I have to give a special thanks to Projectteambeta and their betas, Twimarti and Mel, for their very valuable input into this chapter.

As always, I do not own Twilight. I wish I did. All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer

Chapter 1

March 2008 – Quantico Marine Base, Virginia – 16 years later

The cool air of March bit into my lungs as I jogged through the wooded acres of the campus. The sun was just beginning to rise and bathed the land in a warm glow. I really hated running, but it was necessary for my training. I was clumsy, so I had to keep an extra eye on the ground at all times, watching for some evil plotting root or masochistic rock to leap up and grab my shoe. It had certainly happened plenty of times before, and it usually resulted in nothing more than a severe bruising of my ego. Fortunately, today I was only running with Angela. I knew she wouldn't repeat any of my running escapades and misadventures to the other trainees. Still, I kept an ever-watchful eye for any foul object that could bring me down.

Angela and I had become fast friends when we'd met here for training. We were a lot alike and found ourselves spending a good deal of what little free time we had together.

I was thirteen weeks into my training at Quantico. I had decided to follow my dad's footsteps and join the FBI. Actually, I wasn't really following my dad's footsteps, since he quit the FBI when I was nine and moved us 1,500 miles away. My dad gave up on his quest to bring down VI—Volturi Industries. The night my mother died changed everything for him, and I think he gave up on a lot of things.

It changed everything for me, too. However, I would never give up. My mother's death only spurred my determination to bring those responsible to justice. It was the whole reason I was here battling roots, rocks, and any other obstacle in my way to get my badge. I was determined to work harder than any other trainee, in order make my way on the VI team. It was all I cared about; the reason for each breath. I had to bring down the man responsible for killing my mother and changing my life irrevocably.

I noticed we were nearing the end of our run. We had our last physical assessment in the coming week, and we needed to push ourselves to be ready.

"Angela, we should start sprinting soon. We are less than a quarter-mile out," I huffed.

"Ugh, Bella, I really hate sprinting."

"Yeah, but we have to be ready. Three-hundred-meter sprints and mile-and-a-half timed runs—next week," I replied.

"Fine." That was all I got out of her as she began to speed up. I followed suit and began pushing myself forward at a much faster rate. I was really beginning to feel the burn in my legs and the stinging in my lungs as I sucked in the cold air. I could feel her push past me, and that fired up my competitive side. I dug my feet into the ground and accelerated forward. Oh please let my coordination hold out. We pushed on, increasing our speed the best we could for the last few minutes of our run. Finally reaching the end of our run, we both slowed to a walk. I was breathing hard. As much as I hated running, I did love the way I felt after it was over. Besides, these physical assessments were my one true weakness in the FBI program, and I wasn't going to fail.

I turned to Angela and watched as she walked large circles around a park bench. "Let's go shower, Angela, before we are late for class." I turned to head back and clean up.

After a hot shower and coffee, I felt energized, as I made my way into the classroom. I needed to be for this class; we were working on techniques in interviewing and report writing. The instructor was a very "by the book" and "obey all the rules" sort of man, and his monotone voice could put an angry bull to sleep. I sat down in my seat next to Mike Newton, one of my fellow trainees. He was a bit older than I was, having worked for a few years out of school before deciding to join the FBI. Newton was cool, though, and an amazing wizard when it came to computers.

"Hey, Bella. How was your run?" he asked as I took my seat.

"Good, Mike. I think I should be ready for next week, barring any major mishaps like my legs suddenly roping around each other like a pretzel." Mike laughed, and I knew he could easily picture it in his mind, probably because he has seen me do it so many times before. "You should have joined us this morning. We missed your company," I added.

"I should have, but it was just too cold and early for me." I knew he didn't need to train as hard as I did for the physical assessments, so I couldn't blame him for wanting to stay in bed. I was beginning to pull my notebook and pen out of my bag when Mike turned in his seat to face me.

"Hey, I think we are getting tomorrow off," he said excitedly. YES! I mentally celebrated. We didn't get a lot of full weekends off, and when we did, our little group would usually head out to a local pub to have a little fun.

"And, I think Jess is going to meet up with us tonight," Mike added, flashing a huge smile.

Jessica Stanley was Mike's girlfriend. She worked as a legislative assistant for a senator from Arizona and lived in D.C. As an LA, she worked horrendous hours, and it wasn't often that she made it down to Virginia to visit with Mike. Mike's training schedule wasn't any better, and it was rare that the two had a day off at the same time. I liked Jess pretty well, and since she was also from Arizona, we had a bit in common. Although it had been years since I'd lived in Arizona, it was still home to me, and I loved talking about my favorite places with her.

