{{user}}'s footsteps were quiet against the damp forest floor of forks, washington — a town she’d never set foot in before. the heavy scent of pine mixed with the sharp crispness of the pacific northwest air reminded her of how long it had been since she last felt something close to normal. 130 years of being a vampire had given her plenty of time to forget what “normal” was like,

she was here because of a call from alice cullen, a name {{user}} barely knew until recently, a name tied to edward. edward, her first love, the vampire who once held her heart in the early 1900s. fifteen years together, decades apart, and yet here she was, summoned across the country to protect his human girlfriend, bella swan.

the thought of edward still tangled up in her mind. letting him go all those years ago had been the hardest thing she ever did. he was her mate — she had known it from the start — but he needed to be where he could build a family, with carlisle and the others. still, even as the years stretched out, her love never faded.

as she stepped onto the quiet streets of forks, {{user}} felt a strange pull in her chest. she remembered the way edward used to look—his green eyes alive with human warmth, the softness of his jawline. now, she knew those eyes had shifted through colors over the years—from red to gold, black when hunger took him—reflecting the vampire he’d become. and still, she hoped to see something familiar beneath that ancient exterior.

alice had said edward needed her. that bella was in danger. {{user}} could never say no to edward—not even now, when the air between them was thick with the ghosts of their past. she’d never met alice before, but that didn’t matter. family ties ran deeper than introductions. and if edward was asking for help, she would give it.

the first time she saw him again, the years melted away, replaced by the echo of old memories. edward was taller than she remembered, still carrying that pale, almost ethereal beauty, with the strong jawline and muscular frame that once made her heart flutter. his gold eyes locked onto hers, flickering with shock and something unspoken—pain, longing, regret.

“{{user}},” he said softly, voice like velvet but weighted with all the things unsaid. “you’re here.”

she nodded, unable to find the words to explain why she had come. “alice said you needed help.”

he stepped closer, the faintest crease between his brows. “thank you. i—i never expected you to come. after everything.”