Annabelle's POV

Admittedly, after hours and hours of running, it was difficult to resist the urge to commit grand theft auto, but I managed to keep my morals intact and run and swim all the way back to Forks, Washington. In fact, though I superficially complained about the distance in my mind, I actually strangely enjoyed the run. I felt so incredibly free, racing forward endlessly, and feeling the wind whip across my face. I marveled at my body's strength and speed. Not so long ago, I couldn't walk very far without having to stop and catch my breath...

When I made it to the the Washington shore, it was, predictably, raining. I climbed out of the ocean and raced into the forest.

However, I came to an abrupt stop when I approached the tribe lands because I realized that the tribal funeral process was just ending, and many shapeshifters and humans alike were leaving, their final chants and prayers dissolving into soft murmurs that became lost in the light wind that was blowing across the beach. I froze, nervous of being spotted by either a werewolf or a human and causing any kind of distraction. I quickly leapt up into the trees and waited until everyone had left.

Then, still sitting in the tree, I cautiously peered out from between the leaves. I could just make out Shauna's gravestone in the sand. It was surrounded by woven and carved charms and beautiful flowers.

I hesitated. Is it safe for me to go and pay my respects? What if I accidentally run into a younger shapeshifter and trigger them? Or what if -?

"Hello!" A small figure lithely jumped up onto the branch besides me.

Startled, I nearly fell out of the tree. "Alice!"

"I thought I'd find you here," Alice said knowingly. "Though I didn't expect to find you sitting in a tree."

"Er - yes, last minute decision," I explained. "Alice, are you here for Shauna's funeral, too?"

Alice nodded somberly. "I figured it would be best to come after everyone else left."

"Me too," I replied. "I don't want to disturb the tribe in any way."

"No," Alice agreed regretfully, "we've already caused them enough grief as it is."

"It was my fault," I murmured, staring out towards Shauna's grave. "I asked Shauna to help me save Carlisle."

"Don't think that way. Besides, in truth, it was our fault, too," Alice pushed back gently. "We should have trusted you from the beginning, Annabelle. Then, Shauna would never have been pulled into all of this..."

I shut my eyes for a moment. "I suppose fault isn't really important anymore, though, is it? No matter whose fault it was, Shauna was the one who paid the price."

Alice looked at me with deeply sympathetic eyes.

After a moment, I turned to her again. "Anyhow, Alice, thank you for sending me the memorial card. I would have felt terrible if I missed this."

"Of course," Alice replied warmly. She reached over and took my hand. Squeezing my fingers in hers, she gave me a bright, if not somewhat sad, smile.

I blinked, surprised at how friendly she was compared to before. Not that she had ever been rude, but she seemed very friendly to me now.

Alice read the hesitation in my eyes. "Annabelle, do you still...?" She paused, and cocked her head at me.

"Do I still what?" I asked her.

Alice continued to ponder her words for a moment longer. Then, she said softly, "The others are on their way, too. I went ahead because I saw you coming."

I immediately realized that Alice was telling me that Carlisle was on his way here. "Oh, I'll - I'll come back," I said, my voice catching slightly in my throat. Through medicine, I had found my center within myself these past few months, but I still didn't think I could see Carlisle without feeling fazed in some way. I wasn't ready. Not yet.

But just then, Alice's and my vampire ears picked up on someone shouting on the beach.

Alice and I both stared at each other for a moment.

Then, when the frantic shouting sounded out again, we both took off through the forest. Luckily, it was still raining slightly, and the cloudy cover meant that we were shielded from the sun. Bursting out of the forest line, we ran out onto the beach.

Over a hundred yards away, on the shoreline, a young man was shouting desperately as he dragged another person out of the water. Truly, he was yelling with everything he had. "Help! Someone, please, help!"

Alice and I rushed across the beach, covering the expanse of sand in a few, quick leaps. But just before I reached the young man, I thought I recognized the person he was dragging out of the water. I gasped loudly. "My God, is that -?" I blurted out, not quite believing my eyes.

Alice shook her head, but there was shock written all around her face as well.

"Please help! It's Billie!" The young man, whom I now recognized as Theo Uley, was dragging this person, who very much looked like Shauna, out of the waters. They were still in the shallow water, and well within reach of the waves. He was holding onto her as hard as he could, determined not to let her go.

Just then, the other Cullens arrived. They were some ways away, only just arriving, but with their vision, they could see what was going on. Immediately, they all sprinted forward.

