Thanks for sticking with me, my dear readers. Hopefully this chapter suits your cravings. Please also note there is a slight edit to Edward's past in the year he was made vampire (I shall call it an artistic alteration ... this is an AU, after all). On with the chapter - thanks again, and please R/R!
Chapter 17 – Like Ice
"Hello?" Amy dropped her keys on the small side table beside the door as she entered her condo, pinning her cell phone to her ear with her shoulder. After her afternoon meeting with Sophie and the newly pregnant Charlotte, Amy had less than two hours to get ready for dinner. And she hadn't been able to reach Edward to invite him along as her date.
"Am I programmed into your cell yet?" a bright voice asked. "I'll be calling you a lot more often now."
The melodic timbre of Alice Cullen's voice on her phone made Amy smile. "Yeah, I hear I have a new assistant." Amy closed and locked the front door and dumped her purse beside her keys. "How are vampires with cameras?" she asked, her footsteps light as she hurried up the stairs to her room to start getting ready.
"Pretty good, considering I know exactly when to take the picture."
"How long have you known you'd be my assistant?" Amy asked as she opened her closet. She began to filter through her formal attire, her fingertips quickly running along the material.
"Only a few days."
"And you didn't tell me?"
"Where's the fun in that?" Alice said with a laugh. "Besides, Charlotte had her own news to share. I couldn't ruin that for her."
"I suppose," Amy agreed. In her quick scan of her closet, Amy had paused at only two outfits. Making a mental note to go clothes shopping soon, she pulled out the two dresses – one a knee-length, white dress with a red sash around the waist, the other a rich blue, silk dress that fell just below her knees.
"Well, since I can't really say this in front of everyone tonight, I can tell you we're going to have a great time working together," Alice told her, her voice softening but still holding its appealing charm. "I've been looking forward to this. I don't have many close human friends."
Human friends, Amy thought as her mind tried to decide on which dress to wear. Is my new BFF going to be a vampire? "I think we'll be a perfect team, since, y'know, you can see the future."
"Just one of many great things about me," Alice said with a laugh. "Oh, and Edward's coming to pick you up in about seventy-five minutes, so I'd better let you go get ready."
Amy's fingers paused as they ran along the soothing silk material of the blue dress. "I tried calling him before, but I couldn't reach him—"
"He ran out for a quick, erm, hunt," Alice disclosed, her strained voice showing her reluctance to share Edward's vampiric behavior. "Left his cell in the house. But I promise he'll call you right after you're out of the shower. And he's going to love the blue dress."
Amy remained momentarily frozen as her mind tried to wrap around Alice's future-reading abilities. Guess I know what I'm wearing. "Okay," was all Amy could say in response.
"I know, I know. It's weird now, but you'll get used to me," Alice assured her.
"I-I'm sure I will. And I'll put this white dress back in the closet."
Alice giggled. "See you soon!" she chirped. Amy pictured her bouncing on tiptoe in anticipation.
"Later!"
xxxxx
The ringing doorbell made Amy jump, but the resulting adrenaline rush made her rapidly finish her last-minute beatifying. Tossing her eyelash curler in her make-up bag, she glanced at the wall clock ticking beside her in the bathroom. Alice was right, she mused. Seventy-five minutes on the dot.
She was right about him calling, too. Her phone rang the instant she had wrapped the towel around herself after her shower. And the sound of Edward's voice made her tingle from head to toe. The goosebumps formed on her skin when he said, "I hear we have a date tonight."
Giving her hair a final scrunch to add some volume, she hurried into her bedroom to grab her silver heels. In her rush, her finger failed to grip a strap on one of the shoes, and her still-moving feet tripped over the forgotten shoe. Cursing over her awkward slip, she snatched the troublesome shoe, the silk dress caressing her skin as her legs carried her down the stairs.
Ignoring her thumping heartbeat, Amy opened the door and greeted Edward with her best smile, shoes still in hand.
