Author's Chapter Notes:

Hello all! Remember me? I hope so. Thank you so much for all the reviews. I'm about to respond to them all soon.

My new beta is bonnysammy

Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all things Twilight.

Chapter 9: Not Fixed

I walked into work the next morning, holding a steaming cup of coffee. I found Arnie behind his desk, looking at several security camera screens. I placed the coffee in front of him as a greeting. He glanced at me briefly before taking a sip of the coffee.

"Ahh, the third cup is even better than the second."

"I don't know why I bring you that almost every morning. You drink way too much coffee."

He shrugged. "You're an enabler." His toffee eyes twinkled and his eyes wrinkled at the corner as he smiled. At that moment, he reminded me of Charlie my throat tightened. After I left him, I made my way to my office and expected time to fly by like it usually does. This time, it didn't. I paced around my office, thinking of Edward's arrival. I decided to walk around the library for a bit to clear my mind.

I reached the hallway and there he was, standing stiffly with Karen. My vision zeroed in on her hand. It was resting against Edward's forearm. Shameless. I felt an uncomfortable twinge of jealousy and folded my arms across my chest. Once Edward saw me, his face lit up and he immediately made his way towards me with Karen on his heels.

"Grace, I was just keeping your friend entertained." She flicked her flawless black, shoulder-length hair. "You kept him waiting long enough."

"I wasn't told that he was here." I glared at her briefly.

She gave me an unapologetic smile and turned her attention back to Edward. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Edward," she purred.

He turned towards her and smiled, showing all of his teeth. Her heart sputtered and fear seeped from her pores. She mumbled a hasty goodbye and stumbled back down the hallway.

I looked at Edward with a raised eyebrow. "You know she's terrified of you now."

He shrugged. "Better her be terrified than infatuated."

I silently agreed as I ushered him inside of my office. I shifted nervously. "Make yourself comfortable."

He glanced around the space before he settled into the chair across from my desk. I sat down in my chair and waited for him to speak. After three whole minutes, he finally spoke.

"This is a beautiful library."

"Yes, it is." I kept my eyes firmly on the desk.

"Bella, please look at me."

My gaze snapped to his face and he immediately relaxed. "When you came into the hallway and saw me with your colleague, a strange look crossed your face."

"I'm not sure I understand." My voice sounded unsteady and I hated that.

"Forgive my assumption, but might it have been…?" He tugged his hair. "Were you jealous, Bella?"

I blinked, thoroughly embarrassed. "It's hardly my place to be jealous, Edward."

"Hardly your place?" His jaw clenched as his eyes filled with sorrow. His hands furiously raked through his hair. I was afraid he would actually pull it out if he continued. I flashed to his side and gently removed his fingers from their steel grip on his bronze locks.

"Don't do that," I murmured. I had to restrain myself from responding to the pleasurable tingling I received from touching him. He sighed, causing his honeyed scent to invade my senses. It was like a drug. I breathed in hungrily, wanting every bit of it. I realized my close proximity to him and started to back away, mortified.

His hand shot out and captured my wrist. "Please. Don't be embarrassed. I…I crave your touch." His voice grew deeper. "I crave your scent."

He took a deep breath and groaned in pleasure. That sound, unlike anything I ever heard from him, caused heat to blossom throughout my body. His nostrils flared and his eyes darkened. "Please, Bella."

I don't know what he was asking but in that moment, I wanted nothing more than to lose myself in Edward. I didn't want to think about the past, I wanted to pretend. So for that moment, I did. I let myself believe that he loved me. I let myself believe that he'd never left. I leaned towards him, hoping that he wanted this moment as much as I. Pretending that he did.

His hand reached out and lightly grazed my cheek. The air left my body as I swayed, hopelessly addicted.

"Bella." His soft eyes were onyx. He looked at me with such a tender expression, my heart ached. "Please, tell me you still feel this between us. This connection. Tell me I'm not too late."

He leaned forward and placed his lips against my forehead. And there I was, transported back to a happier time. I was young and carefree and deeply in love with an Adonis who loved me in return.

Edward's eyes flickered to my lips and his head descended. My body rejoiced, knowing that his lips would be on mine soon. Just as he was centimeters away, my mind woke up. I was not the same Bella as before. That Bella had not known despair. She didn't know how it felt to lose everyone dear to her.

I shook my head. "Please don't."

