Author's Note: Back in May when a reviewer (yellowishorange) requested that Edward and I retell The Steadfast Tin Soldier, I thought it was impossible. The tin soldier is an inanimate object. How could we translate that to the world of Twilight? But eventually, inspiration struck. The original story, by Hans Christian Andersen, is not a typical fairytale and neither is our version.

Edward was soaking up the sun, completely relaxed with his eyes closed. Propped up on my elbow, I gazed down at him, entranced by the shimmering surface of his body in the light. So beautiful. So desirable.

"Edward?"

"Yes, love?" His silken voice was slower and dreamier than usual.

"Do we have time for more?"

His eyes popped open. "Really?"

"Yes, really!" I smiled at him. "Look at you." I ran my hand over his chest. "How am I supposed to resist that? I'm not made of stone, you know."

"Not made of stone?" he echoed, smirking. "Let me check." By the time that he'd investigated the matter thoroughly and confirmed that my reactions were quite (for lack of a better word) human, the sun had set. "I think we should head back," he murmured against my skin, his voice throaty.

"Really?" I pouted.

"Yes, really," he sighed. "Renesmee expects us to be there at bedtime."

"Bedtime?" I yelped, frantically scrambling for my clothes. "What time is it? Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"Must I always be the responsible one?" He paused while buttoning his shirt to raise an eyebrow at me.

"Evidently," I said airily. It was no use pretending. I had succumbed to his charms long ago. I was putty in his hands. Those hands…. If it weren't for our daughter and the occasional need to hunt, I'd never let him stop.

"Don't worry," he assured me. "We won't be terribly late, and she won't mind. I have a new story for her."

"A new story?" I was delighted, and I knew Renesmee would be too.

"Yes, and I wanted to talk to you about it, before you distracted me." He frowned slightly, pulling some leaves out of my hair.

"Well, now's your chance. While you have clothes on," I said pertly. He grinned, and he swung my hand in his as we made our way to the house.

"This story doesn't have a traditional happily-ever-after ending," he said. "The original doesn't, and my version doesn't either. Do you think that's okay?"

"How unhappy is it?" I asked apprehensively. "Romeo and Juliet? Hamlet?"

"I don't want to give the whole thing away, but there are dead bodies littering the stage, yes."

I considered for a moment. "I think it's fine. Sad, happy, silly, mysterious, it's all part of a balanced diet, right? The classic fairytales have a lot of disturbing elements. Snow White's stepmother ordering the huntsman to bring back her heart, for example."

"There's nothing as gruesome as that," he assured me.

"Well, I can't wait to hear it!"

Renesmee was tucked up in bed, and we were eager for the story to begin, but Edward had some opening remarks. "Renesmee, you know that Billy's legs don't work properly anymore." In response, she showed me a rapid series of images of Billy in his wheelchair. "And sometimes Carlisle has to amputate a limb, cut it off, if it's very badly injured or infected." She nodded. She loved paging through Carlisle's medical journals and texts with him, and she did have a tendency to pore over the photographs. Really, Edward had no grounds for concern that his story would be too dark for her. "Do you think there could be a vampire who was missing a leg?"

Her mouth fell open. "A vampire who couldn't run?" she said in consternation. "How could he hunt?" I was equally nonplussed. In my mind, vampire was practically synonymous with perfect and extraordinary and godlike.

"Well, he made himself an artificial leg, and with it he could run but not very fast. He had to be clever when he went hunting animals for blood. He had to stalk his prey with stealth and cunning like humans do, and not count on being able to chase them down or fight."

Renesmee seemed fascinated by this vampire deficient in vampire abilities. I certainly was. I'd worried that my clumsiness would accompany me into immortality and I'd be terrible at running, jumping and pursuing wild animals. Not to mention other skills like walking and climbing stairs. But I'd always assumed that I would be able-bodied and remain so forever. In the charming, cozy bedroom with my brilliant and adorable daughter snuggled against me and my marvelous husband entertaining us, it was far too easy to take my good fortune for granted.

"But how did he get that way?" Renesmee demanded.

"He was in a bad fight, sweetheart. Another vampire tore his leg off, and she burned it up, so that it couldn't heal."

She pondered this scenario. "Why didn't she kill him all the way?"

"I don't know," Edward answered. "That's just how it happened. Maybe something happened to distract the other vampire, or she thought he was as good as dead without his leg."

Renesmee's face was full of concern. "Was he very sad to lose his leg?"

