Keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through
Just stay strong
'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you
There's nothing you could say
Nothing you could do
There's no other way when it comes to the truth
So keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through

Keep Holding On, Avril Lavigne

Tessa POV

We were now on our way to the movies after we had eaten at Charley's. Seth and I were still in the back of Jared's truck, which I kind of liked, Seth was like a big masculine teddy bear. A comfort zone of sorts. I looked over to him, we hadn't spoken since we had almost kissed. I didn't exactly know why, we just hadn't, I guess I was to embarrassed, and from the looks I had seen on his face at the diner, I think he was being hard on himself. Once or twice I had caught him looking at me. Other times he would be staring off in the distance looking torn and guilty. God, how I hoped he didn't feel ashamed for almost kissing me. God, knew how much I had wanted to kiss him as well. I had no regrets. Seth was perfect, It was I who was the messed up one, the one to blame, the one who should feel guilty. I knew I had told Kim that my fears weren't a problem when it came to Seth, but now, I knew that wasn't completely true. Sitting in the confined space of the backseat I realized how terrified I really was of him. Every time his leg brushed mine, I wanted to flinch away and scream my head off. Every time I thought of kissing him, I wanted to puke and pull my hair out. Why? Simple: Erik. Even miles away he was still fucking with my life. God, how I hated that man. He was a horrible, disgusting creature and at a time he had even made me hate my own mother. The only person I had left, and he had snatched her away from me, just like he took my virginity...

I flashed back to the first time he had raped me.

My mom had just got home from work and was cooking dinner. I ran from my room, which I had locked myself in as soon as he had let me go, and down the wooden steps and entered the kitchen. I found her with her back to me at the oven. I ran and wrapped my arms around her waist. She froze for a second until she realized what was going on. She turned in my embrace and hugged me to her. For a while she just held me, then she led me to the kitchen table where she sat and then pulled me into her lap. She laid my head on her shoulder and stroked my hair. She whispered soothing non-since words in my ear and rocked gently.

When I had calmed enough to speak, she asked quietly,"Whats wrong sweet heart?"

"ERIK!" I cried. I lifted my head and looked around the kitchen, I new he had left a long time ago, to take care of business and that he wouldn't be back for a long time...but it felt like he would just pop out of thin air and slam me into the wall...again.

"Whats wrong with Erik? Is he hurt?" She sounded scared. I understood why. She had already lost one husband, she didn't want to lose another, but I hoped to the high heavens he died in a horrible 'accident.'

"No." I cried.

"Then whats wrong with him?"

"Nothing mom!"

"Then...?"

"HE RAPED ME!" I screamed at the top my lungs. Mom flinch and covered the ear I had just busted. I wrapped my arms around her neck and held her tight.

Then realization kicked in, "Wha..."

"He. Raped. Me." I cried harder, making each word a sentence, so she would understand.

"That's not funny Tessa Anne!" She sounded angry.

"Mom! I'm not lying! Please believe me!" I squeezed her tighter.

"I don't want to hear it! I new you resented him, but God, Tessa, this is way to far!" She was in denial. I couldn't blame her, he had NEVER done anything to make her believe that he would do something like this, but he had, and she didn't believe me. But I was still her daughter! God dammit! She should believe me. I had never lied before. Never done anything to make her feel like I was untrustworthy.

"But mom! I swe-!" She interrupted me.

"ENOUGH!" She stood, causing me to stand as well. "GO TO YOUR ROOM! THIS INSTANT! I DON"T WANT TO SEE YOU FOR THE REST OF THE EVENING!"

"But...!" I started pleading, begging her to understand that I was telling the truth.

"No buts, young lady! NOW!" She pointed to the stairs.

I turned and ran, and when I got to my room I slammed the door closed, making sure I locked it and that the dresser was firmly in front of it. I threw myself onto the bed. I had never cried so much. Not even when I lost my dad. The one person who would have always believed me. The one man I could always trust, always count on.

And he had been ripped from my grasp, where I was then thrown into a torturous and unfair Hell.

I felt the truck slow to a stop and heard the engine cut off, I looked out the window to see that we were at the theater. Jared came around to open Kim's door for her. He even made a big deal of bowing as she past him, causing her to giggle like a little girl. I even smiled, I was happy for my Kimmy, I was even happy for Jared. It was hard to not see the clear devotion he had for her. He was lucky to have Kim, and he very well knew it.