"Are we heading out tonight after class, then?" Ben piped up from the back as he slid into his seat.

"Like you would have to ask, Ben. Don't we always head out when we have days off?" I rolled my eyes at him and smiled.

"Don't we always what?" Angela asked as she sat down next to me.

"Go to the pub. We have tomorrow off," I answered. "Hey, are you ready for Hogan's today? I hear we get to play with the paint guns again." I smiled enthusiastically. She quickly returned my smile and nodded. Hogan's Alley was the little training town in the middle of Quantico that we used to simulate real life experiences. It looked like a real town, except all the people were either actors or trainees of some sort, like us. It was like a kid getting to play cops and robbers in a giant town of playhouses, but it was more real. You're evaluated and graded on how well you respond to the real life experiences. I loved training at Hogan's. I was really in my element there. Today, I was told, we would try to take down a couple of bank robbers. I couldn't wait to get out there. In the meantime, I turned to face the instructor as he began his lecture on interviewing witnesses.

Pop. Pop. Pop.

"Man down! Civilian down!" The words crackled over our headset.

"Shit, did Tyler just do what I think he did?" Ben whispered next to me. My eyes were wide open, staring around the corner at the two actors who were playing bank customers in our simulation. They were lying on the ground covered in orange paint, playing dead.

"Uh, yeah, that's an affirmative," I replied. Crap, Tyler just shot the hostages. Ben and I were holed up in the back of the bank building, waiting for the signal that we should assist in taking out or arresting the bank robbers. The bank robbers had five hostages, well, make that three hostages. Tyler and Eric had entered from the opposite direction, and the suspects spotted them. Tyler must have acted impulsively and fired without thinking.

Now the bank robbers were screaming at Tyler and Eric, threatening to kill the remaining hostages. I could see that Tyler was completely panicked, and Eric was pissed—not at the bank robbers, but at Tyler. I took in the rest of the scene. One of the suspects was isolated behind a desk near the other two hostages. Tyler and Eric wouldn't be able to get a shot on him, but we could.

"Ben, see suspect number two?" I asked. Ben looked over my shoulder, instantly knowing where I was going with this.

"Yep, got him. Can you get number one?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm close. If he just turns slightly to the right, I think I can get him without harming the victim. His tantrum is making him vulnerable." I was watching suspect number one and realized he was separating himself from his hostage during his tirade.

"Swan to Alpha," I spoke into my headset. "Cheney and I have a clear shot; permission to take out suspects."

"Permission granted. Be sure to protect the hostages," came the response over the headset.

"Be ready on suspect two. On my mark, take him out," I whispered to Ben. Ben nodded and aimed his rifle.

I watched suspect number one as he grabbed his hostage by the arm and began to shake her violently as he swung his handgun in the air. I readied my weapon. Then, I saw it—the perfect opportunity.

"Now." I fired my weapon, hitting suspect number one right in the chest. Pop! Pop! I heard Ben's weapon fire almost simultaneously and watched as suspect number two dropped to the ground. Suspect number one was also lying on the ground, while the acting hostage ran away screaming.

"Don't move, don't move!" Four more trainees rushed in with their weapons raised, aiming them at the fallen robbers, ready to secure the suspects and the building. Ben and I had successfully taken out the robbers, but overall, this training session did not go well. Tyler was going to have some explaining to do.

After our fun afternoon at Hogan's Alley, I found myself in a great mood, riding shotgun next to Angela on our way to the pub. Mike, Ben, and Tyler were all in the back talking about Tyler's complete screw-up at during the simulation. Tyler's nerves had definitely gotten the best of him, as he'd managed to take out two of the hostages. Tyler was definitely not going to be the type of agent that gets down and dirty in the middle of the action. He'd need to find himself a good desk job.

We got to the pub early and headed for our favorite table. The waitress came over promptly to take our orders. "What can I get for you guys tonight?"

Mike grinned up at her. "A pitcher of the usual for all of us, and well, Tyler here needs an Orange Kamikaze to celebrate going down in orange paintball flames." Tyler gaped at Mike, and we all chuckled as Ben made choking gestures with his hands.

"Give it a rest, guys. I am never going to live that one down," Tyler said, somewhat defeated. The waitress smiled and left with our order.

The pub was beginning to fill up quickly, and Angela began scanning the room. "Bella, we need to find a man tonight." I looked at her and rolled my eyes.

