WOO!!! Two uploads in a row...trying to get as much of this story in as possible. I've had horrible writer's block for a while, and adding that to class and work hasn't exactly helped...Enjoy.


Edward's newborn year was close to unbearable, he was moody and temperamental but once he was past it we were fine. He was now into his third year of life as a vampire, and we were staying in a little town in Wisconsin called Ashland. I was in my tenth year of working at the Ashland Medical center.

I went in to work at six pm, my usual schedule and signed in at the front desk. My shift had been uneventful until well after midnight. Two heart attack victims and a fatal stabbing later I peeled off my latex gloves and prepared to go home.

"Dr Cullen?" One of the nurses asked.

"Yes?"

It was Ruby, the only nurse in the hospital who had enough sense to leave well enough alone with me. "Dr Andrews left early, and we had a body come into the morgue, they need you down there to confirm it and sign the death certificate." She said, to which I nodded politely.

"Thank you, Ruby." I said and headed down to the morgue.

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Something's strange…I thought, stepping closer to the morgue door. There was a heartbeat, and I walked in, slightly startled as I heard it louder.

The medics were there, one stepping forward to explain. "She was found at the bottom of the cliff, suicide. We don't know where her family is located…" He said.

I nodded, screaming inwardly when I recognized the scent. It can't be her…please God, don't let it be her! "Alright, I'll take it from here." I said.

They nodded and left quickly. I looked down on the woman, my fear confirmed as an intense feeling of loss hit me quickly.

It was Esme Platt…ten years and one child later.

I could only wonder what happened to the beautiful vibrant girl I had treated back in Ohio, but she had certainly been replaced by the marred beauty lying on the morgue slab.

Her right arm was broken in three places, her pelvis broken, as was her spine. Her ribs were collapsed, and she was losing blood, far too quickly.

Her scent assailed me again as it had ten years previous…something I had written Aro about. I was surprised to find he knew about such things, and that the 'condition' was known as La Tua Cantante, or Blood Singer. The words soul mate swirled in my mind as I reread the letter from Aro from memory.

I had described this extraordinary creature to him, telling him everything about her.

I knew above the others that I could trust Aro, that my curiosity wouldn't be displaced.

I picked her up carefully, hoping she was unconscious enough not to feel the pain I was obviously inflicting on her…but it was about to get worse.

Edward, you should leave…leave the house. I told him as I walked up the front steps, through the door and carrying her up to my bedroom.

I closed the door, locking it behind me, and went to the bedside, sitting on the edge.

Esme's eyes opened slightly, her cracked lips parting. I brushed a hand across her cheek, whispering softly against her ear.

"Esme, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me." I turned back to the closed door, hearing Edward's hiss, returning my attention to the beautiful woman dying before me.

I brushed my lips against hers, pressing a soft kiss against the skin of her throat, and opened my mouth. Her skin was soft, its warmth caressing my lips. My teeth sliced through her skin easily, her blood flooding my mouth.

I pulled away, glaring at the door as Edward shifted nervously, an anxious hiss on his lips.

I turned back to her, my mind clouded with a red haze, and I felt her stir beneath me, arching her neck against my mouth. I held her jaw gently, growling unconsciously as the taste of my La Tua Cantante irritated the burn in my throat with my refusal to quench the thirst.

I felt the red haze slipping, and several twinges of pain. It was completely unnatural…to feel such a thing.

I couldn't focus, the pain became more unbearable, and I realized what was happening. My mind had linked to hers, allowing me to experience her pain, dizziness.

I allowed more of her blood to fill my mouth, refusing to swallow, feeling myself losing control…If I didn't stop now, I would kill her. But for some reason, my control was gone.


"Fell in love with a girl, I fell in love once and almost completely" – Fell In Love With A Girl, The White Stripes