Chapter 10: Absent-minded

I'm going to resurrect the old disclaimer: these are vampires, not humans. Don't try to copy their sexual antics, be safe.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is merely coincidental.

Thanks is due to Room340C, who beta'd this up really quickly for me, and to Camilla10, who patiently fixes my terrible Italian.

Links are on my Profile:

Please visit my Facebook to see tons of pictures from 'Make Haste'. It's a public page; you don't need to sign in to view it. Music for this chapter can be found on the jmollytwilight2 YouTube beginning at #38. You can also find backstory videos there that I use to research various stories:

"Pretty Wings," by Maxwell Smooth Jazz Tribute

"Truly, Madly, Deeply," by Savage Garden

"Hellzapoppin,"by Whitey's Lindy Hoppers

"Shim Sham with Frankie Manning"

With special thanks to acadathlete88 for the tribute vid she made for me. The 'new' youtube won't let me make it my featured video, but it is "Truly, Madly, Deeply," Vid #39 for the Make Haste Playlist.

Okay, I'm not going to keep you waiting any longer, my lovelies.

o~o~0~o~o

"The voice of my beloved!

"Behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills."

Song of Solomon 2:8

Thursday, August 26th, 2005:

Edward's POV

"It's going to be an interesting class," Bella said with a sly smirk.

My eyes rolled. "I don't know how I let you talk me into it."

"Alice said it would freak out the sibs." She hugged my bicep and we continued walking toward the parking garage.

"The professor is planning on using mostly male models," I frowned. "I don't like the idea of you looking at-"

She chuckled and nudged my side. "Maybe he'll want you to pose for us."

"Good luck with that."

"No guff. I don't want to have to fight off a stampede."

"Hah." I kicked away a stone. "It's the teacher I'm worried about, not the girls."

"Tabby did say the students call him 'Hot Toddy'."

"Hot to trot."

"Does he have a serious crush on you, Mr. Cullen?"

"I wouldn't call it serious, Mrs. Cullen. He rather…" I smirked, "admires me, that's all." I helped Bella into the car.

"Remind me not to leave you alone with Teacher."

"That would be appreciated."

It was eleven o'clock at night by the time we pulled into the drive. I retrieved our backpacks and escorted Bella up the walk. Evidently, Rose and Emmett were out. Bouya. Entering our code into the lock, I ran my tongue up the side of my mate's neck.

"Multitasking, Mr. Cullen?"

"Mmm." I shut my eyes, placing my lips against the throb of her jugular. "You could go put on the ice green number."

Can't even wait to misbehave inside their house. Shocking! I'll bet they had to get married, no matter what his father claimed.

I turned to find our neighbour, Margery White, scowling disapprovingly from her front step, and waved half-heartedly. "Hello, Mrs. White."

"Hmph!" Kids these days. Without a word, she disappeared into her house.

"What's her problem?" Bella grumbled at vampire pitch.

"Misses her husband." I followed my mate into the house and back to our room.

She peeked at me from under her lashes. "The ice green, huh?"

Yes! Yes! "Please?"

"And what are you wearing for me?" Yeah, bat your eyes, Minx.

I raised a brow. "What do you have in mind?"

Bella flashed across the room to one of the dressers and pulled something out. "This."

One side of my mouth lifted and I gave Bella my best smouldering look. "Formal wear?"

"For dancing."

"You're such a minx."

"Mocha-chino, this minx has no idea where the bag of lingerie from Niagara is."

"I'll get it for you."

I hurried to the tiny closet and popped the hatch in the ceiling, vaulting into the walk-in closet upstairs. Surprisingly, many of the shelves and rods were empty; perhaps Alice thought Bella and I wouldn't need much in the few months that we would be living here. Plus, many of the things we had brought from home were still boxed. I sniffed around and located the bag of goodies we had purchased at Grandma Buffy's depraved little sex shop. Sans dildo, of course. Bella had liberated that item for our games before asking me to carry the rest up here.

"Got it," I called, and she peeped up at me from below the trap door.

"Here!" Bella tossed up the formal wear G-string to me, and I dropped the bag of lingerie into her eager hands. As I prepared to jump down, she waggled a finger at me. "Oh, no. You can't come down until we're both appropriately attired."

Mr. Ed couldn't decide whether to get more excited or pout. Bella knew very well that if I got down there before she dressed, I would never let her get to the stage of putting on her lingerie. Hah. With a melodramatic groan (prompting Bella to snicker) I stepped away from the hole in the floor and shed my clothes. "Tell me when I can come down." How the heck is this underwear supposed to go on?

"Cum for me."

My hands tightened on the scrap of cloth in my hands as Mr. Ed met the challenge. "Oh, fuck!"

While I chased mental stars, my minx laughed her head off. "Did you?"

I peered down the trap door. "You are such a brat. I just made a mess out of the floor up here."

"Cool! Mr. Ed is trained just like Pavlov's dog."

"Minx!"

"Get down here."

I immediately forgot what I was fussing about. "Having a little trouble getting this on."

"Need help?"

"Um, no. I just have to adjust…" I let out the thingy at the waist. "Why don't they make clothes for men that just slip on?"

I could hear the smile in Bella's voice. "Have I finally found something you can't do?"

"Hah, I've got it." I had to admit, the silly thing did kind of make me feel sexy. Mr. Ed was now hidden behind a starched white, pleated 'shirt front' with black buttons, and held snugly in place by black silk and satin. I decided I needed a bow tie to go with the ensemble. Being under-dressed wouldn't do.

As I approached the trap door, the lights went out downstairs and flickering gold indicated that Bella had lit candles. I swallowed the venom that pooled in my mouth and jumped. Since I was dressed like a Chippendale, I wondered if I ought to at least pose like one. Bella would laugh, which would be all kinds of awesome, but I'd never be able to do it with my eyes open. Linking my hands behind my head, I stepped out of the closet, turning out a leg and singing.

