Yes, I know it's been a little while since I updated, but I promise I've been writing this the whole time I've been away. I don't want to make excuses, so I won't, but I hope this chapter lives up to the rest of the story.

I know the holidays are a little bit away, but maybe it won't be too soon.

So read on!

Traditions

November, 1945

Edward

"I wanted to ask you something," Keira said as we still sat on the stairs in her house. "And I was wondering if you would all consider it."

We were also still alone in the foyer since her mother was in the kitchen and her father was still in the parlor. Fisher was away from the house, and Kyle was in his room.

"Us all? My family and I?" I asked.

She nodded. "I haven't had a chance to ask my parents, but I wanted to know if you and your family would like to have Thanksgiving with us. My family and myself."

I admit I wasn't expecting her to ask me something quite like that. The last time any member of my family had been in the presence of more than one human, Emmett had nearly killed an entire family and succeeded in killing one innocent girl. We hadn't risked that kind of exposure until Keira had come into my life. I wasn't sure if we were ready for that kind of interaction quite yet.

My hesitation spoke volumes even though I was only thinking of how to respond, and the hopeful expression on Keira's face faded.

"It's okay if you don't want to," she recanted. "It was just a suggestion, and I thought it would be fun if we — "

I stopped her lifting my finger to her lips. The contact surprised her, and I took my finger away. "It isn't that I don't want to," I promised. "I simply don't know if we're ready. The last time any of us were near a group of humans, Emmett — Well, let's just say he didn't behave himself. And we haven't been in a situation like that since then. I would never do anything to put you in that kind of danger — any of you."

She laid her hand over mine, holding it in both of hers as she spoke. "Edward, I trust you," she assured me. "And I trust Emmett — even after what happened. I know it's probably not something he should do, but if he doesn't learn to control himself, how will he ever be able to do it again? And you'll be there the whole time if anything happens. Right?"

I smiled and lowered my eyes to our hands. Her warmth felt amazing against my cold skin, almost like she was trying to spread it through my body. I liked the way it felt, and I wanted to keep feeling it. I wanted to spend as much time with Keira as I could, and she wanted to include my family in a tradition we hadn't upheld in all our years together. Who was I to deny them that opportunity?

"Keira, I would love to join you and your family for Thanksgiving," I smiled. "And I have no doubt that the rest of my family would agree with me. I have no idea how we'll be able to blend in as seamlessly as we do in larger crowds, but I know we'll try. Carlisle will want us all to be cautious, but even I don't think he would be able to pass up something like this."

She smiled and moved forward, wrapping her arms around me and squeezing. I reciprocated easily.

"I know everything will be all right," she said confidently. "And you can have Esme bring any kind of dish she wants. It'll help my mother feel a little less like a bad host."

"That will make her happy."

"Ahem!"

We leaned away from each other, looking behind us to see Kyle at the top of the first landing. Keira sighed heavily, and I took her hand to pull her to her feet. We faced Kyle as he strolled down the stairs.

"You two sure are getting comfy down here," he taunted. "Not sure how I feel about that."

"Kyle, please," his sister begged. "It's enough. I appreciate what you're trying to do. But it's enough."

Kyle's thoughts centered around all my behavior when I'd been arguing or fighting with other students even if it wasn't much. He refused to focus on any of my good attributes, and for him I knew this was a defense mechanism. Seeing his sister have someone like me in her life was just as uncomfortable for him as it was for his father, but while his father was willing to accept my place, Kyle was extremely reluctant.

"We can talk about this," I suggested to him. "There's no need for hostility between us when we both want the same things."

Keira glanced at me, and Kyle's sarcastic, crude exterior faded ever so slightly. I turned to Keira and leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"It'll be all right," I assured her. "Wait down here, and then we'll go into town to wait on Emmett."

She turned her eyes to Kyle and bowed her head, releasing me so I could move further up the stairs. Kyle followed me after a moment, leading the way to his room where he'd watched me earlier.

"You know I still think you're a juvenile delinquent," Kyle said gesturing to the inside of his room and moving to the desk across form his window.

"I've gathered."

"So you know nothing we can talk about is going to change that," he continued.

"I still hope we can change that. It's not like I'm leading a gang or I go out every night and terrorize the town," I stressed, though I couldn't help but realize the irony in my words. "And I know you only want your sister to be safe. It's all I want."

He scoffed, unimpressed. "Oh, it better be all you want," he cautioned. "Because if I find out otherwise, no one will be able to stop me the way Fish and Mr. Jennings stopped you."

"There's no need to be threatening. I know you care about Keira. You're her brother. I'd feel like something was wrong if you didn't care about her — especially when she's with me. But she's safe with me," I promised.

"Why don't I believe you?"

