Hey guys!!! This chapter was hard one to write, because of all the emotional stuff that happens, so I hope you enjoy it!!!

Kate's POV:

Over the next week Garrett and I went hunting several more times...more than necessary in all honesty. We did it now mostly to get away from everything. From Alice's prediction we knew we had about 3 more weeks left until the Volturi arrived, and everyone was in high stress mode. The atmosphere was so serious everywhere you went, and I found that the only time I could laugh or smile anymore was in the presence of Garrett. I became more thankful every day that he was my friend...While we still had our battles of wit, we also talked about serious things. I knew from the first day that, while his eyes had a playful glow usually, he had the potential to be serious. Beneath the wit and the sarcasm, the laughter and the jokes, there was the other part of him. The independent rebel, the man who knew to his core the difference between right and wrong, and was willing to die for it. I admired that part of him more than anything.

Exactly three weeks after Garrett had arrived we were out hunting again. I had finished my wolf, and turned to see that Garrett didn't have a speck of dirt on him. He really had perfected his technique over the past week. His eyes also had gone from blood red to pale orange, and I knew that they'd be gold within the next week, if he kept it up. I really hoped he would. He seemed to understand the moral side of this diet, and I only admired him more for wanting to change because he believed in it, rather than before, when it was just the challenge.

"Ready to go back?" he asked, standing up.

"Not yet," I said, sitting down on a log. He moved to sit next to me, and I could feel an electric current (and not the kind I produce on purpose) coursing through my bloodless veins. The few times Garrett and I had touched, brushing against each other accidentally and whatnot, I'd felt it too, and it scared me as much as it excited me.

"How is it that you've never found a coven?" I asked after a few minutes of peaceful silence. I had been wondering about that for some time. He was such a likable person that it seemed impossible that he'd remained a nomad since the Revolutionary War.

"Well," he said, "I've met plenty of vampires who've offered, but, I've never met the right one to settle down with. I'm positive that when I meet her, I won't be afraid of settling down."

We sat in silence for a moment longer as I digested that. It felt silly, but I really wanted to be the one he settled down for. I didn't want to take his independence away from him, but I wanted him to love me--Immediately after I thought it I felt sickened at myself. What about Irina? We were on the brink of a war the likes of which had never been seen, and I was worrying about falling in love? I'd never felt more selfish...

The pain I got from thinking about Irina must have shown on my face, or maybe he just knows me and how to read me, because he said, "You're thinking about Irina." It wasn't a question, it was an invitation. He'd never once pushed me to talk, and I understood that he wasn't pushing now. He was inviting me to talk if I wanted to, but I knew he wouldn't be hurt if I didn't.

My gut reaction was to say that I didn't want to talk about it, but then I realized that I did. I needed to talk about it, and I couldn't think of anyone I wanted to tell more than him. I wanted Garrett to understand it...to know how I was feeling.

"Yeah, I am," I said slowly, "I was thinking about how selfish of me to be having fun with you when I don't know where she is--she left us, without saying goodbye, and then betrayed our dearest friends....." I was trying desperately not to break down into dry sobs, but I wasn't succeeding, "I miss her so terribly sometimes," I was sobbing now, or as close as a vampire can come to sobbing, but I knew he wouldn't think less of me for it, "and I have no one to talk to about it. Tanya chooses to ignore it, it's her only way of coping, but I just can't ignore it anymore. I'm scared about my family and all of my friends, and I'm terrified we won't all come out of this....I'm scared they won't listen, or that they won't care...I'm frightened for my sisters, and I'm scared about what would happen to me if we lost....they collect people you know, and with my gifts they'd try to collect me too...I'm frightened about what's going to happen to us, and I can't be strong for everyone all the time anymore..." every worry I'd had over the last three weeks was pouring out of me, and I couldn't stop it.

Without saying anything Garrett wrapped his arms around me and just held me there. I'd never felt safer than I did at that moment, with his arms, warm, strong, and protecting, around me. I cried and cried until I couldn't anymore, and even after I'd stopped we didn't move. I wasn't even embarrassed about my outburst, as I would've been with almost anyone else. Garrett wasn't anyone else. He didn't judge me, and he knew exactly what I was thinking. Sure, he knew how to cheer me up, and challenge my wit, but he also knew when I needed someone there just to listen, to be strong, and he could be that someone.

