Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Saga, or any of its original characters.

7: Moving Forward

"Where is the freaking logic to imprinting?" I asked no-one in particular as I slumped on Emily's couch, feeling completely defeated.

Most of the pack were here - aside from Embry, Jared and Michael, who were still on patrol - for a meeting I was supposed to lead. Sam, out of years of habit, was taking charge and for once I couldn't be bothered to argue the fact that I was the Alpha now with him.

"Well," Paul began nonchalantly, "I guess it's all about fate finding you a perfectly fertile woman to carry on the wolf gene."

This quickly earned him a slap upside the head from Rachel, who was in town for the fortnight to help sort out her dad's tax forms and disability benefits. After finishing college she had got a job as an accountant in Seattle and now she tried to help out everyone on the reservation as best as she could - which meant handling pretty much everyone's money.

If the slap had been from anybody else in the entire world Paul would've snapped already and probably had to make a run for the back door so that he could phase, but Rachel was different. She was, in his words, "the perfectly fertile woman to carry on his wolf gene." So instead he simply smirked and pulled her onto his lap.

"So you're saying Seth should just have sex with her and never mention the fact that he killed her brother?" Collin scoffed, his words making me wince.

It had been three long days since I'd found out that Astrid was Riley's sister, and I still felt like I was going to projectile vomit at any second.

"Don't be ridiculous," Rachel replied, tucking a strand of her peroxide blonde hair behind her ear. "Seth needs to think about this seriously and we all need to be supportive."

I remember then why I had always liked Rachel Black - she used to babysit me when I was a little kid and, unlike her shape-shifter boyfriend, understood the sensitivity of the situation. Probably because she was a girl and Paul was kind of emotionally retarded in comparison.

"There a three nomads," Sam finally started, calling the meeting to attention. "So far we know that they've killed one human and this makes them a danger to the tribe, meaning that it is your duty to move them out of the area..."

"Or destroy their pale backsides," Quil finished for him with a chuckle, earning a quick scowl from Emily.

"Yes," Sam sighed. "Or destroy them, I suppose."

"Shouldn't we talk to Jake about this, too?" Kim interjected from the corner of the room, where she was braiding Claire's hair. "I mean, the Cullen's might know these vampires?"

Paul snorted. "Yeah, like they'll be able to do shit from Prince George!"

"Kim's right, Paul. If they have any information it may be helpful," Sam shot back.

"We can handle this without help from those leeches," Paul retorted as he visibly began to tremble. Rachel rested a gentle hand on his cheek and whispered something to him that I chose not to listen to. Whatever it was seemed to calm him down a little.

"So what happens if they make it onto the reservation?" The youngest of the pups, Deano, asked in a hesitant voice.

The answer didn't need to be said out loud and in that moment I couldn't help but let out a deep sigh, causing the populace of the room to look my way. I looked up and met Emily's pitying gaze, and all of sudden I felt something snap inside of me.

What the hell was I playing at? This was my pack and it was my job to protect the tribe - not Sam's for Christ's sakes.

I stood up before I even knew what I was really doing and said, "We know they're still in the area so for now we'll keep a watch out and see what they do. I'll speak to Charlie later on and let him know what's going on. Maybe he can get Jake and Edward to come down to give us a hand."

Sam looked pained as I continued, like he really wanted to argue with me, "For now you'll follow the patrol schedule and report everything you see back to me, OK?"

I didn't wait for them to agree or disagree, and I grabbed my jacket as I headed out onto the front porch.

It was raining hard enough to drown out the voices from back inside the house. I knew that everyone was doubting me right now - heck, I was even doubting myself - but I was still their leader and they had to know I wasn't completely incapable of maintaining control. Even if I felt desperately incapable of moving forward with Astrid at the moment.

I heard the door open behind me with a creak but I didn't turn around until I felt someone tug softly on the bottom of shirt.

Claire looked up at me with her big brown eyes, her round cheeks flushed and eyebrows furrowed as she shuffled from foot to foot.

She said quietly, "These aren't vampires like Nessie, are they?"

Nessie and Claire had played together a lot over the years when the Olympic Coven had still lived in the area, even going to the movies a few times with their imprints. It was sometimes hard to process the fact that Renesmee was now physically about six years older than her. Billy Black had originally encouraged the friendship - as he believed it was important for Nessie to have a friend who was the same age and could be trusted with our secrets.

"No, they're not," I told her carefully. "Please don't worry though, Claire."

"I'm not worried about the vampires," she replied with a sad smile. "I'm worried about you, Uncle Seth."

I knelt down to meet her at eye level, as she was still kind of short for her age, and said, "As I said before, please don't worry. I'm fine."

Claire looked at me hard as she considered this and then wrapped her chubby arms around me, "If you're lying to me then I'll make Quil chew your legs off."

I laughed despite myself and let her go, making my way down the porch steps and towards the misty street. I dropped Charlie a quick text to let him know I was coming over to the police department and I set off in the direction of my house, hoping Leah hadn't borrowed the Astra.

