(AN: This fic occurs about 70 years into the future. A retelling of an old womans life and her history with vampires.)

Not as it seems

Invited in

He stood still looking down a small narrow back street. The small worn down houses on either side informed him that he was in the right type of neighborhood. People here could not afford security cameras or other expensive protection devices. Not that it would bother him, but if they were linked up to the grid he could find himself in trouble with the Volturi. And that was something he didn`t want.

He had seen what that would lead to, a quick way to death for an immortal like him. They didn´t mess around if anyone manage to get close to exposure of our existence. Every now or again someone stumbled across a camera while he or she was doing something inhumane as running to fast, jumping to high or killing and feeding in front of a camera. And it wasn´t only the cameras on the ground he needed to consider. High up in sky the satellites was floated around, spying and protecting the humans from our kind.

But of course they couldn´t be everywhere. A big grin crossed his face. Poor people had the disadvantage of not be able to afford cameras, so they were easier targets. Indoor was always a good place, first you only look for what type of security they have. People where so nice to inform you what they had with a big sign outside, like an invitation, he smirked.

He had learned the hard way when his travel partner William some 20 years ago managed to get trapped, ended up on "FYEO (For You Eye Only)" a spin off on "You Tub". It only stayed there for a fraction of two second, before the Volturi clammed down on it and cut it out, 5 hours later the source was killed and it took them 3 days to find William and punish him for the 2 seconds of fame. William, the funnies guy in our "society" had tried to outsmart the Volturi and ran away and hid in middle of a busiest airport in Washington DC "The Barack Obama spaceport", loaded with cameras of course. The floating airport high up above the atmosphere was only for off world travelling and was very heavily guarded. But still he didn´t have a chance, it had been very lucky that they didn´t take me too as they normally do, but I hadn't been with him hunting that evening. They did manage to frighten me to hide out for 15 years in the Arctic living in Greenland and feeding on seals, musk-oxen, reindeers and an occasionally "lost" human. I twisted my face remembering how this nearly drove me mad before I took my first animal. But here I am again, back in business, I smirked.

A door opened farther down the road. Aha! Someone is inviting me in, best not to disappoint them, I thought. I slid quickly down to the house, an old frail woman about seventy or maybe eighty years of age was throwing her last bag of rubbish in her life. She walked to the door, but suddenly she slowly turned when I casual walked up her garden path. Her eyes peered up on me and then she unexpectedly smiled.

"Oh, would you want to came in, I would be delighted with your company this evening." She said. This was new; I had never in my 60 years as a vampire heard that one. As I walked past her the next word struck me with some surprise.

"I hope that you give me one last request before you strike." She said while she closed the door behind us. She waved me in her living room and pointed to the settee, as I sat down she came and sat down next to me!

Didn´t she realize how dangerous her act was? Was she a dotty old woman that lost her marbles? Or did she feel the danger and embrace it?

"I can see that you are thirsty, but you can wait a bit, can´t you?" She asked smiling.

"Yes I´m in no hurry, I said" smiling as convincingly as I could towards her. It was really odd. I looked around to see if the room would hold an answer to her peculiar behavior. It didn´t, it looked just as any senior citizens living-room, with a armchair, the settee we sat on, a 3D-Air screen (TV) on a low table against the wall with some typical moving photo frames.

The lady looks just like any normal old lady. Her face was deeply wrinkled aside her mouth and eyes, round soft peach cheeks, peering misty blue eyes and on top, thin blond hair. She was dressed in dark blue comfortable trousers and a blue jumper. She was moving very agile for her age and was now sitting so close that my throat burned.

"My name is Ryan I´m from Cheney outside Spokane." I said pleasantly hoping that this would lead her to talk and give me a hint of her odd behavior.

"Mine is Alicia Lace´. I'd say that brings back memories. It must be 50 years since I left Spokane. What centaury did you live there?" She asked.

That really caught me off guard. Was she joking or did she really know? Before I could ask she continued.

"Well I believe that Cheney is a district of Spokane by now so that means at least 20 years ago." She blinked one eye. "But of course I don't know if you where there when there was only 2 or 3 houses."

"You seem to be very well informed about everything. That is not very healthy you know." I said, putting my hand under my chin interested, keeping my friendly smile.

"I'll stop teasing you." The old women laughed. "Yes I know what you are and that you are not very hungry, just peckish. Your throat is itchy for a bite, but with me as close as I am makes it more of a burn. Don´t be alarmed I have known of you kind about seventy years now and I have not spilled the beans."

The women looked straight in my eyes without any fear and with a smile on her face. I was very surprised by many things. Who had let her live all this time? I could not smell anyone of my kind on her or the room so it must have been a while since they left. Was it a coven or a single vampire? Most probably a single vampire, that been alone and needed some kind of company. Why not change her to be a part of our world then? Why let her live to her age alone with all this information! The vampire must have gotten himself killed. Well I will remedy that lack of secrecy. But first I wanted to know who it happened and if possible why.

"Interesting, must be a good story behind all this," I said.

