Dove 52: Clear Shot

Clear shot: A local region of clearing skies or reduced cloud cover, indicating an intrusion of drier air; often seen as a bright area with higher cloud bases on the west or southwest side of a wall cloud.

Hello my dears. It's been too long. It's Reality TV at my house. Seriously. Without the benefit of TV star pay. My husband looked at me one day and said, "Who put the curse on us?" LOL. You'll have to look me up on Facebook if you want the deets. Filling you in would take longer than this chapter.

I want to get this fic finished. That probably won't happen this year. I published my first novel, Moms on Missions, on May 30th. I hope to have Cats & Dogs, Part 1 out by January (please remember that part of the proceeds will benefit pediatric cancer research). On top of that, I have a huge edit due for a client in December.

This authoring business is thrilling, but it sucks time. I miss you. Please review so I know who's stuck with me.

This month, I met friends I made through the fandom during the past ten years and I have pictures to prove it: Melanie Moreland, Morgan and Jennifer Locklear (aka RandomCran) and Helena Hunting (aka Hunterhunting) and Jennifer January Lynn (aka MissJanuary). I haven't come down off my cloud yet.

September marked my seventh UE anniversary. I am so glad to be part of this fandom. Love you all.

o~o~0~o~o

Like my father's come to pass
twenty years has gone so fast
wake me up when September ends

~Greenday

o~o~0~o~o

Friday, April 16 2004:

The first few days of my self-imposed abstinence were difficult. I spent a lot of time icing my balls—which, as you can imagine—I hated. But Bella was very respectful concerning my reinstated boundaries. Unusually submissive and subdued. And for once, my brothers were being careful of me, too. Shame the boys at Forks High were such assholes.

I had to be the only guy on the planet who was planning not to get laid after Prom. Even Yorkie was prepared, not that anybody would likely have him. Dude was too much of a weirdo. I know they say everyone has a match, but seriously, he was a very odd duck in a pond of mostly-boring ducks.

Maybe he would have found a niche to fit in if he'd grown up in San Francisco.

You can bet my day-to-day existence was being soured by the lack of orgasms. All Bella had to do was look at me while wrapping her lips around a straw and I was immediately incapacitated. I was walking around so often with a binder in front of my person that Ben even ventured to josh me about it. He asked me once if I'd accidentally superglued it to my dick. And I had to laugh because Ben was upstanding, you know? Not like the others.

I had snuck into the boys' showers to cool my libido, not realizing that the football coach had ordered the team to come in early to practice after a particularly bad game. The first couple of guys arrived to clean up after practice and I thought nothing of it. And then, the whole Trojan army descended on me, their thoughts centered only on football, food and f—.

You know. The three F's of American youth.

Question: Why do schools still have Trojans as their mascots? We even had a guy run out on the field once who was wearing nothing but a giant condom costume. Talk about streaking! After Hearing the thoughts of all those who found him attractive, I wanted to pry off the top of my skull and bleach my brain.

I digress.

"Hey, Cullen!" Newton said as he opened the locker to stow his moldering football gear.

"Mike."

"What are you doing here so early?"

I held up my foam-covered razor and waved it at him, then went back to shaving.

"No, I mean, why didn't you just shower at home?" He's painfully introverted according to Ang. Mike, sadly, was not painfully introverted. He stripped off his filthy things and slingshotted his jock at Austin Marks, then switched on the shower next to mine.

'My sisters are driving me nuts," I told him. They were helicopter-mothering me because they were worried I was going to go batshit without an outlet for my stress. And their thoughts about Bella's immaturity weren't helping me to cope.

"I thought you Cullens loved your sisters," Austin Marks said archly, flapping his limp dick around. I gave him the hairy eyeball.

"My brothers love my sisters. I am the odd man out."

"He's odd, all right," Marks muttered on his way to the shower. His friend Carter swallowed a snort.

"Well, at least now you've got Bella," Newton said. "Dawg."

"Yeah." I realized that I'd left my towel on the bench. Oh, well. Nothing like dangling Mr. Ed out in public to get the humans' attention. I dripped my way across the room.

Newton couldn't help staring. Shit, I hope he's a shower not a grower.

"What's it like being allowed to fuck at home?" Marks wanted to know.

I felt my eyes widen. "I don't… Bella and I don't."

The entire football team regarded me with pity and disappointment. "What?" I shrugged, toweling off.

Newton spread his hands in surrender. "Cullen, not trying to be offensive but I gotta say, it's a real shock she won't put out, man."

Everyone in the damn room was visualizing Bella in some sort of… minxy situation. Everybody. I couldn't believe some of the rapacious looks they'd noticed her giving me. All I managed to get out was, "Hnh?"

Newton rolled his eyes. "She looks at you like you're something to eat."

Just like that, my problem was back. At least, mercifully, I was covered by the towel.

"Ew, what's that?" Scott Shipley grabbed Connor Baskin's arm. Seeing the lesion in his mind, I wanted to vomit.

"Mosquito bite. I think it's infected."

I stepped closer and grasped Connor's arm, turning it over. "Oh, boy."

"What?" Connor snapped.

"This is MRSA. You need to go to the hospital right now."

"What the fuck is MRSA?"

"It's a staph infection. Very resistant to antibiotics and highly contagious."

"Bullshit! How would you know, anyway?"

I dropped my hands and used the most potent fake argument in my arsenal. "It killed my parents."

Every guy in the room paled. Connor broke out in a sickly sweat. I pushed away my own, irrational fear. I had to take care of my schoolmates.

"I'm calling my dad. Whoever hasn't showered, do it and use hot water and soap. Don't share towels or razors. Does anybody else have a rash, blister or lesion?"

"Um," Thomas Spencer said, "I'm supposed to go to the doctor this afternoon. I have a thing on my neck. My mom thinks it's a boil."

"Lemme see."

Thomas tipped his head down and showed me the back of his neck. I repressed a sigh. "You have it, too."

"Oh, fuck."

