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

[Geek]

Pudge escapes

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]

They better not hurt Pudge.

Evil Rick

 

[Nickel]

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]

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!

 

[Geek]

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!

Yes!! Shh. Don't tell Edward.


Thank you so much for reading ladies.

(Hey, check out my super sexy av!! That is Sasha in the heels!! (And, funnily enough, the chest in the shot belongs to the dude that plays Emmett in the movie!)

 

[Geek]

Does she take cash for that?

I was digging around in the SUV for the adrenalin shots to awaken Pudge, when Emmett finally dropped some coherent conversation on me. “Pita, those shots are for much larger animals and I don’t exactly make sure the dosing is correct.”

Of course, Emmett was usually drugging animals that would be dead in moments. I started panicking in my head when I overheard Edward, “Jazz meet us at Carlisle’s office, he needs to attend to Sasha’s dog.”

I hopped in the backseat with Pudge on my lap. She was snoring softly. I sniffed her fur again and stroked her blond shaggy head. It was overwhelming to be touching her. I was endlessly homesick for my loved ones.

The dark interior of the plush SUV got even darker as Emmett pulled into the underground parking for the hospital.

Emmett grabbed a ticket from the dispenser, and the action struck me as horribly ordinary. In the middle of vampires and murders, we had to make sure to pay our parking fees.

Edward seemed deep in thought, which could not be good. Emmett pulled a duffle bag and a huge sweatshirt out of the trunk. I was standing next to the SUV holding my dog when Emmett tried to take her from me.

I growled and bared my teeth.

“Calm down, Cugo, we can’t bring a dog into the hospital, so we'll sneak her in.”

I allowed Emmett to take her and he put her in the duffle bag so gently, you would think she was made of glass. It warmed my heart and I felt less like attacking him.

Edward absent-mindly helped me into Emmett’s huge sweatshirt.
I am not cold and this thing is ugly.

“You look great in anything, but a human would be cold in a sundress in the hospital.” Edward held me around my waist and headed for the elevator.
By the time we reached Carlisle’s office, Jasper was already there. The doctor took the duffle bag carefully while Edward quickly cleaned off Carlisle’s desk. Pudge was uncovered and given an injection by Carlisle. I could not help but notice the finesse and alarming difference in Emmett and Carlisle’s technique.

Emmett looked at my accusing stare and guessed what I was thinking. He threw up his hands.

“Pita, they are about to die, do you think they care if the shot hurts?” Emmett shook his head

I shrugged. “Yes.”

“You’re annoying.” He flopped in the nearby chair.

As soon as Pudge came around, Carlisle administered a second drug.
Carlisle addressed me like I was a concerned mother, “Sasha, I just gave Pudge a sedative, I would like to keep her here to monitor her.”

I trusted Carlisle. We all waited in silence. Edward was nodding and shaking his head to various thoughts.

Finally, he turned toward me. “Sasha, I found some disturbing things in Rick’s brain and I would like to discuss it with Carlisle and Jasper before presenting it to you. I do have good news. We have about a month before Rick can act against you or your family again.“

How can you be so sure?

“You’re going to have to trust me.” He came to put his hands lightly on my face.
I trust you.

Edward kept his eyes on mine while addressing Emmett, “Emmett, can you take Sasha home please?”

“You got the dog?” Emmett asked Carlisle.

“Yes, I will bring Pudge back to Jean as soon as I get to observe her for a bit.
No. No. Edward, I want to keep her. Please.
He nodded once and gave me a gentle kiss.

“Carlisle, that dog has a malfunction and is not afraid of our kind. Do you think it would be possible for Sasha to keep her?” Edward had turned to face his father, but kept a hand touching my arm.

“Sure, I will bring her to the Penthouse then.”
I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to hear what Rick had stored in his decrepit brain.

“Please, let me work this out. I won’t edit anything when I tell you. I promise.” I blew a frustrated breathe into the air.

Fine. I will see you home.

“Be safe.” I nodded at his final order. Emmett herded me out the door and down to the SUV.

He hopped into the driver’s side and revved the engine to life. I just watched.

I didn’t want to get in. The electric passenger side window rolled down.

“Get in, Pita.” He narrowed his eyes trying to figure out what I was doing.
I wouldn’t get in.

“Did you need a refresher course on opening doors?” He thought maybe I was playing a game. We always played games.

Emmett hopped out and came around the vehicle. “What the hell is happening here? Are you pulling some girly crap?”

“I want to go home.” It came out of my heart.

“That’s good, because that’s where this bus is headed.” He was looking more perplexed.

“No. Emmett, I want to go Home.” I emphasized the important word.

“Hey, baby girl, you know that is not possible.” Emmett spoke with a kindness I didn’t know he possessed.

I stepped forward and took his massive hand in mine. “I want to just see them. I want to see Jean. Please, take me there.” I looked into his reluctant face.

So close to him, Emmett smelled like my new home. I remembered the words of evil Rick “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 tried again, “Emmett, am I being kept safe or just being kept?”
I saw a multitude of emotions change his handsome face, until it settled on resignation.

“Get in, we won’t have long until Alice sees what we are doing.” He was headed around the SUV, it was rolling already as I slid into my tall seat.
Emmett sped through the city like he was on the way to dismantle a bomb. He kept rubbing his hand on his neck and leaning forward to look up at the tall buildings.

 

[Geek]

I noticed the sun that had pressed Edward against me had hid its guilty face. The clouds were thicker and looked deep grey.

Emmett parked the SUV around the block from the Trump Place building. He grabbed his hat from the gearshift it was dangling on and tossed it to me. “Hide your hair.”

He yanked open the passenger door, grabbed my arm and dragged me over to the service door. I looked around to see where he had brought me. We were apparently trying to break into the building across the street from my human apartment. Emmett would let me see Jean, but just from a distance. I could take that.

We heard some rustling behind the service door.

“Don’t slap me,” was all the warning Emmett gave me before he went to second base on me and seemed to be attempting third with his other hand.

I got out a shocked, “Sto” but my “p” got swallowed in Emmett’s aggressive kiss.

I saw a small man wrestling some garbage bags out of the corner of my eye.
He took in the sight of Emmett groping me and muttered, “Stupid kids” before heading to the dumpster.
Emmett’s hand left my thigh and shot out to catch the door. He was pushing me through the bottom floor of the unfamiliar building.

We darted into an elevator, and as the door closed, Emmett pointed to the panel of number buttons. I pushed fifteen, figuring it might correspond with the floors on my building. As soon as the doors sealed closed, my hand was headed for Emmett’s face. He caught my wrist and waggled his eyebrows at me, “I said no slapping.”

“That isn’t like calling ‘dibs’ or ‘shotgun’. You grab boob, you’ll pay the price.”

I feigned punching him with my other hand and kneed him between the legs instead.
“Son of a B####!” Emmett released me to grab his situation.

