I actually had quite a few people read this story with the last few updates, so that's really exciting for me! I hope that people will start reviewing it, because the ratio of readers:reviewers is high:low. Thank you to my wonderful reviewers, you are amazing and a special thank you goes out to my fantastic Beta, Angel of the Night Watchers, who is the angel who keeps these stories worth reading!

SM owns it all - except or Liv, of course.

Enjoy!

"I have one more." I stated as Edward accelerated much too quickly down the quiet street. He didn't seem to be paying any attention to the road as he sighed.

"One," he agreed. His lips pressed together into a cautious line.

"Well...you said that you knew I hadn't been in the bookstore. That I'd gone south. How'd you know?" He looked away as he deliberated answering me. "Come on, I thought we were past all the elusiveness." I grumbled.

He almost smiled. It ended as he made his decision, and looked at the road. "Fine, then. I followed your scent."

I was glad he was looking at the road so I could compose my face. I didn't really know how to answer or respond to something like that, but remembered it for future reference. I refocused quickly, thinking about my new plan of attack.

"Then, before I'm done, you didn't answer one of my first questions." He looked at me with disapproval.

"Which one?"

"How does it work - the mind-reading thing? Can you read anyone's mind? No matter where they are? How do you do it?" I felt my palms go clammy. "Can the rest of your family...?" I felt silly, asking for clarification on something so make-believe.

"That's far more than one." He pointed out. I did not budge in position or gaze.

"No, it's just me. And I can't hear anyone, anywhere. I have to be fairly close. The more familiar someone's...voice is, the farther away I can hear them. But still, no more than a few miles." I rolled my eyes, yes that is so limiting, to reading someone's mind. What an inconvenience. "It's a little like being in a huge hall filled with people, everyone talking at once. It's just a hum - a buzzing of voices in the background. Until I focus on one voice, then what they're thinking is clear."

"That hum must get annoying." I stated bluntly. He smiled.

"Most of the time I tune it all out - it can be very distracting. And then it's easier to seem normal when I'm not accidentally answering someone's thoughts rather than their words. It's a terrible habit with my family."

"They must hate living with you." He smiled. "Well, I mean, I would hate to live with my mother if she could read my thoughts. I would be perma-grounded."

"I don't get grounded." He stated with a smirk. I rolled my eyes.

"Lucky." I had turned curious again, however. "Why do you think you can't hear me?"

"I don't know," he murmured. "The only guess I have is that maybe your mind doesn't work the same way the rest of theirs do. Like your thoughts are on the AM frequency and I can only hear the FM." He grinned at me in amusement. My mouth dropped open.

"But the AM frequencies are terrible! Does this mean that I do have a glitch in my brain? There's something wrong with me? I'm a freak?" The words bothered me more than they should. Probably because it was something I had always suspected, but now it was being proven true, like getting a bad mark on your homework because you aren't competent in the subject.

"I hear voices in my mind and you're worried that you're the freak," he laughed. "Don't worry, it's just a theory..." His face then tightened as he looked to me. "Which brings us back to you."

I sighed. Now, the question wasn't what was I going to say, but how was I going to say it? Where would I begin? "Aren't we past all the evasions now?" he reminded me in a soft, taunting tone. I looked away from his face for the first time to roll my eyes, only to notice the speedometer.

"Mon Dieu! Are you trying to get pulled over?"

"What's wrong?" He was startled, but the car didn't slow.

"You're going one hundred miles an hour!" I was still shouting. I shot a panicky glance out the window, but it was too dark to see anything of importance. The road was only visible in the long patch of bluish brightness from the headlights. The forest along both sides of the road were like black walls - as hard as a wall of steel if we were to hit it at this speed.

"Relax, Vivienne." His eyes rolled.

"Are you trying to kill us?" I demanded.

"We're not going to crash." I shook my head.

"Why are you in such a hurry to kick me out?"

"That's not the case at all. I always drive like this." He smiled crookedly at me.

"Keep your eyes on the road!"

"I've never been in an accident, Vivienne. I've never even gotten a ticket." He tapped his head with a grin. "Built-in radar detector."

