Infinite Arms

by Pemberly Rose

Seth Clearwater has watched his pack brethren pair off and imprint one by one. What happens when the time comes for him and she's a 280-year-old, very emotionally guarded half-human-half-vampire hybrid. Can he bring light to a once darkened existence.

AN: This is my OS I did for Fandom for Texas. It is essentially an outtake from LIT in Seth POV from ch 26 and into ch 28 with parts of that chapter we won't see in LIT. I hope this makes the wait for a new chapter easier. Hopefully mine and my beta's schedules will mesh this week and I can get ch 28 out to all of you before school starts on the 18th. Hope everyone had a lovely holiday and New years. Hope you enjoy! Thank you so much for all your support!

Playlist:

Porcelain by Moby
Closer by Kings of Leon
You're a Wolf by Sea Wolf
Infinite Arms by Band of Horses
Suddenly I See by KT Tunstall
Tell Me Baby by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Elements by A Fine Frenzy
Undisclosed Desires by Muse
She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5
Fade Into You by Mazzy Star
Blush (Only You) by Plumb
Letters from the Sky by Civil Twilight
Swimming by Florence + The Machine

---

Dedicated to: My Texas buddy, Todream

Seth Clearwater

My father always said: "Destiny strikes in the strangest of ways, but in ways where it is most needed." I'm beginning to realize how right he was.

---

I walked backwards along the beach, keeping my voice loud enough for the class to hear me above the din of the surf. "And why is it important that we practice catch and release if we aren't fishing for food?"

A small brunette girl answered me: "To preserve the natural ecosystem by not over fishing the surrounding area."

"Exactly. Now over in this area we have the Ocean Park's favorite spot amongst the locals, aside from the cliff here, the tide pools. Each one is practically its own little ecosystem. Many students from the local universities study here as a part of marine biological research."

I hopped up on the rocks, crouching so I could easily point out the different species. One of the nice things about living on a coastal reservation is the ability to do what I love. Leah had sacrificed for me by waiting to go to college so I could go. A degree in marine biology and over a decade and a half, I'm the one watching her go to college. I let the students, a student extracurricular group on a summer tour of the Pacific Northwest coastline made my day. Most tours around the ocean park were few and far between. Especially this summer.

Maybe the human world was losing more and more contact with the wild. I could hardly call myself human anymore. Half human, sure. The animal in me was stronger than I could have ever thought. Or maybe it was just because I've been a wolf since puberty. Who knows?

I observed the students as they milled around taking pictures and marvelling at different animals in each tide pool. This was my life. Teaching and working at Quil's store, stocking a couple of times a week to help make ends meet. I admit this was not the life I ordered, but it was the life I've become accustomed to. Life was slower on the rez than in Seattle. Peaceful even. Well if you didn't count the once in a blue moon visit from the Volturi.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I took a quick break from watching the group to check it. You may want to come over after patrol, Jacob's here and apparently he broke his phone.

I rolled my eyes. Hotheaded alpha. I replied to Edward, letting him know I'd be there. It wasn't hard to imagine exactly what had gotten under Jake's skin. Ness was hunting with Nahuel today. That was not going to be an easy thing for him. Especially if something happened between them. Exactly what we need right now when we have vampires coming in from across the globe is a hotheaded alpha with a serious case of the green eyed monster.

Shoving my phone in my back pocket, I looked up and was almost startled by the group's young teacher. "I wanted to thank you for a lovely tour. You really know a lot about marine life."

I smiled at her. "I have a B.S. in it so I should know it pretty well."

"Wow, that's really amazing. Animal biology was never something I was particularly good at. I'm much better at the molecular and cellular levels." Her eyes crinkled slightly at the corners as she smiled in turn.

Pretty, and smart? Nice. I paused, not knowing what exactly to say. Not to say I'm bad looking or anything, but it's not too often that I get complimented quite like that. She bit her lip and shifted her stance. I guess my wordless staring made her nervous. Way to make her feel awkward, Clearwater.

"Thank you. Yeah I love animals. Our tribe has legends tying us into animal spirits."

"Ah, so it's in your blood," she offered, cutting almost a little too close to home. But she couldn't know many of us in the tribe held a specific sequence of genes that flicked during a specific age range when vampires were near. In fact, she'd probably laugh in my face if I told her vampires were indeed real. Most people would, anyway. The stuff of horror stories in Hollywood and books was essentially my reality while it was just an escape for humans like her.

"I, uh, guess you could say that. What was your name again?" I asked, quickly trying to change the subject and doing a piss-poor job of it at that.

"Kenzie," she said with a small smile. "Kenzie Baker." Her voice grew stronger as she finished her name. I liked a little bit of shyness too.

I smiled at her. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Baker," I said as a few of her students were passing by us.

"Please, call me Kenzie. It's bad enough I get Miss Baker'd to death all day. I'm only thirty-three and they think I'm ancient," she added with a dramatic flare towards her students. She didn't even look in her early thirties. I was a bad judge of age, though. Women were beautiful at any stage of adulthood. There was something amazing about them that baffled and amazed men. I at least took the time to appreciate that.

I chuckled a bit. "Nah, I understand. I look younger than I actually am. Good genetics."

"Lucky," she replied with an amused smirk. It was easy talking to her. Then again, I found it pretty easy to talk to just about everyone.

We chatted a bit longer, sharing our interests in science. It was hard to find someone even of the same gender who had as many intersecting interests. It's an even bigger rarity to find an awesomely nerdy chick, at least around here. Maybe Rez life was getting to me. I missed Seattle. As much as I loved where I grew up, maybe I needed a change. She handed me her number when it was time for her students to head out. I smiled and took it kindly knowing I would probably never call it. She was kind and perfectly human. She wasn't fit for my world. As much as I yearned to be normal again, I knew deep down that this was meant to be. She would go off and find someone human and worth her time.

Because if she were indeed truly meant for me, then I'd have imprinted on her today.

And that is where the problem lies. The secret identity thing was hard enough to deal with on its own. I wasn't a secret keeper by nature. I hated lying. Any time I had a girlfriend I spent 90% of the relationship lying to her in different ways to keep my secret.

Why's my skin so hot, you ask? Everyone in my family runs a little warm.

Where were you last night? Oh, just at work, working inventory with Quil.

You never change... Yeah, not like I could say I don't age, either.

The secrets were difficult enough to keep from them. The hardest part was knowing on a deeper level that this wasn't going to last. In a way, I hated imprinting because there wasn't any mystery anymore to finding the right woman. It was all in the first look. If you didn't imprint in that moment then you probably weren't going to end up with her anyways. At least that's what I've begun to notice.

So many of us have imprinted and found their happily ever afters while others who haven't are left wondering when or if we'll imprint at all and what that means for any future relationship. At the same time I hated imprinting, I also wanted it. I wanted the security. The knowledge that one person would hold my heart forever. I'm only half human and jealousy was a large part of why I wanted it. I could see the happiness in my brothers and now my sister. Imprinting may have brought controversy in the past, but it had this way of ultimately setting things right, as they were supposed to be. Jake and Ness were a prime example of that. I wanted a woman of my own to look at me the way Ness looks at him. It's amazing to witness, and I was selfish enough to admit that's what I wanted.

But as years passed, I've given into a less anxious way of thinking about it. It'll happen if it's meant to. I have to have faith in fate. That's what binds all of us, it seems, in our singular destiny to protect the tribe.

I headed back up into the recreation center to clock out for the day. Patrol was in ten minutes, and I didn't want to keep Quil or Embry waiting. You show up late once, maybe twice and then they start calling you a slowpoke. Saying good day to everyone, I made out for the trees, stripping down as soon as I was far enough in that no one could see. I strapped my shirt and shorts around my ankle while pooling that heat in my spine and then radiating it outward. The change was quick and painless. A blink of an eye and I wasn't in human form but a pretty large wolf.

Hey, you're on time for once.

Oh, shut up, Quil. Might I remind you of how often you were late when Claire and you started dating?

True, but at least I had a valid excuse.

I was at work.

Flirting with a school teacher.

I internally rolled my eyes as they both started humming the guitar riffs for Hot for Teacher. How did I get friends like this? Only bad thing about patrolling with these two was that they fed off each other's snark and usually ganged up on me. She was pretty, so sue me for being nice.

Eh, I'll give you that. She was pretty. Quil wouldn't notice anyways.

That's because I have Claire.

The both of us groaned at Quil's statement of the painfully obvious. Imprinting did have one annoying side effect. It made the wolf in question into a daydreamer who probably shouldn't be day dreaming while we're working.

Especially since we've known her since she was in diapers, it's weird.

Don't see you complaining quite so much when it's Jake thinking about Ness.

Embry gave him a mental shrug. She's different. Maybe its the whole she's been an adult for a long time. Still, it is really weird either way. Ness is just easier to understand the weirdness, I guess. You know, half vamp and all.

