A/N: Wow, who'd've thought I was still alive, huh? Basically, college was a lot more demanding than I expected considering I'm taking a five year master's course (27 units a semester woo) but I never forgot this story. I go back to it sporadically and fix it in some areas, it's just been difficult for me to dedicate so much of my time to it, and I hope you understand. Scholarships aren't easy to maintain, and that's really my top priority.

Do, however, expect chapter 17 and 18 soon as my apology for being inactive for so long. Keep the reviews coming, they really kept me going. Thanks lovelies!

Chapter 16

Potential

When I got home, I sat in my car for a bit with the ignition off, just going through my bag. I saw the little slip of paper peek out from my case, and I took it and unfolded it.

There was a note written in Seth's swift handwriting.

Callie,

I'm really not sure if you'll get this, but I hope you do. I have no way of reaching you since we never exchanged digits. Call me ASAP—588-968-7384

Seth

I dialed the numbers in my phone and hit the green 'Call' button.

"Hello?" I heard Seth's voice from the other line after half a ring.

"Hey!" I exclaimed happily.

"Callie, hey. I was excited to get your call."

"Clearly. You didn't wait to pick up your phone." I chuckled.

He laughed, too. "Anyway, so if you got this that means Brady told you about the dinner tomorrow night, am I correct?"

"Yes you are." I said, taking the key from its place.

"Are you free? I'll be more than happy to pick you up."

"Hmm." I replied, taking my bag and getting out of the car. "Yeah. I'd love to see any embarrassing pictures your mother might have of you as a kid."

"Oh, trust me, that was just me being adorable." He chuckled.

"Mhmm, whatever you say, Mr. Clearwater." I laughed, hanging the car keys beside Carlisle's.

We stayed on the phone together for a moment with nothing but the sound of our breathing.

"I miss you." He said, quietly.

I smiled to myself. "Same. This is the first time since we found out that we're apart."

"I know." He said. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow. I'm still on patrols."

"Alright. Be safe." I said, getting my shopping bags from the trunk and closing it.

"Yes ma'am." He replied. "Bye."

"Bye." I said, hanging up. As I walked into the front of the house, I saw Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, and Alice lifting heavy pieces of furniture to the stairs.

"Okay, what's all this for?" I asked Jasper.

"Just some stuff for Bree's room." He replied, carrying on.

I noted what they were carrying. Jasper and Alice were lifting a sofa and a chair, Carlisle was carrying a large bookcase and Esme was carrying two sets of lamps.

"I should be used to this by now, but it's still weird." I said to myself, meeting Bree outside by the cars. "Hey, Bree."

"Oh, hey." She smiled in surprise. "I don't know, they just bought so much stuff…" She said nervously, referring to the loaded cars.

"They're normally like that." I laughed, and lifted my shopping bags so she could see. "And so am I, sometimes, I admit. Runs in the family." I said.

"Are all of you related?" She asked, clearly confused.

I shook my head. "No, none of us are except for Esme and I. We just say that Carlisle and Esme are my real parents, and the step-parents of Jasper and Rose — who we say are twins — and Emmett, Alice, and Edward — who we say are just adopted, too." I explained. "The roles change every time we move. Not sure what story we have for you yet, but I think the one I came up with earlier could work, right? I mean, it was pretty genius if I do say so myself." I joked, flipping my hair.

She chuckled. "So, how long have you guys lived here?"

"Around four years. So we have at least one to three more left." I said, as she took a TV box into her arms.

She nodded as we walked into the house. "And you've lived in how many places?"

"We live in a rotation, so not that many actually. There's Denali in Alaska, where our vampire relatives — as we like to call them — reside. That's actually where we're headed next after this. There's also Canada, Rochester, Appalachia, Chicago, Hoquiam, New York, and even Wisconsin." I said.

"Oh, wow." She said.

"Stick with us and you'll get to see the world, kid. And get an extensive education." I chuckled, and we entered the attic. I looked around in surprise. "Hey, this is nice. I never knew our attic could be so… hospitable."

She giggled. "Thanks."

"Yeah, and I put it all together." Alice said proudly.

"Yes, we know." I smiled. "It looks great."

