Thank you for reading! And thank you to Stephanie Meyer for creating a truly enchanting story. The characters from the "Twilight" series belong to her; the alternate characters and universe I have created belong to me. If this first chapter doesn't grab you, I ask you to please give the others a chance. This is my first fanfic I've ever posted, and I very much appreciate your time reading my creation.

Chapter One: From Northport to Winthrop

She nervously tapped her toes on the dark gray carpeting of the waiting area. The chair was hard and uncomfortable, but she suddenly understood why: she was sitting forward, rigid, nearly every muscle tense. She attempted to relax her muscles and leaned back into the chair.

Her purse was on the floor beside the chair, her camera bag protectively in her lap. The name tag was resting on her thigh, and she made a mental note to change it as soon as possible.

Amy Isadorra
Photo Assistant
The Daily Herald
Northport, New York

Amy scanned the room once again, her eyes fixating on the various photos of Washington adorning the walls. The rustic and serene nature they showed didn't seem real, especially after the skyscrapers, glaring lights and persistent noise of New York. Now the only sound came from the receptionist who was calmly typing on her computer, only pausing when the phone would ring.

"Winthrop Valley News, this is Miranda. How may I direct your call?"

Her cool voice soothed her racing pulse, so much so that she hoped a new call would come so she could hear it again. But instead of a new call, a new body entered the building: a tall man with short, dark hair dressed in trendy jeans and a button-down white shirt.

Miranda smiled instantly when she saw him, and she curled her dark hair around her ears in a subtle flirtatious manner. His build was exquisite, but the first feature Amy noticed was his smile.

"Good morning, Jacob." Miranda's cool voice spoke first.

"Morning, Miranda. How are you?"

"Just fine, just fine. Here to see Mr. Calloway, I'm assuming?"

"Yes, ma'am." His smile electrified the room. Amy was filled with the warmth of its brightness from her seat.

"Okay. Have a seat, and I'll let him know you're here."

Jacob thanked her, and Miranda was already dialing before he could turn to face the seating area. As he moved away from the reception desk, his eyes fixated on Amy. He raised his eyebrows, surprised to see another person in the waiting area. The unfamiliar beauty was staring curiously back at him, her piercing blue eyes momentarily stunning him into silence. He maintained focus on her delicate facial features, but his eyes longed to explore the rest of her body.

"Hi." He flashed her a smile, after which her face immediately softened. "I'm Jacob Black." He held out his hand, which she immediately shook.

"Amy Isadorra."

Jacob maintained his smile as he sat in the open chair beside her. "Are you here for an interview?"

"No. First day. She raised her eyebrows, her mouth curving into a smile.

"Oh, really? Well, welcome."

"Thanks." She paused, briefly concentrating on the rolled up sleeves of his crisp, white shirt. Her eyes followed the dark skin of his protruding muscular forearms down to the slender fingers of his hand. "And how are you affiliated with the newspaper?"

"I help one of the editors, Max Calloway, with a weekly column on the local Native American tribes. Sometimes I even write the column, but I'm more of a contributor, I suppose."

"Like a Native American consultant."

"Yes, exactly." He smiled again. "It's not something that's on your everyday resume."

"It's certainly too advanced to be on mine."

"Maybe. But I'll bet you could take fabulous photos of me hunched over a desk trying to put two coherent sentences together."

She laughed, a light, pleasant sound that he couldn't help but compliment with his own laughter. Jacob was instantly attracted to her, the photographer, the new face in Winthrop.

"So are you from the area, or did you move here?" He wanted as many details as possible.

"I just moved here. From New York. So I'm still adjusting."

"Ah, city girl."

"Well, I'm originally from Wisconsin, but-"

"Ms. Isadorra?" Miranda's cool voice interrupted her. Amy turned her head to face her. "Ms. Bradshaw is ready for you. If you just go through that door, she'll meet you to take you to your office."

Amy stood and slung her camera bag over her shoulder. She turned to reach down for her purse, but Jacob was holding it up in front of him for her to take. "Thank you," she said quietly. "Jacob."

"Amy." He nodded.

