AN: I don't claim the characters, but if my kids are being good, I may claim them. Thanks to hmonster for the looksie.

Brown Eyed Girl

EPOV

I have a good feeling about today. I woke up before my alarm went off, which is not terribly unusual for me. I have an interesting relationship with sleep. I get just enough, and my body knows when that is. I never waste time getting more sleep than I need. I can also survive on very little sleep when it becomes necessary, like finals weeks for example. When everyone around acts like barely functioning crazed zombies, I am the epitome of calm, cool, and collected. My utilities are completely unaffected by lack of sleep.

I have no doubt it will be useful for me when I become a resident. Ultimately, this was a major factor in my decision to go onto medical school. Because all academics, including the sciences, always came easily to me. My father, a doctor himself, encouraged this path. I cannot say that I grew up knowing this was my passion in life. I would have to say music takes that title, and I seriously considered pursuing music as a career, performing, composing, or even teaching.

When I needed to make the decision, I couldn't deny that I had been granted gifts that lent themselves exceptionally well to the medical field. Using those gifts to help others seemed the right thing to do. I haven't always done the right thing, but at this stage in my life, I've seen enough examples on both sides of the spectrum to know "right" really is better even when "wrong" feels good.

My positive mood toward the day stemmed from reasons other than feeling refreshed when I awoke. I picked up some new coffee beans and ground them thoroughly the night before. Thanks to the automatic timer on my coffee maker, the scent in my apartment was heavenly when I walked out of my room.

A quick glance out the bay window in the living room revealed a gorgeous sun filled, cloudless day.

I decided it must be the change of scenery that was impacting my mood. Moving to this apartment was good for my soul. I was on my own for the first time in my life. My parents were apprehensive but supportive. They understood that I'm a college senior, and it was natural that I would want to live away from my parents, but I never expressed interest before.

My family had always been a unit, a very tightly knit one. By no means had my brother, Emmett, and I continued to live in our parent's house in college for financial reasons. We all preferred to be together. I am certain a part of my parent's apprehension was due to Emmett moving out as well. As he had already graduated, they likely saw it as a more natural step for him. I reasoned that the household dynamic was going to change anyway, and it only made sense to move forward all at once. I'm not sure my mother would agree. She will find her nest very empty.

Most people would think we were so close because we moved frequently. That must have bonded us, made us rely on each other more. That may be true, but I have pondered lately whether it may be the opposite.

I wonder if our closeness didn't stunt us. We didn't need for relationships outside the family, or at least we didn't think we did. Perhaps our cohesion led us to take a hands off approach to each new town, each new school, each new job. I think we may have been a little arrogant.

There was only one place we lived where my wall came down. Only one person I dared care about as much as my family. Only one relationship where I didn't see myself as superior—quite the opposite really.

After pouring a cup of the heavenly aroma, I sat on the couch facing the window to admire the view. Yes, I felt good about this move. It was the only time I ever felt that way. I definitely was not this giddy when I moved to Forks, where I met her—My Bella.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Another year, another move. Moving itself wasn't a problem. We had done that enough that none of us was intimidated by the prospect of adjusting or fitting in. Somehow, that happened every time. It seems good looks, money, and talent get you in no matter where you are. Cocky, but true.

This town was smaller than we were used to. My mom was longing for a small town experience. Emmett said she had some fucked up fantasy about knowing all her neighbors and serving on the PTA or some shit like that. He put up the biggest protest.

He was mostly concerned about his football career. These were his golden years; the years where the scouts would be watching. Dropping down to this size school would seriously impact how much he was seen, and Emmett was good. He deserved to be seen. He could likely be a walk on at any college if it came to that, but there was a matter of pride. He wanted to play pro someday—not because he had to or because it was the only thing he wanted to do, but because he knew he was good enough. It was probably a little arrogant, but it's true.

I was indifferent. We'd been in Southern California for 3 years, and it was all just a bit too unreal for me. Literally. Just didn't seem like people lived in reality. While I was ready to leave there, Forks, Washington was not necessarily my first choice.

We were now on our way from the sunniest place to the rainiest. We were leaving a place filled with more to do than I could imagine in favor of a town hours from a major metropolitan area. Never do anything in moderation, mom!

