I Vampire

Twilight In Babylon The Vampire Saga by Julien Gregg

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I'm looking for my original editor, Mike. If you are out there and you read this contact me at greggjulien6@gmail.com I'd like to talk with you. For all others the email address above will get to me just put the name of the story in your subject so I don't delete it as spam. I love to hear from readers so drop me a line to let me know what you think of the story.

Chapter Four Powerful

"It's different for me to know that your dad knows all about me and the rest of the Maxwells," Edward said when we were in my room. "Does he know about the Forsaken?"

"He knows it all," I said. "I was blown away by all that he knows. He said a witch knows a vampire when he sees one, and that he knew the Forsaken when he sees them, too."

"That's wild," he said. "When I was a human witch I never saw a vampire so I can't say if that's true or not. I believe him because he knew we were."

"He also says that Billy wasn't going to break the treaty or the Council Di Vampire because he also knows that the tribe has a gene for shapeshifters and that they're all secret so he wasn't breaking the rule of secrecy. However he did break his vow to Jacob because Jacob is the chief of the tribe now."

"That's a bunch to think about," he said. "Your dad was right about the treaty and Council Di Vampire, but Billy broke the tribe vow. We'll talk about this with the Tribal Council."

I went to sleep after that. I was so exhausted. I woke up around eleven, and I woke up Charlie. He thanked me and we both got dressed to be there at two o'clock. Edward was with me and Charlie didn't seem to care about that. He said good morning to Edward as well.

"You know that he wasn't breaking the treaty or the rule of secrecy from the Council Di Vampire, right?" he asked Edward.

"Yes," Edward said. "Beau told me about that last night. What he almost did was break the vow to the tribe."

"Well that will be for the Tribal Council to decide what to do with him," he said. "He's my best friend and I don't want him to be in trouble with the vampires or the tribe to be honest. He knows secrets that he keeps but breaking them in front of Beau makes me angry but I'll deal with him myself."

"The Tribal Council has called the conference," Edward said. "We'll tell them what really happened when we get there."

"Good," Charlie said. "Like I said I don't want him in trouble with the vampires or the tribe because he didn't break the treaty or the rule of secrecy."

"He won't be in trouble with the vampires," Edward said. "He won't be in trouble for breaking the rule of secrecy either. He will be in trouble with the tribe because he broke his vow. Do they all know that you already know the secrets?"

"No," said Charlie after a moment. "He doesn't know it either. That could actually break the treaty that he would tell someone that he doesn't know that the person knows it already. I knew about the treaty from a vampire."

"Who told you about the treaty?" Edward asked.

"A vampire named Mikey," he said. "He was dating my brother Kale."

"How did Mikey know about the treaty?" Edward asked.

"Because he was confronted by tribal men when he was hunting a criminal who crossed into their reservation," Charlie said.

This was news to me but it was also news to Edward. I wondered if Gabriel knew this. I looked at Edward who shrugged his shoulders like a human. I smiled and he smiled back at me. I looked at Charlie and he was smiling at us.

We left for the conference with the Tribal Council at one-thirty. I rode with Edward and Charlie drove his cruiser. When we arrived at the hotel we saw all of the cars that the vampires and Forsaken drove. The tribe was just arriving. Jacob watched me and Edward and shook his head. I felt bad about that but I was still staying beside Edward.

There were ten of them. All were young except for Billy who looked like he was frightened. Jacob and the others took their seats on one side of the table in the conference room.

"We're here to hear what Billy Black, a tribal man said to Beau Swan," said Jacob. He said it formally.

"He told me that he was going to tell Charlie that Edward was a vampire," I said. "I told him that would break the treaty, but I didn't know it would not and neither did he. He told me that knowing about Edward also broke the rule of secrecy that was made by the Council Di Vampire."

"Billy Black," said Jacob. "Did you know that Charlie Swan knew of the treaty or the rule of secrecy?"

"No, I did not," he said.

"Did you know before you talked to him that Beau Swan knew about the treaty or the rule of secrecy?"

"No, I did not," said Billy.

"Then you broke the treaty by telling Beau that you knew that Edward was a vampire and threatening to tell Charlie," he said. "Do the vampires have anything to say to this?"

"We don't believe he broke the treaty by telling Beau who already knew," said Gabriel.

"It is decided that he broke Tribal Law by ignoring an order from the chief," said Jacob.

"That has nothing to do with the vampires," said Gabriel.

"No it does not," he said. He gave me a smile and a nod before we all got up and walked out of the room.

