"All the young, brave men of America today are heading off to fight the world's war. They move through situations of great danger with ease, keeping America in their hearts all the while."

Moving images of men in heavy gear trudging through a deeply wooded area slipped across the screen. Many of the people in the theater clapped and hooted as they rained gunfire upon a large group of the infamous Nazis, who were approaching steadily from the brush. Edward stared, deeply concentrated, on the black and white film reel playing in front of him.

"It is these men who will end the war. They will end it on American terms! Are you, gentlemen, brave, honorable, and willing enough to join the ranks?" The booming voice continued to ring through the theater, questioning the men in the audience. A colorful poster of Uncle Sam moved its way across the screen. "Enlist today at your nearest health establishment. Become an American Hero!"

There was a sharp clicking sound, and the theater was immersed in blackness for a brief moment. The movie was about to start, but Edward couldn't shake those images out of his mind. He was sitting here, able-bodied, stronger than any human in that army, in the comfort of a warm, clean movie theater. How could he have let this go on for so long? He clenched his jaw for a moment as a group of giggling women moved past him in the aisle, the scent of their blood lingering behind them.

He stood up, straightened out his slacks and fiddled with the buttons on his shirt, turned, and abruptly left the theater. He could hear the opening scores and the buzzing of the audience as the film began.

Edward slapped enlistment forms onto the counter in the kitchen. The house he lived in was large, for he and his "family" have certainly been around long enough to acquire great amounts of money. Carlisle sat across from where Edward was standing at the counter, trying to figure out what was going on with his son-for-all-intents-and-purposes before opening his mouth. Edward's expression was set, almost unreadable, with the exception of the great excitement and determination shining in his eyes.

"Carlisle," he said rather sternly, as if lecturing a misbehaving child, "I'm enlisting."

Esme hurried into the kitchen from a nearby room. Edward had anticipated this reaction. However unreasonable the reaction for a vampire heading off to fight in WWII, Esme was still more of Edward's mother than anything else. "What?"

"Esme, please, you have to understand-"

"You have no right to do that to this family!" Her voice was becoming hysterical quite quickly. "Think of Alice, of Rosalie! How could you leave us like that?"

Meanwhile, Carlisle sat quietly, analyzing the situation. Edward couldn't focus on his father's mind while his mother was dangerously close to having a nervous breakdown. It was at this remark about his sisters that set him off. "Think of all of the humans out there!" he bellowed. "They're actually sixteen, seventeen, leaving school and family and girlfriends and things to go fight, while the odds are certainly not in their favor!"

Esme sobbed, intimidated, sitting at the table on the opposite side of the kitchen. Although she was crying hard, no tears rolled down her cheeks. Being a vampire stopped all bodily functions, but intensified emotions. Esme was a prime example of that.

"Esme," he snarled, still worked up, "I'm a damn vampire living in America. This war is a dangerous one, and Hitler is not exactly preparing his army to put down their weapons. I'm one of the few who really have a shot at coming out of this thing alive! Or...well, what we see as alive." His entire demeanor softened, and he walked over to the table at which Esme was seated. "Can't you see that? There are innocent boys out there doing the dirty work. I'm already damned...I need to do this. I'm older, faster, hell, I could kill 20 men in the time it takes them all to kill one." Esme grimaced at the thought. "It's just... you've got to let me do this. The war can't go on much longer, or an entire generation will be destroyed. And we can't let Germans set foot on American soil. I believe you understand what sort of problems that would cause..." Edward willed Esme to listen, his gaze heavy with implications. To his relief, Esme nodded. He looked up at Carlisle, his eyes pleading, but there was a slight grin playing at the corners of his mouth. Carlisle bowed his head slightly in a gesture of assent.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Edward yelled, over and over again. In all the years he'd been around, he'd never felt so...right. The only thing better than this, he thought, was love. But no one loves a vampire, he thought again quickly, counteracting the warm feeling that began to build in his stomach. No girl loves a vampire.