Disclaimer: I am merely dabbling my fingers in this awesome world created by Stephenie Meyer.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you. I got worried. It's been almost twenty-four hours." He was standing just beyond the trees nearest me. I felt my stone heart clench at the sight of him. Then I erected my mental barrier. I wondered how much he had 'overheard'.

"I was trying to remember about my creator on my own. I couldn't drag out the memory. All I managed to do was give myself a headache. I think it's the first headache I've had in five years." I sighed. "It seems even as a human I was able to block unwanted things from my mind. Only instead of blocking prying minds, I blocked unpleasant memories."

Xander walked slowly towards me, like he was afraid of frightening me. When he was standing right in front of me, he cautiously reached his hand up and brushed a lock of my hair back from my face, tucking it behind my ear. It was like an electric current passed through his finger tips, into my skin and down my spine. I gave a small shudder and my breath hitched in my chest. "It's all right. I'll help you. Just give yourself a break, Kaitie." He was staring worriedly into my eyes. "You look thirsty. When was the last time you hunted?"

"A week ago, not including the mountain lion I never got to finish yesterday." I smiled a little accusingly at him. It was, after all, his fault I never drained the lion. But I didn't really want him to think I blamed him.

He smacked his head. "That's right! We did interrupt your breakfast yesterday, didn't we? Would you like to hunt with me now?"

I thought for a moment. I had never hunted before with anyone else. I wasn't sure what to expect. Then I thought, what the hell, and decided to give it a shot.

"Ok," I said, "I'll hunt with you." Xander smiled at me. He closed his eyes, concentrating. He was searching for game. I closed my eyes and searched, too.

Before searching for something to hunt, I scanned the forest for any signs that humans were present. When hunting, I let my instincts take over and I go rather feral. Past experiences have taught me that finding humans in the area while I am actually in the act of hunting could be disasterous.

I listened intently. Far off to the east, I could hear the sounds of a herd of deer grazing. The sound of the wind through the trees indicated to me that the deer were in a hidden meadow. I inhaled deeply, trying to catch their scent. The wind blew their scent right to me. It was a musky, woodsy scent, not really all that appetizing; I suppose you could compare it to the scent of spinach or broccoli cooking. It was edible, but if you were to smell a thick, juicy steak, you'd rather have that. Human scent, that would have been the steak, only a thousand times more appealing. I allowed my senses to really stretch, listening intently and smelling the air, searching to be absolutely sure there was no human scent anywhere around.

"Can't you smell them?" Xander asked, "They're about a thousand yards to the east of us." He was talking about the deer.

"I smell them. I 'm making sure they're all I smell. I don't want to make any mistakes."

I suddenly realized his scent was very close to me. Not that it was offensive. Quite the opposite. It reminded me of lilac and cinnamon, vanilla and ginger. It was magnificent. I felt him gently stroke my cheek. I jumped and opened my eyes.

"You'll be fine, Kaitie. We are miles and miles from any trail head here. People don't come this far into the forest. You ran a good 20 miles before you stopped."

I sighed. "I just like to be sure. Are you ready?" I eyed him, wondering just what the proper etiquette was for this. I was considering dropping my mind block, just so I could see what was expected of me.

Xander grinned at me. "Let's go!" He took off like a bullet from a gun. I laughed and followed him.

Damn he's fast! I thought as I raced behind him. We were nearing the clearing with the deer. I saw Xander slow and drop into a hunter's crouch and copied him. The herd was oblivious to us. I decided to open my mind to Xander so we could easily coordinate. Not that we couldn't have caught them if they did run, I just preferred not to scare the deer anymore than absolutely necessary.

Xander was shocked at first that I had let him in. I allowed my mind to totally link up with his. It was amazing! Our communication was instantaneous.

You can have first dibbs, Kaitie; since it's my fault you are so thirsty. I really did feel quite desiccated. It had been so long since I last hunted. The smell of blood so close was enough to cause my throat to clench in pain. I pictured for him which deer I wanted. It was the big buck. I noticed he was very nearly past his prime and there were several younger bucks available to take his place in the herd.

I felt through our linked minds that Xander approved of my choice and the reasons for it. It surprised me for a moment, until I realized this was probably one of their main hunting grounds and conserving resources was essential for them to continue to live here. Xander imaged for me the older female that was his choice. She had no offspring at her side and was probably past her bearing years.

Ready, Kaitie? It was still weird to me that I had a name.

Ready. I answered. I tensed for the spring. At his silent Now! I sprang for my prey.

It was over in an instant. I landed easily on the back of my buck. I felt his spine buckle under my sudden weight and strength. I reached around and twisted his head until I heard an audible snap, just for good measure. After all, I didn't want the animal to suffer. Then I sunk my teeth easily into the warm jugular, where the blood coursed the strongest. I drank deeply until the animal was dry. Deer and other herbivores were really too easy. I much preferred a feisty mountain lion or a bear. They tasted better, too; I think because they were meat eaters, like humans. I heard Xander's quiet agreement to my unspoken thoughts. Apparently mountain lion was his favorite, too.