It seemed to me to be a formal meeting run by a teenager who didn't really know what he was doing but I didn't say anything. Jacob was young to be Chief but he'd learn what he needed to do as time went on.

"That was not run well," Edward said. "Jacob Black has big shoes to fill."

"He certainly does," I agreed. "I know it wasn't run correctly but he's young."

"Yes," he said. "Billy Black is in hot water with the tribe. Your dad didn't want him to be but Billy put himself in hot water."

"I agree," I said. "I didn't know the treaty at the time, but I knew I wasn't breaking the secrecy rule from the Council Di Vampire."

"No, but until I turn you I'm breaking the rule of secrecy," he said.

"But I'm a witch," I countered.

"So you're saying that because you're a witch I'm not breaking the secrecy rule?" he laughed. "That's brilliant and for some reason I hadn't thought of that."

"Are you serious?" I asked, incredulous.

"Yes," he said. "You never use an overt power so it's easy for me to forget the fact that you're a witch. That means that you would know the secret anyway. That lets me off the hook for the secrecy rule."

"That's right," I said. "I just thought you'd have already thought of that. It was obvious."

"Well with the threat posed by Billy Black, the vampires that aren't like us, and keeping you safe that one just slipped through the cracks."

"I'm sorry that you have to keep me safe," I said.

I was sorry about it. If I could just figure out what my power was I could use it and hopefully defend myself. I mean I wasn't initiated but I had to have more than just the shield in my head.

When we got to my house Edward came in with me. Charlie was already sitting at the dining room table. We went in and sat down. He didn't say anything for a long moment. Then he sighed.

"My best friend is in hot water with his tribe," he said. "And the tribe is being run by a child."

"Yes," Edward said simply. "Jacob is too young and inexperienced to run the tribe. But he will get better at it with age and experience. I'm just glad there was no push on the treaty. Jacob as chief could make life for the vampires very uneasy."

"He wouldn't do that," said Charlie. "Jacob is a good kid. He'll see his way through all of that vampires and humans bullshit. Now he knows that we're witches so he could take offense to that as well."

"Why would he?" Edward asked. "You're still living breathing humans. That's what he'll take issue with. If I turn Beau in Babylon the tribe will come for us."

I was silent the whole time they were talking. I just stared at the three wick candle in the center of the table and wished that I could light the three wicks. I gasped when all three wicks were aflame suddenly. I looked at Edward and Charlie and they were both looking at me with wide eyes.

I drew the fire back with a thought. The wicks smoldered. Then I lit them again. I gasped again and so did Charlie. Edward had become a statue. I looked from him to Charlie and back again.

"Beau," Charlie said slowly. "You found your power."

"It's a power that I'm familiar with in more than one way," Edward said. "Every Maxwell vampire has at least one gift that Eric Maxwell had. I, as a witch could read minds. I wasn't very good at controlling it when I was human. Now that I'm a vampire I'm great with control. I never had pyrokinesis as a power. My cousin had that. As a Maxwell vampire I have the power of combustion. I can incinerate the dead. It comes in handy when I feed. There's no evidence left that way.

"But Beau," he continued, "has the actual power of pyrokinesis. It's terrible and fantastic at the same time. Its terrible because trying to help him develop the power could be dangerous and fantastic because he can use it to defend himself if he learns to really use it."

"Why is it dangerous," I said. "I can just light candles."

"No," he said, shaking his head. "You can burn anything."

"Anything?" I asked, stunned.

"True pyrokinetics can burn anything they choose," he said. "They can even make flames dance on the water."

"Surely I'd have to be initiated to do that," I said.

"You would," he said. "But you can do a lot of damage uninitiated as well."

"That's scary," I said. "I wanted an active power but I didn't want to be destructive."

"Well, careful what you wish for," he said, smiling as his phone rang. He answered it and then said, "He just lit a three wick candle, put it out, and lit it again with his mind." He was quiet for a moment and then, "I know how dangerous it can be. I don't know how to help him with this." Then he hung up the phone.

"Archie?" I asked, smiling.

"Yes," he said. "He just saw you burning someone."

"I don't want to burn anyone," I said quickly. "That's not how I'd choose to use my power."

"Remember what he sees isn't exactly the future," he said. "It's what could happen. You have to be careful."

"I will be," I said forcefully. "I don't want to kill anyone with this power."

"Well we're gonna have to test it," he said. He looked at Charlie. "With your permission."

"He needs to get a handle on it before he burns the house down," he said, smiling. "Go ahead and help him if you can."

