Hunter

Ack! There's something wrong with fan fiction! I couldn't update Wolverine and I don't know what the matter is. I'm really ticked off about it too.

serious obsession - no, you're not sick and twisted because you laughed at the nun joke. I laughed at it too when I heard it, and I'm relatively sane.

M - I will explain the vampire-amnesia soon.

Dangwe - thanks! I'm glad you like my crossovers. Sorry, but I've actually never read Harry Potter. Shocking, isn't it? I've seen a few of the movies, though. It just seems so…complicated.

I'm back in school and I definitely need to get back on Adderall. (I'm a little ADD).

-

Edward's POV

Ignoring Bella was proving to be much more difficult than I'd imagined. She wasn't the type of person you could ignore. She always had something interesting to say, even when the subject was utterly tedious.

It didn't help that I was wretchedly in love with her.

Two weeks had gone by since Bella's friend had come to visit and we were no closer to knowing if Bella posed a threat to us. Alice said that she didn't see her doing anything in the near future, but that could always change.

It was lunchtime. Bella sat with her friends, engrossed in a conversation about future careers.

"So what if my grades are awesome? If I didn't want to get into the family business, I'd totally be a firefighter," she told them.

"But, you're so smart. You could be a doctor or a lawyer," Angela protested.

"Okay, for a doctor-" Bella leaned forward and held one hand up, checking off the reasons on her fingers. "I hate hospitals. And a lawyer? Are you serious? I don't want to tarnish my immortal soul. Besides, I have serious issues with the law."

"But a firefighter is so…" Mike trailed off, unable to figure out what to say. "It's like, something a little kid says they're going to grow up to be, but come on, no one really wants to put themselves in that much danger. You could get killed!"

Bella gave him a look that suggested she was questioning the boy's intelligence. I forced myself not to smile. "So?" she asked.

Mike gawked. Angela leaned forward. "I think it's really cool that you want to help people."

Bella shrugged. "Somebody has to."

Alice sighed. "Bella's going to look over here again."

I picked up my bagel, pulling it apart. Emmett pretended to chew on a Rice Crispy Square. We shifted in our seats. I checked Bella's expression through Jessica's eyes. She seemed confused, then she shook her head and went back to her discussion.

The bell rang and I sighed. Everyone in Mr. Molina's Biology classes was going on a field trip. It was a welcome relief from sitting beside Bella everyday. Alice and Jasper were in his morning class, so they were coming too.

I wasn't sure how Bella managed to get her mother's signature on her permission slip. I assumed forgery was involved. Just one more thing to add to the list of Weird Things Bella Does.

My irritation suddenly increased as I heard Tyler Crowley's thoughts. Jasper looked at me and shook his head. He was used to my sudden mood changes by now.

"Field trip!" Bella shouted, earning her a few strange looks. She smiled widely. "Come on, Mike, Jessica, smile! No more pencils, no more books! No more teachers' dirty looks! You ever see The Magic School Bus? I loved that show. If all I had to do was go on field trips, I wouldn't have quit school." Her friends smiled indulgingly, but didn't comment. I felt myself grin in amusement, before I remembered the reason for my irritation earlier.

Tyler wanted to ask Bella to the prom.

I went to get my coat like a normal human and went out to the parking lot. I walked towards my family as Mr. Molina gathered up his students.

Bella stared at us, smiling distantly. She blinked as I looked back. I quickly looked away as her hand started to rise to wave at me. I saw from several viewpoints as she frowned. Tyler quickly rushed up to her. He smiled as she looked at him, aware that Mike was going with Jessica and that Eric had already struck out weeks before. He felt sure that Bella would be grateful that he was inviting her.

"Hey, Bella!"

"Tyler," she acknowledged, nodding at him. Her smile seemed genuine and I felt a sudden flash of panic. What if this average, unremarkable boy was the one she wanted? The fact that she hadn't gotten angry with him for almost killing her was insane. Could it be because she harboured feelings for him? Maybe she liked average boys.

