DISCLAIMER – The Twilight saga and all the characters mentioned in it are the undisputed property of Stephanie Myers. This story was written entirely for non-profit and the sheer love of the series and its memorable characters. Spoilers are included from pretty much included for every single book associated with Twilight. Proceed with caution if you haven't read everything, particularly The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner.

I hope everyone enjoys reading as much as I enjoyed writing. Naturally, feedback is always appreciated but never demanded.

The (Not So) Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

By: Oy! Angelina

_Chapter 6_

Things to Do in Sibiu When You're Undead

Sibiu was lovely this time of year. As far as I knew.

I wasn't the best authority on tourism since this wasn't just my first time in the city of Sibiu, the region of Transylvania, the nation of Romania or Europe in as a whole; this was my first time anyplace that wasn't Canada or the continental US. Unfortunately, I couldn't really enjoy the sights or soak up history so long as I was freaking out over Fred walking straight to death's doorstep.

When I left the Cullens I hadn't planned on being around humans any more than strictly necessary so things like spare clothes and contacts were not amongst the few possessions in my backpack. Irina was closest to my size for clothes and, despite Kate and Tanya's insistence, I felt awful taking them since she probably hated me. Beggers couldn't be choosers, though, and I needed to wear something that didn't scream 'I live in the woods and eating animals raw' during my international travels.

I felt like I won the lottery when Tanya gave me a few sets of contacts to use when I couldn't get away with sunglasses. They were blue and turned her gold eyes green when applied. I didn't know if green was the eye color Tanya had when she was human or if she just like it but I thought they were pretty annoying to wear for the sake of vanity. Plus, on my orange eyes, they ended up looking purplish.

At least one thing I didn't have to worry about was a passport. I brought it along just in case I had to show it to a human for some reason and hoped they would believe I was just a weird teenager who liked to wear orange contacts. It seemed like a good precautions since I had no clue where my search for Fred would take me but I knew Transylvania would have ranked somewhere around Stonehenge and the Bermuda Triangle if anyone forced me to guess. I can tell you I felt like the most poser vampire in the world when I said 'One ticket for Transylvania, please' to the ticket agent.

One thing I was smart enough to do was filled up on a few caribou before my flight with a couple hundred living, breathing humans but I still spent most of it not breathing and chanting in my head over and over – they're just like Karen. Even though a mid-air feeding frenzy most discrete way sate the burning in my throat I still had bad thoughts that centered mostly around the fact that nobody would expect any survivors if my plane just so happened to crash into the Atlantic. No, I wouldn't eat anyone. Not even the crying baby three rows down or the kid kicking the back of my chair.

I ground my teeth and wonder if just swimming to Europe would have been a smarter plan. It might have been faster to say the least. After a few hours my anxiety took precedent over my thirst as I debated my chances of finding Fred before the Volturi. Fred had a huge head start on me and all I had to go off of was the name of a European country he might be in. I placed the odds somewhere around "slim" and "none" but what was the point of hope springing eternal if immortals didn't sip from it once and a while? Also, since Alice hadn't called me yet to tell me I was wasting my time that must meant there was at least a small chance of me pulling this off.

If I was honest, though, I wouldn't have changed my mind even if Alice did warn me not to go. After failing Diego I couldn't let the only surviving member of my old coven fall into the Volturi's clutches, no after Fred saved my life more times than I could count. I had a debt to repay, even if risking life and limb was the price to do it.

Luck was on my side for a change when my plane landed. The traces of Fred's scent I picked up around the airport. They were a few days stale but at least I was starting off in the right place. I bounced from one large city to the next, hoping to cross one of his trails. Maybe it was assuming too much to think Fred was copying the hunting patterns of our old coven but if he was eating people in the countryside our paths might never cross. Fortunately, Fred was a creature of habit and that habit led me to Sibiu.

Fred's trail was speckled throughout the city but I never found one I could trace back to the owner. I didn't panic because there was nothing to suggest something bad happened to Fred and the pockets of scent I stumbled on were fresh enough to make me believe he hadn't left the area yet. Still, Fred was a hard man to find and I wasn't sure why.

Fred was cautious by nature and traveling alone probably reinforced that tendency. A truly paranoid vampire could do any number of things to avoid leaving a clear trail for another to follow but was Fred that worried about running into our kind? I had to consider the possibility that someone might be chasing Fred but couldn't think of anyone who would want to do Fred harm. All our old coven was dead except for me and Fred probably didn't even know that so, unless Fred was afraid of ghosts, that wouldn't concern him. Beyond that I couldn't imagine what a private guy with powers that made him either repulsive or forgettable could have done in two months to get himself stalked halfway around the world.