The very edges of his mind were filled with disdain, overconfidence and excuses for his rude behavior, but beneath all of that, I discovered a horribly terrified eighteen-year-old boy who was still grieving for the grandmother he wished he'd spent more time with before she died. It was so sad that I couldn't feel anything but sorrow for something he knew he would never be able to take back. He knew he would never be able to make up for it, and in response to this feeling he had no defenses for, he behaved like he didn't care about anything or anyone when it became too overwhelming for him to show anyone what he was really feeling.

"I'll make a deal with you," I said. He looked at me with furrowed eyebrows. "I was planning on asking Fisher to accompany his sister and me to a nice restaurant or perhaps a movie. But if it means I can gain your trust, I want you to do it. And you can see how much I mean to keep Keira safe. I'll even convince my brother Emmett to come so you won't be completely bored."

He laughed with a measure of amusement. "And exactly why would that not bore me?"

"Well, I understand you like to play sports. And Emmett is somewhat of a sports fanatic. I think that's what it's called. So is it a deal then?"

He turned over the idea of chaperoning a date with me and his sister, and after several seconds, he gave in with a roll of his eyes.

"All right, fine. Whatever. I'll look forward to seeing you make an idiot of yourself in front of my sister," he taunted.

To prove how serious I was, I extended my hand to him. A smirk crossed his face, but he reciprocated.

"Deal," I agreed.

"Fine. Now get out of my room."

I didn't wait, stepping away from him without a word and making my way back downstairs where Keira was still sitting on the bottom steps.

She looked up as soon as she heard me, rising to meet me with a smile. "What was all that about?"

I took her hands in mine as the doorbell rang. "Just making some arrangements for our date."

Annabeth came into the foyer then, smiling at us as she moved to the door. "Oh, Emmett," she greeted. "Please come in. Edward, your brother's here for you."

"Perfect timing," I teased pulling Keira down the last few steps to meet him in the middle of the room.

"I was just getting a part for my car," Emmett explained, to which Annabeth nodded and seemed genuinely intrigued. "And I thought I'd stop by here to see what my little brother was doing after I dropped him off."

"Well, you boys are certainly out early on a Sunday morning," Annabeth chuckled. "I do hope we didn't keep you from church or a family gathering."

Emmett shrugged and nodded to me. "Nah, it's just normal for us. Got so much to do, you know?"

Annabeth thought nothing of Emmett's comment, not even about us not going to church, and I wondered why Keira's family didn't go. Then I remembered they'd only been in town as long as we had, and I realized they probably hadn't because they still didn't really know anyone. It was curious that none of the local preachers hadn't already been to their house by now, but for all I knew, they had, and Keira's family simply wasn't interested.

"Mom," Keira said from my side. "I'm sure Edward and Emmett need to get home."

Annabeth blushed. "Oh. Of course. I don't mean to keep you."

"It's quite all right," I assured her. "But as it is Sunday, and we have school tomorrow, I'll just be going." I turned to Keira. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She squeezed my hand. "Count on it."

Even with Emmett standing there, I felt no hesitation at all leaning closer to Keira and kissing her cheek as I'd done before. She shivered as my lips touched her skin and lifted her hand to my face. I stepped back slowly, toward Emmett, and Keira smiled then, waving as I left.

Emmett chuckled as I followed him down the steps to the curb, and he kept thinking about the shiver Keira felt when I kissed her cheek. I knew he wanted to tease me, but he said nothing as we slid into the car and pulled into the road. Something that astonished me was how much it pleased Emmett to see me happy, and I had to admit to myself that it pleased me as well.

"So," he said after nearly two minutes of silence. "When's the big day?"

I played ignorant, gazing out the window and admiring how the sun was trying to peek through the thin clouds. We were already on our way out of town, so a stray ray of light or two wouldn't bother anything. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, come on. I mean, I know I tease you a lot, and you know I don't mean anything by it. I'm serious, man. When are you taking her out?"

I smiled and lowered my eyes to my hands as I pretended to fidget. "After Thanksgiving for sure," I revealed.

To my surprise, he didn't think anything lascivious or even horribly sexual. His thoughts were oddly innocent and almost reverent. I was pleasantly amazed at his restraint. Then I thought about what Keira had asked about the impending holidays, and I became uncertain of the immediate future. Was Emmett really ready to be around such a small group of humans again?

He noticed the serious look on my face and nudged my elbow. "What is it now?"

"Keira asked me — us, our family — to her house for the Thanksgiving holidays," I announced.

The grin on his face was impossible to deny. "And what did you say?"

I smiled slightly. "Well, of course, I said yes. But you've got to promise me something."

"Name it, little brother."

