Quickly, but still following normal human speed, I left the small room and left the vet clinic. I walked over to the Mercedes, but I didn't get in, instead I leaned against my father's car.

I bent over and put my hands on my knees, taking slow deep breaths, concentrating on not only breathing slowly, but on something that always helps me…

"Has he lost his mind…can he see…or is…he…blind…can he walk at all…or if he moves…will… he… fall..." I recited the song Iron Man from Black Sabbath between breaths, it's beat as well as any song with a heavy beat works, even my swing music worked back in the fifties if I concentrated on it. These kind of beats are great for helping me focus on something else when the scent of blood is strong for me or an animal's emotions get to much, or in this case…both.

Like one time I went hunting with just Emmett, he found this really grumpy grizzly whom Emmett had just woken up.

Of course, Emmett being Emmett decided there was nothing wrong with agitating the bear even more than it already was.

Em was looking for a good fight with something that would put up a decent fight and this bear was just angry enough that it would do just that.

I had already found my moose and was patiently waiting for him as I tried to ignore the bear's mood. To make a long story short, it got to the point that this bear was SO pissed at Emmett that I had to actually get away from them.

It sounds crazy, but I was empathizing the bear's anger and used one of my favorite swing songs to calm down as I literally raced away from the two of them. And when I say I was empathizing with the bear's anger, I mean it.

I was getting angry at Emmett for no apparent reason to the point that I was willing to attack him.

That was the first time it had happened its only happened a few other times since, to the point of reacting that way to an animal's emotions, I usually just understand their emotions, and sense it as I alter them.

The physical stuff that comes with the different emotions usually doesn't affect me, but in rare instances it does.

The last time happened nearly twenty years ago and I've never had it happen again, but I'm waiting, knowing that it could very well occur again.

It's also one of the biggest reasons I don't go after predators with my brothers, I really fear that the emotions will get to much again and I might attack one of my brothers, at least deer don't tend to be overly violent.

I mean, I completely agree with Emmett on the taste of bear, it's a decent taste, but because I'm afraid of the emotions getting out of control I have made bear a very rare treat.

"Hey you ok son?" a new voice caught my attention, I had been concentrating on taking deep breaths that I hadn't even noticed a new scent.

An older guy, late 70s maybe early 80s was standing on the sidewalk, a concerned look on his face.

My eyes went wide as I read him, he had seen war he had that same look in his eyes I had seen in soldiers coming back from the front when I was human, soldiers whom I had envied and longed to be in their shoes.

I glanced at his hat, USS Texas; he was a vet. I knew it. I thought it over, USS Texas; the Texas was instrumental in the landing of Normandy in 1944, D-Day, Omaha beach. This guy hadn't just seen war…he had seen Hell in it's true form.

"We…were you at Normandy?" I asked, nodding towards his hat.

A wide grin swept across his face, he seemed surprised that I had come to that conclusion and I could see that he doesn't come across to many people that can connect his hat to the invasion and eventual reclaiming of occupied France from the Nazis.

"You bet your can I was. I was eighteen and scared outta my mind," he looked at me and leaned on his cane "you know your history." he said, obviously impressed

"Yes sir." I replied, my mind began working, he was eighteen in 1944, that meant…my eyes went wide he was fourteen in 1940…we were nearly the same age…technically, it all depended on if his birthday was before or after my own, but I didn't have the courage to ask, that and it didn't seem appropriate.

"How old are you kid?"

"Fourteen," I replied, he whistled

"I got a grandson 'bout your age, could care less 'bout anything 'cept them video gaming toys, especially history. Took him to Pearl Harbor last year, to show him the memorial and he moaned and complained the whole time. Doesn't even care that his grandpa landed at Normandy, I don't even think he knows what D-Day was let alone what happened."

I could see the bitterness about that in the old man's face, even though someone else would just see tiredness.

I frowned at that, maybe its cause of my real age…maybe it's 'cause I've seen so much, but I felt a pang of dislike for this guy's grandson, it's one thing to be bored with history in the classroom, but to refuse to give it respect, especially in the presence of a site so many died at is an insult and wrong.

Standing with a man who he not only should be respecting because he's his grandfather, but respecting as a soldier who risked his life to liberate strangers and help bring a nasty long war which so many civilian and soldier alike had died during, to a final close.

I let out a silent growl, keeping my mouth shut was in my best interest…disrespectful or not, the kid this vet was talking about was his grandson.

"Did you go out onto the memorial for the Arizona?" I asked, changing the subject away from the grandson.

That brought a sad smile to the man

"It was a humbling sight, but a beautiful one. I highly recommend it, everyone should see it at least once in their lifetime. So no one ever forgets"

I nodded, but knew I would never see it in person, Hawaii equals sun not the place for a vampire to be vacationing in.