Maybe that was the answer – his talent. Starting out Fred's ability was like a light switch – either on or off and usually set to the same intensity – but then he developed it past the point of people wanting to avoid him; Fred could send them running. Soon after that Fred could pick and choose who he wanted to affect with his aura to the point of not just giving me immunity but cloaking me with it as well. When I last saw Fred he could make people forget he existed for almost half an hour and – with two months of time to practice – it was anyone's guess what Fred was capable of now.

My guess? Fred's talent either made me forget his scent for spaces of time so it only seemed like there was no rhyme or reason to his movements or I was unconsciously being repelled from it and only noticed again when I crossed into another trail. Whichever it was it amounted to the same problem – how could I find Fred if he didn't want to be found?

Answer – I let him find me.

In order to make my presence known in Sibiu I wasn't shy about leaving my scent all over the place. Eventually Fred would venture back into the city and, when he did, it wouldn't be long before he caught a whiff of me. I just had to bide my time and being stranded in Sibiu wasn't so bad. The Carpathian Mountains gave me a meal plan of bears, wolves and lynxes and the city had its charms. Also, thanks to a dictionary, my infallible memory and a whole lot of eavesdropping, I was fluent in Romanian after spending an hour in the country, though my accent was pretty noticeable.

Full on lynx that evening, I perched myself atop the tower of the Lutheran Cathedral so I had a view of the city below. If anyone bothered to look up they would have mistaken me for a stone cherub considering how still I was. Even with my sharp eyes searching the miles of road I knew my chances of spotting Fred were nonexistent, much like Fred himself could be. I had to try, though. Maybe this would be the night Fred found me.

As my eyes wandered so did my mind. I found myself admiring Fred's self-control. The account Eleazar and Carmen gave indicated he was still consuming human blood yet he endured a plane ride in close quarters with hundreds of humans. Riley might have been impressed by his talent for repelling people but it was Fred's collected and cautious nature that I respected. Fred behaved like he had been a vampire for decades rather than months. Unlike me, I bet Fred probably could handle the Cullens' diet without wavering once.

That thought appealed to me a lot. Could I get Fred to come back with me to Forks and join the Cullens? I hoped I wasn't being presumptuous in thinking my family would welcome another vampire into their fold, especially with Bella soon to join, but how could pass up the chance to convert Fred to a more humane path?

Of course, that might not be what Fred wanted. My aunt and uncle had explained their lifestyle to Fred and that didn't impress him enough to stay with them. Fred was never much of a joiner and I assumed his solitary attitude was reinforced by the rotten vampires he was surrounded by in our former coven but, maybe, Fred just liked drinking human blood and being on his own.

I guess I would find out when I saw him again.

I spent another hour imagining what the Cullens would think of Fred and how they would get along with him. It probably wasn't smart to get my hopes up in case Fred had no interest in our family or our ideologies but I couldn't resist. Even if a vampire couldn't sleep they could still dream.

I broke out of my reverie when I heard a noise from the other side of the tower. I recognized it immediately as the swift and muffled tread of someone scaling the wall and the soft scrape of stone on stone made me positive it was one of my kind. Deftly, I got to my feet and maneuvered the slanted roof with an eager smile on my face. Fred found me at last!

The terms we parted on gave me every reason to expect this would be a happy reunion. We could trade stories about everything we had done and everyone we met since we last saw each other. Even if Fred still wasn't much of a talker I was sure he would happily listen to how good life was with the Cullens and hear of how it was possible for us to retain our humanity even though we were vampires. And werewolves! Fred would definitely want to know about the werewolves.

Bracing myself against one of the spires I leaned over the edge to offer Fred a hand up but found only empty air and a deserted courtyard below. Confused, I pulled myself back and strained my ears to determine where Fred slipped off to when I realized that, despite the lack of sound, I wasn't alone on the roof.

"Hmm. The view is lovely up here."

I froze. The voice addressing me in Romanian wasn't Fred's but, somehow, it felt familiar to me. Its musical pitch definitely belonged to a vampire, though. I likened it to a violin – swift, elegant and just deep enough not to be considered effeminate. After taking a quarter a second to process this information I pivoted on the spot and put myself face to face with the vampire behind me.

