A Twisted Tale Chapter 5: 105 Hi there stranger, a twilight fanfic

Chapter 5 – #105 - Hi there stranger

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# 105

You can not run, you can not hide. You can not tell me what I feel inside.

Note # 105 wasspray painted across the hood of Edward's car in blood red paint.

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Back to present…

Time: 11:43

"Bella?!," he spat in recognition. "Officer Black? Oh my gosh, your hair… I didn't recognize you! "

"Yes, it's really me," the dark haired beauty finally admitted after what seemed like an eternity of silence. "Special Agent SWAN at your service, but call me B…. or Hawkins, if you prefer to keep some professional distance."

"That's her code name, Arizona Bell Hawkins. She's with the FBI now," Alice chimed in helpfully. "Isn't that great!"

"I'm part of the Protective Services Unit, PSU. I have been assigned to look into the threats made against you."

"What the hell, Alice! " Edward cursed, clearly not liking what he was hearing. "You went behind my back and called the freaking FBI?!"

"No, I called a friend, that's all," Alice shrugged, suddenly becoming very interested in the menu. "Look the have turkey burgers. I think I'll have one of those."

"Shouldn't I have a say in this?"

Alice looked up at him innocently and shrugged her shoulders. "In whether or not I should order turkey?! I don't think so!"

"You know what I mean. You can't make a decision like that without telling me first...," he clarified with an exasperated sigh.

"No offence...," he hastily added, catching Alice's and Bella's gazes.

"None taken."

"I'm sure you are a good agent and all… but I'm not sure you're the right person to tackle this."

"Why? Because I'm a woman? Or because we have history?"

"No… Well yeah, both actually… Should you even be working?…. I mean, It's a bit soon… after … well you know…"

"That's personal, and I never let personal issues affect my work. Neither should you. If you're questioning my professionalism I can assure you I graduated at the top of my class at the FBI Training Academy in Quantico. Your arrogant ass is lucky to have someone like me backing it up."

Edward's eyes narrowed in a glare, while Alice hastily clapped a hand over her mouth to hide a smile.

"Did you just call me arrogant? I'm pretty sure offending the person you're assigned to protect is not part of your job description, special agent…. Hawkins, was it?!."

"You're right. My job is to baby-sit your spoiled brat ass. If someone should feel offended it should be me," Bella stated with an amused raise of her eyebrow.

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Edward didn't eat or speak much throughout the lunch. He just sullenly picked at his food and let Alice handle the small talk, a tasks she undertook with great diligence and enthusiasm.

She stayed on safe topics, mostly gossiping about old high school acquaintances – listing off which ones of their old friends that were engaged, marriedor already divorced… Who among them that had popped out kids and how many… along with some juicer stories about boob jobs gone wrong and escalating pill popping habits.

As expected, some of the usual catching-up question were thrown around as well. Again Alice did most of the talking, but Bella did divulge a bit about her job, the travels she had done and how she had picked up martial art as a hobby in college. She dodged all personal questions though. Or well, all except one: the one about her father and his health issues.

"Some days are better than others," she answered truthfully when Alice carefully broached the subject. Charlie had always had a soft spot for the Cullen ladies and vice versa. She knew for a fact that both Esme and Alice sent him a Christmas cards every year without fail.

"But he's doing okay, considering the circumstances?," Alice inquired, probing further.

"Yes. He doesn't talk much anymore, but them again he always was a man of few words."

"I remember that," Alice nodded. "Your dad always knew how to get things done with a minimum of words and a maximum of effectivity." Then, after a moment of reflection, she added, "I'm sorry, it must be hard watching someone you love slowly slip away before your eyes like that."

"It is," Bella agreed with unfeigned emotion. "I wish he wasn't such a stubborn old foe though. He doesn't want to be a burden, but I hate the idea of him wasting away in some Floridian nursing home."

Edward's head snap up. "Chief Swan is in a nursing home?!," he asked, showing interest in the conversation for the first time since the food had been served. "What's wrong with him? Apart from being trigger happy and short tempered, I mean…"

Alice shook her head and sighed with annoyance. "Please ignore my jerk of a brother. He has no manners, what so ever. You don't have to tell him anything."

"Edward, when my father resigned from his post as Chief of police all those years ago it was because of medical issues. Charlie has Alzheimer's disease. I thought you already knew this, seeing as Dr. Cullen was the one making the diagnosis."

Edward actually looked a little taken aback at that. "I'm sorry, I had no idea," he said, his eyes wide and his mouth in a slight frown.