I showed him an image of myself searching for and stalking a mountain lion and he agreed. This mind link thing was much easier than talking. He sent me an image of himself, watching. There was an undercurrent there, some feeling he was trying very hard to hide from me. I was anxious to hunt, so I didn't try to dig it out of his mind. I closed my eyes and listened carefully.

I could still hear the sounds of the deer fleeing away. I tuned that out and listened further.

Soft thrumming of a tiny heart….Bird

Clicking of many tiny feet on the bark of a tree….A line of ants marching on a nearby spruce

Soft padding of heavy pawed feet on the earth, strong steady pumping heart, blood coursing strongly through the veins…Sounds like a large predator

I sniffed the air, trying to catch the scent. The light breeze was blowing from the wrong direction. I did notice Xander's scent had moved closer to me. Then the wind shifted, bringing the scent I was looking for right to me. Mountain lion. I bared my teeth, emitting a low growl. My eyes snapped open. I was staring Xander right in the eye. His eyes were filled with excitement.

Go! He mouthed to me, and I saw the corresponding image in his mind of me hunting and him following, watching. Again there was this feeling attached to the image that he was trying desperately to keep from me, but by now I was too caught up in the anticipation of the hunt to care. I turned and sped off toward my prey.

I sensed Xander following me, but knew he was no threat, so I concentrated on the lion. The scent grew stronger the closer to it I got. I slowed my approach, turned and scaled the nearest tree. I wanted the higher ground, giving me the upper hand. I slipped stealthily through the branches, silently leaping from tree to tree. Before long, I glanced below me, where the lion padded softly through the forest, oblivious to the danger above him. I let out a low growl, dropping down out of the tree onto the lion.

At the sound of my growl, the lion hunched down and glanced up with an answering growl of his own. Of course, he didn't stand a chance. I landed lightly on his back. He managed to spin underneath me, raking my stomach with his back claws. The sensation of his claws brushing my rock hard skin caused me no pain, quite the opposite. It sent an exhilarating rush of pleasure, very akin to adrenalin, through my system. If I had been wearing a shirt, it would have been shredded. My hand shot up, forcing the lion's head back at an impossible angle. My teeth clamped down on his jugular, easily passing through the muscles and sinew of his neck. As the hot blood rushed into my mouth, hitting the back of my throat, I felt the lion's struggles weaken. Moments later, the lion was dry.

I sat back and sighed, wiping my hand across my mouth to catch the dribble of blood I felt there. I felt much better. I licked the blood off the back of my hand. I suddenly became award of Xander standing a short distance away. And aware of what was in his head. He was no longer hiding that feeling he had when imagining me hunting. I got it full force. It was pure, unadulterated desire.

He was replaying the whole scene in his mind. I really saw myself for the first time through his eyes. No damn wonder Sarah was in such a snit over Jimmy. I barely had anything on! A scrap of non-descript fabric was wound around my breasts, the original color faded beyond recognition. I wore what barely passed for shorts. They were so short and small in fact, they were almost panties. And that was it, nothing else. My wavy, brown hair cascaded down my back and had a wild, unkempt look to it. In short, I looked a bit like some wild Amazon woman; a female Tarzan. And apparently this 'look' of mine was incredibly sexy.

From Xander's point of view, my hunt was an unbelievably sensual experience. Through his eyes, my stalking through the trees, the drop down on the lion, my feral growl, even the cat-like way I had cleaned myself off was very erotic. If I'd had a pulse it would have been racing. If my heart could beat, it would have been pounding. My body felt strange as it tried to initiate these responses and couldn't. Xander was suddenly right in front of me. I don't know if he moved to me or I to him. He reached down and gently ran his fingers down my cheek, along my jaw, down my throat, leaving a trail of fire along my skin. For all of its hardness, vampire skin was incredibly sensitive to touch. This also sent an electric jolt through his fingers and up his arm. I could feel all of his responses and emotions through the mind link. And he could feel mine.

I was suddenly in his arms, crushed to his chest. His lips were molded to mine so fast I barely registered his movement. Liquid fire coursed through my dead veins. Everywhere he touched me, my body came alive. I broke the kiss, gasping for air I didn't really need; it was a reflex action. Xander searched my eyes and my mind, looking for any sign of hesitation on my part. He found none. I wanted this, needed this, more than I thought possible, new as these sensations were to me. I smiled at him and reached behind my back to undo the knot holding on my top.

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A/N: Hehe! Sorry folks! But this is rated "T" not "M"! I am considering writing a one-shot for this scene with a stronger rating. It really depends on you! Actually, I will probably write it. I will only post it if my reviews are plenty! So, let me know! Do you want the whole sordid tale, or are you content with what I write in this fanfic alone? Have any good suggestions?

Additional note: While I will add in "details" should I post that one-shot, I am not turning my Kaitie and my Xander into cheap ass porn stars, so I will be keeping it "tasteful" yet "tantilizing"! B-)