A/N: Shorty Mc Short Short chapter. Happy Birthday, Bella Swan. Happy Birthday, Supernatural. Hope the rest of you are having a fabo weekend.

Edward was almost sure it was her.

Six years was a long time to remember a woman he'd spent less than twenty-four hours with. He couldn't deny Marie had left her mark on his psyche. She wasn't forgettable, plain and simple. How could he not think often about a woman who'd set off a chain reaction in his life? But in his memory, her physical features had gotten fuzzy around the edges.

Though, if Edward was in the mood to be honest with himself, he had to acknowledge when he thought about Marie, he didn't think about the impact she'd had on his life. When he thought about her, his skin flushed hot, and embarrassment made him writhe.

For a few foolish hours, Marie made Edward believe in love at first sight. He considered himself a highly rational person, ruled mainly by logic rather than emotion. How often had he rolled his eyes as one of his friends seemed to fall in love from one minute to the next, and yet there he was, mooning over a woman, wondering how she could be so perfect. No, he would never forget the first and only woman who'd made a fool of him.

Edward entered the bar, once again feeling foolish. What the hell was he doing here? What did it matter if it was her? In all likelihood, it wasn't. It couldn't be. Bella the Bartender was a stranger who happened to look similar to a woman Edward had met a quarter of his life ago.

He had to know. Now that he'd seen her, the possibility consumed him. It was a need that, try as he might, he hadn't been able to shake for days. Given that he knew where she worked, and that she worked in a public place, he thought there was a chance he could satisfy his curiosity.

Neither of Bella's two guy-friends and co-workers were in sight, and that was good. It had been clear that day they weren't pleased with him. He could imagine they'd be even less so if they saw him skulking around. That in and of itself should have cemented the fact this was a bad idea.

He spotted her right away behind the bar. Again, he admonished himself for being a creeper. Again, that thought didn't stop him. He found a quiet corner cloaked by darkness where he could watch her for a few minutes. He only needed time, he told himself, to compare mental notes-to try to match her with the woman in his memories.

If it was her, she was much changed. He'd watched Marie out of the corner of his eye. He'd hardly been able to take his eyes off her as he drove. Everything about her fascinated him that day. When she relaxed, unwound herself from the tight ball of anxiety she'd curled into when she got in his car, she seemed to enjoy watching the landscape go by. She rolled the window down, and her long, brown hair whipped all around her face. Staring out at the open land, she seemed at peace. Whatever trouble she was running from faded away for a few minutes.

The woman behind the bar had short brown hair done up in a rocker-type wave. She was wearing makeup-dark red lipstick and purple eyeshadow. He remembered Marie had dozed off as the sun came up, and her hood had fallen away to reveal a pretty face unblemished by makeup. Bella moved with confidence-a huge difference from Marie's hunched shoulders and careful glances. She handled bottles, glasses and garnishes with the flirtatious flourish that was the signature of any good bartender.

Of course, that wasn't proof she wasn't Marie. Everything Marie had said and done was suspect. Her innocence and vulnerability had probably been an act.

When a seat opened up at the bar, Edward was ready for a confrontation. He sat down while Bella was busy mixing drinks for a gaggle of college coeds. He watched her, unreasonably fascinated as she sugared the rim of a martini glass. She shook, poured, and served.

"Extra cherries," she said, setting the first drink down. "Extra olives." She set another drink down and then looked up at the third woman. "Extra alcohol," she said with a wink. She poured a shot and handed it to the girl. "Good luck with that one. It's lethal."

Bella collected her tip, pocketing it neatly as she turned to Edward. "Thanks for waiting. What can I-"

Her easy grin fell when she recognized him. He almost felt bad. Almost. He knew he hadn't been gracious about the whole cash debacle a few days before, the day they'd met-or re-met. She'd caught him by surprise, appearing in front of him out of nowhere, and then she'd pulled that shady business about not having money. Like all cab drivers, Edward had heard any number of excuses before he was stiffed a fare. It wouldn't have been out of character if she was Marie.

Bella cleared her throat and glanced down a brief moment as though steeling herself. When she looked up again, she met his eyes with a hard look. "Did James forget to tip you?"

Despite himself, Edward's lips quirked up. When her friend came out to pay the cab fare, his tip had been a suggestion that Edward should get the stick out of his ass, but that was beside the point. "This is a bar, right? I'm thirsty."

She leaned on the counter in classic bartender pose. "What's it going to be?"

"Beer," he said because he hadn't thought about what he was going to order.

She paused, waiting for him to continue. "Got a preference?" There was a hint of annoyance to her tone.

Edward's smile curled up at the side of his face. It was vindictive, but he was somewhat satisfied at the idea he'd thrown her off. How's it feel, sweetheart? "Surprise me."

For a moment it looked like she might argue, but then she shrugged. "Okay, then."

Again, he watched as she worked. This time he kept his eyes on her face. She glanced up at him as she filled his mug, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly when she realized he was staring. Beyond annoyance, he couldn't read the look on her face. If she was Marie, did she remember him?

She licked her lips, diverting his gaze. He felt his own cocky grin fall. He must have stared at Marie's lips a dozen times before he finally kissed her. He remembered how distracted he'd been as they talked in the car. How could lips be so fascinating? But oh, they were when he wanted so badly to know the feel of them against his. Finally, he'd been so fixated, he didn't realize she'd asked him a question. To this day, he had no idea what she'd asked, because before he could ask her to repeat herself, she'd licked her lips just as she had done now. Then, he'd taken a risk and kissed her.

Bella set a mug in front of him hard enough the dark liquid inside sloshed perilously along the sides. His eyes flitted to hers, and he could see the fire of irritation in her glare. "Anything else?"

"That'll do for now," he said, staring back without apology.

