Chapter 3 - Consequences

I want to kill her…slowly. Break every bone in her body and leave her screaming in agony. Maybe I'll pull out her fingernails one by one…but then…there would be blood, and I don't want to be tempted… No. I would never find her blood appealing. Control wouldn't be an issue. I'd have no trouble at all slicing her open and—

"Angela! Please!"

Edward had reached his limit of tolerance for the secretary's homicidal thoughts. They'd started the evening prior when the news first broke and had increased in intensity since then. As the group of vampires watched the helicopter approach the landing pad, she was practically screaming her rage to all within mental hearing range—namely, Edward.

"Sorry," she muttered under her breath, quiet enough that the group of reporters nearby wouldn't take notice.

Except that I'm not sorry. Ugh, I can't believe we were friends in high school. Too bad I didn't see her true colors back then. I could've made sure she had an 'unfortunate' accident and prevented all this. Hmm, what are all the ways I could've killed her? Drowned her at La Push? Put rat poison in her food? Bashed in her skull with a baseball bat?

"If you're not able to control yourself, you can go back inside," Edward growled. "In fact, maybe it would be better if you did leave. I don't want an incident, especially with the press here."

"No, I'll be good. I promise."

Although her tone had a sarcastic edge, Edward knew how much she wanted to stay. Her anxiety wouldn't be relieved until she saw with her own eyes that Carlisle was safe and sound.

Besides, Angela wasn't the only one having such thoughts about Isabella Swan, the Vice President's 23-year-old assailant, although Jasper's were slightly less violent in nature. The blond-haired vampire was recalling Isabella Swan's sweet scent and wishing he had given into his intense desire for her blood.

Alice also remembered her classmate.

She seemed like such a nice girl, at least from what I could tell. I should've gotten to know her better. Maybe if I'd spent time with her, I could have foreseen her role in our lives. But then, she's spent so much time with the Quileutes. They do have a powerful effect on my ability…er, sorry, Edward.

Edward replied with a sardonic roll of his eyes. Once again, Alice was cutting him too much slack. She was concerned about his reaction to her private thoughts—thoughts that were far too dismissive of her condition. Instead of comforting, she should be condemning him, especially considering it was his fault how intimately familiar she was with the wolves' impact on her precognitive talent.

Two other helicopter escorts circled overhead as the helo touched down on the pad and executed a textbook perfect landing. Edward could hear the thoughts of the passengers…and the pilot. Tanya congratulated herself on another flawless execution. She was thankful for Rosalie's paranoia and refusal to let a human take the captain's chair. To Tanya, flying the helo was much more interesting than reviewing the same security threats over and over.

And that's exactly what Rosalie was doing with Emmett and Demetri. The security chief held herself personally responsible for the attack on Carlisle and vowed not to be caught unprepared again. The two men on her team devoted just enough brain power to the briefing to look involved, but they were more interested in the thumb war going on under the table.

As for the Chancellor himself—he kept his thoughts tightly controlled, his focus on the upcoming video conference with Volterra. Edward realized that Carlisle was shielding information from his discovery. It didn't bother him, however. If he was meant to know, his father would tell him in due time. Edward had learned much about patience in the last five years.

The press was abnormally subdued when the Chancellor finally exited the helo. Of course, their behavior was motivated more by fear than any show of respect to the attack victim. Rosalie didn't bother limiting her speed as she performed security checks. Although Jasper acted in deliberate contrast, his intensity was no less fierce. Edward almost felt sorry for the nervous reporters as they tried to do their jobs.

For all the to-do, Carlisle spent only fifteen minutes with the press. He waved, shook hands, and answered questions in a genuine, yet craftily evasive manner. Centuries of masquerading as a human had given him much practice in that area.

Shutters clicked furiously when the Chancellor and his eldest son finally embraced. It was a brief hug, but the shared joy and relief was easy to see on both men's faces. The incident in Forks had reminded them once again that just because they could live forever didn't mean that they necessarily would.