Kim and Jared walked ahead of Seth and I. They held hands while Seth and I walked two feet apart. I wanted to say something, anything to take away the guilt in his eyes. I wanted him to smile, to hear his laughter. Some how, though, I felt the only way I would make him better was if I smiled...or trusted him, but I just don't think I could do either of those things. At least not yet. Oh, I wished I could trust him though, he seemed like the greatest guy ever. But I knew all to well about nice guys turning bad. And I did not want to go through that ever again.

We entered the theater right as the slight misty drizzle turned into a down pour. Kim sighed in relief, I laughed at her expression. Unlike her I loved the rain, could hardly stand being inside if it was raining. I had been deprived of it for so long, since Erik said that I would get sick. Mom had agreed, even though she knew I never got sick from the rain. Only after every thing had I realized what a dictator he was. Always needing to be in control. He thrived from taking from the powerless, from beating down those weaker than him. Especially since I was only a teenage girl. But the worst thing was, was that he was good at covering his tracks. An art he had learned from his mafia "pals," and the various other criminals he had gotten out of jail.

Once again I was pulled from my thoughts by Kim squealing. "Look! Their still showing Dear John!"

"Haven't you seen that like four times already?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"Your point being?" She said not looking at me. Instead she looked at Jared, her eyes pleading.

He smiled at her, "What ever you want to see, Kim."

She hugged him, then she turned to me. "Are you coming or did you have something else in mind?" She glanced at the showings board and so did I.

"I don't know... Whats new?" I looked at all the showings. Their! My eyes bulged. "Oh my God! Saw 3D! It's already out? No way!"

Kim crinkled her nose at the title. "You really wanna see that?" She asked sounding appalled.

"You really wanna see Dear john...again?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"Touché." She smiled. "Fine, you go see that, Jared and I'll go see Dear John." They walked off to buy tickets and popcorn.

I took a deep breath and turned to Seth, who had been silent through the whole conversation. I slowly lifted my eyes to meet his. I had to take two more deep breaths before I could speak. His damn deep and dark eyes momentarily distracting me. "What would you like to see?"

"Oh, I thought I'd go with you... If that's okay?" He sounded uncertain, and even a little sad. Was that my fault? Lord, I hoped not.

I couldn't let him hurt because I was so broken. I wouldn't. So I plastered the biggest believable fake smile on my face and said, "That would be great!" In my cheery happy-go-lucky voice, and prayed he couldn't see through it. Apparently he couldn't, because he smiled a cute puppy-dog smile and started toward the ticket booth, taking my hand in the process. Electricity shot through my hand and coursed through my body, racking my nerves, and causing my heart to race, I really hoped he didn't hear it. But then again, I hoped he did. As we walked hand in hand, I realized that my fake smile hadn't been completely fake, I really did want him to come with me. Man, was I confused. Every time I thought about touching him I would shy away from it, but then he'd do something like smile at me or just...be himself and I would have to fight myself to keep my hands off of him. I really wished some one could tell me what my world reducing to now? Something along the lines of teenage hormones? I shivered, now that was a terrifying thought.

Seth POV

Saw 3D. I had been dying to see this movie. So had Jared, but Kim wanted to see Dear John, so they did. Man was I a lucky guy or what? My Imprint had chosen to come see this movie. After buying the tickets and some snacks, Tess and I had gone to get our seats. She picked them all the way at the top. She was so cute, the way she ran all the way like a little girl. Every thing she did was adorable, just like a little girl. Little Nessie and her would definitely be great friends, and so would her and Clair. But, she was still a responsible adult, which I so loved about her.

As we sat watching the movie, I kept expecting her to jump or hide her eyes. She never did. But then again, she had lived through a real horror, what could possibly scare her? Oh, yeah. Me. God I was such a stupid, selfish, insensitive dick! What had I been thinking, trying to kiss her? How could I have done that to her? The whole car ride she had been silent. And every time I moved, it was like she wanted to bolt from the truck, while it was still moving. I had definitely upset her. I couldn't believe myself. All I wanted to do was phase and tear something to shreds. Preferably myself.

