Disclaimer
Stephanie Meyer owns the twilight universe. I am only playing with her characters.

Content Warning! This story is rated M for Mature readers. It contains a lot of foul language, drinking, mild drugs, violence, death, sexual assault and Adult content, and is not appropriate for all readers. Don't leave me responsible for ruining your innocence, please?

And you'll need to give me a little creative lee-way here. I'm not nearly as smart as I think I am. Enjoy!

Chapter songs:
USS- This is the Best
C2C- Down the Road

. . . . . . . . . .

Protector: Something at First Sight
Edward

If I had to choose only one word to describe her, it would have to be a Protector. I don't think she even realized it sometimes, and despite that confident and fierce aura she constantly emitted, everything in her being was geared towards some higher goal of protecting someone else. Especially those she loved, but not slightly limited to. It was just her nature.

And since the first moment I saw her, my nature became to want her. I wouldn't go so far as to call it love at first sight, it definitely wasn't for her, but since the first second I laid eyes on her she became the only thing I would ever want again.

. . . . . . . . . .

"Come on Edward, I'll make the calls and everything. There's a great agency in New York-"

"Fucking Christ, Tyler. I don't want a damn P.A. I don't need one. I told you, I'm out right now, okay? I can take care of myself."

"At least let me set you up with some security. That apartment- man, you need something. And I have at least a hundred requests for interviews and-"

"Edward!"

I sighed, griping onto my phone tighter. "Well you can tell them all to go fuck themselves. I gotta go, I'll call when I call." I hung up my phone, turning it off again as I turned to the sound of her voice. I felt myself smile genuinely for the first time in what felt like eons, and set my bag down just in time to catch her in my arms.

"Hey mom." I squeezed her tightly as she clung to me, sniffling.

"I can't believe you're actually here," she cried. I'm sure if I let go of her she could have safely hung from my shoulders on her own without falling, judging by the strength of her grip, but I wasn't going to take the chance.

"I told you I was moving back," I said with a laugh.

"I know, I just didn't think you would actually do it," she said, laughing lightly as she let me go. I tried not to frown. I was quite aware of how out of touch I had become with them, but that was going to change. I didn't blame her for her incredulity; I would prove to them all that I was serious with my actions.

With filming finished, there was nothing holding me in L.A. anymore. I needed a break, from all of it, from the looming threat of running into her. From the paparazzi throwing her name at me every time I left the studio or my hotel. What better place than home?

Mom looked up at me worriedly, taking my face in her hands.

"How are you doing sweetie?"

I knew she wasn't talking about the short flight. Without the stage make-up, I couldn't hide the dark circles under my eyes. I haven't been able to sleep more than half an hour straight for weeks. Just thinking of her, my fists clenched in anger as I ground my teeth.

Fucking bitch.

"I'm fine Mom, just tired." She gave me a sad smile, and the glare of a lens from the man holding the camera in the corner of the terminal caught my eye, his finger clicking away. She followed my gaze, and I picked my suitcase back up, wrapped my arm around her shoulders and started leading us out of the terminal. I was used to it, but I didn't like the tabloids harassing my family. I probably should have taken Tyler's offer on the security, but really, he was annoying the living hell out of me and I didn't want to even hear his voice. I really should just fire him, maybe get a boat and just disappear, retire early. Lord knows I could afford it.

We quickly made our way out to the car, and her driver opened up the door before taking my bag and loading it into the trunk.

"Sorry about that, I didn't think they'd start to find me that fast."

"Oh sweetie, it's not your fault those leeches can't get enough to you," she said sweetly. I rolled my eyes, fighting a small smile. I wrapped my other arm around her and gave her another hug.

"It's really nice to see you again mom, I'm sorry that's it's been so long." I almost regretted my words when she started crying again.

"You're here now, that's all that matters."

"What's dad up to?"

"There was an emergency board meeting today, but he wanted to come pick you up with me. He'll be home for dinner though, your sister will be there too. How long will you be staying with us?"