"Funny." I fumed sarcastically. "Charlie is a cop remember? I was raised to listen to laws. Besides, if you turn this Volvo into a pretzel against a tree, you can probably just walk away."

"Probably." He agreed with a short, hard laugh. "But you can't." He acknowledged, sighing as he slowed down to eighty. "Happy?"

"Almost."

"I hate driving slow," he grumbled, like an unhappy toddler.

"This is slow?" I questioned.

"Enough commentary on my driving," he snapped. "I'm still waiting to hear your latest theory."

I bit my lip. He looked down at me, his eyes unexpectedly gentle as he saw my sheepishness. I would sound so stupid, suddenly my theory just seemed more like a teenage fantasy novel rather than an actual thought process with facts and worthwhile guesses.

"I won't laugh," he assured me.

"You said that last time." I muttered. "And I'm more afraid you'll be angry."

"Is it that bad?" He asked lowly. I nodded. He waited, but I was looking out the window for a second, trying to catch my bearings. Where was confident Vivienne who had just come to Port Angeles to find an outfit to make this boy fall for her? "Go ahead."

"I don't know where to start." I admitted.

"Why don't you start at the beginning?" I glared at him. "You said you didn't come up with this on your own." He started for me. I was grateful.

"No."

"What got you started - a book? A movie?" he probed.

"No - it was Saturday, at the beach." I risked a glance to his face, which was completely puzzled. "I ran into an old family friend - Jacob Black. His dad and Charlie have been friends since I was a baby. My Mom grew up with his Mom." I watched him closely, examining the look of puzzlement on his face as I added, "His Dad is one of the Quileute elders."

A change. Minute, but there. His face was rigidly held into that look of confusion. Forced. Fake.

"We went for a walk he started telling me some of the old legends, he was trying to scare me, I think. He told me one..." I hesitated.

"Go on," he pushed, his voice low.

"About vampires." I realized then that I was whispering. I couldn't look at him anymore, I was very preoccupied with my hands, which were shaking out of nervousness.

"And you immediately thought of me?" Still calm.

"No. He...well, I kind of tricked him?" I basically asked. "Someone else had mentioned your family and Jacob thought that it was just a silly superstition. He didn't expect me to think anything of it." I was rambling now. "It was Lauren's fault. She had said something about you - trying to provoke me and it worked, but this older boy said that your family doesn't go there, and I tricked it out of Jacob when we were alone." I blushed, cutting my rant off. He startled me with a booming laugh, to which I glared.

"You promised not to laugh."

"Tricked him how?" he chuckled.

"I tried to...flirt with him." I blanched. "It worked better than I thought it would. I'm pretty much inept at all attempts - I'm starting to think that males from this area find that endearing."

"I'd like to have seen that." He chuckled darkly. "And you accuse me of dazzling people - poor Jacob Black." I looked out the window, but he was not finished with me. "So what then?"

"I did some research on the internet." I said with a shrug.

"And did that convince you?" His voice didn't sound interested but his hands were clamped hard on the steering wheel.

"Not really, nothing seemed to fit. They had some of it down, but to be honest, it all seemed so cheesy. And there was so much information. So, I did what any wise girl would do: I called an expert."

"You what?" His voice wasn't amused by startled.

"I told my friend, a vampire fanatic, that I was doing a paper on them and I hadn't read the class novel. So she told me everything." I bit my lip. "It was a lot to take in."

"And what was your conclusion after your lesson on vampires?" I looked up at his face, carefully composed and unwavering.

"I concluded that it doesn't matter to me."

"It doesn't matter?" He repeated incredulously, his carefully composed mask shattering. His face was incredulous, with a bit of the anger that I had known, and feared would be there.

"No," I said softly, afraid he would tell me I was insignificant and kick me out of his life. "It doesn't matter to me what you are. The curiosity was thrilling, and contrary to your belief I don't care to tell the world, but I don't really care what you are. I just hated being lied to."

A hard, mocking edge entered his voice. "You don't care if I'm a monster? If I'm not human?"

"You aren't a monster, and I've met many humans who are much closer than you could ever be. So no, I don't care." He was silent, staring straight forward, his face bleak and his eyes narrowed. "You're angry. I knew it. I shouldn't have said anything."

