Bree POV

The men’s restroom. Eww.

I wrestled futilely against Emmett's vice-like hold.

“Calm down, Bree,” Jasper growled.  Oh great, the growling was back.  “You're not that thirsty; you're just reacting to her scent and heartbeat.  It's perfectly natural, but you can control it.  Stop breathing.”

I did begin to calm down a little.  I wasn't sure if it was Jasper's influence, or the foul odour permeating the restroom and overpowering any other scent.  There were traces of numerous humans, but the overwhelming stench of urine, faeces and vomit almost obscured them.  I thought some restrooms smelled bad when I was human; thankfully I had no need for them as a vampire.  ‘Stop breathing,’ seemed like very good advice.

I relaxed a bit, but Emmett kept a firm grip on me.  “Go and see if the coast is clear, we need to get moving,” he instructed Jasper.

“Bring her out.” Jasper called out after a few moments.

Emmett released me, but kept an arm around my shoulder.  When we got outside, the place was deserted.

“Has she gone?” asked Emmett.

“No, she’s still in the restroom; she may be camped out for the night,” Rosalie replied, clearly annoyed with the bag lady.  “Pass the clothes, Alice. We'll get changed then we can watch Bree while the guys change.”

“What about me?”  I know I sounded a little snippy, but they were always talking like I wasn't even there.

“Well you can't go into the ladies.  You can change in the men’s, or go around the back.” I narrowed my eyes at Jasper, suppressing the hiss that his reply triggered.  No way was I going back into that men’s room.

“I'll go around the back,” I huffed, folding my arms across my chest.

“Alice and I will come with you when we're done.”  Rosalie turned on her heels and the two of them disappeared into the ladies.

Jasper gave me my bag and I opened it for the first time.  It contained some clothes; all neatly shrink-wrapped of course.  A bag of toiletries, including the jasmine shower gel I had used.  The pack of cards made me smile as I remembered the silent games I had played with Fred.  There was also a games console, complete with some games and charger. All double bagged and vacuum wrapped.  I didn't care for computer games that much, but they were expensive.  Why would they just give them to me?

Alice and Rosalie came out and escorted me to the back of the building while the guys went to change.  The neatly bagged clothes were completely dry.  Not that wet clothes bothered me that much anymore.  Being wet or dirty had just been a fact of my new life. 

I took everything out of the bag so I could put the wet clothes at the bottom.  As I put it all back, I asked Alice, “Why did you give me all of this?”

“It's nothing, just some things to keep you comfortable and help you to pass the time.”

“I can't take your stuff, it's expensive”

“We can always buy more things.”

I remembered the phone.  “How will I pay for the phone?”

“All of our phones are on a rolling contract.  Esme sorts out all the bills, so you don't have to worry about that.”  Alice's hand waved in a dismissive gesture as she spoke.

It was too generous.  I didn't understand why they would just give me their things for no reason.  I tried to guess what they could want from me, but I had nothing.

“Why are you doing this?  What's in it for you?” I asked, making no attempt to disguise my suspicion.

“You are in this situation because of us.  We just want to do what we can to help you.”

What situation?  Did she mean me being a vampire?  What could they have done that would make it their fault?

“Hey, are you girls are finished with your sorority meeting back there.”  Emmett's voice called from the front of the restrooms.

Alice tugged my arm and grabbed my bag.  “Let's go, I can't wait to meet him.”

I reluctantly let her pull me along.  I couldn't see how this could work.  I was sure Fred would flee as soon as he got wind of the four strange scents.

We made our way to Riley Park and picked up Fred's scent almost immediately; following it to Queen Elizabeth Park.  He had done a good job leaving the trail and we tracked him out of town.

He had circuited a sparsely populated area.  It wasn't as remote as the houses Riley had found for us, but the residences were all separated by large gardens and some were set well back from the road.

“Oh that's better, I can see him again.” Alice advised us as we approached a wooded area.

“Where is he?” asked Jasper. 

“He's definitely in one of these houses.  We need to stop here. If we get any closer he will hear us.”

“Which house?”  Emmett was becoming impatient.

“His scent will lead us to the right one, but we need a plan before we go any further.”

“I'll go with Bree while you all wait here,” said Jasper.

Alice stroked his forearm.  “I don’t see that working, Jazz.  I think it's best if I go with her.”

