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

[Geek]

All Twilight Related belongs to S. Meyers


Making someone forget, imagine that. Never to remember loss, anger, pain. If you could bottle forgetfulness, would you have the key to a life of happiness? Or do we need pain as much as we need love?

Hugh Johns was an extraordinary club owner. Forward March only opened when he was in the mood to open it. Whenever the word got out that its neon sign was lit, jet setters from all over Manhattan flocked to its non descript door.

Inside, Hugh’s well-trained vampire staff knew how to throw a great party. The music and lights were always pumping. The drinks were extraordinary, the bartenders ridiculously able to wow a crowd with fire breathing, bar dancing, and bottle flipping. The servers found you whenever you were in the club (even the bathrooms) with your drink order. It was always correct, as the servers had perfect recall.

All would leave with a smile, Hugh made sure of that. At 6’8” he was larger then life, he appeared to be about 70 years old and usually dressed in a crisp white tux. He let loose with wolf whistling, while dancing with ladies one third his apparent age. The party started officially when Hugh arrived, and his entrance the wait The club's lights would go black, as a pulsating drumroll would claim everyone's attention. The single spotlight would kick on, and Hugh would stand in all his splendor, from top hat to tails. His dark sunglasses and twirling cane were always met with wild applause and cheers.

He was a gentlemen and a rascal. Hugh was also a vampire with a talent so rare and so important, no one was allowed to remember he even existed at all. When leaving Forward March, you were treated to a mind wipe. A customer would remember only that they had the time of their life, and that they couldn’t wait to come back. If they tried to explain to others why they liked the club so much, they would not be able to pin down details.

Hugh could even change the mind of other vampires. He found out the hard way that he needed to stay hidden. He was a weapon of mass destruction in the vampire world. Hugh’s gift was much coveted among his kind. When you can live endlessly, the draw of wiping away the more unpleasant memories becomes an intoxicating draw. Hugh had a healthy dose of self-preservation, so he decided to run a nightclub. At his club he could satisfy he need to be social, and have the companionship of other vampires and humans, alike. His vampire staff lived on premise, and no one left his employ with their memories intact. In the end, almost all were willing to stay on indefinitely. Being around Hugh was delightful. The vampires who worked for him were encouraged to eat outside of the city, but if there was a slip up, they were covered. Forcing memory loss is such a convenient talent.

I never imagined I would have Hugh as a friend. Or that I would ask him to hurt me so thoroughly, but I did.

“Make them forget me.” It was the smallest of whispers, but Hugh could hear it.

He nodded gallantly, “You’re sure?”

That was the most loaded question I had ever been asked. Considering I could talk to ghosts, that was saying something.

In the middle of the spectacular, empty dance floor of Forward March stood the magnificent man who had proposed to me earlier that night. I had said "Yes" with my soul, heart, and mind. The endlessness of forever laid out in front of us.

His golden eyes held disbelief and hurt as he heard my words, first in my mind, then from my lips. Just moments before those same eyes had smiled with fire and victory and love.

The engagement party decorations were garish now.

Alice, the woman who peeked into the future on a regular basis, was cuddled in the arms of her Jasper. He was working feverishly to calm her.

The force of her latest vision had almost rendered her senseless, seeing her so helpless was the only thing that supported my decision.

She looked into my eyes, “There will be no end to the pain. Edward will kill us all. Some of us won’t even try to fight back, we love him too much.”

The future mass murderer stood steadfastly, saying “No!” in various tones, lengths and intensities.

“I’m sure, Hugh. Make them forget me. Make it like I never crossed their path.” Was I really saying these words? How could I ever live without him?

Hugh looked to Edward, “You have about three minutes left, make them count, kiddo.”

[Geek]

Hugh started his procedure on Esme. We watched the horror and concern in her face slide away, like soap bubbles on the tiled shower wall. Her was a pleasant, happy look, was fully installed as she shrugged on her coat and stepped outside the club.

It looked so quick and painless. Hugh started to work on Carlisle, who had the presence of mind to look at me during the process. “I love you, my daughter.”

Watching the knowing evaporate from his golden eyes was equally disconcerting, he grabbed his jacket to leave.

I knew these were my last moments with Edward. Everything around us would crash soon. I was in his arms before Hugh started on Rosalie.

He was hugging me and breathing me in. I was trying to be hugged and look in his eyes at the same time.

He started to whisper so quickly. “Do not do this, please. Please, we can fix this, just give me a day, let me try and figure something out. Nothing Alice sees is written in stone. Nothing! “

Alice shook her head with tremendous sorrow and sought comfort deeper in the arms of Jasper.

“Will he be safe if I do this? We you all be safe?” I said to Alice, while looking into Edward’s face, trying to etch the love I saw there on my soul.

“Yes, we must all forget. But you can’t. We need you to remember us.” I nodded at her words. I knew Edward was screening her brain and flinched at what he saw there. He knew Alice was right.

“Don’t let him talk you out of it.” It was her last warning before Hugh began to wipe me out of her brain.

“Edward, please dance with me, make this count.” I was speaking directly into his mouth, between kisses.

Alice and Jasper’s face revealed the change at almost the same instant. As he helped her into her coat, I felt the loss of his calming gift. He had been working to keep the panic in the room to a dull roar and comfort Alice. I adored him right then, the pain he had been keeping at bay hit like a hurricane.

Edward pulled out his cell phone and made a quick, hurried call. Slipping the phone in his pocket, he pulled me into his back arms. The scent of his skin, the mild fabric softener in his shirt, the taste of his beautiful lips were all things I would try and replicate in daydreams so many times after this moment.

“Oh, God, you are really going to do this.” It had finally seemed real to Edward.

Emmett began punching the walls, poking holes as he went. He was furious. I thought of how much of a big brother he was to me. He was in the middle of writing the word “No” with his fists, in the wall.

“I won't leave her. I won't..” His furious voice drained away. He went to get his jacket, his anger replaced with a happy–go-lucky smile.

Emmett. Losing him hurt.

“I will never forget you. I will not. Your eyes will be with me. I love you. I would go insane for you. I will go insane without you.” He was speaking slower. He knew and I knew what was happening.

Our song erupted from the sound system. Barbara always had perfect timing. We started to dance. Edward twirling me and dipping me, just like our first dance. I smiled at him. This moment was mine. He fought against his emotions to give me this dance.

“Keep the ring,” He could tell I was planning on giving it back. After.

Hugh was standing right behind Edward. Edward stopped dancing, he cradled the back of my head with one hand and laid his other in the center of my chest.

Even though it had been dead for almost a year, I swear my heart started beating right there, under his hand. “I love you.” His three words that had forever balancing on every letter.

