A Flawed Imprint Or Destiny? ~ An Unlikely Pairings One-Shot

A Flawed Imprint Or Destiny?

Synopsis: Everything seemed to be going back in place. Bella and Edward were a happy vampire couple with a child, Jacob was glad to have his best friend and his new imprint close, Seth was complete in his new pack. But then everything started falling apart. Alice and Jasper left. Carlisle called vampire friends of his from every corner of the globe to testify as witnesses for Renesmee. And among them, came Maggie. And that was when Seth's world 

was flipped completely upside down.

(Takes place during Breaking Dawn, after Alice had the vision of Irina going to the Volturi, the same morning the Irish coven arrives at the Cullen's house)

Author's Note: This story won the first place in the Unlikely Pairing one-shot contest in Free Writers And Readers. The theme is pretty clear from the contest's name, it's Unlikely Pairings. I got the chance to present some theory I had about a dearly loved member of the wolf pack, Seth Clearwater. I'm sticking to canon, which means I am not changing the facts of the Saga so far, for example the vampires remain vampires, the werewolves remain werewolves, etc. Although I love the wolf pack, I realized I've never written a story about any of the Quilette boys before and still haven't written another one since this. Hope you like it! Leave me your thoughts, I am intending to turn it into a full, multi chapter story eventually!


Oh, for anyone who doesn't know what POV means, it's Point Of View. Those who know it, don't you laugh! I felt really stupid when I first found it and had no idea what it was or who to ask! *wink wink*

Lots of love!

Nessie

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Seth’s POV:

A few weeks ago, I would have never believed that by my own Alpha’s orders, I would patrol the Cullen’s house! But then again, my Alpha isn’t Sam anymore, and staying away from the leeches and guarding our territory isn’t our priority. It’s funny how things can change in so little time. How much people can change in so little time.

Bella is a now vampire.

She and Edward have a daughter. Renesmee.

Jacob imprinted; on their daughter.

He’s a different man since Renesmee’s birth. I remembered the awful things he had called the baby that was sucking away Bella’s life. I knew that if the Cullen’s and I – my sister, Leah, wouldn’t bother, didn’t care – hadn’t kept Jacob away from the baby, Renesmee wouldn’t have time to blink twice before he killed her. It seemed to take forever before I found out what had really happened. I thought he lost it. When he phased back, all I could do was ask what happened and if everyone was alright… And just then it hit me that he was happy. That he had found his imprint. Ironically, in the person he used to hate the most.

And then Alice left. She had a vision of the Volturi coming for Renesmee and fled with Jasper. Things are pretty messed up right now, yet my Alpha is deliriously happy.  Go figure.

Thanks for the summary of the last few weeks, Seth, but no need for it! Leah snapped as she sped up and ran right in front of me.

What’s your problem, Leah?

We know how the story goes. Jacob is the happy imprinter with his happy little leech half-breed imprintee; I am miserable and Seth is the wolf who is happy that some wolves get along with the Cullen’s after all and he gets to hang out with the mindreading bloodsucker, she thought bitterly.

What’s wrong with you again?

She stopped running and froze on the spot, lifting her head and sniffing the air. I came behind her and searched for the smell that was interesting enough to shut up my sister.

Bloodsuckers, she said and shook her head as if she was trying to shake away something. Probably the scent.

It’s vampires, Leah, I corrected her.

Bloodsuckers, she continued. New ones.

Oh, no. Do you think it’s them? The Volturi were here so soon? Alice had talked about snow. It hadn’t snowed yet. We had plenty of rain, that’s true, but it was not snowy. Not at all. Not yet. Had she missed it with her vision?  So not like Alice.

Let’s go and find out. She sprinted through the path, and ran all the way to the road. I was close behind her but I couldn’t reach her. She was just a gray, four-legged flash in front of me. She was faster than I was. She was almost as fast as Jacob.

I’m faster than Jacob actually.

Whatever, Lee. I hadn’t used her nickname for a long time. Actually, I hadn’t used it since dad died. He was the one who had thought it up and when I was little and couldn’t say Leah, I called her Lee instead. I saw a picture of dad flashing through her head but soon it was gone and I could only see my sister, almost crawling on the damp floor, hiding under the thick ferns and bushes as she looked for the vampires.

Those leeches didn’t come on foot. They must already be at the Cullen’s place. She sighed, and started running along the street again.

Wait up! I begged and tried to run faster to catch up with her. She seemed to go even faster though. I bet she was doing it on purpose. She was always the competitive one. With me at first, then with Sam when she joined the pack, now with everyone, especially Jake.

Do you know what I think about those bloodsuckers? She asked.

That they’re hateful and gross and our enemies? I helped her out.

No. Actually, that too, but I had something else in mind. That’s a new one… The nickname “Leeches” is too good for them. I think “Mosquitoes” fits better. They suck blood and they are incessantly annoying always buzzing around. The description fits perfectly.

I frowned but decided that it would be wiser not to reply. I had gotten used to Leah’s hateful comments about vampires as the time passed. I realized that after Sam left her because of his imprint with Emily, she needed some healthy way to discard all this anger she felt. I didn’t think that this way was the healthiest one, but who was I to judge.

As we reached the house, I caught the scent of everyone who was inside. Carlisle and Esme, Bella, Edward and Renesmee. And of course, Jacob was also nearby. Leah never came willingly towards the house, unless it was an emergency, like now. Jacob had asked us to help out if anything happened, and it was a fact that something was up. He never used his Alpha voice on us, unlike Sam, but Leah followed his orders all the same; which was unusual for her. Or maybe it was just Sam who made her object to everything he said. Ha!

There was a black convertible Mustang parked on the clearing outside the house, one of those that you can rent, because it had an Enterprise logo and tag on it. Those guys definitely weren’t locals. We kept a distance, taking our time to observe them without letting them catch our scent. There were three of them. Two women and a man. The man had strong features and was very tall; he was probably from somewhere in Northern Europe. He had fair blond hair, unlike the woman with whom he was clasping hands with. She was also tall, physically imposing, like the vampire that seemed to be her mate, and had black smooth hair that fell straight to her waist. Both had burgundy red eyes. And the other female… She had flame-like, deep red, bouncy hair, shoulder length that framed her face like a halo. She had her back turned on me but I made my way around the clearing, closer to the porch, forgetting that we were supposed to stay hidden and keep a distance, but wanting to see her face.

They didn’t ring the bell, but soon enough, Carlisle opened the door with a big smile. “Siobhan. Liam. Welcome,” he acknowledged them. “Maggie,” he greeted the last one. “So happy to finally meet you.”

The girl gave him a small nod and shook hands with him. “So you’re Carlisle. Siobhan talks a lot about you.”

“A man like him deserves to be mentioned a lot. He changed the way I look at the world more than one time,” the vampire named Siobhan answered. I didn’t know what she was talking about but both Liam and she smiled.

“So shall we meet the little vampire? That’s what we’re here for, isn’t it?” Maggie asked impatiently. Her voice was so sweet, too perfect and flawless for her to be a human.

“I explained to you that she isn’t a vampire,” Carlisle corrected her and lowered his voice.

“Half-vampire. I still would like to meet her.”

“Shall we go into the living room where it is more comfortable?” Carlisle suggested but before they could enter, I heard some soft footsteps padding along the floor and in a split second, little Renesmee was hugging Carlisle’s legs and giggling.

“I found youuu!” she said clapping her hands. She looked up at her grandfather and then at the strangers on the porch and fell silent. Her face grew serious in a way no infant should be able to accomplish. She observed them carefully, especially Liam and Siobhan. Maggie smiled at her and Renesmee gave Maggie a questioning look. She seemed curious but didn’t smile back. “Grandpa, who are these people?”

Carlisle knelt down and when he was at eye level with her he said, “They’re some good friends of mine. They’re going to stay here with us for a while.” Nessie nodded and lifted her hands, showing Carlisle that she wanted him to pick her up.

“How old did you say that she is?” Siobhan asked observing the little angel in Carlisle’s arms.

“Three and a half months old,” Esme said and came behind Carlisle. Renesmee stretched her tiny hand and reached for Esme’s cheek, showing her something. Esme smiled and nodded. “Maybe you would like to see what she has to say, or rather show you is more accurate.”

“You’re saying the truth, Carlisle. I believe you,” Maggie said with such certainty and confidence that nobody could take no for an answer there. The other members of the coven didn’t speak but I could see that they were agreeing silently. “But I’d like to see. If Renesmee agrees of course,” she added.

Nessie stared back at Maggie and extended her hand. Maggie came closer, tilting her head so that Nessie’s palm was touching her. It took a while until the little one finished and Maggie’s expressions changed from sad to shocked and then to happy and excited. Renesmee had a satisfied smile on her face. When she finished, she pulled her hand away and jumped out of Carlisle’s hands gracefully, skipping back inside the house with her curly hair jumping behind her.

