A/N: I'm going to make this short and sweet. Yes, that last chapter was pretty long, and no, I can't guarantee they'll all be that long. And yes, that last paragraph was an attempt at a copy of the way Nick Carraway told of Gatsby's life in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, and yes, I know I epic fail at copying writing styles from the great writers. But hey—I'm learning. Cut me some slack. My own novels are taking years to write. Be glad I'm updating this every couple weeks or so.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except this story idea and Maya.

Maya looked at herself in the mirror, debating as to whether or not to do something elaborate to her outfit. It wasn't like she was going to a party or anything, but her family would be there, and Jacob…

"Go for something simple, and don't do anything unnatural to your hair. You know they'll all love you anyway, and traditional is what you prefer, right?"

Maya nearly jumped at the sound of a familiar voice in an unfamiliar place, but a quick startled glance around her room somehow assuaged her fears: yes, it was Edward, calmly sitting on her windowsill. "How on Earth did you know I was going to the reservation?"

"I didn't hear you making any plans with Bella this weekend," he grinned. "So I guessed you wanted to see your family again."

Maya nodded. "But the window?"

Here Edward hesitated. "Uh…I'm a rebel?" Maya giggled, and he knew he was safe. "Actually, I just wanted to see if you wanted someone to walk with you to the reservation. Bella's spending some time with her dad today. They have nearly a decade to catch up on, whereas I've known my dad for, well, a while," Edward chuckled, "so…" He walked over and stood behind Maya, picked up the brush from her vanity table, and began to casually brush her hair. "If you want my opinion,"—Maya rolled her eyes—"you should wear your hair in braids. Maybe just a simple one," taking the hair from the nape of her neck into a ponytail, "or perhaps just from the top," dropping the ponytail and taking up a small section of hair from the top and middle of her scalp, in the beginnings of a French braid, "or maybe both?" He took the remainder of the hair into his other hand, making for two separate braids that could be joined at the neck.

"Edward, if you don't stop touching my hair, I'll have to hurt you."

He laughed. "You sound like Rosalie. Jasper and I used to always steal her clothes and makeup from when she set them out the night before. It was worth getting late to school to get her so angry; the total opposite of the angel Emmett always made her out to be."

"You're such a kid." She snatched the hairbrush out of Edward's hands, and began to brush her own hair. "Look, Edward, I love you, but if you don't get out of here right now, and wait for me outside on the pavement, I will—" she searched for a proper punishment: "—shun you all week."

Edward fake-gasped and clapped a tragic hand to his chest. "Maya, you evil girl. How shall I ever put up with being ignored during all three classes which we share?"

"And I'll make sure Bella does too," Maya quickly elaborated, raising a slim, malevolent eyebrow. "I don't think she'll like to hear of you sneaking into my room before I'm even dressed."

There was a sharp intake of breath at this, and Maya watched amusedly as the chastened young man marched across the room and went back out the window, and continued to brush her hair in peace, deciding to braid it after all. In about ten minutes, she was simply dressed, and went downstairs to meet Edward, forgiving him with a hug.

They started on their way to the reservation, chatting as normal, and were about ten minutes along when Maya stopped short, groaning and shifting her shoulders uncomfortably. She performed a few useless neck rolls and head rolls. Edward began to look discomfited himself. "Something wrong?"

"I stayed up all night, typing up that lab write-up," Maya confessed. "I even dozed off in front of the computer for a little while, so my neck is absolutely killing me." She put her arms behind her, crossed her fingers, and stretched. Edward squinted, not knowing exactly what to do, when he immediately shook his head. "Stop that."

Maya glanced lazily over at him. "Why?" She started to stretch her trapezius, tilting her head entirely to her left, and exposing a large area of smooth, tan, muscular skin.

Edward shivered. "Just stop," he continued, though much less convincingly. He stepped forward and brusquely took Maya's neck in his hands, trying to force her head back into its normal position.

"What's wrong?" Maya demanded, not even trying to free herself in her shock. "Edward!"

"Just stop," Edward repeated fiercely. "It makes you look…" He trailed off, being unable to find the right word, but his eyes, still fixed on Maya, fearful yet wanting, made her understand.

She closed her eyes and took a steadying breath before reaching over and covering Edward's hands, still resting on her shoulders, with her own. "Just help me out for a minute, ok?" She gently took his hands, set them on her neck, and silently taught him the motions of a neck massage, shedding some of her warmth to him in the process. After a minute or so, Maya left him to continue on his own, and casually began to stretch once more.

Edward, having borne all this patiently so far, began to shiver more violently at the feel of the warm, yielding, rhythmically shifting and contracting flesh under his fingertips. "Why are you doing this to me?" he murmured between clenched teeth.

