AN: Sorry for the delay. No time table for updates as i'm getting my masters. I'd love a beta or someone to keep me on track. Thanks for reading. I'm leaning towards Paul for the pairing.

Bella POV

I put my phone to my ear as soon as I stepped outside and dialed my manager, Neil. We went through my schedule quickly, the deadline for my pictures, meeting with my publisher, final check in with my editor, and he wanted me to do book signings and meet and greets. I snapped pictures as we talked, occasionally twisting my body into weird positions or laying on the ground, making me put Neil on hold. We talked about my school obligations and my internship on the reservation. When he huffed again I snapped, "What Neil? What?"

"Nothing. I just don't understand. I'm trying Bells, I'm really trying here. You moved out of the blue and we talked about a book tour. A few people have been asking for you as their photographer, not historical speaking. I'm just not sure what I can tell them. You are an amazing writer, and your photography skills can take you places. Why go into Native American Affairs?"

I had finally gotten to the beach and quickly sat down on a piece of driftwood. "Neil, we talked about this." I groaned, "Maybe we need to communicate better. You cannot just pretend everything is all good and blow up at me in the future. Maybe you should come here and we can talk in person? I'm not sure how to explain how important this is to me. It's part of me, my heritage, my identity. I'm not here to make money off them. I'm not here to help them because it would make me feel better. I'm a part of them. I want this to be my home. A real home."

I felt eyes on me. I shifted around and tried to look into the forest but I missed what Neil said. "Sorry, please repeat that. I felt like someone was watching me."

"Shit Bells," I heard Neil flipping through paper work.

"I said I was sorry Neil. What did you say?"

"Forget what I said. I'm checking his release date."

I froze, "Release date? He isn't out for another 11 months. Right?" My head whipped over to the forest as she slowly got up and started to walk towards a group of people she saw further down on the beach. "Neil?"

Neil let out a puff of air. "Nothing is officially, but his time is definitely shortened due to good behavior. He might get out next week. They are trying to get character references for him."

Neil kept talking but I cut him off. "Does he know where I am?"

"He can't even leave the state. Everything will be fine." I was close to the group of kids now, a guy even waved at me and started to come my way.

"I got to go Neil. I'll call later. I need to call Liz too."

"You okay?"

"I'll be okay. Just a little freaked out." We said a quick goodbye as the guy got to me.

"Hey! I'm Mike Newton." He held out his hand.

"Bella Swan." I shook his hand.

"Swan? As in the Chief's daughter?" More of his friends started to crowd me. I tried to get away, but they kept asking me questions. A quiet girl, Angela, read my last book and asked me about the next one. After about an hour of talking a girl named Lauren seamed to hate all the attention I was getting and snuck off into the woods with some kid named Tyler. A few minutes later some guys went out to surf a little more and Mike and Angela asked me to check out the tidepools with them and a few others. I smiled and accepted. Basically anything to get away from Jessica, she was pushy, and Lauren, whenever she was coming back. Angela and I seemed to click right away.

It actually turned out to be a great place for pictures. Mike jogged ahead with another boy while Angela and I hung back at a slow walk. "I don't want to pry, but you looked a little scared when you were coming over to us. Is everything alright?"

"Umm.. It's complicated."

"You don't have to explain. I'm sorry I asked." Angela was sweet. When I didn't want to talk about something, she didn't seem to pry, unlike Jessica who felt the need to ask about intimate details of my life.

"No it's okay. It just really is complicated. With my books being published and my pictures in some magazines, while I was at University in Arizona, I took most of my classes online I spread myself pretty thin actually, taking more courses at different colleges when I hit my limit. But in Phoenix this guy… oh spirits. I have a stocker."

Angela and I must have stopped at some point. She lead me over to a piece of driftwood. "What did he do?"

"He is way for now, but he might get released early. He snuck into my house a few times. He followed me onto the reservation down there. He cut off a piece of my hair." I moved some of my hair to show the short piece on the back of my right side of my head. And just like that I felt eyes on me again. I looked over to the forest. I picked up Angela's hand and pulled her to her feet.

"He went to jail? For trespassing?"

"Trespassing, harassment, assault, and," I coughed, my throat was like sandpaper.

