Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight universe, Stephenie Meyer does.

And pretty much all other characters, including Freddie, belong to the universe created by the talented yay4shanghai! She is amazing, and you'll have to read her stories to understand this. I want to thank her for allowing me to write this, and also helping by betaing it.

I also recommend you read the other spin-offs by liljenrocks, ari11990, AsagariMelody, Guzhong, twihardcaligurl, Dll10, and intiMACYx33. They're great, and worth reading!

This story takes place during 100 Years of Solitude... Okay, Maybe Just Five. Also, the story takes place in Ecuador, therefor the characters are all speaking Spanish.

Thanks so much for all the reviews, honeys! Hopefully y'all will take the time to review!

Chapter Three - I Was Awestruck, She Was Trapped

My vision blurred as his words filtered through my ears, and I realized it was because I was shaking so hard that my body jerked wildly. As soon as I realized I might phase, I tried to calm down, thinking of Maribel's soft laughter to soothe me. When I calmed down enough so that only my hands remained shaking, I replayed that man's words in my head over and over again, almost not wanting to believe them.

My heart thumped at a startling beat in my chest, in full panic mode, a sick feeling settled slowly into my stomach. I knew that I was following them, but who else could want to? Who would want to… to harm her, to kill her?

The burning rage in my chest was still firmly in tact as I stealthily kept after the limo. I slipped behind and into the cracks of buildings, being ever so careful to not be seen.

I wasn't used to this sneaking around, or the feeling of prominent dread. The need for her to be safe and in my arms was all-consuming, the strongest emotion I'd ever felt.

I followed silently as they drove aimlessly around, all the while Maribel and her mother staying silent in the back of the car. It was almost an hour past ten before they finally turned onto a dirt road, which made a sharp turn to the right. I almost lost my footing, but quickly jumped into the ditch on the side of the road, still following the car as it decreased its speed.

And then I saw it. It was a wall, a large wall, with a metal gate in the center, a couple of guards pushed the gate open as the limo approached. Almost as quickly, they slammed it shut, a deadbolt sliding into place.

It was shocking and looked out of place, I hadn't seen a gate that large, or a wall that intruding. It screamed at me to back off… My hairs bristled on my back as I scanned the front of it several times. I didn't see an entry beside the gate, and knew that I would be able to climb up it. I could leap over it, well, possibly. That may attract more attention than necessary.

I needed to find a place that wasn't watched, and had an opening. I stood hidden in the shadow of the ditch for a moment before falling to my knees. What the hell had I gotten myself into? Who was Maribel? Why do she and her family have to be protected so thoroughly? Peering through the gate, I could see more of the large men milling around, watching the area cynically.

Questions circled my mind as I tore my shirt off, slipping out of my shorts. I tied both of the items to my ankle in a quick practiced movement. Whoever she was, I had to see her.

Phasing came quick and painless as fur sprouted from my body, and I fell onto fours large paws. Shaking myself out, I dug my claws into the ground, taking a deep breath.

That was one more thing I loved about Quito. Since I phased in Europe, I was apart of Jake's pack. But of course, I was well away from Europe now, so the pack mind was blank. I was left alone with my thoughts only, and it was so peaceful. I thanked the lord that I didn't have to put up with the headache of having five or six other wolves in my head as I would have to if I still lived in La Push.

I crept up farther towards the gate, scanning the wall for any cracks or crevices, something that could help me to get in. I needed to see her again, even if I had to peer in through her window like a stalker. Though, I'm sure all other imprinted wolves would agree; stalking wasn't stalking if she was your imprint. I continued to scan the wall; I needed to find a way to get in still, and I was coming up short.

I finally concluded that I wasn't going to find a way in through the front, and started circling the perimeter of the wall before finding a tree close enough that I could jump from the branches and into the lot. It had deep roots twisting into the ground, and lots of branches intertwining together and making it hard to see through to the top. Perfect, I thought.

Hooking my claws into the bark, I climbed the tree almost like a cat. Stalking through the branches, I leapt down the last couple of feet, landing squarely on the ground.

Standing here, I could get a clear view of the house. It was pretty far away, but luckily I was able to see it very clearly. I was on the east side of the house, and the wall there was as smooth and flat as the wall on all other sides had been.

There was an almost eeriness about it, all the windows had curtains pulled tightly over them and darkness lurked all around it as if no one lived there and I'm sure most would have preferred to stay away from it.

Squinting, I could make several forms around the house, walking by occasionally. There was a large porch wrapping around the house, and who I assumed were gaurds strode around it menacingly.

It was as if they were patrolling the area, and I knew that that was probably the case… Again, the prospect of what I had got myself into entered my mind, and I shook my head. It didn't matter. It wouldn't have mattered if she were a fish; I had to be meet her, talk to her.