"No," he sighed. "I'd rather know what you are thinking - even if what you're thinking is insane."

My face dropped, and though I said I hadn't cared, I felt ashamed my answers had been off. "So I'm wrong again?"

"That's not what I was referring to. 'It doesn't matter'!" He repeated, grinding his teeth together in disbelief. I widened my eyes.

"I'm right?" I gasped, mentally deciding that I would text Arie and say I had gotten an A+ on the paper thanks to her genius.

"Does it matter?" He hissed. I shook my head.

"Not really." I paused. "But haven't we talked about how curiosity killed the cat, but I was human anyway?"

"There are far too many things out to kill you as it is, Vivienne." He groaned.

"Luckily, you've warned me about them so I can be wary."

"You say that as if that would help." He was suddenly very resigned. "What are you curious about?"

"How old are you?" I asked, my gaze straight on him, I took in the mask he had once again placed on himself, ready to tear it off once again. I was glad he was playing along, I was glad I was getting somewhere.

"Seventeen." His answer was automatic. Rehearsed. It strengthened my resolve.

"And how long have you been seventeen?"

His lips twitched as he stared at the road. "A while," he admitted.

"Okay." I breathed, then smiled. "So...I'm not stupid?"

"Not even close." He stared at me with watchful eyes, much like he had before when he was afraid I would go into shock. I smiled wider in encouragement which made him frown.

"Okay, wow. I'm not psychotic. Good. Now you can't laugh, but I have to know - how can you come out during the daytime?"

He laughed anyway. "Myth."

"Burned by the sun, hence the 'camping'?"

"Myth." I knew there had to be more to that answer but let it slide for now.

"Sleeping in coffins?"

"Myth." He hesitated, then looked at me as he said with an emphasis I didn't understand, "I don't sleep."

"Ever?" I asked my eyes wide.

"Ever." He confirmed I glanced sadly at him.

"But then - you can't dream."

"No, I can't." He confirmed again, there seemed something about this one that was bitter to him. I wanted to make it clear what I felt.

"But...that's sad." I pouted, looking at him with sympathetic eyes.

"Why is that sad?" He asked his tone curious as he tilted his head to look at me.

"I love dreaming," about you, I added in my mind. "It's sad that you can't do that."

"Sometimes I can hear other people's dreams. I'm not as left out as others." I nodded slowly, but his gaze was hard again. "You haven't asked me the most important question."

I grew nervous. "Which one is that?"

"You aren't concerned about my diet?" he asked sarcastically.

"Ah. That." I said as if I hadn't thought about it, he caught my lie plainly enough.

"Yes, that." His voice was bleak. "Don't you want to know if I drink blood?"

I flinched. "See...Jacob actually mentioned that."

"And what did Jacob say?" he asked somewhat condescendingly. It gave me a bit of anger for fuel as I looked at him.

"He said you didn't hunt people. He said your family wasn't supposed to be dangerous because you hunted animals - you know, like humans do." I added.

"He said we weren't dangerous?" his voice was skeptical. I shook my head.

"He said you weren't supposed to be dangerous. But the Quileutes don't want you on their land, just in case." He looked forward and I couldn't tell if he was watching the road or not. "So was he right? About not hunting people?"

"The Quileutes have a long memory." He whispered. I took it as a confirmation. "Don't let that make you complacent, though." He warned. "They're right to keep their distance from us. We are still dangerous."

"I don't know what you mean."

"We try," he began slowly. "We're usually very good with what we do. Sometimes we make mistakes. Me, for example, allowing myself to be alone with you."

"This is a mistake?" I heard the sadness in my own voice and hoped that he wouldn't be able to. But he nodded just as gravely.

"A dangerous one." He murmured.

We were silent, then. I watched the headlights twist with the curves up the road. They moved too fast and it didn't look real. It looked like a video game. I was aware that time was slipping away so quickly, like the black road beneath us. I was afraid I would never have another chance like this again, where his walls were down. His words hinted at an end, and I recoiled from the idea. I couldn't waste one more minute I had with him.

