Dark Absynthe

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!!! **MWAH** Hope you get properly spanked today. ;-)

Zigster

Happy Birthday Beate! I wrote you an Em/Ro ficlet. I've never attempted writing them before, so I hope you enjoy it. I made Emmett an Irish boy from Southie... that work for yah? lol

After I started this little drabblely like fic for you, I wondered why the hell I didn't just write you slash. I'm an idiot.

Forgive me.

Have a great one! *hugs*
-------

I watched him on the train, commuting with all the rest of us rats on the T. His shoulders were as wide as the old tram car and his head was bowed, buried in The Globe, reading the sports section. A scally cap was covering the dark, shiny curls that I so much admired and so seldem saw.

"Take it off," I mouthed to him even though he couldn't see, trying to will more off than just the cap on his square, Irish head. My command was oblivious to the people around me--the lot of them were too engrossed in their music players, papers, phones and books. When he removed his hat the next second, revealing the crop of thick hair that I so desperately want to tug on as I screamed his name, I gasped in shock. His dark rimmed eyes spiked with gold raised to mine, and a smirk that surely belonged to the devil crossed his chiseled face.

"Hey," he said, though be didn't make a sound, and shit if my knees didn't get a little weak. Through the jars of the train and the stiff shoulders of our fellow commuters, he'd pierced me with a single glance.

Well, damn.

Feeling giddy and turned on, I nodded my head towards him with a bit of disdain plain on my sharp face. The brush off was intentional. I was playing hard to get. I may fantasize about him every night but I be damned if I let him know how badly I wanted him within the first few seconds of him paying me attention. He didn't need to know that my heart was speeding faster than a hummingbird's and my head felt dizzy and drugged from his stare. A man looking like he did already knew he was capable of rendering a woman helpless. I was not going to give him that satisfaction.

His eyes narrowed as he assessed me, unabashedly roaming over the expanse of my legs--that were intentionally bare and only half-hidden behind the open flaps of my Burberry coat--and up past my hips and torso. I shifted where I stood against the door of the train, giving him the show he wanted. He'd never know what hit him if he ever got my clothes off, but judging by the look in his eye, he was certainly picturing a similar type of encounter.

The train lurched to a stop, jerking on the tracks as the breaks skidded and connected into place. I pulled up the lapels on my coat, and threw the hood over my head. The trench would have to be tied up as well, since my neighborhood was not one you'd want to walk around in on display.

"You eva gonna ask me out?"

I halted my strides on the train platform, my heels creaking against the cement beneath my feet, and turned back towards whoever dared to ask such a ridiculous question. I had prepared to shoot down his stupidity with a single word or phrase, but when I saw that the man was none other than the cute boy I'd been lusting over all these months, my mouth snapped shut.
Speechless, I shrugged, hoping that would answer his question.
With a bellowing laugh that reminded me of summertime and melting ice cream cones, he stepped forward, ripped his cap from his head, and bowed. Those beautiful dark curls were bared to me, up close and personal, as he spoke and my fingers twitched at my sides with the need to touch them. "Emmett McCarthy, at yah service."
Standing resolute, I folded my arms across my chest and raised an eyebrow. What's with the theatrics? I thought.
Undeterred, he reached into his satchel and switched the scally cap for a regular one, the large red B blazing out from his forehead at me like a brand. He pulled the rim low over his face but his eyes still pierced through the night, filled with mischief and anticipation.

"Nice hat." As stupid as the compliment sounded, it was all I could think to say right then.

"Thanks, now how 'bout a cup of coffee? I'm freezin'," he said, lifting the two large paws he called hands and blowing hot air into them. His massive shoulders were hunched but despite his size he looked like a little boy right then, all innocence and undiluted charm.

"I'm walking home." It wasn't an invitation or a let down, merely a statement since my brain was incapable of coming up with any actual words that would let me converse with this person.
"I see that, so am I, but we've got delis in this town. Donut shops, too."

I nodded. "We do."
"Thayh's one just down the street," he encouraged, his accent extra thick.

Incensed, I almost stomped my foot. "You wanna take me to Johnny's!? That's the best you can do? That piece of shit donut shop?"

He threw his head back and laughed again--same innocence, same wonderful sound--just as a group of drunks stumbled onto the platform, the scent of stale alcohol hitting the air along with their swears and shouts.

Emmett stepped forward and threw and arm around my shoulder, watching the men the entire time. "Let's walk," he said, and it was clear from his tone, he wasn't giving me the option to refuse.
"You think you can protect me?" I sassed, unimpressed by his macho routine.

"I know it," he shot back, his eyes suddenly fierce. All hints of the boy-like charm of before gone from his features.
"Did the Red Sox lose tonight?" I asked, curious about the men behind us.

"Yup."

"So those guys are drunk and pissed?"

"Yup."
"Which means everyone in this damn town is probably dunk and pissed?"
"Yup."

"Well then, Johnny's it is."

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye, a hint of smile playing at his lips. "You suddenly okay that 'piece of shit' place?"
"Johnny's a Yankee fan. No one would dare go there on a night the Sox lose to New York."
"Ah'n't you brilliant."

