I can't thank you enough for all the wonderful reviews. The number of people following this story is just incredible to me. Here is my post Halloween treat, a full chapter 3 days early. A really big thanks to my new Beta, Momma Laura, the grammar Queen.

SM owns Twilight. I just like to play with it. A trip to Forks will happen soon, just a little bit of drama before that.

Out of the Shadows

Chapter 5: Sunday Girl

BPOV

Sunday morning dawned with the promise of a beautiful sunny day in Vancouver. I checked to see if Edward had sent me any more texts through the night. All was quiet on the Edward front.

I rolled out of bed and placed an order with room service for some coffee, fresh fruit, a toasted bagel, and some orange juice. I was hoping that the day would be relaxing. I needed time to think and figure out how to get through the Forks trip. After getting dressed and eating breakfast, I sent Edward a quick text.

Please let me know if you need anything. I'm heading out of the hotel for a bit. Trip is booked.

During the last few days, I had looked over the map and talked to some of the crew regarding places to see in Vancouver. I had planned to go to Granville Island and check out the market and shops. I know that it's a tourist thing to do, but that's what I am today. Just as I was getting my coat and purse, my phone chirped at me.

Come see me before you leave.

I knocked slowly on Edward's door. I wasn't sure how to react to him today. We had a good night last night. If it weren't for the whole PA thing, I would have considered it a good first date, but I knew that it wasn't. No matter how much I may or may not have wanted it, dating Edward wasn't going to happen. I was not in his league, regardless of the sparks that flew. High school taught me some hard lessons about what circles to run in, and I was now very comfortable in my own circle. I'd dated guys in L.A. and had a decent, if not small, circle of friends.

Edward answered the door in jeans and a t-shirt. His hair was all messy and gorgeous. "Hey, Izzy. Thanks for stopping by. Would you mind some company today? I promise to do my best not to draw attention. I'm sure you don't want a repeat of last night, but I have to get out and enjoy the day." He looked down with a sheepish grin, like a little kid asking his parents for permission to do something.

"Yeah, not a problem. I'm just walking over to Granville to check out the market. How 'bout I meet you downstairs in 15 minutes. I'll go get the coffees." I smiled and waved as I started to walk down the hall. Edward just smiled and closed the door.

Half-hour later, we were walking down to Granville just chatting about anything and everything. I was doing my best to keep the conversation focused on him. He was telling me all about his family and friends, mainly his family.

"Em and Alice are the best friends that I have. When this whole acting thing took off, I relied on them the most. So many people began to get really phony. I'm sure you've heard this all before, but you really start to question who wants to know you for you, and who wants to know you for what you can do for them. You're kind of the first non-family person that I've really talked to in a while. Thanks, Izzy."

"Thanks for what? I'm just doing my job." I looked at him after I said that, and I caught a quick look of hurt. He really did want me to be a friend as well as his PA. "Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy getting to know you, and I'm glad that you feel comfortable with me. It makes our relationship so much easier. I just don't want to cross any lines." I quickened the pace then, and we walked the rest of the way in silence.

At Granville Island, we enjoyed looking around all the shops and farmer market stalls. We picked up some microbrew beer and treats. The shops were great, and I even bought some stuff for Dad and Angela to take to Forks in a couple of weeks. The mood softened, and we got back to the easy banter that we enjoyed last night. We stopped for lunch and a couple of beers. We had so much fun just people watching and making comments. We had each other breaking up in laughter as we put words in the mouths of other people.

The walk back to the hotel in the late afternoon was wonderful. I'd forgotten that he was my boss. We were like two friends just enjoying an incredible day out, and thankfully, no one noticed Edward the entire day. I could see Edward relax and just take in the day without having to be "on" for fans. I was reminded of the Edward that I knew in high school. Was he always this nice of a guy, or was I just so caught up in my own self-pity that I never noticed it?

I did a quick check of my emails in the elevator on our way up to our rooms.

Please advise Edward that Tanya Denali is arriving this evening to begin shooting in town.

Garrett

I didn't recognize the name or the connection to Edward, or I might have been a little upset by this news. "Edward, Tanya Denali is in town tonight for another movie shoot." Edward stopped dead in his tracks in the middle of the hall. I stopped and looked back to see what was wrong.

"Edward, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all." He walked to his room very stiffly. "Good night, Izzy," he said, as he closed the door.

I was definitely going to ask Alice about this one. There was more to this situation, and I wanted to know how to deal with this Tanya. When I got back to my room, I emailed Alice to see if there was any information she could give me regarding Tanya.

I also sent an email to Dad and Angela to let them know that I would be in town in a couple of weeks, just for the Sunday of the weekend. I made up some excuse about traveling through town and only had one day in Forks. I figured that if they weren't expecting me for the whole weekend, then I wouldn't run into them on the Saturday. I would tell Edward that I needed to go into Seattle to meet with an old friend for the Sunday, so I would be covered.

There were so many memories in Forks. Unfortunately, most of them were tainted with pain, the emotional kind.

They were at it again. I was hiding under the covers in my bedroom trying really hard not to hear them. It had been like this for many months now, and it was only getting worse.

"Charlie, I can't stand it here anymore. You know I never wanted to stay in this stupid town. I'm leaving for good this time."

"Renee, what about Bella?"

"You can have her, Charlie. She needs you more than she needs me. You two are like peas in a pod, and I just don't fit into it anymore."

