Hello again! I didn't forget it just took a little longer to get this one out. Some family stuff came up so this little story got put back a bit. I hope you like.

Thank you all for your reviews. I love them all!

SM owns it all. I just fiddle with it.

Out of the Shadows

Chapter 8: Rolling in the Deep

EPOV

I couldn't get off that set quick enough. The ride to the airport seemed much longer than it was. Izzy's knee was bouncing up and down nervously. The whole backseat was shaking. I placed my hand on her knee to still it, and when she stopped I just kept it there.

Our eyes connected. The deep brown of her eyes kept me there. From her tight-lipped smile when she was feeling shy to the incredible sound of her laugh, she had me mesmerized now. The more time I spent with her the more I felt like I knew her already. There was such a familiarity about Izzy that put me at ease.

"Are you nervous?"

"No, I just don't want to miss the plane." She gave me her little smile. I saw something else behind her eyes, but I didn't want to press the issue.

"Iz, its private plane isn't?" She gave a curt nod. "Well, they're not going to leave without their passengers. TC'll get us there in plenty of time." I gave her knee a small pat, and then removed my hand.

The flight to Port Angeles was only 35 minutes. I expected to be driving to Forks in about an hour. I missed my family more than I thought. But it wasn't until we were boarding that I realized my anticipation was more for showing Izzy my home than anything else.

Our conversation about being only friends replayed in my mind, but it didn't stop me from thinking about her all the time. She was in my sleeping and waking dreams, and not always in a professional manner. She had become much more than a friend. Now I just had to show her that.

"Hey, what are you smiling at?" Izzy nudged my arm as we were getting to our seats. "You look like the Cheshire cat."

"The Cheshire what?"

"You know that freaky cat from Alice in Wonderland. He always had this huge grin on his face. You look just like him." She was giggling now. My grin must have gotten bigger because her giggle turned into a full laugh.

"I'm late…I'm late for a very important date," I sang. We cracked up, and were hugging each other to stay standing.

"Oh my God, that was so funny." Izzy said while trying to catch her breath. We settled ourselves into the seats and got ready for take off.

The flight was uneventful and we arrived on time in Port Angeles. We got through the terminal, and I looked around for the rental car. "Izzy, where's the rental?"

"Oh, it's over there." The only car I saw in that direction was a BMW M3. My mouth dropped open as I looked at the car and then to Izzy.

"How did you manage to get one of these?" I walked towards the car, and held my hand out for the keys. Izzy was very reluctant to hand me the keys. "I promise to let you drive tomorrow when we get to Forks, okay?"

"If you insist. It's probably better if you drive anyway since you know the way there. I figured that you'd want to drive a decent car, if only for a couple of days." She put her bag in the back seat, and took a seat next to me up front.

I turned the key in the ignition. The sound of the 4.0L V8 engine starting up was music to my ears. The ability to drive myself around was the one thing I missed most when I was filming. We made our way out of Port Angeles. Even though it had been a year or so since I'd been home I still knew the roads like the back of my hand.

Once we hit the 101, I opened the engine up to see what it could do. I knew that at this time of night, the cops were not too concerned with speeding out here. The car hugged the corners. I started to thin that I should pick one of these up the next time I had some time to myself. Maybe Izzy would be able to give me some help since she knew her cars. That little Porsche of hers was a nice piece of mechanics.

The drive to Forks was about an hour so I figured we could probably do it in about 40 minutes. I looked over to Izzy. Her head was turned towards the window. She was lost in her own thoughts, so I didn't disturb her. The joy of driving this car and having a beautiful girl next to me was all I needed right now.

As we approached the La Push road just outside of Forks, I slowed down. The last thing I needed was to meet up with Chief Swan or one of his deputies before I got home. I don't know what I did to him but he always had it out for me. A quick look at Izzy confirmed my suspicion that she had fallen asleep during the ride.

At one of the lights in town, I placed my hand on Izzy's shoulder. She inhaled deeply and turned her head towards me. All I could think of at that moment was how incredible it would be to wake up with her beside me every morning. "Izzy, it's time to wake up. We're in Forks now."

She nearly jumped out of her seat, and then quickly sunk back into it. She was looking around the town, like she was waiting for something to jump out at us. Her fingers were playing with her coat. I didn't think she would be this nervous about meeting my parents, and seeing the rest of the family again.

"Hey don't make yourself nervous about meeting my parents. I'm sure Alice has filled them in on you already. Carlisle and Esme are really great and down to earth. You will fit in fine. It's only for two nights anyway." From the corner of my eye, I could see that she was relaxing a bit more as we drove through the town. "You're still going to Seattle on Sunday morning to meet with friends before we fly out, right?"

"Yeah. Seattle on Sunday." As we past the town, she let out a huge sigh.

"The party isn't until Saturday night so I thought that I could show you around the town tomorrow. It should take all of 20 minutes." I joked with her to lighten the mood. She gave me one of her tight little smiles. My heart sped up slightly at the sight of her next to me. I better not let Emmett see me like this or I'll never hear the end of it.

