Author's Note: So this is my first Twilight fic. I read the series for the first time a few weeks ago, after my friend introduced it to me, and this idea just wouldn't leave me alone, not even long enough for me to reread the series. So I apologize for any errors this may have; I did check the Twilight Lexicon, but there may be things that I have mixed up. Edward never mentions any siblings in the books, but I don't believe he ever denies them either. If he does, well, I'm just playing in the sandbox. :-) And I've always been interested in what it would be like to transform and not be a "vegetarian."
Disclaimer: It ought to be quite clear by now that I am not any of the authors whose work I use to bounce my ideas off of.
Chapter One: A Promise
October 1913
"Happy birthday, Will."
The newly six-year-old William Masen grinned as he took the small wrapped box from his older brother, Edward. "What is it?" he asked cheekily, rattling it. "Is it jewelry? It looks like it came from Mama's jewelry box. Did you steal it?"
Edward rolled his eyes. "Just open it, you goof."
Will just smirked and ripped off the paper, revealing a plain white box. He opened it, tipping the contents into his childishly plump palm. It was a small, clumsily made wooden charm that vaguely resembled a ship. There was a small hole in it near the top, through which Edward had looped a thin white piece of string, then tied together to make a necklace. Will looked back up at his brother, beaming. "Is this why you had all those cuts last week, and why you were spending all that time alone with Papa?"
"Yeah," replied Edward sheepishly. "Do… d'you like it?"
"It's nice," said Will, pulling the string over his neck and admiring it against his shirt. "Does it have anything to do with our adventures at sea?" For the past few weeks, both boys had been obsessed with the idea of sailing the high seas after reading the book Peter and Wendy.
Edward laughed. "You haven't seen the back of the charm yet."
Will flipped over the charm and read slowly, "Will and Edward, 1926." He blinked. "What does that mean?"
"That, Will, is the year I've decided we'll actually set sail," said Edward proudly. "I'll be twenty-five, and you'll be eighteen that summer, and we'll be old enough for Mama to let us go, and young enough to catch all the pretty ladies' eyes and have energy to explore plenty."
"That's an awful long time away. We'll be old."
Edward sighed. "Haven't you been listening? I just said—"
"I bet Mama's not even that old."
"Yes, she is. She's older."
"No! She can't be!" Will's mouth fell open. "That's old!"
Edward shrugged. "Suit yourself." There was a pause, and then he continued, "You're thinking about how we'll be too old for Neverland, if we find it."
"I am not!"
"Yes, you are," Edward retorted smugly. "I can tell."
Will deflated. "Well, we will be," he mumbled. "But Edward," he said defensively as Edward opened his mouth to speak, "wouldn't it be nice to live forever like Peter Pan and the Lost Boys? I think it would be awfully fun. And we wouldn't have to listen to Mama when she tries to make us take baths or go to bed…"
"Will," said Edward gently. "Neverland isn't real."
"I know," said Will finally, after a long, awkward silence. "I'm not that little anymore."
"You know, there are places that are just as keen. I learned about them in geography. We can go look at Papa's atlas, and I'll show you where they are."
"Really? Places like Neverland?"
"Yup. There are places with kings and princesses, and strange animals, and ancient temples and the like. We could sail to those places. I want to go to Egypt, where if you're not careful, the mummies will get you." He made a scary face.
"Mummies?" asked Will, wide-eyed.
"They're dead people, except they've been wrapped up in bandages."
"Why are they wrapped up in bandages?"
"So they can lie there in a dark corner, pretending to be just a pile of linen, until unsuspecting adventurers come too close, and then—" Edward raised an eyebrow suggestively.
Will's jaw dropped. "Really?" His face took on a grim expression, as he had forgotten all about Neverland by now. "But I bet I could take 'em."
Edward laughed. "We'll go to Egypt and fight them. Then everyone will thank us for saving them, and we'll be heroes." He put an arm around his brother's shoulders. "Come on. I'll show you Egypt in Papa's atlas."
"All right," said Will, grinning, as he allowed himself to be led toward their father's study. "But I want to fight other monsters too. Those mummies sound like they'd be too easy."
