(The day of Mary's birthday party to fill in some of the gaps that I know you guys are all dying to know about...)
I was in the middle of eating my cereal when I felt a burden lifted from my chest and let out a dramatically deep breath. Mary.
Right on cue, the phone in the kitchen rang.
"That's probably the Cullens." I said, letting my mother answer the phone. I already knew what the person on the phone was going to say.
"Mary's party is back on." My mother Emily confirmed when she got off the phone with Nessie Black. "I'll tell your father when he gets back from the Council and we can head over to the Cullens'."
"Looks like your girlfriend is finally up." Tanner teased.
"She's not my girlfriend. I'm just happy to hear that she woke up." I defended, my cheeks red regardless. I was kind of upset that I hadn't been by her side when she woke up, but I knew that she would have felt more comfortable with her family.
"Tanner, leave your brother alone." Mom said sternly. "We're all happy to hear that Mary has woken up. I don't know what this tribe would have done if the Alpha's daughter had died."
Not to mention my imprint, I wanted to add but felt it was unneeded. An imprint had never died in our generation but the stories told us exactly what happened when an imprint died: so did the wolf who was tied to her. I knew that it was true because going to her bedside for the last three days proved that. Seeing her so lifeless was torturous to my very being.
Later that afternoon, I was standing by the dessert table with my buddies and just waiting for my imprint to make her grand appearance. I could barely enjoy the triple chocolate four layer cake when I had yet to see my imprint.
And an appearance did she make. Granted, probably not the one that she was planning, but it was effective nonetheless.
God, she looked beautiful. Even just standing and talking to her parents, Mary looked amazing. I know that her family was worried that she wouldn't wake up in time for her birthday party, but I was just worried that she wouldn't wake up at all. Three whole days of sitting by my imprint's side, holding her hand and kissing the top of her head (things I probably wouldn't do if she was awake because she'd be embarrassed by the attention from one of her friends), and praying that she wasn't going to die.
When she got startled and phased when we yelled 'surprise,' that's when I knew that Mary would be okay after all. Her instincts were just too good for her to be that far from her perfect normal self.
I watched her from across the room, tracking her movements as she slowly made her way towards the dessert table, my eyes on her the entire time.
"Greg?" Mary all-but whispered. I'm not even sure she pushed air through her mouth, the word just on the tip of her tongue as she noticed the Pack member missing from the dessert table.
I shook my head, trying to keep my face clear of emotions but I doubt that I fooled Mary. She swallowed deeply, closed her eyes for a brief second, and then a moment of panic flickered across my imprint's face as she sought out other missing family members. Her eyes landed on a beaten up Seth and relief flooded those beautiful brown orbs.
"Hey, it's okay." I said, not able to resist the urge to place my hand comfortingly on her shoulder. I could see that she was frightened by the loss of our friend. I was, too. But it didn't make anything better by having a pity-party for him. Even Gretchen had slowly begun to accept the fact that her brother was a willing participant...mostly. "We'll get through this. Everyone knew the risks going into the battle."
And, suddenly, Mary was crying in my chest. "It's all my fault." She whimpered and my arms instinctively went around her.
"Shhh, Mary, it's not your fault." I rubbed the small of her back with my hand.
I looked over her shoulder for her parents and caught eye contact with the Alpha. I tilted my head to signal that I wanted to take Mary outside and away from the party-goers since she was so upset. He nodded, a frown on his face as he saw his little girl crying, before going back to his conversation with Quil Sr. and Billy.
"Hey, why don't we get out of here for a bit, huh?" I suggested, hoping she would agree. "I'll have you back before Alice cuts the cake."
Mary nodded, wiped her eyes, and took my hand when I reached for it. I couldn't keep my hands off of her for a second after almost thinking that I would lose her. It wasn't a sexual thing; I just needed to be near my imprint. Her heartbeat was beating as fast as mine was as we made our way far enough from the house so as not to be overheard.