"My loft will be ready on Wednesday, and they'll be moving my stuff over from storage the same day," I said, watching her face carefully. I caught it immediately when she frowned. "I really don't mind staying at the hotel though, I don't want to be an inconvenience-"

She smacked me on the back of the head, hard. "Non-sense! You're not a burden, and my son is not staying in a hotel," she said with a glare. I held up my hands in surrender with a grin, and she rolled her eyes at me. I'd been living in hotels for the past month, after putting my house on the market the day I kicked her out of it. A few more days wouldn't have made a difference. "So how did the end of filming go?"

"It was brutal, we went five days over schedule," I said with a huff, dragging my hand through my hair in frustration. I get why they wanted Jessica, she was hot, but the girl was a fucking idiot, and not even that great an actress.

And she hadn't been much better in bed. That had been a mistake; she had taken on full blown stalker-status since that night in the club.

Fuck you Jack, and all of your bad influence.

The house hadn't changed much in the past five years. New furniture, but nothing else major. I went up to my old room and dropped off my things, not even bothering to turn on my phone and just tossing it onto the bed before going back down stairs. The wind was knocked out of me when I walked into the kitchen, but I caught my balance quickly.

"Hey Alice," I said in exasperation, she dropped down to her feet gracefully, glaring at me before she punched me in the gut. She was a tiny thing, it didn't hurt.

"Don't you hey me, why didn't you answer any of my texts?" She shouted in annoyance. It was hard to take her seriously when she was angry. Even with her tall, designer heels she was still barely five foot five, very petite. She had cut her hair since the last time I saw her, it was now in an artfully messy, a-symmetrical bob, barely brushing against her left shoulder, and a couple inches longer on the right side.

"Phone's off, I need a new number. I like the new haircut," I said, giving her my award-winning smile. She didn't buy it, but I could tell I was now in a safe zone.

"Thanks," she said, giving me a reluctant smile. We walked over to the bar, and I made her and my mom martinis before pouring myself a scotch.

Just like that, sitting with my two most favourite women in the world, it was like I had never left. Alice told me how well her fashion company was doing, apparently her new summer line was a big success, and my mom filled me in on some gossip, and told me about some of her recent charity work while she cooked dinner. Dad got in not long later, and we sat informally around the small table in the kitchen while eating. I was relieved to see that he seemed genuinely happy to have me here.

No one said a thing about Tanya, thank god. And to my utter relief, no one mentioned my highly photographed… exploits of the past couple weeks. I actually started to feel like I was beginning to relax a little… But as soon as that realization went through my mind, my teeth clenched, and my leg started shaking under the table.

No, I did not want to spend tonight in my head. I needed to do something. It was Friday night for fuck sakes, and I was Edward Fucking Cullen. I wasn't going to sit here and sulk like a girl.

Tonight was going good though, I didn't want to screw it up by leaving.

Fuck.

"Hey, since its Friday night I was wondering if you'd wanted to go check out Rose's club? You haven't been yet, right?"

Best little sister ever. I smiled at her, and she winked. "That sounds great actually," I said, trying not to sound too relieved. "How is my little cousin doing these days?"

"Great, business is booming, the club has been doing amazingly well," she said, her fingers flying across her phone as she talked. As soon as she put it down, it vibrated and she picked it up again. Mom frowned in disapproval.

"Am I going to have to enact the electronics at the dinner table ban again?" She asked, giving her a pointed look.

"I'm talking to Rose, she's family. This doesn't count," she said easily. Mom shook her head, and I helped her as she started to clear the table. It was easier to stay calm if I kept busy.

My third scotch was starting to help too.

I jumped slightly when my mom ran her fingers through the back of my hair.

"You should get a haircut sweetie," she said in a disapproving tone.

Yeah, I was aware of that, but my last stylist got called to a set in New Zealand, and it took a great deal of trust to let someone near my hair with a pair of scissors. "I like it this this," I lied.

She sighed, shaking her head as she walked away.

"I brought a suit for you, it's hanging by the front door," Alice said, handing me her empty glass so I could put it in the dishwasher for her.

