Ellis and Seth stayed cuddled up in their small ball for almost twenty minutes. They watched as Edward bandaged up Bella's arm, smothering the strong smell of blood, and gather up the strewn body parts of Riley and Victoria. Neither of them bothered to help as Edward started a fire and began to burn the pieces of vampire. Ellis has stopped sobbing, but was frozen in a state of numbness, eyes staring dully on the curling smoke. Seth just curled around him in a sort of protected barrier of fur and warmth from the world. He watched Edward and Bella silently, occasionally letting out little whines, too concerned with Ellis and his pack link to assist or offer any support.

After a few more moments Edward and Bella began to make their way down the mountain, Edward half carrying Bella over the rocky terrain. Seth got up and nudged Ellis into action, the two of them following the couple at a distance. Bella and Edward were talking about something, Jacob's name appearing a few times. If Ellis had been in the right state of mind, he would have payed attention, after all, Jacob as sort of a friend. He would have noticed Seth's uncanny and unusual silence and soft whimpers. But he was too traumatised to notice anything, merely concentrating on keeping his body moving. He felt even more fragile and scared now that Victoria was dead. Before, even when he hated her, she had been something he had known, a goal he could focus on. But with her gone, Ellis was drifting without a raft, the final acknowledgment of what he was and what he had done sinking in and drowning him under their weight.

"Ellis", Edward spoke, stopping his pace and turning. Bella also turned to face the boy, face creased in concern as she tucked her hair behind her ear. Seth paused next to him, eyes full of worry as he looked down at his imprint. Ellis just raised his head, eyes losing some of their glaze.

"What's going on?" Bella asked, her high voice still tinged with fear from the battle and panic over Jacob.

"Ellis is going to run", Edward stated, eyes fixed on the curly haired boy. He made no move towards him, as if any sudden movements would scare him off. Seth let out a short bark of panic, eyes beseeching.

"Why?" Bella asked in confusion. "He's free from Victoria now".

"Exactly", Ellis muttered softly, but still loud enough for Bella's human ears to catch. His voice was horse and choked up, his expression uncharacteristically vulnerable and childlike. "Victoria's dead. There's nothing keeping me here".

Seth let out a bark of anger, as if to say 'I'm here, you've got me'. Ellis couldn't understand wolf, but he caught the meaning of it. He ran a hand through Seth's golden fur as if to comfort himself.

"You've helped save us", Bella argued. "I'm sure the Cullens won't mind if you stay".

"On the contrary," Edward agreed, voice surprisingly understanding. "It might take us a while to warm up to you, but Esme was thinking of adopting you the moment she set eyes on you. But we won't fight you if you need to go".

"I need to go", Ellis stated. He buried his body into Seth's fur. "I need to figure somethings out for myself, heal from this trauma. Staying here is just going to keep reminding me of what Victoria did to me and how I was the one to kill her. I need to rediscover myself, find peace between Ellis the human, and Ellis the vampire and I can't do that here. You understand, don't you?" Ellis asked Edward.

Edward gave a short nod, face and body calm. "I understand", he replied with empathy. "But you're always welcome to return. Seth wants to speak to you, so we'll continue onwards". And with that, he took Bella's hand and they continued walking, Bella shooting a reluctant but reassuring glance over her shoulder at them before following her fiancé.

Seth waited until they were out of hearing distance before trotting into the trees and reappearing wearing his denim shorts. He caught Ellis in a strong hug, wrapping his arms around him as if to physically stop him. He hurried his face into the vampires' cold neck, breathing in his scent. Seth had never told Ellis this, but the boy smelt of cotton, like freshly washed sheets, and elderflower. The smell comforting and wild. "You can't leave!" He protested, voice cracking. "Do you have any idea what that would do to me? You're my imprint".

