Chapter One

in which the Whitlocks disturb the peace and Edward is left without a choice

Ninety-five percent of the time a vampire's venom was deadly to humans. Yet when Esme bit into the neck of that sick, dying boy, she did so in full faith of his survival, refusing to think otherwise. She had only known him for day, but her heart had already claimed him as her own. And if she lost another son...well, she just wasn't going to let that happen.

Since then, Edward had been her everything. They lived in quiet simplicity, needing only each other and Edward's piano, his ever expanding collection of expensive shoes, his vinyl records, the latest video games, and of course, whatever car which had caught his eye for the year. Some might have called him spoiled, but his happiness brought Esme happiness. It was a life that worked for them.

Lately, though, things were feeling different and not in a good way.

The first date led to another and then another and another. Fortunately for Edward, his mother didn't seek him out much after the initial one, her girlfriends offering far more eager ears than him. All the talk of soulmates was especially irritating to the teen. He didn't buy into that nonsense for a second, but Esme had always been a romantic. Intelligent as she could be at times, she never fully stopped viewing the world through rose-colored glasses.

Pulling into the driveway, Edward got out of his car in a sulk, dragging his bookbag behind him. He hated dealing with his stupid classmates and their stupid thoughts day after day. His mood was especially bad because of the miserable grade his book essay received. He had made the mistake of correcting that poor excuse for an English teacher just once and now the man sought to get back at Edward every chance he could. It was both pathetic and totally unfair.

"Hey, Eddie!" a light, cheerful voice greeted him when he stepped inside. He quirked an eyebrow at the tiny pixie of a woman sitting on the couch.

"What are you doing here?"

"Visiting," she smiled, "Me and Jazzy just flew in."

Great. As if the day wasn't annoying enough already.

"Hey, sweetie, we have company," Esme needlessly announced as she entered the room from the kitchen. Jasper trailed behind her with a tray of teacups. A man of few words, he simply spoke Edward's name as a greeting. The bronze haired boy wrinkled his nose in return.

Alice was Esme's best friend. She had the ability to see possible futures and her tall, blond husband could manipulate emotions to some degree. While hanging with the quiet Jasper wasn't all bad, Alice was a nosy, pushy motormouth who was too damn cheerful about everything. No way was Edward dealing with her right now.

"Okay, have fun," he said and went for the stairs.

"But-" Esme started, only for Edward to quickly cut her off with the declaration of, "Not in the mood."

"Not even to help with your mother's wedding?"

Halfway up the steps, he froze, a chill shooting up his spine. The better part of him immediately knew that such a thing wasn't possible, but that didn't stop a rush of dread from striking him. "What?"

"Don't pay her any mind, dear. You know Alice is always ten steps ahead of us," Esme chuckled. Edward's glare was hardly amused.

"Alice and Jasper actually flew down to meet Carlisle and we plan on going to the aquarium together this weekend. I was hoping you might want to come along."

"For what?"

"To meet your dear mother's soon to be husband, of course," said Alice, daintily sipping her tea.

Edward looked to Jasper. "Can't you do something about her?"

From what I can see, she's not the one who needs a lesson in manners here, the blond mentally scolded, his golden eyes flashing a warning. Edward pursed his lips in irritation, but didn't dare argue. With his steely gaze and scar riddled arms, the war veteran was the most intimidating vampire Edward had ever met. And when it came to Alice, Jasper was crazy protective.

"Carlisle really wants to meet you as well, Edward," Esme gently pressed. "I think you'll like him. You two have a lot in common."

"He's your boyfriend. What does he have to do with me?" Edward retorted, beginning to feel frustrated. Alice shook her head sadly and Jasper started thinking about how Edward's mouth would've gotten the tar beaten out of him back in the good old days. Now the telepath remembered why he disliked the southern man. He was only in his twenties, but his mind was that of a friggin geezer.

"I can't go any further in this without you. Please, baby. It'll mean the world to me."

"And even if you say no like you're about to, it won't matter," Alice chimed in. "I'll just have Jasper tie you up and throw you in the trunk."

If ever Edward wished for anyone's spontaneous combustion it would be Alice Whitlock. This was his house, his territory, but the little woman didn't even pretend to care. She always got her way.