We were matched in height but he looked younger, maybe by a year or so. His dark brunette hair was windswept from the climb with the tips of his bangs tickling the lashes of his burgundy eyes. He was as beautiful as any of our kind but his youthful appearance made him more pretty than handsome and those features reminded me of someone else…someone with slightly fuller lips capable of cold, cruel smiles.

Jane. He looked like Jane.

My self-preservation instinct kicked in and forced me to take a leap back. I crouched on the spire, peering down at him with my teeth bared in a warning. This had to be Alec; Jane's infamous twin and a member of the Volturi's elite guard. The Cullens said he was talented like his sister but the results were completely opposite. Jane inflicted pain that tortured every sense and cell on the body where as Alec stripped away any and all sensation. My family warned me not to confuse this for any kindness on Alec's part. He made it impossible for vampires to even defend themselves when the Volturi descended and entire covens were wiped out unceremoniously thanks to Alec and his talent.

How long would it be before Alec made it easy for the Volturi to do the same to my family?

Alec's reputation might have preceded him but he was clueless about who I was and why I was so wary. He used his bewilderment as an excuse to study me more intently and I did the same. Alec was clad entirely in black with a cowl hanging around the collar of his jacket and stood still enough to be mistaken for a black-and-white photo. Besides his red eyes, the only hint of color on Alec was the ruby and obsidian Volturi crest pinned to the front of his clothes.

"If I startled you, I apologize," Alec said. He must have mistaken me for a local because he continued in Romanian while gesturing to his attire. "You're not in trouble, if that's what you're worried about. I was passing through the city and noticed you up here. I was curious about you, mostly on account of your eyes, and decided to stop and talk."

Alec correctly assumed his affiliation with the Volturi was responsible for my guarded response. I bet they got reactions like this all the time since I couldn't imagine the Volturi often showed up for good reasons Alec did sound sincere in what he said; however, that didn't soften the edge he put me on. When I made no move to abandon my defensive position he tried again.

"My name is Alec, by the way."

Alec needed no introduction to me and I was reluctant to share my own name with him. His sister wanted my family destroyed and, likely, Alec felt the same. But what was the point in being coy? He already noticed my eyes and it wouldn't be long before Alec remembered which coven of vampires preferred gold irises to red.

Only my lips moved as I answered him in English. "I'm Bree."

Alec blinked and that was all the time he needed to connect the dots. Perfect memories and swiftly applied logic always kept the dialogue moving between vampires. Unfortunately, that impeccable shrewdness could be a double-edged sword depending on who you were speaking with and I was talking to one of the Volturi.

"You were the newborn that surrendered to the Cullens," Alec deduced in English this time. "Interesting. Are you still with them?"

"Yes, they're my family," I said in a proud, defiant voice.

Alec looked unimpressed. "Well, that explains the eyes, doesn't it?"

I could see Alec was reassessing the situation he put himself in. I figured he would kill me as soon as look at me since Jane so enjoyed the thought of culling the Cullens but I wasn't getting that impression from Alec. If this wasn't my talent coaching me on what Alec's motives were at the moment then I was probably dead. At least I could take some comfort in knowing I wouldn't feel it if Alec did end up deciding to kill me.

"Are any of the Cullens with you now?" Alec asked, narrowing his eyes in scrutiny.

I already knew what Alec's power was but I didn't doubt he was better at hearing lies than I was at telling them. Maybe if I told just enough of the truth that other facet of my own talent would persuade Alec to focus on the sincerity of my words and ignore my lies by omission.

"No, I'm here on my own," I shifted from my crouch into a sitting position. Alec wasn't inclined to harm me yet so what was the point in acting like a cornered animal? "Edward and Bella were getting married and I didn't want to risk ruining it so I decided to travel. When I was in Alaska Eleazar mentioned that Romania was where the first vampire civilization originated so I decided to check it out."

Alec took a second to debate whether he believed my story so far. It was the absolute truth if you didn't count my failing to mention that finding Fred was the only reason I currently felt like broadening my horizons. Apparently it was enough honesty for Alec because his red eyes lost their suspicious tinge.

"Right, I heard Eleazar and his mate adopted the Cullens' eating habits," Alec said thoughtfully.

Alec folded his arms and reclined into the spire behind him in such a fluid motion even certain vampires would seem clumsy next to him. A gust of air swept his scent up to me and its medley reminded me of sun-warm lavender, freshly blossomed lilies and crisp cut pears with an underlying hint of vanilla. All vampires smelled nice so I don't know why I paid any close attention to Alec's scent. Maybe I just figured he would smell like misery and death considering his lifestyle.

