A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long. I was really unhappy with the way I wrote it the first time, so I did tough love on it and basically rewrote the chapter. Plus this chapter is fairly short, which is no bueno.

To make it up to you guys, I think you'll like this chapter. :)

Chapter Song: Iris, by The Goo Goo Dolls. (excerpt below)

I'd give up forever to touch you,

Because I know that you'd feel me somehow,

You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be,

And I don't wanna go home right now.

And all I can taste is this moment,

And all I can breathe is your life,

And sooner or later it's over,

I just don't wanna miss you tonight.

And I don't want the world to see me,

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand,

When everything's made to be broken,

I just want you to know who I am.

Seth POV

"Hello, Seth."

I would remember those two words forever.

Sera was standing three feet away from me, but it was the closest to heaven that I had been in a long time.

I inhaled her lavendar-and-musk scent greedily, feeling as though for the first time this week, I could breathe properly. She said nothing, and I stared at her mouth in anticipation, waiting for her to start yelling or hissing or something.

My entire body shook with relief from being so close to her. It was sick, I know. But I had been dying up until this point.

In that moment, I felt like a younger version of myself again, always eager to please. Except this time, there was no way I couldn't. I would literally do anything to please her, because nothing else mattered enough before her. Simple as that.

We both gaped at each other like we had imprinted all over, and believe me, the force was pretty overwhelming. From not being with her for a week, it was almost like we were. The tension between us was electric. We were both leaning in towards each other at an angle, like gravity itself was pushing with all of its might to make us be together.

I wanted to give in so bad, holy shit. My body was literally shaking with the effort.

But by the indecipherable look in her eye, I knew that it wasn't the best game plan. I knew Sera enough to know that the emotions she was feeling at that moment were enough to set the world on fire; I didn't need to push it. She was a force of nature. If she set the world on fire, I would be the first one there with the water hose. Or at least, I hoped she would let me.

We didn't say anything. We just stood there, bewildered and confused at the same time. I could see, just by how much she had aged in the past week, that she had definitely changed. She had clearly lost weight, which was bad for her already small frame. I felt a wave of concern wash over me. When was the last time she ate something? Her hip bones were sticking out of her shirt – my shirt – and her cheekbones had sunken in by a slight degree. This couldn't have been seen by the average person, but for me, someone who had been with her every day of her life, I knew the difference.

I would be lying if I said that it didn't scare me. I stared into her eyes, trying to tell her this. Sera, please, take care of yourself. For me – no wait, scratch that! Fuck. Oh man, I didn't mean that. Not for me, you probably could care less about me. I know it's probably hard for you to look at me right now, but please. I need you to do it.

I could still see everything I needed to see in those big, dark blue eyes of hers.

There was so much I needed to say to her, but I couldn't bring myself to say them. There was no way I could ruin this moment. I just needed to be close to her.

We had been moving closer to each other, millimeter by millimeter. The force of the imprint was too strong to deny. We had been made for each other. Different but compatible in every way.

I had to physically stop myself from crushing my body into hers. I knew that she didn't like me anymore, but I still could hope.

Please, Sera.

I noted every fraction she moved, every facial expression – which suddenly turned alight –

One second, I was standing, feeling the huge weight of our imprint, and the next, I was staring up at the sky, not knowing what the hell just hit me.

"I – Seth Clearwater – why – did – you – leave?" Sera was on top of me, livid. Maybe I should have seen it coming, but like always, I didn't.

She was pounding on my chest, sobbing with everything that she had. I was crushed. I wished I could say that I saw it coming, but like everything that Sera did, I was blown away – and completely shocked.

I let her hit me, to be honest. I didn't try to stop it once. I layed there on the floor, taking every blow with humility, like I should. I winced as she threw a particularly hard one on my chest. I knew my chest would be covered in bruises, but I would gladly take them, one hundred times over.

She was just so beautiful when she was angry.

Bad thing to think right now, Clearwater.

"I have been so depressed without you – you – you imbecile!" She sputtered around the word, even in her fury still unable to say even an almost curse word properly. "Why did you go?" she snarled and moaned and sobbed, all at once. She made it possible.