"I brought suits with me," I said, knowing it was pointless. It was just nice to be talking to her though.

You're such a girl.

"Pfft. I brought you one of my suits. I won't have you embarrassing me with whatever garbage your personal shopper threw at you." She pointed one of her little polished fingers at me. "I've seen what you wear in the papers. Fire her, or I'll disown you." She pulled a tape measure out of her pocket, and I didn't bother to fight her has she took a few of my measurements.

She's been doing this since she was three, and made me wear the dresses she would make out of mom's sheets and curtains.

"Just what I thought. I'll be sending over some new clothes in a couple days, burn your suitcases. We're leaving in an hour."

And with that, she disappeared. I sighed around my amused smile, and finished tidying up the kitchen before grabbing the suit, and getting changed upstairs.

. . . . . . . . . .

"So how are you doing, really?" She asked quietly as the driver took us through the city. I didn't like the way he kept eying my baby sister, and saw his face pale in the rear-view at I shot him a warning glare.

"I'm fine, just pissed. Every time I think of her I just want to fucking punch something," I hissed. She squeezed my hand, and I relaxed slightly after running my other hand through my hair. "I'll be fine though, thanks."

"I'm really sorry Edward."

"It's okay." I looked up, and found her smiling at me. "What?"

"She asked me to make her a dress for the Emmy's a couple months ago."

"You made her a fucking dress? After what she did?"

"Of course not. Well, I didn't give her the dress I had originally made, anyways."

"What did you send her?" Her tone had intrigued me.

"Do you remember that meat dress that Gaga forced me to make for her?"

I laughed, and nodded, hopeful for where this was heading.

"Well, I tried one out of fish this time," she said with a menacing grin. "And I may have forgotten to have it delivered in a refrigerated vehicle."

I laughed so hard that I cried, clutching at the sharp pain in my side as I tried to breathe. I could easily picture Tanya's hopeful, greedy face opening up the trunk, only to find a puddle of rotted fish and throwing up everywhere.

"You are the most amazing baby sister anyone could ever hope for," I told her happily, pulling her into a hug and kissing her cheek. She pushed me away, threatening bodily harm if I wrinkled her dress.

The driver pulled up in front of Eclipse, and I stepped out and offered my arm to my little sister while ignoring the shrill screams and bright flashes. I quickly scanned the outside of the building, noting the line of people stretching all the way around the corner. It was a grey stone building, three stories high, with reflective glass windows stretching the length of the top and bottom floors. Centered over the large red doors was the name of the club, the large C being represented by the image of a crescent moon.

I didn't have to give my name. The bouncer, a large man with long black hair tied into a ponytail and warm brown skin, nodded at me and ushered us through as we were followed by the flashing of cameras.

It was a really nice club. Classy yet hip. There were three bars on the main floor, one along each of the walls except for the front, the center of the room had a large, lowered dance floor. There was a second floor, but the center of it was open, party-goers looking down through the glass walls to the main floor. Everything in the building was either white, red or black.

It was packed, but luckily the dim, blue lighting seemed to hide my identity a little more from the drunken dancers. Alice led me up to the top floor, past a velvet rope, and into the VIP section with obvious familiarity.

And there was my cousin, sitting in the middle of a large circular couch surrounded by people. She laughed loudly, and I saw the man next to her melt, though she obviously had no interest in him. My cousin was one of the most beautiful women I'd ever met. She was wearing a sparkling, tight red dress tonight, her thick blonde hair flowing in soft waves down to her chest, and when she turned to meet me I was met by her piercing blue, almost-violet eyes and a bright smile. She excused herself quickly, and ran over to give me, then Alice, a tight hug.

"Well look what we have here, the famous Edward Cullen, hanging out in my club," she said with a calculating smile. She waved her hand, and thirty seconds later a woman in a tight black dress and curly red hair rushed over with a bottle of wine and a few glasses. "You look like you could use a drink," she said with a smile.

I eyed the bottle with a smile. "Maybe something stronger?"

