I am so, so, so sorry about the long wait. Really. I don't understand why writers block seems to always be looming over my head like some ominous rain cloud. *sigh*

Anyway! I want to say thanks to the awesome and ever so loverly my hubby is no edwardfor editing this perfect little chapter for you all!

WARNING: a scene of abuse is in italics so if you don't feel comfortable reading it, its okay, you'll get the gist of it afterwards. I was told that it evokes strong emotion, so be warned.

Enjoy! =]

Chapter 7- Dinner Plans

~Aiden's POV~

Do you like Wyatt with Mac?

I looked over at my brother Ravyn's large grey and black wolf form and slapped him on the back of the head with my gigantic brown and black paw. Honestly, that boy must have been dropped on his head one too many times. I, being one of the people who dropped him.

Wyatt? Who the hell is Wyatt? Devin asked, his interests obviously newly directed at us rather then his newest conquest's breasts. Casanova had a thing for big chests.

Oops, Ravyn muttered.

Mac has a boyfriend? Quinn, Embry and Savannah's boy, asked as he patrolled La Push along side Devin and Hayden.

I sighed and padded over to a little creek that ran through the forest lining our house. I sat down in front of it so I could gaze at the moon's reflection on the water. Ravyn followed me and plopped down beside me. I don't think they've classified their relationship, especially to each other, I answered after a while.

Are you telling me that Mac imprinted? Devin questioned in awe, his voice almost squeaky in his surprise.

I didn't even have to answer him because he could pick it out from my head.

Show me, Hayden said, finally adding his tidbit to the conversation. He was the protective type, just like Ravyn and I.

I thought of the lunch that Wyatt had sat with us for the first time. The way he looked at her, confusion, and adoration so apparent even a blind person could've seen it. How she had leaned into him so naturally, the way time seemed to stop for her. I had made sure to tune her thoughts out, but there wasn't really anything there to ignore. She was as comfortable with him as he was with her.

Then I thought of lunch today. I knew they had had a small fight during fourth period because I caught the tail end of it, but they resolved everything, and were back to normal by the time they had reached the cafeteria. Well, as normal as can be expected between a human and an immortal werewolf slash vampire. However, they were the kind of couple that relished touching whether it was holding hands while they ate, or whether it was their shoulders when they sat, their eyes when they were apart. It made me happy to see her that way. So elated, so carefree. Mac never knew what she was missing because she had never expected anything, but I knew now that she realized the missing link, the part of her heart that was empty.

I had never felt that since Leah and I had always been together, ever since I was born and first laid my eyes on her, I knew that I had everything I could have ever wanted, but I had been inside Ravyn's and Mac's minds. With Mac, she knew something was off, she knew that even with our family, she felt alone, and the reason why was just intangible to her. With Ravyn, he had no clue. Sure, he felt it every once in awhile, but mostly, it just went over his head. But I didn't need to see the future to know that she was out there, waiting for him, just like he was waiting for her.

Ravyn snorted a wolfy grunt of amusement. God, how you've changed, Addie.

I knew arguing with him was useless, but I still couldn't help it. Only three people in the world are allowed to call me Addie, and Birdie, you aren't one of 'em. Not unless he magically grew boobs and a vagina. Oh wait; he does have one of those.

He growled, hearing my mind's little joke, and tackled me to the ground before a new, smaller wolf appeared and was pulling me off of him. Addie, I can't leave you two alone for five seconds, can I?

I smiled, my lips pulling away from my teeth and I nuzzled into her neck. I would prefer it if you didn't, I answered her truthfully. Only I would let her, my mother, and my sister ever call me Addie. Though I was glad Mac only did it every so often. My mother and Leah on the other hand…

You know, that Wyatt fellow isn't all that bad looking, Devin said, probably trying to ignore the fact the I was having inappropriate thoughts about my imprint and how when she was going to phase she would be completely naked and bare.

I froze though, when Leah tensed in my arms. You told them?

Shit. No, it was Ravyn's fault.

Aiden Chace Black, you didn't!

Umm, I stuttered. Can we phase back? Please?

Sorry bro! I'll talk to you later! Devin didn't sound a bit contrite, especially considering the fact that he was laughing.

