Disclaimer: All Twilight characters and some of the settings, ideas for action, are owned by S. Meyer. I just play with them. No infringements intended. Megan Harris is my own invention. Bella doesn't exist in this universe, some things are not canon and English is not my mother tongue. If you find any errors – I'm up to corrections.

Alternating POVs marked M=Megan or E=Edward. Mental conversation is marked in '…'.

Chapter 3 - Insights (E POV)

Driving back to my family's house I contemplated on what I had just learned from Megan. I kept shaking my head. A singer and still alive! I knew that Eleazar was a strong old vampire. He had been part of the Volturi centuries ago. I really wondered what he had seen in Megan that made him not change or kill her. He knew the law. He must have seen a way around it. Maybe it had something to do with Megan's mental teacher? We would have to talk to him, to all of the Denali clan. Then I thought about how much of tonight's events to reveal to my family. They would be curious as hell! Especially Alice, she would sneak around in my head trying to find something she could bug me with. I had to smile as I remembered the dancing. Despite her lush outline Megan was dancing gracefully and as light as a feather. I had watched her through the windows since she had come home. I didn't need her colleague to find out where she lived, but it had helped to know that her house was near the forest line. I had seen how upset and nervous she had been. At the cafeteria she had definitely been scared when she recognized our eye-color and had nearly panicked. At home she had relaxed a little, as if she had assumend she was safe there. If she only knew! It had amused me to see how she had tried to calm herself down with tea, breathing exercises, a bath and music. When she'd seen me in her living room, her fear had returned, no doubt, but somehow she had managed to overcome it. Turning the music on had just been a vague assumption of mine on how to relax her, but it had worked and she had calmed down while we danced. Being connected with her mind had almost blown me out of my shoes, it had been very easy and comfortable for me, as if she was no stranger at all. I had seen what Eleazar had tried and how she had fended him off and it seemed to me she had no clue on what she was capable of. The pain she had caused him had felt excruciating. 'Amazing,' I thought, 'she didn't run from me after realizing who I was. Not that she could have escaped at all,' I snorted. I felt the sudden urge to protect her. I would not let anyone harm her! My hands tightened around the steering wheel and I gritted my teeth.

As I pulled into our drive I could already hear Alice calling me. I couldn't help smiling. My little pixie sister was so excited, she could hardly stand still, but I concentrated on keeping calm. My goal was to find a solution to this weird situation and not to reveal too much of what I had felt while being with Megan. As I came into our living room they were all standing there. "Hey, brother," Emmett shouted, "what's going on?" Rose stood at his side, waiting. "Yeah, tell us," Alice squeaked. I looked at Carlisle and Esme. They were all waiting for some answers. I decided to make it short and fired the core facts at them. "Okay, her name is Megan and she works at the college library. About a year ago she happened to meet the Denalis during a hike in the Northern Cascades. She is a mind reader and she is Eleazar's singer." For a moment they all stood stunned in silence, but eventually they all spoke at once. "She's a singer? How did she survive? She can read minds?" Everyone threw questions at me and talked at the same time. I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes. "HEY! If you promise to keep quiet, I will show you what I saw in her memory," I finally shouted. "She let you inside her head?" Alice was amazed. "Yeah, she did," I said with a strained expression. I wasn't delighted to do this, but sharing my memory was the only way to answer all their questions at once. I concentrated and let them see only what I thought was important for them to know. When I finally finished, Emmett gushed at me with disgust on his face "Man, this sucks! You're a real emo-kid! Why didn't you bring her here?" Jasper looked at me and then started to smile. What was that for? My brows furrowed. He turned to Alice and her eyes went wide. Carlisle and Esme smiled at each other. I frowned. That was not the reaction I had expected. Rosalie's reaction however was one I had anticipated. "So," she said, "how do we solve this problem? She knows about vampires, now she's had contact with us. If the Volturi find out, they will not only go after her and the Denalis, they will also go after us!" Carlisle raised his hand. "We will have to talk to the Denali coven about her. Eleazar must have had a reason to let her go," he said calmly. "I will go there personally." "I will join you," I said. "Alice, can you check if the Volturi plan something about her or the Denalis?" Carlisle asked. Alice's eyes took on a distant look. Then she blinked and shook her head. "No, I can't see anything like this," she replied. "Okay, keep looking from time to time, please?" She nodded. Carlisle turned to me. "Edward, would you like to go for a run with me?" He smiled. I was surprised, but I agreed. "Hey, what about me?" Emmett yelled while we already rushed outside. Jasper grabbed his arm."You stay here with me. You owe me some arm wrestling," he said with a determined smile.

