Too Close

Mara couldn't help but yawn as she walked into the police station the next morning around 8 am. She had spent nearly the entire night going back through everything she had on the case, determined to find her evidence.

She had found nothing, unfortunately, but at least had an idea of where to start with the day's work ahead of her.

She pushed her sunglasses up on her head as she walked in, a large coffee in her other hand. Walking passed the receptionist, she headed straight for the chief's office but stopped, seeing Embry already seated there and Chief Swan writing something down as he spoke.

"You look a bit how I feel," Mike said, walking up to her. Mara whipped her head around to look at him, blinking slightly. She glanced down, taking in the jeans and hoodie she had thrown on without thinking. She was in a rush to get to the station and had just grabbed whatever was close, forgoing makeup and hastily redoing her bun. Besides, she knew she'd be out in the woods most of the day anyway, so what did it matter how she looked?

"It's cloudy and you've got sunglasses on," Mike said.

"Spent most of the night going back through everything I have so far," she replied. "How late were you guys out there?"

"About 4 am, I think," he said with a sigh. "Think the guys from La Push were out pretty late as well. Group of them were searching the woods for whatever it was that did the attack. We had to clear the scene before we could leave."

Mike shuffled on his feet slightly, glancing towards the chief's office nervously, before grabbing Mara's arm and pulling her over out of Chief Swan's sight.

"What's going on, Mike?" she asked, glancing around the office. It was mostly empty, but she assumed most of the officers were back out in the woods hunting or sleeping in.

"Look, I've been trying to get you out so we could talk without the chief nearby," he said, glancing over towards his office again. Mara's eyes widened. "I think the chief is trying to cover something up too and I'm tired of going with it."

"What?" Mara whispered.

"I don't know how long we have, but what I can tell you now is that those wounds – they aren't anything I've ever seen from an animal attack," he said quickly. "If you can meet for lunch, I'll try and bring stuff to you."

Mara nodded, too stunned to speak.

"What is it about the wounds?" she asked finally. Mike looked back over, seeing Embry start to stand.

"It's just the bites were weird and… they were completely drained of blood," he said. He then quickly walked off and sat at his desk just as Embry opened the chief's door. After a few moments of staring at Mike, perplexed, she walked over to Embry.

"You look like you didn't sleep last night," he said, concern clearly written on his face.

"Yea, got caught up looking over stuff again," she said, a tense smile on her face. Embry could clearly see that she was keeping something from him.

"Well, I'll wait and when you're done, we can head out," he said. Mara nodded and walked past him into the chief's office.

"Mara," Chief Swan said with a sigh as he sat back in his chair. Mara sat across from him and placed her coffee on his desk.

"What can you tell me?" she asked, pulling out her notebook and a pen, looking at him expectantly.

"Jared Wells. Lives about a mile away from the site. He was out searching for a lost dog. His girlfriend said she tried to get him to stay in, but he was worried that the animal might get it," he said with a sigh. Mara paused in her writing and looked up at him, an eyebrow raised. "We think it's a bear."

"A bear?" she asked, thinking over what Mike had told her and the articles she went through last night.

"Yep. Some of the guys said they found bear tracks in the area," the chief replied.

"And they just found these at this site? Not any of the others?" Mara asked. The chief was silent. "Thought so." Mara snapped her notebook shut and stuck it back in her bag as she stood and grabbed her coffee.

"Where are you going? Don't you want the report?" Swan asked. He held out a folder. Mara grabbed it from him and turned, striding out of the office, leaving a gaping police chief in her wake.

Embry shot to his feet and quickly made to follow her as she walked quickly out of the police station.

"I'll follow you," she said, pulling her sunglasses back on as she made for her car. Embry stopped momentarily, wondering just what had happened while she was in the office. He then quickly made his way to his own jeep and climbed in.

Once they were on the road, Mara turned the music down.

"Call Richard," she said clearly. There were only a couple dial tones before Richard picked up.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Another death last night. And I know the chief and some of the locals are hiding things," she said.

"A fourth death?" he asked.

"One of the deputies told me that the bodies were completely void of blood," Mara said. "That was definitely not in the report."

There was silence on the other end.

"I'm on my way back out to the site. See if there's anything I can find. I was only there for a few minutes last night before the chief sent me off," she continued. "Richard?"

"Just thinking," he replied.

"There is definitely something going on. I mean, I'm up to maybe 10 odd attacks or disappearances since 2005 if you count the recent attacks," she said. "Including that Times reporter a few years ago."

"And you think they're all related?" he asked.

"They have to be, right?" she said. "They all said bear attack. And guess what the chief just told me. They magically found prints of a bear around the latest scene."

There was more silence. Then finally Richard took a deep breath and let it out.

"Keep at it. Get more evidence. And for god's sake, be safe, Mara," he said.

"What makes you think I'm not?" she replied.