I saw the pain and anguish start to slide from those amber eyes. His memory was draining like a bathtub. The pain in his face relaxed, the careful, watchful Edward was back. I slid the beautiful antique ring I had only worn for a little while off my left hand. With a quick swipe of my fingernail, I removed the inscription “Forever, Always” from its place inside the band. I lifted his hand on my heart, turned it over, and placed a kiss on his palm, then set the ring in the middle, as I closed his fingers around it.

It was meant for the love of his life, and that could never be me.

Hugh took over the dance. He kept my back to Edward. His lovely baritone voice humming along with Nate King Cole’s song, “Son, you dropped that ring, I would try and keep it safe.”

I watched Edward reflected in the black pupils in Hugh’s eyes. The reflection grabbed at his jacket, hesitated at mine, and left.

The dancing stopped. The music stopped.

“He’s gone, they are all gone. They won’t remember anything about you.” The words were harsh, but Hugh’s voice held endless compassion.

“Won’t he read my mind now?” I half hoped he would, bust back in the door and refuse to leave.

“No, dollface. I am great at what I do. No matter how hard he loves you, he will never remember you. For about twenty minutes, those vampires will be a little blurry, but able to do basic things, like get home.” His rumbly voice seemed to echo in the expanse of the almost empty club.

A thought stunned me stupid, I made my lips form the concern, “They won’t lose their gifts or love for each other?” Oh God.

“No, no, no,” Hugh was quick with his answer, “I only removed you and your time together with each of them, and of course, any memory of me or the club. Everything else remains for them.” I nodded my head, I understood. I had not one clue what was next, what I should do.

“You’ll stay here, with us.” Hugh held his hand out to his beautiful bride, Barbara. They left me to myself. They knew I had yet to process what I had done. The Cullens were gone. Everything we had been through together was gone.

Edward was gone.

I fell to my knees.

Vampires can’t cry.

But they can scream.

So my screaming started. So very loud and so very long I was sure it would never stop. I tried to claw out my own dead heart. I felt the satisfaction of shredding vampire skin. I knew my soul was cracking in half, but the pain was only mine.

Before Bella.

Before Bella and Edward.

There was Sasha.

There was Sasha and Edward.

Unforgettable.

[Geek]

This is fanfiction. All is property of Stephenie Meyer.



Dr. Carlisle Cullen knew that his looks were distracting. He had hundreds of years of practice trying to get people overcome the perfection of his golden good looks, and really listen to him. Sadly, some never got past the eyes the color of butterscotch glistening in the sunshine and chiseled perfection to hear his words.

Working in New York City was a bit easier then some parts of the United States. The human population was so diverse, they almost seemed supernatural themselves.

A true New Yorker did not get easily flustered; their hardened, emotionless face was their facial screen saver. Carlisle often thought he could walk out, skin sparkling in the sunshine, and not get a second look from the busy inhabitants of Manhattan. There was very little they had not already seen.

He grabbed his charts from Nala, one of the most efficient nurses he had ever had the pleasure of dealing with. Since he had been practicing medicine since 1902, this was a considerable mental compliment.

His effort to walk with human mannerisms was second nature now. As was fidgeting, sitting and running his fingers threw his always-perfect hair.

He closed the door to his office with a gentle care, then locked it. He could not hear the minds of by anyone that passed by, like his vampire child, Edward. Nor could he see into the future, like the sweet Alice. Her adoption of the Cullens as a family had brought so much musical light to their world. Not to mention the added benefit of knowing ahead of time what every choice each vampire in the family made would result in.

With the door locked, Carlisle was free to let his vampire nature allow him to be the most prolific doctor in existence. Of course, he had to publish papers and findings under aliases, or convince other doctors or researchers, that his brilliant ideas were really their own. In his 339 years as a vampire, he has lost the need to gain human recognition for his efforts. There was no need to see his name in lights for he was already immortal.

In the privacy of his hospital office, with no prying eyes, Carlisle was able to begin his routine. Classical music on, one hand and an eye reading a vintage account of a mysterious disease from the 1800’s. The other hand and an eye writing notes and making comparisons to a case in Idaho that another doctor and requested his opinion on. The antiquated book was from his personal library at home. It had been passed to him by the author himself. As Carlisle etched his notes in a tablet, the handwriting was a picture perfect Ariel font, with important words bolded, as if fresh from the printer. If the two cases he was comparing were as similar as it seemed, Carlisle thought there might be a need to alert the CDC to a possible infectious outbreak of viral bacteria the human population had thought was long defeated. His beautiful, meticulous brain filtering out the different options and courses of treatment.

He felt like he was on the verge of a discovery when the Psychologist in the next office arrived to his place of work with a bang and a bump. The man was so incredibly loud. It was phenomenal. The bodily function noises alone were almost at a level that would require a full medical work up. Phlegm clearing, flatulence, neck creaking, and knuckle cracking all made themselves audible visitors in Carlisle’s office.

Hundreds of years of practicing patience, and this man next door was going to drive him insane. Super vampire hearing was almost always a benefit. Not with Dr. Henry Stoole. He could make Jesus Christ lose his temper. Maybe it was because he was a constant drinker. Carlisle could hear the metal flask unscrewing in the office next door with a cringing squeak. Maybe, it was because Henry was the worst psychologist in the world, often accusing his patients of lying and trying to medicate any concern they had. Between his hyper billing of insurances and the heavy kickbacks he got from brand name prescription drugs, there was precious little that could qualify as a redeeming quality for Henry.

He had been next door to Carlisle for weeks now. Usually, the Hospital director kept the office space next to Carlisle empty. An odd request that was well worth the benefit of having Dr. Cullen on board. Renovations in the hospital had necessitated the crowding.

Carlisle took the interruption as time to reflect on his family. He gazed at their pictures on his desk. The hiking photo had them all paired up. Carlisle and Esme, Alice and Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett. Edward was standing in the back, smiling by himself. Carlisle liked the picture because of the light in Edward’s eyes. Emmett had dared Edward to take the picture without using the timer. Of course, Edward propped the camera in a tree, pressed the button, and was in the photo before the flash. Edward had the thrill of a bet won in his eyes, and it almost masked the haunted loneliness that hid in his golden eyes.

Despite the rustic photo, which was a prop for the humans, the Cullens were enjoying City life. Even though New York had its share of sunny days, the nightlife was so extensive, a group of people that preferred the night raised no suspicions. Edward could be piano player in a bar, Alice and Jasper could attend the Fashion Institute together (much to Jasper’s protests) and Rosalie worked at a local car repair shop. Emmett was refusing to find a job to blend in.

Esme was loving working in the antique shop in Soho. It was almost perfect. Almost, only if Henry would just get reassigned to a different office.

Carlisle had the necessary steps in motion to get Henry in a new line of work all together. Carlisle’s conscious would not allow him to be privy to the knowledge of all that went on next door without feeling somewhat responsible to the patient’s stories he could not help but overhear. In the time Henry had been there, unlucky souls were forced to lay on the awful couch Henry still used it more as tool to make him feel more superior then anything else. Many had recommendations for other Doctors in their hand before they left the sliding doors of the hospital exit.

