AN: Happy Holidays! It has been a crazy year and it is bittersweet to see it go. Thank you to everyone that is still following along and sending me messages. I always read and appreciate them. It is great to get your responses to new characters and storylines being introduced, plus hearing what you hope to see in the future. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1

Summers in the Pacific Northwest were full of clouds, rain, and the occasional shimmering of sunny days. By the end of July, the temperatures were warmer, but rain and fog still rolled in and out of the region. Esme found herself pacing, which was very unlike her, as she tried to patiently wait for Alice to return to the Cullen House on the outskirts of Forks. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes to calm her nerves. She allowed her senses to take over and could hear raindrops plopping onto the roof and leaves in the surrounding forest. Soon, she heard the familiar pitter patter of feet racing at vampire speed toward the house and smiled at the sound of Alice's hum. Her daughter happily entered the house and darted into the study to greet her mother with a knowing smile and a hug.

"It has been a while since I have seen you this nervous. You are almost as nervous about their date as Evan is," teased Alice.

"Have you been able to see them? I hope tonight goes well."

"Evan is becoming more predictable to me when he is with Callista, but I still have issues when he is around the entire pack. Maybe if I spend more time with them, I will be able to overcome that pesky issue. Eleazar believes that I need to be patient and my power will adapt to them. He says I shouldn't press the issue. It is like he doesn't know me at all!" Esme giggled and Alice handed her a plastic, black card. Esme kissed her cheek in thanks.

"I should get this to Evan before he leaves for the date."

"I thought they weren't calling it a date. Callista seems insistent on just being friends."

"It has all the makings of a proper date and Evan is certainly courting her. Besides, it has been weeks now. She must feel the mate bond already."

"Look at you, playing matchmaker and meddling to make sure it works out. I have never been as proud as I am in this moment," squealed Alice as she hugged Esme.

"I better go. Do you know when Carlisle will…."

"He is helping out at the hospital and will be there until Dr. Hoffman comes in at eight tonight. Zach, Allie, Rosalie, and Emmett are in La Push with Josh, Natalie, Jacob, and Leah. Seth and Kaya went to a music festival in Seattle. Renesmee and Nahuel went to an art and book fair in Olympia. Edward and Bella are enjoying some time alone in their cottage on the island and Jasper and I are about to go on a hunt. In other words, everyone is safe and sound, so please stop worrying."

"I am a mother…"

"You will never stop worrying," finished Alice.

"Exactly, now if you will excuse me, I am going to check on Evan before his date. See you soon," called Esme as she exited the study. Alice waited until Esme was gone before pulling out her phone and dialing a number. She sighed as Eleazar picked up.

"We need to talk about the pack and before you say it, I know you aren't an expert on shapeshifters, but I need help sifting through some visions I am getting," informed Alice as she began to nervously pace back and forth.

Evan groaned as he tried to get his wavy hair to cooperate. Embry chuckled at his son and continued to watch him from the doorway of Evan's bedroom. Evan tugged at the tie he was wearing and Embry looked at him curiously.

"Aren't you a bit overdressed for a movie? The black tie and vest are nice, but a bit formal." Evan growled in frustration and yanked off the tie.

"Dad, it is an important non-date. I need to look good! Okay, maybe the tie is too much…or maybe it is just enough….I don't know and the person I could ask isn't even supposed to know I am going on a non-date because it is with his ex-girlfriend!"

"Oh, I get it now. This is about Josh," said Embry as he walked over to his son and fixed the collar of his white dress shirt. Evan shrugged.

"She liked Josh and I am nothing like him. He wears designer clothes and knows the difference between Gucci and Armani. All I know about this stuff is that I wore it to a school dance."

"Can I make a suggestion," asked Embry as he sat down on the bed.

"I have no clue what I am doing, so why not," grumbled Evan. He plopped down on the bed by his father and placed his face in his hands.

"How about this, just be yourself?"

"Really, that's the best you got," exclaimed Evan.

"It worked for me and your mother. Plus, you have the added assurance of imprinting."

"How did mom deal when she found out about the whole imprinting thing and you being a wolf? She must have freaked out."

"It took her some time to deal with, but we figured it out. I waited until I was confident that she completely accepted me as me before telling her about my supernatural side. You are lucky to not have to deal with that issue though."

"Yea, I dodged a bullet with that one. Drew is still having trouble telling Lexi. He is terrified that he will scare her off like he did Allie."

"But Allie was never his imprint and Lexi is. Your situation is different though. Have you and Callista talked about telling Josh?"

