Getting to Know the Fam

Mara glanced at the caller ID on her phone as she carefully drove down the winding highway that led to La Push. She pressed the answer button and braced herself.

"Hey, Mom," she said brightly.

"Want to explain why I haven't heard from you since you left?" her mother said, her voice full of concern.

"Sorry, guess I was just caught up in work," Mara said.

"Christ, your dad used to do the same thing. Worried me to death," her mother continued. Mara rolled her eyes.

"I'm only three-and-a-half hours away," she replied.

"Yea, covering a story about mysterious deaths in a secluded town surrounded by miles of forest," her mother shot back. "I hope you're not going out into the woods."

"I do have to go out there for the story," Mara said. "In fact, I'm currently driving to La Push."

"God, just… tell me that someone is going with you," her mother replied.

"Mom, it's fine. I'm going out to talk to some people, so I won't be alone. I'm not a kid anymore. This is my job," Mara retorted. There was silence on the other end.

"Sorry, I know. You can handle this. Just… it makes me nervous, you know?" she said. Mara sighed.

"Mom, this isn't like Dad," she said softly.

"I know, I know."

"I'm being careful," Mara continued.

"I know. Just miss you," she said. Mara chuckled.

"I won't be here forever," she said.

"Hurry up and get back home. I've found some new recipes I want to try. Oh, and call Kates. She's driving me crazy," her mom said.

"Got it," Mara said with a laugh. "Love you."

"Love you too, Mars Bar."

"Bye, Mom."

She hung up and sighed.

"Call Katie," she said, rubbing her forehead. It rang once before Katie picked up.

"What the hell? I called twice last night!" Katie shouted, her voice filling the car.

"I know! I'm sorry! I had to focus on finishing the article," she said, her eyes darting from the navigation screen back to the road.

"I wanted to hear all about Deputy Hottie!" Katie whined.

"Shit, Kates. It's not like it was a date. He asked me to dinner so I could meet with the chief. Finally got him to give me the reports," she said.

"Oh," Katie said. "But you're going to see him again, aren't you?"

Mara frowned. She knew she would see Mike anytime she went into the station. And he had messaged her and asked if she would be free for a drink that night that she hadn't responded to yet.

Truth be told, after the meeting in the woods yesterday, she had very nearly forgotten about the deputy. There had been a constant flurry of butterflies in her stomach all morning whenever she thought about going out to the reservation that she couldn't explain. She had added it to the ever-growing list of odd bodily reactions whenever she thought about La Push and this mysterious Embry.

"Mara… what are you not telling me? Did something happen? He's a total douche, isn't he?" Katie asked, driving her out of her thoughts. Mara shook her head.

"No, it's nothing like that. He's fine, but just a work contact," she said quickly. "I've just been caught up in interviews and such. Met with one of the family's yesterday and went out to another site where I ran into some of the guys from the nearby reservation."

"You met more of the locals, eh?" Katie asked. "Were these guys hotties too?"

"Christ, Kates, is that all you think about?" Mara asked, rolling her eyes.

"I can hear it in your voice. You have a crush on someone," Katie said, the smile apparent in her voice. "Is it Deputy Hottie or one of the others?"

"You know that I'm here to work," Mara said. "In fact, I'm on my way out to the reservation to do more interviews," she said.

"So, it's one of the locals. What's his name?" Katie asked.

"Oh my god, I'm not having this conversation right now," Mara said, her voice strained. Katie was quiet.

"Something happened. I can hear it in your voice," she said, sounding serious.

"Nothing happened," Mara replied, though her thoughts immediately returned to the odd encounter in the forest. She blushed slightly as she thought back to some of the dreams she had had the night before. Embry had featured in all of them.

How could she feel this much attraction for someone she had just met? Someone that she had been around for a grand total of 5 minutes? It made no sense.

"Mar… is the story getting to you?" Katie asked.

"No," Mara replied. "I mean, it was tough interviewing the family yesterday, but… I don't know. I've gotten this weird feeling ever since I arrived in Forks."

"You think there's something more going than just animal attacks?" Katie asked.

"That's what my gut is telling me," Mara replied. "I'm hoping I can get some answers while I'm in La Push today."

"And then drinks with Deputy Hottie tonight?" Katie asked.

"Don't know… depends on how things go today," Mara replied.

