A Chance Meeting

Embry lifted his head as he stiffed at the air. They had been running for a bit, but he slid to a stop when an unfamiliar scent reached his nose. It was out of place in that area of the forest and reminded him of lavender. It was intoxicating and he found himself staring longingly in the direction it was coming from.

You got something? he heard Quil say in his head. He looked over at him.

Something smells different. You smell lavender? he asked. An odd tingling sensation filled his body as he started running towards the smell. It was coming from the direction of one of the accident sites.

I don't smell anything but the same trail left by the damn bloodsucker, Quil replied, taking off after him. Granted it's finally starting to wear off. Made me gag when we first came out here.

Embry was silent as he continued running, moving much faster through the trees on four legs than he could on just two. Ever since word broke out of the first attack, Sam and Jacob had the packs out every day searching. It had been a long time since they had anything strange happen around Forks. Not since the newborn army attacked and the Volturi came after Renesmee. As soon as Chief Swan had seen the first victim, he immediately called Jacob and asked him to look into it. He still didn't know about the existence of vampires, but he knew enough to see that this wasn't your average animal attack.

When the second and third hiker had been found, Charlie said he would keep the locals thinking it was a bear or something if Jacob and the others would take care of what actually was killing the hikers. He seemed a bit relieved with the need-to-know arrangement and that he wouldn't have to face whatever was lurking in the woods himself.

As soon as they had arrived at the first site, immediately the packs knew what was behind it. The clearing reeked of vampire. But the trail had gone cold at the ocean's edge. Every night they ran perimeter checks. And still they hadn't been able to locate the damn thing. Sam and Jacob had already been discussing bringing the Cullens in – they had been in Vancouver for two years now while Nessie went to college – but Jacob was determined they could handle the situation themselves and had even told the Cullens not to worry about it.

Embry was tired. Between juggling patrols, work, and his online courses, he was barely getting enough sleep. If things kept up like this much longer, he was worried his grades would drop and it would jeopardize his transfer to the University of Washington in the spring.

You'll be fine, Quil said, sensing his thoughts. This won't last forever. And you always were one of the smart ones.

Embry offered him a wolfy smile as they slowed down. There were voices coming from the clearing.

Thought the police cleared this place, Embry thought.

They did. Doesn't sound like police, Quil replied.

The scent of lavender was stronger as they quietly moved closer, the voices becoming more prominent. It was a man and a woman. Along with the scent, the tingling feeling intensified.

You seriously don't smell that? Or feel that? Embry said.

I don't smell or feel anything, Quil replied. Embry cocked his head to the side, trying to hear what they were saying.

"Though might be a good idea to get back to town. Certainly, would not want to run into whatever's been killing those hikers," the man said.

Both Embry and Quil were still, waiting for them to leave the clearing and head down the trail before stepping into it.

They were humans, whoever they were, Quil said, sniffing around. Embry froze as soon as his paw touched the ground, the scent overwhelming. The tingling only grew and it was now accompanied by a buzzing in his ears. You okay?

Yea, fine, Embry replied, starting to feel lightheaded.

Liar. I'm in your head, idiot, Quil said.

I'm sure it's fine. Let's head back, Embry said, turning and starting to run back to the reservation. Quil watched him a moment before taking off after him.

That was weird…

Mara sighed as she walked into her motel room later, a bag of fast food in one hand and a large file of photocopies from the library in the other. They had managed to get into town with a couple hours before it closed and she had spent the time going through old newspapers articles, pulling anything and everything she could on strange attacks or disappearances in the area.

She sat everything down on the table and pulled her bag off, sitting in one of the chairs. Looking around the room, she took in the pristine condition. The maids must have been in while she was out. She'd have to remember to put the "Do Not Disturb" sign before she left tomorrow. She did not want them coming in and seeing whatever she was working on.

She pulled off her coat and tossed it on the queen size bed before walking over and turning on the TV, quickly changing it to a local channel to catch the news. Mara thought over everything she had gathered that day, trying to decide what she was going to tell Richard. She obviously couldn't tell him that at least one of the deaths was a murder - not without hard evidence. But she could mention that these weren't the first odd cases and pass on the information that Mike had given her.

It wasn't much, but it was more than she had the last time she spoke with him. She prayed it was enough to keep her in Forks.

She had just pulled out the hamburger and fries from the greasy bag when her phone went off from her jacket pocket. Mara paused, looking over at it. She was worried it was Richard again, unhappy that she hadn't sent another update yet. Either way, she would need to face him, so she trudged across the room and pulled her phone out. Her eyebrows rose as she saw it was an unregistered number.