"It's not your fault, you know." I spoke up after awhile, knowing that Mary was feeling guilty about Greg's death.
"Sure it's not." Mary scoffed. "I was the one who went all martyr and forced the wolves to go to London in the first place. If it hadn't been for me, Greg would still be alive and Seth wouldn't have gotten so badly injured. And if I hadn't made the wolves fight, Seth would have never imprinted and Ceciely wouldn't have died to save her sister and I suspect that Huilen wouldn't have died either."
"Jacob made it very clear that no one had to go to with him." I said, needing for her to understand that. When I got the call from our Alpha hearing that Mary was going after the Volturi with her family, I didn't think twice about it. My Packmates, however, thought it through a lot. "You are not responsible for their lives any more than I am. The Volturi did this. Not you."
Mary pressed her lips together adorably, though the intention was to pout. Her eyes clearly showed her thought process as the beautiful brown orbs moved back and forth for a minute or two.
"What about Gemma?" I asked, trying to ease her unnecessary guilt. "You had no part in her death at all. Do you feel like her death is your fault, too?"
"I-I don't know. I know it sounds stupid when you say it like that...I just...I was out of the battle and unable to help. I feel like if I hadn't been under Alec's spell, I could have made a difference." Mary rambled.
"Mary, Mary, Mary..." I smiled in disbelief; my imprint never ceased to amaze me. "Do you even know what you did for our side?"
"I only killed one vampire." Mary mumbled, her eyes full of guilt and remorse. "Hardly helpful."
"One vampire? One vampire! You took out Jane. Mary, she was the most dangerous Guard member. You took out our biggest threat without even blinking. You, young lady, were the very opposite of 'hardly helpful.'" I couldn't believe my imprint was so modest. This was why I loved her. And, for the first time, I wasn't afraid to admit it to myself. I had been falling in love with Mary for some time now. Tanner was right, I did wish that she was my girlfriend. Or at least that. I know that she only just turned fourteen, but I saw myself with her for the rest of our lives.
"You really think so?" Mary asked, a smile on her lips, and it took me a second to realize what I had just said since I was so caught up in my epiphany.
"I really do." I smiled down at her since I was a good head taller than she was. "Mary, you amaze me."
And then I did the thing that I had been longing to do since I boarded the plane to France with my imprint and realized that I was willing to risk my life to keep her safe not just because of the imprint bond but because I really, truly, one-hundred percent was in love with her. For two brief seconds, I was in heaven as I felt her warm, though much less than my own, lips against mine.
Instantly, I could see that it was a mistake. Mary froze, her soft lips against mine stilling as she pulled herself away from me. Like I was the plague. Idiot. You stupid idiot. Her eyes were wide as saucers as she stared at me like the monster that I knew I now was.
"I'm so sorry, Mary." I blurted out, hating the way that the words formed on my mouth as I tried to take back my first kiss with the girl that I loved. I reached my arm out to her as she started walking backwards towards the house.
"I...I have to get back to my party." Mary skidded off to the house, literally running away from me.
Mary looked so scared in that moment, her always easy to read face clear as day. Oh, god, what had I just done? She was fourteen for crying out loud! I was two years older than she was. This was wrong...and yet, it felt so right. I just couldn't believe that I stole her first kiss from her like that. I had wanted it to be special. I had wanted her to initiate it so that she felt in control. I had, at least, wanted her to want me. Instead, I scared her off. Who knew when she would talk to me again?
I followed behind her, not because I wanted to have to see that expression on her face, but because I needed to. My imprint was even more confused and upset than she was when we left for our walk. There was no way that I could let her go in there by herself. All I needed was another moment alone with her to explain what had happened.
I never got the chance, though, because a Cullen party is never still. Alice kept to her schedule like a warden and Mary was the unfortunate prisoner. My imprint seemed to enjoy her party as long as she avoided eye contact with me, though, so I tried to let her have her fun. We cut the ginormous cake, which the wolves devoured, and Mary opened her presents from her family and a few of the Pack members.
