Sorry for the long wait all you readers. I really need to find a job, so I've been spending more time searching. I'll still try to get new chapter out this weekend.

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Music:

Fly like an eagle - Seal

Gonna fly now – DeEtta Little/ Nelson Pigford (Rocky theme)

Feel like flying – Racoon (Dutch group)

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Chapter 21: Multiple persons – Flying

May

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I know I shocked everybody with what I've done, but I needed to push myself to the limit. Ever since the fight I felt I've been holding myself back too much. That day made me realise something; I want no regrets, no 'what ifs'. There were things I wanted to do before I died. Yes, I was well aware of the fact that Santiago could have killed me. Not that it mattered, as long as the twins could live. A selfish thought? Perhaps. Still, it's how I feel.

Healing Alex was the most intense thing I've ever experienced. Good, but intense. To turn off the safety-switch and just go. It was weird when my body refused to obey me. To be trapped inside. Keeping Billy out of my thoughts was hard, because I was even more determent to help him, to give him as much strength as possible. It all came out anyway however and we worked out some king of deal. I was happy when the day arrived and even happier when I was done. To see his legs move, the light in his eyes.

But when he hugged me and told me I was family,…I was over the moon. Like I was going to explode with joy. The overwhelming feeling bubbling through me, I felt like a soda-bottle. I needed the boys to guide me out. I needed to go hunting, to calm down. For Jasper, who would've been on overload, with all my extreme emotions. I wondered how Edward handled it. I was almost back home.

Walking in the door, I was immediately in some one's arms. Alice, her small frame and special scent were easy to identify. "You were amazing, she said excitedly, we've heard all about it." I was passed on to the next set of arms, and the next, until I reached my father. "I'm so proud of you my daughter," he said. His eyes full of warmth, but I saw a serious glint there also. He wanted to talk about something. Then, he turned his head to the door as the rest of our family came in. Followed by Sam at the end. Why was he here?

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Jacob

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I had stared in wonder as May set to work on my father. Feeling a slight flow of energy from me to her. She was so focused and giving it her all. The hands weren't as gentle as I expected, massaging every muscle on his back. Dad didn't flinch however and endured it with strength, like the chief he is. I was unaware of anything but us three. This must be what Sam felt, when he helped her with Emily. The healing now took a lot longer of course. Emily's was nothing compared to this.

But it was over sooner then I expected. Looking at the clock I saw thirty minutes had passed, I couldn't believe it. But when my father moved one of his legs for the first time, without thinking, that was almost too much. I was gasping for air, my legs shaky. Some one steadied me, I can't remember who. Leaning against the table, I took in the interaction between Billy and May. The myriad of emotions on her face. I won't ever forget that.

After that came my father's request. And Edward revealing her wish. Ending with Seth's idea. It started a little discussion. What could happen, if we let May touch one of us while phasing? Well, I was pretty sure she wouldn't change into a wolf. Edward was right, vampire bodies can't change and she doesn't have the gene. Heck, she's a different species, with 25 sets of chromosomes, where we have 24 and humans have 23.

But what then? Phasing was something really intense. The burning flame shooting up your spine, spreading through your whole body. We tremble as it reaches the point of pain and we feel ourselves bursting out of our skin. It's hard to describe what it is like, suddenly dealing with a much bigger frame, standing on four legs while observing the world with much sharper senses.

What would it mean if a vampire-body tried to do that? I envisioned it exploding to pieces, brr, it makes me shudder. Dangerous! My mind said. Then again, maybe the energy would just pass through and nothing else. Not a pleasant experience, but okay. Hmm, I wondered if she'd be able to handle it mentally. She could pass out for a moment, like when Kate of the Denali's gives an electric shock. I shook my head and listened to the others. Once in a while we spoke out loud, spewing our thoughts. My dad put a stop to the ranting and gave useful advice.

We called Carlisle and told him what we were up to. He'd gone home to fill in the rest of the Cullens on how the healing went. Wow, I still felt amazed at the thought. He could move his legs again, feel and with time, might even be able to walk. Our doctor explained that a lot of physical therapy was needed to build up muscle. And he'd probably always need a cane for support. I had stared at him, these were wonderful prospects, not negatives. He had grinned at me, he knew that.

– Ahum, back on track. The phone call lasted a while, as Carlisle asked lots of questions. He came to similar conclusions as the rest of us had. Though he wasn't to worried about her exploding or something like that. And even, in the off chance that she would, it'd hurt and it'd take some time to put her back together, but she'd be alright in the end. Alice would look into that also.

We ended our small meeting after the call. Edward left to join Bella and Nessie for some hunting. The rest slowly left to prepare for the party. Only Sam lingered, so I stayed when we were left, to ask him what was going on. He had something on his mind and it seemed big. "Take a walk with me," he said. I nodded and followed him outside. We headed to the beach and went south at a quick pace.