Or the fact you used to tease the Hell out of Jake about her.

Hey, I'm his brother, only I know that's for real now. I'm supposed to rag on the boss man. Besides, Ness went along with it beautifully.

All right guys, come on, let's just focus and get through the next few hours. Edward sent me a text to tell me to stop by afterwards. Apparently Jake broke his phone.

Ruh roh.

Really? A Scooby Doo impression now?

Seemed fitting.

Doesn't surprise me. Something must have happened on her hunting trip with you know who.

Aw, man, we're not back to the whole competition over some girl thing are we? I thought that ended when he imprinted.

That was a time no one wanted to relive. Least of all Jacob. Yeah, I'll see what's up after patrol. It's probably a huge misunderstanding.

Let's hope.

Anyways, what does Claire want for her birthday?

Man, I have barely even thought about it. I bought her gift months ago. You could get her a lighting kit. To go with my camera gift. She's turning into quite the photographer.

Those can get pretty pricey, Quil.

Secondhand isn't too bad. The shop I got her camera at had starter kits on sale.

Huh, I'll look into that. Also need to get Ambs a present. She's turning 27. Then it's Nessie's and Bella's birthdays.

And then the Volturi.

Quil and I both sighed. This wasn't something any of us were looking forward to in the slightest. Granted, it's been a long time since a vamp has been dumb enough to come across our land. Last one was five years ago, a nomad passing through when the Cullens weren't living in the area. You'd think any nomad would know that this was a bad idea to come in this area at all. Word travels fast in the vampire world.

He was probably looking for a fight. Some are just stupid to think that we can't protect our own. I mean, come on, how long has our tribe survived?

Either way, that was the last time we had any vampire even come across our land at all. Now with the covens coming and nomads joining the Cullens as well, it made everyone just a little bit on edge. I looped up to Forks as it was part of our territory, annexed when the Cullens moved away. When they didn't live in Washington we covered the entire state. There was only one kind of vampire we could tolerate living around. And up until Ness was born, it was a very tense truce at best.

Funny how things change yet everything is the same. The Volturi are making asses of themselves, we're preparing for war. And Jacob is again freaking out about his imprint.

Same ole, same ole eh, Seth?

Pretty much. Do you really think they're coming to start a war for real this time?

Don't know. I'm sure they want to, but there's repercussions to that. If they start a war, we'll be finishing it. Pure and simple. There's no way they're going to win.

They're thousands of years old, Em.

So? You heard Edward, they rely on their powers too much. Bella, Fred, Zafrina? They all negate their powers. They are screwed.

True.

I circled around Charlie's house, giving two short barks in hello to my mom. She poked her head out of the window and smiled. I hoped she was enjoying her day off. Probably catching up on her crossword puzzles. Patrol was going to be boring for the rest of the afternoon. I almost couldn't wait to be done just to head over and see what was new down in Hoquiam. There were so many faces I remembered and new ones I had yet to meet. Maybe that would make the time go faster. But all I could do was hope it would.

As I'd predicted, patrol was boring as usual. Embry owed me a twenty for my prediction. We all were growing antsy as the date drew nearer that the Volturi would come. The veteran wolves like us preferred a boring patrol to anything else. But with the Volturi scare we had this past spring, it had reminded us of how blessed we were to have boring patrols. Dusk would be falling upon the horizon soon as I ran through the forest and around to the northern outskirt of Hoquiam. The Cullen estate wasn't far off from the border. That was their way. Live on the outskirts of a sleepy town, just far enough away from humans to feel at least a little normal without the temptation. I had no idea what that life was like. The constant sacrifice I knew at least a little bit of with the whole being a wolf thing. But Bella had once told me it was like taking all the things you loved about food and never being able to have those things again yet have them shoved in your face on a daily basis.

Laughter intermixed with talking surrounded the home as I neared it. Jacob's laugh and Ness's voice. Huh, guess whatever happened resolved itself rather quickly. I was definitely glad for that. As much as no one in the pack wanted to live through another emo Jacob phase, I didn't want my friend to suffer again. I knew though any pain he had would be shortlived if Ness had anything to say about it. One of the many reasons I respected the hell out of that girl. None of the imprints really understood what it meant to be less human. Ness was the only one with something more. A different kind of DNA than humans had. I barked when the Cullen home came into view.

"Seth must be here," I heard Jacob explain. Yes, Seth's here because you broke your phone for some ridiculously asinine reason.

Ness's voice responded in turn. "Oh, he's coming? You better have saved some food for him."

Food? My stomach did a growl pretty much on cue. If there's one thing I loved more than being a wolf, it was food. Especially anything the Cullens could whip up. Amazing how, for people who couldn't eat, they could make amazing human food.

"Maybe I did and maybe I didn't. Either way, he's here to let me know how his patrol went, which usually would have been a text, but I may have destroyed my phone this afternoon," Jacob admitted. May have? Someone was angry about something.

Ness was equally skeptical. I could almost see her eyes narrow and one eyebrow quirk in incredulity. Entirely predictable. "May have or did destroy it?"

"It might have collided with a wall at a very high velocity," he replied.

"And did you happen to throw it?" she asked. "Guess we'll just get another one when we go to Seattle next weekend."

"Seattle?" Bella asked.

Jacob happily filled in Bella on their plans, including Bella and Nessie's shared favorite pastime, books. I could hear Nessie's soft approach after I'd shifted to human form. I rushed to get my clothes on quickly. Nothing more awkward than being caught naked, mid-dressing, by the boss's girl. I stepped out from behind a tree as I smoothed my shirt down my torso and straightened out my mess of hair that was sticking up from static cling.

"Hey, Nessie, how've you been?" I asked, greeting her happily. My smile grew even wider when she beamed up at me. People make fun of me for being so optimistic all the time, but seeing a true friend like Ness smile back like that in response made the optimism worth it.

We hugged hello and she sighed as we separated. Out of all the imprints, I was probably closest with her, next to Emily, that is. Can't get closer than blood. "Good, aside from a temperamental werewolf, everything's pretty great."

I shrugged, chuckling. Temperamental was a perfect way to describe Jacob. Especially when it came to Nahuel. Seemed like things were sorted, though. "At least he didn't phase and try to kill anyone, right?"

She nodded, tugging on my arm and leading me towards the grouping of hybrids, vampires, and one alpha werewolf. "Come on, there are some guests you know, and some you don't. I don't believe you've met Nahuel's sisters yet."

"I haven't. Jake said he was meeting them today, too." Funny how, though they were staying with the Cullens, Jacob had not met them, save for Serena, I think. I certainly hadn't been here since they arrived. What with us keeping the patrols super tight on the Rez. Having red-eyed vamps closeby again made us all fidgety.

I looped our arms together, discussing what's been going on in her house for the last few weeks. "Yeah, they've been keeping to themselves in the guest house, mainly. I think some of the more traditional vampires my family is acquaintances with tend to make them want to stay away. Or it could be Fred. He's been a bit on edge with the Romanian and Irish arrivals yesterday evening."

Everything felt calm and perfect as we talked. She'd seen my sister more often than she'd seen me. I guess that was just because Leah lived with Jake. I had a feeling that if Leah didn't live there that Ness would hardly ever see anyone else in the pack these days. I smiled, taking in all the goings on with all their visitors as we headed towards the group. However engaged I was in her conversation, I glanced over at the group and stopped to stare. I'd never seen such a face before. Inhumanly beautiful, but masked, guarded against any who would seek to make her vulnerable. It took me a full second to realize what was happening, but I could feel every cell in my body react before I could even perceive the change. I'd seen this in different ways through the eyes of my pack brethren and my sister. She was it. A hybrid from what I could tell. A thrumming heartbeat, a pulse of blood beneath her tan skin. Absolutely beautiful in every single way. I hadn't noticed anything as the world fell away, disappearing into ether.

I could hear Nessie ask me if I was alright. I could hear and feel everything around me. The sound of Edward charging out of the house, catching onto my thoughts, I was certain. But I had tunnel vision. Only one person existed for me now. It was the hybrid seated amongst her half siblings. Her features clearly showed that she was indeed Joham's daughter. A shared trait they, each of the Joham's children, seemed to have. Especially Nahuel. I could feel her. The need to be near her was the most intense feeling I'd ever experienced. A pull to the missing part of me. The other half of my soul.

"Who is that?" I asked, knowing Renesmee was still next to me. The symmetry of the universe was so radically different and ridiculously clear to me now. I had to know this woman. She was all that mattered. All that ever mattered. My past was over. My present unhinged and reformed. My future revealed.

"Who? Which one do you mean?" she asked in reply. Her.

"The one with curly black hair and..." The most amazing black/brown eyes I'd ever seen, like black coffee.

She didn't let me finish, jumping straight into her answer. "That's Iracema, she's one of Nahuel's sisters. She's the second eldest but she wasn't raised by Serena or Joham at all. They thought she died with her human mother."