"B-Because that's what you wanted, I thought," I admitted, my voice small. She scoffed and slapped me (relatively lightly) across the face, and she was even more livid than she had been before.

"Why are you such an idiot," she moaned, slapping my chest with both palms. She threw her hands over her face and started sobbing heartily into them.

I was so confused. I was sure she hated me, and now she was saying that I should have never left? I layed there shaking, with her on top of me. I just couldn't even understand what was going on. Between her livid and depressed emotions and my fragile ones, I felt close to exploding.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered feebily, knowing they wouldn't make a difference. "I'm sorry I'm such an asshat and I left you without trying to make it better. I'm sorry I kissed that girl. I promise you that I pulled away and didn't talk to her for the rest of that night, and I will literally spend my whole life making it up to you. I will never put you into that position again – "

She started crying even harder.

"Please," I forced out, not sure if I meant please stop crying or please forgive me.

She wiped her eyes messily and made a move to get off my lap. Her face was down, but I could see the tears falling.

I felt my heart breaking again when she made that move to get off my lap. No. No no no no no no.

I did something that I should have done when I first left – I made a move.

I snatched her wrists. "Seth – " she hissed, but it was too late. I buried my face into her stomach. She was kneeling, ready to get up, but I just wouldn't let her.

"Don't Sera, please hear me out," I begged. I waited a long, heavy moment for her to say something, anything. I just needed to know that there was a chance. Finally, I felt her sigh. I felt just like a little kid again, pleading with my mom to stay. But there was so much more at stake now.

"Don't walk away from me, I can't stand it," I whispered. My voice faltered weakly on the end.

She whimpered, and I looked up. A tear fell on my face. Our faces were only about four inches apart now.

"Why did you leave?"

"Because you told me to." I knew that wasn't the answer she was looking for, but it was true.

She looked hurt. I swallowed and continued. "You have to realize that I would do anything that you asked me to. If you told me to go fuck off and jump off a bridge right now, I would be there within the hour – "

She gasped and slapped me again. "Don't fucking talk like that."

I blinked.

"I'm not kidding," she warned, but tears filled her eyes again.

"I didn't think you were," I murmured.

She sighed, I felt her anger ebb away some. "Please don't say that again. I...couldn't...if you died." She drew a shuddering breath and caught my eye shyly, before a hardened exterior grew over it again.

"Seth, do you know why I am so hurt over the fact that you left when I told you?" she breathed.

I shook my head no.

She huffed her Sera huff. "Because I can't believe that if I told you to walk away, you just would! It almost seems easy - "

"Stop."

Her lips formed a tight line. My heart was racing and I was breathing short breaths. I was hurt that she would think that it was easy to walk away from her. From her!

"Seraphina, leaving you was one of the hardest things I had to do, and it was only for a week. But haven't you ever heard that when you love someone, you have to let them go if that's what's best? The way you told me to leave you that night made me think that you really wanted me to leave you. It killed me, but I did it, because you didn't want me anywhere near you, and that's what was important. You. Why should I stay if I was making you unhappy? That's literally all I want in life, to make you happy, whether it's with me...or somebody else."

She blinked a lot and furrowed her eyebrows, studying every inch of my face. Her eyes softened a lot, and she seemed closer to the Sera that I knew.

"Okay."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Okay?"

"Okay," she repeated slowly.

Okay.

She looked down at my hand, a vice grip around her wrist. I realized that I was clinging onto her. I let her go immediately. I wouldn't be able to stand it if I hurt her again.

She furrowed her eyebrows, and studiously looked at my face again. She was trying to find something – I don't know what – but I hoped she found it.

Her eyes suddenly looked pained again. "Seth," she whispered, her eyes down and voice barely audible, even for me.

My heart was gallumping painfully. I swallowed thickly. This was it. She was going to reject me.

I wanted to throw myself off a bridge. I automatically felt a weird tingling where my heart was. Rejection. Rejection rejection rejection.

I felt myself fizzle and burn out. She was going to reject me. I knew she was.

I was so glad that Sera was unpredictable, because instead...

