AN: Hey guys, sorry for the late update but last week I had a major assignment due in every one of my subjects. I planned to update on the weekend but it was my best friends birthday, so I slept at her house Saturday night. The only problem is she had a cold, which meant she snored something terrible all night so, come Sunday I was way too tired to look at a glarey computer screen. It's a good thing I love her so much ^_^
Anyway, it's here now and thats what matters, although this is probably my least favourite chapter so far because it's a little boring, but I did need a chapter to join the last and the next which are both pretty important so this is what I came up with. I hope you like it :)

Disclaimer: I have not yet come up with a devious plot which I can use to obtain the rights to the Twilight characters, so I just have to make do with playing with them for now ^_^

CHAPTER 8 (hope)

SETH POV

Seth felt himself calming unnaturally quickly and wiped his eyes before turning to find Jasper standing behind him with an uncharacteristic look of concern on his face.

"What's wrong Seth?"

"Nothing," replied Seth. "I'm just glad that it didn't have to come to a fight to prove you guys are innocent," He wasn't exactly lying either. Seth hadn't wanted it to come to a fight, because then he would have had to choose sides, and if there was one thing Seth didn't want to have to do it was hurt one of his friends to prevent them from harming his imprint.

Jasper had a disbelieving look on his face at the excuse but Seth knew that he was too polite and reserved to pry any further. However, he didn't want to test that theory so he quickly changed the subject. "So, is Alice proud that she used her awesome skills to save the day once again?"

That brought a small smile to Jasper's face but he was prevented from replying by another, higher pitched voice coming from behind him, "Of course I'm proud Seth, anything to help. I'm just glad that we got back in time to prevent any disasters."

Seth looked past Jasper to see Alice standing with a cheeky grin on her face, and he almost forgot the pain in his chest as he grinned back and replied, "And your happiness has nothing to do with the fact that you now have bragging rights over your whole family?"

Alice's grin grew even bigger at his words, "Well, that too I suppose."

Everyone in the clearing, with the exception Sam's pack and Leah, who had already left, burst into laughter at her words, but then Alice's face grew serious. "But seriously guys, I was scared we would be too late, I thought that you had begun fighting almost an hour before we got here."

Now everyone looked confused, mirroring the way Seth felt, 'Why would Alice have thought we were fighting them?'

Bella was the one to voice his thought, "Why would you have thought that Alice?"

The vampire in question paused a moment before replying, "I couldn't keep an eye on you guys because you had the wolves with you, so I kept an eye on the Volturi to see what was going on. I lost sight of Aro for a while, but then he came back again and I realised that he had just been speaking to Seth so I wasn't worried then, but maybe half an hour later Jane's brother Alec disappeared completely and didn't come back. That was when I got worried because it was like he had died and I thought maybe you had been forced to fight. It wasn't until we actually got here that I realised he was completely fine, but I still couldn't see him which is weird because he's a vampire and I usually see them extremely clearly."

While everyone else in the clearing was sporting confused looks, Seth was worried out of his mind for Alec's safety. "You don't think it means that something's going to happen to him on his way back to Italy do you Alice?"

Not noticing the frantic look on his face, Alice answered, "No, I don't think so Seth. Usually when someone dies I can see the event take place but then lose sight of them after they've passed on, like with Bella on the cliff. Actually, the way Alec disappeared was really unusual because I didn't see anything out of the ordinary happen, one second he was there and the next he was gone. It actually kind of reminds me of what used to happen when Bella ran off with Jacob, except I don't anticipate much of a chance of Alec having run off with his secret werewolf friend to ride a motorcycle, do you?"

Seth laughed along with everyone else and replied, "No, I suppose not." But hope was blossoming in his chest, 'If Alec's disappearance from Alice's visions is like what happens with Bella when she hangs around Jake then maybe Alec disappeared because I'm going to become a permanent part of his life.' The thought made him grin on the outside as well as the inside and he laughed again before picking Alice up and wrapping her in a tight bear hug while spinning in a circle.

The tiny vampire smiled and laughed with glee as he put her down, kissed her on the cheek and said, "Thanks Alice, you're the best."

The witnesses (with the exception of Vladimir and Stefan who had already left in disappointment after realising that there wouldn't be a fight) looked completely shocked at the display of affection between werewolf and vampire but Alice ignored them and grinned even wider, "I know Seth, I know. Now I just wish that everyone else would realise it so I can get the recognition I deserve."

Seth laughed along with everyone else as Edward shot her down using a few choice words before he spotted Maggie, the small vampire who had vouched for him while he was being accused of lying by Caius. He walked over to her.

The two tall, imposing vampires on either side of her looked wary as he approached but Maggie didn't back away as he stopped in front of her and held out his hand, "Hi, I'm Seth."

She shook his hand without flinching and replied, "Maggie."

"Look, I just want to thank you for vouching for me before with the Volturi, I really appreciate it."

"It was my pleasure." She replied, "I don't like the way the Volturi manipulate people and condemn them without seeking out the whole truth. Besides, it was refreshing to listen to an interrogation where the person being questioned didn't once lie. I don't think you know how rare it is to find someone so honest."

Seth blushed at the compliment and bowed his head in slight embarrassment as he said, "Well, I don't like lying, and I'm really not all that good at it anyway."

"That's not necessarily a bad thing," Said Maggie, smiling at his embarrassment. "Although the downside of not being able to lie well is that when speaking with people who don't have my gift, especially people who know you well, it is all the more difficult to hide the truth from them."

She continued to speak, ignoring his shocked look, "Edward knows what it is that's hurting you and Jasper and the big red wolf suspect that something is wrong. You should tell someone what it is because it isn't good to keep those kinds of feelings bottled up. They have a nasty tendency to explode from you at the most inopportune of moments."

Seth's surprise at the little vampire's attentiveness was overwhelmed by the affection that he suddenly felt for the concern she had expressed for him. Always the emotional kind, Seth was faced with a choice, either cry, or hug the vampire he had only just met.

To the surprise of everyone, even Maggie, Seth stepped towards her and hugged her tightly, burying his face in her shoulder and murmuring in her ear, "Thank you."

Getting over her shock at being hugged by a werewolf of all people and ignoring the tense stances of her coven, Maggie smiled gently and hugged Seth back just as tight murmuring in his ear, "Any time."

When they broke apart Seth ignored the strange looks they were receiving from the rest of the vampires and spoke to Maggie once more, "Thank you once again for your help and advice Maggie, I greatly appreciate it and hope we get the chance to meet again in the future, I have a feeling that you will be a wonderful friend. But if you will now excuse me, I have to go home and speak with my mother and sister."

Maggie's returning grin was spectacular as she replied, "We will be great friends Seth, and I don't need a gift like Alice's to promise that. I will ensure that we meet again in the not too distant future. Good luck with your family and I will see you again soon."

Giving one last grin at yet another new vampire friend he had managed to make, Seth ran into the woods in his human form intent on getting home and explaining the day's events to his mother and sister, hoping beyond hope that they would accept his feelings and give him their blessing when he left to find his imprint.

He ignored the small voice at the back of his mind that told him they wouldn't accept it, not the fact that Alec was a boy and certainly not the fact that he was a vampire. This voice was small, but strong enough to keep Seth from phasing, in fear that Leah was still in wolf form and would hear the truth in his thoughts before he got the chance to explain.

"I just hope they accept it for my sake, even if they can't understand..."

So, did you like it?

I'm getting ready for the big confrontation next chapter which will hopefully be up on the weekend, because I have exams this week. I promise that I will update ASAP though and after my examp I will have almost unlimited time to write ^_^

Please review!