Disclaimer: Twilight and all its associated characters are owned by Stephenie Meyer.

Authors Notes: The first few chapters of this story I'm going to put up fairly quickly because I already have them written and checked over, but after about chapter four, production will slow down a bit, just to warn you. Once again, any mistakes are my own and please leave a review. It would be much appreciated.

Edward POV

Chapter One: A Death in the Family

"Edward!"

I jumped when the voice of my roommate and best friend carried across our small apartment. I rolled my eyes at his impatience and threw my bag at him.

"Relax Jasper. I'll be there in a minute. Put this in the car. I have to call Carlisle."

Jasper grinned at me and dropped my bag at his feet. "Ok, but if we get caught in traffic, don't expect me to listen to your bitching and moaning all the way up there."

I flashed him an evil smile and picked up the phone. Carlisle picked up the phone after only a few rings.

"Edward, how are you?"

I smiled at my adoptive fathers up beat tone. "I'm fine Carlisle. How're you and Esme? I assume the second honeymoon is going well."

He let out a low chuckle. "You could say that. I'd say it's going better than well."

"Whoa old man. Too much information." I laughed. Carlisle had always been a little looser with the details with me than he had been with his own son. It wasn't something I was always grateful for.

"Sorry Edward. Thank you again for doing this. I know you'd rather be spending your break elsewhere. So, are you about to head off? "

"Carlisle, it's no problem. The least I can do really. Yeah. We're just about ready to go. So, how do I find this place?"

"Once you get into Forks ask for Chief Swan. Alistair was a paranoid old bastard. Most of the locals didn't even know he was there."

I sighed. "I have to talk to the police? Can't you just give me directions?"

There was a pause as I heard a woman giggle and speak from a distance over the phone. "I… um… Listen Edward, the place is the middle of a forest. You'd just end up in a ditch if I tried to give you directions. I gotta go… now!"

I laughed again. "Right. Don't have too much fun. Say hi to Esme for me."

"Will do." There was another giggle and the line went dead. I stared at the phone for a few seconds before shaking my head and turning towards the door. Jasper was waiting for me, bouncing from foot to foot and looking impatient. I grinned at him.

"Hey, would you mind if I had a cup of coffee before we left?"

He made an irritated noise and grabbed my arm. "Come on! Out!"

"Alright, alright. You do realise we are going to one of the most bleak places on the planet right?"

Although I'd never tell him, I was glad Jasper was taking this trip with me. From the sounds of things, Forks was my idea of hell. At least I could get drunk with my best friend and distract myself from the horrors of the small town we were about to travel to.

He shook his head. "I don't care. I want to beat the traffic. Go, go, go!"

I laughed under my breath as I let him usher me out the door and down to the car. In everyday life, Jasper was calm and stoic. Many people thought him rude and standoffish. Very few things phased Jasper Whitlock. I had known Jasper since I was thirteen years old though. I knew exactly what riled him up. What really annoyed Jasper was being late. I'd never met a more punctual person in my life. When we were fifteen we went on a double date with two girls from our school. We had agreed to meet them at 6:30 at the local movie theatre. Jasper had called his date at 6:31 to ask where they were. By 6:45, after the forth call, they had cancelled on us. I slid into the driver seat and turned up the stereo. It was a two hour drive to Forks, and I'd be damned if I had to listen to him complaining about us being late the entire way there.

~:~

When we drove into Forks, it was raining. From what Carlisle, and my brother Emmett, had told me, it did very little else there. The town centre was quiet, even on this Friday afternoon. There were two clothes shops, a hardware store, post office, convenience store and two bars along the main street. I kept driving until I saw the sign pointing towards the funeral home.

Few people turned up to the funeral of Alistair Cullen. A hunched woman with wispy grey hair sat opposite from us, clutching a handkerchief to her face throughout. A few other people sat at the back of the room as the local pastor read a short service. A man with a buzz cut and a heavyset woman with red hair sat on one side. They looked uninterested. I assumed they were locals, only in attendance to report any gossip to the rest of the population. On the other side, tucked into a back corner was a woman with long brown hair, which obscured her face. When it was all over and the coffin was removed for cremation, the room was empty with the exception of me, Jasper and the pastor, who approached us with a warm smile. He held out a hand, which I shook. Jasper simply nodded.

"You must be Alistair's family?"

I nodded and gave the man a small smile. "I'm his nephew." This wasn't strictly true, but I wasn't about to explain myself to him, and fortunately for me, he didn't seem to care much. "Unfortunately, my father couldn't be here at such short notice."

The man nodded his red face, a sympathetic look in his eyes. "Of course, of course. It was all very sudden. Can I help you with anything at all?"

"Actually, could you direct us to the police station? I need to talk to Chief Swan."

The pastor smiled as he wrung his hands together. "Of course. Charlie was one of the few people Alistair confided in. Of course."

He gave us directions and wished us a pleasant stay in Forks. Although I doubted that, I thanked him for his help, shaking his hand again.

"Of course." He said one more time before disappearing.

~:~

I parked outside the station and leaned back in my seat, running my hands through my messy hair. Jasper was scowling out the window.

"I don't see why Emmet couldn't do this. He's the oldest. Shouldn't it be his responsibility? This place is like goddamn purgatory. Only more boring!"

"He had to work and besides, can you imagine Rosalie here? She'd go mental in about five minutes."

He laughed. "I can see the headlines now; Small Town Massacre: Frustrated Fashionista Suspected."

I grinned at him. "Something like that, yeah. How about you wait here and I run in and get directions?"

He nodded silently and returned to scowling at the rain. I rolled my eyes at him, for about the fiftieth time that day. I got out of the car and sprinted through the rain to the shelter of the station. When I entered, the reception area was empty. I was about to call out when I heard the door slam open behind me. I watched as the girl shook out her long brown hair. She was wearing tight jeans, a black, form fitting, turtleneck and black high-heeled boots that made her legs look like they went on for miles. She was soaking wet. She was gorgeous.

Before I could get a word out, she walked straight past me as if she hadn't seen me at all. Leaning over the counter she yelled into the back.

"Charlie! I've got your lunch." She glanced up at me, looking as if she'd only just noticed me, and smiled sheepishly.

"He always forgets to eat." She shrugged, blushing.

I can only assume I looked like a fish at that point, because I moved my mouth but no noise came out. She gave me a puzzled look but turned when one of the doors behind the counter banged open and a tall man with dark hair came striding out.

"Christ Bells, would you at least get an umbrella. You're going to get pneumonia."

She grinned at him, her big brown eyes sparkling. "You're welcome. I've got to get back to Alice. Are you ok for dinner tonight?"

The man smiled down at the girl. "You know, I survived well enough before you came along."

She laughed, and it sounded like sunshine against the pounding of the rain on the windows. "Oh yeah. Because TV dinners every night are sooo healthy."

The man laughed and kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks Bells."

She gave him a dazzling smile and glanced at me briefly before disappearing back into the rain. I stared after her until someone cleared their throat behind me. I turned and inwardly cringed as the man gave me a stern look. A quick glance at his badge told me he was the man I was here to see.

I held out my hand. "Chief Swan, I'm Edward Masen, Alistair Cullen's nephew."