I must admit, these two intrigue me. The traveler and the seeker sort of. They remind me of two broken souls, that somehow found healing in each other. I know, remarkably cheesy, but here it is anyways. I hope you enjoy it.

Sought After

As a human, I'd never had the ability to control my emotions. I felt something; I reacted. Every part of me reacted would be more accurate. My face would color, my muscles would tense … my entire body would react. It was such an odd thing then, when I was bitten, to suddenly have the acute ability to keep my face in a mask. A mask that no one could see through, around or into. The distaste of contact though that had been something of a byproduct of those reactions, had not disappeared. The word loner had never seemed strong enough to me, but in a way I suppose it was appropriate. I was alone. More so than any of the humans that I could see walking in the streets below were. There were people around them, beings that they could smile to when they walked by, persons that with the wave of a hand a conversation could be started.

I had nothing of that, not even the possibility of that. It had never been something that had bothered me before. Now though … it was difficult to not envy those humans the slightest bit. Envying humans, I had thought that was something I would never do. They were weaker than I was of course. They died for goodness sake. Perhaps though that wasn't necessarily a weakness. I sighed, and rose from my perch on the fallen log. It was time to go back. Time to face the desperation that everyone could sense in the air. I nearly regretted coming here as Carlisle had asked. No but that wasn't it either. I couldn't regret this change in worldview. However difficult it was. I pushed off the nearest tree, easily jumping to the branches. From thin stick to thin stick I jumped, watching as the forest below tried to keep pace.

Lonesome. That was the feeling constantly welling up now. Nearly strangling me even. All because of a girl. My teeth ground together as I swung from a low branch and dropped to the ground below me. The scent I had left coming out here assailed my senses and I began to absentmindedly follow it back. The Denali coven. I had heard of them of course, had heard vague stories about their mother and the Vampire Children that had existed long before my time. Not that the coven itself really mattered, though that was part of the problem. The problem was me. I'd expected to come and help Carlisle as I had before and leave unchanged. What was the difference in a small side trip this year than one I had taken centuries ago?

I had apparently forgotten about the nature of change. The thought had a wry smile winding across my face as I stepped across the trail of one of the wolves. Those beasts smelled. Dreadful, truly, absolutely dreadful. The stench was mixed with another scent though, one that wasn't anywhere near as repulsive. Kate. I turned without thinking, following the new trail I had picked up. She was having me deny my true nature. The very essence of who I had always been. Vampires couldn't change … I snorted. Someone should have told Kate that. No longer could I label myself so easily; loner no longer fit. No longer defined me at all.

"I found you." The phrase echoed throughout the forest. Hitting the tree trunks and bounding back towards my sensitive ears. I froze, skidding in the dirt blanketing the forest floor. My eyes slid shut at the timbre of the voice, the level, the … flavor. She needed to talk more. She needed to talk to me more. Never had I considered that there might be a person more private and more enveloped in themselves than me. Kate though … she definitely qualified. I turned slowly, attempting to find exactly where the voice had come from.

She was seated; cross-legged on a giant rock. She'd changed clothes from the last time I'd seen her, and the gold color of her top matched her eyes. The wind moved, sweeping her hair sideways, across her face and back. She was beautiful. I crossed the ground between us at a snail's pace, trying not to startle her. I didn't want to do that, not at all. Startling Kate had more than a few disadvantages. The shocks were the first disadvantage, and those were more than a bit painful. But those came and went, the skittish nature she adopted took a much longer time to disappear. I'd touched her shoulder without thinking nearly a week ago. In the next second I'd been on the ground writhing in pain and gasping for breath and she'd been over a hundred feet away, breathing hard and looking utterly terrified.

Someone had scared her in her past. I could recognize that much. But how or why … I had the distinct feeling that they weren't questions I would ever have answered; Kate was as formidable at keeping her secrets as I was mine.

"Doesn't finding imply that you were moving?" I asked softly, finally close enough to touch the rock she was sitting on. I reached up, staring at her eyes as I rested my hand on her ankle; just above the white sock sticking out of her tennis shoe.

"Finding implies that someone was looking. Which I was." My eyes left her ankle and glanced back up at her face; yes, the smile I had heard in her voice was mirrored over her lips. I smiled back and carefully hoisted myself up on to the rock beside her.

"You were looking for me?" Clarity was something I would never again take for granted. It was best to be very, very clear with Kate.

"I was." She moved maybe a fourth of an inch away from me, just enough so no part of our bodies were in danger of touching.

"You found me." The smile on her face was hard to not stare at this time; I let myself revel in it for a brief second before turning to face forward again.

"As I said, yes." Silence fell between us. I could hear a bird singing, the sound of tiny hearts strewn throughout the woods, the shallow breaths Kate was taking beside me. It was quiet here. Much quieter than at the Cullen's house where there was never a moment when someone wasn't speaking or singing or playing the piano. The soundlessness was nice. Yet had also gone on for too long.

"Why did you want to find me?" I ventured the question at risk of her ire. But her breathing stayed as rhythmic as was normal for her and she didn't shift in the least.

"You don't seem to dislike me as much as everyone else." It wasn't a question, not at all, it was a statement, nearly a declaration it was so fierce. "In fact, it seems as though you almost like me." I looked up from where I had been carving designs in the rock below me with my finger and met her gaze. She looked amused at first glance, the corner of her lips turned up, her cheeks placed in the position of a slight smile, but her eyes weren't portraying amused at all. They were very serious, almost worried. This little conversation was important to her. As blasé as she was attempting to be about it, she cared about my responses.

I slowed my movements again, so she could see my intentions well before they took place. Carefully I brushed my thumb across the corner of her lip, back to the line of her jaw. Her face was smooth, soft beneath my hard skin and infinitely beautiful. I doubted she would like to hear that particular sentiment yet though. Perhaps some day.

"Not almost Kate, I like you a lot." With that I waited for her reaction. It was like this with Kate and I. She tugged and I pulled back, one of us gave an infinitesimal amount and then the war started once more. I'd just given a bit, it was her turn to loosen her palms, let the rope slack in the middle some more. The sound of her feet hitting the ground was the next thing I heard and I glanced down. She was staring up at me, smiling. A real smile, one that showed her teeth and made her eyes light up. The smile that she never really wore. It was nice to see it still existed. The last time I'd seen it she had been laughing as I lay on the ground with electric shocks running through my body.

"Perhaps you'll stay with me for awhile then Garrett." Her hands were by her sides, her head tilted up … the least defensive or offensive pose possible. I would attempt.

"Stay with you or come with you?" She hadn't expected that. The surprise flickered through her eyes for the barest of seconds. I smiled, trying to encourage her. Come on Kate. You can do this. The pep talk I was giving her in my head seemed to work because she was opening her mouth again, whispering so softly I barely heard the words.

"Both I think." That's my girl.

What did you think? The ending felt a bit abrupt to me, but at the same time I felt like continuing would have needed a scene shift and I didn't want to do that. I am like all other writers on here I'm afraid, reviews are to me as blood is to a vampire.