I want to thank everyone for your reviews on the last chapter. Sorry I didn't respond to everyone, but they were definitely appreciated and loved. With my husband being out of town, I was hoping to have more time to write but it was the opposite. This chapter is a little later than normal, but I did post an extra chapter this week so please don't kill me.

Big thanks to Momma Laura for cleaning up all my grammar mistakes.

SM owns Twilight. I just own this little twisted story.

Out of the Shadows

Chapter 6: Close to Me

EPOV

This had to be one of the best days ever. I don't know what changed between Izzy and me, but something did. As we stepped out of the car and into the lobby, the whole Tanya situation was starting to fade. That was until she was standing between the elevator and us.

I dropped Izzy's hand and stood in front of her. I wanted to protect her from Tanya. It was instinctual. There was something about Izzy that made me want to go all caveman on her.

"Tanya."

"Eddie. I'm so glad that I ran into you." The sentence and the smile were so fake. She stepped forward and went to grab my hand. When we were together, she was good at snowballing me with her pretenses. Until a few days ago, I probably still would have bought it, but now I knew that I could get and deserved better.

I took a step back and took Izzy's hand again. Tanya's eyes flashed to my hand and then up to Izzy's face. The smile that stretched across her face was dangerous. I'd seen it before when fans got too close, and she got territorial.

"I wish I could say the same, but I can't." With TC's help, I managed to get around her with Izzy still in tow. I looked back to Izzy and gave her a smile of reassurance.

"Eddie, don't be like that. Can I come to your room to talk? I've really missed you, and this is a great opportunity to reconnect." Tanya got into the elevator with us. At that point, I was so thankful that TC had followed us into the hotel.

That was the longest elevator ride in my life. Izzy was still beside me, but she had dropped my hand. I hated the loss of her hand. I could almost feel her pulling away from all the drama and me. I know that this was not what she had signed up for, but I couldn't lose her. I was beginning to feel a connection with her that I had never felt before.

Tanya slid up to my side when she saw that Izzy had pulled away from me. "I know that we have a lot to talk through, so I hope you'll let me. It's been so long since I saw you last, and so much has changed with me."

When the elevator doors opened, TC followed Tanya and me to the right. I looked back to see that Izzy had gone the other direction, even though it was further to her room from there. I let out a huge sign, and resigned myself to the fact that I had to talk with Tanya about the situation. She wasn't going to leave until I grew a backbone and kicked her to the curb.

"Edward, do you need me anymore for the night?" TC asked, as I opened the door to my room.

"Nah, TC. I'm okay. Could you just go check on Izzy before you leave?"

"Sure, no problem. Have a good one, and I'll see in the morning." TC walked down the hallway to Izzy's room. I would check with her later, once I got rid of Tanya.

When I entered the room, Tanya was already settled onto the couch. She was kicking off her shoes and looked like she was staying for a while. I went to my bedroom to catch my breath and put my coat and shoes away.

"So Tanya, what the hell do you want from me? Does your career need some good publicity? Is that why you've come looking for me again?"

"Eddie, don't be so harsh. I know that I treated you badly when we broke up, but I still love you. I didn't realize what I had until it was gone. I know that you haven't been dating since me, so I was hoping that we could give it another chance." She stood up and was moving towards me. She put on her best seduction face, the one that usually got to me when we dated. "I've missed you so much. There is no one better for me than you are. I tried to date after we split, but I just couldn't find anyone as good as you. All the other guys were just jerks to me. My friends think that I was an idiot to leave you."

I couldn't disagree with her. My family figured it was the best thing that ever happened. I moved away from her. The closer she came to me, the further I moved away. There was something repulsive about her now. Emmett told me she was the best piece of ass ever when we were dating, and then he told me the truth afterward. Alice never liked her from the beginning, so I should have known then, but I was blinded by the package and not the contents.

"You know Tan, if you had come to me a couple of months ago, I might have bought what you're selling me, but not now." I moved closer to the door so she might get the hint about leaving.

"So, is this about that girl you were with in the lobby? The one that ditched you pretty quick when I got there? I can't believe that you would turn to her when you could have me." Her voice became more vicious as her tirade continued. "She's just a mouse compared to me. There is no way that she could keep you satisfied. I know you, Eddie, and she just isn't up to the task."

"Tanya, you can leave now. I'm done with you and your manipulations. You had me believe that you loved me once, but not know. I've seen your true side, and I don't like it. Get out!" I held the door open. She quickly slipped her shoes back on and grabbed her jacket and purse.

"Edward, you're going to regret doing this to me. You and your little mouse will be very sorry." She stomped out of the room, and I slammed the door behind her. I moved over to the couch and fell onto it. By the time I calmed down, it was 10 pm, so I sent a quick text to Izzy.

I hope you're okay. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Have a good night.

E.

BPOV

I was speechless when Tanya showed up at the hotel. I couldn't believe she was this bold. When I took a hard look at her, I totally understood why Edward wanted her. She was gorgeous, even more so than her pictures. Incredible strawberry blonde hair, statuesque, well put together with beautiful skin and eyes, this was Tanya, the total opposite from me.

My self-esteem was taking a big hit until Edward stepped in front of me, still holding my hand. He still wanted me with him, so maybe the situation wasn't all that bad. That was until all my old insecurities came rushing back in the elevator. I just couldn't let myself get my hopes up. This was the guy that I had longed for all through high school, only to be disappointed in senior year. Not that I really had a chance back then, but here I was with him now in an elevator with his ex, and she was so much more than me. I tuned the two of them out and just watched the numbers go up.

