Trust and Forgiveness

Tara and Seth did their best cleaning up the disarray of furniture and household items that got knocked over in throughout the night as they were caught up in their heedless passion for each other. They were busy re-hanging pictures on the walls and sweeping up all the pieces of cotton that came from the bedding and got strewn about the room.

A few times they became totally side-tracked and started to mess the place up again. Tara started dressing again determined to keep her clothes on this time. She searched for her top, wandering around in only her jeans and bra.

"You know the longer we stay here, they worse it will just get," Seth said as he helped her look. The ceiling fan didn't have anything on it.

"Well we don't have much of a choice right now. We have to wait until you can go back over to the Cullens. Maybe they can build a padded room for us," she teased throwing the pillows back on the couch after tipping it back upright.

Seth laughed. "I'm sure we'd find way to wreck it."

Tara picked a pillow up off the floor that was torn in half and looked at it. "Mmm, no doubt."

"And now I finally see why you've been holding out on me this whole time," he said.

"Oh, you're now just figuring that out?"

"Well, I knew you had to be careful but I had no idea just how careful."

"Of course. It took very little effort for me to crack your ribs. A broken pelvis would have been much worse, trust me."

Seth smiled her favorite smile. "So you must be much more satisfied now that you don't have to worry about hurting me or not entirely enjoying the experience."

In less than a second she was standing directly in front of him with a very serious expression on her face. "I've always enjoyed the experience…always with you."

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it to come out like that." He took her hand in his entwining his fingers with hers. "I'm just saying you seemed to enjoy it a little bit more last night."

Her eyes shifted away, not wanting to fully admit it.

"Am I right?" He put his finger under her chin lifting her eyes to his.

She gave him a coy smile. "Maybe so."

"I mean you have to admit that last night was pretty epic."

She let out a chuckle. Then Seth slowly leaned into her ear, putting one hand to her back and pulling her in close. "And I think…" he whispered while kissing her neck just below her earlobe. "…you seemed…" He kissed her neck again going lower this time. "…a little more vocal last night than I remember from before."

When his tongue brushed her neck she let out a noise that let him know she liked it. Then they were suddenly backing into a table and the lamp that sat on it started to fall to the floor. Tara quickly reached out and caught it before it hit.

She sighed. "I think perhaps we should pause that thought. Otherwise we'll be cleaning all day long."

Seth frowned.

"Is there anything else you'd like to do today?" she asked.

"Well...you could feed me again."

"Oh…of course." She began heading to the fridge but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Mmm, that's not what I meant. Take me on a hunt."

She could see the thrill in his eyes even as he said it.

"No." she said flat out. "Too dangerous."

He groaned in protest. "Oh come one, I have to learn don't I? You said yourself the only way to learn control is practice…So?"

"But Seth, what if something goes wrong and I can't stop you by myself?"

"If you can't stop me then I don't see what difference it will make having anyone else around. Please? I want to try and I don't wanna sit inside all day long." His eyes diverted to the strap on her bra. He hooked one finger under it and slid it off her shoulder. "Unless of course… you plan on keeping me entertained longer." He grinned hugely.

She scrunched her eyes together and groaned trying to decide. She knew either way she was going to regret something. "Well… I suppose Edward's gonna kill me anyway…so.."

"Mmm? So which is it?" he asked reaching for the other strap now.

She suddenly spotted her blouse on top of the lamp the other room and before she let him get too carried away, she made a decision.

"Okay…get the car keys, I have an idea."

Tara drove north into the mountains as far as they could go by car, then parked and traveled the rest of the way on foot through the forest, being sure to stay off trail to avoid hikers.

"So what's on the menu?" he asked while running next to her as a slower pace, allowing her to lead.

"Um, probably anything we see on the way but maybe you'll get lucky and we'll see a mountain lion."

"On the way?" he wondered. "To where?"

"You'll see," she said with a grin.

As they weaved in and out of the trees, moving together through the thick forest, Seth took pleasure in his moment of freedom. He felt lighter than air as he moved. There was something entirely different about running at that rate of speed on only two feet. The angles seemed different. He thought perhaps it was his sharper vision that made the forest look so intensely colorful and vivid but he also noticed how little effort it took to run. Never feeling winded or out of breath; there was no need to breathe. His muscles never tired. He felt as though he could run forever and still keep going.