"I am."

Emmett's laughter followed us as we headed down off the train platform towards Johnny's, his arm a constant adornment to my shoulder the entire way. By the time we walked through the door of the ancient donut shop, the bell jingling above our heads, my body was leaning into his, absorbing his warmth and his humor.

It was going to be a good night--even if the Sox had lost.

Fardareismai2

Dear Beate,
I just wanted to wish you a very happy birthday, and many, many happy returns. I don't have much to give, but I thought I'd share a little bit of pretty. I hope you enjoy it.

fardareismai2

VanpireNZ

Dearest Beate,

I remember when I first started chatting with you on Twitter, and how generous you were to offer help on my first story. Little did I know how lucky I was to have you enter my life. You really have been such a caring soul, always making yourself available to help me when I need an opinion, supportive when I need someone to hold my heart, thoughtful when I need a kind word. You are such a true friend, and I count my blessings that I can count you as a friend.

I wish you all the best for the coming year. Happy Birthday, Dearest. ILYSFM!
Christine
xoxo

stolenxsanity

Beate,
We don't get to talk very much these days but, a little birdy told me that it was your birthday. So, Happy Birthday, doll. I hope that your day is wonderful and everything that you'd want it to be. You deserve it. I wish I'd had the time to write a story for you but since I didn't, I hope that these heartfelt wishes suffice.

Happy Birthday! May it be only one more in a long line of birthday's past and birthday's to come.

Love & Hugs,

Tania (stolenxsanity)

Claire

Happy Birthday, Beate! As a thank you for being the full-of-awesomesauce chicky that you are, I wrote you some smutty Emmett and Jasper fun...Calvin Klein style. Yeah, I know I said I wasn't writing fic anymore, but, it's yer birfday and I <3 you HARD. Seriously, you're a terrific friend and you keep me sane, so a lil slashy fun is the least I can do in return. I hope you enjoy, and I hope this is the best fricken birthday ever!

*************

The Replacement

I leaned against the kitchen counter, growing restless as phone calls were made, angry words were thrown and the spotlights made me sweat like a bitch. Leave it up to Rosalie to decide that she had something better to do than to show up for a shoot. It wasn't like this hadn't been planned for months and already postponed twice due to my schedule. I finally managed to land a role in a film that started shooting in less than two weeks and rehearsals started yesterday. I was already on a shit-list and I really didn't want to fuck this up.

"Found her!" Mike yelled. "She's at the god damned spa." The last word fell off his lips like he just said that she was in a third world country deworming orphans or something equally sexy.
"Well?" the photographer asked, exasperated. "When can we expect her Majesty?" He rolled his eyes to emphasize his disdain.

Mike still had the phone to his ear and gave the photographer - Aro, I think his name was - a helpless shrug.

"Make sure she knows that if she's not here in fifteen, she's being replaced and I will see to it that Calvin Klein will refuse to work with her in the future."

Replaced. Please, let her get fucking replaced! I thought to myself, trying to appear nonchalant, which was fairly difficult standing in this makeshift kitchen with nothing but a robe and a pair of boxer briefs on.

I could see Mike off to the side violently whispering and grumbling into his phone, while flailing his arms as if the person on the other line could see how pissed off he was. It wasn't hard to imagine his frustration with the situation, for how would he line up someone else on such short notice? At the same time I could also see the gears in Aro's mind turning, looking for an alternative solution, lips pursed, brow furrowed, giving some of the crew a once-over and doing that retarded director's hand-frame thing. It took me all of four seconds to realize he was considering pulling in a crew member to take Rosalie's place. It would be a behind-the-scener's dream come true. I certainly didn't see anyone worthwhile, a few of the girls were definitely rocking the plain-Jane look, but had no shape to speak of. Groaning, I prayed that Aro didn't select Jessica, her build was so small that I doubted a pair of briefs would stay on her non-existent hips.

For once, Bella wasn't around for a shoot. That was a crying shame as she would look fantastic in a pair of tiny briefs and an A-shirt. Having her in the shoot would be rather difficult to explain, though, since our very publicized break-up. The term "break-up" was very tongue in cheek, because even though she was seeing someone besides me, we never were technically together. However, when she fell in love with this Edward fella, I was very hard pressed to hold her back. She may had been my beard, but she was my friend first and foremost. I couldn't ask her not see the guy just to avoid blowing my cover.
And as it was, my cover was about to blown to fucking pieces anyway. Aro grabbed a PA by the elbow, turning him this way and that, manhandling him and giving him a rather thorough once over. I half expected Aro to ask him to turn his head and fucking cough. My breath hitched in my throat as Aro yanked up the hem on the front of his t-shirt to expose his tight, rippling abs, and I literally choked when Aro tugged the waistband of his jeans out slightly to take a peek at what he wore beneath the denim.

"Look at you," Aro purred. "You're already wearing the label." Spinning the poor guy around, he tugged the waistband of the back of his jeans out to get a look at his ass.

"Christ, pops, want me to just take the pants off?" The PA said with a roll of his eyes and a pop of his chewing gum.