We went to the Maxwell House and Archie was waiting for us. He looked at me oddly at first and then smiled. He hugged me and I hugged him back. I was worried that they'd all be afraid of me because I had pyrokinesis.

"We're going to help you learn some control," he said as he came down the steps. "We should probably go to the back of the house and face the river."

I had never been behind the house before so I got my first sight of the river. The water was running slowly and it looked beautiful with trees, bushes, and little bulrushes all around the bank.

"Archie has set up a few things that you can burn," Edward said. I noticed that the others were watching from the glass side of the house. That made me nervous and he noticed. "Calm down. It won't hurt anyone."

"Okay," I said.

I worked on my breathing and watched as Archie set up an old table, an archery target, and a stack of old shoes. I looked at the old table and thought about it burning. That didn't work so I took a few breaths and centered it in my mind. I looked at the middle of it and thought of it burning. It smoked but didn't burn at first. I kept looking at it and finally told it with my mind to burn. It burst into flames rather quickly after that.

"Try to pull it back," Archie said, watching it burn.

I looked at it and thought about putting the fire out. It fizzled and popped but the fire went away. I breathed a sigh of relief. Archie slapped me on the back while Edward stood a few feet away from me. I turned to the archery target.

"Try to only burn the bull's eye," Archie said, smiling at me.

I looked at the bull's eye and thought about burning it until it started to smoke. Then before I knew what was going to happen a bolt of fire shot from in front of me into the bull's eye.

"Oh my god," I gasped.

"It's fine," Archie said. "That's the way the power works. When you get worked up it turns into bolts of fire. Try to calm down and pull the fire back."

I looked at the burning bull's eye and thought about putting it out. It took me a few tries but it finally went out but kept smoking. I was breathing hard and trying to keep calm. It was hard for me but I tried anyway.

"That's enough for today," Edward said. "He's breathing hard, Archie."

"Yeah," Archie said, "I think we're done for the day. Do you know how you started each fire?"

"I commanded it to burn with my mind," I said. Then I moaned as a pain shot through my body. Edward was at my side in a minute. "I'm fine," I said. "It was just an errant pain from somewhere."

"I was expecting it," said Edward, confusing me.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because every time my cousin would burn something so big he'd get a pain through his body as soon as he pulled the fire back. Think about it, Beau. The fire doesn't want to be pulled back. It wants to burn."

"Who did you see me burning?" I asked Archie.

"A red headed woman," he said. "There was an overturned automobile and you were on the ground bleeding. You laughed as you set her on fire."

"That's crazy," I said.

"Maybe it's not," he said. "It was a very clear picture in my head. It's going to happen."

"Oh god," I sighed and sat down on the ground.

The others came outside after I'd stopped burning things. Jason and Elfric came right up to me. Elfric handed me a glass of cold water. It helped things but I just looked at them all.

"You have a mighty dangerous power," said Gabriel. "In vampires it only works on necrotic tissue. That's how we burn our victims."

"Edward told me about that," I said. "I just figured out I could do it today."

"You're tired," said Jason.

"Yes," I agreed.

"Edward, take him home so he can rest," Gabriel said. "We don't want him to overdo it."

"All right," he said and I followed him to his car.

"I'm all right," I said as he put the car in gear and backed out of his parking spot in front of the house.

"You're tired," he said. "You exerted yourself like you never have before. That's draining."

"I am tired," I agreed.

We drove in silence and for once I wished that I could read his mind. He said nothing as he drove me and I wondered if he was a bit afraid of me. I didn't like that thought so I decided to confront it.

"Are you scared of me?" I asked him.

"No, Beau," he said. "We're in love, so I doubt seriously that you'd try to set me on fire. I'm a little worried about Archie's vision. I saw it in his head. You were hurt badly when you set that woman on fire. I don't know why but I think she's the one who hurt you."

"That's crazy," I said. "I only know one red headed girl and that's Angela. She wouldn't hurt a fly."

"I know," he said. "It's a conundrum."

When we got to the house I told Charlie what happened but by then my words were slurring. He sent me up to bed. Edward told me he'd be with me in a moment. I left him to talk to Charlie about what had happened at House Maxwell.

I was asleep almost as soon as my head touched my pillow. I didn't even realize that Edward had come into the room. I didn't wake up until Saturday morning. The dance had happened the night before. I'd missed seeing Mike and Mitch in their tuxes but so much had happened yesterday anyway.

"You're finally really wake?" Edward asked me as I sat up.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"There were a few false starts for you," he said. "You talked a lot in your sleep. Mostly about not wanting to hurt anyone."

"Strange," I said. "I don't even remember dreaming."