She connected her mouth with mine.

Her hands caught fistfuls of my hair as she crushed her lips onto mine, and I would be lying if I said I didn't do the same.

The feeling of her mouth moving with mine was...indescribable.

It was a searing burn that was not at all unpleasurable – it was complete and undiluted heaven, so much so that I almost felt guilty for it. I thought that we would spontaneously combust. Our emotions became one in that moment, like molten lava and rock, and suddenly, I didn't want to be her water hose – I wanted to set the world on fire with her.

I couldn't believe that I had lived my whole life without ever feeling this. I loved the time I had with Sera as a kid, but the Sera I had now in my arms, it pretty much summed up everything wonderful on Earth.

Everything we had was so perfectly connected in that moment of our kiss, that I knew that after this day, I could never live without another one of her kisses again. Her hot breath, her perfect scent, the amount of passion and love that she poured into this kiss was too perfect for words.

I could feel the bond of our imprint sealed away forever. I knew that nothing could rip it apart or get in the way. I had handed her a piece of me that I never wanted back.

Her kissing slowed. Our hands were still knotted in each other's hair, and the passion was still there, but we were simply reveling in each other and the knowledge that we could never go back, nor did we want to. We had our speed bump, and now there was nothing left to get in the way.

I pulled back from her, which caused me immeasurable pain, but then kissed her once – twice – three times more.

"Seth," she whispered again my mouth softly. She leaned in gently to give me a perfect kiss of her own. I could feel her silky, long eyelashes tracing patterns on my skin. I felt with wonder the perfect creaminess and softness of her skin, so pressed up against mine.

I was home.

I sat us up again, never even moving her a fraction of an inch away from my hold. "God, Sera," I muttered again her ear, capturing it with my teeth lightly.

She giggled, and it was music to my ears. "You're not a bad kisser yourself."

I was startled with how bold that comment was, but I cracked a smile. I laughed loudly, and she threw back her head and laughed too, and the music that our voices created together definitely deserved another long, passionate kiss. When she pulled back this time, she sighed contentedly.

"I missed you," I whispered. It was the understatement of the century, but I said it feverently, not even being able to make her understand just how much I did.

She shook her head and slapped me again.

My face slipped into a pout. "What was that for?"

"For being dumb! How could you ever believe that I didn't want you to be around me?" she demanded. I sighed.

We had been over this just seconds before, but I would keep repeating it if it made her happy. "Because I fucked up pretty miserably, if I do say so myself." This wasn't necessarily a Seth kind of style, being so hard on myself. I usually never was, but I was also pretty honest, and I knew I couldn't lie to her.

She closed her eyes tightly. "Stop."

I stared at her, wide-eyed. I knew something else was going on, but right now, I didn't want to ask. I wasn't going to pry her open. I was going to wait, and she was going to tell me because she was Sera and I was Seth and it just was.

She was breathing heavily, her eyelids hooded. Her eyes were sparkling in the moonlight; lighting up her own moon-silver specks, stunning me momentarily. The bright moonlight made her creamy white, and with her raven black hair and pink lips, she looked perfect. She looked like an angel, and my breath caught momentarily.

"I'll try," I said, finally relenting to her question. The blue in her eyes sparkled for a moment before fading into her black irises. I couldn't control the kiss that I gave her afterwards, all the while wondering how I could have gotten so lucky.

I pulled back and looked at her seriously. "Sera?" I asked.

"Mmmm?" She was planting small kisses on my neck, and I almost forgot what I was going to ask her. The feeling of her lips on my bare skin...

I bit my lip and groaned out, "Do you want to go on a date with me tomorrow?" I sounded breathy and less than serious or romantic, which was not what I was going for. I blushed, knowing what I probably did sound like.

She pulled back, with a grin plastered on her face. I was relieved that I hadn't made her uncomfortable. "Really?"

I chuckled and nodded, unable to be serious again. Our relationship was too natural to be anything but carefree when I was with her. An "easy" day for Sera and I was a bad day. Our relationship had always been more than easy – she was my best friend. She's always been too smart for her age, so I always felt like I could just tell her everything and anything. Being uncomfortable or awkward, even in the past few months for us, was just never a part of our relationship I guess.