"I'll be your dream, I'll be your wish, I'll be your fantasy…" I popped a couple of muscles for her. "I'll be your hope, I'll be your love, be everything that you need." When Bella didn't chuckle, I cracked open an eye to find her drooling. "You were supposed to laugh." And that's when I realized that my wife -in an ice-green translucent chiffon baby doll- was positively ethereal. Air whooshed around me as I rushed to her side. And she was still ogling me. How great was that!

"You are stunning." I couldn't seem to take my eyes off her chest. The ruffles upon it had obviously done something to my brain.

Bella put her hand on my neck and pulled me close. "How could I laugh at you when you look this hawt?"

"Mmm." My hands slid over her skirt onto her ass, and I drank in her mesmerizing scent.

"Dance for me," she pleaded against my mouth. When I tensed, her hands travelled over my ribs. "Pose for me, then, like the weightlifters do on TV."

I could do that. I shifted smoothly from pose to pose as Bella touched me everywhere except where I wanted it most.

"I want us to stick it out in this Life Drawing class, so I can draw you."

"You could draw me now," I suggested. "And I could draw you."

"Ginchy." Bella retrieved her backpack and extracted a sketchbook, lifting a brow at me.

I made a silly face at Bella like I was modeling in one of those po-faced fashion ads. "Where do you want me?"

"Mm, turn your back to me and spread 'em."

"I am surprised." I smirked, assuming the position.

"I am afraid to insult Mr. Ed with my lack of artistic ability. I'll draw him once I have some lessons under my belt." I could hear Bella scratching away at her paper with a pencil and I could feel her eyes on me. It made my skin hypersensitive. For twelve minutes and thirty-three seconds, neither of us said anything at all. What would Bella's drawing look like? I was very curious.

There was a soft noise, and then, Bella's fingers brushed my back gently. "Go and lie down on the bench."

"Don't I get to see your sketch?"

"After."

I could live with that. I walked over to the spanking bench and kneeled on it, laying my abdomen flat on the upper tier and placing my elbows on the rests below my head.

"We should get a massage table," Bella suggested.

I felt my eyebrow lift. "Aren't you just full of interesting ideas this evening?"

"I aim to please." With that, she ran her fingers down my spine, making me shudder.

"You succeed."

"I should hope so." Bella slowly ran her fingers all over me. It wasn't long before she had me purring. Just as I was really starting to relax, she placed her fingernails on the backs of my thighs and gently clawed upward, making me hiss. Next, she put her hands up on my shoulders, and ran her nails down my back. She then delivered a light smack to each of my glutes. "Count."

"Two."

She rubbed my backside and did it again.

"Four."

By the time she got to twenty, I was drooling. By the time she got to fifty, guttural cries were leaving me. She took a break, kneading the backs of my shoulders, and running her fingers over my scalp. When she picked up my hand to massage away my tension, I wanted to sink right through the bench.

When Bella reached seventy, she cupped the back of my head in her hand and sucked on my throat, making me tremble all over. Had I been human, I'd have been weeping in bliss at eighty. Her fingers trailed up my inner thighs, making me twitch, and then snapped against my overheated skin.

"Eh-eighty-three-four."

"You have been awfully good this year, haven't you?" Smack.

"Eighty-f-five."

"So strong. You know how to take a licking."

Mmm, licking.

Smack. "Eighty-six!"

Bella straddled my back and leaned down to breathe in my ear. "Happy birthday, Edward." She reversed her position and delivered an unusually strong, stinging slap across both glutes, and before I could so much as yelp, her cold tongue painted over my flesh, soothing wherever it touched. And then, it stroked inside me, so that I choked out a silent scream, hands fisting against the leather of the bench. The orgasm exploded outwards, crystallizing a moment in time, leaving me boneless.

My mate dismounted and pressed her lips to my temple. "Don't move, I'll be back."

I couldn't have moved if I'd wanted to; I was pretty sure my body was disconnected from my brain. Cool air whispered against my skin, and I realized it felt different, without being able to identify precisely why. How much time had passed? How much time did I lose? It had to be several minutes.

Bella was back, with a bowl of warm water and the fluffy pink bath mitt. She scooped up water and trickled it over my back. Her voice was husky. "I made you sweat venom."

That had only ever happened once before, when the hybrid cold bug gave me a fever. I shut my eyes while my mate washed me. Water hummed melodically between the bowl and my flesh, drops spattering.

"Can you get up?"

I pushed back from the bench, settling my weight on my feet, and stared at Bella numbly. She dipped the cloth and wrung it out, lifting it to wipe my forehead, black eyes fixed on mine. She washed my face, shoulders, arms and hands, then chest and abs, then, knelt to minister to the rest. When she daubed at my privates, my cock roused. Bella flicked her tongue against the tip.

"I want to be inside you," I growled, holding out my hand.

She took it, rising gracefully to her feet, and I kissed her warmly in appreciation. Our breath hitched as I thumbed over her nipples, erect under chiffon ruffles. Her belly was hard under the diaphanous skirt. I slipped my fingers into her ruffled g-string, finding her soaked and swollen. "Ah, Minx."

"Take me to bed."

o~o~0~o~o

Friday, August 27th, 2005:

"So how was your birthday?" Em asked me, dropping his books onto the countertop with a thud.

"Best ever." I grinned, distracted from the intricacies of Chemistry.

"Hoo-ya." He opened his text, The Human Animal, and frowned. "I feel sorry for these humans. Look what their bodies would look like, based on the strength of their senses." He showed me a caricatured sculpture-photo of a man, with exaggerated lips and ears, protruding tongue, huge hands, feet and genitals.

I raised a brow. "And you think we would look much different?"

"Maybe not," he decided, scrawling notes in his binder. "Teeth would be bigger."

"Definitely. And noses."

"And eyes."

Bella came out of our room with her hairbrush, looking disgruntled. "I can't get my hair to do anything today."

"Come here, and I'll braid it for you," Rose offered, setting her book aside on the couch and putting her feet to the floor.

"Thank you." Bella sat between her feet and Rose began to brush her hair, contented smiles softening their features.