I had already given her my gift before the Volturi battle but I was happy to see that she had the bracelet on her wrist today as she opened her extravagant presents from the Cullens. It warmed my heart that even though she seemed upset by my actions earlier today, she subconsciously placed her other two birthday bracelets (one a diamond band from Edward and Bella and the other a beaded thing from two year old Clara Ateara) on her left wrist. Her charm bracelet from me was still secured on her right one where I had put it the day before the battle.
I think the Cullens felt awful that the youngest member of their clan had been injured and were overcompensating by throwing their money around. Not that they didn't do that already, but it felt extremely over-the-top this time. Rosalie was the only one who didn't seem to go overboard, but I think the loss of her own creation/daughter had her not in the best of moods. She still showered her little niece, but it was a practical gift instead of the completely new wardrobe that I assumed she would have given Mary under normal circumstances.
I never got a chance to speak with Mary, no matter how many times I tried. There was always someone she had to talk to at that exact moment. I was set to wait until after all of the guests had left, but when my family was packing up the van to leave, Edward came over to me. He shook my hand, which was unusual for a Cullen. They tried not to make wolves uncomfortable with their touch.
"Thank you for coming to Mary's party. I know that she appreciated you all showing up." He spoke to my whole family, though his eyes were on mine.
"I was hoping to stick around and talk to her, if you guys wouldn't mind." I piped up, knowing that it was now or never.
"Actually, I don't think that's such a good idea. Carlisle and I are going to be running a few tests on Mary to make sure that she's alright." Edward said, though I could tell from his gaze that he knew that I had kissed Mary and she didn't want to speak to me. He looked down at me sympathetically when I thought that. Great. Now I was getting pity from a bloodsucker. My life could probably not get much worse.
"I'm sure you can come by tomorrow to check up on her yourself." Edward suggested. "I'm sure she'll be in better spirits then."
"Yeah, sure." I said, getting in the back of the van next to Sally, Johnny, and Jessy, letting Emmie sit in front with Tanner for once. We were one person too many for this van, but since we rarely all rode together there wasn't really a need to spend money for a new vehicle. On the Rez, you make due with what you have.
I didn't go see her on Sunday, though. I couldn't. I knew what Mary would say to me: that I was disgusting and she hated me and that she never wanted me to see her again. And I just couldn't handle that. I figured that if we could just ignore the kiss that it would go away and we could go back to being best friends again.
I almost spoke to her on Monday morning, but chickened out. It was difficult to sit in class without Greg and I let myself focus on the loss of one of my best friends instead of the awkwardness between me and my imprint. And it worked. I didn't think about Mary until track practice. She and Robin were taking twice as long to change as usual and JJ teased me about going to check on them, but my fist near his face stopped that. I didn't hit him, but if I hadn't seen Mary and Robin coming out of the girls' room, I might have.
"I think I'm reading too much into what happened..." I overheard Mary say to her cousin as they neared us.
"Oh? What happened?" Robin asked and even though I knew that she was talking about the kiss, I had to know for sure.
"It was nothing. I'll tell you later." Mary blushed and I knew I was right. She was embarrassed to have to talk about my mistake.
Mary managed to avoid me throughout practice. Even when we were lined up together with JJ midway through practice, she still wouldn't look me in the eye. I couldn't stand that she was avoiding me but at least I knew why. Mary gained speed in our final lap of our third heat, finally meeting my gaze, when suddenly she was on the ground as her knees buckled underneath her and her head neared the ground. I sprinted to her side, managing to catch her at the last second and place her now semi-unconscious body on the ground gently.
JJ had only stopped running when he passed the finish line in first place for a change. He looked back at us in confusion before bursting out of his clothes and into the mildly giant wolf that he was. He howled one long noise, signalling trouble to any other wolves in the area. I heard a response cry but didn't care if it was Leah or Jacob. Either way, the Alpha would know soon and that was all that mattered.