"Alice!" Jasper shouted, and Alice stopped running when she heard her mate's voice calling for her.

I, however, rushed forward, splashing through the shallow waves that managed to make it up the beach. I helped Theo bring Shauna high enough onto the beach so that we were definitively out of the water.

"Lay her down gently," I ordered.

Theo complied, carefully laying Shauna down in the sand. Her eyes were closed. It was difficult to tell if she was breathing. Theo knelt beside her and said, in a desperate, pleading voice, "Shauna? Can you hear me? Shauna?"

In the spaces between Theo's speaking, I could hear a quiet, but steady thumping. "She's alive," I realized. Relief, as sudden and crisp as ice pouring into my veins, filled my heart.

"What?" Theo said. His eyes were wet with ocean water and tears. "She - She is?"

"How can you be sure?" he asked, wanting to believe me but also scared to hope.

"I can hear her heartbeat," I told him.

"Her heartbeat...?"

"Yes, it's still going strong," I promised Theo.

Carlisle and the others had caught up to where Theo and I were.

Carlisle, overhearing me speaking to Theo, nodded as he dropped down onto his knees besides Shauna.

"Yes," he confirmed. "I can hear her heartbeat, too. She's definitely alive, Theo."

Theo blinked in overwhelming surprise and relief. Then, he looked back down at Shauna. Needing to feel her heartbeat for himself, Theo softly put his hand on her chest and waited. After a moment, he felt her heart pounding steadily in her chest, and against his hand.

"Shauna..." he murmured, and his voice was a mixture of grief, hope, and tenderness.

"We need to get her to a hospital," Carlisle said urgently. "Quickly. They'll have to check all of her vitals straightaway. Make sure she's not internally injured."

"But she's a werewolf," I said, thinking out loud, "and who knows what injuries the Volturi gave her. Human doctors wouldn't know what to look for, would they?"

Carlisle's eyes flickered over to meet mine. "Yes," he said softly. "You're right, Annabelle. And normally, I would treat her myself, but I don't have any equipment. I would borrow it from the hospital, but they would recognize me here, I'm afraid. I used to work for the Forks Hospital, and it's only been twenty-five years since I was last here."

"Leave it to me," I said, making a snap decision.

Standing up, I told him, "Carlisle, you should accompany Theo and take Shauna home. Bella, you know Jacob best, don't you? You should go with them, too."

Then, turning to the others, I said, "I will need some help, though. Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, would you be willing to give me a lift?"

Alice nodded, already seeing what I was planning.

"What -?" Jasper began, but Alice was already pulling him away.

"Come on! Come on!" Alice called to the others. "Em, Rose - you're already late!"

Rosalie and Emmett traded exasperated looks. But then, Emmett's face split into a wide grin. Taking Rosalie's hand, he pulled her along after Alice and Jasper.

Carlisle looked over at me, trying to read me.

"Trust me," I told him. "I'll be back in fifteen minutes."

Slowly, Carlisle nodded. "All right," he said. "I'll be waiting for you, then."

"Yes," I agreed.

Carlisle, Edward, Bella, Renesmee, and Theo took Shauna back to the Blacks' house.

Meanwhile, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, and I hurried away in the opposite direction, back towards the Cullens' house.

Having taken Alice's Porsche, Alice drove rather aggressively towards the Forks hospital.

"Do you know what equipment we need?" Jasper asked me.

I nodded. My training for the past couple of months had cemented at least this basic knowledge inside my head.

"How do you plan on getting in?" he inquired.

"Well, they won't recognize me," I reminded him. "But Alice, I will need your help as to what to do once I'm inside."

"Oh, right!" Alice said brightly, catching on.

"Jazz," she ordered suddenly. "Take the wheel, will you?"

Jasper immediately reached out and grasped the wheel.

"Oh, but is that safe -?" I began.

"Shush," Alice said soothingly to me. Then, closing her eyes, Alice quickly briefed me on what the next fifteen minutes inside the hospital would look like. "When you turn left, there'll be a nurse coming out to get his coffee. Step inside this room on the right, it should be empty. And don't take this machine, the next patient will need it. Only take these two machines from this room. Then, go into this storage room at the end of the hallway and open the roof window. Rosalie and Emmett will be there, waiting to take the machines. All of us will meet back in the car in seven minutes exactly."

"Got it."

"Brake," Jasper murmured. Alice put her foot down on the brake at once.

The Porsche stopped with a rather horrendous screech directly in front of the hospital, and I leapt out.