"Well, then there's Transylvania. I've heard there's all sorts of monsters there, like werewolves and vampires."
"What are those?"
"Werewolves are men that turn into wolves under the full moon," answered Edward, clearly basking in his superiority in knowledge. "You can only kill them with silver, and you have to be careful, because if they bite you, you become one too. And vampires are dead people who drink human blood. If they bite you and you live, it's like with the werewolves… you're a vampire. And they only come out at night, because during the day, they sleep in coffins. They only die under the sun, or if you stab them in the heart with a wooden—"
Edward was suddenly interrupted by a gasp from behind them. "Edward Anthony Masen, what is this talk about stabbing and dying?" scolded their mother. "Your brother is too young for such things, and to be frank, I think it's a highly inappropriate topic for anyone, regardless of age!"
"But Mother…"
"Enough, Edward!"
Will glanced uneasily between his mother and his brother. "Mama, look what Edward made me." He held out the charm.
"Yes, and he used my best fountain pen to etch out those words," said Elizabeth, but her eyes glinted with amusement.
"Sorry, Mother." There was the shadow of a smirk on Edward's lips.
Elizabeth sighed. "Apology accepted, dear. Now you two run along, and make sure you don't get into any more mischief. I've cleaned the house in preparation for everyone coming for your birthday, Will, and Edward, I'll need you both to get dressed by four o'clock."
"Yes, Mama," said Will as Edward also replied, "Yes, Mother."
"I hate parties," grumbled Will as they continued on their way to their father's study.
"It won't be that bad. You'll get presents!"
"But Auntie Lillian will keep trying to pinch my cheeks."
"She does that to everyone. Even Papa."
Will giggled. "She does! I remember last Christmas, Papa got mad at her."
"And Mother got angry at him, for making such a fuss," said Edward, smiling as he reached up onto a shelf in the study and pulled down the giant book that was their father's atlas.
"And he said that any grown man who put up with something like that should be ashamed with himself."
"They argued for ages, over nothing." Edward flipped through the atlas, searching for Egypt.
Will waited quietly, until a sudden worrying thought entered his head. He liked being with his brother this way, but times like these were becoming rarer and rarer as the months and years passed. Already, Will knew Edward was getting bored with him tagging along everywhere, although they still played together. But Edward often became annoyed or tried to go to the houses of his other, older friends. He knew his birthday was one of the reasons why Edward was being so nice, and he did not look forward to the next day, when Edward would probably revert to his other self. "Edward?" Will said meekly.
"Hmm?"
"We are really going to go adventuring together, right? In 1926, when we're old?"
Edward turned away from the atlas and knelt down solemnly so that he was closer in height to his brother. Will suddenly realized how tall Edward was in comparison to him. "Will, I know we don't play together as much as we used to," he said, surprising his brother. "But we will go on an adventure together and fight those monsters."
"Promise?" Will knew he sounded like a child, and he was eager for Edward to see him as not a child, but he wanted a confirmation.
"I promise." Edward's green eyes, just like Will's, were serious. "And I'll always be there for you, Will. Because we're brothers."
"And brothers take care of each other," said Will, smiling.
"Brothers take care of each other," Edward agreed. "Always."
Author's Note: So that's the first chapter. Hopefully, it didn't sound too stilted. I tried to get the childhood feeling in it without making it sound modern, and I feel like it doesn't sound as natural as I would have liked. Let me know how you saw it in your reviews. Also, this is a bit shorter than my usual chapters. It'll be this way for a while -- I've written up to chapter six (including several interludes), and until chapter five, this fic won't be breaking the 2,000 word mark per chapter. But after that, apart from interludes, I think the chapters will be longer. The beginning of this fic is more of a glimpse into Will's life before the transformation.
Edward's use of "goof" is perfectly Edwardian (as in, from the early twentieth century), according to the historical slang dictionary here: www [dot alphadictionary [dot com [slash slang. Type in "1910" for the beginning year.
Peter and Wendy is the same thing as Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, as you may have guessed. It was published in 1911.
Please review! I do love reading what readers think of my fics.