Drink You Alive~The beginning (Pre Chapter 1).

[Geek]

Edward knew he shouldn’t have kissed her. Sasha was basically his prisoner, granted her jail cell was a well-appointed penthouse.
He felt more clear-headed when he was away from her. Surveillance of her family gave him time to think. He was currently assigned to Jean, Sasha’s sister. Jean had walked Pudge to the local dog park.

Edward assessed the girl quickly from his nearby bench. She had not noticed anything noteworthy about him. Jasper was a master at disguise, and he had designed Edward’s current outfit. The denim jacket, kaki pants and baseball hat with long hair attached alarmed Edward at first. After a quick check in the minds of surrounding humans, Edward had to give his silent congratulations to Jazz. His innocuous outfit made him almost invisible to the humans. Their eyes would skim over him like a bird over trees.

Pudge was lack luster. The dog dragged around the park in a half-hearted walk, like a cement block was attached to its collar. At random intervals, the dog would lay prostrate with its head between its big floppy paws. Other dogs would sniff at Pudge, and Pudge would not respond.
It misses her desperately. Animals had been food for Edward so long, he was unsettled when he felt such compassion for the dog.

As if reading Edward’s mind, Pudge lolled its dejected head in Edward’s direction. On of its fuzzy eyebrows popped up, then the other followed. Pudge lifted its head instantly. It was looking right at Edward.
Edward looked over his shoulder to see what the dog was fixated on, but there was nothing but trees and a city background behind him.
Edward turned back to see the dog happily loping over to him. Pudge slapped a paw on each of Edward’s knees.
This dog is insane. Doesn’t it know to avoid me? The rest of the dogs in the park had obeyed their survival instinct and stayed as far away from a vampire as they could get.

Pudge was busy cocking its head from side to side and whining.
“You remember the hot dog, don’t you?” Edward whispered disbelievingly at Pudge’s big brown eyes.
At the mention of ‘hot dog’, Pudge sat and wagged its little stump with wild abandon.

Edward heard Jean’s thoughts while she made her way over, It’s nice to see Pudge excited about something. I better get her off of that guy.
Edward tried to sink into the bench as she came over.
“I’m sorry she is bothering you. She is acting like she knows you.” Jean’s suspicions started forming.
She was immediately wondering if he was connected to her sister’s disappearance.

“I had treats last time I came to the park with my dog and I shared with this little one here.” Edward listened as his words were registered in Jean’s mind.
Figures. This mutt would go with the devil for a dog cookie.
Jean didn’t know how close she was to the truth.
She led the dog away, and Pudge resumed her dejected drag-walking.
Edward kept in tune with Jean’s mind.
I know, Pudge. I miss her too, but she’s out there. I know she is still alive.

Jean had tried to talk the police into giving her Sasha’s high heels. They were found on the sidewalk 15 floors below their apartment.
The police were very understanding, but couldn’t let her have them back.
Jean pictured her conversation with the uniformed officer at the reception area at the police station. “No, I am sorry, Miss. Those shoes have prints on them, we made need them for the investigation.”

Prints. Edward remembered with his perfect recall sliding those exact heels on a slightly tipsy human Sasha’s feet. Those prints are mine.

Jean was thinking again, They didn’t match the prints found all over the balcony.

Jean allowed her gaze to find Pudge lying on the grass. The dog had not been the same since. That awful day, when Jean had finally come home from her upstate retreat, she heard no barking as she turned the key to the apartment. She thought that Sasha was walking Pudge, because Pudge never let a key hit the door without barking like the world was ending.

But Pudge actually was barking. She was barking at the sliding door, instead of the front door. Pudge was barking, but not making any noise. Just a husky rasp was all that was left, as she hopped up and down. The dog had been barking for days.
Jean knew then. She knew something horrible had happened to her sister.
But she isn’t dead.

Edward considered the sister again. She had never had this line of thought when he had watched her before. Maybe she had a touch of extra abilities herself.

He knew Sasha’s parents had thrown themselves behind the missing person search. There were flyers all over the city and the news hosted regular updates with the parents.

Edward had kept these details from Sasha. Jasper had quietly programmed the T.V. to prevent her access to any program that would spotlight the harsh reality her family was facing. When she asked about her human family, Edward edited and delivered her the bare minimum. It had been hard enough to convince her that she could not contact them.