She laughed, wrapping an arm around my waist and leading me over to the private bar. "It's nice to see you Edward, it's been too long."

"I know, and it's nice to see you too. The club is great," I told her truthfully.

"Thanks. Business is doing pretty well," she said proudly. "Anything you want is on the house, my family doesn't pay here." Just like that, she turned around and walked back to the couch, pulling Alice along with her. I ordered three fingers of their best scotch, and scanned the room for some entertainment while he poured my drink.

I almost looked right over her. Almost. That was only because of her clothing though. She was wearing fitted black slacks and a dark blue blouse over a black undershirt, and while she stood completely still next to the wall in the corner of the room, the shadows and pale blue lighting camouflaged her well.

There was no way to ignore the thrilling electrical sensation that shot through and warmed my entire body when I saw her though. She was the most breathtakingly beautiful creature I had ever seen. She was thin yet curvy, with pale creamy skin and dark red lips on a lovely, heart-shaped face. Her dark hair was twisted up into a large, neat bun on top of her head, and when she looked off to the side, the gentle curve of the tendons in her neck was fucking stunning. She seemed more dressed for the office instead of a club, but none of the girls in slutty dresses with make-up plastered over their faces could dream of holding a candle to her. She wasn't even wearing any jewelry, except for a bulky black watch on her left wrist. She looked over to the other side of the room, looking right past me. It was too dark to see the colour of her big dark eyes. My saliva got stuck in my throat as I swallowed.

Fuck.

I could hear my heart beating in my ears, louder than the pulsating music in the club. My leg started trembling as I dragged my sweating palms nervously through my hair. My feet were frozen in place, and I couldn't seem to look away from her.

What the fuck.

I should buy her a drink, a couple drinks. I should just introduce myself actually. One smile and I could have her bent over the bar. My partner in crime twitched happily at the mental image, and I smiled. I managed to unlock my feet, and started moving towards her.

"Sir? Your drink," the bartender said. I turned around to grab it quickly, taking a sip, and went back to stalk my newly-sighted prey.

And she was gone. I scanned the room, but it was like she had just disappeared into fucking nothing. I sighed angrily, and went to drop down next to Rose on the couch.

Some blond chick started talking to me, but I ignored her as I drank in irritation. I felt like a seagull just stole my fucking ice cream cone.

When I finished my drink, there was a new glass being switched into my hand within seconds, which lightened my mood. Good fucking service. I started listening to Rose as she told me about her boyfriend. Some guy that owned a gym, they'd been together for a couple years now. I was a little surprised, my cousin had never been the type for long relationships, but my thoughts were cut off when I looked back at the corner.

She was there again, in the exact same spot she had been, like she had never moved. My excitement was almost nauseating for a moment, but another gulp of my drink eased my stomach.

I couldn't look away this time, I wasn't going to lose sight of her while I plotted my move. I noticed that she wasn't drinking, it was like she was watching the room, still and silent. A ghost that no one could see.

No, an angel.

What the fuck was that? I sounded like a damn romance novel. I shook my head, and continued to watch her while nodding along with the conversation around me.

Hey beautiful? What's your name? Are you here alone? Yeah, I'm Edward Cullen. You like my acting? Thanks, that's really sweet. There's a hotel down the street, how about we move this party elsewhere?

Why was I even thinking? As soon as she looked at me, I probably wouldn't even have to open my mouth. I still thought there was something weird about her, but I didn't care. I'd fuck the crazy right out of her.

Maybe even go back for seconds on this one. She was fucking stunning.

The thought made me grin, but my body froze when she turned her head, and looked straight at me.

Fucking beautiful. My heart made a painful stutter in my chest. Something akin to nervousness fluttered through me, but was battled off by my liquid courage.

I flashed her my Oscar-winning smile, and shot her a wink while waiting for her to fall to the floor.

She watched me evenly for only half of another second, her face a blank, indifferent mask, before looking away again. I felt my mouth pop open, but I shut it quickly and glared at her.

What the fuck was that?

