Gwen's POV:

Five days have gone on after the big night and I've mostly spent them being as lazy as possible, though I don't think I had much of a choice otherwise. Carlisle has forbidden me from going to work at the hospital and he has strict rules about what I can and can't do around my house. The first three days were great honestly, I caught up on some TV and made some new meals I've been wanting to try, but now I'm just inching to get out of the house.

I've made two stops to the Cullen's for Carlisle to check on my wounds, which he says are still healing as expected, no infection. Bella woke up two days ago, so I was able to visit her as well. She's even more lively than she was before the pregnancy. She seems truly happy and energized and she's adoring her baby girl. She wasn't so happy to find out about Jake imprinting at first, but once she calmed down she warmed to the idea.

I think Edward being so supportive of it helped her. If Edward, who hasn't really liked Jacob all this time, can respect the imprint then so could Bella. I think Bella just loathes the idea of her daughters future already being so planned out. She probably just wants the baby years to go by slow.

Her whole body looks perfect, you would never be able to know what kind of pregnancy she went through. There's not even a mark from where I had to cut her open, which I'm grateful for. I don't want Bella to have to remember that every time she sees her belly.

The baby continues to thrive and remains perfectly normal and healthy. We also learned she can show us things in our minds, she's clearly much more aware than a typical baby. When she put her palm on my arm she showed me from her point of view what it was like having me take care of her after taking her from Edward when Bella was dying.

I've kept away from the Cullen's since that day, wanting to allow them to have time as a family, alone together. We have all been crowding their house for months, I'm sure they're glad for it to just be them again..and Jake. I don't think he'll be leaving their home anytime soon.

Because there's no longer a need to patrol the Cullen's any longer Leah decided to take a much needed weekend long vacation to visit her grandparents who moved out of town two years ago. Her parents also took off to their hunting cabin for a fishing trip, along with Old Quil and Quil's mom, Billy, and Charlie. The Cullen's say that Charlie will soon be able to visit Bella and the baby, which I'm sure she can't wait for. Poor Charlie hasn't seen his daughter in months.

Now I'm left trying to figure out who to spend some time with, while doing minimal physical activity.

I've decided, reluctantly, it's best to get some distance between Seth and I, though it honestly aches to think about it. I know if I see him my crush is just going to grow hot for him again, and I don't need that right now. He doesn't need that from me either. Space is good, even if it feels so shitty right now.

I scroll through my phone, dying to get out of the house today. I stop at Quil's contact, deciding to give him a call. He's probably enjoying his empty house right now. He answers on the second ring, "Hey, what's up?"

"I'm bored." I whine into the phone. "What are you doing?"

He blows out a breath, "Literally nothing. Can you come over?" My hero.

I give myself a quick body wash, mostly to clean over my wound, and then put on some comfy clothes. September is here and the weather is already much more tolerable so I can finally wear my sweatpants again. I pair them with a loose t-shirt and sneakers before I'm headed out the door. I don't concern myself with makeup just to go over Quil's house.

I drive with my window down, enjoying the cool breeze running over my face and through my dark hair. I'm an autumn girl at heart, always will be. It's when La Push is at it's best. When the leaves start changing and the rain starts coming every evening I fall in love with the Res all over again.

When I pull up to Quil's house I spot him by his fire pit in the yard, his feet resting on the rim of it. He tilts his head back to look back at me, his curls flowing back. "Hey." I take the seat beside him, propping my feet up as well and then I wince at the sensation it shoots to my wound. Some of the marks lead all the way to my stomach, so any movement there still hurts. I drop my feet back down with unease and I can feel Quil watching me.

"Feeling any better?" He motions to my abdomen, a frown on his lips.

I lift a shoulder, "Sure, I guess. I'm always taking the pain pills so it's manageable." I say dryly.

He hums, playing with a stick he found. "If those turn into scars they'd make you look pretty tough. Was that the look you were going for?" He gives me the side eye. I grin at him, smacking his bicep lightly. It's like hitting a wall.

"We don't all heal overnight." I motion to his fist that looks completely unharmed now. He flexes his fingers, looking down at it as well. "What's been going on in the pack since then?" I'm hopelessly curious. I can't imagine it's been easy to just move on from that night, especially now as Bella and the baby are off limits in any way. It serves the point that the pack splitting was useless, waste if everyones time and energy. It's lost time none of us can regain.

There's been no talk of Jake, Leah, or Seth joining the pack again from what I hear, so I'm wondering what the next steps are.

He rubs his lips together. "Well things are awkward as shit right now." He begins, rubbing his fist over his eye. "No one really respect Sam and he doesn't really say much to the rest of us. I know he feel shitty for the whole thing, but he's too proud to say it." Sounds like Sam to me. "Shifts are shorter and less heavily staffed now, which is nice. More time for my beloved xbox." He grins lazily.

