Kate stood at the edge of the trees bordering the Cullen's house, watching the pale winter light flicker through the trees as the sun rose. She and her family had visited this place several times before, and the surroundings were almost as much home to her as Denali. But she didn't feel at home this time - all she could think about was Irina.

Tanya, she knew, was likewise as wounded by the betrayal, but after her initial shock had faded, it wasn't her nature to show it. She threw herself wholeheartedly into plans with the Cullens, though Kate was relieved to see she was finally keeping her distance from Edward. He was obviously happy with his Bella and it was no longer Tanya's place to stake her claims. No, she had been won over by Renesmee like them all, and now sank her energies now into protecting her extended family.

Kate had never found it quite so easy to bounce back. She wasn't as good at subduing her emotions, at simply moving on. Brooding was in her nature, however unhealthy it might have been to simply... dwell. Once Renesmee was awake and she, Bella and Edward arrived at the main house, they had pans to begin Bella's training, which Kate was strangely looking forward to. At least it'd be a distraction.

She'd hadn't been expecting anyone to come looking for her this early. Carmen and Eleazar would still be locked away in one of the Cullens' guest rooms, and Tanya always knew when she wanted space.

You couldn't have said the same of Garrett. The wind was blowing to her and she caught his scent before she heard his boots crunching over the leaf litter. His tangier scents of woodsmoke and cedar were overlaid with something sweeter, like a blend of cinnamon. It was a wholesome, outdoorsy sort of scent that she somehow found soothing. Not that she was exactly happy to see him. The last thing she wanted to face at that moment was an apparently fervent physical attraction to a human-drinker, and his appearance here when she wanted to be alone annoyed her.

"Your sister thought I might find you out here." He fell in at her side, glancing sideways at her and letting his gaze linger. Tanya, that traitor. She stayed looking straight ahead, not giving anything away. "Did she just."

"Well actually what she said was 'Why don't you go and bother Kate with your infernally irritating reel of questions, and let me get back to work.' but I read into it."

Silence. Kate's eyes were still fixed on the horizon. Garrett, seemingly not put out, swayed back and forth on the balls of his feet and plowed on. "Of course, I could go ask Carmen and Eleazar, but I figured they'd still be occupied if the noises from that guest room are anything to go by. I'm surprised the bed hasn't fallen through the ceiling yet."

Kate forced her expression to remain impassive. Carmen and Eleazar's passion in the midnight hours were well known as an in-joke among the family, despite their composed natures in almost any other situation. She felt another brief flicker of annoyance at this nomad for insinuatnig himself so easily into the folds of her family.

"Kate?" Damn, did his voice really have to be that deep? Earnest. Reaching. Unwillingly, she turned her head to look at him. He had his head slightly tilted and his arms folded over his chest as he watched her. There was something hopeful in his expression - hopeful and stubborn and irritating.

"If something's bothering you, you could talk to me. Impartial ear and all."

Kate lightninged through a range of reactions, imagining everything from actually taking him up on the offer to walking away to shocking him off his feet. He bent his head, leaning slightly closer to her as he waited for a response. "You don't always have to stand alone, Kate."

That triggered her too-brittle temper. "And what the hell would you know about standing beside anybody else, Nomad?" She growled coldly, turning and stomping away through the trees.

He didn't take the hint, nor the insult. Apparently, rhetorical questions weren't a hit with him. He strode after her, keeping on her heels. Too close for her liking, even if he never actually touched her.

"A fair bit, actually. I was a soldier before I was turned. A Corporal. After Carlisle taught me about my new world and I had some control, I went back to the battlefield, even if I couldn't fight the same way as I did before. I didn't forget which side I was on, no matter what happened to me. Just because I don't have a coven, doesn't mean I don't understand the concept of teamwork."

Kate paused just slightly and shot him a frown over her shoulder. He didn't flinch away from her, just followed steadily until she stopped, wondering just how far he would have gone. Until she had to shock another direction into his thick skull?

He held up his hands, palms out peacefully. "Look, you don't have to talk to me about whatever's bugging you, Kate. I was just curious."

She couldn't help an eyebrow raising slightly. "Somehow I get the feeling that isn't a one-off for you."

He grinned a wide, lopsided grin then shook his head.

"Why did you come looking for me?" Kate took a step closer to him, her shoulders tense, posture communicating that there was the tiniest undercurrent of threat to the question. Garrett wasn't intimidated - he stood his ground.

"I'm interested to hear about your life as a vegetarian."

Kate felt a stab of surprise. That's what he wanted to know? That was what he'd been questioning Tanya over? No wonder she'd snapped at him, she thought with some amusement. Tanya didn't appreciate her motives examined by those she didn't know well. She glanced at the sky and noted that dawn was in earnest now, and turning neatly on her heel, she began to make her way back towards the Cullen's house at human speed.

"Ask on the way, then. We should be getting back."

"Well, I'll take what I can get. How long have you been living vegetarian?" He launched right in. Kate winced slightly. That was difficult without revealing her age, and even vampires could get touchy when it came to that subject.

"Over half my life." She settled, and one of his dark blonde eyebrows arched up, noting the evasion. He didn't comment though, moving on to his next question.

"Doesn't it feel unnatural to you?"

"No. Being a monster feels unnatural to me." Kate answered certainly. The other brow went up.

"You consider drinking human blood monstrous?" He clarified.

"When you have to kill them for it? Yes." She shot a challenging look his way, but he didn't seem to look offended.

"Do you find it difficult?"

"Not any more. At first, of course. There were always temptations."

"So you slipped up?"

"Once or twice. I was deliberately testing my boundaries. Time and practice made those stronger. Failure only means you aren't trying hard enough."

She thought she spotted some deeper emotion in those laughing crimson eyes of his - awe? Admiration? Whatever it had been, it set off her danger alarm. "Is the game show over?" She prompted, ready for the next barrage. Instead, he stopped altogether, and Kate found herself pausing and looking back at him.

"I think you'll grow tired of my questions long before I run out of them." Now there was definitely something dangerous in the intent way he was looking at her. Curse the rising sun, did he really have to look quite so ridiculously handsome in the early dawn rays? His skin gleamed where it was touched by the light, a barrier to the warmth of the sunlight. Kate hesitated while he gazed steadily at her. The strange feeling of expectancy hung in the air, and she couldn't quite bring herself to figure out what he wanted from her. At this point she realized she hadn't thought about Irina since he'd first arrived on the scene.

"The Cullens are expecting me." Kate finally excused herself after too many silent seconds, turned away from him, and made for the house.

A/N| Thanks to all my reviewers so far - you guys encourage me to keep regular updates coming, so if you want to keep me motivated, that's how to go about it! I appreciate ALL feedback, weather you only have time to tell me you liked it, or if you want to pick apart the good and the bad, or let me know where you'd like to see this going!