“I am not fighting you, Addison”.
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“Soooo, Addison, why are your eyes golden? Or Bronze? Oh hey, now there this deep black- is that a bad sign?” Addison Cullen was trying really really hard not to kill the curious teenager as she arranged her shared bedroom with Jasper just the way she liked it as a distraction, but the kid asked so many questions, one after the other and he didn’t even give her the time to properly answer them… Fred was like a younger slightly less annoying Isabella Swan without the wanting to have sex with Edward Cullen part of course…
“My family and I are what humans call vegetarians, we feed off animal's blood instead of humans, obviously human blood is much tastier but animal's blood keeps our hunger down and stops us from having to kill innocent humans. Which also allows us to stay in one place for long amounts of time without raising any suspicion, we live like normal humans… Or at least we used to before all the battles and hybrid babies, and missing husbands”...
“You uh do realize that’s the complete opposite of a vegetarian, right?”
Addison chuckled at Fred’s confused and mumbled words tossing the shirt she was folding on the bed, “that’s the irony of it love… Come on, let’s go on a little adventure”...
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“Pst Addison, what are we doing out here?” Fred whispered as Addison let her eyes flutter close with a content sigh as she breathed in the crisp winter air… Tonight would be the night before the big battle, possibly the last night she had with her family and friends, and possibly her last night living…
And because of this, she didn’t want to get too close to the teenager named Fred… All Addison wanted to do was show him her free hunting lifestyle before she sent him away… Forever…
Addison cleared away all her dark thoughts, and her throat before turning around to face the confused teenager with her arms crossed over her chest, “tell me, Fred, do you like killing humans?” Fred chuckled in surprise at the question “I- uh-where is this going?”
“Answer the question Fred, do you like killing humans?”
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“N-No- No but I mean does anyone really love killing humans? I don’t, I mean even when I was with Riley I tried not to cause bloody massacres like the other idiots- vampires… But I couldn’t just starve, so I only kill when I have to and I’m careful b-but it doesn’t mean I like it… I never even wanted this life, and neither did Bree…
Addison’s golden eyes softened at the name of the fifteen-year-old whom she failed to save but she quickly hardened her expression, she wasn’t letting Fred have the same fate, she couldn’t take care of him, he needed to survive…
“You want to travel the world, right? Well let me tell you, it’s a lot easier when you don’t leave a trail of bodies in your wake. If you feed off animals and only animals then no one will pay any attention, as far as they know it’s just animals attacking animals, the circle of life. But it’s not easy, and you’ll need to be careful”...
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Fred’s eyebrows furrowed in pure confusion as he stared down at the tiny vampire teaching him how to survive off animal's blood like he was in some bad 80’s movie. But at the same time, it felt like she was trying to get rid of him… “Addison why-” Addison quickly held up her hand, cutting him off before he could finish his sentence, “no more talking… now close your eyes, come on close ‘em, just trust me”.
Fred let out an annoyed puff of air through his nose as he allowed his eyes to flutter closed, tensing as the fairy-like woman began to circle around him, studying his stance with a raised eyebrow, “you need to relax, you’re too tense, I’m not going to jump you”.
“Oh well, that’s relieving” Fred mumbled, rolling his shoulders as a tiny tiny smile painted Addison’s features at his sarcasm, “come on, focus. Listen to your surroundings, what do you hear?”
Fred heard the echoing sounds of birds wings flapping and squirrels scurrying across the snow and up the tall trees with their acorns, he also heard a single doe standing below the tiny ledge he was on, right by the frozen stream and his red eyes snapped open at the beating heart and rushing blood below the soft fur…
He began to walk towards the doe when Addison suddenly grabbed his arm, “that’s a good start but why don't you reach a little bit bigger”. Fred raised an eyebrow before turning to look where her painted fingernail was pointing, and then he saw it…
A large brown bear stalking towards the innocent doe and Fred’s smile turned wicked, Addison copying his smirk with a proud nod, “you know what they say, go big or go home”...
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Fred dropped to a low crouch as he peered over the small ledge smirking at the fact that the brown bear was completely unaware of its fate…
Addison leaned down next to the hungry teenager with a matching smirk, “go ahead and play around with your food kid, trust me they taste so much better when the adrenaline starts pumping” her voice was a low whisper, breath tickling his ear as his smirk somehow managed to grow, he never knew being a vampire could be this fun…
Low and hungry growls rattled his chest as he leaped off the small ledge landing in what he deemed his superhero pose and announcing his presence to the brown bear who quickly lost interest in the potential doe snack, baring its sharp teeth as a warning but he only darkly chuckled, playfully hissing in response…
The two predators slowly circled around each other waiting to see which one would pounce first until eventually, the brown bear decided to be the brave one rushing towards the vampire on his hind legs, swatting the air with his pointy claws on display…
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Fred decided to use his vampire speed to his advantage, sliding underneath the brown bear’s legs and quickly hopping back to his feet before the bear could even turn around, he chuckled, shaking out his hands as the adrenaline made the venom pump through his body. Addison was right, it was way better to play around with your food…
Fred tackled the brown bear causing them both to roll around in the snow trying to get the upper hand, and the bear's heart was frantically beating making his mouth water.
Fred didn’t feel like wasting any more time as his hands wrapped around the bear’s fuzzy neck twisting and twisting until he heard the satisfying crack causing the brown bear to whimper and fall over limp, and Fred quickly sunk his teeth into the tough flesh moaning at the taste of fresh flowing blood…
The blood wasn’t like human’s that was for certain but he could definitely get used to eating animals if he could always play with them like this…
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“Well, whatcha think?” Fred spoke as he stood back up wiping the few drops of blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, “not so bad for the first try”.
