Disclaimer: I don't own the Warriors. Erin Hunter does.

Summary: After an accident, Sharpeyes, a ThunderClan warrior, vowed that he would not deviate from his goal again. Until he met her and his world spun out of his control.

Idea given to me by SecretClan. Enjoy! xD

A/N: Thank you for the reviews, Foxy and Ivy! I really appreciate it! =)

Single Heartbeat

The future was always clear to me. Being raised in a loving Clan, I wanted to be the best warrior that I could so that my Clan would always feel protected and well fed. It was my one goal in life and I was blind to everything else, until I saw how happy my littermate was with his mate.

That was the first time I gave thought to another future, one in which I would be linked to another warrior. We would be happy together, sharing all aspects of our lives with each other, and raising our own kits to become integrated with Clan life. The more I thought about it, the more I started to like the idea and the more I started daydreaming about it.

It took a missing kit, who I was supposed to be watching over, that was later found dead for me to realize that I had slipped in my performance and duties as a warrior and I vowed that I would never contemplate that future ever again. It would destroy my reputation and conflict with my goal. And so, I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind and never thought about it again, until now...

As I was sitting and waiting for the Gathering to begin at Fourtrees, a young silver warrior came and sat down beside me. I could smell the rank odor of ShadowClan coming off of her, but mixed in was another sweet scent I couldn't identify. I opened my mouth to take in more, then abruptly closed it as I noticed the direction of my thoughts were heading back to those dangerous daydreams.

I tried to focus on the leaders who were starting the meeting, but my thoughts always swerved back to her. I racked my brain, trying to remember her name. I met her formally once before at the Gathering moons ago when she had first became a warrior.

"Silverwing, do you think you can stop fidgeting?" I heard a hiss nearby. I turned around to see that young warrior dipped her head in embarrassment. So, that was her name.

As the meeting progressed, I could feel her staring at me from time to time, but whenever I looked at her, she was listening intently to what the Clan leaders were saying. I sighed and shifted my position awkwardly. This Gathering seemed to last forever.

When Brightstar, leader of ShadowClan, finally jumped down from the rock, it signaled the end of the Gathering. I got up and stretched. It was time to go home and away from this she-cat, who was bringing back memories and feelings that I didn't want.

"You're Sharpeyes from ThunderClan, aren't you?" a soft musical voice sounded behind me. "I recognize that brown pelt of yours." I froze in my tracks. I turned around and came face to face with Silverwing. Her gaze held mine and I felt content to stare back.

"Yeah, that's me," I replied. "Did you want something?" I blinked and broke eye contact. She, in turn, stared down at her silver paws. I wondered what was going through her mind.

"It's just that I'd -" Silverwing began, but didn't get to finish.

"Sharpeyes! What are you waiting for?" I heard a gruff voice sound to my left. "It's time to go home!" I'd know that voice anywhere. I had grown up with hearing it everyday of my life. It belonged to ThunderClan's deputy, Whitetail.

"I'm coming, Whitetail," I shouted back. I looked at Silverwing and could see her eyes cloud, hurt. She still hadn't finish saying what she wanted, but I couldn't let Whitetail wait any longer.

"Meet me by the ShadowClan border tomorrow night," I told her on an impulse. "We'll finish talking then." She nodded and trotted off to rejoin her Clan. My eyes widened as it dawned on me what kind of invitation I was sending. Sighing, I went to join Whitetail and our patrol.

As we headed home, I couldn't stop thinking about my last words to Silverwing. What had I been thinking? I had thrown and discarded that future away moons ago and what's even worse is that she's not even in ThunderClan! I should have just left when Whitetail called out to me...

All throughout the next day, my mind kept drifting back to Silverwing. I couldn't concentrate on my border patrols and almost wandered too close to the Twoleg nests that were located on the border of our territory. Then, during my hunting patrols, I couldn't focus on my hunting techniques and let quite a few prey get away. Frustrated with my own loss of focus, I let out a low growl. I'll tell her that I don't want her in my life. That way, I'd stop thinking about her. Or perhaps, I should just not go to our secret meeting tonight.

