Next Moves

Mara groaned as she opened her eyes and looked around the room. Her head was heavy as she rubbed her eyes, feeling as though her brain had been replaced with cotton. There was a dull throb in the back of her head. She then stared up at the ceiling, frowning as she tried to think back over the night before. She reached out and felt the bed empty next to her.

Where was Embry? He had been there, right?

She then sat up slowly and reached for her phone on the nightstand. There was a message from Richard asking about the storm damage and telling her he'd see her on Monday.

"Storm damage?" she muttered as she got out of bed.

She then turned towards her slightly open bedroom door, hearing noise from downstairs. She quickly made her way down the hall and the stairs, stopping as she walked into the living room.

"Thought you might sleep a bit later," Embry said, smiling from where he stood in the kitchen. "Breakfast isn't quite ready yet." Mara blinked and looked towards the gaping hole in the back of her house where a pair of French doors used to be. The sun was shining through as she saw Jacob, Paul and Quil joking around in the backyard, surrounded by wood, doors, and various other implements they would use to fix up the house. The dining area had already been cleared and she wondered where her table was.

"They got here an hour ago. Should have it fixed up by tonight," Embry said. Mara nodded silently as she walked over and pulled out a stool then sat down at the island. A pounding started again in her head as she tried to think back to what had exactly happened the night before. She remembered the storm. Vague recollections of glass and wood flying. Her dining table being destroyed by something.

Her head smacking into the wall as glass and wood cut her face. She hadn't looked in a mirror, but if she looked anything like she felt, it probably wasn't pretty.

"How are you feeling?" Embry asked, his brow furrowed in concern as he sat a mug of coffee in front of her. Mara stared at it a moment.

"I… what exactly happened last night?" she asked, looking up at him. Embry pursed his lips together, not saying anything at first.

"What do you remember?" he asked.

"The doors blowing in. My table being destroyed… being out in the rain," she murmured. She looked over into the living room.

"You got hit in the head pretty hard," he replied. Mara looked back over at him.

"I did?" she asked.

"Flying debris," he said. Mara nodded and looked back out into the backyard, struggling to power through the haze that filled her mind. A wolf. And then… three others… pale skin…

Her eyes then widened as it all came flooding back.

"Marcus," she said. She looked over at Embry. "He came here looking for me. And then you, Demetri and Cecily killed him."

Embry sighed in relief.

He had been worried about the head wound. Mara had fallen asleep on the couch and he carried her upstairs. Part of him worried that he should have taken her to the hospital just to make sure that she hadn't had a concussion. He didn't really sleep at all, constantly checking on her throughout the night, even shaking her awake a few times, though she would just peer up at him through bleary eyes and go back to sleep, muttering incoherently about vampires and wolves.

They had talked a bit more about Cecily's gift before she fell asleep. But Mara had said no. She wanted to remember everything. That even if it terrified her at times, she needed to know.

"God, how did I manage to forget that for a few minutes?" she asked, reaching for the coffee and sipping it. "And how did Richard know about the damage?"

"He called last night to check on you when reports started coming in about serious damage all over the area. I filled him in and he said to have you take the day off," Embry replied. Mara nodded.

"Guess that cat is out of the bag," she replied.

"Yea," he said, smiling. Mara then stood and walked over to the back, stepping out on the part of the deck that was left undamaged.

"How early did you guys leave this morning?" she asked, shielding her eyes from the sun.

"Too early," Paul replied. "I hope you're planning on paying us with a lot of food." Mara's eyes widened as she realized she didn't have anything in her fridge.

"I went to the store as soon as I got up," Embry said, stepping up to her side.

"Must have been a big fight," Quil said. "You look like hell."

Mara reached up, her fingertips grazing her cheek where she felt the grooves of cuts across it. She wasn't sure if she wanted to look in the mirror.

"I was worried about Embry," she said, glancing over at him.

"Why am I not surprised?" Paul replied, laughing as he rolled his eyes. "But I must say that's a nice shiner."

"Not the first," she replied, smiling slightly. Though she immediately grimaced as the action pulled at the cuts and the entire right side of her face felt tender. "I'll be fine."

"Definitely got a strong one," Quil said, smiling.

"Come on. You should eat. Let these guys get back to work," Embry said, pulling her back into the house. "You can compare battle stories later."

Mara moved to sit at the island as Embry walked over to the stove and started loading up a plate with food. He then turned and sat it in front of her. Mara's eyes widened.

"You do realize that I'm not a wolf," she said, glancing up at him.

"Habit," he replied, returning to the stove to make up his own plate. Mara stared at the plate a moment before picking up a fork and starting to dig into a steaming pile of biscuits and gravy. The first bite, she closed her eyes and moaned in happiness.

"I could get used to this," she said after opening her eyes and looking at Embry. "What else do you cook?"

"Don't get too excited. My repertoire is rather scant," he said.

"Suppose I can fill in the gaps," Mara replied. She took a few more bites before her phone started buzzing on the countertop. She looked over at it, frowning. "Mom."

"You should answer it," he said. Mara raised an eyebrow at him. "She's probably worried after the storm. She's called several times already." Sighing, she reached out and picked it up.