"Any news on Claire?" I prompt, shifting in my seat to get more comfortable.

His smile widens to a more genuine one. "They're settling into a place on the edge of Forks, its a pretty decent sized apartment. Claire's room is bigger than her old room and her moms going all out with painting rainbows on the walls."

"Sounds nice, I'm sure you're excited to see her." He nods along. "And Beth?" His smile fades a bit and his shoulders lift, which I don't expect. I thought there was plenty going on between the two, I expected to hear a bunch of nasty details about their hookups by now.

"Not much to report." He says absently, scratching his sharp jaw. "Haven't talked to her since the party."

I raise an eyebrow at him. "You guys didn't hookup at all?" Beth seemed plenty interested in him and I can't imagine Quil turning down a pretty girl like that.

"We made out, that's the most that happened. She got a ride with her sister, remember?" He sounds disinterested in the topic, which only makes more questions pop into my mind. "Wanna see my new game?" He asks, rising to his feet. I can sense he's done talking about it, but I'm not. I follow him inside, taking my spot next to him on the couch. It's dimly lit in the basement but the large TV really brightens the space. I grab a fuzzy blanket from the back of the couch and pull it over my body, sinking into the warmth.

"What did Beth do wrong?" I prompt as Quil sets up his game, his eyes on the screen.

"She's not you." He teases dryly. I reach over and flick his ear, making him swat at me. "Kidding! I don't know, I guess I feel shitty being a manwhore when I have an imprint who I should be bettering myself for. I mean what happens when Claire's an adult and she asks me about my life before her. What do I tell her then? Oh when you were busy growing up I was busy fucking this girl and that girl in the meantime. Makes me feel shitty." He shrugs, his eyes never leaving the TV. "What about you and Seth? What's been going on with that?" He changes the topic.

Quil's not typically a vulnerable guy. He hides his feelings behind his reputation, but really I think he's truly had a crush on or feelings for every girl he's kissed or hooked up with. It's not like he's just searching for sex, he's always wanted more. He was just never given it. I don't know why, Quil's a great guy.

"You're a good guy, always have been, always will be. If you want to talk to Beth or even have sex with her do it, Claire will understand how much time there was between you and any girl. In the end it'll be you guys, but for now you have your own life to navigate and she has hers that she'll grow into." I glance over at him, watching him nod along.

"You're right, but don't go changing the subject."

Right, Seth. "Nothing to report." I sigh, rolling my shoulders. "I'm avoiding him so I don't get hurt in the long run." I play with the blanket that I have tucked all the way to my chin.

"Gwen come on now, Seth would never hurt you. The guy has swooned over your for years." He glances over at me as his fingers roam over his controller. "Have you told him you like him yet or is he still in the dark?"

I haven't had a chance to tell Quil any updates as of lately, mostly out of my own embarrassment I haven't told anyone. "I haven't told him anything, but things did..get heated the other day." I struggle to find the words. He's silent and then glances over at me again, prompting me. Releasing a breath I go on to tell him, with minor details, about what happened between the two of us and also how I ended things before anything more can come of them.

Quil's face lit up at the story, but I made sure to leave out the part where Seth came in his pants. I said things had gotten "interrupted" and ended before more can happen, which I guess is true. "Wow, so Seth Clearwater is fighting his way out of the virginity squad, good for you both." He snorts, shaking his head. "Wow I can not picture the two of you together." He chuckles.

"No need to picture anything." I bite back, "Anyways, it's all for nothing now."

"I mean is that how you want things to happen? What if Seth imprints on you in a month or you phase and imprint on him, maybe you're just wasting time apart not doing anything. I think you should man up and tell him." He urges. "I like to tease Seth, but I'd like to see him happy. He's in some sore shape right now." I've thought about me phasing and imprinting on him, but I think if I was going to phase it would have happened when I was pinned down by a wolf I'd think. If there was any wolf inside of me my instincts would have came to me at that moment.

He has my attention. "Sore shape?" I raise a brow, expecting more information.

He nods, not looking at me. "He's been moping around the house, I can assume it's because of you avoiding him. Does he know you want things to be over?" I nod. "Well there you go, the kids moping over you. Why don't you go over there and kiss and makeup? Fucking Embry!" He groans at the game, smacking his controller down on the couch for a moment before picking it right back up.

I cross my arms over my chest gently, wincing silently at the way it rests on my wound. Fucking wound, I can't do anything. This is miserable. "I'm sure it's not about me." I mutter, sinking further into the couch.