Him and that ridiculous nickname. I laughed softly. "You have to be on your best behavior," I pleaded. "No unnecessary jokes or innuendos while we're in her parents' company, and if Carlisle and Esme agree, I'm leaving it up to you to keep Rosalie from ruining the day for everyone else."

He snickered but knew how important this was to me. I hadn't done anything like this in my life, and I didn't want anything to go wrong simply because Rosalie still didn't like that I was the one doing it. She didn't have to accept it, but the least she could do was keep her opinions to herself.

"I'll talk to Rose," he assured me. "And Esme will be absolutely thrilled. She'll probably bake all night trying to figure out what to take."

"I have no doubt," I agreed.

The rest of the drive was silent as I contemplated how I would ask — or rather, tell Carlisle about this turn of events. After the talk we'd had that morning, I felt like I was justified asking for something like this, and once he realized I was ready for this, I hoped he would be supportive the way he said he would try to be. It began raining halfway there, and I smelled more rain coming for our hopeful journey back into town as a family for Thanksgiving as Keira's house. The rain wouldn't be a problem for us, but I still made a note of it.

Esme was standing on the porch when Emmett pulled down the drive to the house, and I waited for him to park in his usual spot before leading the way to where she waited for us. Based on her smile, I sensed she was in a genuinely good mood. Would she be able to see the happiness on my face?

"It went well I hope," she greeted, taking my hands in hers.

"More than just well. I wanted to speak with you and Carlisle."

The serious tone in my voice worried her, but I reassured her.

"Everything's all right. I promise."

She looked Emmett and tried to read his face. He just shrugged, and she smirked at me pulling me into the house without a word one way or another.

Carlisle was reading in his study when Esme pulled me through the open doors, and the content expression on his face curved up into a smile the moment he saw us. There was no more hesitation in his movements as he rose to meet us halfway.

"I thought for certain you would remain in town until much later," he admitted. "I can see everything's all right, but what brings you home so early?"

Confidence unlike any I'd ever felt swelled inside my chest. "Well, I spoke to Keira's father, and he wasn't opposed to the idea of me seeing her as more than just a friend. I was nervous about having such a conversation with him, but it was surprisingly illuminating. I quite like him, actually."

"That sounds wonderful," Esme gushed still holding my hand in hers.

"There's more," I insisted. "Keira asked me if it would be all right that we all come to her home for the Thanksgiving holidays. She knows how different it will be for us, but I think we should share this with her. I think it will be good for us. So I told her we would love to come."

Doubts filled Carlisle's mind as his forehead furrowed with worry, and I was confused. We already lived among humans, and he had daily contact with humans at work. Wasn't this the next step?

"The last time we were with such a small group of humans — "

"Was when Emmett nearly killed a small family," I finished. "Yes, I remember. But this is Keira. He knows her, and he cares about her. And I've already made him promise to keep himself in check. Isn't this what we should be doing?" I pleaded, unable to comprehend his concerns.

"We're supposed to be leading a careful existence. Yes, we interact with them in public areas. And we occasionally meet them outside those settings. But this is different." He inhaled an unnecessary breath, glancing at Esme as he folded his arms over his chest. "In a crowd, it's easier to play on their unobservant nature. I can do it at work. You can do it at school. But in such a small group, how are we supposed to act human if we don't eat or drink?"

"I do it all the time," I argued, allowing unhindered selfishness to slip through my voice. "And it isn't as difficult as you make it out to be."

"Edward," Esme chastised, turning me to face her. "Be reasonable. Keira knows about us. She know why we don't eat or drink, and she's only just begun to accept it. And something like a dinner with such a small group would mean making the evening unpleasant for us all. I wouldn't want to do that to her family."

"But we can handle that," I insisted. "I know we can. And we've never done anything like this, not even before Rosalie and Emmett. We're a family. They're a family. This is what we should be doing."

She turned her eyes to Carlisle as he observed, and I pulled my hands from hers.

"I just thought it would help us be a family," I conceded. "But I'll tell her tomorrow that we can't come. She'll be disappointed, but I suppose I should've asked before I agreed. I'm sorry if I overstepped my place. I only wanted to keep feeling what I feel when I'm with her."

I moved passed Carlisle to the stairs of his study, leaving him and Esme in favor of sitting in my room alone. While it made sense for Carlisle to be cautious, I hadn't expected Esme to mirror him like that. She loved having Keira around nearly as much as I did, and it made no sense to me to hide that. Being cautious was one thing, but what they expressed bordered paranoia.

Knowing how Carlisle and Esme felt about being in such close quarters with Keira's family, I worried about how I was supposed to tell her that I should've asked my own family if they would be able to appear normal — even if it was only for a few hours.

How was I going to tell her about the hesitance Carlisle still felt about her and her family? He hadn't been anything but welcoming to her. I didn't understand.