"Why not?" he demanded. Before I could answer, he looked towards the door and pulled himself away from me just as a knock sounded.

"Come in," I said, welcoming the interruption.

Arnie came through with a large smile planted on his face. I couldn't help but return it.

"I didn't know you had a visitor. Sorry to interrupt," he said, glancing at Edward with curiosity.

"Not at all, Arnie. Come in." I gestured towards Edward. "This is Edward Cullen. Edward, this is Arnold Mitchell, the person who keeps us all safe in this library."

Arnie's dark caramel skin tinted red at my compliment. Edward stood and offered a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Mitchell."

Arnie grasped his hand and smiled. "Please, call me Arnie."

"So, Arnie, what's going on? You're practically bursting with good news."

His large smile seemed to get brighter. "I didn't want to leave without telling you. I'm on my way to the hospital. I'm about to be a granddad."

I was thrilled at the news. Arnie's only daughter was having a baby and he always kept me updated on her progress.

"That's great, Arnie!"

Edward gave him a warm smile. "Congratulations."

Arnie nodded. "Thanks. It's just so surreal. My baby is having a baby." He blinked twice and cleared his throat. "My little girl."

I walked towards him and grasped his hands. "It's going to be great. Make sure you take pictures."

"Sure thing." He made his way to the door. "See you, Grace. Nice meeting you, Edward."

Once he left, Edward looked at me and smiled. "He has a kind heart. He thinks of you as a daughter."

My eyes burned uncomfortably at his words, and I longed for tears. "He's about the only person I talk to here."

"I can understand why."

The silence that fell was awkward. I smoothed my shirt and returned to my seat.

"We were interrupted," Edward said.

"I know."

"Why did you stop me?"

"Edward, I can't. I can't just go back. I'm not the same person you left behind."

He looked deep into my eyes. "You will always be my Bella."

I shook my head furiously. "No. No, I'm not….I don't think you understand how much it hurt me when you left."

"Tell me," he breathed.

"I…It was like someone died. Like I died. And I mourned for our love. There was never a time when you weren't in my thoughts. Every tick of the clock. Every beat of my heart. It all belonged to you. It all ached."

"I didn't know," he moaned. "I didn't think it would be that bad for you."

"Because you didn't believe I loved you." It was a statement not open for argument.

His eyes shut tightly. "Please, just let me explain."

"Another time, I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"I'll take whatever time you can give me."

I nodded. "My break is up, but you're welcome to stay."

He smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. "I'd love to stay. Will I distract you?"

Definitely. "No, not at all."

I found that I actually could concentrate with Edward in the room. I didn't allow my mind to think about our conversation. Instead, I read with vigor. It wasn't until Edward cleared his throat that I realized it was time to go.

I locked up my office and we walked in a surprisingly comfortable silence.

"Did you know that you smile when you read?"

"Um, no." I looked at him. "Did you watch me the whole time?"

He shrugged. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I told you that you could read anything on my shelves. You didn't have to watch me."

He stopped and turned towards me. "There's nothing else worth looking at when you're around."

I couldn't hold his intense stare so I guided us outside. We stood in front of the library for a second before he finally spoke again.

"You know you're welcome at our home anytime."

I thought about going back to my empty house and it was not very appealing. "Could I ride with you?"

"Of course."

We walked for a block and there was his car. The same silver Volvo. "Edward? Is this the same car?"

He looked embarrassed and shrugged yet again. "With a mechanic in the family, it's easy to keep the car in pristine condition."

I didn't really have anything to say to that so we just got in. My phone rang after we pulled out.

It was Rosalie.

"Bella?"

"Yes, Rosalie?"

"Are you coming over?"

"Actually, I'm on the way now."

"Okay, good."

"Yeah."

"See you soon then."

I hung up and looked at Edward. He had a smile on his face.

"I think Rose is rather taken with you."

"Is she?"

"Definitely. She never goes out of her way to include someone, except for Emmett of course."

"She probably just wants to hear more of my story."

"We all do."

We rode for a few more minutes. "You all keep the same facial expression as I tell my story. I don't know what any of you are thinking."

"You're not supposed to. I'm the mind reader."

I scowled.

He chuckled softly and it was such a beautiful sound. "We try to keep a neutral expression so you will feel free in continuing your story."

"It's a little unnerving."

"It's not meant to be."

