Chapter 8 - Confessions

"So that went better than I thought. What now?" she said to Seth.
"Now we just…" he shrugged, "…be ourselves."
"You have some confessions to make to some people first I think," she pointed out.
Seth sighed. "Yeah, but I that was the least of my worries. Before, all I cared about was what you thought," he squeezed her hand, "Now that I know, I don't care much about the rest. Let the chips fall where they may."
"Really... that easy? What about the rest of the pack….Sam's pack?"
He shrugged again. "They accepted Renesmee. Why should you be any different?"

"Because I am different Seth, I've killed people. Renesmee is innocent. She's never harmed anyone."
"With the exception of Carlisle, every Cullen has done the same. But, they're all repentant. I won't judge you for what you've done. That's your past. You're not like that anymore."
"Seth… have you ever heard the story of the Frog and the Scorpion?"
He thought about it for a moment. "Uh yeah, I think so."
"Well, I'm like the scorpion. Killing is in my nature. Those who chose a vegetarian lifestyle, still crave the flesh because it's what they were born to consume. Not a day goes by that I don't think about feeding on a human. I know it's wrong, and I may not want to be this way, but it's what I am. If you are going to be with me you have to face the fact that there's a chance I may hurt someone someday. It takes all of the strength I have not to, I'm not perfect."
"I understand that, but I trust that you won't. You did it on your own without the Cullen's. You know what's right and you have a good soul….."
"Seth…" She cut him off, shaking her head in disagreement. "I truly don't deserve anyone like you and I'm afraid of disappointing you….or worse, hurting you." Her eyes looked pained
"Tara don't…"
She stopped him again. "It's true. You're a pure spirit. Seriously Seth, what's the worst thing you've ever done in your life, cheated on a test maybe? I can't even compare myself to you."
"Well would it make feel more even if I tell you I've taken lives before?"
"You have?" Her eyebrows rose up.
"Yes. Newborns,...vampires. We helped the Cullens kill a bunch of them that were coming here to kill Bella."
That information aroused some curiosity in her. "New borns that wanted to kill Bella? I hadn't heard that story yet…..but regardless, those aren't even lives you took. Their lives were already taken from them. You were only finishing the job."
"They were just as alive as you are. We only had to kill them to keep them from hurting others. It's our job to protect the people here of Forks, that included Bella despite her involvement with the Cullens."
"As you should. It's your job to protect people from the monsters."
"Tara,…are you starting to doubt yourself? What's this about?"
"I'm just warning you. I may have abstained for years and learned to live around humans without feeding on them but there have been exceptions." She stared at him wondering if he remembered the story she told him.
"The rapist," he said.
She nodded. "I don't know what it was that made me do it. I don't normally engage in human affairs. I thought perhaps it was the smell of the blood soaked rope around her neck that made me lose control but regardless, I didn't resist."
Seth became quiet. "I'm sorry. I've really put this in perspective for you haven't I?"
"It doesn't change how I feel. Are you having second thoughts about us?"
She sighed shaking her head. "Even though I know I'm all wrong for you, I'm a pretty selfish creature. I don't know that I'd even have the will power to leave you… even for the right reasons." She leaned in close to him, reaching her hand up to his face and caressing his cheek, slowly running her hand down the side of his face.
"You know, for the longest time I've wanted nothing more than to end my life. I didn't want to exist this way. But now that I've met you, I want nothing more than to live. You have no idea what you've done for me," she continued.
He smiled. "Then how can I have any regrets? I'm happy being with you. Can you just accept that?"
She smiled and nodded, looking into his eyes. "I do have one request however," he said taking her hand in his.
"What's that?"
"Go on a date with me."
"A… date?" Her eyebrows rose.
"Yeah, you know… date."
She looked at him strangely, like it was a foreign word. "Um, haven't you done that before?"
"No, my father never allowed me to date. He was very over-protective."
"You never dated?" he said with unbelief.
"No."
"Boyfriends?"
"No, none. I wasn't allowed."
"Wow. Well, I guess I get to be your first. I'd be honored." He looked at her with hopeful eyes.
She smiled, chuckling a little. "Um, so.. what would we do on this….date?"
"Anything you want. I have lots of ideas. I already know you like movies. We can do that, or there's a new mini-golf place we can try. It doesn't matter much to me, I just want it to be you know…official."
"Hmm. I'm not sure I understand the point of it all. Why do you want to entertain me with this human custom?"
"You know how you said I make you feel more normal? Well I just figured you missed out on all these things in your human life so… I just want to try and give some of that back to you. Please?"
An enormous wave of emotion came over Tara. She never experienced love, so it was an emotion she couldn't identify quite yet to be sure, but the feeling nearly knocked her off her feet. She swore she was almost dizzy. She just stared at Seth in a daze.
"What is it? Tell me what you're thinking."
"I'm just trying to absorb all this. I'm feeling emotions I didn't even know existed anymore. This is all new territory for me."
"You like it then? I mean is that something good?"
"It's wonderful, staggering. Better than I can even describe to you."
"Wow… all that from just asking you out on a date? I can't imagine what it will be like when I ask you to marry me some day."
"Uh…" her mouth gaped open.
"Take it easy…." he chuckled, "there's plenty of time before that happens."
"You say that as though it's a matter of fact, not as a, what if."
Seth grinned slightly. "Ah, yeah or at least a likely possibility. Is marriage not something you ever envisioned in your future when you were human?"