"Iracema," I tested it out, whispering it like a silent prayer. A unique name for such a beautiful face. I could only imagine how amazing she is. I wanted to meet her. Know her. Love her and make her mine forever. Ness led me over, meeting no resistance from me. I had the rest of my life in front of me now. Amazing how much shifted in milliseconds. Earlier today feels like a millennium ago. The closer we edged towards them the more I took in how exquisitely perfect she was. The sound of her voice as she spoke candidly with her sisters. A honeyed velvet that resonated in my ears and into my bones. Her voice. Her scent. Sweet hyacinth and roses and I wasn't even getting a really good whiff of it either. This was normal though. An imprinted wolf could pick out their mate from a crowd of millions of people. It was easy once you smelled that scent once, it never went away from memory.

Politely, everyone stood, greeting us. Nessie introduced me to each person, saving Iracema for last. I held out my hand to her as confidently but kindly as possible. I had to do this right. Failure was not an option here. I almost laughed as she eyed my hand warily. I kept quiet, hoping she would gain the courage to let me in. I could tell just from the hardened mask she placed over her features that she was guarded. "It's very nice to meet you, Iracema," I said, as kindly as possible. I couldn't keep the softening of my voice away as I said her name. I must have looked strange to her. Some random dude emerges from the trees and just starts staring at her? Nice one, Clearwater. She introduced me to each new person, saving Iracema for last. This stunning hybrid, hesitated, while the shells of her ears and apples of her cheeks bloomed a beautiful shade of roses beneath the deep color of her skin.

"Hello," Iracema replied, taking my hand with great hesitation. She sighed, her onyx eyes examined my face. An utterly confused expression forming on hers. "Have we ever met before?"

I had to grin. Of course if one believed in previous lives then yes, we had met before. Soulmates eventually find one another in any lifetime. It was only a matter of time and place. However, I didn't think she believed in such notions. "No, I'm pretty sure I would have remembered you if I had."

She backed off, growing wary of me. Ah, she didn't take well to new faces, or friendliness. I could understand that. But how to assure her of my intentions? I wanted her, yes, but I'd wait if she needed. I'd break down every wall and barricade she could throw at me. I knew our future. An endless one at that. Huh, who knew I'd get the possibility to live forever, too? All because of this woman in front of me, the magic in my blood, and whatever force that controls imprinting.

The Cullens and Jacob were each beginning to realize what had transpired. None of them had ever truly witnessed it for themselves, save for Renesmee. She and Edward, undoubtedly put two and two together first. I could feel their happiness for me, radiating outward thanks to Jasper. I didn't care. "You're one of Nahuel's half sisters?" I asked, already figuring out the answer from her bone structure. Each of them had similar facial features. Some from their different human mothers, but all of them held the same high cheekbones and softness to their eyes. That had to be from their only link. Their shared parentage.

"Yes. I only found them a few years ago. I had no idea there were others like me," she replied and seemed almost annoyed with herself in the same instant.

I nodded. "Yeah, I can understand that. Before Nahuel came to the rescue last time, we thought Ness was the only hybrid. Seems your kind is just rare."

For one brief fleeting second she smiled, a brilliant and lovely thing. However, in the same instant she became aware of her expression and it faded. A solemn nod and she averted her eyes, folding her arms over her chest. Had I said something wrong? Iracema glanced up at me just once. But once was enough for me to see it. Fear. I made her nervous and now she was protecting herself the only way she knew how. My heart ached, knowing it was going to take quite a while to break in and see that smile again. How could someone so special be so broken?

"Give it time," Jacob told Renesmee. But in some ways I felt like he was telling me as well. Things would take their natural course. She'd been chosen for me. Just as I had been made for her. If anyone could get to her it would be me and me alone. I just didn't know where to even begin.

---

The following week was torture. Every day I tried and failed to get her to even talk to me. It was getting to the point where even I was beginning to lose hope. I would come over and she would huff and leave the room. I'd try to speak to her, she'd make small talk and I considered it a victory, but when I tried to get to know her a little more, she clammed right up and concerned herself with other things or her nephew. It was simultaneously the most frustrating and the most invigorating few days. Getting her to speak to me at all was, yes, a small victory, but it wasn't a substantive one. I needed to get her talking, and keep her talking. The only real problem with that is that I didn't know how to proceed. She wasn't like any of the other imprints. Sure, she was a hybrid like Nessie, but Jacob had imprinted on her as a baby. Iracema was a full grown woman with nearly a tricentennial to her name. How could I break walls that had withstood two-hundred and eighty years of solitude? For that, I had no answers.

It wasn't until I was cornered by another that I finally began to see the error of my ways. I was visiting with Emily and my littlest cousins Lucas and Levi. After the third round of Chutes and Ladders, I flopped down on a dining room chair, annoyed with my current situation and my lack of ideas on how to fix it.

"I don't know what I'm doing, Emily," I told her.

She turned, leaning against the refrigerator she had been raiding for snacks for us. "I'm sure you'll figure it out, sweets. She's it for you. It'll work out."

I huffed and gave her a side eye. I hated it. I hated the uncertainty. Jacob and Ness were blissfully happy right now despite the Volturi coming. Jared and Kim just had a baby. As did Rachel and Paul. Emily was three months pregnant with baby number three. She hadn't told any of the imprints since the last two were miscarriages thanks to something about internal scarring. Sam came in at the exact right moment though. The boys attacked their father and he hugged them close before they ran back to their board games. Sam gravitated to Emily, who welcomed him with open arms. He kissed his wife and smiled at me. "Hey, Seth, how's it going?"

"My imprint loathes me, so about as bad as it can get, barring any stupidity from me, I guess."

Sam just laughed. A deep bellowing sound that just grated on my nerves. Sure, laugh at my predicament, jackass. "I'm sure she doesn't hate you."

"She'll barely speak to me. I don't know what else to do. I give her space and I feel like shit. I go to talk to her and she clams up," I explain, throwing my hands in the air. How do you work with an imprint who hates the very sight of you?

Sam looked to Emily, a silent conversation going on between them. Weird how imprints and wolves, even the retired ones could communicate like that. We could sense each other. Or at least that's how it felt. I doubted we could actually hold a silent conversation, but still, how often had I seen this in my tenure as a wolf? How often did I hate the sight of it because of what it did to Leah? Too often to count. Everything had worked out though. Leah had her imprint and they were madly in love just as Sam had his. Emily gathered up the boys and got them ready for bed. No easy feat considering they were rambunctious and loud. "Now, I'm telling you this because I went through it with Emily. I want to remind you not to hate on me because this will dredge up the past."

I sighed. I'd long since given up championing my sister. Especially when she blew up at me about it, even though she had appreciated the solidarity. "I'm all ears."

Sam took a deep breath. "Emily rejected the imprint at first." I knew this part already. Yeah, she rejected it, but all it took was one really bad fight to open the doors to their future. "She always told me to go back to Leah, and for a long time, I wished I could. I didn't want to destroy everything. I still hate myself for hurting Leah. I'll never forgive myself for it. She knows that, and we've made peace. I couldn't stay away from Emily, no matter how much she told me to go back to Leah and leave her alone. You know that feeling."

"The pull," we both said at once.

"It's essential to the imprint bond, I'm sure of it. If it wasn't, then not all of us would feel it so intensely. You have a special kind of imprint bond. Just like Jake does. She's a hybrid. They bond just as intensely as we do, thanks to the vampire half. We've all seen that through Jacob's experience. But what you have to understand, that anything that's really worth it isn't going to be easy."

"Kim and Jared had it easy."

"Pfft. Yeah, sneaking around to be together? They were both teenagers and in high school when they got together. Imprinting, when it occurs with people of the same physical maturity, causes more than just a need to protect. There's a need to claim in more ways than one. We've all dealt with this. Quil and Jake had to deal with it much later on, but they're still dealing with it. I've been imprinted the longest. I know this thing inside and out. Whatever it is you're doing, you need to quit screwing around and man up."

"Man up? What does that even mean?"

"Accept that she's not ready to be with you. And focus on making her your friend. Be kind to her. Get her comfortable around you. I know you, Seth, and you can come off as eager as a puppy dog. Tone that shit down and just talk to her like you talk to Renesmee or Emily."

"Eager as a puppy? I am not a puppy."

Emily came back into the room then and squeezed my shoulder. "Seth, you're a golden retriever puppy. Cute but starved for affection."

"I'm not!"

Both of them nodded their heads. "What we mean is you're trying too hard to get her to like you. Just be yourself. Be the Seth I adore and she'll fall for you in no time. Quit trying and just be."

Sam chuckled a little. "And this girl is, what, three-hundred years old?"

"Two-hundred and eighty."

"Close enough. She's lived a lot longer than you. Have you thought that maybe trying to get her attention makes you seem a little young?"

When he put it that way, I understood immediately. She was a great deal older than I was. I'd just crossed the thirty mark not long ago. She had a good two and a half centuries on me. I put my head in my hands. What was I supposed to do?