"Imprint?" Ellis repeated, voice slightly muffled in Seth's chest. Seth relaxed his hold enough for Ellis to speak clearly but did not release his hug. He explained what an Imprint was to his pack; how they were everything to a wolf, the centre of their world, and how they would do anything to make their imprint happy. Ellis took this information silently, body stone still in Seth's hold.

"So you imprinted on me the moment you say me", He finally said. "Was that why you stopped attacking? Why you were constantly hanging around?"

"Yes. It's against our law to harm another's imprint", Seth answered. "Please don't go", he repeated with a choked sob.

"Seth", Ellis' voice was soft and he gently peeled Seth's arms off and held the other boy back to see his face. "I need to go".

"Then ill come with you", Seth suggested.

"No", Ellis said. "You can't. Your have you're mum to look after, and you have to be there for your sister. Your father recently died and you need to be there for your family. Besides, the pack needs you. I can't protect nor provide for you if you were to come with me, it will only hold us both back".

Seth was crying now, big fat tears dripping from his cheeks as he sobbed. Ellis wiped them away with his thumb, hand cradling Seth's face.

"I will return to you", he promised, voice wrought with emotion. "I will return with a clearer head and we can start this again. We are both too damaged Seth, me especially. We need time to recover from our wounds by ourselves before we can help each other. I need to find myself Seth, to figure out how to be myself again. It would be unfair to you to have any sort of friendship, much less a relationship with you, when I don't even know who I am. I can barely remember my human life, never mind what I like or dislike. How can that be healthy?"

"You promise you will return to me?" Seth asked. "When will you return to me?"

"I'll be back before Bella's and Edward's wedding, provided they invite me", Ellis swore with a small smile. Seth returned the slight smile with one of his own, had cupping Ellis' one on his cheek.

"I'll make sure they invite you", he said. "But you have to promise me a few things before I let you go".

"What?" Ellis asked, slightly suspicious.

"Firstly ", Seth grinned. "You have to meet my mother and sister".

"I've already met your sister", Ellis argued.

"Properly. You've only seen her in wolf form and you both just snarled at each other", Seth protested.

"Fine", Ellis conceded.

"Secondly, you have to agree to go on a date with me", Seth continued. "If you don't want to call it a date then call it hanging out or something, but we need to properly get to know each other without all the vampire/werewolf drama".

"Agreed", Ellis snorted. Seth dropped his arms so that they rested comfortably around his waist and pulled Ellis back into a hug. This one softer and calmer than the previous one.

'And lastly", he breathed next to Ellis' ear. "You have to promise to take me with you the next time you leave. I don't want you to leave me again".

Ellis was silent for a moment, soaking up Seth's heat and scent. "I promise", He relented softly. "I promise that I won't leave you again, no matter the reason".

Seth hummed, pressing his face into Ellis' neck and inhaling deeply as if to memorise him. His arms tightened for a moment be fore he forced them to relax and drop their hold. Ellis stepped back from his embrace and began fiddling with his wrist. Taking Seth's right arm, he tied his bracelet of vampire teeth around his wrist, the teeth clicking against each other with the movement.

"These are the teeth of the newborns Victoria had me kill", Ellis explained as Seth examined the bracelet. "They remind me of what I have done, they are my demons and my guilt. Hold on to them for me Seth, so when I return, they will remind me of something else".

Seth's fingers grazed each tooth softly and with a hint of awe and horror. "I will", he promised. He cracked a small smile, "the pack are going to freak when they see this".

Ellis chuckled and stepped back from the other. Seth looked at him sadly, brushing his cheek with his hand. "See you later wolf boy, say goodbye to everyone for me, Ellis muttered with a crooked grin.

'Yeah, will do, see you later corpse boy", Seth replied, watching as Ellis turned and began walking back towards the trees, hand dropping limply to his side. He kept his eyes on the small figure until he vanished into the air. The. He watched as the disembodied footsteps in the snow melted into the trees. Only then did Seth turn and allow himself to change, running back to the black house where his pack was gathered. His heart aching.