REDEMPTION

By IBACULLEN

for Juliana

Darkness. It's a cliché, but when the darkness comes, so do I. You may think you're safe. Locked away deep in the hidden depths of your mind are all the nasty perversions that thrill you. Something you keep to yourself, while you walk around with dirty fantasies filling your head. You might feel safe, but when I'm there, you're anything but.

I have darkness, too, after all. I'm not exempt. When the gush of your blood glides down my throat, and as your life comes to an end, my darkness is satiated. It really is a circle of life…and death. After I left Carlisle and his teachings behind, I decided to use my gift to help rid the world of the evilest and most dangerous souls who should never have been allowed to walk the earth. I still feel a twinge just thinking of Carlisle and the family I left behind. I could never return. Not after the lives I've taken, destroyed…evil or not.

CHAPTER ONE

I stepped out onto the street and breathed in deeply, so I could appreciate the scents wafting through the air. To the average human nose, they would most likely say they could smell urine and wet pavement from the nasty weather moving in from the west. The rain began softly as if it were trying to tease us into believing it was only going to be a gentle sprinkle. However, anyone native to these parts would know the weather in Seattle could turn fierce within seconds.

As the rain came down harder, it only intensified the vigor inside, as the aroma of my next meal made its way into my nostrils.

I had been to Seattle before, but this was my first time back in over two decades. From the looks of things, not much had changed. I continued down an alley in the heart of South Park, known for being the most treacherous area in all of Washington state. The perfect place to hunt.

Memories of the countless victims of mine only served to feed the monster that resided within. My mouth watered at the prospect of who would satisfy me tonight. I listened to the inner thoughts of all who were around to decide who it should be. Drug dealers? Their blood always gave me a kick, depending on what they were high on. I heard something so quiet, I might have missed it if I hadn't been concentrating so hard. A man, thinking of a child he wanted. Pedophiles were my favorite. Immediately, I headed in that direction.

It only took a few minutes to drain the deviant, who I had managed to nab before he had even made it to his car. I was not messy with my kills, as other vampires could be. Not a drop was even split on my victim. Some vampires, I found, would practically bathe in the blood of their victims. I had enough issues; I didn't need to make spin art out of my kills.

I was immediately satisfied and felt a small sense of accomplishment. Even if I hadn't turned away from animal blood, which my father wished I had stayed on, I wondered if there would be any points given for the good work I had done in the world.

I took what I needed and then searched for a place to hide the body, somewhere discreet. I looked down at the corpse and sighed. No, Carlisle would not be proud of this.

I walked back to my car in the alley, wiping my mouth off with my thumb. I pulled my keys out, and just as I approached, I heard something a block ahead. Further down the alley, I saw a man negotiating with some girl.

"Fifty."

The man laughed.

"Fifty? I'll give you twenty, and I'll bet you'll take it."

I saw the girl sigh and get on her knees. Great, a prostitute.

I slid into my car and was just about to start her up when I heard his thoughts.

Suck my cock. Suck it good. It'll be the last one you do, sweetheart.

Images of everything the disgusting piece of shit had planned flashed across his mind. I faltered. She was a prostitute. She knew the dangers of working in an area like this. I wanted to leave, but something stopped me. I grabbed my keys and got back out, slamming my door hard.

I saw the young girl swallowing the man's cock. Feeling a bit uneasy, I chose to focus on the man. I came up swiftly, and before he could register my presence, I pulled him back towards me and bit him quickly. He began to struggle, so I broke his neck and chose not to finish the drink. I was already full from earlier.

The body dropped with a harsh thud. I briefly looked at the girl, whose gaze was trained on me. Not a thought was going through her mind. I saw now that she looked younger than I had thought she would be. Probably not over eighteen. Her long, dark hair was sopping wet. Her delicate, perfect skin was pale and clear. Her wide eyes were a light brown, her lips a beautiful shade of dark red.

I waited for her to scream, but nothing came. She looked down, and I finally heard her thoughts.