"He was at first. But he was injured long ago, and he was used to not having it. Do you want to hear his story?"

"Yes!"

He gave us a dazzling smile, and his rich, mellow voice took up the tale. "Once upon a time, there was a vampire named Lewis who had lost one of his legs in a fight. He lived a very solitary existence. He made himself an artificial leg from wood and metal, but still it was not easy for him to get around, and he did not roam far. He thought that surely he was the only vampire in the world who was not whole and perfect. He avoided other vampires, because they could so easily overpower him and hurt him if they wanted to. He avoided humans too. He didn't want to draw any attention to himself. He just wanted to live quietly on his own.

"But one day Lewis heard a strange sound. When he went closer to investigate, he saw a young woman seated in a wheelchair with another woman pushing her along the road. He had never seen such a thing before. He had hardly paid any attention to humans, since he seldom encountered any of them. He followed the two women, staying out of sight. He heard that their names were Anna and Melanie. He watched and realized that Anna was in the wheelchair because she could not walk. Suddenly, he realized that there were other people who were similar to him. He was very interested in Anna, and he had to try to learn more about her.

"Keeping a careful distance, Lewis tracked the women until Melanie pushed Anna in her chair up a ramp and into a little house that sat among tall old trees, in between the road and some train tracks. He lingered outside until he was sure that this was Anna's home. He was thrilled to know that she lived nearby and that he would easily be able to observe her without anyone noticing.

"Lewis went to the house every day to see Anna. He saw that despite her disability, Anna was usually cheerful. Melanie or another woman came to help Anna inside and outside her house. Anna spent a great deal of time at her desk reading and writing. At other times, usually in the evening, she played the flute. When Anna went for a walk with one of her friends and helpers, Lewis tried to follow in the shadows. When she went away in the car, he stayed behind. He didn't think he could run fast enough to keep up, and he expected she was going into town where it would be harder for him to remain hidden. Instead he went closer to her house to examine the bird feeder she kept full of seeds and to admire the pots of flowers and plants which he had watched her water. Lewis thought Anna was the loveliest thing he had ever seen. Watching her go about her daily life and listening to the beautiful music she played, he had fallen in love."

Renesmee snuggled into her pillows and sighed happily. "Daddy, could she walk again if Lewis bit her?"

"I don't know," he responded. "What do you think?"

"I think yes!"

"Venom can heal very bad injuries," he agreed. "But vampires usually choose extraordinary specimens of humanity to change, so I don't know if anyone's ever tried it. We should ask Carlisle for his opinion. Maybe it depends on why she needed the wheelchair. In any case, Lewis didn't want to make her into a vampire. He just wanted to be near her and see her every day.

"Anna didn't realize that anyone was watching her. She did notice that squirrels didn't come in the yard to eat the birdseed anymore, but she never dreamed it was the scent of a vampire that kept them away. Once, when the clouds suddenly parted and Lewis wasn't quite quick enough to dart into the shadows, Anna saw a blazing flash of light. She was puzzled, but she decided that the sun must have dazzled her eyes. She had no idea that she'd caught a glimpse of sparkling vampire skin.

"Well, things could have gone on this way for a very long time. Lewis had no intention of ever approaching Anna or speaking to her. He just wanted to watch her activities, so ordinary and yet so special because she was doing them. But one day as Lewis was perched high up in a tree, lost in gazing at Anna in her yard, a train came speeding along the tracks below. The rush of air made him lose his balance, and he fell on top of the rapidly moving freight cars. He was very startled and afraid. He didn't feel confident about jumping off. He could only hold on tight as the train carried him away. He was able to drop down when the train slowed at a junction, but by that time he had traveled quite a distance.

"This was a great calamity. He was in completely unfamiliar surroundings. He could follow the train tracks in the opposite direction, but it would take him forever to get back because he was not very spry. He wasn't sure what to do. He thought maybe it would be best to just find a suitable place to live in this new region and remain there. What do you think he decided?"

"I think he wanted to go back to Anna," Renesmee said sagely.

"That's right." Edward smiled. "He wanted to try to return to Anna and to his own territory. He noticed a delivery van that was heading in what he thought was the right direction. As he watched, the driver pulled over and stepped out of the vehicle to make a phone call. On the spur of the moment, Lewis decided to jump inside and see if the van would take him closer to his destination. With Lewis hidden in the back, the van drove for hours and hours without stopping. Finally the driver parked, and Lewis took the opportunity to hop out. He could hardly believe his eyes when he looked around. The van had taken him back to the town closest to Anna's house."

