Disclaimer: Any recognizable character does not belong to me. I am merely borrowing them for my own amusement. This story is compliant up through Eclipse, though does not follow the storyline of Breaking Dawn, as that had not been my cup of tea. As I was unable to locate an exact timeline for the wolves, I've made my own. This means that the characters ages may not exactly mesh with the true timeline of Twilight. I've only made a few tweaks, honestly. :-)


If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea
I'll sail the world to find you
If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see
I'll be the light to guide you

-Bruno Mars 'Count On Me'


"Enough about me, how was your first day?"

My mother's question catches me by surprise. I'd already been on the phone with her for half an hour, listening to her describe to me in great detail the latest project she's working on and how Edmund, her psychologist wanna-be boyfriend is interpreting said project in relation to her psyche. My mother loves me, I know this, but that doesn't make her any less self-absorbed. I'm surprised to find she even remembers that it was my first day teaching high school.

"Well?" she prompts, and I wonder if she really remembered or if Banpa reminded her.

"Well, it was alright. I survived. Only two more days until the weekend," is the only response I can offer her. I hear her sigh dramatically and I don't even bother fighting back a smile. Stretching my legs out on the couch, I switch my phone to my other ear.

"Edmund," she begins in what I like to refer to as her 'superior' tone, "says that to survive is not to live. On top of this, he would heavily advise against wishing your life away. I really think that…"

At this point I've already started tuning my mother out, as she doesn't require an active audience when she gets on a soap box. I already know that she'll go on to quote Edmund several times, before she forgets what we were originally talking about, only to describe to me once more the latest project. Her rambling continues and my mind drifts back to my day. Other than the boy running off, it wasn't that bad. I had a rocky start, sure, but it could have been much worse. Still, I was optimistic that tomorrow would be much better than today had.

I allow my mother to ramble on for another fifteen minutes before I interrupt her. "Mom, I really need to review my lesson plan for tomorrow," I state glancing at the clock on the wall. "I'll talk to you next week?"

"Of course. You'll need to ring before Tuesday, Edmund and I are going to shut off most of our technology at the end of next week, to experiment on—"

"Sure thing, Mom, love you," I cut her off before she can go on about Edmund's latest experiment. We hang up, and I find myself looking around Kim's living room. We had had plans right after school was released so we could discuss our first day as actual adults, but she had texted me to cancel, stating something came up unexpectedly. I had asked if there was anything I could do to help, but she had never responded, and that was over three hours ago.

Standing up, I glance at the cluster of pictures that are hanging on the wall. I glance over the faces as I debate whether or not to make dinner for just myself or something for Kim and Jared as well, but before I come to a decision, something catches my eye. Staring back at me, is the odd ball boy that ran off this afternoon. Seth Clearwater. After he ran off, I interrogated Tiny Tim to discover his last name was Clearwater, before going off to the office to report what had happened. Linda, the secretary, didn't seem too concerned. She actually seemed pretty fond of Seth and said it wasn't unusual that he run off at random points in the day, doing odd things for the council.

I found it unusual, but who was I to question the council? Shaking my head, I study the picture. Seth is tucked between Jared and a guy I don't recognize. Honestly, Jared and his friend Paul, who is scowling in the back are the only two I really know. In the two weeks I'd been here, most of my time was spent getting ready for the upcoming school year or searching for a place to live. Unfortunately, with the size of La Push, there didn't seem to be very many options, though that didn't seem to help the search. The one real estate agent in La Push had such a busy schedule that setting up an appointment to even look at a house felt nearly impossible.

Pulling my hair out of the neat-turned-messy bun, I run my fingers through my waves before making my way toward the kitchen. It's as I'm opening the fridge that I hear the front door open.

"Han?" Kim calls, but she's in the kitchen before I respond. I pull a few things out of the fridge and turn to smile at her, but the smile falls from my face when I see how weary Kim is. Her hair, that I had helped curl just that morning, was pulled back in a messy ponytail, most of the curls having fallen out. Her mascara was smudged around her eyes, I'm guessing from her rubbing them repeatedly. Having lived with Kim as her roommate for most of our college career, I knew she tended to rub her eyes whenever stressed.

"What's wrong?" I inquire. She doesn't even look directly at me, merely moves past me to the fridge before pulling out a can of beer. I watch as she opens the can with a 'pop' before she throws her head back and takes a large gulp. I'm staring at her in shock. In all my years of having known Kim, she had never been the type to drink beer. Not that there was anything wrong with beer, but she and I both agreed that we were more cheap wine girls than cheap beer girls. I hear snickering behind me, and turn to see Jared. He's leaning against the wall, his large arms folded across his chest. He has that look on his face he gets whenever he's staring at Kim, although this one is laced with amusement.