"Keep going." I pushed, not caring what he said, just wanting to hear his voice fill the emptiness and worry I had felt. He looked at me quickly, startled by the change in my tone.

"What more do you want to know?"

"Tell me why you hunt animals instead of people," I suggested.

"I don't want to be a monster." His voice was very low and I nodded, trying to understand.

"But it isn't enough."

"I can't be sure, but I'd compare it to living on tofu and soy milk; we call ourselves vegetarians - our little inside joke. It doesn't completely satiate the hunger - or rather, thirst. But it keeps us strong enough to resist. Most of the time." His tone turned ominous as he winced. "Sometimes it's more difficult than others."

"Like now." I presumed, suddenly understanding the comments on danger.

"Yes." He sighed.

"But you're not hungry now." I measured, trying to see if my theory was right. He raised an eyebrow at me, completely intrigued.

"Why do you think that?"

"Your eyes. I told you I had a theory. I've noticed that people - men in particular - are crabby when they are hungry. When you're eyes are black you could yell at me all day and feel no guilt." He frowned at the last part and nodded his head.

"You are observant, aren't you?" He asked rhetorically. I didn't answer, just continued to power on with my analysis.

"Were you hunting this weekend with Emmett?"

"Yes." He paused for a second. "I didn't want to leave, but it was necessary. It's a bit easier to be around you when I'm not thirsty."

"Why didn't you want to leave?" I asked, cocking my head to the side as if I were a puppy.

"It makes me...anxious...to be away from you." His eyes were gentle, but intense, and they seemed to be making my bones turn to jelly. "I wasn't joking when I asked you to try not to fall into the ocean or get run over last Thursday. I was distracted all weekend, worrying about you. After what happened tonight, I'm surprised you made it through the whole weekend unscathed. He shook his head, remembering something. "Well, not totally unscathed."

"What?"

"Your hands." I looked down at my palms, and saw the scrapes from when I had fallen at the beach. I decided not to draw attention to the fact my knee was worse. His eyes missed nothing which meant that so long as he didn't see my knee, he wouldn't need to know about it.

"I fell."

"That's what I thought." His lips curled up at the corners. "I suppose, being you, it could have been much worse - and that possibility tormented me the entire time I was away. It was a very long three days. I really got on Emmett's nerves." He smiled ruefully at me.

"Three days?" I asked, noticing automatically. "Didn't you just get back today?"

"No, we got back on Sunday."

"Then why weren't you in school?" It was frustrating, because like he had said being away from me made him anxious, being away from him made me desperate and somewhat pathetic.

"Well, you asked if the sun hurt me, and it doesn't. But I can't go out in the sunlight - at least, not where anyone can see."

"Why?" I asked curiously, amazed that one legend was partially true.

"I'll show you sometime," he promised. My heart fluttered - this would not be the end of our interaction. But I started to frown again.

"You should have called or something."

He was puzzled. "But I knew you were safe..."

"But I didn't know you were. I-" Deciding that was not what I wanted to say, I shook my head.

"What?" his voice was compelling and as I looked to him, I felt him dazzle me with that stupid talent of his to make me blabber about everything and anything that was on my mind.

"I didn't like it." I stated. "Not seeing you, I mean. It makes me feel sick."

He was quiet and as I glanced up at him I saw that his expression was pained. "Ah, this is wrong." He groaned quietly. I felt a stab of worry hit my stomach.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you see, Vivienne? It's one thing for me to make myself miserable, but a wholly other thing for you to be so involved." He turned his anguished eyes to the road, his words flowing almost too fast for my understanding. "I don't want to hear that you feel that way. It's wrong. It's not safe. I'm dangerous, Vivienne - please grasp that."

"I don't care." I sounded like a toddler about to begin a temper tantrum.

"I'm serious."

"So am I." I growled. "I told you, it doesn't matter what you are. It's too late."

"Never say that." His voice whipped out, low and harsh. I bit my lip and was glad he didn't know how much this all hurt. I stared out at the road. We must be close now. He was driving much too fast.

"What are you thinking?" He asked, his voice sounded raw. I just shook my head, not sure if I could speak. I could feel his gaze on my face, but I kept my eyes forward.