"Please, Angela, I am in the middle of training to be an FBI agent. I do not need any distractions right now."

Hooking up with random men was never my thing. Honestly, I had never been very good with men once I had developed any sort of romantic feelings for them. I could be a lot of fun, as long as we remained just friends. But as soon as it went one step further, I clammed up and shut down. I had always been terrified of getting hurt, and as a result, I guess I never let anything get started. So, hunting down men in bars has never been something I really would ever do, but that obviously wasn't going to stop Angela from trying.

"Oh, come on, there has to be at least one man here you'd like." She paused as she continued to scan the room. Then, her eyes got big and a huge grin began to split her face. "In fact, I found mine. I want that one." She pointed over to a crowded part of the bar, while Ben looked on dejectedly. Why couldn't Angela see what was right in front of her face.

"Where, Ang? Which one?" I asked with mock enthusiasm.

"Well, darn, he is a bit lost in the crowd now. That one in the green shirt." I peered through the crowd, and all I could see was the back of a tall man in a green shirt with a messy mass of bronze colored hair. I smirked at her and gave her a wink. That should placate her for bit.

Our waitress arrived with our drinks and poured the beer into frosty mugs. She placed Tyler's Orange Kamikaze down in front of him, and I personally wished it were in front of me. It looked a lot tastier than my beer. I have never been much of a beer drinker, but it was cheaper to drink beer with this group since Mike bought a lot of the pitchers. Never look a gift horse in the mouth, right?

"Do you guys need anything else?" the waitress asked.

The bar was beginning to fill up, and I knew it was going to be harder to get her attention. I figured we ought to order another right away. "Another pitcher," I blurted out.

"That's my girl," Mike praised. The waitress nodded her head and took off to her next table of patrons.

"Hey, has anyone here figured out any more about potential assignments?" Angela asked. "I am still working toward a position in counterterrorism." Angela was fluent in at least one Middle-Eastern language as well as several European languages. Her mother was Hungarian and her father was half-Persian. To top it off, she had amazing math skills and was wicked smart. The combination made her very desirable to both the FBI and the CIA. She had her pick of which place she wanted to work for and chose to stay domestic with the FBI.

Tyler looked at Angela and then dejectedly stared at his drink. "I am just worried about passing and getting my badge after today." He heaved a big sigh.

"Oh, Tyler, everyone knows you aren't cut out to be a field agent," Angela interjected. "Hell, neither do I. It is not our field skills that make us valuable, unlike Bella and Ben here." She looked over at me, grinning.

"Please, Angela. Tripping over every pebble in my path does not make me a good field agent," I retorted.

"You know what I mean, Bella. You have incredible instincts, and your shooting is remarkable." A smirk spread across my face. I may be a clumsy fool at times, but I was the daughter of an ex-FBI field agent who later became a small town police chief. He taught me well in the backwoods of Washington; I could shoot a gun, and I could have been competitive at it. Ben was nearly as good a shot as I was.

"I am thinking they are going to assign me to cyber crimes. It makes sense, and I would really enjoy it," Mike interjected. Mike was a computer whiz. If he had a criminal mind, he could do a lot of damage, since he could hack into almost anything.

"I have no idea what assignment I am going to get." Tyler still looked a bit deflated as he continued to gaze at his glowing orange drink.

"Oh, I think you're perfect for kidnapping, drug trafficking, bank robbery. . ." Mike was laughing harder and harder with each assignment he mentioned, while Tyler just glared at him.

I decided to change the subject and spare Tyler any more humiliation. "I still want the VI assignment. I have no idea if I will get it, but it is the whole reason I am doing this. I have talked to Agent Banner about it; he knows my passion for the case, but at the same time, he knows my history with it, too. He has reservations."

On the surface Volturi Industries appeared to be a very respectable and extremely successful international import/export business, but everyone knew that their power extended far beyond the simple business of import and exports. Behind closed doors, they would sell and trade guns, drugs, and anything else that would pay big bucks. They worked with some of the most notorious drug lords and terrorists in the world. Governments of small countries would contract their services to obtain goods they couldn't get any other way. They say that VI is the puppet master behind the strings of many a dictatorship around the world. Their elusive CEO, Aro Volturi, was reported to be untouchable. Every time the FBI or CIA would get close, the lead would disappear and witnesses would vanish into thin air. My dad got close once.

"Bella," Angela began. "He would be a fool not to select you for this assignment. You are top of our class in everything."