Addison chuckled as her arms crossed over her chest, staring down at the teenager with a new glimmer in her golden eyes, “meh I’ve seen better”. “There ain’t no one better than me Addie” Fred childishly laughed making Addison’s smile fall, he was already getting too friendly around her and she was already becoming too motherly… This couldn’t happen again…
“You know I wanted to teach Bree like this”...
Fred’s crimson eyes filled with surprise and slight disappointment, she didn’t want him, all she wanted was Bree, but why did he care so much about someone he literally just met a couple of hours ago… “She was just like you Fed, which is why you can’t stay with me- I mean with us- us you need to leave before tonight, and I mean right now”.
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“What! N-No I promised- I mean your husband forced me to- But Bree- You- You can’t do this!” Fred couldn’t seem to find his words, why didn’t he just take her offer and run away? Maybe just maybe Addison Cullen was the one who had control over him like some kind of witch or succubus? “Is this why you brought me out here? To send me away with some new advice to hide and run like some coward?”
“Bree didn’t hide and you wanna know where she is? She’s ash, ash scattered somewhere in the wind, The Volturi will see you, one of the vampires from Seattle and they will kill you on the spot and I am not losing another chi- another person to them”...
“I- I see what you’re saying but I’m a good fighter- I’m not this helpless little thing- I can help”.
Addison didn’t even take a moment to think as she launch herself off the small cliff and pinned the teen in-between her smaller body and a thick tree making Fred’s eyes widen with surprise and slight pain as the rough bark scratched his back…
“You stay here and then people will try to kill you, I am trying to kill you, Fred” her words were fake, she could never kill the teenager but she could threaten him enough to make him leave...
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“I’m not going to hurt you Addison, and I’m not leaving” Fred’s voice was strong noticing how it made her grip loosen and her eyes soften before she re-hardened tossing him across the small opening but he wasn’t the slightest bit phased as he landed on his feet, “I am not fighting you, Addison”.
“Then you will die, trust me The Volturi don’t reason or give second chances” Addison flashed towards him with more vengeance tossing him again and again and again but Fred never faltered, he just took the abuse, he knew she would tire eventually….
“Fight back!” Addison shouted slamming the teen up against a tree, her anger growing when he refused to take up for himself, “fight back, fight back” her words were a repeated mantra as her fists continued to pound on his chest, she was growing more and more tired with each movement but she needed him to fight back… Why wasn’t he fighting back? What was she doing wrong?
“Why won’t you fuckin fight back! What is wrong with you!”
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“Addison enough!” Fred’s voice was a concerned shout as he grabbed her wrists flipping their position and pinning her in-between the thick tree and his larger body, this wasn’t just about him possibly dying, there was something deeper going on within her mind… Her golden eyes were frantic as her chest heaved with unneeded breaths, “hey- hey breathe- how the hell do you help a vampire with anxiety attacks? Can I possibly phone a friend?”
“Um okay- okay I think I may know some technique? 54321 maybe? What are five things you can see?” Fred had never really suffered from panic attacks or at least not that he remembered- but he knew certain methods from movies and psychology classes in high school.
The 54321 or Five Things method was rather common with people who suffered from anxiety it was simple yet powerful like gradually attaching anchors to a boat, this method slowly pulled the person back down to Earth.
“Come on Addison, five things you can see”...
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“Y-You, t-the t-tree’s, t-the gr-ground, t-the b-brown b-bear, a-and s-snow” Addison choked and stuttered on most of her words, trying to calm her breathing, it had been so long since her last panic attack and she didn’t understand why she was suddenly plagued with one… She missed Alice… Alice was always so good in these situations…
“Okay, okay I think that’s good- Um what are four things you can hear?”, “y-your voice, t-the w-wind, I- I think s-some birds and m-maybe a s-squrriel?” Addison’s eyes fluttered shut as she tried to focus on her breathing, in and out, in and out, but every breath felt like someone was punching her directly in the gut. She needed Alice…“What are three objects you can touch?”
“Y-Your hands, my jacket, and t-the tree bark, it’s d-digging into my back”... Fred could already hear the difference in Addison’s voice, it still shook at times but she wasn’t gasping or choking on air, maybe he was helping her after all… “Okay, you’re doing so good, two different smells?”
“The snow, if that makes any sense it’s crisp like I can smell the cold and you’re cologne, it smells really good actually”... Addison leaned her head back against the uncomfortable tree, her chest burned as she took deep and unneeded yet still needed breaths, “and the last thing, one thing you can taste?”
“Cinnamon from the blood yesterday”...
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A/n~ A little explanation for this chapter because why not?
So when I first introduced Fred I had this feeling that Addison was going to be a little relucent to get too close like she did with Bree, so that's why I wanted her to try and send him away because let's be honest, Addison is definitely a mother hen.
I mean Isabella, Bree, Renesmee, sometimes Leah, Seth, and now Fred, she's trying to guard herself because she doesn't want him to die, so she's trying to pull away and he is not allowing that to happen.
And the whole surprise panic attack thing wasn't actually planned until today because today for the first time in however long, I had one, I was stressing over school and it wasn't fun. I'm better now, tired but better.
Anywho enough about me, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter and the long explanation that came with it, and please feel free to leave any comments or criticism. <3 Jade