"Are you crying?" He sounded appalled. I wasn't actually, but my eyes were watering.

"No." I said forcefully, I was officially in pissed-off-Vivienne mode.

"I'm sorry." His words burned with regret. I knew he wasn't apologizing for the words that had upset me. He gave the appropriate waiting time. "Tell me something," he asked, struggling to make the tone lighter.

"Yes?" Since he had answered all my questions with detail, I figured I could do the same - not that I had much to tell him. I was not nearly so interesting.

"What were you thinking about tonight, just before I came around the corner? I couldn't understand your expression - you didn't look that scared, you looked like you were concentrating very hard on something." I blushed.

"My friend taught me some self-defense tactics. He's a black-belt. I was trying to remember how to actually do them." I felt a surge of hate when I thought about the dark-haired man who was obviously the leader of the group.

"You were going to fight them?" This upset him. "Didn't you think about running?"

"In case you didn't hear the asthma attack coming on, it was my only option."

"Screaming for help?" he offered lamely.

"Tried it. Kind of hard with your lungs constricting." He shook his head with a small smile.

"You were right - I'm definitely fighting fate trying to keep you alive." He smiled. "But, your name says it all." I blushed. So he did know that Vivienne was French for Alive. We were slowly passing the boundaries of Forks and it had taken just about twenty minutes - I suddenly hated his driving more than just because of how terrifying it was. I now hated it because it gave me much less time with him.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" I asked hopefully.

"Yes - I have a paper due, too." He smiled. "I'll save you a seat at lunch." It was silly that even after tonight that little promise sent butterflies through my abdomen. We were now in front of home - the lights were on, my truck in it's place and everything was plain old life. It felt like an alternate reality to the one I had just learned about, and it was far less exciting. He stopped the car, but I couldn't bring it in me to move.

"Do you promise to be there tomorrow?"

"I promise." The simple words gave me courage. I pulled his jacket off, taking one last deep breath while in it. He shook his head. "Keep it. You don't have a jacket for tomorrow."

"I don't want to have to explain to Charlie."

"Oh, right." He grinned, taking the jacket from me. I hesitated, my hand on the door handle but wanting to prolong the moment.

"I don't want to leave." I admitted in a groan. He chuckled.

"Vivienne?" He asked. I turned back a little too quickly. "Will you promise me something?"

"Yes." I instantly regretted my quick oath, hoping it wasn't anything stupid about making us leave each other alone or anything like that.

"Don't go into the woods alone."

I stared back at him in confusion. "Why?"

He frowned and his eyes were tight as he stared past me out the window. "I'm not always the most dangerous thing out there, let's leave it at that."

I raised an eyebrow. "You just lurk around the woods?"

"Goodnight, Vivienne." I sighed. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, then." I opened the door, suddenly much more comfortable to go outside.

"Vivienne?" I turned around and he was leaning towards me, his pale, glorious face mere inches from mine. I am pretty sure my heart stopped beating because there was a painful lurch that wasn't easily recognizable.

"Sleep well," he said. His breath blew on my face - the same smell from his expensive jacket, but in a more concentrated form. I blinked to get the clouds away from my mind but it didn't actually work until he leaned away. I was unable to step out of the car gracefully, in fact, I nearly fell out, only to hear him chuckle. He waited until I had - somehow - gotten to the front door, and then I heard his engine quietly rev. I turned to watch the silver car disappear around the corner. I realized it was very cold outside and sighed. I had liked that black jacket that was now lost to the street.

I reached for the key mechanically, opened the door and stepped inside.

"Liv?" My Dad called from the living room.

"Yeah, it's me." I walked in to see him watching a baseball game. He looked up at me.

"You're home early." He noted. "No shopping bags? I'm proud."

"Am I?" I asked, ignoring the taunt.

"It's not even eight yet." He told me. "Did you girls have fun?"

"Yeah, tons." My head was spinning as I tried to remember back to the century before all this happened where I had actually been out with Jessica and Angela. "They both found dresses."

"Are you alright?"

"Just tired." I assured. He looked concerned. I wondered what my face looked like - completely in awe? Looking blind to everything but my own thoughts?