When they changed direction and began moving higher up the wind shifted into their faces and he was hit with a fragrant wall that made this throat burst into flames. At the edge of a cliff, he spotted an entire herd of big horned sheep, standing on the rocks like statues. Their color blended in with their environment but even at a distance he targeted the spot in their necks where the warm blood pulsed rapidly. He stopped and listened, hearing the thumping sound of their hearts. It impulsively lured him in.

Tara watched him carefully as he stealthily closed in on his prey that stood about twenty yards away. His muscles tensed getting ready to launch himself at the pack of animals. As he scanned the group he quickly chose the biggest and closest one, locking his eyes on the beast just before he bound through the air and made his attack. The clumsy animal stumbled on the rocks trying to get to higher ground and make its escape but it couldn't outrun him. Seth was on top of the creature in seconds. It let out a bellow just before he sunk his teeth into his neck. Tara couldn't resist the temptation of a meal for herself. Once seeing that Seth made his kill, she set out on a chase of her own. The herd had started to disperse already, scattering about trying to run from its predators. She followed their scent and made her pursuit up the mountain side after them, finally catching up to one that took a wrong turn and she managed to cut it off before it could get away. Seth caught up to her once he finished off his sheep, feeling fully satisfied by his catch. "Feel better?" she asked.

"Much. Where to now?" he wondered.

Tara looked down the side of the mountain. "Hear that water running?"

He listened intently. "Yeah."

"That's where we're headed. Come on…follow me." She took his hand and led him to a couple more miles, into secluded area of the forest near a small body of water. It was completely hidden away and camouflaged by the dense trees and brush.

"What's this?" he asked.

This is where we swim," she said.

Seth looked at the dark little pool. It didn't seem big enough for the two of them to swim in even.

"Umm, swim? You know we already had a bath tub at the house right?" he said sarcastically.

She chuckled. "Trust me."

Tara took off all her clothes and stood by the edge of the water. She turned back and looked at Seth who still stood in the same spot looking baffled. "What are you waiting for?"

"Oh…" he said realizing she wanted him to follow her lead. As he undressed, she jumped in feet first, disappearing into the water. It was much deeper than it appeared.

Her head finally popped back up and she stared up at him. "Well? Come on…"

Seth slid in the water rather than jumped in and inched over to her.

She smiled. "You okay?"

"Sure…what now?"

"Now we swim."

"Uh…" he looked around the surface of tiny pool. "Where?"

"You know one cool thing about being a vampire?" she asked and waited till he shook his head.

"No need to hold your breath under water," she finished, then sunk down below and disappeared.

Seth looked down trying to see her but it was too dark. Suddenly he felt a hand touch him under the water. "Hey um…oh…" It wasn't what he'd expected at first but it was a pleasant surprise. He closed his eyes and relaxed until suddenly, the hand yanked him down under the water. He started to struggle, panicking at first. He was used to needing air, but then he realized...his lungs didn't need it. Tara's hand grabbed his and then she pulled him down deeper until they finally leveled out and swam straight though a dark tunnel that went for nearly a half a mile underground.

When they surfaced, they were on the other side of the mountain in a deep canyon. A giant cascade fell from the rocks above, at least one hundred feet, into the immense water basin below it. The inside of the canyon contained little vegetation. A few trees, ferns and moss covered rocks surrounded the pool. The sun peaked out of the clouds and reflected off the surface of the water. Tara's skin glimmered in the sunlight creating hundreds of tiny prisms on the walls of the bowl-shaped canyon.

"W-wow! Where are we?" Seth asked.

"On the other side."

"I've never seen this place before."

"Of course not, you can't get to it on foot. I discovered it a while ago when I was hunting once. I used to come here sometimes just to be alone and think. I always wanted to bring you but it's too long of a swim for a human."

"This is great!" he said taking it all in.

If we climb to that ledge up there we can jump down too," she smiled.

"I'll race you!" he challenged… and she was already out of the water.

Edward heard the cruiser as it rolled up the road and pulled in into the driveway. He knew the familiar buzz in the thought patterns of Charlie's head, and lately there was a lot buzzing going on in there. He'd been busy trying to track whoever or whatever is was responsible for several murders that occurred recently. The front door swung open before the officer even reached the top step. "Edward…hey I'm glad I caught you. Is Bells here too?" Charlie asked.