“I’m not letting you go alone.  It could be dangerous,” Jasper replied, placing his hand over hers.  “You've seen how volatile Bree is.  You would be alone with the two of them; either one of them could turn on you.”

I didn't bother to try and suppress my hiss this time.  I know my control wasn't all that great, but I wasn't violent, neither was Fred.

“He's not violent; he won't hurt her,” I spat.  “If you're that worried, then it’s probably best that I go on my own.”

“Nice try, cutie,” said Emmett.  He reached out to ruffle my hair again but I dodged him this time.  “I'll go with you.”

Alice looked almost panic stricken.  “Ah... Em, I don't see him reacting very well to you either.”

“This is ridiculous,” snapped Rosalie.  “I'll go.”

“We'll both go,” Alice announced.  She appeared to lose focus for a moment, then stated.  “That's much better.  Rose will err... distract him somewhat.”

Emmett growled, not very loudly, so the sound just vibrated in his chest.  I hadn't heard him growl until then.  His features hardened and he actually looked quite scary.  Fred would probably feel threatened if Emmett showed up looking like that.

Alice, Rosalie and I moved towards the houses, following Fred's scent.  It led around the back of a large two-story property set back from the road.  I knew the moment he sensed our presence, as the familiar nausea crept over me.  I could tell Alice and Rosalie were feeling it too.  Rosalie actually staggered for a moment.

“Fred, it's me, Bree,” I said softly.  “I'm with two females; they just want to talk to you.  Could you turn it down a touch?”

The effects lessened, but not by much.  Fred appeared at the back door, and then stepped cautiously onto the porch.  I was surprised how good it felt to see him.  I was tempted to run up the porch steps and hug him, but I restrained myself.

We came forward slowly, and Fred began to lean into a crouch.  I didn't feel threatened, as I knew it was instinctive.  He caught sight of Rosalie and appeared to freeze giving us time to get closer.  So that's what Alice meant.  I put my hands out to the side, indicating that the girls should stop while I approached the porch.  I went up the steps and against my better judgement, I hugged him.  He stiffened immediately, but didn't make any other move.  He finally managed to tear his eyes away from the vision that was Rosalie and asked, “Who else is with you?  I can smell two other scents.”

“There are two others, but we didn't want to startle you by showing up all at once.”  Alice and Rosalie started to move forward as I spoke.  The moment they moved Fred pushed me behind him and crouched, both girls fell forward clutching their stomachs.

“It's okay, Fred, they don't mean any harm.”  Even though I was behind him, I could still feel the effects of his ability, and it made it hard to get the words out.

Jasper must have sensed Alice's distress as he and Emmett both appeared in the back yard; fierce growls erupting from both of them.

I felt some of the tension leave Fred's body, and I assumed Jasper was using his calming influence.  This just made Fred over react more and suddenly all four of them were kneeling on the lawn, doubled over, practically retching.  Fred suddenly fell to his knees, no doubt on the receiving end of a heavy dose of lethargy from Jasper.  My position behind Fred seemed to protect me from the full force of their talents, but it was becoming hard to focus.  “Stop it,” I hissed.  “Both of you stop it.  We're creating a scene.”  The neighbour’s houses were not in close proximity, but I was sure the growling could have got their attention.

Fred and Jasper both eased off.  Testing each other and taking it in turns to reduce the effects.

Rosalie was the first to her feet.  “Well if you guys have finished your pissing contest, I suggest we take this inside.”  Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she stalked passed us into the house.

Alice started up the steps, but was stopped by Jasper.  He put an arm around her shoulder and went into the house with her, making sure he was between her and Fred.  Emmett staggered to his feet, still holding his stomach.  “Dude, you gotta lay off that crap.  I haven't felt that bad since St. Patrick's Day 1975,” he moaned, as he trudged into the house.

Fred finally turned to me, raised an eyebrow, and held his hands out to me palms up, in a silent question.

“It's a long story,” I sighed.  “Let’s go inside.”

'Is it safe?' he mouthed.  I nodded.

'Where is Diego?' he mouthed another question.  I just shook my head and took his hand to lead him into the house.  He gently squeezed my hand.  “I'm sorry,” he whispered.

I froze as I entered the living room.  Who ever lived here hadn't been gone long and the room was saturated with their scent.  “Are you ok?”  Fred asked.  “I did open the windows a little at the back, but I thought the neighbours would notice if I did the same at the front.”  I nodded, I was fine, but I decided to stop breathing until I needed to talk.  