"Seth, really, just treat her with respect. Talk to her, but don't use kid gloves or sugar coat it. Be tactful and respectful. She'll see the goodness in you soon enough. Besides, according to Ness, she was asking quite a bit about imprinting. She knows you imprinted on her. So address it and show her you are not going to pressure her," Sam continued.

I sighed. "Make friends, don't expect anything; do I have that right?"

Sam and Emily both smiled. "What won me over after the accident was seeing Sam's concern for me, and how much what happened hurt him. Show concern for her but give her space to process it all. She's been on her own for so long from what everyone has said. She's going to need more time than any other imprint has ever needed to emotionally deal with this."

"Thanks, really."

The both of them just shrugged, mirroring one another. "Any time. You're still family," Sam replied. I hugged the both of them before leaving. There was so much to think about, but I knew one thing needed to happen. I needed to make a connection with her, on her level. I had to be the one to cross the divide between us and hope that I didn't fall into the cracks.

---

The following morning I knew exactly what needed to be done. She's a half-human, half-vampire hybrid. She needed certain things that, if I had a normal human imprint, would seem inconsequential. With that in mind, I went to the Cullen place, seeing Nessie come out the front door looking a little disappointed that it was me and not Jacob who had arrived. They'd planned on going to Seattle this morning. I was sure she was just eager to get going and enjoy a day away from everything here at home. "Hey, Nessie. I just saw Jake. He'll be here in a sec." Saw was more of an operative word here. I did see the car, the 70 'Cuda he'd restored about ten miles away when I ran along the highway to Hoquiam before taking a few shortcuts that didn't involve paved roads.

She relaxed, smiling wide. "Great. You're here to see Ira, I'm assuming?"

I chewed on my lip. I was definitely there to see her. But would she want to see me? That as an entirely different issue I was hoping to resolve today. "Yeah... I know she doesn't want a whole lot to do with me, but I mean, I can't..."

Ness had this look on her face. Almost conspiratorial as she held up her hand and nodded, stopping me. "Trust me, I get it. And she told me early this morning to tell you she went hunting. Really, she's reading to Pehuen in the guest house. But you did not hear that from me, okay? Blame Jasper or Rose if you have to."

"Hey, why am I being thrown under the bus?" Rose asked, appearing almost out of nowhere.

"Because you're not going to lie for Ira," Renesmee countered.

"This is true, but you gave her your word, Ness," Rose scolded. She shrugged, unapologetic. In Ness's eyes, maybe I was held higher in confidence than Iracema was. I had no clue to that myself.

She put on her best petulantly frustrated face to placate her aunt. It faded quickly to that same conspiratorial grin. "Your point? I owe Seth."

She did? "You do?" I asked, confused. I shrunk back a little and shrugged when she glared at me. Ness had a temper you so did not want to mess with. When had I helped her with anything? We used to hang out regularly but that was because she wanted a break from the all Jake all the time channel.

"Yes," she answered, grinding her teeth. "Remember I used to come and hang out with you and ask you not to ask me about Jake or anything pertaining to him?"

I side eyed her. Wait a second, I was helping her then? How? "Yeah, but I don't see..."

"You didn't know it then, but it wasn't because I was mad at Jake, it was because I needed a break from thinking about him and that I liked him in a way that platonic friends shouldn't."

Rose snickered at Ness's admission. Oh, so that's why? She wanted a break from having a crush on Jake? Nice. Wish I would have known that back then. Would have been easier to handle her. She was a little volatile when she was trying to avoid him. I'd always thought he pissed her off in one way or another and that's why she stayed away. Could that be why Iracema is pushing me away? Or since she's a different woman entirely, could it really be that she hated me?

Ness rolled her eyes, looking much too much like her father when she did that. "Anyways, for your selflessness back then, I'm rewarding you with my little fib. Besides, you imprinted on her. She'll be happier in the long run if I help you now anyways."

I gathered her up in a bear hug, taking her feet off the floor. Her shoulders shook in laughter as she embraced me. "You're the best," I whispered to her as I set her down.

"Go get her, tiger," she replied. I flashed her a grin before doing a one-eighty and took off into the house. Iracema wasn't going to know what hit her. I truly had the best friends anyone could possibly have. From Emily and Sam's advice to Ness's help. Maybe there was hope for at least friendship for now. I had to have faith in at least that much, didn't I?

Edward saw me as I passed the kitchen. Morning Edward, can't talk now, I need to see her.

He grinned, nodding in understanding. He'd been through something similar in the early days with Bella. It took us a while, but all the wolves learned that vampire bonding and imprinting were so similar. I jogged out to the guest house, slowing just a few feet from the door. I could hear her voice as she read to her nephew. Dr. Seuss. Excellent. Sue read that stuff to us when we were kids. I could remember all the nights we spent on Horton Hears a Who or The First of Octember. I knocked on the door when there was a lull in her story. I heard her approach the door a moment later, opening it without even checking the peep hole. Her eyes widened when she took me in. She flinched, ready to slam the door when I placed my hand gently on the door.

"Before you slam the door, I just wanted to ask if you wanted to go hunting today. I heard you hadn't been in a week or so."

She chewed on her lip and shrugged. "I have Pehuen today."

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I listened to her voice. So strange yet so lovely how one voice held such power over me. Her scent was another story altogether. I wondered if that kind of scent could be bottled. I'm sure it would sell by the truckload if it could be. I doubted it could, because it was so perfectly unique to her. Floral, sure, but an underlying sweetness that mirrored her personality. "I'm sure he'd like to go, too. I mean he does drink blood, right?" I said pausing. She nodded and I sighed before I continued. "Anyways, if you want to, I'll be the wolf sitting over by the tree line," I added, pointing to the line of trees that lead out into the forest. "Just come on over if you want some company while you hunt. Great thing about wolves is we can't speak in wolf form and I know I have a tendency to ramble, like I'm doing right now. So, uh, I hope to see you in a few then?" I finished, releasing the door and walking away.

It would be the best way to handle this. Make an offer to spend time with her on a nonthreatening level and then see what she decides. I went over behind a few trees to disrobe and phase. I trotted around and laid down, placing my head on my paws. Maybe I could get a few minutes, maybe hours of sleep depending on how long it would take her to take me up on the offer. I didn't have to wait long because Pehuen came tearing out of the house all excited.

"Pehuen! Slow down!" she exclaimed as she came outside. My heart stopped for a full second. She was saying yes. Her dark eyes took in my wolf form and she stood almost stunned for a few moments. Surely, she had seen one of us in wolf form before, right? "Seth?" she asked rather pointlessly, but I understood her intent immediately. She had no idea what we were like when not in human form.

I hummed a response to her and stood. She took a couple steps back but stopped when she saw that my ears were relaxed and my tail was twitching. I wasn't the largest of the wolves by far, but I knew we all looked intimidating to those who had no idea about who and what we were. I turned, motioning with a flick of my muzzle to the forest. I knew exactly where to take her. Goat Rocks.

She gathered up Pehuen to her shoulders, even though he could run himself, I could see she felt more comfortable keeping him near. When we were ready, I took off into the trees, making sure to shorten my stride to keep pace with her. She was slower than Renesmee, so I adjusted accordingly. The run was liberating just to let my muscles loose in wolf form. Patrol was all about keeping the line tight. Letting loose on a run was more relaxing than anything. When we reached Goat Rocks, I found us a path the Cullens usually used, far away from the human populated trails. She set Pehuen down and the three of us took off again. I busied myself chasing down an elk and chowing down on it.

I wasn't a fan of eating raw, but I wanted to show that I had similar animal instincts like she did. We weren't too horribly different, she and I. Both half human. Both with animalistic sides that needed to be fed in one way or another. Getting us to that point of seeing each other as equals was important to any sort of friendship we could forge.

About a hundred meters ahead of me I saw her crouch just before she sprang, taking down a ten point buck. The piece of elk meat that was in my mouth fell from it as I watched her. Beautiful and terrifying at the same time. She was graceful like a jungle cat with the tenacity of one as well. I watched her drain the buck, completely enraptured by the sight. Now I understood why Jacob enjoyed watching Nessie hunt. It was a pretty great turn on to see your imprint exude such power and grace. I finished my kill while keeping an eye on her and my ears trained on Peheun, who'd taken down a doe.

When the elk was fit for the crows, I went to find Pehuen. He heard me coming, of course, and took to the trees, giggling. I snorted and circled the tree. We played this for a little while until he got bored and darted down, running off to hide. A little boy so full of life. Did his father realize what he was missing? I chased after him, playing along with his game. Iracema found us after about a half an hour of hide and seek. She grinned as she watched me sniff along the ground to his hiding place, in a large crevice underneath a cedar tree. Got ya. He squealed and ran over to her, hiding behind his Aunt's leg. I snorted and went around a few trees to phase and dress myself. I could hear the boy yawn. He must be tired after a hunt. I know sometimes when we ate, I was more exhausted after the meal than before. Iracema was looking over in my direction when I walked around the trunk, mid-pulling my shirt over my head. "How do you do that?" she asked as she settled Peheun against her. He was fading fast, dozing in and out of consciousness.

