All eyes were on Seth as he walked into the Clearwater kitchen. No one wanted to be the first to speak, and Seth certainly had no desire to break the silence. As he squeezed past Jacob on his way to the stairs, Jake touched his shoulder in a subtle show of support. Leah's return broke the ice, and as all eyes shifted to her she shook her head, discouraging any attempts to intercept him.
Seth walked into his room and closed his door, releasing the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He flopped on the bed and closed his eyes, relieved at the silence in his head now that he had phased back to human form. Sure enough, as soon as Jake and Leah had left, Sue tapped softly on his door.
"Come on in, Mom," Seth sighed. He had recognized her footsteps on the stairs and guessed where she was headed.
Sue sat down on the edge of the bed, smoothing his dark hair with her hand before she spoke. "I hate to bother you, Seth, when I can tell you'd rather be alone. I just had to ask…I promised to call Paris when you came home, and I need to know what to tell her."
"Do I need to have cards printed up, Mom? I need some time!" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he saw Sue's injured expression and wished he could take them back. He sighed again.
"I'm sorry, Mom," he murmured, sitting up and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "I don't mean you. But everyone seems to expect me to adjust to this huge change in my life instantly, and I just can't do that. You understand, don't you?"
Sue kissed his forehead. "Of course I do, honey. Take all the time you need. I'll just be here for you if there's anything I can do, okay? I promise to give you your space, but please don't shut me out. That goes for Leah too." With a quick hug, she was gone, closing the door behind her. He heard her footsteps fade as she walked slowly down the stairs and into the kitchen to the wall phone.
Seth stood and walked over to his mirror. He grasped the hem of his shirt and, in one smooth motion, pulled it off over his head and flung it on the bed. He turned in profile, forcing himself to inspect the stump where his left arm should be. Carlisle had done a good job and the wound had healed neatly, but he hated looking at it. He glared at the offending scar tissue and, with a muttered curse, swung his fist at the mirror. Shards of shattered glass showered down on the dresser and the rug, mixing with droplets of blood even as the tiny cuts began to heal.
Paris answered on the first ring. "Sue? Is he home? Is he okay?"
She could hear the smile in Sue's voice. "Yes, Paris, he's home and he seems fine." Sue hesitated, anticipating the next question. "He seems tired, though, and he asked if we'd give him some time alone." There was silence for a long moment at the other end of the line.
"Are you sure he means me, Sue?"
"I'm afraid he means everyone, Paris, including me. Let's just give him a few days and see how it goes, okay?"
"Sure, Sue, I understand, Thanks for calling." As Sue hung up, Paris heard the flimsy plastic phone crack in her grip and dropped it quickly back on the receiver. She flexed her hand a few times, then picked it up and was relieved to hear a dial tone.
Sue and Charlie had a quiet dinner with no sign of Seth, but he came down for breakfast late the next morning. Sue tried to act nonchalant and asked quietly, "cereal or eggs?"
"Eggs, please. Three, scrambled." His smile looked strained, but he dutifully nibbled on a piece of bacon left over from Charlie's breakfast as she cooked the eggs for him and popped some bread in the toaster. As she set the plate in front of him, he looked at her and smiled softly. "I'm not planning to bite you, Mom."
Sue laughed as she poured a cup of coffee for herself and a glass of orange juice for him, "I guess I deserved that. It's just that I know I tend to hover, and I'm trying very hard not to," she explained as she took a seat across the table from him. She reached over and covered his hand with one of hers. She couldn't help but notice the random pattern of new scars across his knuckles but didn't comment. "Get any sleep?" she asked softly.
Seth forced a smile. "Yeah, some. And I'm sorry about the broken mirror. I think I got all the glass with the vacuum, but don't walk barefoot in my room just in case."
"Well, that's just great! There go my plans for the afternoon!" Her lips turned up at the corners, but the smile never reached her eyes. She gave his hand a gentle pat and went to refill her coffee.
Paris had waited as long as she could, but after three days she set out for the reservation to see for herself that Seth was okay. She had called and left a message for him, but of course he hadn't called back.
She had chosen a bright cherry red silk dress, one of Seth's favorites, that complemented her dark hair and pale skin. As she approached the line between the Cullen land and the reservation, she skidded to a halt, teetering on her spike heels and muttering "Shit!" under her breath.
There, blocking her path, was a huge black wolf she recognized as Sam Uley. He bared his formidable fangs, growling low in his throat.
"Oh come on, Sam, you know I've crossed this line a hundred times with Seth," she muttered, edging closer. His growl increased in volume, and his stance became more aggressive. From the dense underbrush, another large wolf emerged. Paris didn't recognize Paul, but he looked even more threatening than Sam, snarling and crouching at the Alpha wolf's flank.
Now she was getting seriously annoyed. "I'm not afraid of you, Sam. Surely you know that," Paris growled, her voice low and menacing.
Meanwhile, Seth was jogging along the perimeter, on a route that was well worn and familiar to all the pack members. He drew near the group, and his steps slowed as he heard the sounds of the altercation. He stopped some distance away and still out of sight, curious to see who would back down. A confrontation between a single vampire and two wolves would be a fairly even match, but he didn't think it would come to that. Seth reassured himself that he wouldn't stand by and see anyone get hurt, but he was more curious than alarmed.
Paris didn't think for a minute that the wolves would actually attack her. Their loyalty to their pack mate would never allow them to do her physical harm. Still, with their relationship hanging in the balance, she didn't relish killing or injuring one of the wolves either and having to explain that to Seth. Seth got a chill as he distinctly heard her hiss at Sam, "This isn't over, Sam Uley. I won't forget it." With that, she turned and disappeared in a blur of crimson silk and alabaster skin.
Both wolves turned toward the path and waited for Seth to appear. They had sensed his presence and were surprised that he didn't interfere. They phased back to human form almost simultaneously, nonchalantly removing their shorts from the identical bands on their legs and casually stepping into them. The male wolves were indifferent about their nakedness, though they tried to be more vigilant about clothing when Leah was around.
Paul took a step forward, but Seth ignored him. He leveled his gaze at Sam and spoke in a soft, calm voice, "I don't need you to fight my battles for me, Sam. Paris is my problem, not yours."
"I'm glad you recognize that she IS a problem, Seth," Sam replied. "Her kind are nothing but trouble, and we all need to respect the treaty."
Sam and Paul stripped off their shorts and retied them to their ankles. With a slight crackle and a subtle shimmer in the air around them, they phased and loped off into the forest. As Seth resumed his jog and headed toward home, he thought he caught a flash of scarlet in his peripheral vision. He stopped, staring intently toward the Cullen property, but there was no one there.