(Twilight theme by Stephanie Meyer)

BPOV

Edward and I were enjoying the night as we sat on the beach, but for some reason I felt, well, lonely. I was enjoying myself and my new husband; these feelings were unsubstantiated. Edward hugged me tightly to his bare chest and I felt him sigh against my hair.

"What are you thinking?" I asked in a voice just above a whisper.

"I'm just enjoying how quiet everything is here, no random thoughts or repetitive chanting to keep me from hearing them."

"I am so glad you can't hear me…"

"Me too." He laughed.

We sat on the sand and the waves crashed against our legs in a soothing rhythm. I had the urge to call home again, but so far no one had been able to get Tristan to take my calls. I knew he was trying to give me my space while I'm on my honeymoon, but I was beginning to think he was miserable. Tristan tends to get reckless when he is unhappy. Even though we had better control than most newborns, but I am not so sure he would stay vigilant if he didn't have me to lean on. A part of me was always worrying about him and hoping that he would bond with our new family. Well, only a small part, the rest of me was enjoying my honeymoon. The last few months have been so stressful that I have decided to be selfish and enjoy this vacation for as long as we were able to.

Edward called Alice later on in the week to let her know we would be staying longer. I heard bits and pieces of their conversation and I knew the loneliness I felt was an extension of what Tristan must have been feeling. I snuck away to call him again, but I knew he would not answer. I felt like I should be the one to explain to him why I needed to stay here longer, but I am not sure if it would make him feel better to hear my voice or if it would make him even more miserable.

My call rang once and then clicked over to voicemail.

"You're reached Tristan, if you are calling me from your honeymoon you should hang up and go enjoy yourself. Beep."

"Bitch! I cannot believe you ignored my phone call. You are lucky I am enjoying myself or I would be on my way home to kick your…" I paused for a second then changed my tone. "I miss you, and I thought you should hear it from me that we are staying here a few weeks longer. Stop being so lonely, you are making me sad." I hung up and I knew that he would take it as a joke. I tried to think about what Edward would think if I ever left him a message like that. I imagined an incredulous look of panic cross his face and it made me laugh a bit.

TPOV

My car arrived and as soon as I received all the necessary parts, I threw myself into my project. Around dawn on day two I heard the patter of delicate feet approach the door to the garage. The door opened but the air remained silent between us.

"Good morning Rosalie."

"Morning, do you need a hand?"

I stopped and turned to see if she was serious. I could not picture the ice princess with grease under her nails. When I took in her outfit though, I was sure that she had been sincere in her offer. She stood in the doorway in a pair of jeans and grease stained shirt.

"Yeah, sure, why don't you grab yourself a wrench and you can help me with the transmission."

"No jokes about me being a girl?" She said sounding a little surprised.

"Blondie, if you can fix my transmission without help I will give you an honorary man card if you want."

"Hmm, does this 'man-card' come in pink?" She said as she examined the transmission. I laughed and went back to work on the wiring. I heard her hum appreciatively at the shape of the car and we began to discuss technical mechanics and modifications for my new car. Of all the people in this house I would not have picked out Rosalie as the mechanically inclined Cullen.

My first impression of Rosalie had been compromised by the situation we were in. I remember hearing her worried voice as Bella and I were carried to the Cullen's house in Forks. That night was really vague due to the searing pain flowing through my veins, but lately I could pick out conversations in the background. She would say things that were less than complimentary about the choice that Bella made. In the month of living with the Cullens we had learned that anything you have uncovered with the assistance of your ability was supposed to be kept to yourself. I am not sure if my "recall" after my rebirth could be considered an ability or not, so I decided not to confront Rosalie about her comments. As the day progressed I began to see Rosalie in a whole new light. She was funny and could be quite rational, I wondered why she seemed to like me better than Bella. This whole family accepted me, but if Bella and I stood on opposite ends of a field I think my side would be awfully lonely. It was an odd feeling for me, I made it a point to be the center of attention and Bella was usually my side-kick. It was weird to think of her having a life outside of me, or being my only link to other people which she considered family.