Christ, if this wasn't her, he was going to owe this woman the biggest tip in the universe.

"That-"

"I'll start a tab," Edward said before she could tell him what he owed. He didn't want to give her an opening to get rid of him.

She hid a grimace and reached out to take the card he proffered. As she did, he took a drink of his beer-

And promptly spit it out again, having drunk something unexpectedly sugary. He coughed, noting the innocent smirk as she mopped up the mess he'd made. "Surprise," she said sweetly.

Edward coughed into his hand, trying to catch his breath. He'd accidentally inhaled in his shock. "Is that root beer?" he said, his voice raspy.

"Sure is, cowboy," she said and promptly turned to serve one of the other patrons.

Shaking his head, Edward hunkered down to drink his root beer. His eyes followed her, and he wondered if he had a right to be irritated. If she didn't remember him, or if it wasn't Marie at all, he could understand why she was wary about his intentions. She'd made sure he got paid. Him showing up at her work again must have seemed vaguely psychotic.

What he probably should have done at that point was thrown a few dollars down and left the woman alone. Even if she was Marie, who the hell cared? She'd cost him two hundred and sixty dollars back when that kind of money meant very little to him. He wasn't nearly the same person he'd been six years ago. The woman in front of him seemed honest and hardworking.

The thing was, Edward's curiosity about Marie was well-founded. After she'd robbed him and disappeared, Edward had found out a lot of potentially horrible things about the woman he'd picked up on the side of the road. Suffice it to say, it was no surprise she'd been on the run when they met. As far as he knew, Marie was still a fugitive. He could call it socially responsible to figure out if this was the person. Sure, most people might have reported her to the police and let them handle it, but why bother them unless he was sure?

Right.

Finally, she made her way back to him. "Can I get you something else, buddy?"

He put on his most charming smile. "A beverage of the alcoholic variety."

Her cheek twitched. "You gotta be more specific, man."

He leaned on the bar, looking up at her, and his grin widened. "Surprise me," he said.

She stared, as though she was waiting for the punchline of a joke. When he only raised an eyebrow in expectation, she nodded. "You got it."

A minute later, a vaguely familiar looking drink appeared in front of him. His eyes flicked from it to her. "What's this?"

"A beverage of the alcoholic variety," she said without missing a beat.

"Does it have a name?"

"Adios, motherfucker," she said. She smiled, and again disappeared to the other end of the bar.

He laughed to himself as he took a drink and winced. Even for an Adios, it was made strong. It wasn't exactly a subtle message. She wanted him gone one way or another. He couldn't say that he blamed her.

Too bad for her he could hold his liquor.

"So, are you from around here?" he asked when Bella came back to his area.

She'd been cleaning off the bar next to him where a patron had left. She paused mid-swipe to look at him. Taking a step back, she crossed her arms. "Okay, bud. As interesting as this game is, you're going to have to tell me what the heck this is all about."

"It seemed like a relatively simple question."

She narrowed her eyes. "You want me to lay it out straight for you there, bucko? From the second I got in your cab, before I told you I didn't have any money, you've been staring at me. Now, you're here at my work playing games. Your creep-out factor is at plus ninety-five right now. You get me?"

He ducked his head and took a long drink, staring at her over the rim. "You look like someone I used to know."

The movement was so quick, he thought he might have imagined it. Uncertainty flitted across her features for an instant before she looked at him again. "I've got one of those faces, I guess. So you keep glaring at me, because I might be someone who pissed you off once. Sounds like it's my lucky day. What'd she do to piss you off?"

"Took off with almost three hundred dollars and disappeared without a trace," he said, his tone even and his eyes never leaving hers.

Her eyes narrowed slightly in confusion and then widened. He saw her look him over, and his heart began to beat hard in his chest. "It is you, isn't it?"

She hesitated, her eyes still sweeping over him as though trying to place him.

He leaned forward on the bar so he could speak in a softer voice. "Marie."

The word had a visceral effect. She started, and her whole body went rigid. The color drained from her face. "Edward," she said on a breath.

"Hey! Can we get some service down here?"

Bella looked to the other end of the bar and back to Edward. She blinked as though confused. "I, um. Yeah. I'm on it." She looked dazed as she reluctantly turned toward Edward.

Now, watching her was a whole different ballgame. His heart hurt, though he wasn't sure why. This was the same woman who'd fooled him and wronged him. So why did his heart ache for her now?

Maybe it had something to do with how she seemed completely undone. She had to repeat the asshole at the bar's order three times before she got it right. Then, as she was making the drinks, she fumbled the glasses, sending them crashing to the floor, drinks and all. The bar burst into applause. Bella closed her eyes and breathed deep.

It was a good fifteen minutes before everyone had their drinks and she could get back to him. "I can pay you back," she said. She wasn't looking at him, though she kept her hands busy.

"That's how it's going to be, huh? You replace what you took, and it all just goes away?"

There was irritation in her gaze again when she looked back up at him. She glanced around. "Look, can we not do this here? Whatever this is." She huffed and angrily swiped at a strand of hair that was falling in her eyes. "You're pissed. I get it. Just…" She gestured around them.

Edward dug into his pocket for his wallet and took out a twenty and a five-more than enough to pay for his drinks with an ample tip. "I'll be back," he said, because right about then, he needed to get away from her too.

He headed outside, and she didn't try to stop him. The cold air outside did wonders to soothe his sudden bout of nerves. It was her. After all these years, it was really her.

He didn't want her money, even though he could use it these days. He had her.

Now what on Earth was he going to do about it?

A/N: So many thanks to songster, barburella, MoH, and Packy 2.0 for making my docs a fabulous place.

So! What happens next? No, you tell me this time. Let's switch it up a bit, hmm?