"It was never something that was discussed around our dinner table." Alice shook her head vigorously. "I only knew because I figured it out on my own. Dad takes the whole doctor/patient confidentiality thing very seriously, besides Edward was already off to college whe-…"

"It's okay Alice. No need to explain, I didn't mean to imply anything," Bella hurried to interject. "I have the utter most respect for Dr. Cullen and I owe him a great deal. If he hadn't stepped in and talked Charlie into seeking help, I don't know how we would have made it through."

"I really honestly had no idea," Edward repeated again.

"Well, now you know," Bella stated with more calmness than she felt. "Look, we got off on the wrong foot here today, but like I said I owe your father a very personal debt. Let me do this Edward, let me help you. Think of this as me returning a favor. "

Edward raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure a thank you note and some flowers would have been sufficient enough."

Bella had a sharp answer on the tip of her tongue, but the waitress chose that particular moment to interrupt them with coffee.

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"Why don't you tell me about your situation, Edward," Bella suggested, taking a sip of her coffee.

"I'm sure my sister has already told you everything there is to know, she seems more than eager to blab my personal shit all over town."

Alice let out an indignant huff. "I haven't said anything that she won't find out from reading the police report," she protested with a shade of irritation.

"I've been told the basics but I rather hear the rest from you," Bella insisted with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. When he didn't respond she threw in some eye contact for good measure. BAD IDEA, she had forgotten how fucking green his eyes were.

As their meeting progressed two things had become excruciatingly clear. Firstly, Edward Cullen was surprisingly dismissive, hostile even. He would have never agreed to sit down and discuss his current stalker situation had he not been manipulated by his sister. Secondly, Edward Cullen appeared to be quite shaken up, more so then he would probably ever care to admit.

The silence stretched but Bella forced herself to hold his gaze, to wait it out.

"Fine," Edward finally relented, throwing up his hands into an exasperated shrug. "What do you want to know? I'm being threatened, watched and followed. I'm being harassed with daily phone calls, text messages and voice mails. I'm also receiving gifts and envelops with stalkerazzi photos and sick little messages. The other day I found an envelope inside my apartment, on my bed, on my f*ing pillow"

"No signs of forced entry?," Bella asked calmly, trying to keep her own voice devoid of emotion.

"Not really, no. The front door is a solid steel door with both a deadbolt lock and a cylindrical lock. There was this one window that I apparently must have forgotten to close properly, but there was a safety chain on it and besides it's the fifth floor and the fire escape is not accessible from the street."

"A solid front door is good but I would encourage you to consider putting metal bars on all the windows."

Edward made no articulate reply, but he muttered something about 'incarceration'.

"Well, it's either that or move somewhere safer for a while," Bella said as patiently as she could. "Tell me more about the envelope in your bedroom. And also, did you notice anything moved or missing in the apartment that day?"

"Nope. Everything was as I left it and nothing seemed amiss. Well, except for the window… and a toothbrush which I seem to have misplaced, but that's probably irrelevant…"

"Was there a note in the envelope, what did it say? I'd like to see it. Actually I'd like to see all of the items you have received, if that's okay?!"

"The police have them--," Edward started saying but, was interrupted by his sister's, "I have the notes right here--," They both silenced and glared at each other.

"Look, it doesn't matter. If the police have them, I'll see them eventually," Bella said trying to defuse the suddenly charged atmosphere.

"Edward, I think we should show her," Alice pleaded. "She'll have a much better idea what you're dealing with if she sees it with her own eyes."

His jaw tightened, but he didn't protest. Instead, he raised his hand in a wave and said from between clenched teeth, "Carry on, by all means."

"The NYPD has the originals, but I've helped Edward make scans and copies of some of the more creepy ones," Alice explained, rummaging through her messenger bag. After a few moments, she pulled out a thick black binder and put it on the table in front of Bella.

There were hundreds of different items in the binder. Bella flipped through the first few pages, examining them quickly but thoroughly. "This has been going on for almost six months?"

Edward nodded, affirming her question. "They were pretty tame in the beginning, creepy and disturbing yes, but nothing overly threatening."

"And you have no idea who it could be?"

"Not a clue. I have no enemies that I know of."

"I'll make a sizable wager that somewhere, someone is holding a grudge against you. Have you stepped on anyone's toes lately? A fling turned sour, perhaps?"

