A/N: Oye. Took my brain a hot minute to work this chapter out. :) Do me a favor. Send me some good vibes for this and Curses and Crossroads, yeah? They're not flowing so much as stuttering.

Edward's phone rang at 7:30 the next morning. He thrashed, groping for his phone. Was it on the nightstand, or had he fallen asleep scrolling through fanfic from one of his first big movies? It was a pastime of his. His curiosity had been piqued when he realized much of the fanfic paired him with the character who had been the father figure to his orphaned character.

Finding his phone, Edward connected the call. "'Lo?"

"I asked you to warn me if you made a deviation in the plans," Benjamin said, already in mid-conversation. "I'm your publicist. You're supposed to keep me in the loop about things I might have to spin."

Edward blinked. He rubbed his eyes. He waited a few seconds to see if he would wake up. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb, Edward. It's not your forte."

"It's 7:30 in the morning, and my call time isn't until eleven today. I'm mostly asleep. Can you please tell me what the hell you're talking about?"

Benjamin grunted. "Congratulations on your three hundredth instance of being a blind item." Edward heard clicking, as if Benjamin was tapping on a computer keyboard. "Let's see. 'This A-List Celeb, who has recently been seen, oh-my-god everywhere, with another A-List Celeb/America's Sweetheart, may already have a wandering eye. Sources say he's more than a little friendly with one of the crew members on the same film he and his squeeze have been working on the last month and a half. Scandalous. I guess he's taking his role as the bad boy all the way this time.'"

"Dammit," Edward said, banging his head back on his pillow. He ran a hand over his eyes. "Let me wake up a bit. I'll call you back."

"Fine. I need to take this call anyway. Guaranteed it's Tia. You know it's not going to be so playful when they start talking about how she couldn't even keep you for a month."

Edward had to stop himself from throwing his phone across the room. It wasn't exactly unexpected after his assistant had seen what they were doing in his trailer. He trusted it wasn't him who'd gone to the paps, but it was just plain stupid to believe he hadn't told someone. That kind of gossip-verified action-spread like wildfire.

Having lived through similar episodes, Edward wasn't upset about the blind item. Even Gianna could be placated-if she was going to survive in this business, she needed to have a thick skin. Blind items were frequent, and they were usually so far off base, they were hilarious.

On occasion, one hit a little too close to the mark. But even that wasn't what had him frustrated. This blind item was about Bella, and it was everything she'd said from minute one she wanted to avoid. She'd been more than clear about why she refused to succumb to his charms why she refused to even consider dating him.

That was the other reason Edward was tired. He'd tossed and turned all night, replaying Bella's kiss and, despite his self-annoyance, over analyzing every one of their interactions. The physical attraction between them was undeniable. Edward knew how to read body language. Bella was as affected by him as he was by her.

He'd come to the conclusion the previous night that they'd both been full of shit from day one. She'd rejected him and then turned around and dated him anyway. Oh, sure, they'd pretended they were only friends, but they were friends who were attracted to each other? Wasn't that the technical definition of dating? Friendship was, after all, a marker of compatibility.

Edward wasn't the type who dated for the specific purpose of getting into a relationship. If he found a woman attractive, he asked her out to see what would happen. Sometimes nothing happened; sometimes sex happened. Occasionally, when attraction sparked into interest, it would turn into a relationship.

Edward didn't think it was delusional to assume she liked him and desired him. If there was a possibility Bella could be swayed, this gossip might pull her in the other direction.

What he wanted was to stop playing these games. The hell of it was, the tabs had gotten it right. Edward Cullen was head over heels, swept off his feet, ready to hop off People's Most Eligible Bachelors list. They just had the wrong woman . If only they'd had one more day, maybe two, before the tabs were all over them, it was possible something would have happened.

More awake now, Edward picked up his phone again. He called not Benjamin but Bella.

"Edward?" She sounded wary. Edward had considered calling her the night before to test the waters. She'd left the set before he could find her again, and he figured she needed space.

Or maybe he was being too dramatic about the whole thing. He'd been accused of being a dramatic asshole more than once in his life. "Hey, buddy," he said, keeping things light.

She huffed, but she played along. "What's up, good friend?"