We should take a picture of that, Em thought. Something to put on our Christmas cards. Rosie's so happy. I nodded, but I knew what picture I would wish to put on my cards this year, and it might look a lot more maternal.

The Skype call-notification music jingled from the laptop on the counter, absurdly cheerful, and I felt my forehead crease. "Alice?"

Em checked his screen, frowning. His face cleared. "No, Carlisle."

Rosalie pointed the remote at the TV, and we all gathered on the couch. Tapping away at the cordless keyboard, she made a virtual room. "Alice is here, too."

"Morning, kids," our Dad smiled, Esme beside him.

"Hi Dad," I greeted him, while 'good mornings' echoed from my siblings and wife.

"Hi everyone!" Titch beamed, Jasper at her side.

Carlisle shifted closer to Esme. "We just wanted to say 'farewell'."

"You're off?" I asked, feeling a mix of relief that he and Esme would be safe and anxiety for myself and Bella.

"Yes, we'll be dropping the emergency contact instructions to Charlie, to take to Billy. And then we'll…"

I nodded. "What route?"

"Marcus is lending us Corvo. We'll take the Pacific Ocean to Russia, then overland to Italy, up through France to the Channel."

"You're travelling light." Em scratched his chin.

"Light is best," Jasper declared.

Carlisle lifted a shoulder. "We've become a bit soft. It will do us good."

"You'll be careful?" I checked.

"Of course. We'll only be a Skype call away."

Esme held up her right hand, displaying the green-stoned chrisoprase and silver ring that had once belonged to my mother. Fertility, secrecy and success. I swallowed hard, and nodded. "Love you all," she said, blowing kisses.

"Bye, Mom," I said, returning the gesture. "Bye, Dad."

"Cullens!" He saluted us with his own ring, bearing the Cullen Crest.

We all held up our crests, echoing the cheer. "Cullens." And then our patriarch shut off his laptop, frowning. I stared at the screen for a minute: Carlisle Cullen has left.

"Edward, you worry too much," Titch scolded me.

"Do I?"

She sighed. "They're going to be fine, hon'."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. They'll be much safer as nomads than they would have been sitting in the house."

"Define 'safer'."

"There's a three percent chance that they won't come home from this trip."

My anxiety flared. "Three percent is a huge risk."

Titch fell serious. "Had they stayed home, there was a ninety percent chance that Caius' followers would have killed them and razed the house to the ground."

"Fuck," Emmett said, summing up my feelings nicely.

"That bad." Bella shook her head.

"I can live with three percent," I declared. "Is there any danger at home from Caius and his goons now?"

"I've told Billy to keep the humans away from the house, but no, after Caius' spies sniff around this weekend, the greatest danger will have passed."

"Inform Marcus," I directed.

"Already done," Jasper said. The conversation devolved into small talk, and I started to wrap it up, knowing that we would soon have to depart for class. Titch stopped me.

"Edward, you're going to get a phone call shortly, and I don't want you to freak out about it. It's a good thing."

"Who's it from?"

She smiled like the Cheshire Cat. "It's a surprise. A nice surprise. You don't have to worry, and you should take up the caller on his invitation."

It was a good thing that Bella had decimated my stress the night previous. "Okay."

"Stop worrying," Titch said with a fond smile.

"Okay," I said, chewing the inside of my lip anyway. "Won't you give me a hint?"

She canted her head to the side, eyes sparkling. "He's a friend of yours, and you and Bella are going to have a ball."

Well, that sounded pretty good. I nodded. Everyone said 'good-bye' and no sooner had Jasper and Titch departed, than the land line on the counter rang. I answered it.

"Hello, may I speak to Edward Cullen?" The voice was familiar, but I couldn't place it.

"Speaking." My eyes flickered back and forth between Em, Rose and Bella.

"I hope you won't mind my impertinence in calling you, sir. I'm hoping you will fulfill an old man's wish."

"Who is this?"

"Frankie Manning."

Had I not already been sitting on the couch, I would have fallen. "Frankie Manning." How in God's name did he get our number? The Ambassador of Lindy Hop! My teacher. Beside me, Bella looked stunned, Emmett excited, but Rosalie looked as though she might weep. I couldn't wrap my head around it. "Dear God."

He chuckled. "No, only me. Frank Dutton called me."

I stopped breathing. "Oh?"

"When you went to the Lombardo Museum, it seems you left behind your camera."

My eyes flew to Bella's. She was gawping at me in a panic. I shook my head, for I was the one with the perfect memory, not she. This was not Bella's fault. "We've been wondering what we did with it."

"Yes, well, Frank called me after your visit, and suggested I view the video your wife took of you dancing. Frank was amazed that you took after your grandfather so much, and he said you told him that I taught you to dance."

Fuck! "Oh." I winced. "I may have… exaggerated, Mr. Manning."

"Eddie."

"Yes, sir?"

"Every dancer has a style as distinct as a fingerprint."

Had I a working heart, it would have been lodged in my throat. "Um… Really?"

"You worked on the knee-in."

He knew. "Mr. Manning?"

"It's perfect now. How long did it take you to get it?"

I couldn't answer. He knew I was Eddie Masen!

"By some miracle, you've had the time." He waited, but I was speechless. "Eddie?"

"Yes, sir?" Bloody Alice and her 'accept his invitation'. Was I going to have to do damage control? God help me!

"You don't have to be concerned about me."

I was silent. How could I not? I hadn't seen Frankie Manning in nearly seventy years.

"I would like to see you again, Eddie. And meet your wife."

Emmett's eyes were locked on mine. He nodded curtly. I shook my head adamantly, hoping he didn't have any violent ideas.

"I just want to see you dance, talk about some old friends, you know. Nothing to worry about."

Sure, nothing at all! "I…"

"Just for a few minutes, Eddie?"

Rosalie was also worried, and that was a bad thing. I couldn't be responsible for the death of the King of Lindy! I swallowed, hard. "Okay. When?"

"Where are you living?"

"New Hampshire."

"Not too far! Can you come to the studio in Harlem?"

"Um, yeah." I have to get that camera.

