Chapter 21 - A Fool in Love

We reach the end of the private road and the beginning of a wide, packed-dirt driveway cutting straight through what looks like a natural clearing. On the left, a pristine lake carves a slice of glossy azure in the dark green of the forest. A small trail seems to connect its grassy shores to their residence.

The house itself is three stories high, wood frame as commonly done around here, with a pitched roof and imposing overhangs. I park the car and we get out. As we approach it, I look at their home in complete amazement. The outer walls are mostly glass and I can see the entire living room and dining room from outside. Blond hardwood floors, whitewashed walls, a light blue rug; it feels airy and inviting.

The living room is huge and half of it is occupied by a beautiful grand piano. A chandelier hangs above it. A winding staircase climbs to the second floor. I had only seen those in Hollywood movies. The trees are so close to the house, looming above it and casting their shade over it, that the long wraparound porch seems a little redundant. The small trail I'd noticed before has to wind past their gnarled trunks to reach its destination.

I tell Lynn how impressed I am, how open and spacious her house is and how much I like it.

"This is the one place where we don't have to hide." She says modestly. I keep looking around, stunned by something other than her smile this time. I also remember that, long before coming here, I dreamed of looking for her in a house made entirely of glass. Not quite the same thing, but still… that's an odd coincidence.

"Don't tell me you expected moats, castles, and dungeons?" She asks with an amused frown.

"No, not around here. There are no castles in Cascadia. And you told me you don't sleep so coffins were out of the question as well. Some cobwebs would have been nice, I suppose, for ambience." I pretend to scowl but soon go back to awed reverence. "Honestly, I just think it's breathtakingly beautiful. It looks more like an elven fortress than a vampires' lair. The designer must be really famous, and really expensive."

Lynn laughs.

"She's not famous, no, but she'll be so happy you said that, and she'll love your comparison. I happen to know she's crazy about fantasy novels and I'm sure she just heard you."

Her father, Dr. Cullen, the blond God I already met at the hospital, waits for us at the foot of the stairs with his wife, whom Lynn introduces as Esme, his soulmate and the creator of their not-so-humble abode. She's very petite, a little shorter than Lynn but curvier. Her long caramel hair flows across her shoulders like liquid honey. The warmth in her eyes is unmistakeable even from a distance. Lynn's parents advance slowly, worried about frightening me. I hold on to my girlfriend's hand and take a step toward them to show I have no fear.

"Dr. Cullen. It's an honor to meet you again. I cannot tell you how much I admire you. Lynn told me a lot about you…" Oops, I hope I'm not putting my foot in my mouth. No, everybody smiles. Lynn gives my arm a gentle squeeze while I shake his hand, or rather I hold it a little. He moves carefully, mindful that he could crush my bones as easily as I can crumple a sheet of paper.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Brandon, and in much better circumstances. No close call this time, I hope?"

"No, not this time. And yeah, honestly hospitals are not among my favorite places to visit."

Esme stands a little far back, trying to look unthreatening and doing a great job. She's like a fairy tale come to life, maybe Cinderella. Carlisle encourages her to greet me and she comes a little closer.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Brandon. We don't get many visitors. You are a brave young man.

"Nonsense." I reply shaking her hand. "I'm not brave at all. I'm just a fool in love."

I throw my left arm over Lynn's shoulder and pull her toward me, fully aware that I need her cooperation to achieve any results. She lets me, and she holds my waist with her right arm. Her hair tickles the soft flesh under my jaw as she nuzzles my collarbone. Esme watches us enraptured; in fact, she looks like she could literally burst at the seams with uncontainable joy. She also appears a little smug when she looks at Lynn, a kind of 'I told you so' air to her, but I can see how much this pleases her.

"Where is Alice?" Lynn asks, and right on cue the elfin girl and her boyfriend appear at the top of the stairs. She must have choreographed it that way. She twirls and skips towards me in a flash, coming so close to me her parents cringe a little in surprise, and she gives me a peck on the cheek before retreating a couple of feet. Jasper, moving as slowly as a human instead, joins her.