“You couldn’t think of anything else to do? Edward’s going to rip you balls off,” I was stalking around the small space of the elevator as it ascended.

Emmett was still hunched over, “Rosalie is going to rip yours off.”
He has a point there. Emmett put one hand on the metal interior of our electric chariot and glared at me.

“I needed whoever came out of the door to go on their merry way. Nothing makes people more uncomfortable than witnessing a good fondling.” He was able to stand all the way up.

“You could have just growled at him.” I was feeling a little bad for kneeing him so hard.

“Then, the guy would have run back in the building.” He shook his head at my lack of foresight.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open.
He motioned for me to go ahead of him, I took the bait and headed out the door.

I heard the air whooshing just an instant before I felt the smack to the back of my head.

“You’re an ass.” I rubbed the now throbbing part of my skull. We were in what seemed an activities and amenities floor. It was deserted, the occupants of the building obviously out earning the rent.

I pointed to the door that I thought might give us a glimpse into my human apartment. It was the entrance to the workout room. I was expecting a fancy vampire trick, when Emmett simply kicked in the door.

He motioned to me again and I shook my head. He could go first.
He refused. We wound up going through at the same moment, slapping each other silly the whole time.

“Enough!” Emmett stepped away and I straightened my baggy sweatshirt.

“We don't have time for your childish games. Do this now before I regret it more than I already do.”

Hearing Emmett be so sensible put a little shame into me. I was acting like a jerk. I walked over to the window. The stationary bikes were lined up like soldiers with a nice view of the outdoors. My apartment was easily visible. Come to think of it, so was my bedroom.

Emmett put it all together. “These windows here are tinted. You had no idea they were looking into your apartment.” His voice had raised an octave with delight. “Hope you had your blinds closed when you were changing.”
When he saw the apprehension on my face he busted out laughing.
I started throwing weights at him, which he caught easily while cackling at my embarrassment.

I glanced back at my old place and saw my sister trudging in her front door.
I got quiet when I saw her desolate face. I walked to the window and put my hands on it. It was the closest I could get to hugging her.
I felt Emmett standing soundlessly behind me.
Jean had an armful of flyers with Pudge’s picture on them.
Of course she is looking for Pudge. She had no idea the dog was fine.

“Emmett.” I could think of nothing else to say.
He pulled me into a very brotherly hug. I kept my eyes on Jean, but his arms helped me feel less alone.
The ringing phone sent my sister springing for the handset.

“Hello!” Her anxiousness had me hoping it wasn’t a telemarketer. Jean would rip them a new a#####e.

Despite my great hearing, the voice on the headset was not audible.

“No, Mom, no word on Sasha. Pudge took off at the dog park after a squirrel. I am looking for them both now.” Her anguish was torture.

“I’m right here. Jean. I’m right here.” I whispered into Emmett’ massive chest. My voice was thick with tears that my venom evaporated.

Emmett pulled me away. “Stay right here. Promise.” He was serious.

“I promise.” I was perplexed as he ran from the room.
I watched my sister listen to my mother cry. I knew why Edward had kept me away. This was worse than wondering. Knowing my family’s pain and seeing it with my own eyes just made the deep wound deeper.

Emmett was behind me again.

He spoke into the top of my head. “Call her, tell her you’re alive.”

“Whhhaat?” I faced him.

“Quickly, we have almost no time now. Be vague, don’t let on what has happened to you. Do it now, or your choice will be made for you.” He was holding out quite possibly the oldest cell phone I had ever seen.

“Where did you go to get this, 1990?” I was still in shock over his simple idea.

“Wiseass, do it now.” I dialed my own phone number and watched as Jean hit the flash button for call waiting.

 

[Geek]

“Hello?” She was hopeful for news of Pudge.

“Jean, it’s me Sasha. I am alive and I have Pudge, she is fine. I can’t tell you what has happened to me, but I am safe.” I added my prayer out loud “Believe me.”

Jean was always so practical. She got right to the point. “Tell me what got you through the nights as a kid.”

I smiled at the fight we had a million times. “You did. When I was scared of my ghosts, you would let me sleep in your room and I would bring every single stuffed animal I had and make a giant nest for myself in your bed. And you always let me. You never turned me away.” I watched as Jean’s beautiful face registered relief.

Tears of joy wet her cheeks. “I believe you.” She took a steadying breath. “Sasha do you need help?”

“Jean, I am working on keeping you and Mom and Dad safe, but you must be very careful. I have friends where I am. I may not ever be able to see you again. But I love you. Tell Mom and Dad I love them so much.” Emmett slid the phone from my grasp and crumpled it into a pile of metal ashes.
I watched as my sister excitedly clicked the phone back to my mother’s line.

The news was delivered.

Hope. I gave them hope.

“Emmett, I can’t thank you enough.” I hugged him again. He patted my back sweetly.

“Edward.” Emmett threw the greeting onto my hair.

“Ladies.” I looked at a very irritated Edward.

Emmett took the blame, “Hey, bro this was my idea.”

Edward was speaking to Emmett but looking into my eyes, “I was here before she made the call.”

Emmett gave Edward a nod and headed for the door.

As an afterthought he stopped right next to Edward. “Dude, I’m sorry I felt up your girl. She is a good kisser and has a nice rack.” Emmett held up his fist.

Edward concentrated on both of our minds, I could feel the comfort trickling in. I pictured the incident from start to end.

Edward met the fist with his own.
Forgiveness.

Emmett left without turning around.

Edward gave me a sweet smile. “You do know you are free to leave. We’re not keeping you.”

Oh. I am being dismissed. The Cullens are done with me.

“Absolutely not. I heard your question to Emmett about being kept. I truly hope you know the answer to that question.” He was taking careful steps towards me, his hands held in a non-confrontational way.

I could only go if you made me leave. When my heart is close to yours, I , here I could not find the right words, so I filled my mind with images, swirly, perfect warmth, with Edward at the center.

“Sasha,” with may name I found myself in his arms. I looked up at his flawless face and he was distressed.
“What if your feelings are not as authentic as your think? What if, because you perceive me as a captor, these feelings are misplaced loyalty?” He was voicing a great fear.

“Stockholm Syndrome?” I spoke out loud in my surprise. “I wrote a paper on that in college. I can say with absolute certainty, my feelings for you are original and genuine.” Edward’s eyes became hooded with intent. I lifted my face happily to his.

“Keep your eyes open,” he said into my lips, so I watched him as he kissed me.

I was ready to make good use of the weight bench when Edward broke my passion. “The police are on the elevator, so right now might not be the best time.”

The look on his face told me I could convince him that an audience of armed men would be just fine.

Let’s get out of here.

Edward put his arm around my shoulders. We started walking the hallway like we were taking a casual stroll, as five officers rushed past us to the workout room.