"So you came to Transylvania on some kind of vampire pilgrimage? Your eyes aren't black so I know you haven't been fasting," Alec summarized. The corner of his smile curled in amusement at the thought.

If I didn't have it on good authority that Alec assisted the Volturi in mass murders I would almost think he was funny.

"Eleazar probably should have mentioned to you that it's been twenty-five hundred years since Romania had any influence over vampire civilization," Alec went on. "You need to visit Volterra if you want to see where all the power is now."

"So I've heard," I said blandly.

Alec rested his head against a shingle of the spire he was propped against. "And I'm sure the Cullens have nothing but praise for the Volturi and our work."

Whatever Alec's crimes were being a fool wasn't one of them. I gave him the courtesy of not pretending his assumptions were wrong. "You are threatening to kill all of them if Bella doesn't become a vampire."

"Why are they complaining about that when the matter was settled months ago in Volterra?" Alec sighed irritably. "The Volturi exist to prevent humans from learning about our kind's existence and Bella Swan is a human. Naturally, this concerned us but Alice Cullen swore Bella would become a vampire and that arrangement apparently suits Bella just fine. Aro even offered her a place amongst the Volturi and we are a very exclusive club. In fact, only Edward was ever against the possibility of Bella becoming a vampire, which I find rather odd considering how much he professes to love her."

I knew the Volturi kept order amongst our kind and Alec explained their position so reasonably I could almost sympathize. Almost. Even if Alec felt the Volturi weren't in the wrong before they were instigating problems now by insisting Bella end her human life as soon as possible. Bella may have made her choice long ago about becoming a vampire but I didn't like that the Volturi gave her no option to change her mind. When Alec noticed his argument failed to move me he piled more weight upon his point.

"The only reason the Volturi became involved in the Cullens affairs was because Edward decided to bring all his emotional baggage to our doorstep and threatened to expose our kind to the mortals if we refused to kill him. Edward was provoking us into killing him and we would have tossed him on a pyre if his ability didn't fascinate Aro. By the Volturi's standards Edward Cullen got off light."

I heard this story already but I liked the way the Cullens told it better than Alec. He made it sound like Edward was begging for trouble with the Volturi and that he was the only reason we fell under their scrutiny now. I sensed something behind Alec's words that made me aware what he said was a half-truth at best. Maybe the reason eluded me but I knew for certain the Volturi were motivated to harass the Cullens.

"Jane was sure to remind everybody of the Volturi's patience and generosity while visiting last June," I said with a touch of frost to my voice.

Alec leveled his gaze on mine. "Jane wouldn't have had to visit Forks at all if you and your newborn friends weren't causing such a disturbance."

My temper as newborn had a short fuse and Alec was playing with matches between those two subjects. I leaned forward and spoke sharply. "Jane could have saved herself a trip considering the Cullens did all the work for her. And – for the record - those newborns weren't my friends, okay? I'm relieved most of those guys are dead. The half that wasn't psychotic was just plain dumb and they would have just ended up killing each other if the Cullens didn't do it for them."

Either Alec was way too confident or I wasn't half as scary as I thought because he seemed unfazed by my flare-up.

"And the Volturi are impressed and grateful the Cullens disposed of a coven three times their own size," said Alec smarmily and then straightened his face. "How did you survive?"

"Carlisle let me surrender and Jane decided not to kill me if the Cullens accepted responsibility for me," I said stiffly. It was weird to think some of the best and worst moments of my life were crammed into one day.

"I meant how did you survive within the newborn army?" Alec asked with a noticeable interest in what my reply might be. "I assisted the Volturi in ending the Southern Vampire Wars during the 1800s and the newborn armies then were savage and unruly. Most were as likely to turn on each other as their master's enemy and survival of the fittest isn't kind to vampires as small as yourself."

I scowled. "You're about as big as me."

Alec smiled at that. "I also know what I'm capable of. So, tell me, what is it you can do that helped you survive as long as you did?"

Alec was right to assume a vampire like me wouldn't last long around bigger, meaner newborn vampires without some kind of help. I couldn't tell him how I did it, though; not without mentioning Fred and his power. Unfortunately, Alec expected an answer and I needed to good.

"I know jujitsu," I said soberly.