"Well, it would be easier to assess the fit, so yes. Lose the jeans," he remarked, absently, as if he had no clue what the situation was doing to me. I held back a groan as I secured my robe around my waist.

Not only did he lose the jeans, but the PA reached behind his head to pull off his t-shirt, until he was standing amidst the rest of the crew in nothing but a pair of blue Calvin Klein boxer briefs. Aro did an excruciatingly slow walk around him, eyes appearing to burn red angry streaks into the guy's skin.

"They're a little big on you. They need to be more snug like Emmett's. Show him what I mean, Em."

I prayed the tiny squeak I heard in my ears did not just come out of my mouth. "Excuse me?" I wheezed. He did not just ask me to show this guy how my briefs were practically painted on like a second skin. "Um, you want him to take Rosalie's place?"
Deflecting was what I normally did best, though this time, I found myself backpedalling, because I apparently just insulted the PA. At least, that's what I gathered by the abrupt halt to his gum chewing.

"Um...wait. That's not what I meant. Aro's got a great eye, man, I'm not doubting that but...can't we get someone who is, you know, uh...not a dude?"
Please just keep talking long enough for me to get rid of this boner!

"Emmett, I was told you were versatile, that you could work with anyone. I would hate to have a talk with your agent and let her know that she was mistaken," Aro grumbled, his words dripping like aggravated acid.

"Sir, I can work with anyone...this is just the first time I've been asked to work with a guy. I'm a little out of my element."

Of course, that was a crock of shit, when you take into account that my element was taking some hot thing I met at the club back to my apartment, sucking him dry and fucking him stupid. Of course, I wouldn't be doing that for the CK shoot, but still...

"What's your name, kid?" Aro asked the PA, who was standing next to him with one arm cocked behind his back and his other hand tugging at the leg band of his briefs.

"Jasper Whitlock." He answered Aro, but he looked at me and I knew there wasn't a chance in hell that my boner would go away.
Just as Aro motioned for the wardrobe girl to bring over the rack of way too many pairs of masculine undergarments, I quickly crossed over to Jasper Whitlock, PA and Underwear Model Extraordinaire and grabbed him by the arm, practically dragging him out of the studio to the closest restroom. To Jasper's credit, he didn't seem to mind that I was parading him around in his underwear; he certainly didn't struggle to pull out of my grasp. Finding salvation in a men's room sign, I pulled him in with me, checked the stalls, and finally turned the lock on the outer door.
I felt like I was about to throw up because I knew it was either tell him about my sexuality now, or let him be shocked and possibly repulsed by it when he discovered that I was as hard as fucking granite because of him. His face was utterly calm, reflecting none of the worry I was projecting, nor the anxiety that was surely pouring off me in crushing waves.
"Dude, I thought that it was just chicks that had to take a piss in pairs," Jasper scoffed, absurdly popping another tiny bubble in his chewing gum.

His dark blond hair appeared to hang past his chin, but he had it pulled back in a short ponytail, exposing hair closely cropped to the sides of his head, as if at one point it had been shaved completely. Light stubble clung to his jaw, dusting the muscles that clenched and unclenched as he worked his gum mercilessly.

"Jasper, I'm gay." Up front and direct. Honesty was the best policy, right?

The corner of his mouth quirked, twitching into the sexiest fucking smirk I ever had the pleasure of witnessing. And God damn it, if that smirk, and the slightest flash of teeth didn't make me infinitely harder.
Jasper Whitlock, I hereby dub thee Smirky McFuckMe.

"So that's why you were reluctant to show me the goods?" he asked, his smirk morphing into a smile as he crossed his arms over his chiseled pecs. "Mind showing me now, how well those briefs fit you, Mr. McCarty?"
"You serious?" I croaked.

"As a heart attack," he answered, unabashedly staring at my crotch through the robe.

"Are you...?"

"Gay as an angel in a trench coat," he answered, motioning towards the tie of my robe with his hand and quirking an eyebrow.

Did he just make a crack at Supernatural? Of course, I'm still crossing my fingers that Dean drops the straight act around Castiel just once....

Lost in my haze, my hands moved to the tie of my robe without a direct order from my brain, and after loosening the knot, I full on flashed the man. Like a pervy angel in a trench coat.

"I could see how that might be a problem," Jasper said, openly gazing at my problem.
"Ya think?" I asked with a half chuckle.

If it were possible, his smile got even wider, full of gleaming white teeth and dimples for miles.

"So, that's for me?" he asked and fucking licked his lips.

I had a sudden vivid vision of this smirky, scruffy, dimply pretty boy on his knees for me and I just knew that if he so much as touched me right then, that I would burst like a cheap water balloon.

"I'd be happy to alleviate some pressure if you want," he said, his voice suddenly deeper and full of grit.

He moved so quickly, I almost didn't see him toss his chewing gum in the wastebasket before he was on his knees and nuzzling my hard-on, the head of which was peeking over the waistband of my white briefs in happy glistening greeting.