“Your family will see the difference in your appearance and your voice. It is not something we can explain.” Edward had kept his voice gentle.
I don’t look that different Edward. My family needs to know that they can stop searching. Or better yet, we can tell them they are in danger so they can take precautions. Her mind had filled with hope.

He steered her to a mirror. “Please look. Really look.” He watched as she took herself in. She gazed dispassionately at her glowing skin and enhanced perfection. Her skin was too white. Her hands were too hard. She saved the greatest distain for her blue eyes. They were almost a stormy grey ringed in the most vivid blue.
Maybe someday? After time has passed? Edward looked at the reflection of Sasha. He couldn’t deny her hope. It was the driving force behind what made Sasha into Sasha.

He nodded once, in defeat. When she turned slowly to face him, he tried to remember he was her captor. Despite promises, clothes, and vampire lessons, she was brand new in this world. She was still in shock from her change or at least she could be. He should not be falling for her.

And yet he fell, every time, into her eyes. He wanted her, not just in his bed but in his life. He was addicted to her optimism. What would a life with her be like with her smile, ridiculous sense of humor, and fun? Whenever he entered her prison, she turned to him like a flower seeking sun. She loved having him in her head. She welcomed him, she wanted him in her mind. She was used to company in there, and having someone she invited as opposed to a random ghost was a true treat.

How many times had he tasted a mind, just to find that, secretly, knowing he could read their minds was disturbing to others. Eventually, people wanted to be alone, and he tried to give that to them. His own family was the best for him, at least tolerating the possibilities that every private thought might be overheard. They were exceptional. But for an outsider, a partner to be his and be happy he could read their mind? Sasha welcomed it like flowers and candy.

Just thinking about her felt like a hug. She was pure goodness to Edward. Sure she had a snarky side, and she cursed in her head a lot, but she was never boring.

Edward shook his head with repugnance. When Sasha was finally strong enough to be a vampire, she would have her choice of suitors. She would find out how different Edward was and walk hand in hand with someone into a more ‘normal’ life. Being a vampire was hard enough, but hearing ghosts and having a boyfriend that could read your mind was stacking the cards against yourself for sure.

[Geek]

But that kiss. The kiss that shouldn’t have been.
Carlisle had been watching carefully as Edward allowed himself to feel more and more for Sasha. He had even quietly explained Stockholm syndrome, a psychological response sometimes seen in abducted hostages, in which the hostage shows signs of loyalty to the hostage-taker, regardless of the danger or risk in which they have been placed.

So, Edward knew it was not prudent to keep thinking about the kiss.
But when she was kissing him she was supposed to be there, in his arms. Her skin smelled like cinnamon and hope. He just wanted to adore her.
Edward realized he had been deeply daydreaming when two dogs began fighting over a stick on the other side of the dog park. It was getting quite vicious, and the owners were starting to shout at one another. A quick check revealed Pudge and Jean were fine, if distracted like everyone else in the park.

A little, yippy poodle had gotten caught in the middle and was turning out to be a quite a scrapper.
Edward heard Pudge’s paws flying over the grass and watched as the dog headed straight at the fence on the far end from the fight. A fat squirrel was tempting the spaniel from the other side of a chain link fence. Edward watched through one eye as he anticipated Pudge’s body slamming into the silver woven metal.

But Pudge’s complete indifference to physical boundaries was rewarded, as she popped though the fence like a stunt dog. Edward stood too quickly; fully intending on scooping up the wayward dog, when he heard a thought, I’ve got her dog now! The singsong thought was not from the vampire Edward had hit off of Sasha on the night she died.
It is a diversion. Stealing the dog was a diversion, these vampires are moving now, as Edward came to his conclusion, he made sure Jean was still by the bench. Was that the plan? I chase the dog and then they take the sister?

Edward had Jasper on the phone in an instant, “They are moving on Sasha now, Jazz. There is more then one.” Edward knew Jasper would need no more instruction to tighten up security on the other members of Sasha’s family. As Edward called the penthouse, he listened for the dognapper in the surrounding area, but he heard only silence. He literally felt torn in two, wanting to go after Pudge and he knowing he could not leave Jean unguarded. The dog fight was winding down. Soon, Jean would be looking for Pudge.

