Dr. Jones had sulked when Tatiana explained that she had been invited to share dinner with the ranger. It had been a sticky minefield and in the end she had wound up promising not to make any future arrangements without consulting him first. She was, after all, on the job, not out on vacation.

That settled, there had been the matter of what to wear. Mindful that she did not want to give the wrong impression, and that they intended to go hiking later, she opted for jeans and hot pink Nike's. The humidity did bad things to her hair and she wound up with it in a ponytail though she made an attempt to curl it. The early afternoons were usually rainy and it hadn't quite quit when she knocked on his door, a six pack of bottled domestic beer in her right hand.

Chris came to the doorway wearing a pair of khaki cargo shorts, a white t-shirt with a dark blue button up worn loosely as a jacket and hiking boots… he looked totally different off duty as he had his hair pulled into a tight pony tail in Uniform, but off duty he wore it loose.

"Come in," he said as there were two places set at the small dinette table that occupied a corner of the combined kitchen, living room, office of the cabin. He took the six pack of beer and smiled, "well this is definitely vegetarian" and he placed it in the refrigerator to chill. There were maps all over the wall one had pins with all the recent animal attacks. Chris knew that animals had nothing to do with the attacks… they were really vampire attacks… made to look like wildlife had attacked.

Honestly she hadn't known what to expect, but somehow this space caught her off guard. Maybe it was the idea of a man cooking, really cooking. The air was fragrant with the smell of fresh garlic bread and tomato sauce. The garlic was an interesting choice, she mused, trailing him toward the kitchen area after a very short, nosy stop to glance over one of the maps pinned to the wall. What a pity renting a cabin hadn't been in Dr. Jones' budget. Of course, when he had bought the Airstream he had thought they would be camping in La Push.

"I hope you don't mind vegetarian cooking," he said as he scooped two servings of pasta out of one pot and then two servings of sauce out of another pot. There was fresh grated Parmesan cheese on the table along with fresh garlic bread baked from scratch. "Cooking is the one thing that I think keeps me sane sometimes. There's a lot of peace to be found in a kitchen."

"Vegetarian chicken, right?" She grinned at him, then added with gratitude, "I could not tell you when last I had a home cooked meal." The admission sounded lame even to her own ears. The truth that she barely bothered making anything fancier than ramen or boxed macaroni and cheese was probably best kept a secret.

Not only could he cook, but he also set a nice table. And while the cabin wasn't fancy, it was tidy and not without some decoration. It felt like... a home. Somehow that realization made Tatiana feel both childish and lonely. She had to shake it off as she settled herself, spreading the napkin across her lap, and marveling at the spread. How had he had time? They had been parted for maybe 45 minutes?

He took a bite of the spaghetti as he gazed into her eyes, she was very attractive his mom would not object to her…he was grateful that she rescued him from Kim today… he wanted a lady that he could have an intelligent conversation with… good looking was a bonus after that. "So tell me, why are you out here in the middle of nowhere when someone with your talents could be doing so much more." He said meaning it as a high compliment.

Smothering a disbelieving snort, she blushed and poked at the salad. Spaghetti was a socially awkward food, and she would just have to try and imitate his technique. "Talents?" She shook her head. "Two more years and I'll be barely qualified to practice as a vet. No, this project is Professor Jones' brain child. I think he is hoping those giant wolves are real, but will settle for enough data to ask more pointed questions. He can always continue the research later, as a multi-year study." She gave him a little shrug. "I am just earning extra money and padding my résumé as his assistant." Her gaze flickered to the map with all the little pins in it, her teeth catching her lower lip in thought. "Those are recent attacks? On humans?" She was no forest ranger but it seemed like a lot even for a decade.

"Yes, I am very concerned with you being in the woods… we have had some vicious attacks lately. I don't want to see you harmed in any way." He was speaking from the heart this time, "I…" he struggled for the words and wanted to tell her simply that he liked her but somehow they got stuck in his throat. "I know in my heart you are destined for great things." He blushed as he felt something stirring deep within him emotionally… what is wrong with him he wondered, no one has stirred him so deeply before.

Her smile was as ironic as it was instantaneous. "Great, but terrible things," she snickered. Not knowing if he would get the reference she nudged, "Harry Potter? The wand maker commented about Voldemort... oh..." She brushed the rest of the thought aside, finishing with, "So, what brings you out here?" He couldn't be much older than she was and while she didn't know what education was required to become a forest ranger, she imagined carrying that gun took more than on-the-job training. It wasn't hard to imagine Ranger Chris as a Marine.