"You know jujitsu?" Alec said each syllable slow and skeptically.

"I've had ninja training," I said, smiling as I held my crystal star pendant. "I learned from the best."

Alec paused as his brow folded. "Are you being serious?"

I shook my head. "Nah, I'm just teasing."

Alec pushed off and - in a blur of motion - repositioned himself so he was seated next to me on the spire I claimed. As I leered away he leaned in closer with an amused look.

"What makes you think it's wise to taunt a member of the Volture?" Alec asked.

"I figured you all had thick skin," I answered, shrugging. "Most vampires do."

Alec chuckled at that. Condescending tone aside, Alec was actually halfway decent to talk to…and that was starting to worry me. I didn't want to make chit-chat with the Volturi. I wanted them shrouded in shadow as they played their games of cloaks and daggers, like the villains they were. Fortunately, Alec's black hood and blood-red eyes helped keep things straight in my head.

"Alright, so if you don't have some superior fighting prowess to speak of how did you manage?" Alec wondered. "Do you have a talent?"

I had hoped I could distract Alec off the subject but he was too curious to let it go. I sighed and debated how much truth I cared to make available to Alec. It was Fred's talent that kept me alive those three months, not mine, and there was no way I was volunteering that information. I didn't want to bring up my talent either but it was pretty unlikely the Volturi would be impressed by it. I know I wasn't when Eleazar first explained it but it was still a kernel of truth to spin some yarn around.

"I have the ability that gives me a sense of whether someone can be trusted or if they're planning to hurt me," I said. That downplayed my talent a lot but Alec didn't need to know the specifics, he just needed enough information to believe the more compelling truths in my story. "That gave me a heads up on which people I needed to avoid and I made a point of hiding in plain sight if I couldn't find a corner. So because I didn't pick fights or draw attention to myself nobody thought I was worth killing…or they just had someone they wanted to kill more."

Even though Alec appeared to believe my account he seemed disappointed by it. I pursed my lips. He didn't have to act like my talent was that dull even if I did deemphasize it somewhat. I folded my arms and stared out over the city with a petulant look. What was the point of being one of the few talented vampires if nobody cared?

"Well, there's something to be said about picking your battles," Alec said finally. "Did you fight the Cullens at all?"

The idea made me queasy even though that was the sole reason for my creation as a vampire. The Cullens were my family now and I didn't want to consider the possibility of anything hurting them.

"No. I tried to run but Carlisle caught me and let me surrender," I said.

"Your vampire stories are pretty anti-climatic, you know that?" said Alec, grinning. "But, then again, most stories involving the Cullens are."

I rolled my eyes. Go figure a member of the Volturi preferred tales of carnage. What was wrong with a peaceful resolution or – better yet – not causing trouble at all?

"I'm impressed you're fitting in with the Cullens considering their attachment to Bella Swan," Alec noted coolly. "I met her so I know how tempting her blood is. Normally it takes our kind years to develop a tolerance for being around humans, let alone one so appetizing. I can only imagine how excruciating it must be for you to have that under your nose all day, especially since you're not eating any humans whatsoever."

I didn't argue that point. Being around Bella was so maddening and painful I kept my contact with her to an absolute minimum and, even then, it took just as much willpower not to seek her out. I trusted that Edward explained to her that my anti-social behavior was a safety precaution, not a personal slight. In fact, I wished I was more averse to Bella rather than practically intoxicated by her presence. I still didn't know how the Cullens ignored it. For me it felt like standing in the Sahara a high-noon with an ice cold glass of water I wasn't allowed to drink under any circumstances. Just thinking about her forced me to put my head between my hands and swallow hard.

In a twisted sort of way Bella helped me manage my thirst better. Maybe I couldn't stand twenty feet from her without wanting to claw out my throat but it was easier to cope around regular humans with normal blood by comparison. Even still I couldn't trust myself around humans unless I was brimming with animal blood and holding my breath. I might be a tame vampire but I was far from domesticated.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you thirsty," Alec said while studying my face.

I shifted away from him with a low groan. Great. All this obsessing about human blood probably made my eyes blacker than pitch. My throat throbbed even though I only ate a couple hours ago but my gums ached worse. They were so desperate to bite into something that I had to clench my jaw.

"Come on," Alec said, already on his feet.

I pulled my head out from my hands and anguished thoughts. "Huh? Where are we going?"

"To get something to eat," Alec said like I should have guessed. "I ate on the way here but I'm always in the mood for a bite."

