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

And pretty much all other characters, including Freddie and Maribel, 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.

Hey everybody! Alright, so this story got cut way down, but I wanted to let you know that the next chapter is indeed the epilogue! :(

I already have it written, so I plan on posting it soon... Reviews basically get it, and they would be very much appreciated! Also, I wanted to just get a head-on on warning everyone that there will be a lemon next chapter!

Enjoy!

Chapter Thirteen - Giving In

December 13th 2038

My fingernails dug into the frozen soil and dead blades of grass, tearing into the rough terrain as I took a deep, sweltering breath. Words reverberated in my brain like a boomerang, twisting and swirling like snakes writhing in the heat.

The air I breathed was cold and sharp, and other than the single patch I was resting in, snow surrounded me. My coat was tight around my lean figure, but I was still shivering and wishing desperately for warmth on my neck, the brazen sun bearing down on me like it would at home.

I was being ridiculous, coming out here in the middle of the night, but I wanted to hold onto that last bit of summer before winter took over completely, obscuring all of the beautiful grass and trees.

Christmas lights dotted the houses around Freddie's and I couldn't stop the little feeling of excitement in me when I thought about sharing such a holiday with him. It had been very important in my family, and as the date approached I missed my parents more and more.

My mother had always made December the best month of my life, and my father even participated. It was saddening knowing that I may never get to experience that with them again. I didn't dwell on it, though, because I didn't know what would happen to me if I did.

I wiped a stray piece of hair out of my face and leaned forward, letting my head fall back and stare at the gray sky.

My lips puckered slightly, and I wrinkled my nose. I longed to see blue…just a teeny bit of it, even, because that would be something.

I wondered why I had ever left Ecuador, why I had abandoned my probably distraught mother, who was now all alone, or my father who was probably crazed as he searched for me, now that I had been missing for so many months.

"Mari? What are you doing out here in the cold?" Freddie's deep, concerned voice broke my thoughts and I turned to him, the smile lighting my face natural. Shrugging, I stood, gingerly brushing my pants off. I stepped onto the powdery snow and made my way to his warm embrace.

"Just thinking," I whispered back, letting him fold me into his side so every inch of my body was wrapped in his heat. I sighed contentedly, and reminded myself that this was why I had left, because this was worth it.

"Well, come in now that I'm home," he said, a very mild smile gracing his face. I let out a contented sigh as he led me to the house in the crook of his arm, burrowing myself deep into Freddie's warmth. I did wish that he'd grin just a little more, though… He was serious, and I did like that about him, but he seemed so much more…gentle when he was smiling.

Once we stepped into the house, I turned to him and stood on my toes, leaning just a little in so our faces were close together, but Freddie maneuvered around me before I could get any closer.

I frowned as I dwindled behind him, playing with the hem of my shirt and dropping my coat to the floor. The alabaster carpet was flecked with spots of dirt, and my coat only added to the mess, which I only felt slightly guilty about, because lately Freddie had not been acting as usual and it was worrying me.

We used to always be cuddling or holding hands, but now he only sometimes touched me, and only for brief moments. I had tried to talk to him, to get closer, but he pulled away and I just wasn't sure how to go about calling him back.

I was still unbelievably confused about our…relationship. One second, he seemed to be considering the same things I wanted, the next he was pushing me away even more so than before.

My goal had been to talk to him about everything before the New Year, but now, with only eighteen days to go, I was feeling some pressure. Soli had told me that some imprinted wolves had a hard time adjusting or giving in, but Freddie and I were already living together, what more could he have to adjust to?

Maybe the whole 'giving in' thing was what was bothering him, although I'm not quite sure about what all of that means.

I twirled a piece of my long, curly hair around my finger absently watching him as he sunk into the couch and closed his eyes to rest. I smiled a little and lifted his feet up, sitting where they were and placing them in my lap. I merely rubbed circles on them: I had learned long ago that my fingers were much too weak to give any type of effective massage to Freddie's tough skin.

He moaned a little, curling his toes. "That feels good, Mari," he murmured in thanks. We sat in silence for a moment, letting the quietness sink in and reverberate through the room.

"Ju know, when Soli gets home, we are not probably going to have quiet as much," I noted, giggling. Freddie's eyes sparkled with humor as he opened them to look at me.

"Yeah, you're right about that," he agreed, but he was teasing. We were both excited for Soledad to come back. She was exactly like a sister to me, and I really enjoyed it. I had never had someone like her to confide in, or anything of the sort, but she was always willing to lend a few words, even if they were, at times, a bit…choice.

"Celebrating with her will be fun. She has been telling me about traditions," I said, and then blushed as I recalled the one about the mistletoe. Of course I knew what mistletoe was, but my parents had restrained from kissing or touching in front of me, so I knew little of that type of custom.

Freddie raised an eyebrow, gesturing for me to continue. He always got so interested when I started blushing.