Until we reached the woods near Third beach. He wanted to phase well away from others, from Edward. 'What's up man?' I asked, what's with all the secrecy?' It took him a moment to reply, with an unusual question. 'What would you say, if I told you, vampire bodies sometimes could change?' I gave him an incredulous look. Was he serious? His face said he was however, dead serious. 'I don't know, I answered truthfully, then this phasing-thing could turn into a whole other ballgame.' Why?'

He showed me then, what he and his pack had been hiding about the fight. The moment the twins knew May was there. Seeing her in an outraged state. And her teeth, the change in size of her canines. My jaw dropped as I stared at the frozen image in his mind. After a minute he played back the memory of the pack-meeting later that day. They were back to normal. Her meagre explanation baffled me. Sam accepted that?

'She wasn't sure how it happened exactly herself,' he said defending himself. 'All that mattered to me, was that it was rare and involuntary.' And that she didn't want them like that.' He paused for a second. 'She didn't want Carlisle, Edward and the others to start asking questions,' he added. 'And she didn't want to experiment with it or anything.' I could respect that.' – Hmm, alright, he had a point, but what to do now? What if she did turn into a wolf or something else?

We phased back to talk properly and realised that no one had heard us, through the pack mind. That was a relief. Thinking about things some more, I came to the conclusion that her teeth growing wasn't the same as her whole body changing shape. So the likelihood of the last thing happening was slim in my mind. But then again, this was May, some one who always managed the unexpected. A vampire, shaped like a wolf. Eh, no, it was too weird. Would I be okay with it? If she joined our pack like some kind of mutant. I just didn't know.

"Tell me Sam, I asked, what are you thinking?" Do you see her whole body changing shape?" He was deep in thought, a slight frown on his face. "I don't know Jake, he answered, I just can't imagine it, it's too strange." I nodded; "I agree, but we have to consider it, in the off chance it might happen, what then?" We were silent for minute.

"Well, Sam replied, it'll be huge for her, and she might not be able to change back." Still, she'll be the same person…, so I think we could handle it." I stared at him, at little shocked he said that. "Really? I asked, and what if she's able to hear us, joins the pack-mind?" Sam shrugged. "I think we'd be alright, she's no stranger and it'll be easier than with Leah." He cringed a bit after saying that, those times were still hard to talk about.

Hmm, he really liked May, cared about her, almost as much as we do. Though he might never admit it out loud. "Okay, I said, you have a point and I think you're right." I'm not sure however, if she will really consider it." What if it takes her by surprise?" – "And we can't talk about it, because no one else can know about her teeth." Again it was silent for a moment.

"There's only one thing we can do, Sam replied, hope she does think it through and takes everything serious." She knows her own body best, right." I gave in with a nod. He was a smart guy, a good leader, experienced. We might not always agree on stuff, but I valued his opinion.

We ran back to our homes, to change our clothes and to call the rest of the packs. To let them in on the offer to May, our present. In the end Sam and I arrived at the big house together with the rest who have been out. Our healer was also just in. She was surprised to see Sam with us.

I walked up to her and explained that my father, Billy, wanted to thank her for her giant gift. Immediately she objected, she said his words were all she needed. Continuing to describe how extremely happy she felt. Jasper reacted to that, his face lit up briefly and we got a small wave passed to us. I shook my head to clear it.

"No, I said pressing on, we really want to offer you something, an experience." May calmed down and looked at me with interest. "We know what your biggest wish is," I told her softly. Her head shot to Edward, glaring at him with a frown. "Don't be mad at him, I said, it was pulled out of him." My hand went to her shoulder, while I couldn't help grinning a bit. She sighed. –

"We know it's unlikely to happen, but we want to give you a chance." To at least feel what it is like for us to phase, by letting you touch Leah while it happens." We discussed this before we came here. The decision was easy, her being the only girl, it would be the least awkward. There was a silence, lasting a few minutes, as she thought about this. Nobody said a word, nobody moved even.

"You want to try?" Seth asked. "It's a chance to learn," Embry added. We knew she loved that. She came back to us, blinking for a second. Her eyes went around the room. Taking a deep breath she replied: "Alright, yes, but only because you're all insisting and I'm curious." A little smile graced her face. The planning followed, we set it on Sunday.

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Leah

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This was so weird, standing here at the edge of the oval field in a bush. Both the packs were here. And Edward and Carlisle. But they all kept their distance, I couldn't sense them. It was the maximum amount of privacy given to us. May was next to me, sitting on the ground. As I undressed, she kept her eyes forward. My skin prickled with nervousness. Shaking my muscles helped somewhat. "I'm ready," I told her. Not really. Her right hand wrapped around my ankle gently. This was it, a potential life changing moment.

Preparing myself, I thought of the last thing that made me mad. It was a while ago, about something unimportant. The heat and flames came quickly, spreading from my spine, outward to my limbs. My body started shaking. Then, I swelled to my larger frame. I was always aware that this whole thing revolved around energy. A spirit was energy after all. Now it flowed through my leg, beyond it's normal boundary. Suddenly I was worried as I landed on four paws. Because I felt like there should be another wolf next to me, but yet it couldn't.