"I wanted to ask you something," Tyler said, confidence in his voice.

In that moment, I saw the future more clearly than Alice ever had. Bella might not say yes to this boring, generic boy, but one day she would. Whether she found someone here, or waited until she was free of Forks, one day she would want someone.

I felt rage, sudden and intense, grip me. Jasper flinched away and Alice looked over at me. I stared at the back of Tyler Crowley's head and yearned to crush his skull.

Alice touched my arm. "Edward?" she questioned. I ignored her and listened to Tyler and Bella.

"Would you like to go to prom with me?" Tyler asked, full of damnable confidence.

Bella blinked and looked at his face, stunned. She gave him a sudden, tight-lipped smile that went right over Tyler's head. I recognized it for what it was, and calmed down.

"Sorry, Tyler. I can't make it," she told him.

Tyler seemed to come to his senses. He suddenly became aware that Bella wasn't looking directly at him. He twisted his head around and I saw my own face in his mind. I looked tense. I shifted automatically to stem his suspicions. "Did you already ask someone?" he questioned. The wild envy in his thoughts as he looked back and forth between Bella and I put a name to my emotions.

I was jealous.

"No," Bella protested. "I just-I'm visiting an old friend that week." I looked over at Alice as she smiled. Bella's two futures were clear in her head again.

That was interesting. Can I talk to her now?

"Stay out of it," I ordered, still reeling from my anger. I marched onto the bus and took a seat. Bella hopped on and sat next to Jessica. Alice and Jasper took the seat in front of me. The bus ride was mercifully short.

The garden center wasn't very interesting despite Mr. Molina's desperate attempts to entertain us. The euphoria of not sitting in a desk only lasted so long. Bella strolled around the greenhouse, smelling flowers and reading labels. She stopped when she found some freesias and inhaled deeply, smiling. For a moment, it was as if she existed in her own world.

I had to talk to her.

I walked toward her, making sure my steps could be heard. "Bella?"

She spun around, sending her scent straight into my face and reminding me why I wasn't supposed to do this. I gritted my teeth and bore it, smiling slightly. "I wanted to apologize."

For a second, shock and hope flashed across her face, before it was replaced by her usual, cocky smile. "Yeah, for what?"

"For ignoring you," I told her. We started walking through the building, heading for the exit.

"You didn't seem to be ignoring me when Tyler asked me out," she teased. She laughed at my startled expression as I wondered how she had noticed, but really, I shouldn't have been surprised. Bella noticed everything.

"Sorry."

She waved her hand in the air as if to swat the words away. "No biggie. I'm just glad you're talking to me again."

"You are?" I asked, surprised. We stepped outside and headed for the buses.

She gave me a look as if she were questioning my sanity. "Yeah," she reassured, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I just figured you regretted saving my life. You know, since I've been causing a lot of trouble for you and your family."

I blanched. "You think I regret saving you?" How absurd! Saving her life was the only decent thing I'd done.

"I know you do," she challenged.

For some reason, this infuriated me. "You don't know anything."

"That's because you won't talk to me. I can keep a secret, you know," she implored, her big, brown eyes telling me that I could trust her.

"Just stay out of it," I ordered.

"Don't you order me around, sweet heart," she said, poking me in the chest. She didn't flinch away from my cold skin as a normal person would.

"Hey, Bella," Alice called, running up to us and dragging Jasper behind her. I rolled my eyes. "Are you riding with us?"

"No, our bus is full," I said rudely. I slammed my hand on the door and walked inside. Bella stuck her tongue out at me and walked toward the other bus. "I told you to stay out of it," I reminded Alice.

"She's my friend," Alice persisted.

I grunted, choosing not to comment. I looked out my window and spied Bella sitting by herself on the other bus. She had an old, leather-bound book in her hands. She cursed and slammed it shut, mumbling something about crazy, dead men. The other students piled in and we headed back to school.