“S’up” Emmett answered on the second ring.
“Where is Sasha?” Edward spit the words out.
“She's on the roof fartin’ around,” Emmett responded in a relaxed voice.
“Emmett, get her inside, there is more than one vampire and they are moving. Now.” Edward heard the phone drop and Emmett obviously ripping the penthouse door off its hinges.

Rosalie appeared in the dog park and nodded once in Edward’s direction. Edward silently thanked Jasper’s quick thinking as he hopped the fence just above where Pudge had run loose. As he went over, Edward noticed the fence was carefully torn in a corner. A vampire had set all of this up. When Edward started running, he felt dread. He had no idea how many vampires they were dealing with now. He willed his phenomenally fast feet to fly. Sasha.

[Cowgirl]

They better not hurt Pudge.

[Geek]

Originally Posted by Cowgirl

They better not hurt Pudge.

Evil Rick

[Nickel]

Originally Posted by Cowgirl

They better not hurt Pudge.

They're going to turn him into a vampire.

[Geek]

I couldn’t take the smile off my face. I kept trying and finding my face betraying me over and over. Emmett had started making fun of me the he minute saw me.

“Gas pains?” He nodded insultingly in my direction.

“No, it’s beating your ass pains.” I pointed at him with both hands formed into guns, and made a cheesy “click, click” noise while winking.

“You’re an idiot. Want to play Mario Brothers?” Emmett was already plugging in the controllers. We sat down together like two gladiators.
When Emmett was around, there was not a whole lot of talking necessary. We mostly grunted and trash-talked each other. He was slaughtering me at the video game.

I finally tossed down my controller in a show of extremely poor sportsmanship. “Can you take me for a walk?” I tapped my foot, practicing human impatience.

Emmett looked me up and down in a dismissive gesture. “No, Pita. I am not going to walk you.”

Since my first stroll with my gaggle of awesome looking vampire guys, I was permitted and encouraged to take walks at night and when it was cloudy.

Jasper was gentlemanly about it, holding my hand softly.

Esme and I locked elbows like Laverne and Shirley, even humming the show’s theme song and adding the leg kicks.

Edward was steamy about it, throwing an arm around my shoulders and whispering other people’s thoughts in my ear. He also thrilled me by staring down any guy that had the misfortune of looking at me twice.

Emmett was hysterical about it. He insisted on sliding his hand under my hair and holding the back of my neck in his ‘Super Special Pita Vulcan Death Hold’ claw.
“Could you just hold my hand or something? You’re so bizarre.” I said to him.
“Hell, no. This way I can pop your head right off your neck if you go all rabid on some poor bastard. See?” He applied pressure to the back of my neck, while making grating, loud popping noises. Every once in a while, when he saw a human he thought I would consider tasty, he would lean down and “pop” in my ear. It made me laugh every time.

“You know you love me,” he mentioned after one long spell of the giggles. His eyes held mine a second too long. It was almost flirting. “I love kicking your ass at Balloony Ball.” I shifted my eyes away from his too intense gold-ones. He scoffed, “That freaking game? You made that crap up and you change the rules to suit yourself.”

Balloony Ball was created after I found a bag of balloons in one of Alice’s ambience drawers in the kitchen. She always had the makings of a party stuffed somewhere. I sat on the floor and tried to blow up balloon after balloon. They kept popping as I tried to regulate my vampire strong lips and breath. After the tenth balloon, Emmett’s huge frame filled the doorway to the kitchen.

“What the hell are you up to?” Curiosity had gotten the better of him. “What does it look like? I am trying to blow up a balloon.” I had expected another wise remark when he crouched down and snatched up a red limp balloon. He made a ‘look how easy face’ and blew it up with no trouble. He tied it off and held the expanded rubber just out of my reach. Then with a quick flick of his index finger, Emmett popped the balloon with a smile.

“Make another.” I had to threaten him with endless renditions on the Star Spangled Banner before he broke down and finally blew up a green one. I dragged the sofa to divide the living room into two sides. All I had to do was hit it once, and Emmett was hooked like a kitten after a ball of yarn. Soon we were launching ourselves around , trying to keep the balloon from touching the floor. It was exceedingly tricky because even the lightest tap from our rock hard hands would burst the balloon.