"Yes, she's inside with Ness. Come in." he opened the door gesturing for him to enter.

"Thanks."

Bella heard her father's voice from the other room and came running to see him. "Hi dad!" she said and then gave him a barely noticed Charlie's scent any longer. The burning irritation she used to experience from being near him was now reduced to nothing but a minor discomfort, easily tolerable to her. She embraced the sensation knowing it was just a part of being close to him and she now better understood how Edward managed to be around her as a human yet remain in control of his natural urges.

"Hey Bells. Sorry I've been so scarce lately. Things are really picking up down there at the station."

"Any leads?" Edward asked.

"Very little. I wanted to inform you, we've initiated a man-hunt and we also have some forensics coming in from Seattle trying to solve this thing. I was hoping you might have some information for me though that could be helpful."

Edward and Bella glanced at one another and then back at Charlie. From the other room, Carlisle's ears perked up when he overheard their conversation. The boys also listened in wondering what news Charlie had and what information Edward was about to provide.

"We're just in the dark as you, but I'm pretty sure of what you're investigators will find on the bodies. There seems to be someone causing a bit of trouble lately. We're going to have to figure out how we can put an end to it before it gets too out of hand."

The fact that forensics would now be involved was a serious matter. Vampires that have been in the game long enough, know to dispose of their victims. The Cullen's knew that more than half of missing person's cases was usually the result of a vampire attack; their bodies drained and the evidence destroyed. No body- no proof… until now. Two of the victims found dead had been drained of their blood and left with bite marks. An investigation opened on this case could cause havoc for the Cullens and expose their kind. Something they distinctly wanted to avoid.

The Volturi always kept strict population control on their kind. No one allowed to step out of line; newborn or not. It was a zero tolerance policy. Anyone caught being disobedient was terminated at once, no excuses. These rules kept the vampires protected for hundreds of years, allowing them to remain hidden from the human world but still allowed them to feed as they needed. All this was changing now that there was no one to keep the order. New borns being created and killing carelessly would certainly start to draw attention to them. The Cullens feared the thought of one of them being tracked and caught somehow. They already had one close call at the hospital. They didn't know how many more events like that could be happening outside of their knowledge.

As Charlie wrapped up his discourse regarding the situation at hand, Edward picked up on the real reason why he was at the house, just before he was about to ask.

"So any word on Seth? I've been so busy I haven't had the chance to stop by the hospital to see him. Sue said he's making progress though." Charlie said.

Edward and Carlisle both froze, unsure of how they were going to explain this one to him and on top of the other situation they were going to have to explain as soon as he laid his eyes on Renesmee. Last he saw her she barely even showed any signs of being pregnant, now she clearly looked full term.

Carlisle decided he would start. "Uh, actually Charlie there's a few things we'll probably have to explain to you. Seth had already been discharged in my care. Tara is caring for him over at Edward's place right now but he's not quite ready for visitors just yet."

"Huh… really? Because I stopped over there just before coming here and no one answered the door," Charlie said.

Edward relaxed. He figured Tara must've been able to keep Seth under control long enough till Charlie gave up and left, figuring no one was home; that is until the next thing came out of his mouth.

"There was a note on the door though…wasn't sure who it was for but it said something about heading up toOlympic Falls. I thought maybe you guys took a trip or something."

Edward groaned. "No…no we did not. But we're about to, apparently."

Charlie just gave him a confused look. "Uh…should I be worried?" he asked.

"No…not yet anyway," he said to him. Then turned to his sister. "You know about this?" he asked Alice.

She shook her head. "Actually I kinda tuned them out and started focusing on other stuff. I got a glimpse of them last night and that was enough for me."

"What happened last night?" Edward asked.

"Uh…well, let just say you might wanna go shopping for a new bed."

Emmett snickered from the back of the room. Edward just smoldered. He was already in a bleak mood, but now things just went completely south for him. "Bella, I think we'll need you in case Tara is cloaked. Alice, you're coming too," he fumed.

The girls both nodded, eager to help and the boys were already set to follow. Charlie still had no idea what they were all planning to do but just before he could ask any more questions about it, Jacob came around the corner. "Hi Charlie," he said casually walking in. He'd thought he detected the familiar voice from the other room.