Keeping my face down, I tried to appear nonchalant as I flashed my Brazilian nurse ID at the front desk.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute," the receptionist said, holding his hand up. "Who are you? I don't recognize you, and I recognize everyone here."

"I was just cleared to work here yesterday. I'm an intern from South America," I explained. I smiled at the receptionist.

He blinked. "Er… Okay. Where are your papers?"

"They should be faxed over later today," I told him. Before he could respond, I said, "Sorry, my patient's waiting on me."

He stood up as if to stop me.

I don't have time for this, I thought, frustrated. But I tried to hide my impatience as he looked at me.

"Are you… Will you be coming back this way later today?" he asked me.

I lifted my eyebrow, confused as to what he was asking. "Sure, to confirm my papers," I told him, trying to sound casual.

"All right," he said, and flashed me a smile. "I'll, uh, come find you once I receive your papers."

"Okay, then," I replied awkwardly, and I moved past him.

Once inside, I remembered what Alice had told me. She was right on every count. Everyone behaved as though they were rehearsing a play. I made my way into different nooks and crannies of rooms and hallways, avoiding bumping into anyone. Finally, I made it into the hallway I needed to be. Sure enough, there was a nurse coming out to get his coffee. I stepped into the room onto the right, which was empty. I took two machines and then quickly strode out the room and into the storage room at the end of the hallway. I quickly put down some boxes and climbing up, I opened the roof window.

"Hey there, little thief," Emmett greeted me. I grinned up at him.

"Catch," I told him, and threw him the two machines. He passed one off to Rosalie. Then, he reached down with his free arm to help me out. He lifted me up through the window easily. I shut the window with my foot. Then, we all raced off of the roof and back to the car, where Alice and Jasper were waiting.

Alice stepped on the pedal, and we were off at top speed and heading to the Blacks' house.

Theo Uley's POV

Shauna still hadn't opened her eyes. I sat worriedly by her bed.

Her parents had just left the room. Jacob was speaking with Carlisle and my dad. Leah had left to go to the garage to find Gabe, Shauna's older brother.

I still couldn't trust that this was real.

These past three months had been… rough. More than rough.

I hadn't been able to stop thinking of her. She was everywhere, especially on this reservation. I swear I could spot her jogging through the forest, playing soccer on the grass, and racing across the beach, laughing happily as she left all of us boys behind in the dust...

I sighed and put my head in my hands. I had been counting down the days until I had to go back to school, praying that once I was away from the reservation, I could clear my head. Pretend this was all a dream. Pretend we'd never gone to the Volturi. No, even before that, pretend we'd never phased. Pretend I'd never fallen for her. Maybe I could go back to thinking of Shauna the way I used to – someone of no importance to me except to be irritating and challenge me at everything.

Headstrong, obstinate, stubborn… These were the words that used to run through my head when I saw her. And they were also the words that others used to describe me. That was why she had bothered me so much. She was so like me, but for some reason, she was comfortable with herself in a way that I couldn't be.

When I found myself having to interact with her, she pushed me to be bolder and braver. If it hadn't been her that I was up against, I would never have taken that ridiculous dare to jump off the highest cliff and into the ocean at dusk…

That's what I had been thinking of this morning. I had to go back to school tomorrow. Knowing that I was leaving the reservation gave me a sense of hope of moving on, but at the same time, the heavy weight in my heart became even heavier. I felt like I was choking, somehow. As it was, I hadn't been able to sleep. So, I walked out and decided to walk along the shoreline to calm my mind. My eyes had caught the ridged outline of the cliffs. I imagined two figures jumping down from the highest cliffs and plunging into the waves. Then, they began to swim back together. I'd dropped my eyes back to the sand at my feet, unwilling to let myself get dragged into more memories of her. I started to make my way back home when something caught my eye in the shallow waters. I paused. Then, I walked closer… and closer… until I broke into a sprint, racing through the waters –

"Billie!" I heard myself shout. "Billie!"

I've lost it. I've gone too far.

But my body moved on its own. "Help!" I heard myself scream, even as I dragged her out of the water. "Help!"

Out of nowhere, Annabelle appeared. She helped me pull Shauna, who was unconscious, up to shore.

Then, Annabelle asked me to lay Shauna's body on the sand.

I was afraid to, because I thought she might disappear as soon as I let her go.

But she didn't, and then I heard Annabelle say: "She's alive."

"What?" The word broke through my lips before I could even help myself.

A moment later, Carlisle arrived, and he confirmed what Annabelle said.