Eventually, I was up three points. I had a comfortable enough lead to start taunting him. “Emmett, watch and learn Baby Cakes. You need to quit swatting at the balloons like a gorilla. Gentle, tap into your feminine side.” I earned a growl, but I didn’t want to take it to far because I still needed him to blow up the balloons. When Esme entered to start her shift, she found Emmett and I standing amongst hundreds of balloon pieces.

“This is why you can’t leave children alone at home.” Her motherly tone made Emmett and I hang are heads. Like a true big brother, he blamed me. “It was her fault, she insisted on playing this game ‘I’m bored’”. Emmett did a horrendous imitation of my voice. I shot him a dirty look. “Well, it’s partly Alice’s fault. She has enough balloons in this place to fill a stadium. That’s too much temptation.”

Emmett liked my excuse, he whispered “Holla” in my direction and we quickly bumped knuckles.
Esme insisted we clean up. I did notice that she brought a bulk store sized quantity of balloons the next time she arrived for another shift. She was a sweet push over.

[Geek]

Back to the present moment, driving Emmett crazy to get my way,

“Emmett, I am sick of being inside. It’s cloudy. Walk me.” Here I pouted and started making squeaky dog noises.

“Pita, it is going to be sunny in like 10 minutes, go up to the patio and bark up there.” He refused to look in my direction.

“Hello,” I pointed at myself, “remember me, I can’t be trusted?” He sighed as he paused Mario mid jump, and twisted to face me.

“Alice said you could go up today by yourself. Enjoy it.” The laughing, snide Emmett was gone. He met my eyes with a proud glimmer in his own.
I dropped my mouth in surprise. Emmett nodded and turned back to his game. I jumped up and down and danced in a circle. I went to head outside, thought better of it and ran back to give Emmett a big bear hug from behind.

“Thank you!” I shrieked in his ear before planting a quick kiss on his cheek. I heard him give a happy snort as I closed the door on my way out.

I was alone.

By myself, I walked up to the patio and spun in a circle. I couldn’t help but look at the spot where Edward had kissed me. He had kissed me like a man in love. I let the tingly feelings travel through me again. He was the first man I had ever felt safe with. He understood my ghosts and was not afraid. I never thought I would find that in a man. I loved when I could feel him in my head. It was a gentle, soft sense of peace. Thought-talking was perfect for us. The inside joke of a lifetime.

Thinking about the kiss made me shiver where he had touched me that evening. I slowly took in the City as I walked the perimeter of the rooftop garden. If I was strong enough to do this, I might be strong enough to see my family again. I knew Edward was sparing me some of their pain. My family was just too close to me not to react to my being missing. Pudge, I missed that silly dog. I wondered if she would come to me or be afraid of the vampire me.

Either way, if I had patience and worked hard, I could back to them. Just like when I worked with Calvin, every little moment mattered. Going slow would be rewarded, and I could be very dedicated.

I lay my cold, hard hands on the decorative cement scrolling Esme had used at the very edge of the rooftop.

Looking at the sky, I judged that my umbrella of clouds was thinning out. I needed to head inside. One more test. I wanted to see a human from here and not attack them. I thought of Edward’s sweet kiss to give me strength, and I looked at the sidewalk.

I thought I was imagining it at first. I was looking at a well-dressed man holding a cocker spaniel. My cocker spaniel. “Pudge?” Pudge looked from the man way up to me. She immediately started to squirm and shake in an effort to get to me.

I heard a sharp dog cry. He had hurt her. I was standing on the sidewalk before I had thought about it. I must have jumped or climbed down. As I landed on the sidewalk, a giant bus let a hoard of tourists holding cameras pour out. It would occur to me later that the tour of the warehouse district had to be the worst tour ever.

“Give me my dog.” I was close enough now to notice I was dealing with Rick, again. He was dressed as if he worked on Wall Street with his hair tucked under the collar of his shirt. Pudge had her eyes on me and was wagging her stump, but whatever he had done to her was keeping her still.

“Sasha, I am sorry, this must look bad. I was walking in the city and I found your dog. I just wanted to return it.” He was the perfect model of contrite.