With confidence, I flew through the night, landing silently towards the house. A man's head snapped up, straining to see me in the darkness surrounding us. I slipped further into the shadows, hiding beneath the brush.

Slowly, I started to crawl in the direction of the house, following the rope that seemed to be attached to my heart, pulling me. I could sense her presence now, though it was hundreds of feet away still. Her heartbeat called to me as I drifted through the plants still crouching.

Finally, I came as close as I knew I was going to get. And stared at a wide window, two floors up, I knew she was behind it. Like all the other windows, black curtains were pulled tightly over it. With a sigh, I glanced around. I needed to find a way to get up there.

But there was a huge problem with that, the men strolling around every few minutes. I needed a way to get past them. I had no idea how; they hardly let ten seconds pass without someone else coming out to scan the area, like vultures.

Getting frustrated, I retreated further into the shadows, hoping to get a better view. Still, I saw no hole in their system, no break. I growled angrily.

"Look, we lost em' so it don't matter anyway!" a gruff voice rose a few levels, and my eyebrows crinkled, inquisitive for more.

"Shut it! How in the hell do you know for sure if you lost them? You know, if Mr. Castillo was here, who knows what he'd do to ya, to all of ya!" another voice hissed lividly. There was a lapse in the conversation before the same man spoke up.

"Just watch closely, have the guys walking around the porch every few minutes. I don't wanna take any chances. Do any of ya want to piss him off by leading someone here?" his voice turning intimidating as his threat became more prominent.

"Fine," the other spat. I heard his heavy footsteps as he stalked out of the room, then the slam of thick door.

And in the next couple of seconds, everything clicked. Why Maribel and her family were so protective, the constant stream of men surrounding the house, making sure nobody in the family was following… Her father or I'm assuming it was her father, was referred to as 'Boss' by every one of the guards. He was in the mafia.

I could tell by the richly decorated exterior of the house that he was a rich man. And that was most probably because he was involved in some kind of seedy business. And if someone followed anyone to the house, and knew where there exact location was… my heart sunk. Could that mean people were out to get my Maribel and her family?

My brain exploded, already set upon helping her escape all the danger. My heart was pounding erratically as I laid down, my eyes still intent on the window I knew she was behind. Rage burned deep inside me. How could anybody let Maribel stay in this place? Suffering, trapped! I needed to… to do something! Get her out of here. I had to escape with her, as far as possible from here.

Every instinct in me was kicking in, screaming at me to just jump through the window and hold her and run away. But the logical side of me reasoned that that wasn't the best idea. For all I knew, they could have guns, though I wasn't sure of the exact effect they would have on werewolves, I knew it would most definitely slow me down.

And suddenly, the curtain was pulled slightly aside, and she gazed out of it, and I looked into her eyes, and saw such… longing, in them. It was heartbreaking, and my breath caught in my throat as I watched her tilt her head to the side, sighing softly.

And then, she tugged the curtain back, and retreated from the window. It happened so quickly, I wasn't even sure she'd been there at all. Not a moment later, I heard the sound of a case being unlocked, and then, the music of a violin played, and I was amazed.

The melody floating from her was incredible… it lured me a half step closer to her, my ears perked. As the song drifted to a close, I heard her putting the instrument back, and a minute after, her lights shut off.

I was astounded by her already.

I had to protect her as well as possible, I knew that. I would come up with a plan, I had to. As the night wore on, my eyes never strayed from that window. Her soft breathing was assuring me in ways that nothing else had ever done. With each beat of her heart, mine beat as well. I tried my hardest to tune out all other signs, choosing to focus on her tonight, this very first night.

Finally, when my eyes were sagging and my body was limp against the ground, I turned a bit to find a soft sun rising. Which meant light, which meant it would be all that much harder to leave. I could be spotted better in the day.

With a deep breath, I stood, knowing I would have to leave. I tried to assure myself that soon, I would be back with her, coming as soon as it got even the slightest bit dark.

Though I wasn't incredibly keen on being a wolf, I still enjoyed some the perks, such as running, and climbing. It was exhilarating and gave me the most amazing adrenaline rush. I stealthy made my way towards the wall carefully looked around. I wanted to double check and make sure no one was on this side. With relief, I confirmed to myself that there wasn't, and started to jog along the ditch that had led me here, following the path. I had committed it to my memory, knowing that I would need it for later. I had an unfortunate feeling that Maribel and her mother didn't get out often.

My body was wary with exhaustion as I phased back a couple of blocks from my apartment. As I unlocked my door, walking through the house, I glanced at the clock noting it was about six thirty in the morning. I was supposed to get up in an hour… for classes.

I was exhausted as I trudged to my bed finally, collapsing onto it, my muscles relaxed, all but melting into the mattress. My brain was chaotic, its state of disarray making me feel much more worn out than ever before.

