I Saw You Coming: I

Anna returned to a quiet Cullen home once Bella was asleep. Everyone sat together in the living room around her master. She went to her room upstairs. She needed to mentally prepare. Edward would be training with her later in the day.

She noticed that Edward was intentionally directing the conversation away from himself and her. He was evasive with his answers. He asked Eleazar and Carlisle a lot of questions about the modern world and their lifestyle thereafter engaged Garrett about his travels and adventures. The Denalis and the Cullens told him their stories. He listened patiently though he already knew of them. Anna grew worried that perhaps she had divulged information her master would have preferred to keep secret.

"It's alright my Anna. It is not the Cullen's I keep myself from." Edward assured her.

"I understand master," Anna acknowledged through her thoughts.

This did not surprise her. Her first impression of the Denali sisters had not been a good one either. Eleazar and Carmen were much like Esme and Carlisle in some ways. They were like parents to the sisters but not so closely bonded. Anna thought perhaps it was because the sisters were much older than them and founders of their coven. Whatever the reason, she didn't' mind them as much as the sisters themselves.

From the stories she had heard to meeting them in person Anna held on to her reservations. She knew they couldn't be trusted with sensitive information about her and her master. The Cullens hadn't trusted them with details of Alice and Jasper's abilities. They had only come to light because Eleazar had sensed they were gifted.

The sisters were pleasers. That made them a liability depending on whom they'd choose to please – like Aro. Ana shook her head to clear it of those thoughts. Memories of the previous night filled her mind. She recalled how beautiful Bella had looked. She had noticed her outward reactions to her master and recalled how they had looked dancing close together. The memories made her smile. It pleased her that her master would be happy again. She silently wished them all the happiness the world had to offer.

Sadly, a passing thought of her master's lost son reminded her of her Nathan. She missed him very much. Some days were harder to get through while others were pure hell. She acknowledged that she may never be able to keep herself from him. She coveted the temptation to offer him immortality when he grew older. She knew it was selfish of her to desire it.

She reasoned that love had many qualities. It too could be selfish. It was protective and had the will to give life and sometimes take it. Love as an emotion couldn't always be confined to right and wrong. She herself had searched for a vampire when she was younger. She did this knowing what would happen if she had found one considering what they fed on. She had always dreamt of finding one to love her.

Now that she was turned vampire, she wondered whether she stood a better chance to find the love she had searched for. She knew there were not many males of her kind. In fact, the number was less than thirty. Sixteen of that number belonged to the house of Khrypkov and four were guards to the house of Usha and Kevi.

'Sad indeed'. She thought.

It would also be hard for her to find a male she can submit to. He would have to be a quite something to claim her once she reached maturity.

'Even as I sing my own praise' She added dryly

She turned her gaze out the window onto the forest. Her mind was completely focused on the training session with her master. She did not join the Cullens to bid farewell to the Denalis when they left midday. Alice had orchestrated their hurried departure in favour of family time. She couldn't wait to talk privately with Edward.

The remaining vampires gathered at an open field in the forest where the Cullens usually played baseball and trained. Anna and Edward had brought their swords. Instead of getting straight to it, Edward sparred Anna against Jasper and Emmett first, then Rosalie and Alice together. He stood by the side lines with Esme and Carlisle to watch. Anna was focused. She was in her domain. She truly was Jasper's best student in that she could now best him. Emmett was not happy to have lost. He excused it to her newborn strength and called dibs on a rematch in a year's time.

"Sorry Emmett, we don't have such a thing as the newborn strength. I will only grow stronger with time." Anna teased

"Really? How's that fair? Carlisle, I'm the wrong type of vampire!" Emmett stomped his foot gaining varied weird looks from all.

Edward walked onto the field to face Anna. She was fully focused on him. She studied his stance while assessing him as an opponent. The two engaged each other with their swords. She had blocked out that Edward was her master. Edward was easy on her but she didn't relax. She fought with everything she had. He was pleased and impressed by his general. He met her strike for strike making it impossible for her to get past his defences.

The Cullens were silent while they watched. It occurred to Jasper that they were probably the most deadly opponents a vampire could face. His thoughts were preoccupied with Anna's theory about their evolution. He wondered how his kind was a better vampire if they were not faster and better fighters than their predecessors. He couldn't make sense of it. He also wondered why they stopped fighting with swords or never carried on the knowledge for sword making. Edward and Anna's kind of swords required a special expertise to make.

Anna had grown frustrated forty minutes later. It was clear Edward was not attacking. He only defended himself against her strikes. She also knew his mind reading gave him an added advantage. She mentally recalled their fight while learning Edward's moves searching for a pattern. Once she had identified the pattern, she cheated to get a point in. Edward was quick to block her before ending the fight with a huge grin on his face.

"Well my Anna, it has been ages since one has turned my own strike against me. You have done well." In truth it only Kira had ever dared to cheat in a fight against Edward.

"Thank you master"

"Continue with your training. You will be a formidable opponent when you are ready." He kissed the top of her head a second time. It was still odd for either of them to relate in this way.

Jasper was grinning proudly at Anna. He was impressed that she dared to cheat to gain an upper hand. The Cullens too congratulated her.

"Shall we speak young Alice?" Edward addressed the begging thoughts from the youngest Cullen for his attention.

"Yes, master Edward" Alice teased

Alice stepped back to match his slow pace as they walked back to the Cullen home. Her thoughts sobered immediately at Edward's raised eyebrow.

"How does your ability work young one? How have you seen so much?" Edward asked

"I see the path that lies ahead based on the decisions people make. I cannot see the past nor the reasons behind the decisions. Sometimes the visions just come. That's how I saw you, I think"

Edward thought this over in silence. The others were listening to their conversation with great interest. Alice had never mentioned seeing Edward to them outright. Jasper knew about the visions but not that it was Edward she had seen. When they were all seated comfortably in the Cullen living room he continued to ask her questions.