"Are you on set?" he asked, hearing commotion in the background.

"Yeah," she said around a yawn. "Early practice day. You know Alec and I have that big stunt coming up next week. Heaven forbid we have an action movie where there's not a fight on top of a moving train."

Edward's heart skipped a beat. Those stunts were often filmed on actual moving trains. Granted, the trains didn't move as fast as they appeared on the screen, but he recalled Sean Connery had once been told the train he was filming on wasn't going as fast as it had been-dangerously fast. He cleared his throat, shaking that thought away. "Quit your whining, Swan. If we did our fights like sane people, you'd be out of a job."

"Naw. I'd still have work. You actors are delicate, remember? Even a fight on a stable surface requires my expertise." She clucked her tongue. "Anyway, why is your lazy ass calling me? You probably haven't even rolled out of bed yet."

He sighed. "I wanted to give you a heads up. Someone with a big mouth is quick on the uptake. We're a blind item."

"Yeah," she said, her tone wry. "I already caught some flack for that."

"Fuck, I-"

To his surprise, she laughed. "Don't worry. It's not a big deal."

"It isn't?"

"Naw. Blind items were invented so reporters can say whatever they want without having to be even a little bit accurate or truthful. You think you're the only actor I've ever been friends with? Everyone on this set knows I've been hanging out in your trailer. They've been razzing me about it for weeks. It was bound to leak to the paps sooner than later."

"That's true." Edward sat up, putting his feet on the floor. "Okay, well, I just wanted to make sure you heard it from me as soon as I knew. I should have known better than to think anyone could catch you with your pants down."

"Oooo, is that what you were hoping for? In your dreams, stud."

He chuckled. "I've got to go get ready. I'm sure Emmett and Jasper will want to revisit our plan."

"Sounds like fun. See you soon."

When he hung up the phone, Edward couldn't help but glare at it for a few minutes. Once again, he found himself replaying Bella's words.

You think you're the only actor I've ever been friends with?

She wasn't talking about the actors she counted among her exes. She'd been a blind item before. The question was, had she been a blind item because she'd gotten as close to someone else as she had to him the morning before?

It really hadn't occurred to Edward that they weren't on the same page. She was attracted to him; he still had no doubt about that. She liked him as a friend, but maybe she wasn't feeling that same pull he was. What he wanted was more than attraction. Sure, if she gave him the green light, he'd have her dress hiked up and her panties shoved down in a heartbeat. He could do only physical. If she asked, he would gladly call in sick and spend the day devouring her without uttering a single word.

But he wanted her. Her words, her smile, her humor. Her time. He just wanted more of her. He wanted what she'd told him she wouldn't give.

"Jackass," he muttered at his reflection when he finally convinced himself to get up and face the day.

Edward liked to think he kept a firm grip on reality even though his life was often surreal. In real life, the happily ever after wasn't a guarantee even when there'd been a fuckton of foreshadowing.

~0~

By the time Edward got out of the shower, Emmett was in his house. Pacing. And yelling at someone on the phone.

Edward let out a groan and sat heavily on the edge of his bed. "Now what?" he asked when Emmett disconnected the call.

Emmett raised an eyebrow. "Is there something else going on?"

"Something other than what?" Edward said, having reached his limit of things he had patience for before eight in the morning.

"There's another letter. Graphic threats. Intimate knowledge. He's accusing Gianna of spreading some kind of gossip. Something about you being a womanizer."

Edward made a face. "In other words, they read the blind item."

"What blind item?"

~0~

In another hour, everyone was gathered in Edward's trailer-Edward, Bella, Gianna, Emmett, and Jasper.

"Our plan failed," Emmett said. "Or it worked too well. Either way, we didn't draw this bastard out into the open like we wanted with all the sneaking around you two did." He gestured at Edward and Bella. "They bypassed stalking you off set." He looked as grim as Edward had ever seen him. "They're definitely on set."

Edward had already heard this news, but it still sent a chill down his spine. Gianna and Bella both crossed their arms. Gianna huddled, drawing her legs up on the couch against her chest.