Isn't he going to kill me? What's he waiting for?

"Go. Run."

I said it quietly, hoping she could understand the undertones in my voice and would do as I said. Instead, the girl sighed.

"You're not going to kill me?" she asked.

I narrowed my eyes and slowly shook my head.

Please, kill me. Please, kill me.

Her face scrunched, as she attempted to hold back her tears. I was so perplexed by her dark thoughts that I nearly missed her crawling over to the man's body to pull out his wallet. She pushed herself off the ground and stumbled back towards a dilapidated car hugging the wall of an abandoned building. The girl was labored from tugging on the rusted car door, but she managed to get it open and slid into the back seat, and then she just…sat there.

I didn't think I had ever been more confused in my life. What the hell was she doing? Waiting for her next customer?

I decided to leave it be, so I turned on my heel to head back to my car, but then I saw it. An image so powerful, so disturbing, it stopped me in my place and nearly made me gasp out loud. She was looking at a tiny sleeping baby, who seemed to be nestled into a few dirty blankets on the floor behind the passenger seat.

My head snapped to look in her direction in utter disbelief. Didn't she know how unsafe it was here? Did she not care at all for that baby? She was looking through the wallet now and was disappointed to only find twenty-five dollars cash and no credit cards.

Without another thought, my feet were traveling towards her before my brain had a chance to tell them to stop. I rapped on her window. The rain had kicked up significantly and fell down my face. She looked at me and seemed irritated that I was standing there.

"Roll down your window," I ordered.

She wondered why she should listen to me, but she went ahead and complied, making work of the old-fashioned crank. The window slowly came down.

"What?" she huffed.

"This isn't a safe area."

"And?" she snapped back.

"Don't you think you should take the baby somewhere safe?"

She scoffed, and her mind filled with insults she wished to hurl my way for getting involved. She was about to roll up the window, but I slammed my fist on the car, causing a dent, and the sound startled her into stopping.

"What do you want from me? Do you want to drink me, too? Do it! Just get it over with." She slowly looked over at her small bundle on the floor and then back at me. "Just…promise me you'll find her a good home."

She worked hard at not breaking. She was successful. She pulled her hair back to give me a look at her long neck.

"I don't kill innocents," I replied.

She sighed once again and looked up at me.

"I'm not that innocent."

Her mind filled with different men she had blown, and then all the times she had stolen food, diapers…her misdeeds were nearly laughable compared to my usual victims' crimes.

"Why aren't you scared of me? You've seen what I can do. You must know what I am."

She laughed humorlessly and looked forward.

"You're not the scariest thing I've seen."

"Why don't you just go to a shelter?" I asked.

She flipped to look back at me and snapped, "Why don't you just leave me alone before you get biter's remorse for not killing me when you had the chance?"

The baby began to cry, and the girl was frustrated.

"Great, now you've done it."

She reached over and pulled the small lump into her arms. She rolled up the window to stop the raindrops from landing on her child, as she bounced and shushed it. My brain told me to leave her be, but my body couldn't seem to find a reason to, as it felt as if it had turned to stone, and my feet wouldn't let me go.

I had seen homeless people before. I had seen young girls prostituting themselves out for whatever reason they needed. Why was this any different? Was it because this girl hadn't screamed when she had witnessed my evil nature? There was nothing different about this girl, so why hadn't I left her?

My thoughts turned briefly to Carlisle, and I wondered what he would have done if met with this scenario. Carlisle probably would have taken her to a nearby shelter and given her some money. I saw the car she was staying in had flat tires. I was not even sure if this was, in fact, her car.

I banged on the window again. She didn't roll it down, but she tried to give me a menacing look.

"Let me take you to a shelter."

She rolled her eyes at me and looked away.

I banged once again on the car, and this time, it shook.

"I'm not going to leave you out here in this weather. Think about your baby."

She chose to ignore me, but her mind filled with expletives. Having heard enough, I ripped the car door off, and now her mind filled with a mixture of rage and shock. She wanted to be impressed, scared even, but the water was now coming down and hitting her and her child.