-

It was only after I had downed a third deer, that I realized I desperately wanted to see her again. I grimaced in the dark forest and tried to convince myself that I shouldn't go anywhere near her. But the thought of her in that big house, all alone…

I ran toward her house with only the purest of intentions. I would just check up on her. There was nothing wrong with that. I braced myself for the fire her scent would bring me and climbed the tree outside her open window. I looked in, ready to avert my eyes if she wasn't decent. I might have been acting like a peeping tom, but I still had standards.

Bella was asleep on her bed. She wore a warm, cotton nightgown that went down to her knees. Her covers were thrown off, half strewn on the floor. She shivered in the dark and turned over, grasping at them blindly. I waited until I was sure she was asleep before I crept inside.

Her room smelled strongly of her. Several old, leather-bound books rested on her desk, Ash's laptop sitting next to them. Bella made a low moaning sound and turned onto her back. Her lips moved slowly and she whispered something. "Renée, don't go."

She talked in her sleep.

Curiosity flared anew, fuelled by the chance to hear her unprotected thoughts through this new medium. I stayed near her window, ready to run if she stirred. In her dark room, with no children or teachers around to pretend for, I realized Bella seemed very upset. Her dreams were restless. She shifted around often. Of course, even with worry lines on her forehead, she was still radiant. Had I really once thought her average-looking? Her beauty was such an obvious thing.

I should leave, not just her room, but also this town, this country. It wasn't safe for such a fascinating girl to be around vampires, especially when she smelled so good.

She deserved someone human, and I couldn't let myself hunt him down and kill him when she finally found that person. She wouldn't care if I left, despite her statements to the contrary. I would be just another strange story to tell her Hunter friends.

"Edward," Bella moaned, startling me back into awareness. I stared at her, wondering if she was awake. But no, her eyes were still closed and her breathing still slow and even.

She was dreaming of me.

"Don't hurt him," she whispered fiercely. "I won't let you. Don't go away," she said sadly, almost in tears. "Please don't leave me alone again."

I stared at her, feeling a thousand emotions. I wanted very much to touch her, kiss her, comfort her. When something like this happened to a vampire, when they fell in love, it was permanent. I would always love this girl.

I watched as she relaxed and smiled. "Edward," my name on her lips, said like a prayer.

I stood and I plotted. I loved her, so I would have to leave her. It was the only way to keep her safe from me.

Alice had seen two futures for Bella. Death or damnation. If I killed her now, it would only be because of a horrible accident. I loved her far too much to ever hurt her that way.

Now, I finally understood the alternative. I could see myself, in unforgivable selfishness, asking my father for a favour. Ask him to take away her life and soul so I could keep her forever.

"No." The word hissed out of my mouth before I could think of stopping it. Bella, who had thus far not stirred at her own mumblings, woke instantly. She reached under her pillow and threw something. I only caught a glimpse of a knife sailing at me before I leapt out the window. I was amazed. Bella obviously hadn't been able to see me, not in the pitch darkness of her room, but her aim had been spot on. I shook my head and ran for the cover of the forest.

-

Bella's POV

I tapped my foot impatiently as I leaned against my car. I checked my watch again, disbelieving that only thirty seconds had passed since the last time I had done so. I rolled my eyes and sighed heavily.

Ash's research, while interesting, didn't explain why I was back from hell, or why demons were getting stronger. Instead, I'd found dozens of newspaper articles dedicated to finding people who had made demon deals around twenty years ago. What struck me as odd was that none of the people were dead. Demons usually came to collect after ten years and they rarely gave extra time. The only conclusion I could find was that whatever demon had done the deed wasn't looking to score a few souls for hell's football team. I shivered.

"Hey, Bella!" Eric called. He ran toward me excitedly. "Has anyone invited you to the beach this Saturday?"

"No," I said. But I guess I'm going to be.