Okay, so I was wrong about exploding right away. He's touching me, quite enthusiastically, I might add, rubbing his face all up in my junk and my fingers are fucking itching to grip his head and hold him still while I attempted to fuck his face through my underwear.

"Say the word, McCarty and I'll do it," he said, running the tip of his nose up the length of my erection.
Swallowing hard a couple of times, I murmured, "The word."
Jasper pulled back to look up at me, confused for a moment before realization dawned on his pretty face and he let out a small snort of laughter. "Smart ass."
He hooked his fingers in the waistband of my briefs and began to tug the tight fabric off my hips, slipping his hands to the back and scratching his blunt nails into the flesh of my butt.
"You keep talking about ass, and you're gonna find yourself turned around and on all fours, Jasper."

"I'll have to remember that," he chuckled, right before he wrapped his smirky lips around my cock.
"Sweet mother of....mmmmph...." I groaned, tilting my head back, squeezing my eyes shut and biting my lip.

Scruffy Smirktastic wasted no time and immediately began bobbing his head, slurping and sucking my dick. When I brought my eyes back to his face and saw that he was watching me, green eyes glittering beneath his fluttering eyelashes as he worked me, I knew I was a goner.

"Fucking hell, Whitlock. God damn it, that's hot," I moaned.
Some people were natural born writers, others natural born musicians or athletes. Jasper Whitlock was a born cocksucker and I was incredibly close to showing him my appreciation for his gift.
"Jasper...I'm..."

I watched in awe as he pulled his mouth off of me, kept his lips parted with his tongue barely hanging out in offering, while his long fingers rapidly pumped my length. In seconds, I shot in his mouth. Well, mostly in his mouth. My body jerked, causing a bit of my pleasure to land on his cheek, speckling his scruff as he chuckled with his mouth still open.

Without even thinking, my hand drifted to his cheek, collecting a bit of the warm pearly liquid there. His head immediately turned to take my fingers into his mouth.

"Shit, you're killing me," I choked.

Smirk back in place, he stood to his feet and pulled my briefs back up to cover me before nonchalantly going to the sink to splash some water on his face. After grabbing some paper towels to dry himself, he smiled and asked, "What now? I don't even know what the hell I'm supposed to be doing in the shoot."
Blinking, I emitted an eloquent, "Huh?"
Oh yeah, there's supposed to be a photo shoot going on, isn't there?

"I dunno, just um, just use your judgment, I guess. Haven't been given any direction yet. All I know is that we'll be in a fucking kitchen," I finally answered with a chuckle.
We eventually made our way back to the studio to meet an exasperated Aro holding his hands up in the air. "Can we please get this show on the road? That is, if it's convenient for you."
Jasper swiftly changed into a pair of, incredibly snug-fitting black briefs. If he hadn't helped me "relieve some pressure" only minutes before, I would have had an even bigger problem then I had before this whole shebang started.
"Good GAWD, these are tight!" Jasper exclaimed before doing a couple of squats in an attempt to stretch them out.

"Stop. It," I growled, to which he chuckled before standing, hopping up and down on balls of his feet.

"Today, gentleman," Aro grumbled, checking some mysterious setting on his camera.

********
Jasper, as it turned out was quite the natural. Of course, starting out, our initial instructions were do some simple random natural stuff around the kitchen: rummage around in the fridge, eat a piece of fruit, wash dishes. I actually started to get aggravated with that last instruction. How was my washing some plates gonna help Calvin Klein sell some underwear? Did I ask that? That would be a negative. I was, however, grateful that Aro didn't give some kind of direction requiring Jasper to touch me. I was fairly certain he planned to have Rosalie fawning all over me, hanging on me, grabbing me, all out molesting me...thank fuck Aro didn't seem to have that in mind with Jasper.
Leave it to Jasper, though to get creative and decide that it would be a good idea to make a PB&J. Aro didn't seem to mind; I could hear the rapid-fire clicks from his camera. Apparently, he thought it was good stuff. I turned around, leaning my back against the sink, and watched him with my arms crossed over my chest. He had his back to the adjacent counter holding a slice of bread as he spread some grape jelly on top of his peanut butter before he bit his lip and smirked at me.
I didn't have time to react before he flung a glob of jelly off the knife, hitting me square in the chin.
Oh, no you didn't!

I could hear chuckles from the crew and I stood there, mouth agape before taking a swipe of the jelly with my hand.

"You wanna play?" I whispered. "I can play."

I quickly reached behind me to grab the sink sprayer, turning the faucet on full blast before letting the icy water loose. His voice jumped half an octave as he cried, "Oh, SHIT!" and dropped his half sandwich and the jelly slinger, attempting to shield himself from my attack.
"There ya go, Emmett. Don't stop. Let him have it!" Aro coached.
I pulled the sprayer out as far as it would go and managed to grab Jasper by the shoulder, holding him still while I let my ammo rain down on his head. I should have been paying attention to what his hands were doing, because I never saw that he happened to get a couple handfuls of peanut butter out of the jar before he broke free of my grasp and smushed the stuff in my face.

"You son of a bmmmphhh!!!" The shit was every where, in my mouth, up my nose....enough was enough.