I phased back after Ravyn had run off to give Leah as much privacy as possibly, what with our minds always connected, not worrying about my nakedness. She's seen me naked too many times to count. She followed suit but I was worried about what I would do if I saw her naked. I could never get enough of her.

"Baby," I started, reaching for her but she was pulling at the strings on her ankle.

"Don't 'baby' me. And put some clothes, I don't feel like arguing naked with your brother somewhere near by."

I sighed, pulled the shorts from the string at my ankle, and heaved them up my bare legs, thinking about the last time we argued naked and the fact that we did not really argue much before we... "It really was Ravyn's fault. He started up a conversation about Wyatt and the others overheard," I said, not wanting her to be mad at me, not even for a second. She was scary as hell when she was angry, particularly when it was directed at me.

"It's not that, it's just, Mac didn't want anyone to know," she said, yanking one of my shirts over her head. It was so big that it hung down to her mid thighs. I groaned when I realized she didn't have any underwear tied to her ankle. She knew how to torture me, that was for sure. "She's going to be embarrassed. And chagrin is not something she's very fond of." She tied the string to her red Soffee shorty shorts – my favorite, of course – that now covered a certain area of her that was currently clouding my thoughts.

"I know that," I snapped, running a hand through my slightly curly hair, trying to get the explicit thoughts from my head. "I'm in her head enough to know exactly what goes on in it."

She grinned and hugged me around my waist. "And I know it drives you insane," she murmured, kissing the underside of my jaw. And I knew she really wasn't mad at me any more.

"You aren't a guy who had to deal with getting a period for the first time even though he doesn't exactly have the plumbing for it. I had cramps and PMS just like her every month until we all stopped growing at eighteen," I reminded her, my tone whining. "And that wasn't very long ago, you know."

Leah giggled. When she giggled, it made it hard to believe that she used to be rude. A surly bitch was how dad put it. Though we had no secrets, there were some things in her past that she kept to herself, such as what it was like when she was with Sam. She said that it didn't hurt to think about anymore, that that section of her life isn't important to her anymore, and because of it, she was led to me. You know what I think? I think that it was excessively corny, but when my baby says stuff like that, she means it. "I love you."

She pulled away slightly so she could look up at me while she fingered the engagement ring on a chain around her neck. She wore it on her finger unless we were at school, and then it would go around her neck so people wouldn't assume wrong things. After all, we were technically only fifteen and sixteen.

Although she was tall, six foot two, I was six foot eight. And it was the perfect height difference. "I love you too," she repeated, her fingers caressing my face, cradling it in her perfect hands.

I crashed my lips to hers and all but tackled her to the ground, nearly ripping my shirt off her body. It was nights like these, when I realized that imprinting was the greatest possible thing that could ever happen to a person. And I couldn't wait until Mac could feel this way.

***

~Mac's POV~

I knew that I had to tell him. It had been three and a half, almost four weeks since our first kiss, and I knew that having secrets in a relationship did not constitute a healthy bond between us. And it was getting harder and harder to hide the fact that I was so not human.

The other day, we were walking during lunch after we ate, just admiring the forest around the football field.

"Don't you think that the forest is the most beautiful thing that Mother Nature bestowed upon us?" I asked, clutching Wyatt's hand tightly within my own, our fingers intertwined.

He looked down at me with a grin, his perfect dimples flashing on display. "Not as beautiful as you," he responded, this dumbstruck look strung across his gorgeous features.

He pulled me to a stop and tucked a strand of my black curly hair behind my ear like he always did. Wyatt cupped my cheek with his hand and leaned in so our lips were inches apart when it happened.

Aww! Ravyn's voice mocked me in my head. I pulled away from Wyatt abruptly. How cute, the two love birds all alone.

Shut up! God you are so stupid!

Wyatt gave me a funny look. Well, okay, more like a hurt look, his brows drawn down in confusion. Then I remembered how sometimes when I was angry, what I would say to Aiden or Ravyn in my head would also come out of my mouth at the same time.

My eyes widened. "Sorry, um, I had a really unintelligent thought?"

He raised a questioning brow and I pulled his head down to mine and kissed him like crazy, willing him to forget about it. If I said I had had voices in my head, which would be the truth, he would think I was insane. And honestly, I don't want to go to an asylum where they put me in a straight jacket. Off white is so not my color.