I didn't have to guess what she was asking about. "Phasing?"

"Turning into a wolf," she explained, not understanding that's what I meant by phasing. It wasn't an easy thing to explain.

"Yeah, we call it phasing. Like changing from one state to another. A phase change. Like when ice melts. Still water but in liquid not solid form."

"Yes, that."

I grinned a little and sat on a log. "Um, well it's not easy. It took me a lot of practice to be as controlled as I am now. The tribe's legends say that we're spirit warriors to protect the tribe."

"From what?" she asked as she leaned against a tree opposite me with a now sleeping Pehuen in her arms.

"Vampires."

Her eyes widened. "But I'm half vampire and you... imprinted on me." Hearing her say that I had imprinted on her gave me a little thrill. I had imprinted on her. She was my perfect match. I just had to find a way to get her to see that. At least she was talking. A vast improvement from earlier in the week when she'd barely say two words to me.

I sighed. "Hybrids are a grey area, apparently. You have a human half. You can have children. You'll live forever, sure. But we don't know why imprinting happens. I tend to agree with Jake's theory that it's all encompassing. Soulmates, evolution, and propagation of the wolf lines. I come from a long line of wolves. My family has all three wolf lines that can be traced back to Taha Aki directly. He was the first shapeshifter. He had an imprint too. I have a feeling we're more predisposed to imprint because he did. And besides, the Cullens are full vampires and they're my friends."

She shook her head, picking at her fingers and averting her gaze. A classic signal she was shutting down.

"What is it?" I asked.

Iracema just sighed, but she looked at me. "You're defending your tribe against vampires, yet you openly consort with them?"

I laughed a little. To an outsider this was an entirely foreign concept. Hell, even we found it confusing sometimes. "Confusing, yeah? Tell me about it. The last pack, a couple generations ago, made a treaty with Carlisle to keep the peace. Ness's birth and Jacob imprinting on her only made the treaty stronger. They are family to us now because of her. We only oppose those who would seek to hurt humans. Right now, we're all on edge with the amount of human drinkers there are in the area. I definitely don't like it, but it's a necessary evil with the Volturi coming."

"You oppose those who kill people?"

I nodded in response.

"I used to kill people. Poachers mainly. They deserved it, but it didn't make them any less human despite the despicable things they did to our forests."

As much as it should have bothered me, it didn't. The one thing my brain latched on to was the words 'used to' as in not anymore. "You seem to be taking to hunting animals pretty well."

"Yes, the Cullen lifestyle is suitable to my life. I killed poachers because they didn't care what they killed or in how great of numbers. Many species were wiped out almost completely because of them."

I grinned a little. "Yeah, ecosystems are fragile." Her eyes widened at my knowledge of how important the food chain was. "I have a degree in marine biology. Learning about the fragile nature of ecosystems and keystone species was a huge part of the curriculum."

One corner of her mouth lifted just ever so slightly. I could tell that somehow I'd gotten to her. I'd broken at least one layer of brick between us. Only a thousand more to go.

"You still didn't answer my question," she countered, bringing us back to our original conversation.

I smirked, attempting not to laugh. She was quick wasn't she? "How do we phase?"

"Yes."

"The first time, it can be a moment of pure rage or emotional distress. Or if you're like Jake, it built up and built up until finally it just happens. I phased the first time on the night my dad died. Leah, my sister, had phased for the first time in front of him and his weak heart gave out. He had heart problems before, and he had a heart attack because no female had ever phased before. The shock caused the heart attack. I came home to find out my sister was a giant wolf out in the woods. And that my father was dead. I screamed so loud that before I knew what was happening, I was on all fours and Leah was sobbing in my head. Wasn't exactly the best night of my life, as you can see."

Her face softened and I felt the pull even stronger than normal. I didn't like to see the concern on her face. Even though it meant she felt something. I'd give anything to soothe that concern and turn it into a smile. If she were sitting next to me, I'd have touched her. A small caress on her hand or cheek. Anything to show her I cared, even though I knew that was going to be off limits for quite a while, much to my dismay. It frustrated me more than anything that I had to hold back. I wasn't used to reigning myself in. A brand new experience for me, because I didn't want to freak her out. However, that didn't mean I couldn't think about how I wanted to pull her into my arms and never let go. The warmth I could feel from the thought alone helped. Was her skin as soft as I imagined it to be?

"I'm sorry. I never knew my mother. But I was raised by my grandmother for a few years. She was completely human and had named me. She taught me a total reverence for the forest and all life. Before I could hunt, she brought me the blood of animals to drink and the meat to eat. She went to gather in the forest and I was going to hunt in the morning for our month's worth of meat. She didn't come home well into the evening. I got worried. So I went looking for her, tracking her scent. I found a few men standing over her body miles from our home in the forest. They'd mistaken the rustle in the bushes for an animal and had shot her." She explained.

I didn't have to be told what happened next, but she told me anyway. "I killed them. They were just going to leave her there in the forest to rot. Not even bury her. Despicable excuses for humans."

My entire body raged for a moment as she told me this. Not in anger for her vengeance. But in absolute rage for the poachers who had destroyed her only link to the human world. All humans die, but when it's perpetrated by others, it doesn't seem fair. I took a few breaths to calm myself. This happened hundreds of years ago. There was nothing I could do about it now.

"What made you switch away from killing poachers?" I asked.

"Nahuel. Finding him and my sisters. I felt my humanity begin to come back. I was feral for a very long time, and finding them on accident was certainly the best thing for me. He had already switched from hunting humans to animals. I assume that was influenced from the Cullens. He told me all about them. Compassionate vampires. I had never imagined such a thing could exist."

I smiled. "Neither could we. But the Cullens are a strange bunch."

"They certainly are. Nahuel idolizes Edward. Sees him as what Joham should have been for all of us. All our mothers were beautiful human beings. My grandmother taught me about her. She was kind but naïve. It's how Joham preyed on them. Used their innocence against them. He's no better than the poachers."

"Ah, I see you don't like daddy dearest then?"

"No, he left my mother to die. He sent his eldest, my sister Serena to find me, but my grandmother had taken me deep into the forest. It was the rainy season so the rain washed away any trace of our scents. All she found was the grave my grandmother had made for my mother. She assumed we both died before I could be born."

"I'd say I'm sorry, but you got to be with your grandmother instead of with Joham. I never met him, but I'm sure I'd never want to. Not from how Nahuel spoke about him."

She nodded and pressed a kiss to the top of her nephew's head. "This little one will never have to doubt whether he has been cared for. I doubt if his father even cares of his existence at all. He's a member of this coven that's coming, isn't he?"

"Yeah, apparently he's Aro's prized tracker, Demetri."

Iracema looked at the sleeping boy in her arms. Unbidden and unwanted, an image flickered into my head. A glowing and happy Iracema with a round stomach and smiling face as she cradled it between her hands. A contentment radiated from her as well as expectancy of the future. I wanted more than anything to give that future to her. I could see in this moment with her nephew that she would indeed make an excellent mother. Even more dominant was the feeling of possession I felt growing in me. She wasn't mine to own. She would hopefully be mine to spend my life with. I didn't want anyone else to see this side of her. I wanted it for myself. It was selfish and ridiculous to think I would be the only person to see this softness in her. But I couldn't stop the hope that I would be. To see her happily pregnant with my child would be the icing on the proverbial cake.

Right now, I was going to take this small victory. She was opening up. Slowly, like the first flower of spring, but still letting me in, little by little. Her lips curved into a beautiful smile as she studied Pehuen. "You should do that more often."

Onyx eyes flicked up to me, perplexed. I smiled wider. "Smile more. You have a really beautiful one."

Blood pooled in her face, tinging her cheeks rosy red. She ducked her face down into Pehuen's hair, letting her curls surround the sides of her face to hide the blush but it was too late. I had seen it clear as day. Yes, there was certainly something here. Friendship was the best way to go for now, but that didn't mean I couldn't compliment her in the mean time.

---

Things were easier now. Ira, as I'd taken to calling her like Ness and Nahuel did, was becoming more and more comfortable around me. I had a feeling our little sharing session was a real turning point for her. We talked everyday since. Even about silly inconsequential things like the weather. I found myself even more excited with each day to hurry up with work and head over to see her. Amber was already bugging me about bringing her to the reservation to meet everyone. I was understandably a bit apprehensive with that one. Ira still had trouble with new people. When Benjamin and Tia showed up earlier in the day, she'd retreated a bit. I'd only wished I could have been there to set her at ease. Stupid work. I had half a mind to just quit.