Renesmee put her hand on my cheek and showed me a picture of Lewis in the middle of a vast empty plain. Edward nodded at her.

"Yes, he could have ended up anywhere," he agreed. "That was very good luck. But Lewis was about to have some very bad luck too. You see, during the short time that he had been away, another vampire had arrived in the area and noticed Lewis's scent. This other vampire was curious and wanted to meet Lewis and challenge him. Lewis could tell that another of his kind was nearby. He was immediately afraid that Anna was in danger, and he followed the trail as quickly as he could. Sure enough, because he spent so much time near Anna's house, the other vampire had gone there to find him."

Renesmee's sweet face took on an adorable frown. "Then it was good luck that Lewis came back in time to save Anna," she pointed out.

"Ah, but did he save her?" Edward asked. "Lewis called the other vampire to leave Anna alone. The other vampire turned his attention from stalking Anna, and he smiled when he saw Lewis. He could tell that Lewis's leg was missing, and he thought it would be easy to eliminate him and then attack Anna at his leisure.

"'You won't be able to stop me,' the bad vampire laughed. Lewis didn't answer. He wasn't at all sure he could stop the bad vampire, but he had to try. 'I'll have you in pieces in no time,' his opponent taunted. 'It'll be so quick I'd better start a fire now, so it has time to catch.' The other vampire was so confident and fearless that he did set fire to some dry leaves and branches on the forest floor. Suddenly Lewis knew what to do. He tried to avoid the other vampire's lunges and keep his distance. He knew he wouldn't be able to evade him for long, because his opponent was faster and more agile. But all the while the fire was blazing up. The other vampire tried to jump on him, and Lewis saw his chance. He grabbed the bad vampire and dragged him into the fire. The other vampire tried to break free, but Lewis held on tight while the flames destroyed them both."

"Oh no," Renesmee moaned quietly.

"That was the end of Lewis. His body burned to ash, and the wood of his artificial leg burned to ash, but the fire wasn't hot enough to vaporize the metal in his artificial leg. The metal just melted.

"Anna never realized what a close call she had. But she noticed the smoke wafting from the dying fire, and she went to check that it was under control. In the warm ashes she saw a lump of metal that had melted into the shape of a heart. She could smell a sweet fragrance hanging in the air. She waited until all the heat from the fire had gone and the metal was cool. She took the metal heart and put it in the window in her kitchen, where she could see it glinting in the light while she ate her meals. She decided to plant some roses in the place where the fire had been. The plants flourished, and the roses always smelled especially sweet."

"That's sad," Renesmee said. "But I liked it," she added quickly. "It's nice to feel sad from a story."

"I know just what you mean," I told her, thinking about all the tears I'd once shed over stories of tragedy.

"Do you think we could plant some roses?" she asked sleepily.

"That's a great idea," Edward acknowledged. "Let's talk to Esme in the morning. I bet she'll want to help you."

"What did you think?" Edward asked me, after we had dispensed goodnight kisses and left Renesmee to her dreams. "Was the ending too unhappy?"

"No," I assured him. "It was really sweet. I loved it."

"In the original story both of them go into the fire," he said. "But I couldn't do that to Anna."

I giggled at his concern for his fictional creation. "So if the original fairytale is like Romeo and Juliet, your version is like West Side Story."

His golden eyes sparkled with delight, and his mouth curved into my favorite crooked smile. "You're comparing me to Bernstein and Sondheim? Apparently I only copy from the best."

I put my arms around him. His scent and the feel of his body against mine made me tingle all over. "You are the best."

"The best what?" he teased.

He began to kiss my neck as I considered how to reply. "Storyteller," I declared.

"Thank you, love. But I confess I was hoping for a different answer." His mouth on my skin was making it hard for me to think.

"Father," I offered, somewhat breathlessly.

"It means so much to me that you think so," he said warmly. "But, no." He shook his head with a sorrowful expression. "That wasn't it either."

"Lover," I whispered.

"Now you're talking," he said, pulling me closer. "But I don't want to rest on my laurels. I want to earn them."

It took rather a long time to ascertain whether he deserved my praise. But I had to give him every opportunity to prove himself. It was only fair.

Author's Note: In case it's not clear from context, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim are the creators of West Side Story, a brilliant musical version of Romeo & Juliet that's set in New York City in the 1950s and that ends a bit differently.

Please let me know if you enjoyed the story!