15. Seth's POV in California during Madness, Mood Swings, and Miracles

Here I sit alone in my hotel room once again. I'm in beautiful California with invitations to five different elitist Hollywood parties and I can't stand the idea of walking out that door and hobnobbing with the A listers…not without my Angel at my side. I know it's pathetic, but I can't help it, life without her at my side holds no draw for me anymore. I feel like a piece of me is missing when I'm not with her, sort of like a big ragged gaping hole has been ripped in the middle of my soul and being with her again is the only thing that can make me whole again.

I'm sure if you were to ask a psychologist we would be classified as your stereotypical codependent relationship. Someone who didn't understand imprinting and true love would see me as some sick and twisted obsessive loser, and maybe I am, but that doesn't mean I'll be willing to give up my reason for living anytime soon.

I curl up on my bed counting the minutes until I can hear her beautiful voice again. I know right now she's taking care of Nessie, but in half an hour she's supposed to be alone again at our house so we can talk in relative privacy. The sound of the second hand slowly traveling around the circumference of the clock face on the wall mocks me with its slow and droning tick. To pass the time I begin to lose myself in my memories of my Angel.

I still remember as clear as anything the first time I ever saw her face, I mean REALLY saw her face. Jake and Nessie had come to visit La Push for the first time in several years. I was so excited to see them that I practically jumped on Jake when he came in door. I always loved Jake and Nessie like they were another set of siblings. It felt like old times as we sat and reminisced and caught up on life events. They were particularly proud of Nessie's youngest 'sibling', Lina, talking about how pretty she's getting and how mature she is even at the young age of sixteen. They continued to brag on and on about how she has grown into a smart and talented young lady and it was actually getting a little boring, but you could just tell by how their eyes lit up while discussing her that she really was special to them.

I had never met Lina because she joined the family shortly after they moved to the East coast to float a few years in order to avoid people noticing that they didn't age. It was hard on all of us when Jake left with them, but we really did understand. He could never leave Nessie and Nessie couldn't leave her family, so he went with them and disappeared with the exception of the occasional random call and the rare occasions when we would be phased at the same time. We were also kept informed on the family's whereabouts by Charlie and Mom and were all shocked when we found out that they had taken in Bella's younger sister. None of us understood how they would be able to keep a fully human child in the house all of the time and not have issues, but as the years passed they floated along just fine.

Over the years I had seen pictures of Lina and seen her in the pack mind from time to time but truth be known, I did my best to try to not focus on most of what Jake thought of when he was phased due to the trauma I had endured right after he married Nessie. Not only that, but she was just a child and so her face didn't stick in my mind…but that was definitely not the case this time.

Jake and Nessie pulled out the photo album that they had brought along to show off their family around the res and I smiled as I flipped through pictures of all of the faces that I knew and had grown to love over the years. They all looked exactly the same and it was nice to know that some things would never change, and then I flipped one more page and my breath caught in my chest as I saw the most beautiful set of green eyes staring up at me from the page.

It took me a bit before I even noticed any of the rest of the picture because those eyes were so captivating. After a moment my eyes refocused and I took in the rest of the picture and was pleased to find that the rest of the face that held those luminous emerald orbs was just as beautiful and sweet looking. Her eyes were so kind and warm and she had a crooked smile on her full pink lips that actually reminded me of Edward. If I didn't know for a fact that she was Bella's half sister and she didn't have Bella's hair color I would swear she was related to the Edward instead. I don't know how long I lingered over her picture but I was eventually pulled from my reverie by the low chuckle of Jake behind me.

"That would be our Lina. Told you she was really growing up to be a looker…and the best part is she has a heart to match that pretty face of hers."

I smiled at him and nodded before reluctantly turning the page and looking at the other photos, but what nobody else knew was that later, while everyone was out at the bonfire, I snuck back into the house and found the album in the living room and opened it again to stare a bit longer at those luminous green eyes. I had to hurry and return it to its spot and run to the kitchen when I heard the back door open and that was the last time I got to see that picture, but I saw those eyes every time I closed my eyes after that.