"I now know one person. That should make this day a little easier."

Jacob smiled as she walked away from him, the soft scent of her perfume filling his nostrils as she disappeared from sight.

Amy walked through the tall, wooden door that Miranda had directed her toward. Her new boss, Sophie Bradshaw, was walking toward her with a welcoming smile. She was only a few years older than Amy, but she carried herself with a lifetime of confidence.

"Amy, so good to see you." Sophie extended her hand to Amy in greeting. "Welcome to the paper."

"Thanks. I'm glad to be here." Amy shook Sophie's hand and gave her an enthusiastic smile, hoping she didn't appear too nervous. Amy recalled Sophie's demeanor in her interview, and the friendly, hard-working environment she had established within the Creative Arts Department was one of the main attractions that lured Amy to Washington.

"Why don't I show you your office, and you can set your stuff down before I give you a tour of the building." Sophie nodded toward the interior of the building, her dark brown hair shining from the light above her.

"Sounds good." Amy followed Sophie to her new workspace, a corner office that was next to Sophie's. Amy momentarily forgot to breathe when she saw its size and luxury. For such a small town, Winthrop's newspaper must be thriving. Another burst of excitement flowed through her veins at the thought of her new position as the paper's Photo Editor.

The office tour followed. Amy diligently introduced herself to each new person, although they quickly blended together into a single unfamiliar face. Sophie seemed to lead her in a circle around the reception area, the only location that was at all familiar.

There were the staff writers, the columnists, the editors, the managerial staff, and finally, the art department, which consisted of graphic designers and her fellow photographers. The photography department rounded out the tour, and Amy focused her mind to remember each of their names: John Baxter, Ethan Bird, and Olivia Duffy were the other staff photographers. Charlotte White would be Amy's new assistant, and Amy would be overseeing John, Ethan and Olivia. They each offered her a friendly greeting, but they seemed peppered with skepticism: a scrutinizing eye, a weak handshake . . . only Charlotte appeared bubbly with excitement.

It wasn't until 11 a.m. that Amy was finally alone in her office. She sighed as she sat down at her desk, the abundance of knowledge she had received in mere hours weighing down her head. Her fingertips ran along the polished wood of the desk. Silver objects subtly brightened up the room: silver drawer handles, silver pencil cup, silver stapler. The matching office supplies complimented her tidy personality.

"Settling in okay?" An unexpected familiar voice accompanied the quiet rap on her door. Her eyes met Jacob's chocolaty brown eyes and nearly blinding smile.

"Hi Jacob. Long time no see." She stood, but he motioned for her to remain seated.

"Have a seat. I'm sure you're a little overwhelmed, what with starting the new job and all." He leaned against the doorframe, stuffing one of his hands casually in his pocket. The captivating smile didn't leave his face.

"Just a little. But everyone's been really nice."

"Good to hear. And are you settling in the area okay? I mean, I'm sure Washington state's a bit different from the Big Apple."

"It is. And . . ." She paused, sighing at the thought of how much work was still ahead of her. "That part I'm still working on. I only moved here last week, and my apartment's still full of unopened boxes." Amy made a face as she spoke the words, embarrassed by her lack of unpacking, an unwanted blemish in her usually organized life. "I'm used to city life, and this is . . . different."

"Moving is always tough, even a few blocks away. I don't know how I'd handle a cross-country move."

"Begging everyone you know for help," she said with a laugh. "Which I somehow forgot I wouldn't have once I got here."

"Well, I-why don't, I mean, I could grab a couple of my buddies from the rez and help you out." He felt his face redden at the sound of his stuttering voice. "I mean, if you don't mind, of course. I know you just met me, but as a Winthrop resident and native Quileute, it's my job to make the newbie feel welcome."

"Are you serious?" Her face showed shock. Was he just being polite?

Jacob smiled. "Of course."

Her hand covered her chest, and she breathed a loud sigh of relief. "That would be awesome. Seriously. I am so incapable of lifting anything. I swear I'll make it worth your while."

"Don't worry about it." Jacob laughed at her relief, excited to cause such a joyous reaction out of her.