"I should hope you think so. You're the one who took up interior design twice." She said, walking to Jasper.

"Yes, but you're the one who applies it everywhere." I said, admiring her work.

"I have a gift." She curtsied. "I heard you got your new car?"

"Yeah, I did." I said happily. "Beautiful, he is."

"You named it?" Jasper chuckled.

I nodded. "My friends got me into it. I figured it'd be a nice way to remember them by when we turn a new leaf and they you know, die." I said a little morbidly.

Alice gave me a pitying half-smile. "Moving's hard, but you still get like two years left with them. So just make the best out of it, I guess."

I shrugged. "Yeah."

"So what's his name?" Jasper asked, changing the topic back.

"Laura named him Romeo. Which, I feel is very fitting." I grinned happily.

"You named him after the Shakespearean character who killed himself after finding his love was dead, but really wasn't?" Jasper gave me a criticizing eye.

"You know I like to stick to the romantic bits." I shrugged. "It's nicer to remember good things." I said.

"Okay then." Jasper chuckled.

"Yeah. I'm just gonna head to my room now. I'm tired." I said, yawning. "Night everyone. Good work here."

"Night." Bree, Alice, and Jasper said, and I walked down the stairs to the third floor.

"It's no Chevy Camaro, but... well..." Seth said nervously, looking at his rusty red pick-up with his hands on his hips.

"It has character." I said enthusiastically.

Seth gave me an amused 'seriously?' look.

"It's great. The only thing I'm worried about is your license." I said, descending the stairs at the front door. "Or, lack thereof." I smiled up at him.

"Well, I wouldn't worry too much about that since the chief of police was a very good friend of my dad's." He said, grinning. "...That's also why they have the same cars."

"Well-played, Mr. Clearwater." I commended. "Very well-played. A rebellious teenage boy taking me out to see his mother and sister, oh, I feel I've seen this before."

"Who doesn't love a little cliché in their lives?" He asked, leaning on the side of the car.

"Are you kidding me? I love clichés! Dancing in the moonlight, kissing in the rain, watching the stars, chocolates and roses." I said whimsically, my hands clasped together in thought.

"Speaking of," he said, racing in the driver's seat window and pulling out a bouquet of pink roses and a small box of chocolates.

"Oh... oh, Seth! You're so sweet." I said, taking the items and giving him a huge hug.

"Picked the roses myself." He said proudly. "And this isn't even a date." He pointed out.

I raised an eyebrow, smiling. "Well then I can't wait for our first."

He smiled shyly. "You look amazing."

I blushed. "You sure?" I asked, looking down at my blush pink sun dress. Seth was standing before me clad in a classic blue button shirt and pants.

"Yeah, it's absolutely perfect." He nodded. "Is Carlisle home?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure they're all listening in." I whispered. I then heard a door slowly close.

"Yeah, I heard them too." He chuckled.

Just then, Esme appeared at the door. "Seth, why don't you come in for a second?"

I looked up at him.

"Sure, Mrs. Cullen." Seth said.

"It's Esme." She said again, inviting him inside.

We walked back up the steps and into the house, where Carlisle, Alice, Jasper, and Bree were seated in the living room.

"Hi, everybody." Seth looked at the newborn in confusion. "I don't believe we've met before."

"Her name's Bree. We took her in after the battle." I introduced her after noting the reluctant look on her face.

Seth smiled kindly. "Oh, alright. Pleasure to meet you," He started, moving forward with his hand reaching for her, and she took it with her head turned away in disgust. "Right. Despite the cologne mom made me put on, I must still smell terrible to you." He said awkwardly, moving back to my side.

I gave him an apologetic look. "We're going over to his place, so... Bye." I said, trying to pull him away.

"Mr. Cullen," Seth began, resisting my pull.

"Yes, Seth?" He asked, interested in what he has to say. "And please, call me Carlisle."

"May I have a word with you in private, sir?" He asked as respectfully as any gentleman would.

Carlisle looked a bit taken aback, but invited Seth and Esme into his office.

That room's soundproof. I thought in dismay. I looked at Seth in confusion, but he just told me to stay put while they walked to the room. I then looked at the others.

