Chapter 11

"Bonnie?" My voice was incredulous. I tore my eyes away from her contorted face and glanced at my watch. It was barely seven am!

"Hey, Collin." She was so close to me that I could hear her heart beat, smell her breath. She smelled like sleep, and warmth and cherry flavoured Pez, and her pink hair was sticking up all over the place. Her grey green eyes were squinting as she looked up at me, and her nose was wrinkled.

My mind was reeling. "What are you doing here?" I asked dully. I inhaled without smelling - the scent of her hurt.

"I came to talk to you. And to say that…"

"That what?"

She shivered suddenly, violently, and I noticed how pale she was.

"Oh, man. You're going to freeze out there. Do you want to come in?"

"I - no. I mean, no thanks. Could we - could we go for a walk or something?" She looked nervous. In fact, she looked more human than I had ever seen her before.

"Sure." I spoke casually, though my heart was leaping. What was she going to tell me? That she was giving in? I doubted it…

That she really wanted me to just leave her alone? I didn't know if I could do it…

"I'll drive." She turned away from me and strode down the path towards her van. I followed her, pulling on a pair of battered trainers as I did.

"Where are we going?" I asked her, breathing through my mouth so I didn't have to smell her.

"The beach." She replied, not looking at me.

I didn't say anything, but I got into the passenger seat of her van. She started the engine.

It was cold, my nose began to run, and I sniffed accidentally. A familiar smell greeted me - far too familiar, in fact. The earthy forest-and-pop-tart smell of my best friend.

"Was Brady in here with you?" A fury began to bubble in my chest. What was Brady doing in here? With her?

"Yes." She said bluntly.

"Why?" I sounded furious.

"We were talking."

Talking. Okay. Well, talking was okay. Sweet Jesus, Collin. Talk about an over-reaction.

There wasn't another word spoken between us the whole way to the beach. I kept thinking of questions to ask her, but using all the self control I possessed, I managed to stop myself.

Bonnie stepped out of her van after she pulled to a stop at the entrance to First Beach. She slammed the door after herself and stormed in the direction of the strand.

I watched her for a few moments, until she was out of my view. Then I ran after her. She was standing on the edge of the shore, staring out at the horizon. I watched her slight frame, silhouetted against the grey sky. I didn't approach her - it was obvious she was thinking. Instead, I sat myself on the bleached white tree trunk that had been practically cemented into the sand for years.

The sun was attempting to rise over the sea, but the clouds and the raucous turmoil of the waves stopped it. I sat quietly, wondering how many serious conversations had taken place on this log. There had to have been a few - I had a feeling that this log had something to do with Jacob Black and the awkward relationship he had shared with Bella Swan before she became... how should I put it... a Cullen.

Bonnie stood and watched the ocean for a few minutes before she sighed loudly, and came to sit next to me.

Her thigh was barely touched mine as she sat. I inhaled sharply. This was the closest she had even been to me.

"What did you want to say to me?" My voice was barely a whisper.

She said nothing for a moment. She was looking at her hands, gently pressing the pads of her fingers against each other, in a classic Mr Burns pose.

"I wanted to say…" She stopped and swallowed. "I wanted to apologize. And I want you to know that I have never said sorry before, and truly, honestly meant it. So you oughta feel privileged. So… I'm sorry."

I just stared at her. "You're… sorry?"

She glared at me. "You want me to repeat it?"

I shook my head. "I'm just… confused. What are you sorry for?"

She narrowed her eyes, as though she thought it was a trick question. "For being such a bitch. For ignoring you, when all you wanted was…" She trailed off, and stopped twiddling her thumbs. "What do you want?"

"We're supposed to be together." I told her.

"Well, yeah...but… why?" She exploded. "I still don't get it! People keep saying that to me! But no one has explained it! No one has explained anything! I don't understand!"

I suddenly realized how unfair things had been, for both of us. Bonnie was almost completely in the dark about things - she had no clue as to why I was suddenly in love with her, apart from the whole werewolf thing, which was something she didn't really get anyway, since Seth and Brady had only really gone over the basics with her.

I bit my lip, trying to think of the best way to tell her. I thought hard until I remembered back to when I was thirteen years old, when I had been told the Quileute myths and legends - myths and legends that held more fact than anyone could ever have believed. I told her the story about the Third Wife - it was one most commonly used to explain imprinting.

I dragged it out, trying to spend as much time with her as possible, but the myth was a fairly short one, and took less than fifteen minutes.

She was shocked when I was finished. "So I'm your… 'true mate'?" She repeated my exact words, using her fingers as quotation marks. She still hadn't looked at me.

"Yes." I nodded robotically, my expression blank. I didn't want to open myself up yet - there was still a chance she could reject everything I was offering her.

She snorted. "No offence, but it sounds like a load of bullshit."

"It's all true. Every word."

She swallowed then, loudly. As she asked the next question, her heart beat increased. "And you would be willing to give up practical immortality… for me?"

I took a deep breath. "Yes."

"Oh, Lord, Collin. Please tell me, in a straight answer, why?"

I smiled at her. "Because I love you." I said simply. "We are made for each other."

A little gasp caught in her throat. She was silent. And then, in a smooth movement that rocked me to the core, she turned her face and looked me in the eye for the first time. Green met brown, and something sparked between us. I let my heart open up, and I fell for her completely. There was no going back. If she rejected me now, I would die.

She was beautiful. And she was realizing that I was what she needed. That I was the one for her. Something flickered in her eyes. She understood. She leaned forward. The second our lips met, the sun broke over the horizon, a burst of life-altering, sparkling gold rays. Bonnie was my sun, she had brought light and life to what had, up until now, been a dark and empty forest.

Sorry it's taking so long! I've been so busy... anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Bonnie and Collin have FINALLY spoken properly! Jeez it took a long time... things with start to get interesting now, hopefully.

Please Review!

Love always!

Lily Beth x

Up Next: Bonnie struggles while adjusting to her first proper romantic relationship. Sully questions Collin about his change in attitude, as asks him to help her win over William, the ambulance driver... Maria has some news, and Seth and Aoife plan a christening for baby Evanna, and yes, the guest list includes rather a variety!