Beau felt oddly buoyant as he walked from Spanish class to the cafeteria. And it wasn't just because he was holding hands with his handsome vampire, though that was certainly part of it.

Perhaps it was the knowledge that his sentence had been served and he was a free man again.

But it was more than just Beau. Signs of school winding down were everywhere: reminders about ordering yearbooks, class rings, and graduation gowns papered the hallways. Banners announcing the senior prom theme–Fire and Ice–hung from the fluorescent lights above their heads.

The dance was scheduled for the upcoming weekend. Edward had made an ironclad promise that the boys were not going.

Beau already endured that human experience last year. Once was enough.

Beau decided parole was the thing lightening his mood. The end of the school year did not give him the pleasure it seemed to give the other students. Truth be told, it made him nervous. But it was hard to escape such an omnipresent topic as graduation.

"Have you sent your announcements yet?" Angela asked as the two reached their usual lunch table.

Despite the natural aversion most humans felt toward the Cullens, Angela dutifully sat between Ben and Alice every day at lunch. She even looked comfortable there after a few weeks. It was difficult not to be charmed by the Cullens.

Today, however, Angela did not look charmed. She had a frantic look in her eyes.

"No, there's no point, really. My mom knows I'm graduating. Who else is there?"

"What about you, Alice?"

Alice smiled. "All done."

"Lucky you. My mother has a thousand cousins and she expects me to hand-address one to everybody. I'm going to get carpal tunnel. I can't put it off any longer and I'm just dreading it."

"I'll help you," Beau said. "If you don't mind my awful handwriting."

Charlie would like that. Beau knew Edward did, too, because it fulfilled Charlie's conditions without involving werewolves.

"That's so nice of you. I'll come over anytime you want."

"I'd rather go to your house, if that's okay," Beau told her. "I'm sick of mine. Charlie ungrounded me last night."

"Really? I thought you said you were in for life."

"Time off for good behavior," Beau grinned. "Trust me, I'm more surprised than you are."

"Well, this is great, Beau! We'll have to go out and celebrate."

"You have no idea how good that sounds."

"What should we do?" Alice mused. "A movie?"

"Whatever you do, don't go see that horror movie marathon at Deer Park."

Ben looked up from his comic book. "It wasn't that bad, Ang. It's all fake blood and guts."

"Speak for yourself. I had nightmares all weekend."

"Not a movie, then. Hmm . . . ."

"Whatever you're thinking, Alice, I doubt I'm that free."

"Free is free, right?" she insisted.

"I'm sure I still have boundaries–like the continental U.S., for example."

Angela and Ben laughed, but Alice grimaced in real disappointment. Beau wondered if Edward's thoughts had gone in the same direction as his own: restrictions like that never stopped Beau before.

"So, what are we doing tonight?"

"Nothing. Look, let's give it a couple days to make sure he wasn't joking. It's a school night, anyway."

"We'll celebrate this weekend, then." Alice's enthusiasm was impossible to repress.

"Sure, sure."

No one else noticed the flicker of pain that went through him at the words.

Angela and Alice started discussing the options. Ben joined the conversation, setting his comic book aside for the duration of the lunch hour.

Beau's attention drifted. He was surprised to find that the subject of his newfound freedom was not as gratifying as it had been just a moment ago.

It didn't take long to determine the source of his restlessness.

Ever since he'd said goodbye to Jacob Black, Beau had been plagued by the image of his friend's face crumpled in pain. It was the last memory he had of Jacob.

That couldn't be the last time they saw each other, Beau decided. It was no way to end a friendship that flourished so strongly.

Beau realized he was dissatisfied with his liberty because it was incomplete. He was free to go anywhere he wanted, except La Push. Free to do anything he wanted, except see his best friend.

He frowned. There had to be some kind of middle ground. The Cullens and the La Push pack managed to strike a treaty in the past. Cooperation was possible.

Beau thought about establishing a treaty of his own. A treaty of three: Edward, Jacob, and–

"Alice? Alice!"

Angela's voice yanked him out his reverie. She was waving her hand back and forth in front of Alice's blank, staring eyes.

Beau recognized the expression on her face. Alice was seeing something beyond the mundane of their surroundings. She was seeing something else, something every bit as real as the cafeteria they were in.