Kate and Garrett took charge of escorting the reporters off the Compound as the core staff entered the Manor. Edward had to give Angela props: although the fantasy of a blissful reunion with Carlisle played in her head, she appeared completely professional and detached on the outside.

Alice, who waited in the library, showed the opposite reaction. She ran across the room the moment he entered and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm so glad you're alright," she murmured, her face buried in his chest. The material of his suit jacket stretched under the force of her concern, but if she noticed, she didn't care. Alice had become more sentimental as a result of the Great War and was not shy about showing her affection.

By the time she disentangled herself and stepped back, the rest of the staff had taken their seats and were prepared to begin the meeting. Brady made a few strokes on his touchscreen control panel, and a large LCD screen flickered to life.

Five red-eyed vampires sat around an ornately-carved conference table in the library of Volterra Palace. Their heavy, high-backed chairs with deep crimson padding complemented the building's Gothic-inspired architectural style and décor.

Aro always did lean toward the dramatic.

His sense of self-importance hadn't suffered during the change of leadership within the vampire world, even though he now deferred to men whose deaths he'd once contemplated. As the third highest ranking vampire within the Populace's oligarchy, Aro still enjoyed a position of authority. His official title of Praetor gave him the responsibility of serving as Edward's counterpart for the Eastern Hemisphere of the globe.

His staff was a mix of both old and new Volterran residents. Marcus, who sat directly to the right of Aro's place at the head of the table, had ruled with him and Caius for over 1200 years. Once freed from Chelsea's restrictive bonds of loyalty, Marcus voiced his preference for Carlisle's style of leadership and gladly accepted a more subordinate role. In the past, he'd had to cast the deciding vote when Aro and Caius took opposing stances, which happened fairly often. With this pressure removed, Marcus felt more content than he had been in millennia—at least since the death of his mate.

To Aro's left sat Maggie, the linchpin of the entire Volterran organization. Her ability to identify falsehood allowed her to validate Aro's interrogation session reports and helped ensure that he conducted state business in a scrupulous manner. Without her continuous affirmation, the fallen ruler would not be trusted in such an esteemed position.

Heidi, along with Demetri and Corin, joined forces early with the Cullens, just after the Battle of Forks when Caius revealed his alliance with Victoria. Aro had taken his time choosing sides, and Marcus was indifferent. Heidi once had been covenmates with Victoria and was familiar with her instability. She didn't trust the judgment of anyone who could associate with such a loose cannon, and in her opinion, Caius had long been making his way down a dangerous path.

In contrast, she respected Carlisle's calm demeanor during his time living in Volterra. He was level-headed and fair, which made a nice change from Caius's capricious nature. Unlike Demetri, however, she chose to stay in Volterra with Corin instead of moving to the United States. While there was no hard and fast rule that all residents at the Cullen Compound must abstain from human blood, they did so out of choice. Heidi had no desire to change her diet and didn't want to feel out of place. Her duties to the Populace included serving as Aro's secretary, mainly because she was the most organized and capable. Although interacting with Aro so closely required a good deal of patience at times, she enjoyed her new influence over him. Aro would be lost without Heidi's secretarial efforts, and he knew it.

Quick-tempered Liam was the chief of Aro's personal security team and also acted as the Populace's Deputy Director of Security. Like Jasper, his superior, he had a military background that aided him in the task of ensuring the state's safety as a whole. Liam could be challenging to work with, however. His mate Siobhan perished in the war, and anger sometimes colored his judgment. He had been relentless in his pursuit of Caius's forces and delivered punishment with a vengeance. Jasper had to rein him in on more than one occasion when his zeal for justice flirted with brutality.

It was Liam who displayed the most outward anxiety when the video conference began. His dark red eyes burned into the screen as it delivered accusing glares to both Rosalie and Jasper. Even without the benefit of hearing his thoughts, Edward knew the Irishman believed that the attack on Carlisle wouldn't have happened on his watch.