"Mar, you've got good instincts. You remind me of your dad in that way," he said. "But if you've stumbled upon a serial killer – one that the police are covering for – be careful. You and I both know what some people are capable of in order to keep something hidden."

"I'm being careful," she said. "But I'll be damned if someone gets away with murder on my watch."

"I'm serious, Mar," he urged. "Don't get yourself killed. I don't like the idea of you being out in the woods, whether it's a homicidal maniac or a rabid bear."

"I'm fine. I got this," Mara said. "I'll update you later after I have lunch with the deputy. He said he's got more to show me."

"Alright," he replied. He then hung up. Mara sighed as she turned off the highway, following Embry's jeep off the main road onto a wide dirt path that would take them directly to the accident site. He pulled to a stop and got out as Mara parked and climbed out of her own car.

She was silent as she walked passed him and straight into the clearing where she stopped in the middle. She looked around the surrounding forest and then down at the ground, before crouching down. Frowning, she pushed her sunglasses off her face and closed her eyes as a heaviness settled on her body.

Embry stood towards the edge of the clearing, watching her. He wasn't sure what she was doing.

"Mara?" he said.

"Shh," she said, silencing him. He crossed his arms in front of him, wondering what had happened. She was upset at being sent home but was still warm to him. But then this morning she was tense and even more closed off. He could feel a definite shift.

Suddenly, Mara stood and stepped back, her eyes still trained on the ground. Embry cautiously walked up to her, looking down at her.

"Is everything okay?" he asked softly.

"I don't like being lied to," she said, her eyes still on the ground.

"I haven't lied to you," he said.

"But I am being lied to," she replied. "This wasn't an animal attack. I know it." Embry frowned. He looked around the clearing and then stepped over to the side.

"Here," he said. Mara looked over at him and slowly made her way to him. "These are bear tracks." He pointed at the ground. Mara squinted as she crouched down, barely making out the prints in the dirt.

"Doesn't mean a bear did this," she said, studying them. Embry sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. This was going to be harder than any of them thought. She was now officially hooked on the idea of a cover-up and he was running out of ideas to get her off it.

"Who are you?" someone shouted out. They both looked over as Mara jumped to her feet. Three people were making their way towards them through the trees. They were all impossibly beautiful and oddly pale. Embry recognized them immediately.

The vampires had arrived.

He took a deep breath, wishing Edward had been with them so he could communicate without tipping Mara off. But at least they had sent the tracker – Demetri - and the reporter - Cecily. She would at least know how to handle Mara. And to be honest, Rosalie had always been a bit scary.

"Mara Winslow, The Seattle Times. Who are you?" she asked, frowning at them. Rosalie glanced at Cecily, an eyebrow raised as she studied the two.

"We're from the state investigation bureau," Cecily said smoothly, making her way to them. Mara frowned as she studied the redhead, finding something about her strangely familiar.

"I didn't know the chief had called in the SIB," she said.

"We're here to help since the deaths have gone on a bit too long to our liking," Rosalie replied. "I was unaware that the press was involved."

Embry prayed that Mara wouldn't ask to see credentials. He wasn't sure if the three had thought to bring them or if they had just made up the SIB bit on the fly.

"Just me," Mara replied, offering them a smile. Finally, someone who might actually get to the bottom of what was going on, she thought. She felt like she finally had some allies besides Mike in Forks. "Good thing you guys are here. I don't think these are animal attacks."

All three vampires looked at Embry, who shifted on his feet slightly. He was standing behind Mara and shook his head slightly.

"What makes you think that?" Cecily asked.

"The wounds. And the fact that the chief is clearly covering for someone," Mara said, frowning.

"Any evidence you can share with us?" Cecily asked. Mara glanced over at the center of the clearing and then back at them.

"Nothing concrete yet, but I'm close," she replied.

"Then I suggest you let us do our job and we'll be the ones to figure that out," Cecily said sternly. "We'll contact you if we have anything. But for now, this is our scene." Mara's frown deepened as she nodded.

"Fine," she said, walking passed them towards her car. Embry stepped up to the three.

"Thought you were supposed to be distracting her," Rosalie said softly.

"I'm trying, but she's… determined," he said, looking at her, slightly in awe.

"She's getting too close to the truth," Cecily said.

"Yea," Embry said, temporarily distracted.

"Seriously, dog?" Rosalie nearly shouted, getting his attention again. Demetri chuckled.

"Go easy on him," he said.

"What?" Cecily said, looking over at him.

"He looks at her the way I look at you… completely enraptured," he replied, pecking her on the lips. Rosalie's eyes widened as she studied Embry.

"Did you do your imprint thing on her? The reporter?" she whispered furiously.

"Not like we can help it," he replied, frowning. Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"They are very interesting creatures, reporters," Demetri said.

"Not helping," Cecily said, frowning at him.

"Whatever. Just… go keep an eye on her and keep her out of our way," Rosalie said, pointing after Mara. Embry nodded and took off down the path. He reached the cars just as Mara was about to climb in.