"Hey, Mom," she said.

"Are you okay?" her mother asked, panic in her voice. "I heard your neighborhood got the worst of the storm and nearly drove over there when you didn't answer." Mara looked over at the back.

"Well… blew out the French doors," she said.

"WHAT!"

"I'm fine, Mom. It's fine," Mara said.

"I'm coming over right now," her mother said.

"No," Mara said immediately, her eyes widening.

"Seriously?! Are you hurt?" she asked.

"Some cuts, but I'm okay," Mara said. "I, ah, I wasn't alone." There was silence.

"Embry there?" her mother asked.

"Yea… he surprised me by coming up late last night," Mara said, looking over at him. Embry held an amused look on his face. "But he was here and helped me take care of it. Our friends are outside right now fixing it."

"Well, good thing he was there," her mother said. "And you're sure that you're not hurt badly?"

"Mom, I'm fine," Mara said. "Richard gave me the day off so I could take care of everything."

"That was kind of him," she replied. "So, I'll drop by around lunch, then?"

"MOM!"

"Should I bring something? I'll stop by that Italian place you love and get a few pizzas. How many are out working on the house?" her mother continued.

"You are not coming over! I have it handled!" Mara shouted, now frowning.

"Guess I'll just get three larges just in case. Be there around noon." Mara groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Better make six. These guys can eat a lot," she said, giving in.

"Perfect. Love you, Mars Bar," she said before hanging up.

"She's coming?" Embry asked before taking a bite.

"Yes. With pizza," Mara said.

"Sounds good."

"Are you sure you want to meet my mother? Today?" Mara asked, an incredulous look on her face.

"I'm sure she'll love me," Embry said, smirking. Mara rolled her eyes.

"This is just… perfect," she said, returning her attention to her food.

"It'll be fine. Surely, she's not worse than a vampire," he said. Mara just stared at him. "Relax, Mar."

"She's going to ask you a lot of questions and she will embarrass me," she stated.

"Isn't that what parents do? And I know how to handle questions. Moms love me," he replied. Mara rolled her eyes again.

"Fine… if you're so confident…"

After breakfast, Embry settled Mara on the sofa after forcing her to take some aspirin for her headache and then headed out to the yard to start helping with the repairs. Thankfully he had only knocked out the doors and the framing was still intact. Would make it a lot easier to fix.

The deck would require a bit more work and nearly all her patio furniture would need replacing, but Cess had stopped by that morning with an envelope of money for that. Embry's eyebrows rose when he counted it after she left, wondering just how much the Cullens spent on furniture normally. He could furnish an entire house with the amount she had given him.

"Looks like Mara got hit pretty bad!" a neighbor shouted over the fence. Embry looked over, noticing a middle-aged couple picking up branches and other storm debris around their yard. They were curiously watching the group of men, all hard at work with their shirts off despite the fall bite to the air.

"Yea… blew in the doors and messed up the deck," he replied.

"You friends of hers?" the woman asked, a friendly smile on her face.

"Uh, yea. I'm, ah, Mara's boyfriend. From out of town. Called in some of my friends to help fix things up," he said, stepping over to the fence as he heard Paul and Quil chuckling behind him. He knew it was going to get hell for that later.

The woman's face lit up.

"That's wonderful," she replied. "I'm Denise and this is my husband Charles. We've known Mara for years… She'd come over to visit her grandmother a lot before she died, god rest her soul."

"Embry," he replied, figuring it wouldn't hurt to get to know the neighbors. Especially if he was going to be seeing them a lot.

"Just how did those doors blow in? And the deck?" Charles asked, studying the back of the house. "The wind was bad but didn't think it was that bad. Granted I couldn't hear a damn thing over the storm."

Embry glanced back at Mara's house and then back over at the couple.

"We're not sure either. One minute we're in the kitchen cooking and the next, the doors had exploded. We put up a tarp and didn't get a good look at it until this morning. Got some water damage in the dining room as well," he said, hoping the excuse was enough. Too many details and the couple would get suspicious.

"Shame… such a beautiful house," Denise said. "But looks like you guys are doing a good job at putting it back together. And hopefully no one got hurt."

"Mar got a bit of the glass and bumped her head, but she's fine. Just inside resting at the moment," Embry said. Denise nodded and smiled.

"Well, you tell her that we're happy she's okay. If you need anything, any help or what have you, let us know. We've got two teenage sons that we can send over to help clean up the yard if you need it," she said. "They're both currently grounded and we're running out of jobs to punish them with." The couple chuckled as Embry smiled and nodded.

"I think we've got it covered, though could probably put them to work on the yard while we finish up the doors and deck," he said.

"We'll send them over as soon as they get up. School's out for the storm," Charles said. With a nod, the couple returned to their work as Embry walked back over to the guys.

"Seems someone is getting settled," Paul said, a grin on his face. Embry laughed softly.

"I am going to be spending a lot of time here," he said. "Might as well make sure that the neighbors know who I am."

"That so?" Quil asked.