Soon we were at the Cullen house and I was back in the large family room. Everyone greeted me at the door and watched me expectantly as I sat down.

"Will you tell us more?" Rosalie asked.

"Yeah, I'm going to tell you more about Basil."I looked at Edward. "Is that okay?"

"Of course," he said sincerely.

So I made myself comfortable and started to tell more of my story.

XXXXXXXXX

Basil and I decided to leave the diner before talking more about ourselves. On the way out, Charlie called to tell me that he wouldn't be coming home until much later.

I frowned as I ended the call.

"What is it?" Basil asked, looking at my sour expression.

I pulled my jacket together and shivered slightly, wishing my truck was parked closer to the diner. "My dad is working himself to the ground. He's barely ever home, he eats nothing but fast food and I doubt he's getting any sleep."

"He takes his job seriously. That's very admirable of him."

I nodded and couldn't help but smile with pride for my dad. "Yeah. With all of the disappearances, he's just drained." I looked at him cautiously. "Do you think…? Maybe Ava…"

"She would never be so sloppy."

My suspicions were confirmed. Ava drank from humans. Basil watched my reaction. "Surely you knew that she fed traditionally?"

"Her eyes were black."

"I suppose your eyes couldn't see the flecks of red."

I bristled at his tone. "Well excuse me for not having super vampire vision."

His lips twitched upward, but he remained silent. We walked in comfortable silence and finally reached my truck.

Basil examined the darkening sky. "Perhaps we should wait until another day to share our stories. It's getting rather late."

"Okay, then." I kept my voice steady. He opened the door for me and helped me inside the truck. I could barely look at him. What if the pain returned as soon as I drove away?

He placed a finger under my chin and tilted my head so I could meet his gaze.

"Tomorrow, I will come to you," he murmured.

I averted my eyes and nodded firmly. He stepped away from the truck and I pulled away. I drove for about two miles before the pain hit me. It was suffocating. My heart clenched painfully and thumped unevenly. I pulled to the side of the road and rested my head on the steering wheel. I wondered how I could possibly drive home this way. The thought of driving further caused a sob to sputter out. What's wrong with me?

Minutes passed, but the pain never lessened.

I sobbed openly, clutching my chest, wishing for the pain to stop. After a few moments, the agony began to lessen. I knew the only person that could be responsible for this, so I reached over and unlocked my passenger door. Basil slipped into the truck. And there it was—relief. So sweet, I could taste it.

Basil grabbed my hand and ran soothing circles over my knuckles.

"Are you okay?" His voice sounded concern.

"Are you?" I countered. He released my hand and covered his face.

"No," he mumbled. "But I'm more concerned about you. Your heart rate is up and so is your blood pressure."

"Do you feel it too? Does it hurt you too?"

"Yes." He was quiet for a moment. "But my body can take it."

"Why?" My voice cracked. "Tell me what this is."

"I can't."

I looked at him sharply, causing him to back track. "I can only tell you my guess. I don't know anything for sure."

"So tell me your theory."

"It's not safe to be sitting here on the side of the road. Are you well enough to drive?"

My heart thudded.

"Don't worry. We won't be apart."

I nodded. "I'll drive, you talk."

"Okay," he said. "You have to understand that she hardly tells me anything."

"Ava?"

He nodded. I thought back over our conversations and realized that he never actually spoke her name in my presence.

"Why won't you say her name? You just refer to her as she."

"Because that's not her name."

"It's not?"

"She always tells people what to address her as and she changes that frequently. I have no interest in keeping up."

"How long have you known her?"

"I've known her since the day she ended my life."His tone had turned bitter. I didn't look at him but I could practically hear him frowning.

"You didn't want to become a vampire?"

"Of course not."

"Then why did she change you?"

"That's a question I still ask myself today."

"You seem bitter towards her. Why are you still with her now? Can't you just leave?"

"It's complicated," he said softly. "Why don't I start at the beginning? If you don't mind?"

"I don't mind at all."

He seemed to brace himself before he began to talk by taking deep breaths. "Okay, I was born in London, England in 1788 as Basil Nathaniel Masters."

He looked at me nervously, as if this bit of information would frighten me. I glanced at him quickly and gave him a reassuring smile. He seemed relieved and finally trudged on.