I sighed in annoyance, and tossed back my drink only to have another fresh one placed in my hand again immediately.

I kept watch of her out of the corner of my eye, but she never even looked at me again. I was in shock, my ego a little wounded to be honest. My smile has never once failed to bring a girl to her knees, why was this chick seemingly unaffected?

And why did I fucking care so much?

To be honest, it was kind of… hot. Not having her throw herself at me like every other woman.

And I did enjoy a challenge.

I grinned, and went back to discreetly watching her while slowly getting shitfaced as the night went on.

Damn good scotch.

As it got later, I found her behaviour stranger and stranger. She remained very still, never drank, didn't talk to anyone. It was like she came here to people watch. Who comes to a club to people watch alone?

I wanted to find out. So I continued to strategize silently while I watched her.

I was just about to stand up and approach her when I saw her scowl. It was the first emotion I had seen cross her face, and the raw anger in her eyes almost made me flinch.

She looked fucking terrifying, and it was sexy as hell. I got up, but she stormed across the room, silent and deadly as she gracefully wove through the crowd. I followed her gaze, and my vision went red when I saw what she was looking at.

Fucking James. The bastard had his hand around my sister's arm, and it looked like he was holding her tightly enough to make her cringe in pain. She was desperately trying to pull away from him as he was pulling her towards the washrooms. I was already running across the room to kick his sorry ass, but my terrifying angel crossed my path, and the scent of berries- strawberries, raspberries, or maybe it was cherries? That wafted off of her as she passed assaulted my senses.

And then I froze. I wasn't the only one, the surrounding crowd went still and watched as she grabbed James' arm with one hand, and brought her elbow down on his arm hard enough to make him scream like a little girl. She twisted said arm behind his back as she kicked him hard in the back of his knee, sending him to the floor where she pinned him, his face pressed into the floor as she whispered into his ear with a smile that could have frozen hell over.

I was at my sister's side in seconds, tearing my eyes away from the sexiest thing I'd ever seen. Alice was watching the woman in awe, her mouth hanging open.

"You okay sweetheart?"

Oh god, her voice. It was like fucking music. Much more soft and feminine than I was expecting it to be.

I wanted to hear that voice screaming out my name.

Alice nodded her head, seemingly beyond words.

"Bitch, you better get off of me or I'll-"

She dug her knee into his back, smiling, before pulling a fancy zip tie out of her back pocket and tying his hands.

Fuck, I hope she had more of those.

"Shut it-" She growled, and looked back up at Alice with a sweet, concerned smile. "Would you like to press charges?"

"Uhm, I- I-"

"I would very much recommend it. It seems like this prick knows you, and with my video surveillance and testimony you can easily have a restraining order put on him," she said, completely serious.

Alice watched her for a moment, and I wrapped my arm around her shoulders protectively when I noticed she was trembling.

"Yes, she'll-"

"I'm talking to her, it's her choice," she said, cutting me off in a neutral voice. I gaped at her.

No one ever interrupted me. I heard a laugh, and looked over to find my cousin watching us with a pleased smile.

What the hell was going on? And why did Rose have sexy ninjas hanging out in her club?

Probably a fucking lesbian ninja.

"Sweetie? Yay or nay?"

Alice laughed then, and nodded her head in agreement. The woman nodded, hopping up to her feet gracefully, and pulled the two-hundred pound man up easily, like he didn't weigh twice as much as she did. She brought her watch up to her mouth.

"Jake, send someone to my office."

What?

She turned him around roughly, and started pushing him out of the room without a backward glance. Rose ran after her, stopping her with a gentle hand on her arm, and I saw her nod once at my cousin while she talked, and then disappeared out a door behind the bar. I shook my head to clear the chaos in my mind, and turned my sister to look at me.

"You okay?"

She rubbed her arm, her face flushing bright red as she noticed the room watching us. "Yeah, I'm fine. I should have filed for the restraining order on him sooner," she mumbled, and Rose quickly pulled her into a tight hug.