There was a tentative knock on Henry’s door, his 3:00 appointment.

Carlisle settled in to overhear the conversation. He needed to be able to steer the patient in the correct direction when offering a referral.

“Come in!” Henry was twisting on the cap back onto his flask and shutting the third drawer down in his desk.

The doorknob turned. Henry straightened up in his chair. Carlsie could tell from his fidgeting that the patient was female, and most likely good looking.

“Well, hello young lady. Please come in and lie down on the couch.” Henry was had deliberately begun talking in a deeper voice.

Good job Henry, she’ll just fall all over herself for you now. Carlisle mentally shook his head, but physically, he was as still as a statue holding pen to paper.

The new patient was timid. She murmured her greeting, but Carlisle could tell from the sound of her footsteps that she had decided to sit on the couch. Score one for the new girl, she didn’t fall for Henry’s power play..

Carlisle could hear the whispered, “tisk” seeping from Henry’s incompetent lips. Henry liked the upper hand. The patient was sitting in his chair, forcing Henry to sit on the couch.

“Well, Miss Duncan, I have reviewed the file your previous Doctor has sent over to me, a Dr….”, Henry paused here to ruffle some papers to find his answer.

“Dr. Lavender.” Miss Duncan filled in for Henry.

“Says here you hear voices in your head, and you refuse any medication to quiet these voices.” Henry couldn’t wring the sarcasm out of his voice.

Carlisle continued writing while carefully listening to the goings on next door.

“Um. I think there might have been a mix up, I have a sort of special situation that requires me to meet with my Doctor about once a week.” Miss Duncan seemed ready to run, her words perched tentatively like a butterfly on a flower’s pedal.

[Geek]

“Sasha, may I call you Sasha?”, Henry continued without her assent, “I understand that your previous Doctor may have claimed to ‘believe’ you,” Carlisle could hear the air move around Henry’s stubby fingers as he made the universal sign for quote around the word believe.

“But I do not agree with feeding into my patients delusions. I will be straight with you from the get go. Voices in your head need to be treated with medication. I have seen good results with Mycocken.” Carlisle could not believe the audacity of Henry. The suppliers of Mycocken had dropped off a boatload of samples earlier that morning. The drug rep had promised the first Doctor to prescribe it to 20 patients free tickets to a Broadway show.

“Mycocken”? Who names these drugs anyway?” Sasha said, more to herself then to Henry. “Thank you for your time, Dr. Stoole. But I must be leaving.”

Poor Sasha had no idea how long Henry could make the walk from his couch to his office door.

“Wait, Sasha , please! I’m sorry, why don’t you sit back down. Let us not be too hasty, I really feel I need some background from you. Words on paper can be so misleading.” Carlisle googled Dr. Lavender with his free hand. A quick glance at the results on the screen determined two possible Dr. Lavender’s in New York State. One was a psychologist.

More quick vampire hand gestures brought up more information. Dr. Valerie Lavender was highly respected.

The tension in the next room grew. Carlisle heard Sasha take in an exasperated breath. Apparently, Henry had changed his demeanor enough to have Sasha sit back down.

“Ok. Where should I start?” Explaining her voices didn’t seem to come easy to her.

She answered her own question, “I have always had the spirits come to me, as long as I can remember. Even though they were part of my every recollection, I never felt at ease around them. I stuck close to my mother or sister, which they allowed. It was like I had no defenses, so many spirits came. By the time I reached school age, I was fearful of being without my parents and my sister was two grades ahead of me. I begin to try and tune them out. I got better at locking them out as I tried to let my teachers voices seep in.” She shifted her feet and smoothed what sounded to be a skirt over her legs.“Continue..“ Carlisle could picture Henry rolling his hand forward at the wrist.

“Well, I eventually began to talk to the spirits, It seemed to take less energy then blocking them out. I had always thought they were talking at me. Even if they asked for help, I didn’t know what good I could do for them. So, I just struck up a conversation with an older gentlemen spirit that had been following me around. I was sitting on the top of the monkey bars in what had to be about 3rd grade, and I just said, ‘Hi!’ He gave me a nod and seemed to want to talk about my day. I told him about my school play and he asked sweet questions, just like a grandfather.” Carlisle could hear the scratching of Henry’s pen on a tablet of paper.

“Why was the gentlemen so significant?” Henry sounded so coherent, very unlike him.

“He told me that, basically, spirits want someone to hear them. I didn’t necessarily have to do anything other then listen. And release them if I could. Sometimes a spirit needs to be reminded to move on.” Sasha took a large yoga inspired breath. Trusting anyone with this tale seemed to take a lot out of her.

“Move on?” repeating a patient words in a question, Henry was really trying, which worried Carlisle.

“Mostly, just guide them to the next level in their journey. I think that gentlemen’s spirit had been here a few times. I was very grateful for his help. ” Carlisle heard her eye lashes press together. She was squinting; Carlisle guessed she was trying to see the impact her words had.

“Well, there is only one thing to do Sasha, talk to a ghost of mine.” He set his paper and pen down in a rustling movement.

“It’s not how it works, I can’t call them like dogs, and sometimes people have a spirit lingering around them, sometimes they don’t.” Sasha stood up once more. The shuffling of his feet indicated he was blocking her from the door with his body.

“No one comes forward for you, I am sorry.” Sasha said it gently. Henry’s dry skin made a gentle crackle as he smirked,” Isn’t that convenient?”

“I need to leave.” She was being quite emphatic. Carlisle was out the door of his office so quickly he had to remind himself to slow down. He was not going to allow Henry to make this girl any more uncomfortable then she already was.

“Get out of my way.” The distinct noise of a struggle sounded from behind the flimsily fake wood door. Carlisle could hear Henry squeezing the tops of Sasha’s arm in an effort to keep her in the room. Carlisle opened the door to Henry’s office.

“Hello, Henry, is there a problem here?” The words were friendly and Carlisle’s face was an artfully composed mask of calm, but the energy that radiated from him was pure anger. Like birds roused from the shelter of brush, both humans in the room sensed danger. Carlisle had seen the reaction before, a human’s reptilian brain reacted before their reasoning kicked in. It is always best not to sneak up on them.

Sasha stepped back from Henry. Carlisle expected to see her face indignant, angry or even scared having been held by this stranger against her will. But he saw resignation there. This wasn’t the first time someone had lost his or her composure with Sasha.

Carlisle stepped inside and shut the door behind him, glancing at the notes Henry had left on the coffee table.

"-Good looking

-Well spoken

-Possible T.V. show like John Edward? Jewelry line, endorsed Bibles?"

