AN.: I don't own Twilight but I do own some of the characters. I don't care if you use them in your stories but…I don't know. I would just like a review saying that you're gonna use them in your story so I could read that story. I love people who use my characters. They're so freaking awesome. I still dedicate this to MadtotheBone1 and I always will. You are still my most faithful reader and my most faithful friend (on fan-fiction).

Nikki Ann PoV:

I blinked as I stared ahead. A woman stood before me, seemingly no older than eighteen. Her long hair was a mane of mahogany, her skin icy white and even tinted a speck blue. Her eyes were leaked from a topaz to a deeper color, almost black. The woman wore a pair of torn jeans along with a gray t-shirt, fallen to the side to reveal a black bra strap. On her feet were a pair of black tennis shoes and yet she still gave the aura of a model. I knew; I just knew somehow that she was that Cold One. She fit the description perfectly from what Micah had told me.

The Cold One's stance was rigid, prepared to attack and yet she held back. She probably barely registered that I was human. She probably barely registered that I was not the animal that she would eat. "This is a cub. She's too young for you to eat." I said to the Cold One. I was curious as to why she was here. Had she smelt Nicole's blood or mine? I strained my mind, attempting to read this girl's mind.

The only thing I was rewarded with was an intense headache. I was confused now. I hadn't met someone with such a strong shield, someone who had so much guard around her mind. Abruptly there was a boy, no older than seventeen, at the woman's side. He looked at the woman for a second, his mouth flashing into what I guessed were assuring words. The boy had a tousled head of bronze-colored hair, his skin the same shade of blue-like white. His eyes were barely a shade brighter than the woman's. His eyes still held a tad bit of topaz in them. He wore a pair of new jeans, crisp and untouched, with a white oxford shirt with a Peter Pan collar while his feet were covered in a pair of loafers. He was a Cold One as well.

The second I realized this fact, the boy went rigid, his mouth stopping from saying words to what I supposed was his mate. He glanced in my direction, confused. He was a mind-reader as well. Shock flashed across his features but so brief I barely registered it. I finally decided to delve into his mind. His mind was nowhere near as guarded as this woman's.

Who is this girl? How does she know so much about us? Had that only been a guess? Was she from the reservation? She used the term 'Cold One'. I can barely hear her thoughts now. Why is she…how did she know that Bella and I drink animal blood? The boy's thoughts were frantic, going at a speed I could barely catch and only adding to my intense headache. I quit focusing on his mind and blinked into the reality before me. "I apologize; my name is Nikki Ann." I said as I shifted Nicole's struggling state in my arms. I realized again that she was in my arms and I glanced down. The boy seemed reluctant before he managed his features. He decided on a cover. This was fine with me.

"I'm Edward and this is my girlfriend, Bella. We were just out hunting but we lost our equipment. Bella was a bit angry that we managed to lose it." The boy said. He lied so perfectly I almost believed him. I suppose I didn't care whether he told me the truth or no. "Yeah, well, this cub's too young for you to hunt. I found it and decided to hold it for a while; to keep it from predators." I lied. I was nowhere near as perfect at lying as this Edward character was.

Edward offered a feeble, strained smile and nodded his false understanding. He was obviously still curious about me, about as much as I was for him. But it would be dangerous. Edward ushered Bella the opposite direction and they began to fade out. I suppose I had to tell them. I was not good at keeping what was on my mind away from those around me. "The animals fear you." I called after the pair. Nicole looked up at me with her wide ginger eyes.

Who are these people? Why will you not tell them that you understand me? Why can I not play with them? "No!" I cried out instantly upon hearing Nicole's thoughts. I looked down at Nicole, instantly frantic as to keep her away from Edward and Bella. Though I approved of their diet I couldn't approve of them 'playing' with Nicole. I noted that Edward and Bella were watching from their stance between the trees, confused as to why I'd spoken, as to how I knew that the animals feared them. I looked up at Bella and Edward, frantic and panicked. I couldn't leave because Micah and Song were meant to come back to get Nicole. I furrowed my brow in concern.

"Why do you refer to these mountain lions as 'Micah' and 'Song'?" Edward inferred, confused upon my thoughts.