"Well you did," he said, giving me that famous crooked smile I loved so much.

"I need a shower," I said. "I can't believe I slept in my clothes and didn't change."

"You were tired," he said.

"I'll say I was tired," I laughed.

I grabbed clean clothes and headed for the shower. I was in there for a little bit but I was basking in the hot water. Then I dried off, brushed my teeth, and got dressed. We went downstairs and found Kale at the table.

"I hear you found your power," he said with a grin as we came into the kitchen.

"Sure did," I said. "It drained the energy out of me to use it though."

"It's like that for all of us uninitiated witches," he laughed. "You'll get the balance eventually. Pretty soon you'll light the fireplace on cold nights."

"That'll be the day," I said as I got a bowl, spoon, the cereal, and milk.

"That doesn't look healthy," Edward said.

"Well I'm too hungry to cook anything," I said.

He got up and took the bowl and spoon from me. He put the cereal back in the cabinet and the milk back in the fridge. Then he got out eggs, bacon, and bagels. He made scrambled eggs and bacon and toasted the bagels. He built me a sandwich and handed it to me.

"I'm impressed," Kale said. "For one who doesn't eat you can sure cook."

"Food Network," Edward deadpanned.

"I'm guessin'," said Kale. "I gotta head to work but thanks for breakfast."

"Any time," Edward said as Kale got up and left the kitchen.

"He must be done with inventory," I said.

"Do you have to work today?" he asked.

"No," I said. "I only work on weeknights. It gets too busy on weekends for me."

"Is that Kale's rule or yours?" he asked.

"Kale's," I said.

"I was about to tease you about being afraid to work at the store on weekends," he said, smiling at me.

"Well, I'm off today so what do you want to do?" I asked.

"I'd like to show you a place I like to go to when I'm alone with nothing to do," he said. "You'll need your hiking boots."

"All right," I said and got up to find them in the closet. I put them on.

"You might want to pack a bag of food in case you get hungry while we're there," he said. "I don't eat so I never think of it."

I packed a bag with nuts and a sandwich and off we went. I drove my truck and he gave me directions. We left Babylon and drove down the one oh one to a thick wooded area. He had me stop there and the rest was a hike. I wasn't looking forward to the hike but I followed behind him.

It took us almost an hour to come to a meadow that was all grass and flowers. There was almost a perfect ring around it that was trees. It was sort of beautiful. Edward spread the blanket he'd been carrying. I didn't know where it had come from. We sat on that and I put my book bag on the grass beside us.

"So," he said. "You now know what your power is and you have a rough idea of how to use it."

"Yes, but it really drains me," I said.

"I noticed," he laughed. "You'll get the hang of it if you keep practicing."

"Until I burn the red haired woman," I said.

"About that," he said. "I've been thinking. You said the only red haired girl you know is Angela, but the woman I saw in Archie's vision wasn't Angela. It was a stranger that I've never seen before. I only saw her just before she was engulfed in flames though."

"Can we not talk about that?" I asked, holing up my hand to ward off anything else he had to say about it.

"Sure," he said. "We can talk about school if you like."

"Why would we talk about school?" I asked.

"Don't know," he said. "We could talk about the next dance."

"That'll be the Spring Fling," I said. "I don't want to go to it."

"I think you should," he said, looking at me intently. I suddenly remembered him saying that he wanted me to have all of the experiences of high school.

"That's right you want me to experience high school," I said with a sigh.

"I'll go with you," he said. "You'll be fine."

"You've never seen me in gym class," I stated.

"No I haven't," he said. "But judging from the amount of times you stumbled in the forest to get here I think I can figure out your problem. It won't be a problem with me."

"Oh yeah?" I asked, smiling. "How's that?"

"It's all in the leading," he said with a smug smile.

"The leading, huh?" I laughed. "You think you can make me not be a klutz on the dance floor?"

"Something like that," he said.

"Well I'll think about it," I said.

"Good," he said. "I really do want you to have the whole experience."

"Have you gone to any of the school dances?" I asked.

"No, none of us have," he said. "We don't do dances usually."

"So this is all about me?" I asked.

"The others say they'll go to the dance if you do," he said.

"Oh they do, do they?" I laughed.

"I'll think it over," I said.

"We have time," he said. Then he pulled me closer and my heart began to beat faster.

He kissed me like he'd never kissed me before. I kissed back and put my arms around his waist and pulled him closer. We made out like love sick boys for a long moment. He broke the kiss and smiled at me.

"I've never done this here," he said.

"You've had sex before though, right?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. "I've had sex with one person one time."

