Just like always, Ashley and Seth were sitting together in the basement watching TV. They were forced to go downstairs when Billy arrived. Ashley was flipping through channels, curled up next to Seth, when the phone rang. He twisted away from her, forcing her body to move with his as he reached for the phone, pressing TALK as he turned back to centre.

"Hello?" – "Oh hey Charlie." – "Yeah, he's here, hold on."

Ashley shifted herself off, allow Seth to get up, taking the stairs two at a time. She settled back in, and kept flipping through channels, waiting for Seth to return.

After another fifty or so channels, Seth still hadn't returned. Ashley put down the remote and made her way up the stairs. She had barely reached the top when two warm hands grabbed her. One covering her mouth, the other encircled her waist and pulled her back.

"Shh."

Seth felt her relax and let go of her. She didn't say anything but she raised one eyebrow in question. Seth pointed to his ear and then towards the living room. He was listening to Billy and Charlie's phone conversation. She knew something serious must be happening because Seth wouldn't be eavesdropping without reason.

"Are you sure Charlie?" Ashley heard Billy respond into the receiver. "When did they get back?" – "You're right it is not fair but," – "Carlisle said no visitors?" – "Maybe you shouldn't see her if she is that sick," – "Did she sound any different?" – "Ah, well it certainly does not sound good."

Ashley looked up at Seth, meeting his eyes quickly before towing him into the kitchen, the conversation wrapping up in the living room.

"I have to go tell Sam."

"You don't think…?" she trailed off.

"I don't know, but we have to tell him if we hear anything," Seth looked at his feet. He had told Ashley about the command Sam had given the back when they learned of Bella's decision to become a vampire.

"Do you think it's serious enough for a pack meeting?"

"Depends. Why?"

"Isn't Quil with Claire?"

"Dammit, her mom went out with Emily too."

"Just tell him to bring her here, I will entertain her. I'll bribe her with make-up or something."

"Thanks, Ash. I'll talk to you after, 'kay?"

"Go, Sam will be upset if you keep him waiting." Ashley went up on her toes to kiss Seth quickly before he ran out of the house.

Seth, what is it? He heard Sam's voice in his head as soon as he changed.

Seth ran through the conversation he heard between Billy and Charlie in his head as he moved towards where Sam, Collin and Brady were. He heard Collin and Brady gasp at the same time, and Sam's howl ripped through the trees before Seth was even in sight.

Seth heard Embry's, then Paul's, then Leah's and Jacob's thoughts join them.

Quil's got Claire. He's taking her to the Clearwaters'.

Ashley said she would watch her. Seth informed them.

Good. She will take care of her. Seth couldn't help but smile at Sam's approval.

Seth, tell them what you heard. His alpha commanded.

Seth went back to his house where he found Claire and Ashley dressed up, having a tea party. Claire's make-up was done expertly.

"Unca Seth!" She squealed as he strode into sight. "Play wid us!"

Ashley grinned and Seth joined her in smiling. He went over to the little girl and swung her up into his arms. Both girls giggled. "Sorry Clairey, I have to talk to Ashley. Quil should be here in a second, maybe he will have a tea party with you."

Sure enough, Quil showed up a minute later. Seth was anxious to tell Ashley everything that happened at the meeting. He knew he had to be quick because Sam was bound to call them back soon.

"So Jacob is ready to kill them, just like that?" Ashley whispered when set finished his recount.

Seth let out a deep sigh. "He really hates them."

She shook her head. "Sam can't let that happen."

"He hasn't, thankfully."

The two of them whipped their heads around simultaneously, and Ashley jumped slightly as the sound of a loud howl ripped through their whispers. Seth kissed her forehead and left wordlessly.

When Paul first came home to tell Daphne and Ashley that Seth had left, Ashley didn't believe it. She carried on as if nothing had happened. She spent the rest of the day helping her sister plan for her upcoming wedding and the arrival of her child. She often heard Daphne and Paul lovingly bicker about the gender of the baby. Although they decided they wanted it to be a surprise, Paul was certain it was a girl, while Daphne was bound and determined it was a boy. Either way, it made shopping and preparations that much more fun. But today, Daphne was apprehensive, as if waiting for her sister to breakdown at any moment.

It was two days Ashley realized the weight of Seth's decision. She had grown frustrated with their lack of communication, and decided to go see him at the Cullens' herself.

She had barely made it to the reserve's boarder when she had to screech to a stop. Sam stood in her way.

"You aren't going over there Ashley," he commanded.