"Nobody panic. We're all young and strong so it's going to be okay. I suggest we all partner up and check each other for sores. Then, we're going to get dressed and wait for Coach Clapp."

Everybody got down to inspecting each other. I had to admire the way they manned up and took the situation seriously. They were a team and all things considered, they had each other's backs.

"Austin's got something wrong with his dick," Jerry Adams said tightly.

"It's just jock itch," Austin protested hotly, covering it up.

I rolled my eyes and checked. "It's not jock itch. It's not MRSA either but you do need to go to the doctor."

"And how would you know that?"

"I'm doing my undergrad degree online. I'm in my third year at Hanover. By the time we get out of high school I'll be in pre-med."

Austin paled. "What is it?"

I shook my head, and cut my eyes toward the others.

"Just tell me, man."

I winced. "I don't think—"

"Fuck sakes. Do you know what it is, or not?"

"Gonorrhea."

"Fuck." He snatched up his shorts. "I'm gonna kill that bitch-"

Shushing him, I placed my hand gently over his mouth. "Don't. It's curable. Mike, get the coach."

"On it."

"While Connor and Thomas get a pass from the nurse, we'll clean up the towels and your uniforms, and spray the equipment with disinfectant. Nobody leave anything unwashed in your bags tonight. We'd better set Connor and Thomas's stuff off to the side. When the rest of you go home today, you need to wash what you're wearing in hot water and disinfect your bags."

"My sister has lupus," Andy Warren told me anxiously.

"Then you make sure you keep yourself and your stuff clean."

"Okay."

Coach Clapp stomped through the door, looking loaded for bear. "Cullen, are you sure about this?"

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, but I'm a hundred percent sure."

He ironed his forehead with his palm. "This is unbelievable. Everything's going to have to be cleaned and inspected. All the uniforms will have to be washed and I'll have to go over sanitation with every boy in the school."

"With every student, male or female." He looked at me without comprehension. "Cooties," I said.

"God help us all."

I grunted and rubbed my nose. "I think… maybe you should go over STIs again, too."

His jaw dropped. "Does someone on the team have an STI?"

Holding out my hands in surrender, I cocked my head to the side. "Not my place to say. Maybe you should send home a letter to the parents."

He scratched at his chin. "I'll ask Mr. Green."

"I hope your day gets better, Coach." I grabbed my backpack and made a hasty retreat to my first period class, Gifted, where Em, Jazz, Rose and Alice were all waiting for me. Hovering. It was their new favourite pastime. I sat down at my table and clenched my fists on its surface.

"How you doing?" Jazz asked. I shook my head.

"I want to go home and bathe."

"Go, then."

"Bio's important today and after that Bella's expecting me to join her for lunch."

"So go and come back. You know you'll feel better if you do."

My feet hit the pavement just as the first bell rang.

o~o~0~o~o

My bathroom was full of steam and I was scraping at my skin when I detected Carlisle waiting outside the door. I still had traces of antibacterial hand sanitizer on my body and it smelled positively horrid.

Shutting off the water, I grabbed my towel, donned my robe, hid my steel wool and opened the door. "Hi."

Pressing his lips together, he turned my face to the side and I Saw the scratches on my neck through his eyes. I hate it when he hurts himself. He raised a challenging brow. "BDSM now, Cocksparrow?"

"Jeez Louise. Virgin, here." Would I ever feel like I didn't need to bleach my brain around the sexually active? "TMI, English. Please don't picture things like that around me. Save it for Esme."

"Sorry. Why are you sanding your top layer of skin off? There's a sheen of venom all over you."

I couldn't look my sire in the face. "I touched Baskin. He was covered in a deadly bacteria and I never even thought about it, I just took hold of his arm to examine him."

Carlisle shook his head. Sometimes he confounds me. "You can't catch—"

"Bella. I could infect Bella."

He looked at me like I was nuts. "We repel bacteria. Venom destroys it. You know this."

"I can't take any chances with her. She's a danger magnet."

"What a wonderful term. Is it a compliment or an insult?" His eyes danced merrily.

"Carlisle!"

"The venom in our skin would kill any living bacteria, Edward, and our scent repels almost every living thing except humans. There's nothing to worry about."

"You're certain?"

"Absolutely. Now, what have you done to yourself?"

I averted my gaze. "I just got a little overzealous with my scrubbing. Nothing to worry about."

"Do you promise?"

"Yes. I'm going to be busy after school so you may not see me tonight."

"Going to Dovey's?"

"Yes. And I must get going now before I miss Biology."

"Have a happy afternoon, Edward." He handed me an excuse note.

"Thanks. You, too."

However, when I got back to the school, Jazz and Titch were waiting in the parking lot.

They're doing blood typing in your Bio class next period, Titch told me.

"But the online schedule says we have a test," I argued.

"Banner lied," Jasper said. "He told everyone in his classes that we have tests so we'd show up for the blood typing." He looked as though he had a touch of the DTs. "There's a blood drive this weekend to," he licked his lip, "replenish stocks in case there are any… accidents around prom night."

"Oh, swell." I rolled my eyes. "This is turning into a really crummy day. All I wanted to do was have a nice, tame, boring…"

Titch winked at me. "It's going to get better. I'm taking Jasper home. Are you coming with?"

I crossed my arms and eyed the school resentfully. "No. I have reports to hand in today in Stats. I think I'll just wait in my car until last period."

"Well, have fun, Kindred."

"Yeah, right." I hadn't seen Bella since before dawn and our bond tugged greedily at my abdomen.

"You will." With a brilliant smile, my favourite sister led her mate away.

Sighing, I got into my car, popped in Claire de Lune, and opened my laptop. I was halfway through my assignment for my college Human Animal class when I heard my mate groan. My head snapped up. What the hell? Newton was carrying her toward the parking lot. I couldn't have been more shocked if Yorkie showed up to the prom with a date.

"Put me down!" Bella pushed against Newton ineffectually. Was he hurting her? "This is not necessary."

"Chillax. We're nearly there." Maybe she'll let me be her hero for once.