"Yea… I think Mara asked me to move in last night," Embry said. All three men stopped what they were doing and gaped at him.

"Seriously?" Paul asked. Embry nodded.

"Makes sense. It's not a bad drive from here to the university. And makes it easier for me – not having to find an apartment. And she's got the space. I'd prefer to be here than worrying about paying rent for a shitty place," he said. "The house is paid for, but I'll be working so I can pitch in with utilities and food."

"Good thing. Her food bill is about to go way up," Paul replied.

"It's a bit fast, isn't it?" Quil asked.

"Maybe for a normal couple. But it's still a few months off. And Mara and I… we're not a normal couple," Embry said, starting to grin a bit. He looked over at Jacob, who had been quiet through the whole exchange. At first his expression was unreadable, but then he smiled.

"I'm happy for you," he said finally. He looked up at the house. "And as far as places to live go… you could do worse. A whole lot worse. This place is massive. How does she afford to live here?"

"Like I said, her grandmother left it to her. And a lot of money, apparently, though she says she mostly lives off her salary and uses the inheritance as savings and for the house upkeep since it's a little bit more than what she can afford as a reporter," Embry said. The three men looked at him. "Her grandmother was D.B. Winters."

"The mystery novelist?" Quil asked. Embry nodded.

"Shit, I didn't realize Mara was so rich," Paul said in awe. Embry looked to the ground, his cheeks turning a little pink. The money conversation they had over breakfast after the call from her mom had been a bit awkward, to say the least. But it had come up when he started getting into the details about moving in. He wanted to cover his share of things and needed to know what Mara spent a month on things. And in the spirit of no secrets, Mara had to tell him.

"She doesn't like people to know," he replied. "And she swears it's not as much as you think."

"She going to show you the bank accounts or waiting until just before the wedding?" Paul quipped. Embry rolled his eyes. "Never thought Embry Call would be a kept man."

"I'm still taking care of med school and everything else on my own," Embry replied, bending down to pick up a door. He started towards the deck to see how it fit in the frame.

"Lay off," Jacob said, finally coming to his rescue as Paul and Quil cackled as they started to work again. He walked up next to Embry. "Sorry about that… I get it."

Embry glanced over at him, remembering Nessie. The Cullens were rich. Super rich. He was sure that had created a few awkward conversations as Nessie got older. Now that she had reached full maturity and their relationship shifted, there were bound to be even more.

"You get used to it?" Embry asked.

"We always knew how rich the Cullens were. But it was a bit different when I started dating Nessie," he replied. Then then gave Embry a reassuring smile. "But it'll work out. And it'll work out with you and Mara."

Embry looked into the house, seeing Mara watching the news on TV.

"Yea, it will…"

Mara settled on the sofa with another mug of coffee as she turned on the TV. The guys were still outside, the sound of saws and hammering along with laughter drifting inside.

She had some time until her mother showed up to relax. Or worry. She still wasn't sure how to explain why she was so close with a guy she literally just met. Or how to explain that he would be moving in with her in a few months. She and Embry had decided not to mention that fact today – it was the first time they were meeting after all – and she didn't worry about him bringing it up. She was more worried that Paul or Quil would mention something.

Mara flipped through channels, stopping on the news. Putting the remote down, she settled into the cushions, watching as it went through a rundown of the storm and damage around the city. Her mother was right. Her area had gotten the worst of it. She was surprised they even had power.

A look around outside showed downed trees and other damage at nearby houses. Mara was happy to hear that none of her neighbors had noticed the brawl in her backyard or anything unusual. Wouldn't do to have them asking questions about a giant wolf or the three people moving at lightning speed.

"And in other news, another body was found in South Park, bringing the count up to three. Police are boggled by the case, though say they are fully dedicated to finding the culprit," the anchor said. "All the bodies were found drained of blood…"

Mara's heart stopped as she felt cold fear starting to spread through her. She turned the volume up, leaning forward. Surely these were just old victims of Marcus'. He could have come to Seattle and killed them when he wasn't in Forks.

She didn't want to think of the other option. That there was another vampire in Seattle.

She glanced over towards the back, seeing the guys hard at work, though Embry had stepped over to the fence as was talking to her neighbors. She then looked back at the TV as her phone buzzed.

"Hello," she said, not looking at it as she was transfixed by the news.

"Mar," Richard said. "I know I've given you the weekend off, but there's a story I want you to jump on when you get back. Simmons is the lead, but-"

"Let me guess. Odd neck wounds. Bodies drained of blood," Mara said dully.

"How did you know?"

"Just watching the news," she said.

"You've proven yourself with the Forks case," he said. "So, I want you to start researching this while you're at home. And well… can't help but wonder if they might be related. Both are just really weird."

"But that was an animal," she said quickly.

"I know, but I think you might have been on to something. The similarities are too great to not at least look into. You game?" he asked.

Mara was silent a few moments, taking a deep breath and slowly let it out as steel entered her eyes.

"I'm in."

The last chapter! And it looks like Mara is ready to dive headfirst into reporting on the supernatural.

Thanks everyone for reading, following and reviewing! This concludes my foray into Twilight fanfiction, haha!