"Here . . ." she fumbled within her desk drawers for a pen and paper. "I don't have my new business cards yet, but this," she said while scribbling on the paper, "is my cell phone number." Jacob stepped forward and leaned over her desk as she pushed the piece of paper toward him. Jacob took the pen from her and wrote his phone number on the paper underneath Amy's handwriting. His delicate fingers tore the paper in half in one, swift motion, and he handed her the portion with his number.

"That's mine. I'll try and get a hold of some of my buddies on the rez and give you a call. Would this weekend work for you?"

"Absolutely. If you're available. But, I mean, really, don't feel obligated-"

"I'll give you a call." Jacob grinned as he cut her off, hoping his smile told her she could trust him to help. He started backing out of her office. "Take care."

"Thanks!" she called after him. The last thing she saw was his smile.

******

"Amy? Charlotte? May I please see you for a moment?" Sophie's voice rang out her door and through the walls. Amy snapped out of her trance, thankful for the distraction from the flood of e-mails that cluttered her inbox this Thursday morning.

Thursday. Was it Thursday already? She could hardly believe that her first day, her first day at the paper, her first day in Winthrop, was only three days ago. The amount of new information from the past few days had clouded her mind, leaving her permanently exhausted from the foreign faces, policies and sights. And before her mind could get too excited about the approaching weekend, she reminded herself that she had boxes to unpack and a condo to organize.

"Hi," Sophie said quietly as Amy entered Sophie's office, Charlotte close behind. "Have a seat." The two photographers sat in the chairs across from Sophie's desk, their uneasiness made obvious by their rigid posture. "We've had a cancellation for Tuesday's issue; our resident spotlight for next week fell through-"

"The prize fisherman?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes. He has some sort of injury. In the hospital, I believe. Which gave me an idea for the new feature: Dr. Cullen."

"Oh, yea. That would be a good feature," Charlotte replied, her eyes widening. "Carlisle Cullen. He's probably the best doctor in the city," she said to Amy.

"He's already agreed to it," Sophie said, glancing down at the legal pad in front of her and scribbling something down. "But considering we have four days before deadline, we needed to schedule a time for a photo shoot or two ASAP."

Amy already knew what was coming. Her immediate reaction was to be nervous, but the idea of exploring the town and meeting new people made her nerves transform into excitement.

"John and Olivia are covering the Spring Fling, and Ethan is busy helping the staff writers with their stories. So I need the two of you to meet with Dr. Cullen at the hospital tomorrow to get some photographs. Or at least to arrange to get some."

"And who's writing the feature?" Amy asked.

"Anthony Cornatto. A columnist. Normally one of our staff writers does the feature, but Dr. Cullen is a valued citizen and honored community member. We'd rather have a specialized writer. And photographer." Sophie smiled at Amy, who felt herself blushing in response.

"Do we have any background on the good doctor?" Charlotte asked.

"Anthony can fill you in, but from what I know, he and his family have been here for about five years. He's married with five adopted kids, I think."

"OK. We'll get some ideas together. Anything else you need?" Amy asked Sophie, already prepped to leave her chair and get to work."

"Nope. I'd like to see how you handle this one on your own, but see me if you have questions. Thanks, ladies." Sophie smiled at the two women, then returned her focus to scribbling more notes.

Amy's adrenaline was pumping through her veins as she returned to her office, Charlotte following behind.

This. This feeling was what she wanted: her heart pounding, her steps lively, her brain seemingly pulsing with ideas, her editorial freedom feeding her drive to succeed. This was why she was in Winthrop, why she had moved nearly 3,000 miles across the country.

"Do you have time to meet in an hour?" she asked Charlotte, sitting down at her desk and crossing her legs.

"Yes, ma'am." Charlotte smiled, sensing her new boss's excitement.

"Excellent. How about we both brainstorm a few ideas for the next hour, and we'll meet back here at eleven o'clock to compare notes."

"Will do."

"Thanks, Charlotte." Amy smiled as the brunette left her office, the challenge of her first assignment enabling her confidence to burst free.