"I supposed it was at one time, but it certainly wasn't anything I considered once I was turned. I mean seriously do you see me as being a little housewife in an apron cooking dinner or something?"
"I have to admit that is a cute vision, but who says that's what marriage has to be like?"
"Well, isn't it?"
"No, not at all." Just then, Seth realized what time-frame Tara spent her human years in. It made more sense to him why she would see things in that perspective. Tara only remembered women of the fifties being housewives. She didn't pay any attention to modern times and relationships. It was outside of her world.
"Marriage is whatever you make it to be but the way I see it, it's just two people vowing their love for one another before God, or the Great Spirit, or whatever it is you believe in."
"And you need a ceremony for that?"
"Course not, that all just for fun and show." He paused, thinking. "Can I show you something?" She nodded. "Ok, don't go anywhere, I'll be right back," he told her then left for a few moments and returned with a moist washcloth. He reached for her hand taking her palm in his and gently wiped it with the cloth. The towel was already warm from his hands. Seth continued to delicately wipe each finger and he then turned her hand over to wipe the top.
She looked at him with an odd expression. "Were my hands dirty or did you want to just explain the dynamics of a washcloth to me?" she joked.
Seth smiled as he reached for her other hand and repeating the same motions. He spoke softly to her. "You see, when my parents were married, part of their ceremony was a ritual called the Washing of the Hands. Our people believe it washes away past evils and bad memories - memories of past loves too." He winked, before continuing on. "Everything is symbolic of course, but it has a deep meaning. It's kinda like baptism, if you're familiar with that custom - baptism for the marriage. You're putting aside all the things in the past and starting a new life with the person you love."
When he finished, he continued to caress her hands softly. Her long and slender fingers felt like silk to him. "So you see? Customs are a good thing. Do you wanna do my hands now?" he smiled, handing her the cloth.
She immersed herself in his gaze as she stared into his soft brown eyes with deepest affection for him. "You have no evil in you to wash away," she said.
He chuckled. "Hmm, well maybe just some bad memories. I certainly have no past loves to wash away…well, at least none that left any dirt behind." He chuckled nervously again. "And I'll never have another, now that I've found the one I want to be with." He looked at her with endearing eyes.
Tara's emotions took over. She became lost in his gaze and her palm opened up letting go of the wash cloth and it fell to the floor. She nearly threw herself at him, pressing her lips to his and gently stroking his cheek with her fingertips. Seth reciprocated quickly and wrapped his arms around her. He embraced her tightly pulling her body into his. Before things got too heated between them, Alice and Jasper walked in the room. "Oops, oh um..…excuse us. We didn't know you guys were in here." Alice smirked at them, slightly embarrassed to catch them in such a private moment.
They pulled away from each other quickly when they heard her voice. "No, uh sorry, we were sort of just talking." Seth tried to explain unconvincingly.
"Yeah… looks that way." Jasper said sarcastically, sensing their emotions.
Alice squeaked as she stifled a laugh. "Well we just came in here to finish our game," she said glancing at the board game laid out on the table. "We can come back later."
"No, that's okay. We were just leaving. Go ahead," Seth said to them.
They stood up getting ready to clear out of the room so she and Jasper could play. "You know you two do kinda make a cute couple," Alice admitted.
Tara smiled. "Thanks Alice. You know Seth just asked me out on a date - our first date and my first date ever, actually."
"Really? When?" She perked up, seeing excited about the news.
Tara looked up at Seth for an answer. "Uh, I dunno, um….Saturday?" He hadn't quite thought about which day they'd go but it looked like he had to make some quick decisions.
Tara looked back at Alice. "Saturday then."
"Great! Can I help you get ready?"
"Oh God." Tara thought.
"I'll make you look stunning. I have the perfect outfit."
"Um…I think we're just doing mini-golf Alice," Tara said.
"Mini-golf? That's where you are taking this girl on her very first date EVER?" she said to Seth rolling her eyes. "How memorable," Alice said with sarcasm.
"Well, mini-golf was just an idea, it's not set in stone or anything," he said trying to defend his idea.
"Okay, well in that case…we have plans to make then," Alice said excitedly.
Seth heard Alice say the word "we", meaning she just included herself into the planning equation.
"I think this should be special. Ooh, I know maybe the Theater?" she continued.
"A movie was my other idea," Seth said.
Alice rolled her eyes. "Not the movie theaters Romeo, I'm talking about The Theater, the Performing Arts. Port Angeles has a beautiful Symphonic Orchestra playing there also."
"Orchestra?" Seth displayed distasteful face. Tara giggled. She'd been to many of such events with her parents growing up.
"Ugh! You're such an un-cultured beast. Seriously, it's a good thing she doesn't eat. You'd probably take her to a drive-through too."
"Hey! I'd at least let her supersize," Seth joked.
They all just gave him an odd stare.
"Umm...never mind, stupid human joke." He shook his head at his failed attempt to be funny.
Alice ignored his bazaar behavior, getting back to business. SO, Saturday, let's say, sixish?" she said looking at the two of them.
"Uh six, sounds good," he shrugged.
"Great, don't be late." She pointed a finger at him like he was a kid.
"No problem Alice. You sure we didn't forget anything while you're planning our date and all?" he grumbled.
"Hmm, I'll let you know, and I'll check on tickets to see what's playing on Saturday in Port Angeles."
"Awesome," Seth said, rolling his eyes. He realized his date just got taken over by the scheming, event-planning vampire.