(Astrid)

I peered through the windscreen of the Bronco, trying to make out whereabouts in town I was through the harsh downpour. It was almost June and the weather was as terrible as always - making me undeniably a little nostalgic for the dry heat back in Albuquerque.

But I was here for a reason and, now I'd gotten over the distraction that was Seth Clearwater, I could continue with my plans.

After he hadn't called for three days I had decided that it was best to forget it sooner rather than later. I wasn't exactly great with boys or handling relationships, and I was pretty sure I had scared him off by trying to hold his hand the other day. In hindsight, I'd probably completely misread his intentions and crazily thought that he actually liked me like that, when in reality he was just some guy who'd saved my skinny ass from drowning.

In the back of my mind I had known he wouldn't call - so it was OK, I guess. Sure, I felt a little wounded and embarrassed but any other eighteen-year-old girl would have.

Pulling into the parking lot of Forks City Hall, I wished not for the first time in life that people were as easy to work out as algebraic equations.

You can do this, Astrid, I told myself calmly as I parked up and got out of the truck, my old school backpack swinging from my shoulder. I quickly made my way inside and asked the white-haired woman at the reception for directions to the police department.

"Go down that corridor," she said, gesturing to the right, "Take the second door to the left of you and then take the stairs up to the first floor. Cheif Swan's office is there. It's hard to miss."

I made my way down the dimly lit corridor and took the second door on the left, trying not to think about what my parents would say if I they ever found out what I was about to do.

"Come in," a deep voice called a moment after I had knocked on the first door that was at the top of the stairs. I made my way inside, taking in the the dozen filing cabinets and the extensive gun rack on the eastern wall of the office. A man of about fifty with curling brown hair was sat at a desk, his focus was on the computer screen in front of him but he looked up as I shut the door behind me.

"How can I help you, miss?" He asked, looking me up and down.

"My name's Astrid Biers," I began carefully. "Eight years ago my brother, Riley, went missing from this town and I know you were in charge of the investigation."

Chief Swan leaned forward, watching me intently now.

I continued, "My family and I... We moved away but I came back this summer for, you know, closure."

"That seems like a clever thing to do," he replied. "But I'm afraid I might not be of much help, Miss Biers. There were no leads to the disappearance of your brother and all the evidence we keep here is destroyed after four years or sent to storage in Seattle. I don't think you'll find what you're looking for."

I tried not to look too deflated as I said, "It's just... My parents believe he's dead. Everyone does. But you... You never did, did you?"

"Miss Biers, I stayed up for nights on end for about two years straight when Riley disappeared. I wanted to get him home to you and your parents, I really did, and at the time I believed there was a strong chance he was still alive. Runaway cases are very common in Washington - too common, really," he told me slowly.

But Riley wouldn't have run away from home, I knew that for a fact. There had to be more too it, whether the Forks Police Department knew it or not.

"I knew my brother very well, sir. He wasn't a runaway,"

"Then," Chief Swan sighed. "I don't mean to be frank with you but if that is the case then it's very likely he's no longer alive."

I ran my hand through my hair and tried to stay composed. I didn't want to think about that just yet.

"May I see his file at least?" I asked in a quiet voice after a little while. "It would help. Please."

The police chief looked at me long and hard, and then his eyes softened. He got to his feet, muttering something under his breath as he made his way towards one of the large metal cabinets.

"Do not tell anyone I'm doing this for you," he grumbled. "This is highly illegal, miss. And it's only yours for one hour - you keep it any longer I have the right to arrest you. Got it?"

I grinned at him and took the paperwork from him, "Thank you so much."

"There's an interrogation room next door - it's empty, so you can use that if you like,"

I nodded and took the file with me.

Once I'd sat down, I pulled Grandpa's old tape recorder out of my backpack and clicked the red RECORD button as I began to read outloud.

Case background: (Last updated: December 2005)

Riley Biers, born October 8, 1986, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Student at University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon.

Biers family moved back to Forks, Washington, in 1987. Riley's father, Jeremy Biers, is local, born in Forks in 1961 (RE: Washington State Census, 1965). Employed as a procurement consultant in Sequim. Mother, Karen Biers, born in Roseville, California, in 1964 (RE: Sacramento Township birth records, 1964). Employed as a receptionist in Forks. Other child - female, born in Forks in 1994 - is a student at Forks Elementary School.

RB first reported missing April 17, 2005. Last seen in Seattle by friends as he left the Hooverville Bar. Friends later apprehended for consumption of alcohol with falsified identifaction and held in custody for questioning on RB's disapperance. RE: Named: Brandon Westbrook (address: 11059 24th Place Southwest, White Center, Washington), Holly Jameson (address: 2015 South Garfield Street, Kennewick, Washington) and Patricia Bell (address: 604 6th Street, Elko, Nevada). RB approximately left at 21:55, claiming he needed to get home. JB said to have gone out looking for RB on the evening of April 16 as his cell phone was switched off. KB called the police department on the morning of April 17 after RB had not returned home for two days.