Edward held open the stairwell door for me. Then, out of sight, we were full speed vampires to the bottom floor door.
We were heading out the same door Emmett and I had sneaked in, when

Edward whispered, “We have company.” He pulled me against him, “Kiss me.”

For the second time that day I was happy to grant his wish. He kept chuckling.

I was curious until I saw the same man that had spotted Emmett and I, watching me and Edward smooching.

You sneaky man. You set me up.

Edward made an elaborate show of grabbing my thigh just like Emmett had.

The human man cleared his throat, “Um, does she take cash for that?”
I was shaking my head, ready to laugh, when Edward’s hand shot out and grabbed the man by his throat.

Edward was threatening the man’s life and yet still casually leaning against the wall with me against him.

“Apologize to the lady.” His voice was made of pure swashbuckling sexiness.
Damn. Where is that weight bench?

The doomed man wet his pants. Edward released his iron grip and let the man fall to the ground, “Good enough.”

Edward held the exit door open for me.

I winked at Edward and gave the man a stage whisper “Not just cash, I take credit cards too!”

Edward swatted me on the bottom as we made our way out of the building. A superb Ferrari was waiting for us at the curb. Edward held the door as he admonished me, “That poor man will probably spend the rest of his life looking for the hooker that takes visa because of you.”

I settled into the seat that cradled me like a lover.

As Edward started up the Enzo, I felt the thrill of the loud motor go through me. I would love to see him drive this.
Edward winked back at me, took off his jacket to reveal a dark t-shirt. His right arm had a leather cuff. “Hang on, gorgeous. I think a little speed is just what you need.”

I tried to pay attention, but as he pulled away from the curb, I could not stop staring at his flexing forearm as he shifted into second.

 

[Geek]

Sex On Wheels

So, the Enzo was sex on wheels. I had never ever seen a picture of a car this hot, but being in it made me sigh. The petals that Edward worked looked like flat, metal spaghetti strainers. I ran my hands along the hard dashboard. The steering wheel was so loaded with buttons, it looked like the inside of a rocket ship. I eyed the sound system. Edward smiled.

“I actually had that added, the Enzo comes without one.” He slid a pair of sunglasses on as the sun made it’s pre-Twilight appearance.

May I?

“Of Course.”

I picked up his leather cd folder. I delightedly plucked the first album out.

“Perfect, I love this song.”

I handed it to Edward who looked at my choice, smirked and fed it to the cd player. It must be kismet, Edward has my favorite driving song in his car.
Closer, by Nine Inch Nails, pulsed to life. I mouthed the lyrics as Edward rounded the curves towards upstate New York. On the tricky two-lane, no shouldered Taconic Parkway, he averaged 156 miles per hour.


The song ended and I picked up the case again. Surprisingly, cd after cd was comprised of elegant classical music.

Edward turned to me, “That’s a filthy little ditty.”

I puckered my lips. Yes. Yes, it is. The Nine Inch Nails isn’t yours, is it?

“It’s Emmett’s. He left it in here the last time he drove.”

Would you mind killing me right now very much?

“It’d be difficult to kill you right now as you’re already dead.”

Damn Emmet, he’s busting my balls and he isn’t even here.

Edward’s answer was a full-bodied laugh. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

Don’t you dare call and tell him!

Edward flipped the phone open and hit the speed dial. Emmett’s name came up on the screen.

I lunged at Edward, trying to wrestle the phone from him.

I wound up straddling his lap, holding his hand with the phone above his head.

I could tell from the receding landscape, that Edward was now driving faster instead of slower.

I managed to hit the ‘End’ button on the cell phone.

“You’ve lost a lot of your strength. I dare say you’re at normal vampire status now.” He let his phone drop from his hand.

You’re not the first to say that. Stupid Emmett.

Without my horrible music, the car was filled with the engine’s purr. I don’t know how he was driving with me blocking his view, but I snaked my arms around his neck instead of sliding over to my rightful seat.

Edward drove with one hand and put the other on my lower back. Instead of kissing we just looked into each other’s eyes.

Hot, sexy man. You could kill a girl this way.

“My girl is too strong for death.” He had dropped his eyes to my neck.
Edward leaned forward to nip at my throat, gently scraping his teeth on the super sensitive site of my death wound.

That’s nice

He sat back with hooded eyes and a crooked smile.

His hand traveled slowly from my back to the center of my chest. He put gentle pressure until I understood and leaned back against the steering wheel. His clever mouth had me gasping and growling. All the while, Edward was driving the most treacherous mountain roads at the Enzo’s top speed.

It was night when we untangled ourselves atop a beautiful Catskill Mountain.
This is my old stomping grounds.

“I know, you had such beautiful memories of this spot, I wanted to see it in person.” He held my hand and kept his thumb rubbing an endless possessive circle.

The scenery was even better now that I was a vampire. I could see the crispness I could only smell in the air as a human. Each leaf had its own personality. The sheer cliff faces recording layers of time with such arresting accuracy.

Thank you for bringing me here.

“Thank you for the car ride.” He lifted his lip like Elvis and growled.

My pleasure.

“Do you know your eyes get bluer when you think of me?”

How embarrassing. I looked towards my feet.

“Hey,” He lifted my chin with his knuckle, “it warms my heart, don’t be embarrassed.”

We were quiet for a while. The sky painted itself black and the stars began showing off, glimmering and flickering.

Eventually, Edward sat on the ground, he pulled me down and settled me between his legs. I used him like a lounge chair for the star viewing.

Star bright, starlight, first star I see tonight.

Edward looked at my face and followed my eyes and thoughts to a small, strong star off of the big dipper.

“That is the 1,435th star you have seen tonight.”

Shush. Wish I may, wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight.

“I’m listening.” Edward was waiting for my wish.

I turned to face him, sitting Indian style.

I wish Edward would believe he made dying worth living for.

“Don’t waste your wish on me.” Edward scoffed and looked past me.

I spoke out loud, “I’ll waste all my wishes on you. You can’t regulate wishes.” I gently chastised him.

Edward, you silly vampire, I pick you. I pick you to love.

His looked into my eyes again at the words love.

“How could you possibly know that?” He seemed truly confused.

How could I possibly not? Love is easy, I have been in love many times.

“Reeallly?” He had made the two-syllable word sound much longer.

I shook my head with a smile

“How can it be so effortless for you? Aren’t you afraid of the pain?” He was searching my face for answers.

“Life is just like this, Edward.” I motioned to the sheer cliff with the picturesque terrain.

You can either be afraid of the fall or enjoy the view.

I walked to the edge of the cliff to prove my point. He was soon beside me.

“How did you get all this down pat in such a short amount of time?” He was teasing now.

Women are a lot smarter than men.

Edward grabbed me and pulled me into his arms.

My very tippy toes were on the rock, but the rest of me dangled over the 500-foot drop.

“So it’s like this then?” His seductive voice captured me.