I ducked down and grabbed him around the waist, hoisting his lean frame into the air and throwing him over my shoulder in a fireman's carry. "Uh huh! What now, hot shot?"

Before the last word left my mouth, I felt a stinging slap on my ass and I nearly dropped him. Instead of dropping him, I bit my lip and slapped his ass just as hard, earning a yelp that was fucking music to my ears. Victorious that I seemed to have gotten the best of him, I turned around and tossed him, dripping and laughing onto the counter top. I couldn't help but laugh along with him right up until he caught me by surprise...again...and smeared two sticky jelly covered hands down my face. Apparently taking advantage of my surprise, he leaned in and fucking licked my cheek. I reflexively jumped in response, causing some of the peanut butter and jelly art to transfer onto Jasper. He chuckled before wiping the back of his hand across his mouth.

"You think you're fucking funny?" I growled at him and got a pair of raised eyebrows and a triumphant grin in response.
Ignoring the chuckling from the crew, I decided to turn the tables. I grabbed his face in my hands and kissed him.
I fucking kissed him in front of God and everyone.

The cat was definitely out of the bag...or so I thought until I heard a couple random voices behind me whisper, "I knew it!"
And the clicking of Aro's camera never stopped.

YogaGal

"Happy birthday to the fabulous Beate! Wishing you nothing but the best on your special day. May it be filled with fun, friends, and fic...especially of the slashy kind ;) Happy Birthday and many more.
xoxo
Yogagal"

AG

Beate,
Sorry I'm too busy to write you gay porn for your birthday! But I hope it's an awesome one and I hope you get a lot of cake and ice cream, and gay porn from someone who isn't totally swamped. Then, I hope you share that gay porn with me. Thanks for being the most super sweet person ever! Happy birfday!
♥
Sam/AG

Nina

Hey Beate!
I hope your special day is a fantastic one and I wish you many, many more Happy Birthdays! Buon Compleanno

xoxo Nina

Naelany

Happy Birthday, Beate! I hope you have a kick-ass day and that your wishes for the future come true.

Love,
Nae

gypsysue

To my Beta, my confidant and friend, Happy Birthday, Beate.  May this and every other birthday bring you joy and happiness.  In the words of Dean Winchester, you are Awesome!!  I hope you enjoy your fic.  Love ya!
A huge thanks to C for beta'ing this and making me that awesome banner.  Love ya
Disclaimer:  Everything Twilight belongs to SMeyer, the rest is mine. :D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 We were never meant to feel, human emotions were not part of the divine plan, but one look at him was all it took. I had heard of The Fallen before, Angels that took the leap to become mortal. When this anomaly took place I had always scoffed, thinking that it was just a legend. Whether or not it was true, that Angels indeed fell for love, I wasn't sure, but I was now certain that it was a possibility.

I would fall, for him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Guardian, protector, destroyer of all that was Forbidden. That is what I was made for, my purpose, my mission. It had always been so black and white. Finding the balance, and taking out those that would bring unnecessary focus upon the Supernatural world.

The Volturi were now on my watch list, gathering forces to rule over all vampires, for personal gain was Forbidden. Aro was amassing too much power; his motives were selfish. Having declared himself ruler of the undead, he would destroy at random, and keep the guilty if they served a purpose, or had gifts.

I watched as he gathered his guard and headed off to Forks, Washington to take down a group of vampires he deemed as a threat, but in reality, he was after their power. They were in possession of a seer, an empath and a shield; all these were gifts that he coveted. Once Aro had what he wanted, he planned to destroy the leader, Carlisle, his mate Esme, and the only member of the coven without a gift, Emmett, under the guise of letting their secret being divulged to a human.

It was my job to stop him. The Cullens were a rare breed amongst their kind, living off of the blood of animals, striving to be better, and by doing so, unbeknownst to them, had secured their souls, earning them a place in the Kingdom should they ever be destroyed.

My biggest fascination was with the Empath, Jasper. He was a warrior by nature; as a human he had been a solider, once changed he became a leader. He was blood thirsty and vicious, feared by many, and there was a time when he was meant to be destroyed by me. Instead, he was sent Alice, the seer and she changed his life - thankfully, since I held a soft spot for the vampire, who could feel every emotion from his victims.

However, I took little time in taking out his creator, Maria.

Rosalie, was also extraordinary; a human defiled by monsters, saved by Carlisle. She was bitter and sought revenge. I had watched that exchange, cheering her on in her quest. I had been sent to remove her attackers from this earth, but asked and was granted permission to let her take her revenge. As long as she did not drink from them, she would have been safe.

It was not common for us to allow such things, but it held a poetic balance that we found irony in, and as you could imagine, it wasn't easy to entertain an Angel.