"It's great to see you Brandon. You do smell good. I'd never noticed." Alice trills.

Esme and Carlisle gasp. Lynn scolds her.

"Alice, what are you thinking?"

"Don't worry, Lynn. Brandon and I will be great friends. Hmm, his sense of fashion needs urgent help, but I know you like his rustic charm sis; I'll let it go for now."

I stroke Lynn's shoulder to reassure her I wasn't scared.

"You can be the sister I never had, Alice. One I might even allow to give me fashion advice."

"At least you chose colors that suit you, but I wish I could say the same about the cut of your garments. Off the rack and poorly altered, if at all…. Ew." She says wrinkling her nose.

Jasper, tired of waiting for the end of our chit chat, steps forward and we carefully shake hands. His expression seems less pained than usual and when we exchange greetings he even manages to smile, completely at ease. Lynn appears to be a little tense. She looks steadily at Alice, some kind of unspoken communication passing between them.

"I guess Rosalie is otherwise occupied?" Lynn asks no one in particular. Maybe she doesn't really expect an answer.

"She's still upset." Carlisle says softly. "She'll come around. She just needs time."

"Emmet is not here either." I mumble. "Is he mad at me too?"

"No," Lynn counters immediately. "He thinks I'm crazy, that's true, but he has no problem with you. He knows you play sports so that's a big plus already. He's just trying to convince Rosalie that she should give us a break."

"Let's sit down for a bit. Standing doesn't bother us but it might tire our guest." Carlisle suggests. We all find comfortable spots on sofas arranged around a coffee table.

Esme, a little fidgety, has some bad news.

"Lynn, she was probably joking but I should warn you that Rosalie kept saying she should crush your favorite car, your Aston Martin…."

She seems a little worried, but Lynn just shrugs it off and digs into her pockets. She pulls out a couple of key sets and selects one. She throws it in the air and it lands in the middle of the coffee table's polished wood top with a jingly clunk. It's a key-chain attached to a fob, a car key, and a stylized logo that means absolutely nothing to me. All the other members of her family just freeze and look at it. For a few seconds they almost remind me of statues, or the wax effigies from that famous museum in London.

"Tell her that if it makes her feel any better she's welcome to it." Lynn growls defiantly. "She can add it to her collection, smash it up with a crowbar, or drop a nuke on it for all I care."

Carlisle and Esme just keep gazing at her and at the key on the table. Only Alice is unfazed; she saw it coming. Finally Esme remembers how to talk.

"You loved that car…." She starts saying, still a little shocked.

"I thought I did." Lynn corrects her. "Now I know it's just a toy."

"That's my girl." I hug her a little harder. Jasper gasps. Carlisle and Esme exchange complicit glances and then beam in our direction.

"You have changed…" Esme says quietly, still beaming but a little awed as well.

"Carlisle," Lynn says, suddenly serious. "I was hoping this would only be a social visit but there is some matter we need to talk about. Brandon's father just informed us that the missing hikers were found. They're both dead, and early reports indicate there are bite marks on them. They suspect an animal attack…."

"I see," Carlisle replies, looking thoughful. "And you think they're on the wrong track. You think the vampires whose mind you felt yesterday might be responsible, right?"

"It's a possibility." Lynn nods. "Alice? Any thoughts?"

"All I see is that we will meet three drifters over the next month or so, as I already told you. From the few possible variations to this scenario, I can guess that they will head farther from Forks in the next few days before eventually backtracking and paying us a visit when they notice our scent. At present I don't see them interacting in any meaningful way with any of us or our acquaintances. But you know I'm not omniscient…. And things can change."

"What do you think we should do, Carlisle, if anything?" Lynn asks him, looking troubled.