Just like this. I put my arms out and leaned back as far as I could, closing my eyes.

“I am enjoying the view now.” His voice was meaningful enough for me to open my eyes as he gathered me closer. I put my head on his chest.

“Tell me you love me,” he said. I found his golden eyes sparkling in the moonlight.

I love you. I could actually feel my eyes getting bluer, but I kept my gaze steady. It was a vow for me, one that I would never turn my back on.

“Out loud.” he whispered.
“I will love you forever, Edward.” I smiled and kissed his lips.

“How can you say those words without expectation in your own mind?” He was smiling too now, “You truly are as good as you seem Sasha Duncan.”

Edward dipped me dramatically over the edge of the cliff, the most dangerous dance move in the world. With the stars bordering his beauty, Edward said loud enough to echo, “I am honored to love you. Kiss me.”
Trusting him to hold us both, I kissed him passionately.

 

[Geek]

Eight Strong

“Well, gorgeous, would you like to drive?” Edward’s grin was tempting.

“Are you kidding? Hell ya!!” I looked expectedly for the keys.
Edward walked over and lifted the door upwards, so it looked like a wing. I let my fingers trail from the door to his chest. Keys, handsome?

“Not necessary.” He waited until I was fully seated before he closed the door. As he settled into his passenger seat, he pointed to the red button that was the ignition.

No way.
“Oh, yeah.” He had picked the cd case up.

I pressed the button and felt the motor explode. I felt like I was already holding her back.
I drove fast, but much more cautiously then Edward.

“That’s what you think.” He was sliding in the cd.

Takes a strong man to ride b***h, you look cute doing it.

Nine Inch Nails made themselves known again, this time Edward sang the lyrics out loud. Perfect recall.

That’s a filthy little ditty. I thought, mocking his mocking of me. Who says ditty anymore? ‘Pantaloons’ are probably still in your vocabulary.
Edward responded by tickling me, all the while demanding that I not get even a scratch in his car.

I took the long way, enjoying the response to the gentle tap of the gas petal the Enzo gave me.

“Did you know, every time you shift gears, your skirt rides up a little bit?” His eyes looked devilish. I shifted into fifth gear just to watch his eyes watch my dress.

Soon enough, I pulled the beast of a car over at a Park n’ Ride.

I needed to know what I was facing, and driving Edward’s fabulous toy was not going to help me concentrate.

We switched places.

Edward could sense the change in my thoughts and looked somber.

Tell me.

With a deep sigh, Edward began.
“Well, first off you were dealing with Tom today, not Rick.”

He has a twin brother? I pictured the odd facial expression and posture change at the end of our stand off.

“No, one of that idiot is enough. Rick has a mental condition. We believe he might have a dissociative disorder. Have you ever heard of multiple personalities?” Edward looked to me to see if I was following.

Yes, I have seen Sybil.

“Well, Rick is one of that vampire’s personalities, the other calls itself Tom. Carlisle did mention that there is some controversy over dissociative disorder, but judging from his thoughts and mannerisms, it is safe to assume that we are dealing with many vampires in one body.”

Edward fished his phone out from behind his seat and slipped it into his pocket.

“I have only read the minds of two. Rick is impulsive and undedicated. When he claimed he would kill your family, he was just bluffing. He looses interest quickly.”

Well, that’s good.
Edward slightly frowned and shook his head. “Unfortunately, Tom, the other personality, becomes fixated. Right now, Tom thinks you might be the perfect woman to help him defeat Rick once and for all, so he can be in charge of the body.”

Seriously? How the hell am I supposed to do that?

Well, Tom’s train of thought is not logical and was hard to follow. Your blue eyes remind him of his mother’s eyes. The way he thought of his mother seemed obsessive. He saw her as a savior. Tom felt his mother loved him, but Rick interfered with his awful tendencies, so that is why his mother abused them both.”

Um. Wow. Edward must have seen the touch of sympathy when I heard the word ‘abuse’.

“Sasha, we can’t underestimate this vampire. I have never seen such a fractured, violent mind.”

I looked out the window of the speeding Enzo, remembering the faces of the ghosts that had helped me the day Calvin had been taken. My heart hardened.

“That’s better.”

So what is going on with the month break?

“Well, it’s April. Rick and Tom agree on one thing. During April, every year since he was made, the vampire spends the month self-flagellating.”
I wrinkled my face in distain. What the hell does that entail?

“Suffice it to say, it’s not pretty. Come May, he will be ravenous for blood and evil. April is the month he killed his mother. Are you feeling ok? This is a lot to take in.” He hated telling me this news.

I am fine. It’s good to know.

“So, this month we are going to try and acclimate you to society a bit more.
You can plan on some outings to increase your exposure to humans.”

Why?

His jaw tightened. “It is prudent and useful.”

And if you all die trying to save me, I will be able to live as a vampire.

“He is one vampire, we are seven strong. We just need to catch his slippery mind and future.” He was determined.

We are eight strong, Edward. Eight.
He picked my hand up off the center console and kissed it.
“Right you are. Eight now.”

I nodded with conviction. I’ll be damned if I let him anywhere near Edward.

Edward groaned. “You know I heard that.”
Sorry.

 

[Geek]

Ballerina Pudge

As Edward and I walked up to the Penthouse, we held hands. We were welcomed by a barking Pudge when we entered.

I sat down where I was standing to be in her flurry of happiness. She was obviously fine, Carlisle would make an excellent vet as well.

Pudge smelled like coconuts and had on a complete ballerina’s costume. “Who decided my dog needed a tutu?”

Alice raised her hand sheepishly, “You’ll eventually think it’s cute, trust me.”

It was growing on me. Pudge was in her full excitement mode, woofling and spinning in circles.

Alice and Carlisle were on their way out for surveillance.

“Thanks guys, I appreciate what you're doing.” Carlisle patted me on the shoulder and Alice whispered in my ear as she skipped out the door, “The cliff kiss was hot!”

We were left with Rosalie and Emmett. I looked around the penthouse to discover someone had bought enough dog products to keep an entire wolf pack fed, clean and happy for years.

Emmett seemed to pick up a conversation that had been started earlier.

“Well, Rose, you have shown the mutt more loving in one night then I’ve seen in a month.”

I looked at Edward, Awkward. He was obviously sneaking a peek in his brother and sister’s minds.

He looked troubled.

Rosalie was busy lining up an obscene amount of chew toys in a kitchen cabinet, seemingly totally ignoring Emmett.

“Hey Rose, I kissed the hell of Sasha today.” He stared at the back of her head.

Nice, throw me under the bus. Jerk.

Rosalie opened a bag of collars and started hanging them up in the hall closet.

“Well maybe, I’ll do it again right here. Will that get to you, ice princess?” Emmett took a step in my direction. I scurried behind Edward.

“Whatever. Screw you all.” Emmett left the penthouse with a defiant door slam.