I thought about the green-eyed beauty that seemed to be so loved by my friends every day that followed their departure. I know it was insane, but I felt this need to find a way to talk to her and hope that if we didn't hit it off that I could finally purge her from my mind. I started off by calling Jake and Nessie, but they weren't answering their home phone or their cells so I decided to try the Cullen house to see if they were there.

I heard a sweet voice answer the phone that sounded like Bella, but more like Bella when she was younger, and human. I questioned if it was Bella before the realization that she no longer sounded quite like that since her transformation hit me and my heart froze when I heard the sweet voice's response informing me that I was speaking with Lina…the green eyed goddess from the photo album.

We spoke for a few minutes as I tried to sound casual and friendly, but the whole time I kept feeling my mouth grow dry from nerves. Her voice was not going to be helping me purge the images of her anytime soon, in fact I had a feeling she was going to make them worse…especially after she mentioned seeing my picture from Jake and Nessie's vacation and it was nice to have a face to go with the name and I could hear Alice yell in the background that the goddess had liked what she saw. I tried to hide the fact that I had overheard Alice, but I was glad she couldn't see my face, which was filled with a wide grin.

We talked a bit longer before I wished her good luck on her play auditions that evening and hung up having the opposite results than I had initially intended and yet strangely not upset by it. I knew it was impossible with her living on the other side of the country, but at the same time I couldn't help but like the fact that the sound of her voice left me with butterflies in my stomach. I put the phone down on the counter and walked into the living room to talk to Leah and try to get myself back in check and then attempted to focus on work.

'Attempted' to focus on work was right because every time I would try to focus I would see those sparkling green eyes and hear that sweet voice echoing in my head. I kept sneaking peeks at the clock and wondering where she was at the moment. Was she on stage yet? Is she nervous? Why am I obsessing over this girl that I haven't even really met yet? Why did she have to sound so sweet? UGH!

The day crept on and finally the afternoon arrived. I looked at the clock one last time and calculated that it was probably late enough that she might be back home from her auditions by now. I picked up the phone and started to dial and then stopped before pressing the last number suddenly very nervous. I hung up the phone and paced around the room a few times before deciding I was being ridiculous and going back over to pick up the phone again. This time I quickly dialed the number and didn't give myself a chance to hang up. Carlisle answered the phone and I asked for Lina and waited nervously to hear that sweet gentle voice again.

I tried to stay casual, but I mean it was quite obvious that I had an interest in her right? Why else would a guy call a girl just to see if she made it into a play? I still tried to play it cool. I was pleased that she sounded excited to hear from me and so proud of her for gaining the lead. I wasn't surprised though, considering how beautiful her voice was when she spoke, I knew her singing voice was probably quite captivating as well. Suddenly I was very excited for her and did my best to encourage her and eschew her fears. Just as the conversation got flowing unfortunately my work line started ringing and I had to excuse myself.

I paced back and forth in my office for the next couple of hours trying to decide what I should do. I knew the smart thing would be just to forget about the whole situation. It was messed up on so many levels. She was only sixteen and while I had basically been perpetually stuck in my very early twenties, in reality I've been alive for thirty-one years. So right there was the biggest most blaring reason to get this girl out of my head. It's not like she was my imprint or anything. Yes, I found her to be amazingly attractive when I looked at her picture, but there wasn't the 'gravity no longer exists and I have to be in her presence every moment' feeling that I had experienced through the pack mind…so obviously she wasn't my imprint. Beyond that she lived three thousand miles away, so it's not like anything could ever happen. So why torture myself? I should just give this silliness up and let it go.

I nodded my head and sat down at my computer as I tried to focus on my newest project that I had just been signed for the day before. I put my fingers on the keyboard and tried to think html code, but all I could think was Lina Cullen…Angelina Cullen…Green Eyed Goddess Cullen. What the hell?! Why can't I do this? This need to hear her voice again is getting stronger by the minute. Screw it!

I picked up my cell phone and wrote out a text message to Nessie.

