Chapter 1

Enter La Push

Ellinor walked the vaguely familiar streets of La Push, having parked her rental at the only small convenience store on the reservation. It had to have been at least two decades since she was here last, though she really couldn't trust her judgment on the passing of time, it was a fuzzy concept to most, especially for those who were a Warlock of roughly 400 years. More than the streets she remembered the smell, wet earth with a hint of salt from the sea under it all. She took in a few gratuitous breaths, memories of her own damp home in London floating distantly in the back of her mind. The association between the two had made her fond of La Push. It also held a few other draws, friends from her last visit to the part of the country.

The clerk at the convenience store had pointed her in the general direction of the Black's house, giving her a curious once over. She didn't doubt that everyone knew everyone on this reservation, and also knew who everyone knew, so a strange girl asking for one of the long-standing residents must seem a bit of an oddity at best. Ellinor could feel the fog of the years passed clearing slowly as she neared the house, a small red building coming into view as she rounded the last corner. There was a small ramp now that led up to the front door, an addition that had not been there before and made her chest pang, a reminder that the passing of time did not forget others as it did those of her kind.

She knocked on the door, shoving her hands back into her coat pockets as the fall chill nipped at her hands. The door was opened a few seconds later by a stunning girl with long inky black hair. Ellinor's face lit up with recognition before falling back to a neutral one when she realized this girl could not have been her friend, Sarah Black, of nearly twenty years ago unless she too shared the same burden of immortality. A daughter then she surmised due to the uncanny resemblance. She put a smile back onto her face, hearing the patter of little feet followed by shrill screams from inside the house.

"Hello, sorry to bother you, but do William and Sarah Black still live here?" She asked, seeing a confused and pained expression cross the girl's face in an instant before she quickly mastered it.

"Who are you?" She asked, distrust evident in her tone.

"I'm Ellinor Hayse, a family friend." She said, keeping her explanation brief. She didn't blame the girl for her lack of trust, Ellinor appeared to be a young girl herself, no more than her early 20s at most, what business could she possibly have known her Father or Mother that she herself would not be aware of? Before the girl could throw any more questions at her a figure appeared, gliding into view near her hip.

"Who is it, Rach? Why are you leaving them out in the cold-" Ellinor could see the man was in a wheelchair now, his face showing the signs of years that had passed between their last meeting, his skin weathered, wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, but it was unmistakenly the man she was looking for.

"Hello William," she said, her smile only widening at other girls' perplexed look at her casual addressing of her Father. Billy looked Ellinor over, his eyes widening with a childish delight, she was glad to see the only thing time had aged was his body.

"Ellie?" He barked out with a laugh, pushing himself in front of his daughter to get a better view of her.

"Never thought I'd see you again- not to say I'm not happy you're here now. God looks at you-" He paused, looking her over again. "You weren't lying then about the age thing…" He mused, reacting much more calmly than most humans did when finding out about her immortality. Though it wasn't surprising, given his own family history with the supernatural, and the reason she had come to La Push all those years ago at Epirham Black's request.

"I've never lied to you before William," she said with a smile. "I'm just glad you're still here, is Sarah around?" She asked, looking past the two at the door to see if she could identify any more occupants in the small house. Both Billy's and the girl's face fell at her question, and she let out a heavy sigh already knowing the answer.

"No-no, Sarah died a few years after you were last here- car accident." He said, giving her a wistful smile. "I tried to contact you, but Dad had died at that point too, and...well he never really told me how he found you in the first place."

Ellinor shook her head, placing a hand on Billy's shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You have nothing to explain, the fault is mine, I'm a terrible friend for not checking in for so long."

Billy let out a sigh, looking up to his daughter whose face was nothing but perplexed. "Ellie, this is one of my daughter's Rachel, Rachel, this is Ellinor Hayse, she's a good friend of your Mom and I from way back." He said, giving a mischievous smile at her confusion.

"How? She had to have been a kid then if she knew Mom," she asked, skepticism very apparent in her tone.

Ellinor paused, looking to Billy for direction on how much to reveal to Rachel. He chuckled as he backed up into the house, waving them both in. "Oh she's an immortal witch, Ellie, show the eyes, the kids will think it's the coolest thing ever." He said over his shoulder as the two girls followed him inside.