Within seconds, one of Esme’s potted flowering trees from the rooftop garden flew past the window. Edward and I cringed as we heard the pot shatter on the road below.

“Which one do you want?” he asked. I guess we were going to divide and conquer.

Rosalie for me. I heard two more pots hit the street. You better be careful.

“I’ll be fine. See you in a bit.” Edward gave me a kiss on my forehead.

He closed the door much quieter. Pudge was leaping up for pets and then circling me in excitement.

I sat on the floor again and let her climb in my lap.

The pots stopped being thrown off the roof, so either Edward had talked Emmett down, or he was busy playing a horrible game of catch.

“Pudge has never been so pampered, thank you Rosalie.” I kept looking at Pudge, but I could feel Rosalie sit down in front of us.

“No problem, it was a lot of fun buying stuff for her.” Pudge was an equal opportunity lover and started spreading herself towards Rosalie too.

I took the chance to look in her eyes. I saw what I thought I would.

Want. She wants what she can’t have.

I started suspecting things were changing for Rosalie during one of my walks.

I had approached her with a request. “Rosalie, I have a favor to ask.” She had looked at me dispassionately.

“Ok. Shoot. But I am not promising anything.” I took a chance that she, of all the vampires in the house would understand how important this was to me.

“I would like you to take my walk so that we run pass some children.” It seemed like a sick request.

“Why, in God’s name, Sasha would you want to endanger kids?” She seemed angry.

“If I can’t resist them, then I don’t want to be.” I saw the understanding reach her eyes.

“I don’t want to be a thing on this planet that could hurt a child. So, if I can’t do it, I need you to end me.”

Rosalie bobbed her head up and down. “Ok.”

Our next walk took us in front of a daycare. I kept focusing on the goal and I was able to get past the area with little trouble. But I knew if I had so much as growled, Rosalie would have been there to keep the kids safe. And to make me stop being.

I was still thankful. As my walks with her increased, I noticed the haunting want in her eyes.

She and I were both petting Pudge when I said what I had avoided mentioning on our walks, “You want to be a mother.”

We met eyes again. “Yes. I want it so much I can taste it.”

“I wanted to be a mother before.” I didn’t need to say ‘before what’, she knew.

“What are you going to do now?” she asked. I was perplexed. The answer would not come. I went in a different direction.

“Rose, have you ever drained a human?” I was curious.

“No. I never have.” There were so many more layers to this beautiful woman.

After doing the math, I figured she had been a vampire for about 60 years.

“You know, when you’re working with kids, they become yours. You have to be able to love a lot of them at once though.” I smiled encouragingly at her. “You’re not their mother, but there is a really strong connection.”

“What are you suggesting?” She seemed scared and thrilled at my train of thought.

“Maybe we can find a way you could get involved. I would help you with a resume. Maybe the daycare with the babies needs some help.”

I saw her eyes sparkle with hope.

“I mean Pudge loves the attention, but a child would be so lucky to have you doting on them.” I ruffled the fur on top of Pudge’s silly head.

“Emmett doesn’t get it. He thinks I should be satisfied with just him. And I am. I love him, but I need more. I want something to depend on me.” She was getting at the heart of the matter.

“Emmett will come around. He just wants to fix things for you. Sometimes standing aside is the hardest thing.” I placed my hand on hers.

“He really kissed the hell out of you?” She seemed skeptical.

“We were undercover. He really helped me today. He’s a good guy. I did knee him in the junk pretty hard.” At this Rosalie started laughing so hard that Pudge began barking.

Edward came back into the penthouse. “Emmett went for a walk. He said he would be back for his shift.” He smiled at Rosalie and nodded at a thought she had in his direction.

“Hey, I think I have to go. I might have to go job hunting tomorrow.” Rosalie left with a wink for me and a snuggle for Pudge.

Edward and I were alone with the dog.

“So where is Emmett, really?” I couldn’t imagine the big lug settling down that quick.

“Well, I threw him off the roof so he would leave Esme’s plants alone. He was headed to Central Park to fling some of their trees around. Rosalie likes you. That’s a rarity.” He held his hand out to me to help me off the floor.

She’s just misunderstood. She has a special need.

“If b***hiness is a disability, then she has that in spades.” Edward grabbed a treat out of the now prominent dog jar in the living room. Pudge jumped up to get it with as much gracefulness as a coffee table.

“I have to go to Phillion’s again. There is a detective that wants to question me about your disappearance. A good Samarian tipped them off to the fact that you left that evening with me.”

Oh no, you’re not a suspect are you?

He shook his head. “Jasper has important friends on the force, so I will be fine.”

I would not want to piss Jasper off.

“Well his contact is another detective that happens to be a vampire. So she is aware of the rouge vampire, and that he killed you. We just haven’t shared that we saved you, yet.”

The night shift?

“Of course.” He was on his way out the door. “Emmett should be here soon to take you out. I’ll see you later.”

Later. Our kiss lingered longer than it should.

 

[Geek]

Playing Wal-Mart

I had changed to jeans and a t-shirt, when Emmet barged in the door. His presence was so massive, it seemed like he should have things in orbit around him. He was still mad.

“You leave anything standing in the park?” I was rewarded with a guttural growl. After a while of me picking silently through Pudge’s new possessions, Emmett seemed to blow his top.

“What the hell does she want me to do? I mean, change a kid? How could I do that? It’s illegal and disgusting. I feel like I don’t even know who she is anymore.” He was stalking around the apartment launching his angry words at me.

“Emmett, she is the same person. She always wanted to be a mom. You know that. Maybe you have to just give her space. Let her find herself.” I tracked him with my eyes.

He stopped. “Enough of the happy Dr. Phil horse ####. Get shoes on, it’s time for the Cullen family pet’s field trip.”

I laced up a pair of pink Converse. He did not even acknowledge me as he walked through the door and left it open. I had to rush to catch up.

His Jeep was headed out of the parking lot before I was even close to it. I was forced to sprint and launch myself through the sunroof.

Emmett watched me as I dropped into his vehicle. When I finally met his eyes the agony there made me bite my lip. He had brought me a phone when I needed it most. Sure, the police had my sister’s phone tapped and they had triangulated the signal to almost catch Edward and I, but it was the thought that counts.

“Where are we headed?” Instead of answering me, Emmett blasted a nightmarish Skinny Puppy song. He was banging out the beat on the steering wheel and hissing the lyrics.

He’s scary. Despite the size and strength that coursed from him, I had never viewed Emmett as scary. He seemed like a devoted Labrador, but seeing this side of him reminded me that he was a predator as well.

He was driving upstate. I knew I had to take matters into my own hands, because Emmett didn’t seem to be in a great mood to make decisions.

I opened the door to the Jeep while it was in full motion down the road, I hit the hard ground rolling and got to my feet as quickly as I could. In the distance I could see the familiar blue sign of a Wal-Mart. I began sprinting towards it. My field trip could be there.