"Oh sweetie I'm so sorry about that. Are you okay? I've got staff with first aid training if you-"

"It's okay Rose, I'm fine," she said quickly. Our cousin nodded, and led her back to sit in one of the more private booths in the corner. A server came over and quickly put a large glass of water in front of my sister. "Who was my saviour, by the way? She didn't look like a bouncer," she said with a big grin.

Rosalie laughed, shaking her head. "Yeah, I wouldn't call her a bouncer, she's much more than that. She's my head of security actually, she's been with me since I started the club." She smiled to herself. "I don't know what I'd do without her; she keeps things running smoothly in this place. She takes care of the VIP room herself on most of the busier nights. You can see why," Rose said with a proud smile.

My head was still spinning, the liquor not making it any easier to organize my thoughts. So that's why she was being so odd; she was working. It felt like something out of a movie, playing that scene of her beating up a man twice her size like he was a weak child.

Fucking sexy ninja.

"You seem really fond of her," Alice speculated. I had caught that too, and watched Rose's face curiously. I know I had been gone a while, but from what I remember of Rose, she just wasn't fond of people in general. It was obvious she liked my ninja.

"I am," she said with a smile that was almost sad. "She saved my life. She's like a sister to me."

"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice coming out almost angry. It was like they had forgotten I was there when they looked at me in surprise. Rose just shook her head, not wanting to elaborate. Why had Rose been in danger? The thought of someone hurting my family made me grind my teeth.

I froze when the beautiful ninja appeared beside our table. She sat a plate of fruit down in front of my sister, who looked up at her in confusion.

And a bit of awe.

"You should eat something, that sort of stress while drinking isn't healthy. Eat." Her voice was gentle, but her tone left nothing to be negotiated with. I twitched in excitement again at the sound of her voice as I openly stared at her.

She completely ignored me, but nodded at my sister in approval as she complied and put a strawberry in her mouth. "T-thank you, for what you did," she whispered shyly. I'd never seen my sister act like this before, it was completely opposite from the usual excited, slightly-crazed energy and happiness that just seemed to ooze out of her.

Fucking James.

"Don't worry about it sweetheart," she said quickly. I was dazed as I listened to her musical voice, and concentrated on her perfect face as the rest of the room continued to spin slightly in my peripherals. She set down a large manila envelope on the table beside my sister, who looked at her again questioningly. She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck before quickly dropping her arm to her side again. "I know you probably won't want to deal with this, this soon, but it's important to do while the details of the incident are still fresh. These are the appropriate police forms, along with James' signed confession and the video surveillance footage," she said quickly, speeding through the words.

"Oh," Alice whispered, staring at the envelope like it was going to bite her. She was silent.

"Of course it's still your choice. If you want to deal with this now and get it over with, I can call in an officer to help when they come and take him." She seemed to notice my sister cringe. "Or I can help you myself, if you'd prefer."

"Really?"

"Sure." She shrugged like it was no big deal, but for Alice it obviously was. My sister whispered something, and the woman sighed again before leaning over so she could hear her better.

Oh god, look at that ass. It was perfect. And her legs looked amazing in those tight black pants... My hand automatically reached up, but I managed to catch myself and drop my hand back onto the table. She stood back up.

"Not with a signed confession, which I've already acquired. It's already a done deal, I have experience handling this sort of thing," she said in a gentle voice. Alice beamed at her, but her words caught me as strange.

"How'd you get a signed confession from him? You've only been gone like twenty minutes," I asked, my voice almost cracking after being silent for so long. She looked over at me.

Chocolate brown. Before this moment I would have said that brown was the most boring eye colour there was. Not anymore. They were so deep, warm, intense. My brown-eyed girl, fucking gorgeous.

My girl? What the hell is wrong with me? Get your shit together, Cullen.

"Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answers to," she told me with a menacing smile. I shuddered, making her grin wider before she looked back at my sister. "What's your verdict sweetheart?"

"I'd like to get it over with now, you sure you don't mind?"