Carlisle almost chuckled at the audacity. This man was here thinking of marketing this woman. He was Dr. Phil meets Jerry Springer (he mentally kicked Emmett for watching that junk, he did not want to be able to make those analogies.) Henry did not care how much clinical help she needed.

Henry hardly looked in Carlisle’s direction. His attention and red face riveted on the woman he had been holding. “You see, Miss Duncan, if you really could see ghosts, you would see my son. I was in a car accident when he was six. He was in the backseat. His last words were ‘Daddy, no.’ So he would be here. He would be here.” Every word snapped like a sheet drying in the wind. Henry’s hand gestures had gotten dramatic and angry.

“No, sir. I would not see your son.” She spoke gently despite Henry’s obvious rage. “I rarely see children’s spirits. They are pure innocence, when their life ends, their spirit has a tremendous job. The beautiful, positive energy that leaves their body immediately goes to the hearts of those who loved them. He is the glue that holds your heart together; he does not need to move on. He is right where he belongs. To get comfort from him all you need to do is concentrate on his love.” Sasha waited to see how Henry would take the message.

[Geek]

All characters, settings and Twilight related stuff belongs to author Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended.


Carlisle’s thought her speech was quite beautiful. She spoke with conviction and softness. Dealing in death and spirits seemed to come easily enough, if she was to be believed.

Henry left the room with out so much as a nod in Sasha’s direction.

Carlisle stepped off to the side, leaving the door ajar. He wanted Sasha to know she was free to leave.

“Hello, I overheard the disagreement and wanted to make sure everything was ok. My name is Dr. Cullen.”

“Sasha Duncan”, she seemed like the kind of girl that would say “Pleased to meet you” in a normal situation.

He was thinking of how to work in a recommendation for another Doctor, while still seeming professional, when he watched Sasha’s eye slide to his left and focus there.

“Hi.” She was clearly not addressing him anymore.

“Father? I can’t see how that is possible.” She was arguing to a space next to him as if it was a person.

Carlisle was starting to wonder if Henry wasn’t better at his job then originally thought. The girl seemed to be cracking up.

“I will give him the message.” Sasha whispered this last part like a prayer or a secret.

Carlisle assessed her as he would any patient. Her murky green eyes were equal and properly dilated. He could hear her heartbeat, and that was a nice rhythmic, healthy sound. He sniffed the air, his acute vampire sense of smell can actually detect certain maladies, such as high cholesterol or cancer. She smelled fine. Her hair was long, dark blonde and very shiny. Looking at hair in a patient assessment was a holdover from the time when he actually was a human. You could tell a surprising amount from hair condition. Judging from her body, the yoga breath came from regular practice that made her long and lean.

She put those murky green eyes on his. The reluctance in her body language was unmistakable.

“Dr. Cullen, I have a message for you from an very antique spirit claiming to be your father.” She said simply, and then bit her lower lip.

It takes a lot to shock a 440-year-old vampire, but Sasha had certainly succeeded in shocking him.

[Geek]

Carlisle never stumbled or needed to sit, the vampire tendency is to be still. So shocking him had rendered him statue-like. No blinking, no breathing, just being matter taking up space. He recovered quickly. Sasha had not even completed two cycles of inhaling and exhaling, before he resumed the masquerade of involuntary reflexes.

Had she noticed? Carlisle needed to complete his recommendation for another doctor. Carlisle needed to assure this girl that what she had seen could not possibly be his father. Surely, it wasn’t. She was suffering from delusions. He needed to call ahead to the doctor and recommend a full neurological work up. Despite her healthy appearance, she could have a tumor pressing on her frontal lobe, creating this personality disorder.

Carlisle needed to do all these things. Instead he asked Sasha, “What is he wearing?”

She placed her gaze on the spot to his left again. She tilted her head, then nodded to the air and made a turn around motion with her finger.

Did the air move? Just a tiny infinitesimal bit? A chill ran down Carlisle’s spine. Could it be?

“I am bad with dating clothes, I apologize, but I want to say maybe in the time of Elizabeth the first?” she bit her lip again. “The man is adamant he is your father, which makes no sense at all.”

Being a vampire that was co-habiting in the world of humans required Carlisle to do certain things. Follow certain rules. Keeping his true nature secret was the first rule. So, Sasha needed to disappear. Carlisle might need to get his son, Edward to read her mind, make sure this incident did not cause her to become suspicious.

But Carlisle had broken the rules before,

“Please, Miss Duncan, would you mind coming into my office, tell my father to join us.” Carlisle smiled to put her at ease.

Sasha grabbed her purse from the floor and walked out the door Carlisle gestured towards. He managed to get to his office door before her, and open it in a gentlemanly way.

She had to pass close to him to enter his office.

She stopped just a few steps in, and Carlisle filled the space right behind her. He closed the door gently, but he could not disguise the click of the lock as he pressed it in.

All Carlisle had to do was lean down and his cold lips would be on her throat. He let his gaze rest on the thin, blue vein that looked like the inviting ribbon on a beautifully wrapped gift.

“What are you?” Sasha asked calmly.

Carlisle looked up and saw that the whole tableau was reflected in his dark, tinted office windows. The tint he required to keep the sunlight from betraying his skin, that glittered like a wet diamond, was defeating him from the inside out. It became an unintentional mirror.

“Pardon?” Carlisle stepped a respectable distance from the girl.

She faced him with a pleasant face, not one who had witnessed her impending death.

“What is your specialty, Doctor?” Stating the obvious.

“I am a general practitioner, but I have a background in psychology.” That was a huge understatement. Carlisle had a background in every specialty. Endless time equals endless degrees.

“I assume you were expecting a session today, and as it turns out, I have a block of time available. I can also recommend another doctor in the area.” Carlisle took this time to sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk, refusing to take the position of power behind it.

“Your father would like me to stay.” She took the seat next to his and set her purse down.

Carlisle was having difficulty believing that particular nugget of information. The last human memory Carlisle had of his father was following him in a mob that was out to attack a perceived vampire. In a bit of irony, the mob had found an actual vampire, instead of a poor, misunderstood mortal. Carlisle had taken his last necessary breath in the arms of that vampire. The vampire changed Carlisle. He became the thing his father crusaded against. A lot had changed since the 1500’s, but if Carlisle’s father was in this room, Carlisle was quite sure that it would not be a friendly family reunion.

Both Sasha and Carlisle waited for the other to start the conversation.

She buckled first, “The man that claims you as a son is still to your left. He says he has been there since you changed.” It was almost as if the dynamic of the room had shifted, Carlisle became the patient, seeking information.

“What did he do for a living?” Carlisle was reluctant to ask any questions. What if the girl really could speak with spirits? What if his father said too much?