I saw the bouncy headlights and knew that Emmett was off-roading to pursue me. I almost made it to the weight-censored doormat when I was caught around the waist.

“Pita, what the hell are you doing? You can’t jump out of the Jeep like a crazy person.” I was relieved to hear him speak in his normal voice.

He had lifted me so my feet wouldn’t touch the ground.

“I want to go to Wal-Mart.” I tried kicking him to get myself down.

“What kind of brainless red neck are you?” He dropped me to my feet and grabbed me up in his special ‘Pita neck grab’. He forced my head in his direction so I had to look at him.

“Emmett, Wal-Mart saves us money so we can live better. It’s a fine establishment.” I put my nose in the air as much as I could with my neck restraint.

“You’re a ditz. Come on then.” Emmett waltzed me into Wal-Mart, never letting go of my neck. We did the perimeter of the store in no time, though halfway through he punched a hole in the wall and ripped out a bunch of wire. I assumed it was the lines to the security cameras.

We were back in front of the Jeep again in under three minutes. Emmett was trying to stuff me into the passenger seat.

Without either of us saying a word, I started attacking him like a cat on its way to a bath. I clawed at him and bit at his hands.

He dropped me and we both stood there glaring at each other. He tried again and I resumed my defensive maneuvering.

“Aggh! What do you want?!” He was screaming at me.

“I want to walk in that store like a person.” I looked at him through one squinched eye.

He sighed with exasperation; he went to grab my neck again. I started slapping at his hand.

“Like a person Emmett. Hold my God damn hand, if you insist on touching me.” He held out his huge hand.

“Give me your hoof Pita.” I put my small hand in his. He promptly crushed my knuckles together. I began slapping his chest when an elderly couple spoke up.

They were on their way into the store. “Are you two kids newly weds?”

Emmett grabbed my hip and pulled me against him. “Yeah, we are just back from Vegas.” I continued to glare at him.

He leaned over me and licked his lips, “Give me a little sugar, my dumpy little love muffin.”

The cute couple gave a little chuckle and went on their way.

“Dumpy? No wonder Rosalie likes my dog better than you.” I was poking a cobra with a stick now.

“I’m going to dangle you like bait off the penthouse balcony until your stupid stalker comes and takes your crazy ass away.” I tried to swallow my smile, but failed.

“Let’s go Pita.” His voice was softer. As the doors slid open to admit us again, I got an idea to cheer him up.

“Hey Emmett, have you ever played Wal-Mart before?” His interested gold eyes sparkled.

Three hours later, we were still in Wal-Mart. The game I invented had turned into an all out festival of insanity. Officially, the rules were: find a list left over in a shopping cart, grab a cart and get those items, and lastly, to win, you had to find the other player and pelt them with whatever items you had in your cart.

We were pretty much tied, but that was because I had lucked out and found a list that only consisted of ten basketballs.

We had to avoid the other customers and the employees.

Because we were Emmet and Sasha, our game evolved to epic proportions, with Emmett tossing tractors at me.

To unwind we quickly changed all the lettered signs into curses or insults.

We found ourselves sitting on the top row of bicycles, watching a huge screen TV in Electronics.

“Thanks for this.” Emmett seemed to be talking to the TV, but I knew he had figured out my angle.

I couldn’t fix what was wrong between him and Rosalie, but I could play with him. We could have fun.

I nodded like I had seen Edward nod at the other men in the family.

“You did great tonight. Did you notice how close you are to the humans and you didn’t eat any of them?” Hearing his praise, I found myself smiling at him. I lazily spun the wheel of the empty bicycle next to mine.

“We should get home, I want to see Pudge again.” I hopped down to the tiled floor. Emmett landed silently next to me. “I hate that freaking dog.”

“That won’t last, Pudge has a way of getting everyone to love her, even someone with a heart as small as yours has a chance.”

I found myself being strangled by a bra.

“Let go, you dung pile!” I tore through the fabric easily. “Now your sorry ass has to go up and buy this torn up boulder holder.” I laughed at his discomfort.

He managed to get out of the embarrassment by dropping the bra on the customer service desk with a hundred dollar bill.

 

[Geek]

New Chapter.

Edward did not to hear what Jasper and Carlisle had to say about Sasha. His feet felt leaden. He knew Jasper had been investigating something regarding Sasha. This meeting in Carlisie's office could only mean Jazz found what he was looking for.

Edward figured it had been too easy. His nature was to expect the other shoe to drop. Sahsa’s enthusiasm had infected him. Even waiting for Rick to turn back up and knowing her ghosts could return at any moment, she insisted on enjoying her day. Edward stared at the gently breathing Pudge and thought about his time with Sasha.

He had done the “Movie Date”, where Alice helped him outfit the Penthouse to resemble a movie theater. They had even popped popcorn and created tickets. The popcorn was just for a scent ambiance. But it was gold to Sasha and She screamed in elation.

Edward played “The Princess Bride” on the Cullen’ entertainment system. The rest of the evening Edward only replied “As you wish.” to Sasha’s requests. He could tell from her thoughts that she was tickled pink by his over the top play acting.

Listening to Sasha’s mind was like opening a present you never expected to get. Her motto that she said and thought frequently was, “If your not having a good time, it’s your own damn fault.”

When Edward looked into her crystal blue eyes, the bottom fell out of his pessimism. Sasha was sweeping away years of doubt with her easy smile and quick laughter. Edward never imagined he could be with someone romantically. Hearing someone’s thoughts during a kiss was not always pleasant. He found that women tended to think about their own perceived flaws and plotting their next move. But Sasha just felt. When Edward kissed Sasha she gave over to the sensory. Occasionally she would slip in words like “delicious” “heaven” and “mmm”.

Edward made a point not to peek into Jazz’s mind. I am going to make them tell me with words.

As Jazz stood up to shake Edward’s hand, he revealed a horrendous outfit and layers of gold chains.

“Is the bad news that you are becoming a Pimp, Jasper?” Edward’s light tone belayed the knot in his chest.

Jasper waved away Edward’s comment and resumed his electronic detective work.

Carlisle and Edward sat in the chairs opposing Jasper.

“Son, Jasper has been hard at work researching Sasha’s condition, for lack of a better term,” Carlisle had his Doctor voice on. Edward took a dip in his mind out of habit.

Perished. Fallen. Slain. Not Viable.

Edward looked at the tiles above his head, concentrating in the tiny dimples in the squares. Please not Sasha.

“Edward, Aro has been looking for blue eyed vampires since about 1920. We are not sure why. We do know he was implicated in the famous take down of the mother and daughter.

“Aura and Cruor” Edward added helpfully.

“Yes, exactly. So we were pretty certain that the Volturi would not approve of any hints of vampires that could speak to ghosts. But Jasper has found out information to the contrary.” Carlisle nodded in Jasper’s direction, clearly encouraging Jasper to take over the narrative.