I decided to make my own fun in this Podunk hole in the ground. I assumed it wouldn't come naturally. I toyed with a number of options; I could take on any persona I wanted, play people any way I chose.

Honestly, things had always been easy for me.

I try not to take it for granted, but I sometimes forget that it doesn't happen for everyone. I don't study, and I get good grades. It's always bugged the hell out of Emmett. Not that he did poorly in school, but he just had to work a little harder at it. I don't really care about playing sports, but I have the speed and coordination to excel in many. I am passionate about music and cars even though I can't legally drive one yet.

In SoCal, I was an asshole. Because I could be. That was my role, and I was good at it. To some extent, it was an experiment. As I said, things have come easily to our whole family really. I wondered how far I could take it. Would people still gravitate toward me? Would teachers still appreciate my work? The answer was yes. In my history class, I came in one day and listed off 5 examples where the teacher had given misinformation or misinterpreted an event. I went out of my way to make him look incompetent. I got an A in the class, and he wrote on my last paper that I should really consider pursuing the subject when I got ot college. I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about that. What is it about human nature that allows people to respect someone who is a complete dick? Everything I've seen in both fictional and real life leads me to believe it affects women more than men.

I know girls find me attractive. It's obvious. I had a girlfriend there, and while I was sad to say goodbye, I really don't see us keeping in touch. I don't have any grand vision of someday marrying the girl I dated at 15. Even if I did lose my virginity to her. Seems better to make a clean break. That's how the Cullens have always handled our moves.

"Remember boys, the family comes first. It's okay to miss the friends you leave behind, but they were never as important as your family," Carlisle mused when I was 8 and feeling glum about moving away from the only school I knew. It became is mantra. "Family first."

He should have been a fucking politician. But I loved him, and he's right. Family does come first.

Probably my greatest skill though is my ability to read people. I didn't even need to hear people talk to know what they were thinking, and I was rarely wrong. I'm a sick bastard at times though and I'm not afraid to use my talent for evil rather than good. I made Emmett miserable by revealing his secret thoughts at the dinner table.

I could be the best boyfriend in the world. I know exactly what the girl wants. But then I can be a total ass when I don't give it to her.

Emmett and I arrived at the local high school with just enough time to get the lay of the land before they announced some bullshit school assembly. This was bound to be no more thrilling than the ones in SoCal. Or any other high school in the universe for that matter. Did they really think we took them seriously? Are we supposed to buy into their Pollyanna "Don't have sex" crap, when it comes from the principle you know is screwing the new Spanish teacher on the side? Or do we take the "Just say no to drugs and alcohol" line from teacher who buys wine in bulk?

This auditorium was dated. The carpet and the sound buffers on the wall were a shade of avocado green popularly found in kitchens and baths in the 70s. It wasn't a terribly large auditorium, and I briefly wondered if the gym might not have been a better venue, but then I remembered Emmett telling me the gym was so small it would have fit into our last house.

We stood at the back, assessing different things. Emmett was likely keeping his eyes open for familiar faces. The football team had begun practicing, of course, so he was already friendly with a few guys. I was just reading the room. In the space of 10 seconds, I gathered enough to know that teenagers in forks were probably not that different from teenagers anywhere. Maybe less money and style, but you could see the cliques and hear the rumble of mindless chatter.

Emmett touched my arm, and saw that he was about to lead me down the aisle. At that point, I began to notice the stares—we were new; we were in a small town; and we stood out. I put on a game face—staring straight ahead, I lifted the corner of my mouth on one side only—an indifferent smile. I caught a glimpse of Emmett and saw his game face was a cocky grin. We walked—no we sauntered—down the aisle.

Suddenly, my path was blocked by a girl who had fallen flat on her face, books spilled out of her backpack. She scrambled to get to her knees. Like a starving dog, she attacked the books and shoved them her bag. I was frozen in the moment, not wanting to call any additional attention to myself. I thought I'd let the scene play out. Unfortunately, as I was waiting, I listened. I heard laughter. Not random first day merriment, but vicious, cruel laughter directed at in the mess of a girl in front of me. She looked absolutely pathetic.