Something was coming, and soon.

Then Edward laughed. It was a natural and relaxed sound, deliberately so. Angela and Ben looked at him, but Beau's eyes remained on Alice. He saw her jump as though someone had kicked her under the table.

"Is it naptime already, Alice?"

Alice was her charming self once again. "Sorry, I was daydreaming, I guess."

"Daydreaming's better than facing two more hours of school," Ben joked.

Alice threw herself back into the conversation with more animation than before–maybe a little too much. She locked eyes with Edward once before looking back to Angela. Though Edward toyed absentmindedly with the string of Beau's hoodie, Beau knew something was troubling both Cullens.

Beau waited for a chance to ask Edward about Alice's vision, but the afternoon passed quickly, and without a minute of alone time.

When lunch ended, Edward slowed his pace to match Ben's, talking about an assignment Beau knew he'd already finished. There were too many people milling around in the hallways, and in the brief, quieter moments of class, Edward flipped through his growing collection of college brochures.

Beau was over this song-and-dance of avoidance by the final bell.

Edward had no need to use the restroom, so Beau went in by himself, and when he returned, Edward was talking to Mike Newton of all people. Beau trailed behind them as they made their way to the parking lot. It sounded like Mike was having car troubles.

". . . but I just replaced the battery," Mike was saying, glancing over his shoulder at Beau.

"Perhaps it's the cables?"

"Maybe. I really don't know anything about cars," Mike admitted. "I need to have someone look at it, but I can't afford to take it to Dowling's."

Beau wanted to suggest his mechanic, but soon thought better of it. His mechanic was busy running around as a giant wolf these days.

"I know a few things–I could take a look, if you like," Edward offered. "Just let me drop Alice and Beau at home."

Beau suspected this was the most Mike and Edward had talked, ever. Mike looked just as confused as Beau did.

"Er, thanks," Mike mumbled. "But I have to get to work. Maybe some other time."

"Absolutely."

"See ya."

Beau hurried to catch up to Edward at the Volvo. "What was that about?"

"Just being helpful."

"To Mike Newton?"

Alice was already inside the car. "You're really not that good of a mechanic, Edward. Maybe you should have Rosalie take a look at it tonight, just so you look good if Mike decides to let you help. Not that it wouldn't be fun to watch his face if Rosalie showed up."

Alice may have looked like a teenage girl, but she wasn't. She didn't need to stop and take a breath.

"Rosalie is supposed to be across the country attending college, of course, so that's not the best idea. Too bad. Though I suppose, for Mike's car, you'll do. It's only within the finer tunings of a good Italian sports car that you're out of your depth, Edward. And speaking of Italy and cars I stole there, you still owe me a yellow Porsche. I don't know if I want to wait for Christmas . . . "

Beau sat back and tuned out her voice. It was obvious the siblings didn't want him asking questions. But this only served to increase Beau's desire for knowledge.

Who were they to keep things from him? Did the vision involve him in some way? Was it Victoria, or the Volturi?

The boys were finally alone after dropping Alice off, but the silence continued until they reached Charlie's house.

"Light homework load tonight."

"Yup."

"Do you suppose I'm allowed inside again?"

"Charlie didn't care when you picked me up this morning," Beau said as he closed the front door behind them.

The two ended up in Beau's room. Edward lounged on the bed, seemingly oblivious to the growing tension between them.

Sighing, Beau dropped his backpack on the floor, then hit the power button on his computer. There was an unanswered email from Renée he wanted to get a move on. Beau drummed his fingers on the desk as the ancient computer rose from the dead.

Beau refused to let Edward pay his college fees. But, as he waited for the computer to boot up, Beau thought a laptop was in the ballpark of possibility. A refurbished one, maybe, not too expensive. The two could even share it, cutting costs even further.

A cold white hand appeared over his, bringing the drumbeat to an end.

"Are we a little impatient today?"

Beau looked up with every intention of hurling a sarcastic remark, but Edward's face was much closer than he expected. Edward was just inches away, closer than he had felt all day, even as they sat side-by-side in class and in the silent car ride home.

That sweet vampiric scent scrambled all of his thoughts. Beau couldn't remember the witty comment he'd planned to make. He couldn't remember his own name.