"This isn't about Josh, dad."

"Really because you just mentioned his relationship with her so…."

"I will deal with Josh later. This isn't about how he feels about Callista. It is about how Callista feels about me."

"I just want you to be careful. Being so secretive isn't going to help in the long run. You are one of the most honest people I know and I never want that to change."

"I am going to tell everyone, but they aren't as important as Callista. I want to know how she feels about me before I go shouting it to the world. We are still just hanging out and she says she wants to be friends. I respect that, I just wish she felt more for me."

"Well, you can only hide this for so long from the pack. You will have to phase soon and when you do, they will know. If you refuse to phase, they will figure it out too."

"I know, dad. I just need some time to be me with Callista instead of a member of a pack or Josh's friend. For once, this is only about me and how I feel about the woman I love."

"You love her?"

"Like you said, she is my imprint, of course I do."

"I understand that. I just want you to be careful and sure of what you are doing. From the stories I have heard about her…."

"Her past is no one else's business. Josh can play the victim all he wants, but there are two sides to every story," growled Evan and Embry put his hands up in surrender.

"I meant no disrespect toward your imprint. I am just concerned as your father." Evan looked down at his balled up fists and sighed as he unclenched them.

"Sorry, I know you are," conceded Evan and Embry patted him on the back.

"You are protective of her. She is definitely your imprint. The anger is part of being a wolf as well though, so be careful because that can be a dangerous combination. Sounds like Esme is here," said Embry as he walked over to the window. Esme pulled into the driveway and Evan beamed with happiness.

"I should go," said Evan as he hopped up, but Embry stopped him before he could run out the door.

"You should change into something that you actually like. Stop trying to be Josh and just focus on being you," recommended Embry as he sifted through Evan's closet. He tossed a black, plaid shirt to his son and Evan chuckled.

"Fine, I will change," agreed Evan and Embry shook his head with a smile as Evan quickly stripped out of the outfit he was wearing. He hopped on one leg around the room, much to the amusement of his father, until he was dressed in a casual pair of jeans and his buttoned up shirt.

"Wish me luck," called Evan as he ran out of the house.

"Have fun," called Embry. Evan waved happily at Esme as he jogged over to her.

"Your heart is racing. You are nervous," said Esme and Evan smiled sheepishly.

"Is it that easy to detect? I don't want Callista to know that I am nervous."

"You have no reason to be nervous. You two will have a lot of fun and you have spent every day together since you first met. Tonight will be wonderful. Here, this is for you. The last thing you should have to worry about is money. Courting has changed immensely since Carlisle and I fell in love, but women are always fond of chivalry. Make sure she doesn't pay for a thing," advised Esme as she held out the black card, but Evan shook his head.

"You don't have to give me money. I brought some for tonight."

"Please, take it, for me. You should go see a movie in Victoria. Take the ferry there from Port Angeles. The rain has stopped and Alice says it will be the perfect, starry night and you will not have to worry about any run-ins with the others either."

"Won't it feel more like a date if I do all of that? Our hangouts have been pretty casual, walking through Seattle, going for swims, talking all night….."

"Doesn't it already feel like one," teased Esme as Evan blushed.

"Yea, I just don't want to assume anything. I have never had a serious girlfriend, so it is like going from zero to a million. I feel so much for her all at once and I am not even sure if she wants to be my girlfriend. She keeps talking about us being friends. Esme, I am terrified of being in the friend zone for eternity."

"That isn't going to happen. I was there when you two first saw each other. I know love when I see it. She is not simply interested in friendship."

"But how do I even make the first move? I am not like Josh or even charming like Zach or cool like Drew. I don't have moves."

"You don't need moves. Callista is a woman with experience and will be able to sense if you are trying to be something you are not. Stop worrying about what Drew, Zach, or Josh would do. She will love you because you are everything that she needs. Trust me on that," assured Esme and he sighed in relief as he hugged her.

"Thank you. I better get going if I want to be on time." Esme smiled as she watched him get into his truck. Embry walked onto the porch and Esme joined him after Evan departed.

"I hope they have fun," said Esme and Embry smiled at her.

"Thank you for caring so much about him. I know you two are close and he cares what you think. Just so you know, you didn't have to give him money though. I take care of my family."

"And you do a wonderful job of it, Embry. It has nothing to do with that. I like being able to do things for Evan and the last thing he needs to worry about tonight is if he brought enough money to pay for everything. I apologize if I overstepped though."

"You didn't, I just want to make sure you aren't doing any of this because you feel obligated."

