Mogui seemed generally relaxed throughout the little conflict, nonchalantly shifting up a gear or two to leave it behind. Still, despite the careful exit, it wasn't fast enough to stop them from seeing Steven's transformation. Now, Mogui had no intention of hiding anything, but if he had known just how unusual it was to them he may have been tempted to try.

Bella had been startled enough to jump, and Edward's attention was on her in an instant. He took her hands in his, and in a few deep breaths she had relaxed. It was Carlisle who spoke, having watched not only the transformation, but also Bella's reaction.

"That is not something I am familiar with, a vampire shape shifting..." He said, not bothering to hide the suspicion that crept in to his voice and the questions it implied. Mogui looked a little confused at first, but after a moment or two of thought, he understood.

"Ah, yes, forgive me." He said hurriedly, " I didn't think about how strange that must be to you. Steve is Gangrel. Along with a few other tricks, Gangrel have the ability to shape shift in to not only wolves, but basically any other animal as well, provided it is a scavenger or predator. They call it Protean, but whenever anyone else manages to learn it, they only get two extra shapes, wolf and bat. We don't really know why."

"Gangrel…?" Bella asked, curiously, and Mogui nodded again.

"Your clans are family-based, yes? Ours are organized a little differently. There are a set number of them, and if a member of a certain clan turns a human, then that human becomes a member of the same clan, inheriting most of or all the traits that come with it. Gangrel are wilderness-dwellers, free spirits and wild creatures. Their gifts include certain communication with some animals, shape shifting, and a strange tendency to not be bothered by werewolves despite their rural ways." Mogui was pretty happy he had gotten through the explanation without screwing anything up or forgetting anything. It felt weird having to explain that to someone, though.

Bella looked happy with his explanation, and while Carlisle didn't look happy per se, he did not look unhappy or suspicious. It was only Edward who did not look more at ease with his explanation.

"More questions?" Mogui asked, smiling. Edward didn't bother with any preamble. "If Steven is a Gangrel, then are Livicat, Larka and yourself also Gangrel?"

Mogui shook his head, "Nope. I think there are only two Gangrels in Toreador at the moment. One is Steve and the other is my stepdaughter. Livi is a Toreador, the artist bloodline. Funny thing about them is, if you put them in front of something beautiful enough, they will stand still for days." Mogui grinned.

"They have their gifts, too. Things like more human sensibilities and whatnot. Larka and I are Tremere."

Before he could continue, Carlisle nodded. "Blood mages."

With a sigh, Mogui nodded too. "Yeah, that'd be us. You've heard of the Tremere?"

The doctor nodded a second time, "Yes, though, I cannot say that I believed it at first. Humans who took vampirism in to their own hands and created a bloodline all their own…Only to realize that it came with the same price as traditional vampirism."

"Yeah, that's how they say we started. I wouldn't put it past people. After all, humans made the atom bomb, among other things." He searched out Bella's eyes through his mirror, and when he found them, he quickly added, "Please don't be insulted, I'm not being entirely serious."

With a small smile, Bella nodded, "It's okay."

"Tremere? That would explain what Larka did, then." Edward said, thoughtfully. "Why she didn't have to get off her bike to fight."

Bella looked as though she was about to ask another question when Mogui pulled the car into a gravel driveway. At the end of the driveway, Toreador Sanctuary's many windows poured out light on to the dark landscape.

"Here we are." Noticing that he had cut Bella off, Mogui continued," Hold on to your question, there will be more time for them later, I promise."

They climbed out of the car, Bella the least energetically due to being tired and all. Mogui offered to carry her suitcase, more than once, but she politely refused and carried it herself. Beside them, Livi's car was also piling out.

The path up to the house was not a long one, and they could make out the shapes of plants in the gardens on either side with the help of the light that the giant of a house glowed on them. Every single window was lit, and Bella had to shield her eyes from the light.

Mogui jogged up the steps, but he didn't open the door. Rather, he stepped out of the way to allow Livi access, and she opened it. It was her house after all.

What met their eyes was more than a little shocking. Beyond the giant, dark wood door there was…a bare room. A bare, but clean, room with lights neatly rigged to the frosted windows. It was a very short room, and on the other side was another set of large double doors.