Eric smiled. "Would you like to come? Everybody's going."

I shrugged. "Sure, I got nothing better to do."

"Great! I'll see you there." He ran off, presumably to invite more people. I wondered which beach he was referring to.

A familiar car rumbled into the parking lot. Edward Cullen and his family had arrived.

Just as he and his family got out of his car, I slammed a ripped piece of Edward's cadet blue pea coat onto the top of it. "You were in my room last night," I said, smirking.

My aim was very good. While I hadn't managed to hit him in the darkness, my knife had snagged his coat sleeve. I recognized the fabric far more quickly than was normal. I really was obsessed with this guy.

I watched as Edward composed himself, getting ready to lie. "What are you talking about?"

I leaned back against the back car door, aware that Alice stood directly behind me. Edward's eyes snapped up to her face and I saw a flash of betrayal on his face.

"I'm talking about me waking up to find that you were in my room, listening to me sleep talk. Yeah, I know I do it!" I confessed as his eyebrows shot up. I started to let my anger slip out "Are you frigging stupid? Seriously, dude…stalking?" I smirked again. "You know if you wanted to be alone in my room with me, all you had to do was ask."

For a second, Edward's mouth hung open in astonishment. He shut it with a snap and motioned for his family to split. Aside from Alice, they seemed only too pleased to get away from the crazy girl and their brother. "Bella, what you're saying is ridiculous. I was at home all night."

"I have proof." My hand reached for the fabric I'd left on the car only to find it gone. I saw Edward's face relax in amusement before he caught the look in my eye. "I knew you would do that, so I cut it in half. To earn the other piece, you're going to buy me lunch, and we're going to have a civil conversation."

"Or else?" Edward asked warily.

"Or else I tell the cops you've been stalking me."

"You're blackmailing me?" he asked. Disbelief coloured his tone.

I eased myself off his car and stood up straight. "Blackmail is such an ugly word, but basically, yeah. That's what I'm doing."

Edward stared at me incredulously. "Why not just report me right away?" he asked.

I laughed. "Because you've got a nice ass. I'll see you at lunch, Edward." I brushed my fingers along his shoulder as I went inside.

Morning passed quickly, and before I knew it, it was lunchtime. Edward sat at an empty table with a tray full of food in front of him. His family stared at me from their usual spot. Rosalie in particular seemed to be having trouble not laughing.

I strolled over to him and sat down. He gave me a guarded look. "Don't you think that blackmail is a bit extreme?"

I grabbed the French fries from his tray and shrugged. "Not really. You're kind of impossible to deal with without the use of threats and manipulation."

"You could have just asked me."

I shrugged. "This way is more fun."

Edward snickered unwillingly. I kept eating. Edward reached for his bagel. I reached out and grabbed his cold hand. "You don't have to pretend to eat. Honestly, have you ever thought of just hanging out at the library or off campus during lunch? That's what I did when I didn't have money for lunch."

Edward averted his eyes. "We try to blend in," he muttered.

I smiled. "You don't succeed. So, what's your favourite movie?"

He looked up, disbelief clear on his face. "Aren't you going to drill me about all my…quirks?"

I held up a French fry and took a bite. "Do you want me to?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Not really."

I shrugged. "Fair enough. Anything to do with your weirdness is taboo. So, seriously, what kinds of movies do you like?"

Edward blinked several times and shook his head. "You're not going to blackmail me into telling you all my secrets?"

"Would you tell me the truth?" I deadpanned.

He stared at me. "No, not likely."

I shrugged. "Okay. Movies. Go."

"Why do you want to know?"

I leaned back, exasperated. "Dude! This isn't the Spanish Inquisition!"

"The Spanish Inquisition was established by a woman named Isabella in 1478," he commented wryly.

I glared at him. "First off; her name was Ysabel, with a y, and second; if torture is the only way you'll tell me what you like to do, I'll go grab my knives." I made to stand up when his hand shot out to stop me.

