An imprint can happen anywhere at anytime, and I often entertain myself with making up imprinting scenarios in my head. Thats how I came up with the idea of posting a collection of imprinting oneshots taking place in sweet, awkward, romantic, difficult, or just plain bizzarre circumstances. Most of the time, I'll just pick a random werewolf as my narrator, but there may be times when the werewolf's identity is an important part of the story. Note: These are ONESHOTS, not stories. They are beginnings, but I don't intend to turn any into full stories. (I'm to busy working on my own full imprinting story, Stormy Hearts.)If for some reason, you want to use one as a jumping off point for a story, that's OK, just please credit me and let me know.

Love, LittleFairyAV

Ways to Imprint #1

Made to Order

"You're late, Call!" my boss shouted in an exasperated tone, as I rushed into the cramped kitchen, pulling on my uniform as I ran. I banged my head on one of the copper pots hanging from the ceiling, my yelp of pain joining the racket of clanging metal. I looked around and saw the kitchen staff staring at my clumsy entrance and cringed. Most looked on with crabby disapproval for interrupting their work, but Quil, the only other werewolf on staff, was clearly choking on his laughter. I shot him an evil glare, which only caused him to start outright laughing.

"Call!" my boss snapped again, and I looked down at the bald, red faced man.

"Third time this week, Call! I am losing my patience with you, boy!"

Seeing this rotund idiot attempt to intimidate a werewolf twice his height made it impossible to keep a smirk from cracking on my face.

"You laughing at me, Call? You think this is funny?" He glowered.

"No, sir, I'm sorry Mr. Phillips. It won't happen again," I sighed. As satisfying as it would be to mock my boss to his face, I did need this job. My family just didn't have the money to buy me new clothes and sneakers every time I accidentally ripped them phasing.

"It better not, Call. Now stop standing around and get to work!"

Once I straightened my disheveled uniform and found my pad of paper for taking down orders, I pushed open the double doors of the kitchen and walked out into the decrepit diner. I had been so late this time that I had missed the midday rush, and only a few customers remained. I approached Leah, who stood by the door next to the 'please, wait to be seated' sign. Why anyone had given her the job of hostess, I couldn't fathom. I knew better by now than to greet her with anything more than distant politeness.

"Leah," I said in a detached tone. I wasn't in the mood to mess with her today.

"Table seven," she replied, barely glancing at me. I turned to the booth in the far right corner of the room. It was situated by a wide glass window through which the nearly deserted main street of La Push could be seen, sheltered by hulking trees dripping with rain. I walked towards the green polyester booth and stood in front of the table.

"Hi, I'm Embry, and I..." I began, in a bored tone, looking down at my pad of paper. I glanced up at my customer.

Suddenly, the world shifted. My casual glance became an outright stare as I gazed, transfixed, at the glowing vision sitting before me. Her hair was the color of sunshine, falling wildly in waves down her back. Her head was tilted up slightly, revealing the graceful curve of her neck and shoulders. A shy smile played on her mouth, and her dove-grey eyes were somehow both soft and luminous, drawing me in with their peaceful beauty.

"I…I...uh…I…" My mind was spinning in a mist of confusion, and I couldn't focus enough to form a coherent thought.

"Yes?" she said, looking concerned. Her voice was like the soft rush of an ocean wave, making me feel almost too dizzy to stand. I managed to choke out, "I…I…I'll be right back" and bolted away as fast as my shaking legs would take me.

I pushed open the kitchen doors with a bang and leaned against the cement wall, breathing heavily. My heart was racing and I felt twice as feverish as usual. Luckily, Mr. Phillips was playing online solitaire in his office, and the kitchen was empty except for Quil; most of the staff was probably outside smoking. Quil looked at me, alarmed.

"Embry? You OK, man?"

"I just… imprinted on… the girl I'm supposed to serve," I said.

"Oh my god," said Quil "What are you gonna do?"

"I'm wondering that myself…" I sighed. The thought of facing such perfect beauty again was terrifying, but also thrilling. I knew that I had to go back eventually- I couldn't bear to walk out of her life. So I took a few deep breaths, called, "Wish me luck," to Quil and walked back out towards my angel, trying to stay calm.

My heart swelled at the sight of the sunny girl, and her welcoming smile made her face glow with beauty. I was caught off guard once again and said, without thinking, "Hi, I'm Embry." She chuckled and replied, "You said that already." I felt like an idiot, and my cheeks started to flush.