"Greetings, Chancellor Cullen, esteemed colleagues." Aro smiled and spread his arms wide. "It is a pleasure to see you today. As always, Chancellor, I pledge my loyalty to you and the Populace without reservation or subversion."

Maggie dipped her chin ever so slightly, knowing that all eyes were focused on her reaction. Liam was especially interested. One twitch of her head in the wrong direction would have him setting fire to Aro's dismembered body within seconds.

But the Praetor spoke the truth. He was a smart man with clear awareness of the situation. Given his other choices—death or a modest life of little distinction within the general population—Aro had realigned his expectations to make the most of Carlisle's generosity.

"I am especially glad to find you unharmed after such a malicious attack," he continued. "It is a testament to your ability that you were able to hold four wolves at bay until your security team arrived."

"Thank you, Aro. It's good to see you, as well." A tiny crease formed on Carlisle's normally smooth brow. "However, most of the credit goes to our young friend Seth Clearwater. If he hadn't accompanied us to visit his family and friends, the conclusion might have been much different. The hostile pack was reluctant to attack a fellow wolf, and the second pack intervened only to protect him. Seth did suffer several broken bones, but he should be completely healed in another day or two."

"Very fortunate, indeed. And what of the U.S. Vice President? Reports indicated only that an attempt on her life had been thwarted by your team."

"Tanya shielded her from the bullet and took care of the assailant," Rosalie said. "Vice President Parker wasn't harmed."

"How did she take care o' the attacker?" Liam demanded to know, his accent thick. "Was the woman left alive to be questioned? What of the hounds?"

Rosalie's mouth twisted into a sneer. "The girl's name is Isabella Swan. And sadly, yes, she's still breathing. The U.S. Secret Service had to negotiate for custody of Swan because the attack happened on Quileute Reservation lands. As for the dogs, I tried my best to—"

"The fate of the renegade pack is in the hands of their tribe," Carlisle said in a firm voice. "I trust them to take care of the matter."

"Trust is what put you at risk in the first place!" Rosalie exclaimed, ignoring Angela's hiss of disapproval and Alice's dismayed sigh. "We may have fought on the same side as the Quileutes and other spirit warriors during the war, but you can't ignore instincts and the natural way of things! The facts are simple. Humans are the intended food source for vampires, and spirit warriors protect them. Either side would be stupid to fully trust the other."

"You raise good points, but this is a closed matter. The Quileute Tribal Council will question the pack and determine its punishment. They've promised full disclosure to us and the U.S. government."

Aro watched the exchange between Carlisle and Rosalie with interest. "Have you learned anything further about motives behind the attack?"

"None of them will talk," Rosalie grumbled. "I can understand any dog going after any vampire; it's what they're born to do. But the girl and the Vice President…I don't get it."

"According to the report, the girl shouted at the Vice President before she opened fire," Jasper recalled. "She accused Vice President Parker of being a 'leech-lover' and a 'traitor' to her race. Swan said she was 'her enemy.' That sounds personal to me."

"Well, her father was killed by our kind," Alice pointed out. "You don't get much more personal than that."

"But it wasn't us!" said Rosalie. "We were doing our damnedest to stop the newborns. Hell, we suffered losses, too." She glanced sympathetically at Carlisle and Alice before continuing. "Maybe the girl has been brainwashed by the dogs after spending so much time with them. She wasn't such a whack job when we were in high school with her."

"Rosalie, I don't want to hear you using derogatory terms like that, especially during a staff meeting," Carlisle said sternly. "I've let it slide too many times, and it ends now."

"Sorry, sir," she muttered.

"Hold on now. You be knowin' this Swan girl personally?" Liam's voice rang out from the speakers. "All o' ye?"

"Alice and I had a few classes with her at Forks High School after she enrolled during January of 2005," Jasper said. "Rosalie and Emmett saw her in passing for a few months before they graduated."

"She was a patient of mine twice," Carlisle added. "Both were brief encounters in the Emergency Room. I didn't interact with her beyond that."