"No, I'm sorry. I'll tell you. I was just…worried."

I sat back down and gave him a sympathizing look. "Worried I would expose you to the world or some other such nonsense? Dude, do you have any idea what century this is? Nobody believes in monsters anymore, and if you do, you're a total nut job."

"You seem to believe in them," he pointed out. "By that logic, you're a total nut job." He smiled crookedly as he said the last words.

I shrugged. "Oh, probably. I mean, not many people go out looking for monsters."

He frowned. "So, there are really demons out there?"

I shuddered. "Yeah, definitely."

"Werewolves, shape shifters, sirens?" he continued.

I nodded. "If it makes you feel better, Bigfoot's a hoax."

"It doesn't."

I tilted my head back and forth. "I tried. That's what matters. You know, if you're not going to tell me what you like, I'll start. My favourite movie is The Usual Suspects."

Edward blinked and smiled. "That's an interesting movie."

I leaned forward and smiled. "I love a good con."

He clenched his hands together and answered my question. "I like The Dark Knight. It's probably the best movie I've seen lately."

I looked up at the ceiling and ate another fry. "Not bad. I found Heath Ledger's performance outstanding. He struck me as a realistic psychopath. Aaron Eckhart's Two-face look was the creepiest version I've ever seen. The dialogue was good. The plot was interesting. I really wish I could have seen it in theatres."

"You were…Hunting when it came out?" he asked, none too subtly.

I grinned at him. "Oooh, so you can ask any questions about my personal life, but I need to threaten you with torture just to get a straight answer."

Edward shrugged. "Yes, basically." I laughed and grabbed a few more fries. "Your friends are mad at me for stealing you."

I looked back at my friends and turned away shaking my head. "Don't worry about them. I'll make something up later. Or I could just tell them that I'm trying to get you to make out with me," I suggested offhandedly.

Edward sputtered out a few sounds that were obviously meant to be words before he cleared his throat. "Why would you tell them that?"

"I have been lying a lot lately. It would be nice to tell the truth for once."

"You want to…" He cleared his throat and looked away guiltily.

"Yeah," I said, as if it were obvious. "You wanted to kill me that first day, but you didn't, so you're obviously kind-hearted. It's sweet."

"It's sweet that I didn't kill you?" Edward questioned. I decided to give the poor guy a break.

"I meet a lot of not so nice things. Believe me, none of those guys like to make nice with humans. You're a real anomaly. And you really do have a nice ass."

"What makes you think I don't kill people?" he asked. He wasn't denying that he was something else. That was a step forward.

"There haven't been any mysterious deaths since you guys moved here. In fact, the only thing that seems to have happened is that the animal population has dropped."

I watched as his eyes widened for a millisecond before he relaxed. "So, since I don't kill people…"

"I don't need to kill you."

Edward grinned. "What makes you think you could?" he asked. "You don't even know what I am."

"No," I conceded. "I don't know what you are, but I know how to kill your kind. I've done it before."

Edward's smile vanished. He looked over at his family. I saw that they were listening to our conversation intensely. Rosalie, in particular, looked nervous. Alice seemed a bit putout. She touched Jasper's arm gently. I wondered about that guy. He reminded me of some of the veterans I'd met. He went out to war, but not all of him came back.

"At least, I think he was like you. His eyes were different, though."

Edward went very still. "What happened exactly?"

"What kind of music do you like?"

Edward gave me an exasperated look. "If I tell you, will you tell me what happened?"

"Can't hurt your chances." I smiled cheekily.

"I like music from the fifties. I can barely stand eighties music. I prefer indie rock to mainstream. I like classical, jazz, progressive metal, alternative rock, punk rock, but I hate country. Now, what's this about you killing something like me?"