Edward closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose before repeating his previous answer. "Like I said, I have no enemies that I know of… male or female…"

Bella sensed his rising irritation and decided not to push any further. She spent the next five minutes looking at the notes and photos in silence. "Are these the most recent ones?," she asked as she reached the last page in the binder.

Edward answered with a resolute 'yes' but across the table Alice was shaking her head 'no'.

Bella looked between the two of them with narrowed eyes. When no explanation came she pushed her chair back and began collecting her things. "I'd like your permission to let our forensic team take a look at these letters," she said looking straight at Edward. "Not just the copies but the originals… all of them," she added to make sure he understood. "I'm going to need your full cooperation, that's the only way I can help you."

"I still say this is a waste of time, if you ask me," Edward grumbled, fidgeting in his chair. "The police have worked months on this with no result."

"Yeah, well, I work with people specialized in handling these kind of situations. It's not like you have anything to loose at this point. Think about it and get back to me," Bella suggested as she got to her feet and prepared to leave.

"Alice it was really nice seeing you, we should get together more often," she added with a voice that she hoped sounded calm and confident. On the inside, however, she was nowhere near calm or confident. Her mind was racing with questions, plans and worries. She wanted nothing more than to get right down to work.

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Office # 322 at the FBI New York headquarter

Time: 13:56

'Edward Anthony Cullen'

Almost unconsciously, Special Agent Bella Swan repeated the name out loud as she typed it into the search field and hit the enter key.

The name felt almost foreign on her tongue, like something out of some distant memory.

She repeated it again…

"Edward Anthony Cullen'

There was a time when the mere mention of that name would have sent shivers down her spine, the kind of shivers that leaves you tingling with anticipation in all the right places. This was back in the day when she was still a school girl and new to the physical responses that happens when our body recognizes "cute guy" before our brain does.

As a teenager she had had a somewhat introverted personality – always walking with her head down, speaking only when spoken to and only contributing to a conversation when and if it interested her.

Her favorite hobby back then (and still) was reading, which often made her totally oblivious to her surroundings because she always had her nose in a book.

She had been a lit geek, a bookworm and overall, uncool. She owned more books than clothes and paid little to none interest in fashion, makeup and boys. That all changed though, the year she moved to live with her father and subsequently switched school at the beginning of her junior year in high school.

Her first encountered with the hurricane that was Edward Cullen took place in the waiting room at Forks police station mere two days after her arrival in town.

Edward was a force of nature - or, as Charlie would put it, a piece of work. He was the rich kid who could get away with anything due to his father's money... Well almost anything, anyway…

On that particular day, a rainy Sunday afternoon, Edward had been brought down to the police station after being caught pulling off a sloppy high speed parallel parking job that involved an illegal U-turn and two wheels on the sidewalk; a maneuver that caused a teenaged boy on a bike to crash head first into a lamp post. Unfortunately the lamppost in question was situated right across the road from the diner where all five members of the local police force ate their lunch.

Bella had, not too surprisingly, been completely oblivious to the whole lamppost incidence. To her defense she had been busy struggling with an upturned umbrella as she walked past the crash site. The weather had been unusually crappy that weekend and the only reason she braved the rain at all was because she was anxious to get her hands on the keys to her new car – er, scratch that – her new-but-old car. It was a red 1953 Chevy pick-up truck, a homecoming gift of sort from Chief Swan. It was slow like a dump truck and sturdy like a band wagon but at least the rusty old relic would save her from the embarrassment of being escorted to school in her father's police cruiser… and hopefully keep her out of the rain…

Bella was still struggling with her drenched umbrella as she cold, wet and windblown, used her hip to push her way through the doors of her father's workplace.

Entering the room rear-end-first was of course a disaster waiting to happen. As she turned around she accidentally bumped into a display stand full of flyers and leaflets. Dropping what she had in her hands –her umbrella and a couple of books– she scurried to save the glossy brochures. It was a maneuver doomed to fail, not necessary because her reflexes weren't fast enough, but because when her umbrella hit the floor it popped open with enough force to push over a cow… or in this case sweep a small-framed seventeen year girl off her feet.

She landed in a mess on the marble floor right in front of a highly amused Edward Cullen.

She had no idea who he was back then, in fact all she knew about him was what she saw then and there. The verdict; never in her seventeen year old life had she ever seen anything quite as stunning or mesmerizing as the guy handcuffed to the chair before her.

The hair, the eyes, the presence… It was like everything about him was designed to lure her in. She stared at him like an awe-struck child. Time stood still for what seemed like forever and then suddenly she heard applause and felt herself turn fiery red, from the very roots of her hair to the tips of her toes.