"I never feel obligated. He is a wonderful young man and I want what is best for him," assured Esme before turning to leave.

"You know, all those years ago when Bella and Jake first started hanging out, I thought it was just bad luck that we all got caught up in this supernatural stuff. Now, I see that we got really lucky. My son is lucky to have you in his life. Thank you for being there for him. Things are better for him and Faye, but it is nice to know you are looking out for him too, for all the stuff he doesn't feel comfortable talking about with her."

"I will always look out for him. You have raised a good young man and he deserves to be happy."

"Thank you, Esme," said Embry and she waved goodbye to him before leaving.

Josh beamed with happiness as he slipped his hand into Natalie's. The couple was walking on the beach and she giggled when he kissed her.

"Are you having fun," he asked as he pulled her into his arms and she nodded with a bright smile.

"I don't know what I expected La Push to be like, but it is beautiful. I am glad I came."

"Me too, it has been great showing you the sights. We should go surfing in the morning with Z and Al."

"Sure, if I can survive the bonfire tonight. I am still a bit uneasy being around the entire pack. I am not sure if they really like me or just tolerate me because I am your imprint."

"Are you kidding? They think you are awesome. What you are probably sensing is jealousy. Most of them haven't found their imprints yet and Drew is still trying to figure out a way to tell his imprint that he is a wolf."

"That would be hard, especially for a human. I barely understand it."

"We are off the hook for tonight though. We are postponing the bonfire because Evan can't make it. Some of the guys think he is dating someone and trying to keep it private. I don't know why he would though."

"Maybe he is a private person. I can relate to that. It must be hard being in a pack and having to share everything with everyone all the time. Let him have his space."

"See, this is why I love you. You are always thinking about others. How did I get so lucky," he whispered before kissing her.

"I am pretty sure it had something to do with hunting me down with the Volturi," she teased and he laughed.

"I never thought you would joke about that."

"It turned out pretty great, so I am learning to let it go," she said before kissing him again.

"So, what do you want to do tonight since we don't have to go to the bonfire?"

"I was actually looking forward to hearing more about the tribe. I think it is cool that you have such a rich family history. You are lucky to know exactly where you come from and have a family to remind you of it," she admitted and he smiled sympathetically at her.

"I am very lucky to have everything that I do. I just hope you know that everything I have is yours now and you never have to worry about not having someone again."

"I do know that and it is one of the many reasons I love you."

"The many reasons, huh, start listing them," he encouraged and she smirked.

"And inflate your ego even more, no thanks."

"Me, have an ego, I have no clue what you are talking about," he teased back and picked her up into his arms. She giggled and kissed him tenderly as they continued their leisurely stroll down the beach.

Evan gulped and tried to steady his racing heart as he sat in the dark movie theater with Callista that evening. The ferry ride over to Victoria was spent talking about the pack and Evan's family. He couldn't help but to ramble on as his nerves got the best of him, but her smile put him at ease when he asked if she was enjoying herself. He was relieved that they made it on time to the romantic comedy he chose and spent most of the movie trying to decide if it was too forward to hold her hand. He noticed that she was contently watching the movie and his eyes glanced down at her hand resting on the armrest between them. Evan jumped when he heard her whisper to him.

"Are you okay? You don't seem to be enjoying the movie?" He quickly nodded.

"Oh yea, it is great. I was just trying to figure out where I know that guy from. Maybe he was in an action movie I watched," covered Evan and she smiled at him before turning her attention back to the big screen. Evan glanced down at her hand again, but could not find the courage to make his move. He sighed and slumped down in his chair as he started to watch the movie. His eyes widened when Callista slipped her hand into his and he could not hide the grin on his face as she smiled at him. He happily laced their fingers together and scooted closer to her as they watched the rest of the movie. Once the movie ended, the two of them returned to the ferry and he paid for two tickets.

"You don't have to pay for me. That isn't why I hang out with you. You know that, right," she asked and he nodded as he grabbed their tickets.

"I invited you and I like doing things for you," he assured and she smiled appreciatively as he led her over to the top deck of the ferry. The mountains and forest in the distance were breathtaking and they gazed out at the view.

"I always thought Greece had the most beautiful scenery in the world, but this truly is amazing," said Callista and Evan sighed happily as he stared adoringly at her.

"Yes, without a doubt, beautiful," he whispered. She rested her head on his shoulder and smiled when her cheek started to heat up.

"I never thought much about the temperature until I met you. There is something very comforting about being so close to someone so warm all the time." He wrapped his arms around her and she instinctively snuggled into his warm embrace.