I breathed out. I couldn't believe it. She's here. She's alive.

Carlisle, Edward, Bella, Renesmee, and I took Shauna back to her parents' place. I insisted on holding Shauna myself, as I couldn't risk her being carried by someone who a cold body temperature, and the vampires were all quite cold. Instead, I cradled her as tightly as I could against my chest, afraid that her soaked clothes were making her cold. I hoped that my body heat would be enough to keep her warm, too. That was all I wanted - for her to be warm, to be safe, to be all right.

Please, I begged in my head, as I carried her across the beach, wake up. Show me that you're really all right.

Carlisle knocked on the front door of the Blacks' house.

When Leah answered, Carlisle stepped aside to reveal me, and Shauna in my arms.

Leah screamed and dropped the dish was holding.

Hearing his wife scream and the shattering of a plate breaking, Jacob came running. He froze when he saw his daughter. Then, he raced forward and took her in his own arms, and crying, he kissed her face wetly.

"Shauna," Jacob sobbed. "Shauna, sweetheart..."

But Shauna still didn't wake.

"Is she alive? Is she hurt? How -?" Leah choked out, stunned.

Carlisle gently touched her shoulder. "She's alive, and medical equipment is on it's way now."

Carlisle convinced Jacob to lay Shauna down in her bed until the equipment arrived.

It did arrive, faster than I could believe, carried in by Emmett and Rosalie and set up expertly by Carlisle and Annabelle within minutes.

"I'm sorry, but everyone except for immediate family needs to leave," Carlisle said, already struggling to get around people to reach Shauna.

Still wondering if this was all a dream I'd conjured up out of desperation in wanting to seeing her around, I gazed at Shauna's face one last time before I was gently shuffled away by Bella Swan.

Carlisle Cullen's POV

At my request, nearly everyone began to filter out of the room.

Jacob, Leah, and Gabe stood in the corner, all hugging each other as they worriedly watched their daughter.

Annabelle also remained, and to my surprise, she had already started up a machine and was reading out numbers in a steady and knowledgeable voice.

"Her blood pressure is fine, Carlisle," Annabelle said. "Her pulse is steady. In fact, if I were simply looking at this machine, I'd guess that she was just sleeping - quite peacefully, at that."

"And look at those numbers... She's healthy as can be, except for the fact that she's unconscious," Annabelle said, pointing at the screen.

"Yes," I replied, also examining the numbers. But a split second later, my eyes fell onto Annabelle's face.

How is she so familiar with these machines and those numbers? I mean, I know being a doctor was her dream and I know she was studying for medical school, but studying and actually being on the field are two entirely different things. She clearly knows what's she doing.

I wonder what she's been up to these past few months, I thought. I wish I could ask her. And more importantly, I want to ask her how she's doing, if she's all right, and if... if what Edward and Jasper told me might be true.

But of course, I had to focus now. We both had to focus. Concentrating on making sure that Shauna was all right, we only spoke when necessary, and that turned out to be very little because Annabelle was an excellent helping hand, handing me tools I needed and reading me out numbers even before I'd requested them.

I didn't look at her again as I kept my eyes on Shauna, confirming her physical status and also trying to discover the cause of her unconsciousness.

But subconsciously, I felt Annabelle's presence at my side the entire time, and in my heart, I realized how much I had missed her for these past few months.

Theo Uley's POV

The minutes ticked by.

The house quickly became crowded, not only with the Cullens, but also with family and friends that had come to support the Blacks, including the Lahotes, Clearwaters, Atearas, and Calls. My dad was here, too, but he stayed out on the front porch. I was sitting besides Rebecca at the dining table, though neither of us were eating. I liked sitting next to Rebecca. She never felt the idea to make small talk, and everything she did say was either witty or smart. Besides, I was sitting closest to the hallway that led to Shauna's room. If I closed my eyes and listened hard enough, I could catch snippets of the conversation going on in Shauna's room.

"She's perfectly healthy. Her vitals are all stable."

"Temperature's a little high, sure, but…"

"…Never seen anything like it. I've had patients in comas, but this is different…"

"…Do you think she'll wake?"

"I don't know..."

"She has to… Can't imagine life without her…"

"I wish for nothing more, either. But I have to tell you the truth…"

"Of course."

"...cause of her unconsciousness is undetermined..."

"…tribe stories… anything like this?"

"No, not that I know of."

"I can't even remember… What happened back there?"

"…Ran to save you, then… A wind…"

"So- So, you can't say when she will wake?"