Groaning, I rubbed my face with my hand. I still had to think of some solution to talking and meeting Maribel. She was so tiny, and when I'd seen her peeking her out the window, her heart-shaped face so hopeful and sad, it made my heart ache even more than before.

My mind scrambled to pick out the pattern of the guards, and finally I found it. It seemed that about four seconds after one guard turned the corner; another guard appeared around the opposite one. seemed like the men guarding her house were all focused on what was to be done, always on time, almost scared of what would be done if they messed up. And I suppose, since my conclusion was that Maribel's father was in the mafia, you couldn't blame them. But, was it always like that in broad daylight? Were they always so alert and searching for even a small disturbance? The thought stuck in my head immediately, and I swallowed. I could follow and stake out today, after a bit of refreshment, couldn't I?

I thought of my small classrooms, the professors standing in the front with a serious expression. I attended a very well-bred school; they wouldn't take any funny business, was it really worth it? And then, I thought of Maribel again, and I pictured her peeking out of the window, almost sneakily. I could still see her heartbreaking eyes staring out with such an immense yearning. Instinctively, organically even I could feel that the yearning was for escape. She was more important than any class or college, and I had to find a way to get her out of here as fast as possible.

I determined I would get some rest, followed by a quick breakfast, and then head out. I would have to find some way to get over the wall surrounding her house, and then try to see what was happening throughout her day.

Rolling over on my mattress now, I fiddled with my clock before setting it for a couple hours, deciding that I would attempt to rest for only a few hours. It was difficult to picture the notion of myself actually sleeping; my body was already begging me to return to her but rolling back again, I closed my eyes, and welcomed sleep.

~*~*~

The shrill ring of my alarm woke me four hours later. I stayed where I was for a few moments, trying to soak in the sunlight that was streaming through my bedroom window. Taking a deep breath, I sat up, running a hand through my wild hair.

I was still tired, but it was already almost eleven, who knew what could have happened between when I'd left and now? I shivered to think about it.

I stood, stretching my arms and legs before getting some clean clothes on, though I didn't bother showering I had no time for it. I headed out the door to find Hector sitting at our kitchen nook, silently reading the paper with a cup of coffee in his hands. Hector was a deep sleeper, always sleeping until ten or ten thirty. He glanced up at me as I walked in, and frowned.

"Holy, Freddie. When did you get in last night? I didn't hear you at all." He asked a slip of suspicion crawling into his voice. Though I did go to parties and stay out late and all, I was never past Hector, who seemed to outdo me in that area, as I did him in the academic area.

"Uh… not sure." I said, not elucidating further. I hoped he would stop asking about it, leaving it at that, but Hector was a persistent man, and I knew he would want his answers.

"Well, what were you doing?" He pressed on, like I'd concluded.

"You know, just walking around, exploring the area. I missed the city. You should know that Hector." I said carefully, getting myself a mug of coffee. I took a drink, hoping it'd wake me up a bit more. He didn't look satisfied with my answer, and by the way his eyes swept me over even more skeptically, I knew that he would ask more about it later.

"Well, I suppose. But you realize that Valeria was upset when you left…" he frowned, his forehead creasing as he stared at me. "She takes offense easily."

"Well, then, I'll apologize to her. But there was just something more… important, I had to attend to." I said easily. "Anyway, I have something I want to advise you on." He looked at me flatly for a moment before taking a drink of his coffee.

"And what exactly, is that?" he asked in a bored voice. I sighed, trying to stop myself from shaking my head.

"Think about Valeria, Hector. And then think of Aldo." I said quietly, looking at him intently. His face was screwed, an angry line forming his mouth.

"I do, Freddie. Every day." He placed his cup in the sink, before walking to his room. I just watched him, assessing the way his eyes turned from frustrated to angry. His body stance was hunched showing his palpable aggravation with Valeria and the situation.

Shaking my head, I set my mug in the sink. I didn't have time for this; I had to go find Maribel. "I have to go, Hector. I'll be back later in the afternoon." I had already decided he would really know something was up if I skipped coming home all together. I would need more sleep by then, anyway.

I heard a grunt of a response and suppressed a sigh, heading towards the door.

The street was bright with the mid-morning of a new day. I always loved coming out here at this time, or earlier, and seeing everyone running around, others calmly admiring the scenery.

Everybody had an air about them, like they had a new beginning, a new day. It hardly mattered what happened before this; it was what would occur later they had to prepare for.

My eyes followed a man as he weaved in and out of a door, laying out fruits and vegetables. His brow was creased, his eyes so focused on getting it done. And as I set off, I had no doubt I had that same expression crossing my face, because something did indeed, need to be done.

I walked to the street that led to her, being cautious to not be noticed too much. I still didn't want them to get suspicious. A small chill went up my spine as I thought of Maribel having to even be in the same room with them, every day, all day.