Another time was when we were studying at the library, since we had a big test coming up in English class and he didn't have anyone else in the class to study with – yet I secretly wished that it was because he couldn't get enough of me. Though he didn't know I had photographic memory, and didn't even need to study. He had just gotten up to go to the bathroom and we were sitting in the back of the building so we could have uninterrupted make-out sessions between comparing the similarity linking two poems together.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom really quick," Wyatt said, standing up from the uncomfortable wooden chair beside me.

He kissed my forehead softly and I watched his receding form until it was completely obscured from my vision by the shelves lining our little aisle of tables that were pushed together.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, trying to get at least a few tangles out of it from our last kissing session. He had this thing for my hair, and though I had absolutely no complaint when he held my head and played with my hair as we made-out, the only thing that was slightly irritating was how quick it got knots afterwards. I looked for my bag knowing that Alice Extraordinaire always keeps brushes, combs, mirrors etc., in my purse.

I frowned when I saw that my purse was suddenly so far away from me. It sat at the end of the extremely long table, though how it had gotten there was beyond me.

I checked to see if anyone was around, but with it being a Friday night, I wasn't really surprised to learn most people had better things to do then hang out at the local library.

I pictured my hairbrush in my mind, willing it to be in my hand. I was tired and being lethargic only slowed my power. Though I could control the speed at which things flew to my side, I wasn't thinking about anything at the time besides the feeling of Wyatt's lips against mine.

And since I wasn't really paying attention to my surroundings, I panicked when the brush was halfway to me and I noticed Wyatt's silhouette through a rather empty shelf. I'm not always the best panic-er when it comes to humans catching me in the "act". So I let the brush fall to the wooden table in shock. I cringed when, to my complete embarrassment and dismay, the loud thud ricocheted around the desolate building.

Wyatt rounded the corner and froze when he stood in front of the table where my purse sat. "Did you throw your… hairbrush?" he asked, confusion marking his brow. He stared at the compact black bristly hairbrush and then back up at me.

I gave him a nervous laugh, smiling. "Yeah. I, uh, I just thought that maybe I could make it from her to my purse so I wouldn't have to get up and put it back. Guess not." I got up and snatched my brush, stuffing it in my purse without even getting the chance to smooth out those damn tangles. I smiled sweetly at him, biting my lip at the falseness before grabbing his neck and pulling his soft lips down onto mine. This was getting ridiculous.

A knock on my door brought me back from reality. I looked up from the computer screen to see my mother walk in.

"Hey, Mom," I greeted, turning my swivel chair around so I was facing her.

She smiled and kissed my forehead before sitting on the trunk that sat at the bottom of my bed. "What're you doing?"

I shrugged. "Just finishing my To Kill a Mocking Bird essay."

She sighed. "Yeah, I have to do an essay on Homer's the Iliad. The only problem is that I'm a horrid writer so grandma is helping. Of course when she helps" – my mother grinned at this – "she does it for me. Which is nice, 'cause homework sucks."

I laughed at my mother's sly expression. She got up and ruffled my hair and pecked a kiss to my forehead. "Dinner is in ten minutes and we're having guests so don't be surprised."

"Guests?" I echoed.

She nodded, gnawing on her lip.

"Are you planning on telling me who?" I asked, impatient.

She shook her head and was out of my room in a flash. I growled low in my throat and continued my essay. I was halfway through the body when my cell phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and smiled to myself when I saw who it was, the picture flashing across the screen.

"Hey," I said, getting up from my chair and flopping down on my bed so I could look at the white canopy above me.

"Hey you," Wyatt said.

I couldn't help the happy grin I got whenever he and I were together, even if it was just on the phone. He made me so elated that it was a little scary but I was not one to be intimidated. I was going into this headfirst and it was the best experience of my life.

"So how is that essay of yours going?" he wondered.

I fiddled with my comforter, wishing he were with me. "Almost done. What about yours?"

I heard his groan over the phone and snickered. "Haven't started," he grumbled.

"Wyatt!" I scolded.

"What?" he mumbled. "It's due in two days. Why get it done now?"

"So that you don't have to do it at the last minute."