"No, I can't. At least, not yet. I'm sorry."

"With your permission, we'll take shifts by her side and keep an eye on her. She is alive. She just... needs to find her way back."

A moment later, Jacob, Leah, and Gabe exited Shauna's bedroom. All of the guests respectfully stood up together, completely silent.

Jacob wearily thanked everybody for coming. In a dead voice, he reported that Shauna was still asleep. Behind him, Leah was holding Gabe, who was crying in her arms. Softly, family and friends murmured their condolences and support before quietly leaving the house.

Dad came over to me. "Theo, let's go home," he said tiredly.

Annabelle's POV

Once they had given their permission for Carlisle and I to watch over Shauna for the rest of the night, Jacob, Leah, and Gabe all left the room to go and speak with all of the visitors. Before leaving, Leah walked over and kissed Shauna's cheek lovingly. Then, taking Jacob's hand in her left hand and Gabe's in her right, she held her head high and was a pillar of support for both Jacob and Gabe as she gently pulled them out of Shauna's bedroom.

"Carlisle," I said, without looking at him. He was standing a little ways behind me, looking over Shauna's numbers to make sure he hadn't missed anything.

"Yes?" he replied.

"I'm sorry to ask this, but could you take the first shift of watching over Shauna? I'm afraid I need to make a call."

"Oh. Yes, of course, it's no problem," Carlisle said graciously. Then, after a pause, he asked lightly, "Is... someone waiting for you?"

"Mm," I said, matching his light tone of conversation, "I don't know about waiting. I just figure it's courteous to call first..."

"Courteous?" Carlisle's voice was just a little stilted, as though he wasn't sure what that word meant, but he already suspected that he disliked it.

"Yes, the word 'courteous' seems strange in reference to me, doesn't it?" I quipped knowingly, poking fun at myself. "You know, when I was younger, one of the orphanage's patrons accused me of being far too 'dull' as a child, but then she was scandalized when I blew a raspberry at her. After that, she said I 'lacked balance,' which was true."

I laughed at the memory. In fact, I felt a certain fondness for those old memories. My heart no longer welled with hurt the way it used to when I thought about being unwanted and unlovable. No, I was so far past that life now that I could finally make jokes about it. "I guess I understand now why I was never picked," I mused thoughtfully. "I never cared about manners or dress or anything like that. I was just so impatient to love and be loved..."

I smiled to myself as I jested, "Do you think anyone would want me now?"

It was a rhetorical question, and a joke at that, and finally, having found some genuine levity in my heart, I was able to turn around and face Carlisle. Laughing softly, I said brightly, "But now look at me! It seems that I'm learning my manners for the first time, Carlisle. It's a promising start for my vampiric life, don't you think?"

Carlisle was already gazing at me, and when he saw me laughing, he softly smiled back. But still, his lovely golden eyes were so sad.

I paused. I wonder why I never see pure happiness in your eyes, Carlisle. You have everything you want, don't you? So, why do you look at me like that...? Even when I was a human, the sadness in your eyes struck me so deeply. And though I'm a vampire now, your eyes still have the same effect on me, and I still don't know why... I wish I could change it. I wish I could make you happy, somehow.

"Annabelle?" he called lightly, wondering why I had frozen in place, staring at him.

"Oh!" I gave a little jolt and made myself look away from him. "Sorry, I'll be right back!"

With that, I rushed out. I suppose I could have just the Blacks' house phone, but I needed some space to clear my head.

You're here for Shauna, I reminded myself sternly. You owe it to Shauna to do your absolute best for her. That's it. Don't think beyond that.

I let out a deep breath and finally finding a phone booth, I called Dr. Silva, explaining that my friend had had an emergency and was in a coma, and that I wasn't sure how long I might have to stay. I promised her that I'd be back as soon as I could, and I apologized for my sudden absence and asked for her understanding before hanging up.

When I returned to Shauna's room, entering very quietly as the house was now silent, I found Carlisle sitting besides Shauna. He was in deep thought.

"Any difference?" I whispered, shutting the door behind me.

Carlisle shook his head. "No. It's the same. Everything about her indicates near-perfect health, except for the fact that she won't wake."

"What could it be possibly be?" I wondered. "Should we run another blood test on her? Check for some kind-of infection? Or maybe I should actually check her into the hospital tomorrow. I could run a brain scan on her, for starters. A PET scan might show some helpful images about her unconsciousness."