“He says he was a pastor. He sought to persecute others like you.” Sasha was right. And his father had edited appropriately, which was confusing. The father in Carlisle’s human life would have wanted his vampire ways revealed. “An abomination against God and everything holy,” was an exact excerpt from one of his father’s sermons.

“He refuses to move on until you have heard him out.”

“He is lucky I ran into you then,” Carlisle raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

She ignored his gentle joke, and concentrated on the space to his left.

“Dr. Cullen, your father regrets how life turned out for you.”

Now, the girl was getting closer to the mark.

“He wishes your attacker had found him first. Your eternity of sadness makes him reluctant to leave.” Carlisle stopped worrying about the girl’s safety and the unwritten code of vampires not to reveal themselves to humans. He put his elbows on his knees and nodded for her to continue.

“Your father’s message is simple, basically, he is proud. What you have done with this curse afflicted on you has saved so many. He wants me to tell you he loves you.” She let the information sink in.

Carlisle soul was aflame. His father loved him? In his horrid, cursed vampire form? Carlisle had spent centuries overcompensating for his nature, using his powers for all the good he could pack in a minute, in a day, in over four lifetimes. And all this time he was sure his own father would damn him. Damn him straight to hell.

If this girl was to be believed. This mental patient he had basically kidnapped from the office next door. For all he knew, Sasha would leave this office clucking like a chicken.

“I can tell this information is something you need to process, so I will leave you to it. Thank you Dr. Cullen.” She stood to leave.

“You are welcome, Sasha.” Carlisle wanted to stop her, but he stood up and walked her to the door. She had come to receive treatment, and instead gave two doctors spiritual counseling.

“Please take my card.” Carlisle took out an elegant business card with his name, office number and cell number. He had the printers remove his picture when he found that the nurse population had been collecting them like baseball cards.

Sasha took the card, flipped it over and used her palm as leverage. She slipped a pen out of the chest pocket of Carlisle’s white coat and jotted her cell number and name on the back. She handed the pen and card back to Carlisle.

He was surprised. Sasha did not seem like the forward type and his wedding ring was easily visible.

“Dr. Cullen, if you have any questions I can answer for you, please give me a call. I think this reading was shock for you, and unusual for me, at the very least. I hate to leave so soon after giving someone that kind of news, but I am exhausted and I have to go walk my dog. Thank you again.” And she walked out.

As Carlisle closed the door behind her, all of his vampireness settled like a cloak over him. He was pacing at a blurry pace. Then, in the next instant his was as still as a stone behind his desk. He was staring at the family picture again, specifically at his son Edward. A beautiful soul whose gift for reading minds had separated him from others. There had been no lasting love for Edward.

Carlisle was afraid of his next thought. Right after his father had told Carlisle he was proud of him, Carlisle had a horrible idea.

Sasha would make an amazing vampire.

[Geek]

All characters, settings and Twilight related stuff belongs to author Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended.

It was such a snap judgment. Carlisle had only made four irrational, selfish choices in his long life. Their names were Edward, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett. His self-created family. Each had been on death’s door when he changed them into an eternal predator. He soothed himself with the thought that the world would be a less beautiful place without them. They were so magnificent in life that they deserved to be immortalized in waking death.

But Sasha was perfectly healthy, If only he had sensed a little cancer. Carlisle actually shook his head in disgust.

Edward had such a lofty opinion of Carlisle. He needed to do the right thing, as was always expected.

He ran the “reading” through his head again. Some of what Sasha had said was bordering on dangerous. Carlisle had no idea how much Sasha edited a spirit. As he hit the speed dial attributed to Edward’s cell phone, he made two decisions. One, Edward needed to find the girl and listen to her thoughts. Did she suspect anything untoward about Carlisle’s nature?

Two, he believed Sasha was the real deal, which means his deepest wound, the lack of approval from his father, would start to heal.

Carlisle was lucky. He rarely had to relay on Faith and belief anymore, he had Edward.

“Yes?” Edward answered as soon as the phones were connected.

“Son, could you possibly stop by my office before your set tonight?” Carlisle felt a twinge of guilt as he requested Edward’s presence and use of his gift.

“Of Course, I will be there as soon as possible”, the phone disconnected.

As soon as the sun set, Carlisle made sure he was waiting for Edward in his office.

Carlisle knew when Edward was close because any female he passed in the busy hospital corridors had an accelerated heartbeat.

Edward knocked gently and came in, hearing Carlisle’s welcoming thoughts.

Carlisle waited for the door to close before he greeted his son with a handshake and half hug. He adored the boy. Man, he amended. Edward was 70 years old, far from a child, though his apparent age was anywhere between 17 and 21, depending on the clothes and back story that was told to those who were doing the judging.

Edward smiled genuinely at his adoptive father. Edward had known nothing but love and acceptance from his human and his vampire fathers. Carlisle wanted only good things for Edward.

Carlisle said nothing, just flipped through the afternoon’s scene in his head. He refused to edit. Every thought, every nuisance was displayed with his vampire-perfect recall.

Edward looked thoughtful, appalled and surprised at all the appropriate moments.

“Carlisle, I agree the girl’s thoughts must be read, obviously. Just from her words, I think we are safe, but I will check to be sure.” Cautious, careful Edward.

“Wouldn’t it have been prudent to just give her a referral and move on?” Edward’s observation was correct, of course.

I wanted to see if she could speak with my father’s spirit, Carlisle thought to Edward. Carlisle felt sheepish at this weakness.

Edward was reassuring, “I will find out what she suspects and if her talent is genuine.” Both men would never judge hints at the supernatural, considering their own mystical nature.

Carlisle handed his business card with Sasha’s number scribbled on the back.

Edward took the card and pocketed it, even though the name and number were already branded in his memory.

In a moment, Edward was gone. Carlisle noticed that Edward had not mentioned the weakness Carlisle shown in listening to Sasha’s reading. Edward also forgot to reprimand his for his match making thoughts.

Carlisle smiled as he grabbed the next file from his desk, a prop for the mid-aged male patient was about to see. Unlike a waitress that worked without writing things down, Doctors without pens and papers did not inspire confidence.

[Geek]

All characters, settings and Twilight related stuff belongs to author Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended.
Edward called Jasper as soon as he hit the sidewalk outside of the Hospital.

“Jazz, can you look up “Sasha Duncan phone number “212-505-8934” for me please?” Jasper was quick to pull out his laptop. Jasper had a magnificently shady side to him. He had no qualms working slightly outside the human laws to secure information his family might need. Edward was not even sure he wanted to know what illegal website Jasper would pull this information from.

“Sasha Duncan, 23 year old, Kindergarten teacher lives at 160 Place Blvd. Trump Place. She rents a subsidized apartment with two roommates. She has a great work record, no arrests. Grew up in Westchester County, in the suburbs. Is that good enough for now?” Jasper was all business. Speaking to Jasper on the phone was slightly disconcerting, because Edward was used to the tingling calm Jasper administered to his loved ones in his presence.