When Tara and Seth headed out to Seth's bike parked in front of the house he held her hand as they walked. She liked it. "So, you really like that kinda stuff?" he wondered.
"Oh, well my parents took me to the Theater all the time as child. I remember some of them."
"So that would be something you would wanna do then?"
"Well, I love the Theater but I would much rather do something that we will both enjoy. This is our date, not just my date. Mini-golf sounds just wonderful… and I have never been either."
Seth smiled. "Perfect!"
"And the beauty of it all is, we can lie to Alice and she will never be able to see it… thanks to you of course." Tara grinned.
Seth chuckled at her deceitful little plan. "I love the way you think." He kissed her on the forehead.
Tara looked at the sky noticing how late it the day it had gotten. "Don't you need to eat again soon? It'll be dark in a few hours.
"Yeah, my mom's invited Charlie over for dinner I told her I'd drop by."
"Will you tell her?" She looked worried.
Seth nodded. "I want to. I don't like hiding things from her."
"What'll you say?"
"Um…well I was kinda hoping you'd come with me." He gave her another puppy dog expression.
"What? No, I don't think that's a very good idea." She shook her head.
"Why not? She'll wanna meet you."
"Oh I doubt that. I think she'd be pretty unhappy about you bringing a vampire in her home."
"She's been around the Cullen's many times. She's dating Bella's dad, and trust me she knows about that too, even though she's not supposed to. She still pretends to think Bella's a human, for their sake. She's even had Renesmee and Jacob over for dinner before, she adores her. It took some getting used to at first but she's come around."
"Seth, I'm not Renesmee, please get that out of your head."
He sighed. "I know you're not Renesmee…. I know there's a difference."
"Yes I'm the one who …" He put his finger on her lips stopping her from say what he already knew.
"Are you saying if I take you to meet my mom you'd be too tempted?" He removed his finger to let her speak.
"There's always temptation, but to answer your question, no. I can resist, I've been doing it for years. I couldn't imagine ever hurting your mother Seth. It makes me ill thinking about it."
"That's why I trust you. I don't believe you would either." She sighed shaking her head.
"Look, I don't have to tell her everything right at first but I want her to meet you at least, I think it will make it easier if she gets to know you," he said. He stared at her with his puppy-dog eyes. "Please?"
She reluctantly hopped on the back of his bike. "I still don't know how I let you talk me into these things."
He smiled then revved up the engine and sped out heading to the Reservation.
They arrived at an oversized trailer sitting in a clearing, deep in the forest. Tara spotted Charlie's police car parked out front, as well as small Toyota. Though Tara didn't recognize the car she was pretty sure it belonged to Leah.
"Great, the family's all here", she thought.
As soon as Tara entered the tiny house, a wall of fragrances greeted at the door. She detected several strong scents coming from the kitchen. The least of her favorite being the food that Seth's mother prepared. It filled every inch of the house. The one that appealed to her however, set her throat on fire. The smell of Charlie and Sue's blood made the venom well up in her mouth.
"Well this is it. It's not much, certainly nothing like the Cullen's. I grew up here though, all my life," Seth said, showing her the tiny living room they entered first.
"No, it's nice. The Cullens have a beautiful place, but this looks like a home. It's very warm and inviting. I like it. "
"Thanks." He smiled.
Tara's attention shifted to a shelf full of family pictures. She noticed a picture of Seth in his graduation cap and gown, as well as one of Leah. A couple in a wedding picture stood next to it. "These are your parents?" she guessed, noting the similarities.
"Yes."
"You have your father's smile and your mother's eyes." Seth liked her observation. He moved closer to her, positioning himself behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.
She picked up a picture of Seth and Leah when they were toddlers, playing in a small plastic pool in their yard both of them completely naked. She identified the boy in the picture with a big toothy smile. "Weren't you cute." She snickered.
Seth rolled his eyes, embarrassed that his mother kept such old pictures out around the house. His friends always loved to tease him about the pictures when they came over but Sue refused to put them away. "Ah thanks. I'm sure you'll find plenty of incriminating photos of me around here if you look keep looking."
"Hmm, maybe I'll hafta look for those then." She winked, taking pleasure in watching his cheeks get redder as the blood rushed to his face.
It wasn't long before Leah picked up on their voices from the kitchen. She ran around the corner before their mother noticed. "What do you think you are doing? She interrupted, "Are you insane! You brought her here?" she spoke in a low tone trying to avoid being heard from the kitchen.
Seth's pleasant mood changed instantly. "Go on Leah, this isn't your concern."
"To hell it's not! That's my mother in there too and you're about to drop a bomb on her!"
"No, I'm not. I'm just introducing her, that's all. And she is welcome here."
Seth's mother, Sue Clearwater stepped around the corner before Leah could respond. She heard the commotion from the other room but couldn't make out what was going on. "Why hello! I thought I heard new voices. Are you going to introduce me to you friend Seth or is it a secret?"
Seth turned towards his mother's voice slightly stunned. "Uh, hi mom,… this is…uh.." He stopped mid-sentence as soon as he turned his head back around, looking at Tara.
Leah stared at her also in complete shock. Tara's appearance had changed. Her completion was more radiant and her hair was slightly longer and pulled back in a clip and her eyes were a light brown. Seth couldn't say another word as he remained focused on her. Her transformation took him by surprise.