"My neck hurts," Maya repeated matter-of-factly. "You don't have to rub anymore." Edward tried to remove his hands, but Maya clasped them to her neck. "Your hands are so cold," she cooed, pressing her head to each shoulder and luxuriating. "They're so much better than a cold compress." Unseen to her, Edward managed a wry smile. He'd never gotten that reaction before.

After a few minutes, Maya finally said, "I'm ok now. Thanks." She had had Edward's hands so long that they'd actually warmed up. He didn't move to release them, but instead gently traced the veins in her neck, down to the collarbone. Maya closed her eyes and sighed, and when Edward leaned forward, running his lips along the curve from her jaw line to shoulder, asked quietly, "Why are you doing this? It's Bella you're in love with."

He stopped cold, and Maya took the opportunity to pull away and face him. Edward bit his lip. "Look, I…We…"

"I know. But I'm looking for an explanation, not an apology." Her folded arms and kind look further unsettled Edward, tying up his tongue even more, until she suddenly leaned forward and swept him up in a tight hug. "I'm not threatening you," she whispered. "I just want to know why."

"Why what?" he breathed.

"Why you can't handle even the sight of my neck." She tilted her head again, and proved her point as Edward groaned and turned away. "Is it really as sexual as everybody says?"

Edward, hiding his face behind his hands, chuckled and rubbed his eyes. "I suppose."

"But that's not why it bothers you." Maya cast a keen look over Edward, his hands still unconsciously covering his nose and mouth. He quickly removed them, and took a step towards her. "Why, then?"

"Can you keep a secret?" he demanded, impulsively taking hold of Maya's arm and drawing her close to him. Maya nodded. "So what is it? Are you taking some drug that heightens your sense of smell?"

Edward's eyes twinkled, and in a lighter mood, one could suppose that he would have cracked up at the suggestion. "Not exactly."

"So then…" Maya turned chill as Edward leaned in closer to her.

"You have to promise not to tell anyone," he whispered into her ear. "Not even Bella."

Maya wavered for a few moments, but then accepted. Edward pulled away, lightly running his finger along the route of her jugular vein. "The real reason why I don't want you showing your neck to me," he told her, "is that I don't want to be tempted to hurt you." Before Maya could ask what he meant, Edward had plunged in and set his teeth, as gently as a wolf's when roughhousing with its littermate, on her neck. Maya froze, but no scream emerged from her throat: the canines made no attempt to bite into, or even pierce, her skin, even though she could well imagine that doing so must have taken a tremendous amount of self-control on Edward's part. After a minute or two, he promptly released his hold, and stood before her. "So now you know."

Maya stared at him. "Vampire," she breathed.

Edward nodded and looked away a little ashamedly. The next moment he found Maya's arms thrown around him, and her lips on his cheek. "It's ok," she whispered soothingly into his ear. He felt an urge to roll his eyes, laugh, and cry all at once. He never did know what to expect from her. "How is it ok?"

"It doesn't change the way I see you," Maya replied, loosening but not letting go of him, and lovingly caressing his cheek. "Do you want it to?"

Edward squinted at her. "Yes! You shouldn't—We shouldn't be doing this." He pushed her away.

"Oh, come on, Edward. Don't be like this." She reached out for him again, but he grabbed her arms and held them tightly. "You don't understand. If we continue being friends—if you don't stop being like this—nice to me—I could take you," he broke off quietly, squeezing her hands wistfully. "I don't want to hurt you."

"I don't think you will." Edward gave her another look, but she didn't back down. "Look, we've been friends for weeks now, and nothing's happened. You just don't want to believe in yourself, that you can be normal."

"I'm not normal."

"But that doesn't mean you can't try and act like a regular person," she responded, gently twisting her hands out of his grasp. "How else are you going to survive in the world? You act like vampires are from another planet. They're just people who drink blood."

Edward stopped. "I never thought of it like that." He gazed wonderingly at Maya. "Do you honestly think I could live like a human?"

"Obviously. You've been doing this for years, haven't you? You shouldn't be afraid of having human friends because you think you might be in danger of attacking them. Nor," she continued, leaning in, "should you keep secrets from the one you love, and on that note, I think you should tell Bella. Soon. She's a curious type, and I don't think I can keep a secret from her."

"What about the one that you were a Quileute?" The two stared at each other for a minute or two.

"Touché," she commented. "But that was because I didn't feel the need to tell her. It was just about me, and getting back in touch with my family. This is something Bella has to know." She opened her eyes wide to convince him. "What if her neck hurts? Do you have to wait until she's suspicious of you, to tell her?" Edward could make no reply. "But I don't think it's right for you to go on like this. You're nowhere near as bad as you think you are. You deserve to be happy." He shook his head. "Just think about it, Edward. You can drop me off here."