Ten minutes later we turned off the 101. The entrance to our driveway was usually not visible except tonight there were tiny fairy lights marking the way. As we traveled further on, the trees along the drive were also lit up with the twinkling white lights. Obviously Alice had been hard at work getting ready for the party. I knew that she had arrived earlier in the week to help Esme with the planning and preparations.

"Oh, Edward this is beautiful. It's like living in your own personal wonderland. No wonder you have a smile like the Cheshire cat." Izzy was her usual self again, and I was thrilled to have her here with me.

"Hey, you're the only one who gets the Cheshire cat smile." I smiled for her again. "Alice has been hard at work getting ready for the party." We pulled up to the house, and I cut the car engine. I got out quickly and made it to the passenger side before Izzy opened the door. I wanted to be right there as she got out and had her first look at my home. Sure I had a house in LA but this was my home.

I opened her door for her. She slowly stepped out, looking up at the house the entire time. It was a 3 story white house with the big wrap around porch, very Victorian. It was out of date but it fit the location perfectly. Most of the lights were still on so the house gave off a very welcoming feel.

"Do you like it?" I asked Izzy as my arm went around her shoulder.

"I love it, Edward. This is like my dream home. You are so lucky to have grown up here." She turned to look at me, and our eyes locked again. We lingered there with our eyes on each other until a noise broke our concentration.

"Edward! Izzy!" Alice came bounding out of the front door. She practically flew off the porch and onto me.

"Hey, Alice." Looking behind me, and then back at her. "You've been busy the last couple of days."

"Since I don't have to look after your ass I've got a lot more time on my hands. Speaking of your ass, Izzy how's it going?" Izzy let out a quick giggle, and even with only the light from the house, I could see the blush rising on her cheeks.

"She's doing a great job with my ass, thank you very much." I put my arm around her waist, gave her a quick squeeze and smiled down at her. "Let's get inside. I want to relax for a bit before I pass out. I'm sure Izzy wouldn't mind meeting everyone." I turned to pick up our bags, and when I looked back Alice was already arm in arm with Izzy leading her to the house.

I enjoyed the view of her ass as we walked up the stairs to the front door. Carlisle and Esme were waiting for us in the foyer. Alice had gone into the great room to hang with Jasper, Emmett and Rose were expected tomorrow morning.

"Mom, Dad I want to introduce Izzy to you." Izzy held her hand out to Carlisle but both Carlisle and Esme took her into a big hug.

"Oh, it's such a pleasure to meet you both. Thank you so much for having me in your home and including me in your celebration." She went into her bag, which was at her feet, and brought out a wrapped box. "I know your party is not until tomorrow but I wanted to give you this, and congratulations." She passed the box to Esme.

Esme opened the box, and pulled out a beautiful piece of pottery that I remember from the Granville market. I didn't realize that it was for Esme and Carlisle but it was perfect for them. "This is just exquisite, Izzy. Thank you so much. I'm sure you want to get settled in your room and relax for a bit. Edward, I've put Izzy in the spare room on your floor. Please take her bag up there."

I reached for her bag at the same time that she did. Our fingers grazed and I could feel the electricity between us. Our eyes locked again, and a blush rose on her cheeks again. I would never get tired of seeing her like this. We made our way to the staircase. I turned to see Izzy looking around in wonder at the house. I had to admit that it was not a typical small town house. "Do you like it?"

"It's an incredible house. The outside is so traditional but the interior is very modern but your retained the original architecture."

"Yeah, Esme has done a lot of work here. She likes to dabble with interior design. She'll be pleased to hear your praise. By the way, that pottery was perfect for them. Thank you for doing that." We reached the third floor landing and stopped. "The door on the left is your room for the weekend, which has an ensuite. The one of the right is mine so if you need anything, anything at all, just let me know."

She took her bag from me and smiled her thanks. I walked into my room, closed the door and dropped my bag by my bed. Nothing had changed in my room. All of my trophies and pictures from high school were in the same place. I turned my stereo on to see what was the last CD I had played. Obviously I was in a melancholy mood when I was here last because The National was playing. I washed up from the trip and went back out to the landing.

As I knocked on her door, I could hear her talking to someone. "Izzy, I'm heading downstairs." "Oh, I'll be down in a bit," was her response. I went to the great room and hung out with my parents, Alice and Jasper for a while. Every time I heard a noise I was looking to the stairs for Izzy. Half an hour later, she came down.

We spent about an hour or so together talking about all sorts of things, mainly what was going on this weekend. Esme engage Izzy in conversation a lot, trying to make her feel at ease. Izzy wasn't too forth coming with her answer though. I was hoping to learn more about her from my Mom's interrogation but no such luck. I put it down to Izzy being tired from the trip.

Around midnight, Izzy said her good nights and went to her room. I watched as she left the room.

"She's a beautiful girl, Edward." Esme moved to the couch to be closer to me. "There is something so familiar about her though. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I know her from somewhere. Where is she from again?"

"I think that she is from the Seattle area originally. She doesn't talk much about herself. I was hoping that you would be able to get more out of her. I'm gonna hit the hay now, Mom. Good night." I slowly climbed the stairs to my room. I paused outside of her room. I raised my hand to knock, then turned and walked to my room.