"Hi," was all she managed to say, her throat suddenly feeling dry in his presence. He was stunning in his outfit: perfectly creased black slacks, a steel gray shirt and a pastel blue tie. It was normal attire for an evening out, but Edward made the clothes look impeccable. He looked like a model. Crisp, clean and absolutely desirable.
"Hi." Edward was eyeing her just as intently. From the gentle waves of hair resting on her shoulders to the contour of her dress as it snuggled comfortably on top of her skin. The intense blue color of her eyes perfectly matched her outfit, enhancing her gaze and summoning him to look at her. "You look beautiful," he said quietly. His eyes remained on her as he glided through the doorway and into the house.
"Erm, thanks," she replied shyly. Although she had hoped for that reaction, she wasn't prepared for his complete attention. Her body was unsure how to react under the longing power of his gaze. As he stepped in front of her, she felt her face flush, but her body chilled when she smelled him. "You look really good, too," she said, awkwardly shifting her feet as his head began to lower closer to hers. "I mean, really good," she babbled. "It's really not fair for you to look better than me. Especially on our, like, pseudo first da—"
His lips cut her off as they pressed into hers, unable to resist her appeal any longer. She couldn't tell, but her body was practically summoning him to touch her, to kiss her, to taste her. His growing affection for her could overpower the burn of the venom in his throat, but he had to taste her lips and feel her skin beneath his hands.
The cool, soft moistness of Edward's lips sent a shot of passion directly to her groin, momentarily stunning her. And as his hands gradually ran up her arms to her bare shoulders, she let out a soft moan into his mouth and kissed him back. When his fingers began to trace her collarbone, her shoes dropped from her faint grip, causing Edward to pull away as the grin formed on his lips.
"Sorry. Couldn't help it," he said, affectionately nudging her nose with his own.
"Please don't apologize for that," she replied quietly, her lips parting as they snuck forward toward his mouth in hopes of another kiss. Sensing her desire, Edward darted away, his movements blurred as he suddenly lingered in the open doorway.
"I should really be more cautious with you." Any trace of a smile had left his face. "It could be very bad if I got carried away."
"How do you know that?"
Edward didn't respond, but his eyes remained locked on her. Amy took advantage of the moment of silence to slip on her shoes, then grabbed her small, black, clutch purse she had prepared and left on the side table beside the door.
Not satisfied by his lack of response, Amy's eyebrows furrowed, her self-consciousness planting a new thought in her head. "Are you … afraid to kiss me? Am I doing something wrong?"
"That's the last thing I want you to think," he responded quietly, and she could hear the sudden guilt in his tone. He took her hand and guided her through the door. "There's not a thing you're doing wrong."
Her eyes lingered on his for a moment before she turned back to her front door and locked it, tossing the keys into her clutch.
"You don't really need to lock it, y'know," Edward said with a grin, subtly pushing a change in subject.
"Why, because the police chief lives a hundred feet away?" she asked. Edward's hand slipped around hers as they walked down the stairs, causing a shudder to swim up and down her spine.
"Well, that and the werewolves guarding your house."
Amy's head snapped toward the direction of the darkened woods behind her complex, as if the wolves would be casually sitting near the edge of the trees. Her stomach lurched when the mention of werewolves reminded her of her fight with Jacob.
"I haven't seen them at all," she commented quietly as they reached the passenger door of Edward's silver Volvo. Edward grinned and opened the door for her.
"Guess that means they're doing something right." She shuddered again as his sweet, cool breath lingered on her cheek. His hand still held hers as he guided her into the seat, then disappeared with his body before shutting the door. He reappeared in the driver's seat almost instantly, making her quietly gasp in surprise.
Another grin crossed his face as he began to back out of the driveway, his hand crossing over the gear shifter to intertwine his fingers with hers. She instantly felt more excited as her skin was allowed to study the cool sensation of his hands.
"Can I ask you something?" Her head turned toward him, the slight breeze from her shifting hair wafting a desirable scent in his direction. His thumb slowly traced the skin of her hand.