Aro leaned forward in his chair. "Edward, you stayed in Alaska with the Denali coven when the rest of the Cullens relocated to Forks, yes?"

Struggling to ignore the flood of memories from those two years, Edward gave a curt nod. "That is correct. I returned one time in 2005 to assist my family with destroying the nomad James, who had a renewed interest in Alice. I came again the following year when the mass killings occurred in Seattle, just before the newborns' attack on Forks. I never met Isabella Swan."

"Fascinating," Aro murmured to himself, seemingly lost in thought.

Edward hesitated and then looked toward Carlisle's secretary, who was brooding silently with her head buried in her laptop. "I suppose I shouldn't fail to mention that Angela had the closest relationship to Isabella Swan of us all."

"Oh, that's right!" Alice said. "You two were friends. I'm surprised you didn't say something earlier."

"That's because I'm trying to forget about it," Angela growled, not looking up from the screen. "My human memories are crap, anyway."

"Yes, but if you could think of something that would explain why she—"

"There's no point! The Bella Swan that I was friends with in high school never could've tried to murder someone in cold blood. Either she's changed so much that I wouldn't know her anymore, or I never knew her in the first place. End of story."

"Ah, come on to fuck wilya. That was helpful," Liam said sardonically. "But t'be honest, I could care in me shit for humans killin' each other off. I do be flummoxed why no one is throwin' a fit o'er the Black pup's old man—the leader of your security council and an ambassador to World Summits. There's not a way he didn' know about the attack when t'was his own lad who planned it, to be sure. He mucks around with chiefs of all the shape-shiftin' tribes across the world. Who better to plot war against us than he?"

"Ambassador Black didn't know anything about it," Edward spoke up confidently. "I met with him in D.C. yesterday evening. He was genuinely surprised, disheartened, and shamed by the attacks on the Chancellor and the Vice President."

"Perhaps he seemed honest," said Aro. "However, we all know it is possible to obscure thoughts from your detection." His emphasis on the word your was barely present, but no one missed it. "I would assume a man of his position and background would be skilled in such things."

Brady was quick to reply before anyone else. His eyes flashed dark with anger. "The Security Director was also at the meeting, and he sensed the same emotions. In addition, Ambassador Black offered to prove his sincerity to our Chief Magistrate through an interrogation session. We all know that it's impossible to hide thoughts during a session—isn't that right, Praetor?"

To his credit, Aro's pleasant expression never wavered, although both Marcus and Heidi shifted in discomfort. Of the vampires participating in the video conference, those three understood Brady's words better than the rest. In order to be accepted as members of the Populace government, the Volturi and their former associates had to undergo interrogation sessions of their own.

It was an experience none of them wished to repeat.

Since his first day as a newborn vampire, Edward could see into the minds of others. It was purely a passive talent and—as Aro had pointed out—one that could be deceived or thwarted with practiced concentration.

After the Battle of Forks, that was no longer the case. Edward had been helping Alice chase down a newborn when an irresistible fragrance besieged his senses. The attraction was like nothing he'd ever experienced, and he had no choice but to follow its insistent call. It captured the whole of his attention at the same time it destroyed his sanity.

Just like the change from human to vampire, only fragmented flashes of memory remained of the event—the second-most profound of his life. He was able to recall the glow of weak morning sunlight fanning upward from the horizon. The throaty growl of a wolf silencing the cry of a shattered vampire. Broken glass from the motel's window still in the process of raining down onto the floor even as Edward's teeth sunk into the neck of a sleeping woman.

And then his world opened up.

Before, he hadn't required contact to use his gift and could hear multiple minds at once. But he was limited to conscious thoughts of the moment. Similar to a car on a winding road in the woods, he could only see the part of the path he was currently on.

In that way, Aro's ability had been superior. When the ancient vampire touched another person, he was granted the entirety of their thoughts, past and present. Like a bird soaring above a town, he could pick out the memory of his choice and alight in its midst for closer inspection.

