There's a sweet tune, a light melodic hum that sings to her from inside the house. It's bright and oh so happy that she sighs with the lullaby, singing the words off-key on a breath. Reyna has heard the song for what felt like days, even if we knew it was only a few hours, but she couldn't get enough of it since it was accompanied by that wonderful new baby smell and a general happiness that had whisked away the dread and fear that had seized the home three days prior.

For everything was seemingly back to normal again. The wolves were no longer the enemy. She was free to hunt along the mountains if she so wished. Bella was as alive as she would ever be — on the edge of immortality. Renesmee was nothing but a sweetheart that Reyna could cradle in brief intervals.

All was good.

Embry was here. He was in the kitchen with Jake and Seth, wasting everything Esme presented to them. He was in her room taking cat naps after a long run and a longer patrol.

He was there now, seated at the edge of her vision on the balcony, watching as she sketched with precise strokes over graph paper.

A small cabin size house that would fit in Carlisle's property and hold all the room that the young family would need.

She loved the small building more than she had ever thought she would, and as the first home she had ever designed, she could feel the tension build the longer she waited for Bella to wake for Reyna knew that Edward loved it, that no secret could truly get passed him, but it was her dear friends opinion that she cared for most. It was something that came from her heart, that she had created from her own emotions woven together with everything that she knew about her friend.

It was important that she had gotten it right.

It was important that Bella loved it.

And as much as she put the image down into her book, letting her artistic side loose, Reyna felt like something was off, that she had gotten something wrong because she could see the little cottage home clearly in her mind but something kept getting lost in the translation to paper.

She tore out a new sheet, crumbling it angrily in a fist, and tossed it as far that she could to land in the pile of discarded drawings. Her pile of failure.

"Take a breath."

Like magic his voice sinks into her stone skin, easing the tension away as though she had never been stressed to begin with.

"What's wrong?" he asks and even with the distance, she can feel the heat that radiated from him, the strength of his heart as it beat its wonderful steady rhythm. Embry was so great, so perfect, and somehow she couldn't recall the way she had been so angry from him before.

He made it seem like nothing else in the world existed beyond him, and Reyna had no issue with that in the slightest.

How crazy it was that a boy she hardly knew could consume her with such love and joy, such incredibly strong feelings, and Reyna wanted nothing more than to just hold him -- to kiss him once, fully, without fear, would be a dream, a moment that could carry her on through the rest of immortality.

And if Reyna had been anyone else she might have stolen a kiss or two, might have taken advantage of how she understood the imprint bond to work, but she wasn't anyone else. She knew what it was like to be the subject of unrequited advances and pressing of boys that get too close into her space, inching into her side, and Reyna knew better than anyone how uncomfortable it could be when you couldn't find the words to tell them no.

Honestly, she would rather die all over again that become that sort of person, especially to Embry. She wasn't going to be one of those people that lost all sense of logic and ability to think around the one that they love.

If he wasn't comfortable with her then fine. If he didn't want the imprint to be the true love, soulmate kind that she felt, then she was perfectly content with harbouring those feelings to herself until the end of her times.

"It's this house, the surprise one for Bella and Edward. I'm trying to sketch it, to draw it not as a blueprint, but every time I do it feels like something is missing and now I'm just worried that the actual house is going to turn out terrible because my design was bad."

He watches her silently, only a second, and it drags on forever. "Let's go check it out, then. Look at it yourself."

"I- I'm not sure it's a good idea."

"Why not?"

"It's, well, it would be just the two of us that would be going," she says nervously, licking her lips as her eyes dart away from his steady, calm expression.

"Why would that be a problem?" he asks, head tilting in a way that reminded her so much of a puppy.

Her metaphorical heart stuttered. "You don't have a problem with us going together... alone?"

Embry shifts on his feet. "It should be fine. Right? There shouldn't be any issues."

Reyna swallows thickly as she nods, putting aside her sketchbook in a flash and darting to his side -- kitten heels pressing into the soft earth.

He stiffens when she appears at his side so quickly and she doesn't press him to be comfortable with her. She wasn't dumb. She knew that no matter how much he pretended to be okay having her around that he wasn't comfortable with what she was. Reyna knew that if he could choose then he would have imprinted on anyone else as long as they weren't a vampire.