"Well, I was thinking maybe you could help me with it tomorrow. Mrs. Williams said that we were working on it in class and if you already finished yours, you'll be bored enough to write mine for me."

I chuckled. "I won't write it for you, but I'll help out."

"Thanks!" I could practically here his grin and I pictured his dimples, those wonderful dents that I loved so much.

"MacKayla!" my dad bellowed from somewhere down stairs. "DINNER!"

I cringed and cupped my free ear. "Ouch. See what I have to live with?"

I could practically hear his grin as he spoke. "I'll talk to you later, Mac."

"Mmhmm, see ya!" I hung up before I could utter those three words that have been itching to be said all week. If only I was brave enough to say them, but I wanted all my secrets to be on the table when I tell him, so he'll know that they're true.

Curiosity winning me over, I saved my essay and quickly trudged down to the kitchen where lots of dark skinned people were sitting. Oh. My. God.

"MacKayla!" Stormy squealed, launching herself into my arms.

I hugged her back and she stepped away for a minute. "Not that I'm complaining, but what the hell are all of you doing here?"

Devin laughed. "We always come up for Christmas!"

I frowned. Had I really forgotten that it was December? Yep, must have.

"Hey, there baby girl!"

I gasped and turned around. My great-grandfather was standing in the doorway. "Charlie!" I squeaked. We had agreed calling him great-grandfather made him seem too old so we all called him Charlie except for Bella, who insisted on calling him dad to his face. I threw my arms around his warm neck and squeezed tight, but not tight enough to hurt him or cut of the air circulation he so desperately needed. I ruffled his now gray hair. "You look good, even though you're pushing sixty-two!" I laughed.

He grinned and ran a hand over his beer belly. "Yeah, been workin' out." He poked me in the side playfully. "But look at you! You're all grown up!"

I blushed and glanced at Sue Clearwater and embraced her. She was older then Charlie but not by much. Her hair had turned into a salt and pepper mix but her eyes showed her youthfulness. "Good thing you guys have a big house," she said, "Otherwise we would never fit."

We all shared a laugh as we situated ourselves around the table. All twenty-four of us, even the ones who didn't need to eat.

***

"So, how are things with you and Wyatt?" Devin asked causally.

I choked on my soda, nearly spewing it all over my father who sat in front of me.

Before I could ask him who Wyatt was and where he ever heard of the name in an innocent manner, he was yelping in pain and clutching what I could only guess was a shin under the table, a murderous expression on Aiden's face.

"You!" I accused. "How could you?!"

"Who is Wyatt?" Charlie asked.

"Nobody," I answered but inwardly flinched at the lie. He sure as hell wasn't 'nobody'. "Aiden, you are so dead," I threatened.

"This is great salmon," Sue said, chewing her food, ignoring the little outburst.

"Thank you," Bella said, smiling warmly at her.

I can't believe you told him!

It was all Ravyn's fault, I swear it!

That's it; the two of you are DEADMEAT! AFTER DINNER IN THE FOREST! It is so on!

It was an accident, I didn't think the others were listening! Ravyn cried. I really am sorry.

"Do you guys mind?" Edward asked, rubbing his temples as if he had a headache. "I have twenty-three other thoughts in my head right now, and the two of you are not helping matters any by fighting and screaming."

I growled, but regained my composure and continued eating. "You all suck," I grumbled beneath my breath.

Devin, Hayden, and Stormy laughed, along with Paul, and Colin, who never really grew up, even after they had kids. Rebecca and Rachel threw them you're-crazy why-did-I-marry-you looks before looking at each other and giggling. I saw Edward cringe slightly and didn't really want to know what they were thinking after that.

My grandmother sighed and I saw Edward beam at her before kissing her temple and murmuring, "Thanks, love."

"You know," Charlie said after a while, "this Wyatt guy means something to you or you wouldn't have flipped out like you did. Why not invite him over for Christmas dinner next week? I would love to meet him." I heard a threat and a promise in his words. And he owns a shotgun.

I stiffened. "That would so not be a good idea."

"Yes," Esme intervened. "That would be a fantastic idea! I want to meet him too!"

"No, Esme –"

"Shut it, Mackie, we all want to meet him. You might as well stop begging, it's a done deal," Devin said with a mischievous grin.

"But he doesn't know!" I exclaimed, not so happy with the fact that everyone wanted to push this. He has his own family, too!