“That is plenty, Thank you.” Edward slipped the phone into his pocket and headed in the direction of the Trump place building.

Walking the streets of Manhattan while being able to read mind was like seeing a sparkling, sunlit piece of stained glass. All the different languages and thoughts weave in an out with one another to create a swirl of music that Edward classified as specifically “City”. As he got closer to Sasha’s building, he ran the picture of her from Carlisle’s memory. He liked how the memory Sasha had dealt with the two Doctors. She was kind and understanding with both. Edward wondered if sympathizing with a possible mental patient was the best of choices. Then again, one of his best friends and his dearest sister had spent most of her life in mental institutions. He pondered calling Alice to see how this whole detective thing was going to turn out, when he heard the words “Dr. Cullen” in a mind.

Edward slowed his pace and opened up his mind like a set of French windows, letting the voices around him sweep in. He found the voice again and concentrated on weeding it out from all the others.

I hope Dr. Cullen is doing ok. He seemed like his reading came as such a shock. Why was his father’s spirit so old?

Sasha’s brain pictured her paranormal experience inside Carlisle’s office.

As clear as day, Edward could see Carlisle’s father standing to the left of his son. The look on his father’s face was one of pure love and regret.

Edward realized he had slowed down to almost a standstill, the shock of seeing a ghost forcing him back to his nature of stillness. He walked to a nearby hot dog vendor and proceeded to order. The hot dog would be a good prop while he waited for Sasha’s brain and her body to match up in Edward’s eyesight.

I wonder if I should go back to him. He seems very kind, but there was that moment..

Here Sasha pictured Carlisle looking for an instant too long at her neck in the reflection of the windows.

Edward was surprised to see that side of Carlisle. He has such control, especially in a hospital setting. That glance would not be alarming in any other vampire, but in Carlisle, it seemed almost sacrilegious..

Edward held still as a blond Cocker Spaniel leaped up and stole his hot dog. The Spaniel proceeded to scarf the treat down with wild abandon.

The girl at the end of the leash scooped up the blond beast and reached into it’s throat to salvage the last half of his hot dog.

“Oh, Crap. Sir, I am so sorry.” Sasha Duncan was standing in front of him holding out the mangled hot dog in one hand and the wiggling dog in her other arm.

“Here, um, I saved some of it.” She set the Spaniel down. It settled into a behaved sit and wagged its little stump of a tail. It seemed to know that the rest of the hot dog would come it’s way eventually.

“That is fine, really, I was not that hungry anyway.” Edward’s voice hit her ears like milk pouring into honey.

She put her murky dark green eyes on his golden ones.

Edward waited for the reaction to his looks, which would inevitably come.

Damn it Pudge, why do you always steal hot dogs from good looking guys?

She didn’t seem to know what to do with the mangled dog. First she went to hand it to Edward, thought better of it and went to give it to Pudge, but did not want to reward the dog for it’s vandalism. She wound up putting the hot dog in the pocket of her jacket.

“Can I buy you another Hot dog?” Not that I brought any money out with me to walk the evil dog.

Edward was half tempted to take her up on her offer, just to see what she would do.

“No, but Thank you for the offer.” He gave her a gentlemanly nod.

“I have such a crappy dog. She is just for crap. Look at her, she has the eyes of a serial killer, no remorse whatsoever.” Stop saying “crap” to the hot dude, Sasha. She thought to herself.

Edward looked dutifully at the Crappy dog, who was actually acting pretty unremorseful at the moment. She was so intent on Sasha’s pocket with the meat in it, she did not exhibit the normal canine reaction to shy away from a predator like Edward.

“I am going to choke the life out of her. Again, I am really sorry.” Edward watched Sasha jaywalk across the street with the dog following close by her heels, headed for her apartment building.

Sasha’s thoughts were filled with embarrassment and gold colored eyes.

This was not good. She was comparing his eyes and Carlisle’s, wondering if they were the exact same color.

[Geek]

Edward had been expecting Sasha’s pretty face, the sound of her voice, having seen her in Carlisle’s memory. He had not expected the tingle of recognition when he looked in her eyes. He had butterflies in his stomach and electric running on the surface of his skin.

Edward had his phone to his ear again. “Hey, I may need to monitor this one a bit. could you please see if there are any available apartments in the address you gave me earlier?” Jasper did not even respond before he disconnected the line. Edward knew his friend and brother was already running through all the possibilities to answer Edward’s question. Jasper’s military background made him perfect for plans of attack, even if they were just seeking information, not plundering a city.

Edward found a nearby ally to wait. He pretended to play a game on his cell phone, looking at his watch every once in a while like he was waiting. Jasper’s call interrupted is game.

Without a preamble Jasper launched into the details, “The couple that lives above Sasha and her roommate, happen to be on a cruise. You have 10 days until they return. They have no pets, and a cleaning woman arrives on Thursdays. Will that do? “

“Perfect Jasper, please tell Carlisle I am still looking into the matter we discussed,” Edward was already headed around the building. The lobby to the apartments came equipped with a doorman that greeted everyone by name, and a security guard that manned an expensive looking desk.

Not that any of these things were an obstacle for Edward, but it is always good to have the layout in mind.

Around the building and in an alley to the left, Edward spotted a pool light spilling from an Emergency Exit door that was propped open with a well used brick. From the litter of cigarette butts, Edward thought this might be a professed quitters illegal hideout.

He picked the brick up and brought it inside, setting it on a nearby metal heater, where it obviously waited for the next Smoke break.

Edward was in the building using no vampire tricks whatsoever. If someone with bad intentions avoided the front door, getting into this building was no problem at all. He thought of Sasha and her dog here in Manhattan. If he were lucky enough to be able to leave her in peace, he would send an anonymous complaint about this practice.

Edward tried not to think about the alternative, if, perchance, he would not be able to leave her in peace. Keeping the smoker door shut would be the least of concerns if she were a danger to his vampire family.

Edward found the apartment that was vacated by the happy couple on the cruise; he picked the lock easily enough. Being able to read minds gave Edward every advantage when breaking and entering, any suspicions being broadcast loud and clear.

He looked around a bit. The couple was tidy, and had many pictures of two apple cheeked grandchildren. The woman had exactly fourteen sweatshirts with the word “Grandma” written in glitter or sequins hanging in her closet. The man was an avid car fan. Various makes and models were displayed on shelves. Edward had to admit, the gentleman had good taste. Edward had actually owned almost every single car represented.

He stood in the center of the apartment to intrude on the thoughts in the apartment below him.

Sasha verbal communication to her roommate, “No, I am fine, I totally understand.” Her words belayed her thoughts, Oh God I hate being alone, please don’t leave.

