Chapter 1 No Tears Left To Cry
Lucas's POV
I turn into the parking lot, just before he comes into view. I know it's been years, but I still get a little nervous when I see him. Emmett waves me over, as I lock my car behind me. I still expect to see my old Honda Accord, but now I'm driving a brand new Volkswagen Beetle. I rush over to him, and he takes my hand, as we walk through the doors. I smile up at him, as we wait to be seated. His face just brings an uncontrollable smile to my face. I find myself realizing all over again just how much I love this man before me.
"Did you have a good day babe?" he asks, as the hostess leads us to our seats. I wait for her to walk away, before turning to him. We always share the same side of the booth, so I can feel his warmth, as our arms touch.
"It was okay. A little boring, but tomorrow is the class I really like" I tell him. I've been going to college the last couple years, and just started my History Bachelor program. He knows I'm not liking all the classes because some of them are American History courses, and I'm really only interested in European History.
"What can I get you guys to drink?" the waiter asks, as he comes to a stop before us. I haven't even thought about it yet. I quickly think of the choices.
"I'll take a coke please" I say, turning back to Emmett. When the waiter comes back and gives us our drinks, Emmett opens his beer, and turns to look at me, putting his arm around my shoulders.
"You know how much I love you right?" he tells me pressing his lips to my cheek, as I take a sip of my drink. I smile up at him again.
"So, what did you want to do for the party?" he asks, jumping right into the real reason we're here. The twins have a birthday coming soon. It's definitely been hard because we've had to avoid them going to school or making human friends. Technically they're turning two, but last year they resembled eight year old children, and now they are about thirteen. Carlisle said they've finally reached a point, where they will be aging normally for the next five to six years. So we can finally integrate them into school.
"I was thinking we could do separate themes. You know Ollie is really into skating right now, and Liv would probably love a Paris themed party. So I was thinking, we could set up the house, and clear out all the rooms, on the second and third floor. We could set up a skate park on the first floor, and the Paris theme on the second. We could do the dinner on the third floor and set it up really nice." I tell him, and he nods with ease. I knew he would like it. We're always on the same page lately, especially with the kids.
"That was easier than I thought. I'll call Seth and see if he can help me construct a skate park. He's really good at building stuff" he tells me. Seth is one of the werewolves that still has anything to do with us since Jacob and Renesmee moved away. It's been an adjustment. It's been the first time that we've been off on our own.
"What did you do today?" I aqsk, changing the subject, as his eyes begin to darken. I know it's a touchy subject for him.
"There was a murder over in Oregon" he tells me, his voice lowering significantly. I whip my head around to face him. He works as a sort of Vampire police now that Esme and Carlisle are in charge of the Vulturi. They assigned a vampire to each region that they designed to have vampires covering the globe. Emmett is in charge of California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.
"What kind of murder?" I ask him, a lump growing in my throat. We haven't had to deal with anything more than a bloodthirsty vampire feeding too much.
"A vampire was staked. He was pinned to a tree, and beheaded. It wasn't pretty" he tells me, taking a sip from his drink. We stop talking then because our food arrives, but it never leaves my mind. We've had two years of peace, but this seems ominous. This seems significant. Emmett seems to notice, but he doesn't push me when I become unnaturally quiet, as we finish our dinner. When we're finally done and on our way back to the car, he moves closer to me. I turn to face him, as we stop at the door of my car.
"I don't want you to worry about this. It's nothing you need to worry about. A single murder in a completely different state has nothing to do with out family. Do you hear me Lucas?" he demands, and I look at him, my lip trembling slightly. He doesn't wait for me to speak, he pushes me against my car gently, and presses his lips against mine. I take in the feel of his familiar lips, and I kiss back eagerly. I feel his warmth against me, as he moves closer. We stand there in the dark, kissing like teenagers on a first date.
When we're finally interrupted by a group of drunken patrons at the neighboring bar, we pull apart. My heart is racing, my face hot. I turn around to look at them.
"Make America Great Again" one of them says, and I roll my eyes. I can never get away from that stupid slogan. They walk past us, pretending not to see the two gay guys wrapped in each other. I'm tempted to shoot back my slogan, but I ignore it. Emmett kisses me again, but this time less urgently. He pulls away, before pulling his phone from the pocket of his jeans.
He talks for a minute, his lips moving fast, his face going white. I stand there impatiently, waiting for him to explain what's gone wrong. When he finally gets off the phone, and turns back to me, I see that his eyes are less bright, less happy.
"What the hell Emmett? What happened?" I ask him, but he just shakes his head, before motioning for me to get in my car. He slides into the passenger seat, before turning to me. I turn the key over, before turning to face him.
"There's been two more murders. In Seattle. Two vampires were killed there. Same as before. They were staked through the heart, pinned to a tree, and beheaded. I need to call Carlisle and make him aware of what's been going on, and I need to get to Seattle" he says, his voice growing heavier with each word.
"Is someone targeting certain vampires or are we all in danger. Are the kids in danger Emmett? I demand, as we sit in the parking lot. The party nearly forgotten. I feel the fear crawling up my throat, but my eyes are dry.
I've done a lot of growing since I met Emmett. I've cried enough tears to last an eternity, and I have no tears left to cry. I make an agitated hand gesture when he doesn't answer.
"It looks like the work of a vampire hunter. I'm not sure how to handle it, but we're going to send the kids out of the area until we figure it out. I won't let my kids be hurt by a maniac. We have to protect our babies" he tells me, before reaching over and grabbing my hand. I turn away from him, and back out of the parking lot. We will make it through this. I know we can. We always do, and this time is no different.
