Prompt: High School Reunion

2011

Edward sits alone in his dingy hotel room, on top of the fading bedspread that's seen better days. He still can't believe he's actually back here in Forks. When he left this town on graduation night 10 years ago, he didn't expect to ever return.

But life is funny that way. A job had brought him back to this town, just in time for his fucking high school reunion. The details of his target are sitting in front of him on the bed in the sealed envelope he's reluctant to open.

As a rule, Edward is never nervous about the jobs. Chances are if he shows up at a person's door, they did something to bring him there. But this target lives in Forks, and there's a good possibility he actually knows this person. Sure, he hasn't been here in 10 years, but Forks is not the type of town new people move into. Instead, it's usually the young people yearning to get out of this town. He understands, he was one of them.

Instead of opening the envelope, Edward thinks back over the events of the night and the reunion he left a short bit ago. He wouldn't have even attended his reunion tonight if it wasn't for his assistant. More like a big sister than an employee, Carmen keeps telling him he needs to open his self up more to life and she somehow talked him into attending the reunion. He's still surprised he went. When your job is death, do you really deserve everything else life has to offer?

Edward had hoped to make a quiet entrance into the school gym, but as soon as he passed through the doors, he hears, "No fucking way! Is that Edward Cullen?" He recognized the voice immediately. Alice Brandon was a little thing, but boy did she have a big mouth. It served her perfectly in high school as the head cheerleader.

Now all eyes in the gym were turned on him. So much for the quiet entrance. And heading his way, with his own booming exclamation was Emmett McCarty. "Duuuude! Where have you been? We thought you fell off the face of the earth. Ten years, man! Ten years!"

"Hey, Emmett. Good to see you, " Edward replied a bit stoically. He intentionally didn't answer Emmett's question. Emmett pulled him in for a hug – not just the side hug, patting your back thing that guys usually do, but a full on hug - and it made Edward feel a bit uncomfortable. He can't really remember the last time someone actually touched him on purpose and that fact startles him a little.

"Come on, let's say hi to everyone," Emmett says as he heads back to the group he was with before Edward walked in. Now that's he closer, he can see Alice is very pregnant and Jasper, his old best friend, has his arm around her shoulders. That was bit unexpected, as they never hung around in the same circles in high school.

"Hey Alice, good to see you. And congrats on the baby," Edward says as he points to Alice's stomach.

"Thanks. We're really excited! Just a couple of months to go," Alice says happily.

"Jasper, long time." Jasper just gives him a small nod in response. He knows he probably hurt Jasper when he left town without a word, but Edward just knew he had to get out that night. He was sitting at home, in his cap and gown, trying to see where his life was headed and he realized he wanted to kill someone. That was all the motivation he needed to get out of town and never look back.

Until tonight, of course.

Edward finally looks to Alice's right and sees Bella. She still has the ability to take his breath away. Even though they'd only ever gone out on one date together in high school - prom no less - they'd been friends for years. Bella may have been the rich girl with the powerful father, but she was always so easy to talk to.

More than anyone in that town, he had been most afraid of hurting her with his internal darkness. He had gone against his better judgment in taking her to prom, but it was still the best night of his life. He had initially fooled himself into thinking maybe they could be something, but then he realized he'd only hurt her in the end.

Bella had been watching Edward since he walked into the gym. Though she never mentioned it to anyone, she had hoped that, by some miracle, he would show up tonight. Bella knows she should be mad at him for leaving her, for leaving everyone, that night, but she's more relieved than anything to see him here.

"Well, well, well. Edward Cullen. Good to see you're not dead. So, what have you been doing all these years?" She gives him her best smirk as she says it.

"Hired killer," he responds back quickly. He can't lie to her, even if he tried, but he knows no one would believe he was serious.

"Hmm, I looked into that, but I needed more stability in a job," she laughs, playing along. She just doesn't realize that he's not playing.

As the DJ selects songs from 10 years ago, If You're Gone by Matchbox Twenty comes on and the words seem to tell their story exactly.

"Will you dance with me, Bella?" Edward asks.

"Of course," Bella responds, as she follows Edward to the dance floor.

Edward shakes his head to clear his thoughts. He doesn't want to get lost in a possibility he knows he can't have.

He may have spent the evening dancing and talking with Bella, but they'd both been a bit evasive with each other tonight. He knew he was keeping things from her, but it seemed as though she was also keeping things from him. Not that he could blame her. They hadn't seen each other in ten years. A lot of life happens in ten years and he has no claim on her at all. He has no right to know everything going on in her life, no matter how much he wants to know it all.

Edward's been thinking about his job, his life and the decisions that brought him to where he is now. He's pretty sure this will be his last job. What he will do afterwards, he has no idea. What does someone do when they get out of the hired assassin business? Has anyone ever done it before...alive?

For now, though, he needs to just do this one job and get out of Forks.

Edward finally unseals the envelope and takes out the information.

Edward is in shock as he pulls Bella's picture and details out of the envelope.

He realizes now he has to figure out a way to save Bella, because he definitely won't be killing her…and he can't let anyone else try, either.

"Dumb fucking luck!"

AN: Yeah, I went all Grosse Pointe Blank on this. When I think of high school reunions, it's either that or Romy & Michele.