2011 - Present Day in Forks - Meeting Zack's Mate
After much discussion, it was decided to send Zack back in time to rescue his parents in 1940. His vampirism would protect him as he traveled, and he was looking forward to seeing his mom and dad again. Esme said, "Okay Zack. But we don't want you to go alone."
Zack smiled, "Of course not, I'll take my mate with me."
Carlisle raised his eyebrows, asking, "Your mate? And who would that be?"
"Well, speak of the devil," said Jack, as the lady vampire in question came walking into the room. All eyes were on her, and she glowed under their gazes.
"Hi Carlisle and Esme. I haven't seen you in such a long time," she crooned.
Carlisle and Esme were speechless.
Zack pulled his mate into his arms, kissing her soundly. "Mmm...babe. Your lips taste so good." She giggled, and rubbed noses with Zack. "Yeah, that would be the elk I just drank." Zack huffed out a laugh, then smirked in response, "I thought that was what I tasted." The couple stood hip to hip, facing Carlisle and Esme, who were wondering how this couple had come to be. They also wondered how Zack had become a vampire.
First things first - Carlisle barked out a question, "Zack, when did you turn into a vampire?" Zack looked confused for a moment, then said, "Oh...that's right...you've just come back from time traveling, didn't you? Well...let's see..." Rubbing his chin, he considered how to tell the story in a way that would be understandable to his grandparents.
"Okay," he began, "As you know, we were all living in New York, and I was just starting to court Samantha Mullis." Zack's mate squirmed uncomfortably, moaning about his earlier romantic pursuits. Zack rolled his eyes, and said, "Babe, I was only a kid back then. Give it a rest." Huffing her displeasure, she shrugged his arm away, and walked off to be with the rest of the family.
Zack smirked, then rolled his eyes again, "She is so temperamental. So...back to my story. I had been courting Samantha for a couple years, and I was considering asking her to marry me. Well, Dad didn't want me to tie myself down so soon. He thought that I should get out and see the world first. So, he asked Salvador and Zelda to take me and Jack on a trip across the country. We spent a couple years seeing the sights. We saw the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, the Rocky Mountains, the desert, and lots of other stuff. Well, one day, me and Salvador went out hunting together in the woods. Jack and Zelda stayed behind at our camping spot, so Jack could go fishing."
"So, while we were out hunting, we came across some other hunters in the same area. They were frightened by the appearance of Salvador. I guess I had never really noticed his vampire qualities, since I had grown up around all of you guys. Anyway, the other hunters freaked out and tried to rescue me from Salvador, saying that he was going to hurt me. They wouldn't listen to my arguments, and kept pulling me away from him. Things got crazy, and they tried to shoot Salvador. He was able to dodge the bullets, which scared everyone, me included. I must have jumped away or something, because I fell down the side of the mountain, landing several hundred feet below. The other hunters thought that I was dead, so they ran off. They were afraid of Salvador, and didn't need to rescue me anymore, you see."
Carlisle then interrupted, saying, "So, Salvador had to turn you to save your life."
"Yep, that's a long story short," Zack agreed. "He had to take me deep into the woods, and watched over me until my transformation was complete. Zelda was waiting back at camp, wondering what happened to us. She waited for Jack to fall asleep, then carried him in her arms, so she could track us down. When she found us, she and Salvador decided to send Jack back home, to let Dad and Mom know that I had been injured in the woods. They sent a sealed letter with Jack, with the details about my unfortunate transformation."
"Mom and Dad wanted me to be kept away from the rest of the kids, until they could explain it to them. So, I spent another year in the wilderness with Salvador and Zelda, becoming acclimated to an animal diet. Finally, I was able to go home, and everyone finally knew the truth. They could see that I had changed, and looked a lot like you, Zelda, and Salvador. It took a while for us to all be comfortable together, but it finally all fell into place. Of course, at this time, Mom and Dad told us about how Dad had once been a vampire himself, and they had traveled back in time so he could be human. If my brothers and sisters had not seen my transformation, I doubt that they would have believed the story."
Esme then asked, "So, what happened with little Samantha Mullis?"
Zack smirked, and shrugged, replying, "She had already started seeing another guy by then, so I didn't even have to worry about trying to explain anything to her. I had been gone for a few years, so it was understandable that she would have moved on to someone else. There was no love lost for me. I realized that Dad was right. I had been too young to get engaged. Plus, now I was a vampire, so I couldn't be with her anyway. So, I decided that I wanted to get out and wander on my own for a while. If I stayed there, it would have caused too many questions with the neighbors, and I had become too independent to live with my parents and siblings. I needed space. So, Dad called you guys, and you recommended that I should go live with you in Forks. When I got there, you introduced me to lots of other vampires, and that's how I found my mate."
Esme and Carlisle turned to look at each other in amazement. They were so surprised to hear Zack's story. Now, they were ready to hear the rest of it, so they asked Zack to call over his mate again. Zack turned away, called her over, then she settled back into his embrace, asking, "No more talk about former girlfriends, then?" Zack nuzzled her neck, and said, "No more, sweetie. It's time to talk about you and me." She smiled, and snuggled closer to him, wiggling her hips against his thigh. "That's more like it," she gushed.
Zack continued his story, "So, you had invited a bunch of vampires to your house for a get-together. There were visitors from all over the world. I didn't understand everything you guys were talking about. Something about the Volturi. I was still learning my way around basic vampire ways at the time, just getting to know all the different personalities of the visiting vampires. There were so many attitudes and gifts to figure out."
His mate smiled up at him, and said, "And that's how we met. I was there with my coven, and Zack and I were just drawn to each other." Zack kissed her cheek tenderly, and caressed her hair, "Yeah...I have a thing for redheads." She winked at him, and kissed him square on the mouth, replying, "I'm glad you do."
Carlisle was glad to hear their story, and pulled them both into a kind embrace, saying, "Well, I'm glad to hear all about it. Thanks for filling us in on the details."
Esme turned to Zack's mate, and said, "So Maggie, how are Liam and Siobhan?"
Maggie's eyes grew large and bright, as she explained that they had returned to Ireland, leaving her in Forks, so she could stay with Zack. They had been together ever since, sometimes going to live in other parts of the world. They had even gone to Ireland for a few years.
"Well," Esme continued, "I am so pleased to see you with a mate, Maggie. You were changed at such a young age. We all thought that you would be alone forever." Maggie agreed, "Yeah, being turned at the age of 15 was unfortunate for me. But finding Zack made it all worthwhile. He was changed at a young age as well, so we are perfect for each other." Zack wrapped his arms around his sweet little mate. "Yes we are," he growled.
