𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐗
— 𝒶𝓈 𝓌𝑒 𝑔𝑜 𝒹𝑜𝓌𝓃 —

𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐒 as a toddler; though her young parents tried desperately to deprive the girl of whatever terrors haunted her throughout sleep, she would routinely wake to relay a story of a woman with carmine, rustic eyes that had the intentions of taking her life. Blythe and Odette Reagan worried for their daughter from the moment in which her screams interrupted their slumber, and ultimately averted their attention to the future — never again would they allow her visits to La Push, Washington. The normally imperturbable girl had come home from her short stay with her relatives, only to return with the untraversable belief that the supernatural existed, and though that very fact was true, Blythe wanted nothing more than for his daughter to live a life of secure simplicity and isolation from the truth of shapeshifters. But during the nights that she woke up, tears pooling in her eyes and her small hands shaking, her mother would hold her hand . . . it was the safest she had ever felt, , realizing that she was being protected from whatever darkness overwhelmed the outside world. There, in the bed draped with a pink comforter and her daughter in her arms, Odette would remember those moments for the remainder of her life — but Serenity would never remember it again.

Someone new held her hand now.

By the time Serenity woke the next morning, Paul was gone — though he wanted to stay there, her cool hand placed within his, he had no such desire to wait for her eyes to find his. If what Embry had relayed to him the night before was true, he would have no choice but to leave her there. So he made an excuse; though Sam was attentive on his rationality for departing the hospital, he held no inclination to argue. While the remaining quileute boys gathered near the receptionist lounge to patiently await the moment when Serenity would wake. Marina had no such luxury as sleep that night, and instead found herself perched on the edge of her niece's bed with no aspirations to retire. Though Laythe insisted that his mother rest, he too eagerly slouched into a cushioned chair and anticipated his cousin's wake. Guilt overwhelmed the duo for the previous happenings: they couldn't help but think that Serenity would still be tucked away in her bed if they hadn't been truant. But as sure as the rising sun the very next morning, Serenity had blinked against the harsh lights of the sterile room, searching for her family's presence.

Upon the realization that her beautiful eyes were finally open for the world to get lost in, Marina had embraced her, murmuring too many apologies for the blonde to count. Laythe had joined too, brushing his fingers through her short hair and releasing a sigh of pure relief. "I am never leaving you unsupervised again," he mumbled a promise.

But upon his questions of how she managed to break her foot, his voice had grown stern. "What happened, why did you leave the house?"

"I thought I saw something in the woods," she had recalled, chewing on her bottom lip. "So I went outside — I thought it was a dog, and I chased it, but it was too quick. I tripped, and that's the last thing I remember."

But beyond the limited uneasiness she expressed, Serenity had hidden her trepidation from their prying questions. Her memory of that very night was wavering now, almost as if it had never happened, and she placed her chilled fingers on her forehead to try and coax a recollection. Perhaps the fading of that incident was due to the concussion she had received when colliding with the ground; she needed it to be the source of her memory loss, because any further inspection would have concluded that her condition was finally beginning to effect her life. It would blossom after that, almost like the once effervescent, carmine buds that bloomed near the river.

"You're lucky someone found you," Marina's tired eyes found the girl. "You almost extracted pneumonia, and your food could have gotten infected, or something else could have happened."

"Words can't describe how sorry I am, Aunt Marina," she shakes her head. "But if you don't mind my asking, who found me, exactly? I certainly need to thank them."

But Laythe was quick to turn down her offer with a lie, "It was someone passing through town. They had their windows down and heard your screaming from the woods and brought you here. Whoever it was had to leave on a tight schedule before we even got here."

His mother's eyes had scolded him, chastising for being untruthful with her. She deserved to know the boy who had saved her, and he deserved her thanks. But Laythe had ignored her condemning stare, knowing that Paul would have wanted it this way.

He never wished to see the face of Serenity Reagan again.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

A week had passed since her surgery; although Serenity was unsure if she would ever grow accustomed to her crutches and the black boot placed on her foot for precaution, she understood that it was for her own safety. The girl had never before experienced the pain of a break, nor did she ever want to again. But in the moment in which she ventured outside of the Reagan home to search for her something more, she didn't care about the consequences that would irrevocably follow — there was only the moon, and its gentle voice that urged her steps. She would never regret having that second, the one that told her she was paces away from the very thing keeping her awake and restless at night.

And yet she would never tell Marina and Laythe.

The eyes of her aunt and cousin rarely strayed from her now, but Serenity had no complaints of their ongoing concern. Their worry of her rest and healing, however, ensured that she needed time away from outside influences, with no exceptions. While Laythe disappeared often with dull excuses, the blonde had no other choice but to sit and consolidate her own emotions. The days of being prohibited from any external relations were long, so when Laythe returned home to relay his new adventure stories, she listened closely with a smile from every detail. But today was one in which she would finally be allowed visitors, and Marina even rumored that she would meet someone new because of her accepting behavior over the extended waiting period. Her morning of anticipation consisted of baking chocolate chip cookies with Laythe's attentive assistance, a recipe that her mother had taught her with the utmost of love. Perhaps her friends would love them as much as she did.

