I am on a freaking roll here with chapters! The creative juices have been flowing like crazy for me, and I've just been typing chapters for the past few days. I never know when writer's block will hit, so I've taken advantage of this sudden urge to write. :)

Disclaimer-I do not own the song "I Do Not Hook Up."

Chapter 27

The last week of May and the first week of June were fairly uneventful. I spent most of my time at work or with Dr. Cullen and his family.

Sandra graduated from high school on June 3rd, as planned, and she had a huge graduation party the following weekend. She made all of the food and everything. I swear she's crazy.

I wasn't really missing Lance, Lacey, and Adam too much yet, maybe it had to do with the fact that they called me every thirty minutes.

Viviene still had not made an appearance in Forks, but she did call...once. She asked if she could talk to her "boyfriend" and I told her she could. Dr. Cullen tried to end that conversation as soon as possible. When I asked him what she said, he simply told me that Viviene was going to be traveling around Africa for the next month, and that she wouldn't be home.

Needless to say, I had my vampire dream that night.

I was handling the information my grandfather had told me about the accident a whole lot better than I had at first. It was still quite a shock, but it probably didn't bother me as much as my new version of my childhood dream. It didn't seem to make any sense. I wondered if it was telling me that I was going to die soon, and that was how. I wasn't sure.

All of these things were flowing through my mind as I walked into the hospital one particular rainy morning about a week after Sandra's graduation party. I went straight to Dr. Cullen's private office, and tried to avoid conversation with Gertrude. She was lost in whatever she was doing on the computer, which I assumed was a game of pinball.

Dr. Cullen was in his office, and he smiled at me when I entered. I had told him everything that my grandfather had told me a few weeks before, and he was very good about comforting me over it.

"Hey there handsome." I said, with a smile on my face as I hung up my soaking-wet rain jacket. I picked my lab coat up off of one of the chairs and shrugged it on.

"Hello Brooke." He said simply. His voice sounded different than usual, as if he was tired...or worried about something.

"Everything alright?" I asked, looking at him in a concerned manner.

"What?" He asked, turning his attention to me and then shaking his head. "Oh...yes of course. I just have had a lot on my mind here recently...that's all."

"I know what you mean."

He ran one hand through his hair and sighed. "Alright...um...let's see here." He said, looking through a stack of papers on his desk.

"Do you want me to file those?" I asked, coming over to his side.

He paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Are you sure that you're okay?" I asked again.

"Yes I'm sure." He said, turning to me with a slight smile on his face.

"Are you worried about something?" I asked.

He laughed a little and placed his hands in the pockets of his lab coat. "I...um...guess you can say that."

"What is it?"

"Nothing of your concern my love." He said, gently kissing my forehead. "I'll be right back...I need to check on some things."

"Alright." I replied, still a little worried about him.

He left quickly without saying another word.

I was a little worried about his behavior, but I figured it was probably nothing. We had a lot of patients in the hospital right now, and I was sure that was probably what was bothering him.

Maybe Viviene had called again and he was upset about something she might have said. Regardless of what it was, I wasn't going to push the issue any further.

He didn't have many papers to file, so I was done with my work in less than thirty minutes. I thought about tracking Dr. Cullen down so that I could follow him around the hospital, but I decided to let him have some time alone.

There wasn't much to do in the office, so I sat down at the computer and started playing solitaire. I had just begun my game when the phone rang.

I rolled the desk chair closer to the phone so that I could answer it.

"Hello. Dr. Cullen's office...this is his assistant Brooke speaking...how may I help you?"

"Hello Brooke." I heard a very familiar male voice say. I could easily distinguish it as Jasper.

"Hey Jasper." I said, sort of surprised. I still couldn't believe it whenever I heard Jasper speak to me.

"Is my father anywhere nearby?" He asked. I heard a lot of noise in the background.

"Um, I'm not sure Jasper." I said, looking out the door to see if Dr. Cullen was standing there. "He was going to check on a few things around the hospital."