"Fantastic, Eddie! When can you come?"

Now? I shifted from foot to foot. "Saturday?"

"And you'll bring your dancing shoes?"

"Yes, sir."

"Eddie? Thank you."

"Thank you, sir."

The line went dead, and I set down the receiver and started to pace.

"Edward, I'm so sorry," Bella lamented.

"Not your fault," I said, seething. Why did I have to be so absent-minded? We set down the camera on the counter at the museum and somehow, neither of us had picked it up. I ought to have checked!

"He knows who we are," Rose was still worried.

"What do you expect me to do, Rose?" I snapped. "Kill him?"

"You can't!" Bella yelped.

"Damn right I can't!" Of course, the phone rang again. I had one guess as to who it might be. "Titch?"

"You never listen, do you?"

"He knows who I am. Dammit, Alice, why didn't you tell me not to answer the phone?"

"He would have taken the video to Blumfeld."

I swore quietly and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Is that guy ever going to forget about putting Bella and me on TV?"

"You should take Rose," Titch opined.

"Huh?"

"To see Frankie. All of you should go."

I stopped massaging the bridge of my nose and stared. "I am not going to let anything bad happen to Frankie Manning, Titch."

"I'd like to see him again," Rose said, her forehead creased. "But how are we supposed to do this, Alice?"

"The man is only going to be alive a few more years, guys," Titch murmured. "You should see him while you can."

"He knows who we are," Rose argued.

"You can trust him."

o~o~0~o~o

Saturday, September 28th, 2005:

"Last chance to back out," I warned, turning off the engine. It ticked away hotly while I stared at Em and Rose in the mirror.

"Come on," Rose said impatiently.

I got out of the jeep, grabbed my duffel and helped her out of the back seat, then went around, offering a hand to Bella. Emmett clambered out of the back and we stood before the door to the studio. Rose marched straight up to the door in her tan Capezio heels, opened it and marched inside.

In the entryway, I stopped, overcome with images from a past age. I almost expected to hear voices of friends no longer existent. It was surprisingly hard to move forward. Bella took my arm, and Em held Rose's hand.

Rose and I looked at each other. "Are you ready for this?" I asked at vampire pitch.

"I think so."

I walked down the hall to the back studio –the largest- from which music was emanating. The hardwood looked its age, its patina rosy, despite the gleaming polish. Standing in the doorway, I held my breath. Frankie Manning was remarkably agile for a man almost as old as I. Still dancing, at ninety-one. Imagine!

He was teaching a Squat Charleston to a group of young teenage girls, as enthusiastically as the last time I'd seen him. I padded quietly into the room, held out a chair for Bella, and took a seat. Frankie was so intent on teaching the kids that he didn't even notice us at first. When he did, he jumped in the air and pumped his fist. Then, he rushed straight over -sporting that effusive grin I remembered so well. "Again!" he called to the kids.

I rose in time to be swept up into a tight hug. "Eddie!"

"Hi, Frankie."

"I can't believe you came." He nudged my bicep with his fist. "Look at you."

"I can't believe…" you remember me.

"How long's it been?"

" 'Thirty-six." Sixty-eight years, four months.

His smile faded, and his eyes turned momentarily sad. "I'm not going to ask how."

"That would be best."

Frankie's eyes lit up. "And who have you brought with you?" He turned to face my family, and gasped. "Rosemary?"

"Hi, Frankie." She put both her hands in his and allowed him to kiss them.

"Why'd you stop coming to the Savoy?"

She looked at him from under her lashes. "I met Emmett, my husband."

"It's a privilege to meet you, sir," Em said, shaking his hand gingerly.

"Thank you, Emmett. Are you not a dancer?"

"I'm not a jitterbug like Edward. I'm better at waltzes."

"I see." Frankie turned expectantly to Bella.

"This is my wife, Bella," I said.

"Hello, Beautiful!"

"Hi." She giggled as he kissed her hand.

"Do you dance?"

"Edward's teaching me," she said, pinking up. "We did an Air Lindy for our school show last spring."

"I guess you're not doing Lindies right now, huh?" He winked at her belly.

"Nope, that's why we brought Rose."

"Oh, I can't wait. Let's get this party started!" Clapping his hands, Frankie hurried over to the sound system. "Girls, I want you to meet some friends of mine: Eddie and Rose. They've been dancing together for… many years. They brought their spouses, Bella and Emmett, with them today."

The kids greeted us a little warily. I waved and toed off my Sketchers, taking Bloch Jazz Oxfords out of my bag. Without even thinking about it, I fell into my old warm-up routine, and Frankie noticed. Strange, to think that he remembered me so well. Rose turned out her knee in her vintage skirt -which was narrow, cut above the knee, and split at the side- and started to stretch.

"Always important to warm up thoroughly, kids." Frankie walked back to his young charges, covertly admiring Rose as she grasped the heel of her shoe and extended her leg above her head. The puffy underpants she wore over her hose were also vintage, with elasticized lace at the bottoms. Jeez Louise.

"Hubba hubba," Em growled. Rose stretched the other leg. I did a slow, backward walk-over, keeping my legs in the air for a couple of ticks. We had the kids' interest now.

"Can we do the movie routine?" I asked Rose quietly. She looked at me warily.

"The last time we did it, you dropped me."

With difficulty, I refrained from rolling my eyes. "That was 1947, Sis."

"Do you remember the rhythm?" she asked.

"I was just watching it last week. You?"

She nodded. "Okay, but if you drop me I'm going to kill you."

How heartwarming. "As long as you don't do it in front of the humans."

"Deal."

I realized that her hair was loose. The last thing I needed was to snag her by it. "Got a rubber band?"

She looked at me like I had six heads. "No."

"Hey, any of you kids got a rubber band for Rose's hair?" I asked. One of the kids brought her one, and Rose thanked her. "Turn around," I told her. Surprised, she did. Quickly, I worked it into a simple plait, tucked the end up to her skull, and fastened the looped plait with the band.

