BPOV

I can hear songbirds chirping somewhere outside. Normally September mornings are so chilly. I didn't want to open my eyes. I am so warm and comfy. I can feel my new familiar. I am using his chest as a pillow. His heartbeat is comforting to listen to. He is also purring. Cute.

Bazel is stretched out on the floor in front of the couch. I can hear his hearty purring almost as loudly in my ears as my familiar's purr. All the noises in the room are amplified. My nose is assaulted by a hundred foreign smells. I keep my eyes close. I feel a little overwhelmed. Overload. Damn, I can hear the cars on the highway. That's almost a quarter mile away. My hearing is probably as good as his now. And my sense of smell.

Immediately, I bury my nose against my familiar's shoulder. I really like the way he smells. Like fresh lavender and something sweet.

I have to name him. He has been through so much. He deserves so much. That is part of the bond. A magic-user can not bond to a creature that has a name. When you are given a name at birth, that centers your power. A creature with no name has a looser aura.

I smile. I have the perfect name. Edward. The name means "Guardian". I am not worried about a last or a middle name. We can take our time with those.

"Wake up," I whisper. "Edward, wake up."

His eyes snap open and the muscles in his body tense up. I tighten my grip on the ragged out t-shirt he has on. It takes him a few seconds to wake up and figure out where he is. I make calming sounds and rub the lower part of his arm.

Slowly, he starts to relax again. He fluffs the pillow and steals more of the blanket from of me. He doesn't close his eyes all the way. I pull part of the blanket back to me and lay my head back down on his shoulder.

"What did you call me?" He whispers.

"Edward," I whisper back.

"Why?"

"Because you need a name."

"How did you know I had no name?"

"The spell wouldn't have worked if you had a name," I mumble back.

"I don't understand, but okay." Edward lays his head back down. He is trying to relax and go back to sleep. "Edward," he mumbles. "I like it. Thank you."

The couch is feeling crowded. I am ready to go back to bed for a few hours, in my own bed. I throw the blanket off me and hop off the couch. I have to dodge Bazel. Standing up, I stretch.

That is when I notice how thirsty I am. I'm hungry too. So much for going back to bed. I wander my way into the kitchen. I make my way to the fridge, intending to get a glass of milk.

Opening the lid is a bad mistake. The milk smells horrible! Everything in the kitchen smells just as bad.

"Sit down, I'll make you breakfast. Your nose is going to take a few weeks to work itself out," Mom prattles. She is standing over by the coffee maker. It takes me a few seconds to realize she is whispering. She has already gone through a transition with the bonding of Bazel. I had forgotten that Mom told me that she would meet me in the kitchen the morning after my bonding. Mom already has an idea of what I am going through. She knew it was coming.

How hilarious. I can see Mom trying not the grin. Edward's senses are even sharper than Bazel's.

"Your dad wants to see you tonight. I figured we can have dinner tonight. Maybe a fish-fry or something," Mom is thinking out loud. "What can Edward eat? You do know what he is, right?" No, but I have a feeling she was going to tell me.

"No, I was trying to tackle one mystery at a time." Sitting down, I try not to think about how bad everything in the kitchen smells. Mom sets a glass of ice water down and went back to the stove.

I am parched. My mouth and throat feel like I swallowed a glass of sand. I pick up the water to drink it, and then I can't bring to my lips.

Something is wrong. I can see Mom watching me out of the corner of her eye.

She goes to the sink and pours another glass of water from the tap. Then she sets it down in front of me. I sniff it. Then I drink it. I am so glad we have well water.

"So you can't drink it if its cold. The closer to the temperature of living blood is more appealing." That made my blood run cold. How? Edward is hot to the touch. Fever hot. He has a heartbeat. He isn't a vampire. "Baby," Mom is trying to get my attention. "Your Edward is a dhampir."

Wow. That thought hadn't even crossed my mind. That explains so much.

I feel eyes boring into my back. Slowly, I turn to see Edward staring at me. There is too much I want to say. Where in the hell do I start?

"What are you waiting for kid?" Mom beats me to it. "Sit down. We're all family here." I see him visibly swallow. He looks at me. It's like he is waiting for permission. Mom points at a chair across the table from me. I pat the one next to me instead.