"Nope. You want somewhere more private, or right here?" Alice wanted to stay with us, and she got up and wove her way through the crowd before disappearing once again. She was back in what seemed like seconds, a sleek black laptop in her hands. She slid in next to Alice, but when she opened it up, her hand went to her ear as she scowled.

"Just toss his ass Jake." Pause. "I don't give a shit." She sighed irritably, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine, get Felix to pull him through and set him up with Carlos." Pause. "He's on my time right now, if I come down there and he has his dick in some girl's mouth, I'll cut it off, and then I'll fire his ass. Get it done." She pulled a blackberry out of her pocket, scrolled through something, then brought the phone to her ear. "Hey Carlos, It's B. Yeah, Felix is going to bring one by, just give him a fucking sandwich or something and put it on my tab, then put him in a cab. I'll stop by on my way out." Pause. "Bite me." She hung up, and put the phone back in her pocket and started typing.

I'm glad I was sitting down, because I was full on hard right now listening to her talk like that.

I wanted to marry this woman.

Shut up!

"Sorry about that," she said, voice all soft and comforting with my sister again. I was tempted to laugh.

"What was that?" Rose asked curiously, leaning in like she was watching an engrossing soap opera.

"Just a drunk causing a scene. Too plastered to send off in the streets, wouldn't be safe. He'll be better after he eats," she said absently, her eyes focusing on the keys of her laptop. Her fingers shot over the keys in a blur, but I couldn't hear the sound of them over the loud music. Alice leaned over to watch what she was doing curiously.

I bet she could smell her hair from there. I reached out and took one of the strawberries off of the plate in front of Alice. It smelt better on this "B" woman, and I quickly popped it into my mouth.

I wonder if she tasted like strawberries too. Her lips were just as red.

Like she heard my thoughts, she finally looked up at me. I couldn't read her expression, but felt a drunken smile spread across my face without my permission. I wanted to touch her lips.

"Hey Movie Star. Does it ever piss you off when all your fan girls follow you around and watch you?" I didn't understand the point of her random question, but nodded anyways. She waited expectantly for a minute, still watching me. "Take the fucking hint and stop staring at me."

My eyes went wide, and Rose and Alice burst into laughter as B went back to typing furiously with a scowl on her face. I gaped at her for a moment, then looked across the room, still a little stunned.

It was then that I realized I had been pretty much watching her for hours like a creepy stalker. What was wrong with me?

And how long has she known I've been watching her?

I couldn't stop my eyes from flickering back to her every once in a while though, just like I couldn't bring myself to leave. Her face was serious yet calm as my sister leaned into her, talking into her ear as she typed and watching the screen as she worked. She seemed to finish quickly, and walked away with her laptop only to come back five minutes later with the paper copies for Alice to sign. Once Alice signed them, she wished us a good night, and left without another glance.

"Wow," Alice said, slumping in her seat and watching the door B disappeared through.

"What?" Rose slid along the booth to sit closer to her.

"She's… pretty intense," she said, and they both laughed while Rose nodded in agreement. "But she's really sweet at the same time. Why haven't I ever seen her here before?"

"Because she does her job well," Rose said with a grin. "She's always been there though. Right from the beginning."

"Is she gay?" Damn word vomit. Oh well, it's already out there. My company seemed to find my question hilarious, laughing to the point of tears and runny mascara. "What!"

"No Edward, she is not gay. Just because a woman doesn't fall for your crap, doesn't automatically make her a lesbian," Rose cried through her laughter.

"What crap? What are you talking about?"

"Come on Edward, you've been openly gawking at her all night," Alice said knowingly. I sighed in irritation, slumping back into my seat when I realized I'd been even less inconspicuous that I'd thought.

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Thank you for reading! Reviews are the ultimate hang-over cure, and Edward's going to need them in the morning. ;) Please let me know what you think!

There are songs with almost every chapter, all for their own little reasons, some more important than others. There are links to a few specific songs on my profile, but there's also a link to a playlist on YouTube for this story that has all the songs on it, in order. It's there if you want some tunes to go along with your reading!