"I'll always be here to warm you up," he said with a smile as their eyes locked. He gulped as their lips inched closer together, but sighed when she pulled away to create space between them.

"Evan…."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Please don't be mad," he pleaded and she shook her head.

"Evan, I'm not mad at you. I don't think I could ever really be mad at you. I want to kiss you, but it is better if we are just friends."

"Right, just friends, I can do that," he agreed, but she eyed him carefully.

"Can you? I am not naïve. Tonight was a date, an amazing date, but definitely still a date and that complicates us too much. We need to just be friends."

"I don't agree, but if that's what you want, I will do it," he mumbled as he turned away from her and she growled in frustration.

"It has nothing to do with what I want," she informed and he turned to face her again. He could see the conflict and internal struggle playing out in her eyes.

"You keep saying that, but it has everything to do with what you want. Do you want us?" She gulped as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. Their eyes locked again and he gently caressed her cheek.

"I know you feel something for me. Why won't you just admit that, Callista?"

"Because feelings, especially passionate feelings based on desire, can be deceiving. I have read the signs wrong before and allowed myself to be manipulated. I have also done plenty of the manipulating. I have done it my entire life. Evan, you and I are very different. You are kind and honest. I have used my body to get what I want in the past. I don't want to be like that anymore and I am trying to change. This, whatever this is, it complicates things for you and I never want to be the reason your life is complicated."

"Callista, I phase into a wolf. Complicated is the story of my life."

"Yes, but you have your friends to help you through it. If I act on my desires, it will cause issues for you with Josh and your pack. You are already being secretive with everyone because of me. You are an honest man. You are sweet and kind. Evan, you are the most amazing person I have ever met. I don't want you to stop being that because I ruined everything for you, so…." Before she could continue, he captured her lips in a passionate kiss. The move shocked her, but she could not help but melt into his arms as their lips meshed together. He reluctantly pulled away to catch his breath and her eyes widened.

"Wow," she whispered and he grinned.

"That's an understatement," he chuckled as he pulled her closer.

"I warn you that being with me will complicate your life and you finally make a move to kiss me?"

"Finally," he asked and she scoffed.

"I may have been hesitant to give in to my desires, but it doesn't mean I wasn't hoping that you finally would," she confessed. He chuckled and shrugged.

"It took me some time to work up the courage and I didn't want to do anything you didn't want me to do. You are my imprint. I never want to do something to make you feel uncomfortable."

"You mentioned that term before and I have heard the legends, but what exactly is it," she questioned and he chuckled nervously.

"Uh, yea, I didn't mean for that to slip out the way it did. It is true though. Wait, what have you heard?"

"The story of Jacob Black possessing Renesmee Cullen when she was first born."

"It's not really a possession and that might not be the best example. That's pretty rare. Although, Tommy and Owen are a product of it….huh….I never thought of them like that. I mean it's not a bad thing. I just…."

"Evan, focus," giggled Callista and he smiled sheepishly.

"Right, us, and this whole imprinting thing, I want to be with you and unless I am reading the signs horribly wrong, you want to be with me too. Wait, did I just read the signs horribly…." She cut him off with a kiss and he beamed with happiness when she slipped her hands into his.

"You aren't reading the signs wrong. My desire is to be with you, Evan. I think of you all the time to the point of feeling obsessed. I worry about if you are alright when you are in La Push and I am not with you. I fear what will happen when you tell your pack and Josh….."

"I can handle that. What I can't handle is not being with you. If you don't want to be more than friends, then I will find a way to cope with that, but I can't handle not being in your life, Callista. Esme told me to just be myself, so here I go. I have spent most of my life feeling invisible. Then, one day I woke up and I am stronger and faster than I ever thought possible. Suddenly I was in a pack and my life changed for the better, but I still felt lost. I have so many amazing things, but there was always something missing. I thought it was about my mom and her issues with what I am, but it is more than that. I know that now because I finally found someone that makes me feel like I am not roaming around in this world without a purpose. Callista, that person is you. I am in love with you and all I want is your happiness, so you can call it imprinting, possession, mating, or whatever as long as I can be with you." She caressed his cheek and he leaned into her touch.

"Then I guess we are going to have to figure out how to tell Josh that we are in love," she confessed. His eyes lit up with happiness and she giggled as he showered her with kisses.

"So, does that mean you will be my girlfriend?" She laughed and nodded.

"I think that is fair to say," she teased before tenderly kissing him.