“That girl is talented. She will become very special,” Maggie said and twirled a tiny finger through one of her bouncy curls.

“Indeed, she already is,” Carlisle agreed and stepped aside so that they’d finally walk inside. Siobhan and Liam walked in but Maggie stood there for a few moments apparently lost in her thoughts.

“I will be with you soon; I just want to get something that I forgot in the car.” With that she turned around and ran to the car.

Seth? Seeeeth? Hello? Earth to Seth! Leah demanded.

What now, Leah? I asked angrily.

Are you kidding me? Do you know for how long I’ve been trying to draw your attention without coming there? What’s up with you?

Nothing, I was just curious and walked closer. I don’t have to apologize anyway!

Yes, you do. You ignored your Beta and I’ve been calling you for a looong time.

You’re not my Beta, you’re my sister.

Technically, I’m both.

You know that this is considered misuse of the authority you’re given, right?

Not everyone is as fair as Jacob. Get over it.

The sound of a car door closing and the convertible being locked made me forget my angry sister again. I lifted my head a bit higher than I should to look at Maggie. I took several steps forward and a little twig snapped under my feet.

Damn!

She turned to look at me. Of course, she could hear the tiny snap. She was a vampire. I knew that I should probably turn around and vanish but I couldn’t make my feet move. I just could look in her red eyes, sparkling like two valuable rubies, redder than even her hair. Her skin was pale, white and perfect. She looked like she might have had freckles as a human but they were barely visible now. And her features showed that she was changed really young. Small, petite body, round face, full lips, big eyes… I was mesmerized. Leah kept shouting inside my head, demanding my attention but I couldn’t reply. I could just drown into those two ruby eyes…

She looked at me curiously, reminding me that I was a wolf. That was all she could see. A big scary wolf staring at her. I tried commanding my body to run before she’d think that I was a threat but it was as if I had forgotten how to move. My heart was beating like crazy inside my chest and I was feeling that big pull towards her. But it was impossible. It wasn’t right. It couldn’t be right.

She smiled at me and I knew that I couldn’t smile back. Wolves can’t smile. Then she turned around and gracefully made her way to the house.

Seth? Seth, what the hell did you do?!

I couldn’t listen to Leah right now. I couldn’t listen to anyone. I ran away, deep in the forest, and only when I knew that nobody, which meant Leah in that case, followed me; I phased back and slipped into my shorts quickly. I could finally think. Back in my human form, where my head and thoughts were mine and only mine, I could think of the only thing that I wanted to.

Maggie.

* * * * *

As the days passed, more vampires, luckily friends of the Cullens and not the Volturi, were coming; some Egyptian ones, nomads, and loads of others. I didn’t return home after that day. I couldn’t look at anyone at the Rez in the eye and not feel guilty. I didn’t phase back either. I was giving up on my tribe, on my pack, on my friends, but I didn’t know what else I could do. I was torn between what was instinctual and what was emotional. I felt I had betrayed my tribe by what happened with the vampire named Maggie.

This couldn’t have happened before. A wolf imprinting on a vampire? That was impossible. Something was wrong with me. Really wrong. If imprinting on a baby was weird what was imprinting on a vampire? I mean, at least Renesmee is half human too. Maggie is a full vampire!

For the next several nights, I slept in the small cottage that was used as a forest ranger base a few years ago. It was small, and the bed was squealing every time I lay down on it, but it was somewhere I could have peace. I didn’t feel like eating, I didn’t feel like running, I didn’t feel like doing anything but sit there, in the dark and think about Maggie. My impossible imprint.

It was physically impossible for us to be together, with me being a wolf and her being a vampire. Even with my tolerance to the cold skin and the scent of vampires, it wouldn’t work. She wouldn’t accept me. Why should she after all? She could have anyone she wanted… She was so perfect, so… beautiful. She could be with someone like her.

“Seth?” a heavy voice called me. I turned my head and looked at the closed door.

“Who is it?” My voice sounded raspy from sitting alone in silence for days not using it and of course, I knew who it was. I knew it was my Alpha. I felt an overwhelming exhaustion that I doubted was physical.

“It’s Jacob. Can I come in?” He knocked on the door.

“Yep,” I agreed.

He opened the door and stepped inside, searching for a light switch inside the little dusty room.

“There isn’t one. Just an oil lamp,” I explained.

He sighed and leaving the door open he pulled a chair from behind the desk and brought it close to the bed where I was sitting. “Now, I expect a real explanation, without cursing vampires and exaggerations like your sister gave.”  

“Leah told you, didn’t she?”

“Yes, she did. What did really happen though? I’ve got to hear your version.”

“I am not sure. Those vampires came. Leah caught their scent and we were worried and followed them through the woods. And… Jacob, I imprinted on a vampire! This isn’t normal.”

He shook his head. “No. I don’t think it is, but when have we EVER been normal, little buddy?”

“All I can do is think about her,” I admitted as I hung my head in shame. “I can’t go back. Maybe I should just leave. It would be better for everybody else.”

“Kiddo, take some time and think about what you’re saying. Your mom would flip if you ran off, scratch out my eyes, rip off my hide and hang me upside down for letting you go. You’re not going anywhere.” He chuckled.

“Is that my Alpha commanding me?” I inquired.

“No. It’s your friend, Jacob.” His voice softened and he patted me on the shoulder. He brought a backpack that I hadn’t noticed on his lap and pulled something out. “I brought you a change of clothes.” He left them on the bed next to me. “And food. What have you been eating all this time? Leah said that you haven’t phased since and I am sure of that because I have been searching for your thoughts.”

“I didn’t, no appetite at all,” I confirmed.

“Seth! It’s been six days!” Jacob scolded me.

“I’m okay. I am just not hungry.”

“Yeah, sure. Very convincing, but I believe that you have to eat even if you’re not hungry. Your cousin gave me spaghetti and meatballs. Your favorite, remember? Now, eat! And that is a command by your Alpha!”

He pulled a plastic bowl out of the bag and as soon as the lid was off the smell of it drove me crazy. If there was something I couldn’t resist, it was Emily’s food. Especially those meatballs. When I said that I wasn’t hungry, I meant it. But now, I couldn’t help but realize how starved I actually felt. He handed me a fork and the bowl and for a while he remained silent as I inhaled my food, barely chewing. When I placed the empty bowl next to me on the bed, he grinned.

“So you’re not hungry.”

“I didn’t think so.”

“Now back to our issue.”

“My issue. The pack doesn’t have anything to do with this. I don’t want to involve anyone else.”

“I’m already involved so it is our issue,” he insisted.

“There is nothing to talk about. I will ignore the imprint. I will go on with my life, without her.” I sighed heavily.

“By the way, I didn’t get a good enough description to figure out who she is. Leah’s exact words were ‘Stupid, freaking bloodsucker!’ if I remember correctly.”

I chuckled, but deep inside, I felt a prickle of annoyance. How dare she talk about my imprint like that! Oh uh… No, I shouldn’t care. I’m moving on, she can’t be with me; I can’t be with her… “It’s the redhead, Maggie.” As the name left my lips, I felt all warm inside. This can’t be happening… I have to move on. I have to snap out of it!

“Oh, I’ve seen her. She was asking things about the wolves. We were talking before I went to the Rez to get your stuff actually. She’s nice… for a vampire.”

“It doesn’t matter, Jacob, nothing is going to happen between her and me. It’s impossible.”

“Imprinting isn’t as easy as you think, Seth. You can’t just go away. It is there, following you for the rest of your life. It’s like she becomes your everything; the center of your world. You’d do anything just to see her smile…” His voice faded away as I thought about that time when she looked at me. I felt my heart beating as fast as it did when it really happened. It was a few minutes later that I realized that Jacob was still talking and I was grinning stupidly at nothing.

“Sorry. I was…”

“Daydreaming, I know.” He nodded and gave me an understanding smile. “So, as I was saying, we’re going to get some research on the subject. There has to be something that explains what happened to you. I promise that we will figure out what it is and figure it out, but we do this together, little brother. You are my pack brother and we are in this together, no matter what the outcome. Understood?”

“Jacob, I told you already, there’s nothing left for me here. I need to leave.”

“Hey, don’t make me use my Alpha voice on you again! You know that I hate it and I would never do it in my pack unless absolutely necessary… like to make you eat. So, please, stay. I’ll help. Like I said, we are in this together,” he promised and bent down giving me a slight hug.

I stood up and slid into the clean T-shirt Jacob had brought. “I will come, but if things go wrong and someone gets hurt; I am leaving.”

He sighed and finally agreed. “If she chooses to leave, you can go anywhere you want. But I can’t let you go, knowing that there might be something that could be done. Who knows, maybe she will like you too.”

“Okay. I understand. This doesn’t mean that I agree.” But my heart leapt at the thought that she could like me too. Grrrr… this is CRAZY!