Garrett's POV:

I was so glad that she'd decided to talk to me. I never wanted to force an answer out of her, but I wanted to be there if she had wanted to talk...I wanted to be the person she'd come to talk to. She was so strong all the time, for her family, for her friends, and I wanted to be the one person that was strong for her. I let her get it all out, and I only admired her more afterwords. We sat there for a while, my arms around her slim waist, hers around my neck, as she cried into my shoulder. It was so peaceful that I dreaded the thought of ever having to move. I knew then that I wanted more than friendship with Kate, but she needed me to be her friend right now, and I wanted to be that for her...I'd be anything for her. I'd never felt more connected to another person in my entire existence, not even when I was human. I'd been too interested in fighting in the revolution, defending the rights of men, to worry about falling in love. Even after I was changed I stood alone. I didn't think the right someone was out there, when really, I just hadn't met her. I never thought I needed someone else, until I needed her. I needed my Katie.

The funny thing about time for us is that it became hard to measure...I could never tell you how long we sat there after she'd calmed down. When you have endless time, single moments can't be measured. Then I realized that we might not have endless time, and no sooner had I realized that than I decided I wouldn't want to spend the remaining time any differently. However time had to start moving and someone had to start it. When it became clear that neither Katie nor I was willing to restart time someone else had to come do it for us.

There was a rustling in the trees, and we both stood up defensively only to see Maggie emerge looking worried, "Where have you been?" she asked, "Tanya, Carmen, and Eleazar have been worried sick about you, Kate!" No one needed to ask why. After Irina they were all very careful not to upset or worry each other...I immediately felt guilty for upsetting the balance. We couldn't have been gone that long...but then I looked at the sky and realized with shock the sun was setting. We had been gone that long.

"What time is it?" asked Kate, looking at the sky.

"Nearly 5," said Maggie.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." said Kate, looking anguished. I realized she felt guilty for leaving her family at home when she felt the need to be there for them all the time.

"What were you doing?" asked Maggie.

"I told Tanya, Carmen, and Eleazar before we left," she said, "We were hunting."

"For 5 hours?" she asked skeptically.

"Yes," said Kate.

"Well, lets go back to the house. They're all worried," relented Maggie.

"You go," I said, "We'll follow."

She eyed us wearily before departing.

"Are you sure you want to go back just yet?" I asked.

She nodded, before saying, "And thank you."

"For what?" I asked.

"Listening, I guess. Just being there. It's unusual for me to break down like that, and I'm sorry you had to deal with it. I'm usually the strong one."

"You don't always have to be the strong one, Katie," I replied.

"Yeah," she said, her smile returning, "But I'm always the fast one."

"Is that a challenge?" I asked, with a smirk of my own.

"I suppose you could say so," she said, before racing off. I followed immediately.

Tanya's POV:

"Hunting?" asked Eleazar skeptically.

"Apparently," said Maggie, "And, I couldn't detect a lie in it. They really were hunting."

"I don't like this," I said. I was worried about her....

"Why not?" asked Carmen, "I think he's good for her."

"She's forgetting why we're here!" I said angrily...and everyone knew I really meant that she was forgetting Irina, her betrayal....

"No," said Eleazar, "She wouldn't forget it."

"I think he's helping her," said Carmen.

"Well I don't!" I said.

"You don't what?" We all turned around to see Kate in the doorway with the nomad behind her, again. I felt like I never saw her anymore unless he was two paces behind....what was worse was that she followed him around too! Ever since the first day we met him there'd been something weird going on, and I didn't like it.

"She doesn't know why she was so worried," said Carmen, "She's blaming herself for ruining your fun."

"You didn't ruin our fun," Kate said quickly.

"Yeah," said Garrett, and he was lucky looks couldn't kill, "We were just about to head back anyway."

"Well," I said, "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and find Carlisle," and swooped out of the room without a backward glance.

Edward's POV:

I entered the living room just as Tanya was leaving it. She was practically screaming in her head...no idea what she's getting into! A nomad, of all people! Has she forgotten what's about to happen? She can't go giving her heart away to someone who OBVIOUSLY can't take care of her! She's supposed to be the strong one, the smart one! What's gotten into her? Has she forgotten about Irina? Irina! Why would she run away like that, betray our closest friends...