"So? We won't say anything hinting on the supernatural side. We'll all be on our best behavior," Hayden smirked.

"Fine," I grumbled. "But if he never speaks to me again afterwards because you are all psychos, I'm running away from this crazy family."

I was answered with loud, bursting laughs.

***

~Wyatt's POV~

I could hear her yelling. I hated it. I hated her. She was always like this before she went to work. I could hear him, too, though it was barley audible in my room. He never really stood up to her, nor did he ever truly raise his voice when he spoke. He rarely would stand up for Hailey and me. I didn't talk to him unless it was morning and Hailey and I were eating the breakfast he made. The Bitch, as I liked to refer her to as, would sleep in since she wouldn't get back from work until five a.m.

I leaned back against the headboard of my bed and clenched my teeth tightly. For the first time in years, I thought about my childhood. Or lack there of.

I sobbed into my little six year old hands. I didn't like her. Why did she keep doing this to me? All I wanted was some apple juice before school. Daddy wasn't feeling good so I was letting him get some more sleep after taking care of Hailey last night. Hailey couldn't get to sleep after having nightmares.

When I had tugged on her arm, trying to wake her up, she exploded, waking up angry. She started yelling at me, asking me why I was getting her up at seven o'clock in the morning.

"I'm thirsty. Could you help me get the apple juice from the fridge?" I asked.

Then she looked at me, and I flinched back out of habit. Her hand came upon my face swiftly, and the force of it cause me to stumble backwards where I landed on the floor.

"You know better then to get me up, boy. I don't care if you're fucking starving, I don't want you to get me up. Do it yourself."

I tried to contain the tears, the wailing, as I clutched my cheek in my hand, praying the sting would just go away.

"Get up," she instructed, her voice hard. "Don't make a sound, just get out."

I attempted a nod and moved myself so I could get up. My legs were like jell-o, shaking as if I were standing on a trampoline after bouncing up and down on it. "I said OUT!" she screamed when I didn't move fast enough for her. She was so loud; I wondered why daddy wasn't getting up to save me.

I let out a sob by accident. She was at my side in an instant, gripping my wrist so hard it hurt and I bit my tongue so hard it bleed just to keep in my cry.

"If you just learned to behave," she muttered, pushing me down the stairs. "If you just knew how to act, I wouldn't have to do this to you."

When my legs weren't moving fast enough for her, she shoved me, and I fell down the last flight of stairs. My legs and arms were throbbing in pain as I lay crumpled at the foot of the stairs and I let a single tear fall down my cheek. I wasn't going to let her beat me. Not again.

"Go sit down at the table," she grumbled.

I did as she asked, but glared at her back when she went and got a cup from the cupboard. She threw it down so hard the table shuddered, nearly falling over. We weren't wealthy enough to afford a table that was strong and sturdy.

She walked to the fridge and came back holding the apple juice that was too heavy for me to hold. She poured it into the cup, her hard, dark grey eyes staring at me. When the cup was full, she set the jug down and gripped my hair in her hands, yanking my head as far back as it could go.

"You wanted juice, didn't you?" she murmured, calmly. "You are going to drink and if you wake up the baby, there will be no dinner for you tonight, understood?"

I nodded as much as I could with the limited movement I was allowed with my head in the awkward position. She told me to open my mouth and I did, my eyes wide. She dumped the apple juice into my mouth causing me to gag and sputter trying to keep it down.

"Drink, damn you! You wanted this, didn't you?!"

She tipped the glass back again, allowing the liquid to shoot down my small throat. I tried to swallow convulsively but I was getting more juice on my shirt and the floor then I was getting in my stomach.

"You're making a mess. You better drink this shit or you're going to have to clean all this up," she threatened.

I didn't cry until the glass was empty, more then half of it on the floor. She tossed me a mop and a bucket and told me to clean it up before I went to school or she would have to punish me again. I filled the bucket with water and stumbled towards the dinner table in the middle of the kitchen. I got on all floors and dunked the sponge in the water so I could clean the floor. I didn't like the mop since it was too big for me.

Movement caught my eye and I looked up to see my daddy standing over me. His eyes were large with regret and sadness as he took the glass from the table and placed it in the sink. With one last fleeting look, he went back upstairs.