"I'm sorry, Gianna," Jasper said. Anger was flowing off him in waves, but it wasn't directed at any of them. "Whoever it was was in your trailer. Not this morning. The blind item broke at around four this morning. There weren't many people on the set at that time, and I reviewed the security cameras. No one came near your trailer until your assistant at seven. She's the one who found the threat."

The note had been stuck to Gianna's bed with a knife. A nasty looking one. Emmett had told Edward privately that this kind of behavior would only escalate. They were lucky there hadn't been bodily fluid at best, a dead animal at worst.

Edward shuddered again.

"It's new information, and that's a good thing," Emmett said. "I mean, the fact it would have been better if it had never gotten to this point is a given. As things are, the more knowledge we have, the easier it's going to be to catch this asshole."

"What knowledge are we talking about here?" Bella said, her voice tight.

"Well, the note was placed here before the blind item. That means not only does this person have access to the set, but they also had to have been among those who heard the rumor. So it's a trail, right?" He nodded at Edward. "We find out who your assistant told and go from there."

"But that also means it's someone we know. I mean, someone who's been close to us." Gianna swallowed hard, her voice barely audible. "To me."

Emmett and Jasper glanced at each other. Jasper went to squat in front of Gianna. He put a hand to her knee. "Look, this level of threat is enough to bring the police in." He hesitated. "But I want you to hear me out, okay? No one is going to blame you whatever you choose. Just make sure you understand all your options. If you bring the police in now, this asshole likely crawls back into the hole they came from. Now, that might work out all right. It's more likely than not that this person isn't a pro. The police might find some evidence we can't. They can launch an investigation bigger than anything we could pull off. They'd do it, too. They'd do it for you."

"Oh, there's a but coming," Edward muttered. "It's the buts that get you."

"But, it'll be very public," Emmett said. "And if this person has been careful, they might change up their game. Become unpredictable."

"What are you saying?" Gianna asked.

"You want to use her as bait," Edward said, incredulous.

Jasper's eyes never left Gianna's. It seemed like his steady gaze was the only thing keeping her from shrinking. "Under controlled circumstances. After we've narrowed down a list of people who heard the rumor about Edward and Bella."

"This is crazy," Edward said. "You can't ask her to do that."

"I could do it," Bella said.

Edward's head snapped to her. "What? No."

"It's what I've been doing the last month and a half, isn't it?" Bella said, giving him a wry look. "Being bait?"

Emmett shook his head. "That works out in the open where all the paps are going to get is a grainy shot. How could that possibly work on set, though? You can't take Gianna's place to do her job."

"You need controlled conditions, right?" Bella said. Edward thought she was blushing. "Aren't you supposed to film the love scenes tomorrow? It's a closed set. Limited people. Gianna could go in, and I could come out if you want to set something up." She shrugged. "I don't know what, but you could do it."

Jasper straightened up, his expression skeptical. "I'm not sure what good that would do regardless. The crew knows what you're doing."

"No, they don't." A small smirk played at Bella's lips. "I never told anyone what I was doing. They know Edward and I are friends, but they think it's Gianna in all those pictures. They talk about it all the time." She grimaced. "They think she's going to get me fired after yesterday."

Her eyes met Edward's for a beat, and he thought she looked almost shy. But the moment passed too quickly before she looked at Gianna. "It doesn't even have to be part of some elaborate plot. The more it's me and not you, the safer you are. Not for nothing, but I have martial arts and self-defense training. If someone was waiting in your trailer, and it was me going in instead of you, I could defend myself." She looked to Emmett and Jasper. "Assuming I had back up."

"Regardless, I'll be within reach at all times," Jasper said to Gianna.

She huffed and looked to Bella, shaking her head. "I can't ask you to put yourself in harm's way. You've done too much already."

Bella smiled. "I haven't done anything but go get coffee with this punk a few times." She gestured at Edward.

As uncomfortable as he was at the idea of Bella being in danger, Edward couldn't help but appreciate what she was offering. Bella had been dragged into their drama through no fault of her own. Edward knew better than to think Bella cared about the money Gianna would no doubt offer her if she did something like this. She wanted the other woman to be safe; that was all.

"But she's right. You're not in security," Emmett said. "It's too much to ask of you."

"I'm professionally trained," Bella said, sitting up taller.