For just a second, I see a shy smile flicker as an answer. Then his face tightens up immediately. He stands still trying to decide what to do. He is very hesitant. First instinct is to look in his mind. He gets a little stiffer and leans away from me. Then he pushes me out of his mind. I am hurt by his reaction, but I have to be understanding. I literally know nothing about him.

Bazel bumps against his thigh. When he doesn't move, Bazel pushes him to the nearest chair at the table. Maybe he is the only one that Edward trusts.

Mom sets down a plate of eggs and bacon in front of both of us and scrapes the rest of the bacon and grease into Bazel's big stainless steel bowl on the floor. She didn't salt or season anything. It is probably safer that way. My sense of smell is way off and my hearing is amped. I am kind of scared of bland.

"So what can you eat." Mom plows on. "You have to give me some kind of idea. I don't want to make you something that you can't eat." He doesn't say anything at first. Everyone is picking at their breakfast. The bacon is good and I notice that Edward does pick at the food but he didn't show any real interest.

Bazel came up and lays his head on Edward's lap. He is waiting for Edward to hand over his plate.

"You can't have my bacon, Cat." That makes Mom smile. "But you can have my eggs." He gives the large cat the plate after he has what he wants. "You were asking what I eat?" Mom nods. She has a mouth full of eggs and is chewing slowly.

"Blood of course," Edward said very quietly. Is he ashamed of this? "But at the table, I need the meat cooked as rare as possible. No starchy stuff, please. That makes my stomach hurt. And I do like fresh vegetables and fruit. Nothing leafy or white. Please don't cook them. Processed and most cooked foods just make me sick period." He peeks at me for a few seconds and then looks down at the kitchen table.

"Does milk smell bad to you?" I couldn't help myself.

"Makes me want to throw up." That explains a few things. I see the hint of a grin at one corner of his lips. A crooked grin. I can tell that he is amused by this question.

"I need to ask a favor of you, Sweetheart," Mom directs the question to Edward. He turns to look towards Mom. "Bazel usually goes hunting after breakfast. I figure you can go with him. I've had dealings with vampires before, I a fair idea what you-"

"I'm not a cannibal!" Mom levels a sharp look at Edward for that. She doesn't like being interrupted.

"Yes, I know," She lowers her voice, and Bazel growls at him. Edward hunches his shoulders and glances at me. "Not all vampires are murders. Apparently, I have a lot to teach you." Edward swallows hard again.

"Mom, you're scaring him," It is then, I realize that all the confusion that I am feeling the last few minutes is coming from him. She looks at me and her shoulders slump and she sighs.

"Look, Edward," she leans back in her old wooden kitchen chair and sips her morning tea. "We need to lay some ground rules down."

"Yes ma'am," he whispers. I reach out and touch his hand. Right away he relaxes. I want to share his burden. He looks at me questioningly and then nods. Without prompting, I slide my chair closer to his. Whatever had happened to him in the past, I didn't care about in that way. It's not my place to judge him. That is something I know I will learn about later. Right now he needs me more than I need him. Later might be another story. I will worry about his story later. I want that to be a private conversation for later.

"Bella still has much to learn. She will study under me until she turns 19. This is a common practice among our kind. If she wishes to further her studies after that, she has the right to search out another teacher of her choosing." We both nod at this. "And you, young man," Mom points a finger at Edward. "What do you know about yourself?"

Edward didn't answer. His green eyes stay glued to our hands. I curled my fingers around his hand. Letting both hands rest on top of the table. I keep forgetting how young Edward really is. His life for the past six years was spent living on the fringes of society. Strange how private knowledge will come to me, without me asking or really thinking about him.

"That's what I thought," Mom said as she took another sip of her tea. Earl Grey, I am surprised I can smell it from where I sit. "I'm going to call Dr. Cullen later today and talk to him. I think you need to take some lessons from him." Cool, I get to see Alice!

"Alice?" Edward ask. He raises a single eyebrow at me.

"Dr. Cullen's youngest daughter." Mom answers for me. "She died about Bella's current age. She a little hyper but I think you will like her." Mom is used to the silent ways Magic-users and familiars talk.

"Are they like you too?" He asks.