"Robin, go call Dr. Cullen. NOW!" Embry Call demanded, sprinting towards us.
"I'll call Nessie." Gretchen volunteered, pulling out her cell phone that she had been given since her brother's death when her parents' concern for their children's safety skyrocketed.
"Thank you." Embry said before turning to my best friend, knowing that I wouldn't leave Mary's side for anything. "Peter, can you phase? I'm sure Jacob will need to be here as well."
"JJ is already on it, Coach." Peter said, pointing towards the wolf near the finish line and the pile of shredded clothing. I guess that the Coach was too distracted with trying to get to Mary to notice.
"Don't let her fall asleep. Someone keep her talking." Embry commanded, trying to do anything to keep his Alpha's daughter alive. Jacob would kill him if anything happened to his little girl on his watch.
"How are you feeling? Mary, stay with me." I begged, knowing that she was already too far gone to respond.
"Can you count how many fingers I'm holding up?...Sh-." Embry nearly cursed but then stopped himself when he remembered the girls. It wasn't proper to talk the same way that he did around the Pack around Gretchen, Diana, and Robin. It probably wasn't a word that they hadn't heard before from their brothers. It was an appreciated gesture, though. Especially since he was a teacher. There are just some boundaries that are better not to cross.
"Keep your eyes open, Mary. Guys, step back and give her some air!" Embry yelled, panic in his deep voice.
"Mary, please be okay." I whispered as I saw the life drain out of her for the second time in a week.
Please, God, please don't take Mary from me, I prayed as Carlisle and Edward showed up to the track field. Nessie and Bella weren't far behind and Jacob showed up looking every bit like a papa bear. They took over, checking her pulse and breathing, before stabilizing her in the back of Carlisle's car. I rode with a frantic Jacob, trying to calm him down as Bella drove.
"I swear to God if I lose my little girl because of the Volturi..." I didn't know where he was going with that threat since the Volturi had either been killed or scattered in fear, but I liked the way that the threat sounded. Jacob the Alpha wouldn't let anything happen to Mary and I was comforted by that even though it was a bit ridiculous. Neither of us could do anything and yet just being together made it seem like Mary had a better chance.
"Mary's going to be fine, sir." I piped up. Because if Mary was leaving this world, my heart would have stopped along with hers. It felt heavy, just like it did the last time she was passed out, but that gave me comfort. "I can feel it."
Jacob didn't say anything but I knew that he felt better with my confirmation. An imprint bond was something that you didn't mess with. It was like Alice's visions. No one questioned you.
"Thank you." Bella mouthed from the driver's seat towards me, not needing her eyes on the road with her vampire reflexes.
Jacob, wanting to take control, corrected her for it though. "Bells, eyes on the road." I knew he was trying not to be bothered with the fact that he couldn't be with Mary right now. Nessie only got in the car with the two doctors because she refused to let go of Mary's hand and Edward knew his daughter was going to be stubborn about it.
Once we all arrived at the Cullen Mansion, they rushed Mary upstairs to the purple room and set her up in the bed like before. Esme retrieved the medical bag for her mate while we all waited downstairs. Twenty minutes later, the pair returned from Mary's room and met us at the landing.
"I'm running a few blood tests on Mary, but she appears to be in the same shape as she was a few days ago." Carlisle admitted. "I don't know what's wrong, but as soon as I do, you all will be the first to know."
"Thank you, Doc." Jacob said, putting his hand on the vampire's shoulder.
"Can we go see her?" Nessie asked, upset that she had to be parted with her daughter for a moment, let alone twenty.
"She may have visitors, but I should warn you all that Mary will be unresponsive." Carlisle advised. "It's best not to get your hopes up about her condition at this point. Who knows how long she will be in this mini-coma."