“Great Sasha, Frank and I want to hit the gym early tomorrow.” Jean was thinking of her boyfriend, a professional firefighter for the city. The door shutting ended their farewells. Sasha believed she was alone with her thoughts.

She immediately turned on the TV, the radio and all the lights. Edward saw in the fear in her mind, but she refused to let the fear form a coherent thought for him to read.

Edward wondered if she had, by some miracle, figured out what Carlisle and Edward were, and was knew that she was being watched.

Sasha went into what was obviously, a bedtime routine, with the serial killer eyed Pudge following her around fatefully. The dog seemed to sense his master’s unease.

Edward left her thoughts alone to give her privacy during her more human moments.

He waited a bit, standing still in the center of the apartment he was in. With no eyes to see him, Edward reverted to motionlessness.

Audible words from below caused him to dive back into her brain.

“Come on, Pudge, jump!.”

She curled into bed and Pudge, the dog, was able to join her after three running starts. Sasha laughed at the dog and pulled Pudge up on the last jump. The dog settled at her covered feet and was snoring in an embarrassingly short time.

Sasha waited for sleep. She was doing a remarkably effective job at cleansing her brain. Edward could feel the numbness starting to spread, Sasha getting the sleep no vampire ever had the pleasure of enjoying.

In her last heavy lidded blink, her room went from empty to occupied.

The shock was so sudden and complete, Edward dropped into a defensive pose and bared his teeth. It must be a vampire, the thing had moved so quick.

In the time it took for Sasha to suck in a surprised gasp, Edward realized her ghost had ambushed her.

He looked at the room through her eyes.

Standing near the end of Sasha’s bed was an older woman.

The ghost looked so confused. Her spirit appeared to Sasha in the clothes she favored when she was alive. A beaded colorful sweater was draped over her shoulders.

Edward realized his fingernails were digging into his palms. He was at war with himself. Part of him wanted to punch a hole in the floor he was standing on, and tell the girl below she was not alone in the room with a ghost. The other part of him demanded Edward listen and gather information.

Was this her mania? Is this what drives her to therapy? He also could not be totally sure her ghost was not just a manifestation of her own brain.

Sasha spoke out loud, “Please, look at me.” She urged the ghost.

I just need to get her calm and focused. Sasha’s reasonable thoughts helped Edward stay in the apartment above the bedroom.

“What is your name?” Sasha’s demeanor reminded Edward of the trauma nurses that Carlisle worked with in the ER, friendly but determined.

The ghost straitened up her posture. Seemingly remembering her manners, the ghost held out her hand for Sasha to shake. This part is tricky. I can’t shake her hand. It would be too much of a shock for her to find that she had lost density.

The ghost looked at Sasha curiously when she declined the simple gesture with the shake of her head.

“My name is Betty. I was on my way to my poker game.” The ghost’s voice was charming, with a hint of a southern accent.

“What do you play?” Sasha smiled genuinely at Betty.

“Hold’em. What else is there?” Betty was adorable.

She is feisty, I like her. Sasha’s thoughts were so decisive, then remorseful.

And now I will break her heart.

“Betty, sweetheart, you didn’t make it to your game. I am so sorry. Do you remember anything?”

Betty looked down, became flustered and focused back on Sasha’s calm face.

“My cell phone rang. I hate that blasted thing. I never answer it when I am driving. But I started to look for it. I took my eyes from the road for a moment, and then..”

Betty took a gasping breath, “I crashed. I crashed the car. Everything hurt at once.”

Betty’s ghost started to stumble.

Sasha flipped her covers off and stepped closer to the Betty. “Sweetheart, you died in that car crash. You need to move on. Pass to the other side.”

Betty’s eyes filled with tears.

“No. No. no. My Bill, I can’t leave him here. We have been married for over 50 years. He doesn’t know how to be without me. I cook, and he sets the table. We clear the table together. Every time. Every time.”

Sasha yearned to put her arms around the ghost.

“Betty, when you get where you are going you will still feel his heart and his love, and you can send him your love. The sooner we can get you there, the sooner he can feel you again.”

Betty steeled herself, “You tell me what I need to do for Bill, and I will do it.”

She is so brave, I bet she was a real spitfire in life.

Sasha proceeded to coach Betty, “Go. Go to where the positive energy is strongest. Let it carry you Betty, you have lived a beautiful life.”

Sasha could smell a hint of vanilla and a gentle plume of light and Betty was gone. “Goodbye, Betty” Sasha whispered the last part.

Sasha climbed back into bed, dragged Pudge’s snoring form to her like a teddy bear. Edward watched as it took hours for Sasha to settle her thoughts. She was ping ponging between wanting to go find Betty’s Bill and getting on with her normal life.

The guilt Sasha felt puzzled Edward, what he had witnessed was quite beautiful. While hearing her thoughts, he was surprised at how much responsibility Sasha thought belonged to her. Surely, she knew that sending a ghost into the next life had to be enough.

Edward ran his hand through his hair. Here he was, believing in this girl's delusions. He knew better then anyone that someone’s mind could be far from reality.

He was still listening to her mind, juding from syrupy quality of her thoughts, she was almost completely free of her demons. Just as Sasha was letting her eyelashes close like a curtain over her and Edward’s view of her room, Edward saw a flash of movement. Another ghost.

Sasha’s human brain didn’t register the murmur in her ear, for it was but a split second.

Edward felt Sasha fall right into the bliss of sleep. She began to dream of gold colored eyes.

There was no way that Sasha had heard the warning. But a vampire could hear it loud and clear.

The hissing whisper had said “There is a killer close, and he is watching you.”

[Geek]

Twilight Fan Fiction, All property of Stephenie Meyer

Edward would have to wait until morning to see if she had retained what the ghost had said.

For what it was worth, Edward knew now that Sasha was trouble. He also knew that she could see real ghosts.

Edward spent the night standing in that same exact place on the phone, speaking quietly with Carlisle. They worked through all the possible scenarios with each other. Frustratingly, Alice was having difficulty getting a bead on the outcomes. At every turn, she was met with the same blurry prediction. The only clear thing she could come up with was “There are dangerous outside sources.” Edward and Carlisle had determined, were most likely the ghosts.

Carlisle said a few times how grateful he was that his father had come to him. The knowledge that his father was proud of what he had become sat with him like a medal of valor.

Alice was resting in Jasper’s loving arms, while Edward and Carlisle waited together in silence, connected by the phone line.

Carlisle broached the subject they had both tried to avoid, “We could always change her.”

The statement was short, but the implication was huge.

Carlisle had made four vampires in his time here on earth. First, Edward, then Esme, then Rosalie and lastly, Emmett. Each time, the future vampire had been hanging in the jaws of death, either from injuries or sickness.

Grasping a healthy human being and sinking vampire teeth in a vulnerable neck, seemed an abomination to everything the Cullens stood for. This was such an unusual case.