I blinked at Edward, deciding between whether I should tell them or no. It was dangerous to interfere with their trends however it was curiosity that would no doubt kill me. "Those are their names." I answered simply. Edward furrowed his brow in curiosity however he decided to leave it be. Nicole struggled in my arms again and I glanced down at her. When she grew fully would she end up an energy source for Edward and Bella? I frowned at this thought, instantly depressed upon that. "It was nice meeting you, Nikki." Edward called to me as he and Bella faded into the distance. Once they were gone I admittedly collapsed onto the forest floor, Nicole still buried close to me despite her struggling.

I finally let Nicole loose when I felt that I would soon smother her if I didn't. Nicole looked up, her eyes curious and searching. What were they? Were they not human? Why can I not play with them? Nicole thought to me. I frowned at her and shook my head. "No, you can't play with them, Nicole. They are dangerous beings. You can never play with one of their kind." I warned Nicole. She tilted her head in curiosity. Knowing the cub's mind, she probably set this out as a goal, a mission in mind. Why are you sad, Nicola? Nicole questioned to me. I sniffed away the threatening tears and shook my head at her, placing on a false smile. "I'm just worried for you. Those beings are very dangerous and you can't go anywhere near them." I said. "If you ever see them, run." I instructed Nicole.

Nicole seemed to have ADD seeing as she agreed quickly and set back to imitating her parents, attempting at roaring. I watched Nicole until her parents came and by then I had made a decision. I turned to the parents, my lion friends. Micah tilted his head to me in curiosity. I was nowhere near as good at lying as Edward was. "You need to migrate." I insisted to Micah. He blinked at me in shock, his head picking up in his full attention.

Why would we need to migrate? What occurred while we were gone? Micah demanded. I frowned at him and shook my head. "The Cold One that you talked about. She and her mate returned however I turned them away." I explained. Nicole was now jumping at a grasshopper she had found and attacking it feebly, attempting to catch it between her paws. Micah's eyes hardened, his thoughts now broken. That means that this land is far too dangerous for us. We really should migrate to a new territory. It would mean safer grounds. We should have migrated already…Nicole was in danger, Song was in danger. I had put them in danger. Micah thought frantically. I shook my head and leaned forward, running my hand over the thinking mountain lion. "You didn't know they'd return, Micah. You just need to migrate in order to keep yourselves safe. I'm pretty sure that the Cold Ones won't be happy about this but…you need to be safe." I told Micah. He frowned at me but nodded.

=X=X=X=

Nick's squeal echoed through the house when I returned yet again, my clothes stained with dirt from being on the ground and playing with Nicole. I'd told them what I'd figured out too late. I should have told them to migrate as soon as I heard how Micah had gotten his injury. I just hadn't noted that they were local, that they would remain a danger to them. I hadn't even been as close to them as I am now. Now they had to leave when I'd already gotten so attached. But I was surprised, happily surprised, when I entered the living room. My mom and dad were on the couch while Nick was on the play mat. But Nick wasn't alone; Brendan was lying down, flat on his stomach as he played with the Fisher Price train we'd gotten for Nick.

Brendan looked up when he sensed my presence and furrowed his brow as he noted the dirt on my skirt. I only shrugged and grinned at Brendan. I only had to look at the bright side of things; Micah, Song and Nicole would be safe and Brendan was here! With my parents… "What did they tell you?" I asked as I sat beside Brendan on the play mat. He rolled his eyes but leaned over and pecked me on the lips in a brief kiss. "We told him all of your embarrassing secrets and stories," Mom joked kiddingly as she rolled her eyes. I cocked an eyebrow at my mom. Brendan, however, seemed a bit concerned by now. His eyes hardened as he took a sniff of the air.

"What is it?" I asked. Brendan wrinkled his nose at me. "Where were you?" Brendan asked rather than answered me. I frowned at him. He had the best sense of smell in the world. "I was hanging out in the forest." I answered him. Brendan blinked at my honesty. "Why were you out there?" he asked. I frowned even more at him. "I agree, Nicola. Why were you out in the forest?" Dad asked from his seat. I rolled my eyes at my dad. "I like to go there, thank you very much." I answered, encouraged by my dad's authoritative tone. Dad rolled his eyes while Brendan didn't seem to like it. "Did you…come across anybody?" Brendan asked, his voice bristling. I blinked at him. Could he smell Edward and Bella?

Cold Ones had to have a distinctive smell and with Brendan being a Quileute he had to have a clue as to what that aroma would smell like. "No," I answered, furrowing my brow. "I don't think so." I lied. I stood up from where I was. "I'm going to take a shower and change real quick." I told him. "Please do; you stink," Mom joked to me. I stuck my tongue out at her as I headed to the stairs. I pulled off my boots and tossed them onto my messy bed before stripping off my clothes and grabbing my towel.