"Not much, for the time being…. I asked everyone in the family to be on their guard and to let me know if they smell the presence of unknown vampires, but it is my guess that the drifters will avoid the town and only look for isolated victims. I reckon they won't be a problem. If things change hopefully Alice will be able to let us know ahead of time."

There doesn't seem to be much else to say for now, so we move to different subjects and chat about various topics for an hour or so. Lynn has already told them a lot about me, so I don't really face a third degree. There wouldn't be much to tell anyways. I ask them a little about their life, and their hobbies, since Lynn and I never talked about such mundane things. Alice loves fashion and devising new outfits. She also loves theater and ceremonies. Carlisle is an avid reader, like Lynn. I can only wonder at all the knowledge he must have accumulated; Lynn told me he has been alive almost three hundred years. Jasper only mentions he had a hard life before joining the Cullens, a life that left him no time for hobbies, but like Emmet he's into sports or complex strategy games. He must have seen a lot of fighting and suffering before Alice found him. Esme, of course, is into architecture and interior design and I compliment her again for the beauty of the house she envisioned for her family. She tells me that she's already working on a new project, still in the planning stages. They won't be able to stay here forever.

I also convince Carlisle and Esme, easily enough, to tell me more about their daughter. In every word they utter, I can hear how much they love her and how proud they are of her. Every time they point out that they had never seen her so happy, I also feel indefinable feelings stir in my chest.

"So, Brandon," Esme asks with a hint of play-duplicity in her eyes, "has Lynn ever told you her full name?"

"Not really." I admit, directing a reproachful glance at Lynn, who looks suddenly like she's about to blush herself. She got to interrogate my father about my early mishaps; let's see how she feels when the roles are reversed.

"Esme, you wouldn't…" She replies, her body tensing.

"Oh, come on, now I really want to know…." I ask Esme with a pleading voice.

"Her full name is Rosalynn."

"Esme….." Lynn fumes, "you know I always went by 'Lynn'." She pouts a little and with my left arm, still wrapped around her shoulders, I tickle her left ear to no discernible effect.

"It's a good thing you did." Alice adds facetiously. "Rosalie would be mad if your names almost sounded the same." We all laugh. It feels so comfortable to be with them. I suppose Jasper might be messing with my mood but I doubt it. Despite all our differences I feel like I'm home and this is my family too. I hope they feel the same. But of course it's not just that; Lynn is with me and she's sharing her life with me. That's all I wanted.

We talk a little more, and at some point I tell them their grand piano is beautiful. I can't play it, well, maybe just a little since my mom used to butcher classical pieces on an upright. I used to dream of buying her an instrument just like this one. I ask them if they also play it, like I know Lynn does.

"No, she is the only musical one in the family." Esme explains with admiration in her voice. "She's really very good."

"I should have known." I say, frowning a little even though I'm not really upset. Esme just looks puzzled.

"Lynn is good at everything, isn't she?" I clarify, pretend-sulking. They all burst out laughing.

"Not sure she's that great at absolutely everything, Brandon." Alice quips. "It took her ages to figure out she was falling in love with you. And you should have heard her whining when she found out but didn't know what to do about it. She was driving me crazy, overthinking every minute detail of your relationship." Lynn looks daggers at her, but it's just a ruse and when I tell them I was so confused about my own feelings I thought I had become ill they all laugh again.

"Lynn..." Esme intones reproachfully. "Have you been showing off?"

"Maybe a little," she whispers, contrite. "But Esme, Brandon is musical too. He can play the guitar."

"Well," I interject glumly, "I can suck at playing the guitar. Maybe someday I'll torture your ears with it if you really insist, but I'd like to hear Lynn play now…."

"Yes," Esme, "Lynn, play something for us, please…"

"Didn't you just say I shouldn't show off?"

"There are exceptions to every rule. Brandon will absolutely love it…"

"I'm sure I will, but to be fair I'm biased. I already love everything she does."