"Nope, they are vampires. No, I take that back," Mom smiles kindly at us. Edward tenses up and I squeeze his hand again. He forces himself to relax and leans back in the chair.

"The Doctor is animal-drinker. He has yellow eyes." All I get is a look of disbelief. He still isn't liking this idea. There is much he knows about humans, but he has spent much of his time when dealing with vampires by running from them.

"You see my dear, the good doctor was one of us before he was bitten by a vampire. That was over 300 years ago. He is a healer and powerful one at that. When a magic-user takes an oath, it's binding. There is that all-important line that said to 'do no harm' in the Hippocratic Oath. I believe the version from his time period didn't say that exactly. But that there is plenty of other things in the old Oath that tamed some of his other vampire responses. In some ways, it protected him I think. I'm sure he will tell you later."

Even Edward's mind is silent. He is stunned. Bazel makes a noise next to us. I can tell it is a question.

"After I take some measurements from him, then you two can go hunting." Oh, that's what the cat wants. He is hungry. My throat is burning up as soon as Mom said the word 'hunting'.

"Sorry," Edward whispers to me. "That's me, not you. Sorry, I'm used to it. My throat always burns." I can see a slight blush spreading across his cheeks.

"It's okay," I pat his hand. "It's who you are." Mom is still sipping her tea, but she is watching us.

"Well, at least we don't have worry about you ravishing the countryside." I see Mom smiling behind the teacup. "Smile Edward, that was a joke." He gives her a half-hearted smile in response.

"Why do you want my measurement?" He asks.

"Because what self-respecting Esper would I be if I let you run around like a ragamuffin. Goddess only knows how long you've been wearing those clothes. I'm not sure what colors they use to be." This only made him turn redder.

"I don't have any money. I can't pay you back." Mom just rolls her eyes at this comment and waves him off. "That's something else Doc and I need to talk about. I need papers for you."

This confuses us both. Why? And I ask her that.

"I have to have something to tell people when they ask why I have another kid with me."

"What are we going the tell people."

"I don't know yet," Mom said with a shrug. "Maybe he's a foster kid? I don't know yet. I'm going to talk to Charlie tonight too." All I could do is nod my head. "Oh, by the way. Charlie is coming to dinner tonight."

"Charlie is my father," I tell Edward. "He knows what we are and if you don't mind, I would like to tell him about you." He gives me a nervous smile and nods. This brings a smile to my face.

"Well, that settles that," Mom said as she set her teacup down on the table. "Edward, I need you to follow me to the sewing room."

EPOV

Hunting with Bazel is fun. He made me swear that I would never hunt another cougar as long as he was alive. He didn't care about any other kind of cats. This I can understand.

He also told me that in this area of Washington state, hunting wolves is off limits too. He said that the wolf is sacred to the neighboring tribe. He calls them skinwalkers. Strange term. I filed it away for something to ask Bella later.

After Renee, Bella's mother finished taking my measurement she handed me a sharp knife and sheath, and a small cooler. She laughed at the puzzled expression on my face and told me that my job from now is to bring back meat. Fine with me, deer and elk taste better than cows and pigs. I barely made it through the bacon this morning.

She told me to get the best parts and then give the rest back to nature. Ether I am to bury it or put it somewhere the scavengers can get to it easily. I am not to leave it where humans can find the remains. She didn't want law enforcement looking for poachers. Made sense.

The cooler is almost full. I have taken down three deer. I was hungry. I make sure to take the choice cuts of roasts, flank steaks, and back-straps. I am more than happy to play the hunter for the women.

I have drunk so much from the deer, that I am feeling sloshy, but strangely content. Something I honestly could never remember being before. Bella gave me a reason not hate myself. She is something very special. The bond that she tied to me feels like a gift. I am never going to live a normal human life. No point in trying. I'm not a full-blooded human. This gives me something to want to live for.

A sweet-sharp scent fills my nose. Two different ones. Both vampires. Renee told me about a coven of vampires in the area. I didn't know if these are them. It isn't the same two that were chasing me. Renee has given me an amulet to hide me from the tracker's abilities. Just thinking about those two made me shiver.

All this rain is taking a little getting used to. Everything here is always wet here. I lean against a large conifer tree.

I shut my eyes to help me tune into my environment. Reaching out with my mind, I touched them both mentally.

