I Really don't know why i took so long to get this chapter out. It was already written and i never knew lol. If anyone is still reading my stories, i'm working on the next chapter for the town and then i'll try and type out the next fractures chapter. It's all written out though.

So working with no computer will take a toll on updates and starting a new job, the best i can do is try to not let updates go more than 3 weeks.

Barcelona, Spain

1930

Neva rushed through the crowded streets pushing past the body of people frantically. She needed to reach her destination before sundown and be back by midnight but she knew this would not be an easy task. Today was Sant Joan Day and the streets were filled with people; ready to start fireworks and head to the beach.

Neva would be enjoying the celebration also but she had other things to worry about first. She pushed through the crowd receiving glares and curious glances along the way. She wasn't dressed like majority of the people; she wore a cloak to disguise her presence out in the streets. No one could know who she was or where she was headed to at the moment.

She reached her destination at the magic fountain. With dark approaching rapidly, this was definitely the best place to meet. She stood alone by the fountain for a few seconds, watching as he appeared silently and quietly. They stood facing each other taking in this moment wearing hearts on sleeves before taking two quick strides melting into a warm embrace.

"I thought you would not be able to come" he whispered in her ear holding her tight.

She shivered as his warm breath ghosted over her skin but she didn't speak yet just holding on to him savoring this feeling of belonging in his arms. She had so much to say but so little time, she wanted to delay this meeting to delay the inevitable.

"Neva?" he questioned noting her silence.

She pulled back taking in all his glory taking a mental picture; his soft features of his face, his all-knowing eyes, the freckle above his lip, and the one dimple that showed even when he's not smiling.

"I'm sorry" she finally spoke.

One simple word that meant everything and even when she couldn't look him in the eyes he would know the meaning.

"What do you mean?" he asked slowly.

"I'm sorry I lied….. Everything is a lie" she said speaking more lies.

Aurelius' stood his ground looking back into those warm eyes he loved and her delicate face, he searched for some kind of weakness in her words. He wanted it to be a lie but all he could see was truth, truth that shattered his heart.

"Neva…. Why ….. Why now" he struggled to form the words.

Neva forced herself to stay calm and meet his eyes; she had to play her part even though the knowledge that he really believed her left her with a strong sadness. She would play her part because so many lives depended upon it, depended upon the destruction of her entire existence.

"I can't pretend anymore it's not fair to you" she answered automatically.

Aurelius' shook his head not wanting to believe at all even though deep in his heart he did, he knew love and what it felt like he just knew and he didn't think she was that good of a liar.

"Tell me you don't love me" he whispered reversing her words she always used.

Neva swallowed battling with herself to stay in character, she could do this she could tell him the biggest lie and the last lie she would ever tell.

She took a deep breath and looked into those all-knowing eyes "I never loved you" she said simply.

This was a lie; she wanted to scream it to the world that she loved him and would always love him. She wanted to tell him that he taught her so much, he taught her that love never judges and it doesn't depend on race or status. It holds no barriers it is encompassing and it changed her completely.

Aurelius staggered back clutching at his heart feeling it finally crack completely, this was too much to handle too much to know that every touch and every kiss and every look they shared was a lie. He couldn't t take the fact that they never made love but created more lies and the fact that he gave her all of him but it wasn't enough.

He could cry he could break down and lose himself completely in the pain but he wouldn't, he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing that she broke him. He glared at her wishing he could erase every memory from his mind and wishing she never existed.

If she didn't exist then neither would love and he wouldn't be here in this moment right now.

Neva saw the look in his eyes and she was just seconds from breaking down and taking back every lie she uttered, she wanted to throw herself at his feet and beg for his mercy.

"I'm sorry" was all she said.

One word that meant so much and he would never know he would never know that she sacrificed so much for him. She had to hurt him to save him from a fate he would not be able to escape.

"No, I'm sorry" he replied.

"For?" she asked close to breaking point.

"I'm sorry for loving you" he answered coldly before walking away.

His words was a verbal slap that tore at her heart, she dropped to her knees not able to hold it together anymore heart-wrenching sobs escaping from her lips.

"I Love you!" she screamed for the world to hear.

Expect the one person she wanted to hear was already gone.

Edward Cullen

I didn't have to be at the museum until later tonight, it was usually closed to the public while everything was organized and prepped. I dropped Elizabeth at school and went to pick up my suit from the cleaners before going back home.

There would be nothing much for me to do except check my email and confirm new shipments, there was nothing new except for a shipment coming in from Egypt and a blog post from history weekly. I liked to keep up with what's going on in the historical world as well as archeological, sometimes new digs produce artifacts that are of interest.