"Is this really so important to you?"

Carlisle's voice startled me as I stood in front of the window of my room. It was unusual for anyone to approach me without any forewarning on my part. He noticed and moved closer to me. "You've truly become a part of her life, haven't you?"

"Yes."

"And you want us to be as connected her family as you are to her? Because it's an easy thing for one person to know about us. It's something we can easily control. But once we involve more humans, keeping our secret will become even more difficult."

I bowed my head and then looked outside to see the day already halfway over despite the clouds and rain. "I know."

His firm hand clasped onto my shoulder, and I looked at him.

"All right," he said. "We'll go. It won't be easy. But I can see how important this is to you. And I also know how long it's been since anything was so important. Thanksgiving is Thursday, yes?"

I nodded as hope filled my chest again.

He didn't say anything else, nodding and then turning to leave.

"Thank you."

A little smile crossed his face. "I would do anything for you," he reminded me and then stepped out of the room to return downstairs.

School was a blur for the next three days, which was odd for me. Usually, I could remember the smallest detail about the most mundane thing imaginable. But I was so elated at the prospect of my family spending time with Keira's that nothing else seemed to be important anymore. There was really no way of knowing what was to blame for my behavior, though Rosalie had her own conclusions and made them known several times when she knew I was at least partially listening to her. All her concerns were valid, I admitted, but the benefits outweighed the risk for me this time. If I could pretend for a few hours, so could she.

Esme cooked to her heart's content three days straight, poring over cookbooks and making dishes she thought would be most appropriate. I graciously agreed to be her taste-tester despite the food not tasting nearly as good as it would to Keira or her family. So with that in mind, I invited Keira over the night before Thanksgiving so she would be able to put Esme's mind at ease.

"Esme loves to cook," I said to Keira as we walked from the school toward her house so she could ask to eat at my house. "But with us, sometimes, it's all for naught. We don't need normal food, so it's mostly just so she can do something with her abilities when she's not renovating houses or books or even clothes."

"So you wish for me to be a guinea pig?" she teased.

Honestly, I hadn't thought of using her as a test subject, and the idea was undesirable to me since I'd been the first person Esme had tested.

When I didn't answer her, she grasped onto my arm.

"It's all right. I was only joking. Whatever Esme has decided to whip up, I'm sure it will be delicious just like everything else she's made for me."

Relief flooded my mind as we walked, and it became quiet until we were walking up the front steps to her porch. I opened the door for her, following her inside where her mother was also cooking.

"Mom," Keira called. "I'm going to Edward's for dinner if that's all right!"

"Oh, hold on a second! I can't hear anything back here."

Annabeth emerged from the kitchen in a blue-polka dotted apron, and when she saw me, the smile on her face widened.

"Oh, Edward! Lovely to see you this afternoon. I'm looking forward to meeting your sister and her husband, and Rosalie and Emmett, is it?"

I nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Mom," Keira said again. "Edward asked me to his house for dinner. Is that all right?"

Annabeth blushed. "Well, of course, it's all right. Just be back before eight. I'll need your help getting everything put away for tomorrow."

Keira stepped forward, hugging her mother and kissing her cheek. After another few seconds, she returned to my side nudging me out the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I waved.

Annabeth nodded, still smiling and laughing, and then we were outside walking down the steps to the front walkway.

"My mother really likes you," Keira teased poking me in my side gently.

Surprise flickered through my torso as her touch left a mark on me. "Well, I like her. She's a nice woman, and she's raised a wonderful daughter." I leaned over with my lips on Keira's cheek. "A beautiful daughter."

She shivered, and I slid my hand down her arm to take her hand in mine.

"Come on. If we hurry, we can still beat Emmett and Rose to the house."

She giggled, allowing me to pull her along the sidewalk silently.

Because we had to feign walking normally through the neighborhood, it took a minute or two to find a spot hidden well enough for us to duck into, but once there, I lifted her in my arms and held her against me.

"You ready?"

She nodded, wrapping her arms around me securely and laying her face in the bend of my neck. Her scent enveloped me, and I grasped onto her tight a split second before shooting off from our hiding spot. From there to the edge of town took less than a minute, and as the last house passed me by, I sped up, running as fast as I possibly could. She never moved or spoke, keeping her eyes shut and her arms around me.

The house came into view less than six minutes after leaving town, and I smiled triumphantly at the realization that Emmett and Rose were nowhere to be seen. I carried Keira to the porch, setting her down and then allowing her to sit before I followed her.

"Are you all right?" I asked softly, touching her face and tucking hair behind her ear.

She nodded, breathing deep and lifting her hand to my arm. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that," she gushed. "You're so fast!"