But as Edward sucked down the sticky sweet lifeblood of his singer, he became more than a vehicle following along the two-dimensional track of others' thoughts. He was more than even a winged-creature free to fly through the varied landscape of one person's mind. No, Edward had ascended into orbit as a satellite: he could look down upon all the minds, choose the one he wanted, and explore it at will.

When he could suddenly "see" so much than before, at first, Edward thought he'd either gone insane or had experienced another vampire rebirth. His head was overwhelmed with thoughts that had taken on a new kind of depth, and many of them were disjointed, fantastical, or just plain…weird. He soon recognized those as human dreams. It seemed they provided doorways through which he could enter an individual's collection of musings and memories.

In the days that followed, he tested the boundaries of his expanded abilities. With the help of Eleazar, who was knowledgeable in vampire gifts, Edward learned that while his power was potent and advantageous, its use came with severe consequences. He could explore the minds of any sleeping human within a radius of approximately a mile. If a person wasn't asleep, he could force the individual into such a state. However, this required a good deal of exertion, both mental and physical.

For the first time in his vampire life, Edward experienced true bodily exhaustion. And to the surprise of everyone, he subsequently fell into a dreamless slumber. The ability to sleep—and the need for it—was an anomaly none had ever before witnessed.

Sifting through the entirety of a human's mind sapped his strength, but the exertion was insignificant compared to the draining effort of exploring that of another vampire. After all, his kind did not sleep (excepting himself), and their minds were much more vast. Without the convenience of an unconsciousness state to offer an accessible gateway, Edward had to force his way past a vampire's surface thoughts.

This action did come with severe personal cost to him, but the individual being violated suffered a great deal worse. For vampires like Heidi and Demetri, the experience felt as if something was inside their heads— pushing outward, squeezing inward, cutting, burning, ripping, destroying. During the process, they were rendered immobile and senseless except for the agony of all-consuming pain. Even after Edward released his mental hold, their ache lingered. It required several hours for one to recover completely from an "interrogation."

Everyone except Aro. He had felt the effects for days.

The ancient vampire's mental strength was such that Edward nearly failed to uncover all of his secrets. The deepest, darkest vaults of his mind were highly fortified, and Edward had to batter his way through the thick barricades.

Both men were left trembling and weak-limbed after the session. They were also left with the knowledge that Edward's ability was now one of the most powerful mental gifts in all of vampire lore.

Aro had never felt so humbled.

He didn't want to draw the natural conclusion, but with Brady pushing the issue, Aro was forced to concede that no mind was safe from exploitation. Not his, and certainly not Ambassador William Black, a "lowly" Quileute who didn't even have the ability to transform like his son.

"You are absolutely right, young Brady," Aro allowed, his gracious tone betraying no hint of the irritation he felt. "Mr. Black would not be able to hide any devious inclinations from our esteemed Chief Magistrate. Perhaps the Ambassador's son and his female ward acted of their own accord. Still, I share Liam's concerns about a deeper threat."

"As do we all," Jasper said in a diplomatic tone. "That's exactly why the security risk assessment was ordered. It's my top priority for the next two weeks."

"And although questioning the dog—, er, Jacob Black seems unlikely, I'm working on a deal to get the Swan girl turned over to us for interrogation," Rosalie said. "We might be able to take custody as early as Monday. In fact—"

Edward heard Carlisle's silent expletive just before the older vampire interrupted.

"Actually, that won't be possible. Edward isn't available next week."

He now understood what Carlisle had been keeping from him since returning. The Chancellor was determined that Edward would take a vacation period and wanted nothing to interfere—not even the investigation of an assassination attempt on his own life.

"I think that this takes precedence over other…obligations," Edward said, trying to maintain an even tone.

Carlisle shook his head. "We already discussed this, Edward. Ms. Swan isn't going anywhere, and a week's delay won't make a difference in the grand scheme of things."