"Anything," he answered, his eyes momentarily leaving the road to offer her a reassuring smile.
"I'm guessing you're always so cold because you're, um … not alive anymore, right?"
"Right."
She inhaled as if she had more to say but instead remained silent.
"Does it bother you?" he asked, suddenly worried.
"No, no, that's not what I—" She cut herself off, re-thinking how she wanted to phrase her question. "I mean, I must feel really warm then. Is that … does that feel good to you?"
Edward couldn't hold back a chuckle. "Very."
"So is that why you said it would be bad if you got carried away?"
The smile vanished from Edward's face, and he held her hand tighter. "I didn't mean for that to make you nervous. I would never, ever allow myself to—"
"Edward, it's okay. I just … I want to understand what you're feeling so I know if there's something I shouldn't be doing."
"That's not something you should ever need to worry about." He ground his teeth, angry at himself for summoning her nerves.
"But if this is going to be a relationship, Edward, like a real partnership, we need to work together. Maybe I'm jumping ahead a little, and I don't want that to freak you out, but if we're going to be together, we need to work together, too. If there are things I can do to make it easier on you, you should tell me."
Edward paused, leaving a heavy moment of silence hanging between them. When Amy thought she might explode from his lack of response, he pulled her hand across the car and to his lips, planting a gentle kiss on the back of her palm.
"Sometimes you can make some sense when you babble." His eyes found hers, their shimmering topaz color causing Amy to freeze.
"Doesn't happen often," she said quietly as his lips caressed her hand again. When her head began working properly again, she thought of another question. "Can I ask you how you became a vampire?"
This question was unexpected, but Edward lowered her hand back into her lap, still maintaining his soft grip. He told her the story: how Carlisle found him dying of Spanish Influenza in 1918 and changed Edward into a vampire at the request of Edward's mother.
"And how old were you at the time?" Amy asked.
"Twenty-three."
"So … 1895. You were born in 1895." Her mind was busy trying to grasp the idea of his age.
"June twentieth, to be exact."
"So you're-you're a hundred and fifteen years old."
"Well, technically I'm still twenty-three. And I'm a hundred and fourteen vampire years. My birthday's not for another month or so. For now the story is that I'm Carlisle and Esme's son who just graduated from college in December, and I moved back home to look for a job." Edward glanced in Amy's direction, the lack of color in her face immediately making him nervous.
"Are you okay? Am I scaring you?"
"No. It's just a lot to process. That's all." Amy looked down at Edward's hand, his fingers intertwined with hers. "I'm going out to dinner with a century-old, vegetarian vampire who can read minds," she said out loud, merely to confirm what she had just learned. "I doubt I'd find anything like you on a dating site." She looked up to flash him a brilliant smile.
Edward laughed, happy that his abnormal history hadn't completely turned her off. But a lingering worry remained – would she always be so accepting of him? He knew he would have to prove he could be better than any human, or worse – werewolf – boyfriend.
"Which, speaking of vegetarian, what are you going to eat tonight? And Alice and Jasper? Can you eat regular food?"
Edward made the right turn into the restaurant's parking lot, a crooked smile forming on his lips at her question. "We can, but it doesn't taste very good to us."
"So what will you eat?"
"Jasper and I might go for a really rare steak. Alice tries to be more creative in public. Since she's tiny, she can get away with not eating much. Jasper and I usually have to force down the human food."
"What – real men can't eat light?" she teased as Edward parked the car. He laughed and hopped out of the car to open her door, then grasped her hand to pull her out. She snuck a hand around his back, her nose receiving a welcome treat from his desirable scent. Her knees weakened when his arm snuck around her, and she stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek.
He thinks it would be bad if he got carried away. I don't doubt that it would be very, very good. Amy smiled to herself, glad for the thousandth time that Edward couldn't read her thoughts.
xxxxx
"Oooh, that looks delicious," Alice said to Amy as a steaming plate of pasta was set in front of her. She winked as Amy smiled at her, knowing as well as Amy did that she preferred her food with a pulse.