"What the fuck!"

"I said, I'm not leaving here until…"

"I'm not going to any shelter!" she screamed in my face, rising from out of the car. Her baby cried harder at the sound and was probably upset from being pelted with cold water.

For the first time, I really saw her. The dirt on her baggy clothing was thick, like she might have slipped in a muddy puddle. Even her baby's blanket was heavily soiled, and I could tell from the smell that neither of them had seen a shower or bathtub in a while.

I pulled her by her elbow, forcing her to comply, but she pulled away from me.

"Are you really so stubborn that you won't accept help, even if it means sacrificing the welfare of your child?"

"I am thinking of the welfare of my child! I will not go to a shelter!" she replied adamantly.

I looked around in frustration. I heard Carlisle's voice in my head once again, and for that, I blamed him for what I was about to do.

"Fine. I won't take you to a shelter. I have a house nearby…"

She was practically screaming in laughter inside her head, and a little managed to make its way out upon her lips.

"You think I'm just going to willingly go with some…vampire?"

"I think we can both agree that if I wanted to kill you, I could've done so ten times over by now. It's late. You're wet. What do you have to lose…?" she narrowed her eyes at my question, "…and the name is Edward."

She pulled the screaming child closer to her.

"I'm not going to hurt your baby. I meant it when I said I don't hurt innocents."

She sighed loudly, studying my face, while she thought over my offer. In her mind, she was hating herself for being so weak that she was even contemplating it. She slowly climbed back into the car, and I didn't comment because I knew she was going to collect her things. She grabbed a small backpack and a few more blankets and then stood back up, waiting for me to lead the way.

"Bella. My name is Bella."

I nodded and turned to head in the direction of my car. Bella followed along silently. I tried to hurry, knowing the damage this cold rain could do to the baby, who seemed to be trying to soothe itself by sucking on its fist. As we approached my car, I heard her practically snort at the fact that I was driving a Volvo.

A Volvo? Were they sold out of hearses? Worst vampire ever.

I didn't comment and had to grit my teeth to stop me from uttering a snappy remark.

Like the gentleman Esme had taught me to be, I opened the door and helped her in before closing it and running around to slide into the driver's seat. I could tell she and the baby were already feeling loads better from the warm, dry car. I turned the car on and blasted the heat on the highest setting.

It took nearly thirty minutes to reach the house my family had once lived in. The whole journey, Bella's mind was filled with questions for me, and questions to herself, wondering if she was going to live to see tomorrow. It didn't help that I lived in a densely wooded area, perfect for serial killers. She was just as uncomfortable as I was, trying to come up with a topic to end the silence.

The baby started to cry once again, and no amount of hushing or light bouncing was helping.

What am I going to do? I need to steal some formula. I doubt Count Chocula is going to live anywhere near a store.

I sighed and decided to offer some help.

"Before we get to my place, do you need anything? Does…it need anything?" I asked, still not sure if the baby was a boy or a girl.

"I…need to go and…buy some formula for her….and it's a girl. Her name is Evie," she replied softly, pulling her small bundle closer.

I took the turnoff to head towards a local pharmacy. There wasn't much around these parts. This small store was it unless we headed back to Seattle. Since I knew the girl didn't have much in the way of money, I offered to go in and grab what she needed. She handed me her wad of cash she had taken off the body I had drained just an hour before. I wasn't planning on keeping her money. I would find a way to drop it back in her bag before we parted ways.

The minute I walked into the store, I felt utterly overwhelmed. I had very little use for most items in here. I rarely frequented places of business unless necessary.

"Can I help you?"

A small older woman hobbled from behind her counter. Her thoughts were kind, and she was genuine in her offer.

"I need…baby stuff. Formula? Diapers?"

She laughed and grabbed her cane to come to show me the direction.

"New dad? You must be. I see that same look on all the new fathers who come through here. Your wife in the car with your baby, or is she stuck at home?"