That was the last time I ever called him 'daddy'.

I rubbed my eyes, the twinge in them bringing me back to reality. It had been so hard, though that time was very mild compared to others. So hard to hide the bruises, tell the doctors I fell when I had broken wrists and legs. It only got worse when I would defend Hailey, never letting her be beaten. There were times when I couldn't be there though. Like when I had practice and games.

I told her I would quit but she refused, telling me I deserved something that kept my mind away from home and how I was going to hide the knew bruises and welts the next day. But she was worth it, if I could save her, it was all worth it. He never did anything to help us, and I refused to have my sister treated the way I've been all my life.

I heard the slamming of the front door and watched as The Bitch sped down the road. Glancing at the clock, I noticed that it was five. She was going to work.

I smiled, knowing that it would be quiet since The Submissive, as I liked to call him, spent most of the time in his study when he wasn't arguing with her.

I reached for my cell phone as it rang angrily and noticed the only number I knew that would save me from my past.

"Hey, Mac," I said into the receiver, a smile pulling my lips up at the corners. I glanced over at Hailey who shared the room with me, too afraid to sleep alone. Making sure she was asleep, I unlocked the window and got onto the roof.

"Hi," she responded, sounding really shy.

That surprised me. My little Mackie was never shy. "What's up?" I asked, a frown knitting my eyebrows together as I sat down on the roof, looking out onto the front lawn that was yellow and hadn't been mowed in weeks. Our house looked like shit and I couldn't care less. I was only living here until I graduated. And I vowed I would take Hailey with me when I left.

"Nothing," she said, but it was a lie. I could hear it in that sweet, sweet voice of hers. "I just wanted to hear your voice."

"That was a lie, MacKayla. You can't lie worth shit," I laughed. Until I noticed my slip up.

"Are you okay?" she asked, concern evident in her tone.

I didn't cuss around her. I only cussed when I was at home. When my past was eating me up inside. "Of course. Now what about that lying to me? Don't try to change the subject."

I heard a heavy sigh. "What are your plans for Christmas?"

Christmas? God, I hated that holiday the most. "Nothing, why?"

"Absolutely nothing? But it's a family –"

I cut her off. "I'm not doing anything. Why?"

This was where she hesitated. "Well, umm…" She said 'umm' and 'uh' when she was afraid to say what she really meant. I chuckled at her apprehensiveness.

"Yes?" I prompted her softly.

"My family wants you over for dinner on Christmas Eve," she said, it all coming out in a jumbled mess, almost too fast for me to catch.

"Dinner?" I echoed incredulously.

"You don't have to, you know. I realize that you have your own family –"

"I would love to go," I interrupted her. She just had to keep bringing up my family.

"Really?" Through the embarrassment, I noticed the excitement.

"Of course. I would love the opportunity to spend Christmas Eve with you." I smiled, tucking my knees into my chest. "What time should I be there?"

"I guess you could come by around four. But I'm going to warn you now, I have a very large family. As in, you could get lost and you'll never remember any names."

I couldn't help but laugh. "It can't be that bad. Besides, I get to meet your parents."

"My par-parents," she stuttered nervously. "Yeah, um, yeah, you'll get to meet th-them."

"What? Are your parents some psycho killers, or something? Should I be worried for our safety?" I asked, half meaning it, and half teasing her. If they were psychos, I wasn't sure what I would do.

"No! No, nothing like that. It just, my family, well, they're extremely embarrassing."

"That's all?" I grinned. No matter how far away I was when I was stuck in my head, she could always fix me. She could always make me better.

"That's all?! Don't yours do the same thing?"

I lost my smile and my voice became hard without meaning for it too. "No." My voice was clipped and I grimaced as it came out.

"Wyatt? Are you truly okay?" she inquired gently.

"Yeah, as long as you're with me… yeah. I'll see you on Wednesday. Four o'clock."

"Four o'clock," she agreed.

After our goodbyes, I shut my phone and leaned my head on top of my knees so I could look up at the dark sky. The stars glittered brightly against the black canvas.

I didn't know what I would do if I ever lost MacKayla.

So the next chapter should be good! Its the Christmas dinner in all it's awakwardness =] I cannot wait!

Review!