Don't own it. Eddie left and never came back. Charlie kicked Bella's ass to get her out of her funk. She never started hanging around with the Wolves. I don't know what Victoria is doing but I'm tired of writing about her. So let's say she is off on a vacation.

Chapter 1

BPOV

I could feel a hole in my heart opening. I couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. This certainly changes everything.

"What the fuck do you mean you are out of Tequila?" I asked in disbelief. Stupid bartender. "How the hell do you run out of Tequila? What kind of crappy bar is this?" So maybe I was a little drunk and being unreasonable but seriously? How does a bar run out of Tequila? I love Tequila.

"Bella, you just took the last bottle an hour ago. Our restock shipment was delayed. Maybe you should take it easy anyway. You're looking a little unsteady on your feet."

"Maybe you're unsteady on your feet and that is making you think I am unsteady on mine." A valid point. I should have majored in philosophy, or debate. Can you major in debate?

"My feet are fine Bella. How about I give you a Coke instead?"

"Tony, are you patronizing me?" I can't believe this asshole.

"No Bella but you don't drink often and you're kind of a light weight when it comes to alcohol. I just don't want you regretting drinking too much in the morning."

"You are patronizing me! I'm 22 years old Tony. Just because I don't drink a lot doesn't mean I can't handle my Tequila."

"Well it doesn't matter because we are out."

"Bella baby, come on let's dance." I heard my roomie Katlyn say, grabbing my arm. I almost fell over.

"I can't dance, Kat. You know this."

"You're drunk enough Bells. Come on there are two hot guys on the floor. Waiting for us."

"I don't do hot guys Kat, you know this."

"The hell you don't. What about Chris Anderson?"

"I don't know him." Shit does everybody know about that?

"The star quarterback of the football team? After Homecoming victory party? That wasn't you in the laundry room? The boy has been love sick ever since. You are probably the only girl to ever use him as a booty call and leave him begging for more."

"I'm more into intellectual men. Besides I'm graduating next week and moving to Columbia. What the hell do I care to meet some guy now?" A valid point. I should have majored in Debate. Maybe prelaw. But pre law means law school and more classes. Ughh.

"Intellectual men Bella? Really?"

"Yes…"

"What about the ladies? You like them smart too?"

"Every girl experiments in college. Right?"

"Not with 8 girls Bella, multiple times."

"How the hell do you know all this about me?"

"We live together and you tell me you idiot. Except for Chris Anderson. You get walked in on with your ass on a running washing machine and a quarterback between your legs and things tend to get around all on their own. Especially after said Quarterback follows you around campus like a love sick puppy."

"Well if he worried about his game a little more maybe our team would be better than 4 and 8."

"Wow, you noticed the record? I'm impressed. Now let's dance."

She pulled me out to the floor where I was faced with two typical frat boys. What Kat considers cute amazes me. They should have had their Greek letters tattooed on their broad foreheads, they were so obvious.

I danced around a while, almost starting a fight when I bumped into one guy who bumped into another girl who was not his girlfriend and his girlfriend went after him and the girl he bumped into. I saw a guy out of the corner of my eye down a shot of Tequila from a bottle that traitor and liar Tony served him. Seriously I wasn't that drunk. I stumbled back to my table and started talking to Kat until the girl next to me asked who the hell I was talking to. I realized my table was on the other side of the dance floor and this young lady looked nothing like Kat. Okay maybe Tony was right. I sort of walked danced my way across the dance floor and wound up at the right table.

"You get lost Bells?" Kat asked, laughing her ass off at me.

"Shut it Kat. You should be worried that she was a more interesting conversant than you are."

"Conversant? Is that even a word?"

"Yes. Yes it is. And I know this because I am an English Teacher. And a drunk one at that."

"I can't believe you are going to be gone for two years in Columbia. I am going to miss you."

"Cell phones work in Columbia, Kat. You can always come and see me too."

"No, I think I will leave the charity crap to you, Bella."

"It's the Peace Corps Kat. Not charity."

"You're graduating with a degree in English from Florida State University and you want to join the Peace Corps and teach kids to speak English. I don't get that about you Bella. You could have your pick of teaching jobs in Florida. Your GPA is near perfect. You could get into any grad program you want."

"There is a lot you don't get about me Kat." I told her rubbing the vampire bite mark on my wrist. After all this time it was still cold. "But that's what you love about me, isn't it?"

"I guess so Bella."

"Besides I plan to hook up with a Columbian Drug Lord named Rico who will sweep me off my feet. I will be conflicted about my love for him and my hate for his criminal life but I will give into passion eventually. He will give up a life of crime for me and we will live happily ever after with his billions of dollars. Now let's go back to the apartment. You're running out of chances to get on the Bella Love Boat before it leaves port."

"We can go back but I have to decline the Love Boat. You mean so much to me that if we ever did anything I would fall madly in love with you and follow you around like Chris Anderson."

"You think Chris will give up the NFL to come with me to Columbia?" I asked her jokingly.

"I don't think you were that good. But he will use his millions to try to woo you with."

"Woo me? Millions don't impress me. I had a boyfriend who had millions and he turned out to be an asshole. If it wasn't for my Dad I would have wasted my life away over him. I was really dumb back then. It's for the best though."

"So now you use em and lose em huh?"

"That's not fair Kat. I have had a few serious relationships in College."

"Name one."

Oh. Uh. Screw it. "This game is stupid Kat. I don't want to play. Tony won't serve me and there is no way I am screwing frat boys or letting you. Besides it's for the best that I haven't had serious relationships. If Rico finds about Chris, Chris will wind up buried in a Coco Plant field somewhere and the world will never know what happened to him. Now let's go to the apartment and watch a Scream marathon."