They had finally reached the border of the reservation, but Edward could go no further. "Bye, then." He waved halfheartedly, though not insincerely, and went off, deep in thought. Maya sighed. If only he would believe in himself…

She went down the path to the longhouse, wondering how she could help him. It was ridiculous, the way he always degraded himself and thought that he wasn't good enough for Bella. Of course, now that she knew he was a vampire, his actions did make some sense, but his version of self-sacrificing humility was useless with the girl. Maya wasn't blind, she knew Bella was in love with Edward, and she could guess that Bella would be able to tell that she had a secret on Monday, and would try and figure out what it was until she told her, or unless Edward did so instead. If not, a fight could occur, and she didn't want anything like that to happen.

Maya left these thoughts aside as she entered the longhouse, ready to spend some happy time with her family. She was greeted by all of her cousins, dressed up in festive clothing and with elaborate hairstyles, for the longhouse was celebrating her return to the family community. After much eating, dancing, and endless questions, Maya was finally left alone with Elaine, although from time to time Jacob would come by and see if they needed anything. Eventually, Maya got wise to what he was after, and invited him to sit with them. The conversation drifted, and presently, Elaine asked Maya about her friends, and both she and Jacob had much to say about the girl who had accompanied Maya the first time she had come. But when Maya mentioned Edward, Jacob bristled.

"Don't tell me you're actually friends with that guy."

"Why not?" Both Maya and Elaine wanted to know.

"He's a Cullen, Elaine," he explained.

Elaine gasped. "Child, tell me it's not true. Tell me you're not friends with that boy."

"Elaine, why not? What's wrong with him?"

"It's his people, Maya. The Cullens aren't welcome here." He leaned in conspiratorially. "Let me just say we have bad blood with them."

Maya sighed. "But how does that make him a bad person to be around?"

Elaine laid her hand on her shoulder. "Dear, you don't know the history of the Quileutes, do you?" Maya shook her head. "Well, in my time, a rival clan appeared and began to hunt on our land. Jacob's great-grandfather was chief, and he sent scouts to go out and observe the intruders. They came back with outlandish tales: these people were so superhumanly strong and fast that when they hunted, one couldn't see them, simply a blur in the air. The people mocked them, but the chief believed what they said, and so he decided it would be useless to war with them, so he drew up a treaty. He spoke with the leader of the Cullens, and they agreed that if they were to move off the Quileute land, they wouldn't be exposed to the palefaces. He was a wise chief, and believed the old tales."

"What did the tales have to with anything, Elaine?" Maya softly inquired.

"When the chief shook hands with the leader of the Cullens, he felt the man's hand as cold as ice," the old woman replied impressively. For about a minute, Maya hung back, trying to remember and understand. "The Cold One," she whispered, before quickly recovering, and taking up Elaine's hand. "Surely you don't honestly believe that."

"Oh, but I do," Elaine promptly answered. "The chief spent the rest of his life convincing his people that the Cullens were not human, and dangerous to go near. However, he did say that the leader was blonde, and frighteningly pale, but he himself was warm and caring. He spoke a long time with the chief, apologizing and coming to an agreement with him."

Maya started. "Dr. Cullen," she murmured disbelievingly.

"Exactly," Jacob responded. "You can't be with the Cullens, Maya. They're dangerous." He leaned in closer. "They're not human. They're predators." He pulled away as Maya shook her head definitely.

"I've spent all of these past few weeks in school with them. They're fine. So what if they are"—she looked around before whispering—"vampires? They don't attack people. Edward told me."

Jacob jumped up. "Edward's told you?!"

"Just today," Maya said, trying to coax him to sit back down and escape the notice of the rest of the longhouse. "He told me not to tell Bella."

"He's putting both of you in danger?"

"He hasn't done a thing to either of us," Maya retorted hotly, "and I don't think he ever will."

Jacob groaned. "I can't believe that you actually think he's a good guy. Harmless, with those canines? Respectable, when he won't come to La Push?"

"Just give me your word you won't go near them again, my girl," pleaded Elaine. "I don't want to see my great-granddaughter in the clutches of those monsters."

"They're all right, I swear, Elaine," Maya told her. "Believe me."

"For me, child." She appealed to Maya once more, holding her hand in both of hers. "Please."

At this point, Maya stood up, and swept her hands into a prayerful gesture, crossing her fingers and breathing a gentle prayer in Spanish into the air. Presently, she opened her eyes, and looked pityingly down at Elaine. "I'm sorry, great-grandmother. I can't just stay away from them." She silenced Jacob before he could protest with a subtle wave of her hand. "Someone else is telling me to stay around them, and I can't ignore His command." She crouched down and tightly embraced Elaine. "I'll come back, I promise, but I can't abandon them." The old woman whimpered, but Jacob stood firm, only gazing steadily at Maya as she quietly said goodbye to the rest of her family and left the longhouse.