"Mara Winslow," she said, answering it.

"Good, I got you. You hungry?" Mike asked brightly. Mara looked over at the hamburger and soggy fries, her eyebrows raised. She was surprised to hear from him so soon after their trip to the woods. But surely whatever he had in mind was more appetizing than fast food. Not to mention, she figured she could get more information out of the deputy. Especially if there was alcohol involved.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked.

"Meet me at Riley's BBQ Joint in 30 minutes," he said. "It's just off the highway at the edge of town."

"Kind of short notice for a date," Mara replied, surprised by his boldness. Mike chuckled.

"Trust me, you want to meet me for dinner," he said. "Don't be late." He then hung up. Mara stared at the phone a moment, unsure of what exactly had just happened, but determined to make sure that the deputy knew she was here to work - not date. She had to maintain her focus.

Before she could put her phone down, it started ringing again, the name Kates appearing. Mara glanced at the time and answered. Better get the daily chat with her best friend out of the way.

"Hey, Kates. Gotta make it quick. I need to be somewhere in 30 minutes," she said.

"Good! You're getting somewhere with the story?" Katie gushed.

"Well… sort of," Mara said, starting to pull the elastic that held up her waves in a bun out of her hair.

"What do you mean, sort of?" Katie asked.

"Well, this guy – local guy – came up to me after lunch at the diner and said he'd help me," she said. "He wants to meet me for dinner."

"Oh my god, you're going on a date!" Katie shouted, causing Mara to wince as she pulled the phone slightly from her ear. Katie had a volume issue, especially when excited. Which was about 90 percent of the time.

"It's not a date," Mara said immediately. "He's a deputy. This is work and only work."

"You don't sound so sure there," Katie replied, laughing. "Is he hot?"

"He's decent," Mara said. Katie squealed, causing Mara to wince again, pulling the phone from her ear. "I'm here for work!"

"Yea, but that doesn't mean you can't have some fun in your off time," Katie replied. Mara rolled her eyes.

"You know how important this story is," she said.

"I know, I know. But you aren't working 24/7. Go out and get some," Katie said.

"I am definitely not here for that," Mara said, deadpan.

"It's been MONTHS since you broke up with what's-his-name and you were only with him, what? Two weeks? It's about time you hopped back up on that damn horse," Katie said.

"I'm here for work," Mara said again.

"Mar… please! For me! Go out and have fun with Deputy Hottie," Katie shouted. "You're going to need stories like this someday for your memoir after you win your Pulitzer!"

"First of all, no one said anything about Pulitzers-"

"Oh, shut up. It's in your blood," Katie retorted.

"Whatever. I'm going. He didn't really give me a choice. Kind of hung up after telling me when and where to meet him," Mara said.

"Ooo, he's got initiative. I like him," Katie said. Mara rolled her eyes again.

"Look, I gotta go," she said.

"Fill me in on your date later," Katie sang.

"I will, but still not a date," Mara said.

"Love you, lady," Katie replied.

"Love ya, too. Bye," Mara said before hanging up. She tossed her phone on the bed and looked over at her open suitcase before glancing down at her attire. She felt a bit dusty after the trip to the woods and the library. Whether or not it was a date, she could use a change of clothes, she thought as she walked over to the suitcase and started digging through it

Besides, wouldn't hurt to look nice for the deputy.

Mara clicked the car locked as she turned and looked up at the blazing red sign. She hadn't been sure what to wear but figured anything with BBQ in the name wouldn't be all that fancy. She had pulled on a pair of ripped jeans and plain white t-shirt with an oversized grey cardigan. She left her hair down and nervously gripped her purse on her shoulder as she walked towards the entrance.

Mike was leaning against the hood of his truck near the door. He pushed off and smiled as she stepped up to him.

"Good, you're on time," he said.

"I do know my way around a deadline," she said, smiling in return. She looked over at the restaurant. "This place any good?"

"Best BBQ in the area," Mike said, offering her his arm. Mara tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and nervously accepted it. Great. Now he really would think it was a date. "And… it's where Chief Swan and his wife eat two times a week."

Mara's eyes widened as she looked up at him, while he led her through the door.

"That's why you invited me," she stated, starting to smile. Mike shrugged.

"Figured we could orchestrate a little run-in. See where it goes from there," he replied. "Especially since I've told you everything I can at this point."