Mogui crossed the room carelessly, and it wasn't until Livi turned to close the door behind their guests that she realized they were confused.

"Ah, yes. What is this, you're wondering?" For the most part, nods met her statement.

"Fake room. It makes the house look normal on the outside so that it doesn't stand out too much. But, we can't have too many real windows in case someone gets careless." She laughed a little, "You have us beat there, if we go out in that, we're dust!"

"C'mon, the real house is through here." Excitedly now, she pushed open the second pair of doors, and that was when the real shock hit. An amalgamation of crimson red, shining gold, and royal blue. Fabric tapestries and a grand, dark wood staircase that curved lazily up to a second floor. Antique looking chairs upholstered in expensive, imported fabrics and lights of both traditional fire and electric. On the walls, art hung in ornate frames for all to see. Sparkling trinkets adorned tables to entice the eye, and the occasional book could be seen, waiting patiently on a table or chair.

"Welcome to my home!" Livi said laughing happily. For a Toreador, coming back to a place like this was a sort of euphoric high. Surrounded by beauty, her senses were content to drink it in.

"Our home." Mogui added, smiling and shaking his head, "This is a lot more impressive than that room, yeah?"

It was Alice who replied with a resounding, "Yes!"

"Mogui, could you go check on BK and Ember?" Livi asked him, "I want to make sure they've stayed out of trouble." He nodded with a simple, " No problem." before ducking out through a smaller wooden door.

"You can just drop your stuff there, we can move it later. Off to the side anywhere is fine." Livi shoved a comfortable-looking wing-backed chair out of the way to create more room to one side of the door, and the suitcases were soon piled as nicely there as they had been in the Cullen home.

"You still awake, there, little one?" Livi asked, nudging Bella's shoulder. The human girl was looking around the entryway in awe. It was a combination of old and new, but mostly old. The only new she was in the electric lights and in what looked to be a type of com system by the door.

"I'm awake, I'm awake…" She replied, pulling her eyes off of the room to look at Livi. With Mogui's explanations, Bella was feeling a little more at ease. Plus, there was something about Livi that was hard not to like.

"Good. You're about to meet the lady that runs this place, so you can't sleep through that." Livi winked before walking off in the direction of a different door than the one Mogui took, and the Cullens (plus Bella), followed.

The rest of the house followed the trend of the entryway. The floor was the same dark wood that seemed to be everywhere else, and the carpet was a floral print with dark colors and tassels on the sides. Instead of feeling oppressive, the colors seemed warm and welcoming. Whoever decorated must have known their stuff.

"I think she said she'd be in the library…hm…." Livi was talking to herself, but Edward answered anyways. "Have you lost her, then?" He asked, smiling.

"I don't think so…I hope I haven't…" She grinned and stopped before a door that was different from the rest. Not dark wood, but glass, "Ah, here we are, the library! She should just be in here."

Cheerfully ushering the group inside, Livi called out, "Mother! Our guests are here! That means you have to stop hiding." She added the last part laughing.

"I'm not hiding, darling, I'm reading. That's what a library is for." The smiling woman who answered her, seeming to float out from behind a tall bookcase, seemed unreal. Moon-white skin with only the lightest flush of color in the very top of her cheeks and long, straight white hair that flowed smoothly behind her. She was taller than Livi, but more frailly built, and she was clad in simple, flowing robes of the same color as her skin and hair; clean white. The only color of note was the faint touches in her cheeks and the clear violet of her eyes. Beauty was all a matter of opinion, but she was interesting to see at the very least. This, then, was Lokisana of Toreador.

"Hello, everyone." She said, softly, and while she did look at them all, her gaze soon came to rest solely on Carlisle and her smile grew a little stronger, "Hello, Doctor, it is nice to meet you at last." He was smiling as well, and when he held out a hand to her she shook it warmly with both of her own.

"You run the sanctuary by yourself now?" He asked, "The last that I heard you were taking care of this place with Lord Armand."

His question was innocent curiosity; he was not to be blamed for Lokisana's reaction. After all, with both groups having such little knowledge of one another, certain problems would have to be created. So, when Lokisana's eyes went wide and she crumpled to the floor no one was looking to point to him as the cause.