Ashley could feel her frustration bubbling. She walked up to him, close enough she could feel the heat radiating from his skin. She lowered her voice.

"You don't control me, Sam. You may be able to take away the will of your pack, but you're not my Alpha." With that she turned on her heel to go around him, but he quickly moved in front of her.

"Sorry sweetheart, but you're not getting past me. Your alpha or not, I'm still the Alpha, and I can still stop you from leaving this reservation."

"You wouldn't dare," she cautioned. "One of your most sacred laws is-"

Sam cut her off with a growl. "I don't need a child to remind me of what our laws are. And if you haven't noticed, Seth is no longer a member of my pack."

Ashley stood with her mouth gaping, her stupid courage slowly fading.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Not unless you make me. You may not see it, but I'm doing this for your own good. Sure, say the Cullens are good and don't eat people, but there are dozens of other vampires on that property who can't say the same. And having prey stroll into their territory is not anywhere near a good idea," Sam spat the last sentence.

Ashley had never hated someone before, but in that moment, she hated Sam. Angry, she turned on her heel and headed home, ready to devise a plan to get through him. She was going to talk to Seth, whether Sam approved or not.

Later that night, Ashley had waited until the kids were on patrol. She felt terrible that they would get in trouble on her account, but she pushed that thought to the back of her mind. She grabbed the keys to her mother's CRV and sped towards the Forks boarder.

She had an overwhelming sense of pride when she made it into the small town. Her mood was only momentarily dampened when she saw two glowing eyes in her rear-view mirror.

It was harder to find her way to the Cullens' in the dark. Her memory of her time at the wedding was not sharp enough to easily navigate the forest this late at night. She just drove in the general direction she thought was right. Eventually, she saw a grey flash next to her car. She knew she was in the right place.

The grey blur disappeared, and moments later replaced by a sandy one. Ashley pulled over to the shoulder and got out of the car. Seth emerged from the trees as she slammed the door shut behind her. He looked equal parts guilty, confused and relieved to see her. It only made her angrier.

"How could you leave me like that?" She yelled. "I was prepared to change my life for you, and you just picked up and left."

"Ashley, I-" but she wasn't finished.

"Sam threatened me today Seth! My sister pities me, and Kim won't even look me in the eye. You deserted your pack! Your mother! Me! Did you even think of that when you decided to go?!" Ashley knew she was being selfish, but she was so overwhelmed with emotion even that realization wasn't enough to calm her. Angry tears began running down her face, but that just frustrated her even more.

"Are you sure you imprinted on me? Because it sure as Hell doesn't seem like it right now," she spat, knowing it was a low blow.

"Don't you dare questioned that," the anger that seeped through Seth's voice was foreign. In the time she had known him, Ashley had never once seen Seth even close irate.

"I am prepared to do anything, be anything you want me to be. If you asked me to go jump off a cliff, I would do it. If you stand here and told me to come home right now, I would. No matter how much it hurt me, because anything I am doesn't even come close to you. It's a terrifying thought Ashley; that you have an inconceivable level of control over me. You could destroy me, I mean really destroy me, in an instant. You've never abused that power, but you don't understand how undeniably you could."

Seth advanced on her; it was the first time she had ever really felt intimidated by him. Ashley stumbled backwards, her back to the car.

"I left because I really believed in something. The Cullens don't deserve to die. Bella, her baby, they deserve a chance at least. Maybe I'm stupid or hopeful or naive or anything else I'm sure the pack is saying about me, but at least I'm standing up for something I really believe in. Even my mother wouldn't be able to guilt me into coming home, but you? You just have to say the words, and I will give this all up," Seth gestured to the forest behind him where the Cullens' home stood.

The tears began to flow freely from Ashley's eyes. She wasn't sure if it was the embarrassment of how she was acting, or the heartbreak she felt knowing she was the one taking away Seth's freewill. Her voice nearly as strong as Sam's or Jacob's.

"But you haven't," Seth's expression softened when he saw Ashley break in front of him, just out of reach.

"Ashley look at me," he pleaded. "You haven't."

She looked up, his kneeling figure blurry through the salt water.

"Remember that day on the beach so long ago? When you first told me about Elliot? I told you you made me want to be a better person and you do Ash. You do. Even now as angry and upset as you are, you haven't told me to come home because you know I'm right in this," Seth's voice thickened as he went on. "We can make this work, I know we can. Just please don't give up on me."

And with that, every emotion Ashley had been feeling was replaced with the anguish she felt seeing Seth breakdown like that. Throughout all the pain caused by his father's passing, he never once shed a tear. Yet here he was, on his knees in front of her, face buried in his palm as tears slowly poured from his eyes.

