A/N: This is one of the last prequels I wrote for Chris. I have one more that covers the family moving to Forks in 2003, but it isnt long at all and unless I get rid of the massive writers block on it, it probably will not be uploaded here. This however isnt very long either, but does cover the first month or so of Alice and Jasper joining the family. A friend, obsessed with Alice and Jasper helped me write some of the later chapters. I hope you all enjoy this, like the New Moon version as well as the other versions, I will not be updating this on a daily basis, it will also be spread out between updates. I'm kind of proud of how this turned out, especially this first chapter. Ps. I don't recall in the books if it is ever mentioned where the family was when Alice and Jasper joined the family. Oh, as usual I do not own anything related to Twilight, they belong to their creator Mrs. Meyer, I do own Chris however.

Something was out of place…I mean the air around me felt different somehow. I leaned on my desktop and pushed open the glass window. I gave the air a sniff, nothing smelt out of place, as the scents of the forest surrounding our large farmhouse wafted in on a light breeze. I stuck my head out of the window; a squirrel bolted up a tree, followed by a fellow squirrel.

Further in the woods I could see a deer quietly walking just beyond the edge of the forest, she looked up smelling the air, before bolting in the opposite direction.

I listened to the sounds of the forest carefully, trying to hear anything that may have frightened the doe, but there was no abnormal sounds; the chitter-chatter of squirrels and chipmunks, the screech of birds, and the sound of the stream flowing…normal sounds, none of which should have spooked the lone doe.

I sighed loudly and left the window open but picked my pencil up again to try finishing my homework. I had been working on the assignment for a few hours now and I still had yet to get past my name.

I tapped my pencil on the desk, before chewing on the eraser absent-mindedly. Of course, doing that meant that I chewed right through the top of the pencil with my super strong, very sharp teeth.

I frowned at the turn of events and allowed a series of curse words I wouldn't dare use in front of Esme to escape me before I tossed the pencil into the growing pile of other decapitated writing instruments.

A part of me was happy for the brief distraction as I struggled to work on my assignment that had been plaguing me for about a week now and I had put off for that week, until now a day before it was due I was forced to come to terms with the fact I had to get it done or risk failing my ONLY major writing assignment of the semester and the ticket to moving onto the next grade next fall.

The assignment I was working on was easy enough…write a two page essay on the president you admire the most and why you admire this man.

Simple yes, but simple for all my American peers who had been learning about the presidents since they could speak; I know a total of three well enough to write about them and had to turn to the library to research the others.

I had only one day left of classes and I would finally complete my first freshman experience. Carlisle and Esme were not sure at the moment if we would go one more year or if during the summer we would move on.

Rosalie, Emmett, and Edward were considered juniors and the only reason we had stayed as long as we had was so I could experience school.

I would be disappointed if we had to leave; I had grown quite fond of the little town and would miss the view of the fishing boats coming in and out of the marina. But my experience with Moclips high school was just to give me the chance to see American schools in action, so when the time came I wouldn't need to rely on my siblings to help me understand the workings of an American school.

The younger we start out in a new place, the longer we can go undetected, which meant when we next moved on, I would be starting as a sixth grader, most likely separated from my siblings.

After the events with the Volturi two years ago, Carlisle and Esme were more than convinced I was ready for school, I had proven that my thirst for human blood was manageable, if slightly difficult.

Still, my parents were not prepared to completely risk anything; they wanted my first experience with school to be with my brothers and sister. It wasn't that my parents did not trust me, but being in a new school is a daunting experience, especially being in a new country and attending a new school. If any issues did arise, I would have my siblings to step in and help me and look out for me if necessary.

For the most part my classmates steered clear of me, which was fine with me. They thought I was peculiar, my thick British accent for one thing got me smirks and odd looks every time I spoke and the rules for etiquette that I had been raised on and had been taught in my own school in London and had been valued most high and expected meant little to my peers and teachers and in most cases were disregarded.

Not only was I the new kid, but I was also: the foreigner, the Brit, and my personal favorites Grand Duke of Nerds and Lord Odd Ball.

Also I was younger looking than most of them…easily smaller...so this didn't help the situation any either, many thought I was lying about my age and was some genius kid who had skipped elementary school to land in high school.

Though the school's population isn't massive, you get the entire school's six grades in one or two hallways all at the same time…especially at dismissal time, it's easy to get swept up and even trampled, which nearly happened the first few days.

