Zach and Leah spent an hour on the car. They cleaned it, washed it and refilled the oil and checked the pressure in the wheels. They didn't talk much, but Zach admitted to himself that it felt nice spending time with Leah without having to talk all the time, only enjoying each other's company. Afterwards they hit the road.

Lea fumbles with his AUX chord and plugs the jack into her phone.

"Got any good music?" Zach asks.

She shrugs and continues to scroll. An upbeat song flares the stereo. It has a deep bass and a good rhythm.

"I like it," he shouts over the music. "Got a good rhythm."

The rest of the drive is spent listening to Leah's music. When they finally reach the La Push border, Zach's getting nervous. And Leah heard it. She places her hand on Zach's.

"It's going to be fine. They're not that bad."

"Sure, they're just a pack of wolves that happen to dislike the people I practically live with, the ones who built the very house I'm living in."

"Zach, geez, you're such a drama queen. Listen, they're going to accept you. They already have. And my mom's really looking forward to see you. To meet you and greet you as my boyfriend."

"Of course the pack has to accept me. I'm your imprint. Your laws tell them to not hurt me, but that doesn't mean they can't dislike me. Which they do, I know, I've seen it."
"It's just because you smell like them. And so does Jake. And the smell is kinda intense. And really, it's not just because of the imprint thing. The ones you met at the party, everyone told me they really did like you. Even the Elders that you've already met before anyone knew."

"Like who?"

"Like my mom. Or Jake's father."

Zach sighs loudly. He lets himself find comfort in her words.

"Fine, fine. I'll just see what I want to see and if something big happen and it turns out not to be true… Well, then I'm screwed. But, yeah, I don't care. I have you. And you have me, so that's all I'm aiming for right now."

"Great. Now, cheer up. And watch out for the big whole right there."

"I thought your mom lived with Isa's dad?" Zach wonders. He throws a glance at his partner when she doesn't respond. "Or have something come up?"

"Ugh, no, nothing like that. My mom… She's the most wonderful person I've ever met, but I don't like her choices when it comes down to stepfathers. It's not that I dislike Charlie, it's just… He's not my father. And he can never replace him either."

"Does he try too hard, is it that?"

"Nah, not really. Charlie's really chill, but you know. It's not the same. But at the same time, I want my mom to be happy and to live her life. She deserves that."

"So do you."

It becomes quiet and none of them say anything until they reach the Clearwater's two-floor house. Zach has been inside just once, and that was to bring Seth back home after he had patrolled and was exhausted.

"My mom's there. I actually own the house now, but you know, she's a mother hen and she checks in on us and cooks food and wash our clothes too. Trust me when I say this, I've tried to have to stop, but she doesn't listen to me. At least we get lots of free food."

Sue Clearwater hadn't change a bit since the first time Zach met her. She was still as fierce and strong-willed and goodhearted as before. The first thing she did was to hug him hard and tell him how happy she was for her daughter and him. Then she dragged him to the kitchen and nearly force fed him with delicious home cooked dishes. Leah, who didn't need any invitation, filled her plate and started to eat with an amused facial expression. She was happy and relieved with how her mother accepted Zach.

"So, Zach, tell me about your future plans."

Zach swallowed. They were sitting in the living room, Sue close to Zach, having her chestnut eyes on him the whole time.

"Well, right now I'm just finishing my degrees and then I'm going to apply for the CIA's agent program. Hopefully I'll get in. I have the right education, though I lack experience in those fields, but I am old enough and I've heard they're searching for college graduated interns."

"A CIA agent? Interesting. What or who have made you wanting to be an agent?" Sue asks curiously. She doesn't see her daughter's quick and warning glance. Leah knows of course now Zach have decided upon that career choice. It is because of parents, and what happened to them. It's a sore point and she sees Zach flinches ever so slightly.

"It's because of what happened to people who were really close to me," he answers sincerely and calmly. Leah inaudible lets the air she's been holding leave her lungs in relief. He catches her looking at him and gives a small, but short nod. She understands. And apparently so does Sue because she doesn't ask for any details. Instead she hands Zach a plate of cakes and cookies with a raised eyebrow.

No need to waste my energy on declining the offer. She's not a woman I happily will ever go against.

"I heard you're living in Forks. And your neighbors are the Cullens."

"That's correct." Zach looks wary. "They built my house too. I think both pack came to the party alongside with the Cullens."

"I know, dear. I picked up Seth afterwards. But that's not why I'm asking. I only want to know that you know what kind of risk you're putting yourself in."

Zach and Leah stares at Sue. Of course, she's a tribe member and an Elder meaning she's grown up with hearing the legends. The proof that they are true are sitting and living in this very house, belonging to her family. But she didn't struck Zach as the type of woman who would judge anyone when even her own kids willingly had accepted and helped and also fought alongside with them.

She's just concerned about her kids. That's a completely ordinary reaction. But seeing how her kids are treated and how the packs and the Cullens have a ten times better relationship now than ever, one ought to think the feud between them is gone and long forgotten. Naturally they're enemas and all, but after all that happened? After Jake and Isa's girl? And what about when they were standing together with a bunch of vampires against the Italian weirdos?

"I know what you're thinking." Sue's voice cut through Zach's thoughts.

He clears throat.

"Being a mother and a member of the tribe and the one of the Elders, I know pretty much everything that happens between the packs. And the vampires. I won't say that I trust them a hundred percent, but they've proven to be…acceptable and even friendly. They've helped us out as we've helped them too. I know you know everything, but I want you to understand that anything you do can end up with your blood getting sucked out of you."

"Mom!" Leah's on her feet looking clearly upset. "What are you doing?"

"Leah, listen. You both listen to me!" She's on the brick of shouting.

Leah's never seen her mother like this before. She slowly sits back down, sitting stiffly on the edge of the chair. Sue takes a deep breath before continuing.

