I stood there frozen in place; if it was Edward, I wasn't ready to see him. I inched slowly toward the door taking deep breathes. What would I say to him? I reached the door and grasped the knob turning it reluctantly. As the door opened, the figure standing in front of me was not at all Edward, nor was it even a man. I gasped at the sight I took in; she looked as though she could have been another addition to the Cullen family, except I had never seen her before. The one thing I noticed that set her apart was her deep red eyes that eerily eyed me up. She noticed my curious stare and smiled smugly.

"Hello, are you Bella Swan?" OK, this was weird.

"Uh, yeah. Umm." She cut me off before I could ask who she was.

"I'm Tanya Denali. I'm sorry to bother you, I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm a friend of the Cullen family; I've heard you and Edward have been quite sociable lately." I didn't understand her statement or why she was at my door, but her tone was noticeably disapproving.

"I'm not-" Again, she cut me off. Her face seemed to be forcing a smile; it was obvious she wasn't happy.

"I'm actually looking for Edward, his family said he might be here. I really need to talk to him. Is he inside?"

"No, he isn't. I don't know where he is. I'm sorry I couldn't help you." I went to close the door, but her hand came up and stopped it just as it was closing.

"Look, I just need to talk to him. It's really important I see him."

The gull this girl had was immense. Why was she asking me where Edward is? The situation was getting weirder by the second.

My voice was a little more forceful than I intended, "I told you I don't know where he is."

Her hold on the door didn't budge as her face went from forcefully polite to overwhelmingly dark within seconds. The look she gave me could kill; my stomach clenched when I realized this girl was likely not just a girl, she was like Edward, she was a vampire. I tried my best to seem calm on the outside, but the truth is, I was panicking. I was still unsure why she was here, and I had a feeling it was more than just to talk with Edward.

"Oh but Bella, I think you do. You spend so much time with him, you must know where I can find him. After all, he is my boyfriend." Her what? My heart dropped at those words. Edward never mentioned he had a girlfriend, not once. She could tell by my instant facial expression that she hit the right button. She seemed pleased by my reaction.

That smug smile appeared again, "I'm sorry. Did I upset you?" Her voice was ice cold- nothing sincere about it.

Pain ached through my body; I felt betrayed and stupid. "No. I'm sorry I can't help, hope you find him." As I went to shut the door, it still didn't budge from her grip. She looked at me with the brooding anger apparent in her face.

"I know everything about you Bella. I know you inside and out. I also know you have been spending time with Edward, because I've been watching you. I watched the way you look at him, I've seen you touch him. Just recently, I watched you throw yourself onto him at the beach. You're lucky I didn't rip your jaw off right then and there. I have been patiently waiting to get you alone, Bella. You see, Edward and I have a past and future together, and I will not let some filthy human destroy what I have with him."

My breathing faltered as my entire body was trembling. I knew I had no chance against a vampire, and if she wanted me gone, she was completely capable of it. I stood there petrified not knowing what to say, or if I should say anything.

She continued, "I was going to let you off with a warning, but after your little stunt yesterday, I figured you're too involved now. You need to be taught a lesson, to never mess with another girl's man."

My first instinct, although stupid, was to run. I turned back inside and went for the stairs. Of course I was no match for her speed, and she caught me by the hair and pulled my down hard onto the floor. I screamed loudly for help only to be slapped in the face, "Shut up girl! How stupid can you be?" She bent down to where her face was inches from mine, "I could rip you into a million pieces and Charlie, or anyone, would never be able to find the tiniest part of you." She grabbed my throat and my eyes rolled into the back of my head. Her grip was strong and I could feel my air way almost fully constricted. My head felt light and I gasped for air, failing at any attempt.

She finally let go of my neck and I inhaled a large amount of needed air. I heard her cynical laugh over my constant gasps for breath. "You humans are so delicate."

"Please-"

"Stop pleading with me. You're the one who can't keep your hands to yourself."

Just then she picked me up off the floor and pinned me to a wall. Her hands were tightly gripping my arms and her face was as hostile as ever.

