The Wilderness

"What iz cows? Is it a trick? Yu wanna eat me! YOU WANNA EAT ME!" he screamed. His toungue slithered lightly, and he kept his back arched, ready to pounce into combat. He had no idea what he was really doing. His combat style felt instinctive, like he had built into it before birth.

"What iz cows?" he repeated from curiosity.

"Cows are animals, like deer," Alice noted James' fighting stance, her eyes widened. "James, no, you don't want to fight me," she warned him. She stood her ground, calmly meeting James' eyes. "Either you can try to fight me, or we can discuss this rationally. What's it going to be?"

"But aren't humans animals too?" James said with confusion. He wouldn't know however. His vocalization had almost perfected itself. His accelerated learning was because of substances previously in his brain being recreated by his body, an abnormal feat. The lightning's force must still be within him.

I'll have to trust Alice's judgement... she's like a mother figure to me, and that means I'm absolutely defenceless!

"Glad you see it my way," Alice smiled, then went on, "Deers...they're just animals. They have no potential. Humans, they can discover things, better the world, you see? That's why we kill animals instead of people. Do you understand?"

I'm so happy he didn't try to fight me, I wouldn't have wanted to anyway, he's like the son I never had. It's fun to teach him how to be a vampire!

"Shall we return to the house?" Alice suggested. "Maybe the others have returned..."

"That sounds layk a good idea." James said, and although his bloodlust wasn't satiated, he felt he could wait. He wanted to see all the rest of Alice's friends. He hoped they were as nice as she was.

James lept on to all fours and jumped happily about the forest, heading towards the home. His tracking senses meant he knew where he would be going, and he definately wouldn't get lost.

"I'll be heppy to meet iur frewnds!" he said with a smile.

"Awesome," Alice smiled as she began walking towards the house, hoping that the rest of her family was there. "I'm back!" she called out as she opened the door, "Anyone home?"

"Hey, Shortie!" Emmett greeted Alice as he gave her a bear hug. "What's up?" Then he noticed James, and his eyes narrowed. "Alice, what's he doing here? I thought we killed him!" Seriously, I kill this jerk, and he's back? AND Alice is being civilized to him?! Has James somehow brainwashed her...Oh no, he thought to himself as he picked up Alice. "Don't worry Shortie, we'll save you!" Emmett promised as he carried her off to Carlisle's office.

"Hi, Emmett," Alice hugged him back, then noticed his change in expression. "Emmett....?" The next thing she knew, she was slung over his shoulder and being carried off to Carlisle's office. "HEY! PUT ME DOWN! I CAN EXPLAIN!!!"

Once Emmett had set her down, Alice went on, "You see, he's not actually James. Well, he is, but he's good now. He doesn't remember anything from his past life. So I'm teaching him to be a Cullen. Alright?"

"Fine, let me talk to him so I can decide his morals," Emmett decided grimly. "I just don't want you to get hurt when James here decides to burn you to a crisp." I really don't trust him, dumb tracker vampire, maybe talking to him will help ease my fears, he told himself.

James could hear shouting in the other room, and felt like jumping in and seeing what was up, but he decided he shouldn't let curiousity get the better of him.

James sat and waited for somebody to talk to him. He sat down on a chair in expectation, and thought he could smell somebody new coming in.

"One of Alice friends?" he asked the newcomer.

"Yes, are you?" Emmett glared at James. "I will not let you hurt Alice, so start explaining now. What do you know? What has Alice told you so far?"

"She... told me I was a vampire... not to hurt humans... and how to make cookies!" he said with enthusiasm, smiling at Emmett.

"What's ur name mista?" he asked cheerfully, not detecting the hostility in Emmett's voice. He was oblivious to such things thus far, and instead looked around the room, his mind drifting away into a slowly appearing dream world.

"Hmm...I guess she knows what she's doing, then," Emmett admitted. "I'm Emmett Cullen, brother of Alice. You are aware of your past, right?" He better know what he's done...or I'll enlighten him...

"I don't know a lot about my past... except I was created by lightning, I caught a deer, Alice has a car, I climbed into it, I got here, we baked cookies, we hunted, and now I'm back here..." James said happily. He didn't think much about himself. He saw something flutter by the window.

"I'LL GET YOU!" he barked, and tried to jump after it, but collided with the window.

"Oww..." he moaned, but the pain was gone only a few seconds after.

"Nicely done," Emmett snickered at James, then went on, "You were evil in your past life, do you remember? Your old self liked to kill humans to satisfy your thirst. How did you change so completely?" he wondered.

"I don't remember anything Emmett!" James said, almost embarassed from the whole ordeal with the window and the inquisitive questions he was given.

James then came right up to close proximity of Emmett and sniffed him carefully.

"I'll remember your smell though..." James said. He almost was a dog at his current mental state.

Emmett facepalmed. "You better remember my scent, I tore you up and burned you once, I'll do it again if you don't stay on the straight and narrow," he warned menacingly. "Understand?"

We're going to get along just fine, we are, Emmett said to himself before... "Hey, wanna play baseball?"

James listened intently, to hear words of distinct harm.

He scattered and ran from Emmett, and he quickly came to Alice. He burst past Emmett, not daring to look behind him. He quickly hid himself behind Alice, and patted her back.

"Alice! Emmett's scaring me!" he said in a rather petrified voice. He concealed himself terribly.

Alice sighed. "What did he say, love?" Emmett, you bastard! HOW DARE YOU! she screamed in her head, hoping Edward would tell him what she was thinking. "It's alright, dear," she hugged James as she glared at Emmett.

Emmett stared at Alice, his eyes full of hurt. "Alice, would I ever do anything to hurt this poor, innocent soul?" he asked as he hugged James, putting on a show for Alice. "I'm watching you," Emmett hissed, low enough for only James to hear.

"He said he'd tear and burn me!" James said, and on hearing Emmett, he yelped and quickly hid under a table, not fully understanding the rules of concealment yet. James started crying from fear of his tormentor.

"I am going to leave!" James said, waiting till Emmett was clear before he made a dash for the door.

"Shame on you, Em," Alice scolded as she chased after James. "James, honey, wait up! He didn't mean it!"

Alice was understandably pissed at Emmett, but had no time to harbor hatred at the moment as she was too busy chasing James. "James, stop! He won't hurt you! I won't let him!"

"I don't trust that guy!" James said with a bit of anger at Emmett, but seeing Alice smile, he walked over to her. His once four legged stance had ceased and now he was more upright.

"Hmm... stuff's getting familiar to me..." James noticed.

Alice inhaled sharply. "Like what, honey?" she continued smiling, hiding her fear. Oh dear God, has he remembered his past life?!?! she panicked internally. "What's getting familiar?"

Emmett's eyes widened. "Alice, I'm going to go get more of us," he whispered in her ear, then turned around and walked out of the room, in search for another Cullen.

Oh damn, if James is regressing back to his old self, we're screwed, he thought to himself.

He walked through the house, mentally going over who was in the house. So far, it was Alice, himself....and James. We could take him, Emmett reassured himself. Still, I'd hate for Shortie to get hurt, Jasper would kill me, so he got out his cell and began to call Carlisle, Jasper, and Edward. "Dude, James is back and he's going to kill us all. He seems benign now, but I know he's going to regress to his evil self and murder us. It's just Alice and myself in the house with James, we could take him, but I just wanted to be safe and call for backup. Bye."

Jeez, he felt lame. He hated calling for backup, but James was a newborn and stronger than Emmett and Alice. Better safe than sorry.