"The strength of any imprint bond is unbreakable. It doesn't matter what the imprint feels, it doesn't matter what kind of relationship they're having. The bond is there and will just be stronger and stronger. You both know this. You can both feel it. And therefore, Zach, I want to tell you something. Do you have any idea how it would be if Leah lost you? You're her imprint, her everything, her one reason to actually continue to live a happy life. I'm not saying you're her slave or the other way around, but I'm telling you that the bond between you two exists. And it'll only grow to be stronger."

She pauses to look at him and then at her daughter. None of them say anything.

"The bond will alert you when the other one feels something very strong. It could be fear, sadness, anger, love or even jealousy. It's not a communicating line, but it's a way for you two to know that the other one's safe or not. The most important rule our shape shifters have, is to never hurt another's imprint. That includes physically or mentally hurting. If the unspeakable would happen…"

"She means if someone kills, accidently or not, another's imprint," Leah shoots in.

"…Then the shifter who lost his or her imprint and the one responsible will have to fight to death. But the thing is if the one who lost the imprint loses; the other one will get shunned and become an exhibited shape shifter. He or she can never return to the tribe's land or the pack.

This has happened three times since the law was created. The first time it was an accident, and the shifter who killed the imprint, was full of regret and so ashamed that he let his brother kill him without asking for mercy. The second time was not an accident, and the brother that lost his long loving wife felt himself filled with pure rage and grief. He debated between ending his brother or let the brother end him – making him the Alpha of the pack, but at last the rage took over his body and mind. He killed his former brother and then left for the woods to never come back. The third time this happened, it was truly tragic. It was an accident. This was just the generation before our last generations of shifters. The Beta lost his imprint because another wolf, his best friend actually, had shot her."

"How could he shoot her accidentally?" Zach asks. He's not convinced that the shifter managed to shoot his Beta's imprint with an accident.

"Because…he was set up. By his girlfriend. She wasn't his imprint, but they were tog here and of course they cared about each other. But the girlfriend wasn't allowed to know about the legends, and therefore it became complicated. It always does."

Sue gives her daughter a sympathetically look. Leah only shrugs.

"The girlfriend became jealous of the Beta's imprint because she was allowed to know the secret, and she was also a good friend of her boyfriend. You see, while the girlfriend had to live with lies and seeing how the pack brothers and their imprints all could meet up, she couldn't bear it. The lies, the impression of being kept out, the feeling of not being good enough. And when she saw how close her boyfriend was with another girl, she had gotten enough and took action. One day they were having a dinner and the pack members and their imprints all came over. The girlfriend had unlocked the safety on the gun, knowing that her boyfriend would want to show it off to his friends. Not because it could hurt them, but because it could scare of the Makah tribe guys who came to make trouble on their land. And you can imagine what happened. The gun went off, placing a bullet in the Beta's imprint's neck. She died. And the fight was on. But the story of how and why the gun's safety was off came to light when the girlfriend saw the wolves fighting. She screamed out her confessions. And the boyfriend felt he'd failed and let himself getting killed. Afterwards the girlfriend, who by then had seen the wolves and understood why they were all so secretive around her, felt she had betrayed him. Also she had blood on her hands. She killed herself with the same gun that took the imprint's life. The Beta never talked with anyone and later on he took off to never return."

It was silent a good ten minutes after Sue finished her story. Zach sat with an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. He thought he understood why Sue told him this, but he didn't want her to think that the vampires he knew where too dangerous. They had proven themselves over and over again, even before he came along. And Isabella? His best friend. She was a vampire and of course dangerous, but she had an incredible amount of self-control and that was proven to be better and better day by day. She had never tasted human blood in her after-life. Besides, Zach didn't live with them anymore. If he were to unlucky and scratch himself so he bled, none of the Cullen's would be close enough to hear or smell it. Not even the wind could bring the blood smell to them. He felt safe with them just as he felt safe with Leah.

"I don't think I'm taking a huge risk living where I do," he begins. He does his best to sound as honest, directly and formal he can. He doesn't want Sue to think he's angry or anything. "But yes, I understand why you're telling us these stories. We ought to learn from it. I know that the bond between us is strong, and will continue to grow. We feel it. She knows when I'm angry sad or hurt and so it is the other way around. If I were to die from an unnaturally cause, Leah would, according to your legends, feel too much pain, sorrow and maybe even anger. She would probably blame herself too, because that's how she is, taking responsible for everyone she cares about. You're saying she would never be happy. I don't know. It might be true. And then you think you've lost your daughter because she lost me, and that's why you don't want me to live so close to the Cullens. I get it. You're worried and you love your kids. All you want is for them to be happy. But you know, being happy isn't a lifelong variable. And being together is always going to be a risk."

Now the older woman looks confused. Her forehead is wrinkled in confusion.

"How so?" she asks to know.

"She belongs to the supernatural world. I do not. Danger is luring and it's not a certainty that she can always protect me from it. Alice have seen, or not seen, that I will might not have a future."

"What?!"

Oh, I forgot to tell her. Shit!

Zach looks between the women. Sue looks beyond shocked and she grips her own hands. He can formally see gears working. Now she can already see the future: he'll die and Leah will disappear. Zach forces his eyes to meet Leah's who is beyond pissed. In reality she's shocked and scared, but often those emotions mixed together become anger. She jumps to her feet and comes towards him.

"We're going to talk. Now."

Her hand grabs his shoulder and she pushes him outside of the house and towards the forest. If she's going to explode and phase she will not do it inside. She will never phase inside of that house again, creating the same scene of her first phasing that caused her father's death.

Sort of a cliffhanger... Part two of this chapter will soon be updated. I felt that this chapter is long enough . next chapter will be about Jasper and Alice.