Emmett grinned. "Yeah. You know, you'd be damn good in private security, come to think about it."

"Okay," Jasper said, getting them back on track. "So there's that possibility. Bella will help us keep you safe while we formulate a plan. It's an option. This is up to you, Gianna. Even now, I don't think you've ever been in any real danger. I've been with you, right?"

"You were with Alice for a while yesterday," Gianna said, though there wasn't any anger or accusation in her tone.

"Right, but Peter was with you while I was with Alice. Peter's every bit as good as I am." He grimaced. "Though that might not be something you want to hear given this."

She sighed. "No. You're right. This happened while I was away, so I guess that means that this person couldn't get close enough." She shuddered. "Not yet, anyway."

"They're not going to get close to you," Emmett said. "I know it doesn't look like we're on top of this, but as far as your personal safety is concerned, we've still got this."

"I believe you," Gianna said. The skin around her eyes tightened. "I do trust you. I don't want you to think I don't, but I can't handle this. I can't do my job while I'm thinking everyone around me is a suspect." She chafed her arms, looking down at her feet. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Edward said, going to squeeze her shoulder. "It's a good idea. Notifying the police means we notify security on set. It's like Emmett said: they can run a larger investigation than we could manage."

She sighed. "A production that will definitely make the papers."

Edward had to work to keep the grimace off his face. Between the romance the paps had already set up, the blind item, and now this, media attention was going to be at an all- time high for both of them.

"At least you can get out of the limelight before the storm hits," Emmett said, patting Bella's back. "We can drop the charade."

Edward's stomach twisted a new direction.

It shouldn't have mattered given that he knew damn well increased security for Gianna meant increased security for him. The whole story would come out, and the police would know that the real object of this asshole's obsession was Edward. He knew he should have been more concerned with who on set could be behind this. How close had they gotten. His assistant was a definite suspect; this had all started with him, though he knew the truth. Would he accuse Gianna of spreading rumors when he'd seen Edward and Bella with his own eyes?

Hell, it could still be Bella. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

Despite all those pressing concerns-really, how quickly could Emmett stop a maniac with a knife?-a different, just as dismaying, thought leapt to the forefront of Edward's thoughts.

Was this the end of his time with Bella? She wouldn't want to be a part of the circus that his life was about to become. She was already too involved. Too many people on this set knew she'd been in Edward's trailer. Kissing him. Aggressively. If she didn't want to move forward with him, now was the perfect time to move back.

But before he could talk to her, everything got complicated. Security on set was notified. Then the police. Too many people wanted to talk to Edward and Bella. Separately. Production stopped.

It was ages before Edward could go home, and by then, Bella had left long before. Production was halted for the weekend. Benjamin took up another hour of his time drafting a press release and discussing what to do about the Bella/Gianna situation.

Since it was well known Edward's bodyguard was his brother, Edward and Benjamin crafted a statement assuring the public he was unworried and in good hands. He expressed his displeasure that anyone calling themselves a fan of his would dare to target a woman whom he admired and added that if they truly respected him, they would respect his coworkers.

As for possible rumors about his romantic relationship with Gianna or the mystery woman he may or may not have been caught with, Benjamin's office had been instructed not to comment. At least not until Edward could talk to the mystery woman face to face.

After that, Edward fielded calls from his parents and his sister, all of whom had heard the news. They were frantic and frightened for him. When they calmed down, they were angry they had to hear second hand-as if he'd had time to make a phone call.

Finally, the phone stopped ringing, and Edward's house was quiet. He sat by himself on the sofa, stiff drink in hand, the icy glass pressed to his forehead to ward off his pounding headache. After agonizing way too much-drama king much, Edward-he had finally sent Bella a simple text.

Sorry about all this. Have you heard if the party is still on?

"Coward," he muttered to himself.

It was fifteen long-as-hell minutes before she responded.

As far as I know. God knows we could all use a drink. See you tomorrow, stud.

Edward couldn't fight his grin.

A/N: Many thanks to MoH, Packy 2.0, songster, and Femme. Special shout out to Pastiche Pen who solved a conundrum for me with one sentence. Goodness gracious. Who let me write even this vaguest of mysteries?!