~ New Orleans, Louisiana - November 30, 1994 ~

I stood dead still, as only a vampire could, on a secluded, third-floor balcony just off Bourbon Street. New Orleans had become my new home for the past year. After six years of shunning contact, I decided I needed a purpose to my existence. The first time I left the family, I did so to hunt, to quench my thirst for human blood. I had justified my murderous ways by only selecting the evil filth of mankind as my prey. My new purpose was still to hunt down the dregs of humanity, but instead of being judge, jury, and executioner in one, I would allow the humans to provide those services. I now used my gift to search out New Orleans undetected criminals and ensure the local authorities found them and the necessary evidence to secure a conviction. I was selective in those I targeted. Intent played heavily into my efforts. Some individuals committed crimes, sometimes heinous in nature, for worthwhile reasons. I was also careful to stay clear of other vampires in the area. New Orleans occasionally harbored a couple of my brethren, yet I was alone with my amber eyes. I did not want to interfere with their hunting activities, or enter into a territorial conflict that could raise the ire of the Volturi.

Stretching out with my gift, I scanned the thoughts of the locals and tourists partaking in a typical evening of Bourbon Street partying and debauchery. New Orleans was a prime location for my activities as so much went unnoticed. I found a couple of possible targets but neither really warranted my intervention.

"Edward Cullen?"

Hearing my name in the sea of thoughts shocked me. In an instant I sought out its source. My eyes focused on figure shrouded in the shadows of a street level doorway two blocks away.

"Ah, yes. There you are." The thoughts continued as our eyes met. "I see the stories are true. You can read minds. Fascinating! I mean you no harm, Edward. I have been sent to see you by an amazing little creature, your sister, Alice." I stood statue still as images of Alice and…Garrett, was his name…spoke together.

"Jackson Square," I whispered into the night, knowing he would hear me clearly. Garret nodded and walked casually away.

Ten minutes later I entered Jackson Square and headed for the shadows around the St. Louis Cathedral. Garrett was on the other side of the square and approached me slowly. His thoughts were not treacherous, but rather he was worried about spooking me. When he got closer he spoke softly, but it was easy for me to hear him.

"Greetings, Edward Cullen. I applaud your meeting location. The Place d'Armes is one of my favorite locations. What a sight this area was during the Battle of New Orleans." Images of a vampire Garrett feeding amongst the colonial American and British troops past through his thoughts. His use of the square's original name only punctuated his lengthy age as a vampire. "I am Garrett. I have known Carlisle for well over a century and half, but I have just recently had the pleasure of meeting the rest of your unique family. May I approach?"

I couldn't sense any malice or threat in his thoughts, so I nodded.

"I hope you have been able see from my thoughts I truly mean you now harm. Your sister Alice sent me to seek you out. She feels we could both help each other."

In thought, Garrett ran through meeting my family outside of Hanover. He spent a week with them. It was obvious he was fascinated by our unique lifestyle. An image of Carlisle explaining that one of his family, his first sired, was away from the family. This led to Alice having a vision and her subsequent conversation with Garrett to seek me out in New Orleans. No other information was provided other than we could help each other.

"Thank you for showing me." I responded quietly. "So tell me how you think we could help each other?"

"I understand from Alice that you will be traveling north to Alaska soon."

I wasn't planning on doing any such thing, but I easily recognized Alice manipulating the situation to fit a certain vision she had hopes of being fulfilled. If my family only knew how often she did that. It was an unspoken agreement between the two of us that I would never out her manipulation, as along as the greater family good was served by her machinations. However, I really wasn't obligated to follow along anymore, so I made no comment one way or the other. I would wait to hear Garret out before deciding on involving myself in Alice's little scheme.

"I have heard stories of another golden-eyed group of vampires in Alaska. Rumor is they are blessed with a wealth of beautiful women, much like your family." Graphic images of Garrett engaged in a variety of sexual acts with all three of the Cullen women flash through his mind. I close my eyes hoping to stop the images, but I knew it would be fruitless.

"Please try to control your thoughts about my family!" I pleaded. I could tell by the tenor of the thoughts that he would never actually try any of the actions I was exposed to. They were just fantasies. However it did not make them any less disturbing.

"Sorry!" Garrett gasped as his mind shifted to game three of the 1939 World Series, specifically Joe DiMaggio's two-run home run in the third inning. A much more palatable image than Rose, Alice, and Esme engaged in a four-way with Garrett. "Carlisle warned me about tempering my thoughts around you. It must be difficult seeing everyone's innermost fantasies."

"You have no idea," I answered dryly.

"Fascinating! I can see why you are taking a break from your family. I have very little experience around the mated of our kind, and I must confess that mating seems very odd to me. The desire to spend eternity with only one female seems a bit…stifling." Garrett worked hard to control his thoughts but images of several female vampires he had previous carnal knowledge of filtered through his mind. "But I guess there are worse fates for our kind, eh?" Garrett gave me a smirk and wink. "Which brings me back full circle. I am a soldier at heart, but without a cause to champion or a battlefield to feed upon I find I am looking for other types of diversions, such as seeking out others of our kind that are unique. Besides being beautiful creatures, I believe one of the Alaskan sisters has a particularly powerful gift. I would very much like to see it first hand."

It was interesting to read his thoughts. At first I believed he was interested in the Denali sisters for the pleasure he could seek in their company, but now it was easy to read that he truly did enjoy meeting those of us that had gifts. Part of it was his military-honed personality and the subsequent need to seek out the powerful of our kind. Another part…and perhaps a bigger part…was he did this to break up the tedium of our existence. Knowing that Carlisle's family was friendly with the Denali coven seemed a convenient path to follow in his quest to meet them.

"In the family you speak of, the Denalis, there are indeed three women that consider themselves sisters. Tanya, Irina, and Kate were all changed around the year 1000 or so. Many of the human legends portending to the females of our kind being a succubus can be attributed to their fondness for human males."

"Oh, I must meet them now!" Garrett's eyes and thoughts sparkled with the possibilities of three single female vampires. He did fancy himself as quite the vampire Lothario.

I paused for a moment to decide how I wanted to handle Garrett, as well as Alice's insistence that we help each other out. It was obvious that Alice wanted me to escort him to meet the Denalis. Alice understood why I left the family and what it would take for me to return. Her interference had a purpose, and as we had come to learn in our family, one should never bet against her visions...especially if she had set her mind to making them come true.

I guess I was going to Alaska.