"Babe, it's not that bad," Jared says, pushing away from the wall. Kim is making a face, having put the can of beer on the counter. I watch as Jared pulls Kim to him and he kisses the top of her head. "Sorry we're so late," he says, though I seem to be more of an afterthought. Kim buries her face against Jared's chest, and I feel my stomach flip.

"Kim, what's up?" I ask. She merely shakes her head against Jared's chest, and makes unintelligible sounds. Jared continues to chuckle to himself, which eases my mind slightly. Kim isn't normally prone to dramatics, so when something does seem to be wrong, I can't help but worry. Still, the fact that Jared didn't seem terribly concerned, did help. "Come on, lady, what's wrong?"

Pulling herself away, Kim gives me a look of pure misery. She opened her mouth to say something, but at the last minute, her mouth snaps shut and she takes a long look at Jared. Their silent communication makes me feel uncomfortable, so I turn back to the task of making dinner. Its a few moments later that I heard Kim mumble something about 'how it won't be that bad,' before I feel her stand right beside me while I'm chopping the vegetables.

"I'm sorry it's been a little weird tonight," Kim said softly. "I…uh, something came up and it's not the end of the world or anything, I just…didn't react super well to what's happening. But it's fine. This will be fine. Everything will be great."

"You're reassuring me a little too much, Kimbo," I interrupt, smiling when her cheeks go red. Something is obviously off with Kim, but I know I can't pry. Kim's not the type that can be pushed into opening up by prying. She nudges me with her shoulder, and we grin at each other. "We'll move on. For now," I threaten, and Kim's grin grows slightly. "How was your first day?" I question, and this time Kim's grin brightens her whole face.

"It was wonderful, Hanz, I absolutely love my class," Kim gushes, as she shoos me away from the chopping. She overtakes the task, before looking at me expectantly. "How was your first day?"

Shrugging, I turn to the stove to start working on the chicken. "Well..." I begin, wondering if I should bring up the Clearwater kid incident. "It was alright. I mean, the students don't know what to think of me. I kind of started it off awkwardly with getting to know each other exercises," I hear Jared groan and I laugh to myself. "I know, I know, I'm lame. But, I'm optimistic that tomorrow will be better. I, well, I did have a question. For Jared, actually."

"Yes, I'm ready for you to move out," Jared responds, grinning when Kim exclaims his name. "Sorry, sorry. Go ahead."

"So, I was looking at the pictures out in the living room. And I never really noticed before, but one of my students is out there. A Seth Clearwater? I'm just curious because, uh, well, he kind of skipped out on my class today. It was unusual, he was hanging out with a kid right outside my class, and when I approached them, he…I don't know, he just ran off. Is he…always an oddball like that?" There's complete silence in the room now. Kim has ceased her chopping and Jared is looking anywhere but at me. A tension settles in the room that I know hadn't been there before, even when Kim was in the middle of freaking out. "I mean, Linda thinks he's a great kid, but, I was just….do I have to worry about him?"

It's in that moment the Jared chuckles again. "You will not have to worry about him. At all. He will be the best student you could ever wish for." Jared seems to be enjoying some kind of joke, and I'm surprised to see Kim glare at him. He merely smirks at her, before he glances at me. "Trust me, Hannah, you don't have to worry about Seth. I don't know what happened with him today, but he is a great guy." The smile is nowhere in sight, and Jared seems entirely sincere. Since the first time I met him, I'd never known him to look at me so seriously, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Seth is a sweet ki—uhh, guy," Kim volunteers, just as the sound of vegetables being chopped starts up again. She's a little too focused on her current task, but I don't think to question it. The tension slowly eases itself out of the room, while small talk ensues.

I don't mention anything else about my day, instead I'm relieved when Kim starts to expand on hers. Jared and I both listen attentively, and it's not long before dinner is ready.

Its right as Jared is finishing off the last of his chicken that his phone starts to ring. Kim and I continue talking, but pause when Jared groans loudly while he's looking at the name on his screen. "Yes?" he answers, and there's a pause on his end as he listens to whoever is on the other line. Kim and I share a smile, before we get up to start cleaning up our dinner mess. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jared pinch the bridge of his nose. "Se—I understand, but it's a little late for that." There's another pause, and Jared seems to grow even more irritated. "I swear I will kick your ass if I see you anywhere near—" Jared trails off, as his eyes land on Kim. He gets up, mouth's that he'll be back and makes his way toward the front door, his phone still pressed to his ear.

I turn to Kim to find her staring at me, an odd small on her face. I arch an eyebrow and her smile seems to grow. "That was weird," I state.

Kim merely shrugs a shoulder, that odd secret smile still firmly in place as she begins loading the dishwasher. We clean in silence, and I'm reminded of our sophomore year when we opted to live in an apartment just a little way from campus, instead of a dorm like we had the previous year. We hadn't been best friends at that point, but we decided we made good roommates. Sophomore year was the year we grew closer, and almost every night we'd make dinner and clean up just like this. It made me homesick for those times, because I knew things would never be like that again.