I stored this information for later and started to explain. "I went to a bar a few weeks ago," I said, glossing over any details of my visions. "I was just hanging out, having some whiskey, when this guy sat next to me. I knew there was something off about him, so I talked to him for a little. His eyes were red." I drifted back to that day. I was blond, in a pink shirt, and flirting with a monster.

"What did you talk about?" Edward voice and eyes were very serious.

I twined a strand of my hair around my finger and stared at the ceiling. "I asked him if he was new in town. He said he had dropped by for a snack. From the way he said it, I figured he wasn't talking about some M&Ms."

Edward's mouth twisted into something resembling a smile.

"I told him that my boyfriend dumped me. Don't give me that look!" I ordered when he smirked. "It sure as hell felt like you were dumping me!" I stuffed a few more fries into my mouth. "So anyway, I told him I was training to be a profiler for the F.B.I. and he asked me to profile him. I gave him his life story. It was pretty sad. I think I made him cry," I said.

Edward snorted and looked back at his family. "What happened next?"

I shrugged. "He invited me to go with him. Once we got into the alley, he shoved me against the wall."

Edward stiffened, his fists tightening. "Did he hurt you?"

"Worse; he kissed me."

He blinked. "What?" he asked, his voice a low growl.

I nodded. "I know. As if I need another reason for therapy. Then he said something about eternity, and that's when I cut his head off. I don't know if you guys are immortal or not, but I have serious issues with commitment. Eternity is way too long to be with someone you don't even like."

"You cut his head off?" Edward asked, aghast. "That's impossible."

"You know what I thought was impossible? Having a decapitated guy grab me when I started to walk away. I had to light the guy on fire just to get him off me. That was so freaky!"

Edward leaned back and stared at me. "How did you cut his head off? Our skin is very…" He trailed off.

"Hard?" I supplied. "It's complicated. See, my ancestors discovered that if you douse a weapon in demon blood, you could make it more dangerous. You know, butter knives cutting through steel, or bullets making trees explode. That's pretty cool actually. I should show you sometime." Edward stared blankly at me. I decided to be a little clearer. "My knife, you know the one I threw at you last night? It's been affected by demon blood. It can cut through pretty much anything."

"Why would-" He stumbled over the word. "Demon blood affect things like that?"

Why? No one had ever asked that before. They'd simply been grateful that they had a weapon that could kill anything. Well, almost anything. Demon weapons couldn't kill demons. However, I had some insights on demons that no one else I knew did. I knew how they were made.

"Demons are just…they're carnage in a meat suit. All they want is death and destruction for its own sake. They're behind thousands of horrible things. They can influence people to kill others or they can cause natural disasters. One demon I fought, he used to bring down planes. Thousands of people died every month because of this guy. All their hate and pain just gets turned into power, and even a drop of it can make you invincible."

The bell rang, startling me out of my thoughts. I grimaced and glared at the ceiling where the speaker was. The lights flickered, irritating me. I felt another head ache start to build.

"We're you really going to tell the police about me?" Edward asked suddenly.

I grinned and rubbed my temple. "Hell no! You're too pretty for prison. If you're going to be anyone's bitch, you're gonna be mine."

He covered his mouth as he laughed. "Can I have that piece of my jacket back, please?"

I smirked and lifted my bag onto the table. I looked back and forth, checking to see if anyone was looking at me. The coast was clear, aside from the other Cullens. I slipped my hand down my shirt, into my bra and pulled out the cadet blue fabric. I threw it down on the table and stood up.

"Please tell me you didn't…" He stared at the cloth as if it might bite him. He made no move to pick it up.

I laughed. "I was really hoping this conversation would get more interesting so that you could find it. Oh well. Maybe next time. Are you coming?"

"I'm skipping Biology today," he told me, still not looking away from the offending fabric.

I shrugged. "Whatever. I'll see you later, Superman." I blew him a kiss and headed for class.

-

Okay, this was fun. I am going to get so many people mad at me for leaving them like this, but I'm at ten pages already and I need to save some ideas for next chapter.

I'll see you later.