Tara figured the silence went on long enough and decided to speak up. "Hello, Mrs. Clearwater, I'm Tara. It's nice to meet you." she said with a big smile.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you too, Tara. Maybe you better tell Seth your name again too. He seems to have forgotten it."
"Mom..," he complained but Sue just ignored him and continued her conversation with Tara.
"So, are you from around here?" she asked.

Tara politely smiled back. She turned her attention to Seth's mom as she casually spoke. "Oh, I just moved here from the East Coast. Seth and I met through some mutual friends and he's been showing me around." Not entirely a lie, she thought.
"That's so nice of him. I hope you're making good friends here in town." It delighted Sue to see Seth spending time with someone other than Jacob for once. He dated a few girls in the past but it never developed into anything serious. She begun to worry about he and Leah since neither of them had experienced an imprint. She knew how difficult it was to meet people living in such a tiny town and even harder living on a reservation because it limited their opportunities. Sue was mainly concerned for their happiness in life but she truly hoped that she one day they would each have children, especially Seth, who could pass on the family name. When she noticed Tara observing the family photos, she sauntered across the room and began to chatter on about each photo telling her when and where each was taken.
Tara just smiled politely. She hoped his mother wouldn't notice that she held her breath to keep from breathing in the sweet aroma of her blood. It was only on rare occasions that Tara needed to pretend she was human. Most of the time she was just invisible to humans and since being invisible didn't require her to act like one, she never needed to breathe around them. It just always made it easier for her not to have to smell their blood when she was near them. Tara knew she could only get away with it until she had to speak again. She just allowed his mother to continue to ramble on while she kept a very attentive expression on her face.
Sue became so wrapped up in the conversation she almost forgot about the food on the stove. A buzzing sound echoed from the kitchen. "Oh will you excuse me? I need to grab that. I'm not so sure Charlie's knows how to shut off the timer." She chuckled.
Tara just smiled politely at her.
When she disappeared into the kitchen, Seth leaned into Tara's face. "What are you doing?" Seth spoke in a loud whisper.
"I'm sorry, I panicked." Tara winced.
Leah interrupted. She was stunned by Tara's transformation. "Holy cow! What happened to you? How are you doing that?"
Seth and Tara just ignored her. "But she thinks you're human now!" he said.
"So? Maybe that's not such a bad thing."
"Until she figures it out, I can't lie to her about this."
"Well she seems to like me as a human. I doubt she would be so cordial with me if she knew what I really am."
Leah cut in again. "Yeah, probably not."
"Butt-out Leah! He growled at her. "Mom can handle the truth just fine. She's seen her kids morph into giant wolves. "
"Yeah well dad didn't and I don't like the risk!" Seth growled at Leah, nearly lunging at her for bringing up the painful memory of his father's death. Tara jumped in front of him before he could attack.
"No Seth, don't do anything you'll regret later." Tara warned him.
The fierceness started to diminish as she touched her cool hands to his face and diverted his boring glare from Leah to her golden eyes. "I don't protection from my brother, bloodsucker!" Leah snarled at Tara.
"Who said anything about protecting you?" she retorted. Tara figured Seth could put up a good fight against Leah, but she didn't want things to get out of hand, especially with Sue just off in the next room.
Both Seth and Leah's bodies shook visibly as they faced off. They both tried keep from phasing right there in the living room.
Just then, Charlie came in to say hello. "Hey Seth, how are things at Big Dogs?" he smiled.
Seth took a deep breath to calm down, trying to regain his composure. "Business is good. Jacob's got me doing more than half the work right now but I really need the money."
The conversation distracted him enough and he stopped shaking.
"Well no one can say you don't work hard, that's for sure. It's all your mom talks about," Charlie said while glancing over at the new girl in the room.
Tara smiled politely at Charlie's comments making eye contact. Before Seth could introduce her, Sue walked in with a plate of cookies and interrupted. She placed them on a small wooden coffee table. They were Seth's favorite - chocolate chip. "These just came out of the oven. I probably shouldn't serve them before dinner but I didn't know Seth was bringing company over."
"That's ok mom, you didn't have to go through any trouble. We're not really hungry right now", he said hoping to make an excuse for Tara.
"You never refuse my cookies," she complained. "Besides, let the girl speak for herself…..Tara, would you like some cookies? I made them from scratch."
Charlie picked up on the name right away. "Tara?" He recalled hearing that name before. "Bella mentioned a Tara. Are you by chance the new foster kid that the Cullen's took in?" he asked curiously.
Tara nervously looked at Sue's reaction to the mentioning of the Cullens. She figured the chances of there being two Tara's that came to a small town like this would be slim to none. Not wanting to create another lie, she just decided to go with it. "Yes that's correct."
Seth's mom stared at Tara with a very suspicious look on her face. Tara just smiled innocently.
"Funny though, you don't look like a Cullen. Actually you look more like you belong here on the Rez," Charlie noted.
"Oh yes, well… that's because I look like my mother."
"Is that so? So, where are your parents now?" Sue inquired curiously.
"They're… um, no longer alive. They were murdered. I've been on my own for a while since." Also not a lie. Just short a few details, she thought.
"Oh you poor thing, what happened?"
"Uh, Mom…" Seth said shaking his head.
"Oh I'm sorry, I shouldn't ask. That's just so tragic." Sue sympathetically touched Tara's arm. It felt cold as ice to her. She shifted her eyes from Tara's face to her arm when she touched the skin. "Oh my, you're frozen." Her eyes widened. She pulled her hand back very quickly, her suspicions grew.
