Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Twilight.
"So you all kick vampire ass, huh?" I asked later that evening when the 'pack' had left. It was just me, Sam, and Emily, sitting on the couch.
"Don't say that word," Emily scolded, at the same time Sam said, "Pretty much." they looked at each other for a second before laughing softly.
"You're taking this very well," Sam observed.
"Well, yeah," I said. "You kill vampire...butt. Not human butt."
"Yes," Sam said. "But you're not scared about me hurting you? Losing my temper? I mean, look at Emily. That was totally and completely an accident. You aren't scared?"
"Nope," I popped the 'p.' "Not one bit. You ran off to stop yourself earlier, so that says something. You have self-control, and you're responsible."
"So, you're not going to go running for the hills?" Sam asked, grinning.
"Nope," I replied happily. "Not at all. Werewolves are better than fathers who specialize in asshole-ish-ness."
"Don't say that word!" Emily rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"Yes, ma'am," I said, standing up and kissing her cheek. I hugged her lightly before doing the same thing to Sam. "Night guys, I'm going to sleep. I've had a very…tiring day."
"Goodnight, sweetie," Emily said softly, sounding very motherly. She really was a sweet woman.
As I settled under the blankets, curling into my new and permanent bed, I distinctly heard a wolf howling. It sounded pained.
)-(
"Sam-ay!" Embry called from the living room.
"Did you just call me Sammy?" I called back. I'd been modeling some clothes that Kim and Emily had brought me for Kim, Emily, Leah, and Rachel. At the moment, I was trying on a strapless baby blue dress. The neckline was heart shaped, and the fabric was tight around my newly-developed breast, but then it flowed down to my mid thigh. The material was silky, and the bottom part had a little bit of dark blue lace round the edges. At that moment, with my hair down and my eyes bright, I had to admit, I looked pretty cute.
Except the bruises. I wasn't uncomfortable with the girls seeing them, but now the boys were here…
I slipped on the brown, long sleeved sweater that Emily had picked out for me, and slipped it on, happy that it covered my bruises.
"No, I didn't call you Sammy!" Embry said. "I called you, Sam-ay! Huge difference!"
"What do you want, Embry?" I asked.
"Hurry up and show us the dress!"
"I'm not leaving my room until you guys leave!" I huffed. I'd brought my voice down, but I knew he could still hear me.
"But everyone wants you to come out here, especially Colin!" he said, and I froze. I'd only been at Sam's a week. How could he possibly know about my secret obsession with Colin? How did he know that if he said Colin wanted me, I would come?
"Well, since everyone wants me…" I grumbled, opening the door and walking down the hallway. "I'm here."
Everyone was gaping at me. Colin was the only one grinning, and Sam was the only one frowning.
"Why the long face, Sammy-boy?" I asked.
"You look grown up," He said. "It's weird. You're only thirteen."
"Almost fifteen," Colin and I corrected him at the same time. We both blushed, looking down.
"You look gorgeous!" Kim squealed, hopping up and coming over to me. "Absolutely gorgeous!"
"I hate dresses," I protested, feeling like a grumpy teenager for the first time ever. I kind of liked it.
"Well, too bad, you're keeping this one!" Kim said.
"Definitely!" Rachel beamed.
Emily nodded. "Really, sweetie, you should definitely keep it. You look wonderful."
"Leah?" I asked, looking for her approval. Leah was my favorite pack member, and favorite girl. She was like me—she liked cuss words, didn't like dresses, and loved Skittles. I found it easiest to talk to her. Then, next on my list, was Rachel, then Kim. I loved Kim, but she was really hyper and girly. I would go to her for guy advice. Emily was already starting to seem like an older sister, so she didn't count as one of the "girls."
"I think you look great in it," Leah said. "Even if I don't like dresses, I'm going with the girls on this one."
"Well, I guess I have to keep it then," I sighed, starting to head back to my room.
"Wait a second, Samantha!" Jake stopped me.
"Yeah?" I asked. I could cope with Jake, and mostly Quil, but not Embry. Sometimes he made me crazy.
"What is your favorite place you've never been?" he asked.
I raised an eyebrow in question, but still replied. "Africa. Like, the savannahs, with lions and zebras and stuff. Why?"
"That gives us a great idea for your birthday present," Jared winked.
"And what is that?" I asked slowly.
"A renovation for your room," Seth chirped.
"Sam!" I said. "I told you that my room was fine!"
"No, you need a room that expresses you," he said. "So that's what you'll get. All of the pack is chipping in. We're starting in two days so that it will be done by your birthday."
"Did Emily tell you I needed new room?" I asked.
"Possibly," he said. Emily gave him a look. "Actually, no, it was all my idea."
I rolled my eyes and turned to go to my room. "Of course it was."
I slipped of the dress and put on my favorite skinny jeans and a black, long sleeved t-shirt. I put on my paint splattered converses, got my iPod that I'd snuck when my dad told me to pack my stuff, and headed for the back door.
Like that would escape the notice of a room full of werewolves.