Luckily, when the dismissal bell rings, I can always count on Emmett waiting for me outside my classroom. He's not trying to be overprotective, he's just being the brother I have come to know there to look out for me and make sure that I get around all right, (and don't get trampled).

I hadn't been to school in nearly ten years, Esme's home-schooling had kept me from falling behind and in most cases I had far surpassed my peers and my brothers and sister, especially in mathematics with Emmett and French with Rosalie and Edward, except in two activity… socialization and mainstreaming.

Had it not been for my siblings, I would have been completely lost on my first day of lessons. I had no idea what my peers were into, I was still in the mindset of 1940 and was struggling to enter 1950, you never realize how much of a difference there is between two decades until you face a permanent childhood within both decades and are forced to study and conform to your peers in each decade just so you do not stand out and look foolish.

I quickly learned that Benny Goldman was no longer popular and was actually considered old folk music and a lot of the wireless programs I grew up and enjoyed were considered dumb.

I reached into my desk draw and pulled out another pencil, determined not to kill this one. I racked my brain trying to think of a president I could admire.

The books I had taken from the library really didn't help and I had yet to settle on a president whose time in office really stood out to me. I mean of course you have Washington, but it was his time before taking office that seems it would be more important to an American child, at least to someone who HADNT grown up on the tales of the great George Washington. Plus I had a feeling most of my classmates would be taking him as the subject of their essay.

FDR really didn't jump out at me either, though he had been good friends with Prime Minister Churchill and had apparently wanted to help England as much as possible, he was bound to the will of congress in the entire matter and wouldn't fight them on the fact the United States should be in the war. I do admit that during the war I had just believed that FDR had just ignored the pleas for aid and the warnings from Churchill that the US should not nor could it any longer bill itself as neutral and separate from the Second World War.

The fact that it took the Japanese bombing a key military point of the US and the loss of thousands of lives to make this country's government realize it had to join the war does not make my impressions of FDR any different, I wouldn't call him weak since he was doing what he felt was best for his country, but it cost a lot of lives.

So no, I could not find anything in my own knowledge that marked FDR as a president I admired, as a human being I would admire him as a leader no.

Rosalie walked past my door and poked her head in, giving me a gentle and sympathetic smile,

"How goes it?"

"Painful…" I replied "I don't get why I cant write about someone from my own country I admire, there were plenty of great English leaders." I grinned, "Elizabeth the 1st, Lord Nelson, King George the III, Queen Victoria, George the 6th, Prime Minister Churchill,"

"I think it might be because you are considered American."

I groaned at that, then smirked

"think anyone would make the connection if I wrote about General Gage and praised him for his gallant efforts?" Rosalie raised an eyebrow "his efforts to quash a certain rebellion that you Yanks celebrate every fourth of July."

Now Rosalie grinned and shook her head.

"I think you're better off finding a president Chris unless you want to fail your first major writing assignment." She said, "there are plenty of great presidents if you just look." She walked into my room and picked up my library book; and began flipping through it. "Abraham Lincoln for one, he's considered one of the greats he kept this country from tearing itself apart, helped the North win the Civil War."

"Didn't he get shot because of that?" I asked seriously, she hit me over the head with the book

"He was assassinated." She replied, "Thomas Jefferson helped spread the country from the east, completing Manifest Destiny when he convinced congress to go ahead with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, it eventually led to Lewis and Clark's expedition a real adventure story."

"Didn't that action get you guys involved in the Napoleonic wars with us? You call it the War of 1812. A war that had you lost you'd probably be singing God Save the King and saluting the Union Jack?" I grinned

Rosalie threw her hands up in the air.

"You are impossible." She wasn't mad though, I have seen Rosalie mad and know when she truly is.

"God save our gracious king, Long live our noble king, God save the king send him victorious happy and glorious-" I started to sing before she clamped her hand over my mouth.

"See if I ever help you with your homework again you annoying little brat. And you know that's the National Anthem right?

"Exactly, the anthem to salute the Union Jack."

"No I mean American Anthem,"

"Same tune, different words and ours is older, we used it first, it's a popular tune

Rosalie, the words are the only difference."

She sighed and picked up the book again.

"here smarty, find something to complain about this president."