"Alright." He said, and he paused for a moment. I could hear whispering, so I figured someone was telling him something. I heard two other male voices, which I asumed were Edward and Emmett, talking to each other somewhere in the background as well.

"Is everything alright?" I asked.

He laughed a little, and my heart raced at the sound of it. Did all of the Cullen boys do this to women?

"Not exactly." He said. I heard someone swearing in the background...and I easily identified that voice as belonging to Emmett.

"What's wrong?"

"We just um...need to talk to my father...if that is alright. Do you know when he will be back in his office?"

"No Jasper, truthfully I don't." I said.

"Okay." He said, and then I heard Emmett yelling in the background.

"Yo Bella! Are you still talking to that stupid wolf on the phone?" He called.

This comment obviously caused me to become quite confused.

Jasper laughed again. "Would it be easier if we simply came to the hospital to talk to him in person?"

"It might be." I said, hearing someone whisper something to Jasper again.

"Alright, we'll be there shortly." He said. "Thank you Brooke."

"Sure thing." I said, and with that he hung up.

I shook my head in confusion and turned my attention back to the computer screen.

In less than five minutes I heard the sound of Emmett's booming voice out in the hospital waiting room. I dashed out of the office and ran to the end of the hallway.

The three boys were there and so was Alice. She was leading them toward the hallway in my direction.

"Hey guys." I said, examining all of their faces. Edward looked as though he was deeply concentrating on something, Emmett had a dumb grin on his face, Alice smiled at the sight of me, and Jasper was emotionless.

"Hello Brooke!" Alice chimed, and I led the four of them into Dr. Cullen's private office. His office was small, so cramming all five of us in there was a tight fit.

"He's still not here yet?" Edward asked, glancing at the empty chair behind his father's desk.

"No...he's not." I said, looking at all of their faces to see if I could understand what was going on.

"Well he needs to get down here!" Emmett said simply, crossing his arms.

"Relax Em." Jasper said, leaning up against the wall.

"I'll be right back." Edward said, leaving the room and walking down the hall toward the waiting room.

Alice walked over to join Jasper at his side, while Emmett sighed and sat down in one of the chairs.

"Where's Bella and Rosalie?" I asked, to no one in particular.

"Rose stayed home." Emmett said.

"And Bella is talking to her friend Jacob on the phone." Alice added.

So was Jacob the "wolf " that Emmett had been referring too? Was that his nickname or something?

Edward returned, and I wasn't expecting him to be back that soon. Like his father, he knew how to make an entrance, and his sudden presence made my mind go a little fuzzy.

"I talked to Gertrude. She got a hold of him..he'll be here in a few minutes." He said.

The other three nodded, but no one spoke.

Alice lifted her head toward the ceiling and closed her eyes. Jasper remained nearly motionless where he was, except he raised one hand to rub Alice's arm.

Emmett sat in the chair beside me, whistling a tune that sounded like "I Do Not Hook Up." Edward paced around the room, then he would stop and stare out the doorway, and then pace again.

I didn't know what to do, so I just kept looking at all of them. None of them responded to my gaze, except for Emmett...who would smile anytime I caught his attention.

A few minutes later Edward stopped pacing and dashed out into the hall without warning. He returned seconds later, with his father right behind him.

Everyone moved at once. Edward shut the door, Emmett turned around in his chair, Alice opened her eyes and dashed to the front of the room, and Jasper moved from his spot against the wall.

"What is it?" Dr. Cullen asked simply, studying the faces of each one of his children.

"Jazz." Alice said, nudging him forward. It was then for the first time that I noticed Jasper was holding something, a newspaper.

"Look at this." Jasper said simply, handing the newspaper to his father.

Emmett remained seated where he was, and I decided to stay out of the way and allow them to look at whatever they wanted him to see, so I sat down in the seat beside him. Alice, Jasper, and Edward followed their father behind his desk.