After more hilarity we persuade Lynn to perform and she drags me along to sit on the piano bench next to her, not that I needed any convincing. Her fingers start working the keyboard and a cascade of notes erupts from the instrument. It's hard to believe there is only just one musician. She plays a lush, majestic piece. It's beautiful but I don't recognize it. Esme smiles broadly.

"This is my favorite, Brandon. Thank you, Lynn. You hadn't played it in so long…." She looks at me again, her eyes full of affection.

"Wait," I croak, "You composed this?" I ask Lynn.

"Yes." She replies simply. "I wrote it for Esme and Carlisle's first wedding." After a rousing crescendo the piece comes to an airy finish on a chord I can't figure out. The silence is soon interrupted by the sparse notes of a bittersweet intro.

"Oh, this is new. You are composing again." Esme claps her hands, unable to contain her enthusiasm. "I thought you never would." I see Carlisle hug her from behind. They both watch us enraptured.

She plays a floating, delicate intro which evolves into a riff she repeats with a few variations before the piece slowly shifts into a series of ascending melodies that keep collapsing back to lower octaves with descending runs. They create tension and movement, but also frustration as they delay the next logical step in the progression. But it seems somehow familiar….. And aren't those descending runs the notes I was humming last night?"

"Wait," I gasp, "isn't this the melody you lulled me to sleep with?"

"Yes," she says with a shy smile, "you inspired this one. It's called 'Brandon's Lullaby'. Carlisle, Esme… Brandon also helped me compose it. Some of the descending runs were his ideas. They really complement the rest." I'd like to clarify it was a veryminor contribution, but I'm too overwhelmed with emotions that I'm not sure my heart can handle. Esme and Carlisle express their admiration for both of us in adoring tones.

I lose myself in the music while the original riff, returned to haunt us, keeps recurring until, after a clever inversion, it finally sets the melody free to keep soaring and soaring, unfettered, until it culminates in a modified major chord.

I sit, shocked, tears filling my eyes.

"It's so beautiful, Lynn. Thank you."

She dabs at my cheeks with tiny little kisses, at first just making me cry even more, and then we kiss tenderly, our lips salty with my tears.

"Your music is so beautiful. It's really touching. I love it." She just beams at me.

When I look around I notice the room is now empty.

"Where is everybody?"

"They just wanted to give us some privacy. They chose the right time; at least they didn't see you weep like a baby…" The words are teasing me, but the tenderness in her smile says otherwise.

"You really don't mind I'm such a wimp?" I say, my heart aching with worry.

"Don't say that." She sounds a little upset now. "You're not weak and in fact your stubbornness is legendary. You are very sensitive, yes, but that's one of the things I love about you. You should read the minds of some of your friends. What a bunch of thugs." She laughs a little .

"The music you wrote for me is amazing…."

"Don't forget you contributed. You don't have as much practice or experience as I do of course, but you have a good sense for music. Maybe someday we will compose something even better together…."

"That'd really be something…."

Next, she decides to take me on a tour of the house. I have a look at some of the relics they collected, like a collection of swords that includes a katana, and gasp in surprise when I see that they also have an old cross. It's rather ironic, and yet fitting. Lynn tells me it's a memento; it was carved by Carlisle's father more than three centuries ago. Needless to say, religious symbols of any kind have no effects whatsoever on vampires.

On the second floor she takes me to see Carlisle's studio. Three of the walls are floor to ceiling bookshelves filled to the brim with tomes in many languages. The fourth is a slab of glass that lets in all the gray light it possibly can. The desk and armchairs are beautifully preserved antiques.

Carlisle is there, but he's about to leave. One of the doctors is sick and he's needed at the hospital. He shakes my hand one more time.

"Thank you for coming today, Brandon. We are all very thankful for your courage and, most of all, your trust."

"Thank you Dr. Cullen. And thank you for trusting me too…. I will never tell anybody about what I learned."

"We know." He says simply. He smiles at Lynn, still clinging to my side.

"I'll see you kids later. Have fun. And Brandon, please visit any time. You'll always be welcome here."