One is really big, really playful, and enjoys being a prankster. I can see him through the eyes of the other one. A big muscle bound guy with dimples and loose curly brown hair.

The other one is lean, blonde, and covered in scars. Many, many scars. More than I can count. His appearance alone is enough to make my heart rate jump. His mind feels different. Kind of like Demetri's.

They are close to a mile away. I decide to stay still and see if they pass by without noticing me. A vampire can hear ant fart. I really didn't want them to hear me moving and come to investigate. I have hidden from vampires before.

As I am pulling away from the lean blond one, he stiffens up. I can feel him reaching out in a similar way like I do.

I panic. I grab my stuff and I take off at a dead run. Bazel headed home an hour ago. This I am glad of.

Then something big and heavy lands squarely on my back. Knocking the wind out of me. I hear my own bones cracking and breaking. I almost black out from the pain.

"Get off him," it is the blonde's voice. "You damn near killed him!"

"Sorry dude, I thought he was a vampire." The other vampire said. I can't move. Everything is hurting so bad. My ears are ringing and I can taste my own blood in my mouth.

"Don't touch him again, you've done enough." Someone pushes the big one off of me. "Hey kid, I'm sorry. Can you open your eyes?" When I try, I see two of everything. I quickly snap them shut. "Damn." the blonde mutters. "Call Carlisle, we have to take him back to the house. You run ahead and tell them what happened." His voice sounds very distant.

"Bella, I'm sorry," I whisper to myself. I try to reach out to her, but I'm going under fast.

JPOV

Bella?

The Esper's daughter?

There is a red and white cooler with a handle thrown a few feet away. I can smell raw meat coming from it.

I sent Emmett running home as fast as possible. That sensation I felt earlier that came with deep-seeded fear. Fear turns to blind panic when I reach out to find out where it coming from. Now I know. It came from the boy laid out on the forest floor in front of me. He is hot to the touch and he has a heartbeat, but he smells like a vampire. His skin is hard as mine.

Gingerly, I pick up the boy. Pain is rolling off of him in droves. I try to push that away from me. Then I hear his bones cracking in his back. He grabs my shirt and grits his teeth together. The cut on his cheek is mending as I watch. He's healing himself.

The phone in my back-pocket starts ringing. It's Carlisle.

"Jasper, what happened?" He asks the second I click the phone on.

"Have Emmett bring you out here. You have got to see this."

"Alright, alright. Come on Emmett, no ones mad at you. You have to show me where he is." Then Carlisle hangs up.

About ten minutes later, I can sense them. All of them. Damn, Emmett has a big mouth. After a few decades, anything out of the way of normal will bring all of them. Just for the sake of curiosity. In Rosalie's case, I would say just for the hell of it. I really only want Carlisle out here.

The kid obviously knows what we are and is terrified. I can smell the Esper's cat all over him. He has to come from somewhere and an Esper is a bad enemy to have.

The boy senses them too and makes a feeble attempt at struggling. He needs to calm down. When I try to push my calm into him, I am met with resistance. My empathy only works a little on him. The pain is too much.

Just hung on. The doctor is almost here. Then he did just that. I didn't question small favors.

I can feel his ribs knitting back together. It's a little unnerving, to say the least. I decided to lay him down on the ground. I am arranging and straightening him when Carlisle steps into view.

I ask him to keep the others back. Carlisle does that and starts to check him over. I feel a little bit of surprise come from him. Then a realization. I guessing Carlisle knows what he is.

I want to question him but now is not the time. The others are curious too. And confused. Alice is exasperated about something.

"We need to take him home," Carlisle said softly. "He will be fine in a few hours. If he was human this would have killed him. Within seconds."

"Ours or his," I ask.

"His," that came from Alice. "When we take him home, ALL of our futures disappear. That only happens with wolves or death."

All debate is cut short when the boy on the forest floor give a soft moan. Debate time is over.

CPOV

Dhampir. He is living, breathing, and barely hanging on. Emmett did what he was trained to do. I'm not mad at him.

Emmett, I can see the remorse written all over his face. Even as fast as the boy is healing, he is still hurt pretty bad.

"Everyone needs to go home, I have work to do do." All of them nod in agreement. Then they slip into the background and disappear. Except for Esme. I need her here with me. She doesn't question me when I ask her to stay.