"Did you buy a new battery?"

"No, they said the existing battery was new."

"Yeah, it was new some point, just not recently." Rosalie said shaking her head at the useless hunk of plastic in her hand.

"You think you could convince my prison guard to let me go out and buy one?"

"With Alice, less is more." Rose hopped into her M3 and motioned for me to join her quickly. I grabbed my Ray Bans and jumped into the moving vehicle. We saw Alice enter the garage just as we rounded the corner and Rose turned her cell phone off. The fresh air was laced with the scent of freedom and I stood up letting the wind whip through my hair as we sped down the highway. I could hear Rose laughing as she watched me bask in the freedom.

"Why are you so nice to me?" I asked her, obviously catching her off guard.

"I want you to feel welcome. You are more like us than she will ever be."

"Bella?"

"Yes, she chose this life, you didn't." I thought about that for a second.

"You aren't even bothering to lie to me. Why is that?"

"You would know if I was keeping something from you and I want you to feel like you have someone who likes you for more than being Bella's twin."

"Why do you hide behind that superficial facade? You are much more than your exterior."

"Do you even know what I carried with me into this life?"

"Yes, better than you do."

"What?" She said looking like she was ready to tear into me.

"If you were not so self involved the majority of the time, you would have realized that your looks are merely one aspect of your ability."

She took a minute to process what I said. Her expression looked as if she were deciding how to take my comment. The idea of ripping me limb from limb played across her features, but then something changed.

"If I were to be less, self-involved, what am I capable of?" Her curiosity and desire for an active power must have won out over her pride and rage.

"Well, let's try it out." I looked at the mechanic shop and saw the young man who would most likely be helping us. "You see that guy? He is about 28 and he is very happily married. You are going to get him to give us a battery for my car without any questions asked. Let's use your physical appearance for this trial run."

"I am not flashing him…" She said quickly and I laughed.

"You could be bundled up like an Eskimo with and this would work."

"Okay how does this work?"

"Glamour him. I dunno, just think about what you want and take it from him."

We walked into the store and the guy was alone. Rosalie walked in and without even saying anything the boy was already mesmerized by her. He was not used to having many women enter his store, much less a woman who looked like Rosalie.

"H-hello." He stuttered a bit before he got himself together. "Is there anything I can help you with miss?"

"Yes, I need a new battery for my car. In fact I need that one right there." She pointed to a battery on the shelf in the display. He walked to over to the shelf and mechanically grabbed it. He tested it in a machine next to the display and handed it to Rosalie after placing it in a bag. He rang up the transaction, and asked her for $80.

"Don't you remember I gave you two fifties, just a second ago." Her voice had a sing song quality to it and he looked into the drawer which was bare, except for a handful of fives and ones. He pulled out two dollar bills and said, "Oh I am sorry miss, I am so forgetful today!" He placed the bills under the cash drawer where the big bills were kept and handed her the receipt and her change.

"H-have a nice d-day." He said as he waved us out.

"Thank you." Rosalie said barely able to contain her excitement. Once outside she jumped on me, "Can you believe that!"

I spun her around and placed her on her feet, "That was very cool."

"What is next! I want to do it again!" She was as excited as a child on Christmas.

"Maybe we should take it easy Rosalie. We don't even know how long that memory you planted will stick. We don't want to get caught."

"Do you think it will work on Vampires?"

"If you practice, it is possible I suppose. I doubt it will work on me, or Bella since our abilities block others. It is worth a try though."

We were driving off when the kid emerged from the store and tried to catch up to our car. The memory had worn off and he was scrambling to catch up with us. "I'll send him a check tomorrow." Rosalie said looking a little disappointed that he remembered so quickly, but obviously still pleased.

We got back to the house Alice tore into me about leaving, but I explained that I had my sunglasses and that no one would notice me with Rosalie to stare at. Rosalie liked my flattery and she made Alice lighten up about the whole situation. After a break we got back to work and attached the battery. I installed a new starter and replaced the ignition and around 2 am we were ready to bring her to life. I sat in the driver's seat and Rose sat shot gun as I turned the key and she roared to life. There were no odd rattling noises and the engine sounded strong.