On April 19, 2005, blood samples were collected from Alaskan Way South, Seattle, following the reported disappearances of three other Washington citizens...

I stopped reading and paused the tape recorder. I knew pretty much all of the information on the rest of the page - but I hadn't known that Riley's college roommate Brandon lived in Seattle. Elko and Kennewick were too far to travel to, however if I could get Brandon to agree to meet me then maybe he'd be able to tell me exactly what happened that night and if Riley had mentioned anything out of the ordinary to him.

Maybe there were things Brandon hadn't told the police.

I flicked through the pages until I found Riley's friends' interviews and the reports made underneath.

Brandon Westbrook, born June 19, 1985, in Seattle, Washington. Student at University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon.

Address: 11059 24th Place Southwest, White Center, Washington.

Home contact number: 206-264-2428

Before I could stop myself I had dialled the number into my phone and pressed the call button. I knew it was a long shot; this Brandon guy might not even live at the same address, meaning his number would've changed, but it was still worth a try.

"Hello?" A sleepy male voice said on the other end and I felt my heartbeat pick up.

"Is this Brandon Westbrook?" I asked hesitantly.

There was an audible pause on the line. "Yes... May I ask who's calling?"

"My name's Astrid Biers," I told him. "You knew my older brother, Riley, didn't you?"

I glanced at the door, hoping that Chief Swan couldn't hear me as I waited for him to reply.

"Yeah, I did. How did you get my parents' number?"

"From a phone book," I lied quickly. "Look, I just wanted to ask you a few things about my brother. Is it possible to meet you?"

"Sure," he replied after another long pause, this time his voice a little softer. "That's fine. Is tonight OK?"

I tried not to sound too excited, "Yeah. That's great. Where and when?"

"Umm... There's a place called the RidgeBack Cafe on Northwest Sixty-Fifth Street. I'll meet you there at eight."

Brandon hung up before I could say anything else and I sat back in the hard plastic chair, rather pleased that I had finally moved forward with my own personal investigation. I gathered up the papers and slid them back into the plastic file, and put the tape recorder carefully away.

I took a deep breath and knocked on the door to Chief Swan's office again - and was surprised when a very familiar person opened the door.

Seth looked down at me in surprise and then back over to the chief of police, who was typing away at the desktop computer. His hair was wet - as though he'd just come in from the rain - and I couldn't help but notice how tight his shirt was, making his muscular body very hard not to notice.

I was sure I was blushing so I looked away, remembering that I was meant to be annoyed at him.

"What are you doing here, Astrid?" Seth asked, causing Chief Swan to look over to us.

"I was just..." Oh, sweet Jesus. What was I supposed to freaking say without getting the police department in trouble?

Thankfully Chief Swan quickly answered for me, "Miss Biers was just handing in an application, weren't you? For the Cadets' summer course."

Seth seemed to consider this for a moment. "That's good then. You haven't had many applications so far, Charlie."

"Not really, no," Chief Swan - Charlie - laughed as he took the file from me. "I'm sure she'll be a great addition to the Cadet team."

"Yeah, I'm sure she will," Seth smiled to himself. "By the way, Mom says she's cooking for half six."

"Wonderful," Charlie murmured. "The way that woman cooks fish is like tasting heaven."

I frowned at them, trying to work out the connection. Was Chief Swan friends with Seth's mom? Or were they dating or something? Or maybe somehow related?

Looking down at my watch, I saw that it was four o'clock and swore under my breath. If I didn't get moving soon then I'd be late meeting Brandon.

"Thanks for everything," I said and made my way out of the office, rushing down the stairs as fast as I could without tripping.

I managed to find my way out of City Hall quite quickly, considering it wasn't really a big building. Before I started out into the parking lot, I paused to pull the hood of my jacket up as it was raining even harder - if that was even possible - than it had been an hour ago.

"Wait a second," a voice came from behind me and I turned on my heel to find Seth hurrying out of the building behind me.

"I'm sort of in a hurry right now, Seth," I told him.

"I was just wondering if you maybe wanted to get something to eat with me tonight," he breathed. "Like a date or something?"

My heart tugged in my chest and I felt the urge to scream. Why hadn't he called to ask yesterday? I had more important things to do right now than go out on a date with Seth so why did I want to say yes so badly? I couldn't - I had to stay focused. I had to meet Brandon.

"I can't," I finally replied and I watched as his face fell. "I've got to meet someone tonight."

"Oh," Seth mumbled. "That's fine. I'll catch you another time, yeah?"

Why was it that he was capable of pulling the most believable puppy dog face?

"Yeah, of course," I sighed and made my way over to the Bronco.

Getting into the passenger seat, I was instantly glad to be out of the rain and away from the temptation that was Seth. I put the car into the reverse and made my way out of the parking lot and towards East Divison Street, but not before I looked back in the rear-view to see Seth still standing in the exact same spot by the entrance.

He was just watching me as I went, hands in the pockets of his cut-off jeans, the rain not seeming to matter at all to him.