Edward Cullen

"Wait," I said loudly, surprising myself. I realized I did not want this young vampire, Bree, to die. Trying to save a newborn from the Volturi was bad enough, but here was a vampire whom I barely knew, who fought in the army to kill Bella and my family alongside Victoria, who had no self control and who had probably murdered numerous innocent people in the past few months.

Yet here I was, fighting for her life.

I thought of Carlisle, my role-model and father. I had once been a cold-blooded murder, but I had turned my life around with the help of my family. I had once been driven by the crazy thirst that possessed this young one. If I could be saved, so could she.

And her mind, it was so bright, so interesting… She was observant and quick, and even though she was distracted at the moment, I could tell she was eager to learn, become a better person. She was strong, and by little hints in her thoughts I could tell she had lost something that had meant the world to her. I saw a vision of her becoming a part of our growing family, and she fit in nicely.

My thoughts passed in a blur and before Jane could reply, I continued.

"We could explain the rules to the young one. She doesn't seem unwilling to learn. She didn't know what she was doing." I looked at Carlisle.

"Of course," He said. He was already thinking of my vision, imagining a new addition to our family. He was already growing fond of the girl, already thinking of her like a daughter.

He looked at Jane, his thoughts clouded by doubt. He needed to win her over first. "We would certainly be prepared to take responsibility for Bree."

I turned my radar to Jane's thoughts, as I tightened my grip on Bella. Of course, having Bree in the family would mean taking extra precautions with my Bella's safety.

Ha! I do hope you aren't serious, Edward. Jane's thoughts were directed at me. I would hate to disappoint you.

I glared at Jane, resisting the snarl that made its way up my throat, when I heard Bella plead.

"Please" Bella said in a small, desperate voice. She had been watching this whole time, but no one had expected this. Why would Bella defend this crazed vampire, who could possibly be fantasizing her death at the moment?

That was the moment where I wanted to see into her mind the most.

Jane's head snapped up, shocked, and Bree looked just as surprised. I could tell Felix was getting uncomfortable; he wanted to end this and get going. It wouldn't take long for Jane's patience to run out as well.

Jane laughed. It was a loud, shrill laugh, but there was no amusement behind it.

Bree looked confused. She was grateful for the stalling of her death, but she knew it would soon come to an end. I admired her calmness of the situation.

Suddenly, Jane's expression changed.

"Felix" she called quietly without turning around.

Jane, Felix and the other two members of the Volturi gathered several feet away from the Cullens and started discussing. They were talking just under their breaths, so quiet even our hearing couldn't pick it up. I tuned into Jane's mind.

Aro will be angry… God, why am I even bothering…? She'll get herself killed in the first week with them. Eh, Edward?

She was imagining different scenarios. Bree kill Bella, me so angry I would kill Bree… Or turn Bella, and then have two newborns on the loose.

I brightened up slightly at the fact that Jane was actually considering this, but I would not get my hopes up, and I would stay on my guard. I held my breath, and I could hear the flow of my family's breathing stop as well.

Meanwhile, Bree's thoughts were practically screaming at me. She called the Volturi "The Dark Cloaks", my family "The Yellow Eyes", and me "The Mind Reader". It was all so new to her. I caught a glimpse into her past life as she was thinking. Riley would lie to them to keep their thoughts safe. I felt horribly responsible for that. There was also mention of a Diego… He died. She cared very much for him... I felt a pang of sympathy. If I ever lost Bella… I don't know what I would do. I tried not to think of the possibility.

Jane spun around quickly. "Well. Carlisle, it has been a pleasure to finally meet you. Aro was not exaggerating." A small smile, like she was remembering an inside joke. I tensed.

"And the rest of your family." She said with a hint of annoyance. She didn't respect our choice of lifestyle, and also didn't like that we were one of the biggest covens, and getting stronger.

"I do hope we meet again, perhaps in the near future…?" A glance at Alice. "And I must thank you for the terrific job you have done here. I am sorry we missed the fun. We have decided that you should be rewarded of your work and you may keep the newborn. As longas you can keep her under control. You will hear from us if you don't." She warned.