"Are you ready to walk now?"

"If you're ready."

Smiling thinly, she takes off at a slow pace, waiting until she heard him following before she began to walk more swiftly.

She didn't want to force him into anything, not when she had made her position clear. Not when she had made so many attempts to reach out to him and he hadn't taken a single one.

The closest she had got was the night that he had been in her room and Bella had called -- still, she wouldn't change any of that for a moment because Renesmee was sweet and precious and she loved that little girl more than she had ever thought she could ever love another a child that wasn't her own.

And wasn't it terrible that it was the closest she would ever have to a child now? Her dream of a job and a family were nothing now because of what she was, but she supposed this was the second-best thing.

Reyna wasn't going to start pitying herself or being pessimistic now. The Cullen's had told her how easy it was for them to fall into the depression that came with the change in lifestyle, the self-hatred that they felt for the things that they've done.

She had done horrible things, despicable things, but she wasn't going to let herself dwell on that when she was better than that now. She wasn't like that anymore, she could do better.

Embry stayed close at her side as they walked through the forest in easy, companionable silence.

She wasn't sure what he was liked usually with the people that he trusted and the people he liked, but with her, he was quiet, more thoughtful than even she was. He wasn't much like his wolf brothers and sister, not from what she could tell, and part of her worried that maybe it was just some sort of front he was putting on to try and fit in with her to make her happy.

Part of her said to just turn him away, send him back home so that he didn't have to pretend and that she didn't have to pretend to be none the wiser. If this is what they were going to turn into them they were better off apart.

"Do you have plans for your future with school?" he asks uncertainly, and she figures it must be a little odd for him to be making conversation with her. "Since the Cullen's go back to school so often and you could still go to become an architect if you really wanted." 

She smiles. "I was thinking about it. I'm going to want to spend a little bit more time working on my control and out of sight since I'm supposed to be dead, but I think I'm going to go back. I'll have nothing better to do. I could get a lot of different degrees." 

"You're going to move with them if they go, then?"

"Of course. I'm part of the coven, now." 

He hums. "They move around a lot." 

"Not all that often. Only enough that they don't get discovered." 

"Won't that get... tedious?" 

Reyna turns her smile to him. "You don't have to worry about it, Embry. I'll be fine with whatever becomes of my life. It'll be nice to travel anyway." 

"Well, I-" he sighs- " I guess it's fine as long as you're fine with it." 

"I'll be fine with a lot of things. I suppose I adapt easily." 

"That's good. That's important." 

Nodding, she set her lips into a thin line as they fell into stiff silence. She wanted to speak to him, wanted to know everything that he was willing to tell her, but... she didn't want it to be forced as it was so very clearly becoming. 

"Uh, do you plan to go to college? I mean, you're still in high school, right? So do you plan on college or are you going to become part of official pack business?" Reyna winces at her own words, melting at how stupid she sounds. 

He chuckles. "I was thinking of going for engineering or for taking a trade in mechanics." 

"Oh, you should! If that's what you want then you should totally do it!" 

"I might, I mean, I think I will. I just have to get through high school first." 

"That's good. It's good that you have a plan for something," she says, her voice oddly high and shaky.

"Yeah, yeah, it's cool." 

"Yeah..." 

She kicks a stone out of the way, watching as it hits a nearby branch. It cracks, breaking in the middle to hang precariously. Birds take off from a higher point, fluttering away in their fear. 

Embry snorts. "That was lame." 

"I'd like to see you do better." 

"I could do better, but I won't go breaking things just to amuse you." 

"Oh? Are you implying that I'm destructive?" she asks, laughing softly at his startled expression. 

"I didn't mean--" 

"Because I can destroy things a lot better than that. I could level a tree for no reason other than to entertain you." 

"You shouldn't do that," he advises, words soft. "You might upset a squirrel." 

"I wouldn't dare do that," she teases, gripping her elbow.  

"Yeah." 

"Yeah..." 

They come across the small cottage home in an almost scenic part of the forest. It was complete, Alice and Esme having put the finishing touches on it the moment that Renesmee was born, and the whole thing just looked like it pooped out of a fairytale.  

