Here is the meeting between Sam an Kira. This was a tough one to write. I knew what I wanted to say, but had a hell of a time saying it. Hope it's up to par.

Kira POV

The wolf that met me at the border was walking a fine line between youthful exuberance and just plain hyper. He had to be young, still a teenager. I'd guess 15, 16 years old. We ran off in the direction of the reservation, the young wolf staying a foot or two ahead of me. He'd look back now and then to make sure I was still with him. He was fast, much faster than me if we were both forced to push it, but he kept pace fairly well. One thing I appreciated about my escort was his mood. He was excited, happy, and very pleasant. It calmed my nerves to run with him. He was very soothing. Not to mention we didn't have to worry about the awkward small talk usually involved with activities such as this. It was a perk of being in animal form, no talking. It turned out to be a very enjoyable run.

It only took 10 minutes for us to reach the edge of the woods. My wolf escort stopped, nodding his head towards a small house about 100 feet from the where we stood. It was a deep red colored house, the porch decorated with hanging flower baskets. It gave off a very cozy feeling. I nodded back, shifting back to human. I looked down at the wolf, running my left hand over his neck. He leaned his head into my hand, obviously not objecting to my action. "Thanks for the run, kid." I smiled down at him. He once again bounced on his front legs excitedly, then dashed off back into the woods. With a calming breath, I walked across the road and onto the porch of the house.

A large young man met me at the door. He couldn't have been much older than 21-22. He was build like Emmett, but he wasn't quite as big. He wore a genuine smile, but his emotions were conflicted. He was excited and nervous, but he also had some other emotions in there that were hard to pin down. It wasn't really anger, but more reluctance. It was like he was second guessing his invitation. I smiled back, offering him my hand.

"I'm Kira Whitlock." I said, trying to keep my voice as calm as possible. I figured I should take the first step. Break the ice, so to speak. The young man's reluctance eased a fraction.

"I'm Sam Uley. I'm the Alpha of our pack. It's nice to meet you." He stepped aside from the door, ushering me inside. "Please come in."

I stepping into his home, looking around. The house was just as cozy on the inside as it was on the outside. It was decorated in a very native American style. It was warm and welcoming and smelled like a mixture of hardwood, fresh baked muffins and cinnamon. A woman had to live here, no question about that. As if on queue, a young woman stepped into view from the kitchen. She was very lovely, with long dark hair with brown eyes to match. She had no fear of me at all. Her emotions were gentle and soothing, so powerful that I almost didn't even notice the large scars along her face. She smiled sweetly and I returned the smile wholeheartedly.

"Hi, I'm Sam's fiance, Emily." She offered me her hand. "Welcome to our home. Are you hungry? I made some blueberry muffins and cinnamon rolls."

"That would be nice, thank you." I replied as she escorted me into the kitchen. "I really like your home. It's very comfortable."

She smiled, the scars on her face causing one side of her mouth to remain in a scowl. It was a sweet smile, non the less. Emily offered me a seat at the table, while Sam took the seat right across from me. Emily placed the fresh made baked goods on the table. "Would you like something to drink. I just made some Iced Tea?"

"Yes, please." Well, she was pleasant.

"Thanks for coming out. I know it must be uncomfortable for you to leave your family behind to come talk to me."

I chuckled lightly. "You could say that, considering the only thing preventing your pack and my family from trying to tear each other apart is a verbal treaty hashed out a very long time ago." OK, so maybe I was being a bit blunt, but I couldn't help it. That whole missing filter thing again. Sam tensed at my words, but didn't get angry. "Don't get me wrong, I understand why it exists, not many vampires are like my family. I guess it just frustrates me. I mean no offense."

"No offense taken. I seem to remember something from last night about a missing filter."

I was impressed. This man not only had been listening last night, but had a good memory for non-important details. That speaks volumes about a person.

"Yes, very true. I tend to speak my mind. It drives my father crazy sometimes."

Sam leaned more heavily on the table and closer to me. "That's one of the many questions I have. Is Jasper your Biological father? I didn't think vampires could have children."

Now we were getting into it. I leaned back in my seat, getting comfortable. This might turn out to be a long visit.

"No, he's not my birth father. Jasper found me when I was five. I lived on a small farm in Texas with my parents and a few farmhands. One evening the farm was ransacked and burned by a group of very angry people. To this day, I have no idea why they attacked us. They murdered everyone except me. My mother made me go hide in the field next to our house. Jasper got there before the mob could find me. He took me in and raised me as his own."

Sam seemed bewildered by my tale. "I'm guessing Jasper was still human during these events."

Oh, that's why he had that look on his face. He didn't believe a vampire would save a human child. "Why would you say that? As a matter of fact, we was a vampire. He was still a nomad at the time and was nearly ten years from meeting Alice and eleven from meeting the Cullens. You think just because he was a vampire, he couldn't show compassion to a helpless child." By this point, I was getting a little upset. "He's the best father a girl could ask for. I wanted for nothing, ever, through my entire childhood. He kept me shielded from most of the violence a nomadic vampire is forced to be involved in, while still allowing me to learn about what he was and why he was different. Hell, in the years before he took on the Cullen's lifestyle, not once did he kill in front of me or even near me! He instructed me that humans were to be left alone since they were not my natural food supply. And believe me, I had some massive human hate issues as a teen! It was hard to listen to his logic since it was a group of humans who murdered my parents. It's not my father's fault he didn't know another life was possible until he met Carlisle Cullen and his family. They took us in without even missing a step. And that was when I was a teenager. As a teenager I was not a easy person to live with. You think all vampires are bad and all shapeshifters are good. You live in such a naive little world, sheltered here on your reservation. I'm sorry to tell you this, kid, but the world isn't black and white! I've met some shifters who would rather rip you apart then look at you"

During my rant, I had gotten up from my seat and was pacing the room. I was breathing heavy and I was sure my eyes were probably completely white. They tended to do that when I was furious. For his part, Sam was still sitting calmly. On his guard, as if waiting for something to happen, but not returning my anger. Emily showed some fear, but was standing strong by her fiance, her hand on his shoulder, as if to calm him.