Under the table, Edward's hand was linked with Amy's, their intertwined fingers resting on her thigh. Edward gave her hand a light squeeze, his liquid gold eyes smoldering in her direction. Her stomach did a somersault, and she wondered what her boss and co-workers would think if she suddenly shoved all of their meals aside, threw Edward onto the table, climbed on top of him and started making out. The thought made her giggle softly out loud, and on her left, Edward's eyes narrowed in concentration, his head yearning to hear her thoughts.
"So, may I ask when the baby's due?" Alice asked, everyone's attention turning to Charlotte as the waiter placed a rare steak in front of Edward.
"Of course! I mean, is the baby talk okay with everyone?" Charlotte asked sweetly. She scanned the other three couples for approval.
"Don't let her fool you," Matt said beside her with a grin. "She may seem hesitant, but she wants you to know every last detail." He lightly pinched Charlotte's arm, then kissed the area he had just pinched.
"I'd deny that, but he's totally right," Charlotte said with a laugh. "And, to answer your question," she started, turning to Alice, "I'm about twelve weeks along, so I've got a few months left. We don't want to know the sex, but I think we're prepared either way." She turned to Matt, who gave her a reassuring nod. "I'll be working to train Alice for another few weeks, then I'll switch to part time …"
Charlotte continued chatting about her pre-pregnancy plans, from her and Matt's discussions over baby names to preparing the infant's new room. The other three couples listened politely while munching on their food. Alice nibbled on a leafy salad, while Jasper and Edward mechanically gnawed on their steaks.
The three vampires asked questions where appropriate, showing their interest and acting like perfect dinner guests. It was hard not to succumb to Alice's bubbly personality, and Jasper was able to easily keep the group calm and happy. Edward bought the entire table champagne – accompanied by a virgin daiquiri for Charlotte. Amy felt her stomach flutter just looking at Edward, beaming at him as the whole table's positive energy seemed to radiate around him.
Midway through the meal, Sophie received an emergency work call related to a reorganization in staff. She, along with her husband, John, had to excuse themselves early. Apologizing profusely before leaving, Sophie gave Charlotte a congratulatory hug, the brief, tender moment bringing a smile to Amy's face. She was lucky to have such a close team.
Soon after, Charlotte and Matt left, too, the rich meal causing Charlotte to have a bout of indigestion. Amy volunteered to walk them out to their car, but Charlotte begged her to stay with her date. Matt invited the two couples to come to his bar, the Four Feathers, any time. Despite the early departures of half the table, the evening was a success.
"Are you guys glad you don't have to eat any more of this nasty human food?" Amy asked with a grin, her eyes scanning the three smiling vampires. Jasper was across from her with Alice on his right. Edward looked like a Greek god beside her. And Amy suddenly felt inadequate even sitting at the same table with the gorgeous beings around her.
"Steak used to taste good. Now it's just … extremely insufficient," Jasper said, shaking his head.
"Compared to a grizzly, yeah," Edward replied with a grin, the perfect smile drawing the gazes of three women in the vicinity. Amy glanced at the women, an irritating, build-up of jealousy making her stomach twist.
Edward's eyes shifted to Amy when she was the only one who didn't laugh at his comment. "You okay?" he asked, his hand brushing her cheek.
"What? Yeah, I'm fine," she said quickly, taking a sip of champagne.
Edward exchanged a glance with Jasper, and Amy suddenly felt much more comfortable, as if someone had just placed a warm blanket around her. The sensation seeped into her core, coating her entire body with the invisible warmth.
After several seconds, Amy made the connection that it was one of her vampire companions causing the abrupt feeling of comfort. Since Edward could read minds, and Alice could see the future, that left Jasper. "It's you, isn't it?" She looked at him with wide eyes, but the brief excitement from her realization was immediately drowned by Jasper's influence. "Oh, my God. That's … incredible, Jasper."