“You know, if it were any other fifteen year old, I’d say that you matured all of a sudden. But I’ve got one thing to say, Seth Clearwater. You’ve been more mature than all of us. You know, I’m not so much different than you. My other half is half vampire herself, remember.”

“She’s half human though too. She’s warm and she already likes you.”

“You know that it’s not like that, and nothing is set in stone. If she chooses someone else when she grows up, I will have to accept it. There isn’t really anything for me to do if that’s the case even though I know it would kill me, just like it would kill you to leave without even giving Maggie a chance to make her own choice. But for now, I will stay there with her, making everything in her life happy at all cost.”

“I will say it again. She likes your company. I will be just a stinking, overheated dog to her.”

“I don’t stink to Nessie,” he pointed out.

“She’s half-human! And are you sure? Have you asked her?!”

“Seth, I believe that you’re running short on arguments. You’re just saying that she’s half human and that she likes me to justify your decision to not even try and possibly be hurt or disappointed.” He frowned and leaned back on his chair. “She does not think I stink!”

“Those reasons alone are enough for her to be with you. We’re talking about a full vampire. A cold creature with no beating heart; a real vampire.” A wonderful vampire. The way her flame colored curls fell around her face, the way her red eyes shined…

“Seth, appearances can be deceiving.” I stopped daydreaming and focused on what he was talking about.

“Do you think that she’s not a vampire then?” How could she not be? If she wasn’t though… Stories started unraveling inside my head, unlimited possibilities. If she wasn’t a vampire we could be together…

“No. She is one hundred percent vampire. She stinks as bad as the rest of them.” He crinkled his nose at the thought. “But you can’t be sure about her feelings without even talking to her.” His words brought me crashing back down to Earth with the realization of the devastating reality. She was a different species. We could never be together, even if with all eternity in front of us.

Anger flared up inside me, as hot and red as her hair. “So what am I supposed to say? Hi, I’m the dog next door; I came to talk to you because you’re my imprint and I love you?!”

He stifled a laugh, somehow finding something funny in my words. “You could get to know her first, Seth. Does she have to know you imprinted on her right away?  I mean, Edward and Bella are not letting me tell Ness until she is old enough to understand, but I am still there and I still love her just the same.”

“Why would a vampire want to get to know me?”

“She’s your imprint; whether she knows it or not, there is something there she won’t be able to explain. She will be drawn to you as well,” he objected.

“This conversation isn’t leading anywhere, Jacob,” I snapped between clutched teeth. I was getting really angry. I didn’t know at what. Maybe at Jacob for pressuring me to stay here and go through all this. Maybe at the vampire who changed her, even if it happened centuries ago. Maybe at the stupid genes that made me a freaking wolf! I was shaking and I felt my control slipping out of my hands. I was out of the catatonic state that had fallen upon me for the last six days and now I just wanted to find something to blame for what I got trapped into.

“Seth, I’m trying to help.”

“You know what would help? Stepping back. I will phase and I don’t want you to have any scars,” I snapped at him and stared right into him. I knew that I shouldn’t snap like this, and I shouldn’t take it all out on my Alpha. 

“I’m not Emily, Seth. I’m not human. I will be fine.”

“Just step back,” I said clenching my jaw together, trying to restrain all the anger that was welling up inside me.

“Okay.” He took several steps away from the door where I was standing. “Better now?”

I just managed to shake my head before running away in the woods.

“Seth? Seth!” Jacob shouted and ran behind me.

I sped up and ran through the forest until I couldn’t hear him anymore and my muscles burned so much that I couldn’t take another step. I leaned against a tree, trying to catch my breath. It was afternoon, but the day was brighter than I had seen for a while. The sky was painted pink and violet. When my heartbeat returned to normal, I took a deep breath and looked around me. I could hear water nearby. The creek behind the Cullen’s place. Why did I come here?! Why did I allow myself to come so close? I shook my head in refusal but ended up running until I reached the creek’s shore.

No! I could fight it. That stupid imprint wouldn’t have me struggling to reach the unreachable for the rest of my life!

I fell on my knees and threw some cold water on my face, hoping that I could wash it away. Get rid of that curse! What if she was my imprint? What if I wanted her? I had to forget her! The water felt refreshing but when I stood up, I found my feet leading me closer to the house. Damn imprint, damn legs… having a mind of their own!

I stopped moving, trying to make myself run away. I succeeded and I ran away again, but the farther away I was, the more I ached to go back. The more distance I put between me and her, the more it hurt. I pressed my hands on my temples, trying to force the pain away.

“You can’t refuse your imprint, Seth. I already tried to explain that to you,” Jacob said calmly as he came behind me. “The more you’re trying to get away, the harder it will be for you.”

“I didn’t want any of this!” I yelled at him. “I don’t want it! Why can’t I just undo it?!” I let my knees buckle and I fell on the ground, feeling devastated.

“Imprinting just happens, Seth. It’s not a choice. Because of this, I know there is a reason that we just have not discovered yet.”

“Well, I think that it’s unfair! Why would this damn thing happen to me?!”

“It’s like it happened with Sam, Seth. He never wanted to leave your sister. But after the imprint, he didn’t really have the choice. It was the only way it could happen.” I was still shaking my head, as if I could get the imprint out of myself. “It was like I always wished that this would happen to Bella and me... but after all, I imprinted on someone else. There’s a balance among these things.”

“And I just have to accept it?! It’s irrational! It’s unfair! It takes away your free will! I thought the whole purpose of imprinting was to not only find your other half, but to strengthen the species through procreation. Duh! Vampire females cannot have children… so how in the hell did this happen?!” I had a whole list of points that proved how wrong imprinting was. I never explored that option until now. Imprinting was supposed to be something rare. And half of the wolves that could phase in La Push had imprinted! What the hell was going on?! I could think of tons of stuff I would be able to do if it was before she came here. If that thing hadn’t gotten in the way. Now… I couldn’t even make myself walk if it was to be away from her.

“I understand how it makes you feel, Seth.”

“Do that damn research of yours,” I told him in a little voice, staring at the ground.

“What?”

“Do that research you wanted. Check if there is an explanation for my imprint, and when you realize that there isn’t, I will finally get out of here.”

“If I find no explanation.”

“No. When. There isn’t any sense in this. There is nothing to find. We can’t have a normal life, we can’t have children; there is no Happily Ever After for us!” He frowned and hit me softly on the back.

“Hold on, man. I’ll find something. And… Why don’t you talk to her in the meantime?” he suggested.

“It will just make the leaving part harder when I will have to leave…” I replied defeated. “How mad is Leah at me?”

“It doesn’t matter. She doesn’t have the right to be mad for any reason. I will go to the Rez, and see what I can find. Don’t sit there in the cold, kiddo. At least go somewhere warm,” were his last words before he sprinted away from me.

* * * * *

I was standing there, lost, for the next hours until night came.

If Jacob knew that I was in the Ranger’s cottage, Leah probably knew it too. I didn’t want to see her right now. I could almost see her in front of me, yelling and complaining about losing her brother now that I imprinted on a vampire… There were certain things that Leah was absolute with. She didn’t want to hear that Sam was somehow excused for leaving her to be with Emily, even though she knew that Emily was his imprint. She didn’t want to hear that vampires were nice. I had said it plenty of times before. She knew how much I liked Edward and Bella too, but imprinting on one… It would make her mad as hell. I should expect that she will explode when she sees me. That was why I wanted to postpone it as long as I could.

The Rez was out of question too. The elders could smell an imprint from miles away. And when the word reached Sam’s pack… and my mom… I couldn’t go there either.

So I went to the only place where neither Leah, nor anyone else from La Push – except Jacob – would come willingly. The Cullen’s place. I couldn’t believe that I would decide to go where she was, my Maggie, but I had nowhere else to go. I was hoping I could hide out in one of the rooms and avoid her too.

When I stood up, my feet were more than eager to lead me to the house. My heartbeat sped up out of excitement. No, no, no! I shouldn’t be excited. The imprint is wrong. I have nothing to be excited about!

As I tried – unsuccessfully – to make some sense of the wrong feeling that were overwhelming me, I reached the house.

“Hey, Seth,” Bella greeted me. Her eyes were still burgundy, but her expression was so un-newborn like. I remembered what wild, uncontrollable newborns looked like; I had seen my pack fighting them last year; but Bella was nothing like them. Her self-control was exceptional from the very beginning; so like Bella to be different than the normal anything.

“Hi, Bells.” I tried to put one of my careless, happy smiles on my face but found myself unable to do so.

“We haven’t seen you for a while. Where have you been?”

“I went back to La Push to run some errands for my mom,” I lied. “Can I crash here for the night? I am too tired to go back home right now.”

“Sure. You know that we’re more than happy to have you around. Are you sure that you can stand the smell?” She fake wrinkled her nose as she gave me a sweet smile. Renesmee came behind her and tugged her sleeve. Bella picked her up and placed her on her shoulders. Nessie giggled and placed both of her pale, tiny palms on Bella’s cheeks from behind. Bella laughed too, obviously at what Nessie had showed her.

