Mike had invited what appeared to be the entire school to his eighteenth birthday party. With his parents out of town for the weekend to attend a wedding in Vermont, Mike and the boys had sneaked in a keg or two and people were crossing the line from tipsy to drunk. Even the Cullens were invited much to Jessica's surprise. Alice and Jasper had declined going as the latter got secondhand buzz of drunken people and that was sure to make the night end badly.

Reluctantly, Edward agreed to go with her. It was the first time they would be going to a social event as a couple and they were both a little antsy on how to act. He insisted on driving Moses (or Mo as she nicknamed his Volvo) to the party instead of Winnie cause Edward said her Chevy was as slow as a turtle. Jessica had been offended. It wasn't Winnie's fault she couldn't handle Edward's Fast and Furious antics.

Mike answered the door, face already red from one too many beers. He grinned brightly at them and pulled Jessica into a hug, kissing her on the cheek as he enthusiastically greeted her. Edward's glare could've melted Mike into a puddle of goo. Jessica laughed it off and pushed Mike away gently.

"Happy Birthday, Mike," she told him. "Is everyone already here?"

"Thank you, Jess. Everyone is here," he replied. "Angie and Laur came with that tall boyfriend of theirs. Eric and Ty are somewhere…"

He looked around as if he could find their friends. He swayed a little and nearly spilled the cup of beer he was holding. He snorted. "I may be a little drunk already."

"You don't say?" Edward muttered.

"Hey, man," Mike finally seemed to notice who came with her. He patted Edward in the shoulder. "Glad you could make it. There's beer and chips. Help yourselves."

He began to walk away backwards. "Bedrooms are off-limits so if you're gonna sneak off no touchy-touch in my bed, okay? I sleep there. Gross."

They watched him disappear into the crowded house of people. Edward gave her a look.

"Remind me again why you were so into him?"

She shrugged. "He's tall."

"I'm tall."

"He's cute."

"I am also cute."

"Yes, you are," She smiled at his grumpy face. "He has a car."

"Moses is better than that pile of metal he calls a car," Edward shook his head at her. "Let's chalk it up to you being young and foolish."

"I'm still young," she admitted after a second. "And still foolish."

"I know, I know," He wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her through the maze of people. "Lucky for you, I'm wise enough for both of us."

"You're wise enough for ten people," she replied. "Since you're old as the pyramids."

He pinched her at the side, making her yelp. "Behave or I will put you in time out."

"Are you gonna take my toys away too?" she challenged. "You wouldn't dare."

He grumbled something about misbehaving children as they made their way through the house. Tyler and Eric were in the living room with other guys playing a drinking game while watching an episode of SNL. Lauren was talking casually to Katie and Ben in the kitchen. Angela and Jacob were making out in a bathroom with the door open. Jessica closed the door so people wouldn't have to keep seeing that.

They finally found the keg and Edward poured her a cup before they made their way to the back of the house to sit at the back porch away from everyone. Edward sighed in relief at finally being away from everyone and took a seat on the porch swing. Jessica took the seat beside him and slowly sipped her beer.

She remarked, "I'm guessing you don't care for parties."

"People's thoughts when they're sober are bad enough," he replied. "But drunken thoughts? They're even worse."

She laughed. "Just admit you don't want to party with the kids, granddad."

"I don't dislike parties. I dislike drunk people," he argued. "Back in my day, we had parties too but it never ended with someone vomiting in the bushes."

"Back in your day…" He was the gift that kept on giving. "What were parties like then?"

"They were more formal. The ones we had were usually so my father could discuss business with clients and partners at a more casual setting. They'd retreat in his office, smoke cigars, and drink expensive brandy," He looked lost in thought as he recalled. "My mother would be entertaining their wives and they would gossip and talk about marriage prospects for their children. There was a lot of nudging me towards their daughters and hints about grandkids."

"Poor Edward," she said, sarcastically. "All those devious mamas pushing you to settle down and start producing kids. Oh, the horror, the horror. How did you survive?"