"You remember when we were talking the night before graduation, and you said you want what Jared and I have?"

Kim's voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I'm slightly taken back by her question. I do remember that night, as it was our last night as actual roomies. Our apartment was empty of all of our things, save the two sleeping bags we were using. We'd been lying in the living room floor, full of nervous energy. We'd talked about everything under the sun that night, including, but not limited to her relationship with Jared. "Sure, I remember."

The kitchen is clean, so Kim links her arm with mine, before pulling me into the living room. She looks serious, as if she's trying to choose her words carefully, and we sit at opposite ends of her couch. Its a few moments before she speaks again. "I think…I think that it will find you, without you even realizing it. I mean, what Jared and I have. It could be…I don't know, unconventional. There might be bumps, but…someday, you'll have, uh, the kind of relationship you deserve," Kim is staring at her fingernails as she finishes her speech.

"Thanks?" is really the only response I can come up with. An awkward silence falls around us, Kim seemingly lost in her thoughts, while I wrestle with where her speech came from. Had I been too vocal about my jealousy of her and Jared? It wasn't that it was all consuming or anything, but I don't know many people who could be in the same room as them without feeling slightly envious of how devoted they seem to be to each other. The small twinge of jealousy I felt was also nothing compared to how happy I was for her. It's not many high school sweethearts that can stand the test of time, but Kim and Jared could defy all the odds.

"Kim, you know I'm so happy for you, right?" I say, and she grins at me.

"Of course! I just want you to have the same happiness I've found. And…well, I know you'll find it, as weird as that sounds. I just…it could be bumpy, but you have to know that the fight is worth it. The bumpiness will make the happiness so worth it," Kim is looking at me imploringly, as if she's trying to make me understand something she can't quite explain.

Before I can respond, the front door opens, only to slam a few seconds later. Kim and I share a look, before we look toward the hallway. Jared comes sulking in, giving Kim a look of what I assume to be is pure frustration.

"He won't take a hint. God, I don't remember being this bad when I…" Jared doesn't finish his sentence though, he merely shakes his head before grabbing the remote and turning on the TV. He sits between us, his arm going around Kim's shoulders. He seems to relax, merely by being near to her, and I can't help but smile at them. Standing up, I make an excuse to go to the room where I'm staying so they can have some alone time. I'm ready to be out of their hair as much as Jared is ready for me to be gone. All his teasing aside, I know he doesn't mind my being there, but I also know he would like to have Kim all to himself.

When I'm back in my room, I push away the conversation Kim and I had been having earlier, as dwelling on it won't help anything. Her cryptic words are enough to drive me crazy if I spend too much time concentrating on them. I check my e-mail to see if the real estate agent has been able to set up any appointments to view some of the locations I asked about. Luckily, we'll be able to view some houses Saturday, and I make a mental note to see if Kim will be willing to go with me.

After sending confirmation that Saturday works for me, I turn my attention to my lesson plan for the following day. It's half an hour later that I decide it's time I get ready for bed, so I quietly make my way to the bathroom. I notice that the lights are off in the living room, so I assume that Kim and Jared have already headed to their bedroom. My suspicions are confirmed when I see their door is closed and I can hear them speaking behind it.

"Hannah can't know, not yet."

Hannah can't know what?

I like to think that I'm not an overly nosy person, and that I have the ability to mind my own business. I try to be respectful when it's clear that someone is having a private conversation. With that said, there are times when I can't help myself, and in the moment I hear Jared say my name, I can't help it that my interest is piqued. With guilt settling on my shoulders, I pause outside their door to see if I can hear what they're talking about.

"Why not? Don't you think that this would be so much easier if we just laid it on the table for her?" Kim sounds distressed, and I can't help but agree with her.

"It's not up to us, babe, we don't have the right to make a decision like that! It's up to him and—"

"And nothing. Hannah could lose her jo—"

"He knows better Kim, trust me. He's not going to do anything to jeopardize her, she's the most important thing to him and he would never do anything to intentionally hurt her!"

There's silence in the room, but my brain has exploded with so many thoughts I don't even know where to begin. Are they talking about Banpa? Is there something he told them, but is withholding from me?

"I love you," is the last thing I hear Kim say. Considering she sounds kind of breathless, I decided it's time to make my way to the bathroom.

I've heard more than enough for the evening.


Authors Note: I'm seriously so sorry it took me a freaking year to update. I've definitely not abandoned the story, I just thought I would have more time in 2014 than I did. I've already started my next chapter, so it shouldn't take me a year to update. Thank you to those who reviewed! As of right now, I don't have any plans to write from any different POV, but who knows?