"You do have a crush on one of the guys you met yesterday," Katie shouted in triumph. Mara rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth to start to tell Katie off, but stopped. She really wanted to tell her about what had happened yesterday, but she didn't even know how to explain it to herself.

"I'm just focused on work, is all," Mara replied. "Gotta go, I'm nearly there."

"Fill me in later, yea?" Katie asked.

"Sure. Love ya," Mara said, turning off on another road.

"Love ya, too!"

Mara hung up as music filled the car again. She had started noticing a number of cabins and houses popping up as she neared the town. Once she hit the main street, she took in the various shops selling traditional arts and crafts and usual small-town fare. Grocery store, drug store, post office. She glanced at the navigation and kept going towards the outer edge of the town, turning down a country road where the houses were set far apart, some partially hidden in the trees. At the end of it, she pulled up to a cabin with flowers in the front and rocking chairs on the porch.

She had arrived.

She put the car in park and turned it off. Turning, she grabbed her bag from the front seat as she unhooked her seatbelt and then got out of the car. Paul was already stepping out from the house and walking towards her as she shut the door.

"Good to see you found the place," he said brightly as he neared her with his hand out. Mara smiled and shook his hand, though her eyes drifted towards the house, wondering if Embry was inside. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Paul's grin widen but before she had a chance to find it curious, two more men stepped out.

"This is Jacob Black and Sam Uley," Paul said. "This is Sam's house, but a lot of us hang out here regularly. Sam and Jacob are… kind of like…"

"We're on the tribal council," Jacob said quickly, shooting a frown at Paul. "Paul says you're here covering the hikers' deaths?"

"Yea, for The Seattle Times," Mara said, moving over towards the two with her hand out. Jacob accepted in, studying her curiously. She then turned to Sam, who kept his arms crossed in front of him, watching her with caution. Mara's eyebrows rose as she dropped her hand to her side. "Been staying in Forks."

"Have you tried talking with the police over there?" Sam asked. "Sure they could help you out more than we can."

"Yea, I've been in touch with Chief Swan," she said.

"Then why do you want to talk to us?" Sam asked.

"I know this area relies on tourism. I just wanted to get a feel for how the recent attacks have been affecting that. I'm sure it's not been easy with a lot of them happening so close," she said, not shying away from his stern gaze. Jacob cracked a smile as he looked back at Sam and then over at Mara.

"Come on in. A few of the guys are here," Jacob said, motioning for her to come into the house. Mara moved to follow him, feeling like she had just passed some sort of test, though she wasn't sure exactly what it was.

They walked in and found a kitchen table crowded with more large men. Mara stopped, momentarily stunned at their size. Just what was in the water at La Push? Her eyes then fell on Embry as the butterflies started up again and she felt the pull of the invisible thread in between them, guiding her over towards him.

"You remember Embry," Paul said, stepping up to her side. Mara just blinked as the two stared at each other. "Take a seat." She noticed the only open chair was next to him. Gulping, she walked over and sat down, glancing over at him. The first thing she noticed was the heat coming from his body. She wasn't sure if it was real or her imagination. Instead of dwelling on it, she offered him what she hoped was a friendly smile and not a nervous grimace.

"Good to see you again," she said.

"You too," he replied. His voice was deep – Mara could feel it rumble throughout her body. She looked around the group, finding an interesting mix of reactions to her presence. Some seemed curious while others were grinning as though they knew something she didn't. Mara shook it off as she reached into her bag, searching for a pen and her notebook.

"Can I get you some coffee?" a woman called out. Mara looked up, noticing a beautiful woman standing in the kitchen for the first time. Her eyes immediately went to her round belly and then back up to her face, which she could only see half of.

"Uh, yea, thanks," Mara said. The woman smiled warmly and then turned away, her back to them. Mara continued digging through her bag, finally finding what she was looking for and pulling it out, before the woman then walked towards the table with a mug of coffee that she sat in front of Mara. It was then that she noticed the wicked scars running down her left cheek. Mara quickly turned her attention to her notebook, flipping through pages to get to the few questions she scribbled down. She didn't want to be caught staring.

"This is Emily, Sam's wife," Paul offered from where he stood behind Quil. "And you remember Quil. These other two are Seth Clearwater and Jared Cameron." Mara nodded a hello to all of them, though she could still feel the pull of Embry next to her.