"Hey Jacob," he perked. "I didn't even know you were here. How's Ness doing?" he asked.

Jacob looked at the others to see if Charlie knew anything yet. Edward shook his head. Then Jacob put his arm around Charlie's shoulder. "Actually…Charlie…we have a bit of a surprise for you."

The sun showed up just at the right time, making their afternoon complete as Seth and Tara lay side by side, basking in the warm ray of light. While Tara lay on her back looking up at the sky, Seth lay on his side next to her. He held a small wild flower in his fingers that he'd found growing between the rocks. Starting from her head and tracing the outline of her face and lips with it, he then let his hand travel down the front of her body, gently sweeping it over her skin. His eyes took in every inch of her body, studying every radiant feature and perfect detail realizing he could spend hours like this, just staring at her without words. Tara giggled noticing what he was doing.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"This is how I spent most of my nights, watching you. Sometimes I'd do that with my fingers, so lightly you never noticed. I could watch you forever and not get bored."

He smiled. "I get it now."

"So are you enjoying your day?" she asked.

"Emphatically…Thank you for trusting me."

She chuckled. "Well in case you hadn't noticed, I sorta brought you to the most secluded area I could think of. I didn't want to take any chances."

"You let me hunt though."

"Mmm, so I did. And how was that experience for you?"

"Still nothing compared to last night…or this morning…or ten minutes ago…" he started to laugh. "…but it was great. I like hunting with you. It's no longer, me watching you or you watching me; it's an experience we share now."

She winced. "Oh Seth…you shouldn't glamorize it like that. I've made you a predator; it's not like eating at the local diner. When you crave your first human, you won't see it as such a positive thing."

Seth's expression hardened and his smile disappeared. "I fear that the most," he said in a low voice, looking down.

"Just try and keep those thoughts in your head when you do. If you can use that fear to help you control it, you'll be okay."

His eyes lifted and looked right through her and she touched his face. "You're truly my guilty pleasure you know," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"Before I turned you I felt like I took you away from something, like I didn't deserve you but wanted you… badly. And I took you despite the costs. Now, even though I hate myself for having made you this way, I can't help favoring you being…more like me."

He smiled at her confession. "I volunteered for this role. So don't feel guilty about it."

One impulse Seth had no control over was the one that drew him into her. He had little control over his extemporaneous yearning for her but she didn't seem to mind at all when he succumbed to those cravings.

After they climbed out of the water, returning to the other side, they took their time getting dressed and heading back. Tara let Seth have some fun climbing some of the tall red- woods of the forest. He leaped from limb to limb like Tarzan, swinging from the branches. He could vault his body across long distances, flipping in the air at incredulous heights. His new strengths abilities completely blew his mind, unable to fathom the new sensations he experienced.

"Hey, you wanna race back the rest of the way?" he challenged her.

"You're on!" she grinned.

He gave her a head start knowing he'd be able to beat her easily and sure enough he passed right by her but he led only far enough ahead to where she was still able to see him. He flew through the forest, leaping over fallen trees and ravines with perfect adroitness, even remembering the route back to where they parked, like he'd done it a thousand times.

When the car was within a viewable distance, he noticed something was off. The driver's side window had been punched through.

"Damn! Someone broke into the car!" he said running up to the passenger side and stopping. He spotted the large rock on the seat that someone had used to break the glass. The stereo had been ripped out of the console and he growled with anger.

Tara ran to the driver's side but it had no damage. She pulled the keys out of her pocket and clicked the unlock button. The car beeped. But before she went to touch the handle, she noticed the smell and the scorching dryness in her throat. She instantly looked over at Seth whose wide eyes were completely fixated on the door.

"Seth?" she said wondering what he looked at.

He touched the shards of glass at the top of the window with his fingers and then raised his hand up, staring at it with a frenzied look in his eyes. It was wet with blood – fresh human blood.

"Whoever broke the window…cut their hand on the glass." His hand trembled as he inhaled the scent of the sweet fragrance that compelled him.

"Hold your breath!" she ordered, then she ran to the window and ripped out the glass and told him to get in the car quickly, but when she turned back around, he was already gone.