"Mary's going to be fine." I said shakily. "Just you wait and see."
"Would you like to go up there with me?" Nessie asked. I figured she was asking her mate, but when I looked up, her eyes were on me and not Mary's father.
"Very much so." I admitted. The last time that Mary was unconscious, I stayed by her side the entire three days no matter which family member was there. I only left for the meals that my mother insisted I eat at home and to run patrol; I even slept on the chair in Mary's room. To be asked to go see her, well, I'm not gonna lie, it felt nice.
"You know she cares about you a lot, Sammy." Nessie said randomly. We had been sitting in chairs across from each other for over two hours, just staring at the sleeping beauty in between us without saying a word. I was startled when she spoke up.
"I know that. She's my imprint, she has to." I replied, not realizing how bitter I sounded until the words left my lips and Nessie's eyes, so big and brown like my Mary's, widen.
Nessie shook her head. "You sound just like Mary."
"You...you talked to her about me?" I don't know why this would surprise me. Mary talked to her mother about pretty much everything. They were as close as sisters, and I'm not just saying that because they look like it more recently.
"Mary was conflicted when you didn't visit her yesterday." Nessie admitted, playing with a thread on the quilt on Mary's bed.
"So you know about what happened at the party." I stated, though I wasn't entirely sure that she did.
Nessie nodded. "She said you caught her off guard and she ran away."
"Do you think that she regretted it?" I asked, hope evident in my voice.
Mary's mother sighed. "I know that she's confused and a little overwhelmed right now. Maybe you shouldn't try to spring it on her again?"
"That wasn't how our first kiss was supposed to happen. I planned it going a lot differently, too, actually. I'd like to court her properly so that I can marry her one day...only, now I'm afraid she'll never speak to me again and none of my intentions will matter." I said glumly.
"It will all work out in the end." Mary's mother smiled at me. "Just give it some time."
"That's what I'm afraid of." I mumbled, looking at my frail-looking imprint lying on the bed like that for the second time in a week. "What if Mary doesn't get better?" I asked, more to myself than to her mother.
"Then we will love her with all that we have now." Nessie said quietly.
"I already do." I bent down to kiss my imprint's forehead and prepared to leave.
"Jacob is headed up the stairs and I'm sure my mother wants me home for dinner." I said as an explanation for my departure. "I'll be back later tonight."
"I'll make sure to leave out a blanket for you." Nessie smiled at me and while it was bright, there was so much less carefree-ness as was in Mary's that it hurt to watch.
I went over in the mornings before school, skipped lunch period for the next two days, and spent nearly all of the night over at the Cullens' so that I could check up on Mary. I was there when she woke up, but I was downstairs. Edward thought it might be best if I waited somewhere else while they told Mary what they thought was wrong with her. They wouldn't tell me what it was, though, since I wasn't family and they figured that Mary would want to tell me herself.
I understood all of that completely, but I couldn't just leave. What if Mary needed me? So I sat under the giant willow tree near the cottage that Nessie lived in with her parents as a child. This way, I was close enough to see if Mary left the house, but far enough away that I wasn't tempted to eavesdrop on their conversations. I had to give Mary her privacy with her family.
Like I suspected, though, Mary wanted her own version of privacy from her family. I spotted her figure crawling out the window on the second story of the Cullen Mansion a mere half hour later. I assumed that she was trying to run away from her problems, but she didn't get very far before she picked up my scent. When I saw she was headed towards the cottage, I tried to hide in hopes that she wouldn't yell at me. Not that I didn't deserve it for kissing her and then seeming like I abandoned her only to stalk her as soon as she was unconscious...yeah, it sends a very awful message to a girl.
"I know you're there, Sammy." My imprint said and I stuck my head around the side of the house where I had been hiding. "What were you doing...following me? Did my parents tell you to watch me?" Mary asked angrily, though I couldn't tell if it was at me or her parents.