Jasper turned a set of tortured gold eyes on Edward.

“It appears Aro had a covert team of vampires looking specifically for blue-eyed vampires. I found one of the members of that group and questioned him.” Jasper went silent, so Edward knew it was time to see for himself. Edward opened his mind and prepared for the mental punch that was sure to follow, judging from the tension in the room.

Edward was transported in Jasper’s memory. The Pimp outfit was not at all out of place in the horrific place Jasper had walked into. The drafty building was obviously meant to be abandoned, but it was teaming with unfortunate souls. Some vampire, some human made their way around the drafty, crumbling building. Newspapers and cardboard converted to makeshift doors and walls.

After slipping money to one vampire and flashing a gun at a human, Jasper was lead deeper into the almost pitch black bowels of the building. An actual door was shown to Jasper and his tour guides hurried away.

Edward had to smirk as he watched Jazz kick the door off its hinges instead of knocking.

Jasper spotted the vampire he had come to see in the corner of the dark room. He was greasy, dirty, and wrapped in what looked like a thirty-five-year-old bed sheet.

“Well, Pimp, you just wrecked the last door in the whole God damn place.” The old vampire’s voice seemed rusted with disuse.

Jasper began sending out his calming vibes and testing the energy around him.

The old vampire was putting off only depression, no fear.

“Listen, you old, half-dead fart, tell me what I need to know and I'll put your crappy door back on.” The vampire slithered into a semi standing position at Jasper’s words.

“I don’t know anything about anything. I'm sitting here waiting for the world to end, so you can kiss my withered ass, Pimp.”

Jasper hit the old vampire with plenty of his juice, concentrating mostly on calm and chatty.

Quietly, and with respect, Jasper asked, “Please tell me about the blue-eyed vampires.”

The change in the tone of Jasper’s voice combined with his talent had the vampire sliding down the wall into his crouch.

“Well, isn’t that something. I was just sitting here thinking about them. Oh wait. That’s right. I never stop thinking about them.” The sarcasm seeped into his confession, but Jasper kept at it.

“What happened to the blue eyed ones?” Jasper crouched down so even though he was across the dark room, he was eye level with the withered one.

“The ones with the blue eyes die. Every damn time we found one, they died. We would ride in and change them or get there after they changed. If they had blue eyes, we were charged with confiscating them and seeing if they were viable.”

Jasper let the silence ask his questions for him. The torment in the room was a wonderful inquisitor.

“They were so powerful, for just a split second. But then their brains just melted. You could see it, you know? When the change happened, their eyes would go from blue to red. After the red, the damnedest thing would happen, the eyes would turn into mirrors and we could only see ourselves. We could only see ourselves.” The withered vampire sent fear into the room and Jasper quickly absorbed it, retaliating with even more calm.

“You know, we changed some kids. Anybody that was rumored to speak to ghosts. What the hell did he want so bad? What the hell did I want so bad that I did what he requested? Isn’t that a #####? I don’t even know.”

Jasper needed confirmation, “Who sent you to find them?”

“Aro. I tell you what. Nothing he promised me and nothing he could do to me was worth what I saw. What those vampires became.” Here the withered vampire began shaking his head violently.

Jasper stopped his recollection. Edward met his eyes, “Finish it, show me the rest.” No need to be protected from the pain anymore.

The memory Jasper spoke up. “Hey, how long did they last?”

“Minutes, at most. The longest lasted an hour after she changed. She is why I sit in this room.” He let out a humorless laugh. “That ##### started talking to the ghost of the last person I drained. That ghost promised he would wait for me. When I go, that ghost will be there. I won’t be a vampire there. I’ll be just like the rest of them. Just like the rest of them.”

Jasper had to redirect the conversation, he could feel the anxiousness of the vampire in front of him reaching critical mass.

“Do you have any idea what would happen if one stayed alive?”

This question stimulated the old man, he started crawling towards Jasper with a wild look in his bright red eyes.

“You have one? You have alive one? I need it. I NEED IT!”

Jasper held back his revulsion as he saw the madness. “No of course not, you old fool, I just wanted to know who to milk if I changed a fortuneteller.”

The old man scoffed. “If I had a live one, and it lived? I would be the most powerful vampire in the world. They would lay at my feet for a chance to talk to it. Don’t you know how tempting the past is? To try and fix all you have done wrong?” He crawled backwards to his corner. “That’s like believing in Santa Claus. A live one. They went so crazy before we killed them, it was like they weren’t even thinking. Just teeth and mirrors. Teeth and mirrors.”

Jasper could feel the man slipping back into his cocoon. He walked out of the forsaken building. Jasper’s own anger consumed him as he went to a nearby gutted taxi and flipped it with frustration. Jasper pictured Edward and Sasha snuggled on the couch together looking into each other’s eyes.

Edward pulled out of Jasper’s mind.

Carlisle could sense that the mental narrative was over.

“Son, I'm so very sorry.” The pity in his voice was all too evident.

Edward grabbed one of his hands with the other. He wanted to throw things, he wanted to cry, he wanted to make his mind turn off.

He looked up at these two men and felt his anger dissipate. The pain in their eyes was palpable. They loved her too.

“She's like an angel to me. Something I hoped existed, but feared would never come.” Edward stood. He knew he should thank these men, try and make a plan, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

He just wanted to make them understand where in his chest he was hurting.

“She's my Esme, She's my Alice. I need her.” Edward left the room quietly.

Carlisle and Jasper had no words for each other. They both found themselves looking at the hiking picture on the desk, staring at the loves of their lives.

 

[Geek]

Opposite instinct

Edward seemed determined to make the most of every moment. I had noticed a great urgency in his kisses and his touch. He had to reveal the catalyst behind his actions.

I had no idea when my ghosts would return and the peace in my head was getting addicting.

The night my ghosts returned, Alice had gathered the whole family and told them that thy needed to plan a risky outing to a local club.

Finally, the night in question arrived, after ingesting copious amounts of animal blood, I was full. I looked at the Cullens. In a group together they were so overwhelming. Like the perfection of a magazine cover, moving and talking. Each hair would fall in an attractive way. No snorting, sneezing or odd faces. I realized that I fit into this group, now. We were headed to a club to see if Alice was right. She saw us, as a group, getting information about Rick's whereabouts.

The Cullens were discussing their game plan, with Alice's eyes getting a far away look as she confirmed or denied suggestions.

What pressure she had, determining everyone's fate and decisions from all their possible choices.

They rely too much on her, it must be draining. I saw Edward nod.

He was traipsing through my thoughts like they were a field of poppies again.

He made a little skip and looked towards my face and gave me a wink.

I shook my head, but couldn't help but smile a little tiny bit. In the next moment he was holding my hand. As he took it he pushed me off balance with his hip.