Edward didn't give him a chance to recover. He leaned forward and kissed Beau without any of his usual hesitation.

If Beau had his way, he would spend the majority of his time kissing Edward.

He didn't often get his way.

So it surprised him when Edward pulled him to his feet. Beau was secretly proud to have a couple of inches of height over Edward–anything to make up for the vast physical, educational, and financial disparity between them.

Edward took hold of Beau's collar, pulling him toward the bed. Beau was desperately trying to keep his wits about him–Edward was walking backward, he was walking forward, but there was only one direction to go, and Edward took the brunt of the boys falling onto the bed.

Edward was unharmed, of course. He relaxed against the mattress as Beau clamored over him greedily.

This was more than a little unusual. Edward never let it go this far, but Beau wasn't about to ask questions. A groan escaped him as a familiar sensation began below the belt.

Edward pulled his face away with ease. He probably didn't even realize Beau was using all of his strength to keep them both horizontal. He chuckled, golden eyes bright with the excitement he so rigidity controlled.

"Ah, Beau."

Beau grinned. "I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not."

"And I should feel sorry that you're not sorry, but I don't. Maybe you should go sit over there."

"If you really think that's necessary."

Beau disentangled himself and moved awkwardly in the direction of the desk. It would take a few moments for his hormone levels to get back down to zero. He thought about gross things, annoying things–how bad the cafeteria meatloaf smelled, the slimy amphibians ready for dissection in Biology, kids crying on airplanes–anything that would distract him from the unavoidable hard-on that followed making out with Edward Cullen.

Beau had no idea how Edward dealt with hard-ons. He imagined it was a similar process to fighting the urge to drink Beau's blood. Perhaps the dueling desires felt the same to him.

Beau shuddered. All the more reason to get himself turned into a vampire as soon as possible. He wasn't sure how much longer they could wait this out.

"Tell Renée I said hello."

"Sure thing."

Sufficiently calmed down, Beau went through Renée's email. It was both entertaining and horrifying. This installment included his mother and Phil signing up for skydiving lessons. He didn't want to think about their future mid-life crisis stunts. What was next, matching tattoos?

Beau spent a big part of his life taking care of Renée. Guiding her away from her craziest plans, good-naturedly enduring the ones he couldn't talk her out of. Serving as emotional support for every guy that broke her heart.

With his own heart still racing from Edward's kisses, Beau couldn't help but think of Renée's most life-altering mistake. Silly and romantic, getting married fresh out of high school to a man she barely knew, then producing Beau a year later. She'd always promised him that she had no regrets, that Beau was the best gift life had ever given her. And yet she'd drilled it into him over and over–smart people took marriage seriously. Mature people went to college and started careers before they got deeply involved in a relationship. She knew Beau would never be as thoughtless and goofy and small-town as she'd been . . .

Marriage between two men was also illegal in most parts of the country. Marriage between a human and a vampire posing as a human was probably illegal, too. That was enough to rule it out entirely, right?

Beau gritted his teeth in concentration. He started to type, answering her questions and adding details about the last few weeks of school. Then he hit her parting line and remembered why he'd neglected to answer this email sooner.

You haven't said anything about Jacob in a long time. What's he up to these days?

His parents were engaging in a full court press against him. It was weird when they worked together.

Jacob is fine, I guess. I don't see him much; he spends most of his time with a pack of his friends down at La Push.

He added Edward's greeting and hit "Send."

Beau didn't realize that Edward was again standing behind him until he'd turned off the computer and shoved away from the desk.

Edward was examining the car stereo that Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper had given Beau for his last birthday.

"What did you do to this?"

"It didn't want to come out of the dashboard."

"So you felt the need to torture it?"

"No pain was inflicted intentionally."

Edward shook his head in faux distress. "You killed it."

"Oh, well."

"It would hurt their feelings if they saw this, Beau. I guess it's a good thing that you've been on house arrest. I'll have to get another one in place before they notice."

"Thanks, but I don't need it. My new car has a radio."

"It's not for your sake that I'm going to replace it."

Beau sighed.

"You didn't get much good out of your birthday presents this year."

Beau didn't answer for fear his voice would shake. His disastrous eighteenth birthday–with all its far-reaching consequences–wasn't something he cared to dwell on. He was surprised Edward would even bring it up.

