If you love the Twilight Universe the way it was written, this story is not for you. Please stop reading now. Otherwise, buckle up as it will be a bumpy ride!

If you are reading, do not flame me! I am warning you up front that there will be some book, movie and author bashing necessary in order to write this story.

Also, Carlisle is not a hero. This is a poly/slash story. You have been warned!

I do not own or profit from the Twilight Universe. I am merely using their characters, twisting them around in my own head, to provide free entertainment for my readers. Enjoy!

The Real Story

Yes, vampires exist. And yes, a vampire revealed his world to a human. But truth is not always found in books.

TRS * TRS * TRS * TRS * TRS

To anyone he passed he was a flash of honeyed sunlight quickly caught in the corner of their eye, a sparkly flash glinting off a store window. But this deadly hunter was no illusion. He was all powerful leonine grace and gliding stealth. The only people who saw him clearly were those who would never report what they saw. They never lived long enough to even scream. He was their last vision before darkness stole their heartbeats forever.

His silver grey eyes first spotted the drug dealer near a play ground at the elementary school, exchanging small bags of pills through the chain link fence for five dollar bills. The hunter eventually tracked the man into an alley off Colfax Avenue and the right amount of fear was induced to make his blood sweeter. The drug dealer's blood helped suppress a hunger no human could ever understand. Smiling as he drew the last of his prey's nectar from its body, the hunter was proud to be judge, jury and executioner if it meant saving the life of even one child.

His hunger temporarily sated, he made his way north and west as twilight approached, taking cover in a grove of lilac bushes next to a lake as he scanned his surroundings. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

"Anything yet?"

The hunter growled, "No. Nothing in City Park. I'll check Sloan's Lake next and then head to Crown Hill."

"We're running out of time. It has to be tonight or we'll be too late."

"Don't you think I know that!" Slamming his phone closed and putting it back into his pocket, he scowled and took off to circle Sloan's Lake.

Then, hit with a powerful wave of despair, he knew his search was at an end. Sending a quick text, "I found her," he stood back and scanned his surroundings, waiting to approach her until the sun dipped behind the mountains in a blaze of fire. Her misery was palpable even to the humans who steered a wide path around her table.

TRS * TRS * TRS * TRS * TRS

Jamie sat on the top of the picnic table near the west side of the lake, drawing tablet and charcoal pencil discarded beside her, elbows on knees, chin cradled in her hands. Empty dull green eyes stared straight ahead but saw nothing, neither the glorious Colorado sunset created as the sun set behind her nor the Canada geese gliding along in a line in front of her. She didn't hear the song of the wrens or the dog walker cussing his small mutt as it left a fresh pile to the right of her perch. Lost in her mind, all her senses were cut off. Her pain was all consuming, her mind frozen with the regrets and losses of a life spent living hand to mouth, no excess for even a new pair of prescription glasses. Even her art could no longer bring joy. She was tired of existing. Her mantra kept her locked in time and space, 'old, fat, ugly, poor, stupid, alone…old, fat, ugly, poor, stupid, alone…old, fat, ugly, poor, stupid, alone…'

Jamie never felt the man sit next to her. She answered his questions by rote, not really aware that she was engaged in conversation.

"I've been lookin' for you for quite some time now. You are even lovelier than I expected.

Jamie snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right…leave me alone."

"I can feel your distress and wondered what's going through your mind?"

"What do you care? I told you, go away!"

"Come on Darlin', talk to me."

"Why? Can't you see I don't want to talk about it?"

"Why are ya hurtin' so bad?"

Exasperated, Jamie finally answered. "Well, let's see. I'm too old to be of interest to anyone, so I'm alone and lonely. I am out of shape, too fat and in a lot of back pain from a car accident years ago. I can't quit my job or retire because I have no money even though my job sucks. I hate my life and don't see any reason to go on. Is that enough for you? Would you just leave me alone now?"

"Well darlin', you see, I can't really do that. You are meant to be ours. By the way, what's your name, Angel?"

"Jamie...what…whose?"

"I'm Jasper Whitlock and this tall drink of water comin' up behind us is Peter."

"NO!" Jamie jerked her head towards her tormenter for the first time, finally fully engaged in their conversation. "Jasper Whitlock huh? You don't exist. Who put you up to this? Was it my roommate? I'm going to kill her. This is not funny. Who are you really? You don't exist!"

Peter plopped down next to her, grabbing her sketch book before he sat on it and nudging her shoulder. "I don't know, Jay. I sure feel real. Don't I feel real? I think I feel real."

Jasper flashed a crooked grin at Peter and slid the back of his hand along Jamie's bare arm, reaching for her hand. She started and jerked away from him, right into Peter's side. Shrugging him off, trying to escape, she was trapped, frightened and upset. She tried to remember her Tai Quan Do self-defense, but that was too many years ago, lost in another life. Knowing she was probably in a lot of trouble since even her roommate didn't know where she was, Jamie suddenly resigned herself to whatever the fates had in store for her. She was all out of fight, and had no reason to even care.

"Yeah, whatever, whoever. My roommate knows those are my favorite books and you are both my favorite fan fic characters. So…whatever…" Jamie covered her face with her hands and started to cry soft, silent tears. Life was just too cruel. She never knew what that meant until now, but this trick was beneath any of her few friends. Who was doing this to her?