Carlisle considered both of my options seriously, but then he said quietly, "Though I must say, I wonder if this is actually about medicine at all. From what I understand, the Quileute tribe have deep roots to their own tribal culture, and it's a culture imbued with magic through and through."

"Magic?" I said, a bit confused about what he meant by that term.

Carlisle nodded. Realizing my puzzlement, he elaborated, "Well, magic in a transcendental sense. You see, when I studied under the Volturi, I learned that transcendental things often create mental pathways that are inherently subjective, but if manifested by a strong enough spirit, can become real pathways that are somehow connected to our shared physical world. Religion, spirituality, magic - while they all begin from very different premises, in some aspects, they all lead to the same kind of deeply powerful and vulnerable energy. I wonder if Shauna has happened upon something of this sort."

"Can we find out?" I asked. My brow crinkled, as I struggled slightly to keep up with Carlisle's deeply philosophical ruminations, but I thought I understood the gist of it.

Carlisle thought about my question. After a moment, he replied, "Of course, only the tribe members would know the particulars of such legends. The Quileute Elders are the keepers of the Quileute legends, and they guard those legends very secretively and with much pride. Though we have a truce with them, I think we would find ourselves hard-pressed in trying to have the Elders divulge their most fundamental legends to us. After all, we are the 'Cold Ones,' to them... Their sworn enemies..."

"Well," I said softly, "perhaps they'll reconsider when they realize it could help Shauna. But if not, we'll think of another way..." I hugged myself, not wanting to think of the alternative - namely, that we couldn't think of anything, and that Shauna might... never wake up.

How cruel would it be, if after all this, we lose her twice? I shut my eyes tightly. No, I can't allow myself to think that way. I won't.

"Don't worry so much, Annabelle. We'll think of something, I'm sure," Carlisle said softly, reading the anxiety play across my face.

I nodded, grateful for his comforting words, grateful for him... I let out a soft sigh. Why... Why is my heart getting all tangled up again? I'm stronger now. I know myself better now. But still, standing besides Shauna and before Carlisle, my heart feels so vulnerable because there's so much that I cherish and want here that is completely out of my control. I wish, with all my heart, that Shauna would wake up... But there's so little I can do about it right now that it makes me anxious. At the same time, I know that being anxious about it isn't going to give me any solutions.

And I also wish, with all my heart, that somehow, I could... be with Carlisle... I don't even know what that means, but I can't ignore this feeling. I swallowed a little, and I hugged myself tighter, trying to protect myself from the swell of emotions rising within me.

Annabelle, you're stronger than this, I reminded myself. Vulnerability is one thing, but the answer is control, and that's what you've been cultivating these past few months. So, use it.

I let out a deep breath and slowly, my hands fell away from my shoulders. I held my head a little higher.

Carlisle, who had been quietly watching me, spoke to me hesitantly, "Annabelle, we haven't... spoken for some time now."

"It's only been a few months," I replied lightly, trying to smile at him.

"...Yes. That's true," Carlisle responded. His eyes dropped to his hands as he murmured softly, "But you know, when you left Volterra, you didn't say good-bye..."

My eyes widened. I didn't expect him to bring that up, I thought, suddenly feeling quite embarrassed. I thought he would understand that we shouldn't speak about Volterra. That was rock bottom for the both of us.

"Oh," I said, still trying to sound nonchalant. But my façade was beginning to break into pieces. I struggled forth, saying as neutrally as I could, "I... had somewhere to be, I suppose."

"Yes," Carlisle agreed, not wishing to question me in a way that made me uncomfortable. But then, as though he couldn't help himself, he asked me, in a rather quick tone of voice that I rarely heard from him, "But how are you? Are you all right? Have you found... whatever it is you're seeking?"

I meant to answer affirmatively and cheerfully right away, but I couldn't find it in me to carry on my pretense of lightness around him.

"Well..." I started to say, but then my smile faltered, and my gaze slid to the floor between us.

"Annabelle?" he said softly, almost whispering.

"I'm all right, Carlisle," I said finally, my voice heavy and betraying all of the emotion I felt.

"You can tell me anything, you know," Carlisle replied gently.

Avoiding his gaze, I merely gestured towards Shauna and said honestly, "I just want her to wake up... and I'm scared that she won't."

Carlisle knew at once that I was avoiding his question and shutting him out, but he didn't press, respecting my silence. Besides, what I said was absolutely true and he shared that sentiment with me. After all, we were both here on Shauna's account. Not for each other.

"We'll do everything we can to bring her back," Carlisle promised me, gazing down at Shauna.