She wanted to be mad, but all of her energy had been spent. She couldn't see him like this and know she was the reason.

Ashley moved towards him, slowly, but without hesitation. It was almost as if her body was moving itself, with no direction from her mind. She crossed the barrier between them and immediately collapsed into him.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Of course you're right. I'm sorry," she muttered endlessly to him as he wrapped his figure around hers. Holding her the way he did when his father passed away. As if she were the physical rock, holding him there.

A whole new wave of tears released themselves as Ashley was overcame by guilt for putting him through that. She buried her face in his shirt, causing water stains to blossom beneath her eyes. Seth pulled back gently, softly cupping her face as he wiped away the tears with his thumbs.

"Shh, baby, don't cry," he whispered, voice still thick.

Ashley didn't trust her voice, she just nodded and ducked her head into his chest once more. She could feel her body slump as all her energy was released with the emotions of the last couple of days.

Seth moved to get her back into her car. She looked up, panicked, and could see he didn't want her to leave any more than she did. She shook her head feverishly, and hugged him closer.

"Ash, you're dead tired. You need to go to bed." As much as I don't want you to, hung in the air.

"Please," she whispered. "I don't know if I'll be able to come back."

He sighed, but pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head.

Ashley woke up in a strangely bright room. She looked around, trying to gauge her surroundings, but all she could see was the forest. It surrounded two sides of the room, through the full length windows. She heard a soft knock at the door and whipped her head around to see Edward slowly inching the door open.

"Good morning, Ashley."

"Um, hi," she said, suddenly feeling very awkward.

"Seth wanted to be here when you woke up, but Jacob has him doing rounds. He will be in to see you as soon as he can. In the meantime, you're more than welcome to come downstairs. Esme made breakfast for the four of you," Ashley saw something flash in his eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it came. "She also left you a pile of Rosalie's old clothing, and don't worry, they're last seasons. They won't be missed."

She opened her mouth, before remembering Edward had the ability to read minds. He smiled.

"You are absolutely welcome here. Seth and his pack are doing a lot for us. He made a great sacrifice to be here, by leaving you. We want to do everything we can to help them as well. Come down when you're ready. I'm sure Bella would be happy to see you. And don't worry, you're safe here."

Ashley looked confused. Her safety wasn't something she though was at risk. She was about to ask him if there was a threat from Sam, but he was already gone.

Her attention turned to the laundry basket at the end of the bed. It was filled with a number of lavish items, many of which were far too revealing for her. She eventually settled on a floral dress with long sleeves.

She slowly made her way downstairs and could hear the television in the family room. She quietly made her way to the kitchen, though she knew it was useless. The entire vampire family knew she was there, but she silently thanked them for not whipping their heads around when she entered.

Esme was in the kitchen and brightened when she saw Ashley. She pulled her into a light hug.

"Would you mind helping me with this? I know how much they hate our scent, so I'm trying to touch everything a little as possible, but it might be better if you bring some food out for Leah."

"Of course," Ashley smiled.

"Seth usually eats inside with us if you would like to wait until he comes in."

"Thank you, Esme."

She took the plate and made her way out the back door of the Cullen House. She didn't get far before someone came up behind her, and put a hand on her waist.

"You shouldn't have," Seth mocked in a sweet tone. Ashley laughed and moved the plate away as he reached for a piece of bacon.

"Good thing I didn't then," she smiled. "It's for Leah."

"Good luck with that. She isn't exactly taking too well to our hosts."

She knew Leah didn't exactly like the Cullens, but didn't realize it was enough to make her starve herself.

"She's been eating as a wolf. Really gross, if you ask me."

Ashley shrugged. "I'll leave it for her anyway, and if it's still here in a little bit, knock yourself out."

She kissed his law and left the plate what she figured was a far enough distance from the house. She saw Leah run by, Ashley waved, but the wolf only turned her head forward and continued on. Her posture dropped a little with disappointment.

"I thought we were finally getting along," she murmured.

"Don't take it personally, Ash. She just isn't too happy about the whole situation. She'll lighten up eventually now that Sam isn't in her head."

She turned on him questioningly.

"I guess they didn't tell you much in La Push. Not that I really expected them to, but I thought at least Paul and Daphne," he trailed off. She felt a pang of betrayal from her sister and future brother-in-law. "Then again, Sam might have ordered them not to say anything."

She hoped he was right about that. Seth took her hand and led her back to the house. "I guess I have a lot to catch you up on then."