Disclaimer: Twilight and all related elements © Stephenie Meyer and Little, Brown and Company 2005. All characters and situations—save those created by the author for use solely in this fan fiction—are copyright Stephenie Meyer and are used without permission. No profit is made off this story, and is for entertainment purposes only

A.N. : I know Stephenie Meyer mentions in Twilight that Alice underwent shock treatments at the mental hospital. However, these were not electromagnetic shock treatments, as those were invented some seven years after Alice was changed in 1920. The type of shock treatments Alice would have had was malaria shock treatments. You can read more about them on wikipedia!

A ton of thanks to ArieSemir, the speediest beta in the West.

oOo

The look on her face as they'd forced her down had been more than Adam could bear. The will to refuse to release her to those inhuman- he inwardly laughed at the usage of the word- doctors had almost exceeded his frantic urge to get away from her as quickly as possible. The scent of her blood still haunted him, gnawed at the very edges of his soul, but he closeted it away, striding quickly through the double doors that marked the entrance to St. Anne's.

Outside the coldness of the night air hit him full in the face and he inhaled deeply, more out of habit than necessity. It was a beautiful night. The air was wet and heavy, although a faint breeze would stir occasionally and bring a new wave of sharp coldness. She would have liked the fresh air for once.

Mary Alice.

Inwardly he cursed his own foolishness. He had jeopardized everything, trying to help her, but he couldn't stand watching her like that, seeing her in so much pain. She reminded him so much of-

But he couldn't- wouldn't allow himself- to think of it. That was painful, too.

There were days that she was fine, sleeping silently, the steady rhythm of her breathing the only noise that filled the still room she had to herself, due to her tendency to scream if she was subjected to a roommate. And then there were the horrible hours that seemed to last forever, where Adam had no idea what to do.

He could stay away- he should, stay away from her. He stared broodingly at a flower closed tightly against the night air. It wasn't safe for her for him to be near, but still…he couldn't bear to leave her there. She was all alone in that place. The sadness of it seemed to permeate the air around him, and with a melancholy movement he turned on his heel and slowly walked back inside. He had better explain himself.

oOo

"She's calming down now, Doctor."

Dr. Herbert Cade frowned to himself, looking at the frail frame of the patient. "'Brandon, Mary,' isn't it? This is the second time this month."

His assistant looked down at the chart, glancing sideways at Dr. Cade and trying to imitate his look of distasted concern. "Yes. Only two weeks ago."

"Who was it that notified you?"

"One of the night janitors," he said eagerly. "Although I didn't recognize him. An old man, you saw him as he left, didn't you, Doctor?"

Cade glanced at him and the assistant flushed. Impertinent boy. He certainly hadn't the time to notice an aging janitor when he had been half dragged into the screaming girl's room by this fervent little man. His eyebrows furrowed.

"I want to see him," he said decisively. "See if you can find the man and have him meet me in my office."

The assistant nodded his head so vigorously it was as if his whole body bobbed up and down along with it. "Of course, Doctor."

Cade debated vaguely, as he often did when confronted by this obsequious student, to give him some random ludicrous order and see what he would do. Finished with his bout of agreement, the assistant turned on his heel and strode out of the room importantly as if his very life depended on it. Dr. Cade sighed.

Students.

He tapped his chin thoughtfully and looked at the patient. Brandon, Mary. Nothing too special or interesting to tempt him. Schizophrenia, complicated by highly lucid delusions and psychotic episodes. The patient had a history of disliking physical contact, and so he had instructed the other staff to leave her be besides the regular check-ups and, of course, her treatments. Her eyes were beginning to glaze over as the drugs took effect, her skin breaking out into a cold sweat, but at least she was no longer screaming.

One thing Cade would never admit to himself was how much the screaming still bothered him. Especially with this patient in particular.

Her nostrils flared as she sucked in another shallow breath, and Cade was pleased to note she'd relaxed her grip on the sheets and her palms. He frowned again at the marks on her face and wondered how she'd gotten loose of her constraints, when he caught a flutter of movement in her expression. Her lips were moving slowly, almost silently, whispering something over and over.

He had started to lean forward reflexively, but paused, torn. He had better things to do than listening to the ramblings of the insane. But still, out of sheer, morbid curiosity (out of scientific interest, he would later tell himself) he moved forward again, trying to catch her words.

For a minute it seemed as if she'd lost all breath and voice with which to speak. She blew out a ragged stream of words again, her back arching slightly, trying instinctively, he thought, to fight through the episode as well as the sickness coursing through her body. He tilted closer.

"Please…" she whispered, so faintly Cade wondered if he'd imagined it altogether, but she stared at him with terrified eyes. "He's coming. "

oOo

It was getting perilously close to dawn and Adam ground his teeth in frustration.