When I got close enough I slipped into the bushes before taking my clothes off, phasing quickly, flying through the dead leaves and decaying branches, my focus set on getting to her.

I hoped with a lot of longing I'd hear her play the violin again, it was beautiful. I remembered that lifting of my spirit and the way my heart seemed to thump a thousand leaps out of my chest. My breath caught just thinking about it, and I closed my eyes a little, imagining being right there next to her as she played, resting a hand on her shoulder as I admired her performance. I slowed as I approached the gate.

It reminded me unpleasantly of the Berlin Wall. I could get in and out, because I was on the outside. And if I hadn't had to come back to get Maribel, I could choose to stay out here forever. But the people inside such as my sweet Maribel and her mother could occasionally go out, since they were important enough, but had to return, always.

I jogged slowly to the tree that I'd climbed before, and did the same thing. Once I latched myself onto the branch, I took a good look at the house, and was shocked. Unlike last night, windows were open, and you could see people running around inside, like something important was happening.

My eyes then traveled to Maribel's window, which was wide open today, and my heart jumped as I saw her sitting on her bed. Her feet were perched on her headboard, head resting on a pillow with her eyes closed.

I heard her sigh before she sat up, stretching, and traveling to her bureau, studying herself in the mirror. She ran her hands through her hair, and then let out another sigh. I looked at her steadily, trying to find why she was so nervous. I could tell she was by the way she constantly fluttered around her room, cleaning up things that were perfect to begin with.

She was in the middle of remaking her bed again, which I found very endearing, her face so concentrated and anxious, when there were three polite knocks on her door. She turned, smoothing out her skirt, before calling for the person to come in. It was her mom, who clearly looked disappointed.

"Encanto, I need to speak with you." There was a pause as Maribel sat on her bed quickly, folding her hands over her lap with a frown.

"Mama, please don't tell me father has been delayed?" she said, her voice low. Maribel's eyes never strayed from her mother's as she sighed, looking at Maribel regretfully.

"Encanto, I am sorry. He was caught up in some… issues. He wants you to understand, and hopes that you'll look forward for when he does come back." She said all too quickly.

"Of course I will, mother." She said, but I could detect a restrained bit of bitterness that almost crept into her voice. I could see her mom stiffen slightly, and then relax with a praising smile.

"Good girl… Now, practice your piano a bit. I would love to hear a piece later this evening." She said, her eyes, sweeping over her daughter, almost yelled I'm sorry.

"I would love to." Maribel said evenly, standing respectfully. After her mother left, though, she sat on her bed once again, closing her eyes. She pursed her lips as a single tear escaped her eye. It broke my heart into pieces.

Remorse and anger filled me that her father couldn't get home, to make her happy. I didn't care whatever the hell he was doing wherever he was. Why couldn't he see how hard Maribel is taking all this? Even in that small conversation with her mother, it was as if all her words were practiced, normal, so as not to alert someone that her family wasn't like any other.

But then, as if she knew I was watching she sprung up, wiping off her face. She disappeared into what I assumed was her closet, and reappeared a second later. She had a shoebox in her arms, and placing it gently on the bed, she took off the cover. Inside were pictures and she removed one of an older man, hair grayed and a gentle smile on his face, I could barely make it out through in the distance.

She once again pressed her lips together, tilting her head to the side. Squinting, I could make out he was holding a small bundle in his arms, and as I focused more intently, I saw it was a baby, so small and bright pink.

Maribel didn't say or do anything as she stared at the picture, her face the same expression the entire time. After a few moments, her face gathered itself again, and she placed the picture of what I guessed to be her father back in the box, placing the cover delicately back on. "Why, Papa? Why do you do this to me? Why, god, can't I escape?" Her eyes blinked rapidly as she stood, loping to the closet gracefully.

As her words rung through my head, my heart thumped crazily. A new need ran through me, like something was pulling and begging me to fulfill her plea, to get her out of this practiced, almost robotic life.

I could see as she made her way out of the closet, traveling to her piano in the corner. She started to play expertly, her hands flying elegantly across the keys. Her face had a genuine smile on it now, a spark of enjoyment lighting her face. I couldn't help but beam at her joy.

I loved that she took such joy out of playing the piano, the way her hair softly sprung as she moved her shoulders, as she twisted her torso back and forth. Maribel's arms reached across the whole piano, craning her arms even when she could reach it perfectly. As she played, my mind drifted off, and I thought of her wish to go away. Despite the fact that she was tall, she was still petite, like someone had shrunk her features, but made her legs long. Of course, her beautiful hair added an inch.

But, she was delicate. I could tell that she was intelligent, incredibly so, but that didn't mean she couldn't be hurt. I needed and wanted with all my heart to get her away from anything that would hurt her, and as the song she was playing drifted to an end, I vowed that I would get her away from the danger she was born into. I had to.