"I'll follow you back," he said.

"I don't need a bodyguard," Mara shouted.

"That's not why I'm following you," he said. "We need to talk." She stared at him a moment before nodding.

"Fine," she said, climbing into her SUV.

"God…"

When Embry walked into Mara's room, his eyes immediately widened. She had been at work. There were various papers tacked up on the walls and other piles around the room and on the table next to an open laptop.

It was starting to resemble something like the mind of a madman. If he wasn't that worried before, he certainly was now.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Mara asked, spinning around to look at him. "Make it quick because I have work to do."

"What's going on, Mara?" he asked, taking a step towards her. She looked up at him.

"You know what's going on. The chief is covering something up!" she shouted.

"We don't know that for sure," he said. "And that's not what I'm talking about."

"Something is going on, Embry! Wake up!" Mara shouted. "God! It's so obvious!"

"Mara… how much sleep did you get last night?" he asked. She looked up at him, her eyes wild.

"I'm not making this up," she said.

"I didn't say that you were," he replied. "I'm just worried about you."

"The look on your face says you think I'm crazy," she replied.

"I'm worried about you," he said. "There was something in the woods last night."

"Yea, some serial killer!" she shouted. He was silent.

"We don't know that," he said finally. It was the only thing he could think of.

"What I want to know is why the chief and your friends are covering it up," she said bluntly.

"We're not covering up anything. We really were tracking a bear last night," he said, hoping she bought the lie. Mara just stared at him.

"I thought you were on my side," she said.

"I am, Mar," he replied.

"No, you clearly think I'm crazy," she said. Embry sighed.

"I don't think you're crazy," he said softly, reaching out to her. Mara stepped out of his reach. "I think you're sleep deprived and the case is getting to you." Mara growled as she walked across the room.

"You're getting on my last nerve," she said.

"I just want to help you," he said.

"Then tell me what you know," Mara said.

"I don't know anything more than you do," he said.

"Then let's hope the SIB can get to the bottom of it at least," she stated.

"Mara," he started.

"No, just stop," she said, glaring at him. "I'm done. Get out." Embry just stared at her. "I'm serious." He nodded.

"Fine, but… promise me that you'll get some sleep. And don't go out into the woods alone," he said. She nodded but didn't say anything. Embry then turned and walked out.

Embry made his way to Sam's place. He had called Jacob on the way back to La Push and told them to meet him there. The entire drive, the worry kept building. It didn't help that with every mile that came in between him and Mara, the pressure built in his chest.

When he had finally stepped into Sam's place, it felt like there was a vice closing in around his heart.

"You look miserable," Jacob commented as he walked in.

"Thanks," Embry said, falling into a chair at the kitchen table. He ran his fingers through his hair. "She's convinced it's a serial killer. And that we're covering it up with the chief."

Jacob was silent as he studied Embry and Sam walked in.

"And the crazy thing is, I'm half in awe at how quickly she's put it together and half terrified at how close she's getting," he said.

"We can't let her figure it out," Sam said.

"I know. I mean, there's no way she'll figure out that it's vampires, but…" Embry stopped. He looked up at the two. "She's too grounded to even think supernatural. But then we ran into Demetri, Cecily and Rosalie in the woods, and…"

"You're supposed to be distracting her," Sam said.

"Kind of hard when she's like a dog with a bone," Embry said. "She won't drop it."

"Well, you need to figure something out," he pushed.

"If she'll even talk to me," Embry said, looking down at his hands, obviously miserable. "She just threw me out. I'm losing her. Losing her trust."

"Then you need to get it back," Sam said.

"I know," Embry shouted, looking up at him.

"Lay off, Sam," Jacob said, seeing that Embry was obviously in pain. Sam just stared at Embry. "Look… invite her up to La Push tonight. Talk to her. Apologize."

"How am I supposed to get her up to La Push?" Embry asked.

"We'll have a bonfire on the beach," Jacob said.

"Now is not the time to be having a party," Sam said, looking over at him.

"It'll get her up here. They can talk. And she'll be safe with us and away from the woods and the investigation," Jacob said. Sam looked at him and then back over at Embry.

"Get her to believe that you're on her side," Sam said. Embry just stared at him a moment, thinking it over. He didn't like the idea of manipulating Mara. He was already feeling horrible about keeping things from her.

"It's the best way to keep her safe," Jacob said softly. "We're close to getting this guy. And once it's over, you can go to Seattle with her and start over. It's just a little bit longer." Embry nodded slowly.

"Fine," he said with a sigh. He pulled out his phone. "I'll do what I can..."

And things are getting a bit rocky on top of the vampires arriving. And now you see why this is a kinda sorta sequel.

Iceieci – Thanks! I hope you enjoyed this as well!

Guest – Thanks so much! I actually wrote this awhile ago, so had some time to go through and really edit stuff and flesh things out. Had a lot of edits and re-writes. Hope you enjoy!

Thanks for reading and following!