The front door slammed, the car started, and it left the gravel driveway quickly. I could hear Dad slamming things in the kitchen. I crept out of bed and down the stairs. I quietly walked into the kitchen to find my Dad with his head down on the kitchen table. His back was rising and falling as the sobs came from his body. I reached for his hand and sat with him until we fell asleep at the table.

Over the following weeks and months, our house became an emotional wasteland. We didn't talk. We only moved through the house like zombies, and we went through our daily routine like nothing was wrong. I started to fill the void with food. From the age of 8, food became my constant friend and enemy.

The whole town knew about the situation. That was always the biggest problem with a small town. The ladies would drop off meals for Dad and me. Some of them would offer to help Dad with looking after me when he was on night shifts. For one of those nights, Esme Cullen asked if I would like to have a sleepover with her daughter, Alice. Dad thought that it would be good for me to get out of the house and spend some time with kids my own age.

The day before the sleepover, at school I heard Edward Cullen talking to his older brother. "Why does Mom have to bring home another charity case? She just can't leave stuff alone, can she?"

"Hey Eddie, it's just one night, and we won't see her much. She'll be with Alice, I'm sure. She's not that bad." Emmett walked into the cafeteria. Edward followed him and was mumbling to himself.

After school, I called Dad and faked being sick. He wasn't pleased, but he understood that I wouldn't want to be at a strange house if I was sick. I begged him to let me stay home, and he did. I never had to set foot in the Cullen house.

That was the start of me hiding in the shadows and my love/hate relationship with the Cullens.

Just before I went out for dinner, I got a reply from Alice. I read it over once and had to read it again. Edward's reaction was making a lot more sense to me now. I was in for a world of pain this week if I couldn't keep her away from him. I read the email again just to make sure I was getting this right.

Izzy,

You have to keep that woman away from Edward. She's a demon! She took his heart and stomped on it. He was totally head over heels for her, and then she left him high and dry. Please do your best, Izzy, for my brother's sake.

Alice

I went out of the hotel for dinner. As I sat at the booth eating, I was doing research on Tanya Denali. She was a B grade actress whose star rose when she hooked up with Edward. She landed a couple of bigger movies then moved on from him. From some of the gossip sites, there were a lot of problems on sets from her diva-like behavior. Her star was falling lately because of her antics, so I'm not surprised that she was trying to reconnect with Edward.

I checked with Edward to see if he wanted me to bring him some dinner. I didn't get a text back, so I just returned to my room for the night. I had to check with his publicist about some things. The call time was early again the next day, so I turned the lights out early. My mind wasn't ready to sleep, though; it kept racing about Edward.

I didn't know what to think about how well we were getting along. I needed to rethink my opinions about the Cullens and how I behaved in school. My therapist was always asking me to look at situations as a third person to try to get perspective. I internalized things way too much, and I just needed to take it and move forward. I knew that the relationship with Edward was going to be a tough one. I was just going to take this ride for as long as I could.

When I woke up the next morning, I was so hoping that the drama would just disappear. The look in Edward's eyes when he got into the SUV told me that the drama was just starting. I didn't know how to react to the situation, because our relationship was changing. I wasn't sure how far into the friend realm we had stepped. I held my breath and let him guide me. His smile was dazzling, but reserved. I could tell by how he held himself that he was dealing with a lot this morning.

When we got to set, he put his game face on, and I was amazed at how easily he did that. Obviously he wasn't about to let anyone see the other side of his life at the moment. My heart skipped a beat when I realized that he was willing to let me see the real person and not just the persona.

"Hey, have a good day, and deal with all the rest." I lightly touched his arm and smiled at him before he went to makeup.

"Thanks, Izzy. We'll talk more tonight." He gave me the smile that touched his eyes. My stomach started to flutter as the blush rose into my cheeks. I must have looked like a complete idiot.

Our normal morning routine started with one exception. I hunted Grant down to make sure that the set was closed. I mentioned to him that we really needed the set to be closed to all, not just to fans and photographers.

"Iz, I heard from a friend that Tanya is in town, so security already knows." Grant had a quick chuckle as he looked at my face. I swear I could have caught flies with how wide I'd opened my mouth.

"How the hell did you know about the situation?"

"The community here is pretty small, so we know the gossip and the truth. My friend is an A.D on her set, and she's already raising shit. Most of the crew is already on edge around her, and she doesn't get there until this afternoon." He gave me a quick pat on the arm. "Don't worry, Izzy. We all have your backs,so don't you and Edward worry." A quick squawk over his headset let me know that our conversation was over.

The rest of the day on set was normal. Edward and I would make eye contact and smile at the same time. I felt like it was my first crush. It just felt so good to be around him. How the hell did I have it so wrong for so long?

At the end of the day, both of us were exhausted. On the drive back to the hotel, Edward touched my hand lightly to get my attention. "I want to talk when we get back. I think you need to know what's going on."

I smiled, nodded, and started to look forward to some alone time with him. The line between us was fading quicker and quicker. I turned to look at him just as he was looking towards me. His beautiful green eyes held mine longer that normal, but I just couldn't look away. The warmth in my stomach was spreading to other, lower areas. As we got out of the van, he took my hand as we walked into the lobby. I was lost in my own thoughts, so I didn't notice when TC stopped in front of us.

Edward stopped in front of me and dropped my hand.

"Tanya?"

I hope you enjoy. I have to increase the angst before we get to Forks. As always I love your reviews and I do my best to answer them.

Cheers!