Turning my head I was relieved to see May in one piece, still sitting there. At first glance there was no change, her body looked the same. But it was too still, her eyes an empty stare. Her hand was still touching me. I whined to her, as I dared not to move. Please?! There was no reaction. The others started to move towards us, all in their human forms.

After a couple of minutes I saw something strange. Images of the sky and treetops appeared in my head. But I was still looking at May. Like some one else had phased with me and he or she was flying. That didn't make sense. Feelings of freedom, excitement and a little fear were beginning to come through too. The question was; from who? I turned my head forward. The images changed as the viewer descended to 'earth'. Towards me, I saw myself, confused. A laugh erupted out of nowhere, a sound I'd recognise anywhere. May? It was silent.

"What's happening?" Carlisle asked. "I'm not sure, Edward answered, I can't really hear May's thoughts anymore." They circled towards us, carefully assessing the situation. Suddenly she laughed again. 'Leah, can you hear me?' I'm flying!' It was definitely her.

She shared with me what happened while I phased. What it was like for her. The amount of energy flowing into her was too much, there wasn't enough space. Her spirit was pushed out, like some one having a near death experience. She could see her own body, frozen on the ground beside me. 'I can hear you, I thought, but I don't understand, how could this happen?' And what do we do now?' She had no answers.

Instead she moved away from me at high speed. Zapping over everybody's heads to ruffle their hair. She wanted to test the possibilities. I grinned as my pack-mates dodged something they couldn't see. "I think Leah can hear her," Edward said, "Jake, maybe if you phase, you can hear her too."

Well, nobody seemed to want to miss out on it and they all ran to the bushes. As they came out, I could hear the four guys calling for her. 'Hey, easy boys, she thought, not all at once.' Wow, cool, I'm in the pack-mind.' Well, not in Sam's, I can't hear their thoughts.' She was babbling fast, while facing them one by one. This was so unexpected, so overwhelming. For all of us.

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Oliver

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We were just standing there, the twelve of us, looking around, staring at Jake's pack. They seemed to hear her, May, we had nothing. This was frustrating, being out of the loop. I wanted to know what was going on? I craved knowledge. A small gust of wind past through the fur on my face then. There was a whisper…'O-li-ver'. Like a ghost. As soon as I thought that, the wind went against the fur on my back, making it stand up. 'Boooh'-noises accompanied it. Oh, come on, that supposed to scare me? Yeah right.

After a while I saw that Sam was communicating with Jake. Seconds later information got passed on to the rest of us. Wow, she's outside her body? I thought of things I knew about this subject. It wasn't much. With focus May seemed aware of everything around in a ten square mile radius. The living things scurrying about. People. She seemed exited about this 'flying' which she was doing. But it was also scary, to be without a body. Could she go back? The doctor and mind-reader were thinking the same thing. They were an inch away from May's sitting form now, hesitating whether to touch it.

Edward looked up, not really sure where her essence was. "May, can you come back to your body, please?" he asked. "Me and Carlisle are starting to worry a little." We don't know what effect this separation of spirit and body will have." It was quiet, as all eyes focused on Leah and May. There was hardly a fleeting thought.

Leah moved her head and communicated with Edward. He and Carlisle walked off a bit and turned away from the two girls. We all got the idea and did the same. A few seconds later we felt a wolf phase back and heard a light popping sound. We waited some more. "We're ready, Leah said, you can turn back now."

She was standing fully clothed, watching the little scene beside her. May was blinking rapidly, her right hand was in her lap now. The doctor studied her face. "Welcome back, he said, how are you feeling?" She looked at him, a bit dazed. "Ehm, a bit lightheaded and stiff." – 'Rocks are always stiff,' Paul commented. 'Hey! Don't say that!' Zack snarled low. 'Shut up!' Sam ordered. – May stretched her arms and legs slowly. She flexed all her muscles, before getting up with help from Edward.

Both alpha's then decided we all should phase back. The whole group gathered around May. "I'm fine, she said, I just needed to connect with my body again." Everybody got an assuring look from her. Then she smirked at me. "How did you like my ghost?" – She knew I liked movies such as The Sixth Sense. I rolled my eyes. "Not scary enough," was my comment. She laughed and looked great, normal. Carlisle asked her some more questions and examined her closely. She got the 'all clear' pretty quickly.

"When can I do this again?" May asked suddenly, she rubbed her hands. Both vampires and alpha's looked weary. "Please…?" she begged with puppy-dog-eyes. They couldn't resist that and laid down some rules. I had questions popping up in my head.

Was this really a good idea? Would there be long term damage? If she phased with one of us, would she share our pack mind? What would that be like? The seven of us never had Leah in our heads. Yeah, we knew the others didn't like that at the time. She'd been grumpy a lot. Now, though, she was happy again, in a good place. And May was a whole other person. Well we just had to see.

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Surprised? Let me know what you think please?