"William for the millionth time I am a Warlock, call me a witch again and just see what happens." She threatened mildly in jest, letting the glamour fall, revealing her yellow cat-like eyes.

"And for the millionth and one time, it's Billy." He threw back, leading them into the small kitchen. Two tiny children flocked to Rachel's legs as they all gathered, staring up at Ellinor shyly. She gave them a small wave, blue sparks jumping off of her fingers as several multi-colored butterflies flew from her tips and began to flutter playfully around their heads, eliciting delighted shrieks from them.

Rachel stared, half dumbfounded and the other half hesitant if she should keep her children from the butterflies, but as they landed on the boy's heads they disappeared into a burst of rainbow smoke, eliciting more delighted squeals from the toddlers.

"Warlock…" she mumbled, her brows furrowing. "What the hell is a Warlock?" She asked finally. "And how do you know my parents?" Rachel looked to her Father then. "Does...does she know about the pack?" She asked in a low voice.

Ellinor raised her eyebrow toward Billy waiting for his explanation on what this 'pack' was.

"Sort of- the stories my Dad told you, Ellie, back then, were true of course and as of late we have a lot more Werewolves running around than we used to back then. A few dozen in fact."

"Did something happen?" Ellinor asked, slowly recalling Epirham's explanation of Quileutes legends and their shapeshifting ability that was drawn out when in proximity to their enemy. "And I don't think it's werewolves Billy, I know werewolves, and from what your Father explained last time that's not what your people are." she mused, her mind already racing over several other possible explanations. There had been no shifters in the Tribe the last time she was here, so she had not been able to look into the matter first hand, and was still a curiosity after all these years. Wolf shifters who were human yet were not werewolves were not something anyone in Downworld was familiar with, she had checked thoroughly. Not even her oldest friend Magnus Bane had an explanation, leaving the Quileutes a mystery to them all, not that she had shared it with many others, not wanting to expose these people to the prying curiosity of Downworlders.

"A Warlock is…" She began to explain as she addressed the other part of Rachel's question. "Half-human and half-demon." She paused at the end, gauging Rachel's reaction to seeing if she was comfortable enough with that knowledge to hear more. " Leaving us with the gift or curse depending on who you ask, of immortality and magical abilities. And a marking, of what we are," she explained, pointing to her yellow eyes with a sliver of a pupil. "I came here around- Billy help me out here, my timelines are always a bit fuzzy- twenty or so odd years ago after receiving a request for help from your Grandfather, there were odd occurrences happening around the reservation and he believed it was of supernatural origin and needed assistance to get rid of it."

Billy nodded his head, corroborating Ellinor's story. "It was just a year or so before you girls were born. Ellie stayed with us for a bit while she sorted out the- demon." He said, lowering his voice toward the end to escape the boy's notice.

Rachel ushered the twins out to the living room, setting them up in front of the TV before returning. "There were demons in La Push?" She asked urgently. "Are they back? Is that why you're here again?" She asked, panic rising in her voice.

Ellinor shook her head. "No- not at all, this visit is a much less serious one," she said quickly to reassure the girl. "I'm actually here on a scouting mission on behalf of the Clave. This part of the country is in need of an Institute, and they've asked for my help in finding an appropriate place to make roots."

She was met with blank stares and gave them an apologetic smile before she started to delve into a history lesson of-well everything. Shadow Hunters, Downworlders, their newly forged alliance that was very much on the unsteady ground despite all the aid freely given in the recent wars by Downworlders. Billy at one point had pulled out beers from the fridge and offered one to them, Ellinor only breaking to take sips from the beverage, the taste reminding her why she avoided it in America.

Rachel was leaning on the counter on an elbow, enraptured in Ellinor's tale. Billy let out a huff. "If these Shadow people are such pompous jerks why are you helping them find a-what'd you call it?"

"An Institute. It's where they live, their home base so they can be nearby to assist when needed. And because things are-well not much better but, this is a huge step in the right direction. This Institute will house not only Shadow Hunters but Downworlders like myself who will help them in their efforts to keep the human world safe." She did not mention how unstable this step was, how there still wasn't much support behind it and she had to call in every favor and piece of blackmail she had to forge this new alliance that was liable to crumble at any moment. She had no cards left to play, after this. So she'd be damned before she let it fail.

"So you thought La Push would be a good place to build it?" Billy asked with a chuckle.