Oh, hell nah. Over my undead body. I am the hero of this tale, you douche.

"Mike! I can walk, damn it."

"You're going to make me drop you." Newton turned toward the B building.

I was out of the car in a flash.

"Edward?" Bella peeked over Newton's shoulder at me. "Mike, stop walking!" She looked almost as though she was going to puke again. Could it be a relapse? If so, I was going to drive Emmett's jeep home and save the Volvo's innards from another detailing.

"Excuse me," I said from behind Newton, making him jump out of his skin. "What are you doing?"

"Taking Bella to the nurse."

"The nurse?" I echoed. "Are you hurt, Love?"

Bella's cheeks turned a delicious pink. "No, just embarrassed."

Newton was plainly trying not to roll his eyes. "I pricked her finger during blood typing and her eyes rolled back and she hit the floor."

I stepped around him and cradled Bella's head in my hands. "Did you hit your head?"

"For once, no." Her pupils looked normal.

"She was pretty out of it, though," Newton said. "I'm taking her to the nurse. There was blood spatter all over the floor. She broke the pipette, too."

Bella groaned and hid her face in her hands, the left of which was wrapped up in a bloodstained tissue. I shook my head.

"What a waste."

Bella's head shot up and she stared at me, wide-eyed. Newton looked at me mistrustfully. "What do you mean?"

"Oh. Well, Bella didn't get her blood type, right? She'll have to do the test again."

Bella dropped her hands and huffed. "My blood type is B positive and I'll do that test again over my dead body."

I held out my arms, smiling from ear-to-ear like a feral cat. "Okay, thanks Mike. I'll take it from here."

He held onto her. "Haven't you played the hero enough today?"

"Not like I wanted to give bad news to the entire team this morning. But so you know," I took Bella gently from his arms, "I'll always be Bella's hero." If I swaggered a bit when I walked away, can you blame me? I'd only taken about five steps toward the Volvo when Bella rubbed her lips along my neck.

"You're a very naughty vampire."

"Who, me?"

Kids? Listen up. Once you let someone's lips leave your face and travel anywhere else on your body, you're going to want sex. This has been a public service announcement.

"You smell amazing," my mate purred.

I started to chuckle.

"What?"

"I think that's my line."

She wrinkled her adorable nose. "I smell horrible."

"You smell…" Fantastic. Delicious. Like the blood of a Singer infused with adrenaline and pheromones. Down, boy.

"I smell like blood, huh?"

My lip quirked up. "Humans can't smell blood."

"I can. It smells like rust and salt."

"Salt, yes, rust, no." I rubbed noses with her. "You just can't adequately appreciate the bouquet."

Bella frowned. "Why are you so amused? Shouldn't you be trying to devour me right now?"

Despite my best effort to control myself, I cracked up. I resisted the urge to pull her into the back seat and end my self-imposed torture.

"Are you laughing at me?" she demanded as I placed her in the passenger seat of my car and buckled her in.

"I'm laughing at the perversity of this situation."

"Do enlighten me."

"You fainted," I squeaked out, "at the sight of blood. And you want to be one of us!" I shut the door and had myself a huge laugh attack on my way around to the driver's side.

"I did not." Bella said coldly as I started the car.

"There were witnesses, sweetie pie." My heart swelled with affection. All my cares floated away.

Bella stuck her nose in the air. "It wasn't the blood, it was the needle."

"You don't like needles?" I couldn't really understand that. "You were going to let me ram a large gauge needle into your heart, Love." I rolled down the windows, started the car and headed out of the lot.

"Which proves just how much I love you, even if you do laugh at me."

I turned my hand up on my thigh and Bella twined her fingers with mine. "Forgive me for being naughty. I just can't help it sometimes."

"Where are we going, Seventeen?" she wondered aloud.

"I thought we'd just get some fresh air for a bit. I'll take you to lunch but I must go back for fifth period.

"Your project for Stats is due, right?"

"Yes."

After a pleasant ride to the coast, where Bella eagerly snarfed down a hotdog and onion rings from a fry wagon, I delivered Bella home and went to Statistics. The oral presentation portion of our class projects was actually quite entertaining. Mr. Varner was an intelligent man and asked each student highly pertinent questions. Happily, most of them had good answers. It was difficult—if one did the proper research—to mess up in Stats. The only people who did poorly were those who didn't do adequate research and there was nobody in the class who was stupid. Hence, the reason I enjoyed the class. But toward the final ten minutes, I caught Lee Stephens's thoughts as he paced outside the classroom. He was waiting for me and trying to plan what he was going to say.

When the bell went off, I gathered my things and went out the door without turning his way as though I had no idea he wanted to talk to me.

"Hey, Edward, wait up!"

I stumbled, turned, and ran my hand through my hair. "Oh. Hi, Lee."

He clenched his hands around the music book he was carrying. He didn't smell healthy. "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"I don't feel well at all."

I held up my hands. "Hey, man, I'm not a doctor." Were people going to start seeking my medical opinion? I didn't want the job.

"That's not what I need." Lee rocked from foot-to-foot. "Look, man, I know you play the piano. I overheard you playing in the auditorium one day and I've listened in on you a couple of times since."

"Ye—eah?" I was aware that he did, and that he fought down the occasional urge to be jealous of my abilities. If only he knew I'd been playing piano for seventy years.

He blinked rapidly. "My sister has mono. I'm pretty sure I've got it, too. And the senior musical's in three weeks. It's West Side Story."

Oh, crap. "I know. Emmett and Rose are in it."

"You're the only person I know who can play well enough to pick up the score in time."

I sighed. "I don't like attention, man."

"Please. I know you can do it and there's nobody else. Mr. Kerr's already having kittens because the sets aren't ready and another group's trying to rent the space during the days we need to assemble them. Do this for me and I'll owe you forever."

I highly doubted that he'd be able to repay me. But aren't we supposed to do favours for people who can't return them? Carlisle would be thrilled if I participated in something extracurricular. "Look. I'll step in for now. But you must do your best to get well and return in time to be in the show. I don't want to go onstage ever again, all right?"