"Well, maybe you should go lie down. Are you cold? Why didn't you take a jacket?"

"Oh, uh...I think I left my jacket in Jessica's car -I need to remind her to bring it." I lied, badly, as I went towards the phone. He nodded and took a sip of soda.

"Well, give her a chance to get home first."

"Mm." I didn't want him to catch me in a lie, so I hummed in the affirmative before I went into the kitchen and fell in a chair, too distracted to realize how hard I had plopped down. Maybe I was going into shock - but for a much different reason.

The phone rang suddenly, startling me. I yanked it off the hook with misplaced hope as I answered. Could he get to wherever his home was that fast? Surely he could. Maybe he was calling me to taunt me about when I had asked him to call me and let him know that he was safe this weekend.

"Hello?"

"Liv?" I tried not to be too disappointed.

"Hey, Jess, I was just about to call you."

"You made it home?" Her voice was relieved...and surprised.

"Of course. Did I happen to leave my coat in your car? You can bring it tomorrow, can't you?"

"Sure, but tell me what happened!" She demanded.

"In trig?" I asked, listening with my free ear to see if I could hear Charlie. He wasn't anywhere near but I was concerned he would catch on that I was lying if I said too much.

"Oh, is your dad there?" Faster than she normally catches on.

"That's right."

"Okay. Then I'll talk to you tomorrow, then. Bye!"

"Bye Jess."

I walked up the stairs slowly, a heavy stupor clouding my mind. I went through the motions of getting ready for bed without actually paying attention to what I was doing. I was in the shower under the steaming water when I realized that I was freezing and I was going into shock. I shuttered violently for several minutes not able to stop thinking about everything that could have happened tonight. I was too rigid to move out of the shower, but pulled myself out when the hot water began to run out.

I wrapped myself securely in a towel, trying to hold in the heat as I stayed in the bathroom. I didn't want my shivers to return. I dressed for bed quickly and dashed from the bathroom to my bed as if I were long-jumping it. I climbed under my covers and was disappointed that they were so cold, even though they were so thick. It reminded me of Edward's jacket - without the beautiful aroma.

My mind was full of images I couldn't understand or repress. Images of the night, some my imagination had dredged up, some that were closer to realistic and some that were snapshots of what I could remember, but it was all becoming hazy.

About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him - and I didn't know potent that part might be - that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably his.

Did you like it? Man, that boy can be charming. I always forget since I'm Team Jacob, but in the books - Edward's pretty great too. Besides, I'm pretty sure I'm not Team Jacob when it comes to him being with Bella, Im pretty sure I'm Team Jacob when it comes to him being with me. Anyways, thanks for reading!

To my reviewers:

Eryn Goddess of Chaos: I'm hoping to break free of the book as soon as the baseball scene ends - because that's when things would be very different between characters. If I decide that people would like it enough to read it, the second book will be very different as well - I keep thinking through all these little quirks and things I would change, I just haven't decided if I want to take the time to write the other books or not, considering no one is really giving me feedback on them. I'm glad you like that she speaks French, I was close fluent when I switched high schools in Grade 11, so it's really bringing back some memories of how it was when I used to get confused over what languages I thought in, since I'm also fluent in another language. So I put a little bit of myself into that one. I'm glad you got the 'Bella' joke, I thought it was pretty funny and laughed at myself for a while once I wrote it, I'm glad you liked the chapter and love your monster reviews so thank you!

Angel of the Night Watchers: I know what you mean about reading a chapter through a few times later, that's normally how I write my stories. I write each chapter like a play first - dialogue and limited direction and thought, then go back twice to add in the meat. You may be able to tell when you edit it, now, haha. I probably won't do a Jasper/OC because as much as I like his character, I find it really hard to imagine him without Alice unless it was during Maria's time, which I have thought of doing a one-shot for, but I probably wouldn't do a whole story on it. As I said to the other reviewer, I'm glad you like the French. It's the little bit of me that I am distinctly adding into this story because I'm trilingual - though very rusty on French - so in some conversations, I find it hard to key in for a few seconds before I understand. Your help and reviews are amazing, thank you so much!

PLEASE REVIEW!