"I killed him," she said again, staring down at her hands. "Where's the blood? There was so much…"

"Ellie," Christopher reached for her hands, but she pulled away. "Ellie, please…" Christopher put his hands on her shoulders instead, holding her still. Damp eyelashes fluttered, and at last, her eyes met his. "Hi," he whispered.

"Hi." She didn't hold his gaze; she looked down at the bedsheets, chewing her bottom lip.

"Ellie," Christopher said again. "Take a breath for a second. We have a lot to talk about, but we can take our time. Okay?"

She nodded, breathing in as he had instructed. He smiled, pressing his lips to her forehead. "Good. Now, can you tell me what you remember?"

Blinking away a few stray tears, took another, shakier breath. "I can try."

"I was…I was fine when I got there. I drove straight there, just like I told you I would. I walked in, just like usual. I stopped at the nurses' station to drop off my bag, and I looked over the first couple of charts."

She paused, rubbing her forehead with her left hand. A dull ache was radiating at the back of her skull. When she reached up to touch her head, she felt a separate throbbing in her forearm. She glanced down and could see the traces of a bruise forming. She gritted her teeth, remembering when Carlisle forced a needle into her arm.

"You okay?" Christopher touched her wrist, careful not to touch the area that she was so focused on.

She sniffed, clenching her right hand into a fist and holding it against her mouth, taking a few more breaths. "Yeah," she answered quietly. "Sorry." She adjusted herself, sitting cross-legged with her hands on her knees, rolling her shoulders. "So, I looked at the charts," she continued. "I told…I told the nurse to get x-rays on one patient. I went to examine another with a head injury. Ness helped me stitch him up."

Christopher nodded, recalling the memories Renesmee had shared. Ellie smiled a little. Carlisle cleared his throat quietly, announcing his presence in the doorway. Ellie's eyes met his.

"Ness did a good job, for what that's worth," she said quietly.

Carlisle gave a partial smile in return. "I have no doubt." He walked into the room, coming to stand just a few feet from where Ellie stood. He nodded toward the edge of the bed. "May I?"

Ellie shrugged. "It's your house." She sighed, regretting the sharp tone of her voice at once. "Sorry."

With a chuckle, Carlisle took a seat on the bed. "It's fine. I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I heard that you were awake, and I wanted to see how you were feeling."

Christopher watched Ellie as she rubbed the back of her neck. "A little strung out, but…. I'm okay." She fidgeted with her wedding ring and pressed her teeth into her bottom lip. "Look, Carlisle, I just want to say thank you. And… I'm sorry. I am so sorry that you all got tied up in…this."

"Ellie," Carlisle waited for her to look up, "you're welcome. I promise you, we've removed any evidence of what happened." He spoke with the patience of a father. A rueful smile spread across his face. "And as it happens, we do have some practice with thee things."

A single tear trailed its way down Ellie's cheek, and Christopher caught it with his finger. "Els," he said softly, "what else do you remember?"

"Um," she scrubbed away another tear with the back of her hand, forcing herself to look at Christopher and Carlisle while she spoke. "It gets a little...fuzzy...after that. Another patient came in; he was bleeding, but it wasn't as bad as we thought when they called in from the ambulance. I..." her heart rate started to increase as the memory became clearer. "I felt...wrong. Like I was supposed to be hunting...like I was hunting but couldn't find any blood. My head hurt, my body was screaming at me, and I couldn't remember how to get out."

Tears were pouring down her face now, and Christopher took one of her hands. She looked at him and choked back a sob. "I thought if I could just find you...but I'd left my phone in my jacket." The words were flying out of her faster than her tears. "I thought I was blacking out…I wanted to."

Ellie ran a hand through her hair, taking another deep breath. "I want to be as clear as I possibly can. I don't want anyone to think I'm not accepting responsibility for this. I knew exactly what I was doing. When I caught the scent of that patient, that was enough. He came in with a cut on his arm - he should have gotten a few stitches and gone home. But the blood…the scent alone was enough to clear my mind. I found him, and I fed."