"Oh, yeah, sorry, um, would you, um, like something to drink?"

"Sure, I'll have a hot chocolate," she said. I found myself staring at her perfectly curving lips as she spoke. I wondered if I would ever feel the heaven of her soft kiss, and became so distracted that I didn't notice when she stopped talking, standing there like an idiot for almost half a minute until I realized I was supposed to leave and fill her order. I blushed again and stumbled back again to the kitchen.

"One hot chocolate, Quil. And make it good, please!" I said, looking him in the eye so he would know what I meant.

"Sure, sure," he said.

Table seven was not the only table I was obligated to wait on that night. There was an old woman who couldn't hear me unless I shouted at the top of my lungs, and a family with two toddlers more interested in throwing food than eating it. There was a couple on a date, clearly heading for trouble since the girl, her face caked with makeup and her skirt obnoxiously short, kept flirting with me while her jock boyfriend glared with envy. I tried to focus on my other customers, but my eyes were involuntarily drawn to the vision sitting in the far right booth. Twice she caught me staring at her, and though she immediately glanced away, I thought I saw a grin gracing her features.

Finally, her hot chocolate was ready, filled to the brim with marshmallows and whipped cream. I carried it out to her, wondering if I would be able to keep the tray balanced while looking into her eyes. Somehow, my experience carried me through, and I set it in front of her without incident. I watched her sip the drink, the look of contentment on her face making a smile appear involuntarily on my face.

"So, have you decided on your order?" I asked, trying to focus.

"I'm not sure…" she said, her face falling into an adorable expression of confusion.

"What's your favorite thing on the menu?" she asked, catching me off guard. Why did she want to know?

"Uh… the buffalo wings." I said.

"Really? They're good here?" she asked, grinning.

"Yeah, definitely. They aren't soggy or dry, and they have the perfect amount of spice. The pa… I mean, my friends, always demand them when they stop by."

"I guess that decides it. One order of buffalo wings, with bleu cheese on the side," she said in a decided tone. I was secretly flattered that she took my advice.

"Coming up," I said, smiling. What a girl! I sighed, and left her again.

I did my best to keep her happy, finally finding a use for all that customer-service stuff they had gone on about constantly during the one week training session I had endured before I was allowed to rise from bus-boy to full-fledged waiter. I made sure she always had a full basket of bread in front of her, and flashed her a smile whenever I passed her table. I hounded Quil to finish her wings at record speed, and when she said, "Oh my god, Embry, these look amazing! Thanks!" I felt ridiculously happy. As I passed her, I heard her fork fall on the ground with a clatter. I bent down, picked it up, and rushed to get her another one.

"Thanks, Embry," she said, reaching for the new fork. Then, her fingers grazed mine, and I felt a jolt pass though me, causing me to drop the fork. Again.

After forcing myself to return to the tables I had neglected and asking my now annoyed customers what they wanted, I finally returned to my imprint. For some reason, she was hiding her mouth behind her hands. Ok… that was odd.

"Mbry, coni ave nnapn ples?" she mumbled.

"Excuse me?"

"Napn!"

"What?" Why was she doing that?

"NAPN!"

"WHAT?" Exasperated, she pulled her hands away and yelled, "I NEED A NAPKIN!"

Then I realized why she had been hiding her face. Buffalo wing sauce was smudged across her cheeks, mouth, and chin, as well as the tips of her fingers. The look on her face was classic. I couldn't stop myself from erupting in a fit of laughter.

"Just shut up, Embry," she groaned, rolling her eyes. I composed myself into a straight face, took another look at her, and again burst out laughing. She playfully slapped my arm, and said, "It's not that funny," but she looked a little hurt. I sighed, saying, "One sec," and grabbed as many napkins as I could carry. She giggled when she saw the stacks and stacks of napkins in my arms, and I knew she had forgiven me.

When she was presentable again, I finally asked her the question I had been dying to ask since I saw her.

"So, I've never seen you around La Push. What brings you here?"

"Well, my grandparents live in Forks, and I'm taking care of them this summer. They're both having trouble getting around and they tend to get confused sometimes, so they need someone to keep an eye on them. We have a nurse for them, but, you know, there are some things she can't do. My parents would be over here too, but they have work, so, you know. It's frustrating sometimes, but I love my grandparents. They tell the most amazing stories…" she tapered off, her thoughts clearly in some other time and place.