When the doors opened, I just walked in the opposite direction. I didn't want to see or think about the two of them reconnecting. From his reaction to just her name, I had no idea what would happen now. I took a quick look back at them, only to see that they were just walking away without a backward glance.

By the time I got to my room, I could barely see through the tears that were starting. What the hell was I thinking, dreaming of a relationship with Edward? He was a big Hollywood star, and deep down, I was still fat, insecure Bella Swan. Then I heard a knock on my door.

"Who is it?" I stumbled towards the door.

"Izzy, it's TC. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, TC. Is Edward in his room now?"

"Yeah…with Tanya. I'll see you tomorrow." I could hear him going down the hallway. I slumped down on the door, and the tears started to come again.

In the past 5 years, I have never eaten as much junk food as I did that night. By the time my phone beeped with a text from Edward, I was in a deep sugar coma. When I read the text, my stomach gave a huge lurch. I ran to the bathroom and was sick for a good hour, it seemed. My thoughts were everywhere. I couldn't think straight anymore. I had to talk to someone about the situation. I didn't know to whom to turn to though. Angela was my normal confidant, but she didn't know with whom I was working with, and I'm sure she would just be all 'Go and get your man'.

I finally decided to text Alice. I had never been close to her, but she was good to me when I needed her help before.

I need a little help. Can you call me?

Izzy

About 20 minutes later, my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Izzy, what's up?" Alice was her usual bubbly self.

"Tanya showed up at the hotel tonight. She followed Edward to his room, and I don't know what to do." My voice cracked a little with the last statement, because I could feel the tears starting again. What am I, 14 again?

"Oh my God, she didn't. What did Edward say to her?"

"I tried hard not to listen to their conversation. I sensed that they wanted alone time. Edward actually didn't say much at all, she did all the talking." I was trying hard to remember what he might have said.

"How are you doing with it?" Alice waited for my response. And waited. "Izzy, I know something is going on, because I've talked with Edward. I can tell by his voice when we talk, that you have gone past the usual work relationship. He considers you a good friend. I knew that you would be good for him."

"Alice, I don't know what to think. He took her back to his room, but I just got a text from him checking up on me. We're only friends, but with me being his PA and a woman, I'm not sure how much I should blur the line between us. I really shouldn't be talking to you about this. I just didn't know who else to call. I really should go. I'm sorry, Alice." With that I hung up. I know how rude that was but I didn't want to hear how close Edward was getting to me, and I still didn't know if I wanted that to happen.

I drank a big glass of water, took some Advil, and went to bed. Things would look a lot different in the morning. I might find out what Edward had decided about Tanya then.

When I woke up in the morning, my eyes were bloodshot, and I felt horrible. Definitely a sugar coma hangover. Just before 6 am, I heard a knock on my door. It was very light, and I would not have heard it, if I wasn't getting ready to go and get our coffees. I opened the door to see Edward there with two coffees in his hands.

"Hey, I hope you don't mind me coming here early?" He gave me a shy smile.

" Uh, no. I was just about to leave to go and get those. I hope TC doesn't mind being left out this morning." I gave him a little smile back. My head was still pounding, and I didn't know what to make of his sudden appearance. Actually, his current appearance was not his usual 'just had sex' look. His eyes were red as well, and his clothes were even more wrinkled than normal.

"I wanted to talk to you before we went to set. I wanted to clear things up about Tanya and me. Can I come in? We've got a few before TC gets here."

"Yeah, come on in." I stepped away from the door and let him in. I closed the door and went to the couch in my room. Edward followed me and sat next to me.

"Here," he handed me a coffee, 'I hope I got it right."

"Thanks so much. I was in need of coffee this morning", I chuckled.

"Yeah, me, too. I'm sure you're aware of Tanya and me, and I wanted to let you know that it's totally over, and she won't be bothering us again." He was looking into my eyes with such sincerity.

"Edward, you don't have to talk to me about your personal life. You can do whatever you want with whomever you want." I was trying to convince myself as well as him.

" Izzy, I know that you're my assistant, but that doesn't mean that we can't be friends or more some day. You've opened my eyes to what having a normal relationship with someone could be like."

"I..I..I.." He put his finger to my lips to silence my stammering.

"Izzy, I know that you don't feel the same, so I won't push anything. I need you in my life right now in whatever way you want. You are a fantastic assistant, even better than Alice. Don't tell her that, though. But the time we have spent off set together has been a lot of fun, and I don't want that to stop, either." He pushed his hair out of his eyes and held it there for a moment. "I really want to work with you, so if that is all for now, that's great, but please don't leave me right now." He took my hand and kissed it.

"Edward, I'm here for as long as you need me, as your assistant and as your friend. That's all I can give you." I stood up and went to the window.

"That's all I need right now. Thank you. I'll see you downstairs." I heard my door open and close. The loss of his presence was palpable. I wrapped my arms around my chest and tried to breathe. I didn't know what to think. He needed me, so my deception was making this even harder. I had to tell him the truth, but I was too afraid of his reaction and what his family would think about my lies. My father still lived in the same town as the Cullens.

My alarm to call Edward went off, snapping me out of my revelry. I grabbed my stuff for the day and headed to the elevator. When I got to the lobby, Edward was already there with another coffee for TC. We smiled at each other and waited for the car to arrive. The next few days were going to be interesting.

I hope you all enjoyed, and I always love any and all reviews. Hope to see you again next Friday!