"We rebuilt this car from scrap metal to amazing in three days."

"The perks of super speed."

"Wanna go for a ride?" I wagged my brows at her. Before she could answer I felt the back of the car dip and Emmett jumped into the back seat. "Where are we going?"

"Who cares?" Rose said and I gunned it out of the garage. We sped down the highway and the modifications we made kept my car practically silent. We took the curves at greater speeds than I had as a human, but now with this new sight I felt invincible. We hit a small town about fifteen minutes later and stopped to get some gas. I handed my card to Rosalie and she gave me one of her familiar ice princess looks.

"Hello? Eyes, I can't go talk to that human like this. I motioned to my burning crimson eyes and she sighed.

"Emmett, go buy the gas for Tristan." Rosalie barked.

"I asked you for a reason Blondie." I said raising my eyebrows and she smiled taking the card. She was out of the car a little too fast, but it was 2 in the morning I doubted anyone would have seen her. She spoke to the guy at the cash register and he turned our pump on.

"You just told Rosalie to do something and she did it. I am confused." Emmett said as we watched her intently.

"You will in a second." I pumped the gas and double checked the tank to make sure that there were no leaks.

Once we were filled up I took off and Emmett asked her what that was all about.

"I discovered that I have an ability, I can temporarily manipulate people into thinking what I want them to. The man in there is probably reviewing the security tape to figure out what the hell just happened."

"What did you do this time?" I asked her curious as to how far she was able to push it this time.

"He called me ma'am so I told him I was you. He squinted at your picture on the back of the card and then, he apologized to me. Simple, but it worked."

"Do you feel when you have a strong connection with someone?" I asked her, this was the only way I could think of explaining it to her. With my power I feel as though there is a tangible connection between me and whoever I am concentrating on. Like a string that can pass information between us, like I am downloading their truths and intentions. I had to assume that with her power she was doing something similar, uploading her own truths into the person's mind or straight to their senses.

"I feel like I am connected to them and I can feel them struggle. I can't hold on for very long when they struggle." She replied in a tone that understood my question and wanted to elaborate, but couldn't find the right words.

Rosalie and Emmett discussed her ability at length and I felt great. I actually accomplished something in these last few days. I finished my car, but it was more than that. I made a permanent change in Rosalie's life. I had an ally in this family and I could see my path forming, I knew this was how I would pass the time and find my place in my new life. I flipped open my phone and sent a text to Edward's cell phone.

Tell her I am fine. I have a surprise when you guys get back. Enjoy your honeymoon.

I walked through the house and everyone was spending couple time in their rooms. I decided to put the finishing touches on my car and I pulled out the paint gun and my custom crimson paint. I finished as the sun was coming up and I decided to let the paint dry. I ran up to my room and stripped down to take a shower. I ran the water and watched as all the grease and paint swirled around the drain. Usually I would be scrubbing my hands raw trying to get rid of everything, but this new skin was so smooth that everything just rinsed off nice and neat. The warm water and the familiar swirl of grease and bathwater sent me into another intense flashback.

***

When I turned 16 my mother wrecked our car on her way home from work. She passed out behind the wheel and the car veered off the road and straight into a ditch. She escaped with minor injuries only, but the courts sentenced her to probation and an on-site mandatory rehabilitation program. My uncle had recently gotten a divorce from his wife of 10 years and told his sister that he would look after me while she was gone. The first couple of months were really rocky, I had been the man of the house for the past 6 years and my uncle was trying to be an authority figure in a broken home. I spent a lot of my time avoiding him and resenting his presence in my house. I knew that without him I would have been sent into foster care, but I felt territorial over my house and without my mother I felt like I had no purpose.