Do you think Lina would want to talk to me some more? She's sort of stuck in my head. Does she have a cell phone? Do you think she would let me have her number?

A few minutes later Nessie texted back.

LOL…she won't admit it, but I get the feeling she might be in the same boat. Her number is 212-555-4121. We're out now, but I'll text you later and let you know when it's safe to call.

I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face when I read her response. I quickly saved Lina's number in my contact list and sent Nessie a quick text of thanks before finally sitting down and getting some work done knowing I would get to talk to Lina later on. I suddenly felt a burst of inspiration as lines of code flowed out of my hands before I even realized what I was doing. An hour later I had completed some of my best work to date. I sat back and smiled at the screen as my cell phone chirped and a message from Nessie let me know that now was my time.

I picked up my phone and composed a quick message to Lina asking if she was up for a chat and my heart skipped a beat when I got a nearly immediate response that she was awake and willing. I speedily brought up my contacts and hit send and seconds later I was listening to her sweet and gentle voice again. I didn't know what my deal was, but I knew that this girl was special.

I tried to stay as casual as possible and bring up some of the things that Nessie and Jake had shared with me. I was also painfully aware that she had her first date coming up with a guy she met at school. My stomach lurched as I asked her about the plans; I searched for the right words to say in this situation with the girl that I was now trying to build a friendship with despite the fact that a simple syllable from her mouth stole a bit of my breath.

I managed to make it through the conversation though and hung up thinking about Lina. She was off to bed to get some sleep, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to sleep at all, so instead I walked out back and shifted for my first of many runs as I allowed my mind to try to process the situation with Lina. I knew it was so wrong, but at the same time, I was drawn to her. She was incredible. I hadn't had a chance to get to know her very well just yet, but I knew Jake was right; she definitely had a heart that matched her beauty.

I shook my head as I thought about how awful it would have been if I had listened to my fears and not pursued a friendship with my Angel during that time that seemed like a whole other lifetime. I would have missed out on so much! I looked over at the clock and saw the time, picking up the phone to call my Angel when the phone rang in my hand. My breath caught in my chest as I heard the tune, not even needing to look at the screen. It was my Angel.

"Hey beautiful Angel of my dreams! How are you?"

"I'd be a lot better if you were here," she whined.

"Yeah, tell me about it! I miss you so much. California just isn't the same without you."

"Well, after we're married, I am so going with you!"

"Unless you have to miss class to go…you can't sacrifice college for it…" Why was I saying this? OH yeah, she's my imprint and I have to do what's best for her regardless of what I really want.

"Ugh," I could hear her pouting on the other line.

"Hey now, put that pouty lip away or you're going to force me to ditch my meeting tomorrow and fly home to kiss it away!" I threatened wishing I could be there to do it now. I loved when she did the pouty lip thing giving me an excuse to suck on it and kiss her frown away.

"Weeelllll…in that case…" she teased and I couldn't help but smile. I know she misses me when I'm away, but I can't help but wonder if it's as hard for her as it is for me…probably not. She's been keeping busy with her siblings and taking care of Nessie. I did know one thing though; simply hearing her voice went a long way to filing that gaping void in my chest.

I just laid there on the bed with my eyes closed, picturing her beautiful lips saying the words coming through the phone, soaking up every second I could with my Angel before the inevitable moment when we would have to hang up and I'd be incomplete again. I dragged out the conversation as long as I possibly could before I could hear the exhaustion in her voice and knew I needed to let her get to sleep.

As I slowly hung up my phone I could immediately feel the loss of not being in some form of contact with my Angel. I hated the fact that I had two more whole days that I had to be away from her. I walked over to my laptop and opened it to examine my schedule for the next day noticing that I had a meeting in the morning and a few events in the afternoon that I really wasn't going to feel like engaging in…suddenly I had a great idea.