She pulled her knees back against her chest. "When Carlisle and Renesmee found me - I'd heard them coming - it snapped me out of it, but it was too late. I started panicking but Carlisle…" she glanced at Christopher. "I'm assuming Ness has shown you all this already?"

Christopher nodded.

"I didn't know what was going to happen when Edward and Emmett arrived," she continued. "I wasn't going to put up a fight, no matter what. The smell of the blood burned when I breathed. I kept still like I promised when you injected me with the anesthetic," she looked at Carlisle. "Ironically, that's when my resolve broke. All I could think about was trying to run. Of course, the meds had already hit my system, so that wasn't happening."

Carlisle's head tilted to the side as she spoke. "I'm sorry for the extreme measures, Ellie."

Ellie opened her mouth to protest, but he held up a hand, bidding her let him finish. "I wasn't sure how else to ensure your safety. Like I said, we've had to make quick exits and execute complicated cover-ups before. If anything, you were lucky we were there."

Ellie laughed darkly. "Carlisle, I don't think I can ever apologize enough for dragging you into this. I am eternally grateful."

Christopher cleared his throat. "Yes," he added. "We both owe you and your family a tremendous debt." He reclaimed one of Ellie's hands and waited until she met his eyes. "Ellie, love. I wish I could have been there."

She smiled at him, and he could see a deep sadness behind her eyes. "I don't think you could have stopped me, Chris." She looked away, pulling her lower lip between her teeth again. "I'm trying to figure out how to describe this, so bear with me. But…I think somewhere along the way, medicine became like…an allegory for all of my tightly constructed walls. For some reason last night, as soon as I caught the scent, it was like it all came crashing down around me." She leaned her back against the headboard.

"Ellie," Carlisle said, "You should know that before I left the hospital this evening, I made…arrangements for you to be out for a while."

Her eyes flicked to Carlisle's face. "A while?"

He nodded. "You and Christopher will have…things to discuss, I'm sure. But I figured that would buy you a little time, at least."

She smiled, her eyes filling with tears. "Thank you. But…" she glanced at Christopher, and then turned her head to face the window. "I'm going to submit my resignation in the morning."

"Ellie," Christopher gasped. "Are you sure? Maybe you should wait until your head is…clear?"

"It's better this way," she said with a shrug. "And my head is clear." Ellie moved to climb out of bed, but her balance faltered. She reached out to steady herself with a hand on Christopher's shoulder. "Or, at least it will be."

With his hands on her hips, Christopher spotted her as she again attempted to set her feet on the floor and stand. She stretched her arms up over her head and then shook them out. Another wave of wooziness came over her, but it passed quickly.

Carlisle stood up as well. "The medicine should finish burning off soon. Any side effects you're feeling, Ellie, won't last much longer."

Ellie smiled. "Thank you. Again."

With a nod, Carlisle glanced back to Christopher. "By the way," he said. "Garrett mentioned the suggestion he made to you earlier, Christopher. I think that would be a good idea."

Ellie raised an eyebrow curiously, looking back and forth between the two men. "What suggestion?"

Christopher cleared his throat and nervously rubbed the side of his face.

"Christopher, what is it?"

"Garrett invited us out for a hunt with him and Kate."

"Uh, Chris…I don't think that's such a good…"

"Not that kind of hunt, Els." He looked meaningfully at Carlisle, who watched her, waiting for her to understand. It took a second for the unusual amber color of Carlisle's eyes to jolt her memory. Her eyes widened, and she slowly gave a nod of recognition.

"Oh."

The sun was just beginning to illuminate the eastern horizon when Christopher and Ellie took off running into the forest with Garrett and Kate. Ellie had been a little apprehensive, but to her surprise, it was a relief to stretch her legs and to feel the damp grass and dirt against her bare feet. Moments before they left, Christopher had pulled her side on the porch. He kissed her with one hand against her cheek, his mouth moving with more urgency than was typical when they weren't alone. Ignoring the multiple pairs of eyes and ears surrounding them, she returned his kiss, only breaking away to catch her breath.

