A/N: Shorty chapter is short.

The day Edward was supposed to return to the set, two days after his pity-date with Bella, his phone rang at approximately too-early in the morning. Groaning, Edward rolled over onto his back, slapping his hand down on his nightstand to find his phone.

"Hello?" He threw an arm over his eyes.

"Good morning, sunshine. This is your courtesy call to let you know that if Gigi spent the night, you and she might want to consider an extraction plan before you leave the house."

Edward blinked, checking to make sure he really was awake before he responded to his publicist. "Benjamin, what the fuck are you talking about? Why the hell would Gianna be here?"

"Ah. Innocent was it?"

"What are you talking about? I haven't even seen Gianna in three days."

There was silence on the other end of the phone, then a sigh. "Got your computer up?"

Edward sat up with a groan and dragged his laptop toward him, hitting the button to put Benjamin on speakerphone. He yawned again. "Okay."

Almost as soon as he said the word an e-mail notification popped up. "Oh, fuck me," Edward muttered under his breath as the front page of one of the larger tabloids popped up.

Has Gigi Swept Perpetual Bachelor Edward Cullen Off His Feet? the headline screamed. Underneath was a picture of Edward, his cheek pressed against Bella's, his arms around her neck. Her head was turned, and her face was mostly obscured by his arm.

Edward grudgingly admired the message behind the words. The pap who'd snagged the picture had to have seen Bella pick him up. The asshole pap was teasing him.

"You're lucky I have friends at the tabs. They gave me a heads up, but that means their photog buddies have the same warning. The story goes live online in the early afternoon, but I'd expect increased pap presence from this morning. I'm sure they're trying to catch Gianna coming out of your place or you out of hers."

"Well, they're going to be disappointed."

Benjamin hummed. "So how accurate is this?"

Edward yawned and scratched at his chest as he looked over the front page photograph. He had to hand it to the paps sometimes. The right headline with the right photograph caught at the right angle, and they'd made up a part of his life that didn't exist. "It's true," he said, falling backward on the bed. "Partially."

Benjamin raised an eyebrow. "Which part?"

"I really was swept off my feet. Literally. That is a picture of a woman carrying me, which is why my head is pressed against hers like that." With his smile of breathless surprise, he merely looked like a man happy to have his arms around a woman. "She surprised me. She picked me up."

Benjamin's eyebrows shot skyward at that. "Gigi picked you up? Tiny, baby Gigi?"

"Now that is the part that isn't true. That isn't Gianna Gage. That's Bella Swan."

"Who the hell is Bella Swan?"

"Gianna's stunt double."

"Oh," Benjamin said. "Oh. Well, damn."

"Damn?"

"I was hoping it was true. It was a big deal when it was announced you and Gigi were going to work together. If the two of you got together in real life, well, that'd be aces."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Sorry to disappoint you. Have you alerted Gianna's people?"

"Of course. If she really isn't the one in the picture, I'm betting that persistent beep in my ear is Tia." He sighed. "How do you want to handle this?"

"Sounds like we have a little bit of time. Why don't you meet me on set? Tell Tia to come, too. That way we can all chat. Bella needs to have a say in this, too. If we want to acknowledge the story at all, deny it was Gianna, the paps are going to start digging into who it was."

"It wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing to let the tabs believe what they want to believe," Benjamin said, his tone musing.

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one that has to deal with the paps getting in your face. You know they're rabid if they think they've caught a whiff of something."

"Point taken. We'll wait to talk to Gianna and Bella."

Edward forwarded the e-mail to his assistant, Charlotte, and Emmett, so they wouldn't be caught unawares. It was still fifteen minutes until his alarm would have gone off, but Edward got out of bed anyway.

He shouldn't have been surprised to find Emmett in his kitchen with coffee. "You're meeting with Benjamin and Gianna's people about this, right?" he asked, beginning at the middle of the conversation as per usual.

"Why?" Edward asked, taking the coffee and eyeing Emmett with suspicion.

"I have a plan. Jasper is going to meet us there, too. Is Bella going to be on set today? We need her."

Edward groaned. "You're about to make this a production, aren't you?"

"You do know you pay me to keep you safe, right? Assess and neutralize possible threats? I know this isn't something you want to hear, Edward, but that insaniac who's been sending you and Gianna letters-it warrants concern."

"And what does any of that have to do with these photos?"

At that Emmett grinned. "You'll see. In the meantime, come on. I'll drive you to work."

Edward sighed, resigned. He'd been looking forward to driving himself today, seeing as the studio's doctors had given him the go ahead. He put his sunglasses on and waved an arm. "Okay, then. Let's go."

~0~

"Are you two insane?" Edward asked, looking between Emmett and Jasper. "Let me see if I have this straight. You want us, Bella and me, to keep seeing each other, only you want her to keep pretending she's Gianna."

"It allows us to control some variables," Jasper said. "It might be easier to determine which of you is the stalker's true target."

"If either of us is actually being stalked," Edward said.

Jasper ignored him. "The jealousy factor, if this person thinks you're together, might drive them out into the open. We can settle this whole thing sooner than later, and you can get back to your life."

"You want to use us as bait. No, you want to use Bella as bait."

"In a controlled setting," Emmett said.

"You're both crazy."

"We're-"

"If you remind me one more time that I'm paying you to do shit like this, well, I know a flight of fancy marble-esque stairs I can throw you down." He winked at Bella. "I learned from the best of them."

Emmett huffed. "You and what army is going to throw me down the stairs?" He crossed his arms, his impressive muscles on display.

Edward turned to Gianna and Bella. "Tell him he's crazy. If you both hold him down, I'll punch him for you."

It was Tia, Gianna's publicist, who spoke up then. She turned to Gianna with a smile. "How about you walk with Jasper to get some coffee?"