I laughed softly, laying my hand over her cheek. A shiver rippled through her body gently, and I scooted closer to her. "I wanted to do something the other night after the dance, but there wasn't any time."

Blushing deeply, she lay her hand over the back of mine and bit her lip. "What is that?"

Heat from her face permeated mine as I leaned in closer. It would be so easy to kiss her now, even though the moment was passing so quickly. Soon, Emmett would be home, and it wouldn't take much for him to realize what I'd done if I did it.

"Edward," she whispered.

The familiar crunch of gravel beneath Emmett's car signaled that I'd run out of time, and I lifted my lips to her forehead as I glanced out at the front yard a moment before the hood of Emmett's car became visible.

Leaning back to look at Keira, I lowered my hands to hers. "There will be plenty of time for that later," I promised her.

With that, I pulled her to her feet. The door opened then, allowing Esme out in her own apron, and she smiled the moment she saw Keira.

"Oh, Keira darling, here you are. Come on in. It's getting cold out here."

I couldn't argue with that, but with the way Keira's heart was pounding, I wondered if she would've noticed the cold at all eventually.

The kitchen was filled with warm, homey smells as the counters lay littered with every kind of gravy possible, three different styles of mashed potatoes, New England style stuffing and the local kind of dressing. Celery, sage, pepper and poultry seasonings assailed my senses as soon as we stepped into the room, and Esme hurried to the cupboard by the sink to pull out a full place setting for Keira.

"You must be starving," my mother exclaimed, laying a plate with silverware and a tall glass of milk in front of Keira at the bar. "I sometimes wonder what they're feeding the children with what Emmett tells me."

Keira blushed. "It's not that bad," she insisted, glancing at me. "Though I will agree it could be better."

"So this is going to be your first Thanksgiving here?"

The blush in her cheeks faded slightly, and her eyes turned sad. "Yes. The first without my grandmother."

Esme looked at me, and I shook my head.

My mother extended her hand to Keira's. For several seconds, none of us said anything. Silently, Esme stepped over to the stove and pulled out a platter of freshly baked turkey to set it on the bar island with the potatoes and gravy.

"We'll have to take most of this to the shelter in town," she said sadly. "But at least I'll have a real taste-tester giving me an honest opinion before I subject other humans to my cooking."

Keira smiled. "Don't be silly," she laughed softly. "Your cooking is amazing."

Esme nodded just once. "Well, thank you. Now, what shall we try first?"

After a glance in my direction, Keira spoke with more confidence than I'd heard from her in a while. "We'll try turkey and gravy, with stuffing and mashed potatoes."

In seconds, everything Keira asked for was on a plate in front of her.

By the time Keira was full and ready to go home, she'd had a sampling of every dish in the kitchen. She gave Esme rave reviews on the turkey and stuffing, and she loved the homestyle potatoes with brown gravy. Esme pulled out two different desserts at the end of her sampling, and Keira gushed over the lemon creme cake despite insisting the pumpkin cheesecake was just as delicious.

Esme packed up a couple of plates of left-overs for Keira to eat in the days to come while sealing up everything else in plastic so it could go in boxes. It was all still warm when Emmett and I packed it in the car to take it into town to the shelter there.

"Everything was delicious," Keira assured Esme. "And you should definitely bring that lemon creme cake tomorrow. We'll all have trouble getting it away from Kyle."

"He likes lemons?"

Keira laughed, glancing at me. "He does. He also likes creme cake."

Esme nodded. "Then we'll put that on the list."

"We should get going," I announced.

With a compulsory breath, Esme stepped forward and embraced Keira. "We'll see you tomorrow then."

Keira squeezed my mother, and after a few seconds, we stepped onto the porch to leave.

Emmett was already waiting in the driver's seat when we emerged from the house, and with the food in the front seat beside him, I helped Keira into the back seat. He didn't say anything about the way I was behaving. He didn't have to. For the duration of our ride into town, his mind was flooded with every lascivious thought he could conjure up without his face cracking into smile.

The shelter was our first stop, and Keira and I agreed to carry everything inside. The local Catholic church usually ran the shelter, several nuns were already in the kitchen preparing what food they had for the several people in their charge. I had to commend anyone who gave their lives to serve other less fortunate. Once in my life, I'd wanted the same thing. These women had simply gone about it in a different manner.

"Sister Mary James," Keira greeted to the middle-aged woman who let us in. "How are you today?"

"Oh, we're doing all right, I suppose. Trying to make due with what we have."

She motioned for us to follow her, and we stepped inside the chapel as it set empty.

"How many people do you have in the shelter?" Keira asked.

"Nearly seventy. A few families, but mostly military who are unable to integrate back into the community. We're doing the best we can, but they're wounded — some on the outside, some on the inside."

"Well, we have food for all of you," I offered. "It isn't much. My mother went a little overboard in the kitchen."