And god it was pretty much back to normal, all with that one kiss. Except it was better.

"Yeah. I actually wanted to take you somewhere special."

She cocked her eyebrow, but nodded. "Where is this special place?" she asked.

I grinned. "Nope, can't find out until tomorrow."

She huffed, and I kissed her nose. "You're cute when you want to know everything."

"I'll find out by tomorrow," she promised, and tapped her head knowingly.

I just stared at her, wondering how I ever got someone so perfect. I know, it was a weird time to acknowledge that, but my Sera was too wonderful and special for words.

I kissed her softly, cupping her perfect face in my hand, feeling her fingers trail over my collarbone. I did the same with her; my fingers lightly traced the outline of her silky skin, stetched over her collarbone, all the way to the tips of her shoulders, as I captured her bottom lip with my teeth. She let out a light moan.

I'd be lying if I said it wasn't hot.

She giggled and pulled away, and my face slipped into a pout again. She giggled even more. "I guess I should catch up on my sleep, so I can figure this date out," she told me, and stood up. The absence of her body heat pressed against mine left me cold, something I never felt.

Dear lord, she was teasing me.

I stood up with her, grabbing her hand. "Can I at least walk you to your door?" I asked.

She furrowed her eyebrows and gave me a confused smile. "The door is three feet away."

"I meant to your room." I blushed like an idiot. Seth, you've been in her room a thousand times, stop it.

Her eyes widened a little bit, and she blushed too. "Oh – um, yeah. That works."

I chewed on my lip as I lead her into her house. I noticed that her family had evacuated to give us some privacy, which I appreciated. That gave me free reign to lean down and press my lips against hers.

"I will never get tired of that," I told her as I pulled my face away. I wished that I could just kiss her without ever taking a break, but she needed her beauty sleep, and her needs were number one to me.

No matter how hard it was. I sighed internally.

She peeked up at my through her incredibly long eyelashes and smiled sweetly. I couldn't resist another drawn-out kiss.

"I really never will," I promised again, leaning my forehead down on hers. She laughed.

"Are you going to walk me to my room or not, Clearwater?" she joked, pushing me aside and then skipping ahead of me. I was literally dumbfounded by how perfect this night had turned out to be. It was almost as if nothing had ever happened.

How did I end up so lucky? Clearwater, you are so lucky and you probably haven't got a clue.

I captured her from behind and threw her on my shoulder as she pealed with laughter. I was laughing so hard that I had to stop mid-staircase to get it out of my system. It just felt good to laugh after the week we had. I set her down when we got to the top of the stairs, but I didn't let go of her waist.

"Not very traditional," she commented as she recaptured my hand.

I smiled and blushed, but didn't say anything. Her door was on the lefthand side at the end of the hall, but it was far too short of a walk than I would have liked. I stopped in front of her door, suddenly nervous.

Her intuitive eyes were looking at me with a special kind of focus, and I was blown away by how much a single look could affect me. A single look had fixed almost everything wrong in our relationship. A single look made me imprint on her. And a single look, right now, was shaking me and spinning me and tossing me and letting me just fly. "l, um – goodnight," I stuttered when we reached her door.

"Goodnight," she said quietly.

She pulled the collar of my shirt down, since she couldn't reach my neck, so that she could kiss me. I put my hands on her hips and pressed her lightly against the wood of the door. Her lavendar and musk scent was literally making me drunk; I would probably not be able to walk straight afterwards.

This would be a hard night to sleep through, without her.

"I'll miss you," I said to her, after we finally pulled away to breathe.

"I wish you could stay," she muttered. My heart leaped joyously at her words. She wanted me with her. After everything that happened in this week from hell, the idea that she still wanted me with her, even more so than she did before, made me extremely humbled. That little fact made me happier than I could have thought possible.

Capturing my lips one last time, she opened the door behind her. She was blushing and smiling. It was too cute. "I'll see you tomorrow, Seth," she promised, giving me a light smile. I grinned at her.