I had no idea what she had been through, I had been so stupid as to think I was any thing like her. She was sweet, independent, caring, funny, strong, and...a survivor. I was a reckless teenage werewolf, who only cared about himself. I had thought that just because we had both lost our dads, that that bound us somehow, that we understood each other. But we didn't, I could never even begin to imagine what she has had to endure, I don't think I would have been strong enough to get through it. Especially if my mom hadn't believed me. She deserved better than me. And to prove how selfish I was, I kept coming back to her, for her, in hopes that she would be mine forever. I wished I could give her up, so that I wouldn't hurt her anymore.

I turned away from the screen, that I hadn't really been seeing while so deep in my self loathing. I looked to her face, seeing her profile, her little angular nose, her full lips that seemed to pout, her long lashes, her high cheek bone. God, was she gorgeous. I really didn't deserve her. But I still couldn't bring myself to give her up. Suddenly she stilled, then turned toward me, like she sensed my gaze. Her eyes met mine. And I was lost in her dark memorizing eyes that held so much love and joy. Even past the pain she had been through, she still knew happiness. She smiled at me. Really smiled, her white teeth shining in stark contrast to her dark skin. I couldn't help but smile back.

She turned back to the screen, then did something I never saw coming, but made me the happiest man alive. She slid her arm under mine and twined her fingers with my hand then rested her head against my arm. I even heard her sigh. Like she was content, happy. Happy to be touching me. I couldn't believe it. She wasn't afraid to touch me! I had thought she now hated me. After what I pulled in the truck. I thought I had lost any chance of her ever trusting me. She had acted so afraid. Now more than ever, I was jealous of Edward Cullen. I would give any thing to be able to read her mind, even just for this moment alone.

Tessa POV

Seth and I where currently seated at one of the tables the theater had set up in the lobby, waiting for Kim and Jared to get out of their movie. I sighed and leaned back in my chair. I had never felt so at peace in all my life. I smiled to my self remembering how all during the movie I had rested my head on Seth's arm, while his hand warmed mine. He was so warm, so strong, and so tender. The feeling of his arm moving up and down with his breath, it was so hard to explain the feeling that rushed through me at his simple intake of breath. I could even feel his steady heart beat, and I could swear that it was in time with mine. It's rhythm so soothing that I had almost dozed off. His presence alone was soothing. Even after the truck incident, I had found it impossible to hate him or even fear him. Yes, I had shied away from touching him, and wanted to get away, but that was because my mind was plagued with thoughts of Erik, thinking of him and remembering the things that he had done to me...and to my mom. It scared me more than anything. It had hurt me more than anything. But when I thought of Seth touching me the same way, my heart raced with want. The difference being that Seth would be more gentle, slower, and his movements filled with love. I knew that he would go no farther than I wanted. Don't ask me how I knew this, but I did, and that was the most appealing thing about him to me. This feeling, though, it was more than attraction, more than friendship. I didn't know how to explain it, it just was. Dammit! This was so frustrating! One second I would be terrified of him, the next I would consider him my pillow and cuddly teddy bear. What was wrong with me?

You love him, but you keep letting Erik's memory get in the way. I froze. No. There was no way that I loved him. No! Why had I even thought that? How could I? Some one like me didn't know the meaning of the word "love." Rape victims always thought they were in "love." Sleeping around, toying with people because it made them feel in control, to help make up for when they had been powerless. That must be what it was. The reason why I was having such a hard time not jumping him every time he looked at me with those big warm puppy-dog eyes. Damn, I really was fucked up. I would never have a healthy relationship. I wasn't foolish enough to think that I would get over what happened. I wasn't dumb enough to think that I was an exception, that I would live happily ever after. That wasn't an option for me, that option had flown the coop when my dad died. Seth deserved so much better than a warped, twisted rape victim. I would only hurt him, and I couldn't live with myself if that happened.

'Tessa?" I looked up. Seth was staring at me, with a worried expression on his face. I momentarily forgot where I was, lost in the pools of his eyes. Perfection lied within those depths. Something that wasn't for me. He reached out to me, my heart sped in pace with the anticipation of his hand connecting with mine. His hand stopped inches from my hand, he paused, then withdrew his hand and tucked it under the table, hurt crossing his features. Then he repeated my name. Sounding more worried than before, only then did I realize what was happening.