"I will gladly tell you, but first could you help me with a tiny little thing. After that I do not mind if you kill me." Her wrinkled face looks now somber, but with a pleading look.

I looked at her a bit confused. "You want me to kill you?"

She ought to know who I feed, so why? It is not a nice way to go, the pain, the burn and the feeling of life slipping away. I'd probably lose control slashing, tearing and breaking her before I toss her body over. I must have missed something. Of course she probably only wanted me to brake her neck. Was it because she loved a vampire who left her to slowly grow old and now she wants to end it like it should have ended years ago if he had killed her, that first time they met. I´m her substitute for him! She will think of him till the end, quite macabre.

Well I didn´t mind, this was really something new. Life would never get boring for a dead man if this happened more often.

"Yes that´s right. I have lived a long happy live, but my last five years have been horrible. First my loving husband died after many years of illness. My daughter and her husband died in a car accident a year later. And these last three year I lost my two best friend and neighbors. And now a multi rich company is force buying this whole neighborhood. I´m an old woman I can´t leave all my memories. My garden and my house is all I have left. I can´t uproot myself and start new. Who is going to help me to sort out everything? I can´t asked my granddaughter, she is paralyze from the car accident from waist and down, fending by herself and her young daughter. That you turned up on my doorstep is like a gift from heaven."

Well I didn´t belong in anyone's heaven, probably more in everyone´s nightmare, but I felt quite selfish. I had once been a living young man. I didn´t remember it much, but I could sympathies. When William that night so many years ago bit the living daylight out of me, I had left my parent devastated, their only child missing presumed dead and never found. William had told me where I came from and some ten years after my supposed death, I had one night gone through the library in Cheney and found my "missing boy article". I still after so many years remember the feeling when I stared at my human face. A young man of twenty three with a smiling face peered at me, dark brown hair with a boyish fringe nearly covering my eyes and two blue mischievous eyes lurking underneath. I must have made some young girls hearts beat faster. I still do that now, only for a different reason, terror. If I had turned up on my parents doorstep still alive, so many years ago, they would have thought it a gift from heaven at least till I couldn't stop myself from being the nightmare I am now.

So the old woman wanted a quick way out of her problems, I didn´t mind. So long as I could get to solve her mystery at the same time. All this thinking had taken such a short time that she hadn't noticed it at all.

"Well I have no problem to help you with that, but please indulge me with your life story. I have all the time in the world," I said with a grin.

"But can you help me first? I need to get in contact with some vampires," she asked.

So it was a coven, I was surprise. "Who do you need to contact?"

She leaned forward her eyes sparkled. "The Cullens, anyone of them will do."

I should have guessed that the biggest family this side of the Atlantic was the leak. Family being the right word to call them I guess, when twelve vampires were living in peace together. That was so unusual of our kind. Only the Volturi were larger but you couldn't call them a family though.

"Can you help me? I haven't seen any of them in almost 60 years and I have been dying to see them one last time before I die" she asked.

Dying, that was nicely put. Well I didn´t want to get in trouble with the Cullen's. But it could always be good to be on their good side, so why not.

"Yes." I said "I do think I can. I need to make some phone calls though."

"Be free to use mine." She said pointing to the phone on the table in front of us.

Who to call was easy. Miranda and Ed lived in northern Canada far from any civilization. But they still manage to be up to dated, mostly because of Eddy´s spectacular gift. He tapped in on the network without the need a computer or anything else electrical. That was also the reason why they lived so remote. It was easier to tune off chatter when the traffic was low. And on top of that they were cross feeders. Eating mostly animals, but once in a while, a stray human turned up in their neighborhood. Like the Cullen's, their eyes was mostly golden.

After my years in Greenland I had run across the couple and stayed with them for a good two years. I hunted grizzlies, deer and elk, while also interacting with the couple. I had really been a savage, not wearing much more then worn out to the tread clothes. A vagrant would have been better dressed than I was when I first meet them. They had invited me home and turned me back to a good looking guy again.

I dialed their number and before the first ring Eddy answered.

"Hi mate it´s Ryan." I smiled, remembered some of the long talks they have had. Eddy was surprised and pleased to hear my voice again. Even more surprised to find out that I needed to get in touch with the Cullens.

"Are you bored with yours diet and want to prey on their doorstep?" he joked. But he gladly gave me a phone number and didn´t asked more. "It´s Alice's, she went past here this summer with her husband." He informed me.

I looked at Alicia, her eyes sparkled she looked more as a four year old on her birthday then an old frail woman. She had her hand in front of her mouth, wanting to cheer in excitement. I dial the number and young women answered. I introduced myself and explain that a human by the name of Alicia Lacé would like to talk to her.

Alicia's shaking hand reaches out and took the phone. I whispered that is was Alice on the other end and her eyes lit up. If I had any doubt that Alicia had been pulling my leg, that confirm that it wasn't the case.

After a short but shaky talk Alicia hanged up. It was a different women sitting so close next to me. Her heart was thumping in jubilation in her chest.

"They are coming here," she said.

"Well while we wait would you consider telling me your life story," I asked moving a bit further from her in the settee. She smiled and started.