When did you learn to braid hair? She wondered. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Frankie stood in front of a CD changer and inspected a shelf of discs. "What music do you want, Eddie?"

I shook out my arms. "Do you have the music from Hellzapoppin?"

He didn't know what to think, but he looked hopeful. "Sure do."

"Perfect, bring it, Ambassador."

"Seriously?"

"Please." I escorted Rose out to the middle of the floor, and the kids stood, watching us and whispering at each other. I waved them back. "We're going to need a lot of room, please, girls." They scrambled to the far wall and sat down against it. I paced out about ten feet from Rose and set myself for instant motion on the first beat.

The familiar drumming of Chick Webb began, and Rose and I ran at each other. The routine was so fast-paced, which was why we loved it. Dancing it at vampire speed was even more fun, so I had to be very careful not to rush the beat. A couple of yards from me, Rose launched herself at me and I threw her over my head. She came down perfectly, of course. I snagged her hand and we did the traditional steps of the Lindy, whirling, bending and kicking out. Again, I lifted her over my head and she tumbled down my back. I caught her and pulled her back through my legs, and she never missed a jot of the footwork.

"Woo, Baby!" Emmett clapped.

We did several aerials between steps: over the head, backwards, side and back-to-front. The music was almost done. I fell into a half-split and Rose jumped over my head and went into the splits in front of me. Then, we shifted to sit with our legs wide. I fell over on my back with my arms over my head, and she raised her arms over her head and fell back onto my stomach. The music ended and we froze. After a few seconds, she realized I was pretending to breathe heavily and copied me.

Nobody made a single noise. Then, cacophony. We were concentrating so hard on the dance that neither one of us realized more people had arrived. The kids' parents were there to pick them up from their lesson.

Emmett pulled Rose to her feet and twirled her around. Chuckling, I got up and received a kiss from a starry-eyed Bella.

"Sappy date, wipe your eyes," I told her, offering up my old-fashioned handkerchief.

Bella wiped the venom-laced tears away with a small sob. "I knew you danced well, but I never dreamed you could dance like that."

"I'll teach you," I promised. And then, Frankie came over, looking misty.

"Edward Masen and Rosemary Cullen," he said hoarsely, gesturing at us. The parents and kids applauded us again, so I took Rose's hand and we gave them a bow. People started to step toward the doorway, but Frankie called them back. "Hold up!" They stopped, looking at him curiously. "It's not every day that we have such fine young people come to call. I wonder if we might prevail upon them to join us for a little Shim Sham."

The humans quite literally rushed to the floor. I did a quick head count while reaching out to take Bella's hand. There were thirty-four of us. Frankie stood in front of the mirror and we all made lines behind him.

"Edward!" Bella whispered, gesturing at her stomach.

"You'll be fine, Bella. Shim Sham's an easy dance and you can do it without bouncing."

Frankie hit a remote and a blues piece started. Those of us who knew the dance started stepping out, back and rocking our hips. "Ho-ho ho! Hah! Hah!" he sang. "Push, push, cross over and push, push, cross over! Push, push, cross over. Cross over and you. Tacky Annie…"

I had really forgotten how much fun it was. Everyone was doing the Shim Sham, even Bella. I let go of my cares and really got into it, getting exuberant. These were such joyful dances; you can't help getting happy when doing them. That's why I started to dance, back in the 'Twenties.

Periodically, Frankie would shout, "Freeze!" and all of us would stay in our current position for a couple of beats. The unpredictability made it even more enjoyable.

Our group was having so much fun that Frankie ended up teaching two more dances. Then, reluctantly, he called the party to a halt. "An old man's gotta eat lunch."

Soon, the nearly empty studio was quiet, and Frankie walked slowly to a chair and fell into it, regarding me sadly. An era has passed. I wish my friends were still here. I'm never going to see Eddie again, I just know it.

I squatted at his feet, but I couldn't speak.

"Can you start coming to visit me, Eddie?" he asked anyway.

I shook my head. "It would attract too much attention. I'm sorry."

"I understand." He watched me thoughtfully. "You haven't changed under all that hair."

Grinning, I stroked my beard. "Nope. Never will."

Never. "What about Carl?" he wondered aloud.

"Carlisle is still the same. He's out of the country right now, but I'll ask him to call you."

"Can you call me?"

"Sure."

"Thank you." He looked at Rose. "Thank you for coming."

"I was glad to come."

Frankie patted her hand, then, looked at Bella. "So, you're having his kid, huh?"

"Yup," she said smugly.

"Kid's gonna be trouble."

"Definitely," she agreed, eyes dancing.

He shifted on his chair. "You're going to be a dad."

I nodded. "Finally."

"Do me two favours, Eddie?"

"Okay," I said, already Hearing what they were.

"First, send me an announcement when the baby's born?"

"Sure, and I'll go one better: I'll call you when she's born."

"Wonderful. It's a girl?" He beamed.

"Yes."

"Due November 20th," Bella added.

"The other thing?" he asked, sobering. "Teach your daughter to dance."

"I will."

Before we left, there were hugs, handshakes and kisses from the girls. Bella and I piled into the back of the jeep, and Em and Rose took the front. I was quiet, lost in new memories. Our camera perched on Bella's knees, waiting to record more happy occasions.

I daydreamed of a little girl with brown eyes and auburn hair, standing on the tops of my feet while we danced.

o~o~0~o~o

The I-91 was slow and Emmett complained the whole way. I was too busy reliving our morning with Frankie to care. Four hours after leaving Harlem, we pulled into our drive on M-Street. But when Em opened his car door, we got a bad shock. He slammed it shut again and both of us growled.

"Vampires," Bella stated, nostrils quivering.

"Are they still here?" Rose fretted.

"The scent is very fresh," I muttered. "Stay in the car while Em and I check around."

"Not safe," Bella said, latching onto my wrist.

"I don't Hear anything," I reassured her.

"That doesn't mean much; you didn't Hear the vampires in Niagara and they killed people right in front of us." Bella looked determined to do something, and that could lead to reckless behaviour.