"You've been onstage before?"

"Unfortunately."

He clapped me on the shoulder and thrust the score at me. "Thanks, man! Practices are from two to five most days. I owe you bigtime." He hurried away before I could say another word.

"I'm going to regret this," I muttered to myself. I was already regretting it. I pulled out my phone and texted Bella.

E: I've been conscripted to play piano for the school show rehearsals.

B: Wow! That rocks.

E: Come get my car keys. You can drive the Volvo home and I'll fetch it from your place later.

B: Are you kidding?

E: No.

B: I'm coming to watch the rehearsal !

E: Meet me outside the green room.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and willed away a headache. What a crazy day. It wasn't long before Bella came skipping toward me.

"Don't look so happy," she said with a mock frown and poked me in the stomach.

"I really hope this doesn't end the way it did in Alaska."

She blinked and regarded me soberly. "How did it end in Alaska?"

"With us moving."

Hugging my arm, she stepped toward the door. "Those beeyotches all know you belong to me."

I snorted and opened it. "Rawr."

All sorts of kids were clustered in the green room. Some were just chatting, some were warming up and some were waiting quietly for the practice to begin.

"Good lord!" Emmett boomed. "The music geek has arisen from the dead!"

I waved half-heartedly and Bella pressed herself against my side. Mr. Kerr entered through the door from the stage. He stopped dead and stared at Bella and me.

"Edward and Bella?" Hope swelled in his chest like a virgin dick about to encounter lips.

I ran my hand through my hair. "Hi, Mr. Kerr. Lee is sick and he asked me to step in for a few days. Bella is going to be my page turner."

The man just gaped at me. Sigh. I dropped my gaze and tried not to clench my fists.

"Yes, I play the piano. But I hate the stage. My parents—my birth parents—made me play professionally when I was a kid and it gave me an ulcer. And I don't care how good you think I am, I'm not willing to play in front of large groups and I'm not going to take Lee's place in the show unless he really does have mono because he's a good guy and he loves this gig so don't even ask me. Okay?"

He blinked. Does he always pre-empt potential compliments? "All right. If you'd care to go and warm up the new grand, I'll get our cast ready in here. Have you had a chance to look at the score?"

"I knew it quite well back when we lived in Alaska, but I haven't looked at it in three years." Like that mattered.

"We're going to be working on The Rumble."

I nodded curtly and reached for Bella's hand. "Okay." The stage was dark but the house was lit. I flicked a couple of lights as we passed, and led Bella down the steps to the new Kawaii at the foot of Stage Right.

Adjusting the seat, I flipped open the cover and almost gagged. "Ew. Heathens."

"What's that stuff?" Bella touched the keys. "Cheetos?"

"Yeah." I rose from the stool. "Somebody's been eating them and playing this baby at the same time." I stuck my head back in the green room. "Mr. Kerr? I need a rag and a bit of bleach. Someone's been abusing the piano."

"What do you mean?"

"There's Cheeto dust and dried slobber all over the keys. I'm not touching it 'til it's clean."

Who ever dreamed it would be hard to find a little disinfectant in a school? In the end, I used crumpled paper towel and hand sanitizer to get the Kawaii back into shape. By the time I was done, the cast was finished warming up and was filtering into the auditorium.

After washing my hands, I adjusted the stool for comfort and leafed through the score. "Okay, whenever I bob my head, you turn the page."

"Just turn the page?" Bella checked. "You know I don't read music, right?"

"All you have to do is turn the page."

"Okay."

I began a quick run through of The Rumble. Most of the cast members were stunned. They forgot to do anything but listen to me play. After Bella missed the third page turn in a row, I pulled the score out of its compartment in my head, shut my eyes and stopped nodding at her. Ang came up to my left side and stared at the score on the stand. Viewing it in her mind and mine at the same time, I thoroughly messed it up. To make a joke out of it, I switched to some strident Stravinsky.

"Where is he?" Ang murmured to Bella and frowned at the score.

"I dunno," Bella said.

"I was somewhere on page 302 before I got lost." I stopped playing and flipped pages.

"But your music's back on page 294," Ang said.

"Photographic memory. Sometimes I get ahead of myself. Okay, I get a do over. Bella?" I reached up to cup her face in my hand.

"Hm?" She blinked sleepily at me.

"This time, turn the pages."

"Okay."

I started again, but Bella was too dazzled to be of assistance. I began to ask her to turn the page about two pages early—or ten bars in the score—but she did it so slowly that I ran out of music before I ran out of written notes. And Ang was trying to read the music off the page, which meant she was reading it ahead of me. I got laughing, and made a hash of it, got the girls giggling, then quit.

"Bella, I love you, but you're fired. Ang, you're making me nervous. Both of you go and sit down."

"Sorry," Bella said. Ang snorted and tugged her to the seats. I stretched theatrically and played the piece through. Various students took their marks and mapped out their fight moves. A couple of them kept bumping into each other. Mr. Kerr sat in the front row, wincing. He decided to allow the boys to continue without his input, wondering if I'd be able to play at half tempo so they could practice in slow motion. When I'd played through the piece, he clapped sharply.

"Thanks, Edward. I'd like to try a run-through at half speed. Can you do that?"

"Sure."

"Places!"

By the time Mr. Kerr called an end to the rehearsal two hours later, most of the girls in the room were bored out of their minds. But the rehearsal was productive. The boys had gained a lot more confidence in their play fighting. I shut the lid of the piano with a keen sense of satisfaction. And then, I twigged on an unusual pair of distant thoughts.

I hope he won't send us away.

This Dom… will he accept me? I don't want a fight…

"What is it?" Bella demanded. I was frozen in place. Em was escorting Rose through the door to the green room. I only had seconds to stop them.

"Emmett!" I barked, making Bella jump. Em took Rose's hand casually and strolled to my side.

"What's up, Eddie?"