I slowly read the new blog post my heart racing excitement coursing through me; this is what I lived for in the historical world something old but new all the same. This post confirmed my thoughts of a hidden world out there in Greece; no one knew the name just that it might exist.

Everyone was skeptical including aro until I showed him some physical evidence and when we discovered the diary of Jane. No one believed that existed but when we found it the possibilities were endless. Although the excitement wasn't for the hidden city but what was hidden in the city.

My mind was still on the hidden city as I dressed for the gala and for the first time since it was arranged I was glad that Olivia would be going as my date. She was another history geek like me who really believed that the city existed and what was hidden beneath it.

She wanted to find the hidden treasure just as much as I did and that was one thing I could admire about her besides her beauty, she had brains also and wasn't afraid to use them.

I was ready by seven and on the road by seven-twenty, thankful I didn't have to pick Olivia up I wanted to arrive before the press and speak with aro. This would be a big discovery that would have us expand and just maybe more people would be interested in history.

So lost in my thoughts I don't see the car until its pushing me off the side of the road, heart hammering I try to get control of the car and check out the other driver. The car is tinted and black and just like that a memory comes flashing back.

Pulling into the museum parking lot and I see Olivia walking on the side just as a black car speeds by honking the horn at her.

I hit the brakes quickly and come to a stop as the memory flashes through my mind, my heart is hammering in my chest and my hands are sweaty and I'm trembling. I look out the window but the car is gone. I sit for a few minutes trying to collect my thoughts and wonder if I should alert the police.

I don't think they can do much without any identification and there could be many black cars driving around. I start the car again and make a mental note to look out for the car again and maybe then I'll report it.

When I arrive the gala is in full swing and when people see me they swarm me wanting to speak with me but I'm still shaken from the car incident and I know I need to talk with aro about the new discovery. I ignore the endless ogling and the journalist's attempts to interview me and make my way to the back.

The auction is going on and various exhibit tours so that I can't find aro; I take a drink and walk around to see if I can spot either aro or Olivia. She spots me first and smiles widely, the simple gesture has me flustered all over again and as she walks toward me all legs and black strapless gown hugging her body my pants get tighter and tighter.

I struggle to get control of my emotions but not before I go through several scenarios where I fuck her on every surface in the museum, it would be very educational. I shake away those thoughts when she's standing right in front of me.

She's standing so close and the smell of her perfume is too strong but at the moment I don't care. I need to speak with her.

"I thought you ditched me but better late than never" she says smiling.

I pull her into a private corner and explain everything that happened today, she listens with rapt attention and wide eyes. She tells me if I see the black car again to let her know and inform the police. I feel slightly better after talking with her and even dance with her a few times, her body pressed against me suffocating me.

I excuse myself and head back to find aro again but my dance does not go unnoticed and the press converges upon me.

"Olivia newton is your date!?"

"Are you fucking Mrs. Newton?"

No matter how hard they try they will never get me to talk about my personal life. I continue walking towards the back looking for aro, I see a lot of big cooperates here and that excites me. We could have the museum expanded and even more locations. I decide to look in his office just in case but before I could walk another step the whole museum goes dark, there is a length of silence before the screaming begins and people start pushing to leave the museum.

I feel my way towards a wall and let it guise me forward staying calm but this is the first time we have had the lights shut down and talk about it happening on a night like this. I'm almost to the end of the wall when I feel a hand grab my arm but before I can tense I smell the perfume.

"Olivia?" I call.

"Come on, you're going the wrong way" she answers pulling me in the right direction.

"What's going on?" I ask as we walk along.

"We sent workers to the basement to figure it out but no word yet and we're getting worried" she answers calmly.

It doesn't occur to me that she's finding her way through the dark with no assistance and that I no longer hear the screams or voices of people and that her voice does not match her words.

I open my mouth to speak when I'm cut off by a long drawn out scream and it's terrifying.

Isabella Swan

My dream was filled with those green eyes and those hands guiding me out of the darkness into more darkness until an unknown face presented itself saying it was a friend and to trust him. He sounded warm and friendly so I grabbed his hand only to be pulled away from those green eyes.

It was a strange dream and I found myself panicking that I wouldn't get the chance to meet him until I found it strange that I was panicking over a stranger. It was all strange and I tried to not think about it except I had no way to distract me from staring at his pictures every second.

The distraction came in form of a phone call from peter and a text from Jacob, good distractions and just at the right moment.

"so I have another job for you, not sure if you heard of the on-goings of small crimes lately the police are trying to keep it quiet" Peter said in greeting.

My mind immediately went back to a few weeks ago and my conversation with the police, they told me there were strange crimes happening but I didn't know the extent.