"It won't make a difference in my case, either. There's no way your objective for me could be achieved with this situation on my mind. I wouldn't be able to think of anything else. We need answers. I need answers. Please, Father…for my sake."

Carlisle stared at Edward with all the gravity that his three hundred sixty years afforded him. When he read nothing but sincerity and concern in his eldest son's eyes, he sighed.

Bringing up the family connection and appealing to my compassionate nature—well played. You've become quite the politician, Vice Chancellor.

The tone of his thoughts was wry but softened by the irrefutable love he felt for all his children.

"I suppose you can reschedule your commitment for a later time." He narrowed his eyes. "But not too much later."

"Thank you, sir," Edward said, biting the inside of cheek to keep from smirking.

Carlisle growled out a low harrumph and then straightened authoritatively in his seat. "Well. Now that we've discussed yesterday's incident in sufficient detail, let's move to the next item on the agenda…"

-v-v-v-v-v-v-

Edward was in the mood for a chase.

The moment he scented the animal, he broke into a flat run, not bothering to approach by stealth. Dense underbrush gave way like wisps of smoke, thick branches provided no more of a hindrance than cobwebs in his path.

It was a buck of medium size with a wide, six-point rack. The deer darted through the trees on nimble legs, but capture was a foregone conclusion. Edward leapt over a fallen tree and caught the creature in his arms. He was pulling its warm blood down his throat before his feet touched down on the forest floor.

With the third deer of the morning drained, he felt sloshy and full. Edward picked up the carcass and headed toward the drop-off site. Caleb would soon retrieve the deer, collect research data, and then process the meat for donation to struggling families residing near the compound. Unfortunately, the country was full of such people whose lives had been turned upside down as a result of the war.

Edward found he had company at the drop-off site. A chuckle of surprise slipped out when he saw what Alice held against her chest.

"Making a meal out of appetizers today?"

"I had a craving," she replied, letting a dozen rabbit carcasses fall out of her arms. "Sometimes I just wanna snack on my food, you know?"

"Not really," Edward said with a shudder. "Those things are way too sweet for me—must be all the clover they eat. Plus, didn't you hear they'll rot your teeth?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "I see age hasn't improved your sense of humor any."

"Well, I am supposed to be the brooding one in the family."

"And you do it so well." She brushed stray rabbit hair from her clothes. "We've still got an hour before the transfer. How about you and I look for a sunny spot and work on our tans?"

Edward snorted. He knew his sister was up to her usual tricks and trying to keep him away from stress as long as possible. He drew a hand through his wind-tussled locks.

"You know I'd love to spend time with you, but there's a long list of tasks I need to complete. I still have to…dammit, Alice. Seriously? You're going to use the guilt card on me?"

Alice smirked as she replayed the vision of her puppy-dog eyes and pouting lip. She saw herself running her fingers over the side of her blouse that covered scarred, jagged edges of flesh.

And in her vision, Edward saw himself nodding yes to her request.

"I can still change that particular outcome," he grumbled.

"But you won't. You love me."

Both things were true, and so Edward followed his sister through the woods.

She sprawled out flat on her back in the first sunny clearing she came upon. Edward lowered himself onto the sparse grass near her, their bodies making a slanted T shape.

For many moments, they remained still, quiet but deadly predators lying in repose, confident in their place at the acme of the food chain. As was often the case, Alice's thoughts centered on Jasper. Since the attack on Carlisle five days prior, he'd done little else except work on his security assessment report. When her polite suggestions failed to make an impact, she'd had to force him into a feeding break by holding his laptop hostage.

Though Jasper was now full of tiger blood—a temporary selection at the Canteen—she still felt a measure of concern about the upcoming prisoner transfer.

"Do you really think it might be an issue?" Edward asked quietly. "I thought he'd overcome his difficulty with blood lust during the war. Is this girl really that enticing?"

"She didn't smell different to me or any of the others. Just Jasper."

"Hmm. But you don't think she's his singer?"