"Well, I guess we should just get started," Mara said, glancing down at her notebook. Yes, focus on work. Work was good. Inappropriate thoughts of the man sitting next to her were bad. "What do you guys make of the deaths?" She directed the question towards Sam and Jacob, who were standing next to Paul. She felt as though they were the ones with the most authority in the group and it was only polite to ask them first. Jacob looked over at Sam, who still looked as though he wasn't completely happy with Mara there.

"I mean, we feel bad for the families, but when you live in a place like this, unfortunately animal attacks happen," Jacob said, looking back at Mara. "We've been helping out where we can - going out to help the police hunt down whatever it is. Just being out in the woods to make sure no one is going off the trails."

"Do you have any ideas as to what kind of animal could be doing this?" Mara asked, scribbling things down. She could feel Embry's eyes on her, though she tried to stay focused, else she'd screw up her own shorthand and fuck herself over later when she was writing up the story.

"There are a lot of animals out here that could attack hikers," Sam said. "Bears, cougars, even coyotes and moose." Mara frowned.

"A moose could do something like this?" she asked, a note of incredulity entering her voice.

"Not in this case, but they can cause trouble," Jacob explained quickly.

"So, it's more likely a bear, cougar or coyote," Mara stated, an eyebrow raised. "Any wolves in the area?" A look passed around the group. Paul and Jacob looked slightly impressed though Sam certainly didn't.

"Just how much do you know about animal attacks?" Sam asked her. Mara's eyebrows rose slightly as she sat up in her chair.

"I know a fair amount. Grew up hiking, camping, and hunting thanks to my dad," she replied. "And I know enough to see that these injuries don't completely add up." Of course, she was bluffing a bit - she hadn't seen any such thing in the reports Swan had given her, nor had she seen the actual injuries. But knowing what she did from her little sixth sense, she had to figure there was something odd about them. "And that this isn't the first time there has been a number of hikers killed in the area."

"Again, it's a lot of forest and wilderness. Animal attacks aren't unusual," Sam said. Mara nodded and looked down at her notebook.

"Did any of you know the hikers?" she asked, glancing around the table, though ultimately, she was using it as an excuse to look at Embry.

"Knew of some of them. It's a rural area and a decent amount of people from Forks come up here to the beach," Jacob said. Mara nodded again and scribbled more things down in the notebook. She could sense a bit of tension in the room. And that they were being guarded with their answers. The tension was mostly coming from Sam, though she felt like the rest of the group was following his example.

Sighing, she put her notebook and pen down on the table and reached for her mug of coffee, taking a sip as she met Sam's stare. It was time to stop tiptoeing around it and get direct.

"I'm not the enemy," she said bluntly. "You can talk to me. I just want to make sure that the story is told right."

"And just why should we trust you?" he asked.

"Chief Swan trusts me, at least to some extent," she replied. "Don't you want to know what's going on?"

"We know what's going on. It's animal attacks," Sam said. "And we don't need reporters like you butting in and making it into something bigger than what it is."

He then turned and stalked out of the house, leaving the kitchen in awkward silence. Mara looked down at her mug and took another drink.

"I'm sorry about that," Emily said. "He's under a bit of stress right now because of the attacks. All three happened nearby and we're all worried whatever it is could come into town." Mara looked over at her.

"I imagine that can't be easy," she said, sensing some of the tension break a bit.

"So, you're a big-time reporter from Seattle?" Paul asked, changing the subject. Mara looked over at him, her eyes wide in surprise.

"I wouldn't say that," she said quickly. "Just a normal, average reporter."

"You know, I think if you give Sam some time to cool off, he'll be more willing to answer your questions. In the meantime, Embry could show you around town. Lunch isn't completely ready yet," he said, causing Embry to choke a bit on his own coffee as he looked at Paul. Mara felt her cheeks heat up slightly.

"Sure, that would be nice," Mara said, glancing at the man sitting next to her. What? Why did she say that? It was as if her mouth had a mind of its own. But at the same time, she couldn't deny that a bit of giddiness started welling up within her. Christ, at this rate, she'd be scribbling "Mara + Embry" in her notebook with hearts by the end of the interview.

"Guess we should go then," Embry said, standing. Mara put her mug down and stood as well.

"Lead the way," she said brightly. Embry nodded and walked out the front door, Mara quick on his heels.

"Well that could have gone a lot better," Jared said once the two were out of earshot. "I thought you told Sam." He looked up at Jacob.