"Bree's here. She brought her mate."

o~o~0~o~o

"You're being needlessly defensive," Titch complained as I marched my family in arrow formation out to the misty forest past the parking lot. I ignored her. We couldn't know how the young vampires would react once they smelled Bella, especially as her body still carried traces of blood, pheromones and adrenalin. Em and Jazz tightly flanked my sides. Rose and Titch flanked theirs, and Bella marched between them where she was most protected. I intended to take no chances.

The forest was painfully quiet. The small animals' hearts pounded frantically. They were accustomed to us Cullens but evidently they didn't like the newcomers. I held up my hand and we all halted. Bella searched the shadows. I could smell her adrenaline.

"Bree?" I called gently at vampire pitch. "Are you there?" Bella shifted anxiously from foot-to-foot, but Titch just pointed toward the south with a smirk.

"They're coming."

The pair had heard me. They ran toward us so fast the air around them displaced in a whoosh, leaving a gap in the oxygen that collapsed on itself like faint puffs of thunder. My siblings and I stared fixedly toward the noise but as Bree and Diego approached, they whispered to each other and slowed, scenting the air cautiously.

They could smell Bella. All my senses began to clang. Even though they evidently meant no harm, I was primed to get into a fight with Diego.

"Easy, Bimbo." Jazz exerted pressure on my arm to pull me out of my crouch. I nodded and forced my muscles to relax. Em cracked his knuckles.

Bree's pale little face emerged from the shadows. Her eyes were golden. I was so proud of her. "Edward?"

I held out my hands peaceably and invited her to approach. I didn't have time to respond before she zipped into the small clearing and threw herself into my arms. She clung to my waist and began to bawl. Diego's brain flipped a switch.

"Watch out!" Titch yelled, pulling Rose closer to Bella, whose heart thrashed against her ribs.

"No!" I barked at Bree as Jazz and Em plucked Diego out of the air and sat him at my feet. He had longish, dark curly hair, a mustache, and an olive skin tone to match that of Bree. My brothers growled menacingly as the vampire bared his teeth and drooled venom at me. I removed Bree from my person, forced her down beside her mate and shook my finger at her. "Don't ever touch another male without your mate's permission."

Diego's lips fell over his teeth and he lowered his black gaze. Now I've ruined our chances. Bree will be so angry with me. Despite that, he shot her a resentful look. He's right. She shouldn't have touched him.

Yeah, vampires can be pretty good at passing the buck.

I crossed my arms and spoke calmly to Bree. "You shouldn't have touched me without asking. It's rude and it upset my mate. That kind of insult can get you killed."

Bree snuck a peek at Bella. Wow, she smells so good. And she's so pretty. Why hasn't he changed her? "I'm sorry," she said meekly at vampire pitch. "I was just so glad to see you." Her eyes morphed from black to gold.

My lip tipped up and I nodded. "I'm glad to see you, too. But these are rules you'll have to learn in order not to offend others of our species. And one of my family's rules is to speak at human pitch so my mate doesn't feel slighted."

Diego addressed me but stared at my feet. "Dom Cullen, forgive us for offending you."

Em, Rose and Jasper's thoughts went mad. Dom Cullen?

It's finally starting, Titch thought. I was perplexed but refocused immediately on Diego, who was planning to give Bree a good shake after their departure.

"I apologize for my rudeness and that of my mate. Bree should not have approached you as she did."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "And now she knows the rule, so she will not be punished."

He tucked his chin. "Yes, sir."

Bree crawled through the mud, placed her palms on my shoes and looked up at me. "We came to ask if we can join your coven." Please, God, let him say yes. I'm so tired of being scared.

A very odd flare of heat surged through me. Em and Jazz exchanged a gobsmacked look. I can't believe this. Can you believe this?

Say yes, Kindred, Titch thought, even though she could See me saying no. The idea of me having subs was absolutely ridiculous.

I huffed a laugh. "I'm sorry, kiddo, but I don't take subordinates. You'll have to petition my father and mother."

Bree put her forehead on my foot and cried. "Please. Please!" My immediate inclination was to agree. Why was that? I was bound to Carlisle. It would be an insult to him to accept. And what on earth would I do with a pair of almost-Newborn subs? I'd have to train them. And Diego was mammoth. My height, perhaps, but far more muscular. Training Em had been challenging enough, and he had a goofy sense of humour and a pleasant disposition. Furthermore, Em loved me. I didn't think Diego was the easygoing type.

"On your feet, kiddo." I extended my hand. Bree took it and rose. "I serve Carlisle Cullen. You know that."

"But—"

"Will you consider it, if your Dom is agreeable?" Diego said, looking me straight in the eye. And he wanted me to be his Dom? There was nothing submissive about him. Then again, there wasn't much submissive in Jasper, either, and he regularly submitted to Carlisle. I stared Diego down until he dropped his gaze. "Please, sir. We're desperate and you've only ever given Bree good advice."

Far distant, I heard the Wolves. Everyone in our group tensed. Bree and Diego sank into crouches.

"What is that?" Bree asked, her voice wobbling. Diego drew air over his soft palate, tasting the unusual scent.

"You will not attack," I ordered them. "Stand down."

"But, what are they?" Diego demanded.

"The Kwoli Ute. People of the Wolf. They're shapeshifters."

"El chupacabra?"

"Hardly," Jasper said. "They defend humans. They hate us." Diego's eyes searched Jasper's frantically and I felt a thick aura of calm cocoon us.

"And these ones have a truce with my family, so please mind your manners." I turned my attention to Bella. "Do you have your cell?"

"Of course."

"Will you call Jacob and tell him we have visitors?"

With a nod, Bella punched in Jacob's number. "Hey, Jake? Can you tell the Pack we have company and not to attack us?"

"What kind of company?" he growled.

"Friends of Edward. They're Vegetarians."

"How many?"

"Two. Bree Tanner and her mate, Diego. Please hurry. Even I can hear the Pack coming, now."

"On it."

Moments later, the Pack quieted. Their huge paws continued to drum against the forest floor, but their thoughts were no longer frenzied. After ten minutes, Sam and Jared stepped out of the trees.

