Decision to begin a new story - don't worry, all chapters are already written and ready to go. It's not as long as my other works - ten chapters or so in total - but I still enjoyed writing it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight... just the plot of this story.


Chapter 1: Neighbours See All

There was a bright yellow taxi sitting idle outside the gates of the house directly opposite my own, and currently tripping their way onto the sidewalk were three young girls who had obviously had a little too much to drink. A few times, they broke out in a fit of giggles, followed by shushing of one another after they realised how loud they were being on the dead-silent street. I could see, even though the only light was a dull orange street lamp, that they were wearing exceptionally short skirts and impossibly high shoes.

One of them had actually removed her heels and was dangling them from one hand. That same girl had her dark hair in a very long ponytail which swung from side to side as she moved, and was wearing a sequined silver top. Another was a good foot shorter than her accomplices and she had long, curly hair swept over one shoulder which, even in the orangey light, was clearly a fiery shade of red. The third girl could easily have been a supermodel, and for the mansion she was about to go into, that assumption had a good chance of ringing true. She had teased her short, multicoloured hair into something that was clearly 80's inspired, but looked ultra-modern at the same time. She had on the shortest skirt of them all (I could see her electric blue underwear from here).

Together, holding each other up and stumbling in zigzag lines all the way there, the three girls pushed through the garden gate and made their way up to the two-storey Victorian house. The taxi rumbled to life and disappeared down the only street leading out of this secluded suburb. As I watched, Model dug around in her bag – probably for the keys – while Shorty leaned heavily over the nearest bush and convulsed horribly. Ponytail tolerantly held Shorty's hair back. Model stopped searching and dropped her bag, patting her pockets and searching all around her. She said something to the others, who both indicated 'No's, then she waved her hands in the air, pacing and agitated, and I got the impression she'd lost the house keys. I watched, amused, as the three of them pulled out their phones, but apparently that ploy was unsuccessful, because a few minutes later the three of them were running in circles and being frantic together.

I felt bad for them – it couldn't have been warm out there, especially in their outfits of choice – but to offer them help would be inadvertently admitting that I'd been spying on them for long enough to understand the situation and that was a conversation I'd rather avoid.

But as I watched, they seemed to come to a decision. Shorty was given a boost by the other girls, then she broke a window with Ponytail's shoe and stuck her hand through the hole to unlock it and yank it open. She disappeared through the opening head-first.

A moment later, just as the other two girls tripped their way from the water-sodden grass to the pavement, the front door opened. Model and Ponytail threw their arms up in celebration and I knew, without actually hearing a thing, that they were laughing in relief.

As I watched, a light upstairs went on, then another, and then two more. The downstairs light was turned off. Within ten minutes all four of the upstairs lights were off too. I sighed and let the shade fall into place. It was time I went to sleep too.

Upstairs, I tried to be quiet as I closed my bedroom door behind me. But to no avail.

"Sleep-walking again?" my husband croaked quietly as I pulled the covers over my now-horizontal body.

I settled back on the pillows and looked across at him. "Sometimes I just can't sleep."

He didn't sigh, but I could tell he wanted to. "You don't need to worry so much. The world isn't that scary of a place anymore."

"But how can I not worry? Our only child… if I don't worry, what kind of mother am I?"

"A trusting one." He reached across and took my hand under the covers. He was very warm, and I automatically wriggled closer to him, because I'd been standing in the cold, still air downstairs for at least twenty minutes.

"I do trust, I do. But I can't help but worry."

-000-

"Dude, your mum is hot!"

An arm swung out and Emmett received a smack upside the head.

"Ouch! Geez, sue me for speaking the truth, why don't you?"

"Emmett," Jasper rolled his eyes from Emmett's other side. His eyes were the only visible thing in the dim moonlight – even more prominent than usual because the three of them were wearing jet black balaclavas. "Sometimes you just say things that deserve painful retribution."

"Happily supplied by me," Edward contributed, his palm tingling again. Clearly, he was too wired. Far too much coffee.

"Well, even if I get hit every time, I'll never stop saying stuff like 'your mum's hot', Edward."

"Then I'll never stop giving you brain damage."

"Alright children, stop fighting and focus on the task ahead. Emmett, give me the jimmying kit. Thank you. This is only going to take a sec, so shut up and let me concentrate."

Emmett and Edward leaned back slightly, trying to stretch their backs from the crouching position they'd been in for the last three hours. They'd been waiting to see if anyone was home and, judging by the lack of sounds and lights, the house was vacant. Just like they'd planned.

"Okay…" Jasper muttered to himself, a jimmying tool hanging from one side of his mouth. "One minute and… yes!" His exclamation was accompanied by a faint 'click' of the window lock popping open. Emmett immediately reached for the latch to open it but Jasper slapped his hand away.

"Not yet. We need to establish our code names and agree to stick to them, just in case there are bugs around the house, alright?"

"Fine," Emmett and Edward chorused in bored voices.

"What are they?" Edward asked, itching at his balaclava. The stupid thing was only necessary if someone was in the house and since they were sure it was empty, he didn't see the point in it, but one must never argue with Jasper when on a job.

"We're going with Disney characters this time. Emmett got to choose. Emmett?"

"Okay. I, being debonair and clearly as awesome as an Irish ogre, am 'Shrek'."

"Plus, you smell like Shrek," Edward interrupted. Then- "Ouch! You hit me!"

"Edward!" Jasper scolded him. "Lower your arm. You two are even now, so shut up. Emmett, get on with it."

"Fine. I'm 'Shrek', Jasper is 'Aladdin' and Edward is 'Dumbo'."

"Get fucked, Emmett! I don't want to be a damn elephant!"

"But 'you smell like an elephant'," he quoted back, sticking out his tongue. Edward looked like he might shove Jasper's jimmying kit somewhere the sun don't shine, so Emmett caved. "Fine. You can be… 'Merlin'."

"Merlin," Edward repeated. "I can work with that."

"Are you two girls coming or not?" Jasper snapped impatiently. Edward and Emmett realised he was speaking to them from inside the house – he'd gotten inside while the two of them had been whisper-arguing. And his balaclava was off.

"Me first!" Emmett practically fell through the window, but managed not to land with an earth-shaking thud. Edward followed after him and made sure they hadn't left anything on the wide window ledge behind them.

"Okay," Jasper said, leading the way down the hall in a crouch. "We're in. Lets find us some diamonds, eh boys?"


Okay! That's chapter 1. Hope you liked it :)

As always, review with any questions or comments, and here's the chapter's question:

Most of us have completed high school or university to some degree - have you ever completed an assignment the night before that seemed impossible, or come up with a fabulous excuse to get out of handing in an assignment on the due date?

Love you all!

-Shaps