AN: This was written for Eowyn77's 'President's Day Challenge.' Go to the Twilight Challenges FORUM and check it out. Lots of good stuff there.

The Road To Camelot

"This land belongs to the National Park Service now; creating this park was one of the last things President Kennedy did before he was assassinated in 1963," Edward explained as we drove through the Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County.

Of course I had studied that in history class, and seen the newsreels, but it occurred to me that Edward had lived through it, so to speak. "Do you have memories of that day, when President Kennedy was shot?" I asked curiously.

A shadow passed over his eyes and they almost seemed to have clouded up. He looked like he was choosing his words carefully before he spoke.

"Yes, I remember that day. There was so much shock and sadness. It was just unbelievable. It didn't seem like only the President was killed, it seemed like hope died that day, too. He was such a charismatic man, he held the dreams and aspirations of an entire nation, and he was popular all over the world, too. We haven't really had another President like that. For a long time after that, when you met someone new they would say, 'What were you doing when you heard Kennedy got shot?' It was an event everyone shared. So many sad thoughts," he concluded.

This was going to be a different sort of weekend. I wasn't just learning about history, I was learning about his history. He was letting me see parts of himself that I knew nothing about. He seemed so moved by talking about the popular President.

"Did you ever see President Kennedy in person, like on the campaign trail or something?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment and then said, "No, I never saw President Kennedy," and he paused before continuing, "but I met Jack Kennedy, before he ever thought about being President."

"Tell me, Edward. When was this?"

"He was just plain Jack, barely 21, when I met him, Bella. It was awhile after my rebellious period, and Carlisle decided we needed a complete change of scenery so he took us off to England. This was July, 1938, right before World War two, and Carlisle felt London was the place he could be of most help. Joseph Kennedy was the U.S. ambassador to England then. Esme was an admirer of Rose Kennedy and her big family, and she used to read out loud about the activities of their nine children from the London papers."

I nodded; it was easy to imagine Esme wishing she had that many children in her home. I didn't want children but I longed to be part of the Cullen family. To have brothers and sisters and a built in best friend would be a dream come true.

"London is foggy and rainy, even in the summertime. I would love to take you there, Bella; you can go through Dickens' house, and you would love the library at the British Museum." He gazed at me and I could see the excitement in his eyes.

"That sounds wonderful, Edward. But tell me about when you were in London," I encouraged.

"I was walking through Hyde Park one gray day and I sat on a bench to watch a group of young men playing American football. It wasn't long before one of them got injured; he twisted his ankle. They brought him over to the bench where I was sitting, to elevate his leg."

He reached over and tucked a stray lock of my hair behind my ear and then rested his hand on my shoulder.

"It was Teddy, Jack's youngest brother. I think he was as accident prone as you. I immediately took my coat off and put it around him; I was worried he would go into shock. I mentioned my concern and explained that my father was a doctor. They recognized I was an American from my accent and they were thrilled. British boys were not their cup of tea, although that's who they had taught to play American football that day in the park."

"When they found out I was from Chicago it was like they immediately adopted me. Their father owned the Chicago Merchandise Mart and they loved Chicago."

"They didn't shy away from you?" He had told me most humans had a reluctance to be close to his kind.

"No, I'll get to that. Jack wasn't so concerned about losing Teddy as a player; he was so young he really didn't contribute anything to the game. Their mother insisted Teddy be allowed to partake in whatever sport they played, usually with similar dire results. Jack was more upset about being behind by six points."

"I watched Jack give me an appraising glance while I heard him thinking, 'with his build and even his hair color, he could be one of us; we can say he's a cousin, visiting from Chicago. Even these stuffy Limeys couldn't object to another member of our family joining our team, no matter that they haven't formally been introduced to him.'"

Edward smiled at me and continued, "Evidently following the dictates of polite society as the Ambassador's son in London was chafing on the brash young man. Jack looked at me skeptically and asked, 'Are you a good runner?'"

"I smiled widely, showing every one of my venom-coated teeth. He didn't even blink; he was daring, reckless even." He smiled that same smile, which didn't frighten me, either.

"I have to admit, I wanted to test myself, playing a game with humans," Edward explained to me. "I needed to push myself to find my limits, and these fearless Kennedy boys seemed the perfect subjects for my little experiment."

"Yes, I can run," I assured him.

"How are you at catching the ball?" he challenged.

"My hands are steady," I replied evenly.

Jack exchanged little more than a glance with Bobby, and not even a thought passed through his mind.

"Good," replied Bobby. "If you're going to keep warm without your coat you'll need to run around with us." With his long legs he looks like he can run.

As brothers they had some kind of instant communication and were so in sync they didn't need words; just a look or a nod of the head was enough for them.

"Right," said Jack briskly, looking me in the eye. "I'm quarterback and you will be a wide receiver. After the snap, go out to the right and run down field about twenty yards. I'll pass to you."

"I was eager to see if I could control myself enough to catch the ball without destroying it and if I could be tackled without hurting someone. Fortunately I was able to catch the ball with precision and even running at human speed I was able to make it over the goal line without being tackled. I played with them for about an hour and then it started getting too dark for them to see the ball."

He paused, as if recalling another memory.

"Jack was definitely the ringleader… extremely competitive, but a good sport. He was having the time of his young life. I got the impression he always had fun, no matter where he was. He had such an easy, charming way about him. And he didn't think he was going to ever be President; he had an older brother for that, Joe junior. When Joe was killed during the War, that changed everything in that family," he murmured, his voice sad again.

"Did you ever see them again?"

"No, they invited me back to their house but I declined. It would not have been a good idea to get involved with the American Ambassador's family; they were much too high profile. And can you imagine if JFK had met Rosalie?" He shuddered.

I sighed, wondering what Jackie Kennedy would have thought about Edward. Probably just as well they never met, either. If she smelled good enough to inspire JFK to propose, I hated to think how she might have smelled to Edward.

"Thanks for telling me about that; it's interesting to get your perspective," I said gratefully, wondering how much of his life I would ever get to hear about. He had so many experiences I had never even imagined. Hopefully I would have an eternity to hear about them all.

"You can always ask me about anything, Bella. I hope you know that."

Yes, I thought, I can ask, but you don't always answer. You edit far too much to suit me. Maybe he was serious, though. Maybe he would begin to answer all my questions fully. I hoped so, for both our sakes.

AN: This is expanded from a snippet in my long story, Blue Moon Over Manka's. Please take a look at it, too.