Sister Mary James glanced at me and the food in my hands. "Of course."

We made it to the kitchen where a few other women were cooking, and they all looked at us the moment we stepped into the room. The cold storage of the kitchen was only half stocked. I was a little embarrassed at the amount of food Esme had made for just one person. With a little hope, the food remaining would feed more than a few families.

That's one of those new boys at the school.

My gosh, he's pale.

I hope that young lady remembers her manners around him.

The thoughts of the women staring at us were enough to make me uncomfortable, and I kept my eyes on Keira as Sister Mary James led us into the cold storage.

"We'll be able to feed more people with this food," she said to us. "I'm sure they'll all be very thankful."

"It's the least we could do," Keira said with a nod.

"We should get going," I announced. "Emmett won't wait forever."

"Well, thank you two very young people for bringing all this food by," the sister smiled, reaching for our hands.

I held hers only briefly, watching her face carefully as she lifted her eyes to mine.

Such a strange, polite boy. He must be ill and not know it to have his hands be so cold.

No one said anything as she nodded for us to follow her out of the kitchen. The path we took back to the front doors was silent, and she thanked us again before releasing us to the cool autumn night already taking its hold on the town.

"So, how'd it go?" Emmett asked.

"Well, I thought about praying you'll mind yourself during dinner tomorrow, but then I realized what a long shot it was, so I decided against it."

He smirked and nodded without saying anything as he pulled away from the curb slowly.

The front of Keira's house was still lit up. While Emmett waited in the car, I walked her to the front door.

"You know my father is really looking forward to meeting Esme and Carlisle," she said as we reached the porch. "I think he wants to talk to them about our date."

I bit my lip and grinned. "If he's looking for any opposition, he won't find it from Esme. She's practically glowing with happiness at this turn of events. If it weren't for Rosalie, I think we'd all be looking forward to this."

The smile on her face faded slightly. "You don't think she'll . . . do anything to ruin it, will she?"

"Oh, no, not intentionally," I said quickly. "But it's Rosalie. She won't be happy unless at least one other person is uncomfortable."

Keira also bit her lip. "She'll have a little trouble this time then. Because my mother and Fisher are both ecstatic enough to light up the whole town, and Kyle and my father are curious and suspicious enough for the rest of us."

"And what about you?" I asked stepping a little closer to her. With Emmett so close, I couldn't do what I really wanted, but I couldn't deny the pull I felt toward her.

"Can't I be neutral for once?" she grinned.

I smiled slightly. "Of course you can. Just this once."

Not wanting to take the chance of giving Emmett anymore ammunition for the next day than I already had, I stepped back to the door and opened it for her.

"Tell Esme again how wonderful her cooking is," she requested.

I nodded. "I'll be sure to do that."

We stepped inside together, and Annabeth came out of the dining room in her apron.

"Oh, honey, you're home! We weren't expecting you for another hour or so."

Keira looked at me, surprise in her eyes as she turned her attention to her mother. "Well, it's still the middle of the week. And we're having company tomorrow."

Annabeth blushed at me.

"Well, I'll just be going," I said. Keira turned to face me. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She smiled. "Okay."

I moved to the door then, leaving silently and returning to the car as Emmett waited. He didn't say anything to me as he backed out of the driveway, and I didn't say anything to him. As long as he behaved himself the next day, I didn't need him to say anything.

Nighttime passed as it always does for someone without the inability to sleep, and I spent most of my time recalling everything I'd spoken to Mr. Jones — Walter — about concerning my date with Keira. I wanted to take Keira somewhere we'd never been before, but despite my extensive knowledge of the area, I was coming up blank. There was a movie drive-in just outside Aberdeen, but we'd already been to the movies even if I couldn't say we'd gone there together. It would have to be somewhere comfortable for our chaperones as well, and with Emmett and Kyle to keep us apart, would it be appropriate to go to any of the normal teenage dating locales nearby?

"If you ponder any harder, you'll give yourself wrinkles," Esme said from my doorway, startling me unexpectedly.

She smiled curiously. "Are you all right?"

A compulsory breath filled my lungs. "I'm . . . pondering," I grinned.

Slowly, she stepped into the room and moved to my side as I stood by the window. I was surprised to see the sun already rising.

"Might I ask what you're pondering about?" she asked with her own grin.

The words remained stuck inside my throat as I stood there. Had I been speaking to my own mother, I would know exactly what to say, but it was different now. I was different. Everything was different.

"Is this about your date?"

I nodded silently.

"Are you worried something might . . . happen?"

Worry creased her forehead, and I quickly assured her.

"No, it isn't like that. She trusts me. I just — I want to do different things with her. I want to show her different things. And I guess I want to make sure she's okay with me being different."