"How bad is it?" I ask wearily.

"No it'll be a precaution, nobody has been hurt but people have a right to know to be on guard. It might not seem as glamorous as my last offers but you turned them down" he answered.

"Wait! I accept the offer for tonight but I can tackle two things at once" I replied quickly.

There was nothing that would stop me from getting this interview with Edward Cullen. Nothing at all.

"I like your dedication, I'll email you the details and number to my insider in the precinct just is careful" he said before hanging up.

I wouldn't have jumped at this new offer since it wasn't urgent but to me it was those two incidents counting these small crimes seemed important to me and just maybe they were connected. I turned on my laptop and set out to work for the remainder of the day.

Peter's insider was very helpful and I learned there were more incidents not just here in Philadelphia but also Chicago and Seattle and New York but the main concerns were the ones in Greece, Spain, Italy, and Paris. A pattern of murders in certain areas of each country, it seemed as though there was a particular target for each city or country.

I was afraid it would be me next (with the incidents still fresh on my mind) but he assured me that maybe it was just a mistake. He said the victims are usually stalked for a week and then they strike and since I wasn't hurt it didn't seem likely but I should report anything just in case.

I'm nervous at the thought of seeing Edward Cullen but that is quickly replaced with panic when I learn that I have no gown to wear to the gala. My closet is full of: pants and blouses and -shirts, sweat pants, v necks, and one skirt, I never thought I would need to own a dress when I'm not comfortable wearing one.

There is no time to drive to the mall and so I settle for a pair of crisp dress pants and a dressy blouse and pair it with a blazer, I'm ready in no time but I seem to be forgetting something and I can't figure out what. I pick up the phone to call a photographer for tonight when I see Jacobs's text and groan in frustration.

I had forgotten about dinner with Jacob tonight and now I have to cancel unless he tags alone as my photographer and it would solve a lot of issues. I'm about to call him back when he comes walking in the door and I laugh in relief to see him.

"You're just in time" I call to him before turning back to finish getting dressed.

I don't wear make-up so all I need to do is to do something with my hair and grab my shoes, I end up curling my hair and then deciding to put it up since I'm going for casual. I'm ready by seven and enter the living room to find to find Jacob wearing a tux and putting his clothes in a bag.

"You're wearing that!" he asks in disbelief.

"Not that you don't look good but…." He trails off looking nervous.

"I'm sorry Jacob I forgot to call you, there been a change of plans I'm working on an assignment tonight at the benefit gala and I would love if you would come as my assistant photographer" I explain in a rush.

He looks crushed but I don't have time to feel bad especially when he speaks again "we've had this date for a week and I can't change plans at the last minute. We have a reservation" he says in a whining tone.

This is going wrong already and I'm already regretting agreeing to dinner with him, he doesn't seem to get it but I don't have time to explain.

"Jacob I didn't agree on a date and I can't stress this enough that I love you like my brother, I'm sorry you made a reservation but I have a job to do and it's up to you if you want to come or not" I say quickly moving towards the door.

He sighs looking abashed "let me change I'll meet you in the car" he agrees.

The gala is a bigger hit than last year, there seems to be double the press and benefactors here tonight. I look all around for Edward but it seems he won't be coming or running late. I run into aro volturi the owner of the company instead and am surprised that he agrees to two interviews.

He tells me that they are thinking of expanding and are in the works to discovering something new and entirely big. I'm excited and ready to crack down on this new discovery but he's keeping it a secret until the time is right.

"You see sometimes we have dead ends and this time we must be absolutely sure this is the real deal" he says politely.

Aro volturi is a clever man; his demeanor doesn't match his words at all. He seems confident about the new discovery but he wants to hype it up so that I'll come back again. He's keeping my interest piqued and I respect him for it.

"I'll let Edward know, you'll want to interview him he has all the information you need" he promises.

"Thank you" I reply calmly handing him my card.

On the inside I'm all nerves and excitement but calm on the outside, I know this is a big deal all around for everyone. I watch him walk away as Jacob walks up with his camera hanging on his neck and a drink in his hand.

"I've taken some great pictures now all I need is the man of the hour" he tells me nodding to his left.

I look where h is pointing to and literally swoon on the spot, Edward has finally arrived and no one was exaggerating his looks. I have a thing for men in suits and he is showing every man in the place up with his Gucci suit. I begin walking toward him without a second thought; I watch as he smiles politely at the press and ignore every woman ogling him.

He's wearing glasses that make his green eyes seem brighter and it just intensifies the look and when he pushes them up on his face I nearly moan. His hands are glorious, huge and firm and his fingers elongated. I'm already imagining him fucking me with those glasses on and pushing me to the edge with those fingers.

