Disclaimer: I'm not Stephenie Meyer, I don't own any of her books and characters. I do own my own characters and my story.

Thanks to snowyflake for reviewing!

I know some of you couldn't review, because I deleted my author's note which made the last chapter chapter 8, and you can't review one chapter twice.

Katy's POV

That had been a really stupid idea, jumping off the cliff, I thought as I woke up.

I vaguely recognised my surroundings, but I couldn't recall whose house it was.

"When we were in the water, me and Embry... we scented her!" I heard Leah say.

It sounded like she was far away. I didn't really take in what was being said, but I did wonder who Leah was talking about.

Bella's voice was so terrified, which made me wonder even more who the mysterious 'her' was.

Sam fired off what sounded like orders. Why would he tell everyone what to do, and why were they all obeying him?

Leah, Embry and Bella stayed behind.

"Who are you talking about, when you say her?" I asked. My voice sounded small and weak.

"Victoria." Leah answered bluntly.

I could tell that no of them wanted to talk about Victoria, so I didn't ask any more questions about her.

Then I realised someone was missing.

Where was Seth?

I panicked for a second, and then I relaxed when I noticed him sprawled in an armchair, eyes still closed.

He stirred, groaned, and then his eyes slowly opened.

"Seth!" I called quietly across the room to him.

"Katy?" Seth asked. He blinked groggily. "What happened?"

I looked at Leah. Like Seth, I had no idea how we'd ended up here. The last thing I remembered was landing in the sea.

I shivered as I recalled the hungry waves, the cold water sucking me down.

"You two were drowning."Embry explained tiredly. "Leah noticed that you weren't following us, so she swam back to where you'd hit the water, and pulled you back up again. I helped her to bring you here."

What? Seth was drowning? But I'd seen him treading water!

Seth noticed my confusion. "I tried to save you first, but..." He trailed off.

So Leah had saved us.

I glanced at her.

Leah's head was tipped back, resting on her chair. Her eyes were closed.

I'd never got the impression that Leah had liked me much. She'd always kept to herself.

My train of thought was interrupted as Paul burst through the door.

"Sam sent me back here," he said angrily. "But it's not like there's anything to do!"

I was still watching Leah as Paul spoke. She winced when he said Sam.

"Paul!" Embry said sharply, glancing at me. "Calm down!"

Paul didn't listen. "Everyone else gets to do the fun stuff. It's not fair!"

He sounded like a spoilt child.

Seth got to his feet, stumbling a bit, and made his way over to me.

"C'mon, let's go," he said quietly, eyes on the increasingly angry Paul.

"What about Bella?" I asked.

"Do you want to come, Bella?" Seth called to her. She smiled and shook her head.

"Don't go too far, Seth." Embry said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I won't." Seth replied rolling his eyes.

He led me outside, onto the back lawn.

"Thank you, Seth." I said.

Seth knew what I was talking about.

He smiled at me sadly. "I thought I lost you."

"I thought I lost you!" I retorted. "How was I supposed to know that around here, people jump off cliffs for fun? You're crazy!"

Seth laughed.

"Does the fact that you followed me off the cliff make you crazy too?" He asked teasingly.

"I've always been crazy, it's just you that's failed to notice it!" I answered, laughing too.

"Why do you say that you're crazy, Katy? You seem normal to me!"

I blushed as I thought of my weird dreams, my drawings of Seth and my obsession with him.

I'd barely known Seth a week, yet here I was, trying to kill myself because I thought he was dead.

And to top it all, I believed him when he told me that he was a werewolf, not that we'd ever discussed it much.

"What is it?" Seth asked me. "What's the matter?"

I stared at the grass. I couldn't tell him what was in my mind.

"Nothing." I mumbled. "I'm fine."

A warm finger caressed my face.

I let out a small involuntary gasp, surprised by the heat.

The finger swiftly withdrew.

"No, don't stop." I whispered to Seth, closing my eyes.