"I'll stick close to Sasha, and make sure she doesn't kill anyone, and I'll keep her looking as human as I can." He hip checked me again.

He leaned down to my ear and whispered, "Remember, vampires stand too still, you need to fidget, but until your skill is perfected I'll be making you fidget tonight. I apologize in advance if anything I do to you to keep up the façade is not very gentlemanly. "

Alice spoke in her musical voice. "Ok, so far, as of this minute, we have Carlisle at the hospital, Esme and Rosalie protecting Karen and the rest of us looking for clues inside the club."

The little powwow was taking place in the club parking lot. We were surrounded by four amazing vehicles.

So much for trying to look human.

Carlisle walked close and handed me another bag of blood. I sucked on the IV tube like a straw. From the taste, it was bear. I tried not to picture Emmett wringing a dead bear's corpse like a soggy dishrag. Edward stepped slightly in front of me, so I had a bit of privacy.

Thanks.

He squeezed my hand in reply.

I handed the empty bag to Dr. Cullen. He whipped out a small flashlight and checked my eyes again.

I knew my eyes intrigued him. He wanted to find out the reason that my bright blue eyes had refused to comply with the red blood crimson rule that vampire eyes adhered to.

Carlisle pulled out a dark pair of expensive sunglasses. "Wear these, they'll hide your eyes, but I'm pretty sure the humans will think that your eye color are contacts."

We separated. Alice had insisted on a Goth motif for our outfits. She looked insanely perfect, her dark, short hair in every direction. Leather pants poured onto her little frame complimented a billowy sheer shirt. Underneath was a beautiful lace camisole. She topped off the look with heavy make up, black nail polish, and beautiful black ballet slippers.

I looked at Edward. We had guessed at our outfits, neither of us had dressed this particular part before. We had over done it. We were both in matching leather vests, with low slung ripped up jeans. I had sculpted his hair into a faux hawk and added some guyliner. My hair was 80's huge. Edward went behind me with a can of hairspray and came out with half of it gone. I did my own make up, emphasizing my red lips to try and take away from my bright, glowing blue eyes.

Edward had ducked into a pet store on our way and bought a huge bag full of collars and chains. We took turns attaching things to belt loops and securing collars around our necks, arms, and wrists.

Rosalie had scoffed when she saw our creations. Edward leaned down and did a perfect imitation of a Rottweiler bark softly in my ear. It was time to go in.

"O.k." I felt nervous. Rightfully so. The whole family was treating me like a loaded gun. Or worse, an armed nuclear weapon.

Edward pulled me to him, moving me. After I fell against him I realized I had not blinked since we left the apartment. I blinked.

"It's about time." His soft voice never sounded harsh.

Emmett had apparently found an actual store that sold Goth products and had loaded up on fake piercings and tattoos. He looked more like a guy doing a life sentence in prison than a partygoer.

Alice fluttered up to the front of the line to speak to the giant sized bouncer. I looked at the name of the club. "Fallen" looked like a high priced New York Club. Judging from the scantily clad, freezing customer hopefuls in the long line, it was hard to get into.

If a human man could deny Alice anything, I don't think it has happened yet. She went to her tiptoes and planted a kiss on the bouncer's cheek. I watched his brain melt and settle in his pants.

Poor Bastard.

Emmett helped open the door for us. Alice and Jasper went first. Emmett made gruesome faces at both of them. He waited for Edward and I. He licked his lips and winked at Edward, who mock punched him.

"You better back off, Charles Manson, cause my girlfriend can wrestle you to the ground and make you say uncle."

"Girlfriend?" One of Emmett's heavily studded eyebrows shot up.

We all sauntered into the club; I watched the reaction of the crowd. I understood Alice's decree of Goth clothing. The "difference" of our group seemed to be dismissed as part of our costume. We were vampires hiding in pain sight. We made our way to the side of the cement that was serving as a dance floor.

The pounding music was so loud, but I found I could hear everything through it. Scraping chairs, shouting voices, and cell phones vibrating. It was overwhelming and then the smells mingled with the sounds. Human smells, body odor, sweat smells combined with the sound it made sliding down spines.

But what undid me was the sound of the pulses. The gentle swoosh of blood through the veins. It spoke straight to a primal evil lodged in my brain like a tumor.

I saw a flash of Alice's beautiful pixie-like face just as I submitted to the need to inhale. I used my nose and my mouth to try and drink the air.

Every other girl in the club must have been instantly jealous as three gorgeous men pressed against my body, seeming intent on touching me.

Edward heard my thoughts and combined the situation with Alice's warning of me becoming exactly what they all feared.

Edward snaked his arms through mine from behind and locked his elbows as effectively as a pair of handcuffs. Emmett came up from behind us and slipped his arm around my waist, standing a little off to the side to allow Jasper some room to work his magic.

Last, but the most effective was handsome, scarred Jasper. He put his hands on my face. He began whispering soothing words like a snake tamer.

I stared into his golden eyes for all I was worth.

Calm started with my eyes and tickled all the way through my body.

"Dance" Edward said, and we all obeyed. To our human observers, we looked like a very risqué bunch of friends. All the while, the men never let go of me.

Alice appeared and handed me a beer bottle.

"I put extra blood in this for you, drink, you will not kill a human tonight, I promise. "

I took a swig. I made a face.

Where ever Alice had scrounged up this blood? It tasted like asphalt, trash and ass.

Edward made a tiny little rat noise in my ear.

Uh. Yuck.

I was full up on blood. It was like trying to eat another meal after Thanksgiving dinner. Alice gave me a stern look and I downed it.

"She's good, you can let her go." Edward changed his grip so he was holding my shoulders. Emmett stepped back and folded his massive arms in front of him. Jasper slid his hands from my face to my hand, clasping one in both of his.

I did not want to let go of Jasper, he was the only thing that had kept me from going all rabid vampire on these poor souls.

"You're controlling you. Jasper just helps you center what is already in you." I heard Edwards' golden voice behind my ear, giving me a shot of pleasure.

Jasper nodded at Edward's words, "I'm here if you need an alignment." As he released my hand, I realized that he was the key to Alice's bubbly personality. Seeing the future would drive anyone crazy, but with Jasper, nothing she would see would end her sanity. He had such a great gift, and used it to soothe the Soothsayer.

I turned to face Edward, ashamed of how close and how quick I was to becoming a monster. I saw nothing but understanding in his eyes.

"We have all been there, we're proud of you. Bringing a newborn vampire to a club full of humans is an impossible task. If it wasn't for Alice's insistence and reassurances, you would not be here."

A slow song erupted from the sound system.

Nat King Cole's liquid voice cooled the temperature of the club. "Unforgettable, that's what you are.."

Edward pulled me into a simple waltz step. Having had just a few dance lessons, I knew I was outclassed, but he was an amazing leader and this vampire body was so receptive to direction.

Edward pushed my sunglasses on top of my head.