I only had so much time with her left until the Volturi would arrive. All the wolves felt that deadline weighing on us. Especially those of us with an imprint. None of us wanted to entertain the idea of not coming out of the conflict intact. No one wanted a war. Both sides were well stacked with talented vampires. If only I could convince Ira to not be there. But this was her family being threatened too. Her sister's son could be on the chopping block as far as Aro was concerned. Even now as I make my way to see if she wants to meet Amber, I feel the anxiety twist my stomach. The future was as uncertain as whatever Aro's whims were for that day. I just hoped we could intimidate them once more into standing down. The absolute horror at having Ira near any kind of battle made me sick to my stomach. I didn't care how well she did with Renesmee in training the other morning. There was no way I was going to be A-okay with her in harm's way. Just not happening.

Ira peeked her head out of the window and came out to greet me. "How was the pack meeting?" she asked. I smiled widely at her.

"Fine, we're going to have you guys help train the newbies," I explained. Her eyes lit up at the possibility. "Oh, yeah. I heard someone had fun kickin' some vampire butt."

She chuckled, giving me that nonchalant shrug. "Ness is a very good teacher, as is Jasper and Garrett. It's amazing what you can do on instinct alone."

And now I really wished I'd been there. It was one thing to see it through Jacob's memories where all he focused on was Ness. I wanted to see it where I could watch Ira and Ness work together. There was something pretty damn hot about a woman who could kick some ass. "Man, wish I'd been there."

"I wish you had, though Jacob was having a panic attack the entire time."

I rolled my eyes. "Sounds like Jake. He's been in protector mode for so long I don't think he knows how to deal with Ness being perfectly capable to defend herself now," I explained. She nodded, pursing her lips just a little bit. I inhaled sharply, just what I needed a reminder of how much I wanted to kiss her. Would they be as soft as a human's? Or would they feel different. Sometimes I wished I paid attention when Jake got daydreaming about Nessie. Then again, I'm glad I didn't. Everything was new and exciting. "You're probably wondering why I'm here."

Ira shrugged and played with her fingers. "You're here everyday, Seth."

I chuckled at her blunt observation. "True. But Amber's birthday dinner is tonight and since she's my sister's imprint, I was invited. It's at Jake's place and I was wondering if you wanted to go... with me."

One eyebrow raised in surprise. "Isn't that on the reservation?"

"Yeah, obviously."

"I thought we weren't allowed there."

"You're an imprint, that's different. And we have the rule where you need permission unless you're a red-eye. Then it's a definite no. I get it if you don't want to go. I just thought you'd want to spend time with me, and Nessie will be there. She and Amber are really close. Well, there's that, and Ness will find any excuse to spend the night at Jake's."

I watched her expression. I could tell she was weighing the options very carefully before making her decision. I waited patiently while she did so. "Will we be back in time so I can sleep before training in the morning?" she asked. I smiled wide, feeling the expectancy in her voice.

"You could stay at my house. I have a couple extra bedrooms lying around you could sleep in for the night. At least that way we won't have to travel far to training in the morning." I tried to put it in the best, most innocent way. My brain, however, was reminding me that even if she came to spend the night at my house, it would be for sleeping and nothing else. I hated my brain sometimes.

"Is there anything I should know about Amber?"

I smiled widely. "You're going to love her, but she can be a little in your face when you first meet her. She's just being friendly," I said as I walked her over to my car. She stopped and stared at it. "What?"

"We're not running?"

"No, didn't think you'd want to."

"Oh, okay. I've only been in a car twice."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. It was a long time ago. I'm not very familiar with modern technology. Lived off the grid for most of my life," she said, giving a light shrug to her shoulders while I opened the door for her. She looked at me strangely but said nothing. How frustrating. I was used to not having a clue what women thought, but I thought, at least I hoped, that I'd be able to read my imprint. Seems like our friendship would take time as well. Iracema played with the radio station as I drove, randomly pressing buttons until nothing but white noise emanated from the speakers.

"Did I break it?"

I shook my head. "No, just tuned to a station that doesn't exist is all. Here," I said, leaning my hand in at the same time she did. Our knuckles bumped and a flash of heat shot up my arm. Wow, that was a hell of a thing. I wanted it again and more of it. From the blush on her face, I could see, at least in some small way, she did too. I clenched my fist for a fraction of a second while I changed to a local station. "See, all better. This thing may be old, but it's a classic."

Jacob's house was abuzz with light and chatter when we arrived. I tried to grab Ira's door when we got out, but she beat me to it. I mock pouted at her. "I was supposed to do that," I teased, holding out my hand for her to take if she wanted to.

She snickered and took my hand hesitantly. I tried to ignore the heat radiating up my arm, but I couldn't. I was glad that she was at least open to this. Holding hands in many cultures was viewed as friendship and trust. I hoped that's what I was communicating to her. That she could trust me. Confide in me all her secrets and worries. Was it too much to hope for this soon? Maybe. "Why?"

"It's called chivalry, it's when a guy is trying to impress a girl by doing nice things for her, like opening her door, holding out her seat. Holding out his hand to help her up."

"And where did this chivalry come from?"

"Stories, movies, everywhere?"

She grinned a bit wider than before. "Really? It's not just an excuse to hold my hand?"

Amber met us at the door, her expression already incandescent bloomed even brighter. "Seth! You made it! Oh and you brought her! I was hoping you would." Ira and I exchanged a glance and she looked nervous. I squeezed her fingers, trying to silently tell her it's okay.

"Ira, this is Amber, my sister's psychotic imprint."

"Hey! I resent that. I am not psychotic." She smacked my arm and I feign like it hurt, which it didn't. It barely even registered as a hit. A tap maybe. "Don't let him fill your head with nonsense. I'm perfectly sane."

"You're dating a werewolf, your best friend is a hybrid and you love her family of full vampires. Any normal person would find that psychotic."

Amber shrugs. "You're the one who busts out of your clothes into a giant wolf. What does that say for your sanity?"

"That I have none. Known that a long time, Ambs."

Ira giggled at the two of us. "You sound like Jennifer and Nahuel. They're always picking at each other."

"Oh you want banter, check out Jake and Rose when they go on an insult war. Free laughs all around. Though don't let Rose catch you laughing at one of Jake's jokes." Amber took Iracema's arm and led her through the house. Ira glanced back at me nervously and I mouthed 'I'm right behind you'.

Amber was certainly a ball of energy this evening. She should really switch to decaf. Though I'm sure mentioning that I'd get a smack to the head. "It's really awesome to meet you, Ira. Wait, can I call you Ira?"

Iracema nodded politely, relaxing a bit when she saw Ness was there too. "Yes, Ira is just fine. Nahuel calls me that occasionally." I grunted silently. I called her that too. But I figured I wasn't quite up in the ranks of her family just yet. Patience, Clearwater. Don't blow the progress you've made already.

"I'm glad you could make it. You've met Seth's sister, Leah, right?" Amber said, talking a mile a minute.

"Hey Ira, do you like halibut? It's the ginger on your arm's favorite," Leah said, smiling at Amber.

"Ah, yes. I'm not very partial to human food, but I can stomach it," Iracema answered, unsure of herself. I appeared at her side a moment later and the tension in her shoulders relaxed. I may or may not have done a mental back flip in celebration that she found me comforting enough to help her through meeting Amber and essentially being thrown into a familial situation right away. I was holding off on introducing her to my mother and Charlie. Sue had been ecstatic for me but understood that she needed time.

"Oooh, coconut curry halibut? Amber, you are seriously my new best friend," I teased. Amber rolled her eyes, in typical older sister fashion, even though she was a little younger than me. "I told Ira that it was your birthday and offered to slowly introduce her to the other imprints. I didn't want to subject her to Claire just yet."

Amber snicker-snorted, shrugging. "Don't knock Claire, that girl has gumption. Don't worry, Ira, all of us girls are pretty awesome. Present company included," she said, pointing to me.

"Shut up," Ness replied, blushing quite a bright red. Jacob smiled at her adorable reaction. Always so modest. Was that something hybrids shared? Ira had a hard time accepting compliments as well. Or it could be the whole not liking attention thing that Bella was so famous for.

I turned my head, leaning a little down to Ira's level to explain the concept of American birthdays. They were a huge deal in the human world. "Birthdays are pretty big in the human world. Even for us wolves we still keep track. You'll notice that all the imprints are very welcoming. They get it. What it's like to have one of us around you all the time. It can get annoying I'm sure."

She smiled back at me. "Not annoying. At least not yet," she shot back, bumping her shoulder into mine. Even through my shirt my skin did that odd flare of tingling heat. This was torture. But sweet torture at that. I stared at her for a long moment, the smirk on my face faded slowly. A few strands of her hair had escaped from behind her ear. My fingers itched to brush it back, to touch her skin. I balled my fists instead to stop them from pulling a mutiny on me. All in due time. It had become my mantra as of late.

