Blood That Binds

Acceptance

3RD PERSON

Edward carries Maya's dirty and barely clothed body into the house. Carlisle is immediately at his side asking what happened. Edward waits to relay the events until after they get to the medical room. Carlisle covers Maya in a sheet after Edward sets her unconscious body on the bed. He looks down at her with his brows knit.

"What do you think set her off?" he asks his son without removing his eyes from her face.

"She was helping Bella with her gift and took a couple of good shocks from Kate before Bella could cover her, but she seemed fine until the smell of fresh blood was carried through the wind," Edward explains as Carlisle nods along, looking for possible injuries on the teen.

"She struggled for control for a moment, but then the scent grew closer. The human must've been walking closer than they normally do."

"This far from the trails?" Carlisle questions, looking at Edward with his brows furrowed.

"It's no different than the times before... Maya was completely at the mercy of her instincts and threw me off before I could register the thought to do so. Her speed is unprecedented when she's like that. I had a hard time getting close to her even before she shifted. If it weren't for Sam, she'd have made the kill. All of that progress to be put back at the start... She won't forgive herself as easily this time," Edward concludes, looking down at her guilt ridden face.

"I believe you're right, Edward. She barely survived the first slip-up. I'm sure that Seth is on his way as we speak," Carlisle states, straightening up and turning to face Edward as running can be heard through the house.

"That's Seth... He's frantic to find Maya," Edward says softly and opens the door so he and Carlisle can walk out of the room.

"Edward!" Seth calls as soon as he sees the vampire.

"She's in there," Edward guides and Seth's face turns grim, sadness in his eyes.

Seth walks past the two vampires and closes the door behind him.

Looking upon her dirty face, Seth's eyes fill with tears as he tries to think of ways to help her get through this.  His fingers gently push the hair from her face before he presses his lips to her forehead and sniffles. It won't be long before she wakes and the guilt sets in. Seth can't help but hope that she doesn't close off or run away again. Bella gently knocks on the door and opens it, giving Seth a small smile as she hands him some clothes for Maya.

Carlisle and Edward talk in his study, trying to find a solution to this predicament.

"Maybe we should switch up her diet? Try to get her on animal blood with more human food?" Edward suggests and Carlisle nods in agreement.

"It'll have to be gradual... She may fight the blood, but she'll still eat the food. It's worth a shot. We can't have her distracted by human prey every time she goes outside," the doctor states firmly.

"What if there is another reason she keeps backtracking? Maybe something to do with the disease?" Edward speculates and Carlisle looks on in deep thought.

"It's a possibility... We don't know much about her as a new species. This could be a side effect," Carlisle agrees and they move forward with the plan of changing Maya's diet, but keep the blood bags just incase.

Seth holds Maya's hand as she rouses, gripping it tighter when she looks around in confusion. As soon as realization hits her, he's there to try to ease her mind.

"Hey, hey. There's no need to panic. Nothing happened. Everything's fine," he murmurs, pulling her shaking frame to his chest.

"But, something did happen Seth... Something that I thought I was past," she says in a whisper and he holds her tighter.

"No one was hurt. That's all that matters. You took chase, but didn't attack anyone. It wasn't a slip-up. You're okay," he tries to soothe, but she just shakes her head as tears stream from her eyes.

"I-It's not though... I'm not... I can't keep doing this, Seth. I can't handle anymore guilt," she stutters as her voice breaks.

"I know, baby, I know," he coos, stroking her hair as he climbs into the bed with her.

"You're overworked. You've tapped into the harder part of your ability and you've been training a lot. It must have triggered your hunger," he guesses, but she doesn't say anything.

"Don't shut down on me, Maya. We need you to function properly. I need you..."

Seth pulls away a little to look into Maya's face. Tear streaks stain her caramel and honey complexion as her round lips are swollen and red.

If it weren't for how upset she was, Seth would say she looked like an angel. The red that rims her mismatched eyes makes them stand out even more and he is reminded of the first night they spent together on the beach outside of Sam's house. It wasn't all that long ago, but it feels like an eternity since then. He smiles at her lovingly and pushes her messy curls behind her ear, as well as he can with that untamable mop, and tilts her chin up so she looks into his eyes.

"Maya Juniper Merriweather, I love you more than words can describe and, no matter what obstacle we face, that will never change. No matter the size of that hill, molehills or mountains, we'll get through it together. Don't be afraid to lean on me for anything. I'll always be here to help you through it," Seth whispers, his eyes like melted chocolate as he gazes into her tear filled orbs.

Maya's hands come up to rest on his wrists as she closes her eyes and leans into the hand on her cheek, a small smile pulling her lips.

"I love you too, Seth... I'll try to be better, but I don't know if I can look them in their faces after what I did," she mutters, eyes still closed.

"They don't blame you. They understand how hard it can be to fight the urges that come with being a Newborn, because they all were newborn vampires at one point. Edward is worried about you and Renesmee has been looking for you, as well as Benjamin. They all just want you to be able to relax and not be afraid of yourself. I know you'll get past this. I know you'll get it under control, but you have to accept our help. What else is family for?" he asks with a silly grin that makes a smile appear on her face and a giggle bubble up her throat.

"There she is. Now, come on and get dressed. We have somewhere to be."