"I was thinking more along a city, maybe Seattle, but while I was on this side of the country I thought I might as well visit some old friends. You'll have to introduce me to the Pack, I'm curious to see this Quileute legend come to life," she said, setting her half-empty bottle onto the counter, her mind starting to race ahead of herself again as she thought over the possibilities of what this pack actually was. Just then the front door flew open and shut in an instant, rattle the entire house. The twins could be heard squealing with glee from the living room, and a low booming voice greeting them just as eagerly.

Billy sighed. "Well, there's one of them, Paul, my son-in-law." Rachel's face was the perfect contrast to her Father's, having lit up instantly and leaving the kitchen without a word, moving to the living room to greet her husband.

Billy and Ellinor waited for the two to return, Ellinor was taken aback by the massive size of the man who appeared in the kitchen at Rachel's side, making the room feel like a dollhouse the way he loomed over it and all inside. Paul paused as he took Ellinor in, his scan stopping at her eyes, his own widening in shock as he took a defensive stance in front of his wife. "

"Paul, you great oaf knock it off. Ellinor has been a friend of the Black's longer than you've been alive, show her some common courtesy." Billy barked at the large man, earning him a reproachful look from Rachel.

Ellinor took a step forward, extending her hand out to the giant man to ease the tension. "Ellinor Hayes, a pleasure to meet you, Paul, I was just catching up with Billy and your wife." Paul hesitated another second before he took her hand into his, swallowing it up with his massive one. She was alarmed at how hot his skin was, the warmth from his hand running up her arm.

"Paul Lahote." He said stiffly, his gaze still scrutinizing her peculiar eyes. "So what are you exactly?" He asked, Rachel, smacking him in the chest before she went into a quite succinct explanation of all Ellinor had shared in the past hour. The twins ran into the kitchen again at that moment, pulling at Ellinor's hands impatiently as they babbled incoherently at her. She sent dragonflies out of her fingertips this time, smiling as she watched the toddlers chase the insects into the living room.

"Well I'll be damned, so now we have to deal with witches too?" Paul asked snarkily, Billy snorting at the comment, taking a sip of his beer to hide his mirth. Ellinor fixed the man with an unamused gaze, watching as Rachel punched him in the arm this time.

" Warlock Paul, have you not been listening to anything I just said? She's a Warlock, and they're immortal, like the cold ones."

Ellinor's brow quirked at the name, a distant memory dancing just outside of her recollection. "Cold ones?" she asked curiously, turning her attention back to Billy.

"Our well...our sometimes enemies." Paul scoffed at that, but Ellinor ignored the outburst, waiting for Billy to continue. He didn't need any more prompting than that, going into the origin of the Quileute tribe, all the way up until a little after the turn of the twentieth century, when his tribe ran into some cold ones as they'd never met before. How their leader, who Billy referred to fondly as Doc explained how his family was different from others like him and formed a treaty with the Quileutes. Fast Forward to the next century and well, it was quite the romantic tragedy, his son Jacob entered the scene, not the first to go through the change due to the Cullen's proximity to La Push. She bristled at the name she hadn't heard spoken in centuries, shoving down the memories that attempted to float to the surface, threatening to pick at long-closed wounds. She shoved it down, forcing her attention back onto Billy as he explained the war that ensued over this human girl Bella's entanglement with the cold ones, and she eventually became one of them, having an impossible child who aged so rapidly she was already an adult now nearly six years later.

She was still trying to link all of the pieces in her head as Billy paused for dramatic effect. "That was kind of you to not retaliate, even though they changed a human to save her from death." She said amicably, eager to encourage tolerance between Downworlders, knowing feuds like the ones between werewolves and vampires were absurd, and the one between this pack and, whatever these cold ones were gave her a strong sense of deja vu.

Everyone else shuffled awkwardly, trying to hide their discomfort at her words. She raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Billy. "Not so kind then?" she asked.

Billy gave her a curious smile. "Well, here's the thing...one of ours imprinted on Nessie." Rachel leaned into Paul at the mention of imprinting, and Ellinor paid closer attention to the couple now, observing how Paul moved with her, never letting her get far from him as if he was caught in her orbit. It was love, that was obvious, but as the scenes from her short interaction with the couple played through her head again she could see now it was the intense kind, the true sort of love even an immortal such as herself saw so rarely in this world.