“Ok, great, now hand her over.” I barely moved my teeth to let my words slip out. Rick’s mannerisms were completely different then the last two times I had dealt with him. His mouth moved different. His voice sounded higher. I dismissed the differences, I was a human the last times we faced off.

“First, I just wanted to say hi, how are you?” I waited for the punch line, but he looked as serene as a pope.

“I’m dead a****le. How are you?” I rolled my eyes in frustration. As I did it, I noticed a blurry movement. A vampire was hopping across the tops of the buildings in the distance.

Was this a trap?

Rick sighed,” I made an awful impression last time we met. Let me just compliment you on your magnificent eyes. I have never seen such a beautiful shade of blue before.”

Are we really having small talk with the sun starting to creep out on a busy New York street?

“I’m glad you like’m Rick. Really, it’s touching. Now give me my dog before the sun lights us up like torches.” I stepped closer and felt a very primal growl starting in the back of my throat.

“Please, don’t call me Rick.” He seemed disgusted at the mention of his name. He recovered his pleasant smile, “Sasha, It would please me greatly if you would do me the honor of letting me take you on a date.” With the hand that wasn’t trapping my dog he added a whimsical flourish.

I looked at him like he was out of his mind. “I’m gonna pass this time, Rick,” I let his name combine with my growl.

“Well, in that case, I am sorry, but I can’t give you back your dog.” I felt the welcoming peace of my mind being read. I was able to keep my eyes on Rick and watch Edward shimmy down the side of the building we were standing beside.

Rick started massaging Pudge’s neck. Pudge started wagging her stump and woofing happily. That dog is a traitor.

While Rick was looking at Pudge, I took the opportunity to peek at Edward walking our way. He looked like an avenging angel, his beautiful face furious and determined. I noticed his skin was picking up a shiny sheen, the sun must be close to bursting through the clouds.

Edward held his arms out as if he was going to catch something, then lifted his eyebrows and nodded towards me. I copied his movements and looked like I was about to catch a football.

Rick looked back at me, “I think you will change your mind, I know how much you love this dog. I am feeling ambivalent today, so I will give you another shot. I kill the dog today, and tomorrow, I'll let you make this same choice with your sister.”

“Look, Rick, the sun!” I said it with excitement and pointed towards the sky.

He fell for it. In a typical Three Stooges Move, Edward slipped his hand in between Rick’s side and arm. Edward palmed Pudge’s silly behind. The dog was flipped in the air and Edward stepped in front of Rick in one smooth motion. When Rick was done gazing at the sky, he was almost nose to nose with an extremely angry Edward. I caught an exuberant Pudge, who licked my face like it was ice cream.

“Pudge, yes it’s me. You're not even a licker.” I nuzzled her fur with my nose. Edward took a few steps back to stand directly in front of me. He reached back and wrapped his arm around my waist. He pulled my lower back until Pudge and I were pressed against him.

“Don’t look at the tourist,” Edward whispered. I listened carefully in time to hear shutters clicking. The bored tourists had found something to photograph. They were about to get more then their money’s worth when we all started sparkling like a bunch of firecrackers. I focused my attention back on the two deadly men in front of me.

They were locked in a death stare that spoke of eminent violence. I noticed the back of Edward’s neck starting to glimmer. I leaned forward and whispered back, “Hey, we’re getting pretty shiny here.”
Edward seemed intent on the vampire in front of him. Picking his brain, no doubt.

I looked down at my outfit. I was wearing a short sundress. There would be plenty of my skin exposed. I would be sparkling in a lot of places on camera in a few seconds.

I looked around for shade. None of the trees were big enough to help. A fake window on the side of the building Edward had crawled down had a tiny awning.

Edward, I am not wearing a whole lot, and we are being filmed here.

My concern seemed to reach him.

Rick was standing in front of us like he had not a care in the world. “Sasha and I are meant to be together. I knew it when I saw her.”

He tried to peek around Edward to see me but Edward tilted his head to block Rick’s line of sight. “Sasha, you will come with me or there will be more death then these vampires can stop. I know they are holding you against your will. I have seen the big one dragging you around by your neck. It is beastly. I will treat you like the jewel you are.” Rick sounded like he believed every word.

“You can suck some ass, Rick.” I commented over Edward’s shoulder. Not eloquent, but it was expressive. Edward had finally decided our stand off had reached critical mass.