Iracema gravitated towards me; that fact wasn't lost on me in the slightest. I'll admit I felt a surge of pride every time she'd look to me for reassurance or casually brush her skin to mine, be it from an arm or a hand. Infuriatingly frustrating, sure, but I don't think I've ever felt more alive.

The six of us piled into the living room, sitting around the coffee table as was tradition in this house for dinner and movies. Nessie and Ira sat near each other, keeping Ira to the corner that the L-shaped couch formed. I sat next to her smiling as I did so. Leah and Amber sat on the outside edge of the coffee table.

We all sat, digging into our food when Amber decided to play twenty questions. "So, Ira, where are you from?"

Nervous, she glanced at me. I smiled, reassuring her not to be anxious. "Brazil. My mother was a Portuguese colonist in a small village. My grandmother named me after a name in the Tupi language for where honey originates. Apparently I was very sweet to her, but she knew I was a blood drinker from how my mother acted during the pregnancy. The Tupi tribes of Brazil are fierce warriors and cannibals."

Amber's eyes went wide at the explanation. "Whoa."

I chuckled a little. "Don't mind her, you just blew her mind a little."

"Dude, so she named you after a name in a language of cannibals because you drink blood?"

"Yeah. She felt it was both beautiful and appropriate. She was a kind woman."

"What happened to her? Old age?" Amber asked and Ira's expression went dark.

I took her free hand that was in her lap. Her eyes flashed to mine. "It's okay, you don't have to say anything." I told her.

"What did I say?"

Iracema sighed. "No, it's all right. It's been over two and a half centuries," she assures me. I nod and let her hand go. "She was murdered."

"Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-," Amber tried to say, but Ira stopped her.

"It's okay. You didn't know."

"Okay, lighter subject. What are we doing in the morning? Do we want to meet here then head to the treaty line?" I said, pulling us away from the topic.

Ness shrugged. "Fine with me."

Jake nodded. "Just don't try to wake me up. I might not be responsible for any scars you might get."

I cackled a little. "Yeah, yeahl I know how much you love your sleep, man. Me too. Don't get hardly enough of it anymore."

"Why's that?" Ira asked, wondering.

"Work, patrol, you know..."

"And going to see you everyday," Leah interjected. I shot her a dirty look. Thanks a lot, sis.

She nods in response. "You need to make sure you sleep though. Especially with what's coming."

"I know, I know. But there are more important things than sleeping sometimes," I blurted, making the other two couples start snickering under their breaths.

"Yeah, I can name three things better than sleep," Jake muttered, making Ness giggle and blush. Amber wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and Leah just started laughing and patted Amber's leg.

"Oh, grow up, you four," I scolded. I turned to Iracema. "You see what I put up with?"

She smirks. "I don't know how you do it."

"Oh please, he loves us," Nessie shot back.

I rolled my eyes. "Sure, whatever you say, Loch Ness."

Her face sobered up and she grabbed a handful of grapes and pelted me with them. One of which I caught in my mouth.

"Okay! How about a movie?" Amber suggested while Jacob clears up the plates and goes to make popcorn.

"I vote North by Northwest first," I announced, reading the titles quickly. Easily one of the best movies out there. As Amber was just finishing up getting it ready, Jacob came back in with three large bowls of popcorn, for each pair to share. I laid the bowl between us and stretched out with my arms along the couch cushions and my legs sprawled out under the coffee table. Ira looked at the other two pairs and how they were situated. Amber and Leah were leaning on one another, with Amber in front of her. Jake and Ness weren't much different. An arm around her back and their legs tangled together. She swallowed thickly and leaned on the bottom of the couch. She jumped a little when she felt my arm hit the bare skin of her upper back. "Sorry, I can move..." I offered.

Ira shook her head and relaxed a little, scooting a little closer to me so her shoulder was just under mine. The same patch of skin pressed against my arm. She was so close. Her scent clouded my senses. Hyacinth and fresh cut roses. Intoxicating and wonderful. I didn't think I would be paying much attention to the movie now, and somehow, I don't think I really cared.

---

"You're sure it's all right if I stay here?" she asked for the fourth time. I chuckled a moment and nodded. "Can I use your shower then? I usually shower before I sleep when I can. That is one luxury of the modern world I love. A good hot shower."

I gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, imagining the baseball game highlights I saw before we left Jacob's place. Thought of fishing, or anything, really, instead of the thought of her in the shower. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. "Uh, sure. Yeah, you'll have to use the master bathroom though. I'm remodeling the guest bathroom and the water's shut off."

"Is that all right with you?"

"Of course. You can borrow some of Leah's old clothes to sleep in, too. You're probably close to her size."

She nods, growing quiet as we pull up to the house where I grew up. "Welcome to Casa Clearwater," I said with a slight dramatic flare. She chuckled a little as we got out and I showed her around, showing her Leah's old room where she could sleep.

When we got to my bedroom she pointed to the door inside. "Your bathroom?"

I nodded and tried not to focus on the fact that my imprint is standing in my bedroom. Not a good idea to think about that right now. "Towels are in the bathroom, and I will grab some clothes for you. Uh, do you like tea?"

"Tea? Um, sure?" she said, unsure of what exactly I was talking about.

"I'll uh, go make some," I said, watching her disappear behind the door. I rolled my eyes at myself, smacking my forehead as I walked to Leah's old room and grabbed a pair of comfy pajama shorts and a tank-top thing that looked comfortable." I placed them on my bed and promptly walked out and busied myself with boiling water in the kitchen and setting out two bags of Earl grey. I drummed on the countertop, added a few items to my ever growing grocery list and threw in a load of laundry until the kettle started whistling. It was all I could do to distract myself from the fact that not only was my imprint showering in my shower, but that it would smell like her for days if I let it. Like I needed any more cold showers. It was only going to get worse before it gets better, though. Ira walked in a few moments later, her hair still damp and her skin smelling even sweeter than normal. I had no idea how I was going to sleep in the same house as her and not do something to keep my mind occupied elsewhere. I may be an imprinted wolf, but damn it, I'm still a man. And a man who's falling in love very quickly.

"Have a good shower?" I asked putting the tea bags in each cup.

"Yes, thank you," she replied, taking the steaming mug from me.

"I didn't know if you liked anything in yours. I like mine with honey and lemon."

"That sounds lovely actually," she said, setting it down. I squeezed a lemon wedge over it and poured in some honey like I had with mine, stirring it with the same spoon. "Thank you, again," she adds taking it from me.

"You're welcome."

We drank our tea in silence for a few minutes. I finished mine off quickly and placed the cup in the sink to deal with later. She watched me pass her and she smiled, leaning on the counter next to the sink. "Thank you for taking me with you tonight," she remarked.

A surge of pride and happiness hit my chest. "Well, thanks for putting up with my family and pack business."

"It's an interesting dynamic, this whole imprinting thing. I like Amber by the way."

"Knew you would. Everyone does. She's just too nice not to like."

She smiled back at me. So relaxed and beautiful. Yeah, I was such a goner already and we'd only been an imprinted pair less than a month. All I needed was reciprocation from her and I'd be a happy man. The funny thing was, standing here in my kitchen with her, I was more than happy to wait as long as she needed. No imprint had ever denied her wolf completely. Not in the known history of imprinting had that ever occurred.

"What's so interesting about imprinting?" I asked, noting her first comment.

"How they are. They pair off. And gravitate to each other like magnets."

I grinned and placed my hand on hers. "It's true. I feel drawn to you all the time. It's not something I can just block and say it's not that big of a deal. I'm always thinking about you and how you are. Wondering if I'm being a good enough friend to you."

"Yes, I understand that..." She looked almost confused, trying to gather her thoughts in a cohesive way that I would understand them. I understood completely. Being an imprint held a lot of expectation from the outside in. But from my end? I just wanted her to exist. Happy and safe. It's basically all I wanted. All I could ever want for her. Did I want other things for us? Yes. I wanted to give her everything. My heart, the world, and forever.

I had to get her to see that there wasn't any expectation from me. Just hope for a future I know is possible. "I'm sensing a 'but' is in there somewhere?" I offered.

She nodded. "I mean. Please don't be offended by this. I feel like there's this pressure on me to accept this and let things progress."

I chewed my lips, trying to form my answer in the best way possible. "From me?"

"No, just in general. This whole imprint thing has a lot of expectation associated with it, don't you think?"

I sighed. She had a point. The other imprints and wolves, hell, even the vamps all expected something to happen between us. I tried to keep my expectations out of it. I knew we had a future together. It wasn't an expectation but an inevitability. She had to come to that conclusion in her own time and in her own way. "Does it matter what other people think? I mean, Jake and Ness have been friends since she was a small child. Things happened when they were supposed to. I don't expect anything between us. I hope for it, sure. But I wouldn't pressure you into anything ever. I'm here for you, in any way that you need me to be. Forever. I promise."

"Who's there for you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you said that you're here for me. Who's there for you when you need someone?"