Esme smiled and lifted her hands to my face. "If she had any kind of problem with you being different," she said, "I don't think she would be spending so much time with you. And she wouldn't have asked us to her house if she had a problem with us being different. You shouldn't worry about what to do when you're with her. It will all come naturally — just as everything else has. All right?"

Despite not really giving me any idea what I was supposed to do, her words calmed me, and I nodded.

"All right."

"Emmett and Rose are going hunting this morning before we leave," she said. "Do you want to go? It might take your mind off things."

"That sounds like a good idea," I agreed, "but I'll be fine. Emmett needs to hunt. Hopefully it will keep him full enough to not do anything irrational."

She nodded herself and turned to leave.

"Thank you," I said.

With a smile, she turned out of the room, leaving me with my thoughts.

We took Carlisle's car to town, and I rode in the front passenger seat with Esme between us while Emmett and Rosalie shared the backseat. Even after a much needed meal, Rosalie was still adamant about being stubborn throughout this endeavor I was forcing our family to endure. Esme and Carlisle were looking forward to meeting Keira's parents, and Emmett kept mentioning something about talking to Kyle about chaperoning the date he'd been volunteered for.

Several houses along Keira's street were filled with cars when we pulled down it, but hers was the only one with room still left. Carlisle had already told me he was on call at the hospital and that we would probably have to leave at a moment's notice. I knew he was simply giving us all a good reason to leave when things became uncomfortable, not just for us, but for the humans as well. Whether or not the humans would realize that was another subject all by itself.

I led everyone to the porch, ringing the doorbell and waiting only half a minute before Annabeth opened the door.

"Oh, you're right on time," she greeted, reaching for my hand and allowing me inside as Carlisle and Esme followed. "Oh, it's so good to finally meet you! You must be Edward's sister and brother-in-law. I'm Annabeth, Keira's mother."

Introductions filled the foyer for several minutes, and Annabeth called Keira and Fisher down.

"Fisher invited Abigail," she said as she showed us into the front parlor as it set empty. "She got here a little bit ago. I had to send Walter to the store for a few last minute things. I hope you're all hungry. I'm afraid I've maid plenty — enough to feed a small army."

"Well, on that note," Esme said, "I brought something for us all. I practically cooked a cookbook's worth of food trying to make the right dish. I must admit, Keira helped me last night. It's a pumpkin cheesecake. I decided to try something festive."

"Oh, well, that's lovely. I'm sure it'll taste wonderful. Please, make yourselves comfortable," she gestured to the couch and chairs as she took the pie from Esme. "Walter should be back any minute, and we'll see about dinner."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Carlisle asked.

"Don't be silly. You're our guests," she insisted as Keira, Fisher and Abigail came downstairs. "It'll just be a few more minutes."

She changed places with them, and when I saw Keira, a smile naturally spread across my face.

"Punctual as always," Fisher smiled. "Aren't you going to introduce us to your family?"

I laughed softly, turning to face Esme and Carlisle. "This is my sister Esme," I gestured, and Fisher took her hand, a peculiar smirk pricking at his left cheek. "And this is my brother-in-law Carlisle. You already know Rosalie, and that's Emmett, my . . . older brother."

Emmett waved from his spot on the couch, a knowing grin on his face. Rosalie didn't say anything one way or another, but it looked like Fisher was accustomed to it.

"Carlisle, Esme, this is Fisher, Keira's older brother. And this is Abigail. She's a friend of Keira's — and mine."

Esme smiled, reaching for Abigail's hand. "Well, it's wonderful to meet both of you. The two of you look beautiful together."

Abigail blushed, and Fisher did a little as well. Esme probably would've blushed if she'd been able when she saw their reaction.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that — "

"It's okay," Fisher insisted. "We're still trying to figure it out ourselves."

Keira stepped closer to me, gently wrapping her hand around my arm. "You look a little conflicted. Is something wrong?"

I lifted my hand to hers. "Of course not. I still don't know where I'm going to take you for our date, but if Emmett has his way, we'll probably go somewhere local. He keeps thinking about the drive-in."

She laughed softly. "Then I'll be sure to wear my coat."

A light laugh bubbled up gently, and the front door opened to allow Walter inside with a few paper sacks filled with various items.

"Is it just me, or do we have a few extra people in the house for some reason?" he chuckled.

Annabeth met him in the foyer then, and while she took the paper sacks and disappeared to the back of the house, he stepped into the foyer to greet us.

"Walter Jones."

Carlisle stepped up first. "Carlisle Cullen. It's a pleasure to meet you, Walter. Keira's told us so much about all of you."

"Likewise." Walter smiled and turned to Esme. "You must be Esme."

"It's so good to finally meet you. You have such a lovely home."