“Run, vampire. But know this, if you touch anyone she loves I will turn you inside out.” Edward’s voice thrilled me, it was so masculine and dripping in menace. I felt so protected.

[Geek]

The awning, quickly! Edward pulled me in front of him, providing shade with his body. My feet left the ground as he hustled me as humanly as possible to the tiny bit of shade against the building. He kept his eyes on Rick the whole time.

I took one last look and watched as Rick’s whole face changed. He looked like he was waking up from a bad dream. His eyebrows assumed the aggressive position I was used to from our time on the roof. His posture went from dignified to slouching. He took in the scene in front of him, and turned to scurry away. He caught me looking at him and grinned the evil grin I had seen before I died. Rick licked his lips obscenely and mouthed, “You’re mine” before he sprinted off way too fast.

Edward and I heard a swell of amazement from the tourists.

Pudge began barking and squirming the second Rick was out of her sight. She became a belated guard dog. I tried to hush her, but she just became more excited, adding squealing to the noises she was making.

Edward reached over and touched Pudge’s neck. She immediately fell limp against me, unconscious. My mouth dropped open, Edward, what the hell? “Relax, Emmett taught me his sleeper hold.” Edward still sounded tense and his eyes were scanning all around us. Edward took Pudge and curled her at our feet, she could be in the sunlight.

Our shade was dwindling pathetically. Edward backed me into the fake window and put his hands on either side of my head. He had an almost constant growl going now.

Hey, I touched his sweet, angry face, I’m ok, Pudge is ok, you did it, we are safe.

He shuffled his feet closer to me as the shade got smaller. The sun was out full blast at this point. “Kiss me, the tourists are worried about you.” I started to softly kiss his lips. He was kind enough to keep his delicious tasting mouth still, but the rest of his head was engaged elsewhere.
Your passion here is kind of underwhelming. I smiled during my kiss.

He changed his focus to me. “I can’t lose you.” He leaned down to kiss me so intensely, I forgot to pretend to breathe.

He inched closer and scooped me up so I could straddle him. We both looked at the ominous receding shade.
What are we going to do? The tourists were now watching us. We were being an obviously passionate couple pressed against the building. Quite a show.
He leaned down and whispered into my ear, “Well, I am hoping Alice will have seen this and sent reinforcements.” I laughed for the benefit of our audience.
So we wait?
“We wait.” He seemed confident.
My dog better not be dead.

“Wouldn’t that suck?” Edward succeeded in getting me to laugh for real.
I heard the huge SUV’s engine before I saw it.

“Emmett.” Edward confirmed for me.
The squealing screeches and rubber burning were suitable for an action movie as the monster black vehicle headed straight for us. Even I was surprised when Emmett plowed over three road signs and a parking meter to pull up inches from my feet that were just about to get bathed in the sun.

Edward had me in his lap in the front seat with lightning speed. Pudge was draped over the console between us and Emmett.

Emmett slammed the SUV in reverse and went 87 miles an hour backwards up the One Way street he had just barreled down.

The tourists were not even trying to be subtle anymore. We left them in a trail of smoke, while their fateful video cameras were trained on us.

Emmett squealed the tires again when he threw the car in drive and floored it.

“Where the hell is he? I will rip his god damn head off. Are you ok?” Emmett was enraged. He looked at me from head to toe assessing my injuries.

Edward was on the phone with Jasper, quickly giving him a run down and setting up a meeting point.

I looked at Emmett, who was not the least bit playful at the moment. “I am fine. Thank you for showing up with the timing of Superman. Between you and Edward the X-men are pansies.”

I watched, expecting Emmett to laugh. He just looked at my face like he couldn’t believe I was real.

I put my hand on his on the steering wheel. “I’m ok.” I said gently. Emmett seemed to dial down his fury after my reassurance.

[ewashkow]

Ok, this may be just because I've always liked Emmett, but is he a sweet on Sasha and getting jealous of Edward?

[Cowgirl]

Originally Posted by ewashkow

Ok, this may be just because I've always liked Emmett, but is he a sweet on Sasha and getting jealous of Edward?

It does seem like that. Emmett reminds me of my friend Pete. Pete is a HUGE guy...probably 6'7" and wide as a doorway!