"Yeah, I don't have a jacket. It's no big deal though…I'm used to the cold."
"Seth did you drive her here without a jacket on? Where are your manners?"
"Sorry, she's a little stubborn," he said as he nudged her. Tara nudged Seth back, forcing back a grin. It came through her eyes though and he spotted it.
"Well it's nice of the Cullens to take you in. They've always been good like that. They have a lot of foster kids," Charlie said.
"They are very gracious in opening their hope to me in my time of need," Tara replied.
"Oh yeah, they're real humanitarians," Leah said sarcastically.
Seth just gave her another dirty look. Charlie and Sue looked at her with a confused stare for acting rudely. Leah decided she'd amp up the game she was playing. She picked up the plate of cookies and grabbed one, taking a bite. "These are great cookies mom, thanks." She held it out to Tara. "Here, try one Tara, my mom is the best cook," she grinned, knowing she wouldn't eat them.
They all looked at Tara for a moment as she stared at the cookies, unsure of what do to.
"I told you we're not hungry, Leah. Don't you have some other place you could go and be a pain-in-the-ass in?" he snapped.
"Seth! What kind of talk is that?" his mother scolded.
"Sorry mom, Leah's just been getting on my nerves lately," he said through his teeth.
"Well that's no reason to talk to her like that, and not in front of your friend especially." Sue reached her hand out to take the plate from Leah. "For heaven's sakes, it's completely fine if no one wants to eat right now," she said.
"Oh yeah I forgot, the Cullens never eat," Leah blurted out.
Seth's blood started to boil. He knew his mother would surely be suspicious now. Tara saw Seth's mood changing. She decided she'd bite the bullet on this one since it was her that decided to pretend being human. She hoped she could just fake eating the cookie and then expel it later. Tara grabbed a one off the plate that Leah still held in her hand. "Don't be silly, of course they eat. I'd love one," she said.
"Never tried this before but, here it goes. How bad can it be?" Tara thought. She put the cookie to her mouth and bit down. "Okay it's bad!" She thought as she chewed.
Leah and Seth watched in almost disbelief. Tara tried very hard to look like she enjoyed it. Solid food hadn't entered her throat in over fifty years. The cookie was dry and hard going down when she swallowed. It was like eating dirt, she thought – very bland and grainy.
"Thank you, they are very good," she lied.
Her second bite didn't go down so easy. She meant to take only one more and then hope to distract them in conversation so she could crumble it up and dispose of it without them noticing. She coughed trying to dislodge the pieces that got stuck in her throat.
"Oh my gosh! Are you choking?" Sue said frantically, as she grabbed a glass of water.
Tara shook her head. She took the glass from Sue's hand and sipped it, dislodging the crumbs. "I'm fine," she gasped once the food was down.
They all stood staring at Tara in an awkward moment.
"Hey why don't you stay for dinner Tara?" Leah suggested breaking the silence. Her phony smile irritated Seth and he gave her another bitter look.
"No. Thank. You," Tara said between her clenched teeth. "I'll be having dinner with my family later. We have plans." Her eyes narrowed, glaring at Leah.
"Oh, are you all going out to eat?" Leah asked, starting in again with the elusive questions.
Seth angrily shoved Leah's arm knocking the cookies all over floor. "Nice going dumb-ass," Leah said.
"Alright, I've had about enough of that!" Sue scolded both of them. "Both of you can clean this up," she said in a snappy tone.
"Do you have a vacuum Mrs. Clearwater? I could help." Tara offered.
Sue already headed to the closet to grab it. "Yes, I..…" Sue grunted. The vacuum wasn't in the closet where she'd put it last. "Okay, where is my vacuum?" She looked in at her two children who would be the only ones in the room that she knew would have taken it.
"Uh, sorry mom, I borrowed it for my apartment," Leah confessed.
"Well that's just great." Sue huffed, putting her hand on her hip.
"It's okay, I have shop-vac in the garage, mom." Seth offered then grabbed Tara's hand to lead her though the kitchen and out the back door towards the garage. She stopped when she saw the hound dog lying on the floor next to the exit. It let out a defensive growl as soon as it saw Tara.
"Homer, no!" he said as he scolded the animal. "Come on, it's okay, he's just an old grouch. He thinks he owns the place."
Tara walked slowly towards the door keeping eye contact with the animal. It continued to growl when she passed. When her leg swung by the dog however, it lashed out and bit her ankle. Tara didn't even flinch as the animal latched on. Its teeth couldn't penetrate her hard skin.
Sue and the others came in to see what the commotion was as Seth yelled at Homer. The dog cowered and then ran out the door, hiding under the back porch.
"What happened?" Sue asked. "Oh no! Were you bit?"
"Wow this just keeps getting better," Leah mumbled.
"Homer just freaked out for no reason," Seth said.
"Maybe someone spooked him," Leah smirked.
Seth angrily slammed the door shut. Everyone but Tara jumped at the noise.
Then Sue looked at Tara's leg. "Oh Tara, you're bleeding." She noticed blood dripping from her ankle.
Seth's eyes widened. "You are?" Seth leaned down to see the gash in her leg that oozed blood.
Tara nodded at Seth, hinting to play along. "It's not bad. I should probably go back to the house and have Carlisle take a look at it though. I don't want it to get infected or anything." She leaned on one leg to look convincing trying to use the injury as an escape route.