One night we finally had it out and I yelled all the reasons I hated having him in my house. He stood there and took it. He just let me scream and push him; he remained silent until I had gotten everything off my chest. It was the most frustrating argument of my life. My mother would have hit me by now. She frequently did hit me without provocation. I would go to school covered in bruises and learned at a young age how to cover her marks by picking fights on the school yard. I would push the buttons of those around me and in turn they would punch and kick in all the spots I needed them to. When you perfect a skill, even one as destructive as fighting, it is frustrating to find the person who is immune to it. For me that person was my uncle. He saw my words and pushing for what they were, a defense mechanism. After a long silence he put his hand on my shoulder and simply said, "Tomorrow I need you up at 7, there is somewhere I want to take you before school."

Then he went to his room and shut the door. I was frozen in that spot for what seemed like an eternity, still confused as to what just happened. The next morning at seven he was waiting for me in the living room. He drove us to the edge of town into a junkyard where we picked out the body and some parts for my first car. Each night we would work on it after dinner and slowly I learned how each part worked, how to fix it and through that experience I built a relationship with my uncle. He had given me something that was just mine and taught me to channel my energy into something positive. We finished the car the night before my seventeenth birthday. I remember taking a shower at midnight and scrubbing the emerald green paint off my forearms. Afterwards I went to my room, completely exhausted and ready for a good night's sleep. I flicked the lights off, but my room did not fall dark as I would have expected it to. A light from next door was pouring into mine and I saw that Bella was still up. When I started high school we had drifted apart, I would still wander over there a couple times a week to watch a movie or have dinner, but it was not the same. I stared at her window scanning her room, but there was no sign of her. I unlocked my window and stuck my head out and just as I thought I found her on the roof outside her bedroom. It was a warm night and she was sprawled out in her pajamas. I jumped out of my window onto the trampoline, which caught her attention. I climbed the trellis and lay down next to her.

"What are you doing up here? Do you know what time it is?"

"Renee and Phil are getting married."

"Oh" It was all I could say. I knew she liked Phil, but her relationship with Renee was not so different than my relationship with my mother. Bella was the responsible one in the house, Renee was flighty at best. Phil was a minor league baseball player who was quite a bit younger than Renee. It was not exactly the relationship that Renee needed. It was just another passing interest.

"I just want her to be happy, but I barely see her as it is." Bella said after a long silence passed.

"I know kid, she will be. You shouldn't worry about Renee."

She nodded and then asked, "Where have you been?"

She was always a straight forward person and I knew she meant the last few months, but I decided to answer her literally instead. I would have that talk with her and reveal my epiphany, but for now I just needed to be near her. "In the garage as usual. What are you doing tomorrow?"

"School, why?"

"How about spending my last birthday as a minor with me?"

"What about your girlfriend? I thought you were spending your birthday with her?"

"I just finished my car and I think that my best friend should be the one to celebrate with me."

She just smiled and without further discussion we fell back into our familiar rhythm. My seventeenth birthday was the best I ever had. We drove all over Arizona stopping at drive-thrus for meals and watching a movie at the drive-in later that night. The negative person I had been while I was taking care of my mother took a long time to turn around. Working on my car helped me work on the individual parts of life I needed to fix.

***

In finishing the project I was able to get my life together and I learned to live with people instead of just looking out for myself. I am out of my element in this new house, I am not in control and that familiar fight or flight instinct is nagging at me. The past few days in the garage working on my car made me relive the memories of my first car and how I felt at ease when I finally had something of my own. Spending the day with Rosalie and helping her made me feel like I had a purpose here. I finally felt like I was settling in and I was re-learning to live with people. I looked at myself in the mirror as I dried myself after the hot shower and my eyes were still red, but darker. I smiled knowing that tomorrow would be a hunting day, and my next target was Emmett. He has been itching to take me out on a hunt to teach me. Little did he know I am now itching to teach him.

(A/N: First thing is first a big thank you to my awesome beta Nici91 for helping me get this out on time. [You Rock!] We are still laying the foundation for the story, I want to develop Tristan's character before we jump 25 years ahead and get to a point where there is some new blood thrown into the mix. Thanks for all the alerts and reviews, they make my day!)