Her arms wrapped tightly around herself, Lokisana's eyes were tightly closed and she was speaking under her breath, whispering harsh nonsense and shaking her body with dry sobs. Shocked, Carlisle immediately crouched down to see what was wrong, but as soon as he laid a hand on her the other vampire flinched back violently.

"Oh, great…" Livi ran a hand through her dark-as-night curls with a sigh, before jogging over to the door and yanking it open. Thank goodness, there was someone around! If she had to run and look for help herself, she'd have to leave the Cullens alone. Alone and probably very confused.

"Anna, go find Tempo for me, and fast. Loki's having a fit." Livi called down the hall to the woman a few doors away. Anna knew better than to procrastinate on something like this and immediately sprinted off in search of the aforementioned vampire. The last time Lokisana had gone mad on her own, Toreador was nearly destroyed.

Closing the door again, Livi turned to the problem at hand, trying to explain all of this. "Don't worry, that's not your fault." She said reassured them, Carlisle in particular. Nodding to her mother she continued, "I should have warned you. Any mention of my father will generally get that reaction from her."

Esmé looked concerned, and when Livi looked to her, expecting her to speak, the woman did even though she hadn't been intending to. The question didn't sound very polite. "What is wrong with her?"

Livi was not one to be offended easily, at least about this, and it was plain as day that the question was asked out of concern. "Did Mogui explain to you anything about clans…?" She looked to Edward for an answer, as he was closest, and he nodded. Jasper, Esmé and Alice had been given a similar explanation by Livi, as they were similarly concerned at Steven's transformation.

"Okay, then. My mother, Lokisana, is a Malkavian. In being so she has access to some pretty interesting skills, but it comes with a very large price tag. She's totally crazy."

Immediately she regretted saying that. If her mother was crazy, then who was to say that the Cullens were safe with them? They were, but now she'd have to try and fix what she had said.

"She isn't normally, but sometimes some thing or another will set her off. When she's at least acting sane she's a very able coven leader." Livi grinned, "Despite being a little loony, she has a large record of accomplishments, so don't be too worried. Your safety has not been compromised."

She was going to continue when the doors were thrown open and the vampire Livi had sent for was at Lokisana's side. Without the speed of her vampyric friends, Bella didn't see their face, or the front of them in any way. So, as she watched the person with Lokisana, she had a bit of an issue. She could not tell their gender.

What she could tell was that they were bleeding. One of their hands was on Lokisana as they spoke, but the other was holding a neatly folded cloth to their neck. They were dressed almost comically old-fashioned: black boots, white stocking with those short black pants, a black vest and a white ruffled shirt. Or, it was white. A great deal of it was no longer. Their hair was fire engine red, and was cut so that one side was above their ear, and the other went down to their chin in a smooth curve.

When Loki spoke up after a few moments, it was loud enough for Bella to hear, "Oh, hello, Tempo. Did you see our guests?"

"Yes, my queen, I saw them." A hollow, empty-sounding woman's voice, or close to. Still, the shoulders were a little wider than most women…And why was she referring to Lokisana as queen? That didn't make much sense to any of those gathered. Livi was used to it, Tempo had called Lokisana that for as long as Livi had known either of them. Still, that's not to say she knew why.

"You're bleeding, dear. Let me take care of my business. Go and bandage yourself up." Tempo helped Lokisana to her feet, and when she turned, Bella saw that it was indeed a woman.

"This is my advisor, Tempo Vivace." Lokisana gestured to the woman, who bowed with her hand still on her neck. When she straightened, she did not raise her eyes to meet any of theirs; the bright blue eyes remained unfocused, and the expression on her scarred face was vacant. "Come back, won't you, when you are patched up?"

"Right away, my queen."

When Tempo passed Livi the dark-haired vampire grabbed her hand, smiling. Tempo squeezed the delicate fingers reassuringly and Livi giggled. "I'll bet you five dollars that was your last white shirt."

"I think you might be right, dear princess." And with that she was gone.

Seeming to collect herself, Lokisana have a short laugh, "I apologize, I do not know what came over me…Regardless, I am very glad to have you all here, and I can guarantee you the same protection that goes to every other member of this sanctuary." She motioned Livi over and the Toreador went to stand with her mother.