He'd been standing outside the doctor's quarters for nearly an hour, after the pompous little student that nearly ever left the doctor's side had informed him he was expected to explain why he had been caught inside a patient's room.

He had thought momentarily- it was almost a reoccurring daydream, if he was honest with himself- of simply reaching over and snapping his thin, spindly neck with one flick of his wrist. Perhaps the student assistant had realized this, because he had turned snappishly on his heels and strode away.

Resisting the urge to kill- to feed in this place was difficult, nearly impossible. The closer he came in contact with the patients or staff, the more likely the chance he would slip.

Like he had nearly done in Mary Alice's room tonight.

He closed his eyes, as if by blocking out his sight he could make himself forget the smell of her sweet, sweet blood. In that moment, even though he had promised himself he would try and protect her, shield her from the ragged hell her life had become as best he could, he had been inches from killing her in a moment of hot, delicious blood and bone.

He shuddered to think of it. He would have to hunt before he saw her again, and it was too late to start tonight.

There was a muffled cough- as if he couldn't have heard the assistant scratch his nose from down the hall- behind him.

The doctor's assistant- no better than a glorified scribe, but he fancied himself a doctor- was standing off to the side, an annoyed expression gracing his features.

"Doctor Cade says to go in." He mustered up a glare, and Adam smiled grimly back, only belatedly remembering to affect the posture of a man his age.

Dr. Cade's office was Spartan, the only thing adorning the walls were framed degrees declaring the physician's superiority over such common janitors like himself. Adam was rather bitter about the position himself, but professions that allowed one to work only at night were few and far between. Certain…characteristics of his kind made it quite impossible to hold regular employ.

The man himself was short, portly, and losing the battle with his retreating hairline. Adam knew this type of man- so many years among humanity tended to bleed out individuality slowly and painfully. This was the sort of man that would never realize how truly inept he really was.

It was probably why he had ended up overseeing a place such as this, anyway. He felt a little sorry for him, until he remembered the sound of Mary Alice's screams two floors up.

"Ah, the timely Mr. Priar, I am to presume."

Anger flared up in Adam's gut, and he had to force it down. It would not due to lose control of his emotions over a little condescension. He had not fed.

He tried to look as old and harmless as possible, pulling his frame into itself to make it look smaller. "The….the man out there said you wanted to see me, Dr. Cade?"

The doctor sighed, and motioned towards the empty chair with a weary gesture. "Sit down, Mr. Priar."

Adam sat, looking obsequiously off to the side of the floor. He tried to ignore the doctor as he launched into an explanation about patients and his duties and the differences between doctors and janitors, why it would not due to be caught visiting mentally disturbed patients; all while being intently and fixedly aware of the little man's heartbeat.

"What were you doing in the patient's room, Priar?"

"I…I heard her screaming, Doctor…she sounded like…like she was hurt." He chanced a furtive glance at Cade. The doctor pressed his lips into a thin line.

"That or not, Priar, it is our duty, not yours, to inspect the welfare of the patients." The man sounded tired. Adam stared fixedly at his necktie, and with practiced skill, decided the good doctor didn't have long for this world, anyway. He could read it in the lines of his posture, the fluttering of his pulse. Such a man would wither away in a place like this. Vindictively, Adam was glad…and jealous.

"I don't want you back here, Priar."

Adam nodded along. It didn't matter. He would be back here the next night. No one ever noticed the strange, ancient man mixed in with the rest of the insane. It was a poor chance that the assistant had recognized his uniform tonight.

"You can go. I don't want you in my hospital again."

Hospital, Adam inwardly sneered. He inclined his head, trying to look broken up. He thought he actually managed a tremble.

Walking out into the hall (the doctor had barely nodded back, moving into a stack of papers. Adam wished him joy of them.), he paused once, knowing he was near Mary Alice's ward.

He could go see her.

He shook his head, clearing it of that thought. He could best protect Mary Alice by getting out of here as quickly as possible; by getting out and finding someone who would not be missed. They were never missed.

He told himself they were never missed.

The grass outside of St. Anne's crunched underneath his feet, his eyes picked out the dull feathers of the birds nestled in the trees, his ears listening to their thimble-quick heartbeats. He'd always- even when he had been alive- had an affinity, of sorts, for nature. Being what he was seemed to increase that part of him- and times like this left him wistful, wondering what would happen if he finally found someone to share it with.

But he couldn't condemn her- or anyone- to this. Not for his sake.

Adam froze. Suddenly, he felt the seasons bend, shift. Autumn was coming. He could feel the wind change, tug at his mind. Fall was coming.

And it was important to note it; the fact that autumn had just sauntered into Mississippi and the winds were blowing in gustily, through the town, past the groves.

Because it was that was the moment that Adam first smelled him.

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