"Ha-ha. Laugh it up, Stanley," He patted her on the nose. "And too bad for them because the girl I wanted was born in a different century."

"They are rolling in their graves," She stopped as she saw a movement in the darkness past the row of trees. "Edward, is something out there?"

He stood up and stepped down the porch steps. He peered into the darkness for a second before sprinting back up the steps in a blink of an eye. She nearly dropped her cup of beer in shock. He opened the back door.

"I'm going to get Jacob," he said. "There's a wolf out there. Try to calm him down. He's hurt."

"Wait, what-"

Edward left her and she sighed and placed her cup down. She turned back to the row of trees and tried to see anything. Apprehensively, she made her way down the steps and moved closer to the trees. There was a whimper. It reminded her of Sunny when she was in pain.

"Hello?" she called out. "I'm not going to hurt you. My name's Jessica. I'm a friend of Angela and Lauren."

The big snout was the first thing she saw before two big brown eyes was staring at her. She knew the Quileute wolves were huge but this one was smaller. His paws looked almost too big for his body like he wasn't quite done growing. She winced at the bear trap around one of his front paws.

He whimpered as he kept up the injured paw. The metal almost looked embedded into his skin. Blood had dried on the metal jaws. It looked incredibly painful.

"That look like that really hurts, buddy," she said. "Don't worry. We're getting Jacob and we're going to get that off you."

He let out another whimper, his ears flattening to his head. She held up her hand hesitantly. He lowered his head and she patted him lightly, trying to give him comfort. She tried to remember what his name was. She thought Angela mentioned it was Rhett Watersomething.

Jacob was finally there, followed by Angela and Lauren. The taller boy grimaced at the sight of the bear trap. "What'd you get yourself into now, Seth?"

The wolf whimpered again. Jessica moved to the side as Jacob assessed the injury. Angela was petting Seth's fur and trying to relax him. Lauren was texting someone on her phone.

Jacob shook his head in dismay. "What even happened here?"

"If I may?" Edward waited for permission before Jacob nodded reluctantly and he examined Seth's paw without touching him. "It looks like his body started healing itself around the bear trap so it's now embedded into his paw."

"Oh, Seth," Angela nearly cooed at him. "We're gonna fix it."

Edward told Jacob. "You can pull out the bear trap but it will tear through his paw and it will hurt."

"No shit," Jacob turned back to Seth. "I'm gonna pull it out. I need you to stay still."

Seth's big brown eyes looked terrified. Still, he didn't pull away when Jacob reached for his paw. Edward stopped him.

"I can do it," he said. "I have medical training."

Jacob looked doubtful. It was well-known the Quileutes didn't care for the Cullens but Seth's health overpowered any misgivings. He held up Seth's paw as Edward worked on removing the bear trap. It was over in a second but Seth let out a loud canine yelp as the metal teeth came off.

There were big bloody holes in his paw. And he continued crying. Angela tried to soothe him but he shook her off. He tried to run off but Jacob prevented him from going far.

"Seth, Seth," Jacob coaxed him. "Change back. You have to change back now."

Seth let out a growl and tried to shake him off. He was more animal than boy at this moment. And a wounded, trapped animal could be dangerous. Lauren was calling somebody on her phone.

"You have to issue it as a command," Edward offered. "A wolf has to obey when an Alpha issues a command."

Jacob argued. "I'm not the Alpha."

"Maybe not," Edward shrugged. "But you are a Black. That has to count for something. I met your great grandfather and he held himself with power. And you are his descendant."

Jacob looked unsure before he turned to Seth who was still struggling to get away. His voice was deeper and there was a sense of power as he said, "Change back. Now."

Seth stopped moving. His transformation was quick as he became smaller. A skinny fourteen year old boy was in his place, the palm of his left hand torn and bleeding. Angela had a blanket with her and wrapped it around the boy.

"I called Leah," Lauren finally spoke. "She's going to come get you."