"Where do you think you're going?" Sam's voice demanded.
I turned around. "For a peaceful walk on the beach?"
"By yourself?" he narrowed his eyes.
"Yep," I said, smiling.
"I don't know about that…" he said, crossing his arms.
"Is someone on patrol?" I asked. He nodded. "Then I'll be fine. It's just the beach. And, you said there haven't been any vampire sightings since the Vulturi leeches left. I will be fine."
"Samantha…." he said. I gave him the most pitiful look I could muster, because in the week I'd been there, I'd learned that a pitiful look from me could win Sam over anytime, anyplace. He seemed to waver for a second, before sighing. "Fine. Fine! You can go. But, if you're not home in thirty minutes, I'm going to send a wolf after you."
As long as it's Colin. I thought to myself, smiling a bit. When Sam laughed and said, "I'll be sure to pick him," I was utterly confused.
"You said that out loud, you know that right?" he grinned. "About Colin?"
"Damn it!" I muttered. And because of super wolf hearing, that meant that all the pack had heard it. I huffed out a breath, then turned and stormed out, mad at myself for that little slip. I walked through the little part of the woods before reaching the beach. For awhile I strolled down the shore, loving the sound of the water crashing. It sounded like a wild, yet peaceful war raging underneath the surface. The waves curved this way, the waves crashed that way. I watched as the waves majestically rose higher and higher, rolling over themselves and then hitting the shore with enough force to shake the world. I loved it all.
Then, I saw a little break in the woods, and I decided to go investigate. It turned out to be a little trail that led up the cliff a little. I followed it. The trail was beautiful, with nothing but green trees and a grassy path helping me navigate my way. When I came to a break in the trail, I walked through it, and gasped at the sight. It was like a small circle. Part of it was a little pond that had a water fountain going splashing merrily into it, and then other half, pure brown dirt. Surrounding the circle were trees of different sizes, and one in particular popped out—a willow. Also, beautiful lavender flowers were everywhere. The beauty was insane, and I felt like I could stay there forever, soaking it all up.
I sat down in the dirt, not caring about whether or not my jeans and jacket got dirty. I slipped out my iPod, and chose the playlist that held all of my favorite Yiruma songs. Yiruma was a piano player, who wrote the most complicated and beautiful pieces I'd ever heard. I didn't know anyone who could play them. My favorite was The River Flows in You. It sounded like a love song, and I imagined powerful love inspiring this song, like the kind that I'd seen between Emily and Sam in the time I'd been in La Push. It was pure love, devotion, and adoration. It was intense, and stronger than any other thing in the world.
I dozed off sometime during that song, and when I woke up, I was being carried by a pair of very warm arms. The person holding me had me cradled and cuddled into his bare chest. I was shivering, so I buried my face into the chest, and a low rumbled came from the person holding me, as if they laughed.
"I'm the person requested, right?" Colin's voice said.
"Maybe," I mumbled, enjoying the warmth he was giving off. I noticed it was darker then when I'd fallen asleep. "What time is it?"
"Six." he said. "You've been gone for three hours. I don't understand how you weren't freezing."
"I never get cold," I told him. "If anything, I'll only get a little chilly, so it makes winter my favorite time of the year."
"I see," he said. "Well, Sam looked like he was going to have a heart attack when it'd reached an hour, so we were looking for you on the beach. It took a long time, but we finally caught where your scent went. There was so much dew and mist, that it dulled the scent a lot. But, I found it on the trail, and followed it, and now, here we are."
"So you rescued me?" I asked into his chest.
"I guess so." I could feel him shrug.
"My knight in shining armor," I answered in a somewhat sarcastic voice. I felt a wave of drowsiness fall over me as the rhythm of him walking rocked me to sleep. The last thing I heard him say before I dozed off was, "And you're my princess."
"Oh, thank God you're okay!" Emily said, pulling me into a tight hug. I actually shivered at the difference between her and Colin. I wanted to be back in his arms, cuddling to his chest.
"Yeah, I just fell asleep, that's all," I assured her.
Emily fussed more over me. "Look at you, you're freezing! Go take a hot shower, get into some warm clothes, and I'll some soup ready for you. Go!" I simply nodded and headed into the bathroom with one last glance at Colin. While I soaked up the hot water, I thought about what he said. And you're my princess. I wondered whether or not he was serious, like I was. Suddenly, the water didn't seem anywhere near as warm and cozy as his arms were. I hopped out of the shower, wrapping my body in a robe and my hair in a towel. I noticed that Emily had kicked the heat up. How sweet of her.
I put on jeans and a hoodie, as well as a pair of pink fuzzy socks to warm my feet. My damp hair was extra curly from getting wet, and I just let it fall down my shoulders. I stepped out of my room, happy and warm, still thinking about Collin. When I saw him sitting in the living room on the couch, my heart soared, and I yearned to jump over the coffee table and sit in his lap. But I didn't. Instead I took a seat next to him, in front of the bowl of soup, and slice of baked bread that had been set down.
"What is the pack doing tonight?" I asked.