"Oh! Sorry, I guess I just spaced." I mustered up a small smile, "I'm fine, don't worry."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." I smiled a bit wider, so he would smile too. Suddenly, something warm touched my hand. We both jumped and looked down. Subconsciously, he must have moved to touch me. The electricity flowing through us, was almost unbearable. I wanted so badly for him to touch me more, in other places, I wanted so badly for him to kiss me. Once again my mind swirled with things I wanted him to do, places for him to touch, to kiss. I wanted him. Pure animal lust pulsed to my lower abdomen. Could any one tell me when I had become such a horn dog? I could not believe that I had these feelings for a man I had know for two merely weeks. Well, more like two weeks, one day, twelve hours, and twenty eight minutes, but hey, who pays attention to the little details.

"Hey guy!" I heard Kim's familiar voice call from behind me. I tore my eyes away from Seth's and turned around so that I could smile at her.

"How was you guys' movie?" She asked as soon as her and Jared reached the table.

I looked to Seth to answer that question, because I really couldn't remember. I had been to busy with thoughts of Seth to really pay any attention to

what was happening in the movie. Seth looked to me and saw that he was waiting for me to say something, so I did. "It was really epic!" I said looking back to her with a huge excited smile on my face.

"Really?" Jared seemed really interested.

"Yeah," Seth said. "I would really like to see it again." I threw him a knowing glance, maybe he hadn't been paying attention either, I like the thought of that.

"Yeah!" Jared said excitedly. Apparently he liked gore fests. Yet he had gone with Kim...willingly. Man, he was in love.

Kim and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes. Then I stood and stretched, arching my back and putting my arms behind my head. Then I looked at Kim, "Bathroom?"

She nodded and said to the boys, "You two go on out to the truck, we'll be there in a minute."

Now Jared had focused his attention on her, "You sure?"

She smiled and said, "Absolutely."

"Alright, we'll see ya in a minute." He kissed her on the forehead and started for the doors, Seth and I smiled at each other as he trailed behind Jared.

"Come on googly eyes!" She said pulling me toward the restrooms. My eyes followed him until we rounded the corner that led to the bathroom.

Why was it that the lady's room was always packed all the way to the door, but guys walked in and then right back out of the mens room? I had to have stood in that line for at least fifteen minutes. I'm surprised the boys hadn't come to find us, but then again, they were probably scared to. Men normally didn't want to know why women took so long in the bathroom. It was better for their health that they stayed away. I was currently standing outside in the hallway waiting for Kim to get out. She was currently dealing with T.O.M. and was taking a little longer than usual. Luckily I didn't need to worry about him until next month.

I sighed and leaned against the wall. It had been a very good, tiring, and eventful day. I was ready to get home and sleep it off, though it was only about two o'clock in the afternoon. I yawned and stretched, causing my head to spin afterward, then I turned to peek and see if Kim was on her way. Which she was, almost to the sink, which had a line to it as well. Suddenly, an odd sensation prickled at the back of my neck, I spun around and looked up and down the hall. It had felt like some one had been watching me. I looked for the guys, to see if they had finally come to see what was taking so long, but I couldn't see them, and if I didn't then they weren't there. There was no way you could miss an almost seven foot tall teenage boy. But the sensation still lingered, someone I couldn't see was definitely able to see me, and I didn't know who or where they were. I turned again to look back into the restroom. No one in there was watching me. I looked to the sink right as Kim stepped up to wash her hands.

Then I turned back around and almost screamed bloody murder. Standing about half way down the hall in front of a theater room was a man with short light brown hair, he was wearing a blue button up shirt, dark denim jeans, had pale green eyes that looked like ugly sea weed. All my memories came crashing back with a vengeance. Those night when I had been to afraid to even sleep, for fear of waking up to his face hovering over me, with my arms and legs strapped to the bed where I could hardly move, and most definitely couldn't fight him off. To the time when my mom had confronted him and he convinced her that I was lying and just trying to separate them, and then when she saw the marks on me and finally believed me and how he hit her for threatening him with the police. I blinked and blinked each time hoping he would disappear... He didn't. With every second that ticked by, my breath hitched and sped, causing hyperventilation. Tears blurred my vision. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't be here. It was just my imagination. It had to be. It just had to be! But I knew it was. The man standing down the hall staring at me with an angry look in his eyes, was Erik.

