Sasha watched the sun rise and set and the moon do the same. She hadn't moved in days. Maybe it was weeks. Being a vampire, alive without Edward was pointless, painful and endless.
She remembered her last evening again, the engagement party and all that followed. In the brief respite that Alice had predicted, Edward had asked Sasha to marry him. Soon after the yes, Alice had collapsed and it was all as clear as mirror eyes. Edward would go insane with his fiancée, eventually murdering them all.
Unless Sasha had the courage to leave the Cullens' lives and minds. She found the bravery that night and Hugh had done his worst.
It was hard to be brave every second of every day. And Sasha wasn't. Her weakness let the needy spirits in her mind like she had thrown open a set of huge French doors and issued an open invitation.
Hugh was fast and determined, every damn time bringing her back from the brink with his talents, managing to leave Edward and his family intact in her memories.
Eventually, Hugh could never put Sasha down, not for an instant. Barbara was the one to act, to call in her savior.
One vampire could teach her what she needed to know to stay present in this world. Dracula's eyes were such an antiqued red, they looked brown. And only his eyes made it into her world, between the voices, the screaming , and the demands from the dead.
His lessons started in her head, in the tiny slivers between the insanity.
"Princess, you need to close the doors to the spirits. It's like free samples up in you head, every single one is going to want a piece."
His voice was so mesmerizing, like a pillow she wanted to rest her head on.
The French doors Sasha imagined opening needed to be shut, and with Hugh's help and Dracula's coaching almost a year after she said goodbye to the Cullens, she opened her crystal blue eyes and they stayed that way.
Dracula's voice was such a constant companion, it was almost odd to see the man attached to the disembodied eyes and words.
He was screamingly hot. Torn jeans, old t-shirt and a beat up hat. He smiled with his blinding white teeth.
Hugh and Barbara hugged as Sasha's eyes held. They were even able to remove the plastic tubing that piped blood into Sasha's system and kept her free of thirst.
Days passed and Sasha began hoping. Edward? Maybe this was why she wasn't allowed to forget him, because there would come a day when she could be with him again.
Dracula worked with Sasha, teaching her to keep her mind closed to all those who wanted in.
"So, Dracula? Really? I thought you were a fairy tale." Sasha walked next to him in the moonlight following a successful hunt.
He gave her a flirtatious look, "Blue-eyed vampire? I know you're a fairytale."
And she was. Sasha saw the meaningful glances between Hugh and Dracula. As far as they knew, Sasha was the only one ever to survive. They had wanted to test her, have her open the doors to see if she could speak with ghosts with the advanced ability she might posses. But Barbara wanted her stronger. And Sasha wanted only one thing, and that was to return to the Cullens.
Sasha couldn't tell what Dracula's powers were, though he was able to visit her inside her head whenever he chose. The last task he had for her, before she embarked on the trip to find the Cullens she was crawling out of her skin to make, was to block out Dracula's eyes.
"Princess, your Edward'll be safe if you can block him from your mind. If your ghosts come back, if your mental French door cracks open." Dracula was relentless, popping into her mind at all times. After practice and focus, she was able to seal her brain from the ageless, sexy man.
Finally the day came, the day Sasha was making her trek to Forks, Washington. Hugh's contacts were vital and current, so Sasha knew right where to go, a beautiful glass house in the woods. She expected someone to go with her, but Dracula said he had an appointment and Hugh and Barbra just hugged her. Hugh wiped Sasha of her memory of everything but a single phone number to call if she needed help.
So on August 13th, 2006 she boarded a plane and after deeming a car to slow, she ran to Edward, through the woods.
She slowed when she got close to the house, approaching from the backyard. An argument halted her. Edward's voice.
Edward's voice.
Sasha's heart soared; all her fighting had been for something. For him.
But the fight was the only thing to stop her. She closed her mind and listened. Edward's voice had been commanding a large man to stop from squeezing a girl's arms.
Maybe the wolves would have shocked Sasha more if her heart wasn't dying another death as she saw the tenderness in Edward's face as he handled the human.
The human in the wedding dress. The human wearing the engagement ring Sasha had worn for just a few brief moments in time.