"I think I might like you, Mike Newton," she said.

"Good," he said. They walked up to the hostess, who asked if they just had two people. Mike nodded in agreement and looked around the restaurant.

"Over by the window looks good," he said, smiling at the hostess. She sighed and pulled out two menus, leading them over to an open table.

"Mike?"

The couple stopped and looked over as they were about to sit, seeing the chief and a woman staring up at them in surprise. As soon as he saw Mara, he immediately frowned.

"Chief," Mike said with a smile. "Sure, you remember Mara Winslow. This is his wife, Sue."

"Mara is a reporter from Seattle," Chief Swan said, clearly not happy. Sue glanced at her husband and then over at Mara, offering her a hesitant smile.

"Nice to meet you, Mara. I hope you're enjoying Forks," she said.

"It's a lovely town," Mara said, mustering up the friendliest smile she could. If she couldn't win over the chief, then maybe she would start on his wife.

"So, this is how you spend your day off, Newton?" Swan said, an eyebrow raised. "Thought I warned you all."

"We've just been getting to know each other. Nothing else," Mike said. "Thought someone should live up to the cliché that small towns are friendly." Sue looked at her husband, frowning as he sighed heavily.

"Why don't you two join us," Sue said, looking back at the couple. Mara smiled at her, sensing something warm in the woman's eyes.

"We couldn't intrude," Mara said quickly, somehow remembering her manners.

"Nonsense, you're not intruding. Mike is right. We are pretty friendly here," Sue replied, shooting a look at Charlie, who just rolled his eyes. Mike held out a chair for her and then took the open one to her side next to the chief.

"How long have you been in town?" Sue asked, looking at Mara.

"I got in yesterday. Tried to meet with the chief then, but he was already out for the day," Mara said. "Pretty sure he's already shared with you why I'm here." Mara glanced over at him as he kept his eyes focused on the menu. Sue chuckled as she also looked at him.

"Not sure why a big paper from Seattle would be interested in anything that goes on in Forks," Sue said.

"Guess you could say I got a hunch," Mara replied, picking up the menu. "Seems a bit strange, the attacks."

"We get a lot of animal attacks out here," Sue said. "Sure, this time is no different." Mara glanced at her and then over at the chief, trying to get a good read on them. "You from Seattle originally?"

"Kind of? My parents are originally. They met in LA and I was born there. They moved back up to Seattle to be closer to family when I was pretty little," Mara replied.

"Ah, so you have a lot of family around here," Sue said, studying Mara.

"Used to, but not so much anymore. On my mom's side, I've got my aunt and her family. But dad's side, they've all died or moved away," Mara replied. "Though I might have some cousins in Port Gamble…"

"The reservation?" Sue asked.

"Yep," Mara replied as she looked over the menu, not wanting to get into too many personal details. She hated the looks people gave her when they found out her father was dead. "So… what's good here?"

"Brisket's nice," Chief Swan said, clearly annoyed with her presence.

"Guess I'll try that," Mara said with a smile. She looked over at Sue. "Are you all born and raised here?"

"Well, I grew up on the reservation – La Push," she said. "Moved over to Forks when Charlie and I got married a few years ago. His family has been in Forks a few generations."

"Must be nice, living in a town where you know everyone," Mara said, venturing a glance at the chief.

"It's all I know," he said. "Same with Mike. He graduated with my daughter."

"That's nice. She still around here?" Mara asked.

"No. She moved to Canada with her husband and his family a couple years ago," Chief Swan said. Mara nodded her head slowly, tucking the information away. She wasn't sure if she'd need it, but it never hurt to know as much about the police chief as she could. The server stepped up and they ordered.

"How is it living in Seattle?" Sue asked after the server walked away.

"I like it," Mara replied. "Though I don't live in downtown or anything. My grandmother left me her house out in the suburbs, so I moved in there during college. It's not as busy, but still not so far from everything. And it butts up again some forest land, so I still get a bit nature."

"Keep meaning to get down there more," Sue said with a sigh as she looked at Charlie. "But this one doesn't know how to take a vacation.

"Not like I have a choice at the moment," Charlie said.

"I know the feeling," Mara said. "Reporter life doesn't come with many days off."

"You always worked the crime desk?" Mike asked. Mara shook her head.

"I started on it about a year ago. I was gen news before that," she said. "But I always wanted to be on the crime desk."

"So, you're drawn to crime?" the chief asked, watching her.