Seth sniffed, eyes tearing up as Angela hugged him. They made him sit down on the porch as they waited for his sister to arrive. Jacob went to get some towels and water to clean his wounds while Lauren got him something to drink. Angela stayed with Seth and he accepted her comfort.

Jessica assessed Edward. "I didn't know you had medical training."

"I have two medical degrees," he explained. "I've been to college more than a few times."

"And you don't work at a hospital with your dad because…?"

"Because people bleeding around me makes me want to kill them more," he admitted. "Not all of us have my father's impeccable self-control."

Fair point.

"And did you go to vet school too?"

"Once," he answered, looking away. "I accidentally fed on a horse. I don't want to talk about it."

Jessica was nervous. And she did what she always did when she was nervous and that was distracting herself with everything around her. She turned on the radio inside of Mo the Volvo and switched between stations until Edward slapped her hand away. She tapped her hand on her thigh repeatedly until Edward took her hand and held it in his.

She never really had too much problem with meeting parents before. Some of her past relationships ended before she ever had to meet them. Some of their parents she already knew before as Forks was a small town and everyone knew everyone so it wasn't a big deal. Meeting the Cullens was a big deal because not only was she the first human to be entering the vampire den but she was the first girl Edward had ever dated.

She was sure they had high hopes and expectations for the girl that managed to end Edward's affair with every piano he came across. What if they hated her? What if they decided she wasn't good enough for him? What if they took one look at her and go, "Seriously, Edward?"

That actually might be a step up from when Edward picked her up at her house and her mother answered the door and stared at him in surprise. She had told her mother she was dating somebody but her mother must've forgotten as she asked who he was. When she explained, her mother looked at them both before slowly nodding. Emily had outright asked, "Is she paying you?"

She was about ready to disown her family. Her sister kept asking if she was being Punk'd. Her mother recovered and whispered to her that Edward was really handsome and that she was happy for her. This might've been sweet if Edward hadn't heard with his super hearing and looked insufferably smug as they left.

The Cullens' property was on Clearwater Road, right by Clearwater River. Their house was miles away from any neighbors and cut off from the road by a cover of trees. Edward parked the car and Jessica stepped out of the car to stare at the house. It wasn't what she was expecting.

She was expecting some gothic Victorian house with oil lamps and iron gates. Maybe a few ravens hanging about to give it that eerie atmosphere. Instead, it was a sleek modern structure with the whole front side of the house covered with windows. It looked like something out of an architecture magazine. And it was something completely different from any other house in town.

"Nice house," she remarked. "Did you buy it like that or did you have it built?"

"My mother, Esme, built it," he explained. "She has a fondness for architecture."

He opened the front door and she stepped into the house. It smelled like peppermint and gingerbread cookies. She looked up at the high ceilings as Edward led her through the house, past the living room and towards the kitchen. She found his family cooking a large feast.

She whispered to Edward, "I thought you guys didn't eat."

Dr. Carlisle looked up from the salad he was making and made his way towards her. "Jessica! Nice to see you again."

She tried not to melt. "Hi again, Dr. Cullen."

When she met him the first time, she was fourteen and had to go to the hospital for a sports injury. There was this new doctor that was in his twenties and was as handsome as a movie star. She hadn't known he was married with a brood of adopted children and fantasized about eloping with him. Of course, that didn't happen.

Edward was staring at her in disbelief. She ignored him. A brunette woman that couldn't be older than her mid-twenties came over and greeted her. She looked like a porcelain doll with her doe eyes.

"Hello, Jessica. I'm Esme," She smiled sweetly. "I'm so glad we finally get to meet. Edward's told us so much about you."

"All good things I hope," Jessica laughed nervously. "Whatever he told you otherwise is a complete lie."

"He talks very kindly of you," Esme assured her. "We're making lunch for you. I hope you like Italian."

"I love Italian."

Jessica wasn't even lying. She loved Italian food. She could eat her weight in it. She probably did at her grandparents' house in Maine.

