Evening settled over the Swan house slowly.
Rain tapped softly against the windows while the sky darkened into the usual Forks gray. Inside, the house was quiet except for the faint sounds of the television Charlie had left on in the living room.
Mame sat at the kitchen table finishing a quick meal.
Nothing fancy.
Just enough before heading out.
Upstairs, Bella moved around her room before coming back down the stairs. She leaned against the doorway and watched him for a moment.
"You're really going."
Mame glanced up.
"Yep."
"To the Cullen house."
"Yep."
Bella folded her arms.
"For an art project."
Mame chewed his food slowly.
"That's the official story."
Bella smirked slightly.
"Sure it is."
Headlights swept briefly across the front windows.
Mame glanced toward the door.
"They're here."
Outside, a sleek car rolled quietly into the driveway.
Standing beside it were three familiar figures.
Alice Cullen waved enthusiastically the moment the door opened.
Beside her stood Jasper Hale, hands in his pockets.
And a few steps behind them stood Edith Cullen.
Bella stepped closer to the window and peeked out.
Then her expression changed immediately.
"Oh."
Mame grabbed his jacket.
"Oh what?"
Bella turned slowly.
"You've got a pickup."
"Yeah."
"With Edith Cullen."
Mame blinked.
"…And?"
Bella grinned.
"You know she avoids you the same way Edward avoids me, right?"
Mame frowned slightly.
"I noticed."
Bella leaned closer, clearly enjoying this.
"So maybe this is like… symmetry."
Mame stared at her.
"You're impossible."
Bella shrugged.
"Just saying."
Mame headed toward the door.
Behind him, Charlie appeared from the living room, mug of coffee still in his hand.
He glanced out the window.
"…You're going with the Cullens."
"Art project," Mame said.
Charlie nodded slowly.
"Well."
He paused.
Then gave Mame a look.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
Mame blinked.
"…That's a lot of possibilities."
Charlie snorted.
"Just be back before midnight."
Bella immediately spoke up behind them.
"Yes, Cinderella."
Mame groaned quietly.
Bella grinned.
"Be back before midnight or the carriage turns into a pumpkin."
Charlie chuckled.
"Get out of here."
Mame opened the door and stepped outside into the cool evening air.
Alice waved again immediately.
"Bean Swan!"
Jasper gave a small nod.
"Evening."
Edith stood a few steps away from them, posture relaxed but careful.
Just like before, she kept a small distance between herself and Mame.
Mame noticed.
Of course he noticed.
He walked down the porch steps and stopped near the car.
Bella leaned halfway out the door behind him.
"Have fun!"
Mame didn't even turn around.
"I hate you."
Bella laughed.
"Don't forget midnight!"
Alice giggled.
Jasper hid a faint smile.
Edith looked away slightly.
Mame sighed and opened the car door.
"…Let's just go before my sister gets worse."
Alice skipped toward the passenger side happily.
"Oh she absolutely will."
The car pulled away from the Swan house a moment later, disappearing down the dark road toward the forest.
And behind them, Bella closed the door with a satisfied grin.
"That," she said to Charlie, "is going to be interesting."
The Cullen car moved smoothly down the dark Forks road.
Rain tapped lightly against the windshield while the forest slid past on both sides, tall trees forming black walls against the night.
Inside the car, the silence lasted about thirty seconds.
Then Alice Cullen turned in her seat.
"So…"
Mame sighed immediately.
"Don't."
Alice's grin widened.
"You're a modern Cinderella."
Jasper Hale glanced at the rearview mirror, clearly trying not to smile.
Mame leaned back in his seat.
"Your friend Bella said that."
Alice nodded happily.
"She's very funny."
"She's very annoying."
Alice tilted her head.
"Midnight, Bean Swan."
Mame groaned.
"I regret meeting both of you."
Jasper chuckled quietly.
"That's fair."
Alice folded her arms dramatically.
"I'm just saying."
She leaned closer to Mame.
"You had a ride waiting."
"Yes."
"You had a curfew."
"Yes."
"And your sister warned you about pumpkins."
Mame stared at her.
"You are enjoying this far too much."
Alice nodded immediately.
"Absolutely."
Jasper spoke up calmly from the driver's seat.
"In your defense, most people don't get escorted to the Cullen house."
Mame looked at him.
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
Jasper considered that.
"…No."
Alice laughed again.
Mame rubbed his face.
"I'm never going to hear the end of this."
"Nope," Alice said cheerfully.
The road curved deeper into the forest.
The houses of Forks disappeared behind them, replaced by thick trees and winding mountain roads. The headlights cut through the darkness as the car climbed slowly higher.
Mame looked out the window.
"Your place is really out here."
Alice nodded.
"We like the quiet."
"That explains a lot."
Jasper glanced at him again through the mirror.
"You don't like quiet?"
"I do," Mame said.
He looked back toward the forest.
"I just like knowing what's hiding in it."
Alice tilted her head slightly.
"That's a very specific concern."
Mame shrugged.
"Recent experiences."
The car continued up the road.
For a few minutes, no one spoke.
Then Alice looked back at him again.
"So."
Mame sighed.
"Now what."
"You're meeting the parents tonight."
Mame blinked.
"…What?"
Alice nodded seriously.
"Carlisle and Esme are home."
Mame stared at her.
"You didn't mention that."
"I forgot."
Jasper's shoulders shook slightly as he tried not to laugh.
Mame leaned back in the seat.
"…Fantastic."
Alice smiled brightly.
"Don't worry."
"Why do I feel like that's the opposite of reassuring?"
Alice shrugged.
"Because it probably is."
The road turned once more.