"Five minutes later, my brother was born. Our parents told us that for the first year of our life, they had a hard time telling us apart. Once we grew older our hair started to grow and it was very obvious that we were fraternal twins. While my hair was black like both my parents, his hair was blonde. So blonde, it was almost silver. We were told that he was the spitting image of our mother's father. But it wasn't just our hair that was different, our features started to change as well. His nose was broader than mine but my jaw was more prominent. We grew up as best friends. Sharing every aspect of our lives together.

"Since the day we were born, our parents had dreams for us. While Father wanted us to go into Business, Mother wanted us to be cultured. As soon as we were old enough to retain significant information, she purchased a fortepiano. We endured lessons for years, hating every second of it. Mother became frustrated because neither of us were musically inclined.

"Father worked at the Bank, so he was always stressing the importance of wages. When we showed no interest in that, Father also became frustrated. He finally left us be! It was glorious. My brother and I were free to focus on our studies. We always received high marks and congratulated each other. We were never competitive. There was no point. Our faults and strengths balanced each other perfectly."

Basil stopped talking as we pulled into my driveway. He was at my door, holding it open for me before I even stopped the engine.

Once he helped me from the truck, his eyes darted around the yard. "There's a strange scent all around this house."

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure but it smells like a wet dog."

Maybe that's the way the werewolves smelled to him. They were the only thing I could think of that even seemed remotely like a dog.

"Um, that's part of my story."

He looked at me for a moment and I thought he would say something but he silently followed me into the house. I ushered him inside and offered him a seat on the couch. He politely complimented the parlor and continued his story. I could tell we were getting to a part of the story he didn't like.

"One evening, my brother went out for a walk. As the hours past, I grew wary. Something was wrong, I just knew it. Without another thought, I left the house to search for him. It seemed as if I were walking for years. When I still didn't find him, I became desperate. I started searching the woods, looking for anything, everything. I started to pray. After years of going to the Church, I knew several prayers by memory. So I prayed and walked and searched. In my frantic state, I almost missed her. She was standing next to an over-grown bush. She was so beautiful. Too beautiful. She must have been a goddess or an angel."

He laughed bitterly.

"I thought she was an apparition sent from God! I fell to my knees, crawled to her feet and begged her to help me find my brother. I thought she could save him!

"She told me to follow her and I did. I followed her so deep into the woods that I could no longer see the night sky. I don't know how long we walked. I don't know how long I followed her with absolute trust. But I knew we were getting closer to him. I felt it. And then, I finally saw him, lying there.

"He looked…" Basil stopped and shuddered. "Mangled. You don't know how strange it is. To see someone you know as well as yourself, covered in blood and bent in an odd angle. Of course we'd seen each other hurt over the years, scrapes and what not. But to see him hurt that way, deliberately, was something unimaginable. I looked towards the woman for help but she just watched me with a hauntingly beautiful expression. Before I could even blink she had me to my knees. She latched on to my neck and began drinking. At first there was no pain but as I faded into unconsciousness, the pain quickly followed me.

"When I awoke, my brother was there watching me. Alive! He looked better than ever, actually. Before either of us could speak, we grew distracted by a smell. At the time, I didn't even know what we were chasing. I just knew it was alive. I could hear its heart beat. I could sense the life flowing through its veins. Once we finished feeding, we looked at the mangled bodies by our feet. There were no words said as we stared at each other in horror, wondering what we had become."

"I have excellent timing. You haven't even gotten to the interesting part yet." I yelped as the new voice came from the corner of the room. Before I could even comprehend anything, Basil was off the couch standing in front of me protectively.

"What in hell are you doing here?" Basil hissed.

"Tsk tsk, brother. There's a lady present. You wouldn't want to offend her with foul language would you?" His voice wasn't quite as deep as Basil's, but it was just as melodic. I peeked around Basil's back so I could look at the speaker.

He was Basil's mirror image. His lips were thinner, nose broader and jaw softer but it didn't stop him looking exactly like his brother. His silver-blonde hair was the same length as Basil's. I looked up and saw his amber eyes staring right at me.

Basil's jaw clenched audibly. "Bella, please accept my apologies. I didn't think he would follow me here."

I remained quiet as I looked at the similarities between the two men. The blonde took in my confused expression and began smiling blandly.

"You're being rude, brother. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Byron Alexander Masters."

He possessed Basil's charm and good looks, but something in his eyes were off. They held a certain sadness and some other type of emotion I couldn't place.

"It's getting late, we shall take our leave," Basil said formally.