"Uh…in the car," I replied, continuing with the charade.

We landed in an aisle, and I was assaulted with more choices than I was prepared to handle. If I weren't a vampire, I would have been sweating.

"How old is your little one?"

I made a gesture with my hands to indicate the approximate size, and the old lady questioned me in her mind, wondering what kind of father didn't know the age of his child.

"Well…I'll just leave you to it."

I was thankful for her departure. I didn't need her standing by silently, but not so silently judging me. I headed down the aisle and went to the formula first. Cans filled the aisle, but I had no idea which one I should pick. I grabbed three different kinds. Then diapers. Once again, I wasn't sure what size I should procure, but I noticed it stated the weight of the child, so I made an educated guess, deciding to size up.

Placing the cans on top of the box of diapers, I grabbed a few more items on my way out, including some baby wipes, soap, and shampoo. The poor thing needed a bath.

By the time I made it to the counter, my hands were filled, and I looked rather ridiculous. No doubt this woman would think I had gone on a buying spree.

Her wrinkled, arthritic hand slowly scanned each item before filing the plastic bags. Her thoughts questioned my every purchase. I'd never wished for one of my female siblings' presence so hard before. Even Rosalie would have done a finer job.

I headed back out to the car, somewhat surprised to find Bella still occupying the passenger seat. Part of me had wondered if she would try and leave, but I guessed with being out in the middle of nowhere, that wouldn't have been the smartest of plans. I would have let her go, too.

What the hell? Did he buy out the whole store? I know he spent more than the money I gave him.

I opened my trunk and dropped the items inside. I slid into the driver's seat once again and said, "I didn't know what to get. Just use what you can, and I'll donate the rest."

She didn't say a word, but I could tell from her thoughts she was perplexed by the kindness from a killer vampire.

"So…how old is she?" I asked, trying to break up the silence.

"Three weeks."

I nodded, feeling stupid for not coming up with a follow-up question or statement. It had been far longer than I cared to admit since I'd had more than a twenty-minute interaction with a human. Or vampire for that matter.

We finally managed to make it to the long cobblestone driveway for the house. Bella seemed to have her curiosity piqued, as she realized I had slowed the car down. She kept picturing the Haunted Mansion from Disneyland in her thoughts.

The trees cleared, and Bella seemed to be somewhat disappointed and yet still impressed with the home. My family hadn't been here for a few decades. Everything inside was covered in sheets to preserve the furniture from the dust. I had been inside only a handful of times since coming back to these parts. I found I didn't need much. I probably would have been better off finding an abandoned cabin.

I pulled my Volvo into the portico on the side of the house, rather than using the front entrance, hoping it would help shield her and the baby from the relentless rain.

Bella slowly stepped out of the car, while I grabbed the purchased items from the trunk. I heard her heart rate quicken, and I wondered why she suddenly seemed nervous. Her absent thoughts gave me nothing. The baby began to cry again, and Bella seems a little upset. She berated herself for being a bad mom.

I unlocked the door and flipped on the lights. All her negative thoughts vanished. Her jaw dropped a little, as she stepped slowly inside and out of the cold.

She noticed the sheets on everything and believed it added to the charm of a vampire house. We headed through to the main foyer and began to walk up the first staircase.

I decided to let her set up in Alice and Jasper's old room. Mostly because I figured they had the nicest furniture. My room didn't even have a bed. Alice's room did because she liked to use it with Jasper in ways I had rather not think about.

I also knew if I had placed Bella in Rosalie and Emmett's room, I somehow would never hear the end of it. Rosalie would complain until the day I died over the human smell left behind, and the thought of listening to her bitching for millennia was not appealing. Carlisle and Esme's room was on the top floor, and it didn't seem right to make Bella climb three flights while holding a baby.

I stopped outside the closed door and faltered.

"Uh…would you mind waiting here for a second?"

She gave me a look and said, "Okay."

I ran inside and dropped the items I had bought on the floor and then hurried around the room, pulling off all the sheets. I did a quick once-over and made sure everything was ready for her. In the minute I had made Bella wait, her curiosity had again been piqued.