"Only once?" I asked, curious.

"Sex is part of the bonding processes, Beau," he said.

"Oh," I said. "Jason."

"Yeah," he said. "Jason isn't gay so there's nothing between us."

"All right," I said. "He's really into a girl at school. I've noticed."

"Yeah, but he'll never talk to her," he said. "He has to tell her the secret and she has to accept it before anything major will happen between them. The bond makes him extremely fertile and makes sure that his children will be male."

"Why?" I asked.

"Originally, you were supposed to bond a married man who could father your fledglings," he said. "It hasn't been done that way in a very long time. Your first drone will be a member of the Forsaken, and you can't turn one. It's against the rules and the penalty is death."

"I'll remember that," I said. "But there are no unbound Forsaken around," I said.

"There's a farm full of them not far from Babylon," he revealed.

"How do you know this?" I asked.

"Because Nathan went to meet them," he said. "They're just a family of Forsaken with cattle."

"Do they not hunt people?" I asked.

"Not the Forsaken," he said. "They only time they bite a human is to turn him into a Forsaken."

"They can do that?" I asked.

"They can but it's rarely done," he said. "Forsaken are usually born instead of turned but Nathan is a turned Forsaken."

"Wow," I said.

"It's not something that he talks about," he said.

"Obviously," I said. "I wouldn't say anything to him about it. Trust me."

"I do," he said. Then we went back to making out.

He was pawing at me but to be fair I was pawing at him too. He finally broke the kiss and asked me how far I wanted to go. I smiled and slipped my hand up the leg of his shorts to answer him.

We went back to making out but now I was trying to undress him. He was doing the same thing to me. First my shirt came off and then his. We both stood to take off our shorts and underwear.

Edward naked was a sight to behold. He was chiseled to perfection everywhere. I could see the muscles in his legs and thighs, and his stomach came to a "V" right where his crotch began. His dick was big but not a monster. It was about the same size as my own.

I took it into my hand and he moaned. I remembered that he'd had sex with Jason once so it wasn't like he didn't know what he was doing. He pulled me down to the blanket again and then he went down on me. I saw stars! It was the most amazing feeling in the world. He worked me into a frenzy pretty quickly. Then he seemed to know that he had and moved up my body to kiss me.

I moved down his body and tried to do to him what he had done to me. I knew to watch my teeth, and I was surprised that I could take all of him into my throat without gagging. He moaned and writhed on the blanket for a few minutes and then he pulled me back up his body.

"I want to make love to you," he said. "I have a way to make it not hurt if you'll let me."

"Of course I'll let you," I gasped.

He used his own saliva to wet his dick and then he was at my entrance. He pushed and was inside me and all I felt was full. He began the back and forth motion and really made love to me. He kissed me several times while he did this. I was riding a high wave of pleasure. I didn't think it could get any better than this. He continued to rock back and forth with my legs over his shoulders. Then he pressed himself against me and stopped.

"Ready to do me?" he asked with a smile.

We switched positions and I used my saliva to wet my dick. I pushed and entered him and it was warm and constrictive. It was so much better than his mouth and I did the same thing to him that he'd done to me. I hoped I was giving him as much pleasure as he'd given me. He moaned and kissed me a lot so I imagined that he was having a good time. All too soon I felt my orgasm building. I picked up the pace a bit and then held myself against him and let go. Then we were kissing and cuddling.

"That was amazing," I said.

"It was for me, too," he said. "I'd had sex one time before but it was nothing like this."

"That's good to know," I laughed.

"You sexy nervous boy," he said and kissed me again.

We packed up and headed back through the forest. I did a little better with the hike that day. We drove back to my house and he went in with me. Kale was there but Charlie hadn't come home yet. I put my uneaten lunch in the fridge and started on dinner.

Edward sat at the table and watched me cook. He seemed enthralled with all that I did. It was strange to have him be so attentive when I was usually the one staring at him. I didn't say anything though. I put the meatloaf in the oven and started to peel potatoes. He helped.

When it was time I boiled the potatoes. When they were about done I made gravy and got a box of rolls out of the pantry. I put them on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven. Dinner was done by the time Charlie came in.

We ate, well Edward didn't, but he sat and talked with us while we ate. When the meal was over he did dishes with me while Kale and Charlie went into the living room to watch television.

It was still unreal for my dad and Kale to be in the house and know that Edward was here and not bat an eye. Charlie had thrown me for a loop when he told me we were all witches. Now of course I knew that I was a witch with a very powerful and destructive power.