"It's okay." Angela angled her body towards me while we walked and waved her hands as if she was cleaning the air.

After a beat I asked her a question, "Any special someone in your life?"

Angela got a goofy distant look in her eyes, "Yeah."

"Do they have a name?"

"Edward Cullen," she suddenly looked smaller, her almost six foot frame curling in on itself.

I paused, "Cullen? That sounds familiar."

"Yeah. His dad is a doctor in Forks. Your dad might have mentioned him."

"Why did you look scared to tell me his name. Is he not a good guy?"

"No! No. Edward is great. A dream, really. But people, in La Push, stopped going to the Forks hospital. They don't like his family. They aren't even allowed to come to the beach!" Angela was flinging her hands about as she talked.

"Oh." I must have looked so confused.

"Sorry. God, you must think I'm crazy. I just met you." Angela looked a little dreamily at me. "You meet a fan and I must seem crazy to you. Acting like I've knowing you for years or something."

"It's okay. I've been told I have an old soul." I chuckled. "You must have one too. Maybe our souls have met before and they recognized on another."

She stopped walking looking at me like I was the moon. "Wow. You really are a great writer."

"Oh yeah, and you've read my book. I poured my heart into that book. So maybe you do know me a little bit." I smiled at her.

We were almost back at the fire with her friends when my phone rang. I looked down as saw a weird number, "Sorry. I got to go. Come back down to the rez and hang out sometime?"

Angela looked like she was Charlie Bucket and I just gave her the golden ticket. "Yes."

She waved as I left, "I hope I didn't just encourage another stocker." My eyebrows pinched as the number rang again. "Hello?"

"Hey! It's Seth. I wanted to see if you were up to movie night with Sam and the gang." I could almost see his grin through the phone, but I thought about everything I needed to do.

"I'm gonna pass this time. I got a lot to do." I sighed.

"Didn't you just finish school?" He laughed.

"Well I'm still in college. And I have my second book in the series getting published and released soon. And the photos for a few magazines. Really? I'm just a bit tired." I know I sounded overwhelmed. Gah, I never share this much. What is with him and his mom? "Sorry, I didn't mean to blabber on." I was still walking to the house when I felt eyes on me again.

He was telling me it was fine when I cut him off, "Hey Seth, La Push is safe right?"

"What do you mean?" He went from laughing and joking to serious in .02 seconds.

"I keep feeling like I'm being watched." I quickened my pace to the house.

"Where are you?"

"I'm almost to the red house, ummm.. Jacob's house. So a few blocks away."

"Get inside Jake's house. I'll meet you there. His doors are unlocked and he is probably sleeping. And Billy might be home. Just lock the doors."

"Okay," I answered running up the steps, but he already hung up.

I tried the handel and it turned. I quickly locked the door behind me and called out, "Hello?!"

I heard shuffling from down the hall, but rushed to the back door to lock it and tried to find an enclosed space. I looked around and remembered it from my childhood. I used to play with little Jakey when his sisters were being mean and girly. I remembered that I used to hide with him between the fridge and the cabinet. With my almost adult body, I barely fit, but I squeezed in between the two and tried to slow my breathing as I heard something outside the house, like a howl.

I heard a slam happen upstairs and I was struggling to steady my breathing with my heart pounding in my ears. I closed my eyes and moved as far out of reach as I could. With the humm of the refrigerator I could barely hear the shuffling behind the living room anymore. I was squeezed in there for probably five minutes, but it felt like hours when I heard pounding on the back door. I started to hold my breath and felt my body shake.

"It's unlocked!" A man yelled.

When the pounding happened again, the man in the house started to move. I slowly let out air and slowly let air back into my lungs. "It's always unlocked." He grumbled as he rolled passed me in my hiding space. It must be Billy. I wanted to stop him, but I couldn't speak. My throat was dry and I started to feel lightheaded. The pounding started again but stopped halfway through the pounding as the lock was flipped and the door sprang open with a, "Creek."

"Hey!" The man barked.

"Where's Bella?" It was Seth.

"What?" I took a huge breath in as my body shook.

I heard muffled voices, but still couldn't call out.

AN: So any guesses on what's coming next?