Chris smiled, "My mom moved back to Boston when dad passed away… she wanted to get as far away from this place as she could and all my life I just wanted to come back. You see I am ½ white man and ½ Quileute… unfortunately neither group actually accepted me." He used a fork and knife to cut the salad in small manageable bites. "After my mom passed the only family I have in the world is on that reservation in La Push… and they don't exactly welcome outsiders… me included, even though I am on the tribal rolls." He looked kind of sad, "Sam Uley is my cousin, his dad was my uncle and he was my closest childhood friend. We wrote letters back and forth until I turned 14 and I guess it was too childish to continue we both stopped. I have been drawn here all my life… I figured this job would get me back to my family… and the woods I grew up in." A sad moment of reflection came across his face as he thought yeah, the woods where my dad was killed. He finished his salad and sprinkled some Parmesan on the top of his spaghetti, "oh… I eat dairy and eggs… just no meat. I'd like to hear more about you… my story is too sad, lonely and boring."

Salad finished, Tatiana made a game attempt at twirling two strands of spaghetti around her fork as she spoke, shaking her head at her plate. "I'm sorry about your parents. You must miss them a lot." It was sad, though not so much boring. What would it be like to have a family she was proud of, that she missed? But that line of thought lead places she did not want to go - not even alone. Deciding to steer clear of the parental minefield, she asked, "What does your cousin think of you being a vegetarian?"

"My cousin doesn't even hardly know me anymore… no one will talk about my Dad he died in the woods," Chris is beginning to figure out why… his dad was a shifter too. "Mom hated La Push and had to move to the other coast to get away from it. She converted to vegetarianism and new age stuff when I was six. I tried to keep my native heritage, I refused to cut my hair and that's why I didn't become a cop or military… the forestry service does not care." He beamed a smile, "after 2-3 years of vegetarianism you lose the enzymes and ability to easily digest meat and animal fat. I'm game to try it… but it will make me a bit unsociable if you know what I mean." However since he phased into the wolf the first time all he's craved is meat when he smelled it.

She never spoke of her family if she could help it, especially with anyone she liked. "I came up here for school because of all the places I applied, they offered the most financial aid." And it was far from home. "In a few years, hopefully I'll find a clinic that could use an extra pair of hands. Treat family pets, give vaccinations, clean teeth, spay and neuter..." she shrugged again. In truth it didn't sound that interesting, but it would give her more financial security than she had ever had, and her first goal would have to be to pay off her student loans while making enough money to live on her own. "Maybe a rural clinic where they treat farm animals too. I really love big animals." Her eyes lit up in memory. "We have a Great Dane that lives with one of the professors and he goes with her everywhere. He's just the biggest, sweetest boy." Her eyes lit up like a proud parent. "He likes to lean though, so you have watch him or he will pin you to a wall trying to cuddle."

He smiled as he expertly wound the spaghetti on the tines of his fork using a piece of garlic bread to prevent making a mess all over the place. "I love pets," he said as he though if only you knew about the big animals that are right here in La Push. "We don't have a vet that I know of in Forks, this town does not seem like it's a bad place to settle."

City girl that she was, she had to suppress a cringe. But Forks was exactly the kind of rural town that would offer her the chance to treat a variety of creatures. Surely in small town America there would be a more favorable big dog to cat ratio at the least! Wanting to stay positive, she gave him a grin and waggled her eyebrows like a vaudeville villain, "The diner has pie; and there is some amazing spaghetti to be had... "on a more serious note," she added thoughtfully, "And if the rumors of Titanic wolves proves true, this place will be crawling with 'Dr. Joneses' trying to bag and tag a specimen." It wasn't until the words were out of her mouth that she realized the truth of them. The thought was horrendous. Ranger Chris would have his hands full just trying to keep the zoologists from killing each other.

"Hopefully it won't come to that," he said as he gathered up his plate and dirty dishes taking them to the sink. "I have heard stories as a child on the reservation that the big wolves that you are seeking are magical… and only come out in times of danger for the Tribe. The Quileutes also believe that there are windego and other monsters that roam the woods." He playfully slurped the last bit of his spaghetti, "who knows vampires may be just as real as the giant wolves in the woods." It was his hope that the stories would both amuse her and deliver a veiled warning of what actually lurked in the woods.

But all she heard was a clever and charitable attempt to deliver the truth: Three or four hundred pound wolves were about as likely as the Loch Ness monster. She took the out. "Who knows? Though I have to admit, the little girl in me would loooooove a 400lb doggie." The images that brought up! "Imagine bathing it!" With a delighted giggle, she crooned, "Taking it on walks! Best running buddy ever. Not only would a girl not have to worry about getting mugged, everyone would clear the sidewalk!" She could just see grown men climbing trees and locking themselves in their cars to get away from such a beast. "And no need for a house alarm. One "woof", and even the bravest criminal would run like hell. Can you imagine the bark such a creature would have?" He was gonna think her touched in the head, she mused with a sigh. "I guess Dr. Jones wasn't the only one hoping for magic. It doesn't hurt that it would explain the phenomena with the wildlife."