"Fine Bella. Let's go. Let me say by to my pretty boyfriends."

I stood by the door watching while Kat said by to the two frat boys and looked to be exchanging numbers. I was about to go outside to grab cab when I saw him. Two of them actually. But I only noticed one. He had longish hair just past his shoulders. Kind of dark brown. He had a goatee that looked gorgeous on him. He wore a black long sleeve button down shirt and stonewashed jeans. He looked extremely comfortable in his own skin. He was gorgeous. I mean really gorgeous. And very wrong. Very, very wrong. The guy behind him looked spooky. Tall stringy hair. Ratty clothes. But they were both wrong. The eyes were wrong. Gorgeous man's eyes were a muddy deep brown. The kind that you could tell were contacts covering up another color. But ratty man behind him, his fucking eyes were deep red. And both were pale. Way to pale for Tallahassee Florida.

And they were both looking straight at me. Ratty guy just pointed at me and whispered something to Gorgeous and then ratty guy was gone. Gorgeous began walking towards me, his eyes never leaving mine. He moved so fluidly through he crowd it was like they weren't even there. He never touched anyone but he kept his eyes on me the entire time. I was almost hypnotized by him. He stood within three feet of me when Kat grabbed my arm, bringing me out of my trance. "You ready Skank?"

"Uhh yeah." Kat noticed the stranger and I locking eyes.

"You two know each other?" She asked quirking her eyebrow.

"No…"

"Yes" he said walking up. "She just doesn't realize it yet."

He stuck out his hand. I took his hand to shake it and was not surprised to find it cold.

"My name is Garrett and I have been waiting to find you for a very long time Bella."

"Well you are going to have to wait a little longer. We are leaving." I didn't mention that I don't date vampires. I should be freaking out right now. For some reason I'm not. I should be though. Those obviously aren't golden eyes he is hiding behind those contacts.

"Bella don't be hasty. If the gentleman has been waiting to meet you for a long time surely we can give him a few minutes. You two sit and I will head to the ladies room." Dammit Kat.

I was left alone with this incredibly hot and dangerous vampire. Why? Why after all these years did I not only have to run into one but one had to come looking for me. After Edward left I thought I would never see another one and that broke my heart. But after a while I realized life without the supernatural wasn't so bad. In fact it was pretty good. And now this.

"What do you want with me?"

"I want you."

"Why would a vampire want me?" He looked shocked that I knew. I guess I would be too if I was in his position.

"You know of vampires?"

"Yep. I know your cold, you drink blood and you sparkle in direct sunlight. I know those are red eyes you're hiding behind those brown contacts. And I know you have a friend around here somewhere. I doubt you came looking specifically for me to have dinner so you must have some reason."

"Well your knowledge is unexpected but it certainly makes things easier. My friend is Allistair. He is gifted in finding things."

"What kind of things?"

"Anything."

"Okay and what did he find for you?"

"He found you."

"And back again. Why are you looking for me?"

"Bella do you know about vampire mating?"

"I know an asshole told me once I was his love forever and he left me alone in the forest and I never saw him again."

"If he left you he was not your mate."

"That so?"

"Yes that is so."

"And you think you are my mate?"

"I asked Allistair to find my mate for me. I grew tired of being alone after over two hundred years. He owed me a favor. He found you. I could feel the mating pull as soon as I saw you. You may not feel it as strongly since you are human but I am sure it is there. An urge inside to be near me?"

Okay so I was having a strange reaction to this guy but there was no way I was going to admit it.

"Nope, don't feel a thing. Sorry. Guess Ratty, I mean Allistair was wrong."

"But he is not Bella. And now that I have found you I won't let you go."

"Excuse me? What the hell gives you the right to barge into my perfect life and tell me what I will be doing or not doing? I don't even know you. You're hot in that kinda Colin Farrell with shaggy long hair kind of way but it takes more than that to get me into bed. Or on any household appliance."

"Bella, a vampire has one mate. Some never meet them and go through existence alone. We are lucky. We have a chance at happiness forever."

"I…Don't…Know…YOU. I don't even know if I like you. All you are to me at this moment is a supernatural stalker. I am leaving. Do not follow me. Understand."

"I understand but it isn't going to happen."

"Why? Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"You will understand more once I change you."

Did he just say what I think he said? "Whoa there boy. Nobody said anything about changing me. I like my life just fine. I am not becoming some immortal undead booty call for you."

"Bella, you know about vampires. How you know is a mystery I will have to clear up but it's a miracle you are alive at all. You should be dead or changed already."

"Well I do know and I'm not dead or changed and I plan to keep it that way."

"Bella you seem to be confused. I am not giving you a choice. I have to have you. You can hate me later but for right now, we have things that need to get done. Namely faking your death and changing you into a vampire."

I saw Kat walking back over. I guess by the look on my face she suspected something was wrong. I looked at her and waved her off. She did not need to get involved in this shit.

"Look Garrett. I'm graduating in a few days and then I get to start my adult life. You can't just drop in and do this to me. Please understand. You seem like a nice guy if not for the whole pushy thing you got going on. And you look great. Any vamp girl would be lucky to have you. But I have things I need to do." Maybe reasoning will help here.

He sighed. "Fine Bella. I understand education is a great achievement. Take a few days. Graduate. I will be around. We can get to know each other. I know where you live. I will come visit you to talk. Then you graduate and you become a vampire."

That gives me a few days to figure out how to get out of this. "But make no mistake Bella. After graduation you are mine. I am truly sorry if this is not the life that you wanted. But now that I have found you it is impossible to let you go. Go home. I will see you tomorrow. And Bella, don't do anything silly like running. I found you once. I will find you again. We are destined to be together."

And he was gone. Well this is certainly a problem. How the hell are you going to get yourself out of this one Swan?