Dr. Cullen spread out the newspaper on the desk, and his facial expression completely changed from one of confusion to pure fright as soon as he saw the front page.

The children all looked at him, waiting for a reaction.

He didn't say anything...he simply starred at the front page shaking his head. Then he did something that really confused me. He looked up from the newspaper and starred at me for a moment, before turning his attention back to the newspaper.

"No." He whispered quietly.

I jumped up from where I was sitting and pushed my way through the three kids to stand by Dr. Cullen's side. Alice moved out of the way and stood beside Emmett.

"What is it?" I asked, as Edward stepped to the side to allow me through. I took one glance at the front page and gasped.

SERIAL KILLER BACK IN SEATTLE: TEN DEAD SO FAR

"No way." I whispered, now understanding everyone's concern. I remembered when the serial killers were in Seattle a few years ago. That had been a very scary experience. Everyone in the city feared that they would be the next victim. I knew the police had never caught a suspect, but once the killings stopped, we figured everything was ok.

I glanced over at Dr. Cullen, who remained starring at the paper. "No...not now." He whispered. He looked at the worried faces of each one of his children and then at me.

"Not again." I said, shaking my head in disbelief.

"Hmph...you got that right." Emmett whispered.

Dr. Cullen glanced up at Edward, as if he was trying to tell him something. Edward nodded in response to whatever his father was trying to say to him without talking.

"Brooke love...would you mind stepping out for a moment?" He said.

I looked around the room, shocked that Dr. Cullen didn't want me in there. I figured that this issue would concern me much more than them.

"It's nothing personal." Edward said, offering me his dazzling crooked smile. "We would just like to talk with our father in private for a moment."

Alice smiled at me as well, but her smile seemed more forced than Edward's.

"We'll only be a minute love." Dr. Cullen said.

I nodded. "Alright." I said, as I left the five of them alone.

I began walking down the hallway to go into the lobby and see if Gertrude needed me, but I changed my mind. I knew it was wrong, but I wanted to know what was going on. I snuck back over by the office door and leaned up against the wall to see if I could hear what they were saying.

Dr. Cullen sighed.

"This doesn't make any sense." I heard Jasper say.

"Yeah! I thought we got rid of them the last time." This time another male voice...Emmett's...said.

"Got rid of them? What...did they kill the serial killers?" I thought.

"We did." Jasper said. "Nothing was left behind."

"When did this come out?" I heard Dr. Cullen ask.

"We just got it this morning." I heard Edward say.

"Where are Bella and Rosalie?" Dr. Cullen asked them.

"Rosalie thought it was best to stay at home. Bella was still talking on the phone to Jacob when we left." Edward said.

"Ah." Dr. Cullen said. "So the Qulietes are aware of this?"

I shook my head in confusion. "Why was this issue of concern to the people in La Push?"

There was a pause for a moment, and then I heard someone snort...who I figured was Emmett.

Dr. Cullen sighed again. "She's out there...isn't she?"

"Yes." Edward said. "I thought I heard her."

"Ah screw you Edward." I thought.

I heard Edward laugh.

"What?" Dr. Cullen asked.

"Ah it's nothing." He said, his tone turning serious again. "Just be careful what you say."

"Alice dear...have you seen anything?" I heard Dr. Cullen ask.

"What the heck? Is Alice a secret agent in Seattle or something?"

"No not yet, but I'm staying tuned in." She replied.

"Ah...no...she apparently is the Cullen family official news watcher or something."

There was a pause again for a moment.

"No...I don't think she understands." Edward said.

"Were they referring to me? If that was the case, then yes...I certainly didn't understand."

"I'm sure she's just worried." Dr. Cullen said.

"She has every reason to be." Edward replied.

"Do you want me to calm her down?" I heard Jasper ask.

"That might be a good idea Jasper." Dr. Cullen said in response to Jasper's question.

"What the heck? Out of all five of them in there...they are going to send Jasper to calm me down?"

Edward laughed again.