I saw him take a step and then another and realized he was walking towards me. No! I wanted to scream. I wanted to run. I needed to run. I had to get away. But my feet felt like they weighed about a thousand pounds, I couldn't scream either because my breath would barely pass through my throat. I closed my eyes as tight as they would go and prayed he didn't get me. Suddenly, I felt something grip my shoulder. I jumped and screamed as loud as I could, drawing as much attention as I could. No way in hell was he taking me, I couldn't let him win. But what I didn't expect was that he would scream too, or that he would sound like a girl. I cut off my scream and so did the others. I opened my eyes and saw, the one and only, Kim. With a petrified look on her face. I spun around and scanned the hallway. No Erik. Anywhere.

"Tessa! What the hell was that for?" She said glancing around. That's when I realized that everyone in the hall had stopped to stare at us. Clearly we had drawn attention. I still couldn't speak, could hardly stand. She huffed and pulled on my arm so we could leave, and everyone started going on with their business. I wouldn't budge, I wasn't even paying attention to the lecture Kim was giving me. All I could do was stare at the spot where Erik had been not thirty seconds before.

"Tessa!" Kim yelled. She was waving her hand in front of my face. I finally looked at her and saw a very pissed and freaked out look on her face. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

I couldn't hold it back any longer. I couldn't stand, couldn't breath. I stumbled blindly back into the wall and sank down to the floor, while fast hot tears ran down my cheeks, that were accompanied with frantic sobs. Why was this happening? Why? Mom and I had moved back to escape him, but then I guess we were stupid in thinking that he wouldn't look here for us. My thinking had been that he would think that we were to smart to come back here and wouldn't even bother with a search. Obviously...we were wrong.

"Tessa! Oh my God! Tessa! Whats wrong?" Kim was wiping away the tears as fast as she could, but they were being quickly replaced with new ones. I couldn't focus on her, didn't see or even really hear her. All I could focus on was the fact that Erik had been here. There was just no possibility that it had been my imagination, even I wasn't that creative. He had been here. He had been watching me. He knew where we were. He was coming for us. There was no escape. He was going to get us, there was no denying that fact. There was no hope left. Not even home was safe.

I felt something pulling at my face, reality swarmed me, I was thrown back into the present and came crashing down. Kim was looking at me with fear and worry in her eyes. Slowly my hearing came back and I heard here yelling, "Tessa sweetheart! Listen to me! What happened?" She was still rubbing tears away from my face with her thumbs.

My voice still didn't want to work, because I was still having trouble breathing. So I did the only thing I could; I pointed to where he had been standing. she glanced back and then back to me. "What? Was some one there?" I nodded my head and pleaded with my eyes for her to understand who it had been. She stared at me and then glanced back at where I was still pointing. She went back and forth a few times, before realization and horror played out on her facial features. Her eyes bulged and her breath caught. She looked back one more time and then gasped, "Erik?" I nodded.

"Oh no." She let out a huge breath, then looked around frantically. "Come on Tess. We've got to get you out of here. Now!" She grabbed my hands and pulled me to a standing position. And when I stood, my world span, every thing and every one blurred, I felt myself sway, and heard Kim saying my name, felt her hands tighten their grasp trying to hold me up, which wasn't working. I fell to the ground, but it didn't stop their, I kept falling, everything going black. I fell and fell further into the dark until I was consumed with it. Then I felt nothing at all. Every sense was gone, and so was I.

Seth POV

Jared and I were sitting in the truck waiting for the girls. They had been in their for a while. I wanted to go in and see if Tessa was alright, but Jared had said that they were probably just having a little girl time and was catching up on things. Plus that women always took longer in the bathroom. So here I sat, in the backseat of an old truck, waiting for the girl of my dreams. I thought about the movie, trying to remember it, but I really hadn't been paying attention, I had been focused on Tessa. The whole movie I had been swarmed with her sweet scent, her soft dark hair sliding against my arm as we breathed. The sound of her heart, her hands holding her delicate hand in mine. I had been so afraid that I had lost her, but what had happened in the theater had made it clear that I had not lost my Imprint. And for that I was more grateful for than any thing else on the planet. She was more important than air itself.