"It is. You should have seen him kick Sam's ass when he found out he hurt you, he broke his nose and everything." Quil snorts, like it's funny, but this is news to me. "Didn't know he had it in him, but clearly he's protective over the girl he likes." He continues, his eyes squinting at the screen as he begins an intensive match. "We're all proud of him."

"What?" I frown at the side of his face. "What are you talking about, I thought you punched Sam?"

He nods along, "I did too, yeah. Seth showed up at Sam's like five minutes after we had gotten back from the Cullen's and out of no where he starts pushing Sam and yelling at him, they got in a fist fight and he got some really good punches in. Jake and Leah came and broke it up. We had no idea what had him so pissed off but then he told us and I laid a few on Sam myself. Seth did all the damage though." I had absolutely no idea Seth had done that. I can't imagine Seth hurting a mouse, let alone his old Alpha. I know he disliked Sam because of Leah, but he never became violent towards him after they broke up. He would do that for me?

I'm processes what he said and my whole body feels warm with pride. Seth would go through all of that to defend me? That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard. "Your lady bits are definietly going nuts right now at the thought of Seth standing up for you, aren't they?" Quil teases me, watching me, though I didn't realize.

I scoff at his words, shoving him as hard as I can, not even making him move an inch. "Pervert."

He grins sneakily at me. "Well you know tonight at 10 starts mating season, right?" I stare blankly at him, not knowing what that is. "Mating season? It's meant to push us all to produce with our imprints in order to ensure the pack continues to grow as time goes on, it happens a few times a year. Basically it makes us all incredibly horny, apparently. Like can't think straight level horny. It's why everyone's parent's are out of town." He explains casually, like it's no big deal.

My jaw is threatening to drop open, how have I never heard of this? "What the fuck? So what happens when you don't have an imprint or your imprints not of age?" I press, needing to know more. Will Seth go have sex with the first person he thinks of?

"I don't know. All that happens is we get super horny, apparently. Sam and Emily are the only ones who went through it already, so we don't know how the rest of us will be. We were told to just keep ourselves alone. So, we'll be enjoying some porn and our hand for the weekend. That's why you'll be getting kicked out promptly around eight..unless you'd like to stay of course." He winks at me, teasing me before sighing. "I'm kind of dreading it though, Sam says it's unbearable. It literally lasts a full weekend, it doesn't just happen occasionally throughout the days. It's going to be awful."

My thoughts are going a mile a minute. Seth's going to be horny for an entire weekend all alone in his house? Leah isn't home and neither are his parents. God, I hope he doesn't invite some random girl over or something. He's still a virgin, maybe none of this will effect him. Especially because he has no imprint.


After Quil kicked me out promptly at eight I decided to take a drive around to clear my head and enjoy the wind in my face. The weather is truly perfect after having all those horrifically hot summer days. I'm trying to think of literally anything else except Seth keep popping into my mind. I keep imagining him home alone, horny and needy. I picture myself bravely driving to his house, finding him in his room with his hand around his dick. My whole body turns boiling hot at the thought of it. That night he made me cum..that night wasn't nearly close to being finished. There was so much more I wanted to do with him.

I didn't have a chance to see him naked at all, didn't get a chance to touch him or tease him. I still find it ridiculously sexy that he came all from licking me. That's how turned on he was. I wonder how turned on he'll be tonight too. My fingers squeeze the steering wheel tighter. I want to text him, I'm just curious what he'd say. Or maybe I send him a picture of me looking my best, a sultry smile on my face. Maybe I'd show some cleavage, just to tease him. I wonder if he'd invite me over-

My sexy thoughts come to a screeching halt when my ringtone blares through my car, startling me. I pull off to the convenience store I was headed to as I answer. "Hey Beth." I smile, surprised to be hearing from her.

"Hey Gwen, you-you said you work at the hospital right?" She sounds shaken up, a bit breathless.

My smile drops. "Yeah I do, I'm just not there right now. Are you feeling okay?"

I hear her sniffle, "It's not me it's my sister, I don't really know what's wrong with her. She has a fear of hospitals though and won't let me take her, but I don't know what to do for her."

My heart sinks, she sounds terrified. "Okay, what's her symptoms?" I wonder if Carlisle would be willing to make a house call. If it's something minor maybe I can check it out and help them myself even. I'd feel better if she went to the hospital, but if it's so much of an issue it's not like I'd say no. I have nothing better to do than run through fantasies in my head.

"I don't really know how to explain this." She says meekly, sniffling again. "She's just not herself and she's really freaking me out, she keeps telling me to get away from her. She's not really like this, it's like she's paranoid." My brows string together, trying to think of something that would make these symptoms.

Paranoid? "Did she hurt her head? Is she dehydrated?" I prompt, trying to run through scenarios. "Want me to come check her our, I work closely with a doctor so maybe he can come if she needs."

