CHAPTER 20

I had to clean up my room before Charlie came home. Because you know, no one noticed blood soaked sheets these days. Yeah right. Damn, I was frustrated. Mike had completely screwed me up. Fighting back confused and angry tears, I headed downstairs. There was a newspaper on the table that caught my attention. On the front was a picture of Jess. The headline underneath read:

'17 year old, Forks high school student missing.'

A wet spot appeared on the paper as silent tears streamed down my face. So there was no sign of her yet. Dropping my bloody sheets on the floor I sat down in the chair and read. The article stated that she had been missing for four days now, with no sign of her. The police asked that if anyone had information to call straight away. Ha. I should give Angel their number.

I dropped my head onto the counter. God, I had to stop thinking that somehow I could bring him back. Get over him Bella, I told myself. He's gone. Forever.

The sound of a car pulling into the drive made me lift my head. Charlie said that he wouldn't be home until past eight. I glanced at the clock. It was only quarter to five. I moved to the window and looked out. The sun hadn't even set yet. A pounding on the door startled me. Who was it?

Nervously I moved to the door, drying my eyes and quickly shoving the bloody sheets behind the counter. Then I jerked the door open and stepped back in surprise as Edward loomed over me.

"Edward." I gasped in surprise "What-" I was cut off by his lips stealing mine in a fiery, passionate kiss that took my breath away. When he tore his mouth away, he looked me straight in the eye.

"Did the other night mean nothing?" He demanded. I was confused for a moment.

"No! If it's about today." I trailed off remembering all that I had done in the past two hours. A single tear rolled down my cheek.

"Bella, are you alright?" His voice was full of concern and his hands came up to frame my face, while his thumb brushed away more tears.

"I'm fine" I managed to choke out.

Liar.

A tremor shook through me. He drew me in close, his arms forming an iron grasp around me. I sobbed into his shoulder, only thinking about Jess and how now I couldn't save her.

"It was all my fault." I cried.

"Shhh, Bella, What is?"

"Jess- I couldn't save her. If only-" I backed away, wiping a hand across my eyes. He grasped my shoulders to hold me steady.

"Look at me Bella. What about Jessica?"

I blinked at him stupidly. "You don't know?" He shook his head. I walked over to the counter, grabbed the paper and handed it to him. His eyes widened in shock as he read.

After a few moments he dropped the newspaper. Taking his hand, I led him to the living room and sat him down.

"Edward there's something I have to tell you." He waited for me to continue. "You are not the first vampire I've ever met."

"Really?" His voice was calm.

"Yeah. I mean, when I was living back in Phoenix …well…" I was mixing myself up. "Ok, back up. Do you know what the Slayer is?"

He arched a brow. "Yes. There are different kinds."

"No." I corrected. "There is only one, a chosen one so to speak." He was awkwardly silent.

"Well I am. The Slayer, I mean. I have been since I was fourteen. Phoenix is located directly on a Hellmouth, which is like the mother ship for demons and stuff. So really-"

"Does this have anything to do with that man you were fighting in the parking lot the other day?"

I was in disbelief. "You saw that?" He nodded. "Go figure" I muttered. "Well for one thing he's not a man. Ha ha."

Edward gave me a strange look. "So how come he's not dead?"

I bit my lip. "Well he is, technically." He didn't laugh. I shifted so that I could lean back. This one was going to be hard to explain. "Angel was my boyfriend, but see, he had a soul then." I added quickly. "Then he sort of lost it, and he's back to his evil self again. But for some reason…I believe that he could come back." I looked away as I said the last part. Edward was quiet for a moment.

"I see." He said finally.

"But now I don't know, after he killed Jessica-"

"What!" Edward was suddenly standing over me. "He killed her!"

"Yes." My head hung. "She is a Vampire now too."

There must have been different kinds of them in the world. The ones like Angel, who could have no soul, get it back or lose it. And the ones like Edward, but his kind was new to me. I could sense that he was growing rapidly angry towards Angel, and I didn't blame him. Edward crossed his arms behind his back and paced while I sat there.

He stopped and looked at me. "This really isn't how I wanted things to go."

"No kidding." I groaned and sank back into the couch. Edward sat down next to me.

"Let me get this straight. You are a Slayer, you fight and kill vampires and demons-"

"And crazy bitch goddesses." I muttered in. He stared at me. "Never mind."

"Then there is a one called Angel, you've dated him" His eyes grew ebony as he said that. "And he had a soul. Now somehow he lost it, he's evil again, out to kill you, turned Her into a Vampire. And you want him back why?"

I stared intently into his mesmerizing eyes. "Because this Angel and that Angel are two different people, and to be quite frank, I miss the old one." His eyes cut me short. They held anger and possession in them.

"You love him." It wasn't a question. I answered with a question of my own.

"Do you love me?" He looked surprised to hear that.

"What?"

"Why should it matter if I love him, if you don't love me?"

"I do."

His voice was quiet, but to me it was the loudest thing in the room, and it caught me off guard.

"Oh." I said quietly. "Well that's different then." I thought for a moment. "Look, Edward, you've got to comprehend that He was my first real love. And because of me I ruined it for us. Why shouldn't I want to help him?"

"Because of you? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." I lied quickly. I certainly didn't want him to know that part. I knew he didn't believe me, but before he could answer the phone rang, making me jump. Taking a deep breath I got up to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bella?" The voice on the other end was scared, but I recognized it.

"Mike, what's wrong?" I could hear him breathing as if he had just run fifty miles.

"I saw her!"

"Who?" I asked nervously, looking at Edward who walked over to me. Obviously he didn't like the idea that I was talking to Mike.

"Jessica!" He shouted. My eyes went to the window. It had grown dark. I had to get out there.

"Where Mike? I need you to give me an exact location."

"Um." He thought for a moment. "I drove by her on Simmons Street. She was headed towards the Cemetery." My shoulder's drooped.

"Ok, thanks for telling me. Go home and stay there." I hung up and looked at Edward. "I need to go. Mike say Jess." He nodded understandingly.

"Ok, where are we going?"

"Well Mike said he-" I stopped as my slow brain registered what he said. "We aren't going anywhere. I'm going alone." I said forcefully, then headed towards the door. He followed.

"What if you run into Angel?" He inquired

"I'm gonna give him a kiss." I replied sarcastically. Then turned to face him. "Hey, I'll be fine. Heck I've only done this like a hundred plus times." But his face was still doubtful, and he shook his head.

"I'm coming with." I started to protest. "No matter what." He growled in a voice that shut me up immediately.

"Fine." I snapped.

"Fine." He concurred. Wow, can you say old couple or what?

"Your car?" I asked impatiently, when we got outside

He smirked. "Well if you want the whole world to know that you're arriving, we could take yours."

A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. "You know 'yes' works too."