It wasn't the skyscrapers and modern, state of the art buildings, that she wanted to once day design, but it was the perfect little thing that she knew would mean the world to the small family. 

The pride Reyna felt looking at it was nothing compared to the joy and anticipation she held for the moment Bella would see it all. 

And looking at it now, it was easy for her to understand why she couldn't get it all right on paper, why she couldn't connect the dots to the emotional beauty of it because it wasn't her home to be attached to. 

Each sketch was off, lacking warmth and creativity, because it wasn't her home, wasn't her little secluded cottage out of the way with all the things and people that she wanted within. 

Reyna knew that she wanted so much in her human life, that she had this wonderful dream, but that dream was gone when Bella, somehow, again, got to have everything she wanted with the husband and the kid and the life -- Reyna wanted to be human, she wanted to go to college and get married. 

She wanted the white-picket-fence and the kids, pets and the quaint little neighbourhood that her childhood friends would coo and awe at because it was so nice. 

And she wanted all of that with Embry, that much was clear, because she was a romantic and her romantic heart had claimed that he was the one and she was inclined to believe. If things didn't turn out, in the end, it wouldn't have been the end of the world, not really, because she was eternal now and could make new dreams, but... 

It wasn't fair that Bella got what she wanted again. 

"What are we doing?" she finds herself asking, the words empty and hollow as she stares blankly at the house. 

"What?"

"What are we doing?" She repeats, glancing at him. "We keep dancing around the subject and... just, what are we doing?" 

"I'm not sure," he admits. 

"What do you want, Embry?" 

"I- what?" 

She swallows. "Well, you get a choice, right? On what the imprints going to be? so what do you want?" 

"I don't think that choice is really up to me," he says bitterly, and Reyna flinches, nostrils flaring with the way his scent swarms at the spike of his heartbeat. 

"I guess you already know then. I had always hoped that you would change your mind or that you were just pretending that you didn't want to be with me, but I guess you always knew what you wanted, right?" she laughs humourlessly. 

"Reyna--" 

"It's fine, Embry, really. I- I would never force you into anything you didn't want and I won't use something you can't control against you." 

"That's not what I meant!" he shouts, startling her enough that her skin flickers in and out of focus. "I just don't know what to do, okay? I- there's no rule on how to deal with this because I'm supposed to hate you, but seeing you pout like that makes me hate myself with every fibre of my being." 

Looking up at his face, the sincerity and the lost hopelessness -- she breathes out a shuddery sigh. "What would you think if things weren't so, uh, complicated?" 

"Complicated?" he snorts. "I would think you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, no matter how you look. I think that now, too, and I feel like an idiot for not shooting my shot." 

Her chest constricts, lungs squeezing, and she makes a high pitched wheezing sound in the back of her throat, her hands hanging in the space between with the restrained urge to grab him into a hug. 

"You think I'm beautiful?" she asks shyly. 

"Gorgeous."

Gathering herself, she shifts forward slightly, inching up on her toes. "Is it only the mortal enemies thing that stops you?" 

Embry nods, cheeks colouring brilliantly. 

"Oh, okay, then. That's fine," Reyna says, smile breaking wide across her cheeks. "We can start by being friends then." 

"What?" 

"We can start by being friends! There's nothing wrong with being friends."

"No, friends are cool. Friends is cool." 

Hope burst in her chest and she swears she's glowing. "Great," she crows, grabbing his hand quickly so she doesn't change her mind. "I'm a naturally affectionate person so hand-holding with my friends is a must. I hope you don't mind." 

His hand is tense in hers for a moment before he relaxes, his warmth spreading over her cool skin as he switches the hold to link their fingers together. It almost makes her feel human. 

Embry smiles down at her. "Holding-hands is cool. I don't mind at all." 

Love fills her head dizzyingly. "Nice. Cool. Let's head back now. I think I know what I'm getting wrong." 

When she looks back at the home this time, Reyna doesn't feel anything other than happiness for her friend and hope for herself. 

☼☼☼

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oh wowowowowow !! this is the first time I've updated this story in like a literal year so i really hope i got reyna right and that it doesn't feel off!!  

also,,,, i hope people are still enjoying this and don't hate me because I'm sorry it took so long!!! :(((( 

Unedited 

2020-03-23