"Vanishing Moon"

Ch. 7

Leah

Work kept me pretty busy, and on my off time I had volunteered to help at Dirk's campaign office. Tiffany and I, believe it or not, were actually bonding somewhat over various things, including, as morbidly as it sounded, the loss of our respective parents. Matthew was growing on me too. I was feeling more stable than I had since I'd shifted that first night, and I knew that Dirk was to be thanked for that. If only I could tell him. We didn't get to talk too much, but I was hoping that would change any day as I worked ever harder at helping with the campaign. I hoped to take his assistant, Stephanie's place by his side. They argued often and I know he felt obligated to her and didn't find her competent enough to be his assistant.

I went through each day more content yet more depressed as the situation continued to appear hopeless. I just couldn't be more than a friend to him any way that I looked at it. Dirk was too important and his position in D. C. was too powerful to risk him knowing my secret. Besides, he appreciated my friendship and accepted me, something I wasn't used to and my heart couldn't risk seeing that change to revulsion if he knew the truth about what I was. I was a freak of nature and there is no way he'd be able to accept what would seem to him a werewolf.

I would shift and run most nights now, enjoying the freedom and even running on Dirk's land. Jacob was sometimes there and we were actually getting along.

Today was my day off from Starbucks so I went to Dirk's office downtown so that we could have lunch together as we had planned a couple days ago so that we could enjoy eating with a friend instead of his eating alone as he typically ended up doing.

I wasn't surprised to find Stephanie there as I entered, but what floored me was seeing her in his arms. Her lips brushing against his. I didn't even have time to realize what was happening before I'd shifted and stood there in wolf form starring at the shocked looks on their faces. I quickly got myself under control enough to shift back, grabbed a long coat that would cover me that he kept hanging by the door, wrapped myself up and fled. They hadn't said a word. The shock had been too much for them and they were probably calling the police or animal control or something. I had to run. I had to get to Heartsgrove and grab the money I had stashed and leave. How could I have let myself shift like that? I could have killed one of them.

...

Dirk

"Clean up this mess and meet me in the car." I ordered Stephanie, referring to the scraps left from Leah's shoes and clothing littering my office. I didn't know what had triggered Leah's shift, but we had to find her fast. She couldn't go on the run before I managed to catch up to her.

...

Leah

I was starting into the woods when I heard car doors slam and heard Dirk calling my name. I sped up but so did he and eventually I stopped and waited on him to catch up. Stephanie was still with him. Jealousy and pain waged war within me. Now I'd have to see the revulsion. Just what I didn't need. I was already shaking with the need to shift and escape this nightmare.

"Leah, look at me," Dirk ordered firmly and as my eyes reluctantly met his, my shaking stopped. I blinked at him, shocked to see how calm he was. "Leah, you can not run. It is okay, we know what you are. Don't run thinking you have to hide that you are a walker." I glanced at Stephanie to see her nod assent as well.

"But, how? And how long have you known?" I finally stammered.

"From the moment you first took my order that first time we met." he stated to my complete astonishment. "What I don't get is why not talk to me about it and why freak out and run tonight."

"Oh, I don't know," my sarcasm came out full force, "maybe because I thought you'd be normal and either think I was insane or that you would believe me and freak out or have me locked up by the government for experimentation or something." The look of confusion on his face was almost comical had I not been in such pain.

"Leah, you don't make any sense."

"Dirk, what doesn't make sense? Walkers are only things of legends to humans. Of course I would expect those responses from you." I stated this slowly as if he had a hearing problem. It took a full minute before he busted out laughing.

"Humans? You think we are humans?" Now it was my turn to stare at him in a dumbfounded expression and think he was loosing his mind. Until he stepped several yards away and as fast as I'd seen Jacob, Dirk shifted into a wolf. He was a walker too. I know I'd gasped in shock and now stared in awe at the beautiful, large white wolf in front of me. His eyes were the same dark brown as when he was human. He wagged his tail and let his tongue loll out and I slowly walked over to him, and reached up to pet him on the top of his head. He leaned into the caress and I suddenly remembered Stephanie and looked over to see her standing there, bored.

"You too?" I asked.

"Yes. I am one of his pack. He is our alpha. We are a small band of Seneways. Our pack is rather large since vampires are often in this area." Our main base is his property near Kalispell. I will go to the car to get his spare clothes."

I continued petting Dirk and starring at him in amazement. Suddenly everything was light and perfect again. He was a walker too. It could work between us. It would. It would have to. We'd imprinted.

"Wait. Walkers don't imprint with other walkers, only humans." I declared aloud to him. He whined and went behind some bushes so he could shift without my seeing him naked.

"What do you mean imprint?" his voice was very soft and very confused.

"You mean you didn't feel it?" I was suddenly angry. "I imprinted on you when I first met you." How could he have known what I was yet not have felt the imprint. I know it was usually one sided anyway, but that was because only one was a walker. If we both were, shouldn't we have both felt it? Did this mean he could walk away from me and not care about the fact I had imprinted on him?

"You. You, what? You. Imprinted. With. Me?" he could barely get the words out and Stephanie chose that time to come back and as she threw him his clothes and he got dressed I just glared at her. "That is why you followed me that night? Why you have been so interested in me. Why you went crazy and shifted when Stephanie kissed me? Which by the way, she is my cousin, it was innocent."

"Yes." I answered flatly, feeling a part of me dying inside. He hadn't felt anything?

"I guess there is a first time for everything about the fact of two walkers imprinting. And since only one usually is the only one to feel the imprint it must be the same with two walkers, for I didn't feel it. Though I have felt drawn to and devoted to you." his reply shocked me and I felt the crushing despair begin to lift from my chest.

"You felt that way about me?"

"Yes. I didn't understand it and chalked it up to feeling like i needed to protect you while you were in my territory." He was dressed so he came around and back toward me and I felt myself take a step back out of surprise as he neared me, invading my personal space. "You may leave, Stephanie." he didn't take his eyes off of mine as he said this. Instead he took another step toward me. I didn't step back this time and our toes were almost touching. I was a mass of nerves but the overriding emotion was love and a sense of freedom and happiness. He wasn't running away from me, that was a plus.

I watched as Dirk's eyes darkened and he reached his hand out to grab me by the shoulders and pulled me into his embrace. Bending his head he brushed his lips across my own gently and sweetly. I couldn't keep from groaning in happiness and he kissed me more firmly but kept it chaste before pulling away yet still keeping me in his arms. I blinked up at him, dazed. My first kiss. Even though it was unusual in that he had kept it so chaste, it was all the more special to me because of the care he'd shown. I knew by looking in his eyes that it hadn't been all he'd wanted, but I sensed he didn't want to rush things. I smiled up at him and wrapped my arms around him to hug him.

"Thank you." I stated and buried my face in his chest. For this moment it was only the two of us and I reveled in it.

"I think I should be thanking you. After all, you are the one who found me. We do have a lot to discuss though, and we do need to get back to my office though. But let's just revel in the moment for right now." I agreed and we just stood in each other's arms for no telling how long before making our way slowly back to his car, meeting Stephanie again who sat in the driver's seat.

A/N: Something about this chapter unsettles me, hence the delay in posting it. If you have any comments or observations please let me know. I am writing on chapter 8, this chapter was just holding me back. Thanks for reading!