"See you."

She gave me a little half-wave before closing the door behind her. I stood there, a little dumbfounded, again.

I was totally in my own world as I walked down the staircase. I probably looked like a dopey, lovesick puppy. I just couldn't get over how perfect this night turned out to be.

I left the house, and there was still no sign of the Cullens, which I was perpetually grateful for. At this point, I wouldn't be able to form full sentences if they said anything to me.

I drove home and everything was a blur. I don't remember anything about it actually. I couldn't get those perfect kisses out of my head.

The house lights were on, meaning that Embry was home. I sighed and slid out of the car, entering reality again.

I opened the front door. I was surprised to find that Embry was there with Allegra, watching a movie. When I walked in, Embry stood up. "Seth!" he said excitedly. Embry usually doesn't get super excited for anything, so I was surprised.

He walked over and hugged me, clapping my back at the same time. "It's good to see you home."

"Yeah," I said a little dopey, not really even looking at him. I was wishing I was with Sera again. I missed her, but it was the kind of missing that came with a promise to see her again, which I could deal with.

Embry cocked an eyebrow and waved a hand in front of my face. I blinked a few times. "What?" I asked, shaking my head out of my daze.

Embry studied me for a long time. "You okay?" he asked.

I grinned, reassuring him. "Never better."

"You kissed Seraphina, didn't you?" he accused, laughing.

"Yeah." I had a permanent smile on my face. But why wouldn't I?

"Oh god," he teased, slapping his forehead. Allie laughed.

I grinned at him as he laughed. "Gonna go to bed," I informed him.

"You do that."

I pulled out my cell phone, telling Alice where I wanted to take her tomorrow, knowing it was a long shot. I was genuinely surprised when she said yes immediately, no questions asked. I was beyond grateful.

I stumbled into my bedroom and plopped onto my matress, and was asleep before my head even hit the matress.

Sera POV

After Seth left, I plopped myself onto the ground, not even knowing what to do with myself. I was smiling ear to ear.

Of course, that's when my family decided to show up.

A string of the female family members entered my room, minus Allegra. They were all giving me cheeky grins, and I blushed heavily.

"Well," Rosalie said with heavy innuendo, "how did it go?"

I threw my hands over my face with a wide grin, blushing all the way down to my collarbones. When he touched me there, it felt so good...

Everyone erupted into giggles. "Sera!" Bella accused jokingly, "I didn't even blush that bad when I was human."

I bit my lip and giggled, turning onto my stomach. I didn't even know I could stop grinning and giggling. I never wanted to.

Bella tickled my side and I giggled some more. Mom pealed with laughter.

"I'll get you ready for your date tomorrow," Mom promised. When I blanched in horror, she winked.

"Well, since I know where he's taking you, you're going to need me."

My eye twitched just thinking about how she knew and I didn't. I sighed. She knew I hated to be left out of the loop.

"I'll find out," I promised, hoping that I would actually find out.

She winked at me and laughed.

"Let's leave her to her thoughts, she's gonna have a long day tomorrow," Rosalie said, ushering everyone out of my room. I gaped.

"Everyone knows?" I demanded.

Rosalie turned around and winked before shutting the door behind her. That was so not fair! I pouted, but it didn't last long. My mind was recaptured by Seth before I even saw it coming, and suddenly, I didn't care that everyone knew. All I knew was that I was going to experience it tomorrow, with Seth.

I relived every kiss, every touch. I was floating on air, cloud nine, in pure heaven. The only thing that put a bit of a wet blanket on my buzz was the events that transpired while he was gone, and I hoped he was going to be understanding and forgiving, and soon.

I went to bed that night peacefully, for the first time in what seemed like centuries. And while things still drifted in the back of my head waiting to rear its head, I pushed them all away, because this terrible week had suddenly and miraculously turned into a week-and-a-day, and that promised better things to come.

A/N: Like I said, short chapter, but their problems are fixed fairly simply...except for a few details that Sera hasn't told Seth about yet. More to come! I'm starting school soon and it's going to be touch, but I'll keep it regular. (:

-Chels.