She was moving to stand, and out of the corner of my eye I noticed a book she'd missed. In an instant, I'd picked it up, and without thinking, I reached out and said, "Here, I think you missed this one. "

When she turned to face me, I saw that her eyes were wet. But it was clear she was making great efforts to reveal no emotion. Her face was locked. When our eyes met, images of chocolate, coffee, and gingerbread flashed in my head. Things that were warm and sweet and felt like home. I let my gaze expand and saw that her hair was that same deep brown. I barely let it register when her expression changed to what looked like sheer terror. She grabbed the book from my hands just as a voice cracked, ""Stupid bitch can't even say thank you. Guess they don't teach the 'special ones' how to talk to boys." And with that the brown eyed girl disappeared.

And as I snapped back and started to walk toward where Emmett was waiting just a couple of rows ahead , a girl jumped up in front of me. "Hi I'm Lauren. You're new here." I recognized the voice from the cackle. The girl was cute, no doubt about it. Her most striking feature was her hair, not like the bleach blonds of California, but almost silver and looked soft, like little towheaded toddlers have.

The girls could not have been more dissimilar. Light and Dark. Night and Day. Good and Evil? Some sort of hero vs. villain tale was playing out here. Something told me that good was dark in this take.

"Edward Cullen. Nice to meet you." I gave her the full smile. That usually made a visible impact on girls. She didn't flinch. Still I knew, like I always know, she was working hard to get my attention. It was working.

'I assure you, Edward, I definitely know how to talk to boys," She winked and turned with a flip of her hip to return to her seat.

And I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, I had a role to play in this story. Whose side would I take? I was drawn to them both. The brown mess. Instinctively, I wanted to save her. I didn't even know her name, but I wanted to pick her up and carry her to a soft meadow somewhere with bunnies and flowers where nothing bad could touch her.

The white hot vixen. I just wanted her. But there would be no soft meadows for her.

Could I help the one and have the other?

If I am serious about using my powers for good, then I know what I have to do.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The vibrating of my phone on the counter brought me back to the present. Thinking about Bella and even Lauren this early in the morning was just another good omen on the day. It was a reminder, though, that I hadn't talked with Bella in a while, probably almost a month. I would have to carve out some time for a call soon.

We weren't as close as we had been at graduation, but then we knew it would be tough. We left Forks for entirely different locales. I followed my family once again, and ended at Northwestern where Emmett already was. My parents put a fair amount of pressure on me in the college decision making process.

Esme decided she would be moving with one of us, and she would prefer that I attended a school in close vicinity to Emmett. It really wasn't a difficult to decision to apply to schools in the Chicago area. In the end, I didn't choose Northwestern because of Emmett, but it appealed to me more than the alternatives in the area.

Bella shocked everyone by heading to Phoenix, a decision most people couldn't understand. I respected her thought process.

The vibrations grew more annoying so I picked up the phone, unsurprised to see my mother's name on the caller id.

"Hi, Mom."

"Good Morning, Edward. I just wanted to see how everything is going. Are there any problems with your new place?" I could swear she sounded almost hopeful.

"Sorry, everything's good here, Mom. Maybe Emmett's falling apart and ready to move home. He's always been the mama's boy," I teased.

"Oh don't be silly. Besides, I already called him, and he's doing perfectly well. I guess I raised you both so well you don't need me anymore," she added facetiously.

I laughed. I loved the relationship I had with my mom. "You definitely raised us right, but you set the bar so high, it's going to be hard to find a woman to compare."

"Good. You should be selective, but I'd appreciate it if you'd both at least start looking a little more seriously. I'd rather not have grandchildren before I'm too old to recognize them."

"You are getting up there in years, Mom. It's probably too late already."

"Oh good one. I guess I set myself up for that. On that note, I'll let you get on with your day. Have a pleasant one, dear."

"Thanks, Mom. I think it will be. See you soon."

I took the last swig in my coffee cup before heading getting ready for the day. I caught myself whistling in the shower. Damn, I was in a good mood. I felt like skipping. I could do this. I could claim my independence without losing my connection to my family.

I grabbed my backpack and my keys and headed out the door. The sun hit my face, and I smiled. It really was going to be a great day.

Maybe I'd even give Bella a call tonight.