I scooted a few feet from her, but stopped short since I wasn't sure how she would respond. I wanted to tell her that I was sorry for all of it, but I couldn't. She stared at me for a minute before speaking again. "It's okay, I think I'm ready to talk."
I moved the last little bit closer, so that I was practically on top of her feet, and she squatted down to be eye level with me.
"But, can you keep this in your own head?" Mary asked and I gave her a big wolfie grin. As soon as I spotted her on the windowsill, I blocked out the other wolves in case Jacob tried to find her through tell-a-wolf.
"I'm going to be a vampire. I'm going through the Transformation right now." Mary said bluntly. She seemed to be looking for a fight, but I wasn't going to give her one unless I knew what was wrong. Picking a fight with an imprint is a bad move, unless you're Paul and Rachel and then that sort of works for them. I didn't want Mary to fight. I wanted her to be happy, but I knew she wouldn't be until she talked to someone about her fears.
It was a lot harder to talk to her in wolf form, but I did my best. I chomped my teeth down and then raised a canine eyebrow as best as I could, trying to get her to laugh at the ridiculousness of the idea of her getting bitten and becoming. She didn't.
"No, no. I didn't get bitten." Mary explained, missing the joking aspect of my question. "I keep passing out because my body is trying to make me more vampire. I'm close to physical maturity," Mary blushed as she, like I did, thought about the kiss, "and I guess I was supposed to be more vampire than human all along. I figure that's why I phase, so that I can slowly become more like my true self."
I put my paw on her hand to comfort her, but it backfired. Instead of being reassured that no matter what self she was, she would always be the same to me, she started angrily crying and yelled at me again.
"You did this to me! I was fine with how I was and I could have changed to be more like my family and I would have been fine, but you had to go and change all of that! If you hadn't...at the party...I just...I didn't want a family other than the one I had and...now I can't have them and it's all your fault!"
Can't have them? What can't she have now? A family with me? But I would marry her right now if that was acceptable. But she clearly said 'them.' She didn't mean in-laws, that much was obvious. So what could it be?
And then, like the idiot that I am, I finally got it. She meant kids. She wouldn't be able to have kids once she was a vampire. Or, at least, that's what I assumed. It made sense, though. That was why the blonde vamp went so crazy and started the battle with the Volturi. Because she wanted a child so desperately and couldn't make one of her own with her mate. Did Mary want that for us someday? Was that why she was crying into my chest now? She buried her head in the crook of my neck and I felt like we could do anything as long as we were together. I could help her get over the loss of a need for a child if she would just stick with me.
"I'm sorry, Sammy. I didn't mean it. I know it's not your fault. I'm just upset about what's wrong with me." Mary apologized and I wished I were in human form so I could tell her how there wasn't a thing in the world wrong with her, but instead I could only whine.
And Mary dropped the bombshell. The truth that the Cullens didn't want to have to tell me, afraid how the werewolf imprinter would act.
"I'm only 99% human now. I'm slowly, or at least we hope slowly, becoming more vampire than human. That's why I keep going in these mini-comas. I don't know what to do, Sammy. I don't want to Change now that I'm finally comfortable with who I am...I mean, it was hard enough being a phasing vampire and now I'm going to lose my humanity completely?"
Mary took a calming breath and I could have sworn that she sniffed me while she did so. "The Council was already on my case. Who knows what they'll do. I'll probably have to move off the Rez when I'm done Changing..."
NO. Mary couldn't leave. I don't care what the Council thinks. Even if Mary becomes a full vampire, there's no way that I could let my imprint be forced out of the tribe. The current Alpha's daughter and the future Alpha's imprint? Not a chance that Old Quil and those other hateful, prejudice little men can deny her the right to live there. I'd leave with the Blacks before I'd let them tell me that my Mary wasn't allowed on our territory.