She looked at Bella. I stiffened. "And I hope we won't have to wait long for this one. Aro is not a very patient man." We all knew he was very patient, but she had to get us to hurry up somehow.

One last look at Bree. Jane sighed. She didn't understand why we would bother to save her. It's not like she meant anything to us. Guess that's what happens when you try to act human. You get feelings. She mentally shivered at the thought.

"Well. It is time for us to go. Remember, this is not an exception; it is merely a reward for your hard work here. Goodbye."

And then they were gone.

We all waited, on our guards until we saw the dark cloaks disappear within the forest. When it was clear they weren't coming back, Bree looked up at us. Why? She was thinking to me. But instead she let out an uneasy "Thank you."

Carlisle spoke up "Do not thank me young one. Every being deserves to have a second chance." He said passionately.

Bree was clearly confused. It was going to be hard to help her learn our ways, but she did not seem unwilling.

I thought it was time to introduce ourselves.

"I'm Edward" I said. I did not make a move for a hand shake. "This is Bella. Were together." I said, and I tuned into her thoughts to see her reaction.

Together! How-but, what? She thought. I would have to explain to her after.

"I'm Carlisle. This is my wife Esme, my daughters Alice, Rosalie, and my sons Emmet and Jasper. Edward is also my son." He said, gesturing to each of us as he spoke our names.

Bree had thoughts running wild around her head. "Let us go to our home to explain a bit more." I suggested.

Bree, her eyes wide, nodded slowly. She could use some explaining. Jasper and Emmet grabbed each arm, and Emmet spoke quietly. "Keep up" He grinned. Even though Bree wasn't classified as safe yet, he was already getting used to the thought of her as a Cullen. They would get along good.

With Bella on my back, we all ran to our home. Bella's arms were clasped tightly around my neck, her face buried into the back of my neck. She had a lot to think about. I was afraid she would not accept me after seeing what I did to Victoria.

When we were home, Bree looked up to the huge house. It was not what she was used to, that's for sure. When we were inside, she spoke first.

"Where are we?"

"Were in a small town named Forks, in Washington." Carlisle said.

Her expression did not change. "So you've noticed that we have yellow eyes." I said. "It is because we don't hunt humans. We hunt animals, instead. We think of ourselves as 'vegetarian'." I chuckled. That one never got old. "We… try to be better. It satisfies our thirst, and it doesn't hurt innocent people. We try and live with the humans. We have mastered our control so that we can be around them. Obviously." I pointed to Bella. "You are curious about our relationship. I happened to fall in love with a human, and she loves me back." I looked at her adoringly.

Bree was stunned. If she was thirsting for Bella's blood, she was distracted enough by my confession.

"But how?" She asked. "How old are you?" She asked all of us in general.

Carlisle spoke up again. It looked like it was just us doing the explaining, but the others didn't mind.

"I just celebrated my 657th birthday, not too long ago." Bree's jaw dropped.

"The rest of us aren't as old." I said. "Carlisle turned me about a hundred years back."

Almost 700 YEARS! And I thought a year was top of the line old! She thought.

I laughed, and then became more serious. "As you already know, some vampires have gifts, talents. I know Riley told the truth about at least that. I can read minds. Alice can see the future, and Jasper can control the emotions of the people around him." We all kept still while she took this in.

She took it well. "That's… Cool. What else don't I know about vamps?"

"Well, we glitter in the sun. But I think you already knew that too." Emmet piped up. "That's why we live in Forks. We've got the bare minimum sun here! Sometime it sucks, but we can interact with the humans without them knowing."

I noticed that Bella was quiet. She had barely said a word this whole time. I didn't worry about it. Either she was afraid of Bree, or she was just being her usual shy self.

Bree was becoming more comfortable with us. "Why do you 'interact' with them? Why do you bother?" She cast a quick glance at Bella, too fast for her to see.

Esme spoke. "We don't want to be monsters." She said simply. "Would you like to know more about the Cullen history?"