When I was finished with my shower and dressed into a set of black flannel pajamas, full with button-down shirt and all, I headed down the stairs to greet Brendan, my hair still wet from my shower. Brendan was still toying around with Nick's toys, complete with sound affects and all. "So, what's up?" I asked as I came up behind Brendan and strung my arms around his neck from behind. My arms formed a V with my chin set on top of his head. Brendan released my hands from their clasp and held onto them. "I can't come by to visit? This is the first time that I've seen your home, after all." He chuckled as he tugged. That simple tug somehow brought me down onto his lap.

I hadn't even realized that Brendan had shifted into a cross-legged position until now. His tone turned serious as he spoke again. "Honestly, did you see anyone out in the forest?" Brendan asked. I frowned at Brendan, my arms still strung around his neck. I toyed with the lapel on his t-shirt as I contemplated my answer. He took my silence as a yes. "Who'd you see out there?" He asked. I rolled my eyes at him and shook my head. "It was just a couple of hunters who lost their equipment." I answered with a shrug. It wasn't a lie. It was just the cover that they had told me. If I was normal, I'd have believed it.

Brendan sighed, knowing he wouldn't get any answers out of me. "What were you doing out in the forest in the first place?" He pressed. I rolled my eyes and sighed. "It's where I like to think." I answered. I was a crap liar. I sighed as I registered Brendan's exasperated expression. "So, I found Collin's soul mate. But Farah Jane does not believe in dating. She said she 'sees no point' in dating or in having friends. We have to change her mind!" I exclaimed. Nick looked up at me, curious. His hair was a mottle of black curls, his eyes a fresh shade of luminescent green. His cheeks were red from playing and crying. He wore a black and white striped baby one-piece. He looked like he was in jail; I guess that might be the point.

Brendan chuckled at the subject and rolled his eyes but changed the subject. He leaned into my ear quietly and whispered to me. "Actually, speaking of dating…" He breathed into my ear, causing me to shudder. Oh, trust me; I shuddered in a good way. "We haven't been on an official date yet. I was just thinking…tomorrow night? I'll pick you up around seven and we can go to a movie or something in Port Angeles." He offered. I grinned at the thought and nodded. That was when my dad walked in. "Ah! Hey, not in front of the kid! Hey, not in front of anyone! Ever!" My dad cried out in a frantic voice. Nick found this amusing as he giggled and clapped his clumsy hands, thinking it was a show.

I laughed along with Nick and shook my head in disbelief. "I guess we'll have to do this in private then." I retorted. Dad's eyes went wide as saucers. And that was when Brendan was kicked out.

Edward PoV:

I watched as the dogs walked in one by one. Only four of them came tonight, of course, including Jacob. I was depressed as I watched Renesmee run up to Jacob and throw her arms around his neck before kissing the despicable mutt. I released a growl as Jacob's face abruptly twisted into one of disdain. "She just told me that you were 'jealous'. She thinks you're gay and having an affair with me." Jacob retorted to my growl. I also turned my face into disgust and distaste. That was the foulest thought my daughter would ever have.

But my mind was quickly retracted from that train of thought when I overheard Brendan's train of thought. "Who's that girl in your thoughts?" I asked him. He had just thought of the girl that Bella and I had come across in the forest. Brendan looked at me in suspicion. He usually trusted me. "Nikki's my imprint." He answered me finally. I suspected as much with his distrust. The dogs were overly protective of their imprints but I suppose this was acceptable. Still, it was surprising to find that the very girl we'd come across in the neutral zone between our land and the reservation had been Brendan's imprint. Then he seemed to realize something. It clicked in his mind that we had to have been the ones that came across her and left our scent on her. He had smelt vampire on her earlier and had been suspicious.

"Did you inform her of us?" I asked Brendan. He furrowed his brow at this and shook his head. "I haven't told her yet. I was planning on waiting for a couple of weeks at least." Brendan told me. I frowned at this. "Your imprint is already aware of our situation." I informed him. He blinked at me, instantly confused as to how his beloved Nikki had known about us. "I overheard her mind and it was…suspicious to say the least. Her knowledge of us isn't anywhere near what was most interesting about her." I informed him. He narrowed his eyes in more suspicion. This was fragile territory; I had to be cautious.