"Do you realize these are about to expire?"

Beau realized Edward was now holding the airplane ticket vouchers, his birthday gift from Esme and Carlisle. They were intended for Beau to visit his mother in Florida.

"No. I'd forgotten all about them, actually."

"Well, we still have a little time. You've been liberated . . . and we have no plans this weekend, as you refuse to go to the prom with me. Why not celebrate your freedom this way?"

Beau could only stare at him. "By going to Florida?"

"You did say something about the continental U.S. being allowable."

Beau was suspicious now–where had this come from? Why was he pushing so hard?

"Well? Are we going to see Renée or not?"

"Charlie won't go for it."

"Charlie can't keep you from visiting your mother. She still has primary custody."

"Nobody has custody of me. I'm an adult."

Edward flashed a brilliant smile. "Exactly."

Beau decided it wasn't worth the fight. Charlie would be furious–not because Beau was going to see Renée, but that Edward was coming along. Beau pictured more hard time in his future for even making such a suggestion.

But the idea of seeing his mother now, not weeks from now, was hard to resist. It had been so long since he'd seen Renée. And even longer since it had been under pleasant circumstances.

Maybe, if she saw how happy he was with Edward, she would tell Charlie to ease up.

"Not this weekend," Beau said at last.

"Why not?"

"I don't want to fight with Charlie so soon after he's forgiven me."

Edward didn't like this answer. "I think this weekend is perfect."

"Another time, really."

"You aren't the only one who's been trapped in this house, you know."

The suspicion returned in force. This behavior was very unlike Edward. There was something to this, something he was forgetting about, but Beau couldn't put his finger on it. Like a puzzle missing its final piece.

"You can go anywhere you want."

"The outside world holds no interest for me without you."

Beau rolled his eyes.

"I'm serious."

"Let's take the outside world slowly, all right? We could start with a movie in Port Angeles . . . "

"Never mind. We'll talk about it later."

"There's nothing left to talk about."

Edward shrugged.

"Okay, then, new subject," Beau said, as the forgotten puzzle piece surfaced in his mind. "What did Alice see today at lunch?"

"She's been seeing Jasper in a strange place, somewhere in the southwest, near his former . . . family. But he has no conscious intentions to go back. It's got her worried."

"Oh." It wasn't at all what Beau expected to hear. Of course Alice would be watching out for Jasper's future–he was her soulmate, her other half. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I didn't realize you'd noticed. It's probably nothing important, in any case."

Beau suddenly felt stupid. He'd taken a normal afternoon and twisted things around until it looked like Edward was keeping secrets from him. He needed to relax.

The two ventured downstairs to work on their homework, just in case Charlie showed up early. Edward was finished in minutes, of course. Beau battled his calculus work until he decided it was time to start on dinner.

Edward helped, making faces every so often at the raw ingredients, as human food was repulsive to vampires. Beau had chosen to make stroganoff from Grandma Swan's recipe. It wasn't one of his favorites, but the gesture would please Charlie.

Charlie seemed to be in a good mood when he got home. He didn't go out of his way to be rude to Edward, at least.

Edward excused himself from eating with them. The sound of the nightly news drifted from the front room, but Beau doubted he was really watching.

After forcing down three helpings, Charlie folded his arms across his belly, the picture of contentment.

"That was great, Beau."

"I'm glad you liked it. How was work?"

"Sort of slow. Dead slow, really. Mark and I played cards for a good part of the afternoon. And then I was on the phone with Billy for a while."

Beau tried to keep his expression neutral. "How is he?"

"Good, good. His joints are bothering him a little."

"Oh. That's too bad."

"Yeah. He invited us down to visit this weekend. He was thinking of having the Clearwaters and the Uleys over too. Sort of a playoff party . . . "

"Huh," was all Beau could come up with. What more could he say? He knew Edward would flip if he went anywhere near La Push.

Beau stood, gathered their dishes, and dumped them into the sink. Edward appeared at his elbow and grabbed a dishtowel.

Charlie sighed and gave up for the moment. Beau had a feeling he would revisit the subject later on, after Edward "left" for the night. The chief was halfway to the living room when Edward spoke up.

