Chapter 14 the New house

Disclaimer: the characters and all recognisable situations belong to Stephenie Meyer - this is a work of fan fiction, except for the legends and histories of the Quileute and the Makah that, of course, belong to them. I pay my respects to their gods.

Thanks to BanSidhe for betaing.

AN: so now the title of the story makes sense, huh? And the symbol of the Makah is the thunderbird – just saying...

Seth decided he liked the Hoburn's new house. Like many places in Forks, the forest backed onto their back yard. They had rented a house in cul-de-sac with about five others, splayed around in a circle. The back yard itself was just a flat piece of mown grass.

Rose was standing looking out the back window at the forest. "It's creepy."

"What is?"

"The forest. I mean… it is right there… so close to the house… like anything could just step out of the forest and straight into our yard… into our world… you know."

Seth gave her a sharp look. "It's not really a different world, you know. You really are a desert girl, aren't you?"

She gave him the duh look.

He took her by the hand. "Let me show you," he encouraged.

"Show me what?"

"The forest."

"Gee Seth, I don't know…"

"Come on…" he tugged her with him. He checked her footwear first. She had runners on; it would have to do. "We'll have to buy you some proper hiking boots."

"Hiking boots," she was incredulous.

He led her into the forest. She noticed how carefully he walked and how soundlessly; twigs don't even seem to snap under his feet. She clung tightly to his hand.

"Is that a native thing… the way you move so quietly? I swear anything could hear me coming a mile away…"

He looked caught out for a second, and then he smiled. "Yeah… it's a native thing… but what's your excuse?" he asked her mischievously.

She chuckled. "Some kind of Makah I am," she laughed. "Can't even walk through the forest. Would that be my tribal name? She who thunders through forest?"

Seth laughed with her. "No way… that would be Bella's name. She is the most clutzy person I have ever met. I mean she has other redeeming features, but the woman could trip on a piece of flat lino."

"I am keeping the thunder name. Bella can be 'she who trips on lino'."

"I will tell her that," threatened Seth.

"I will have to meet them all one day."

"Yeah… one day," he agreed, "now shush and listen to the forest."

They don't walk far. They cross over a little rise and when she looked back, all she could see was forest; the house was gone. It was as if her world had disappeared. She realised that this was Seth's world. He seemed so completely at home here.

He led her to a small clearing.

"Stand here… and listen… and no talking," he stated.

He stood in front of her; she wrapped her arms around him. She loved touching him.

"All I can hear is you," she told him.

"I can fix that," he said. "Close your eyes."

"Do I have to?" she whined.

"Please Rose."

She complied; she is not sure he had ever asked her to do anything like this for him before. He took a step away from her.

"Seth?" she sounded nervous.

"I'm here."

She couldn't hear him move.

She tried not to panic. He wouldn't leave her here. She kept her eyes tightly shut and she tried to listen. She tried to pretend to be Seth. She concentrated on her breathing. In through her nose, out through her mouth; like the hospital exercises. She crossed her arms, nervously gripping the opposite arm.

When she pulled the air into her nose, she could smell all sorts of forest smells; the trees, the leaves on the ground, a musky earthy smell. She could feel the moisture in the air.

She reached out a hand and he took it. She knew it was him; he was so warm.

She stood there for the longest time. Just breathing and listening. Holding Seth's hand. Knowing he was there with her meant it wasn't scary anymore. She could hear birds in the trees and small creatures rustling among the leaves. She could hear the trees move with the wind.

When she finally opened her eyes, Seth was studying her intently. She smiled at him.

"Thank you Seth… that was lovely."

"You could come here anytime you wanted," he suggested. "I could mark a trail back to the house for you if you were worried about getting lost." He gave her a heated look. "This could be… our spot," he said.

"Our spot," she repeated. "I think I'd like that. The trail would be a good idea… I could turn around and get completely lost."

His eyes looked so dark. He was still watching her intently. It made her heart rate increase. He glanced down at her lips and then back up to her eyes. She stepped closer to him. Her lips parted.

He had been so careful with her. He was so big and so strong and he had always been so careful with her.