Seth's beautifully warm hand scorched my cheek.

It burned, but at the same time I wanted it to last forever.

I lost track of the time we stood there, so close that I could feel the heat radiating off his skin, Seth's smooth hand on my face.

Eventually, Bella broke the silence as she called "Katy! I have to go now, do you want a ride?"

The only way I could get home was with Bella, so reluctantly I pulled away from Seth.

"Coming, Bella!" I yelled.

I turned back to Seth. "I can't get home if I don't go with Bella." I told him.

"You could... I could take you home." Seth said shyly. "You would be able to stay longer."

I shook my head. "I'd love to stay here with you, but I can't. I have to get home soon, or my parents won't even let me see Bella, and without Bella I can't get down here."

Seth visibly drooped.

I hated to disappoint him. It was a crime to make Seth sad, when he was so friendly and cheerful towards everyone else.

"I suppose so," Seth said quietly.

Bella came out onto the lawn.

"Maybe you could take me home another time, Seth." I murmured. "Then I could stay longer."

"I have an idea." Bella said unexpectedly.

We both looked at her.

"You could phone your parents from here, Katy, and tell them that you're staying the night at my house. I'll go home, and Seth can take you to my house when you're ready, and you won't have to worry about your parents when you come home late. It'll work out perfectly!" Bella explained.

"But what about Charlie? Won't he think it's strange when I turn up at your house after you, when I've supposedly been at your house all this afternoon?" I asked, desperately hoping that her plan would work despite the flaw I'd pointed out.

Bella smiled. "He's going to be home late, because he's having dinner at the Clearwater house, and then he's staying to watch some random game!"

I hugged Bella. "Thank you so much, Bella! You're a genius!"

She hugged me back. "I'd better go now, and you should phone your parents." she reminded me.

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Once I had called home, and Bella had left, Seth and I were left alone.

All the excitement about the Victoria person had gone. From what I'd heard, she'd run away in the direction of Canada.

"Let's go for a walk, in the forest." I suggested.

I didn't know why, but the forest attracted me like a magnet.

Seth agreed readily.

Once we were under the trees, there was silence.

Complete silence.

I reached for Seth's hand.

I was cold, apart from my face.

"Katy, you're so cold!" Seth exclaimed.

I shivered.

Seth draped his arm around my shoulders, and pulled me close. I snuggled into his warmth.

I was so comfortable, so cosy.

As long as I had Seth, I would never need a heater.

Whenever I was with Seth, time raced away.

"Oh, no," I groaned as I glanced at my watch. "I probably should be at Bella's house by now."

"You'll be home in no time!" Seth grinned.

"I never asked you before, how exactly are you taking me to Forks?" I wondered.

"The way of the werewolf!" Seth laughed. "Excuse me for a minute."

He disappeared into the trees.

Seconds later, a sandy-coloured wolf emerged from where Seth had vanished.

I'd never seen a wolf so big!

It made me wonder about the sizes of the other wolves, who were all bigger than Seth in human form.

The wolf that was Seth crouched down.

What did he want me to do?

Seth-wolf nudged me.

I realised what I would have to do.

Taking a deep breath, I cautiously sat down on his back, both legs on one side.

I swung one of my legs up and over.

I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around Seth as far as they could go.

Seth started to run, slowly at first, but soon racing along at the speed of light.

I buried my face in Seth's sandy fur.

The air rushing past tangled my hair.

I lifted my head, and immediately wind buffeted my face.

I laughed out loud from the sheer exhilaration of speeding along faster than I'd ever been before, and faster than I would ever be again, apart from when I was with Seth.

It felt like we were trying to outrun time.

All too soon, Seth slowed down, then stopped.

OK, there's chapter 9! Please review! I'd like heaps to make up for the reviews I couldn't get last time.

addictedbooklover

P.S. By the way musicbee, Katy is never ever going to call Seth 'Sethy pie.'