"It definitely has its advantages," Jasper said. "Especially being around Edward's new, overly nervous, human girlfriend."
"Nervous?" Edward asked, his arms slinking around the back of her chair.
Amy felt her face flush and attempted to deflect her embarrassment with humor. "It's a human emotion – I'm allowed to feel it, aren't I?"
"Yes." Edward smiled and leaned toward her to kiss her temple. She shuddered when his marble lips brushed her skin, his golden orbs earnest as they looked at her. "But there's no reason to feel nervous."
"Ouch!"
Amy jumped at the sound of the abrupt shout behind her, her head whipping behind her toward the source of the scream. The same sound caused the three vampires to stiffen. A nervous waitress rushed over to the shrieking woman, the white tablecloth beneath her hand covered in fresh blood.
Amy watched as the waitress helped the wounded woman wrap her cut with a cloth napkin, a bloodied steak knife at their feet.
"That scared me," Amy breathed. "I hope she's—"
She stopped when her head turned back around. Alice and Jasper were gone. And Edward was standing on her right, opposite from where he had been sitting.
"Are you okay?" she asked, his strained expression summoning her nerves. He wordlessly held out his hand, and she took it, grabbing her clutch with her other free hand. "Where are Alice and Jasper?" A final glimpse back at the table revealed a pile of cash left behind as payment for the meal. Edward's hand clenched hers to hurry her from the restaurant.
"Jasper's our newest vampire. He has a very low tolerance for the scent of blood. Alice won't leave him."
"But what about you?" she asked as they stepped outside into the cool night air. Amy instantly slinked closer to Edward, the unwelcome blast of adrenaline making her extra sensitive to the cold air. He wasn't any warmer, but she felt better when he put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.
"It's not as hard for me," he said quietly. "But it's not exactly pleasant either." Edward paused at the passenger door to the Volvo.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, causing Edward's eyebrows to furrow. "That it's so hard for you, I mean."
Edward cupped her face in his hands, goosebumps forming on her skin when his fingers brushed her hair. He inhaled her scent, nudging his nose against hers. "I don't ever want you to apologize to me. For anything."
"You're way too sweet to me," she told him, closing the gap between their lips and kissing him. She was far from memorizing his flavor or the curves of his lips, but she was more than eager to learn. "I bet … I can find something … to apologize for …" she told him between kisses.
Edward fought back a grin as her kisses continued. His body pressed into hers enough to force her back into the side of the Volvo. She groaned upon contact, her hands wrapping around his neck. One hand grabbed a fistful of hair, drawing him into her kiss. The sensation drew Edward's hands to her hips, his senses already on overload from the scent of blood.
As the crickets sang around them, the only other sounds were their sharp intakes of air between kisses. Amy moaned when Edward's lips moved to her neck, and his right hand moved to her thigh. He craved her heat – the heat of her skin, the heat her mouth, the heat of her core. His fingers began hitching up the satin material of her dress, and he groaned into her neck when his icy hand found her skin, the searing warmth of her inner thigh.
His stone-cold touch made her gasp, his fingers like slender icicles gliding along her skin. "Edward," she breathed. Her hands were suddenly on his chest, gently pushing him backward. His hands were immediately at his sides, and he took a cautious step away from her.
The icy sensation still lingered on her skin. Breathing in semi-controlled heaves, she felt both sexually charged and slightly frightened.
"It's me that should be apologizing," he told her, his craving for her heat still lingering as he looked at her. The blue eyes glistened in the dim light of the parking lot, the scent of her pheromones practically visible as they evaporated from her flesh. He wanted so much more of her, but he painfully buried his desires, attempting to let his eyes alone feast on her.
Guilt washed over him as he tried desperately to read her expression. He assumed the worst – she was revolted.
"Please don't look at me like that," she said gently, reaching forward to take his hand. "Now I feel guilty that you feel guilty."
He looked away from her far-too-forgiving eyes, a small grin forming on his face. His fingers intertwined with hers, and he held her hand against his chest.
