I woke up the next morning to the sound of little footsteps running past my door, followed by bigger ones and loud 'shhhs'. When I sat up and looked around the room, it dawned on me where I was and what I was doing there, some of the pain of the days before rushing back. But just being in a new atmosphere, with new people and no tension, believe it or not, makes it all the much better.

I got out of bed and pulled on some sweats and a blue t-shirt. Even before the wolf pack, I never exactly had an very complicated wardrobe. It was usually just sweats, but I figure since I'm in a strangers home, I should show some decency. If I needed to look a little nicer, I wore some jeans, instead of sweats. I'm sure you can see what I'm getting at.

Taking the steps 3 at a time, I was downstairs in a matter of seconds, and sitting at the table. I put 6 flapjacks on my plate; just as Linda and Abby sat down (they each took 1). We ate and talked kinda like we've known each other forever.

"I swear I've never seen people eat as much as you boys. When Sam and Emily came to visit, he nearly ate me out of house and home." She said with a chuckle. "But you guys keep me young. I don't know what I would do without you." She said with a smile, staring off, probably remembering something from her prime. "Anyway," she shot, snapping out of her trance. "I need to run some errands. Embry," she turned to me. "I'll need you to watch Abby while I'm away." She said getting up. She walked over to the foyer and grabbed her purse.

"But," I stammered getting to my feet. " I can't," I stopped.

"Oh, sure you can. It's easy, just listen to what she says and play with her, and don't let her do anything stupid." She said like it was as easy as turning on the faucet. " Have fun!" And she walked out the door, slamming it in my face. How rude. I suppose I'd just have to make the best of this.

I turned around and to be face to face - well knee to face, anyway - with Abby herself.

I crouched down and put my self at her height. I heard that that makes you seem less intimidating to children. Or was it dogs… "So uh…" I stammered, never being that great with kids, "What do you… wanna do?" She didn't reply and just stared at me instead. "How about," I thought for a moment. "we go for a walk? Do you like going outside?"

"Yes please!" She yelled in a high pitched voice and plopped on the floor. She began pulling on her shoes, so I did the same.

I'd never really had any experience with little kids before. Not as young as her at least. There were only a few kids in la Push. Claire was the youngest but I didn't see her too often. Then there were the tween kids and they lived in their own little world anyway.

When we both decided we were ready, we headed out the door and into the woods. Normally, a small child shouldn't go into the forest, but I figured nothing would happen to her as long as she was with me.

Abby was a quiet little girl. She really didn't have much to say, and I didn't have any clue what to talk to her about. It wasn't like she had a social life or anything, being 5 and all. But then again, neither did I. That's wasn't the point though. The whole time we were out in the woods, not once did either of us make a peep. At around 4:30, we returned home and Linda was pulling into the driveway. She got out of the car and waited for us on the steps.

"Embry! Abby!" She said with a smile. "What have you two been up to?" She said when little Abby ran up to her.

"Walking!" She squealed.

"Oh…did you have fun?" She inquired, Abby nodded ferociously. Linda looked at me with a bemused expression so I shrugged. I didn't think it was that much fun.

"Auntie Lindie," she started. "Can we walk tomorrow too?" Linda looked up at me, startled. I just shrugged. Again. If the kid wanted to walk with me, that was fine, it's her life, she could waste it with whomever she liked.

"Well that's up to him. Right now though, I have to take you home." She said, picking Abby up and putting her in the car. I could hear the soft murmurs as Linda whispered to her Abby. When she had her secured in her pink plastic car seat, she turned to me. "I'll be home soon and I'll start dinner. We're having pasta. Seafood pasta!" She said clapping and getting back in the car.

"Alright. I won't miss it." I replied. She was obviously very excited about making it and I would gladly eat it. She pulled out of the driveway as I stepped over the threshold and stepped into the quiet house. I flopped onto the couch and sank into the soft worn cushions. I flipped on the television and turned on the Mariners game. It reminded me of the times I spent at the Black house watching the game with Billy and Jake. Before things got all weird. The happy times.

Everyday for the last week, Abby came up to me saying "Walk! Walk! Walk!"

She likes going on walks (obviously). Which is what we were today. Doing the same thing as yesterday and the day before. We would walk and Abby would pick up rocks and put them in her pocket. I didn't know what she did with them but if she pasted a small pretty rock, she picked it up.

"Okay, okay! I'm coming." I said laughing as she used her little hands to pull me off the couch. "Get you shoes on." I told her and walked into the kitchen. "Linda, we're going for a walk." I told her.

"Like that surprises me. Just be back before 5. Abby's mother is picking her up then."

"Okay."

"What do you guys do out there anyway?" She asked curiously.

"You know," I said leaning against the counter. "Not much. We just walk. Linda, is Abby like really shy or something? She never talks to me. I try to get her to but she just stares at me."

"Well, it's quite the contrary actually. She's very bold, loves being around people and doing new things, her mom said she hasn't said much since the incident with her father." She paused as if reflecting on it for a moment. I ran my fingers though my short brown hair waiting for her to continue. "She usually doesn't talk at all, just speaks one or two words at a time. Except with her mother. She's quite talker with her."

"EMBWY! Come!" I heard from the other room.

"I swear, it's like she knows I'm a dog." I said, jutting my thumb in her direction." That made her laugh. So I headed to foyer and stepped outside. "See you!" I called through the door.

We stayed on the beaten path for the most part. We were crossing a creek when Abby said the strangest thing.

"You're like the other big man aren't you?" She said more like a statement than a question. What? See this is why I don't talk to children. They don't ever make any sense.

"What?" I questioned, but she didn't answer. She just smiled that little smile, just like she had a secret she wasn't telling.