Before I knew it Renee and Phil were in Babylon for Christmas. Thanksgiving had been a feast that I'd cooked myself, shocking Charlie and Kale with my abilities. They were shocked that Renee and Phil had flown in from Florida to be with us for Christmas.

Charlie had Christmas catered and all we had to do was put the turkey and pies in the oven and heat up the sides. We had presents for each other and a tree was up. I got more music files and stuff for the truck. Charlie bought me clothes that I was sure were picked out by Kale. Renee bought me stuff for the truck and a game for my computer. Phil got me a signed baseball. It was signed by the twenty-one seventy Chicago Cubs. I loved it.

"Where's this boyfriend I've been hearing all about and haven't seen?" Renee asked me. She was smiling so I knew that she wasn't upset.

"He'll be here in about an hour to take me to his parents' house for Christmas over there," I said. "You'll meet him then."

"Where is your truck?" she asked.

"It's at Edward's," I said. "I was too tired to drive back after the bonfire."

"They had a bonfire at their house?" she asked.

"No," I laughed. "I parked the truck at Edward's and rode with him and his brother to the bonfire at the school."

"Oh," she said. "What, he's just going to come and get you?"

"Yeah," I said.

"That's no good," she said, smiling. "I need to interrogate him. This is your first boyfriend. Come on, Beau."

"There's no need for an interrogation," I said. "Besides he'll spend the day with us before you leave to head back to Florida."

"Good," she said. "I so happy that you're happy, Beau. Friends, a boyfriend. Wow."

"The kids here refuse to be ignored," I said with a smile. "And Edward just wouldn't be left alone either. It took a bit for us to admit to each other that we even liked each other. Now we're good. His family is extremely nice and I like all of his brothers."

"All of them?" she asked. "How many does he have?"

"He has four brothers and two cousins living with him and his family," I said. "They live with two doctors and a financial planner."

"That's exciting," she said. "You didn't tell me this on the computer. I had to wait until I got here from Florida to learn that there was a boyfriend."

"I didn't want you to hop a plane to come and interrogate him," I laughed.

"Am I that bad?" she asked.

"I don't know," I said. "I never had a boyfriend before."

She laughed and hugged me. "Oh, I've missed you, Beau."

"I've missed you, too," I said. "How are things in Florida?"

"They're great," she said. "The house is so nice, and Phil is playing for one of the local double A ball teams."

"That's great," I said, happy for both of them. "That's what he wanted."

"Yes," she said. "And they told him his star is rising fast."

"That's exciting," I said.

"It is," she laughed. "Oh, baby boy things are working out for both of us."

"It sounds it," I said. "I never thought I'd have so many friends but I have them now."

"What are your friends like?" she asked.

"Well, I'd say my closest friend is Mitch Weber," I said. "He's kind and considerate to everyone and never says a bad thing about anyone. Mike, Eric, and Tyler are your typical teenage boys."

"No girls in the mix?" she asked.

"Sure, Angela, Jessica, and Miranda," I said. "They date the boys."

"Of course they do," she said. "Are there any other gay kids at your school?"

"Sure," I said. "I don't really know them but I see them in the halls. One kid has a rainbow flag taped to the outside of his locker."

"Well how about that," she said, smiling. "I miss talking with you, Beau."

"I miss talking to you," I said.

"You know Phil doesn't travel as much now," she said. "You could come and live with me and Phil in Florida. Oh, Beau you'll love it in Florida. There's sunshine every day, the ocean is just blocks from the house, and the food there is incredible."

"Mom, I want to live in Babylon," I said. "I have friends, a boyfriend, and Dad and Kale here. I want to stay here."

"Yeah?" she asked. "I thought sure the ocean would tip the scales in my favor."

"Sorry, Mom," I said. "I'm happy here."

"Well you could be happy in Florida," she said.

"I could, but I'm not going to move there," I said gently.

"Well alright then," she said and started to search her large purse for something. I thought it would be a tissue and hoped she wouldn't cry. Instead she pulled a large vanilla envelop out and handed it to Charlie.

"What's this?" he asked as he accepted it.

"Custody," she said. "We now share custody."

"Thank you," he said. "I was going to ask you about that but I hadn't found the right time."

"Well now we have shared custody but you have physical custody," she said. "If he decides to move to Florida we can reverse it."

"Sounds good," he said as he put the envelop on the table. Just then there was a knock on the door and Edward came in.

"Edward come and meet my mother and stepfather," I said, beaming at him.

He came in and hugged Renee and then looked at Phil. He smiled and said, "You're Phillip Dwyer! I saw you on television in front of the Sky High Sports Complex in Orlando when you were signed to the Florida Gators."