"Wolf-boy has manners." Jasper said, mildly surprised.

"Of course he does." I snapped at him before turning back to the office. "I wonder what they're talking about."

"Just read their minds." Jasper suggested. "Duh."

"I promised Seth I wouldn't. I told him I felt like I was cheating." I said, half-regretting it.

"Well, it's nothing to worry about. That I can tell you." Alice smiled knowingly.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Okay, fine."

I sat beside Bree a little nervously as I waited for them to come back to the room. It felt like ages, but in reality was only for a few minutes.

"Thank you again, Carlisle." I heard Seth say as the door opened.

I stood up immediately and sped to his side. He was taken aback by my sudden appearance that he took a step away.

"What-wh-what are we t-talking about here?" I asked in a panicked voice.

Carlisle chuckled. "Callie, you're stuttering."

Esme had a huge smile plastered across her face, as did Carlisle when he was done laughing.

"Of c-course I a-am I don't like b-being left out!" I sighed, closed my eyes and placed my palm on my forehead to calm myself down. "Can we please just go before I read someone's mind. Or explode." I asked Seth, looking down.

"Uh-yeah. Let's." Seth said, taking my wrist and nodding to Carlisle. "Thank you."

"The chocolates and flowers are mine!" I warned, knowing that Emmett likes to hide my stuff as a prank.

We walked to the red pick-up parked outside and he opened the door for me as I got in. He went to the driver's side and ignited the engine.

The car rattled with a shaky start, taking a while for us to finally move. The whole time it took for us to finally pull out of the driveway, Seth had a smile glued to his face.

"You know, you're cute when you stutter." He glimpsed at me, hands on the steering wheel.

I grunted. "I don't like being kept in the dark. Why do you think I ran out on them when Edward didn't tell me about the imprint thing." I huffed, crossing my arms and looking out the window. "Oh, shit."

He looked at me, confused. "What's wrong?"

"I forgot the flowers for your mom." I slapped my forehead.

"It's fine."

"No, it isn't." I said. "It's incredibly stupid not to bring something for the lady of the house!"

"Okay, you wanna go back for it?" He asked, getting ready to turn.

"We're already in town, it's too late. Do you mind if we stop by the flower shop?" I asked.

He shook his head, and turned the car.

"Daisies?" Seth questioned when I returned.

"And statices. They're cute and can brighten up a room." I smiled. We continued the drive to his place. "Wanna tell me what you had to talk with Carlisle for?" I fished, looking around innocently.

Seth's smile just grew. "I can't tell you."

I sighed. "Fine, fine. Gosh. This is really frustrating."

"It's nothing bad, I promise." He assured me.

"That's what Alice said, too." I sighed.

"See? Nothing to worry about." At this, I stuck my tongue out at him.

We pulled into the driveway of the Clearwater house. Outside, it was very similar to Jacob's. A red two-story home with an attic made of wood and glass, the house stood amongst trees along a dirt path not very far from Sam's.

"It's a very, very humble home." Seth said nervously as I opened my door.

"Stop being so nervous. I would never judge you." I told him, admiring the house. "And this is a beautiful home. Promise." I said, as he gave me a hand to help me descend the car.

We walked up to the house and Seth opened the front door.

"Mom? Leah? We're home." He announced, leading the way in.

"I'm coming!" I heard Sue call out from what I presumed to be the kitchen. She soon showed herself dressed in a nice floral blouse and jeans, as well as an apron. "Callie, welcome."

I smiled. "Good evening, Mrs. Clearwater. These are for you." I said, handing her the bouquet.

"Oh, Callie, these are beautiful! And please, call me Sue." She gladly took them and set them down on the coffee table in the living room. "Leah? Are you up there, sweetheart?"

With a hand on the small of my back, Seth led me out of the small antechamber and into the living room.

Heavy footsteps descended the stairs and out came Leah, dressed in a sleeveless shirt and tattered shorts.

"Leah, would it kill you to put on something nice for our guest?" Sue whispered to her.

"I don't mind." I smiled, then looked to Leah. "Did you get the clothes I sent?"

She side-smiled at me. "Yeah. Thanks."

I nodded.

