Chapter 7: A Problem

Edward's POV

It didn't matter how much time had passed since I last saw my own daughter. It didn't matter how much she had grown and aged. It didn't even matter that she didn't even remember that I was her father. I still had the same strong and overwhelming urge to protect her. Actually, no, it wasn't the same. It was even stronger than it had been before. Losing your daughter and not knowing where she was or whether or not she was even alive for eleven long and tortuous years had that effect on a man. Which is why I could not sit back idly and listen to this man continuously insult my daughter and treat her like she was nothing more than a sex object. If I had blood it would've been boiling.

As soon as I was alone with the boy I could no longer contain my anger. I was ready to rip him to pieces. I knew my eyes had turned black with rage when I peeked into the terrified boy's mind. If Alice hadn't called right then and there I was sure that I would have killed him. Damn pixie! Why did she have to foresee everything? It was downright annoying.

I knew that I needed to calm down though before I went back home. Bella would be worried if she saw me upset. She had always been hyper aware of me as a human. As a vampire that ability of hers intensified. She perceived every miniscule change in my demeanor when others didn't. I often referred to it as her second ability. The first, of course, being that she had her mental shield.

It wasn't often that she let me into her mind. I think she was trying to protect me from the pain she was feeling after we lost Nessie. But I could see it written on her face as if it were words printed on a page. I would often hear her sobbing and I would go and comfort her. If vampires could cry we'd both have shed an ocean of tears right now. She didn't blame me even though it was all my fault that Nessie had been taken from us. If I would have just kept a better eye on her that day then she wouldn't have…..I stopped myself from going down that train of thought. It was still too painful to even think about.

Time passed and soon night had fallen. Now I was able to roam more freely. Staying out of sight from humans in Florida was a lot harder than a state like Washington. Rather than head home I decided to go see my daughter. I tracked her scent from the restaurant that she and her friend were at this morning. Her scent led me to a two story house in a nice part of the city. I climbed a nearby tree and jumped from the tree to the balcony which had been left unlocked. I could hear six hearts beating inside. In the first bedroom I found Nessie's other parents in their bed fast asleep. The next bedroom door that I opened revealed a messy bedroom that belonged to Nessie's brother. I finally found Nessie in the third bedroom that I tried. She was fast asleep with her dog curled up right next to her. Next to her bed was a crib where Beau was fast asleep.

It was hard for me to think of this baby as my grandson. In my mind Nessie was still an innocent little girl. But there was no denying that this little baby was her son and my grandson. He looked almost exactly like me. That was not going to change as he got older. Alice had a brief vision of the future with my grandson and I in it. In that vision our story was that we were identical twin brothers. Beau opened his eyes and looked startled to see me there but he didn't make a sound.

Grandpa

I couldn't keep a secret from this baby boy. It wasn't just my looks that he had inherited. He had inherited my gift as well. He could read my mind as well as I could read his.

Grandpa. I want you. He held out his arms toward me and kicked his little feet. I couldn't resist the smile that appeared on his face. I picked him up and held him as gently and carefully as I could. The intelligence he displayed was shocking. His mind was a lot more advanced than his body was. It was as if he had inherited a human body and a vampire mind. He smiled again and this time revealed a full set of teeth. Maybe his body wasn't completely human either. I touched the tip of his teeth and he bit down on me. The sting of his bite caught me completely off guard. A quick examination of the bite mark and his saliva revealed something startling. He was venomous. It shouldn't have been possible. Nessie wasn't venomous. I remembered Nahuel. The only known male vampire-human hybrid in existence and also the only known venomous hybrid in existence. Maybe it was a male thing. Maybe only male hybrids possessed the genes required to be venomous.

An even more pressing worry crept into my mind. Beau could easily be a bite risk to other humans. If he accidentally turned Nessie's brother, parents, or even her friends we'd be in big trouble. The Volturi would have something to say about it if they found out a baby was turning humans into vampires all willy-nilly.

Thirsty

That word passed my grandson's mind quickly. He scratched at his throat. It wasn't the first time that I had noticed him do that. I could feel the dryness that was now more apparent in his throat. He needed blood.

Don't worry. We'll get that taken care of.

Tears had started to form in his eyes. He had been thirsty for a while now but it was getting worse due to a lack of blood. I made a snap decision to take Beau with me to locate a source of blood. I held onto him tight as I jumped off of the balcony. A new problem arose quickly when the sun started to rise and I realized that I would be stuck in the shadows again until nightfall. Only now I had my grandson with me. I wouldn't be able to bring him back to Nessie until tonight.

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