Your thighs are thistles
and hot-house grapes
You breathe your sweet breath
And have me wait

- Sea Wolf, Violet Hour

Over the years that he's known Alice, she'd had a habit of bringing home 'pets'. Sometimes it'd be a fluffy little bunny and then a mountain lion. Emmett had called it 'playing with food' and Carlisle explained it as a deeply psychological scenario referring to what little children would do to obtain attachments to the animals they felt sorry for.

No one really minded Alice's little habit over the decades, some years she didn't bring anything home and some years she would and name it the most ridiculous names she could think of. And when she got bored of them, these animals were let back into the wild where she found them or eaten by any hungry family member. But the latter usually made Alice very upset for a few weeks and they'd all learned to stop chewing on her pets as not to obtain her ire. Alice could be an incredibly annoying thing when given the chance.

Still, Carlisle didn't bother to implement any rules about Alice's thoughtless adoptions. As long as she took care of it herself and was happy, all was good and dandy. She could have any pet on the planet and they wouldn't bother her about it.

Of course, Carlisle probably should've made the exception about adopting other vampires before he agreed.

Caroline Forbes was the all-American girl. Former cheerleader, had a hand in every student committee, dated the quarterback and had the idealistic lifestyle any girl could ask for until something obviously went wrong and she ended up a vampire. All he got from her thoughts was an image of a dark-haired vampire with a fondness for leather jackets.

The family was apprehensive about welcoming a newcomer, of course, especially a newborn with volatile emotions and practically nonexistent control over her bloodlust. But Alice wanted her new friend around and she fought her case and used every weapon in her arsenal to convince them to let Caroline stay.

"She has nowhere else to go!"

Ah, the pity card that would win Carlisle and Esme with ease. Great job, Alice.

"She's new and she just needs some guidance. And we could help her."

She was appealing to Jasper now. The blond vampire had been a bit bored lately and training the newborn would give him something to do. That and he couldn't resist his wife.

"And she loves baseball. She could make our numbers even."

That one was strictly just for Emmett and Edward saw how the bigger vampire's eyes lighted up at the idea. He was probably already planning the next Cullen family baseball match.

All in all, Alice was doing a good job of winning everyone over except for Rosalie and him. He made a quick scan into Rosalie's thoughts to see her resentment of the newest arrival. No one else should be pretty and blond but Rosalie after all.

Edward mentally rolled his eyes at the other vampire's shallowness. This was why he didn't want Caroline Forbes to be in their family, he didn't want a Rosalie-Alice hybrid to go about the place and driving everyone mad. And he had a feeling it would be mostly him.

"Why don't we just vote?" Caroline suggested, smiling uncomfortably at the other vampires. She turned back to Alice who nodded encouragingly.

"Great idea! I vote yes."

And typically, aside from Rosalie, everyone else said yes.

Edward didn't even bother to vote. It would've been a lost cause.

Caroline quickly assimilated herself with the family like a fast spreading virus. In no time at all she won them all over.

Carlisle and Esme already adored her from the start, being the parental dream of the pretty blonde, wide-eyed daughter. She quickly developed older brother types of relationships with Jasper and Emmett, the former taught her to play chess and the latter threw her up in the air like a ball to see how far she would land. Rosalie tried to hate her but they were both vain and mean at heart and took to harping on anything they could think of. Alice, of course, loved her wholeheartedly and made Caroline her life-sized Barbie to dress up to her heart's content.

It was madness.

And Edward really didn't know what to make of it.

It wasn't long before she tried to get to him. He was the last one she hadn't gotten under her spell and God forbid he disliked her on principle alone.

He didn't hate Caroline Forbes. He just thought she lacked substance. And he's been in her head and there wasn't much to see in it. Real pity.

He'd successfully avoided spending any time with her, often responding with indifference and sometimes even borderline rudeness but he'd do anything to stay away from her. She unnerved him with her sweetness and constant cheery disposition with that steel sharp meanness underneath it all. She really was the perfect combination of Alice and Rosalie. And that was just downright scary.