But as the darkness came, I found myself pulled towards the ShadowClan border. If I had more self constraint, I would have stopped myself. But, as it were, I found my paws carrying me out of camp, up the ravine, and towards the Thunderpath that created the border between ShadowClan and ThunderClan territory.

"I wasn't sure you'd come," Silverwing's voice drifted to me. "But I'm glad you did. I'm Silverwing, by the way." She stepped out of the shadow of the bush she was hiding behind. Like that shrub could have hid her odor from the ThunderClan night patrol.

"I know," I replied and she gave me a weird look. "I was there couple moons ago, when Brightstar announced you as ShadowClan's new warrior." I added hastily. She must have thought I was weird. "What did you want to talk about?" I said, changing the subject, none too subtly.

"I just wanted to say that I'd like to know you a bit better," Silverwing said, shyly. I could detect the dreaminess in her tone. "I don't know why, but it seems like I'm drawn to you."

"Wow! That was direct," I responded. Her whiskers twitched at my statement. "So, I wasn't dreaming when I felt all those stares directed at me during the Gathering yesterday after all."

"I tried to not be all that obvious," she stated. "But I guess I should have known. You looked like you were uncomfortable sitting next to me after a while." I nodded. So was it now that I tell her that I don't return her feelings? I thought of my goal and I thought of the dead kit. Yep, now would be a good time. I don't want a mate.

I prepared myself and opened my mouth to tell her, but as I was about to begin, I saw her claws kneading the soft grass beneath her. "How about we be friends? For a little while at least, until we know each other better?" I proposed instead. Her eyes brightened and her body relaxed.

"Sounds like a good plan," she told me. And so, I spent the next several hours with her, sitting in the grass, talking about our own Clan life. Eventually, the sky started to brighten and I knew I had to get home before I was missed.

"I sure enjoyed myself tonight," I told her. She nodded in agreement.

"Let's meet again ten days from now," she told me. I blinked in surprise. When I told her we would be friends, I had meant only meeting during Gatherings if we both attended, but I guess she got a different meaning out of that. I held back a sigh.

"I'll see you then," I told her. She padded close to me, licked my ear, and darted across the Thunderpath and back into ShadowClan territory. I twitched my ears. She sure was direct. Well, I suppose I'll tell her during our next meeting. Then, I could get back to focusing on my duties.

But when the next meeting rolled around, I still didn't tell her. I hadn't got the courage to break her heart. So, I held it off. Next time, I told myself. We met every ten days from then on. Each time, I wanted to tell her she was wasting her time with me. Each time, I failed. Three moons passed in this fashion.

Then, right before I met her in another meeting, I noticed that she wasn't alone. There was another scent of a ShadowClan cat with her. I stiffened and peered around the edge, getting ready to fight.

"Calm down, Sharpeyes," Silverwing's voice told me. She was sitting in her usual spot. "I want you to meet someone." I twitched my whiskers in response.

"I'm not interested in meeting anyone, Silverwing," I started. "I should have..."

She stood up and flicked her tail across my muzzle. "You'll want to meet her. After all, she's your kit!"

"What?!" I shouted in shock. She pushed the tiny ball of fur towards me. I prodded the tiny kit and she stared at me with her deep green eyes, the replica of my own. Her gray fur was just a shade darker than her mother's. She was truly my kit.

My heart started racing and I felt dizzy and breathless. It was one of my daydreams come true, but also a nightmare. I didn't even want a mate, much less one that went against the Warrior Code! "She's beautiful." I purred.

"Her name's Leafkit," Silverwing informed me.

"Leafkit, quite fitting due to her eye color," I stated, as I nuzzled the little kit. "Who's going to take care of her?" But deep inside, I knew the answer. The kit would follow Silverwing home and be raised as a ShadowClan warrior. This meeting will be the last chance I get to see her up close.

"You are," Silverwing whispered and disappeared. I was stunned. Those two words, and the single new heartbeat in front of me, left my world spinning out of control.

I had definitely not planned for this future.

A/N: Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it! Please drop off a review if you've got time. =)