"Charlie?"

"Yeah?"

"Did Beau ever tell you that my parents gave him airplane tickets on his last birthday, so that he could visit Renée?"

The plate Beau was scrubbing sank to the bottom of the sink. Charlie didn't notice; he seemed stunned.

"Beau?"

"Um . . . yeah. They did."

Charlie took a deep breath before addressing Edward again. "No, he never mentioned it."

"Hmm."

"Was there a reason you brought it up?"

Edward shrugged. "They're about to expire. I think it might hurt Esme's feelings if Beau doesn't use his gift. Not that she'd say anything."

Beau stared at Edward in disbelief.

Charlie thought for a moment. "It's probably a good idea for you to visit your mom, Beau. She'd love that. I'm surprised you didn't say anything about this, though."

"I forgot."

"You forgot that someone gave you plane tickets?"

Beau turned back to the sink. "I guess so."

"You said, 'They're about to expire.' How many tickets are there?"

"One for him . . . and one for me."

"That's out of the question."

"Why?" Edward asked. "You just said it was a good idea for him to see his mother."

"It's not happening, son."

Beau wasn't sure what set him off. It might have been Charlie calling Edward son after weeks of hostility. Maybe it was that his weekend plans were being planned without his consent.

Whatever the reason, Beau was surprised at the surge of anger that pulsed through him. The urge to rebel was almost uncontrollable. Instinctual.

"I'm not a child, Dad. And I'm not grounded anymore, remember?"

"Oh yes, you are. Starting now."

"For what?"

"Because I said so."

"I'm eighteen, Dad," Beau snapped. "I'm a man now."

"This is my house–you follow my rules!"

Edward had stood back to watch the results of his handiwork. Beau shot him a dark look. He'd deal with him later.

"If that's how you want it. Do you want me to move out tonight? Or can I have a few days to pack?"

Shame pooled in the pit of his stomach as Charlie's face fell. The move-out card was the nuclear option; his father didn't deserve that. But neither Charlie nor Edward seemed to understand he was not going to be ordered around anymore.

"I'll do my time without complaining when I've done something wrong, Dad. But I'm not going to put up with your prejudices."

Charlie could only glare. Beau took this as a sign he lacked an effective counterargument.

"I know you know I have every right to see Mom for the weekend. You can't honestly tell me you'd object to the plan if I was going with Alice or Angela."

Charlie mumbled something that sounded like "girls."

"Would it bother you if I took Jacob?"

Beau only said it because of Charlie's preference for Jacob, but he soon wished he hadn't; Edward's teeth clenched together with an audible snap.

" . . . Yes. That wouldn't bother me."

"That's bullshit, Dad."

"Beau!"

"It's not like I'm running away," Beau said hurriedly, as he tried to skip over the fact he had, in fact, run off twice on his father's watch. "I'm going to see Mom. She's just as much my parental authority as you are. Unless you're implying something about her as a mother?"

His father flinched at the concealed threat.

"You better hope I don't mention this to her."

"You'd better not," Charlie growled. "I'm not happy about this, Beau."

"That makes two of us."

Charlie scowled, but some of the wind had gone out of his sails. Beau waited for both of their blood pressures to go down. When he spoke again, his voice was calmer.

"My homework is done, your dinner is done, the dishes are done, and I'm not grounded. I'm going out. I'll be back before ten-thirty."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm not sure," Beau admitted. "I'll keep it within a ten-mile radius, though. Okay?"

Edward waited until they were alone. "We're going out?"

Beau gritted his teeth. "Yes, I need to talk to you alone."

Edward looked unconcerned as they walked to his car. It only aggravated Beau more.

"What was that all about?"

"I know you wanted to see Renée. You've been talking about her in your sleep. Worrying, actually."

"I have?"

Edward nodded. "I saw the opportunity and I took it."

"You threw me to the sharks!"

"I don't think you were in any danger."

Beau stared at him. Edward's face was serene, but something felt off. Beau wondered if his imagination was running wild again.

"Does this sudden urge to go to Florida have anything to do with the party at Billy's place?"

"Nothing at all. It wouldn't matter if you were here or on the other side of the world, you still wouldn't be going."

"I'm not a misbehaving child, Edward. Maybe you didn't hear me back there when I said I'm eighteen."