"Kids…" Lynn mumbles, a little peeved at first. She freezes, though, and looks at me like she has just experienced an epiphany.

"He's right, you know…" our eyes lock, "as a human, and especially when it comes to relationships, I'm a kid too, despite my long life as a vampire. It's like my human life was a clock that stopped when I was turned, freezing my emotional and physical growth. Meeting you has shaken something loose and when it comes to human feelings the hands are moving forward again."

"I noticed that sometimes you look like a naughty kid…."

She laughs.

"It's all because of you Brandon." We celebrate her intuition with a kiss and then she has another idea.

"Come on; let me show you my room."

It's at the end of the hallway, a corner room. Two of the walls are made of glass and the floor's white oak. There is no bed, only a leather sofa and a lazy boy. The other two walls are floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with music, mainly vinyl and CDs, and books.

"You have so much music." I tell her. It's pretty cool, but almost too much. How do you choose something when you have so many options?

"I thought music was my life. I was so wrong… And I stopped composing a while ago… I didn't feel like it. Now I understand I needed the right inspiration."

She shakes her head, her hair stroking my neck. I inhale her scent and sigh. I admire her stereo system and look at the speakers scattered around the room. I wonder what it sounds like. A CD is in the deck, and I press play.

"What are you listening to?"

She simpers again. A piano strikes melancholy chords, then leaves some room for silence to become a second instrument. Sometimes the space between the notes is just as important as the notes themselves…. It's the beginning of a stroll in the moonlight with Debussy's Clair de Lune.

"It was always my favorite," she says, her eyes hidden by her hair, "but since you played it I've been listening to it a lot. I wasn't talking to you, but I wanted to think you played it for me, in school or later in your room. Just a silly fantasy…." She sounds embarrassed now.

"Actually, I did." I say quickly. "I just didn't know you were listening."

She smiles impish style, her mouth a little crooked. My knees shake a little. She takes my hands and starts moving in time with the music.

I have a nervous chuckle.

"You know I can't dance right?"

"I can teach you. Just follow my lead for now, so you'll know what to do when you are ready."

"Okay."

The beautiful music fills the room and we slowly spin around the sofa. I step on her toes a few times, clumsily, but only elicit laughter. After a few failed attempts I seem to get the hang of it and she even lets me lead a little. When I mess things up again we both stop and laugh out loud. When the track ends we bring it back to the beginning and try once more, with similarly inconsistent results, but we are having fun. Suddenly Alice whirls into the room, like a pint-sized tornado, followed by her boyfriend.

"Hi guys. It sounded like you were having Brandon for dinner and we were wondering if you'd like to share." She sings deadpan before winking and chuckling.

"Actually," she adds, "Jasper is getting really high on your moods… Please let us join you for a bit."

"What do you mean?" It's my turn to be puzzled. Alice grabs Jasper and they dance as well. He looks at her like there is nothing else in the universe. We talk while Lynn tries to direct my steps.

"The way you make each other feel…. it's so… special. For him your moods are contagious, and really enjoyable. I don't have his gift but I like your company too. We should spend more time together."

"Sure. As long as Lynn is with me I'm open to anything…" Alice and Jasper laugh and Lynn distracts me with a kiss. I never imagined life could be like this.

"We should play a baseball game then." Alice announces brightly. "There's a storm coming tonight… Carlisle should be back in time."

"Sorry, sister. I promised Brandon's father he would be back by seven." She looks upset, but determined.

"I know," Alice shoots back, "I saw your reply. It's okay. There will be another thunderstorm in a week or two. We'll play then."

"Wait, what? Vampires play baseball?" I had to ask.

"It's the American pastime…" Lynn says, half serious half in jest.

"Baseball and any other sport under the sun, if Emmet is involved." Jasper explains curtly. I can tell he enjoys a challenge though.

"Do you guys play soccer?"

"Not yet. But Alice says it looks fun and Emmet has been watching a few games. Maybe we'll try it."