“Hi, Sethieee!” Nessie said and waved at me.

“Nes– Uh, I mean Renesmee!” I saved it just before Bella would snap at me for using her daughter’s nickname. “How are you doing, baby girl?” She looked down at me with her big brown eyes, the ones that I was so used to see on Bella’s face. “Wow, Bells, she’s really grown since I last saw her! She looks so much like her mother.”

Bella’s smile fell and she nodded. “Yes. I know. She’s growing all the time.” She sighed and continued. “Seth is going to sleep here tonight, Renesmee.”

“Yay!” she cheered. “Can I show him the room?” she asked and bounced on Bella’s shoulders. “Please, please, please?”

“Alright,” Bella agreed. “Take him to daddy’s room. I bet he won’t mind.” She picked her daughter up and placed her on the floor and Nessie caught two of my fingers and pulled me along, and up the stairs excitedly.

“Goodnight, Seth. Sweet dreams!” I heard Bella shouting from down the stairs.

“Thanks, Bells! Night!”

Nessie stretched on her toes to reach the door handle and pushed the door open. In the meantime, I realized that the aching hadn’t eased up. I still felt that pull, but I knew that she wasn’t here.

“Nessie?” I followed her inside the room and sat on the bed. She came and sat on my lap, grinning. “Where are your vampire friends? The ones that are staying here?”

She giggled and placed her warm, tiny palm on my face, showing me. I could see a forest, and deer. And someone pale attacking it. Translation: They’re out hunting. Little did Nessie know that they weren’t hunting animals though. She might think that their red eyes are normal, because her mother’s eyes are like that too. And she is indeed hunting animals. So, she wasn’t here. She was somewhere hunting. Somewhere killing someone.

Seth, that isn’t normal! You can’t have imprinted on a vampire! Especially one who kills humans! Another reason why this… Will. Not. Work! She kills humans, who I have sworn to protect!

“Thanks, Ness,” I said and kicked away my shoes.

“Sethieee? Can I sleep with you? Jakey isn’t here and I don’t want to be alone in my room.” She had such an adorable look on her face that I just couldn’t say no. But I could at least make her get her parents’ permission. I wouldn’t like to get myself on Bella or Edward’s list of “People I Want To Behead”. I chuckled at the thought.

“Why don’t you go ask your mommy first? I’ll be right here so you can tell me what she said about it,” I encouraged her.

She nodded and with her long curls bouncing behind her, she left the room. I lay down on the bed that was way more comfortable than the one in the Ranger’s cottage and instantly felt relaxed for the first time in days. I closed my eyes, wondering where she might be. Not hunting. I couldn’t imagine that. She might be just walking around, enjoying the night air… Before I knew it, my daydream turned into a real dream as I sank deeper into unconsciousness. I really was exhausted. 

* * * * *

I could see colors. Leaves and flowers in every color you could imagine. Red and orange parrots, green lizards, colorful butterflies…

What the…?

I took a closer look. I could hear someone laughing. I made my way through the jungle until I reached the river. Jacob was there. And Renesmee. Jacob was chasing that little girl all over the clearing. I grinned and then realized that this couldn’t be my dream! I don’t dream of my Alpha and his imprint and a colorful jungle!

I jumped up on the bed, looking around frantically. I heard a little sound as a hand plopped on the mattress and someone next to me changed sides. Renesmee.

Jee… The girl slept here after all and pulled me into her dream. Nice!

She was curled with a pink blanket on my side. She stirred and tugged her hand under the covers. She was showing me her dreams. I shook my head and smiled. That might have been the purest and most innocent thing I have dreamt in ages.

I stood up carefully, making sure I wouldn’t move Nessie. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep like this. And she was dreaming of Jacob. The man got his imprint all right. Which reminded me of mine… What was I supposed to do about this?

I paced back and forth in the room for a while until I decided I should take a walk. I put on my shoes and tiptoed out of the room, closing the door behind me as quietly as possible as to not wake Ness. Bella was in front of me in the blink of an eye.

“Seth? What’s wrong? Is Renesmee alright?”

“Nes– Um, Renesmee is fine. She’s sleeping. I just wanted some air, that’s all.”

She nodded. “I know that you call her Nessie when I’m not around, you know.” She put her hands on her hips and half smiled.

“Of course. But you don’t like it. Tryin’ to be respectful and all.”

“I don’t.”

“That’s why I don’t call her that in front of you.” I chuckled and flew down the stairs. “See you later, Bells. Thanks for everything.”

The cold, night air felt good on my face. But the pull was back. I was too tired to resist it. That was the bad thing with the comfortable beds… They feel so good that you never feel like you rested enough. I could sooo sleep more in that bed! I didn’t really realize where I was going; I was just following some course through the forest, something that I couldn’t recognize but yet, it was as if I had a map of it planned out already in my brain.

I was following her scent. It was all over the trail. How hadn’t I noticed that before? It was filling my nostrils and felt as intoxicating as a drug. I couldn’t get enough. Which might sound pretty twisted since Leah and everyone else from the pack insisted that vampires stink. Were the guys delusional? Were they using it as an excuse to stay away from each other? Vampires smelled perfectly fine to me. Well, there was a small burning, a small pinch as if I was smelling alcohol, but I had grown so used to it that it was almost unnoticeable. Renesmee didn’t have that alcohol smell at all. Maybe Jake didn’t smell to Ness after all.

I reached a part of the woods where they weren’t as dense and filled with trees as the rest. There was some kind of a small waterfall and a deer was drinking water by the shore. I stopped in my tracks, almost holding my breath. I came here because that’s where she was. She had to be here.

And just then from the shadows, she emerged, stalking behind the deer in a hundred percent predator mode looking more beautiful than I could have imagined.

Maggie’s POV:

I still couldn’t believe that I was even thinking of trying this! Hunting animals! Well, the Cullen’s seemed to get along just fine with that crazy habit of theirs, but I wasn’t made from that material. I liked human blood. Even if it removed one life at the time, it was the price I had to pay for being a vampire. I had dealt with that many years ago, when I was changed and accepted it or so I thought. So why all of a sudden did I feel the need to try that insane theory that Carlisle and Tanya have been practicing in their clans?

I knew how much Siobhan respected Carlisle and how important as a friend he was to her, but even she didn’t share his views when it came to the “vegetarian” diet. Vampires were made to hunt humans, one way or another, that’s the way it was, is and will always be, right?

Yet, here I was, pretending to have hunted a human on the limits of Washington State (The Cullen’s especially asked us to hunt out of the State) and pretending I wanted to take a walk so I could try this crazy idea! Why would I want to change my lifestyle since the rest of my coven wasn’t intending to do so? What was going on with me? I was in a constant state of uneasiness and confusion, like I was waiting for something… or someone.

I tried to pretend that the animal was a human. That little, poor deer wasn’t half as appealing as the homeless guy I came across on our last hunting trip was. Poor thing. Okay, at least I’m doing an act of kindness and am sparing a human’s life. Yay, Maggie, congratulations. Now will you focus, girl?

I started thinking of the positives of hunting animals. One: No need to hide the body. Two: No need to seduce it in a dark corner. Yeah, I could go on and on and on… but instead, I focused on my target; that petite deer that was drinking water. I tried to leave out the thoughts of how much worse it would taste compared to my usual human blood fix and leaped forward. Before the poor animal could see what had gotten it, my teeth were locked on his neck and I was drinking greedily. I hadn’t hunted for two weeks, which was a record for me. I usually hunted after the first week or I lost it completely around humans. But with no human around since we got to the Cullen’s there was no such issue and I wanted to be really hungry before I attempted my first kill. The deer kicked and twitched, trying to release itself from my grip; in vain. Soon, it fell limp and grew still as I sucked it dry.

I pulled it a little away from the shore and threw the body in the trees, out of habit to cover my tracks. I licked my lips and shrugged off the wrong taste that it had. I could live on it, even if it wasn’t the same, and I wasn’t fully sated. I needed some more.

I closed my eyes, letting my senses take over and searching for the closest heartbeat. I finally spotted something on the other side of the waterfall, behind some trees. I knew that heartbeat… This tup-tup, tup-tup… I had heard it before. That wolf… the one who was looking at me the other day when we arrived. I was still wondering if he was a werewolf like that Jacob guy or just an animal. The way he was looking at me the other day… That look was too intelligent for him to be just an animal… and I thought they were such pretty eyes.  Not wild, but sweet and sensitive. What the heck girl… it was a wolf! Get a grip... you must be hungry!

His heart was pounding inside his chest and the sound was more than inviting. I felt pulled towards him. But a small voice inside my head reminded me that I was still thirsty. For some reason, I knew that I had to keep myself away from him until my thirst was sated. I slowly and carefully took some steps back and then ran deeper inside the forest, searching for my next meal. I spotted a cougar, which seemed like it was also hunting. Unfortunately this hunter would become my prey tonight. I leapt forward and to my surprise the cougar spun around, trying to scratch me. A fighter! More fun!