"No, not everything," I said with a small smile. "I can't get past the pebbles in my path, remember?"

"I'm surprised you're not already pegged for SWAT, Bella," Mike added. This was something I was afraid of. I was probably the best shot in the class. It would be a natural conclusion to think that I may be placed in SWAT. And, I wouldn't mind SWAT so much, except that it wasn't VI.

"I bet Ben goes SWAT," I contributed.

"I would love it!" Ben interjected and then turned to me. "Oh, hey, Bella, did I tell you I saw Agent Banner at Quantico this week?" Now he had my interest.

"I had no idea that Agent Banner was in town." Agent Banner was the head of the VI team. The VI case was big enough that it supported its own full-time team. I wondered what brought him to Quantico, and if I might get a chance to plead my case again.

"He was meeting with Agent Uley," Ben added.

"I wonder what has brought him here, and why he would be meeting with Agent Uley? He's the serial killer specialist, right?" I couldn't for the life of me figure out why he would be meeting with Agent Uley, but I might have to do a little digging to try and find out. Maybe they were old friends from their training days.

Just then, I saw Jessica heading our way. She smiled, waved, and raised her finger to her mouth in a "shhh." She crept up behind Mike, covered his eyes, and said, "Guess who?" As if that was really any kind of challenge.

"It could only be the most beautiful legislative assistant in all of D.C." Mike smiled, and Jessica leaned over to kiss his cheek. Mike turned his head just in time to plant a kiss on her lips. It wasn't a quick peck, either. There was definitely some smacking going on. I wanted to vomit. I have never been one for gushy types of romances or for the public displays of affection that the two of them often engaged in after several beers.

"Here, please stop and take my seat next to Mike." I got up, offering my seat to Jessica before she plopped herself into his lap. I made my way around the other side of the table, took a seat between Tyler and Ben, and reached over the table for my beer. Then, I eyed Tyler's Kamikaze. "Are you going to drink that, Tyler? Because if not, I'll take it."

Tyler slid the drink in front of me and smiled. "By all means, Bella. You can have it. I think I have seen enough orange today." I took the drink and downed it fast; it was orange and yummy. It was then that I saw him. From my new vantage point on the other side of the table, I could see him at the booth at the back of the bar. He had to be one of the most beautiful specimens of man that I had ever seen. He had that strong jaw line that made girls go weak in the knees.

I continued to stare at him. He was laughing with the other men in his group. He had the most beautiful array of messed-up bronze hair that I had ever seen. Oh no, this was Angela's pick of the night, not that she ever really intended on hooking up. But, oh what he was doing to my body just by looking at him. I stared at his mop of messed-up hair, and I wanted to run my hands through it. I wanted to run my hands over his entire well-sculpted body. Holy Cow, Bella. Get a grip on yourself.

He wasn't military—not with that hair, obviously. He was sitting with some other men who looked to be FBI types. I was sure he was an agent. Most of the guys around here were either military or FBI. I didn't recognize any of the other men he was with, but they all had that FBI look. One of the men at his table must have told a joke because his face lit up in the most beautiful smile as he laughed in response. I was completely dazed.

It was then that he looked in my direction, and I made contact with a pair of stunning emerald green eyes. Seriously, who had eyes that green? I couldn't look away. He was absolutely mesmerizing. It took me a moment to realize that he knew I was staring at him. I felt an intense blush run up my body and consume my face. His brows were furrowed in uncertainty as he tried to figure out why I was watching him. I quickly broke the trance and looked away.

"Bella, are you okay?" Angela looked at me in confusion.

"Huh, uh, yeah," I replied.

"I don't think you've heard a single word I have said in the last two minutes. What are you staring at anyway?" She turned her gaze across the bar to figure out what had held my rapt attention. I did not want her to know that I was entranced by Zeus himself, especially since she spied him earlier. I held my romantic feelings close to my chest, never letting anyone know my real thoughts and feelings. I knew once she looked over there she would figure it out, but when I looked up, he was gone. I felt both relief at not having to expose my lust for a man I never met, and anxiety at the thought that I may never see him again.

A/N: This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction. I enjoy writing creatively, but I have never really shared any of my writing before, and I am nervous about putting myself out there. So, if you like this story so far, or even if you think there is some room for improvement, I would really appreciate a review.

Also, I tend to write when I feel inspired, and that is not always a regular occurrence. I am going to try to get a chapter out about every two weeks, but don't kill me if it's longer.

Thank you for reading my story. I hope you enjoyed it.