"I've seen pictures of it. It's amazing how something so beautiful could be built of out of something so tragic and could've been prevented." I said softly

The old man nodded

"The government knew kid, we all knew it was coming, it was just a matter of when… not if"

I kept myself from nodding, he had no way of knowing that I was around in 1941, for all he knew I learned all this in school or from my own grandparents.

I had been afraid for months, knowing that it was not only possible, but imminent that the US would be attacked.

My bets had been on Germany, not Japan, attacking on American soil. That had been a shocker and had made me feel so isolated, not knowing if England was safe, if it had fallen and the American papers were just to blind to report it.

I could not fathom how Americans couldn't see their own vulnerability, how the president couldn't or even wouldn't see the danger his country was in.

Everywhere I went in town it was people going about their daily lives, even the morning it happened was normal, it was as if everyone had built up the lie that they were virtually safe so much that it was impossible to see the truth.

When I first came to live with the Cullens and learned just how little Americans really knew about what they called Europe's problem, I imagined Americans had built a wall around their country, that was impenetrable and Europe's problem couldn't get in, it couldn't penetrate.

That sense of isolation and "we're in our own safe bubble no one can touch us," finally came to an end in the form of the American President, Franklin Roosevelt's radio address to Congress, asking for a declaration of war.

Though I was terrified at first and trust me, I went back into panic mode; Emmett was actually the one who calmed me down. I also felt a sense of relief that the country was finally waking up to its own vulnerability and finally going to give into Prime Minister Churchill's pleading for help.

"Really?" I dared to ask, keeping the interested kid persona well established, and I think I did a damn good job. "I didn't think anyone knew until it was to late, not until that very morning."

"No son. It was kind of one of those things you didn't talk about, but the threat was there. We just didn't think it was possible, we didn't think the Japs could pull it off." He paused, took off his glasses and cleaned them on a handkerchief, before putting them back on and looking at me. "I had just turned fifteen when it happened." I nodded; so he was older than me not by much though. "Came home from school the day after, mother was in kitchen crying. I had no idea what was going on, she assured me that it had nothing to do with our family, so I headed outside for a childish snowball fight. That night, President Roosevelt came on the radio. Year later I lied about my age and joined up."

"When you were sixteen?" I asked in surprise.

That had been what I had wanted to do, as soon as the Nazi's started bombing the hell out of us, I wanted to lie about my age, become a soldier, fight for my king. The only thing that had stopped me was my mother and my promise to my father to take care of her.

Then of course, nearly getting killed during the blitz and being turned into a vampire kind of put a damper on that idea.

"Just about." He replied, "Henry Bowman," he held out his hand to me, he had thick leather gloves on, so I was sure he wouldn't feel my cold body temperature through them…

Though looking at the way his hands shook, I had a feeling he had little to no feeling at all in his hands and I wondered for a moment if he had been seriously injured at Normandy, still suffering from Shell Shock, a common threat among soldiers I had learned all about during the blitz, mainly because a lot of Londoners developed it too during the bombings.

My next door neighbor had it, as did his sister in law, both had been in a shelter in the underground with their families that had been leveled, they had just barely made it out.

"Chris…Chris Cullen." I replied shaking his hand

"Good to meet you Chris. You know, I've met a lot of people and I don't think I've ever met someone who's on top of his history, of any age, but especially a fourteen year old."

I shrugged

"It's always fascinated me…the past. I strongly believe in 'if you don't learn from your past your doomed to repeat it."

Henry nodded heavily

"Aint that the truth." He glanced at his watch "it was great talking to you Chris, but I have to meet my wife at the coffee shop." He grinned "supposed to be there fifteen minutes ago."

"Sorry I kept you"

"Don't worry about it. She can live without me for a little bit." He glanced back at the vets office "are you going to be ok?"

I nodded

"Yeah, just a little overwhelming in there. But I should go back in 'fore my dad starts to wonder where I've taken off to." I held up the keys "and with his car."

Henry burst out laughing at that one.

"Take it easy Chris and keep up that sense of history will you? It's something to many of you kids lose."

I nodded and shook his hand again

"Thanks for telling me 'bout your time in the service and for what you did..." Henry seemed surprised at that, something else he apparently doesn't get very often. In my mind I thought hope your grandson finally appreciates how important you and what you did truly are…

"Your welcome." Henry said and turned to continue on his way down the street, slowly, the pain of his past evident with each step.

I sighed, turning my attention back to the needle for a few moments, before heading back towards the vet's office, my hands shoved deep in the pouch of my sweatshirt.

I've met many from my generation…it's impossible to not. In the US the 20s, 30s, and even 40s were times of big families so there's a lot of my generation still roaming, not running exactly, but we're still around.

But I've never connected with one like this, felt so much in common with someone of what has been dubbed the Silent generation…silent generation…I sighed and shook my head remembering that.