This is going to be harder than the deer… I thought and caught its leg, slamming it to the ground.

It was struggling to escape and I felt its claws digging into my skin as I bit down on its neck. It struggled to push me away but its hits got weaker and weaker as I sucked the life out of it. Its blood was better than the deer’s even if it wasn’t as good as a human’s would be. I would have to remember that. Carnivores taste much better. 

A sound made me let go of the dead animal and turn around to see where it came from. There was nothing there, but I could hear the wolf’s heartbeat. A shadow moved through the trees and I got on my feet, speeding up to reach the unknown figure.

I finally reached whoever this was and caught his wrist. Not a wolf. But the heartbeat was definitely his. A shapeshifter.

“Um… Sorry… I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said avoiding my eyes. His back was still half turned at me.

I let go of his hand. It was warm, burning like the other shapeshifters, but it sent shivers down my spine. “It’s okay. I mean, you didn’t scare me. Just… surprised me is more like it.”

I started observing him from head to toe. Beautiful, tanned skin, well built body, the muscles on his chest were visible from the shirt and black hair. He was wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, which looked really wrong for this weather. I’d expect at least a pair of jeans.

“I’m… I’m Maggie.” I offered my hand for him to shake but he kept staring at the ground.

“Seth.” He stretched his hand, just a little, but then pulled it back again. He seemed as if he was struggling with something. Was he afraid of me?

I crooked my head to my left, trying to take a better look at his face. The darkness of the night wasn’t a problem for my vampire vision, his refusal to face me though was. I could hear his heart beating even faster than before. I let my hand drop to my side.

“Nice to meet you.” I heard a loud thunder and then it started pouring down, but Seth, didn’t seem to notice. “Um… It’s raining.”

“Yes. And?”

“Maybe we should go somewhere dry?” I suggested. He nodded in agreement and led me somewhere, but it wasn’t towards the Cullen’s house. “Where are we going?” I asked. He was running but I didn’t have a problem keeping up with him. Actually, I could run way faster than this.

“There’s a Ranger cottage close. It’s closer than the Cullen’s house.”

I didn’t reply and I wasn’t nervous, well not afraid at least. That other shapeshifter, Jacob, had explained plenty of things about their kind to me when I asked. Werewolves were the vampire’s enemies. They killed each other. They smelled repulsive to each other. It hurt just touching each other. Out of curiosity, I had asked to touch Jacob to see it myself. It was true. Their skin was burning hot. If touching a human was making heat spread through my body, touching a werewolf was like flames were licking my skin. And the smell… These dogs were stinking. That was a fact. I was known for my curiosity and that time – like many others – my curiosity had gotten the best of me and I sat and heard stories about those wolves even if it meant that I had to put up with that smell.

This one wasn’t like that though. He didn’t stink at all. It was quite peculiar. I was wondering if the fact that my last meal was an animal was to blame for me not finding his scent repulsive.

We reached a small cottage and he held the door for me. When I stepped in, I realized that not more than four people could stand in here. There was a chair thrown on the floor in front of a small iron bed. I picked up the chair and placed it neatly by the desk in the corner. I ran a hand over the desk removing the dust and sat on it. Seth was standing awkwardly by the still open door.

“You’ll get wet if you keep standing there,” I observed with a slight chuckle.

“Oh… Yes, you’re right.” He stepped inside hesitantly and sat on the corner of the bed, as far as he could get from me in this small room.

“Can I ask you something?” I asked, trying to get a better look at his face.

“Yeah. Anything,” he murmured.

“Alright. So, you’re not human. You’re one of those wolf people, right?”

He lifted his head curiously, observing my face. And I got the chance to get a real good look at his too. He had big brown eyes, just like the ones of the wolf. He might have been muscular but he was young. Maybe a bit older than I was when I was changed… Cute guy. He half smiled. I liked his smile.

“Sure I am. How do you know?”

“I think I saw you when I first came here. As a wolf?”

He nodded and looked away again. “I remember that, when you went to get something from the car.”

“Yes, I can’t live without my MP3 player. I had to kill my time somehow.” I loved listening to music. Siobhan couldn’t understand my love for that little black thing. She was way more than three centuries older than me and modern technology other than the cell phone and microwave did nothing for her.

“How do you like it here?” he asked, playing nervously with his fingers.

“It’s nice. Well, it’s… rainy,” I admitted and peeked out of the door that was still open. The sound of thunder echoed in my ears.

“Do you like the rain?” He kicked away his shoes and crossed his legs on the bed. He looked so huge on that tiny bed. And he made the whole cottage look so small.

“Depends on my mood. I’m mostly used to it. It rains a lot in Ireland too.”

“Hmm… Nice.”

“Am I making you uncomfortable? With the scent and all… I was talking with another one like you and he said… Well, that vampires stink as much to you as you stink to us.” I bit my lip to hide a smile.

“Are you trying to say that I stink?”

I couldn’t keep myself from smiling any longer. I chuckled and shook my head. “No. You, for some odd reason, smell pretty good.” Like peppermint and sage and the scent is driving me crazy in that small little room… “I blame it on feeding on animal blood. I haven’t done it before, I suppose that this is what is messing my usually keen senses,” I added quickly and hid my dreamy look with my hair.

“Funny. The Cullen’s never were like that.” He scooted across the bed and came closer, at least closer than he was before. “You’re funny. Most vampires ignore us. Or they attack.”

“You seem interesting. How will I hear what there is to be told if I kill you?” I said it before I realized what I was thinking. Embarrassed, I placed a hand over my mouth and looked shyly down.

“So I can live as long as I have something interesting to say?” he asked, grinning now as well.

“That wasn’t exactly how I meant it…” I apologized. “I don’t kill people for no reason. It’s weird. I mean, I haven’t even gotten used to the whole ‘I kill to live’ concept yet.”

“How long has it been since you’ve changed?” he asked while he tried to make himself comfortable on the bed. The poor thing complained and squealed under his massive body.

“Five years. It’s not too long. I’m glad I found a coven to take me in. I don’t even want to remember how I was when they first found me. I was thinking about blood all the time.”

He nodded. “We fought a newborn army last year. They were all fighting just to see who would get Bella, the prize, first. It isn’t a pretty sight.”

I shook my head in agreement. “No, it’s not.”

“And how old were you then?”

“Fifteen. Had I been attacked a little later, I would be sixteen. I was just a month away from my sixteenth birthday.”

“Hey, I’m almost sixteen. Well, in a few months.” He gave me a warm smile. He looked so comfortable around me now, when just moments ago he wouldn’t even look at me in the woods.

“It’s pretty lame that I’m stuck at almost sixteen.”

“Nah…” he murmured. Warning bells rang inside my head and I knew he was lying.

“You are thinking it is lame too,” I objected.

“Am not!” There go the bells again. “It’s fine, I suppose, not much different than changing at twenty or thirty and so on…”

“You still find it lame though.”

“Yes,” he admitted. “Just a little though.”

“Never got to finish school, or go to college.”

“Why didn’t you enroll? The Cullen’s do it… all the time.”

“The Cullen’s drink animal blood. They have self control around humans. I get hungry and I don’t know what I might do.” His look darkened and he looked down at his hands again. “Um, if you don’t want to talk about it, it’s okay; I understand.”

“No, no. I am used to it. I have been hanging out with the Cullen’s a lot. Vampires are nice when they aren’t trying to kill you, actually.”

I chuckled and shyly peeked at him. I knew that if I were still human my face would be as red as my hair right now. “Good to know that you see it that way.” For a while, we were just smiling at each other and I was still trying to hide the dreamy look I had every time our eyes met. Then we just talked about anything and everything we could possibly talk about just to keep hearing each other’s voice.

 Seth’s POV:

“It stopped raining,” Maggie noticed.

The downpour had stopped a long time ago but since she hadn’t brought it up, I preferred to ignore that fact. It just felt so good being near her. It was as if there was some invisible force pulling me to her. It was as if I was her satellite and she was my planet, keeping me in her orbit.

“I know,” I answered. “Do you want to go back?” Please say no, please say no.

She shook her head. “No. But we can’t stay here forever now, can we?” A giggle escaped her lips. “Everyone will start worrying. Besides, I left my cell phone back at the house, so there is no way of letting them know I am okay. Siobhan will send out an army looking for me if she doesn’t hear from me soon.”

My face fell, but I knew that she was right. I nodded and stood up. The ceiling was so low that my head almost touched it. That little thing was obviously not made for someone my size.

“Wow. You look huge in here,” she said and stretched up on her toes trying to reach me. She barely made it to my nose. I grinned and looked at her. She pushed her lips stubbornly together and climbed back on the desk and stood up on it. An adorable smile showed on her face and she placed her hands on her hips. “See? I knew there was some way to reach you!”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re funny.”