"You are. I have friends, sure. But I know that with just being around you that everything is okay. You're safe and that's really all that matters to me. I-I..." I stammered. "I care for you. More than you know." I explained in the most simplistic of ways to explain the depth of what I was beginning to feel.

"What if I couldn't be here for you? What if I was far away?"

I grinned a little. "I don't think in 'what ifs.' I think in what is. You are here. You aren't far away. Don't you get it? Just by being here, existing in this room right now, you're doing exactly what I need without even having to put forth any effort."

"But there's still an expectation that I'll continue to be here."

I shrugged. "If you wanted to leave, I wouldn't stop you. If it's what you need."

"But if it isn't?"

"Then I'd fight like Hell to keep you."

We stared at each other for a few tense moments. She breathed in and out and I counted the beats of her heart. Not an easy thing to do with how it thrums. Thirty-three beats later she finally spoke. "But what do you want from me?"

I smiled. That was easy. "Your company." That was the simple explanation. The more complicated one revolved around her desire to be with me.

"That's it?"

"Ira," I began, stepping toward her and placing my hands on her bare arms. I fought against the electricity running up and down my arms from our contact. "If you want something from me, tell me and we'll go from there. I won't force you into anything. This choice is wholly yours..." I whispered, pressing my lips to her forehead, inhaling her sweet scent. I pushed her back a little so she would see the look on my face as I said this. "I won't lie to you. I want you. You have no idea how much. But I respect you enough to let you decide if you want me too. Take as much time as you need. And no matter what your answer is, I'll always be here for you, in any way you need me. I was made for you. That's what imprinting feels like on my end. I'll fill any void in your life that you want me to. I'll be happy to just be near you."

I brushed my thumb across her cheek. I was right. Every inch of her skin I touched was smooth as silk. She was watching my face waiting for more of a reaction. I lingered a second too long. Now we were into the realm of awkward silences. I backed away, severing the contact. As much as it pained me to do so, it was necessary. "We should..."

"Yeah, bed, right."

"Right," I added. She turned and walked towards the hallway and I followed, going to the master bedroom. As I reached the door, I tore off my shirt, heading for bed. I changed into comfortable flannel pants and crawled into bed, thinking about everything. Had I pushed her too far? One thing I knew for certain was I would be spending the rest of the night dreaming of her.

---

The wind was crashing against the windows, making the old duct work rattle. I had already been tossing and turning. My mind couldn't seem to quit thinking about her for even a little while so I could sleep. I got up and went into my bathroom. Bad move. Her scent still lingered heavily on the walls and in the air. I breathed in deep, letting it assault my senses. I splashed water on my face and neck and drinking some straight from the faucet.

I knew I shouldn't be doing this. I should leave her alone but I couldn't. I had to check on her. Had to just for my own sanity. These were the things I told myself. Assurances to make me feel less like a creepy stalker. Resigned to my obsession, I padded quietly as I could down the hall to her room. I peered in the open door and was startled to see the bed empty and made just as I left it. Alarmed, I pushed into the room looking for any sign of flight. I could find none. She was still in here, her heart beat was strong and steady. I looked around, walking over to the opposite side of the bed. That's where I found her curled on the floor, sound asleep.

She slept on the floor? This was completely unacceptable. She was my guest, and here she was sleeping on the floor instead of a soft warm bed. No, this just would simply not do for her. Not when she deserved so much better. I understood that maybe this was more what she was used to. Living in the forest her entire life doesn't exactly scream five star accommodations. Things were different now. She deserved everything I could give and everything I couldn't. Gently, as carefully as possible, I scooped her up into my arms. She nestled into me immediately, moaning in her sleep.

I whispered that she was okay and to sleep, just in case she was waking up. No sound came from her as I carried her to my room. There was no way I could keep myself from her now. I laid her down in my bed, covering her with the sheets and comforter. I crawled in on the other side and faced her, keeping my distance as I watched her dream peacefully until sleep claimed me as well.

Dawn was upon us before long. I felt eyes on me while I was still unconscious. That feeling brought me out of my stupor. When I opened my eyes I was met with an amused black stare. "Morning," I groaned, my voice hoarse with sleep.

She smirked. "Morning. Would you mind telling me how I ended up in your bed?"

My face heated up. "Uh, I woke up and found you asleep on the floor. I thought you'd be more comfortable here. I felt like a bad host. Here I am sleeping in a nice bed and you are sleeping on the floor?"

"It's what I'm used to."

"I figured, but still. You deserve so much better than cold hardwood flooring, don't you think?" I argued. While I understood her being used to unpleasant sleeping surfaces, I couldn't have just let her sleep there.

She nodded softly. "I agree, this is much nicer than the floor. But you could have woken me up."

"You looked so peaceful. I didn't want to."

"Or you were afraid I might stop you if I woke up?" she suggested. In some way, she was right on that count. I sighed and moved my hand, realizing the warmth it felt was the skin of her hip, between the hems of her shirt and shorts.

"Partially that too, I should have woke you, though. I apologize for that. Seeing you on the floor... It just... It broke something in me, and I couldn't in good conscience just leave you there."

A small smile illuminated her features and she slid forward, bringing her body into mine. Her head fit perfectly into the crook of my neck and chin. "There's no need to apologize. I trust you. As much as it was a surprise, I am glad that you did." My heart sped up, bordering on a palpitation at having her this close and against the bare skin of my torso. I wanted to pull her closer and roll her onto her back but I didn't. I knew we were nowhere near that stage yet. But this, her in my arms, this gave me hope that maybe she would be up for that someday.

Letting out a satisfied sigh, I wrapped my arms around her. A low hum rumbled in her chest. I recognized the sound immediately from Jacob's memories of Nessie. It was a purr. Soft and content. "As much as I hate to interrupt this, we do have to get up and go to training."

She groaned and pulled back, her hair sticking every which way in a crazy mess of black curls. "Do we have to?"

I grinned and pushed some curls from her face. "Unfortunately, yes. Duty calls. Besides, it's an order. As much as Jake hates giving them out, it's important we're there to help the younger guys learn. Not all of us have killed a vampire before."

Her eyes went wide and she sat up. "You've taken on a vampire and killed it?"

I nodded. "I can't really take complete credit, thanks to Edward. But yeah, vampire's name was Riley and he and Victoria were trying to kill Bella. Edward and I tag teamed them. It was my first one. I was still a teenager."

She eyed me carefully. "Wow. I know how powerful vampires are, but you must be very good at what you do to survive that."

"This is what we're designed for. Just like you are designed to be a perfect balance of vampire and human. I was designed to protect the tribe. Hundreds of years of magic in our blood have made us very good at what we do. We just need to show the brand new guys how to do it without getting themselves killed."

A soft sigh came from her lips as she ran her hands through her tangled mess of curls. "So we're meeting at Jacob's house?"

"Yeah. Come on, we have just enough time to eat. I'll make you breakfast. If you want."

"You cook?" Iracema asked, a bit stunned that I knew anything culinary.

I chuckled, nodding. "I live alone. I had to learn how to cook to survive. You don't always want to show up at other people's houses for meals or they'll start to believe you don't have a life."

"I could definitely eat."

"Okay, one breakfast coming up."

"And then training," she tacked on, getting out of bed with me.

"Yep and then we train."

I lead her into the kitchen and whipped up something quick. Toaster waffles and scrambled eggs, and bacon. We ate and talked about what to expect for the day ahead. It felt oddly liberating just talking with her after last night. Something new was settling over us. A closeness that wasn't there before. It had this calming effect over me now. I didn't have the need to worry about what was next for us or what she was thinking all the time. Some barrier had been crossed and now there was a sense of peace.

I noticed it even more as we ran to Jacob's home. She ran close to me, to my left flank keeping pace as we sped through the forest throughout the reservation. We arrived at the house hearing Leah, Jake, and Ness inside drinking coffee and convincing themselves to wake up. When they came outside, Ness and Ira talked for a moment while the other two phased.

Mornin' boss, sis. There were other voices. The rest of the pack was already heading toward the treaty line. Most everyone stayed quiet.

Whoa...what a difference a day makes. And so it begins. I knew I was going to have to endure an entire day of this crap from the rest of them. They just weren't awake enough to start in on me yet.

Shut it, Lee.

Aww, Jake. Our little boy is all grown up.

Jake cackled, letting out a series of short barks. Okay, knuckleheads, let's go. The five of us set out for the training site. It wasn't far from the treaty line so it wouldn't be long.

Iracema and Ness stayed close to one another. A small comfort that they'd become close. I ran in formation with my sister and Jacob. The rest of the pack circled around the area with the Cullens and a few others standing off to the side discussing training tactics. There was an energy in the air, a quiet hum that charged through everyone amping the newbies up for training with vampires. Should be an interesting day.

---

AN: Hope you all enjoyed this OS! Thank you to all who donated and all who've read!