"What's your whole name?" She asked me.

"Erg....Embry Call...why?" She just shrugged.

"What's your job?" Why is she asking me these questions?

"Well…, Abby, I guess you could say that I'm a security guard." I suppose that should be satisfactory for a 5 year old.

"What do you guard?" Or not. Was it just me, or did this little girl have an awfully long attention span? And they said she didn't like to talk.

"I guess you could say I guard people. Protect them."

"From what?" Really? She's still on about this? I had to think about the way I worded this. What do I protect them from? Obviously I couldn't say vampires. I didn't wanna give the poor girl nightmares.

"Just bad people. People who try hurt other people." Although they aren't people. They're nasty bloodsuckers, but that should suffice. Then her face got very solemn, almost like she was carrying a burden of some kind.

"So…people like…my Daddy?" Okay…that's strange. I wasn't expecting that. Didn't Linda say that she hasn't talked much since the 'incident' with her dad? I believe I need to pry.

"What do you mean? Why is your Daddy a bad person?" I said stopping and stooping down so I was at her height so I could understand better what she was saying.

"Well…" She paused. "Mommy doesn't like me talking about it." She said looking at her feet.

"Abby…it's okay. You can tell me anything." I said. And I meant it.

"You said people who hurt other people are bad, right?" I nodded in response. "Well when I asked Mommy where Daddy was she said we had to leave him because he hurt us." She paused for a second, thinking. "I used see him hit Mommy when he was angry. And Mommy said he tried to hurt me once too." A flood of sadness and anger washed over me. I really wanted to kill somebody right now-namely her dad, if you could even call him that- and if I wasn't with Abby I would have probably hunted him down and done just that.

How could anyone, anyone, hurt this precious little girl. In the past week, I realized, I had become rather attached to Abby. Something about her bewitched me. Not in an imprint way, but like a family way. Like a protective father or older brother.

"You remember it? When did you and your Mom come here?" I asked trying not to let my voice sound shaky, not succeeding.

"I don't know. A while ago I guess." She said snapping out of her sad flashback-esque trance and she continued walking. We didn't talk about it anymore on the way home.

But I couldn't stop thinking about it. There were so many terrible people in the world, but who intentionally hurts a girl, let alone one that young? It made me think about myself a little bit. I know what it's like having a terrible father.

Her Dad beat her, mine doesn't acknowledge that I was his. Hers wanted to hurt her physically, mine hurt me emotionally. I mean, sure, our situations were pretty different, but still, she'd never see her father again (as long as I was alive) and I'd never know mine. Not while I was still phasing. But at least I knew my dad wasn't a complete asshole.

We arrived at the house on time and I saw Abby's mother's truck in the driveway. It was a old 1960's Ford Pickup. Jacob would have died to get his hands on that baby. He was a total grease monkey. You could tell it needed some repairs and new coat of paint.

When Abby saw the familiar truck, she ran to the door, knowing her Mother was waiting inside.

I opened the door for her and yelled "We're home!". I could see Linda talking to Abby's mom, but I couldn't see because she was hidden behind the wall. I was sad for her. All the terrible times she must've gone through. It made my issues seem so tiny.

"Good," Linda said back. "you're just in time. Mari just got here. Come in here so I can introduce you!" After Abby and I took our shoes off, we raced into the kitchen. She won. She was just too fast for me. Well, okay, I could've beat her but that would be cruel.

After giving Abby a high five, and her giving the rest of us a bow, I turned, running my big hands through my short black hair, to face the two women sitting down at the table and it happened. I was complete.

"Embry, this Abby's mother, Mariella." I looked down to see the most gorgeous creature I had ever seen. Her beautiful dark auburn curls whipped around her face making her bright blue eyes even more piercing. Looking at her, I felt a pull that made me stagger forward. She stood up and put her hands on my shoulders to steady me, thinking I was about to collapse.

Though I was the one who was five or so degrees over the normal body temperature, her silky skin was touching me was making my insides melt and my heart twist. I had just managed to get her to touch me. Oh…my…god.

"Are you alright?" And she talked to me. She had the most gorgeous voice. She spoke with an English accent and it was made of only the sweet notes. I must've nodded my head because she seemed to think I was okay and let go.

I wasn't okay… and yet I was. I felt like I was going to die if I didn't get to kiss her right now but I felt like I was on a cloud too. Like I just found my purpose, something to live for.

"Hi, I'm Mariella. Embry right? Abby can't stop talking about you." She said smiling.

"N-nice… to meet you." I somehow managed to croak. But 'nice' didn't even cover how I felt to meet her. She glanced over at Linda who had a nervous look on her face. She probably thought I was crazy, ogling at her. And though I should, I just couldn't stop.

"Well, look at the time. Mariella, you and Abby should get going." Linda said nudging her towards the door. Why would Linda ever want her to leave? Why would anyone not want her in their presence? That was just crazy.

"No!" I intervened. "Why don't you…stay for dinner? Please...just don't go." I said the last part under my breath. I wanted nothing more than to just stare at her all night and devour her with my kisses and envelop myself in her sweet flowery fragrance.

"I'm sorry?" She said, not understanding my mumble.

"They can't. I didn't make enough food to feed four people." Linda said in a stern, don't mess with me boy or I'll bite your head off kind of way.

"But..." I said weakly as she hurried them both out the door. I watched her leave with a longing glance. I could still feel where her hands where, as it burned a hole through my skin.

"Bye" I heard Abby yell in her tiny yet booming voice as t hey left. Linda slammed the door behind them. She paced the living room floor and then walked straight up to me staring into my eyes. She turned back around and looked out the window, making sure they had left and then she came right back to me and said,

"Embry? Did you just imprint on Mariella?"