Stay back, he instructed the rest of the Wolves as he and Jared paced before us. Bree and Diego crab-crawled behind me and peeked out from behind my legs. Maybe Diego wasn't as much of an alpha type as I thought.

"Hello, Sam," I said, careful not to clench my hands. "You got my message?"

I did. Why are they here?

"This is my protegée, Bree. She escaped a bloodthirsty coven in New Mexico a few months ago and I've been helping her learn to adjust to our diet. She and Diego are newly-mated and they wish to live in peace with humans."

Why are they on the ground?

"They're afraid."

Good. If they remain with you, they are subject to our truce.

"Of course."

Get back so we can distinguish their scent.

The muscles across my back rippled at his order. "That would be acceptable, but please don't provoke them in any way. They're both very young."

Sam rumbled, not quite growling, but demonstrating a lack of trust. I swallowed venom.

"Bree and Diego, if you wish to remain here, you will have to abide by the Treaty. If you draw human blood at any time, the Treaty will be dissolved and you will plunge my family and the Kwoli Warriors into a state of war. The Kwoli will be watching all of us. Is it understood?"

"Yes, Dom Edward," Bree said as Diego said, "Yes, sir."

Sam glared at me. Are these your subordinates?

"Not yet. They're just visiting. Whether they stay will be up to Carlisle."

Noted. Tell the others to back away.

"Bree and Diego, stay where you are. Everyone else give us some room."

Titch turned her back and offered her hand to Bella, who stared at me apprehensively before following my sister and Rose. Em and Jazz backed up, not breaking eye contact with the pair of Kwoli. I took a step back to stand between my charges.

"Kneel," I ordered them, and placed my hands on their heads. "They're going to come and smell you. Don't move and everything will be fine."

Bree was so pale she was almost translucent. Diego clasped his hands in front of his lap and stared at the ground. I gave them each a gentle pat. Ten Wolves filed out of the trees, walking in each other's footsteps to disguise their numbers and scents. Their thoughts tripped over each other as they approached us.

Hi, Edward, how's it hanging?

"Can't complain, Jared. How are you?"

Good. He sniffed at Bree and she whimpered. I shushed her and gave her another pat.

"This is Jared. I've ridden on his back before. It was super fun."

Jared snorted a stinking dog-breath laugh all over our faces. The Yearlings snuck a glance at Jared, then, gazed up at me like I was made of win.

Remember the rules, Sam thought. We'll be watching.

"Thanks, Sam," I said, which seemed to disconcert him thoroughly. But I was glad the Kwoli would be watching. I didn't need any dead humans in Forks.

The Kwoli Warriors backed up into the mist, whirled and melted away. My family and guests listened until all signs of their presence were gone.

Bree gazed at me reverently. "You can commune with them."

"Pfft."

"It's your talent."

"Will you two get up now please?" I waved at them. "You're giving me a headache." They both scrambled up, staring at me hopefully, but I crossed my arms. "How did you find me?"

"It's my talent," Bree said.

"Hm?"

"Finding people. Once I've met someone, I can see their location in my head."

"Like Demetri di Volturi," Jasper said. "A formidable talent."

Bree beamed at him. "Thank you."

My alarm bells were clanging. "Did you come straight here?"

"What do you mean?" she asked evasively.

"Your coven." I glared at her. "I can Hear your thoughts, Bree. Laurent found you and Diego after you ran away. That's why you're here. You want my protection from the redhead and the other two males…James and…Riley."

To her credit, she didn't panic. "Yes! I promise we won't hurt Bella. Diego was a Golden Eye before I met him and I've been clean since you found me in Arizona. We—"

"Did you disguise your trail?"

"What?"

"Your trail. Did you hide your trail? Did you swim here at all, or take a train, or drive?"

Bree's face crumpled. "I'm sorry. I didn't know we were supposed to."

"Shit," Emmett said as I shut my eyes and gritted my teeth.

"We're going to need Carlisle."

"He's on his way," Titch said. "He was in the surgery when I called him."

"How long?"

"Ten minutes."

I shook my head at Bree. "What am I going to do with you?"

"We can be useful. We're good soldiers."

Jasper huffed a laugh. "Greenhorns."

"Can you See anything, Titch?"

"No. Evidently, nobody's made any decisions yet." She peeked at me coyly. "You could try making a decision."

"Maybe we should take them to the house," I suggested. My sister's thoughts twisted and darkened.

"And lead their tracker straight to our home?" Jazz demanded. "I think not."

"Sol Duc?"

"I See bloodshed," Titch warned.

"How about the place we had the snowball fight with the Wolves?"

The images in her head settled and cleared. I could See Bree sitting peacefully at the foot of the mountain. She was wearing a summer dress and had flowers in her hair, and she was singing to her mate, who was playing an old guitar of Jasper's.

"Titch, I want you to take Bella home and stay with her. Rose—"

Titch bristled. "If I'm not with you, who's going to help you See—"

"Fine. Rose, would you kindly take Bella back to Charlie's?"

"Sure."

"Edward," Bella argued, "I don't want to be left out."

"I'll be along later, I promise. We're going to lay some false trails. Your scent would make it harder. I need you to protect our family by not sharing your scent."

"Fine, when you put it that way. Do I get to drive the Volvo?"

My lip crept up. "Deal. Get going so I don't have to worry about you."

"Can I have a kiss?"

I smiled wider. "When I get back." What a minx. With a huff, she held out her hand.

"Keys?"

"Right here," I dangled them from a finger and she snatched them up.

"Later, gator."

"After dinner, I promise." I watched Bella walk back toward the parking lot with Rose. It was a nice view.

Bree shook her head. "Nobody from James's coven followed us here. They're still down south."

"Yet. Nobody has followed you here yet. It's time for them to lose track of you permanently."

"Where do you want us, Eddie?" Em flexed his fists.

"I'd like you and Jazz to drive by way of Port Angeles and double back through the logging roads. Titch, you, Bree and Diego are with me."

"Aye aye, Dom Cullen!" She saluted me with her eyes crossed.