"Um." She pauses and I hear quiet chatter in the background. "Maybe you can just come over, see what you think? I'm sorry to ask, I don't know what to do or who to call. Our parents are out of town."

Beth gives me her address and I immediately start the drive over, she's not far from Jared's house. I doubt there's much I can do but maybe at the least I can ease their minds and call Carlisle. I don't want to disturb him yet, he's probably enjoying time with his family. I'll wait til I see how bad it is. Maybe I even need to skip Carlisle and just call in ambulance, if it's bad enough. I get not liking hospitals, but sometimes you gotta let that fear go in order to be safe.

Beth's standing on her porch as I pull up, looking a little woozy. Her face her pale and her eyes are a wide she's definitely frightened. I met her sister briefly and she was really friendly, I hope she'll be okay. Heading straight up to her I greet her with a gentle, reassuring smile but she doesn't meet it. Now that I see Beth up close I realize just how startled she looks, like she's seen a ghost.

I pause in front of her, "Are you feeling sick too?" I try to inspect her face, but she looks dazed, not making eye contact.

I realize that Beth is clutching her wrist and as I glance down I see blood spilling from the wound. An instant later she drops down on the porch, her knees going weak. I crash down on my knees with her, holding her head so she doesn't hit it. "Beth? Beth!" I pat her face with my hand, but her eyes are shut and she's not responding. I think she just fainted. I carefully rest her head down and pat down her body, seeing if there's any other wounds. When I realize it's only her wrist I get a good look at it.

My heart pounds wildly in my chest as I see the fresh bite mark where the blood is seeping from. Vampire.

Picking my head up I glance around my surroundings, but I see no one. It's still light out, but not for much longer. Any neighbor might see us and get startled, involving the police before I have a chance to better help them. Beth is thin and short, so I decide the best thing I can do is get her in my car. I position myself better, scooping one hand under her upper back and one under her thighs. When I go to heave her up I cry out, feeling my wounds stretch.

Whimpering I set her back down to catch my breath. I keep forgetting about my cuts, dammit.

I'm trying to run through my options, but there's a vampire close enough to have just bitten her. I need to get her in a locked car, now. So I suck in a deep breath and try heaving her up again. I cry out, but it doesn't matter. I use all my strength to get her up and I struggle my way down her porch with her in my arms. My knees threaten to buckle, but I manage to make the few steps to my car. I tug the door open and push her body in the backseat, trying to be careful of her head. Once she's in I collect napkins from my glove department and press them to her wrist keeping it close to her chest. I shove her feet in and then shut the door, locking it.

I look around quickly again, still there's silence. I see and hear nothing.

I keep my key in my fist, ready to stab anyone that comes close to me, though it won't do much against a vampire. Especially not a newborn. My knees are weak and my hands are shaky but I suck in a deep breath, I need to find Liz. She must have been bit too, she might be losing blood as we speak. I'm slow moving up the porch and I duck inside, looking left and right. The lights are on, but all I hear is the faint noise of a TV.

I've never been in Beth's home before, but it's only one floor. It can't be that hard to navigate. To my right is the kitchen and living room so I play my luck with the left. There's about five doors, most of them are opened. I peek in one room, the floor creaking beneath me which sends my heart racing again. It looks like Beth's room, but it's empty.

Moving on I check the room across the hall from hers, it's just the bathroom. Again, it's empty.

The room directly next to Beth's room is where the TV noise is coming from. I peek my head in and there I find Liz. She's on her bed, with her knees pulled tightly to her chest. Her face is buried in her legs, her hair curtaining around her face, shielding herself from me. I hear her sniffle twice and her shoulders tremble, she's scared. I feel relieved to find her, alone.

"Liz, it's me, Gwen. I'm Beth's friend. She called and said you weren't feeling well." I say in a gentle, quiet tone. I don't want to startle her, clearly she's already seen some scary things today.

I watch her fingers dig deeper into her legs as she shakes her head. "You're bleeding." She whimpers out.

I frown, looking down at myself. Sure enough my wounds are bleeding through the gauze and through my t-shirt, soaking the front of it. I must've pulled my stitches when I lifted Beth, I hadn't even realize. "Oh yeah, that's okay. It's an old cut." I push away her fears, but then I pause, still staring down at myself. She didn't even look up at me.

The realization hits me like a ton of bricks. My neck flies up as I look at Liz, right as she peels her legs from her face. Her skin is white, as white as the Cullen's and her eyes are now a deep, blood red color. Her bottom lip is stained red as well. I watch, horrified, as she juts out her tongue, licking up the remaining blood from it. She sits at the edge of her bed, her fingers clutching at the comforter beneath her.

Her face is full of sorrow and regret, like she knows something's about to happen to me. "I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt anyone."