"We did," Jacob said with a sigh as he moved to sit in one of the open chairs.

"Sam's a little confused," Emily said gently.

"So's Embry," Jacob said. "But I have to admit… I like her. She's not afraid of Sam."

"How do you think she's going to handle it when Embry finally tells her?" Paul asked, reaching for a muffin.

"That's anyone's guess," Jacob replied, his brow furrowed. "For Embry's sake, I hope it's well. We haven't had an imprintee reject it so far, but doesn't mean it couldn't happen…"

"I don't think she will," Emily said. "She couldn't stop sneaking glances at him. You can tell she's feeling something, though she probably hasn't figured out what it is herself. Best thing we can do is let them work it out."

"Or, we could do everything that we can to throw them together," Paul countered with a grin.

"I don't think they'll need any help in that department," Seth said, watching the couple slowly walk towards town out the front door. "They're walking pretty close…"

"Embry might need it. When was the last time he went on a date anyway?" Paul asked with a chuckle.

"Hush," Emily said, swatting Paul with a dish towel. "Stop giving your brother such a hard time. You remember how it was when you first imprinted."

"Don't remind me," Jacob said, rolling his eyes as Paul grinned.

"All of you. Given them space to figure it out on their own," Emily warned, though her eyes twinkled.

There was a chorus of "Alright" and "Fine."

"Good."

Mara looked around the picturesque town as Embry started leading her towards a path going into the forest. He had been a good guide, explaining some of the tribe and town history as he pointed out the various shops and buildings around them. The more they walked around, the more he seemed to relax and open up about the area. Mara had looked into La Push a little bit before driving out, but hadn't gone in that closely, seeing as it wasn't related to the animal attacks.

Her father would probably have something to say about that - always be prepared and such. Hell, her mother probably would too considering she specialized in the Native history of the state.

For whatever reason, Mara felt like a jumbled ball of nerves. God, it was like being back in high school and finally getting that chance to talk with her biggest crush.

"Are you sure that it's safe?" Mara asked as she looked over at him.

"We're not that far into the woods," he replied. "Besides, there's not much out here that scares me." Mara nodded as she accidentally knocked into him.

"Sorry," she said, her cheeks turning slightly pink.

"It's fine," he said, though he felt his heart skip a heat at the brief touch.

"So… what was it like to grow up here?" she asked.

"It wasn't bad," he said. "My mom moved here from the Makah reservation when she was pregnant with me, so it's the only home I've ever known."

"My dad's family came from the S'Klallam Reservation in Port Gamble, though I admit I've never been out there," she said. "After he moved to LA, he didn't really keep in touch and now there's not really any of them still there."

Embry was silent as he took in the information. He wanted to ask about it more but felt that was too personal for their first real conversation. No matter what the imprint was telling him.

"Seems like you guy must spend a lot of time outdoors," she said.

"That would be true," Embry said, smiling to himself. If only she knew just how much time he spent outdoors. "Hunting, fishing. There's a nice beach nearby where we have the occasional bonfire or go surfing."

"Really? I'd like to see that," Mara said, perking up at bit. She had always loved being near the water.

"Maybe if you get some free time while you're here, I could take you over there," Embry offered.

"I'd like that," Mara found herself saying. She blushed again as she kept her gaze on the trail in front of her.

"You seem like you know your way around a trail," Embry said as he watched her make her way nimbly down the uneven forest path in a pair of sturdy, worn hiking boots.

"Surprising for a city slicker?" she asked, grinning at him.

"Yea, a bit," he admitted. Mara chuckled.

"My family was really into all the outdoorsy stuff. I grew up going on trips with my parents nearly every month or so. Camping, hiking, hunting and all," she said. "Though I haven't been out as much since-" Mara stopped, realizing what she was about to say.

"Since when?" Embry asked.

"Since my dad died," Mara said softly.

"God, I'm sorry," Embry said. Mara shook her head and smiled.

"It's fine. You didn't know and it was a long time ago. I was 15," she said. Embry was quiet a few moments. "I was the one who found him actually… in our house." She snapped her mouth shut, unsure of why she had shared something so personal with someone she just met.

"I can't even imagine," Embry said. Mara met his gaze, seeing that he was sincere. "I, ah, never knew my dad." She had guessed as much when he mentioned that his mom moved here when she was pregnant with him but felt it polite not to ask about it. "It's always been just me and my mom."