The guy clapped his hands together in a mocking fashion and smirked. SMIRKED! That bastard. He was if possible even more gorgeous when he smirked.

That was the day Bella Swan fell head over heels for Edward Cullen.

She didn't know it at the time, but the attraction was mutual and instantaneous, like a magnet pulling the two of them towards one another. The rest was as they say history…

Shaking her head to rid herself of the memories, special agent Swan turned her attention back to the search results on the screen before her. Edward had earned himself a nice collection of speeding tickets over the years.

Clearly some things never change…

He always did drive like a maniac. According the records he had received insurance money for car repairs on three separate occasions. He currently owned two cars, a Ford Cougar and a Jaguar. She found no mention of the silver Volvo that had been his first car back in Forks all those years ago.

Bella had lost her virginity in the backseat of that Volvo. Edward had been her first in EVERYTHING. kiss, date, lover… He played guitar in a rock band and knew how to use his thick long fingers. He drank like a fish, smoked like a chimney and loved like a lothario.

Chief Swan hated him.

Bella loved him…. or used to love him, past tense... these days she barely though of him at all…

She made a few notes in her notepad and opened up a new window where she proceeded to log into the FBI's National Information Center database. She did a few cross searches and dug up some more information.

Edward had majored in classical music composition at Columbia University in New York. Nowadays he earned his living as a writer/composer of music for advertising. This was information she already knew.

She had no problem finding his income and tax reports. His financial situation was stable. From what she could tell, he owned a quite impressive stock portfolio worth a shitload of money. He also owned a studio apartment by the East river and co-owned another piece of property in Downtown Brooklyn. He lived alone and was seemingly single. That's what Alice had told her anyway and the records concurred. She found no records of marriage or children, but his name appeared as godparent to a Elliott William Cullen – his nephew she assumed. Alice had mentioned being an aunt to a cute little baby boy.

She ran Edward's name through another couple of non-public databases but the only findings she made were basic stuff that she was fairly certain the police report already covered. Her local police contact had promised she would have access to the files and everything they had on the case before the week was over. In the meanwhile she resorted to Google.

Muddling through a chain of posts on various social networking sites, she found a profile for a Eddie Masen, who according to the bio was a NY based musician with a standing gig every Thursday night at a place called 'Forever Dawn'. She knew Masen was an old family name and besides she recognized Edward from the pictures. She also recognized the name of the bass player that was mentioned as his 'partner in crime' --Jasper Whitlock.

If she remembered correctly, Jasper or Jazz as most people had called him back then, had lived with the Cullen's all through his high school years. He had been Edwards band mate and Alice's boyfriend and apparently still was judging by the photos in his Facebook profile.

There was a wealth of links, pictures, and information to browse through. She found numerous photos of Edward and his closest circle of friends. Most of them were candid snapshots of faces and places. There were a few drunken blurry crowd shots too but the one she liked the most was a photo of Edward sitting on the edge of a stage, toying with a guitar pick and staring right into the camera.

The unruly boy with the messy, bronze like hair had certainly grown into his looks. While he still was a bit 'baby-faced', the facial hair made him look rugged and ever more… well, gorgeous to be honest. Meeting him over lunch had only confirmed what she had already suspected. She would always feel that magnetic pull, the hungry tug, the singsong in her blood around him…. no matter how many years that passed…

This was going to be a tricky assignment for more reasons than one.

Bella didn't realize she had zoned out again until there was a knock on the door and she was brought out of her haze by a voice who identified himself as "ME."

Reluctantly she closed the browser window and looked up from her laptop, only to discover that "ME" was no other than her nosy co-worker, agent Seth Clearwater.

Seth had transferred to FBI from the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit. He was quite young, but had all the qualities that made a good agent. He was an excellent researcher (a more pc term for hacker) and an even better friend. He always stopped by for a chat whenever he had a few minutes to spare.

"So how did it go?! Seth asked cautiously, as he leaned against the doorframe to her office.

"How did what go?" she replied feigning innocence.

"Your 'lunch date' with that spoiled rich kid," he said, making quotation marks with his fingers.

Bella groaned. "You know about my assignment?"

"I'm your new partner, baby. Didn't Jenks tell you?"

Disclaimer

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

I do not in any way profit from this story and that all creative rights to the Twilight characters belong to their original creator, Stephenie Meyer.

The plot line though is my own brainchild, so please don't steal it. I worked hard to come up with it! (Really, I did.)