"It wasn't easy, but he was able to control himself. From what you and Emmett have described, and from what Carlisle's said, it seems impossible to overcome the call of a singer."

Edward squeezed his eyes shut and covered them with his hands as if he could block out the existence of his memories. "I lost my mind, Alice. Reality ceased to exist. I swear, I never would have deserted you that day if I'd had even one shred of sanity. I'm so, so sorry—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Jeez, Edward, this constant apologizing thing has moved beyond tolerably understandable and is now in annoying-as-hell territory. Look, you went crazy over your singer and ran after her, a wolf decided to go rouge and took a bite out of me, now my visions are sporadic and near-sighted. Shit happened, I got over it. You need to get it over it."

"But—"

"Argh!"

Alice's attack was so spontaneous that Edward never had a chance. She pounced, flipped him onto his stomach, and pinned him to the ground, shoving his face in the dirt with her elbow. Edward struggled for several seconds before he was able to break free and reach for her. But only air existed in the place Alice had been just an instant before.

"You're going to pay for that!" he announced with a laugh as he dove for her legs.

The two wrestled for some time until Edward raised his hands in surrender.

"I give! You win. I will try my hardest to 'get over it.'" He winced. "Or at least keep my mouth shut around you. Baby steps and whatnot."

Alice regarded him with a smug grin as she straightened her rumpled clothes. "You'd better. Otherwise, I'll tell Jasper what a pansy you are, and he'll double your security."

"Don't even joke about that," Edward groaned.

Alice winked at him and then nodded in the direction of the compound.

"We should start back. The transport will be here soon, and I want to make sure he's doing okay."

Edward shook his head as they started walking. "I understand that he and Rosalie want everything to go smoothly, but they're being ridiculous. This is a girl who's hardly a threat to a single human guard, and we have three vampires standing by to oversee the transfer? Jasper didn't go to nearly as much trouble for Vogel, and that man was a serial killer."

"Um, it's a special situation of national interest? I dunno, just humor them. It's not like they're hurting anything, and you have to admit this is a big deal. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if everyone who's not on patrol will be there to watch. Not many people have an old high school classmate who tried to shoot the Vice President."

"I suppose the odds are rather low, even if we did have more classmates than most."

"We're curious about her. It's hard to imagine how this happened."

"Well, hopefully I'll have the answers by tomorrow morning. The sooner that we—the Populace, the nation, and our family—can move past this incident, the better."

"At least the session shouldn't be too bad for you," Alice said. "I doubt she's a hardened criminal at this stage in her life. Whatever's going on in her mind can't be half as bad as some of the disgusting lunatics you've dealt with before."

"I certainly hope that's true, for everyone's sake." Edward tilted his head in concentration as he surveyed the thoughts of the group gathered at the manor house's side entrance. "You were right, Alice. With the exception of Carlisle, I think everyone not on duty is planning to greet our newest…guest."

"Ha. Guest," Alice snickered. "I forgot to put a mint on her pillow."

Edward's pocket buzzed. He checked the message on the screen.

"The van from the Hazelton Federal Penitentiary will be here in 10 minutes." He sighed and then forced his lips into a tight grin.

Alice reached for his hand as they neared the manor.

"Come on, brother dear. Let's go roll out the welcome mat."

-v-v-v-v-v-v-

Thanks SO much to pre-readers Powered by 23 Kicks, Fyrebyrd89, and purpleC305. Their feedback was invaluable!

Tarbecca at ADifferentForest dot net recommended In Your Dreamsin last week's Fic Dive! Check out that amazing site for additional recs, good conversation, special features, and more! Another story of mine, Summer's Hidden Melody, is up for Fic Dive of the Year on that site, as well. :^)

Thank you to GeekChic12 for mentioning my story in her own recently completed fic, Plowed. I just read it today and thoroughly enjoyed it! The heat hits fast and hard, lol.

And as always, I appreciate every reader and every review. Thank you all SO MUCH!