And then where would that leave the tribe? Without two rightful Alphas. Without a direct bloodline, no one would be able to really take over the Pack. Even Leah, who temporarily had control of Jacob's Pack back when there were two Packs, didn't actually have control. The wolves were just following her to follow someone. She couldn't give commands...and neither can anyone that isn't a blood relative of the originals.
Mary continued, not noticing how distressed I was becoming, her words doing little to comfort the fears now in my mind. "I know that when it's all said and done, my family will be happy since it means that I'll be around forever, but I'm not sure that I want it to happen like this. There's so much life that I have yet to live. As a human. With you. I know that things are weird between us, and I'm sorry about that, but it scared me, Sammy. I'm not ready to face my future, but it seems like I'm going to have to be. I don't have a lot of time..."
Not a lot of time? I felt like I was going to cry, suddenly needing my imprint to look at me so that I could ask her how much. I couldn't lose her now that we were sort of at a good place. In that awkward transition from best friends to maybe something more and now she might not be around much longer?
Even if she didn't die (please, God, don't you dare take her away from me), her family would probably want her to get away from humans for awhile until she was able to control herself. I doubt they would take me with them. I wasn't about to let either of those things happen. But knowing how much time we had left together before everything changed would be great.
I put one paw on top of the other and tapped it twice in question, hoping she would understand the gesture.
"Carlisle has no idea how long this Transformation will take. I'm too special for my own good. It could be anywhere between two and a half months to four years, he thinks. All we can do is wait." Mary sounded so sad when she mentioned that she was special and I hated the fact that she hated that word so much. Because how would I explain how special she was to me when she had such a negative connotation with the word already?
I nodded, thinking about what she had just said. Four years at best...I could work with that. I was going to make sure that she had every human experience that she felt she was entitled to. I wished it was her whole lifetime, but at least if she stopped aging, then I could stay wolf forever and we could take over the Pack whenever she wanted. We could lead the next generation of wolves side-by-side.
Unfortunately, this line of thinking got me thinking about my dream, and every wolf's, to have a son among the Pack or a daughter who is just as willing to defend the honor of our land. Could I really give up this dream if Mary couldn't give me children? I had thought about it before and I knew the answer: yes. Mary's well-being mattered much more than the thought of an heir to the Pack. It seemed cruel, however, that a Uley imprinted on a Black and there wouldn't be any offspring from that inevitable union. Fate sure was a tricky bastard.
I became wrapped up in my own thoughts as Mary lay against my fur. We stayed like that for hours until the night air seemed too much for her skin and she stood up. I followed instinctively, shaking out my hind legs that had fallen asleep under her. I knew her parents probably knew where we were by now and were just giving us time to work things out. One look at Mary's face in the moonlight told me that she was less stressed about her future and I was glad to have been able to help. Still, I bet her parents couldn't wait to talk to her about all of this.
"I'm going to be fine." Mary told me and I couldn't stop my little bark, the closest thing that wolves can do to laughter. I had said the same thing all week to her family members.
"You think it's so funny, fine then." Mary pretended to pout but it was a full out grin before she could stop it. She even winked. "You wanna race back to the Cullens'?"
I was glad to see her mood change for the better. I had missed this carefree Mary. She had been hiding behind the carry-the-world-on-her-shoulders Mary since we boarded the plane to France. Ironically, that was also when I realized I loved her. I love all of her personalities, not just the good ones. But I sure did miss this playful one.
I was so excited to have my lovable imprint back that I licked her cheek, the equivalent of kissing her, and realized too late that it was probably the wrong thing to do considering how she acted the last time I kissed her. So I took off running towards the house.
Mary chased after me, letting out a happy laugh. When I heard that and looked back at the giant grin on her face, I realized she wasn't angry and slowed down so she could catch up. Humans were much slower than vampires or wolves.
"Just you wait until I can keep up with you!" Mary teased, for the first time acknowledging a plus to her impending Transformation. As long as I could keep her spirits high, I think that we could get through this together just fine.