"That's me," said Phil, blushing slightly.

The man was a good looking blonde haired, blue eyed, muscle man. I was a little upset when Renee brought him around to meet me because he was in his late twenties and she was in her forties. But I had grown to like him over the time after they married.

"I've seen you play on the Sky High Sports channel," Edward said. "You're good."

"Thank you," Phil said. "Would you like me to sign something?"

"Sure," Edward said, reaching in his pocket and pulling out a baseball. He handed it to Phil while Renee got a black permanent marker out of her purse and handed that to him as well.

Phil signed "To Edward, my favorite fan from Phillip Dwyer number twenty-two, Florida Gators twenty-one seventy." He handed the ball to Edward with a killer smile. Edward smiled back and glanced at me and than back at Phil.

"Thank you," he said. "I'll put this with my other baseball memorabilia."

"Cool," Phil said, grinning again.

"We really need to get going," Edward said. "My parents are expecting us."

"You kids have fun," said Charlie. "Say hello to Doctor Gabriel for me."

"Will do," Edward said. He turned to Renee and Phil. "Renee, Phil, great to meet you both. I wish we had more time."

"That time will come," Renee assured him.

We got out of there after that. Edward drove back to his parents house. He didn't say anything at first and I feared that he was angry with me. Then he turned and smiled at me and took my hand in his.

"Merry Christmas, Beau," he said.

"Merry Christmas, Edward," I said back.

That was all that was said on the road to his house. When we got there I saw the place was all lit up with twinkling lights. He smiled at me and told me that they all loved Christmas. I laughed at this and followed him inside.

"Beau," said Elfric as we came in. "You're finally here."

"Sorry we took so long," I said.

"Nonsense, you arrived at just the right moment," he said.

We followed him into the family room. I had not been this far into the house yet. It was all brick with a hardwood floor. Plush furniture lined the walls that weren't glass. It was all white.

"Have a seat, Beau," Roman said. "We've been waiting for you."

"Sorry to keep you waiting," I said as I sat down next to Edward on the sofa. "You guys waited to open presents until I was here?"

"No," said Elfric. "We opened gifts this morning. These are our gifts to you and we'll open the stack of present you brought with you."

"Okay," I said and smiled. Roman started to hand out presents.

From Elfric and Gabriel there was a long shallow box. I took the wrapping paper off and opened the box to find two plane tickets to Orlando. I smiled and looked at them. Elfric said, "So you can visit your mother."

"Thank you so much," I said and he hugged me.

From Nathan I got hand carved wall plaque. It was a wolf. I smiled at him and he told me that he'd carved it himself. I thought that was a miracle with his big hands, but then he was a cardiologist. From Jason and John I got a GPS system that was better than the one in the computer in the truck. The box was empty and Jason told me that it had already been installed. I laughed at this and thanked him.

Roman and Emit got me another empty box but this was for a car stereo. Roman told me that it was not only installed but programmed and everything. "I worked on the computer in you truck as well. It won't be so loud anymore and I've removed the fail safe of sixty-five."

"Thank you," I said with a smile.

Archie and Jasper got me a very nice thick sweatshirt that was the Babylon Knights, the name of all of the sports teams at Babylon High School. I thanked them for it. They both said they had no idea what to give me.

Edward gave me a chain necklace that looked like it was braided. It was at least eighteen karat gold. I loved it and he put it on me. He also gave me a music file with all of the classic piano pieces that I loved. He said he'd played them all and recorded them with his computer and made the file. I thanked him and kissed him.

I had got each of the boys a sweatshirt from school. Edward got a necklace that was similar to the one I was currently wearing. For the adults I got plaques with their names and titles engraved in the wood. I'd made them in wood shop. They looked great, and they were all happy with what I gave them.

"So are your mother and stepfather staying long?" Elfric asked me.

"They'll stay at a hotel tonight and fly back to Orlando tomorrow after a little chat with Edward," I said and smiled.

"Do they know the secret?" asked Elfric.

"No," I said. "Renee isn't a witch or shapeshifter so she can't know the secret unless Phil is bonded and she is his wife."

"Yes, that's correct," said Elfric. "I just wondered if she knew because Charlie knew but I guess if she's not married to him he can't tell her either."

"No," I said. "The secret stays with the ones who can know the truth about us all."

"Very good," Elfric said, smiling at me. "I know it's difficult to keep things from your mother, but this secret would do more harm than good."