Billy explained imprinting, quick to dismiss any assumptions Ellinor might make about this Seth imprinting on an infant, how he was practically a brother to her, even as she aged into a young adult. It wasn't until Nessie herself suddenly demanded they started to date had the imprinting bond turned romantic.

She was nothing short of shocked at the tale, never having heard of Downworlders who had-by the sounds of it, a soulmate. It made her wonder if this pack were Downworlders at all, and she was all the more eager to observe them in person. She turned to Paul and Rachel again, looking them over, Rachel nestled in the crook between Paul's arm and side. "You two as well then?" She asked, feeling gratified at her correct deduction as Rachel nodded her head sheepishly.

"I couldn't stand this idiot before I left for college," she said with a chuckle, elbowing him in the ribs as he feigned taking offense at her words. "But when I came home for a visit and saw him-" She looked up at him, an intimate gaze locking the spouse together for a long moment, making Ellinor shift uncomfortably on her feet. Billy coughed loudly, breaking the two love birds gaze at last. "Well- you met the boys, the rest is just history."

It was a puzzle, this imprinting business. Ellinor knew of many "love" potions and spells, but those only really created a temporary infatuation, none she had seen in her lifetime could actually replicate true and lasting love as she saw in front of her now.

"How curious," she mumbled to herself, only focusing on the others in the room again when Billy's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"I know you just got here Ellie, but could we ask a favor of you? I've seen you heal with your-" He gave a dramatic wiggling of his fingers to mimic her, making her roll her eyes. "Magic before, and Emily- another imprint of one of ours- is having a rough pregnancy, it's her third one." He explained, his tone growing more serious as he went on. "Now I know Doc is doing his best to help her but he ain't no magic man." Paul stiffened at the mention of the Doctor, Billy ignoring it all together, so Ellinor followed suit. "Dr. And Mrs. Cullen have been kind enough to let her and Sam stay with them until she gives birth to make sure everything goes smoothly, the rest of the family for the most part even cleared out to make them more comfortable except for Bells, Edward, and Ness of course."

"I'd be happy too, but if it's anything too serious I'll have to call in a friend, healing isn't my specialty per se." She explained, pushing off from the counter.

Billy's face lit up when she agreed, wheeling himself to the front door to grab his coat from the closet. "Rach, will you text Sam that Ellie and I are on our way?"

"Sure Dad." She said as she scooped one of her boys up onto her hip, Paul taking the other up onto his shoulder.

"And Paul-" He said as he opened the front door, letting Ellie step out in the brisk autumn air. "Any news on Jake?" He asked, his tone turning serious and slightly pained, though he hid it well.

"We think he's closer...you know how he is Billy….he gets into one of these moods and comes back in a few months or so." He said, trying to be nonchalant with his response, not hiding his own concern nearly as well as Billy had.

"I know, you're right, he always comes back." He agreed quickly, rolling himself down the ramp.

Ellinor didn't pry further into the matter, sensing it was a family one that was a bit too raw right now- besides, it was none of her business where Jake was, or why he had been gone from home for so long. "I've got my rental at the convenience store, we can take that." She offered, jerking her thumb up the road.

Billy nodded, taking off in that direction with surprising ease over the dirt roads. "Safe bet, no guarantee our brick would make it all the way up there." He said, his gaze fixed ahead. Ellinor let silence fall between them, giving Billy time to worry quietly to himself. When they got to her car he paused, scratching the back of his neck slowly. "I hate to ask this of you Ellie, but my chair-"

She waved her hand to dismiss his embarrassment. "Your chair is not a problem Wi-Billy I can assure you, do you need help getting in the car?" He protested her offer quickly, rolling himself over to the passenger side. "Then get in," she said with a smile, getting into the driver side herself. He looked at her hesitantly.

"What I meant by that I do actually need my chair." He pointed out as Ellinor buckled herself in.

"And that is why I put it in the trunk." She said simply, turning the car on. Billy looked out the window to argue and point out his chair was where he had left it, but what he saw was nothing. He looked back to her with a cheek splitting grin.

"What no butterflies for me?" He asked with a deep chuckle, Ellinor joining in as she pulled out onto the road.

"I generally tend to save the butterflies for children, but if you are a very good boy, I may indulge you." She teased, giving him a sidelong glance as he pointed her to the main road.