So now you see why he had to avoid her?

But then he came home from hunting one afternoon to find her in his room, shuffling through his movie collection and contaminating his haven with her scent and presence. He'd have to burn and throw away things if she didn't leave soon.

"What are you doing here?" He growled out. He just fed but suddenly he felt hungry, the anger overcoming every sense. Something about this little newborn brought out emotions in him he'd rather suppress and then she was here being a bother. Perfect.

"I-I thought we could watch a movie together," She stammered out and he knew she'd blush if she could. "Esme thought it'd be a good idea."

Well, Esme was wrong. The two of them spending time together was nowhere a good idea. "Get out."

She didn't move for a minute, just staring at him with her wide blue eyes, her mouth agape. It made him grown again. Stupid, naïve, vain little girl. "Get out!"

That brought her senses back and she was scrambling out the door, an odd hurt present in her eyes.

What was wrong with her? Didn't she see that he didn't want to be anywhere near her?

But furthermore, what was wrong with him?

Alice came to see him later on that night. Caroline obviously had gone crying to her and not just because he was listening in or anything. (Okay, maybe a little.)

"Edward." She scolded him, imitating Esme's mother hen voice, golden eyes narrowed.

He sighed as she crossed her arms and glared at him more, urging him to feel guilty.

You've been a jerk, Edward. His conscience told him but he ignored it.

"You've been a jerk, Edward." Alice said.

And hey, wasn't he the one with mindreading abilities and not her?

"Really, the way you've been treating, Caroline!" She went on. "Like she has some viral disease."

Okay, now the guilt was coming on. Maybe he had been a bit harsh on Caroline. She didn't mean to act the way she did after all. Deep just wasn't her thing.

" Edward!" Alice looked at him in disappointment and cut him deeper than anything else. "What's wrong with you? Why are you acting this way?"

He didn't know. He really didn't know. All he knew was that this girl unnerved him and he had to stay away from her. Otherwise something…something would happen and he didn't want to know what that was.

"I really don't know, Alice."

She shook her head, the disappointment still on her face before she turned and walked out of the room.

He sighed to himself and stood up from the couch. He needed a run.

He was able to avoid all the talks of his cruel treatment of Caroline from other family members simply by disappearing whenever he heard them coming near. He'd also successfully avoided being around Caroline all together and it was successful until one afternoon where he found himself playing babysitter.

Everyone else was out of the house that particular afternoon, which he knew was to their own design as plenty of the songs he hated the most were suddenly being thought of by them, and leaving him with duty of making sure Caroline didn't go on a killing spree. Just great.

Awkward would've been a light term of the tension in the air as they ran through the woods, searching for their prey, even lost in the bloodlust he was still aware of her distracting presence. It wasn't until they feasted on some elks that she finally turned to him and spoke. "Why do you hate me?"

He looked up at her in surprise at the question and found himself distracted by the blood on her mouth, contrasting with her pale skin and the afternoon sun was high in the sky making the sparkles on her skin bright as ever. He just suddenly fully realized how stunning Caroline Forbes was.

But so was Rosalie and they were both cut from the same cloth.

"I don't hate you." He replied, not meeting her gaze and she let out a frustrated growl before he found himself sprawled on the ground, her on top of him. It happened too fast for him to pick it out of her mind and he could only stare up at her and waited for her to do something.

"Edward Cullen, you are the most horrible person I have ever met!" The anger blazed in her eyes, turning them into twin pools of golden fire, her hair like a halo. She looked like an angel, an angry angel.

"I hate you." She growled out and he wanted to kiss her. It was nonsensical but that was all he wanted to do, to kiss her until she just shut up and stopped invading his head like a disease. He just needed to taste her and feel her until he had enough and all she kept making him feel would disappear.

