A/N: Hello people! This is my first attempt at a real Twilight fanfic, but I don't know how well it will go over since I'm not that into the fandom. I want you to know that I'm going to leave out parts of the canon storyline and change some of the others. Think of this as a part between New Moon and Eclipse timelines.

Please enjoy.

OOOOOOOOO

She was running and running from something that she didn't want anymore. She had no idea how long she had been running though. All she knew was that she hadn't eaten in days, maybe even weeks, but that she couldn't stop running. Not while the thoughts of being caught and pulled back into a world that was slowly crumbling apart circled in her head.

Just keep running…

The words echoed in her head as she continued through the forest. They were the only things that kept her going onward.

Until she found somewhere safe to stay.

Until she could find a life close to what she had left behind all those miles ago.

Just keep running…

Her breath was labored and her body was shivering from the chill of the rain. It almost made her laugh at the thought of being cold. It hadn't been a problem since her Change, but it was back now. Because she hadn't eaten and hadn't slept for who knows how long…Her body was breaking down. Any step, she knew, could be the one that caused her trip to come to a screeching halt.

Or end altogether.

Just keep running…

Something snapped when her foot hit the ground, getting caught in an overgrown root. She fell forward into a puddle of water, but tried to push herself back to her feet. She told herself to get back onto her feet.

She took a deep breath, wrapped an arm around her stomach once she regained her upright position and scented the air again. The scent of her kind was there, getting stronger with every mile she crossed. She knew that she had to get to them and then away from them after she got the information she needed.

You're getting close…

Just keep running…

Another unexpected root tripped her again and she heard the bones in her lower leg snap. She tried to keep herself from falling, but her wrists gave out underneath of her, snapping in the process. A low whine escaped her lips as she curled up on her side, knowing that she had to stop. She had to heal.

But how could she?

How could she make it in the middle of nowhere in her condition?

Something primal took over her body in the panic that she was facing. She tilted her head up and looked at the hidden sky. A howl tore at her throat, raising weak and shrilly into the air and begged for something familiar to come to her.

As the howl ended, taking away what remained of her voice, she wondered if anyone would have heard her. Would they come to her if they did hear her? Would they attack?

The darkness was pressing in on her as she listened hard for the sound of an answer to her call. She closed her eyes against the world, her body too tired to move or produce another sound. As the darkness crept closer, she heard the sound of howls in the wind and the sounds of paws tearing through the ground.

Just keep running…

OOOOOOOOO

A bright white light burned into her eyelids and she heard the muttering of voices for the first time in a long time. She thought she could hear them talking about her and wondering about her condition. Her eyes remained closed as she tried to gage where her body was lying with these voices so close to her. There wasn't any sign that she was in a hospital, but they bed that she was lying on felt like it belonged in one of those sterile hellholes.

"How can she one of us?" a man's voice asked. "The only wolves that can kill vampires are in this area. And they are only from the tribe."

One of us…

"It seems that there are more out there than we thought," another male said, but she could smell the difference between the two. "Your nose is as good as mine, Sam. This girl, she's a wolf. A shape-shifter like you. And she seems to have crossed a long distance to get here."

Vampire? She took a slow breath, keeping her eyes shut. Definitely a vampire.

"I don't like this," the man, Sam, said to the vampire. "It goes against everything that we've been taught about my people for all this time." She heard a growl in his voice, power too. "Someone needs to explain this."

"Perhaps she can," the vampire said and she felt his hand on her arm. "She's waking up. Miss, can you hear me?"

Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked up at the bright light overhead. Her body was sore and wrapped up in a blanket that smelled of overly sweet flowers. A vampire's smell, she knew. She could feel the chill of the flesh touching hers and shivered involuntarily.

"I – I can," she managed to rasp out from between her lips. She swiped her tongue across her lips, wincing slightly at the pain that came from the action. "I…Where am I?"

"Forks, Washington," the vampire said and she noticed that his eyes weren't red like the other vampires, but were a bright amber color. He frowned and looked at her. "You were out in the woods for quite some time, considering your condition."

She winced again as she shifted her position. "I'm not at a hospital…?"

"No," Sam said, crossing his arms over his bare chest. "We don't normally send people like us to the hospital for humans. It helps to keep them from asking questions."

Questions…

She swallowed a painful lump in her throat and closed her eyes against the bright light around her. Flashes of the cold journey to this place passed before her eyes. The sounds of the world she'd left behind had come back, not fitting with the scenes but still making her shiver in pain nonetheless.

"Who – who are you?" she whispered, opening her eyes again.

"My name is Carlisle," the vampire said with a warm smile that she didn't expect. "And this is my friend –" The other man growled lowly. "– Sam. He and his pack were the ones who found you out in the woods."

"Oh."

Carlisle looked down at her. "And you are?"

"Sadie," she answered. "Sadie Klark." Her tongue swiped across her bottom lip, making her wince again. "Do you – Can I have some water?"