"NO"! She thought, taking off into the forest after him. He was so far ahead she couldn't even see him. She tracked the scent of blood through the forest until she came upon dead body in her path laying face down. It was a young man. There were smears of blood all over his face and arms but she instantly noticed two things; the bite mark on is broken neck and the cuts on his hand from where he'd sliced it open on the car window.

"Seth!" she screamed and starting running again. Suddenly she heard a shriek coming from up head. The shrill scream echoed through the forest. "Oh God no!" She thought the worst.

Seth hurdled over the dense brush and thick umbrage, following the woman's scent like a driving force that compelled him. Her sweet aroma was so strong he didn't even notice the other smell at first; the strong feral odor that was getting stronger by the second. It started to burn his nose. But when he finally caught up with source of his compulsion, he paused. His aggression hindered by the sight of a girl begging for her life. Instinctively he launched his body at her attacker and landed on him before the new born could make his kill.

He landed on the vampire, grabbing it by the neck and forcing it to release its victim. The girl fell to the ground crying and breathing heavily. Tears ran down her face as she feared for her life as she now looked at two sets of blood red eyes staring at her with intense hunger. As she crawled backwards keeping her eyes on them both, she saw a third one coming straight for her and she screamed. Seth's maniacal stare sent a surge of terror right through her. He wanted her blood –badly, but he resisted. A growl came deep from inside his chest. "RUN!" he snarled at her through his teeth.

Utterly terrified, she stood up and fled as fast as she could.

Seth took hold the vampire's head with all his fury and he twisted it until it was completely severed from its body. He felt a sudden rush of satisfaction from his kill.

Just then, his senses picked up and something that was coming at him from behind. The feral odor surrounded him from all directions - it was the pack. Just as he turned his head to look behind him, he shockingly realized he was too late to stop Leah from attacking. Tara had been so distracted watching Seth she didn't have time to react and before she could cloak, Leah was on top of her and knocking her flat on her back into the ground. The last thing she saw was the set of teeth that sunk into her throat before they ripped it out. Tara's body instantly went limp.

"NO! LEEEAAAH! NO!" Seth screamed, charging at her. He slammed his body into the wolf, knocking her off Tara's body but he was too late to save her.

The rest of the pack stood in a circle around them witnessing the entire event.

"Oh my gosh! Leah just killed Tara! I can't believe she just killed her!" Embry said.

"What do we do Sam" Paul asked. "Do we attack?"

"The second he moves we stop him" Sam ordered.

"We can't stop him! He'll kill us Sam" Quil said.

"He didn't kill those people…did you all see that other blood sucker? He killed it and let the girl go". Embry said.

"Oh man this is bad, Leah shouldn't have done that". Quil added. "Poor Seth."

Seth turned and looked down at Tara's broken body. It was as though someone had shoved a dagger through his heart when he saw her lying there motionless and broken in two. He let out a bellow that shook the trees - one so loud it was painful to the wolves' ears. Then he suddenly turned all his rage onto Leah and lunged for her.

"Look out! He's gonna kill Leah" Paul shouted.

"NO" Embry shouted.

"We have to stop him." Sam demanded.

The pack began to charge except for Quil and Embry. They stood watching, unsure of what to do, but they knew they didn't want to kill their friend. Seth held Leah by the throat snarling angrily. Paul and Sam tried to get him off of her but Seth simply knocked them off with no effort at all.

"Oh my god Quil…Seth's killing Leah. He's gonna snap her neck!" Embry cried.

Leah howled and cried struggling with him until her air was cut off and she could only whimper. Seth's hands trembled as he gripped her tightly. He could have already killed her by now but he was resisting. He simply couldn't do it, even though he was thinking it. His anger started to turn to anguish and he collapsed to the ground, finally releasing her. He fell to his knees and covered his face with his hands in his face, putting his head to the ground.

"Why…why…" he sobbed in a low voice.

Leah slumped to the ground at first but then backed away. She and the others just stood, staring at him disheartened now. They were at a loss at what to do. An overwhelming sense of guilt came over Leah as she watched her brother suffering for what she'd done.

Suddenly the wolves realized they were surrounded by vampires. They were glad it was the good ones this time though and very relieved to see the Cullens.