Tanya wasn't the only one who's thoughts intrigued me, though all were on the same subject. Carmen...I think he's really helping her...he's got a good sense of humor, but he also can be serious, and I haven't seen her this happy since Irina left. She's always needed someone as witty and playful as her, but when things get serious he can keep her from taking the blame...she does that far to often. I hope Tanya doesn't screw up whatever they have right now. I don't even think she knows right now, but all the same...and Eleazar...he doesn't seem like a bad guy, and Kate's been better about Irina since they've met...were supportive, and Maggie...she won't explain what's going on between them, but it HAS to be something! She might not know it yet, but something isn't on the 'just friends' level was curious to the extreme.

Both Garrett and Kate were confused and thinking about all that had happened in the last 5 hours. For the first hour they had, indeed, been hunting, but as their conversation replayed in their heads I realized exactly how much had happened on their extended hunting trip. They both sat down on the sofa, and Carmen and Eleazar took armchairs, Maggie sitting on the floor. I sat down in the last remaining chair, thinking. It made me feel rather hopeful to see that, despite everything that was going on around us, people, well vampires, could still fall in love. Then, I remembered all of Kate's fears, which I felt extremely bad for plucking out of Garrett's head, and I wondered if it was a good thing. Surely it was, but it gave them both another person to worry about, as if they needed that.

Despite the fact that I knew it was wrong, I couldn't help but listen to Garrett's jumbled up thoughts, I was intrigued, and wanted to know more.

What am I doing? I don't know. I'm not supposed to need people, I'm not supposed to fall in love...I'm NOT in love, am I? I want more than friendship with her, but that doesn't mean love, does it? Why does it feel like it does? She's so amazing...she's witty and clever, funny and charming. She can be so pompous, but she's also so sincere at times...I've never met someone I connected with on this level...I feel like I know her and understand her down to her soul, and she gets me the same way...she's changed me....I'm still an independent, witty, sarcastic, overconfident rebel...but she also resurfaced the humane part of me, the part I'd been out of touch with for so long...She made me realize that feeding on human's is wrong, and she's changed me for the better. She's strong and independent, and she's there for everyone else, but no one's ever there for her...I want to be there for her, more than anything. Everything she's afraid of shows just how kind she is...It felt so right today in the woods...Aside from that, she's gorgeous, but of course that word doesn't fit...

Not feeling the need to hear Garrett's mental description of Kate I turned to her thoughts instead.

What am I thinking? I'm not. Garrett's my best friend, but it felt like a lot more than that today...He understands me, more than anyone else, but isn't that normal for a best friend? He's funny, and smart, and witty too, wittier than me, though I'll never give him the satisfaction of knowing that, and he also understands me on a basic level that no one else does...he's really been there for me, and he's the only person I've ever really wanted to talk to...I need him. Still, Tanya's right, a war's about to happen. I know she doesn't approve of what's going on between me and Garrett, even if she won't say it...but nothing is really going on! Do I want something to be going on? Who am I kidding, I do? But that's out of the question anyway...I'm just his best friend, to him, I'm like one of the boys...

I couldn't help it...after having to hear Garrett's mental struggles hearing Kate say that he saw her as 'one of the boys' made me snort. It didn't help that I was looking directly at her either.

She glared, her mind screaming EDWARD CULLEN GET OUT OF MY HEAD THIS INSTANT!!! YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO RIGHT TO DO THAT!!! I DON'T KNOW HOW BELLA STANDS YOU I REALLY DON'T!!! I DON'T THINK SHE WOULD IF YOU COULD READ HER MIND!!! YOUR FAMILY MUST BE SICK OF IT, GOD KNOWS I AM AND I DON'T EVEN HAVE TO LIVE WITH YOU!!! THAT WAS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, AND IF YOU TELL ANYONE, ANYONE, AND THAT INCLUDES BELLA, GARRETT, AND WHOEVER ELSE MIGHT TAKE YOUR FANCY, I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND I WON'T EVEN SAVE THE ASHES FOR YOUR FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!

I figured that was my cue to leave, because an angry Kate was not something anyone should have to deal with...I smirked on the way out, because Garrett clearly didn't know what he was getting into...and if he did, well, it said something about his feelings that he didn't care.

Drop me a review and tell me what you think, because I really want to know!!!

XOXO

GossipGirlHere