"Plus I don't know if you remember, but us humans find beds a little more comfortable for this sort of thing," she said with a smile. "I mean, I like your Volvo, but … not that much."
The laugh that left his lips made her skin tingle, and she couldn't help but smile as Edward lowered his lips to kiss her hand.
"Speaking of beds, I should probably get you home to yours." Edward reached behind her to open the passenger door. "And I promise you a better first date soon."
xxxxx
Edward used the short ride back to Amy's condo to analyze her reaction to his physical affection. Was she truly revolted? Or does she want me as much as I want her? Either way, she's far too understanding about everything. And the guilt returned.
She asked him a few more questions about his vampire world, mostly about Jasper and the Cullen family's vegetarian lifestyle. He took her curiosity as a good sign, although he wanted to know more about her human life, too. There's time, he reminded himself. I have lots of it.
He parked the Volvo in the small parking lot near Charlie's condo, then darted around to her side to open her door. Amy thought her heart skipped a beat when she saw how fast he moved. Something to get used to.
Like a perfect gentleman, he helped her from the car, his icy grip protective, yet gentile. She forced her body to adjust to his frigid hand. It was merely a reflex to want to shudder or pull away from his touch. But how could she when the warmth in his eyes only drew her closer? Maybe I can train my body to embrace it … something else to get used to.
"Are the wolves still here?" she asked him quietly as he began walking her to her condo, her blue dress shimmering in the soft, white moonlight.
Edward paused, his eyes, ears and nose searching for the unpleasant scent of the wolves. "I don't think so," he replied, his eyebrows furrowing. "I don't know if that's a good thing," he replied honestly, slinking an arm around her waist to pull her closer.
"Well, you're here," she breathed, suddenly feeling colder than she ought to, her nerves causing her to shudder. His response had made her anxious, but she didn't want him to know it. "Maybe the wolves saw you were with me when we left before. I'm sure they know—"
Edward froze, his entire body suddenly rigid with defensive instinct beside her. His grip on her waist tightened just as abruptly, the force of his grasp almost painful.
"Edward?" she choked out, his wide eyes darting toward the darkness of the trees.
He squeezed her arm and swung her to face him. "Get back to the car."
The intensity of his voice caused the air to lodge in her throat. Something bad. Something really bad. Edward's head whipped to the left toward the shadows behind Amy's condo. "Go! Now!"
She bolted, but before she took three steps in the opposite direction, a fierce snarl meshed with Edward's shout, and she turned back around to face the ensuing battle.
Another body was on top of Edward, pinning his arms into the dirt. When the other creature attacked Edward, the force of his blow sent them both to the ground, their bodies sliding away from where Amy had just been standing. The result was a trail of uprooted grass nearly 20 feet long.
A collection of snarls came from both Edward and the other creature … a vampire, Amy quickly processed. One of the ones who tried to take me. She recognized the spiked, dark hair – the one called Vincent was wrestling with Edward on the ground, their bodies colliding with the sound of boulders.
"Edward!" she shrieked, the battle sights and sounds too harsh for her to cower in fear and do nothing. But yet, she couldn't intervene. She couldn't move. Vincent shoved Edward so roughly that he soared across the property, landing in a crunched heap in the earth. In another second he had sprinted back into the fight, the connecting vampire bodies sounding like thunder.
"Help! Somebody help!" she screamed again. "CHARLIE!" she screamed at the top of her lungs toward the police chief's condo. The wind had picked up, billowing angrily through her hair, tossing the tresses into blond tangles.
Her entire body jerked when she heard the hiss.
Turning slowly in its direction, her eyes met with the other vampire. The blonde. Sturdy and strong. He stared at her from the edge of the woods nearly 50 feet away, a menacing grin on his face as he watched her.
Her breaths were ragged as she stared back at the vampire, her entire body quivering in fear, yet frozen in place like ice.
The wind picked up again as he charged for her, drowning out her scream as his red eyes gleamed in the moonlight.