"Of course." Carlisle reached over and grabbed a small glass of water.

Sadie took the glass and sniffed it cautiously.

"I can assure you that it's not poisoned," Carlisle said in a light voice that bore complete sincerity.

Sadie frowned at him and put the glass to her lips, wincing slightly at the feeling of it touching her dry and very cracked lips. The touch of the cold water on her tongue made her realize how thirsty she was. She gulped down the glass hungrily and held it back out the doctor vampire. "More? Please."

Carlisle took the glass and set it aside. "You should take things slowly, Miss Klark. You've been without food and water for a while now. Your system needs to adjust to the return of both."

A soft sound hummed in her throat, but she let it go for now. "I feel like I could drink an ocean," she said, readjusting her position slightly. "And eat a herd of antelope…" Her eyes turned onto Sam. "You found me?"

"My pack did," Sam said, still crossing his arms as he looked at her. "Where is your pack?"

"I don't have one. Not anymore. They're all gone now." Sadie swiped her tongue over her cracked lips again. "A really, really bad vampire attack on our pack happened and we scattered in all directions."

She heard a soft buzzing in her head and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to figure out what the sound was coming from. There was a familiar quality to and she tried to understand why it was that way. Opening her eyes, she tried to hold the gaze of the wolf across from her and found that it was hard to do so for more than a few heartbeats at a time.

"You're a pack leader," Sadie stated.

"Yes."

Sadie glanced towards the only door to the room. "Great." She ran her fingers through her hair. "So, I'm in Forks? Is there a good motel around here that would let me stay for a while until I can find somewhere to really stay?" Her eyes fluttered over in Sam's direction again. "I'm not keen on staying near your pack or becoming part of it. Sorry."

Sam didn't look pleased with her words. "You can't go off into town on your own in your condition. And you could use some guidance in your wolf-hood. At sixteen years old, you –"

"How do you know how old I am?" Sadie demanded, narrowing her eyes at him.

The vampire doctor pressed a reassuring hand on her arm and smiled softly. "You were carrying a backpack when you were found. It had your ID, some documents, and a small array of clothes in it. My wife is washing the clothes for you right now."

"Oh…"

Carlisle put a little pressure on her arm and said, "You could stay with my family for as long as you want. We have plenty of room and I know that my wife would love to entertain another houseguest." His kind eyes turned towards Sam when the wolf leader made a small noise. "It would keep you close to those who can help you, should the need arise. Of course, you may not want to stay in a house full of vampires –"

"I can stay," Sadie cut across him. "I mean, I haven't got a problem with staying with vampires. I just – I just don't want to impose."

"You don't have to worry about that. Your presence will not doubt be a pleasure to have in my home." His smile was very warm. "And we will finally be able to use the kitchen for more than one person."

Sadie didn't know what he meant when he said that, but brushed it off as useless information. She squirmed out from underneath the blanket that had been draped over her and saw, to her horror, that she was merely dressed in a pair of booty shorts and a sports bra – neither of which she had ever seen before. Her hand instinctively reached for the blanket again and held it against her chest.

"Who changed my clothes?" she demanded in a low voice, almost afraid of the answer.

Carlisle held his hands up. "My wife and my daughter changed your clothes," he explained. "Everything you had on was torn up and completely soaked. I thought it was best to get you into something that wouldn't hinder your recovery time." He gestured towards a door that Sadie hadn't noticed before. "There are more clothes in that room for you to put on, so you don't feel so exposed, Miss Klark."

Sadie wrapped the blanket around her as she climbed to her feet. "Thank you, Carlisle," she muttered, meeting his eyes for just a brief moment.

She didn't miss the evil look that Sam sent in the vampire's direction, but made no comment. There would be a small argument between the two, she knew, and it wouldn't be within her ears. That was fine with her; the thought of hearing a vampire and another wolf fighting over custody of her wasn't one that she wanted to dwell on.

Stepping through the door that Carlisle had pointed at, she found herself in a small bathroom. She closed the door and let the blanket fall around her ankles. The bathroom looked like it had been stocked with human necessities long before she had come around, making her wonder if it was all for the wolves or if the vampires were always prepared for something like her to happen in their lives. The random thought of a human possibly being a part of this set up flashed past her mind and left her shaking her head.

No normal human would be safe in a home of vampires, Sadie reminded herself. Then again, I've never seen vampires with amber colored eyes before. Maybe these ones are different…or they've got some serious contacts…

Sadie found a small pile of clothes on the edge of the sink counter: a pair of jeans and a purple half-sleeve t-shirt. She was surprised to find that all of them were her exact size and she sent a look back at the door, wondering how long she'd been out of it if they knew what size clothes she wore. Shaking her head, she quickly pulled the clothes on, finding relief in having something cover her skin that wasn't wet and cold and free of the smell of the cold world she'd journeyed through to get here.