Then the trees opened slightly.
The Cullen house appeared ahead, tall and modern among the forest, its large windows glowing softly in the evening dark.
Alice pointed.
"Home."
Mame looked at the house.
Then exhaled slowly.
"…Alright."
Tonight was finally happening.
The conversation he'd been waiting for all day.
And something told him it was about to get interesting.
The car slowed as it approached the house.
Tall glass windows glowed softly through the trees, warm light spilling into the misty evening. The modern structure sat quietly among the forest, looking more like something that belonged in a magazine than the middle of the Washington wilderness.
Mame studied it through the windshield.
"…Nice place."
Alice Cullen beamed.
"Thank you!"
Jasper Hale pulled the car to a smooth stop in front of the house.
For a moment no one moved.
Then Mame leaned back in his seat and rubbed the back of his neck.
"…Okay."
Alice looked at him.
"Okay?"
Mame gestured toward the house.
"How exactly am I supposed to kill Edweird about being weird and creepy with his mom there?"
Alice blinked.
"…Kill?"
"You know what I mean," Mame said. "Verbally."
Jasper chuckled quietly under his breath.
Mame continued, clearly frustrated now.
"I had a whole speech planned."
Alice leaned her elbow on the seat.
"Oh really?"
"Yes."
"And now?"
"Now I have to yell at him politely."
Alice laughed.
"That's a new challenge."
Mame sighed dramatically.
He looked at Alice.
"Can you help me with that?"
"Help you yell politely?"
"Exactly."
Alice tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"I could coach you."
"That would help."
Mame leaned forward slightly.
"Or maybe Rosalie would like to help."
Alice's grin widened.
"Oh?"
Mame nodded.
"She seemed pretty annoyed at Edward in the parking lot when I confronted him earlier."
Jasper laughed softly.
"That's accurate."
Mame pointed toward the house.
"So maybe she wants in on this conversation."
Alice leaned back, clearly enjoying the entire situation.
"You want Rosalie as backup."
"I want witnesses," Mame corrected.
Alice laughed again.
"That might actually make it worse."
Mame groaned quietly.
"Fantastic."
Jasper opened the driver's door.
"Well," he said calmly, "only one way to find out."
Alice jumped out of the car immediately.
"Come on, Cinderella."
Mame froze.
"…You did not just say that."
Alice skipped toward the house happily.
"Midnight!"
Mame stepped out of the car and shut the door slowly.
"I am regretting this entire evening."
Jasper walked past him toward the front door.
"Too late."
The warm lights of the Cullen house glowed ahead of them.
And somewhere inside, the conversation Mame had been waiting for all day was about to begin.
The front door opened before they reached it.
Warm light spilled across the porch, illuminating the tall glass walls of the Cullen home. The forest around the house stood silent, mist drifting slowly between the trees.
Esme Cullen stood in the doorway, smiling gently.
"Welcome."
Behind her, the living room stretched wide and bright. Carlisle Cullen stood near the stairs with the rest of the family gathered nearby.
Edward Cullen.
Rosalie Hale.
Emmett Cullen.
The moment Mame stepped out of the car, something shifted.
At first it was subtle.
A tight feeling in his chest.
Then his heartbeat sped up.
Once.
Twice.
Three times faster than normal.
He paused halfway up the steps.
The Cullen house looked calm.
Friendly.
But something inside him reacted differently.
His instincts flared like a warning alarm.
Danger.
Not obvious danger.
Not the kind you could point to.
Just the same feeling his dreams carried.
The same pressure he felt when the visions came.
Mame forced himself to keep walking.
Slow.
Controlled.
He rolled his shoulders once and relaxed his posture.
Externally, nothing changed.
He still looked calm.
Casual.
Even mildly amused.
But inside—
His pulse kept climbing.
Inside the house, every Cullen heard it.
The change was immediate.
The sound of Mame Swan's heartbeat filled the quiet room the moment he stepped onto the porch.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Faster.
Not panicked.
But rising.
Jasper Hale noticed first.
His head tilted slightly.
"…That's new."
Rosalie Hale frowned.
"He was calm earlier."
Emmett Cullen raised an eyebrow.
"Did he just realize he's walking into a house full of vampires?"
Alice Cullen stepped through the doorway behind Mame.
She heard it too.
His heartbeat had already climbed well past what a relaxed human should have.
Carlisle Cullen looked toward the door.
Concern flickered across his expression.
"That's approaching dangerous levels."
Esme Cullen immediately stepped forward.
"He's frightened."
But when Mame walked into the house—
He didn't look frightened at all.
He stepped across the threshold calmly.
His posture relaxed.
His expression neutral.
"Nice place," he said casually.
The heartbeat in his chest said something very different.
Carlisle watched him carefully.
Mame's pulse was racing hard enough that most humans would already look visibly nervous.
Yet his face stayed perfectly composed.
Controlled.
That, more than the heartbeat itself, made Carlisle concerned.
Esme's voice softened.
"Mame, dear… are you alright?"
Mame looked at her and smiled politely.
"Yeah."
His heartbeat jumped again.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
"Just… big house."
Emmett leaned back against the wall, clearly amused.
"Man's meeting the parents."
Rosalie elbowed him sharply.
Jasper kept watching Mame.
The emotional pressure rolling off him wasn't fear exactly.
It was something stranger.
Instinct.
Like his body recognized something dangerous even if his mind didn't.
Edward stayed silent.
He was watching Mame more carefully than anyone else.
Because something else had become clear.
Mame Swan knew something was wrong.
Even if he didn't know what.
And the human standing in their living room was forcing himself to stay calm while every instinct in his body screamed at him to leave.