Is he storing the coffins in the closet? What is he doing? I guess I should be glad that, so far, Hotel Transylvania is somewhat disappointing on the whole vampire nest-o-meter.

I opened the door and gave her space to walk in. Once again, she was disappointed by how normal everything looked. She began questioning whether I was a real vampire, or perhaps just a man who liked to bite and kill? She thought I was emo.

"There's a bathroom through there with a shower and bathtub if you need it," I said, pointing to the door on the other side of the room. "Feel free to use…whatever you like. This was my sister's room."

A shower?

She nearly cried at the thought. She pictured being able to finally clean her baby.

Ah, hell. I don't even care if he kills me. At least I'll die clean.

"I'll just…leave you to it."

Once again, I awkwardly turned to leave, rolling my eyes at her absurd internal commentary. I heard her trying to decide if she should thank me. She felt so uneasy that she didn't before I had managed to leave the room.

I stood outside the door, watching her through her mind, as she slowly walked around the room, appraising it. The baby began to cry once again, and so she snapped out of her explorations and placed the baby on the bed before running over to the bathroom and making a bottle. I chose to leave her be and headed back down the stairs to contemplate what I had just done.

I ended up in Carlisle's study, slowly finding my way into the seat of his plush, highbacked leather chair.

Seriously, what the hell had I done? Even if she stayed for only a night, I knew I would always wonder what had happened to her. What had happened to the baby? I could just imagine spending my nights, lurking around unsavory locations in Seattle, wondering if every prostitute I came across was her.

I heard a small voice inside, telling me I couldn't release her back into the wild unless there was a plan to help get her off the streets. I wanted to ignore it. A part of me wished I had stayed in tonight, so we would never have crossed paths, and I wouldn't be stuck here with a moral dilemma.

She's not your problem, Edward. You decided decades ago to leave behind any humanity you had left when you chose to leave Carlisle. The monster inside doesn't care about this woman or her baby.

I slowly looked up, as if I had x-ray vision, and I imagined the girl and her child. I wondered what they were doing. I wasn't sure how long I had sat there contemplating, but I had noticed the water in the pipes had stopped a while ago, so she was done with her shower. I got up and softly headed back towards Alice's old room. I could tell before I got there that Bella was asleep.

Against my better judgment, I slowly opened the door and peeked inside. She was under the covers, and by the sound of her soft snores, she was fast asleep. I walked up to the bed and saw her tiny baby lying on the bed a few feet away from her. The poor thing was wearing a dirty shirt. I saw it peeking out from under the light blanket Bella had placed around her.

Evie.

I would later find out Evie was short for Evelyn. Bella had chosen to name her after her grandmother. The only woman in Bella's life who had ever loved her unconditionally.

Up until this point in my long existence, I had never spent more than five minutes around a baby. Besides seeing them in the minds of others, I had never given them much thought.

Evie was tiny. I remembered thinking at the time that she appeared far too small for a three-week-old baby, looking more like a preemie. The very first time I looked at her, I mean really looked at her, I was in awe.

Bella was asleep in the bed, Evie breathing so lightly beside her that her chest barely rose and fell. I took the time to appreciate the bundle before me. The small rolls on her chubby arms. Her full cheeks and dark brown hair. Her tiny pouted lips. I was amazed at her even smaller fingers.

At the time, I didn't know what would happen to this small child and her mother. Foolishly, I still believed that the next day, I would drive them to a shelter and drop them off. I had no idea that the first night I spent with Evie would be the last night I would ever drink from a human.

Or that this small, fragile human would lead me to redemption.

AN: Thank you for reading and reviewing. Updates will hopefully be once a week. Hope you are willing to travel along with me and this story. My first vampire story. I've been wanting to do one for a while and late nights with my newest baby inspired this.

Big thank you to DOLLYBIGMOMMA for editing and her continued guidance.

Story is mine. Characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.