"Wow," I said, simply. This girl was amazing. "I'm sorry, this may sound strange, but… will you tell me your name?" It was so hard, not knowing.

"Oh! Yes. Lena Chrystie." The name was perfect for her.

"Lena…" I said, loving the feel of it on my tongue.

"And you're Embry…"

"Call," I said. She smiled, humor sparkling in her gray eyes.

"Embry Call, huh? What a name."

"You got a problem with my name?" I said, acting annoyed.

"No, it's… very interesting."

"Why, thank you," I said with a grin, causing another perfect laugh to escape her lips. I had smiled so much today, my face was starting to hurt. But the joy in my heart was worth it.

"So, how about some dessert?"

"Um, sure. Anything chocolate," she said, sighing.

"Chocoholic, huh?" I said, smiling. "I've got just the thing. Trust me." I rushed back to the kitchen.

The restaurant had mostly cleared out by now, and so Quilsat in the back intently studying what appeared to be some kind of parenting book.

"Uh, Quil?" I said.

"Oh!" yelped Quil, jumping about five feet in the air with surprise and blushing furiously.

"What the heck are you reading?"

"Uh, nothing," he said, sounding embarrassed, hoping I would drop it. But he had laughed at me this afternoon, and there was no way I was going to pass up this opportunity.

"I somehow doubt that," I said. "Let me see it."

"NO!"

"Touchy…" He sighed, giving in.

"It's because of Claire, idiot. I'm just trying to learn, so I can be there for her. It's not like I'm an expert on kids." He looked away, lost in a memory for several minutes. Finally, he said, "Speaking of Claire, I've got to go. I'm babysitting her tonight." The look of anticipation and excitement on his face at this thought made me crack up.

"Big night, huh? Sounds positively thrilling."
"Shut up, Embry. Could you try and be a little mature?"

"Ok, ok, just, do you know if we have any of those homemade brownies left?"

"What, you hungry?"

"No idiot, they're for Lena! Apparently, she loves chocolate."

"Ooh, Leennaa…"

"Now who's being immature?"

"Whatever. I'd love to stay and bicker, but Claire's waiting. Later, man."

I sighed and laughed to myself as Quil left me alone in the kitchen. I pulled two brownies, chocolate ice cream, hot fudge, caramel sauce, chocolate sprinkles, and whipped cream from the fridge. I piled it all into a bowl and brought it out to Lena.

"Wow," she said. "Was that even on the menu?"

"Well, no… I just whipped it up for you."

"Oh, you didn't have to…"

"No problem. Our kitchen staff has all left, so…"

"Wait, what? When does this place close?"

"Uh, closing time was…" I looked at my watch, "an hour and a half ago."

"Oh my god, I'm keeping you here overtime! I'm sorry, I didn't realize… I can go…" she said, anxious and embarrassed.

"Lena," I said, quieting her. "I told you, it's no problem. There's no rush. And I refuse to let you leave until you eat your sundae." I grinned.

"Well, if you're sure," she said. "It does look good…"

She ate her ice cream in silence. I slid into the seat across from her, contemplating. Our peaceful moment was interrupted by the peal of thunder. The rain was coming down heavily outside now, and darkness had fallen.

"Oh shoot!" she said, suddenly.

"Oh, no, what'll I do now?" She looked distressed, and I asked her, anxiously, what the problem was.

"I biked here," she replied, "and I don't know anyone who could take me home."

"Well… I'll drive you," I said.

"Oh no, I couldn't possibly, I don't want to inconvenience you…"

"It's no big deal, Lena. I'm happy to. Please let me give you a ride. It would be dangerous to bike in this weather."

"Thank you so much, Embry," she said, looking at me with such gratitude that my insides melted. I would do anything for her.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked.

"Yep." I brought her dish back to the sink, and when I came back out she was wearing her coat.

"Do you have a jacket, Embry?"

"Oh, no… I don't need one."

"But, you'll freeze."

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine"

"Okay... " she said. As we were about to walk out into the rain, she turned and said, "Oh, wait, I forgot to pay the bill."

"Lena?" I said, smiling a smile just for her.

"Yeah, Embry?" I turned to her, looked straight into her stunning grey eyes, and whispered, "Let's just say it's on the house."

Fine

Review please! More coming, assuming I make it through the week, LOL.