She was the one that had started this, falling for a human. My curiosity was piqued and I had to see this boy, try to find out what made him so special. Jacob Black was not what I had expected. For starters, he was not human. Though his gene had not been activated yet, it soon would be, thanks to the presence of the Cullens. He also knew about vampires from the tales told around the camp fire. Indeed, this situation become more fascinating to me: the pack, lead by Sam, trying to keep Jacob from Rosalie, while she met with him in secret. I could tell from watching that it wouldn't be long before he would transform, and I was curious to see what would happen once that occurred; whether the pull they had for one another would be enough to invalidate the fact that they were in fact enemies.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Volturi were dispatched with their best and brightest: Jane, the pain bringer; Alex, who could cut off all your senses; Demetri, the tracker; Felix, the strongest of the clan; and of course, Aro, whom with one touch could see every thought you have ever had; Marcus, the seer of bonds; and Caius, the cruelest of them all.

Now that their decision had been made, so had mine. I wouldn't destroy without purpose; they would need to attack. And when they arrived at the Cullens' I would be there, waiting, watching, ready to step in.

Instead of flying -- which was an enjoyable experience, I must say, my wing span allowing me to soar quickly, from one place to another -- I decided to pop in. It was a method of transport we used rarely, since we preferred to stretch our wings, but I was anxious to see this family, the one I had heard so much about.

Keeping myself cloaked when I entered their living space, I watched as Alice informed the family that the Volturi were coming, but she couldn't see the outcome. She was being blocked by something she couldn't explain, something that would ultimately save them. I chuckled quietly, knowing that something was me.

What I wasn't prepared for was the man that just entered the room; tall, muscular, with hypnotic golden eyes.

We were never meant to feel, human emotions were not part of the divine plan, but one look at him was all it took. I had heard of The Fallen before, Angels that took the leap to become mortal. When this anomaly took place I had always scoffed, thinking that it was just a legend. Whether or not it was true, that Angels indeed fell for love, I wasn't sure, but I was now certain that it was a possibility.

I would fall for him. For Emmett.

My shield slipped as I gazed at him, and the word, 'beautiful' fell from my lips without consent. The next thing I knew, I had six shocked vampires, crouched in defensive positions, all focused on me. I was stunned. This had never happened to me before; I was so careful, so regimented in what I did. For this one man, vampire, to throw me off balance, it was unnerving, and I was unsure how to proceed.

My reaction was instinctive: my wings flew out, spanning the length of the room, as my body glowed softly; an announcement of what I was. Gasps were heard all around me, but my eyes never left Emmett. He was enthralling, his beauty shining out of him. I read his soul, the laughter in it, the kindness. I could see he was intelligent, sweet, loyal, strong. All these qualities where shown to me, his death, and rebirth, the life he lived before and the life he lived now. Never once did he blame anyone for what had happened to him; he just made the best of the situation.

My eyes blinked rapidly as it all played out in my mind: from the moment of his birth all the way through, until this point in time, and then it ceased; there was nothing. That alone caused my knees to buckle and I fell to the floor with a pronounced thud. I could always see someone's future, their determined path, even if it was death, when I peeked into their soul. It was disorientating that I could not do so for him.

I recovered quickly, standing to my feet and moving to the couch, in case it happened again. Then, I checked the rest of the coven, or family as they liked to call themselves and sure enough, all their past, present and future details where available to me.

Shaking my head rapidly I tried again, and again I was unable to see past this very moment with Emmett. For the life of me, I had no idea what that could possibly mean. But for right now, I had other things to worry about. I had shown my existence, our existence to this coven. The only time an Angel of my kind had been seen was when we destroyed. Unlike some of my brethren, I did not mingle with the humans, it was not my place.

I scanned all of their faces, while trying to decide if I should blink out or stay, now that I had been discovered. Alice was the one who made the decision for me. She took a seat next to me on the couch, and reached out to stroke the feathers of my wings that had been detracted to fit snugly behind my back.

“Who are you?” The empath, Jasper, asked, “and why are you here?” I could feel the suspicion coming off of him; I was a thing of myth to all of them, except Carlisle, who chose to believe.

“Can't you see, Jasper? He is an Angel,” Carlisle stated then turned to me, offering his hand in greeting, “I apologize for that, my name is--”
“Carlisle,” I replied, cutting him off, “you are the father of your family.” I turned to face the rest, one by one: “Esme is your mate. Jasper, the empath and mate to Alice, the seer. Rosalie, a shield, and in love with a shifter. And Emmett.” I finished, looking at Emmett through narrowed eyes, wondering what exactly was happening here.

“Wait, how do you know all of that?” Jasper jumped in again.

“It is my job to know, as it is my job to destroy the Volturi if they harm any of you,” I replied, my voice impassive and my eyes never leaving Emmett. “What are you doing to me?” I asked Emmett, my voice soft and unsure.

When he answered, the sound of his voice hit my chest like a freight train, causing my heart to stutter slightly. “I have no idea what you are talking about. I'm not doing anything to you." Confusion laced his tone. Still, my heart beat faster and I moved to his side without thought. My hand raised of its own accord to caress his face and I sighed softly as he leaned into my touch.

The next words out of his mouth shocked me, and I stepped back slightly as he said, “Mate.”

“Is that what this is? Is that why I can't see your future, why I'm so drawn to you?” This was so unusual for me, not knowing the outcome of this particular situation, and it made me unsure.