"Believe me I know that," I said. "Renee would freak out and tell people. I have made my decision to keep her as much in the dark as I can."

"Good," Elfric said. Gabriel nodded.

"I'll do my very best to behave," Edward said with a smile.

"See that you do," Gabriel said, smiling as well.

We left so that I could be home before curfew. I drove my truck which was much quieter and drove much smoother. We got back to the house to find that Renee and Phil were already at the hotel.

"Your mother and Phil left right after you did," Charlie told me. "They didn't want to sit and talk with us."

"Well, Edward can talk to Renee tomorrow," I said.

"Did you get nice gifts?" Kale asked, smiling at me.

"I did," I said, pointing to the necklace around my neck. "This was from Edward. It almost matches the one I got for him. I got a new stereo for my truck which is already installed, a New GPS system with an upgrade to the onboard computer, a wall plaque of a wolf carved by Nathan, and Gabriel and Elfric got me two tickets to Florida to visit Renee."

"Wow," said Charlie. "That was extravagant."

"Yes," I said, smiling.

"Well you kids go on upstairs but keep the noise down," Charlie said. "We've both got to work tomorrow. Be happy that Kale is giving you the day off."

"I am happy," I said. "Thank you Kale."

Edward and I went upstairs to my room. He lay on the bed and I put the music file that he'd made me in the player and turned the music down so that it was light. He smiled at this and I joined him on the bed.

"What's Renee like?" he asked.

"She's scatter-brained most of the time," I said with a smile. "She forgets to pay bills, and write the balance in her checkbook, she misplaces her debit card, and she can't seem to keep hold of a cell phone to save her life. She's a great cook and bakes like a pastry chef. I took care of her until she met and married Phil.

"She's kind, loving, and a bit erratic at times," I continued. "She loves with her whole heart and she'd walk through fire for those that she loves. She can be serious one minute and playful the next. She was my best friend in Cripen."

"You sound like you miss her terribly," he said softly.

"I do," I said. "But if I can't have her in my life once I'm turned then keeping her at a distance now is the right thing to do."

"If that's the way you feel," he said, but he clearly didn't think much of the plan.

"No it is," I said. "Because with Renee spending the time I have left with her would just make it harder for her to not fly out here to demand to see me."

"She can see you, Beau," he said. "You just can't tell her the secret."

"You mean lying to her," I said. "And if she visits here a lot she's bound to notice some things and start to ask questions."

"Then we'll visit her in Florida," he said. "You don't have to cut her out of your life."

"You told me not to try to have a relationship with my human family," I said. "What's changed?"

"No, you're right of course," he sighed. "It was just listening to the way you described her and the longing I heard in you voice. I didn't want you to have to cut her out of your life so quickly."

"Well I have two tickets to go and see her," I said. "It isn't like I'm cutting her out of my life tomorrow."

"No, you're right," he said. "I forgot myself there for a minute. It seems that human emotions are surfacing for me after all."

"You do fine in the human emotions category," I said with a smile.

"I try to for you," he said. "Being a vampire can become very self supporting, almost self centered. Your world is open to a whole new host of opportunities and you go through them with total direct attention and don't notice the world around you at times. With you I'm trying to be more human in the way that I act around people. Take the kids at school. I hadn't said more than a few polite words to any of them. Now I've talked to Mike, Mitch, Eric, Tyler, Jessica, Angela, and even that nasty girl named Lauren."

"So you're changing?" I asked.

"Yes, for you," he said. "You're human still, and even after you're turned you'll still be mostly human for a long time. You won't get that drive and determination at the start. It builds up over time."

"Hasn't living among humans kept you out of that drive and determination?" I asked.

"No," he said. "I have more degrees than anyone in the house. I've studied art, music, nursing, botany, and so much more. I'm the best musician in the family and I have the most experience in the outside world, much more than the rest of them. Roman and Emit continue to matriculate over and over again. They start college but never finish because we move so much. I took time away from the family to go to college quite a few times at several different schools."

"I don't know what to say to all of this," I said. "I plan to go to college to study something or another. Of course that'll be after I'm turned, so I could probably study anything I chose to. Edward we'll be human with each other all of the time, though. You didn't have romantic love before. Roman and Emit, Archie and Jasper, Gabriel and Elfric, they all have romantic love to keep them firmly rooted in their humanity."

"Gabriel and Nathan insist on working with the public," he said. "I always thought that was what kept them human."

"If that was so you'd be more human because you matriculate and go off to college more than any of them," I pointed out. "It's romantic love that makes the difference."

"You must be right," he said, smiling at me. Then he kissed me.