I picked up the phone to call the director's personal assistant explaining that something came up at home and I would not be able to attend the evening activities. Then I immediately picked up the phone to call the airlines to move to a flight late tomorrow morning after my meeting. I smiled when I was all sorted only having to pay an extra hundred dollars for the change. I shrugged it off immediately, one hundred dollars was not a big deal if it meant healing the gaping hole in my chest twenty-four hours sooner. I went to sleep with a big smile on my face knowing that in just over fourteen hours I would have my Angel in my arms again.

I woke up the next morning more than willing to go to my meeting and get the heck out of this town and back home to the woman I loved. To my joy the meeting got out even earlier than I had expected and I rushed to LAX unable to wait to board the plane that would lead me back home.

The whole flight I thought of nothing but my sweet Angel. Her face, her eyes, her soft sweet hair that smelled like her vanilla jasmine shampoo, every thing that I loved and missed flashed through my mind in a repeating slideshow. I remembered the day I imprinted on her and our first glorious kiss and our first make out session at the valley of gold that led to the promise that has been the bane of my existence ever since. It was the right thing to do and I know that, but I have to admit that there are days that I wish so badly we didn't have to wait until she turned eighteen before I could really make love to her. I thought of how my love for her has grown every day since I first saw her face in that photo album forcing my heart to grow and expand each day beyond what I thought was capable. I thought of the night that we discovered Lina's hidden abilities and how amazingly vivid the emotions rippling through my body were, how every inch of me craved to love her forever, how I would spend the rest of my life loving her, and how I couldn't imagine surviving without her. The thought of a life without her twisted my stomach into knots and I knew in the core of my being that it was true, I would not and could not live without her. We were two parts of a whole and I could not survive the rest of my life as half a person.

I was so focused on this fact that I didn't even notice when the wheels touched down on the tarmac and the plane pulled to the gate. Suddenly my mood shifted immediately from dire depression to overwhelming joy and excitement. I would be in the arms of my Angel in two short hours. I ran down to baggage claim and tapped my foot impatiently waiting for the conveyor belt to deliver the bags from my flight onto the carousel. As soon as my bag slid down the chute I had it in my hands and was sprinting for the parking lot. I grabbed the shuttle just as it was getting ready to close its doors and rode impatiently to the long term parking area where my blue Camry waited. In an instant I was in the car and on my way home to my Angel.

I pulled up the drive and parked in front of our house, hoping to surprise Lina if she was there and not wanting to spoil the surprise by the sound of the garage door opening. I walked up to the front door not even bothering to grab my bags out of the car and was met with the sound of blaring music on the front porch. My smile widened when I realized that she was making it way too easy to surprise her.

I peeked through the window to see where she was and I froze unable to breathe as I watched my beautiful Angel walking across the living room with a dust cloth in her hand wearing the outfit that she had worn as a bikini cover up at the beach in California last April, a pair of short cut off blue jean shorts and my blue Hawaiian button front shirt that she had buttoned down to just below her chest and then taken the long unbutton sides and tied them in a knot in the middle of her torso. I immediately recognized that she was probably wearing it to feel closer to me since I was supposed to be in California this very moment.

She looked so amazingly sexy as she rocked back and forth to the beat in perfect cadence, her long muscular legs seemed to go on forever and her thigh muscles would flex temptingly when she would dip down while still shifting to the beat in order to dust the nearby end tables.

She shifted back up with her hands lifted above her head rocking her chest and hips sexily as she made her way toward the mantle over the fireplace and began to dust the high shelf, rising to her tiptoes so she could make sure she was getting all of the remnants making her calves and butt tighten.

I had to resist the urge to burst in at that very moment and grab it as I spin her toward me and pull her against my chest making sure she knew exactly what her sexy dance moves did to me. I gulped hard and tried not to let the hormones raging in my system at the sight of her cheapen my interactions with her. She was my Angel and she deserved to be respected and worshipped, not treated like some kind of cheap floozy.

I stepped away from the window taking a few moments to calm myself and start focusing on her expression when she saw that I was home early. I slowly walked to the door and as quietly as possible twisted the knob and stepped into the entryway closing it behind me and went to lean against the counter separating the living room from the kitchen. She continued to rock seductively and sang along to the lyrics of the song with so much enthusiasm I could no longer stifle a laugh.