"You have already met Livi, Mogui , Steven and Larka, yes? I am Lokisana. Now, I'm very interested in hearing who you all are!"

She did sound interested, all trace of her fit gone completely. As Carlisle introduced his wife and each of his children, she shook their hand just as warmly as she had their father's.

Bella and Edward were last, the latter of the two not looking quite himself. It was noticed, but the general assumption was that they would have to ask after the introduction had been made.

"Ah, yes, you are welcome here, Bella. Do not worry, you are not the only person living in this old house." Lokisana's smile was honest, and Bella felt herself smiling in response.

"And my son, Edward."

Lokisana looked at him kindly, and spoke when she reached for his hand, "Are you alright? You look as though something is bothering you."

Edward shook his head and forced a smile, "No, it's nothing. It's very nice to meet you." And then Lokisana's hands touched his, and Edward was unconscious in the blink of an eye.

"Oh my lord I've killed him!" Lokisana said shocked, and stumbled backwards a few steps. "Oh, my goodness…" Her hands at her mouth, her violet eyes peered over them worriedly. Nearly unnoticed, Mogui entered the library, trying to piece together what happened.

"You haven't killed him." Carlisle said calmly, turning Edward over gently. "It doesn't seem as though there is anything physically wrong with him. Not anything I can tell from appearances, at least."

"Nothing physically wrong…" Mogui echoed. "Besides, if my information is right, in order to knock one of you unconscious it would take something incredibly strong physically and your having been turned should have rendered you immune to most anything like a poison, yes?" He looked to Carlisle, who nodded thoughtfully.

"Perhaps a mental issue, then…" The doctor suggested, "Edward is a telepath, so it is reasonable to believe that something could have overwhelmed him…"

Mogui's gaze met Livi's, and she sighed, "I know what happened." She said, "And no, mom, it's not your fault, but we do have to move him and you have to stay here. Come on, there is a better place for him than the floor." Two people falling on the floor in the same conversation… Livi hoped that it wasn't setting a trend for things to come.

Carlisle was the one who picked him up, Bella hovering nervously near him. Livi put a hand on the young woman's shoulder, "Don't be worried, Bella. Now that we figured out what it was, we can fix it. Pretty quick, too."

Bella didn't speak, but she did nod.

The Cullens followed Livi and Mogui as a group, obviously concerned for their unconscious member. A few doors down there was an empty room with a bed, and it was there that Carlisle put Edward.

"What is it that you think happened?" He asked the two vampires who leaned by the door instead of entering the room. It wasn't a very big room, and that was probably why. Carlisle and Bella both sat on the end of the bed.

"Lady Lokisana is a Malkavian, and so-" Mogui was cut off by Livi, "Explained most of that already. I didn't know they had a telepath among them, or, I would have covered the whole Cobweb thing, too…" She was obviously not too happy with herself.

"Cobweb…?" Jasper spoke up.

"That's what the Malkavians call it, the technical name being the Malkavian Madness Network. What it is to the rest of us is a whole lot of voices. They can hear every Malkavian that currently lives, and any Malkavian that has lived in the past. All at once, of course."

"That's why he said his head hurt…" Bella said, looking up to Livi who nodded, "When you asked him what was wrong? Probably. That's a whole lot of noise for one telepath to have to deal with."

"The only reason they can deal with it is because they're crazy already, right?" Esmé suggested.

"We figure so, yeah."

Carlisle seemed at ease with this, despite what had happened, "So once he has had time to clear the noise from his mind he should be well."

Mogui looked at his watch, and then at Bella, "In the meantime, you're likely hungry. We've got some real food around here somewhere, I'm sure." She nodded and he smiled, "We can find you something to eat, and then you can come back in here and hover over him until he wakes up and tells you to calm down, since I don't think you'll listen to any of us."

((A/N: So...yeah...Malkavians + Edward = Bad stuff. The poor guy, only chapter three and he's already unconcious! Don't worry, bad things happen to other people later, instead! So, now...just something to think about later...What would Aro + Malkavians = ??? Just something to keep in mind! :) ))