"Ah, my dad was an investigative reporter," she said, thinking it would be okay to give them that much at least. She needed to get on the chief's good side someway. "He always told me that the most important story for a crime reporter was the victim's story. Someone needs to make sure the truth gets out."

The chief was quiet, though Mara could see a change in his eyes.

"Wise words," Sue replied. Mara shrugged.

"I always thought so," she said.

"Your mother a reporter too?" Sue asked.

"No, she teaches history at the University of Washington," she said. "Though she's been published in a lot of journals for her work."

"Seems writing runs in the family," Sue said.

"Suppose so," Mara replied. "And the desire to help others."

"Isn't that why we got into our line of work, Chief? To help others?" Mike asked, smiling at him. Chief Swan sighed and looked over at his deputy, knowing exactly what he was doing.

"Yes," he said reluctantly.

"See? Mara's not all that different from us," Mike said before grabbing a rib and biting into it. There was an air of awkward silence for a few moments as the group ate.

"So… where did you go to school?" Sue asked, finally breaking it.

The conversation picked up from there, turning to lighter topics and soon Mara found herself enjoying the food and the company, even if the chief was still mostly silent. Sue was good a diffusing tension and it seemed the two shared a love of cooking and cooking shows.

But all too quickly, the night was coming to an end as the food disappeared.

"Well, I don't know about you all, but I think it's time to call it a night. Mike and I have work early tomorrow," Charlie said, looking over at the blonde man.

"Of course," Mike said. Mara started to reach for the check, but Mike swatted her hand away.

"I got this. I was the one who invited you out, after all," he said with a smile as he pulled out some cash and left it in the leather book.

"Thanks," Mara said, standing. The four made their way outside.

"It was lovely to meet you," Mara said, turning to Sue. "And I'll be sure to send you that cobbler recipe." The older woman pulled her into a hug, surprising her.

"Appreciate it. Good to meet you too. How long you in town?" she asked. Mara stepped back and shrugged.

"Not sure," she replied.

"Well, we should have you over to dinner one of these nights," she said.

"I'd like that," Mara said. She then turned to Charlie. "As always, good to see you, Chief Swan." He nodded and glanced at Sue, then sighed.

"Come by in the morning… I suppose it wouldn't hurt if you had some of those reports," he said reluctantly. Mara grinned.

"Thanks, Chief," she said. Charlie waved his hand.

"Well, you're going to write something regardless. Might as well make sure you've got the right information… And I might be able to see if some of the families will talk to you. But I'm not making any promises," he replied.

Mara couldn't help the relief that flooded through her.

"I appreciate it," she said. "Good night." The couple walked over to a truck and climbed in as Mike walked Mara back to her car.

"It's not that late. If you're interested, there's a bar in town. It's not much, but good enough for a beer," he said, smiling down at her. Mara looked up at him, contemplating what she wanted to do. Katie would likely ream her out for turning down the drink. But at the same time, she wanted to get started digging into the news articles. She had only skimmed through them in the library. The news that she had a meeting with the police chief the next day had her raring to dig into work.

"Rain check?" she asked. "I should prep for the interview… in case it happens." Mike nodded.

"Sure. Probably shouldn't be out late with work tomorrow and all, anyway," he said.

"But really, thank you. You may have just saved my job," she said, holding her hand out. "And for dinner."

"Anytime," Mike said, shaking it.

"I suppose I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yea, tomorrow," he said. He then stepped back as she climbed into the front seat of her car and buckled in. With one last wave, she started it and pulled out, heading towards the motel just down the way.

She couldn't help but grin as music pumped through the car.

Finally, she was getting somewhere.

I am sooo excited that I'm finally posting this one. Seriously guys, I've been sitting on it for a month or two… I've never completely finished a story and had to wait to start posting it before and the anticipation has been killing me.

Marmite-1 – Thanks! I'm happy to hear that!

twilightlover427 – Happy to hear you like it! I've got one more fanfic with a reporter as the protagonist (and then started work plotting out a novel with one), but it's something completely different – a Criminal Minds fic that popped into my head when I was binging the show for the millionth time. I'm not sure when I'll get around to posting it, but probably sooner rather than later. I was organizing some stories today and discovered I had two (that one and another that's Pacific Rim) that are basically 2-3 chapters from complete, so planning to finish those up and post them while I'm working on getting my Merlin sequel ready for posting. Still have a lot of planning and writing to do on that one… And I just don't like having too many unfinished stories in my drive for some reason…

Thanks everyone for reading and following!