"Why now?" Dr. Cullen said again. There was another short pause. "I was going to wait until next week sometime."

"Say what?"

I yawned and shook my head. I was suddenly feeling a lot calmer than earlier.

"That may need to change." Edward advised.

"Yes." Dr. Cullen said, sighing. "I've realized that now." There was another pause. "Tomorrow...the sooner the better."

There was yet another pause, and it seemed as though they all silently agreed on something.

"Well thank you all for coming." I heard Dr. Cullen say.

"Alice dear, please stay tuned in...alright? Let me know if you see anything. Edward..just scan around...see if you hear anything new. Jasper...try and keep her calm as long as you are around."

"What about me daddy?" I heard Emmett ask.

"Emmett you can..." He paused for a moment. "Emmett why are you even here to begin with?"

"Ahh you see..I was bored, and Rose has been ticking me off today."

"Why is that?" His father asked.

"She's just...not in the mood...and it's making me mad, and then Jazz won't seduce her for me, and it goes on and on and on."

"Ok...what? Emmett was mad because Jasper would not seduce Rosalie for him? Why would Emmett want Rosalie's twin brother to seduce her?"

This whole conversation was making less sense by the second. Edward was laughing again.

I heard a loud smacking sound, which I assumed was Dr. Cullen's hand smacking his face. "That's... so fantastic Emmett."

"No it's not...it sucks." He said.

"Alright, you four head back home. I'll be back as soon as I'm off work." There was a pause. "Yes more than likely."

Either Dr. Cullen was answering one of his children's unasked questions...or they were whispering very softly so that I couldn't hear them.

The door opened, and Alice bounced out first, hugging me tight in her arms.

"Bye Brooke dear!" She said, trying to sound chipper as she released me from her embrace and smiled at me.

"Bye Alice." I said, as the three Cullen boys walked past us into the waiting room.

She proceeded to bounce away without another word, but I stopped her.

"Hey Alice?" I asked.

"Yes?"

"Why does Emmett want Jasper to seduce Rosalie for him?"

She grinned. "Um...Emmett's strange. Very...very strange."

"I knew that." I heard Edward laugh again out in the lobby. "Ok then." I said, still confused.

"Is that all?" She asked.

"Yes...for now I guess."

"Be careful Brooke!" She called as she skipped down the hallway and disappeared from sight.

I ran a hand through my hair in confusion. This had to go down as one of the most confusing days of my life. I turned around and walked back into Dr. Cullen's private office, where he was standing behind his desk.

"Sorry about that." I said. "I just wanted to know what was going on."

"It's alright dear." He replied. "You have a perfect reason to be concerned."

I noticed the paper was gone, so I figured the children had taken it with them. "So what exactly is going on?"

"Oh there have been ten murders in Seattle all within the past few days...they think it might be similar to that situation a few years ago."

I shivered. "Why were you guys so concerned about it?"

"Hmm?" He said, looking up at me. "Oh..the children were just worried about you...that's all."

"Ah, I see." The sense of calm I had a few minutes ago seemed to be fading, and I was worried again.

"Brooke love...it would make me and the children feel a whole lot better if you would stay with us until the police sort this all out."

I knew he was going to say that. "What about playing it safe?" I asked.

"You can...um...go to your apartment during the daylight hours...but only if you have one of the children or myself with you. When you leave work, just drive home and pick up whatever you need, I'll follow you there and then you can follow me back to my place."

I nodded.

"Is this what you were worried about earlier?" I asked.

"What? Oh no...I was worried about something else." He said, running both of his hands through his hair.

I walked over to him and wrapped my arms tightly around his waist, hugging him close.

"I love you." I said softly, resting my head on his arm.

He sighed in response and gently rested his head on mine. "I love you too Brooke...always."

It didn't matter how scared I was....I knew I would be safe as long as I was in his arms.

Wow, that was a long one...lol. I hope you guys liked it!

Thanks for reading...please shoot me a review with what you think so far!

~Hazl~