"Tough Guy, I'll go sniff around and you stay with the girls," Em suggested.

"No, you should stay. You're the strongest." I frowned, not liking the situation one bit.

"No," Bella argued.

I tried to be patient. "We have to look around. We're not safe staying in the car, Bella."

"Maybe we should go," Rose suggested.

"They might be Marcus'," Em said, shrugging.

"They might be Caius'," I countered.

"Why don't we go together?" Bella asked.

"Together." Rose nodded. "There's safety in numbers. In the horror movies, bad things happen when people split up."

"Okay, together," I agreed. Em opened the car door and the vampire scent engulfed us. "Definitely not vegetarians," I said, getting out of the jeep.

"How do you know?" Bella asked, joining me.

Em scented the air. "I don't like it that they know where we live."

"They smell bad," Rose told Bella. "Putrid. They don't try to blend by cleaning their teeth or bathing after hunting. That's what human carrion smells like. Didn't you smell it on James?"

"Rose!" I snapped.

Bella covered her nose with the back of her hand and turned six shades of pale. "Oh, God!"

I walked to our door. "Probably not Marcus'. His guards don't hunt in our territory." Yes, they had been all over our property, not more than twenty minutes ago. "I smell three. Em?"

"Yeah, three."

Bella hugged herself. "Are they the same ones that killed the humans in Niagara?"

"Not the ones who blew up the ambulance," I clarified, phoning Marcus. "They smell like the ones who left their victims alive on the escarpment."

Emmett was stunned. "You mean, we're dealing with more than one group?" I didn't have time to do more than nod before Marcus answered his cell.

"Dom Cullen?"

"Three Trads have been at our house in Hanover within the past hour. Same individuals that bit the victims in Niagara."

"E.T.A. twenty minutes."

"Thank you."

"Don't go in the house. Stay together and wait in the nearest woods; my men will find you when it's all clear."

"Yes, Sir. The alarm code is-"

"Do not tell me now, lest they are listening! My man will phone you when the Guardie arrive."

"Okay."

Marcus hung up. We piled back into the jeep and Em sped off toward the north.

"Grafton State Park?"

"Can you smell them?" I frowned.

Em turned onto the Interstate. "Toward the south, I thought."

Rose rolled down her window and tasted the air. "I don't smell them."

"That doesn't mean they aren't there," I said. "They were very close to Bella and me but we couldn't smell them and I couldn't Hear them."

Em growled. "They have someone talented. A shield?"

"Must be something like that," I agreed. "Can you shield us from them, Bella?"

"I'll try." Focusing on the road ahead, she growled a little, under her breath.

Can… Hear me?

"It's patchy, but I Hear you." I wished I could enjoy the experience more, but Bella was thinking rather bloodthirsty thoughts. Watching her mentally shred vampires wasn't helping me to calm down, for she would not be as strong as they. "You need to stay away from them," I cautioned her. "You're not as strong as we are, yet."

Bella huffed in frustration. "I know."

My cell buzzed. "Yeah!"

"Turn around! Turn around now!" Alice shrieked. The tires screeched as Em hauled on the wheel. All of us hung on for dear life. Momentarily, a devilish copper face appeared outside the window. Emmett's window shattered and I grabbed the vampire's arm and twisted it, biting the elbow and spitting it out the window. Howling, the vampire pulled his arm back outside. I Heard his thoughts, but they were in a language I had never heard before. I knew only that it was a South American Indian dialect. I wiped his venom from my mouth and snarled.

"Where are they?" Bella yelled.

I searched everywhere, and saw nothing. "I don't know, but I can't Hear them right now!"

"Em, what are you doing?" Rose yelled. "We're going the wrong way on the Interstate!"

"Bella, have you got your seatbelt on?" I demanded.

"No!"

"Shit!" I let go of my hold and whipped Bella's seatbelt around her body.

Her frightened black eyes locked on mine. Love you.

I mouthed it back as the horns of terrified drivers blared and Emmett veered around cars.

Rose sobbed. "Don't they care at all about being seen?"

"Obviously not," Em growled, turning the wheel viciously. The humans in the car opposite us screamed.

"Em, you're going to get us either killed or caught!" Rose warned, her fingers bending the handles on the door and roof. I don't want to die.

Em ignored her, ratcheting the jeep into a lower gear. He snuck between two sections of guardrail and the jeep jounced into the gully between the lanes of highway. We clung to each other and whatever holds we could manage while it caromed across the grass. Then, with a roar, Em gunned the engine and we leaped onto the southbound highway. My cell rang again.

"You've got to get rid of the jeep," Alice warned. "The cops are lining up a mile down."

"Fuck!" Emmett spit, jumping the shoulder onto the grass. He sped into a large copse of trees and we crashed into the brush at its periphery. "Dammit! My jeep!"

Dust settled onto the shattered windscreen. "Are they still chasing us, Titch?" I demanded.

"They don't know where you went, yet. Whatever you do, stick together."

"Yes, Ma'am," I said, unbuckling Bella's seatbelt. "Don't leave anything personal in the jeep."

"Can't we report it stolen, Edward?" Em pleaded.

"Good idea, Em. We'll call the cops when we hit one of the bigger cities. Say we went in a store, came out and it was gone."

"Make sure you don't leave any money behind," Titch said.

I slung my bag of dance shoes over my shoulder. "Okay. Everyone got everything?"

"Purse, cell, camera," Bella whispered shakily.

I pressed my palm to her face. "You okay, Minx?"

She nodded, but her lip trembled. It made me hot for blood. Or Trad venom.

"Let's go," I said, pushing Em's shoulder. He sprang out of the jeep and I leaped after him. We grabbed the girls' hands and hurtled into the trees, glaring at invisible foes.

"Edward, there's a pond a hundred yards to the east. You all need to get in it, now," Alice urged me.

"Bella can't hold her breath," I argued.

"A couple of minutes will be enough. They'll be running by you in three minutes. When they lose your scent, they're going to give up."

I dropped my phone into the brush. Bella's hair streamed behind her as the four of us splashed full-tilt into the murky pond. Please God, save Bella and the baby, I prayed.

