The Outcome

When I woke up the next morning the house was quiet around me. Hitting the power button on my phone told me it was around 6am. Everyone else would still be asleep. I was slid my legs from under the covers to sit on the edge of my bed. I was still feeling a little raw from last night, but I was okay. Everything was off my chest and in terms of Jake; the ball was in his court. It was a relief that hadn't felt in a long while.

Feeling the carpet under my toes I suddenly wished it was soft soil and damp leaves beneath them. Switching out my pajamas for a pair of brown leggings and light oversized gray sweater, I tip toed out of the house the forest edge in the backyard.

Taking a deep breath, I held it in my chest, and listened. Listened to the forest breath against the gray overcast sky. Listened to the animals talk to each other, celebrating another day of survival. I didn't hear anything that didn't belong. Letting the breath out of my chest, I pushed myself forward and began to run.

When I got back home the boys wedded all sitting around the table eating breakfast while Donovan stood at the stove cooking more to satisfy than all. They grunted at me in greeting and continue with their food. Even Erick. I assumed that meant there wouldn't be a war between packs anytime soon and another piece of anxiety leave me. Grabbing a plate and squeezing a chair between Max and Bray, I tucked in.

The boys and I were relaxing in the living room when there was a knock on the door. Erick perked up and sniffed the air, so I assumed it was someone from Sam’s pack outside.

“Who’s out there?” I asked him, turning to stare towards the door. “It’s all of them, I think.” He replied back to me, eyes on the door as well.

Donovan took a deep breath and went to open it. As he put his hand on the wooden door knob and turned, the fear of battle flared back up in my chest. Instead, thankfully, Sam stood in the front and smiled big at him through the screen door. Granting the pack entrance, they all piled in one by one, Jacob bringing up the rear. He was dressed better than usual, a step up from his ratty cargo shorts, tank top, and light jacket in a dark pair of jeans and a black button up henley. The top few buttons undone exposing his chest and I had to stop myself from salivating in front of everyone. On his feet was a old, old, old, pair of brown chucks that reminded me he was still the Jacob I met all those months ago.

“What’s going on guys?” Erick asked coming to his feet.

“We thought a lot about what happened last night and we realized the…weirdness of our situation.” He carefully kept his gave light whenever it landed on me, but I blushed anyway. “We realize that we couldn’t keep your secret forever and you all were just doing your duty, just as we would in your position.”

I quirked up an eyebrow in disbelief. “And all of you feel that way?” I made a point not to look in the direction of Leah or Jacob.

Dramatically, with a deep sigh from her chest and a roll of her eye, Leah put her eyes on me. Pausing, as if to think better of her original decision, she crossed the room and threw her arms around me; almost knocking me from my perch on the arm of the couch.

“Of course I forgive you, bitch. I missed your annoying voice anyway. We all did, right?” Her neck snapped to look at Jake and I feared his reaction. He didn’t make a move towards me, only shifted his weight and looked at me from under his ridiculously long eyelashes. “Yeah, we all did.” Then he turned his face towards the door and that was it.

Still wrapped up in the burning heat of Leah, both shocking and comfortably familiar, she gave me another squeeze and whispered down into my ear: “He’ll come around, he’s still just a little butt hurt about everything.”

‘Well, I’m glad that settled on a good note. Can we assume that we’ll be working together now?” Donovan broke the conversation back to Sam.

“Yeah, that’s actually the reason why we’re here. There are people we want you to meet, but you have to promise to her them out before any action against them.” Sam spoke to all of us. Jacob dropped his shoulders with a sigh and looked into my eyes in what felt like forever.

Suddenly something knocked me hard in my chest, pulling me out of Leah’s hug and down to the floor between the couch and the coffee table. A vision came to me again, different in the same way visions had been hitting me usually, or was it a memory? It was the image of the brown haired girl again, driving down the street in a Volvo, her hair whipping all around the pale skin on her face. As soon as it was there it was gone again and Erick was shoving his hands under my arm and lifting me to me feet again.

“Are you alright, Mace? What did you see?” Erick asked me, taking his hands from under me to cup my face.

“I’m okay. It was some girl, brown hair, driving a silver Volvo. I've seen her before I think.” I told him. The quick glance between Sam and Jacob didn’t go unnoticed by me. “What?” I asked them, “Do you know who I’m talking about?”

Sam cast another dark glance at Jake and Embry playfully shoved the boy in the ribs, like he was making fun of him.

“I do. It’s a coincidence actually.” Same began, but stopped giving me a weird look. “I guess it is true about you then…” he whispered under his breath. I heard him, but didn’t comment, instead urging him on silently.

“It’s time you met the Cullens, Macie.”