipped into her favorite pair of black satin pajamas, peeking her head out of her closet. Nothing but silence greeted her.

Tiptoeing out of her room, she peered down the hallway towards the front door. Had she just heard a noise outside the door? A car honking on the city street below made her jump.

Stop, she chided herself. Now you're just being ridiculous.

Jutting her chin up, she sighed determinedly. She couldn't go through life jumping at every other sound; in a city the size of Seattle, she would never sleep!

Grabbing a pillow, she settled down on her couch, feeling utterly ridiculous. The face of the man back at the police station flashed in front of her eyes.

I had no idea gramps worked with such a fine piece of eye-candy…. she thought to herself. Pulling her afghan off the back of her couch, she snuggled into the soft cushions and turned her TV on as a background distraction. The noise onscreen soothed her a little, even if the volume was on low. She was almost asleep when something jarred her awake.

What was that? What woke me up? she thought to herself, looking around. Something had definitely woken her - but what?

Suddenly, she heard the distinct sound of footsteps. Not just any footsteps – heavy footsteps. Footsteps of a man. A big, scary man.

Her mind began to run away with itself, creating images of James and his menacing glare, stalking after her in a darkened alley. Was he waiting outside? Did he have the same knife he'd used in the alley that night?

Her stomach twisted as she clutched a pillow from her couch, her eyes wide.

Clump, clump, clump…

There it was again. Renesmee began to shake, standing up quickly. Her hands trembled uncontrollably as she searched for something large and preferably heavy to defend herself with. She picked up a clay vase, hastily discarding the flowers that remained inside. Moving steadily towards the door, she positioned herself behind it so that she could get the jump on whoever it was. There was a silent pause, and she swore she could hear her own heart beating through her chest. It hammered inside of her, making her ears ring.

Her eyes burned into the door handle, waiting for it to move. Then…it did.

The metal twisted, moving slowly but surely as the latch clicked open. Mentally, she kicked herself for not locking it; she had been so out of it with exhaustion that she had completely and stupidly forgotten to lock it.

With another click, the door swung open, and a large figure stepped in. Renesmee closed her eyes, sucked in a deep breath, and swung the vase with all her might.

Soo…surprise! Here I am again with a new fic. It's going to be short - it was a one shot that got away from me. Hate it when that happens….

Big thank you to Jenny Cullen (JenRar) for beta-ing! She rocks!

Several of you commented that you're not big on the whole 'action/thriller/suspense' thing, which is fine - there will be plenty of laughs and lemons in future chapters. This is my fun summer project, and I hope you all enjoy it!

Please review!