He flipped them over, faster than she could react. She was on her back and she felt so soft and fragile in his arms, it felt…it felt so perfect and wonderful, he hated it.

He glared at her, hating her more than ever and bared his teeth at her, wanting to break her skin and mar it forever. "Why do you make me feel this way?" She brought out this animalistic, possessive side of him and he didn't think he could suppress it anymore.

"How do I make you feel?" She whispered in question. Her topaz eyes staring up at him in parts fear, confusion and awe. She looked so much like a doll it was ridiculous. Such a deceiving exterior for a killer, it was pure irony.

She bit her lips as he waited for her to answer and he groaned, the last grip he had on his control slipping even more.

"I want you." The words were out and he swallowed her gasp of surprise as he devoured her lips with his own, taking her bottom lip from her teeth and rejoicing at her little moans. So sweet and soft, just like he knew she would be.

"What now?" Caroline asked after they were done. Leaves stuck to her hair, teeth marks on her once flawless skin where he bit her, his scent was all over her and her scent on him. She still looked absolutely stunning and he resisted the urge to push her to the ground and taste, feel and explore her all over again.

But they could. Everyone was back home by now and they would be asking about how their little hunting trip went and she was worried about what they would tell them as they made their way back to the house.

"Edward?" She asked him again and this time he saw the almost pleading look in her eyes, her thoughts scaring him more than anything else. She was so naïve and sweet.

And him, being the bastard that he was, tainted her.

Her topaz eyes continued to stare, each second of them on him felt like a sharp punch to the gut.

He ran.

He and Caroline didn't talk again after that. They weren't even anymore schemes from their other family members to bring them together. There was nothing. Nothing except the memories of her soft body under his, the sweet taste of her lips and the pleading look in those topaz eyes as they said one thing – Love me, Edward. Love me.

It could almost drive a man insane.

Alice entered his room much in the same fashion she had a few days ago. She quickly gave him the unhappy glare and crossed her arms over her chest, hovering over him and looking ready to slap the brains out of his head. "I saw what happened, you know."

He stared up at her wide-eyed.

She winced and looked increasingly uncomfortable. "Not that! Just the part where you acted like a complete douche bag."

He sighed instantly at that. "What do you want me to do, Alice?"

"Apologize to start," She said. "And you don't need Jasper to tell you what you feel, Edward."

She left after that and he watched her walk away in disbelief.

How could someone so small be so annoying?

He knocked on the door of Caroline's room and he entered when she told him to come in. Her eyebrows rose at the sight of him and she closed the book she was reading and placed it on the coffee table near the couch she was seated on.

"Uh, hi." He instantly felt like a fool for coming but he knew he had to do the right thing even if he had to make an idiot of himself in the process.

"Hi." She replied, less kindly and he couldn't blame her.

"I came to…I-I came…to..came…I mean…" He was just crashing and burning, ever eloquent Edward was suddenly an illiterate swine who couldn't even finish a sentence. But something about Caroline tore him to pieces and destroyed all the walls he built around himself. She did this all with a smile until he was bare and there was nothing left to hide. And he couldn't hate her for that.

Not anymore.

Things have changed between them and he didn't know if he should be afraid or not.

"You're an idiot." She said. And when no words came out of his mouth, he nodded.

"You love me." She stood up from the couch and made her way to where he was standing. He could only deftly nod. Because it was true, painfully and hopelessly true.

She stopped when she was directly a foot apart from him and he could feel her cool breath fanning his face. "You want to spend the rest of our immortal lives making hot and passionate love to me."

A surprised smile made its way to his lips and he nodded.

She smirked back at him. "Good."

And then she kissed him.

Edward.

"Yes?"

Do you think everyone heard us?

"I know they did."

Oh.

"Yeah."

Wanna go again?

Caroline could have chemistry with a rock. Seriously. This was written for Day#4 of The Month of Caroline challenge featuring Edward/Caroline.