"Loud and clear."

Beau let out a long sigh. He couldn't go back inside the house; Charlie might want to glove up for Round 2. But he couldn't stand here and argue with Edward anymore, either.

Edward was watching him. "So, what do you want to do tonight?"

"Can we go to your house? I haven't seen Esme in a while."

"She'll like that. Especially when she hears what we're doing this weekend."

Beau groaned in defeat.


They didn't stay out late, as promised. Beau was not at all surprised to see the lights were still on when the Volvo came to a stop outside of Charlie's house.

"You shouldn't come in," Beau said. "It will only make things worse."

Edward smiled. "His thoughts are relatively calm."

It wasn't his normal smile. There was something to it, as though Beau missed the punchline of an obvious joke.

"I'll see you later."

Edward kissed his cheek. "I'll be back when Charlie's snoring."

The TV was blaring as Beau locked the front door behind him. He thought about sneaking past Charlie, but by the time he thought of that, it was too late.

"Beau, can you come in here?"

Charlie seemed ill at ease–tense, even. "Did you have a nice time tonight?"

"Yes, I did."

"What did you do?"

Beau shrugged. "Hung out with Alice and Jasper. Edward beat Alice at chess, and then I played Jasper. He buried me."

Beau preferred to watch, anyway. Edward and Alice playing chess was one of the funniest things Beau had ever seen. The two sat there, nearly motionless, as they stared at the board. Much of the game was played in their minds. Alice foresaw the moves Edward would make while Edward picked her moves out of her head. Just one or two pawns moved before Alice suddenly laid down her king in surrender. It took all of three minutes.

Charlie hit the mute button on the TV remote. "Look, there's something I need to say."

"What is it, Dad?"

He sighed. "I'm not good at this kind of thing. I don't know how to start . . . "

It was the most uncomfortable his father had ever looked.

"Okay, Beau. Here's the thing." Charlie began to pace the length of the room. "You and Edward seem pretty serious, and there are some things that you need to be careful about. I know you're an adult now, but you're still young, and there are a lot of important things you need to know when you . . . well, when you're physically involved with–"

"Oh, please no," Beau burst out. "You cannot be trying to have a sex talk with me."

Charlie drew a breath. "I am your father. I have responsibilities. I'm just as embarrassed about this as you are."

"I don't think that's humanly possible. Anyway, Mom beat you to the punch, like, ten years ago. You're all set."

"Ten years ago you didn't have a boyfriend."

"I don't think the essentials have changed that much."

"Just tell me that you two are being responsible."

Beau wanted to reread Dante's Inferno because this had to be one of the nine circles of Hell.

The worst part was that Edward had known it was coming. No wonder he had seemed so smug in the car.

"Don't worry about it, Dad, it's not like that."

"It's not that I don't trust you, Beau. I know you don't want to tell me anything about this. Hell, I don't really want to hear it–"

"I'm in Hell."

"–I will try to be open-minded, though. I know times have changed."

Beau forced his eyes up to the ceiling. If he truly was in Hell, maybe some honesty would grant him a reprieve.

"You don't have anything to worry about."

"I know guys, Beau."

"Ugh. I really wish you weren't forcing me to say this out loud, but . . . I am a . . . virgin. And that's not likely to change any time soon."

Charlie seemed to believe him. Beau was mortified.

"Can I go to bed now? Please."

"In a minute."

Beau sank into the vacant armchair. "I'm begging you, Dad."

"The embarrassing part's over, I promise," Charlie assured him.

"What now?"

"I just wanted to know how the balance thing is coming along."

"Oh. Good, I guess. I made plans with Angela today. I'm going to help with her graduation announcements."

"That's nice. And what about Jake?"

"I haven't figured that one out yet, Dad."

"Keep trying, Beau. I know you'll do the right thing. You're a good person."

"Sure, sure," Beau said for the second time today.

Charlie grinned and dropped back onto the couch cushions, evidently pleased with completing his parental duties for the night. Beau could tell he would be up watching the game for a while.

"Night, Beau."

"See you in the morning!" Beau sprinted in the direction of the stairs.

Edward wouldn't be back until Charlie was asleep. Beau knew he often hunted during the evening until it was safe to return.

