Rating/Warning(s)/Note(s): T, Shadows
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Prompt: Crinkle, sprinkle, tinkle

As I become conscious I heard voices in the kitchen. The one that my mind latched onto was musical and low. Edward was here. Laying still for a minute I realized I didn't need to actually hear his voice to know that, I could feel his presence. My heart seemed calmer.

Walking into the kitchen was surreal. Two breathtakingly beautiful people sat next to the vision of what I hoped to look like in another twenty years but despaired because I had so much Charlie in me.

Alice continued her conversation, although I could see acknowledgement of my presence in her eyes. Edward's back was to me, but he slowly turned to face me. As he did so my mother's eyes went wide as she mouthed "Oh my goodness", looking pointedly between him and me. Edward's smile seemed slightly embarrassed as Alice tried valiantly not to laugh.

"Good morning, Bella," Edward said, his eyes raking up and down and his smile turning more into a smirk. "You seem to have slept well."

I was incoherent. Edward was talking to me from a distance of only a few feet, seemingly calm, the brightness of his eyes and the slight fade from bright amber to black at the edges the only thing that revealed any kind of reaction in him.

"Would you like some juice?" Renee offered, pointing to the pitcher in front of her and giving me a look that screamed that I needed to get in control of my senses.

"Juice, yes, please," I mumbled as I forced my feet into motion, heading for the only empty chair around the table. Edward hopped up and held it out for me, stopping me in my tracks. When he waved his hand to the seat and lifted an expectant eyebrow I muttered my thanks and sat down heavily.

"I was just telling your mother that we're not used to having huge Thanksgiving meals, so not to cook for us," he said, his mouth rising slightly in the corner. When it went higher I realized I should probably be looking at his eyes.

There was a slight crinkle in the corner of both eyes as he smiled at me. "Our father, Carlisle, always has us volunteer at a homeless shelter serving food as a way of showing our thanks for our abundance."

"Isn't that wonderful?" Renee gushed. "Why didn't I ever think of that? It would have saved Phil a couple trips to the hospital." I couldn't help but laugh at that and the fact that my step-father would no longer eat what he called 'Your mother's salmonella birds.' They always went out to eat since the time he was admitted overnight, unless I was there to cook.

"Edward brought some doughnuts if you're hungry," Alice said just as my stomach began to rumble. I needed to figure out how she was always doing that.

"Are you psychic or something?" I asked with a laugh, getting back out of my chair to look at the box of doughnuts on the counter. It was filled with chocolate-covered chocolate cake ones with little sprinkles on top, my favorite.

The tinkling sound of Alice's laugh was slightly off. "Bella is such a comedian in the mornings," she said to my mother while throwing a wink my way.

"That must be new since she's gone to college," Renee said, shaking her head. She said something else that made the two vampires laugh, but I was zoning in on Alice, realizing she hadn't contradicted me.

I watched as Alice gave Edward a pointed look. He rolled his eyes and stood up next to me and whispered, "Want to take a walk on the beach?" He was so close. Close enough to touch. Close enough to be able to tell he wasn't breathing. That sent a shiver up my spine.

A glance out the window showed that it was raining, but before I could mention it Alice piped up and told us that it would clear up in about five minutes, enough time for me to put on clothes, and be good for about a half hour. "Don't go near the pier, though," she added. Edward nodded, I tried not to gape.

Edward took a small breath. "Why don't you go put on some clothes?"

"Okay," I said. Sure enough, five minutes later the weather broke. It was cold on the beach, so Edward made sure I had a jacket as we walked along in silence. It was easy to see that he was steering me away from the pier where a small group was standing, watching the waves come in. "So, vampire."

He barked a laugh. "Yes, human?"

It was my turn to laugh. "Yeah, I guess that was a bad way to phrase that." Coming to a stop I looked around to see that we were truly alone. "So, you're a vampire. Should I be afraid?"

"Aren't you?" he asked. I thought for a moment before shaking my head. Despite the fact that he seemed to have problems controlling his nature around me, I knew he wouldn't hurt me. "Of course you're not," he said with a huff. Something on the pier drew his attention. Following his gaze I noticed a large man staring at us.

"Come," Edward said, taking my hand and leading me in the opposite direction of the pier. His fingers matched the temperature of the air but his touch warmed me. "To answer your earlier question, yes, Alice is psychic. She sees things that might happen if people don't change the course they're on. Right now she sees you as standing between us and those who want to harm us."

"As a human?" I ask.

"Oddly enough, yes.

"Why?"

"That she can't see, only the two outcomes are clear. If you are there, we survive. If not, we are destroyed." He seemed to stumble a little on the sand as if something painful lanced through him. "You were destroyed as well."

"I'm destroyed if I'm not there?" I asked. "Doesn't that seem a bit backwards?"

"Completely, which is why we are so concerned. What does Aro see in you when he touches your hand? If only Alice could see his thoughts, but that's my job and I won't hear them until he thinks them." I pulled him to a stop.

"Wait, what? Alice is psychic and you're what…"

"I read minds. Thoughts, mostly." My face filled with color as I realized he knew what my mother was doing at breakfast every time she thought he wasn't looking. "Everyone's, except yours. I wonder why that is."

"Probably something wrong with my brain," I mumbled, causing him to laugh.

"You're walking along a mostly deserted beach with a vampire and aren't afraid. I'd say it's pretty obvious there is something wrong with your brain," he said, stepping closer to me. "Although, I'm a vampire that doesn't feed on humans walking with one whose blood calls to me so that it's almost painful, and what I really want to do is kiss her. So, I guess there's something wrong with my brain as well."

Sorry to be so late! It was a crazy busy day.