Sasha took off running as she heard the big dogs growling, rumbling around. When she got to her car, she started driving fast, too fast. She was choking on her anger and sadness. And then there was the laughter, the laughter that was maniacal.
I told him to love again. I wanted him to love again.
But now that he was doing that very thing, there was only pain.
I'm supposed to be dead by now.
Her French doors were bursting to open, the spirits hungry for her mind. Sasha called the number she knew was important, and Hugh's sad voice answered.
"I'm so sorry Sasha, I didn't get word about their wedding until just now. They were trying to keep it out of the rumor mill."
And now Sasha sat on the roof of Hugh's club, watching the sun and moon circle her.
Barbara had resorted to bringing Sasha bagged blood again.
Dracula found her, his eyes in her mind first, then his words, "You're dropping your guard. That's not a good thing."
Sasha locked his eyes out and sighed.
"Listen, Hugh told me you're down in the dumps." He touched her hand to get her attention.
Sasha looked at the hand and wished it were Edward's.
"I've some news for you. And it's not good." Dracula touched her cheek. "It's about the Cullens."
Sasha put her ice blue eyes on him. "Tell me." Because as heartbroken as she was, the Cullens were family -even if they didn't know it.
"Edward changed Bella and now they have a baby." Dracula waited for the pain to settle like sand in water.
She has a name. They have a baby. Shoot me shoot me shoot me.
"The Volturi are coming to kill them all for changing a child." Dracula held her hand.
Sasha was instantly defensive, "Edward would never change a child."
"Well, rumor has it the child is half vampire half human. That type of thing exists, just not often. Sort of like a blue eyed vampire." Dracula gave her a weak smile.
Sasha stood up for the first time in weeks. "Are they still in Forks?"
"Hold on, gorgeous. The Volturi can't know you exist. They'll have you no matter what the cost." Dracula stood as well.
"The Volturi wants to kill the baby as well? I can't not go. I was a teacher. A teacher who loves kids. I'm going." Sasha turned to leave.
"Well, I'm coming with you. We need to get some black cloaks and red contacts for you."
It was another flight, this one filled with the dread the previous trip delivered. Dracula made an awful traveling complaining, singing, flirting, joining the mile high club with various ladies three times.
Sasha was stoic. She had not one idea what she could do to stop the ruling vampires. She had not even met them.
She could see ghosts, but she had locked that door to protect herself. By the time Dracula and she pulled off to park the car he had stolen, she still didn't have a plan. She popped in the red contacts and felt a nervousness that would have surely exploded her heart if she were mortal.
She and Dracula followed the Volturi clan along, staying solemn. She watched as the edgy crowd moved.
Seeing the Cullens prepared for battle, with another large group of vampires was shocking. The wolves she had witnessed at Edward's wedding were back.
Bella, the bride, was an obvious vampire now. And she held a child. A beautiful little girl. As if sensing the compassion, the child locked eyes with Sasha.
Sasha should have looked away. But the teacher in her, forced her to console the scared-looking little girl. Sasha mouthed, "It's going to be okay." And smiled.
The little girl looked so much like Edward, Sasha knew now what she had to offer Aro, the former leader of the Curous, the delectable vampire. She just needed the right moment.
Dracula touched her hand and nodded. Maybe he could read her thoughts. Maybe he could sense her plan. The old vampire must have a million tricks up his sleeve, but Sasha knew the man was going to help her pick her moment.
She watched as the confrontation played out in front of her. The tension, Edward's beautiful, elegant defense of his family. At one point Dracula did hold her hand, the need to run to Edward was so great.
He doesn't remember me. He will never remember me.
Sasha relived his words, all the while keeping her mind closed.
"I will never forget you. I won't. Your eyes will be with me. I love you. I would go insane for you. I will go insane without you,"
Because he had loved her, she could be this selfless, she knew it.
A female vampire was cut down, but yet Dracula still held Sasha back. There was more showmanship and poorly veiled threats from Aro. There was pause, a convening of the Volturi and that's when Dracula released her.
Sasha stepped forward with the others, hood pulled over her face. Edward and Bella were busy putting their child on a large wolf. There was loss in their every movement.
When everyone else stopped a respectful distance from Aro, the paper skinned ancient, Sasha kept walking. His guards flexed quickly, so she lifted her hood and blinked her contacts from her eyes.