"I hope you're not going to start yelling about your clothes."

She wrinkled her nose. "Aw, we're going swimming?"

"Yep."

"Well, I am prepared. I almost put on my Perrin Bruyère suit today, but I Saw myself coming home bedraggled so I wore this old thing instead. Good thing, huh?"

"Um, sure."

She threw her arms around Jasper's neck to say goodbye. "So, kids," I turned my attention to my charges. "We're going to spend at least an hour running over our own trails, and then we're hitting the water. I hope you don't have anything that won't survive getting wet."

"Phone," Bree said, holding up a cheap flip model.

"Give it here," Jasper said. He slipped it into his school bag. "See ya on the mountain, Bimbo."

"Thanks, Jazz. Thanks, Em."

"See ya, Bro!" Em was delighted at the idea of seeing some action. He and Jasper discussed strategy all the way to the Jeep.

"Let's go." I began to run with Bree and Titch flanking me. Diego brought up the rear. I scrambled up a tree and all of them followed. Launching myself west, I listened to them rattle the branches. The Yearlings were no good at all at being stealthy; it would be a lesson for another day. At last, we crossed the 101 and leaped into the sparkling waters below. Merely half an hour later, we met the rest of the family—save Bella and Rosalie—in the clearing where we'd had our epic snowball fight with the Kwoli Warriors.

"Edward," Carlisle greeted me warmly as I dropped to the green turf. "Have you really brought home new friends?"

Esme's smile was every bit as bright. "Welcome!"

"Um, yeah," I said, pushing back my hair. "Carlisle, Esme, this is Bree Tanner, and her mate, Diego…"

"De la Vega."

"Zorro!" Em and Jazz shouted, making Diego sink into a crouch.

"Are you sure?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "I thought I was, but now that you mention it, I seem to recall him being a hero of mine."

Em slapped him on the shoulder. "I like it."

"I like it too," I said.

"Yeah?" He perked up and I began to get hints of his personality. A Zorro movie soundtrack was playing in his head. He envisioned himself sketching comic books.

"What's not to like? Zorro's a hero."

Jazz smirked. "He even looks a bit like Banderas."

"You're not really Zorro, are you?" Em asked quietly.

"I was born in Los Angeles in 1983. It says so on my identification."

"Not Zorro," I said. "But you may earn the nickname."

"That's pretty cool," Bree smiled from ear-to-ear. They like us. Maybe they'll let us stay.

Carlisle stepped forward. "I am Dom Carlisle Cullen Olympia di Volturi, and this is my mate, Esme Anne Platt Cullen di Olympia."

Diego took his hand. "Thank you for allowing us an audience, Dom Carlisle."

"I always enjoy meeting new friends. I understand you're in a spot of trouble."

"I am hoping we are out of it. We ran away from the army months ago, but—"

"Army?" Jasper demanded.

Diego lowered his gaze. "I do not know their purpose. James and Victoria want an army down south. Laurent and Riley are nice, but the others… make me afraid."

"How many are in this army?" Carlisle asked.

"I do not know. There are a handful of officers. Each of us was responsible for a handful of Newborns. They regularly destroy each other. I didn't… leave my three behind." He had swiftly decapitated and burned them with immense grief.

"Perhaps we should alert Aro," Jasper suggested. Carlisle pursed his lips.

"I don't like calling in the Volturi unless it's absolutely necessary. Some of the Guardie are too dangerous. Quick to take offense."

"I concur," I said, Watching Titch's visions shape up.

"But if they find out we haven't alerted them and this army makes trouble, they'll accuse us of conspiracy." Esme bit her lip.

Diego shook his head. "Look, whatever business James and Victoria have is in the South. I cannot believe that they would chase us all the way up here. And why would we head any further north than Los Angeles? It was my home. Bree lived in New Mexico. We have no reason to seek refuge in this area."

Jasper crossed his arms. "Which is exactly why they will assume you came in this direction. Had you hidden your trail, they might have guessed you'd gone toward the east coast. That is where I ran when I escaped from Maria."

"Maria Montenegro?" Diego crossed himself while all the rest of us froze.

"You know Maria?" Jasper demanded.

"Of her. No one knows anything solid about her but there are legends. Nightmares."

"Is Maria in league with the vampires who made you?" Carlisle asked with nonchalance.

"Rumour has it," Diego blinked nervously, "that she made Victoria."

Jasper grasped his temples and tried not to panic. Carlisle and I exchanged a horrified look while Emmett swore a blue streak under his breath. The females watched us with concern.

"This changes things." I paced the carpet of tender spring grasses. "I think you should call Aro. What do you See, Alice?"

"I See danger, no matter which path we choose. If Carlisle calls Aro, the Volturi will send Jane, Demetri and Felix. They change their minds too often to be predictable. But if Carlisle doesn't call, the odds are that James and his coven will come here in search of Bree and Diego. If they bring their Newborns, a lot of blood will be spilled."

"Then I must do what's right, and inform the prince," Carlisle said. "Now, before I go, Edward, what do you intend to do with your Yearlings?"

"My Yearlings?" I echoed. I couldn't have heard him right.

"Alice tells me that they wish to submit to your rule."

"Yes, but… I'm not a Dominant. Sir."

"We only had this discussion seventeen days ago, Cocksparrow, and I know you haven't forgotten it."

"But I'm in your service!"

He approached me silently and placed his hand on my shoulder. "You are always welcome in my service, Brother-son, but that doesn't mean that others may not serve you, and thereby indirectly serve me. What does your heart tell you?"

I glanced at the Yearlings. "I don't know. They need a lot of training if they're going to fit in."

"That's not what I asked you." You know we'll help. "Be honest."

The clamor of each individual's thoughts surrounded me. "I am inclined… to accept them."

Holy shit, Emmett gawped at me in wonder.

Jasper shook his head. Hope you know what you are getting yourself into.

"Yay!" Titch clapped and jumped up and down, then rushed over to hug Bree. "Welcome to the family! This makes me your aunt."