My mind played over and over what had happened today. All the tiny details, forever embedded into my brain. Then suddenly, I felt something strange. Something that wasn't good. It was like something was pulling at me from the inside, something that didn't want to go away. I shifted in my seat and scratched my chest, which was where the pulling was strongest. Like an itch I couldn't scratch. I looked to the theater and furrowed my brow. I wanted to jump from the car and run back in there, but to what I didn't know, I didn't understand. So I did my best to ignore it. I scratched my chest again, I looked away from the theater and to the sky, watching it rain. Still waiting for Tessa. And Kim.

Suddenly, Jared's phone rang. He answered immediately. "Kim?"

"Oh my God, Jared!" She panted into the phone. I'm pretty sure I could here her even without my wolf senses, she was practically screaming.

"Kim, sweetheart whats wrong?" Jared said getting out of the truck and heading into the theater as fast as he could. With me right on his tail. Neither of us knew what was going on, but Kim was freaking, and Jared needed her, so he went.

She started talking again, "Jared! It's Tessa! She-!" I didn't hear the rest. I bolted past Jared as fast as I could. Realization rang through me. That tugging feeling had been for my Tessa, she was in danger and I had ignored it. I had to be the worst Imprint on the face of the planet. If anything had happened to her. I would never forgive myself. I warred with myself, felt so much guilt, so much fear. I prayed that she was okay, but no matter what I did, my legs just didn't seem to carry me fast enough. I ran straight for the restrooms, not caring if I had to go in to find Tessa. I didn't even know if they were still in there, I was just following the tugging sensation. I knew it would lead me to Tessa.

And it did. I got to the bathroom and saw Kim and a few other people crouched around Tessa outside the entrance to the woman's restroom. I faintly heard Kim crying, but I paid her no mind, or to the other people around. I simply pushed my way through them and knelt beside her. Tessa was unconscious on the floor. The dark skin of her face was a lighter shade than usual, their was tears running down her face, even when she was unconscious I could tell that she was petrified. At that point I was about ready to pass out as well. I had to know what happened.

"What happened, Kim?" I said, and even to my ears I sounded desperate.

"Erik!" She sobbed, I growled. "She saw Erik!" Her sobs deepened, and then where muffled, by the sound of it, she had turned her face into someones should. Jared. I don't even know when he had arrived, I could only focus on my pale unconscious Imprint. That son of a bitch was here? If he had laid a hand on her, so help me God, I would rip him limb from limb. It took every ounce of self control not to phase.

I felt pressure on my right shoulder, then heard Jared say, "Seth, cool it! Think, man! We've got to get her out of here."

"No! if you move her, you could hurt her more. I called 911, they'll be here shortly." I heard someone from the crowd say.

"No!" Kim said frantically. "She isn't hurt, she just passed out. Umm? This sort of thing happens all the time. She has a chemical imbalance. We just need to get her home." I was surprised she could think of something on the spot like that.

"Are you su-?" I didn't even give the person a chance to finish their sentence. I scooped her up as fast and as gently as I possibly could and headed for the truck. Jared walked ahead of me so he could open the door. And when we got there, the truck door. I had to get her somewhere safe, somewhere where that bastard couldn't find her. I knew the place, he would have no idea.

"Jared, take us to the Cullen's house. And make it fast." My voice was half a step from my wolfs growl. But I didn't care, only Tessa mattered. Her safety was the only thing keeping me from phasing and hunting that fucker down. I sat in the back while she was laid out the rest of the space wit her resting on my lap. Right now my Tessa needed me, but I was powerless to do anything other than watch her and pray she woke up soon. I prayed everything would be okay...but I knew that they wouldn't be. Erik was here, and I had what I knew he wanted. But I'd be damned if I let him have her. He would die from a brutal animal attack before he touched her.

A/N: Hey guys! what did you think? hope it made up for the long wait... By the way, for those of you who don't know T.O.M./Tom= Time Of Month. plz leave me lots of comments!

Love, DarkEaster. :)