Alice had helped Edward locate Seth's car and then they followed the blood trail on foot to the first dead body, staying on the path until they came upon the disaster zone in their midst; Seth as curled up into a ball weeping, Tara's broken body laid lifeless on the ground and there was also another unidentified dead body off to the side. The wolves all looked scared now, wondering why their reaction to all this would be. Edward immediately scanned everyone's minds trying to get answers to what had happened.

Bella cried out when she saw Tara and buried her face in Edward's arms. "Shh it's okay," he comforted her. Then he turned to Jasper and Emmett. "Take care of Tara," he instructed them.

"Oh, my gosh Edward..." Bella gasped. "Did Seth do all this?"

Edward concentrated. "No…. He didn't. He actually saved someone from that other vampire. He killed this one so she could get away."

Bella's jaw dropped. "He saved someone?"

Jasper and Emmett knelt down next to Tara's body, observing the damage. "Um…so...you ever do this before?" Emmett asked him.

"Nope. I only know how to take them apart," Jasper replied. JHe had plenty experience destroying vampires and he always made sure he finished the job knowing vampires could regenerate, though he'd never actually witnessed it.

"How hard can it be?" Emmett shrugged.

Alice rolled her eyes and moaned. "Ugh! Could you guys try being a little more sensitive please," she snapped.

"Sorry Alice, I'm not really an emotional kinda guy," Emmett added. "But don't worry, Jazz and I got this handled. Maybe someone should go make sure Romeo over there doesn't try run off and do anything rash…he looks like he's having a meltdown."

Seth didn't hear any of the discourse going on over by his wife's body. He ignored everything around him completely and only contemplated one idea at the moment. Edward finally knelt down next to him to try and talk to him. "Seth…" he spoke softly. "Can you hear me?"

Seth quieted himself upon hearing Edward's voice. He lifted his head and let his hands fall limp at his sides. "Edward…"

He put his hand on Seth's shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. I wish we had arrived sooner," he said.

"Edward, I don't care how…just find a way to destroy me. I don't want to live anymore."

Edward smirked. "Mmm, I don't really think you'll want me to do that."

Seth looked over at him and frowned when he saw his face. It disturbed him that Edward found humor in his situation. "I'm serious. I don't want to exist without her. I have no purpose being like this if she's not in my life. I don't care if I have to hurl myself into a volcano….if you don't do it, I'll find a way."

"Seth, if you would just let me explain before you decide to run off and hurt yourself, I think you'll…"

Before Edward could even finish his sentence the wolves started barking and snarling frantically. Without even looking, he knew what they were in hysterics about and he quickly snapped around, grabbing the angry raging vampire that headed for Leah.

"Holy cow! How did she do that? She was just in pieces." Quil shouted, though Edward was the only vampire that heard it. The others only heard barking and growls.

"So what is she a zombie now?" Embry cried.

"No, dummy!...don't you remember"? They can come back to life if you don't burn em. Paul said.

"Uh! Gross!" They both thought in unison.

Tara snarled and clawed trying to get loose of Edward's grip but Bella helped him hold her back so she wouldn't kill the wolf she targeted in her sights.

Seth's eyes nearly fell out of his head when he saw her – alive now. His jaw dropped and he sucked in a breath wondering if any of this was even real anymore.

"Tara! Calm yourself! Edward demanded.

Leah started to back up feeling anxious now. But Tara's rage soon evaporated the moment she saw the shock and horror in Seth's face from all of this. "I'm okay, release me," she said trying to pull Edward's arm off her. Once he felt she wasn't going to attack anymore, he and Bella let go.

She approached Seth and knelt down in front of him. "I'm sorry you witnessed that. Are you okay?" She touched his face.

"You're …alive," he looked at her completely perplexed at what he just saw.

"I know. We can do that, remember?" she gave him a tiny smile.

"I…I didn't even think of it."

"Of course you didn't. It was too traumatic for you."

"No kidding! You like had you're whole head ripped off!" Emmett blurted out. Alice nudged his ribs but he barely noticed. Tara just ignored his comment. She was used to Emmett's twisted sense of humor.

Seth took her hand in his. "Did you die?" he asked.

Her smile flattened in to a straight line and she shook her head. "No, I was more like … suspended."

"Wow, what was that like?" Emmett blurted out.

Tara cocked her eye brows and rolled her eyes. "It didn't feel good. I don't recommend trying it."