Hearing "bite" made the venom boil in my mouth. "You and I aren't on the same meal plan, Alec."

He flashed me a reproving glance before scanning the streets below. "Of course we are and you're in serious denial if you think otherwise, Bree. We're vampires so we eat humans. It's as simple as cats with mice."

"Obviously we can get by eating animals so it's not like I'm starving myself." The thirst made every word prick my throat.

"You might be surviving, like a human can survive on bread and water, but is that any way to live? For eternity?" Alec challenged as he turned away from the sights of Sibiu. He planted his foot against the spire I was still atop and leaned in so our eyes would meet. "You're a newborn; it's hard enough for you to suppress your thirst without adding all these unnatural restrictions and even if you had pretty yellow eyes it would still be there, gnawing at you. It's not healthy and the Cullens are cruel for convincing you that you're a monster if you eat the one thing you're supposed to."

"What's cruel about valuing human life?" I could hardly get the words out between my scorched throat and grinding teeth.

"You are cranky when you're hungry," said Alec, shaking his head as he returned to the ledge of the roof. "Let's see what the local cuisine has to offer…"

I needed to stop listening to Alec before he started to make sense. My bloodlust – human bloodlust – was superseding my desire to be like the Cullens. Alec was right – it was natural for me to crave human blood but what was the point of being a near-perfect being if I couldn't rise above my brutal nature? Maybe I would always suffer for my cause, like Alec said, but if hundreds of human lives weren't worth some discomfort what was?

"Well, its slim pickings at this hour but there a couple tourist still roaming around," Alec said. He drummed his fingers along his folded arms, lost in thought. "Do you feel like Chinese or Indian? I spotted an Australian but she went into a youth hostel –"

I missed the rest of Alec's dining recommendations because I kicked him off the roof. I didn't do it to hurt him…actually, I don't know why I did it because punting a member of the Volturi into the air was about as dumb as dumb could get. The only frustrated thought that flashed through my head before I made the biggest (and possibly last) mistake of my second life was that I needed Alec to get the hell away from me before he talked me into eating a tourist. There was no going back now, though, so I just had to run with it. Preferably fast.

Hissing, Alec was already flipping around as he traced an arc through the open night air and I didn't want to be around when he finally landed. I used my six second head start for all it was worth and it was worth a lot when you were a newborn vampire running for your unlife. I soared off the other side of the church tower to bound and weave my way over the rooftops of Sibiu for a total of six seconds and seventeen buildings.

Alec would have landed by now.

My best and only strategy was not giving Alec anything to go off of once he started chasing me – which he was likely doing now. I was staking my life on him bounding back to the rooftops once his feet touched something solid. My scent wouldn't be easy to bead in on between the moving air and my scattered escape route so Alec would need to spot me if he had any hope of catching up and I wasn't going to make it easy for him.

I dropped to the streets and raced on so close to the wall the mortar and brick tickled my arm. It was so dark and late the few humans still wandering the streets either mistook me for a draft of wind or were too drunk to even comprehend what they saw. Passing the humans raked my throat raw but my thirst could wait for satisfaction; Alec wouldn't. I didn't dare look back to see how much of a lead I still had as my hand reached out for a lamppost and used the momentum I built to swing me back around and into a channel of water that cut through the city's layout. I hit the water like a bullet then swam like a torpedo along the bottom. I followed the water all the way to its end, leapt out and headed for the Carpathian Mountains. Once outside the city limits I dared to glance over my shoulder. I couldn't spot Alec but I intended to keep going until the daylight forced me to stop or he did.

I was optimistic, though. If I could outrun a werewolf, I could outrun a fourteen year old bloodsucking anesthesiologist, right?

AUTHOR'S NOTE – In case there is some confusion as to Alec and Bree's ignorance of each other it was never said in Eclipse that Alec was part of the guard who came to Forks even though that fact was changed for the movie. Bella identified Felix, Demetri and Jane in the field so one can assume she would have noted Alec's presence if he was there.

Apologies to anyone who envisioned something different but since I write my fanfics to follow the books rather than the films I'm saying Alec has not met Bree until now. If it's any consolation I totally thought Alec was there until I looked it up.

Those wishing to read more about Alec may want to check out my companion fic - Ashes through an Hourglass at .net/s/6064960/1/Ashes_through_an_Hourglass. It's not essential to following this story but, like Midnight Sun, it expands upon some information as well as retells key scenes from Alec's perspective.