I stop to get control of myself startled at how much h is affecting me but before I can move again I see a gorgeous woman saunter toward him and they immediately move to h dance floor. I'm standing in the middle of the floor still staring feeling my stomach drop sickeningly and contemplating knocking the bitch out cold.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine" I lie.

"Do you want to leave?"

"No"

I can't leave yet until I get my interview my job is still on the line no matter what my feelings are. I'm startled at the subconscious acknowledgement of feelings and that I may have them for Edward Cullen. I don't even know him that well enough so I chalk it up to just plain lust but why does seeing him with her make me sick? Why do I want to march over there and claim him as mine?

"You look green Bella" Jacob says teasingly.

"Shut up" I say grabbing a drink and chugging it down.

"So you like him now" he says ignoring me.

I notice his tone changes but I don't bother to reply, I can't deal with his jealousy tonight of all nights. I always wonder if Billy hadn't tried so hard to push us together would Jacob even care for me. I don't care to ponder about it too long because I've made myself clear about where we stand.

I turn to find Edward but he's gone and the crowd begins moving forward toward the stage, I guess the big auction is about to begin. I pull Jacob along to the left searching for Edward again, I refuse to think about my maybe feelings and focus on my job that I came here to do.

Before we can get far we are doused in darkness and the museum gets very quiet before the screams begin and the crowd starts pushing forward. I hold on tightly to Jacobs hand as we're pushed along the back wall.

"It's probably just technical difficulties" Jacob assures me.

"On a night like this? They never had problems before" I tell him.

"Come on lets move tot h front, the lights should be on soon and then we can leave" he says pulling me along.

I want to protest at the thought of leaving without meeting Edward, this was supposed to be the biggest night of my life but I know otherwise so I let him pull me forward. We move along for some minutes when I hear soft footsteps behind me and a change in the air, before I can turn around a large hand clamps down on my arm scaring me half to death and I scream loudly.

The hand is pulling me backward while Jacob is pulling me forward and I try to fight back, I'm losing my grip on Jacob and I begin to panic. This is the first time I feel helpless and try to fight back. I move my feet slowly in the dark until I find the attackers foot and step down hard...

He screams and releases me and Jacob begins to pull at me frantically as the lights slowly come back on and we hear sirens in the background. The noise level becomes much louder but I ignore it and turn to look at my attacker only to find him long gone.

"Bella are you okay!" Jacob shouts gripping me in a tight hug.

I hug him back as tightly while my heart rate slows down.

"Mr.'s Swan?" a tall dark police man calls to me.

We are standing outside by an ambulance as I'm checked over for injuries, I already talked to a detective about the attack but I guess they have to be sure.

"Just Bella" I answer.

"Okay Bella I'm garret you may remember me from earlier" he says looking at me meaningfully.

I'm transported back to a few weeks ago informing the police about the incidents and earlier today talking to peters insider and I remember the voice.

"We need to talk privately" he says walking to the side of the building.

"Bella what's going on" Jacob asks looking suspiciously at garret.

"I'm not sure yet but I'll let you know. Meet me at the car" I reply before following Garrett.

"We almost caught the culprit but we have identification of the car he was in" Garret begins.

"The black tinted car?" I ask heart racing at the thought.

"No something similar, I wanted to inform you and make sure you were fine." He replies looking at me sadly.

"I just need to know should I be worried?" I ask quickly.

"Yes, everything seems connected and we have another precinct working on the case also. Just in case we have an undercover following you home and when I learn more I'll call you first thing" he replies.

I let the news slowly sink in and surprisingly I'm not afraid at all, it was the UN known that I feared and now that I know what to expect there is something I can do about it. The knowledge of someone looking out for me and help just a feet away makes it even better.

"Thank you" I reply.

I am beyond grateful that I didn't have to wait to be informed and that no information is being hidden from me.

"How is the article going?" he asks smiling.

"Good…. Um should I include what I learned tonight?" I ask unsure.

"People have a right to know, I understand that they want to make sure the incidents are connected but we need to take every precaution just remember don't include any real names."

I nodded walking away feeling a burst of energy and new excitement course through my veins, I had a civic duty now to inform the world and I was sure this would put me in the spotlight. Here was a story I could get behind and I would be the first one to tell it to the world.

Nestled in the darkness blending in with surroundings a black tinted car waited patiently until the red jeep pulled away from the safety of the police but before it could follow a cruiser pulled out right behind the red jeep.

The man in the car sighed frustrated; this might be the hardest job he would ever have to do.