"No," I corrected her. "I don't see Bree as my daughter. More like a baby sister."

"Whatever. We're going to have so much fun."

"Slow down, Alice," Carlisle ordered. I don't want them anywhere near the house or the town. "We need to move. Let's get this play on the road."

"Show on the road," I murmured. "All right, Diego. You first."

Diego fell to his knees again. "Your servant."

"Do you offer yourself as my subordinate?"

"Yes."

"Will you submit to my rule?"

"I will."

"Surrender your scent."

Diego's forehead wrinkled. "How do I do that?"

"You must allow me to bite you. You may choose where."

He looked uneasy. That's going to hurt. And it's going to be obvious to Riley that I've chosen this male as my Dom. I hope Bree's right… "Do you have to?"

"I require your unmistakable kinship."

Hesitantly, he offered me his forearm. "I submit to your will."

"I accept." I took his arm in my hands. "Yes, it's going to hurt, but I won't hurt you again." He yelled out as I pierced his flesh and injected it with my venom.

"That's enough, Edward," Carlisle said. I knew it was, but I gave Diego an extra dose. I wanted my scent all over him.

Diego cradled his arm. His hand was shaking like a leaf. It burns it burns it burns…

I gave him a pat on the head. "Well done. I promise to go easy on your mate." He nodded and I waved Bree over. She knelt quietly at my feet.

"Your servant, Sir."

"Do you offer yourself as my subordinate?"

"Yes."

"Will you submit to my rule?"

"I will."

"Surrender your scent." I expected her to offer up her forearm, but she pulled her heavy hair away from her neck and tipped it toward me. Such a move was risky for both of us. If she cried out, her mate would attack. To prevent that, I would have to inflict a painful injury upon her. "Are you sure?"

"I trust you."

Diego flexed his hand and stared at the silver crescents I'd placed on his arm. When I spoke his name, he jumped.

"Do you give me permission to add your mate to our coven?" I demanded.

"Yes."

"You will not attack me for biting her."

"I understand."

"C'mere, Kid." I took Bree's hands and helped her to her feet. Immediately, she exposed her neck to me. "Do not bite me back," I warned. I didn't want my scent contaminated by that of her maker.

"Okay." She curled her hands under her chin and leaned against me. With a cautious look at Diego, I supported Bree by the back of her neck and carefully sank in my teeth. The flavor of her maker was quite unpleasant so I gave her more of my venom than I'd anticipated. She whimpered faintly, then, bit into the side of her own hand. I hugged her and released her.

"You okay?" I checked. Bree nodded and scooted down beside Diego. They compared scars with happy grins. I had no idea how I felt about that.

"That was hawt," Emmett blurted out, wide-eyed. I gave him a withering look. He spread his hands. "What? I never saw anybody bite anybody before."

"What's your clan name going to be?" Carlisle asked. "It must be distinct."

"I don't know. Never thought about it. Masen-Cullen, I guess."

Carlisle smacked me on the shoulder and led Esme away. "Nice job, Edward." Did it like a pro.

I rolled my eyes and tucked my overinflated ego away for later examination. There was no way I could go straight to Bella's. Not only would I be sporting a distinct swagger, I had Yearlings to sort out.

"What are you going to do with them?" Jasper asked me.

"What do you suggest?"

"I suggest we find them a cave and set them up a home here, where there is plenty of food, some entertainment, but little uncontrolled access to the outside world."

"Do you really think their coven is coming?"

"I would bet on it."

o~o~0~o~o o~o~0~o~o o~o~0~o~o

A short excerpt from Moms on Missions by Jess Molly Brown, available on Kindle and KU.

(If you've read it, may I ask you to leave a review on Amazon? It doesn't need to be fancy. "I like it" is plenty. 50 reviews would allow my book to show up next to similar books. Thanks.)

The door clicks shut softly behind Vince. Paeng is sitting at the table, eating toast and peanut butter. He glances at Vince curiously. "What did she want?"

"To rip off my 'nads and force-feed them to me." Vince sinks into the chair opposite. "I am the screw-up of all screw-ups. I am the king of the idiot world." He bangs his forehead down on the table and Paeng's peanut-butter covered knife pings off the table onto the floor. "If all the losers on the planet got together to live in one city, they would name it after me."

"Can't be that bad." Paeng shrugs, retrieving the knife. "What did you do?" He scrapes more peanut butter on his toast.

Vince sits up with his fists curled on the table and looks at him candidly. "Last night, I wanted to hang the drop cloth out on the line, so I took in her laundry."

Paeng eyes him in confusion. "But, that was . . . nice."

Vince's head droops. "Well, I got some paint on one of her bras, and she accused me of snogging it."

His housemate snorts. "Were you?"

Vince squirms uncomfortably. "No, but . . ."

Paeng is incredulous. "Dude."

"I may have admired it a little."

"How?"

Vince can't look at Paeng. "Wash smells pretty off the line. Fresh air, flowery detergent, you know."

"How did you paint get on it?"

"Um . . ." Vince swallows hard.

Paeng leans back and rests his hand flat on the table. "Vince."

Blushing, he snaps at his friend. "I dropped the bra on the wet tarp and I guess I must have accidentally gotten paint on it and touched it to my cheek, okay?"

Paeng is silent as Vince sighs. "I didn't mean to take my upset out on you, sorry."

"No big. So, you fondled it. Was it good for you?" Paeng's eyes glitter, making Vince's anxiety flare.

"I couldn't help myself! The girl's smoking hot and yet she doesn't appear to own trashy underwear." He feels all dreamy just thinking about it. "It's simple and soft . . . it felt so nice. She's not like any of the girls I've met before. She's direct, feisty and artistic and I bet she's really smart. She's nothing like the usual MOM Girl and she's not even my type. But her underwear is beautiful. She doesn't wear slutty underwear because she doesn't put on airs, and oh, God, that's so attractive. What I wouldn't give to see—"

Paeng face palms Vince. "Dude. You are waxing poetic about cotton underwear like my sisters wear when they get their periods. It's just underwear."