"She's so brave," I murmured, also looking at Shauna. "I wish I could be as courageous as her, knowing how to be so selfless without a second of doubt in her mind, and even having the strength of mind to move completely on her own... She's so young, but she has all of the traits I lack..."

"I think you're underestimating your heart, Annabelle," Carlisle told me. "After all, you also came after me. Not to mention, you've saved me multiple times now."

But that's not because I was brave and selfless, I thought. It was because I love you. But I can't very well say that, can I?

How do I tell you I love you... without telling you that I love you? I wondered. How do I tell you that I've thought of you every day... without confessing that I've thought of you every day? The question made my hands quiver slightly. I cut off my thoughts and simply stared down at Shauna's sleeping face for a moment.

Carlisle fell silent, too.

Feeling slightly awkward just standing there and hovering besides Carlisle and Shauna, I began to sink down onto the floor besides Carlisle (since the room had only one seat.) But before I could sit on the floor, Carlisle reached out and caught me by the waist. Standing up himself, he gently pulled me forward and sat me down in his seat, effectively switching places with me so that he was now standing where I had been standing and I was now sitting where he had been sitting.

"Oh..." I breathed out softly as I felt his hands on me.

I swore that his hands tightened on my waist for a moment, but then they were gone.

My own hands instinctively lifted, as if to catch Carlisle's hands and hold them so that they wouldn't disappear... For just a brief second, my fingertips grazed his palms, but catching myself at once, I quickly drew my hands away and shoved them under my legs, sitting on them.

"Annabelle?"

"Hm?"

There was a pause.

"I should..." Carlisle cleared his throat. "I promised the others that I would check in with them."

I nodded. "All right, I'll stay here and watch Shauna. It's my shift, anyways." I said softly, "Go. Don't worry. I've... got Shauna."

Carlisle looked down at me for just a moment before he turned away and left, back to his family.

Theo Uley's POV

I was supposed to head back to college tomorrow. I wanted to delay my trip for however long it took for Shauna to wake up, but both of my parents were adamantly against it. In fact, I'd just walked away from an argument with them over this issue.

"Son, we don't know when she'll wake," Dad told me, trying very hard to be patient with me, but finding me unreasonable. "It could be weeks or months. There's no predicting with this sort-of thing. I know it's difficult, but you can't put your life on hold for something like this."

"And we'll let you know as soon as she wakes, Theo," Mom promised me. "We know she's important to you. She's important to us, too. But your father's right. We simply have no way of knowing when she will wake up. You can't wait forever..."

I bit back the torrent of frustration that was crashing inside of me. Closing my eyes, I forced myself to simply walk away. I didn't want to yell at them. I didn't want to argue with them. Because, sure, superficially, they were right. I understood their reason. The problem was that... they didn't understand my reason. I don't mean that they didn't understand my situation. They did. It was more that they didn't understand my feelings. They didn't know that even if I went back, I wouldn't be able to focus on school. I had thought of Shauna every day for the past three months in her absence, and now that she was actually here, at least physically, I truly could not stop thinking about her. Even now, it killed me that I wasn't by her side.

I knew, somehow, with a deep certainty that I only ever felt about really important things in my life, that I belonged by her side. It didn't matter what the relationship was labeled as: Alpha - Beta, rivals, friends, partners- I just belonged by her side. I always had.

And if I was to be truly honest, I'd known this fact about us ever since that night I'd marked her, when she'd fallen back against me and I'd held her as she lost herself to her dreams...

I hesitated.

All at once, Jacob's voice, from the conversation I had overheard inside of Shauna's room today, sounded out in my head: "A wind..."

A wind…?

I sat up in bed, thinking hard. Something about "wind" stirred my memory.

Wind… Why do I associate that word with warmth? And with Shauna herself?

Wait, that's right. This isn't the first time I've seen her fall asleep in this way… I threw back the covers and leaping up, I began to pace back and forth over the carpet in my room. When we'd marked each other, that time, too, Shauna had lost herself in the winds. I'd brought her back down to earth with me by holding her until she was herself again, and by calling her home.

Slowly, quite detailed and vivid memories arose from the night that we had given each other our tribe markings. These memories had been lingering in the back of my mind for these past months, but now, I finally allowed myself to draw them out before my own consciousness.

Pressing my fingers lightly against my eyes, I urged myself, Remember.

