six

january, 2005

…

"Seth!"

Her voice was like vanilla. Her voice was pure liquid vanilla, sweet, smooth like syrup. I know that voice anywhere.

It was the only voice that spoke to me, the only voice that belonged to the most beautiful woman on Earth. The woman I would be in love with for the rest of my life, either I was going to marry her, or I would be loving her alone until my last breath.

And there she stood next to her car in the parking lot while I sat with Stephen (not Steven) on Lahote's front porch, hanging out with Paul Lahote's youngest brother, we don't like each other enough to know first names. Even though, we are in the same class. She was beautiful as ever, more beautiful every time I saw her. She was my height; I was catching up to her after all these years. Granted, she's five years older but I was still taller than her at my age. Her face when she seen me after spending the summer in Jacksonville with her erratic and flighty mother and her husband, I fell harder for her that day than any other day.

Her Irish pale skin face was tainted by the pretty pink blush from the icy wind that reminded me of a pale pink rose. I was more in awe and happy, more than I was confused as to why she was even here.

Paul's brother punched my arm, "And she's back again. Wonder what she's here to take you this time? Your parents? School? Out to eat? Her house? Her bedroom?"

I knew what he was insinuating.

"No, she's taking him to her house for a movie night, you're not invited." Brady retorted.

"Then why aren't you going?"

Their conversation tuned out as I walked off the porch with my backpack in hand and the world fell away as I walked up to Naomi Swan. She looks like she could be Charlie's younger sister, she was a spitting image no less did she have a lot of his personality, and a lot of Billy Black. A lovely pair of eyes with irises of molten chocolate.

If she was anything, she was peony, very full, many layers, every beautiful curve of petals. One of the best people to have ever known, even if she was a family friend.

"How was your day?" She asked, she still had her work uniform on, I couldn't for a few seconds.

"It was good, as any other day," I replied, and her smile was contagious.

It broke across her face, she was going to ruffle up my hair, "Of course it was." And she did, I loved it when she did it. I hate it when others do. She smiles widely, "Don't worry, it's not over yet." She angled towards the porch, "Cam! Come on, we gotta go bud. Behave, Caleb, bye, Caleb."

He waved.

I was in the passenger seat before I realized it, looking at myself in the side mirror. Cameron was taken home, even with a few attempts of consideration to attend the sleep over. I wish he did because he would still be here, this was a memory I forgot about. They moved that morning to Seattle, the next year I lost contact with him.

He was in one of the many disappearances, they found him in Victoria's army. It was the same year she disappeared two weeks from Bella's union with Edward Cullen. I know this is a dream because of the shades of color around the edges of my unconsciousness. Purplish grey edges of a memory. She looked at me with the windows cracked but it was chilly then, I did spend the complete day outside with Cameron in the woods.

Cameron was singing in the back seat to a song he would never admit in person he loved. You had to be one of those important people to bring that out in him. I glanced back at the side mirror, the road was wet from the previous light shower, the only reason we were at the Lahote's. And the trees were still but the color to the dark grey sky.

I was thirteen. Cheeks are still full of youth with a head full of black hair. Already a year deep in unknown mythical discoveries.

She was going to be gone in a few months, Graduate, and be on the next bus to boot camp. Then she would be gone longer than predicted, I remember when Charlie told us over dinner she was missing. Then Charlie threw open Billy Black's front door four years later, yelling she was alive, they found her in the Middle East. It was boggling, and it was the best day of my life. The worst of our fears of mythical creatures arriving to take her back, I will never forget the day they did.

I was right there. All she needed was to see me. I knew it, they didn't believe me but then she fell into the portal. Leaving me cold, depressed in ways no one understood.

None of their imprints were taken.

The scenery shifted then.

The soft breeze of summer air, early morning summer air. You could smell it.

No rain, no cloud cover.

I remember this memory.

She was sixteen, so was Leah and Charlie was with Bella in California.

My parents took us camping near the Makah tribe, my head turned to a slumbered sigh. It was her, my heart had soared and I was unbelievably happy she was here. Her dark brown hair everywhere, she was breathing through her mouth, I was pretty sure the morning dew bugs were going to be flying around soon. It made me smile at how peaceful she was.

The scenery shifted again.

I don't know how it happened but she was everywhere. Her mouth tasted like liquor but she smelt like herself and floral body wash. I can smell the Ghoul underneath, she was intoxicatingly appealing, both scents mixed together with feminine musk. She kisses me back with as much passion as I was kissing her, my hand on her lower back pulling her against me, she moaned against my mouth.

The sound was like candy sweet and soft, I can smell how much she wanted me and I kissed her like my life depended on it. I wanted to be completely lost in her, in every way. But I pulled away hearing quiet creaks of the floor boards, Naomi's lips were swollen and red, her face was flushed in a beautiful red color and her eyelids were low with desire. I stepped back looking down at her, she was ready for me to take her right there and if I had just took back that step and took what I wanted.

I didn't then, but I did now, and just like this was, this was a dream. I didn't take her, I didn't mark her and she wasn't mine.

"How many times do I have to rewrite your story for you to understand you will never get close to her?"

The images that flashed before my eyes too fast to decipher. He's done this before? How many times has he done this? This doesn't make any sense.

"You have three years and five days to destroy the curse or… you lose her, forever."

I watched as the Emperor began to turn back time, and rewrite time. Too fast for me to protest or to stop him.

Everything else was still the same, the Cullen's, the pack, everything.

Everything was the same expect for one thing, one person.

Her.

She's different. But it's her, she still looks like Charlie. But she's the same.

She was asleep, a thick head of cooper blonde, her cheeks were blushing from the thick comforter, and I can feel the heat in her bedroom. I continued to observe her as her alarm went off, her eyes fluttered open. Her sky-blue eyes squinted and twisted in a disappointed and annoyed scowl. Everything is different in this dark colored room, it was familiar in a way, a style I knew but couldn't piece the puzzle together.

The expression amused me, I chuckled quietly to myself.

I love you.

"It wasn't supposed to hap-

Somebody has tapered with the recor-

Part Three

…

This was the moment.

The world fell away as he leaned to kiss me, my hands finding his face, the rings on my ring finger glistening in the warm glow. I could only see him as my mind detached from my body, I could only see my husband, we made it here. To this moment.

This was a moment that other worldly influences have prevented so many other times, worldly influences that have killed me before the wedding band was on my finger. Influences that have tried endlessly to keep us separated and alone, now there was nothing that could stop this.

We are meant to be together, no matter how many times I've been reincarnated, and no matter how many times we have fought to be together. This is what they wanted to prevent, us being married and sealing our deal forever. Nothing could keep us apart.

Not now, not then, not ever.

We stayed in bed for the next three days for our honeymoon.

-records are bei-

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