She stares at the door, awaiting the arrival of her acquaintances; Laythe had carried her to the couch merely minutes ago with the promise of popcorn and her favorite blanket, while stating that Embry and Jacob would soon make an appearance. Nevertheless, soon would not be quick enough — through the endurance of hours consisting of boredom and longing, the girl's excitement was slowly growing. And when they finally reveal themselves, Serenity nearly jumps from the comfort of the couch, her grin and the joy in her eyes brightening the room around them. Embry places a bouquet of pastel pink roses at her side, removing her from her seat and lifting her petite frame into a tight and lasting embrace. "You have no idea how much I missed you," the heat from his body radiates, warming Serenity as she giggles. "I'm so glad you're alright. Couldn't imagine hanging around these dorks any longer if I couldn't see your pretty little face, too."

They lingered there before she spoke, and Embry cherished every second of her affection. Not long ago, he had witnessed the bruises and wounds that ravished her body with a fear that suggested he would never again hear her calming voice. It haunted his nightmares, and though her safety was guaranteed, he was unsure if his constant worry for his friend would ever cease. He barely even knew her, and yet his soul had known her forever. "Luckily for you, you'll never have to experience a day without me," Serenity pulls away, her lips turning up, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Actually," Jacob interferes, holding out his arms for her, "she is. The dork comment wasn't appreciated, but I'll let it slide." Jacob's hold on her was tighter than Embry's — almost as if he would lose her the moment that he let go. "Hurry out of that boot, will you? I need a hiking partner."

But Serenity was unsure of when she would again be able to join them, particularly due to her inability to maneuver on unleveled ground. She would hold that secret from them for now, if only to brighten their outlooks for a mere moment while they admired her recovery. The girl glances behind Jacob, expectant for the presence of another, "Aunt Marina mentioned that someone else would be here too."

Clearing his throat and averting his attention to the floor in disappointment, Embry shakes his head. "Paul is preoccupied. But we intend for you to meet him soon." Paul had no such schedule, and was, in fact, not distracted by any discrete task. He held no desire to see the girl with pale skin and the aura of a heaven-sent angel, unlike his peers. "He came to the hospital to visit, actually."

Laythe glares at his friend for his careless words, gaging Serenity's curious reaction. He wanted nothing of an assembly for his cousin and his temper-ridden friend, and assumed that it would end in a disaster. In his eyes, fairytales such as Serenity's offered no margin for those that would wreak havoc upon it, or threaten the happily ever after she deserved.

Marina takes a place beside Serenity on the sofa as Laythe places the blanket and glass bowl of popcorn in her grasp. "I have a proposal," she announces, retrieving a buttered kernel and pausing to speak before placing it in her mouth. "Why don't the four of you go to Sam's house for a bit? I will make dinner tonight for all of you, including the several others that have yet to meet Serenity."

There was no hesitation as Serenity squealed, giggling and tugging her aunt into her arms. "I can't wait, thank you so much!"

As Embry, Jacob, and Laythe exchange glances of unsettlement, Marina waves a hand at them. She understood the position in which Serenity would be placed — but, as the caretaker of the most fragile and deserving girl she had ever met, the woman knew that allowing her fate would only strengthen her future happiness. Although Paul wanted nothing more than to live a life of isolation, his existence alongside his soulmate would prove to be an everlasting paradise. He would never again imagine a time in which she wasn't by his side, lighting the path of his forever with her glowing company and a smile to ensure anyone's contentment. Serenity had tolerated many obstacles already, and Marina had decided that she deserved far better than suffering through them while her indisputable destiny lived less than a mile away. So as her son and his friends murmured to one another about the possible behavior of Paul, Marina closes her eyes and relishes in the moments of holding her niece close to her chest.

"I'll bring them the cookies I baked! Mother would be so proud of me," Serenity's cheeks are flushed a light shade of pink as her smile grows with elation.

But Laythe knew everything that his mother didn't — the undeniable truth about Paul that would never fail. He was doomed for destruction, and that meant the mutual destruction of Serenity. His cousin who had the purest of hearts and the kindest of souls, who deserved the entire world and nothing less . . . he would be her downfall.

He dreaded the moment that she would fall apart, because he knew she would need him; but how would he manage to mend the pieces of her broken heart?

The answer was simple: he would never, in the rest of his supernatural existence, be able to fix her.

❝ paul & serenity meet in the
next chapter my anxiety is through
the roof for writing that scene. also
i hate this filler chapter but whatever lol ❞