"Do not speak for me." Byron's eyes held a furious glint, and I wanted to diffuse the situation.

"It was nice meeting you, Byron," I mumbled. Byron's eyes snapped to mine and narrowed.

"Perhaps I have overstayed my welcome."

"That's difficult to do seeing as how you weren't invited," Basil stated. I could feel the tension in the air again.

"Basil, I'll talk to you soon?"

He removed his eyes from his brother and looked at me again. "I've already programmed my number into your mobile."

"When?"

"You can be extremely unobservant." He actually smiled a little.

I tried to smile back, but how could I? I didn't want to feel the pain of Basil's departure. Basil looked at me sadly. He obviously understood my predicament.

Basil walked and stood directly in front of me. I had to crane my neck to look at him. "We'll talk soon, yes?"

I nodded weakly.

He stepped back and stood next to his brother. They both bowed slightly and were gone. I sat down on the couch and willed my sluggish mind to comprehend this evening. Basil described his brother as his best friend but now they were obviously not on good terms. The tension between them was palpable. What went wrong between them?

My cell phone rang and I saw Jake's number on the screen.

"Hello?"

"Bella, hey." He sounded tired.

"Hey, Jake. You don't sound good. Everything okay?"

"Everything's fine. What's up? I got your message. What are you worried about?"

"The missing hikers, you know what's really happening, don't you?"

He sighed. "Bella, don't worry about things you can't control."

"Jacob! How could I not worry about you? Do you have a death wish? Do you know how dangerous vampires can be?"

"It's what we're made for." He didn't sound like my friend anymore. He voice sounded cold and aged.

"Please, don't try to fight them."

"Don't be stupid, Bella. You're worrying over nothing. You haven't seen how fast we can be."

"Just please, please, be careful."

"Sure, sure." He laughed a little then paused. "What? What's he talking about?"

"Jacob, what is it?"

"Hold on, Bella!" I could tell he covered the mouthpiece of the phone, but I could still make out a few words. "At her house? When?"

There was more shouting and then he came back on the phone. "Bells?" he asked with forced cheerfulness.

"Everything okay?"

"I'm coming over."

"Now? Why? It's late."

"Stay right where you are! I'll be there in a few minutes."

The line went dead. I stared at the phone blankly. What happened to upset him so much? I went to the kitchen so I could make Charlie a couple of sandwiches to eat, whenever he got home. I felt something wet on my face and realized I was crying. My body must have been feeling Basil's absence. I tried to keep my mind off of him but the heaviness in my chest started to get worse. I grabbed a bottle of water and gulped it down. After a moment of breathing, my heart rate returned to normal. The ache didn't leave but at least I wouldn't pass out. After I wrapped up Charlie's sandwiches, there was a pounding at the door.

I opened the door to a trembling Jacob. His nostrils were flared and he was looking all around. "Bella, come on, we have to go."

"What are you talking about?"

"We don't have time for this! Let's go now!" He began shaking harder.

"Not until you tell me what's going on!"

"You're not safe! I can smell leeches all over the place! In front of your house, in your house! Everywhere! Now let's go!"

Jacob took a step towards me when I was suddenly pulled back.

"I wouldn't do that, dog." Ava clutched my arm tightly as she looked at Jacob with an icy expression.

Chapter End Notes:

I gave you all a longer chapter to make up for my absence. Thank you for sticking with me.

I want to address a couple of common themes of my reviews.

1. It's taking Bella forever to tell the story.

I guess this is somewhat true. I'm sorry if you all are frustrated with the speed that her story is told. I'm not doing it to be mean. I just want you all to actually care about her past. I find it hard to really see what she's been through if I condensed it to a couple of chapters. I hope you all will still stick with me though.

2. What will the relationship be like between Basil/Bella? (i.e Is she intimate with him? etc...)

For all the die hard Edward/Bella fans out there don't worry. Bella and Basil are in no way related so they will not have some sort of family love. BUT, they will not have an intimate relationship. I don't know if this angers or pleases most of you, hopefully it pleases:)

3. Update schedule

I know, I know. I'm horrible at updating quickly. It's not because I don't want to, it's just real life stuff. I'm finishing up summer school and now I'm starting my last semester of undergrad. I wish I could multitask like other authors out there, but I'm afraid I can't. The good news is I'm doing great in my Finance class!

Sorry for the looong note.

As always, I'd love to hear what you think:)