"And I'll be sure to tell Annabeth for you. Come on into the dining room. I'm sure everything will be ready in just a couple of minutes."

He led the way the across the foyer, and Kyle came downstairs as we emerged from the parlor. No one said anything as we all stepped into the dining room.

Though I couldn't say much for my family or myself, dinner was delicious for every human in the room — Keira, especially, since I had to experience it all vicariously through her. It was difficult to pretend when none of us actually ate any of the food on our plates, but Carlisle kept Walter engaged in a boring conversation about work while Esme asked Annabeth about the decorations and apparent renovations done to the house we were all sitting inside.

Rosalie excused herself less than halfway through the meal, citing an upset stomach, and not long afterward, Emmett asked Kyle if he planned on listening the game playing that afternoon. The four adults left the table involved in their own subjects of choice, and Kyle and Emmett left to turn the radio in the parlor on so they could listen to the game. That left me, Keira, Fisher and Abigail to nibble on the food left at the table.

It wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but I must've been squirming because Keira pulled me to my feet to leave the dining table without a word to her brother.

"That wasn't exactly a disaster," she commented pulling me through the house to the sunroom in the back.

I laughed softly. "Well, if that was a success, then perhaps we should have Christmas at my house," I teased.

She sat on the rod iron bench away from the door, and I sat with her. "Okay," she agreed.

I looked at her, at the happiness in her face and realized she was serious. "Keira. I don't know if that would be a good idea. This isn't over yet. And in a month — "

Despite her smile fading slightly, it did nothing to diminish her joy. "But this was fun," she insisted. "I mean, I'll agree it hasn't gone like clockwork, but have my parents or my brothers noticed anything unusual?"

I shook my head. "No, but — "

"Have they asked any strange questions about you or your family?"

"No, but that doesn't mean they won't as time goes on. You did. And the more often humans observe us, the more easily they notice things. I told you about the Volturi. If they find out we allowed just one human to know about us — I can't even think of what would happen if I allowed them to know about you. I can't think of what I would do if something happened to you. You have to understand. I enjoyed this, yes, but please. We can't risk anymore."

"Edward," she whispered. I lifted my eyes to hers. "You've known me nearly three months. Has the sky come crashing down around us? Has the earth swallowed us whole? You're being cautious, and I understand that. But it's a month away. In that time, the only thing my parents will remember is how wonderful a time they had with you here."

"And what about Fisher?"

She shook her head. "What about him?"

I glanced around, listening to make sure we were still alone. "You know he has . . . suspicions about me and my family. They grow the longer you're around me. Exposing your family to us is one thing — a one-time thing. But allowing another human to know of us — It's not safe. I can't — I couldn't do that to your family."

She also glanced around the room, thinking of the few times her brother had wondered about me and asked questions about me. She knew I was right, and she didn't like the fact that we couldn't do anything like this again.

"I want to," I assured her. "I liked doing this. I've felt more normal today than I have in a very long time. But I can't put any of you in danger like this again just so I can feel like this again. It's not safe."

Slowly, she eased away from me and folded her hands in her lap. "So I guess this means we won't be going on our date."

"Why not?"

She lifted her eyes to mine. "Well, if it's too dangerous for my family to be around you and your family a month from now, then how can it be okay for us to spend anymore time together?"

I took her hands in mine as gently as I could. "You know the risks, Keira," I whispered. "They don't. And it sounds harsh, but sometimes, ignorance is better than knowledge. And I can protect you. I will protect you."

Nothing I said seemed to convince her, but she looked at our joined hands and stared almost a minute before she nodded.

"Okay. Then I'll just have to convince you that it will be all right."

I opened my mouth to argue, but Carlisle called for me from the doorway.

"Edward, the hospital just called," he said as he pulled on his coat. "I told them I would be here if they needed me. We all have to go. I'll drop you off at the house before I go."

I looked at Keira, still holding her hands, and I pulled her to her feet to walk her back into the house. Emmett, Rosalie and Esme were all getting ready to leave, and I followed their lead.

"So I'll see you at school at least," Keira said to me.

I smiled at her. "Of course."

"It was wonderful having you," Annabeth said from her side. "We should do this again."

Carlisle smiled cordially. "Perhaps. And thank you for having us. It was lovely spending time with you."

Annabeth smiled, and with a nod, we all left their house to return to ours.

I thought about what Keira had said all the way back to our house, wondering if she realized how dangerous this really was. I'd already risked her life by allowing her to know me and my family.

How could I endanger her family by continuing to expose them to us?

Again, I know it's been a little while. And I promise I'm going to do my absolute best to have the next chapter out as soon as I possibly can.

Thanks to everyone for readings and putting my story on your faves and alerts. I really appreciate it.

Until next time.