To Edward's surprise, Gianna nodded. "Okay."

When she was gone, he hung his head with a groan. "I can just see her innocence melting way." He looked up at Tia. "You're going to turn her into one of those actors who plan every move they make, every relationship they have."

Tia narrowed her eyes. "Mr. Cullen, I heard about your unfortunate accident."

Edward huffed. "Who didn't? Those were some great pictures that pap caught. You know, I'm told I look at least ten years younger when my hair is sticking up in all directions like that. Extra pathetic points for the crutches." He waved a hand at Benjamin. "This one tells me that it makes me look sympathetic-though why I need sympathy, I have no idea-and the studios are happy because it brings more attention to the film. Nothing says action movie like an actor getting injured on set."

The woman seemed vaguely amused. "My point is that you haven't been around the last few days. I know you were the one who talked Gianna into taking the role. She was scared. She was scared out of her mind by those letters, but you got her back to work. The letters have escalated since production got into full swing, and she's not handling it well."

"Oh?" Edward grimaced. "I knew she was getting more letters, but we haven't really had a chance to talk."

Tia leaned forward. "You and I know she's not used to this. She's scared, and it's affecting her work. I'm not trying to run her life. I honestly do want what's best for her. That's why I like this plan."

She turned to Bella and her smile gentled. "Miss Swan, we have an offer for you."

Bella's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, this morning is about to get more interesting?"

"I know this is a lot to ask," Tia said. "Your life isn't being affected. No one knows who you are. But if you agree to do this, you'd be both greatly appreciated and very well compensated."

Bella's eyes near about popped out of her head. "You want to pay me to do this?" She looked to Edward and away. "What does Edward get? I don't think you can afford his rates."

Emmett snickered. "Maybe you missed the part where we try to smoke this potentially dangerous person out into the open, so he doesn't have to worry."

"And you want to put Bella in danger," Edward said, rubbing his forehead.

"You're the one who said we're overreacting." Emmett shook his head. "You're not the president, Edward, as you so often remind me. It's not that kind of dangerous. And it's a controlled situation; that's the point. Me and my team would be around."

Edward dug the heels of his palms into his eyes, grumbling to himself. "This is ridiculous."

"But will you do it?" Emmett asked.

With a sigh, Edward turned to Bella. "This is way too much to ask of you. This is my mess, and I'm sorry you got dragged into it even this much."

The corner of her mouth quirked up. "I told you I didn't want to go on a date with an actor, but hey, I can't say you're predictable."

Before he could answer that, she turned to Tia and Emmett, sitting up straighter. "Okay, so tell me more about what you're thinking. Just so you know up front, I draw the line at sex tapes."

~0~

It was a long day. Edward's head ached. His leg ached. He wanted to get his stuff from his trailer and go home.

He groaned when he saw someone waiting, leaning up against his trailer door. It took him a minute to realize it was Bella, and she had coffee. He said nothing at first, only held her gaze, his eyes never leaving hers as he opened the door to his trailer. He grabbed his duffel bag from inside and shut it again. "Hi," he said, smiling at her.

She smiled back, handing him one of the coffees in her hand. "Hey."

"Thank you." Edward closed his eyes as he took a restorative drink. "Damn, I needed that."

"I don't blame you." She yawned. "Both crews have been obnoxiously busy today."

"At least we're home before midnight."

She hummed. "You might be. We still have one more shot, but set up isn't done yet."

Edward winced in sympathy. "Brutal. So to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she glanced at him. "I came by to thank you for the new gig, of course. Pretty cushy work for a stunt double."

"Ah. I really am sorry about that."

"You know, stud, if you wanted a second date, you could have just asked."

Edward quirked an eyebrow, a smirk playing at his lips. "You're telling me you would have said yes?"

"Well, no, but this is a bit much, isn't it?"

He leveled her with a tired, serious expression. "I act for a living, Bella. I like my job, but not so much that I want to act out my social life as well."

Bella studied him a moment. "Okay, how about this? I like you, Edward Cullen."

His lip twitched and he glanced up at her. "That sounded like it was painful to admit."

"I'm trying to keep your ego in check. Anyway, the point is, under other circumstances this whole thing sounds like a lot of fun. Fucking with paps sounds like a good time." She tilted her head up. "Sounds like something I would do with my friend, if I had a chance."

Edward cocked his head. Having fun with a friend sounded a lot better than letting his bodyguard dictate his life. "Confession for me then. I like you, too, Bella Swan. How do I sign up for this friendship business? Do I look you up on Facebook?"

"Ha. Sure. You do that, stud."

"In all seriousness, that's not a bad spin on things. I'd much rather be your friend than your job."

Bella huffed, throwing her arms out in mock indignance. "And now you're calling me a whore."

"I said job not John," Edward said with a laugh. "Besides, you already negotiated that part of your contract. No on screen nudity."

"Yes. I require a body double for that kind of thing. Besides, Gianna's breasts are a lot bigger than mine."

"Nothing a little padding can't fix." He struggled not to laugh at the disparaging look she fixed him with. "For the sake of accuracy, of course. I think your breasts are lovely."

"Are you sexually harassing me?"

"I'm testing your boundaries. Friends should know each other's sense of humor."

"Likely story."

"Hey, Bella." Someone called across the lot. "Break's over. Let's get a move on."

Bella waved a hand. "Coming."

"Well, friend. I'll let you get back to work." Edward smiled, and reached out, briefly squeezing Bella's hand. "I think you're right. This is going to be a lot of fun."

A/N: Between the three of them, Femme Malheureuse, JessyPt, and songster might just figure out how to get me to recognize passive voice. Thanks to them and MoH, Packy 2.0, and barburella.

So! Thoughts about this new plan?