I do not own these characters or anything to do with Twilight- that is the lucky privlege of Mrs. Meyer!

"Sam? What is your problem lately?" He had been acting strangely for months. He was not the outgoing, humorous guy that I had fallen head over heels for anymore. This did nothing to diminish my love for him, but I was worried. Lately he has been quiet and reserved, retreating back into himself. I was slightly hurt that he wouldn't confide in me, but I realized that some people have secrets that they feel are personal. Hopefully one day he would love me as I love him and unburden his heart by divulging his secrets in my confidence.

"Problem? I don't have a problem, Emily. What in the world are you talking about?" He looked aggravated at my bold question, but I wasn't about to back down. I had had enough of silently watching him transform into a completely different person.

"Get real, Sam. There is something you're not telling me. I understand if you have something that you wish to keep secret, but I'm worried about you." I softened my voice as I continued, overcome with emotion while I tried to express just how much I really did care and love him. "You have been acting strangely for months. I've watched as you slowly retreat into yourself. You are quiet where you were boisterous before. You are brooding where before you were outgoing and eager to please. Don't think that affects my love for you though; nothing could do that." I reached up to his face- having to stand on tiptoe because of his incredible height- and stroked the side of his cheek once with the back of my hand. Cursing my short stature, I sacrificed pecking him on the lips for a soft kiss on his chin.

All the while, he wore a hardened expression. His jaw was clenched, his eyes cold and hard. His arms hung stiffly at his side, and he stood at a position that reminded me remarkably of a soldier standing at attention.

Sighing at his lack of response, I turned to look at my surroundings for a moment. We had gone for a walk in the mountains surrounding the Quileute reservation, and from here I could see the La Push beach in the distance, the waves licking amiably against the shore. The rocks adjacent to the beach sparkled in the setting sun, winking at me like a thousand sparkling diamonds. I shifted my gaze behind me at the hoot of an owl, presumably waking for its nightly hunt. The wood to our backs was extremely thick, darkness permeating in between the trees so that it was impossible to see for more than a hundred feet into the woods. The sky above was covered with multicolored clouds affected by the sun, which was slowly disappearing behind a tall cluster of mountains.

Turning my gaze back to Sam, I was once again awed by his beauty. His dark, coppery skin was almost glowing in the sun's reflecting rays. His cropped black hair was short and to the point, but how I enjoyed running my hands through it. Muscles were not a problem to find on his lean body, and at times his shirts looked ready to burst from being required to cover up such an abundantly muscular torso.

I was now resigned to the fact that his frosty demeanor was because of me. I was slightly hurt that he couldn't just come and say it outright, instead of giving me the cold shoulder. However, I was determined not to show how much it pained me to know that he did not love me as I loved him.

Taking a deep breath, I continued, averting my gaze from his face and instead staring out at the almost nonexistent sun. "Sam, I know you may not feel the same way, but I want you to realize how much I care for you. I had hoped that I could help you get though whatever it is that has been bothering you this past couple of months, but the more I try to help, it seems the more you push me away. I don't mind- the only important thing to me is your happiness. Obviously, it is not something that you can find with me. It pains me to see how indifferent you are during all of our conversations, and I don't want you to have to live like that." I paused for a moment before saying the words that would cut through my own heart like a knife. Plunging on, I looked up at his face while I said the words that would end my relationship with my angel. "I know you don't love me as I love you, and that's okay. I don't want to hold you back anymore, so I think we should put an end to this relationship for your sake."

For some inexplicable reason, he looked outraged. His hands clenched into fists, and his arms began to tremble. His clenched jaw tightened, and the cold look in his eyes turned hot with fury. Suddenly, he didn't just look abnormally tall, he look gigantic. His height looked twice as intimidating due to the rage pouring off of him.

My eyes widened at this display, and I took an involuntary step back, suddenly very aware of my small size. I felt extremely insignificant next to him, and I knew that if he were a person worthy of causing me to worry about my safety, I would be in grave danger. However, I knew that even if Sam didn't love me, he would never purposefully hurt me.

"Sam, don't be angry," I was practically whispering, not trusting my voice to stay steady. "I don't blame you for not loving me. I can't even hold a candle to you."

I hadn't thought it possible before, but at my last statement, even more fury and rage began emanating from him. His whole body was shaking now, and he looked ready to burst at the seams.

Which is exactly what he did. In a confusing explosion, Sam was no longer standing in front of me. In his place stood a large wolf with a coat as black as night. The wolf also seemed in a fury- its large chest was heaving up and down as it stared at me with vehemence.

I observed all these things in the short moments before the wolf was on top of me, trapping me easily beneath its enormous forepaws as I was flung backward onto the ground. Ignoring the sharp stab of pain from the point where my head had contacted with the hard earth, I focused on the more immediate source of danger, which was now growling ferociously from above me.

I was just beginning to wonder how long it would take for my shoulders to break under the extreme pressure of the wolf's weight when it made a move. In a sudden flash, it lifted one of its paws from my shoulder, simultaneously sweeping an enormous set of claws across my face while my other shoulder broke with the shifting of weight. I lifted my hand in a vain attempt to cover up my face.

I had been silent before this, but with the stinging pain from what was sure to be the huge gashes running down the left side of my face, I cried out the only name important to me in agony. "Sam!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. The sound seemed to echo off of the nearby mountains, taunting me with my own voice.

As suddenly as it began, the wolf seemed to halt its attack. At this point, I could barely keep my eyes open due to the pain I was cringing away from, but I clearly felt its body shift off of my own, and a sort of sixth sense told me that it had backed away.

Without the distraction of the wolf, an even greater pain seemed to wash over me. Apparently, the wolf had been keeping my attention from fully focusing on the pain, but now the agony was all that I had left. I whimpered slightly in response to the throbbing of my head, but I couldn't manage anything louder than that due to the fact that any movement of my jaw cased the gashes to tighten and send me into an even greater state of anguish. Blood was pouring into my mouth from the gashes, and I didn't have the energy to spit it out. Instead, I ended up swallowing most of it- not such a pleasant experience. Vaguely, I acknowledged a stinging sensation coming from one of my hands, but it was easily overpowered by the excruciating pain radiating from my face.

I could feel blackness sweeping over me. Slowly, I welcomed the depths of unconsciousness, glad for any escape from the pain. I was unsure whether I would ever wake back up, but at this point, I didn't much care. I could not be with the love of my life, and that was all there was to it. Without him, I would live a meaningless life, so I wasn't truly giving too much up by succumbing to the darkness. With my last breath before I was swept under those dark waters, I uttered a goodbye exclamation for the world; "I love you, Sam," I muttered. Immediately, I was submerged in the dark waters of unconsciousness, but not before I felt a familiar pair of warm arms engulf me.