"Sick!" he chuckled. "Hey you're welcome by the way." He grinned.

"Ugh! Hush already Em…they're having a moment," Alice hushed him.

Seth noticed the wolves were all still curiously watching him. Then he turned his head and looked for his sister, but she was gone.

"Where's Leah?" he asked.

Edward nodded his head at the forest indicating the direction she ran in. "She left. She's not too far yet."

Seth stood up ready to go after her. "I have to find her and talk to her. If I don't forgive her, Jake will abjure for disobeying and she'll have no one. I don't want her to be all alone."

"It's okay Seth. I trust you'll be fine on your own," Edward said.

Tara started to follow him but Edward grabbed her arm, not letting her run off so fast. "Uh, don't assume that today's events will make me forget about what you both did to my house," he said in a displeased tone.

"Crap!" Tara thought.

Seth followed Leah's scent till he finally found her sitting alone at the base of a tree. She had her knees tucked into her chest with her face buried in them, sobbing. It pained him to see her so dejected.

She was startled, hearing the snap of a twig under his foot as he approached. Her head quickly snapped up.

"Leah wait," he said before she could run off. "Let me talk to you," he begged.

She sat still with dismal expression on her face. Seth cautiously walked closer to her until he was right in front of her. She looked away as he sat down next to her.

"Leah…talk to me please. It's killing me that we're like this."

Her lip trembled and she started to tear up. He reached out and touched her chin to turn her head. "Look at me," he said. The feel of his icy handle stunned her and she gasped pulling away. She glared right at his eyes.

"Do you really hate me that much now that I'm one of them?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I don't hate you. I just hate seeing you like this…what's she's done to you. You're not even one of us anymore."

"Leah it's me…look at me! I'm still you're brother," he touched her arm, realizing how unbelievably hot she was. He never realized that was how he felt to Tara all that time.

"You're so cold," she lamented. "It's eerie."

He frowned and pulled his hand back, feeling diffident. "I can't change this. It's what I am. Why can't you just accept it and let me live my life?"

"Live? You call this living?" She suddenly snapped at him. "What did you eat today Seth? Did you hunt with your vampire? Did she show you how to kill and drink blood? What about those humans? Did you desire to hunt them too?" She could see the guilt in his expression. It was what he desired.

"I hunt vampires Seth. "So I can't cope with my brother being one."

He scowled at her. "Well gosh Leah, I'm really sorry you're having a hard time dealing with me being a vampire!" he snapped. "Have you thought at all how I might be feeling about all this…how it's affecting me?"

She was taken aback by his reaction. "But… I thought this is what you wanted?"

"What I wanted …was to not be dead. I didn't expect this to happen…at least not so soon. But it is what it is. At least I get to be with Tara always now, that's what matters to me most."

"It matters to you more than being with me or mom?"

"Leah, I wouldn't even be here right now if it were for this. I'd be in the ground. Can't you just be happy to have me here, even if it's like this?"

"What about mom? Do you know how it's affecting her? She can't even come see you."

"I'm aware. You think it doesn't hurt me to know that I can't go anywhere near my own mother without thinking about…" he couldn't even finish his sentence. He exhaled before continuing. "It'll get better. Bella does it. I know I can. I just need time."

Tears rolled down her face.

"You have no idea how much I envy you right now," he said looking at her wet face.

"Why?"

"Because… you can do that. I've been wanting to just let it all out and I can't. It's so frustrating. You have no idea how difficult this change is for me."

She started feeling remorse for all the pain she'd caused now. "I guess I shouldn't have been so cruel. I'm sorry," she said reaching out to take his hand. It felt chilled, as though he'd been playing in snow but much smoother and hard like granite stone. She'd never touched one of them before. It was an unusual experience for her.

He smirked at her. "You smell really gross by the way."

Leah couldn't control the laugh that came out when he teased her. She knew for sure now that he was really all there, still her little brother. She shook her head. "I hate you," she said jokingly for spoiling her dramatic moment.

He knew he had her now. He reached up to touch her face and brushed the hair from her eyes so she would look at him. "Well, I really love you."

The waterworks came on again. She leaned in and hugged him tightly.

Seth felt relieved now that she showed him some acceptance. "We're still on the same team you know," he whispered.

"Let's keep it that way," she said.