"Ellie," he said with an edge to his voice, "I want you to try something. Remember, you are a vampire, just like me. Lean into that. Let yourself enjoy it, okay?"

He put his forehead against hers, darkened eyes boring through hers. There was a different kind of electricity between them, and Ellie suddenly felt a need for release. Her muscles tensed as she prepared to spring forward off the porch.

"That's my girl," he growled. He took her hand, and together they disappeared into the trees.

They ran for miles, silently holding hands, spurred on faster by the charge that remained between them. They only let go to maneuver around trees, but immediately reconnected, like magnets pulled together. Ahead of them, Garrett and Kate ran with a similar intensity between them. Every few miles, Ellie would push herself to run faster, and Christopher kept her pace with ease. She almost forgot that the purpose of the journey was to hunt. While vaguely curious what feeding on animal blood would be like, she would have been happy at that moment to keep running forever.

Before the sun had fully breached the horizon, Ellie noticed Garrett and Kate disappear off a high cliff. She felt Christopher's hand tighten on hers, and he slowed to an easy jog as they neared the ridge. Christopher leaped over the edge with a grin. Ellie watched him gracefully land hundreds of feet below her. She hesitated.

"Els, remember what we talked about?" Christopher called up to her.

She could hear his low growl from her position atop the cliff, and a shudder ran through her.

"I'll catch you."

She took a deep breath and jumped, landing safely in his arms. He set her back on her feet, cupping her face in his hands and walking her backward until she was pressed against the rock.

Brushing his lips over hers, he whispered, "I will always catch you."

He pulled back after a quick, chaste kiss, and Ellie let out her own growl. He grinned at her, and she growled again, stalking toward him.

"Oy!" Garrett yelled from a few hundred yards away. "Get a room, you two."

Ellie waved him off. "Go away, Garrett." Garrett's laughter echoed off the rocks that surrounded them.

"We'll catch up, Garrett. I'd like a minute with my wife," Christopher yelled, laughing as Ellie sprung forward, wrapping herself around him. She crossed her ankles behind his back and wove her arms around his neck, kissing him until she was out of breath again. His fingers slipped into her back pockets, holding her body firmly against him. After a few minutes, though, he could hear Garrett coming back for them again. With a groan, he kissed Ellie once more before gently easing her back on her feet.

She pouted, and he ran his thumb along her bottom lip, chuckling and reclaiming her hand. "Come on, we'll burn off that energy one way or another."

They caught up with Kate and Garrett a few miles to the east. Ellie was vaguely aware that they were nearing the border between Maine and Canada. As their hunting companions slowed their pace, Ellie and Christopher followed suit, all coming to a stop near a narrow creek. Kate turned to face Ellie with a friendly smile. The two had only briefly been introduced after Ellie woke up, so they hadn't yet had much time to speak.

"You two are having fun," she said with a wink.

"Thank you for inviting us," Ellie responded with a grin, watching Christopher as he let go of her hand to catch Garrett. Together they concentrated on the scent of nearby prey.

Ellie sat back against a tall rock, stretching her legs out in front of her. Kate sat down on the ground, leaning back with her palms pressed into the earth behind her.

"I was looking forward to meeting you both when we planned our trip," Kate said. Her gaze traveled up to the canopy of tree limbs above them, studying the leaves swaying in the morning breeze. "Garrett is always telling stories about Christopher."

Ellie giggled. "They are a handful when they get together," adding with a sigh. "It's good for Christopher to have him around. It's been too long."

"I fear that's partially my fault. I've been monopolizing him." Kate sat up, pushing her straight blonde hair over her shoulder and looking back at their men. "Shall we see what they're getting up to?"

Ellie agreed, and as the two women stood, Garrett called out to Kate. "Hey! Sparky, come here."

"Sparky?" Ellie giggled, and Kate rolled her eyes as they walked forward.

"I'll show you later."