Maybe we ought to ambush them, Em thought. I shook my head 'no' and he nodded at me. Beside me, Bella drifted beneath stagnant water, her eyes shut. It took me back to my day-mare of her -drowned at LaPush the winter past- and I shuddered and wrapped my arms around her. I counted for forty seconds, and could hear her heart and Ren's beat faster. Quickly, I covered Bella's mouth with mine and exhaled the unused oxygen in my lungs. She pinched her nose shut and sucked it in gratefully. Thirty seconds later, Rose gave Bella air. After another thirty-eight seconds, Em had to give her more. Em, Rose and I looked at each other. For the sake of Bella and the baby, we couldn't stay under any longer.

I cautiously swam toward the edge of the pond and eased my head halfway out of the water.

There was no sign of our enemies. I tugged Bella to the surface and Em and Rose followed. Silently, I put Bella on Em's back and we crawled to the shore, out of the mud, and lay flat to the ground.

"Are they gone?" Bella breathed, panting hard.

"I don't smell them," Rosalie murmured.

Sopping wet, we commando-crawled into the nearest stand of trees and climbed into the canopy. Breathing as little as possible, we perched and settled. I was worried about my Bella, but I didn't want to talk and risk blowing our cover. Putting my hand on her cheek, I stared at her solemnly.

I'm fine, she told me. Ren is awake and she's kicking the heck out of me. She must have gotten upset about the jeep ride.

I kissed my mate's soaking wet belly. In the tree next to us, Em scented the air.

"When do we move?" he mouthed at me, eyes black as shale.

"After dark?"

He shook his head. "I don't like it. They might know this area better than we."

I nodded curtly. "I need my phone."

"Do you know where it is?" Bella mouthed.

I nodded again, and dropped lightly to the ground. Padding through the brush, I hurried back to the other stand of trees, picked up the phone and checked behind me. There was no sign of anyone, physically or mentally. "Titch?" I breathed into the phone. Its screen was cracked.

We were still connected. "They've given up for today," she told me. "They've decided you're too strong as a group. Another day, they will try to divide you."

"Understood," I said, vowing not to leave Bella alone anywhere. I waved for my family to come and join me.

"Go to the meadows for now," Titch said. "Guardie will be at the house and they'll escort you safely."

"Okay," I agreed, slipping my bag onto Bella's shoulder and pulling her into my arms. For once, she didn't argue with me, but set her chin on my shoulder and wrapped both arms and legs around me. Her hair hung in muddy ropes down her face. I kissed her temple and began to run for Hanover, Em and Rose at my flanks.

"It's getting dangerous, Eddie," my brother said softly. "Should we go home?"

"I think it's more dangerous in Forks right now," I told him. I didn't tell him not to call me Eddie. I didn't want him to feel like he was the only person forbidden to do it; the big lug deserved to have a pet name for me and perhaps I didn't mind the reminder of Eddie Masen quite so much, now that I knew 'he' wasn't dead.

o~o~0~o~o

The crickets were loud. After decimating a small herd of white-tailed deer, the four of us huddled in some grass in the meadow where we'd first hunted with Marcus' Gardie. I thought it likely that they'd begin their search for us there. Sure enough, before the stars were all out, we smelled vampire: the clean, clear smell of a Vegetarian whom we'd met.

"Santiago?" I called at vampire pitch.

"Dom Cullen?"

"Sí."

"Come vai (How are you)?"

Mud encrusted, tired and jumpy. "Stiamo bene. (We're all right)." Other of the Guard materialized out of the dark.

"We have been to your house. The seven whom we seek thoroughly searched it, but there is no damage."

"Seven?" I gasped. "We only detected three."

"We're outnumbered, Boss," Emmett fretted.

Not with us around. Santiago raised his brow. "The vampires travelled in two groups. The three dirty nomads from Niagara were the first to search your house tonight. They do not appear to have been there long. Four more –who appear to follow our laws better- arrived later, having followed the trail of the others. All have now departed. We have seventeen men pursuing the two groups."

"Which group chased us in the jeep tonight?" I wanted to know.

Santiago shrugged. "The jeep has been confiscated by the local police. Who knows?"

"I bit the one that attacked." I tried to see if I could smell him on my hands, but the pond muck obscured his scent.

"Respira, por favore."

Feeling self-conscious, I leaned toward Santiago and exhaled while he sniffed at me.

"This is the one from the group of three; the dirty ones."

"That's what I thought," I murmured.

"Vieni ad annusare questo (Come smell this)," Santiago ordered his men. All six of them sniffed my breath. It was highly discomfiting. It was all I could do not to leap backward and growl. Em and Rose also smelled me, reminding me how unused I was to having others in close proximity.

"We shall now return to your house," Santiago decreed, "and you shall tell us whether anything is missing."

Bella pressed herself against my side and I didn't need to read her mind to know she was thinking about Riley's theft of her clothing.

"Maybe we shouldn't go back," I suggested.

"We must catch them, Dom Cullen, or you and your coven will never be safe."

I hated to admit he was right.

o~o~0~o~o

The house was eerily quiet. I headed straight to our bedroom and Em headed for his, worried that strange males might have marred our marriage beds with some threat of dominance. I was relieved to find no damage to the room or scent-marking. Although my hackles were up in response to the foreign scents, the vampires had not left any bodily substances behind.

"Eddie!" my brother yelled. I found him in the kitchen. He turned huge eyes on me. "The laptop. My laptop's gone."

"Fuck!" I hissed, grabbing my phone and punching the buttons. It rang endlessly. "Dammit, Dad, pick up!"

Rose was connecting the TV to Skype. "Allie?"

"Carlisle and Esme are in the Pacific," Alice announced curtly. "Leave them a text, Edward. We're compromised." Abruptly, she hung up.