The morning came too early. Nothing feels as comforting as your own bed. Eventually I roused myself and got ready for the day. I wanted to take Izzy into town. I'm sure that there were errands that Alice needed done.

When I got down to the kitchen, Emmett and Rose had arrived and everyone was enjoying a late breakfast. The only seat available was next to Izzy. I'm sure my family planned it that way and I was thankful for that.

"How was your sleep?" I asked as I took my seat.

"It's so quiet that it took a while to get to sleep but my eyes didn't open until morning. What's on the agenda today?"

We talked around the table about what needed to be done for the party this evening. From the sound of it, almost the whole town had been invited. Izzy looked a little pale as the conversation went on but agreed to help me with some of the errands, only if I let her drive.

We got ourselves ready to go and with list in hand, we left the house. Izzy was almost giddy when I gave her the keys. She eased herself into the seat and lovingly touched the steering wheel and dash. I slipped into a daydream about her doing the same to me.

"Edward. Earth to Edward." Izzy was waving her hand in front of my face.

"Oh, sorry. Just a little daydream. What's up?"

"You need to direct me to the first place." She had the car started and was turning it around to face down the driveway. She got out to the 101 without any problem, and then opened the engine up. The speed of the acceleration had me flat against my seat.

"Hey, Iz. Slow down. The cops around here like to bust me. I don't know what it is but the Chief has had it out for me since high school." The whiplash when she slammed on the brakes sent me into the dash. "Okay, that's a way to get noticed." Izzy looked around like she was waiting for someone to pull us over.

The rest of the drive into town was uneventful. We made our first stop at the liquor store to stock up for the night. When we came out, Izzy gave me the keys. She spent the rest of the drive in the passenger seat being really quiet. I wasn't about to press the issue but her mood swings were starting to make my head spin.

After going to the bakery and the florist, I took Izzy on a quick tour of the town. We chatted about growing up in a small town, which gave me the impression that she knew what it was like. The errands were finished so the house was our last destination.

The afternoon was spent getting the house ready and prepping the food. The hot food was being prepared and served by the caterers. But Alice really wanted to do some of the hor d'ourves herself, or by her slave labour. Alice and Izzy were like sisters laughing and gossiping in the kitchen.

"Hey bro," Emmett said as he pumped my shoulder. "Have you and Izzy been busy? 'Cause you can't seem to keep your eyes off of her."

"Em, she's just my assistant. Or at least that's all she wants. I must look like an idiot mooning over a girl who's not interested when I can have any girl I want."

"The one you want is never the easy one," he said as he looked to Rose. "Give her time. It took Rose a while to warm up to me, and that was in high school. I'm sure she'll come around. " He gave me a smile as he went over to Rose and gave her a big slurppy kiss. Alice and Izzy looked over at them and laughed. Izzy and I locked stares again and she blushed as she turned away.

Alice approved all of the preparations and shooed us upstairs to get ready for the party. Carlisle and Esme had been in there room for most of the afternoon because Alice didn't want them to work at their own party. Izzy and I parted company at the top of the stairs. I will admit that the shower I had was on the cold side, more by choice than anything else.

Thankfully, Alice decided that it wasn't a black tie affair. I put on a pair of black dress pants and a white dress shirt. Simple but elegant. I puttered around my room waiting until I could go to Izzy's room. As I eventually stepped out of my room, the door to Izzy's room was opening.

The first thing I saw were her exquisite long legs, which were shown off by her high heels and short black dress. The vision in front of me was awe-inspiring. The dress was hugging her hips and breasts, showing them off to their best advantage. Her hair was up in a loose chignon, and her makeup was minimal which is the way I love it.

I needed this woman. I cared for her in a way that I hadn't with anyone else in a long time, if ever. I also trusted her to not do something to hurt me or to use me for her own gain. I would find another assistant. I would have to talk to her before she left for Seattle tomorrow.

"Is this alright?" as she smiled as me. She was awaiting my approval, which shocked me.

"You look stunning. Can I accompany you downstairs?" I said as I extended my arm.

We started down the stairs, and could hear voices before we arrived at the main floor. Some of the guests had already arrived. Alice would kill us but I didn't care. I had the most gorgeous woman on my arm. I was flying high with pleasure.

We took up our positions. I was bartender and Izzy was helping serve the hors d'oeuvres with Rose. As more guests arrived, I didn't see much of Izzy. We would catch each other's eyes and smile. I was surrounded because of my fame so Emmett would relieve me of my duties so I could disappear for a moment to catch my breath.

I was making my way over to have a quiet word with Izzy when Chief Charlie Swan and his girlfriend, Sue Clearwater arrived. I didn't really want to talk to Chief Swan but as I got closer to Izzy he was making his way there too. The Chief beat me there. Izzy looked shocked and pale. Her eyes were going between Charlie and me.

"Bella! What are you doing here? I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow." Charlie scooped her up in a hug. Her eyes met mine and she was frightened.

"Izzy?"

So what do you think will happen? I won't be able to update this Friday due to some family issues still bubbling.

Love to you all for reading my little thoughts :)