“I will take that as a compliment,” she said playfully and landed gracefully on the ground. “Hmmm, I really think that this animal blood is messing with me.”

“Why?” I asked worried. No, no, no, Seth! No! You shouldn’t worry about her, imprint or not! She’s a vampire, it was a mistake! You will be away from her soon! The thought of leaving her soon, or anytime even in the far future, made my heart ache. I didn’t know what else I was supposed to do though… This relationship couldn’t have a happy ending. It would never fit into the boundaries of “realistic”. And I didn’t know if we could be together in any way. Just touching her would cause her pain!

“Think I’m feeling a little dizzy.” She played with her eyelashes and the look on her face was just irresistible. I knew that vampires couldn’t get dizzy and that animal blood wasn’t affecting them much differently than human blood did somewhere deep inside my head, but at the moment, I’d do anything my imprint asked me to. I was even shutting out that stupid, extremely rational, annoying, Leah-like voice that kept reminding me the impossibility of the situation every five seconds.

“I could… carry you…” I offered and instantly regretted it. She will hurt, you idiot! The rational voice broke onto the surface again. “But I… I’m not sure. Usually vampires don’t like touching… my kind. It tends to actually hurt them.”

She bit her lip and took several steps closer to me, almost taking my breath away. She smelled wonderful. Like white sage… That scent of hers in such a small room was driving me insane. I gazed into those pools of deep red and I had no idea what she might do, but I was ready and willing to do whatever she wanted.

And to my surprise and elation, she just reached out and placed her hand on top of mine.

She felt cold, but not too cold. It was bearable… No. It was actually pleasant. I really liked her touch. No! What? Seth, are you nuts? V-A-M-P-I-R-E! Don’t forget! I mentally frowned at what that rational voice reminded me. But what about her? Her expression hadn’t changed and she hadn’t stopped staring right into my eyes not even for a single second, like only a vampire could. Was I hurting her?

“You’re warm, really warm.” she said, sounding breathless.

“So I’ve heard,” was all I managed. Stupid sounding much?

She ran a finger across my palm, all the way to my fingers. I shivered and she pulled away. “Sorry, I must be freezing to you,” she apologized.

“No, not at all. You’re cold. But nice cold,” I added. What the heck is nice cold? Could I sound any more stupid?

“You’re warm. But nice warm,” she said smiling. “So, I guess that this means that carrying me isn’t a problem?” There went that irresistible look again and I melted.

I nodded and picked her up, bridal style, trying to touch as little exposed skin as I could. It wasn’t easy. She was wearing a strapless knee long dress that hugged her body perfectly and… left a lot of skin exposed. I tried to hold her as carefully as I could… She looked just so small and fragile when I knew she was anything but that.

“Um… Seth? I am not a human. I don’t break that easily,” she reminded me, almost as if she could read my thoughts.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” And with that, I ran through the woods. When we reached the Cullen’s house I put her down, before the trees ended and everyone could see if they were happened to be standing by a window.

“Thanks,” she said and hugged me. Her gesture took me by surprise. Deciding to leave her was becoming harder and harder…

“Don’t worry about it. Are you feeling any better?”

“Much. Thanks, Seth. And… could I ask a favor?”

I resisted saying “Anything” like I had before and decided to keep my mouth shut and just nod.

“Please, don’t talk to anyone about the… um… animal blood thing.” She lowered her voice so that I was the only one who could hear her.

“Of course. But why?”

“I am not sure my coven will approve… And it’s something that I probably should keep to myself for now. I don’t know what they will think about it… You know what I mean…?”

“Yes.” I understood far better than she could imagine. How could I explain my imprint to my pack? To my tribe? Sam would be furious. Leah too. How could I face all those people on the Rez? My people… A wolf, a protector of humans, imprinted on his worst enemy… I didn’t even dare to phase. I could just wait for Jacob to return. A little hope sparked inside me. Maybe there was some way for this to work after all…

“Won’t you come in?” she asked as she reached the front door.

“No. I think I will sit here for a bit.”

* * * * *

I sat on the porch all night long, gazing at the stars and pondering my situation. When the sun came up and the sky turned light blue, I was still sitting there. Esme had come once to check on me and ask if I was hungry but other than that, I was left alone.

“Seth!” Jacob shouted as he ran towards me from the forest. He looked out of breath, but had an oddly excited look on his face.

“Did you find something?” I sounded more hopeful than I wanted to show.

“Sure. Lots of stuff. I talked with my dad and Sue and Quil’s grandpa…”

“And?” I asked impatiently.

“There are legends. This has happened before.” He paused, waiting for my reaction. I nodded, still in shock. “It was one generation before Ephraim made the treaty with the Cullen’s. There was a wolf in our pack… Nobody remembered the name because he was erased from all written evidence such as family trees. He and some other wolves were chasing after a vampire whose scent they caught near a beach. Quil Ateara is sure that it was First Beach. He, that wolf, reached her before the others, but just before he got to tear her to pieces their eyes met and… you get the rest. He let her go and said that she escaped but the truth was still in his head so his pack saw.”

“Did he follow her?” I asked, fascinated by the legend.

“I don’t know… He spoke with the Elders and they decided that he wasn’t capable of protecting the tribe and that this imprint was an abnormality they could not tolerate. They spared his life but he had to leave the Quileute land in exchange. Banished.” He fell silent.

I was stunned. How could they? One of their own people! And just then, I realized that I just heard what was to come for me. My own fate wouldn’t be much different than this man’s. They’d send me away when they found out.

“There is something more you have to know…” he continued. “It is said that he was a brother of your great-great-grandfather.” I let his words sink in. It had happened before. To my own family…

“Did you tell them about me?” I asked worriedly.

“No. I said that I was trying to figure out my imprint to Nessie.”

I nodded but still felt crushed by his findings. “So this thing is a dead end.”

“Don’t be such a pessimist! We aren’t our ancestors. We won’t do what they did. Where did our optimistic Seth go?!”

Ignoring his questions I told him about the night. “I went for a walk in the woods and accidentally found her hunting. We sat and talked. You were right. Imprinting isn’t easy to resist to.”

“You finally got it, kiddo.” He patted me on the shoulder. “It will work out. Trust me.”

Maggie’s POV:

Almost a week had passed and I hadn’t seen him again. It was as if he had vanished. He never showed up again, neither at the Cullen’s place nor in the woods. I searched everywhere, even the Ranger cottage but even his scent had begun fading from there.

Jacob, every time I asked, said that Seth was just busy and that he was helping with the pack, but I knew he was lying. The warning bells rang inside my head before he even got the words out. He wouldn’t tell me though what was going on. I had heard Seth and Jacob talking outside the house, that same day that Seth found me hunting. They were discussing about some odd Indian legend and a relative of Seth’s. I didn’t understand much of it though. That was the last time I heard his voice. And honestly? I could see how crazy it all sounded, but I missed him terribly. I wanted to see his smile and hear his voice so badly it was driving me crazy. What the heck was happening to me? Was it the animal blood? Somehow, I knew that was not it, but what, I had no idea and nobody wasn’t giving me any answers.

Today, after Eleazar had realized that Bella was a shield that she could probably practice on her gifts to protect others, some yellow-eyed vampires from Alaska were helping her. A vampire called Kate, kept zapping Bella’s mate and she tried shielding him. I was watching from a window inside the house. Others were surrounding me, all trying to get a good view from the window.

That Alistair vampire was pissing the hell out of me. He kept going on and on about what would happen when the Volturi showed up and he just wouldn’t stop! After half an hour of constantly hearing his ramblings, I decided that looking at Bella practicing her gift wasn’t worth standing next to a delirious old madman.

I sighed and pushed my way out of the vampires that were almost pressing their noses against the glass and exited the room. Let them enjoy the madman. Without me!

I was thinking again about Seth. I just couldn’t get his face out of my head all week. What was wrong with me? After five years of being a vampire, I felt strong feelings for someone. And who? A werewolf! I probably shouldn’t say that I have strong feelings for him. I don’t even know him… but yet, I do. There was no denying it any longer. 

I feel like I do, I objected inside my head.

I hated my mind when it put me in such dilemmas. Why couldn’t I just let go of him? I wanted him happy. He was better off without a stinking vampire. I bet he was just being nice when he said I was cold but in a nice way. I didn’t feel like he was lying, but there was no other explanation. He must have been. We’re different species, made to kill each other. Not fall in love…

How is it then that I daydream about him with the first chance?

Oh, shut up! I kept wondering if having such talks with myself was healthy. Was I going mental? Crazy? Insane? Crazy in love!

Maybe some hunting would get my head off of my worries. I ran downstairs and ran out of the back door. The Cullen’s with their yellow-eyed friends and those exotic, Amazonian vampires were on the side of the house.

“Nessie?” I heard Kate ask. “Would you like to help your mother?”

“No,” Bella half-snarled. “Absolutely not, Kate.”

