Chapter 1: First Sight

Nothing ever seems to change, Edward Cullen thought to himself as he raced down the highway, if you could call it a highway. Forks was even duller than most of the towns he and his mismatched family had been in, and there have been a lot. It was dull and uninteresting with tempestuous weather that seemed to match his ever present sulk.

Edward acknowledged the location fit his family's needs but it didn't change the fact that he was bored. And boredom seemed to be the cause of a lot of his problems these days. If only I had something to do. Even hunting was beginning to become a chore rather than the game it used to be.

High school was even worse. It lost its thrill decades ago but the trivial worries of the modern American teenager were still able to amuse him at times. However, the most tedious part was having to follow the rules that accompanied high school life, not to mention a teenager. While Edward had the physique of a seventeen year old, his mind was decades ahead of his peers. You see, Edward is a vampire.

Today was worse than normal. The melodrama surrounding the uninspiring Jessica was at an all time high and Edward couldn't stand to be in the same room with her and all those concerned with her. For in addition to Edward's "unusual condition", he also held the ability to hear the thoughts of others. Over the years he had learned to lower these voices to a dull mummer, but some days where too much for even a vampire to handle.

I sure hope he'll look my way soon, Jessica had thought. He better notice the new dress I'm wearing. It's extra low cut just for him. I wonder what I'll have to do to get him alone. He always seems to be with his family. They're so strange. But I'm so right for Edward though. I mean, we're basically soul mates.

Edward shivered at the memory. Soul mates? The girl has never said a word to me. It really amazed Edward how shallow teenagers could be. Sure, he would accept that he fit the human description of beautiful but he rarely took that into consideration.

Humans put such an emphasis on finding true love and your supposed soul mate. By now with about 100 years of experience, Edward had concluded that this was not destined for him. While his family had all paired up in twos, he remained the odd one out.

Which brought him to his latest argument with Carlisle. For years Carlisle and Esme had been concerned with Edward's lack of a mate. Recently they haven't even tried to hide their thoughts concerning Edward's loneliness, which prompted Edward to finally lash out after months of indirect nagging. Especially after Carlisle had the gall to link Edward's loneliness to the misidentification of his sexuality, no matter how fleeting the thought was.

Driving in his car in the secluded forests of upper Washington was always therapeutic for Edward. While out here he finally had time to concentrate on his thoughts alone without being bombarded with the thoughts of others. Just when he was beginning to relax and cool down a voice intruded on his peaceful head.

"Damn, I really wish I had some marshmallows."

Okay then. Edward thought to himself slowing down and looking around for the source of the voice. Who would be out here at this time thinking about marshmallows? Up ahead he caught sight of a big, old, red truck on the side of the road.

Stupid piece of junk! Fuck you! The boy's mind screamed out to Edward. As he approached the truck a rugged, fine specimen of a man walked out from behind it. They locked eyes for a brief moment as Edward's car went swooshing past. Anger in one. Curiosity in the other.

For a brief moment Edward contemplated stopping, but this boy was just an insignificant human. He meant nothing.

Edward was driving down the same road back to Forks and back to his isolated life. Even after killing his mountain lion he was still eager for more action, even perhaps human interaction. As soon as this thought passed though his mind another one accompanied it.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. It's already been two hours and I've tried everything I can think of. Billy is going to kill me! And of course the only car that has passed by didn't offer any help. Ughhhhh, I may have to wait until morning!

Edward paused. Before he really understood his true intentions, he put his foot on the brake, slowing his Porsche 911 Turbo to a more reasonable speed. After a few more twists in the winding road, Edward could clearly make out the dilapidated, red truck and an angry boy standing beside it.

He brought his car to a halt pulling along the side of the road slightly past the place where the boy was standing. Edward realized that the anger that he had initially seen in the boy's eyes was now mixed with emotions of desperation.

They locked eyes for a second time. Edward was surprised to experience a fleeting moment of uncertainty. That was not a normal occurrence.

With the resounding 'Finally!' coming from the young man, Edward couldn't help but smirk. Just the thought of him taking on the role of rescuer to this pathetic, insignificant human would bring his family to tears of first shock and then laughter.

Why had he stopped? The amusement, he concluded. Making humans uncomfortable could be of some fun.

"Need any help?", Edward casually spoke after rolling down his window, playful smirk still firmly in place.

"Wow. Nice Car…" voiced by Jacob, closely followed by thoughts of He goddamn better offer me a ride.

Edward rolled his eyes, not that this human would notice. Many of his movements happened too fast for mortal eyes. While his kind had gained the reputation of stoic, mature beings, they actually maintained some childish mannerisms.

This voice drenched in awe was the typical reaction to Edward's mere presence and honestly, after nearly a hundred years, it really became annoying.

"Thanks. It's one of my favorites", Edward intoned without missing a beat. "Looks like your car has seen better days."

"I know!" Jacob responded, suddenly perking up before continuing. "Just one thing after another. I thought it was the engine, but really the fan belt is out of whack and while fixing it I accidentally caused even more problems."

"Well, what can I do to help?"

"I need new parts. There's nothing more I can do tonight. God! My dad's gonna kill me!" Jacob gave a swift kick to the nearest tire, a feeble attempt to accentuate his point.

Edward was quickly bombarded with a continuous stream of Give me a ride. Give me a ride. Common man, give me a ride. Give me a ride. Sweet ass car. Give me a ride.

"North or south?"

"Up north, about 30 miles" Jacob looked toward him with puppy-dog eyes, which Edward found to perfectly fit his face, oddly enough.

"Get in." Edward offered before he even knew what he was saying. "Be careful not to break anything. Your track record with your truck doesn't impress me." He added for good measure.

Ignoring the new gush of Thankyouthankyou. Edward unlocked the passenger seat door, praying, no hoping, that the human scent would not overwhelm him too much.

It was a strange experience; one Edward had yet to feel in his many years of living. Absent was the need to kill, to sink his teeth into the supple flesh of the young man beside him. He felt serene, as if the monster within was tamed.

There was a scent present, but it wasn't unpleasant, just different, and more animal than human.

Edward was intrigued. Maybe rescuing this human wasn't such a bad idea after all. Maybe this would prove to be temporary panacea to his loneliness. Maybe.