I take his right hand in my right hand and the same with the left. Our arms are crossed. Before I was a vampire, I was a healer. To humans, I have always been a doctor. A good one. At the end of the 1700's, a man practicing medicine wasn't much different than a magic-user practicing magic. Men had it easier. They could hide as doctors and priest. Women were just burned at the stake.

Many of our kind had arranged marriages so the women could hide what they were. Very few questions were given to the doctor's wife for going into the woods and gathering herbs while their husband sat with the sick and dying. A Christian priest might and some of the more pompous men in a village might. It was still better than not having a reason. Then declared a witch.

With a human, I have to show the body how to heal. With the boy in front of me, I only have to give him the extra energy. With my second sight, I can see a bond attached to him.

A familiar bond?

Who? Bella. Has to be. It makes sense, she just turned 16. He's in the right area.

I touch his mind briefly. Good, he is starting to come around. When he starts to move and groan, Esme comes over pushes her coat under him. Like a pillow. Not like she needs it. It is a prop to her.

I let go of his hands. I run my hands over his body. Looking for even the smallest mark. By now, the boy is awake. I feel like he is watching me, but his eyes are closed. I have nothing to hide.

Esme came over and sat down near me, resting on her knees. She is softly combing her fingers through his hair. I know the look on her face, she is thinking about her son. I didn't say anything. I let her have her moment. Once the boy is sitting up and moving around, he probably wouldn't want to be mothered.

I see him crack a single eyelid open. He gives a weak smile and then he tries to sit up. Esme ends up helping him into an upright sitting position.

"My name is Edward," he said softly. I hold my hand out to him. This gesture puzzles him. After a few seconds, he mimics me. He reaches out to take my hand. He has a firm grasp, but he wasn't feeling very strong.

"Carlisle," I shake his hand. No, he still isn't very strong yet. "Can you sit up for a moment by yourself?" He nods yes. After he sits up, I have Esme go hunting. Something small, fresh, and a still alive.

It didn't take long. She had two decent size rabbits. She offers them one at a time to the boy. Edward snaps the neck of the one that Esme hands him. The rabbit didn't take him long. She offers the other one to him. Which he took from her and did the same to that one.

I can tell he is feeling better now. He rolls on to his knees. He is weary and more alert. I have some explaining to do. To him and his folks.

His eyes flicker to me for a second and then he looks away. I can still smell Renee's cat on his clothes. He looks at me again. That meant one of two things. His eyes narrow. Edward is either staying there or he is hunting the cat.

"I wouldn't hurt Bazel," Edward snaps out.

I did not mean to upset you, I couldn't help myself. I just wasn't sure. I smile to show no ill will. Were you a telepath before or after you bonded to Bella? It is everything I could do, not to laugh at the boy. His eyes are wide with surprise. Esme is watching us with curiosity. She has two other gifted children. Gifted vampires of any age always show quirks. With Edward, it is his eyes that give him away. Alice always spaced out, and Jasper is an emotional magnet. Always floating to the most positive person in the room. That is normally Alice. And now, I know without a doubt, what he can do. I know he is reading me right now.

"How old are you," I asked. "Six?"

"Yes," he said as his poorly cut hair flops down in his eyes. I'm guessing Renee hasn't gotten a good hold of him yet. "I know, she said she would worry about my hair after I got done hunting." I saw him glance at the cooler on the ground. Almost forgotten. Why a cooler full of raw deer?

"Renee didn't want me to waste anything and told me to cut the prime pieces." Makes a good bit of sense.

Standing, I dust myself off and hold my hand out to him. I'm only trying to be nice, you don't have to take it. He stares at my open hand in bewilderment. How long has he been on his own?

"Six years," he can't look me in the eye. Shame? I see him swallow hard and close his eyes. I knew why immediately. I really need to get him home.

When something happens to him, that means something happens to Bella. I didn't have to worry about mending a broken bone, but she still felt all to the pain. Healing Edward is the quickest solution to the problem. They will both be sore for a few days.

At that thought, a guilty look crosses Edward's young face. He jumps hastily to his feet. He wobbles a little at first. Then he is up and running. Esme picks up his cooler and we take off after him.