"No doubt," he said "It would be quite frightening, however I'm sure a Great Dane would also be an impressive burglar alarm and protector."

She had barely touched the spaghetti other than to pick the larger bits of sauce out. Nonetheless it sat forgotten as she stood and, indicating the maps, asked, "May I?" This was important. This was why she was here, both in the woods and in Ranger Chris' cabin. "Easier to explain on the map." She moved to the map with all the pins, leaning into it as her fingers moved over the text. "So this is La Push, right?" Not needing confirmation, her finger trailed east and north to the Mora campground, "And we are about... here?" She indicated the entrance to the park, though that was actually a few miles away. "This is one of the most heavily hiked areas in Washington, with three million tourists and local folk like coming through each year. A lot of 'em are bird and wildlife watchers, many scientists. And everyone loves an oddity. And you know what is odd about this area?" She turned to glance at him, but did not wait for a response before turning back and gesturing over the area around La Push and Forks. "The animals have gone weird. The large predators have died or left, the small rodents are out of control. It's as if the area has been over hunted, and yet," as a park ranger his job would be to police the hunters and she did not want to think she thought him to blame. "That isn't what we see. Instead, we see this." She indicated the pins. "Something is hunting the hunters." Turning her back on the map she looked at him imploringly, her voice almost a whisper. "Whatever it is that is causing this could be HUGE... scientifically. Dr. Jones is hoping it makes his career, though he'll settle for something to get the chancellor off his back."

"I have noticed that there are a lot of bunnies out there… but bunnies will do what bunnies do," he said playfully twitching his nose. "My theory is we have some large Kodiak Bears or even perhaps a hybrid of a polar bear that's moved in the area. The winter was unusually cold this year. You might be disappointed if you don't find a pony sized wolf, but you might find a large bear."

"Dr. Jones doesn't know about the attacks yet, at least he hasn't said anything to make me think he has connected it." Indicating the map, she added, "He hasn't seen this, but he when it does he will leap to the same conclusion I did. It is only logical." Even as she said it though the self-doubt crept in. Who knew what Dr. Jones would think? And she was just a student.

Chris thought that she was very intuitive so he was careful what he said. "All the more reason not to panic the older gentleman," he said as he stood behind her his baritone voice was very soothing and honest. "There's an old saying that my Mom always said… fools rush in where angels fear to tread. The only element that I have on these maps that I don't understand is how long a time-frame they cover. I've only been here about a week just before the other ranger disappeared in the woods never to be found again. I was to be the assistant ranger, but now I'm the acting ranger on duty. The Quileutes say that a windego got him… the townsfolk's theory is that he had a gambling problem and has fled to Canada." Chris shrugged, "I don't know why he would want to leave all of this behind." As he waived his hands around the cabin. He began to pack up some small items for their hike… he had a backpack that was packed and ready for a night hike everything in it clean and new. He had his service weapon in a concealed holster and felt confident that this would be an uneventful night. He was going to walk her through one of the safest trails of the woods, however he knew the La Push wolves would be watching from a distance.

So it could be decades or days? Tatiana frowned at the map. Maybe the local police would know. Surely they were concerned with the ranger's whereabouts. Still, she wasn't sure it was even her business to pry. Deciding instead to enjoy the rest of their evening, she turned, only to find him across the room. She opened her mouth to congratulate him on his new job, but decided on the intake that that would be an awkward thing to say and closed her mouth on a small sigh.


The ranger walked side-by side with Tatiana down the trail that led into the meadow where the Cullens often played baseball. "The woods are beautiful during twilight." He said keenly aware that the Quileute wolves were watching him from a distance. He could not read their thoughts… but he knew by a deeper connection that they were there.

The wolves communicated behind his back, "Looks like peaches has a lady friend," Embry said.

"Leave them alone, they are cute together," Leah Clearwater interjected her female point of view, "I think Ranger Chis is quite attractive and so what if his wolf has golden fur… he's still part of us and we should be a bit nicer to him."

Seth snipped, "He's a half-breed, he will never be one of us we should never trust him. What if he imprints on one of our women… what if he breeds outside of the tribe he could give our wolf gift to the white people?"

Sam Uley's voice boomed in everyone's head, "He's my cousin and he is an honorable man." But not even Sam considered the possibility of imprinting… and what that would mean to Chris. Sam told him a lot about the Quileutes… but he did not get to imprinting and from what he was seeing he definitely liked this woman.