Beau wasn't in the mood to be alone, but he also wasn't ready to go downstairs and watch TV with his father, not after narrowly avoiding a debrief into his sex life (or lack thereof) with Edward.

He thought about calling Renée, but she was three hours ahead in Florida, and probably asleep by now. He supposed he could call Angela.

But then it hit him: it wasn't Angela he wanted to talk to. That he needed to talk to.

Beau stared unseeingly through the window. He didn't know how long he sat there deliberating. There were pros and cons to this decision—doing the right thing by Jacob, seeing his closest friend again, and being a good person, according to Charlie's standards. The flip side meant Edward would be furious.

Beau came to a decision at last: the pros were valid, the cons were not. Edward was concerned about his safety, but there was no real problem on that front.

Jacob never answered when he called, and when Beau managed to get someone on the line, it was often his terrifying sister, Rachel. Beau needed to replace that awful last meeting between them if he was ever going to have peace of mind again.

He knew he had about an hour. It was just enough time for a quick run to La Push and back before Edward realized he had gone.

It was past curfew, but would Charlie really care about that when Edward wasn't involved?

There was only one way to find out.

Beau grabbed his jacket and raced down the stairs. His father was on high alert at once.

"You care if I go see Jake tonight? I won't stay long."

Charlie relaxed at once. "Sure, kid. No problem. Stay as long as you like."

"Thanks, Dad."

Beau couldn't help looking over his shoulder until he reached the car. It was a hatchback from the late nineties, the cheapest car on the Dowling's lot. The hatchback would do the job, but it was no Big Red.

Beau put the key in the ignition and twisted it, but nothing happened. No revving, no gurgle of mechanical life, just a small clicking noise. Beau tried again, but faced the same results.

Then a small motion in his peripheral vision made him jump.

"Jesus!" Beau gasped.

Edward sat very still in the backseat. His only movement came from his hands, which were turning a piece of metal around and around. He stared at the object as he spoke.

"Alice called."

Alice! Damn. Beau had forgotten to account for her foresight in his plans. Edward must have asked her to keep the watch. His next words seemed to confirm it.

"She got nervous when your future rather abruptly disappeared five minutes ago."

Beau felt his eyes widen.

"Because she can't see the wolves, you know," Edward explained. "Have you forgotten that? When you decide to mingle your fate with theirs, you disappear, too. You couldn't know that part, I realize that. But can you understand why that might make me a little . . . anxious? Alice saw you disappear, and she couldn't tell if you'd come home or not. Your future got lost, just like theirs."

Beau turned to face the windshield, but Edward continued to talk, more to himself than anyone else.

"We're not sure why this is. Some natural defense they're born with? That doesn't seem entirely likely, since I haven't had any trouble reading their thoughts. Jacob and Billy, at least. Carlisle theorizes that it's because their lives are so ruled by their transformations. It's more an involuntary reaction than a decision. Utterly unpredictable, and it changes everything about them. In that instant when they shift from one form to the other, they don't even really exist. The future can't hold them . . . "

Beau listened in stony silence.

"I'll put your car back together in time for school, in case you'd like to drive yourself."

Beau wrenched the door open. Edward hadn't moved an inch, but he was making eye contact now.

"Shut your window if you want me to stay away tonight. I'll understand."

Beau slammed the door shut with as much force as he could muster. When he reached the front door, he gave it the same treatment.

"What's wrong?" Charlie demanded from his place on the couch.

"Piece of shit car won't start," Beau snarled.

"Do you want me to take a look?"

"No, I'll try it again tomorrow."

Charlie dug into his pocket in search of his car keys. "What about mine?"

There had to be laws on the books about the chief's son driving his police cruiser. Charlie must have been really desperate to get Beau to La Push. Nearly as desperate as Beau himself.

"No, I'm tired. 'Night."

Beau went straight to his bedroom window and shut it tight. He locked it, but knew that was no use. A vampire's strength was no match for human-made locks.

Beau stood at the window for a moment. He couldn't see Edward, but he knew Edward could see him, even in the darkest conditions. Beau stepped away from the window after a long moment and reached for his pajamas.

Then he climbed alone into bed for the first time in weeks.

But he didn't sleep a wink.