"You must be close. Is that why you stayed in La Push?" she asked.

"For the most part. I got accepted into a couple schools right after high school, but felt I needed to take care of her. I've been doing online courses though. Planning to transfer to UW for the spring semester." Mara nearly stopped walking.

"You're moving to Seattle?" she asked, the butterflies starting up again. "What are you studying?"

"Pre-med," he replied. "Then hopefully I can get accepted into the med school there. Starting a bit late, but figured it was better late than never."

"That is true," she said. "Why medicine?"

"Always been interested in it. Healing people and such. And figured maybe someday I could move back and open up a clinic here so that folks wouldn't need to always go elsewhere," he said. He looked over at her. "Why journalism?"

"Ah, well, my dad was a reporter," she said. "Guess I wanted to follow in his footsteps." Embry stopped walking, turning to face her. He could hear the sadness in her voice.

"It must have been really hard," he said. Mara looked down at her feet, kicking the dirt around with the toe of her boot.

"I survived," she said, finally looking up at him. Without thinking Embry reached out and pulled Mara towards him, enveloping her in his arms. Mara was stunned into silence, not seeing it coming, but at the same time, she felt like it was what she needed in that moment. That it was the best way he could communicate with her as she rested her head on his chest and allow his warmth to spread throughout her. She found that she appreciated it more than the usual awkward, "I'm so sorry for your loss," or other generic phrases people used when they didn't know what to say.

But then she came to her senses, remembering this was someone she had just met, and stepped back, smiling nervously as she started down the path again, tucking her hair behind her ears. Embry quickly caught up to her.

"Is that why you are taking this story so seriously?" he asked, reaching for anything to say that might diffuse the awkwardness that settled in.

"I take every story seriously," she said. "But… to be honest, this is the first substantial one I've been given since I started on the crime desk. More than trying to prove myself, I feel like the families deserve to know the truth." Embry frowned.

"The truth?" he asked. Mara nodded, as she thought over what exactly to say to him. It was on the tip of her tongue to confess everything - she wasn't sure why being around Embry seemed to open the floodgates. But she also didn't want all her suspicions to get back to the chief just yet. Especially when she needed more evidence. She sighed.

"You honestly don't find anything strange about the recent attacks?" she asked, looking up at him. Embry opened his mouth to speak and then shut it.

"I'm not sure," he finally said.

"I just... can't help but feel like… there's something more that's going on. That there's something the police are hiding," she replied, her brow furrowed. "And why would they hide things if these are supposedly random animal attacks?"

"You don't think they're random?" Embry asked. He was equal parts impressed with how she put things together, but also worried about how close to the truth she was getting.

"Well, I think the victims are chosen out of convenience..." she said.

"You think it's a person doing this," he said. Mara shrugged.

"I don't know for sure, but if it's a person behind this, they certainly aren't human," she replied. Embry's eyes widened a bit. Did she know? "It takes something truly evil to inflict that kind of violence on someone else."

He breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, she didn't suspect there was anything supernatural at play here. She couldn't. She was a journalist after all. She thought it was the work of a psycho killer.

"God, this is a depressing topic for such beautiful surroundings," Mara said, offering a tense laugh. "We should get back to happier topics."

"Yea," Embry said, breathing a sigh of relief. "So, Mara… what do you do for fun in Seattle?"

"The usual. Concerts. Movies. Going out with my friends," she said. "Though my favorite place is sitting on the back deck of my house with a good book."

"You have a house," Embry said, impressed.

"Don't sound too impressed. There's no way I could have afforded to get it on my salary. It's my grandmother's. She left it to me when she died. I moved in during school," she said. "It's in a quiet neighborhood with a large backyard that butts up against a forest."

"Sounds nice," Embry said.

"It's nowhere near as beautiful as out here, but it's a nice little sanctuary in the big city," she said. "I'll have to have you over for dinner one night after you move to Seattle." Once again her cheeks heated up as Mara surprised herself with her own boldness.

"I'd like that," Embry said. The two walked in silence a bit before Embry started to pick up his pace. "Come on. I think Emily's probably got lunch ready by now."

"Sounds good..."

I've been so busy with another story, that I nearly forgot to update this one. Just some fun, fluffy, get-to-know-you stuff with Embry and Mara.

Thanks for reading and following!