She touched him on the chest and the spell almost broke. He glanced down at her hand pressed flat against his chest. For once, he was actually wearing a t-shirt.

She slid the hand up to his face. He grabbed her wrist. He pulled her hand up to his face and planted a kiss on her palm.

"No," she said. "Kiss me properly."

He looked half amused by her order. His hands reached for her face; he planted one hand on either side and he pulled her towards him. He folded himself down towards her. He moved so slowly but with such clear intent; it took her breath away. Her heart found a new pace to beat at.

He paused with his lips held above hers. He dropped that tiny bit further and brushed his lips over hers so gently. He was warm there too and silky soft. She closed her eyes. The lips brushed across hers again. She made some small inarticulate noise. She had one hand wrapped around his wrist now.

Her other hand was around his waist.

His hands tightened on her face. She heard him inhale deeply and then he pulled her up against him. He was not so gentle now. His lips seemed impossibly harder. And demanding. They demanded a response from her and they got it. She turned her head a little. She pulled herself in closer to him. One of his hands slid to the back of her head, the other dropped down her back to pull her even closer to him.

He made a grunt noise as he bent her against him. He stood upright and she was held against him, lifting her off the ground and plastering her along his body. She couldn't breathe. They drew away from each other at the same time and he let her slide down his body and back to her feet on the forest floor.

She felt weak at the knees.

When he finally opened his eyes to look at her, the heat in his eyes faded to worry. "You okay?" he asked.

Her face must have given her away.

"I'm fine," she hastened to say. Then she smiled at him; she didn't want to be insulting. "Better than fine," she added in a shaken voice. "Just give me a minute to get my breath back."

He looked pleased at that statement and he gave her another hug.

When she was fully recovered, they walked back to the house.

That night she had trouble sleeping. All she could think about was how amazing it felt to slide down his body.

Rose had recovered pretty well, but she had continual problems with her left side. Sometimes she lost her balance. Her left arm jerked occasionally uncontrollably.

Sometimes she found herself in a room with no memory of why she went there. With Seth watching her with a worried expression. Once, when she 'woke up', she was standing in the dining room and Seth was holding her hand. She looked at him in shock.

"What am I doing here?"

"They call it 'petit mal'," he said. "It's French for 'little illness'. It is a kind of seizure… an absence seizure… that's what they call them here. Your face has no expression at all… it's the strangest thing… you should grow out of them," he added at the last minute, as he noticed the worried look on her face.

"Grow out of them?" she frowned at him.

"I meant they should get better… you know …with time…"

"Time…" she repeated.

The Hoburns debated what to do about this. Winona had a job working at the supermarket as a manager and they worried about leaving Rose alone for any length of time.

They can't leave Rose alone in case she fell, or hurt herself or even wandered out the door and onto the road during one of her blank seizure moments. And they can't let her drive a car. She had to get to her outpatient appointments and to hospital check ups. She needed a babysitter and a driver.

Seth said he would stay with her. They wanted to pay him for his time. Victor worried that Seth couldn't get a job himself if he was looking after her all the time. Seth refused any monetary payment but they argued with him and in the end, he accepted an amount half of what they originally wanted to pay him.

"What you mean, so I am like the babysitter?" Seth joked. "Whoa don't tell her that… she'll flip out!"

Victor chuckled.

She had missed a lot of school as well and no one believed she was capable of catching up this year. She was smart enough, but adding the strain of schoolwork to her was not something anyone was willing to risk. She tired easily and she slept a lot after she had worn herself out. Attending school would be beyond her right now.

She would have to start again next year, maybe. Or go through home schooling.

Jake was pleased that Seth was keeping up with his schoolwork. He knew it was not his best effort, but it was done and he was happy with that. He was not the biggest fan of school himself. Jake always was more practical and hands on than academic.

Leah had been kept busy fending off Charlie Swan's questions.

Once Seth told Jake he was the babysitter for Rose, he let him off a few patrols.

The others grumbled but Jake made an Alpha decision and they all had to take it. He argued that they would all do the same for the other pack members if they needed it.

FF_2154210_ - 3/26/2011 03:09:00 AM

FF_2154210_ - 8/31/2011 01:43:00 AM