I heard light footsteps on the grass. Renesmee. “But, momma, I want to help,” she said with her little sweet voice. I didn’t stand there to hear more though and rushed into the forest.

Running was always a rush since I became an immortal vampire. Better than the scariest rollercoaster, better than bungee jumping from the highest bridge. It was something no human could experience. It was a vampires-only privilege.

I emptied my head and switched to predator mode. I was getting used to hunting animals and much less messy too. I never even let the animals strike back like that cougar the first night. And the taste… it was growing on me. It would never be as good as humans, but I could live with my conscious being clearer. Thankfully, nobody hadn’t suspected anything. My eyes were still scarlet, though I worried how long they would stay that way. Bella’s still were, so I was confident I had some time.

I had also discovered that Seth was right about the animal blood. It didn’t affect any of my senses. Jacob was still the same, burning hot, stinking dog, no matter how nice I thought he was being with me. It wasn’t because of the elk, or deer, or cougar or any other animal that I couldn’t catch a doggish smell on Seth or that his touch wasn’t burning. It was hot, really hot, but it felt good. Like I had been lying in the sun for too long, but not long enough to get a sunburn.

I realized that I was standing still again, thinking of Seth. I smiled and started hunting.

Seth’s POV:

I hadn’t dared to go near the Cullen’s place again. Not near Maggie, not near Leah, and absolutely nowhere close to La Push. I knew I couldn’t have both family and imprint in my life. I didn’t want to leave my family. But I didn’t think that I could stay away from my imprint either. I loved Maggie with all my heart. I wanted to be with her. And I had decided that my life could take only one possible turn. My imprint. She was my life, no matter what anyone would think about that. I finally made my decision and there was no turning back.

I could just do one thing. Talk to her. Tell her the whole story. She was my imprint and she deserved the truth. As I reached the house, I could hear talking.

“Can I have a minute?” Bella asked, sounding… tired. Like drained. What was going on?

I approached the side of the house where the Denali coven and many other vampires were gathered near Bella, Renesmee and Edward. A sandy haired vampire approached Kate from the Denali coven. “Kate,” he said.

“I wouldn’t, Garrett,” Edward warned him, apparently seeing some really bad idea forming inside the sandy haired vampire’s head.

Garrett continued toward Kate, still confident, his lips pursed in speculation. “They say you can put a vampire flat on his back.” Oh, I wouldn’t either then, Garrett!

“Yes,” she agreed. Then, with a sly smile, she wiggled her fingers playfully at him. “Curious?”

Garrett shrugged. “That’s something I’ve never seen. Seems like it might be a bit of an exaggeration. . . .”

“Maybe,” Kate said, her face suddenly serious. “Maybe it only works on the weak or the young. I’m not sure. You look strong, though. Perhaps you could withstand my gift.” She stretched her hand out to him, palm up, inviting him to give it a try. Her lips twitched, forming not quite a smile, but something close.

Garrett grinned at the challenge. Very confidently, he touched her palm with his index finger. Kate’s expression showed that she was concentrating and seconds later Garrett gasped, and his head crashed against a big piece of granite. I turned my look away from the sight, and scanned for Maggie. She wasn’t here. I looked up at the vampires who were curiously peeking from the windows, but she wasn’t there either. I couldn’t sense her. Had she left?

Carlisle, Edward and Bella with Renesmee in her hands, went inside the house soon after Garrett was back on his feet. I leaned against the wall, observing the vampires but keeping a safe distance, trying not to get in their way. To my surprise, one of the vampires from Denali walked towards me, showing that he wanted to talk. He had black hair and I wasn’t absolutely sure, but I thought that his name was Eleazar. I had seen him at Bella’s wedding before, though we didn’t talk then.

Oh uh… Does he know about the imprint?

“Hi. I believe we haven’t spoke before, have we?” he inquired, offering his hand for me to shake, in a way that not many vampires offer their hand to a werewolf.

“No,” I agreed and shook his hand. “I’m Seth.”

“Eleazar.” He looked down at our hands and a weird smile showed on his face. “Fascinating,” he murmured.

“What is?” I asked as we started pacing around, now that the crowd started becoming less and less dense in the yard.

“Your talent.”

“My… what?”

“Oh, I suppose I should mention that I can tell what other’s talents are. And yours is… Well, I haven’t seen anything like that before.”

“You don’t.” I wasn’t exactly asking; more like showing how little he had convinced me of the fact that I might have a talent. Humans had talents. If they became vampires they would develop even more. My kind didn’t have any.

“Well, it might not have been useful to everyone, but to you… I believe it must be extremely convenient, especially with being around the Cullen’s so much.”

“What exactly are you talking about? I have no talent,” I objected. I thought I had seen crazy vampires after this psycho, Victoria, and her nut-newborn army, but this was a whole new kind of crazy.

“You honestly don’t know about it?”

“Haven’t you realized yet, I don’t have any…don’t believe you. Got it?” I asked angrily. I thought I had already made that obvious. Why was I being so belligerent? It was so not like me until she came into my world and turned it upside down!

“Hmmm… Wow, I believe I would have noticed if I were like… um… you.”

“So, will you explain to me what all these crazy things you’re talking about are, and how they pertain to me exactly?”

“Sure, sure. It’s your gift after all.” He paused for a while, looking around us, which was really beginning to bug me. He sparked my interest and now he was just taking his time before explaining to me what kind of freaking gift I knew nothing of I might have!

“I am not sure about how I should… hmm… explain this. As I told you already, I have never seen anything like your gift before.”

“Try,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

“The best way to give a summary of it is that you’re ‘vampire friendly’,” he said, pushing his lips together thoughtfully.

“I’m what?!” I fought to hold my laughter back.

“I warned you, I have no idea how I am supposed to describe this. It’s like there is some kind of shield around you, keeping the intense dog smell and the extreme heat from disturbing vampires. And I believe that the same shield is keeping you from being bothered by our scent and cold skin.”

I widened my eyes in surprise. That changed everything. Maggie wasn’t lying after all. She wasn’t burned when she touched me. I didn’t stink to her. It wasn’t the animal blood or anything else. Not even the imprint’s magic. It was my talent. “Wow,” was all I managed to spit out.

He nodded.

“You have no idea how much that just made my day!” I left him standing there and ran inside the house. The back door was left open and I could catch her scent around the kitchen. I might not smell bad to her, but she certainly smelled wonderful to me. Where was she? Had she gone away? She must be upstairs!

The sounds of talking grew louder as I got closer to the room where all the vampires were. They weren’t staring out of the window with their noses pressed against the glass anymore, since there was nothing to see, but they were talking. I passed in front of the half open door of the room packed with vampires and ran to the end of the corridor where the small guest room was that I knew Maggie had settled into and was using as a place for her stuff. 

I had seen her a couple of times, sitting by the window, listening to music or reading a book. And her scent, her intoxicating scent that made my head light and put a smile on my face for no reason in particular, was all over the place. But…Maggie wasn’t here.

“Seth. Thank God, I found you here!” Jacob said, walking in.

“Jake… Hey. What were you looking me for?”

“Seth, you shouldn’t give up on the girl! It would just be wrong!”

“Jacob, I–” He didn’t let me finish.

“No, let me finish.” Okayyyyy… “So, internet is a brilliant thing. You can’t believe what I found. I searched in the Rez’s records for the name of that wolf… The files were old and the info was really inaccurate, but I found out that his name is Ethan. And there is some Ethan Clearwater living on another small reservation several miles to the north of Seattle. It must be him! I found a picture of him and he’s just… He looks so much like your father and…”

“Jacob. Jacob, breathe! Man, what happened? Caffeine overdose or something? I’m not going to leave Maggie. I’ll be here for her, no matter what. That’s why I came here. But she’s not here right now. Probably hunting… I can’t live without her. I am going to tell her about the imprint. She has to know… and then she can choose for herself… If she rejects me… Well, I will have to accept it.” I wasn’t sure if I really meant these last words that came out of my mouth. I knew she was meant to be with me. She was my other half… But… I couldn’t get my hopes up, not yet. Not until she knew and understood the whole truth. It would just make rejection harder to deal with.

“You are?”

“Yes. I can’t go anywhere, Jacob. I’m bound to her.”

“About time you realized it. Hey, you have to go and find Ethan. He might know things that will help you. And since he’s still alive, he’s obviously still phasing.”

“What? How haven’t we heard his thoughts then?”

“Seth, all of his pack are long gone. He isn’t a member of my pack, or Sam’s. That’s why.”

“Hmm, you have a point,” I agreed. “I found out something else too, Jacob.”

“Me too. Ethan had…” I cut him off. I couldn’t keep myself from telling someone much longer.

“I have a talent.”

“That’s what I was going to say about Ethan,” he half choked trying to get his words out in his excitement. “Somehow he could stand the vampire smell and not find it repulsing at all.”

“That’s the same thing with me,” I explained.

“Wow, you two are surely related.”