She looked Aro full in the face with her ice blue eyes. He held up one finger to stop Felix and Caius' protection.
Instead of speaking, Sasha offered her hand to Aro, who smiled quickly as he took it.
Her memories were his now, making the connections that the Cullens had wiped from their memories, no remnants of Hugh left in her mind to give the old vampire away.
"Child, please, this is all fascinating, but I'm busy. Can you please rest next to Jane while I finish this inquisition?" Aro looked like he would much rather take Sasha to a secluded place and take trips through her mind.
"No. As you see, I can easily self-destruct. The Cullens and their allies go free and I'll be yours. Those are my demands."
Aro stepped closer, "You stand here, ready to become my personal entertainment for a man that's married to another? Extraordinary. But excuse me if I don't believe you can deliver, I've seen your obstacles."
Sasha's own weakness caused her doomed eyes to seek him, for one final glance. Edward was listening, of course, using every thought in the field as a weapon to help his family. She put her blue eyes on his golden ones.
He was shaking his head over and over, trying to ascertain what was next. Was he placing her? Was he thinking of her?
It was selfish to want him to know what she was going to do for his daughter.
She looked back at Aro and tried to be confident. "Let me prove it. What soul would you like?"
Aro wrinkled his nose, "Oh, I have a good one. The first man I killed."
Sasha closed her eyes and approached the barrier in her head. The French door had faces pressed against it, aching to get in. She pushed past her fear, her common sense and opened the door. Either she would die now, going mirror and finally, feral and take down a few of the evil vampires around her or she would…
Fly.
And she flew, over their heads, over their desires and she sought. It was so easy now that she was above them. She thought of Aro's essence and the souls touched by him glowed red. She found the oldest soul and extended her hand.
When she opened her eyes, she looked into Aro's scarlet ones.
He still held her hand and smiled wider.
"He's next to you. And he hates you." Sasha looked at the ghost, he was so clear and angry.
"Child, I see this gift. It's very tempting, I will admit." Aro held fast to her hand.
"You leave this field and never come back. You leave the Cullens and their friends and I'll return to Italy with you." Sasha pulled her hand away and dispatched the ghost. The French doors closed and she felt a pang of regret. This would be a horrifying weapon to give the Volturi.
"Very well than, Sasha. Let me finish up, then we will spend great amounts of time, endless time discovering the past. Of course your human family still lives, so I could have you either way."
He was dismissing her when Sasha had a thought, she closed her eyes and opened the doors again, this time looking for Aro's mother. When the woman materialized next to her, Sasha touched Aro's elbow. He whirled on her quickly.
"Mother?" Aro grabbed Sasha's face.
Sasha bit her lip and focused. Aro's mother collapsed and writhed in pain.
Aro became fierce and unbalanced, "Stop that. Do not hurt her."
Sasha let the ghost stand. "Just so we're clear. You have a family too. I can always find them even if you kill me. I suggest you play nice."
Aro nodded, seeing that it wasn't a bluff. Sasha knew she could cavort through the spirit world forever, it had become a simple fact when she opened the doors and wasn't consumed.
Sasha stepped away from the circle, sure that the outcome would keep the Cullen's safe.
Dracula came behind her and she opened her mind to him.
"Stay strong Ghost girl, I'll get you away from the Volturi someday."
He pat her on the back and then he was gone.
Alone now, Sasha watched as the victory went to the Cullens. They were celebrating as Aro and his crew made their way in her direction. She looked past her approaching fate and to the family she wished she could be standing with. Bella was hugging the little girl hard. Edward searched the edge of the forest with his eyes until he found Sahsa. Butterflies filled her hopeless heart.
God, I love him so much.
"Thank you." Edward mouthed. And then his sad smile let her know her sacrifice had not gone unnoticed. "Thank you, Sasha."
She nodded and dropped her gaze. Aro held out his arm and Sasha took it reluctantly to start her payment for the lives of the Cullens, one ghost at a time.
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A/N And with that Drink You Alive is complete. In my head Dracula saves her. What about you? What do you think happens next? I want to thank everyone that stuck with this ride for a million years. It is always an honor to write, but to write for this little story makes my eyes fill up, you are the bravest readers.
Thank you so very much! ~MTK