She handed me the book and pointed to a photo, a large man with a handlebar moustache looked back at me.

"Theodore Roosevelt." I read "any relation to Franklin?"

"I think they were cousins."

"Cousins…right, ok enlighten me." I answered, "What did he do that I would admire him?"

"Helped to save the National Parks, which is why I think you might actually enjoy learning about him." She was right of course, I did admire the country's National Parks and it would be interesting to read about the man who helped create them. "Try reading the chapter on him Chris, he was actually a pretty decent person. So read about him before you make a presumption about him. That's the only way to learn." She paused "unless you need me to read it to you," she finished cooing. I hissed at her, but stopped as I got the feeling something was coming… a feeling deep in the pit of my stomach. "Chris, are you all right?"

I stood up, listening carefully, my ability to profile my environment was working in overdrive to sort out it's conclusion, someone was coming…two someone's, they were moving swiftly, but carefully.

One was sure footed, knew the way to go and knew what to expect, the other less sure, but would follow the other no matter where the path led.

"Someone's coming." I replied when Rosalie put a hand on my shoulder

"When?"

"I…I don't know, soon though." I leaned out my window again and surveyed the forest, "real soon."

We exchanged a quick look and without a word I bolted to Carlisle's office, Rosalie right behind me.

I burst into my father's office without knocking, there was no time for pleasantries. Carlisle looked up from his medical notes when I burst in.

"Christian?" he said looking surprised "what's the matter son?" I looked past my father to the open window behind him. I walked over and stuck my head out; I gave the air a quick sniff and shrank back at the scent in the air. It was definitely the scent of our kind and it was getting closer. "Chris?" Carlisle asked putting a hand on my shoulder "someone we know?"

I shook my head

"No…their nomads, but their coming here, not by curiosity or accident, they have a purpose, one is moving with surety, the other not so much, the second one trusts the first one's judgment, but is still cautious."

Carlisle stiffened and glanced at Rosalie. It was just us and Esme home; Edward and Emmett had gone hunting, there was no way to reach them before the nomads were at our doorstep.

I am fast, but my brothers had gone north to British Columbia a province called Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, a wilderness that tripled the size of Olympia and had much more game. I would never make it there before the nomads were here, let alone find and bring my brothers back here. They weren't due home for another day or so and could be ANYWHERE in Tweedsmuir.

It would be up to Carlisle and I to protect Esme and Rosalie, if these incoming nomads grew violent.

My father would try to quash any violence that might occur. His first thought would be keeping peace and keep us safe. If the nomads did attack, I really don't know how well or how long we could hold them off.

"Downstairs, both of you." Carlisle ordered gently, he followed us out of his office and we moved down to the first floor.

Esme was sitting in her chair, reading a book. She looked up when we came down and looked right at me. The teacher in her, narrowed her eyes

"Christian, did you finish that essay ye-?" she stopped when she saw the fear in all three of our eyes. "Carlisle?" she asked her voice shaking.

"It will be all right," he replied, he turned to me "Christian, I need you to get as much of a profile of our visitors as you can as quickly as you can, but try not to appear that you are doing just that. I do not want them to feel threatened by us." I nodded "even if you feel that they are a threat do not respond to it unless I tell you. If we appear relaxed then everything should be fine. I will watch your body language, if you feel the situation is taking a turn for the worse, without being obvious I need you to let me know."

Again I nodded

"I will. I'll put my hands in my pocket."

"Good boy. That's fine." Carlisle paused and patted my shoulder "It will be fine son, we will be fine. We've faced visitors before."

I took a deep breath; I know I was profiling Carlisle's confidence, though I didn't believe it myself, because I was feeling anything but confident.

I've never met other vampires like this before. Even two years later I was still reeling from my experience with the Volturi.

I felt love for the Denali clan because they are our family, but meeting other vampires… I'm terrified at the idea, it takes a lot to scare me and since the Volturi, meeting others like them, especially in my own home terrifies me.

My ears perked up again as the soft sound of footsteps reached me, and I gave the air a sniff, before looking at my family.

"They're here."

Rosalie reached over and held Esme's hand tight. Carlisle and I exchanged a look and he walked over to the front door.

I stood behind my father, my body tense and ready to attack, but I remembered Carlisle's warning that if we appeared to be a threat in anyway, might send the wrong message to our visitors, so I relaxed, but my mind was ready to profile.