"Hell," I muttered, texting a warning to my parents. Hopefully, Carlisle would get it once he and Esme'd left the water. Emmett grabbed Bella's laptop out of her backpack. His fingers moved at lightning speed, deleting accounts and changing passwords. "Get me your phone," I ordered Bella. She handed it over and I crushed it to dust. Rosalie handed me hers while she typed one-handed on the TV keyboard, adding all our contacts to one virtual room and IM-ing them a warning. I crushed her phone and watched three hundred individuals acknowledge receipt of our Skype message.

"Charlie," Bella whimpered.

"He and Sue are with Billy," I reminded her. "They'll be safe with the wolves."

"And the Brandons?"

"We don't have any recorded contact with the Brandons." However, there was someone else who needed our protection. My fingers hesitated over the buttons on my cell. I crushed it and ran upstairs into the walk-in closet, where there was no scent of intruders. They hadn't found either trap door. I shoved boxes out of the way until I found the one I wanted, and rushed back downstairs, where I unpacked several cell phones and handed them around. Quickly, we memorized all five new numbers. Our old phones lay in tiny pieces on the kitchen island.

"Renee?" I asked urgently.

"Oh, hi, Edward. I wondered if you'd call. I did ten hours of community service this week; seven at the dog pound and three at the old folk's home. Aren't you proud-"

"Renée! There are some bad people chasing us and they got a hold of our address book."

She was silent for a moment. "What can I do to help you?"

Like mother, like daughter. "I need you and Phil to hole up at a hotel for a few days until things cool down. And I need you to take your cell and 'accidentally' drop it in the commode."

"Okaaay?"

"Trust me."

"Phil's in Atlanta trying out for the Braves."

"Perfect! Make an excuse and go to meet him there."

"All right, if you think it's necessary."

"It's urgent. Don't waste time packing; I'll deposit money in your account for new clothes and a new phone."

"Oh, this is so exciting!"

I rolled my eyes. Only she would get a thrill out of being in danger. "Renée, hang up now and amscray."

"Bye, Edward! Kiss Bella for me."

"Is your memory good enough now to retain the numbers?" I asked Bella.

"If I don't, you'll tell me, right?" Her lower lip trembled.

I rubbed her arms gently. "I want you to memorize them all, in case we ever get separated."

"Okay," she said, tears welling.

"Everything's going to be all right, Bella," I promised her.

"I'm scared."

My mate's fear -in her condition- made me furious at our unknown enemies. "I know."

"Should we leave town?" Emmett wondered aloud.

I scowled. "No, Santiago is right: we have to lure them out so we can catch them."

"I don't like this, Eddie."

My eyes flickered from my brother to my wife. "I don't like it, either, but if we run, we might be caught with our pants down when we don't have the Guardie around to help."

Emmett looked at me unhappily. "Okay. But if things get any more dangerous, we should leave Dartmouth. Together."

All our efforts to be here, to balance school, family, leadership… were they to come to an end because of Caius? It was maddening. But I had to think of our family's eternity, which would hopefully outlast every threat, earthly inconvenience and other duty. And the threat to our continued existence was real. Was there one foe, or more? Why were we being targeted by two groups? Could we fight? The loss of a family member was not an option!

"Agreed." I was barely able to articulate a response.

Don't hurt Baby Sister. With a wary look at me, Em took Rose's hand and escorted her to their lair. Why would he ever think I would hurt my Bella? She approached me quietly, touching her fingers gently to my cheek. I focused on her with difficulty and a fuzzy image of myself flashed through my mind, and it was then that I realized that my control was as tenuous as a frayed piano wire.

All I could see was Bella's pulse, my vision clouded by blood.

"Edward!" a voice boomed.

Something struck my face blindingly hard. Blinking, I stared down at my wife, both our chests heaving. We were on the floor. How did we get there?

It was me. I could see myself in Emmett's head. I had torn Bella's dress to get access to her throat. How could I? Guilt suffocated me.

"Edward," Bella whispered.

Emmett acknowledged that Bella had grasped control of the situation. Of me. Rose pulled him back into their room with a snarl.

I lay my head on Bella's breast, listening to her heart fly. She scratched my scalp as I stared at one perfect nipple. I had exposed her to my brother's eyes. When I tried to ease backward out of her grasp, she clutched me close until I surrendered and stayed in place.

"You can't bite me. Not yet." She traced words onto my back.

"I'm not regressing, I'm afraid to lose you. You're so vulnerable."

"I know."

I swallowed venom. "I frightened you."

"No."

I knew it was true, because I couldn't detect any trace of fear. I chose not to rehash my old arguments; Bella knew my weaknesses already.

"You don't have to worry," I promised. "I won't leave you."

"Good to know."

"Biting. I want to protect you. It's instinctive."

"Yes, but you mustn't."

"I need a new set of coping skills." Grasping the torn edge of her dress, I eased it back over her chest and smoothed the fabric into place.

"What kind of skills do you think would be helpful?" Bella asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think it would help to talk to Jazz."

"Sounds like a plan." Bella pushed herself into a sitting position and I rolled to sit beside her. Alabaster skin gleamed from her throat to abdomen.

"I'm sorry," I told her.

"Apology accepted. Now, I think I know a good coping skill for you that would benefit both of us."

"Yeah?"

Bella bit her lip, her eyes darkening. "I think there are going to be a lot of Guardie around here for a while."

My frown returned. "Yeah?"

"So," she said, batting her lashes, "I think you ought to bathe me in your scent and give me a massage."

I licked my bottom lip. "Licking?"

"First, a bath to get the pond scum off," she suggested as I took her hands and pulled her to her feet. "Then, you can lick me all over."

Drool. "Uh, huh?"

Bella tugged me back toward the lavatory. "Then, you can get me off."

"Yeah."

She echoed my nods. "And then, I'll get you off."

"I like your plan," I purred.

"Thank you. And then?" She blushed. Why did she blush?

"Ye-ah?" I could hardly wait to hear the rest!

Bella caressed my collar and put her lips to my ear. "You can rub your jism into my skin and run your fingers through my hair." She squealed as I scooped her into my arms and ran into the bathroom.

"You are such a minx."

"And you love it."

"You bet."