Sue handed her a towel for the blood that wasn't really there. Tara started to worry about her illusions getting out of hand now. "Thank you," she said as she took the towel from her hand and then gave Seth an apologetic look.
Just then Seth quickly scooped Tara up into his arms.
"What are you doing?" Tara squealed.
"I don't think you should walk on that. I'm gonna take you in the bathroom and help you clean it." He looked her straight in the eyes.
She understood. "Oh," she replied.
They all stared silently as he carried her out of the room.
Seth carried her to a small bathroom down the hall. He gently set her back on her feet and closed the door. He put his hands to his face and rubbed his temples trying to figure out what to do next.
"Ah…sorry. I keep making this worse for you. I don't mean to," she said.
Seth let out a big sigh. He stepped towards Tara, cupping her face in his hands and put his forehead to hers. Then he squeezed his eyes shut and took some deep breaths.
Tara waited patiently for him to calm down. When he opened his eyes, Tara looked like her vampire self again.
"I know, he sighed, touching her cheek."I'll figure out how to explain. Don't worry about it. That was kind of amazing though, you certainly know how you fool a crowd."
"Oh I am the master of deceit," she grinned.
Seth chuckled then studied her face intently. "So, is that what you looked like when you were human?"
"Yes, as best as I can remember."
"I thought you remember everything."
"Some human memories become clouded. Only everything after the change is crystal clear."
"Well…you had beautiful brown eyes." He caressed her cheekbone with the back of his fingertips.
"If you like, I can always look like that for you. If it's what you prefer."
"That won't be necessary. I like you just the way you are."
"Even though I'm a pale-face?" she kidded.
"Even though you're a pale-face," he agreed, smiling at her. He was about to lean in to kiss her when she made a face he hadn't seen before. It looked like she was in pain and she moaned.
"What is it?" he worried.
"Nothing, I just don't think my stomach likes you're mom's cookies. I'll have to get rid of them."
"How are you gonna do that?" he wondered.
Before she could explain there was a knock at the door. Seth rolled his eyes and sighed impatiently.
She touched his chest with her palm. "It's Jacob," she whispered.
"How do you know that?"
"Cuz…. he stinks really bad," she said scrunching her nose. Seth snickered.
"Hey you guys in there? Are you decent?" Jacob shouted from behind the door.
Seth sighed and then yanked the door it opened. "What do you mean by are we decent?"
"Well, I don't wanna walk in on anything that might damage my eyesight."
"Real nice Jacob. My mom's in the next room. You seriously think we came into the bathroom for a quickie?" Seth argued.
"Hey, you said it, not me." He shrugged.
Seth shook his head ignoring Jacob's crassness. "What do you want?" he grumbled losing his patience with the situation.
Jacob glanced at Tara quickly and then looked at Seth. "Uh… we need to talk."
"Is this private?" she said, picking up on the hint.
"If you don't mind," Jacob replied.
"She can't leave, her leg is supposed to be injured."
"Huh?" Jacob said, confused.
"I'll explain later."
"Don't worry about it. I'll limp outside. I'll tell your mom I need some air. I have something to take care of anyway," Tara said wanting to get out of there.
"Okay, wait for me?"
She nodded and then disappeared.
Once Seth finished his talking to Jacob, he searched for her outside and found her behind the garage, bent over a fresh pool of blood. "Oh my God Tara, what happened?"
She put her hand up in the air signaling for him to stop. "Don't come closer, please." She didn't face him. She wiped the blood that dripped from her mouth not wanting him to see.
"But there's blood!" he cried.
"It's okay. It's just that I can't digest food so I had to get it out of my system."
"Oh," he understood, feeling relieved. "Well, why can't I come near you?"
"I don't want you to see me like this and ….all my food came out with the cookies. I'll have to hunt now."
"I just want to make sure you’re alright. You don’t have to be embarrassed." He stepped closer but she turned from him.
"I’m okay but I can't go back in there with your mom and Charlie. I definitely don't trust myself now."
"I understand," he said pausing for a moment. "I have to leave Tara, just for a while." She turned slightly to look at him. She didn't speak. "The Pack has called a meeting. I'm obligated to go," he continued.
She nodded.
Then, Jacob and Leah came around the corner. "You ready Seth? We're leaving." Jacob looked at the fresh pool of blood in front of Tara and became nervous. "What just happened?"
Leah stood by him, observing. "Oh wow, looks like Tara tossed her cookies," she said grinning.
Seth grabbed Leah's arm. "This is your fault!"
"My fault? I didn't tell you to bring your vampire girlfriend over to the house to meet mom and then pretend to pass her off as a human!"
Jacob gawked at the two of them. "What the heck did I just miss here?" he asked. Then he looked back at where Tara stood.
She disappeared.
"Hey, where is she?" he said.
"She had to hunt. Let's go." Seth ordered. His mood changed entirely. He wasn't look forward to the Pack meeting they were about to attend.

THE WOLVES gathered near one of the cliff tops. They stood grouped together, talking and joking around.
When Seth, Jacob and Leah came through, they all became quiet and stared at them.
Embry stopped them as they passed.
"Hey Seth, wanna hear something funny, these guys are trying to tell me that you imprinted on that new vampire. Ha! Isn't that hilarious?"
Seth stared at him blankly.
"What?" Embry asked.
"I told you it's true." Quil said.
Embry waited for Seth to defend himself but he said nothing. "You mean it's true? They're not kidding?"
"I told you that's why we're here. You never take me seriously." Quil shook his head.