She really didn't want to think about that anymore. It was behind her and wouldn't come back to bite her again. Now she could breathe freely and live life like she wanted to all along.

It took a moment for her to get the courage to look at her reflection in the mirror behind the counter. She knew that what she'd see wouldn't be pretty, but looked anyway.

Her mossy green eyes were rimmed in dark circles and her lips were severely dry to the point that there were some cracks that looked a little bloody. Her skin was a pale color, but nowhere near as pale as Carlisle's, and very clean considering her journey. And her hair wasn't the bird's nest that she thought it would be. No, someone had taken the time to brush out the knots and shampooed the dark tresses, letting the hair fall to just below her shoulder blades.

Sadie put her hands on her hips and looked at her reflection. "Huh…Someone likes to pay attention to details," she muttered to herself.

A soft knock on the door brought her back to the present. She turned and opened the door, coming face to face with another vampire – this one a female with a pixie haircut. The vampire smiled broadly and held her hand out.

"Hi Sadie. I'm Alice," the vampire said. "We're going to be great friends. How are the clothes? I could find something else if you'd want…" She held up a larger glass full of water. "I was told to give you this."

"Thanks Alice?" Sadie took the glass and drained it in two gulps. "The clothes are fine. Really. Thank you."

Alice's smile grew. "Good because we had to buy you some more since the ones that you packed aren't really great for this climate and some had to be thrown away because of the damage." She reached out and took hold of Sadie's hand, pulling her after her. "I'm supposed to take you to the kitchen for food and introductions. I know you're going to love it here."

Sadie felt her stomach clench at the thought of food. She placed her free hand on her stomach, trying to mentally command it to stop being so annoying. The whole house could probably hear her stomach and the vampires were probably enjoying the freak show that was her.

"How can you stand the scent of me?" Sadie asked, lowering her hand as Alice took her down some steps.

"Because your scent isn't so bad," Alice explained with a small smile. "I've been desensitized to the smell of wolves, thanks to my brother's girlfriend's friend. You've met the friend's pack leader, Sam." Alice paused and turned. "You don't have a problem with my scent, do you?"

"No, no. I'm used to the smell of vampires." Sadie glanced around the hall. "Once you've been hunting vampires enough, you learn how to handle the smell." Her eyes turned back onto Alice. "Your smell isn't as harsh on my nose as the usual vampire is."

"Thanks," Alice said, her smile growing bigger. "Let's go meet my family. They've been dying to talk to you."

Sadie's nose smelled the scent of cooking food and she greedily scented the air. It smelled like chili was being made- vegetarian chili, but chili nonetheless. Alice only let her hand drop when they were in the kitchen. A kind looking woman stepped away from the pot on the stove and moved towards Sadie with open arms.

"Hello Sadie," the woman said, taking hold of both of Sadie's hands and squeezing them. "I'm Esme."

"Hi Esme. Um…thanks for taking care of me," Sadie muttered, looking at her. "I don't mean to be a bother."

"Nonsense. You're not a bother in the slightest, dear." Esme turned and motioned at the other man in the kitchen. "Sadie, this is my son, Jasper."
Jasper made no move to come closer to Sadie and she was okay with that. He smiled softly at Alice when the vampire danced over to kiss him on the cheek before returning to the pot of chili. Sadie shoved her hands in the pockets of her jeans and glanced around the room.

"Is this all of the people who live here?" she asked, looking back at Esme.

"Oh, no. I have three more children," Esme explained, guiding Sadie towards the kitchen island. "Emmett and Rosalie are out in the mountains hunting, so they won't be back for a day or two. Edward will be here in a little while with his girlfriend." Esme's warm eyes sparkled. "I'm sure that all of them will be happy to see you."
"Except for Rosalie," Jasper whispered, shaking his head. "She's going to complain about having a wolf living in the house."

"This Rosalie person," Sadie began, sitting on the stool that she was ushered to. "Doesn't she already know that I'm here?"

"No. She and Emmett left the house a couple hours before I knew that you were coming here," Alice explained, pulling out a couple of bowls. "They didn't take their cell phones and we're not going to hunt them down, so they don't know that you are here. It'll be a surprise for both of them."

"Emmett hates surprises that he doesn't get to plan," Jasper said.

"He'll have to deal with it." Esme's eyes turned towards Sadie when the wolf's stomach growled again. "Let's get some food into you, dear. You must tell me how it turned out because I haven't had to cook in ages and Bella hasn't eaten much when she comes over."

Sadie took the spoon that was thrust at her and breathed in the warm steam coming from the chili. "I'll let you know," she promised.

OOOOOOOOO

A/N: So, what did you think? Please leave a comment or two in the little review box and I'll read them when I can. Keep the flames civil and no name calling allowed. The next update isn't going to come quickly as it is with all of the other stories that I have on here. Please understand that I don't live on the site, but I will be writing. Thanks again! -Scarlet