“I..I don't know; I have no idea why I said that.” Emmett sounded just as confused as I was, and that alone caused me to lean in and comfort him. Feelings were racing around inside me, all new and unknown. It thrilled and startled me all at the same time. I had never experienced anything like it in all my existence, but I knew that my need to protect him was strong, stronger than my need for anything else.

Unconsciously I leaned into him, my lips about to brush his when I felt arms around me pulling me back. Alice screamed, “Don't kiss him, not yet!” I spun to face her, anger rising in me causing a roar to leave my chest, echoing around the room. Jasper pulled Alice behind him and crouched in front of me. “He wont hurt me, Jazz.” She smile up at me from behind his back, and Jasper eased out of his position in front of me and wound his arm around her, pulling her to his side.

Emmett had moved to me, his hand resting on my shoulder, pulling me out of my daze, bring me a sudden sense of calm. What had just happened?

“I had a vision of you, the moment you decided to kiss Emmett, but something is different, you're not the same. That kiss, it has to be the key to me seeing you...it changes you..." Alice whispered, her voice cutting off as her eyes clouded over again.

“That is not possible,” I stated, “the only way an Angel can change is if they choose to fall; they become one of The Fallen, and I personally have never seen it happen in all my existence. Though, admittedly at nine hundred and eight four years old, I am quite young for my kind. It's not possible for me to change without falling. Is it?” I was doubting myself, for it had never been discussed, and no Angel in all my years had ever changed.

I could do nothing about it now, though. The Volturi were close and I needed to focus on my task at hand. Still, my most pressing thought was to protect Emmett.
“They are almost here,” Alice said, “but I can't see how it is going to end.” She sounded distressed and her mate moved to comfort her.

“I can not be seen by them, unless it's necessary to destroy them. I will be by your side the whole time, though you will not see me.” I pulled my shield back into place, hiding myself from them, but Emmett continued to look at me, as if I was still visible.

“And just like that he's gone!" Jasper said, causing Emmett to look around confused.

"But, I can still see him," he said.
“I can't.” The rest of the Cullens said in unison.

“Can you hear me, too?” I asked, and while Emmett nodded and said 'yes' the rest off the Cullens stood there with blank expressions on their faces. “I guess it is only you. I wonder why,” I said more to myself than him.
“I don't know.” He replied anyway causing the rest to ask him what was going on. He explained to them that he could still see and hear me. It was another puzzle that would have to wait to be solved.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

We all made our way out to the front yard with Rosalie's shield in place. I could feel the echo of it surrounding all of them. It was strong, but it was only enough to keep them safe from mental attacks, such as an attack from Jane and Alec.

The Volturi made their way through the trees to take their place in front of the Cullens and I reached out to read them. The absence of a soul made it harder to access the information I needed, but I ultimately found what I was looking for.

There was nothing the Cullens could say to stop this attack; Aro was determined to take Rosalie, Alice and Jasper with him, and kill the rest. He also planned to go after the wolf pack, and take a couple as prisoners to study. He was intrigued by the shifters who were so different from the Children of the Moon.

I wasted no time appearing in front of them, causing shocked gasps to come from both sides. The Cullens knew what this meant: they were to be attacked, and I was to stop it.

“You come here to claim, to take what is not yours to take. We have been watching you Aro,” I said, spreading my wings out to full size, before stepping closer to him. Jane moved in front of him, and tried to use her power on me. I laughed at her before bringing my wings down and wrapping them around her pulling her to me. My hands started to glow and I placed one on each side of her face. Her screams echoed through the yard as she disintegrated from my touch. The rest of the guard went to run but I held them in place, my mind wrapping around them and keeping them still.

“What you do, the upholding of the law to keep yourselves hidden, is a noble thing, and should be continued. But how you do it, gaining power for yourself, instead of doing what's right, that is Forbidden. You have brought this upon yourself, coming here to attack the Cullens. You have no business being here, other than for your own personal need for power.” I pulled Aro to me the same way I did Jane, causing him to struggle under the weight of my wings. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but there was no need for me to hear anything he had to say; I could read it all so clearly. He, too screamed as I dealt out his punishment, making it last a little longer than Jane's, just for the things he had planned to do to Emmett and his family. It was Cauis' turn next, he made no move to flee and showed no outward signs of fear, unlike those who went before him, and those that were left watching. He was defiant till the end, no remorse, only hatred boiled inside him as I turned him to ash.
“Now, Marcus," I began as I turned my attention to him, "I ask you, will you take over as leader and do it right?” He was not like the others, his passion for violence was never there, he followed because he had to. I knew he would run the guard differently; he would adhere to my word.

A small smile flitted across his features, one that had not been seen in centuries, and he nodded his acquiescence.