"Well, I mean, I was just… uh, interested in some of them," I grimaced. I didn't want to talk about this with him… it was almost too embarrassing. He sat up, swinging his feet to the floor and pulling me to his side, suddenly not bothering to put any barriers between the two of us.

"You can tell me anything, if you want to, Mari," he said quietly, calculating my expression in a concerned way. I sighed, tucking my head into his chest and breathing his scent deeply: dew and cucumber.

He had told me that my scent was lime and lemon, and I realized that all four melded perfectly together… or at least in my opinion.

"I do know, of course Freddie. But really, it is a not big deal. Ju just relax," I coaxed, smiling kindly. Freddie paused, and then shrugged it off.

I licked my lips and scooted a little closer, my tongue suddenly sticking to the roof of my mouth. "Ju know, I want to do speaking of something else," I said slowly, raising my eyes to meet his chocolate brown ones.

He stared at me in confusion for a just a moment before freezing up. Quickly, he dropped his arm from around my shoulders and scooted toward the other end of the couch. I tried to shove away the sting of that, and turned to face him.

"Please, listen, Freddie," I pleaded. He sighed, paused again, and then nodded hesitantly.

"Freddie, something has been wrong, very much. You will not hold me like you sometimes used to, like you are afraid of having me close," I began, and I couldn't keep the sadness from leaking into my sentence. Freddie's breath caught and he reached forward to run his hand through my hair, but did not interrupt.

"I am thinking it is… because you may be feeling what I am," I stopped, biting my lip. Freddie was closing his eyes very tightly and his mouth was a thin line, but he still seemed to be listening.

"I mean with that is that I…like you, much more than I did when we first met," I mumbled clumsily. Red, hot shame was creeping onto my cheeks and I tried to ignore it. But the embarrassment was too much, after years and years of not being allowed to speak of any of this, for it had been considered something much too private.

I hid my face in my hands, disbelieving I had willed myself to speak so much of this when clearly Freddie did not want to. It was a few moments before Freddie carefully pried my hands away from my face and tilted my chin up to look at him.

"Mari, it's alright. Don't feel embarrassed; you are right. Things have been…changing," he paused, shifting his weight uncomfortably. I blinked in surprise, but leaned forward to show I wanted to hear more.

"I don't want you to feel…anxious or odd or like you have to do something, Mari," he explained, sighing. I frowned at him, crossing my arms.

"Freddie, I don't want you to feel that way either, but if neither of us do, then why do we have to hold back? I mean, if you don't want to, then I won't press anything anymore, but-" Freddie held up hand to stop my worried mumbling, and I smiled gratefully.

"Maribel… you have no idea. You're very beautiful, you know? But you're so young. You're only fifteen. Fifteen!" He shook his head again and I scowled.

"Well, how old are you?" Freddie seemed taken aback by the question, and then he frowned as I did.

"My age is irrelevant, Maribel," he growled. I glared slightly.

"Then why is my age important?"

"Because you can age; you can get older. I, however, am fully grown," he pointed out. My stern gaze tightened.

"Yes, I do know that your age is frozen. Please do not tell me again. But, I really need to be closer to you…I want to be," I said quietly, almost pleadingly. Freddie looked away for a moment, and then met my eyes again. Slowly, he brushed my hair behind my ears.

"I know, I know that… I'll…try, Mari, for you. For me as well; I really do need this as much as you… or at least I think I do. You're becoming harder and harder to resist. But we have to take this slow… You are still only fifteen and I don't want to rush things. You still have time to figure things out for yourself, to learn and grow and become independent," he sighed, his face growing lined. I scooted forward cautiously until my legs were against his thigh, and then extended my arms as best I could around his shoulders.

"You will not be stopping me from anything, Fredrico. Actually, you would be helping me through everything. I would not be able to get through this without you. Really, Freddie, don't be worried. Please," I begged, now worried myself that I had guilt tripped him into this. I swallowed as his head whipped up and he rested his forehead against mine.

"I know…I just think about things too much," he gave me a wobbly grin. I giggled, because yes, he did think about things much too much.

His heat was like a blanket wrapping around us, pulling us together and refusing to loosen. I snuggled as deep into his side as I could; our noses were now pressed together. Our eyes never lost contact, and I as breathed in dew and cucumber I was drawn to him more than ever before.

I leaned in very slowly, giving Freddie time to back out if this is what he clarified 'moving too fast'… it probably was, but he didn't move away: he moved in.

Our lips met, and joy tingled down every inch of my body as his hand very, very gently reached up and stroked my hair. It was like nothing I had ever felt…it was strange and new, but in a total good way. I loved it, so much.

All too soon, it was over. It had lasted mere seconds, but the feeling stayed with me. A wide grin broke over my face as he pulled me onto his lap, still stroking my hair.

I giggled a little when I realized that I didn't even need stupid mistletoe.