"Well, when Sam and the others get back," Collin started. I noticed we were alone. The thought gave me chills. "Sam's going to give you a long speech, which he had prepared in his head, mind you. Then we will watch a movie after dinner. Emily, Kim, and Rachel are in the kitchen right now."
I swallowed the bread I'd been eating. "How bad is the speech?"
"Not too bad, he just gets angry when he's worried," Collin assured me by placing his large hand over mine.
I winced. "I just hope he doesn't end up looking too much like my dad, or I might turn into a mess."
"I'm sure it won't be that bad."
It turned out, it was. Sam was angrier than I'd ever seen him. He said he'd been worried sick, searching for two hours, and that something could've happened to me, and I was careless, and it didn't help that they scented a vampire while searching, and he went into worry mode and many more things. Towards the end of the speech, he threw his hands up in the hair and I cringed into Colin's side, who immediately wrapped his arms around me. I'd already curled into a ball, and now I was crying silently. He realized what was wrong and started to come towards me, but I flinched more into Collin. His face went stiff, as if he regretted the yelling.
"Sam, you've overreacted," Colin said sternly, sounding like he barely contained his anger. "She's okay now, she's safe and warm. Enough." I was shocked. That didn't sound like something a fifteen year old boy normally said. He sounded like a thirty year old man.
Sam started to reply, but Emily cut him off, sounding just as stern. "Sam, get out. Go to your room, outside, in the wooods, do whatever. Just leave her alone for right now, you know she needs a minute.
He looked sad and apologetic before sweeping out the front door. I sighed, staying where Collin did, not wanting to leave the safety and comfort of his arms. It didn't really make sense. Sam was my brother, my blood, and Colin was a boy I'd spoken with all of three times, and I already trusted him more than anyone in my new home. I snuggled closer, deciding that it didn't matter. I was safe in his arms, and that's what did matter.
"You okay, sweetie?" Emily asked, her cool hand touching my arm. I nodded briefly, unable to get the image of my father out of my head. As Sam yelled, I'd started picturing my dad drunk and yelling at me for no particular reason. Apparently, Sam inherited his temper.
"I'm sorry, Colin." I said, starting to get off of him.
He smiled. "No, it's fine. Believe me, I don't mind at all."
I nodded as he took my hand in his own, turning to Emily. "Thank you, I shouldn't act like this. Sam had every right to be mad at me."
"Maybe, but not that mad," she said. "He was scared and his actions were over the top. I think he knows that now."
"Thank you," I whispered again as she took me into her warm and loving arms. I felt like I was getting a mother back.
"Is Sam outside?" I asked Colin. He looked as he was listening, and then he nodded.
"He's pacing back and forth," he said in answer. I nodded, and walked out the door. The second I did, I wished I'd gotten a coat. I wrapped my arms around myself.
"Hey," I told Sam.
"Hey," he sighed, looking at me intensely. He came toward me. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have overreacted like that. I don't know what it's like to feel this protective over someone besides Emily. I couldn't find you, I was worried sick, it was getting cold…Sammy, I don't want anything to happen to you." He paused. "Still, I know that's no reason for me to yell at you that way."
I shook my head. "It's fine, I totally get it. You just have too much dad in you, but we'll work that out."
He smiled. "You are like Mom."
"What do you mean?' I wondered.
"Well, she was always forgiving me for doing stupid things, or saying harsh words," Sam explained. "She was strong willed, but the gentlest person you'd ever know."
"I remember that," I said softly, tears welling up. I missed my mother. "I also remember her soft voice, whispering 'I love you' at night. Or, singing to me when I was about to go to sleep. And she gave the best hugs."
"One time," Sam said, walking towards me. We were both looking at the stars. "I was about five, but I remember very clearly. I'd been playing by myself with a baseball, because Dad never wanted to do anything with me. Anyways, I threw the ball in the air and hit it with a bat. I hit it too hard, and it flew right through the window of my room. My dad yelled and screamed at me for a long time. I had to clean it up myself. Well, that night, Dad went to a bar and got wasted, or so I presume. He could've been cheating on mom for we knew, but we didn't care. So, mom came into my room while I was shivering from the wind blowing in. She had extra blankets and one pillow. She lay down beside me, wrapping her arms around me, and sang me to sleep. She did that for the next two years every time my dad upset me, or I did something wrong. She wasn't even mad about the window being broken."
I wiped my eyes. "She was perfect, so gentle and sweet."
"I think the similarities between Emily and Mom was why Emily was made for me. I needed someone that was gentle, loving, and forgiving when I was younger, and I still need someone like that now. Well except Emily's my lover, not my mother."
I giggled at his attempt to rhyme. "I miss her so much."
"I miss her too, kiddo." he wrapped his arms around me, and I relaxed. There were only three people allowed to touch me—Sam, Emily, and Colin.
"Again, I'm sorry for getting so worked up," Sam said into my hair. "I was just worried, and I really don't want to lose you. I just found you, and I already love you."
My heart warmed. "I love you too Sam."