"Holy crap!"
"Yeah I heard you even kissed her, ain't that true Seth?" Paul added.
Seth angrily looked at them. He didn't like the thoughts he heard coming from them. He continued to suppress his thoughts from them however. "Yes". He grumbled.
"Wow, what's that like… kissing a vampire…is it gross?" Embry wondered.
"No, it's not gross! It's just….. different."
"Yeah, like thirty-degrees different." Paul laughed. The others laughed too.
"Ha ha! Good one bro!" They high fived with their paws.
"Shut-up, Paul! You don't know anything!" Seth said angrily.
"Is it true she's Volturi too?"
"What? Are you serious?"
"No, not anymore. She's not one of them."
"So, what does this mean? Are we able to imprint on vampires now?" Embry asked.
"No way! That ain't gonna fly"! Jared said.
"Yeah but look at Jacob and Seth…it's gotta be possible"! Quil thought.
"Hey I don't wanna imprint on no vampires!"
Jacob heard every painful thought in Seth's mind. He finally spoke up jumping in their faces. "Enough, all of you!" He growled at them fiercely.
Seth's emotions were already stirred up now. "She didn't choose to be a vampire. They killed her family and turned her. It's not like she asked for it to happen!"
"Yeah but she's still one of them. I mean she's dead. How can you mate with that?" Embry asked.
"Heh, heh. Yeah they've got a name for that you know." Paul said.
The comment infuriated Seth and he lunged, knocking Paul down. "You shut the hell up! I don't look at her that way! She's more than that to me!"
Sam came over and stepped in. "That's enough! Seth, back down!"
Seth obeyed, backing off and went and stood by Jacob.
"We have a more serious issue that needs to be discussed her here Seth. What are we gonna do if your vampire girl attacks a human?" Sam said.
"She won't."
"Seth you can't guarantee that and you know it".
"She won't!" Seth argued
"Yeah, the rules say we can't touch her now that you've imprinted on her. That means she can go around killing humans and there's nothing we can do to stop it"? Paul demanded to know.
"Oh to heck with that!" Quil said
"No. She won't do that. I know her."
"You can't be sure of it though. What if she does harm a human? Will you stop her?"
"Yes. I would."
"How?"
Seth became quiet thinking about what he'd really have to do if it came to that.
"Would you be able to finish it"?" Sam asked.
Seth winced.
"I'd do it." Jacob said.
They all looked at Jacob stunned.
"That's not allowed Jacob, Pack's rules." Sam told him.
"Yeah well I don't care. I'd rather my best friend hate me than he hate himself for the rest of his life for killing the one he loves. And I don't care what you do to me…you wanna expel me for it go ahead. This is my pack and I set the rules. We protect our own."
Everyone looked at Sam for guidance. "He can challenge you to fight Jake." Sam reminded him.
“I know.
"To the death". He added.
Jacob nodded.
Seth shook his head. "No…I can't let you do that".
"Well you don't have a choice anymore. I'm sorry. It's an order." His alpha said.
Seth looked at Jacob sadly. He couldn't imagine ever hurting his best friend. He loved him like a brother. But he knew he would have to allow the Pack to do their job without repercussion. It was the only solution. The meeting turned his stomach sour. Angry and hurt, he departed, heading for his place, running as hard as he could through the darkness.
Desiring to see Tara, he grabbed the extra set of clothes he kept in the garage and dressed. Then he ran back outside to his bike. It made a clicking noise when he tried to start it but couldn't see anything. His hand touched something wet on the ground underneath it. "Great," he thought.
Once he pushed it into his garage to get a better look, he discovered a leak that required his attention. He contemplated leaving the bike there and heading to the Cullen's on foot but the more he thought about it, the more he thought it might be better for him to calm down heading over there. He grabbed his tools and started working on the bike.
A couple hours passed as he slowly worked, taking pieces off and checking each one. He took more time than needed. He knew he needed a part that was at the shop in order to get the bike in running order but he just couldn't seem to leave yet. He kept trying to think about how he'd tell Tara about the meeting. His stomach knotted up thinking about it. A tear ran down his cheek and he immediately rubbed his eye with his clean sleeve, trying to avoid getting any grime on his face. Just then a tiny voice came from behind him out of nowhere. "Hey." Tara stood behind him.
He never even heard a footstep when she crept up behind him. His head jerked around quickly. "Hey," he responded.
They looked at each other silently for a moment. Then he spoke again. "Didn't Jacob tell you I'd be coming over?"
"Yeah, he did but it seemed like a long time and I'm just kind of impatient," she shrugged, "Plus I sensed something was wrong when he came over and of course he wouldn't tell me so…"
Seth let out a deep sigh and stood up. When their eyes met she noticed the glossiness in them.
"The meeting didn't go well?" she asked.
"Not quite. It left me with a lot to think about." He turned his face diverting his eyes to the ground as he fidgeted with the tool in his hand.
"It was about us right?" she assumed.
"Yes."
She waited, wondering if he was going to give her more than a bunch of short replies. He said nothing else. "So…do you wanna talk about it?" she asked.
He didn't speak. When his eyes began to well up with tears, he tried to hold them back. In flash, she was in front of him. She touched his face wiping the warm tear drop that rolled down his cheek. "Seth? What is it?" She hated to see him this way.
He shook his head and cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. Turning away from her, he walked over to his workbench then rubbed his sleeve on his face. He took a deep breath before speaking. "It was something that was brought up that I hadn't thought about before."