I remembered that when I finished drawing Shauna's mark, she slowly slumped back. I managed to catch her. Her eyes were closed, but I could feel her warmth against me, and I could feel her soft breathing, introducing a warm and soft hum inside of her body. I could feel that hum running through her as she was pressed gently against me. It was like she had fallen asleep as I'd drawn her tattoo on her.

I also recalled how her body was so warm against mine, and her face was slightly flushed a light pink. I watched her as she breathed softly, and a strand of hair that had fallen gently against her lips moved ever so slightly, fluttering as she breathed in, and then out. She looked so peaceful, as if she were dreaming… She looked beautiful.

When her eyes fluttered open and she tiredly looked over her shoulder at me, she reassured me that she was all right.

Concerned, I asked her what happened.

Still in some soft, dream-like state of mind, she confessed, "I think I just… went to another world."

"Another world?" I repeated, not following her.

"Of wind and trees…" she whispered softly. "There was a tree. A willow tree." She smiled, and I held her just a little tighter, but she didn't seem to notice. She was still thinking about that other world… of wind and trees.

I, too, had unexpectedly been shoved in another world, too… a world of warmth. Because that blush on her cheeks was so lovely, and the way she felt against me was softer and warmer than I ever would have expected…

Admittedly, I was more than surprised at how intensely I felt myself responding to her. After all, we'd spent our entire childhoods fiercely fighting each other tooth and nail, or stolidly ignoring each other. I'd never been the type to fall for anyone quickly. True, by that point, I was well aware that I'd developed a healthy amount of respect for Shauna. Understanding how determined she was to protect those around her showed me a different side of her and helped me to understand the confident and head-strong way in which she moved through the world. It wasn't that she wanted to be reckless. It was simply that she was willing to take the hit for someone else that she cared about.

But I truly hadn't expected to fall for her, and especially not so suddenly. It came completely out of the blue. Seeing her dreaming, seeing her face all flushed like that, feeling her lean against me as though she trusted me… I was completely taken off guard by her that night. I couldn't help except to kiss her, to capture her lips in mine, though I was careful to stop at any sign of the rejection. In fact, as soon as our lips met, I nearly pulled away at once, sure that she would reject me. You fool, I'd thought to myself, what are you doing, kissing the girl who's made it quite clear, at every opportunity, that she doesn't care for you - that you only irritate her and get in her way...?

Imagine my complete astonishment when Shauna reciprocated - when her hands stayed on my bare chest well after she'd finished drawing my marking, and when she'd kissed me back just as fiercely as I kissed her... And, at the end, when we were tangled up in one another and breathing heavily together, her name slipped out of my lips without my even intending to. It just felt so right: Willow.

I hesitated.

I remembered way back, when Shauna had saved me from the vampires by finding that hollow in the redwood. I had asked her then, "How did you even know about the hollow in the redwood?"

Shauna had fallen silent.

"Billie?" I called to her.

"I don't know, Theo," she murmured uncertainly. "Sometimes I feel like I'm connected to this world that leads me places..."

Then, today, just before Dad, Emily, and I had left, Annabelle had said to the Blacks, "She is alive. She just... needs to find her way back."

A way back, I repeated in my mind.

I stopped pacing.

Another world. Of wind and trees.

Willow?

There was a tree. A willow tree.

Willow…

A way back.

My eyes flashed open.

Willow.

It was still dark outside. I ran through the darkness, feeling like I was running in a dream. Everything felt like a dream - and any moment now, it could be heaven or hell. I felt light-headed from hope. But I told myself to be like my father, to channel his steadiness and to be strong. I took a deep breath. Then, I knocked on the front door.

A moment later, a light flickered on inside the house.

Another beat later, and the door opened.

"Theo? What is it?" Leah looked at me, blinking tiredly. She hadn't been sleeping. Her red, exhausted eyes told me that she had been crying all night.

Behind her, Annabelle peeked her head out of Shauna's bedroom.

"Excuse me," I said to Leah. Then, I walked over to Shauna's bedroom. I slid past Annabelle. She began to reach out to me, but seeing my expression, she suddenly stopped.

Jacob, who had just come out of his and Leah's bedroom, spotted me. Jacob said something to me, but I couldn't hear anyone at the moment. I was focused completely on Shauna.

I walked over to the bed, where Shauna was lying. I gently slid my hand between her pillow and her neck, and then I slowly leaned down until my face was close to hers.

My lips grazed Shauna's ear. I hesitated. Then, closing my eyes, I whispered into her ear a prayer that I'd been reciting to myself for the past three months, "Willow. Come home."