Christopher met Ellie halfway, taking her hand and tugging her forward. "Time to see what's on the menu, love."

She laughed, watching as Garrett and Kate breathed in, scrutinizing the scents in the air. Kate grinned and turned to Ellie.

"Jackpot. There should be a herd of lynx just over the next ridge." She gestured for Ellie to follow her. "Come on."

Christopher and Garrett followed, giving the women space to isolate their respective prey once the herd was in sight. Christopher picked up his pace when he could see Ellie preparing to lunge for one of the wildcats, but Garrett held his arm.

"Just…watch. You'll thank me later." He looked up, eyeing a spot to spy on the hunt. "Come on," he said, nodding toward a cliffside. "We'll get a better view from up there."

Seated on the cliffside, Christopher leaned forward, his eyes narrowed with curiosity and concern. "Garrett, are you sure…?"

"Relax Chris. She's going to love this."

Ellie crouched but waited for Kate to spring first. She had approached the herd from the far side, so that when they scattered, Ellie would have a clear shot. Kate tackled one of the males, her long arms wrapping around its neck before her teeth sank into its skin. With just enough time to watch what Kate had done before her own meal came close enough to attack, Ellie launched herself forward.

Exhaling a long breath as he watched Ellie hunt, Christopher was mesmerized. He'd never seen her move quite like that before, almost like an animal herself.

"I told you," Garrett said with a chuckle. "Pretty hot, no?"

Christopher could only nod. He could see every muscle in her arms and legs as she and the lynx finally collided.

It struggled against her hold, but she regained control within a second. When she'd had her fill, she let the cat fall away, pushing herself back up to her feet and scrubbing her arm against her mouth, leaving a smear of blood across her cheek. Christopher flew from the cliff and ran to her side, gripping her waist hard with one hand, and bringing his thumb across the blood splatter left on her face.

"That looked like fun," he said, his voice low and rough. He grabbed a handful of Ellie's hair behind her head, pulling her close and kissing her, her lips yielding to the force of his. A low growl echoed from his throat as he tasted the blood on her tongue.

"Your turn," she breathed. Her fingers curled around his shirt's collar and pulled, urging him to drop his head, so their eyes were level. She kissed him once more, keeping eye contact, drawing his bottom lip between her teeth.

When she let him go, Kate was smirking, and Garrett was standing with his arms crossed. "They'll be halfway to Nova Scotia by now." He scrutinized Christopher for a second and shook his head. "You already look a mess."

Ellie giggled at the remnants of her meal that now smeared across his face. "Go," she said, shooing them away. "I want to watch you now."

Later, the urgency of the hunt had subsided, and Ellie felt a satisfied calm settle over her as she leaned comfortably against Christopher's side. Tucked under his arm, their fingers intertwined, they walked back with Kate and Garrett. The couples took their time, running instead of walking for most of the return journey. When they reached the edge of the Cullen property, they noticed a flurry of activity in the yard.

Christopher tensed for a moment, curiously watching the Cullens scurrying about, but Garrett elbowed him in the ribs. "Relax," he said. "Emmett wants to light a bonfire tonight. Alice probably assigned everyone tasks."

Before Christopher could respond, Alice appeared in front of them. "Welcome back!" she said brightly, eyeing Ellie with glee. "You had so much fun!" She paused for a second, her eyes appearing to lose focus. "And you're staying! Excellent. I'll make sure there's a place for you both tonight."

Ellie laughed that neither statement were actually questions, but by then, Alice had already turned her attention to Garrett. "I have a job for you," she said. She grabbed his arm, and they were gone.

"What just happened?" Christopher asked, looking back and forth between Ellie and Kate. Kate laughed and shook her head.

"You just got Aliced. So, I guess that means you're sticking around for a while." She reached over and put her hand on Ellie's arm. "I'm going to see if Esme needs any help with anything. We'll chat more later."

Bemused, Christopher tucked Ellie against his side again, kissing the top of her head. "Let's go get cleaned up."