Chris observed her shiver and he took off the backpack and unzipped it handing her a grey fleece hoodie, "I brought this just in case… the temperature drops in the evening," he said with a smile, "perhaps we could take a break in this clearing and enjoy a little fire to warm us." He quickly arranged a fire circle with some rocks selected a couple small pieces of wood and tended to it until it was giving out some warmth. He got out of the bag a box of graham crackers, some Hershey bars and marshmallows. "We always can find time for s'mores." He watched as her face lit up like something magical.

Seth could hear them from a distance… "Oh barf!" He bemoaned to the others as he suddenly became aware that there was something else stirring nearby… something hungry… something dangerous.

Was it totally childish that she had been disappointed to discover the hoodie smelled of fabric softener? Maybe. Had she really expected Mr. Domestic to bring her a dirty hoodie? He was too thoughtful by half, she thought, shooting him a sideways glance.

"Dinner AND dessert, impressive," somehow this had gone from a casual thing to feeling like a real first date. She watched his hands as he assembled the fire, admiring the skill with which he worked. With the near constant rain everything was wet. Come to think about it, there was something too graceful, too quick about every move he made. For someone maybe a foot taller than her and maybe what, 200lbs? He was almost lithe.

Chris put some marshmallows on a stick and handed it to Tatiana to roast them, "so tell me why you are so willing to risk your neck out in these woods?" He really wanted to know as she did not appear to be one to take risks. "Not that I'm complaining I sure am enjoying your company." He blushed after he realized that slipped out.

He had asked the same question before, and of course she had told him all about the study. Maybe he didn't believe that was all there was to it? Maybe the lure of scientific discovery and possibility discovering a new breed of predator wasn't enough in his eyes. Well if she really believed it was life threatening she supposed it wouldn't be to her either.

She did not answer right away, staring at the bobbing marshmallow at the end of the stick she held. There was another possibility that occurred to her, far-fetched as it seemed. Maybe he knew what was going on in the forest. Maybe it wasn't a new predator or earthquakes that were chasing the large animals away. Maybe it was the old horror that too often happened to creatures.

Chris looked at her expectantly, he hoped somehow she knew a bit about the world he just recently stepped in. He had only changed to wolf once and it has shaken him to his core… it was the stuff of nightmares… shape shifters, vampires, and God only knows what else are out there… perhaps witches even, could she be one. He shook his head and thought no it is not possible… there are no such things as witches.

She wondered if friendly, handsome Ranger Chris was in on it… just as he wondered if this beautiful young research assistant knew more than what he did about the world around him.

It was a notion fit only for a bad horror film and she sought to dismiss it. Shooting him a sidelong glance, she unfolded her legs and stood. How she wished she had the social graces she had witnessed in others. She needed an excuse to get back. She needed to think.

Chris was suddenly keenly aware that there was something in the woods other than the La Push wolves… he was glad she stood up… he wanted to get her back to the safety of the civilized campground. No vampire would dare attack a place that would have so many witnesses… or at least he hoped now.

She needed to divert suspicion. Whether her crazy idea was true or not she did not want him to know what she was thinking.

Conversely, he needed to figure out a bogus reason to get her back to the campground… something that would stir her suspicions. He mused, why is this beautiful, intelligent young lady so blindly willing to traipse around the woods if she didn't know something. How he wish he could talk to Sam in his mind while he was a man not a wolf.

He would either be offended or would laugh at her.

Taking a deep breath, she asked with genuine concern, indicating the darkness of the trees at the edge of the clearing, "How dangerous is it out here... really?"

He had two options, tell her vaguely that there were animals out there that could hurt her… or tell her the truth… a truth about the world he just stepped in. She would either laugh at him… take offense to it… or go swear out a mental inquest warrant and have him committed to an insane asylum. He told to tell her the truth… to a point.

"Tatiana," Chris said, "I will only say that there is a world out there that is meant for man to stay away from." His eyes stared at hers beaming intense honesty. "This forest IS dangerous," he said emphasizing the word is… "There are things out there that can either kill you or forever change you in ways unimaginable… they are always watching and aware... and if anything happened to you." His heart fluttered as if to skip a beat, "I would never be able to forgive myself." There was a moment in the twilight where the moon seemed to make his fair skin glow and his ice blue eyes seemed more radiant in the pale moonlight… he stared intensely into her face his soul laid bare in that moment, "all I ask is to trust me. These woods are no place for you to be alone… I don't think there is anything I can do to keep you out of them so if you must do your research please try to work with me and I will help you the best I can. At least let me take you to the Gun range and teach you how to shoot."


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