"I'm sorry." He said, looking directly into my eyes, using sincerity that could not be questioned. "I'm afraid you're right about being naive. The only facts I have about vampires are the one's that were passed down over the generations. Until I actually met your family, I didn't really believe the tales I was told about these vampires being different. It's one of the reasons I asked you over, to gain a new perspective on things. I didn't mean to upset you."

I took a deep breath, then sat back down. The tension in the room dropped a few steps and Emily's fear decreased.

"I'm sorry as well. I'm afraid I overreacted. I'm very protective of my family, but I had no right to react the way I did. My temper gets away from me sometimes. I hope this doesn't color me in a bad light."

"Not at all." Sam's voice was reassuring. "I would have acted the same way about my family. I'm Just impressed you didn't shift. If one of my pack were to get that upset, they would have phased into their wolf."

"My shifting has nothing to do with my mood. I've never shifted involuntarily. The only reaction my body will have is my eyes. The blue bleeds out of them the more angry I get." I explained.

Sam seems to consider this. "I've also noticed you don't shred your clothes when you shift. If we're wearing clothes then we phase, the clothes bite the dust. We tie them to our ankles before we phase, so we can put clothes back on when we turn back.

I nodded in agreement. "You'll be interested to know that I'm the exception, not the rule. At least as far as my experience goes, every other shapeshifter I've met has been like you in that department. It's actually a lucky thing my shape isn't dictated by my mood. I'm empathic and my mood tends to shift in the direction of the people around me. It would really suck to always shift forms anytime someone got angry near me, just to end up naked when I gain enough control to shift back."

"So, you can feel the emotions of others?" Sam asked, trying to clarify. Emily, who was sitting next to her fiance, looked worried.

I smiled at her reassuringly. "Don't worry, I just feel the emotions, I can't manipulate them. And I can't read minds." Emily relaxed noticeably. I think it must have worried her to think I might be able to read her mind. Good thing she's never met Edward. "I'm sorry I frightened you earlier. It was not my intent."

Our conversation continued for 2 more hours. We discussed my past with Jasper, all the way up to my current occupation as head of security at a casino in Vegas. He was particularly curious about me as a shapeshifter, the similarities and differences to himself and his pack. On the other side, we talked about the pack. I learned how they came about and why they are back after skipping a generation. Sam even invited me to attend the next bonfire where the elders told the stories of old. I learned a great deal about them and them about the Cullens. I was careful when talking about my adoptive family, though. I didn't want to give out too much information the pack could use against them someday. Overall, it was a pleasant meeting, I thought. We both had a better understanding of each other, that was for sure.

"Well, it's getting late." I stood up from the table, stretching. "I should probably get going. May I use your bathroom?"

"Of course, down the hall to the right." Emily instructed, pointing the way.

Sam POV

The meeting had gone well. Kira was intelligent and honest, but her answers to my questions about her family were guarded. She wanted me to understand her family without giving too much away. She knew what she was doing. As I was deep in thought, Seth came walking into the house, whistling softly to himself. I had asked him to join us a few hours after she arrived, figuring he'd be willing the walk her home.

"Hey guys, how's the visit?" He asked, taking a muffin of the counter and eating it almost whole.

"She's an interesting person, very passionate and loyal. She's in the bathroom now, but she'll be on her way soon. Go ahead and phase. She'll be out in a few. You can escort her back."

Seth did another of his half salutes, then exited the the house. I heard a yipping sound as he waited at the edge of the forest, phased and ready to make the return trip. If only all the wolves could be so accommodating. I turned my head as I heard Kira return.

"It was nice to meet both of you." She said, extending her hand to both me and Emily. "And thank you for your hospitality. The Muffins were some of the best I've ever had."

"It was nice to meet you too. It was also good to hear another point of view on certain subjects." I told her. I was being honest. She had opened my eyes to some of the truths I currently live by. I still knew for a fact that most vampires were evil, but now I was beginning to realized that a few might not be. A few were just trying to live out there existence in peace. It left me with some things to think about. I walked her to the door, but stopped before we got there.

"Seth is just on the edge of the woods. He'll escort you back to the border."

"So, his name is Seth. He's a very happy sort, isn't he?"

I smiled at her. "That's an understatement. He's hyper, but he's a good kid."

She turned to go, but I spoke up one more time. "I just have one more question before you leave."

"Of course." She nodded, turning to face me once again.

"How old are you?" I asked, getting a light slap on the shoulder from Emily.

"That's rude, Sam." She scolded. "You never ask a woman her age."

"I was just curious, since you called me 'kid' before."

Kira chuckled. "You caught that, did you? I'm older than you, Sam. My age is in the triple digits, but barely."

She grinned in amusement, then walked out the door towards Seth, who was waiting patiently, more/less. She turn back, nodding in my direction, then entered the woods. I could just make out her form changing to that of a cat, before she joined Seth and ran deeper into the forest and out of sight.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think.