"What?"
"The Pack is never allowed to harm the Imprint of another. It's one thing that saved Renesmee when she was born. They were planning on destroying her because of what she is. They were afraid of her. Since Jacob had imprinted on her, they weren't allowed to touch her. It's one of our rules."
"And?"
"And….they wanted to know what I would do if you were to ever attack a human, because they are rendered helpless. They can’t touch you."
"I see." She looked away thinking about the situation. "So what was your answer to that?" she wondered.
Seth's lip trembled. He started to back away feeling guilty. When he didn't answer, she looked at his face. It tormented her to see him in such pain. She knew however, what it was he would have to do if she ever slipped up.
"Oh, I see," she said again in a whisper.
"No! You don't see! I could never hurt you. It's impossible."
"But that's what you're meant to do. You'd have to, if it ever came to that."
He shook his head and sighed. "I know it's my job to, but I just can't. I'd die before I'd ever hurt you. It's just how I feel and I can't change that. It's tormenting me Tara, because it goes against everything that I am."
"I told you Seth, I'm the Scorpion. It's our nature to kill."
"You told me you don't want to kill and I trust you."
She moved towards him standing directly in front of him and put her hand to his face turning his eyes into hers. "I don't want to - I never want to take another human life as long as I exist but I can't promise you that would never happen. Honestly I'd rather you take my life if I ever did. You have no idea what it's like to live with the memories of what I've done."
He wiped his hand on his pants and stepped closer to her, running the back of his fingers down her arm trying not to get her clothes dirty. He put his forehead to hers. I'm sorry," he whispered.
"What are you sorry for?"
"I didn't want to bring up past. It wasn't my intention."
She pushed him back. "Don't be sorry for what I've done. The Pack has every right to be worried. They should be able to do their job if they need to."
Seth became very quiet. He looked away again. "They will. I…I had to give them permission to."
Tara nodded and looked down. A moment of silence came between them. "I should go. You probably need some time alone I think."
He wanted to hold her and tell her how much he loved. He searched for the courage to say the words but before he could even turn around to face her, she was already gone.

The next morning
Seth opened his eyes. He lay in his bed, still in the clothes he had on the night before.
Tara was laying next to him on her side with her head propped up on one arm. She smiled. "Good morning," she said softly.
He lifted his head up and looked into her golden eyes. "Hey, you came back." His eyes lit up.
"Yes, I couldn't stay away. I missed you."
"I'm glad." He caressed her face.
"Besides, I enjoy watching you sleep. I find it rather fascinating."
"Fascinating?" he chuckled. "I think you need a hobby."
"I have several already. You're my new favorite one now," she grinned.
"I certainly don't mind being your favorite hobby. I really could get used to waking up next to you too. It's nice to see your smile in the morning."
She chuckled. "It's actually quite comfy." She slid her hand down the bed, feeling the plush mattress. "Considering I don't sleep, I found it an enjoyable commodity. And…well I have another confession."
"What's that?" he wondered.
"I liked lying next to you. You're delightfully warm and your heart beat is like music to me. It's hard to describe, but it was a very pleasurable experience for me. I found it difficult to let you actually… stay asleep," she said flirtatiously.
He grinned and then reached over and touched her face, leaning in to kiss her. He put his arm around her waist and slid her over closer to his body. Before things got too heated, they were interrupted by a honking that came from a car horn outside. Their lips parted. Seth's heart pounded in his chest.
"What's that?" she asked.
Seth sighed. "Oh… just my ride to work."
Tara recognized the hum of the engine now and the distinct feral scent of Jacob.
"Mmm, maybe it's for the best." She got up from the bed. "We haven't even had our first date yet."
He stood up. "That's true. Are you looking forward to it then?"
"Of course silly. Why wouldn't I?"
"Just making sure we were still on."
"I wouldn't miss it for anything. It's my first date, remember?"
"I want it to be memorable for you."
"It will be," she whispered. She leaned in to kiss him again when she heard the door knob turning.
Seth turned his head towards the door, seeing Jacob barging through.
"Hey bro, you ready?"
"Ah..yeah," Seth said nervously. He turned around seeing that Tara had already disappeared.
"Who were you talking to in here?" Jacob asked suspiciously.
"Um…no one," Seth lied.
Jacob stepped in further and took a whiff of the air. "You liar! I can smell her. Did…did she stay?"
"None of your business," Seth said putting his shoes on.
"Did you guys….?"
"Shut-up! No, of course not! Geeze, she just watched me sleep!"
"Okay, okay...well, you just better be careful, one bite and your done your know."
Seth sighed. "She won't bite me. She doesn't even want my blood, she told me. "
"She did? Why what's wrong with your blood?"
"I dunno, it's just unappealing to her. I guess it's just a wolf thing. She said she wasn't even tempted the day at the beach when I hit my head and bled. She didn't care."
"Wow, well that's good to know. She could still damage you though. You're no match for her strength in that body."
"So far she's pretty gentle, she's learning. And, I trust her."
"Wow so what is it really like…the kissing? Do you taste venom?"
"God, you're so nosey! No, I don't taste anything…well anything unusual. Her lips are always cold at first but that's about it. Other than that it's really nice. In fact, it's unbelievably nice. She's…..ah.. really good at it."
Jacob just scrunched his nose at him then shook his head. "Yup, you're doomed buddy."
"Just shut up and drive." Seth gave him a shove and they headed to work.