Carlisle and I ran through the forest at our usual speed. Running always calmed me and took the steam out of my system. When we reached the top of the ridge behind our house, we went slower. "Tell me, Edward, what was it you didn't want to share with us?" Carlisle asked me. "What do you mean?" I stopped dead in my tracks. "Well," he said, "your memory was blurred at some spots. Is there something you don't want us to know?" I turned to him. "There may be memories which I would prefer not to share," I snapped. "Peace, Edward!" He held up his hands. "From what you showed us, I could see that you felt very comfortable around her. I didn't mean to pry." I thought about his comment for a moment. "That's true. I wanted to calm her down, so I tried to be as friendly as possible and it worked," I replied. "I can't explain it." I ran a hand through my hair. "When I heard her thoughts at the cafeteria, and when she looked into my eyes, I felt an instant connection between us. As if someone had turned a switch," I looked at him. He smiled at me with an almost boyish grin. "And now you're confused, right?" he said. "You're so used to being the only mind reader around that you were shocked by her reaction," he stated. I nodded. "When she showed me her memory, it felt so… natural to be linked with her. It was so easy to let her into my head and so hard to leave hers." He laughed. "You like her, Edward!" he smacked me on my shoulder. "Now, one more thing." I rolled my eyes. What else would he want to know? "If this is too private for you now, you don't have to answer, okay?" I pondered on it for a moment. Carlisle could be very direct, but he had always been a source of support and comfort. "What exactly did you feel when your minds were intertwined?" he asked. I tried to recall it. "I felt … at peace and…" suddenly a realization overwhelmed me and I looked up shocked. "...complete," I whispered.

I must have looked panicked, because Carlisle took my arm and said "Calm down, son." He looked serious. "No harm done so far. I admit, it is very rare for our kind to feel like this for a mortal, but it surely is not a first time." I felt dazed. This had to be wrong! I couldn't let myself feel like this for her, it was too dangerous. For both of us! "Edward? Edward, would you please listen to me?" I heard Carlisle's voice, but it sounded distant and muffled. I couldn't see him anymore. "No!" I whispered. I paced on the spot with fists clenched. Suddenly I couldn't take the pressure anymore. I bolted into the woods and just ran. I didn't want to face that I was about to find my mate in a mortal! I couldn't stand the thought, not because I didn't like her, but because of the implications. She would eventually die of age and I would be alone again. Or she could get killed by some other vampire. Our world was not peaceful at all. We had to watch out for transients in our territory, who could blow our cover, and we had to watch out for the Volturi who were jealous of the talents Carlisle had collected in his coven. She could not live in our vampire world. It meant she needed to be changed into one of us one day and I didn't want that for her! I shook my head, trying to shoo away the memories of her green eyes looking into mine, her voice in my head, her body close to mine ... It didn't work.

"Aargh!" I exploded and stopped running. I was on top of a ridge northeast from Forks and could almost see Lake Crescent in the distance. I climbed up one of the tallest trees in order to be completely left alone and sat in the treetop, letting my mind wander. I had never met anyone who had been able to share my talent to the full extent. This was the first time I had the chance to make such an experience. She had been brave, just as Eleazar had pointed out before, and yes, I liked her. I wanted to see her again, wanted to spend time with her and to find out more about her skills, even if this implicated deepening the contact with her. I hesitated, I would have to keep a certain distance. I could not let myself become attached to a mortal in this way, it would only cause us both harm. But could I really stay away from her? I sighed. It had felt so easy to be with her, I didn't have to hide my identity. Contemplating my possibilities, I remained sitting there, watching the sun go down.