"Jay, I don't think she believes us."

"I get that Peter. Darlin' please look at me. I really would like to explain. Would ya please look at me?"

After a few minutes or maybe a few hours, Jamie finally looked up into the most beautiful silver grey eyes she had ever seen. "You can't be a vampire because your eyes aren't the right color. So who are you…both of you?"

"Can we take this discussion to someplace more private? I don't want anyone to overhear us." Jasper gestured to a large black truck parked next to Jamie's car.

"No way! If you are going to rape and murder me, just get on with it here. I am NOT about to make this easy for you!"

"Okay, okay…bad suggestion. Let's just talk here, shall we." Jasper raised his hands in the universal sign of submission and peace, and then leaned back on his elbows, still next to her. Peter copied Jasper, and Jamie suddenly found herself looking at two pairs of very long legs encased in dark jeans, with well-worn cowboy boots gracing each foot. Uncomfortable with the position of both men, she turned around and dropped down to sit on the bench seat attached to the table.

That position wasn't much better though, because she was now staring at two well toned torsos clad in tight t-shirts, and eye level with two rather large bulges in tight jeans. When Peter chuckled and Jasper cleared his throat, Jamie realized just how long she had been staring. Mortified, she finally looked at their faces.

Peter was dark where Jasper was light. Peter's golden brown hair was tied back in a low ponytail, one eyebrow raised, bright blue eyes crinkled as he looked at her. Jasper had his honey blond wavy hair loose and touching his shoulders as he tilted one corner of his mouth into an enticing grin.

"Sooooo, who are you both really?"

"I'm Jasper and this is Peter Whitlock. We are who we say we are. And yes…vampires."

"Not possible. Where are your red or gold eyes? And why here? What are you doing running around Denver?"

"She's read the books, Jasper. Maybe we should start there?"

"Okay…so the books…they aren't all that accurate."

"What do you mean? They are fiction and so are both of you, so why weren't you more careful about the details if you were going to masquerade as fictional characters?"

"Darlin', you can't believe everything you read."

"Just what is that supposed to mean?"

"The books are based on fact, but the author either didn't get all her facts straight, or she used artistic license to manipulate reality. Vampires don't lose their eye color when they're changed. And diet has nothing to do with it anyway. Why would human or animal blood matter? Blood is blood. So forget the red eyes for human drinkers and the yellow eyes for animal imbibers. I really hate those damn books. They've made life difficult, to say the least."

Jamie reached out to touch Jasper's hand, and then quickly withdrew. "You are a bit cooler than me, but certainly not frigid like the books suggest. Explain that."

"We are somewhat colder, but Pete's and my body temps won't be that different from yours."

"Huh?" Yeah Jamie, way to articulate!

"That brings us to the reason we're here in Denver, 'running around' as you so succinctly put it. We've been looking for our third for a long time and Pete finally got a sense that you were here. I've been checking the parks because he saw you at a table near a fairly large body of water. I knew when I saw and felt you that you were the one for whom we were searching."

"Third?"

"Yeah, vampires bond in triads. We exist comfortably in pairs, but when we find our third, then we're complete. That is the reason we are not that much cooler to the touch than you. We are mates."

"What's with all the mated pairs in the books then? That is a pretty big error!"

"Damn books. I told ya, they aren't that accurate."

"But why three? Why not four, or six, or a coven orgy?"

"Dunno. That is just the way it is. If we lose our mates, we die. Maybe it's a way to continue on for us. If we lose one mate, we still have another. As I said, a pair works fine."

"So, does that mean that you and Peter are together, together?"

"Do you have a problem with two men together, Angel?" Peter cocked his head to one side as he regarded Jamie's expression carefully.

"No, no…I'm kinda turned on by the visual." Jamie blushed, something she hadn't done in a very long time. "I just wondered if…"

"If what, Angel?"

"Well, um, I mean, um…" Okay, so not going there Jamie! Do not suggest they perform for you. Change the subject now! "So how do you know I am your third?"

"Nice save, Darlin'! As to bein' our third, we just know. We can sense the bond even though you are still human. Can you trust what we are sayin' or do ya need proof? Last time I talked to Marcus, he said we just needed to all join hands to initiate the bond, but suggested we do that in a private place. I've never seen a bond form, so I don't really know what he was being so cryptic about." Jasper sat up and stared at his hands as though they would give him the answers he sought.

Since Marcus was so vague and Jasper could think of no good reason to wait, he grabbed Peter and Jamie's hands. "Let's just do this now. It will prove to you that we are speaking the truth, Darlin'."

"Uh, Jay?" Peter hesitated to complete the circle. He just knew somehow that this should not be done in a public place. Jasper cocked an eyebrow at Peter, reminding him who was boss, and Peter smirked as he reached for Jamie's other hand.

The jolt they each felt when Peter forged the final contact forced low moans from deep in their chests. Jamie felt moisture suddenly pool in her underwear, a feeling she had not experienced in decades. The men sported immediate erections, difficult in Jasper's case as his jeans were all but painted on. Gasping in shock, Jasper released his hold on his mates, but his problem remained prominent, as did their excitement.

Groaning that maybe Marcus was right, Peter suggested they find a private location and find it NOW!