"I forgot how sassy you were." He said, shaking his head. "It's weird seeing you-still you." He said. "I mean I've been around immortals before but, never first hand like this. Gods Sarah would have loved to see you again." He mumbled, turning to look out the window.

Ellinor pursed her lips, choosing her words carefully before she spoke. "You said it was a car accident...I'm so sorry Billy." He mumbled, catching him nod his head out of the corner of his eyes.

"Bad one...had to have a closed casket at her funeral." He mumbled gruffly, his hands in his lap wringing together.

"Was...did it happen on or off the reservation?" She asked gently, bracing herself for his response.

"Eh-off, well barely, but off. Why?" He asked, his voice becoming sturdier. "It wasn't- no it was just a car accident, Ellie, you got rid of that- thing." He said with a serious tone.

"I did, and I warded the reservation before I left- which reminds me, I'll want to check on those before I leave again. Could you have someone from the Pack help me through the woods with that?" She asked hurriedly, trying to distract the man away from their previous topic. The knowledge of Sarah dying just off of the reservation making a home in the back of her mind.

"Oh sure-sure." He said, looking ahead now, pointing her down a side road that she would have missed on her own. "If Jake ever shows his face I'll have him help you. My son, I'm sure you noticed, you notice everything-" He teased her, "He's-having a rough time lately, so he took off on his own for a bit to clear his head a bit- you know."

Ellinor nodded her head, it was not the first time she'd heard an excuse of this sort coming from a parent, and she knew it would not be the last. "Of course, I'm a habitual nomad myself, can't stay anywhere for too long, I get antsy." She said, slowing the car down as they came upon a word house didn't quite do it justice. The structure was huge, with floor to vaulted ceiling windows on nearly all sides, giving it quite the modern aquarium aesthetic. It was surrounded by trees on all sides, providing an excellent view no matter where you were inside. The Cullens certainly seemed to have the wealth that often accompanied immortality, it was an easy thing to accumulate when you had the advantage of endless time.

"Stylish." She mumbled as she stepped out of the car, snapping her fingers to bring Billy's chair to his side. He chuckled, rolling himself back and forth as if to test the chair's integrity.

"That'll never get old." He said as he lead them up to the Cullen's front door. A ramp was there, matching the exterior of the home, but no doubt an addition made solely for Billy's benefit, the thought made her smile softly. He gave a knock at the door, not waiting before he let themselves in, Ellinor hesitating for a moment before entering. "Seth, Ness?" He called out. "Doc?"

Ellinor gazed around the finely decorated home, noting some pieces of interest that had to be as old as her. A woman with caramel brown hair appeared at the top of the stairway, smiling warmly down at them as she descended the stairs. She was stunning, a common trait among those of her kind, with sheet white skin and golden eyes. "Billy, Sam said you were coming, glad to see you." She said kindly, coming to a stop at the end of the stairs.

"Hello Esme, good to see you too. Everyone doing okay?" He asked, his attention being drawn by two other figures entering the foyer. "Edward, Bells." He greeted, smiling at the two. "Sorry- forgot my manners." He turned back to Ellinor. "This is my old friend, Ellinor Hayse. Ellie, this is Esme, Edward, and Bella Cullen." He introduced, nodding to them all in turn. The Cullens were not as taken aback as most at the idea of her being an old friend of Billy's. Her eyes, however, did seem to catch them off guard.

"Pleasure to meet you all, do forgive the intrusion." She said as she extended her hand to Esme, finding it ice cold and firm to the touch. "Billy may have forgotten his manners but I hope you will not think the same of me." She said, eliciting a chuckle from the Bella. She turned to the couple, reaching out to greet them. ~~~

Hello. Thanks for taking the time to read this thing, love any feedback I can get, good, bad, and the ugly. I want to set up expectations my dear reader...have very few of them. I'm a lady in her mid-twenties getting back into writing and using this fanfic to get those juices flowing. I have not been on since my high school days so if seem out of the loops it's because I am, so please, kindly correct me if I'm every out of line. I won't make any promises about a schedule, I have a boring adult job and things happen. But I can promise that I'm eager to improve my writing and get this story out of my head that's been living rent-free since I re-read the immortal instrument series this year. So if you want to stick around for the shit show you're in good company. ~Sinerely, Mutiny