I was a little surprised at her reaction. The jump and the scream I expected, the about face with her legs parted, knees bent, and fists raised in a defensive stance was a pleasant surprise leaving a wide proud smile on my face. Obviously her work with Emmett and Jasper was already starting to improve her defensive skills. In the second it took me to register her action and my pleasure that she would be so immediately prepared to defend herself she squealed and ran across the room to jump into my arms wrapping her legs firmly around my waist placing kisses all over my face. Suddenly my fractured self was complete as the final puzzle piece that was my Angel filled me up and made me whole again. I sighed in relief and contentment.

"You weren't supposed to be home until tomorrow!" she blurted loudly between kisses.

"I couldn't stay away another minute so the second my business was done I traded flights." I answered as I crashed my lips into hers pulling her closer and massaging her back. "I missed you Angel!"

"I missed you too! The past two weeks seemed to take FOREVER to pass!" I enthusiastically nodded my head in agreement as I walked over to the long couch and sat down with her still securely wrapped around my waist. Now that I didn't need to hold her up around me, I slid my hands up her sides and neck to grasp her face and pulled her into a long passionate kiss. I could feel her silken hands trace my jaw before slipping into my hair and grasping tightly. I could feel in her kiss that she had missed me nearly as much as I missed her.

We kissed for a long time, but I could feel myself getting carried away again, so I forced myself to pull back and start a conversation about what I had missed while I was gone and telling her about my trip. I was especially interested in how her training with her brothers had been coming along seeing proof of her progress when I had surprised her.

"Does that training include dance lessons? You were busting some pretty sexy moves there, Angel," I said with a little laugh trying to hide the husky desire that was trying to sneak into my words. "I still don't understand how you can love this music so much."

"Hey, if Edward the music aficionado likes it, then it has to have some merit. You just don't know what's good that's all," she giggled while tapping her finger into my chest in attempt to speak with authority that was so adorable.

"Well, if it gets you to move like that, then I can't really harbor too much resentment against it I guess," I answered back unable to hide my ulterior motives any longer. "So do you think we could have a private dance party sometime?"

"Anytime you want baby," she answered with a wink that sent shock waves straight to my groin, "just as long as I get to pick the music."

I laughed lightly trying to ignore the ideas rocking through my brain as I stuck out my hand to shake like a dork, "Deal!"

She looked at my hand and rolled her eyes, which was totally adorable, before grabbing my face forcefully in her hands and crashing her lips into mine with such force that I was surprised at first. It took me a moment to come back to myself before I reciprocated her force pulling her closer, my lips filling with two weeks worth of pent up desire and need.

Eventually we had to come up for air and when I did she sighed looking off toward the main house. "The only bad part about you arriving a day early is Edward." I furrowed my brow wondering how arriving a day early would change our Edward situation.

"I arranged with him to be gone tomorrow so I could welcome you home properly." She sighed again with a pout, which faded too quickly for me to react in my usual manner.

"Ah," I responded with a nod of understanding. I had just opened my mouth to ask her if maybe we should go for a drive or something to have some alone time when her phone started chiming. She shifted on my lap slightly in order to be able to reach the phone in her pocket not even realizing she was rubbing against a sensitive area in her effort, I took in a deep breath and tried to think unsexy thoughts as she read the text message that had just come through.

I saw a slow sexy smile stretch across her face before she looked up at me through her eyelashes in that way that always drives me wild. "It's Edward, he just let me know that he and Bella will be leaving in the next five minutes," she whispered leaning forward before biting her lip seductively as my eyes glazed with desire picturing myself nibbling on that lower lip. A could feel my own sexy grin on my face as I pulled her tighter against my chest, feeling her chest rise and fall with each breath before pulling her into more passionate mind blowing kisses.

I could almost hear the second hand tick by on the clock in the middle of the mantle as I fought to stay on the couch with her for the next five minutes. The second that five minutes were up I stood up again with her still wrapped around me tightly as I carried her up the stairs to our bedroom where I worshipped her several times before the morning came.