The tall, muscular man she remembered from school years of the past came around the island and proceeded to pick her up in a big hug. She let out a squeak in surprise and her put her down.

"Nice to see you again, Stanley," He offered his hand in a fist bump. She obliged, having grown up with Tyler Crowley and was used to this. "It's very nice of you for taking a chance on Edward here."

She smiled conspiringly. "Anything for charity."

Edward glared at the both of them and pulled Jessica away from his brother. "Do not join forces, you imps."

Then, Rosalie Hale, perfection in physical form herself stepped forward and looked her up and down. Jessica tried not to wilt under her scrutiny. She grew up with Lauren freaking Mallory. Scary blondes weren't new to her.

"You're shorter than I remember," Rosalie remarked.

"My doctor said I may be shrinking instead of growing now actually," Jessica joked. "Before you know it, I'll be Thumbelina."

Emmett burst into laughter. Rosalie glared at him before walking away. He gave Jessica a salute before running after his wife. Esme wrapped her arm around Jessica's and led her towards the table in the kitchen to take a seat with her.

"Edward told me you're planning to go to Stanford?" Esme asked. "What are you going to major in?"

They had a pleasant afternoon as Jessica demolished as much of the food as she can. Alice and Jasper stopped by and greeted her. Esme and Carlisle asked her questions about herself and they told her about their very long lives, especially Carlisle's interesting upbringing.

"You were a vampire hunter?"

Carlisle nodded uneasily. "No actual vampires were actually captured. A lot of innocent blood was spilled unfortunately."

"And this was in the 1600s so people had knowledge that vampires existed," Jessica supposed. "Perhaps, even earlier than that? Where do vampires come from?"

Carlisle looked taken aback and shared a glance with his wife. "No one really knows. The oldest vampires I've met are from Egypt. And they aren't sure where vampires started."

"Ancient Egypt then?" she queried. "Because that would make vampires almost as old as humans are if they were around during the cradle of civilization. And if they weren't first, it could be they mutated from humans themselves."

Edward looked pensive. Carlisle and Esme began to look worried.

"It could've started with a virus. A human got infected and it caused the mutation to evolve fast and create what vampires are today," Jessica continued. "And if it was a virus then-"

Carlisle reached forward and grasped her hand tightly. "You would not be the first to ask these questions, to theorize about our existence. I have met many bright minds who were interested in the secret of our immortality but I suggest not going down that path."

"Why not?"

"We have a form of government," he explained. "And they are not interested in answers. They only care for order. Many people's curiosity was put to a swift end."

She stiffened as she realized what he was implying. She moved her finger over her throat and he nodded. She shivered, feeling goose bumps crawling up the back of her neck, and he patted her hand lightly. Edward suggested he give her a tour of the house.

He eventually brought her up to his room and she inspected his large DVD collection. It made sense he would be a Tim Burton fan. He was every male Tim Burton character squished together. He gave her a look and she grinned at him, daring him to contradict her.

"Let's watch a movie," She pulled out his DVD of Corpse Bride from the shelf. "I haven't watched this one yet."

He nodded and he went to turn on the TV and DVD player. "It's about a living man marrying a dead woman, hence, the title."

"Oh. Kind of like us," she pointed out. "They have a happy ending, right?"

He paused for a second, keeping his back to her. "Of course they do."

Why is Jessica so interested in the origin of vampires? Wouldn't you be too? And she's going into a field where she studies the makeup of living creatures so she can't help herself. And maybe she's interested in what the existence of vampires say about human evolution. Maybe there's gonna be a sequel about it. Who knows.

1. Mike isn't interested in Jess. He just gets really affectionate when he's drunk.

2. Thumbelina is a 1994 animated film.

3. Corpse Bride is a 2005 stop-motion animated film. Edward would be the type to like Tim Burton (at least his older work). Jessica's sister, Emily, isn't named after the title character. It was just the first name to pop into my head.

4. Chapter title is from a song in Corpse Bride.