“The wolf pack is to be left alone, and you will only hunt those that have broken the laws. And one more thing.” I turned to Alec and pulled him to me, holding my hands to the side of his face without touching him. I looked carefully into his future, searching for any changes, something that would let me spare his life. The most prominent thought, was revenge, for the life of his sister, and knowing that he could not claim it from me, his hatred was aimed at the Cullens. I took little time placing my hands against his face, and watched him become nothing, his face twisted in pain and regret. I dusted off my hands, ridding them of the remnants of the vampires I had just slain, before staring down the other members of the guard, adding, “you may take your leave, but know that I will be watching you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We made our way back inside the house. My need to be close to Emmett seemed to intensify now that I had done what needed to be done. But I needed answers. I needed to know why this was happening to me, and just as I was about to make my excuses and pop out, he spoke, his voice grounding me to my spot.

“I don't even know your name,” he said.
“Edward, my name is Edward,” I replied, unconsciously moving closer to him. Before I knew what was happening, my wings wound their way around his body, moving him close to me with his nose touching mine. I leaned in, and as my lips touched his, white light exploded behind my eyes and then everything suddenly went black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sounds of voices I didn't recognize woke me, a male voice standing out from the rest, asking someone named Alice when I would wake up, and I shifted to get more comfortable. I realized I was in a bed, but that was all I knew.

I opened my eyes and groaned, blinking rapidly against the sunlight coming in through a floor to ceiling window before giving up and closing them again. “Wh...” I cleared my throat and tried to find my voice. I tried a second time and it worked, but sounded very rough. “Where am I?”
“Edward?” The male voice asked, and I opened my eyes to see him leaning over me, his face a mask of concern. He looked familiar, with soft golden eyes and a small smile on his face. Then I noticed that he was glimmering slightly in the places the sun touched his skin and I sat up, reaching out my hand to touch it. I wasn't afraid, though somehow I knew I should be. There was something about him, something that told me I was safe with him. He sighed as my fingers traced his ice cold skin, and I smiled at the sound.

“Is that my name?” I asked while my focus was still on the glimmer of his skin, my fingers still tracing a pattern along his forearm.

“You don't remember?” he asked. Pain laced his voice and I looked up at him in concern. My hand moving to cup his face as I gently rubbed my thumb across the planes of his cheek, causing him to sigh softly and place his cold hand over mine.
“No, but you seem familiar. I have a need to touch you, to feel you. I don't understand why. Are we...” I couldn't finish that question and I didn't know why. I had a feeling he was more to me somehow, but I didn't know what, and I was starting to get agitated by my faulty memory. I pulled my hand away from him and scrubbed them both over my face harshly. “What happened to me?”

The man reached out to me, Emmett, the name flew into my mind and I pulled back slightly to look at his face as he cradled me to his chest. “Emmett?” I asked and he smiled brightly at me, and leaned down to kiss the top of my head.

“Yes, I'm Emmett,” he replied, and I could hear the relief in his voice.
“How do I know your name?” I asked.

“Kiss him,” a female voice said from behind him and I turned to look. What I saw caused me to bury myself deep into Emmett's embrace and shudder. There were five people standing behind him, all glimmering slightly like Emmett as the sun bounced off their skin. Why I was taken aback by them and not by Emmett I could only attribute to the fact that he was important to me, that I knew him. But I had no recollection of the others.

My thoughts were cut off when Emmett cupped my face and pulled me towards him, his lips melding over mine and as they connected, my mind became alive with images of what must have been my past. All the things I had seen and done and how I had met the Cullens. The shock to my system threw me back forcefully and I hit the headboard hard. Pain coursed through my body and stunned me. How did this happen? My heartbeat thrummed loudly in my chest as panic set in, an emotion I was above feeling before now.
I was human.
“Did I fall?” I asked, and was sure my face held the same bewilderment as my voice did.
“No, it seems the kiss changed you. I don't understand it either, but all I can tell you is that you are human now and that you will one day become like us. I don't know how or why it will happen, but it will happen,” Alice answered and sounded very excited by that prospect.

I was confused and disorientated, trying to come to terms with the fact that I was human and feeling pain. Is that how we fell? I always thought it was a leap, but maybe the leap was letting ourselves feel, and giving into that emotion. I couldn't even begin to wrap my mind around the prospect of becoming a vampire. How did this happen? Did I do something wrong? I couldn't understand how I had been made mortal by a kiss.

My mind flashed through all I had been taught and came up with nothing; there was nothing there to explain this. Was it destiny? Fate? Could I really become one of them, for what - for love? Was I in love? I looked at Emmett, his eyes shining with tears that would never fall, and my heart banged painfully in my chest at the sight of him. Yes, I loved him. The word "Mate" flashed through my mind and I sighed.
“Mate?” I asked him directly, trying to find a tangible reason for all of this. Could it be that I was destined to be his, that we were just biding our time, until it was right? But if that was the case, why was I not born human? Too many questions and no answers in sight.
Emmett reached for me and pulled me back to him, burying his face in my hair and inhaling my scent. “Mate,” he said and pulled back from me, kissing me again. As his lips met mine and the kiss deepened, all thought left me, and all I knew for sure was that I was finally home.

Birthday Wishes :D

Happy Birthday to you, Beate.  You truly are one of the greatest people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.  I wish you all the happiness and success in the world.  You truly are an amazing human being.  Much love.  Hope you enjoyed your fics and birthday wishes. <3