"If you ever so much as think about him, I will make sure you are never heard of again, do you understand me?" I was in so much pain, that I could barely put together a coherent word. I opened my eyes to look at her, and her face was pure evil, not a bit of humane emotion left. I hardly heard her tell me something about looking at her before she let go of me. I was defeated, she had me where she wanted me, and I had no source of defense.

When my body suddenly hit the floor, I hazily remember seeing a second person. I heard yelling and my name, and I was sure it was Charlie. If he walked in on this, he would be killed. I opened my mouth to call his name, and nothing but screeching came out. I was still winded from losing my breath. Then the room went silent and I was sure she killed Charlie. NO! I thought, Not Charlie. Please, please!

"Bella?" A velvety voice was at my side suddenly, and relief washed over me. It was Edward.

I opened my eyes to meet his, and his face was contorted, he was obviously angered by what had just happened. His hands carefully picked my body up, and he carried my upstairs to my bed.

"Bella, are you alright? Are you hurt badly?" His facial expression showed he was sincerely concerned about me.

I spoke quietly, "Yeah, I'm alright. She didn't hurt me."

"Bella, please do not lie, I need to know if anything could be broken?"

"No, I really am fine. I think you came just before any real harm was done." He looked down at me, and for the first time, I saw him break down. His face was not the usual perfect structure I always seen it; he was hurt and I couldn't understand why.

"What's wrong Edward?"

He looked up at me with an expression that was blank, "Bella, you almost got killed this morning by someone who is affiliated with me. Because of me, you were harmed."

"You can't control what people do Edward, that was not your fault."

"Indirectly, it was. And I am truly sorry for causing you any pain or harm. This was not my intentions."

We sat there quietly for a few minutes. It was almost as if I never knew he was a vampire, it was just like it had always been. We continued to sit quietly till I broke the silence.

"Who was she Edward?" He didn't seem troubled by my question, just a little hesitant.

"Her name is Tanya, she's an ex girlfriend of mine. Our relationship has been over for quite some time now. I'm not sure why she came here Bella, but she will never harm you again, I promise."

"She told me she was your girlfriend and that she had been watching us. Why would she do this if your relationship has been over for a while?" I was almost skeptical, even though I knew I should never believe a raging lunatic like Tanya.

Edward looked at me intensely, "Tanya and I were together for a long time, but we have also been separated for nine years. I haven't seen her in that amount of time either; I was sure she had moved on by now. It's hard to understand the relationship Tanya and I shared. It was more of a companionship than romantic; at least for me. I was never in love with her, and after spending a great amount of time with her, I knew I could never love her the way she wanted." His honesty was appreciated, I understood him telling me this was hard.

"So, why do you think she is back? Why would she call you her boyfriend?" I asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine. I tried to catch her, but I needed to attend to you. She ran off before I could confront her."

I stared at him kindly, "Thank you. I'm very grateful you were there to rescue me." I slightly giggled which made him finally smile.

"Where is Charlie?" It didn't hit me till then that Charlie was gone for the night.

"He's in Piedmont for the night for an emergency."

He glanced at me worried." So you're alone tonight?"

"Yeah, do you think she would come back?"

"It's possible. You shouldn't be here alone Bella. Is there anywhere you could stay the night?"

I laughed, "No, I have nowhere to go. I think I'll be alright."

He looked at me like I was crazy, "I don't think that's a good idea. Would you like to stay at my house tonight?" I couldn't believe what he had just asked.

"Uh, I don't…Edward, I've never even met your family. I would feel like an intruder." I tensed up as his face seemed disappointed.

"Well, you don't have much of a choice, you can't stay here alone Bella. You wanted to get to know me better, I think this would be a great excuse to meet my family." He assured.

I couldn't argue with him, he was right. I didn't need to be alone, unless I had a death wish; which was ironic seeing as I was going to stay the night in a house full of vampires.

I packed my bag as nervousness washed over me. I was fixing to meet the Cullen's and stay the night at Edward's house.