“I have to see him. I have to find him, Jacob. Is he with that vampire? Is he with his imprint?”

“I don’t know. I couldn’t find anything about her. But… Look what I have here…” He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and waved it in the air. I reached out and took it. There was some address on it. Ethan’s address.

“Thanks,” I said to him. “I think I should go now and find him.”

“Wait… You were going to find the girl first, right?” he asked.

“Yes…?”

“I think you should find her first. And tell her.”

“But I’m not sure if…”

“You’re not sure, but if things didn’t go right with Ethan and this vampire imprint of his you will think it’s going to be the same with you and Maggie. But no one can guarantee this. You need to get her first, and let her make her decision.”

I knew he was right. I knew that if Ethan had nothing good to say, I’d try my hardest, no matter how bad it made me feel, to stay away from Maggie. She was the one I had to talk to first. And then, I’d get to meet my great-great-granduncle.

I closed my fist with the small paper in it, nodded and rushed out into the woods, running as fast as I could, as if I was running for my life.  Maybe because I was?  Maggie was now my life, if she would have me.

Maggie’s POV:

The taste of animal blood was something that still wasn’t completely welcome in my system. Once, when I was dangerously near to some human hikers, I almost attacked one of them. So, I ran even deeper into the woods, away from any wandering hikers. It wasn’t until much later, that I realized where my feet had ultimately brought me.

I was standing in front of the cottage. Our cottage. Or at least that was how I wanted to remember it. I felt better when I thought that Seth would appear again, and we might hang out in there. Yeah, that was probably just wishful thinking; the guy probably wouldn’t like me even if I wasn’t a vampire. He was just too hot to notice a girl like me.

Without giving it much thought, I pushed the door open and stepped in. Seth’s scent still clung in the air. It was really faint, but it was there. The mattress had a small dent where he was sitting the last time we were here together; who knew how old it might be. I walked to it and sat there, pulling the sheets over my head, although I wasn’t cold. It had been five years since I had last felt the cold biting my skin.

I lay there, daydreaming about Seth. His eyes, his thick hair and tan skin. A while later, the sound of footsteps through the forest floor brought me back on my feet. I stood in front of the now closed door, listening. I couldn’t help the smile that formed on my face as I recognized the heartbeat. Seth.

It took most of my willpower not to jump out of the cottage and run right into him. I could feel that weird pull again, as if his body was somehow calling mine. And I didn’t want to resist. His heartbeat was calling me. His everything was calling me. My hand was on the handle, almost forgotten, as if I didn’t know why I put it there in the first place. I finally decided that I should open the door, and placed a smile on my face. Or maybe the smile hadn’t left since I recognized that it was him on the other side of the door.

The door opened slowly, creaking as it did so, which added to the dramatic effect, and my already frazzled nerves couldn’t handle it right now. Someone pulled the door to open completely on the other side of the door and whatever I was going to say seemed stuck on the tip of my tongue.

“Maggie,” he breathed out, his expression identical to mine.

“Hey,” I said, taking a step back to let him in, although I just wanted to take several steps forward, and touch him, just to make sure he was really there.

He walked in, accepting my silent invitation. I could sense he was happy about something. His heart was beating faster than normal, or he might be just nervous. It was contagious. I was so nervous that were I still human, my palms would be sweating.

“I haven’t seen you for a while,” he said.

Yeah, as if I didn’t know. I was practically counting the seconds!

“You haven’t,” I agreed.

He remained silent for a while. It wasn’t exactly awkward but it wasn’t comfortable either. I couldn’t bring myself to move in any way; to sit, or even close the door.

“I was looking for you.”

“It shouldn’t have been hard to find me then. I’ve been at the Cullen’s almost all the time, up until a few hours ago.”

“I know,” he said, nodding. “I have something to tell you. You might hate me, and I won’t blame you if you do, but I really need to tell you.”

Okayyy… If it’s gonna get it out off your chest, I’m all ears. I nodded, curious at what he might say that could make me hate him. It wasn’t as if he was one of the people I knew best, but I could see that Seth wouldn’t even hurt a kitten. How could he do something that might create such feelings for him? And in addition to the feelings that were growing inside me for the last week for someone I barely knew, yet felt I had known forever…

“You might want to sit,” he suggested.

“I’m good standing,” I assured him.

“Um… It’s hard to explain. Wolves have… there’s something that happens to us, called imprinting.” Oh that sounds like the legend he and Jacob were talking about the other day! I nodded again, curiously waiting for what he had to say. “It’s like, they see their true love and they know it.”

“Sort of love at first sight?” I helped.

“No. More powerful. This person becomes their everything. They’d do anything to make her happy.”

“Okay, what does that have to do with me and why would that make me hate you?” I looked up at his eyes, and saw him gulping down nervously. His face told me what he couldn’t. It gave me the answer that I knew myself deep inside. My eyes widened in realization and all I could do was whisper, “Because I’m yours.”

I couldn’t look away, and he couldn’t either. He seemed scared, as if I had told him that I wanted to rip his head off or something. It all started clicking and I got to put the puzzle pieces together finally. The legend, why he was avoiding me, why he was so reluctant at touching me…

“You’re mad,” he whispered, searching for any signs of anger on my face. I knew he couldn’t find any.

“Seth… I…”

“I knew that this couldn’t work… I’m so sorry, Maggie. I shouldn’t even have told you. I promise I will not bother you anymore…” His shoulders slumped in defeat as he took some painfully slow steps towards the door. Almost as if he was struggling to do it.

What was he talking about? No! No! No, no, freaking no! Don’t even think about it, you’re not leaving, mister!

“Seth. Don’t go.” My voice sounded desperate, just like I felt. I reached out for his hand; I knew I wasn’t freezing him… somehow. “I want to be with you. I really like you… although I can’t even explain how this is happening. Stay. Please? Help me to understand why I am so drawn to you. Why every waking moment, and even my dreams, are filled with you and your scent. This is so new to me. Make me understand, Seth. I want to understand. ”

He turned around, but I couldn’t read his expression. He was staring at me and I couldn’t move, just stare back.

“That was your cue to kiss me, silly wolf,” I murmured and pulled his head to mine, bringing our lips together. They were hot, but they felt good. He was hesitant, barely touching me, as if I was some fragile porcelain doll. He cupped my face with his warm hands and I felt shivers through my whole body. His touch was electrifying me. “I won’t break, you know,” I assured him, reaching for his arm.

“I know,” he murmured back and his lips were on mine again, hungry and less gentle. I took several steps back, my hands never leaving his face, until we both fell on the bed and started laughing. Instinctively Seth stood up, afraid that he might crush me, and the bed squealed at the weight of us both. “I doubt that this bed will handle much more,” he said shyly and chuckled.

“You may be right,” I said, sitting up and looking at him.

“I am not sure if this is going to work,” he said sadly. I placed my palm on top of his and reached to give him a quick kiss.

“It will.”

“There’s someone in the family… He imprinted on a vampire many years ago. Jacob found that he is still alive. He’s somewhere near Seattle. I am going to find him. I need to talk to him.”

“We are going to find him. I’m coming with you.” I placed my forehead against his and smiled.

This was going to work out; I felt it in every fiber of my being. Our people, past and present be damned. Nothing could keep us apart.

I stood up, pulling him along, out of the cottage, towards the car. The keys were jingling inside my pocket.

“Where are we going?” he asked, catching up with me and kissing my cheek.

“To your relative. I wanna meet him. And his imprint.”

Yep. Everything was going to be alright.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Random Info: Alright, guys, random info time! I wanted to make Sethie appear like this, having that kind of "gift" for a long time now! It was the very first idea I had for a fan fiction! I was intending to write a fan fic called Into The Moonlight and worked on it, made lots of research and all, but I left it behind as I came up with new ideas. I wanted to start it again, but whenever I got back to my old notes, I realized how the story wasn't something as unique as I would like it to be and seemed like every idea I had about the world of Twilight had burst into the scene. I am not sad for leaving it behind me, although I love the characters still. 

Also Maggie is one of my favorite nomads. Go team redhead and all! *laughs* 

I worked some on the Quilette legend presented in the story and actually Seth's relative's name, Ethan, was chosen for my beloved Beta, Wendy, whose adorable grandson is named Ethan as well!

Another random fact! I was intending to write the whole story in Seth's point of view! I still have no idea why I got involved with Maggie's head! But I gotta admit it, I liked this back and forth between the heads of these two!

This was the very first one-shot I wrote, and I'm honestly considering writing more of it in the future! Not at the moment, I have to admit I have too many fan fics to work on at the moment, but it is in my to-do list!

Last but not least... The word limit for the contest was 15.000 words. When I finished the story, I had quite a hard time getting rid of the last 500something words to fit the kriteria. *chuckles* When I write something, it's not easy deciding to remove stuff! Hehehe!

So that's all folks! Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it! Leave some of your thoughts, and love if you want!

Hugs!

Nessie