"Her mind was foggy at a part when Bella and I came across her. For a moment it was clear but when her concentration narrowed on me, it became unfocused and undecipherable." I theorized to Brendan. He blinked at me, confused as to what this meant. I sighed as I had to explain. Now everyone's attention was given to our conversation, on the information. "I believe that your imprint, Nikki Ann, is a mind-reader." I stated calmly.

There wasn't a breath in our house at that very moment; everyone had been shocked at this theory. Jacob was the one to speak. "How did you come to this conclusion?" He asked me. I frowned at him. "Her mind was hazy, as I said, and a part of her was completely indecipherable as though I was only hearing half of her mind. I suspect that the other half of her mind is her mind-reading part as I suspect mine is." I explained to him. Everyone was silent, processing this for a beat, before Brendan regained his composure. "Wait, you said that she concentrated on you. But you don't have to concentrate on people to hear their thoughts, just to sift through the thoughts. Does that mean that her ability is different from yours?" Brendan asked. All eyes turned to hear my answer, to give me their full attention.

I processed this bit, thinking. Perhaps her ability was… "I believe she can hear the thoughts of animals as I can hear the thoughts of humans." I realized. "What do you mean?" Brendan asked. "I can hear a person's thoughts as they pass by but I must concentrate on an animal that has a conscious thought, like with the wolves. However it seems to be in reverse with Nikki Ann. She must be able to hear the bypassing thought of an animal but must concentrate on that of a human or one of our kinds." I theorized. This was a curious find. Brendan was still processing this as he swayed on his feet. Collin laughed as he steadied his friend. "Don't faint on us just yet, kid." Collin laughed.

"Explain what had happened, Edward." Jacob suggested for once. He hadn't actually demanded it but seeing as this had to do with an imprint it was wise to approach the subject cautiously. I nodded my approval to such a suggestion. "Bella and I went off hunting when I suppose Bella smelt the blood of a human. She ran off and I followed but thankfully Bella is strong and stopped before she could attack. The girl was…strange, though. Instead of concern for her own safety despite her knowledge of what we are, she believed we were after a mountain lion cub." I chuckled as I relived the experience. "She referred to the cub as 'Nicole' and I suppose she was attempting to protect it. She said that the cub was 'too young' to eat. In her mind she also referred to the parents of the cub as 'Micah' and 'Song'. She thought of them fondly though they were mountain lions, a completely different species. I managed to encounter how she had come to know of these animals however half of what she knew was out of my range. She had first encountered the male mountain lion and fixed a broken leg. This was where she was informed, I assume by the lion's mind, of our existence. Days later she left school early when she heard the roar of a mountain lion and she helped birth the cub that she had been protecting. I assume this is why the parents of the cub had named it 'Nicole'." I explained my findings to the group.

"When Bella and I were about to leave, she told us that the animals feared us. I assume that the cub thought of something she didn't approve of because she snapped and turned to the cub, responding no to a question or statement of the cub." I added. "She feared for the cub's life and thought of it as pure and innocent. She feared that we would feed off of the cub when it was fully grown." I said. Emmett grimaced from his corner, obviously disappointed that he wouldn't have the chance to feed off of the full-grown cub. I then added what I had come to conclude. "I think that reading too many minds or focusing on one mind too hard pains her in her humanity." I said. Brendan's expression contorted in pain at the thought of his beloved imprint in pain. "That must be why she was in the forest when we found her." Collin said abruptly.

All eyes turned to Collin as he explained his own mental findings. "She was in the forest when we found her and she was surrounded by animals. I guess that's why she passed out; from reading all the minds of those animals." Collin explained to Brendan. Brendan dropped his head into his hands as he heard this. He was devastated by the news that his imprint had been in pain directly in front of him and he'd done nothing.

"You didn't know." I assured Brendan. "She must've told the mountain lions to move. I knew that she looked sad when she came in through the door." Brendan admitted to the rest of us. I frowned at this. She had thought of the safety of a family of mountain lions over her happiness. Carlisle finally spoke from his perch beside me. I frowned at his words as he spoke. "But there's only one thing to decide now." Carlisle said.

"What do we do with this information?"

AN.: So the Cullens and the wolves know that Nikki Ann is a mind-reader. The next chapter will include Brendan's and Nikki's first date. I don't own Twilight but I do own some of the characters. Wait...didn't I already say this?