"Ok then. I'll just be a few more minutes in the kitchen. Seth, why don't you give her a grand tour?" Sue said taking Leah by the arm, walking back to the kitchen.

"Alright." Seth smiled, then bowed with an extended arm directed at the stairs. "Ladies first."

I chuckled and went upstairs.

Inside, the house was actually very similar to Bella's. The main difference was that in the first floor, you enter from the left of the house where the living room is with the den to the left of that. The kitchen was at the far right connected to the dining room left of that, which was separated from the living room by a hallway and stairs.

As we went up the stairs, Seth showed me the bathroom, Sue's, Leah's, and his room.

"Let's go in your room." I said, touching the knob.

"No!" He said immediately. "It's... Uh, it's a mess."

"So? I live with three boys. I don't mind." I said, turning the knob.

"Callie, please. Remember what I said in the tent?" He asked nervously.

I closed the door and turned to him. "Seth, you're not going to hurt me. Besides, it's not like we're going to do anything. We haven't done anything."

He sighed. "Ok, fine."

I grinned at him and proceeded to entering the room. He turned the lights on and everything was exposed.

His single bed stood in the middle with his desk pushed against the wall beside the window. His backpack lay forgotten underneath it. On the far left corner were a sound system and a stack of CD's, arranged in different piles. A medium-sized TV and DVD player also sat on a drawer before the bed. I walked further in the room to my right which I couldn't see at first, finding his closet, bedside table, and bookshelf. The bookshelf was full of little trinkets and strange artifacts which I assumed were his father's, or simply just the Quileute tribe's. There were also a few actual books, but mostly comics and typical boy stuff.

Looking around, posters and drawings of superheroes covered the sky blue walls, as well as some posters of a few bands I'd heard of.

"Did you draw these yourself?" I asked, impressed, taking a closer look at the sketches.

"Some." He shrugged.

"That's amazing." I smiled. "Your room is great. And not messy at all."

He chuckled. "Yeah."

"It's really cozy here." I nodded.

"Seth, Callie, dinnertime!" I heard Sue call from downstairs.

"After you." Seth bowed again, showing me out.

"Mrs. Clear- I mean, Sue, this chicken meatloaf is amazing." I commented as we ate. "Where did you get this recipe?"

"Oh, it's been passed down. Old family recipe." She smiled.

"It's great." I smiled.

"So, Callie, Seth tells me you're a hybrid?" She asks politely.

I coughed a little, covering my mouth. Not exactly one's typical conversation topic. "Yes, I am."

"Mom." Seth said in caution.

"Oh, sorry, dear, I meant no harm by it." She waved. "It's just... just a little strange, is all."

"A lot strange." Leah said, earning a look from Sue.

I nodded. "Yeah. I completely understand."

"So how does that work? I mean, do you also..." She started using her hand to make gestures as if pulling something to her mouth.

"Drink blood, you mean?" I clarified, and she nodded. "I can live off food or blood. I prefer food, though." I said nervously.

"Ah." She nodded, taking another bite.

It was a little awkward at first, especially since we just pointed out the elephant in the room. But Seth started sharing funny stories about his schoolmates and successfully broke the ice. After dinner, I placed our dishes in the kitchen and we sat on the couches in the living room.

"Hey Callie, wanna see Seth's baby photos?" Leah said mischievously while Sue made us tea.

"Leah!" Seth warned, but Leah already had the photo album in her hands.

I laughed as Seth tried to pry the book from her firm grip to no avail. Once he wore down, he sat by my side in defeat.

"I give up." He said, and Leah proceeded.

We shared many laughs that night, most caused by Seth's childhood stories. He was a terribly adorable kid, having said and done the craziest things I can only imagine Seth could think of. He was one-of-a-kind that way.

Additionally, I had to admit that I respected him a lot more now. Despite having lost his father so suddenly and constantly being treated like a baby, he always managed to keep a smile on his face and rose above it. Seth was truly exceptional.

Responses to reviews:

Lara-cat - but you're cuter

EMILCE - grazie

Guest - sorry to keep you waiting :(

hillybutt - HE'S MAJESTIC tho I don't really like his hair now and he has a gf sad

Anonymous - you flatter me dearly. Thanks so much!