I'll never understand that title, you have the Greatest generation 'fore us, Edward, Alice, Rosalie, even Emmett's generation also known as the GI generation, probably given that name because they were at the right age to serve in the 1st World War. The War to end all wars, yeah right…

Then after us was the Baby Boomers, no one questions where they got their name from but why did my generation get the title Silent Generation?

I looked it up once…y'know just to see what generation I was a part of, according to the internet, my generation is made up of those who were born in between the two world wars, we were just old enough to experience World War Two when it started but when it started we were to young to fight.

Some of us at least, Henry being one, obviously hadn't let age stop him and I know if things hadn't happened the way they did, I would've done the same…in a heartbeat.

I had wanted to, more than anything I had wanted to serve my king and even die for my king and country, it was the greatest honor I could think of, it's one of the reasons my father's death didn't hurt as much as my mother's.

Dad had died as a citizen of the crown defending his nation from an enemy bent on destroying everything we held important. He had cared for soldiers and firemen who in turn were protecting and fighting for our symbol of hope and perseverance, St. Paul.

In England, my generation was called the Air Raid Generation, two guesses where they got that name, but for the most part, the popular title for my generation is the Silent…

It's kind of an oxymoron, if you think about it, some of the most outspoken people of the 20th century came from my generation; Civil Rights leaders, singers, actors, artists, were technically apart of the Silent Generation.

Maybe that's why they called us the silent generation, a play on words of sorts, to irk someone's curiosity.

Or maybe it's cause we've kept quiet for the most part about what we experienced; most of us were just old enough to experience three sides of the world that our childhood was based on: the first part was the prosperity and safety that came with the post World War 1 life your so called Roaring Twenties that most of us were born into, the second being the hardship and financial difficulties that came with the Great Depression, even though it happened here in the States, it's effect was felt all over the world and England was no exception. Besides, the only reason the US had enjoyed the 20s was because they hadn't suffered the same kind of destruction that the rest of Europe had because of the war, the US had prospered from the war and though it had cost them American lives, nowhere near as many as it had Europe.

Europe was still suffering the effects of the war there was no period of happiness and ease during the 20s. I don't remember much of the 20s, I mean I was born in 1926, the height of the Roaring 20s.

While the US was suffering it's great depression, Europe was still rebuilding itself and still suffering, when the second world war came we expected it, but it was impossible to completely prepare for it, no really expected Germany to turn away our ambassador and deny his request for the German army to vacate Poland, no one believed Germany wanted another war, especially so soon after the first, for one thing, no one believed any country in Europe was financially prepared for another war, certainly not one who had been on the losing end of the first.

And lastly we experienced the cruelty and pain that came with our first hand experience of the Second World War.

This was our childhood and it virtually vanished like that, we had to grow up quickly and experience things that no child should ever have to live through.

Maybe my generation just feels like no one wants to hear our side. We didn't fight the war we just suffered through it, so maybe since it feels like no one wants to hear our view, my generation made an unconscious group decision to keep silent about it, maybe that's where the title came from. So maybe we shouldn't be the Silent Generation, but the Forgotten one, 'cause no one seems to remember that we were there and we do remember.

A/N: Ok see why I had to split them into two? They went with each other, but to quote Chris "Bloody Hell" were they long. Ok so a couple comments fro some of my reviews.

First off Chris and his friend Marie, its not in here because I never actually wrote that part, but she has had a crush on him since the Cullens moved to Forks, and in reality they have a lot in common, mainly being good students, but quiet as well. And true, Chris is really conflicted about her, he sees her as a friend and is afraid that she sees him as something more and really doesnt want to hurt her feelings, I.E. break her heart. In a couple chapters this really gets explained so don't worry. But yes, in someways Chris is an adult he knows this, but he is still trapped in a thirteen year olds body and has deal with the emotions and over all thinking that naturally comes with being a young teenager.

As far as Rosalie, yes her and Chris are extremely close, cars aside, she trusts him more then she does Edward. Chris also sees the tension between them and knows Edward has a habit of instigating, so he tends to side with Rosalie more often then not, like you saw in the scene from midnight sun. Emmett is my favorite of all the Twilight characters, but I've always felt incredibly bad for Rosalie, first after reading what she went through prior to being changed, and her reactions to it afterwards. Then reading midnight sun and seeing just how nasty Edward can be to her (and well she does give it back for the most part) I really felt bad for her. In a fic I am working on that covers when Jasper and Alice join the family, the relationship between Rose and Chris is more apparent, Chris profiles just how dangerous Jasper is and knows he has to try and protect his family, Edward and Emmett are off hunting of course, in his mind Esme has Carlisle to protect her, and it is his duty as her younger brother to protect Rosalie at all cost.

Weh, ok that spewl is done. Next chapter up tomorrow. Also be on the look out for a couple added pieces to the Homecoming chapter before another prequel is uploaded.