The furniture in the room was a little dated, but the house was clean and well kept.  Numerous photographs adorned a large sideboard on the far side of the room, and more of them decorated the wall above it.  It was the first time I had felt like an intruder.  The run-down houses Riley had found for us didn't have any evidence of previous owners.  We were lucky if they had any beat up furniture we could use.  There were never any personal belongings, no lingering smell of polish, or family members watching us from the walls. 

A small couch and two armchairs were placed in a semi-circle in front of the newest thing in the room, the TV.  Emmett and Rosalie were on the couch.  Rosalie sat back apparently examining her nails, but I could see her eyes secretly shifting around the room.  Emmett had his hands behind his head and his right leg propped up on his left knee.  Unlike Rosalie, he appeared to be genuinely relaxed.  Alice was in the armchair on Rosalie's left and Jasper stood by her side.  As Fred and I entered, Rosalie moved over to make room for me, but Fred led me over to the other armchair and sat on the arm as I sat down.  If he noticed the withering glare Rosalie directed at him, he didn't react to it.

Fred broke the silence.  Looking down at me, he asked, “Are you going to introduce us?”

“Well I'm Al‑” Alice started but was abruptly cut off by Fred.

“I was asking Bree.”

“I'll thank you not to interrupt my wife.”  Jasper hissed.  We all felt the wave of anger that shot out into the room and the chorus of hisses and snarls were followed by a wave of nausea.

“Will you two cut it out?”  Emmett was no longer so relaxed.

“He started it,” griped Jasper. 

“I don't know what it is you're doing, but I definitely didn't start anything,” Fred responded tersely.  I'd never seen him like this; he was usually so quiet and calm. 

A low growl started in Jasper's chest.  “Not helping, Jazz.”  Alice reached for her husband's hand and began to stroke the back of it.  The growling stopped immediately.  I guess that was a good trick to learn if you were married to Jasper.  How she could be married to him and remain so perky was beyond me.

“Bree, honey, can you start the introductions before we end up in a fight, or barf all over the floor.”  Emmett's hands were back behind his head and the endearments were back.  At least it was better than cutie.

“That's Emmett.”  I started.  “Next to him is Rosalie.”  I then gestured towards the armchair.   “And they are Jasper and Alice.  They're the Cullens; the yellow-eyed vampires we were supposed to fight.  Their eyes aren't yellow because they're old, but because they drink animal blood.  They are really old though, you won't believe how old Carlisle is.” 

It wasn't until Fred raised his hand to stop me, that I realised I had started rambling.

“Wait, back up a minute, did you say they drink animal blood?” 

“Yeah, I don't know what the fight was really about, but it was nothing to do with access to the blood in Seattle.  They never drink it and you won't believe what they do with the girl, she’s not a pet, she's‑”

Fred raised his hand again, and I stopped speaking.  It was frustrating; I had so much to tell him.

“This animal blood, did you see them drink it, or did they just tell you this?”  Fred looked at Jasper suspiciously as he questioned me.

“Well, I didn't see them do it, but they made me drain a deer.”

The snarl that erupted from him startled me.  “What's the matter with you? She's just a kid, why would you do something like that?  Even Riley wasn't that cruel.”  Fred's outburst surprised me.  I had never heard him raise his voice, let alone snarl.

“It wasn't like that.  They didn't force me to drink it.  The scent of the girl made me thirsty and when Alice brought the deer into the yard, I started to drain it before I knew what I was doing.”  I rushed to get the words out.

“But she brought you the deer, right?” he spat, glaring at Alice.

Jasper hissed and the wave of anger was back.

“Please, not again, this is getting us nowhere,” Rosalie intervened.

I looked up at Fred to see if he was still angry.  His features had relaxed but I could still feel the tension in his body.  I tried to think of something to say to reassure him, but Alice immediately made things worse. 

“I wonder if the laundry room is in the basement,” she said, out of the blue.  I assumed she was trying to alleviate some of the tension in the room.  “We might as well get our clothes dry while we talk,” she continued.  

Fred stared at her, bewildered.  “Laundry? You really want to do laundry now?  Of all the‑” Fred momentarily seemed at a loss for words, before he finally asked.  “Do you have some sort of mental disorder?”

Alice looked hurt, really hurt, all of her chirpiness evaporated.  Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett all stared at Fred their lips pulled back in ferocious snarls.