“Carlisle, this girl has a powerful draw to the super natural. For those of us that have “extra” abilities, they were a mere hint in our human form. If your theory is correct, and anything humans can do is enhanced by the addition of vampire venom, she very well may be facing things we have never seen before. I can not fathom how she could cope with what happened last night getting any worse.” Edward rubbed his temples as he reviewed her nighttime incident.

Carlisle’s voice pierced his thoughts, “True, but Edward she was on her way to an sleep period, which conversely, vampires never experience. Of course that doesn’t explain how she saw my father.” Edward nodded, while murmuring an assent. Carlisle had a point. There were no guarantees one would even survive the change. Gauging a super natural power that might be present was far from an exact science.

A loud, flatulent noise stirred Edward. The dog was waking up. Judging from the force and volume of the disgusting noise, it had to be walked.

Sasha woke up coughing and yelling, “Pudge, you horrible, farting, evil thing.”

Her first waking visual was a a Cocker Spaniel’s eye. Its nose was almost touching Sasha’s. This is when most dogs would lick, but Pudge just wagged its stump.

Sasha looked around her gloomy room. No sun today, must be raining. She looked at her alarm clock.

Why does this dog fart 10 minutes before my alarm, every stinking morning? Sasha pet the dog and pulled its ears to cover its eyes. The dog shifted it’s weight from paw to paw and made woofing noises in her direction.

Edward left her head while she dressed. He looked down at his clothes and decided to borrow a shirt from the man on the cruise. The plaid shirt was a little big and defiantly not his style. He shrugged his jacket on and grabbed an umbrella all in one movement. He waited until he heard her door below locking before he peeked in her head again.

I hope I don’t run into any cute guys with no make up on. My mother would kill me for walking around town in my pajamas.

Edward saw her look down at her outfit. Black hooded rain slicker, black galoshes, and most defiantly pajama bottoms with happy cartoon snowmen on them. Pudge was wearing a yellow raincoat. Edward smiled at the ridiculousness of the whole get up, plus the dog.

As she got on the elevator, with the dog, Edward headed for the stairwell that ended in the smoker’s brick propped door. He tested the space for thoughts and found the stairs and doorway clear, though the brick was still propping open the door.

Edward was thankful for the deep black umbrella, it was perfect camouflage as he hit the streets to follow Sasha. He was seeking her thoughts, but saw her and the dog first. The yellow plastic a shining beacon in the array of other New Yorkers holding up their black umbrellas.

Edward gave her some room. Once he had tasted someone’s thoughts, it was easier to pinpoint them in a crowd.

Last night was a shame. I am so selfish. I should have helped Betty’s Bill.


Here thoughts were filled with shame and regret, but not once did she ever wonder “Am I crazy?” She knew the spirits were as real as the dog prancing next to her.

When Sasha had went three blocks and the dog had taken care of business, Sasha turned to return home.

The minute Pudge sensed the direction change she began a silent protest. She lay flat and apparently boneless in the center of the busy sidewalk.

“Pudge! No! Get up, get up and walk. I know you can.” Sasha pleaded angrily with the dog. It avoided looking at her.

“You can not go to the dog park every time I take you for a walk. I have to go to work.” Although Sasha spoke fighting words, she had already given up in her head.

She reached down and picked up the Spaniel. The wet bellied, loose-legged dog, played dead for all intensive purposes.

I am not carrying you all the way home. Again! Every half block or so, Sasha would put down the dog to try and hold true to her mental proclamation. Every time the dog’s paws hit the sidewalk, it would spread like a puddle and lay flat.

Edward followed at a closer distance to watch the show. The dog had to be close to 45 pounds. Pudge earned her name in dog food. Sasha and her burden/dog were almost home when Edward heard a different thought. One so close, and so demented, he stopped for a moment.

Why is that Vampire following her? Is she extra tasty?

Edward cast his mind in every direction, trying to pick up the head that went with the male voice. The owner of the thought was gone. In all the time that Edward had been reading minds, he has never lost one in a crowd.

He relied on his other vampire senses. He could smell a faint, earthy smell of another vampire. One that was very good at concealing themselves. The voice was possibly a tracker.

Edward tried not to overreact.

Large cities often attracted more then it’s share of vampires.

The thought had obviously ended as quickly as it had formed, for the thinker had not perseverated on it.

Either way, Edward thanked the rain and clouds for holding the sun hostage; he would not be able to follow Sasha into the daylight.

Edward stayed outside, waiting for Sasha and staying alert for the random vampire that might resurface.

By the time she had walked outside, she was dressed for work. Kindergarten teachers obviously did not have to dress up. Jeans and a casual button down shirt were covered by a trench coat. Her umbrella was an outrageous pattern of yellow school busses and apples.

She began walking, a favored mode of transportation in Manhattan. Four and a half blocks later, she rushed into a building. Edward settled in a nearby coffee shop. It was close enough; he could still hear her thoughts, but not look too creepy being a guy standing outside an elementary school.

Alice showed up a few minutes after he ordered a prop coffee and had settled in a table by the door and the front window.

Alice’s thoughts were as musical and pleasant as she was. Jasper waited on the side walk, he gave Edward a manly nod and greeted him mentally. Alice had some books and his laptop computer to give him.

She smiled at Edward and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“School starts in a few minutes, but I saw that you would like these”, Alice sat directly on top of his table and criss-crossed her legs.

“Do you know how all this observing will work out for me?” Edward watched as Alice’s consciousness slipped from her eyes and refocused on her inner power.

Edward followed her into her head.

He had never seen such blurry, unfocused visions from Alice before. He could see a rooftop, he could see a nightclub, and the next scene he was Sasha laying in a pool of blood.

Alice came back to him. Although he could see her visions, he needed to wait for her to interpret he feeling that went with them.

“I am very unfocused about this girl. Her future is so changeable, I feel like I am playing a carnival game,” Her luminous gold eyes filled with confusion, “Your future is tied up in hers, it is so tangled, in and out. I think we need some time to let the future set up a little.” Alice attitude was positive in general, but she found herself being the bearer of bad news to her loved ones.

Edward tried to make things as easy as he could for her, “Thank you, what time is your class?”

In about 3 seconds. Alice winked along with her thought.

“Taking the subway again?” Half of Edward’s mouth curved into a smile.

Jasper’s favorite. Alice gracefully put her feet on the ground. She all but danced out the door and spun into Jasper’s waiting arms.

Alice had taken to running to her F.I.T. classes with Jasper. They stuck to the subway tunnels and ran at a breakneck speed hopping out of the way of the trains. Carlisle disapproved, he preferred his family to try and refrain from acting on their faster nature around humans. Jasper was under immense pressure, before becoming a Cullen, Jasper had a diet of purely human blood. The taste of it was proving a tough addiction to beat.