"Maybe someday I'll teach you."

Eventually Lynn changes the music, putting on slow torch songs that burn through the afternoon while I barely shuffle my feet around, my body pressed against hers.

"Brandon," she whispers in my ear. "This is so strange… I wanted to share my life with you, make sure that there are no secrets left between us, but I only expected to feel some kind of relief. Instead, it's filling me with unexpected joy. Now that I'm sharing my whole life with you everything seems to be more pleasurable than ever."

I smile and give her a peck on the cheek.

"I'm happy too, Lynn. It will be a lot harder to disappear for you now. I know where you live…" I try on for size a grizzled private eye look and wind chimes peal in her laughter.

When the music ends she puts on a modern waltz played by some indie band. I don't recognize it but I notice the lyrics mention a flightless bird while I try to keep up with my partner's steps.

We dance until it's almost seven, when Lynn has to bring me back home. She knows her dad expects me to fix dinner tonight. I bid everybody farewell and thank them again for making me feel so welcome.

In the car, Lynn drives holding my hand. Chalk it up as a perk of having a vampire girlfriend; superior senses.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want to scare you, but Jasper is new to the 'vegetarian' lifestyle we embrace. I was worried he might feel attracted to your human blood. And he is, of course, but I don't think it will be a problem. Thankfully the feeling of wellbeing he experiences when he's with us dulls the intensity of his other desires. Anyways, I'm sure he can be around you. Alice will make sure he goes hunting regularly so his thirst is easier to manage."

"Okay. I really like them both. You can read their minds…. I know Alice likes me too, how about Jasper?"

"Honestly, he normally doesn't care for humans. He tries to avoid them if he's not hunting them like he used to. He likes our moods when we are together, he likes them a lot, but he also likes another thing about you: he's glad you never told anybody about the way I blocked that van. He thinks it's your way or repaying us, even though in a sense it implies siding with us rather than your fellow humans. Of course we are all thankful for that, but he used to value will strength and honor more than most."

"Yeah, I can tell he has been through a lot. He seems to have many light scars. I hadn't noticed them at school. Anyways, I can tell he really loves Alice and will do anything to protect her and your family. It's like you told me once before." I laugh and she quizzes me about it.

"You're usually right about everything… aren't you?" I add, wondering what she will say to that.

"I used to think so, but I've been wrong many times about you. I didn't see I was falling for you, or how observant you were, and then I couldn't figure out what you were thinking. I thought you were afraid of me at first. That was never the case, was it?"

"No. You're not as scary as you think you are." I state casually, teasingly.

"Oh, is that so?" She has a sinister glimmer in her eyes and then does her naughty-kid-grin; I know I'm in trouble now. "You really shouldn't have said that."

She steps on the accelerator and I watch horrified as the speedometer starts climbing. Ninety miles per hour. One hundred. At one hundred and ten I tug on my shirt's collar and mumble a prayer to deities I do not believe in. One twenty. The trees are a solid green wall on both sides of the road. One hundred and thirty. I imagine paramedics trying to scrape my remains off tree bark with a spatula. One hundred and fifty. Her eyes sparkle with mirth.

"Okay, I'll amend that. You are a terrifying, heartless monster." I grovel, closing my eyes. "Please slow down now."

Her mountain-rill laugh fills the car, but she mercifully eases on the accelerator until we are back to a reasonable seventy miles an hour.

"Okay, but seriously, you were never afraid….." She looks curious now, peering at me with renewed intensity.

"Never. I mean, sure, I knew you could kill me if you wanted to. Well, get in line. My father could just shoot me with his gun. Some kid could show up at school with an Uzi and start gunning everybody down. The list goes on. I don't see any point in sweating that kind of stuff. The thing is, I trust you and your family. I trust you won't harm me."

"You are crazy…" She says, clearly exasperated.

"No, just a fool in love." Her eyes soften and she lets me raise her hand to my face and press it against my cheek.