visitor

He stood there in the middle of the hallway, features unnaturally pale, still as a statue, gazing at me mutely with eyes black as onyx.

He was the best thing I had seen in a long time.

"Archie?" I said haltingly. Then, without another thought in my head, I launched myself at him.

If Archie had been an ordinary guy, the tackle probably would have knocked him flat on his back. But of course it was like hitting a brick wall.

I threw my arms around him in a bro hug, slapping him on the back and when I pulled back again, I kept an arm draped around his shoulders, grinning like an idiot. It was a good thing Charlie couldn't see me right now, because I probably looked like a drunk.

"Hey, man," said Archie, turning and giving me the strangest look. He smiled a bit, but his eyes were still slightly wide.

I actually felt tears sting my eyes, but I reached up to surreptitiously thumb them away. "What are you doing here?" I asked, grinning from ear to ear.

Archie leaned away from me slightly, mouth tight. "Two things first. One, let's please have this conversation with you not hanging all over me. I like you too, but I haven't eaten in—well, I don't remember how long. And I don't think either of us want you to end up on the menu."

I noticed again that Archie's eyes were solid black.

"Oh," I said, quickly backing off. "Sorry. I just—you know, got a bit excited."

Archie nodded, his tense form relaxing a little as I moved back a few feet. "Yeah, I noticed that."

"What's the other thing?" I wanted to know.

Archie rolled his eyes, then gave me a hard look, folding his arms across this chest. "Second thing—how in the heck are you alive?"

I stared at him blankly. "Come again?"

Archie rubbed his forehead. "See," he said, in a bright voice that didn't in any way disguise his mounting irritation, "I had this weird vision. Just kind of sitting at home, minding my own business, and, bam—it hits me. I'm seeing this skinny guy, standing on the edge of this cliff. Really close to the edge. Then, get this—he jumps. Starting to come back now, Beau, my man?"

"Oh." I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. "That."

Archie raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, that. What the heck?"

I paused, my mouth hanging slightly open as I tried to think how to explain it without sounding like I needed to be put in a padded room.

"Ah!" Archie vigorously rubbed the stubble on his head, looking frustrated. "I told her something like this would happen. I told her. But no, she extorts a measly little promise from you, and she thinks that's good enough. And she even bans me from following your future, so we won't be tempted to interfere any more than we already have. Course, just because I'm not consciously keeping tabs on someone doesn't mean things don't just come to me sometimes—especially where my best bud is concerned. I was just like—oh crap. Crap crap crap. I knew I could never get here in time, but I seriously just had to do something, and I figured someone should be here to help your dad out, and I just get here to wait for him to get back—then you come sauntering up like you've just been out for a little stroll along the beach."

I tried to get a word in edgewise, but Archie kept going, and I could see the explanation was quickly headed toward a rant.

"That was the most moronic thing I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of stupid things. Seriously, did you stop for a second to think what that stunt would have done to your dad? And what about my sister? Do you have the slightest clue how Edy would have felt if—"

I probably did deserve a telling off, but I was determined it would be for the right reasons.

"Hey," I said loudly, and he finally broke off. He stared back at me, waiting. I cleared my throat and continued, "It wasn't suicide. It was just a fun thing...or it was supposed to be. It kind of went bad—I didn't realize the currents would be that strong."

Archie didn't look convinced. He jabbed me in the chest with a finger. "Nice try. Just man up and admit it."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "It was dumb, okay? But Jules and some of the other girls down at La Push have gone cliff diving before, and they never had a problem. I swear, I wasn't trying to get myself killed."

Archie regarded me suspiciously, arms still folded. "Okay," he said. "Let's just pretend for the moment I believe you. Still doesn't explain how you're here. And alive. Sounds like you did just about drown."

I nodded. "I was under quite a little while, but someone came and pulled me out. You know Julie Black? She's a girl down at La Push, Bonnie Black's daughter."

Archie frowned deeply as he considered this. "Huh," he muttered to himself. "If that's what happened, I should have seen that. Why didn't I?"

I shrugged. "Maybe you just didn't watch the vision long enough."

Archie shook his head. "It doesn't work like that. I probably saw it less than a half hour before it happened, if that—you made the decision to go pretty last minute, right? As I was getting on my flight, it was already close to happening. I kept watching, watching to see if you'd somehow miraculously find a way to come up—but you never did. Right up until the last minute. If someone pulled you out, I should have seen it."

I didn't know how to reply. I just shrugged again.

Archie was frowning into space. However, he blinked, and suddenly looked at me. Eyes slightly narrowed, he leaned in and very deliberately sniffed my shoulder.

"Um," I said, drawing back automatically. "What? Am I back on the menu?"

Archie wrinkled his nose slightly and pulled away, then snorted. "Not smelling like that you're not. You stink, man."

I suddenly remembered the grime still on my clothes, and that I'd thrown up at least once. I scowled a bit, annoyed. "I almost drowned today, remember? Cut me a little slack."

However, Archie was frowning again, that perplexed, thoughtful frown.

"Hey," he said. "You were with someone when you were outside, weren't you? Who was it?"

"Julie Black," I said. "She's the one who got me out of the water. I'd be dead if it wasn't for her. I was supposed to wait for her so we could do the cliff diving thing together, but..."

I trailed off as the image of Jules's last expression flashed in my thoughts, and I felt something icy drop in my stomach.

Archie was studying me closely, and he raised an eyebrow. "Wait," he said. "This is a girl we're talking about, right? If you couldn't take the currents, how did she manage it?"

I shook my head, trying to get a handle on my suddenly roiling emotions. "Jules is pretty strong," I said slowly. "Stronger than I am." I added with a bit of a smile, "She could beat me up any day of the week."

Archie must have sensed in my tone there was more to this than I'd said, and he fixed me with a penetrating stare. "And?"

My eyes flickered to the ground. Was the Quileute secret supposed to be a secret from the Cullens as well as normal humans? I mean, the fact that they had an agreement not to kill each other seemed to point in the direction that the Cullens had to already know about it, but Archie acted like he had no idea.

However, seeing as how I had already told Jules about the Cullens' gifts, honesty with both sides seemed like the best policy at this point.

"And," I admitted, "Jules actually may or may not be a werewolf."

Archie's eyebrows shot up.

I went on quickly, "The Quileutes turn into wolves when there are vampires around. They knew Carine a long time ago, and made some kind of treaty."

Archie paused, then nodded slowly. "Must have been before I joined up. Well, at least that explains the smell. Not sure if it explains the gap in my vision, but if we are dealing with creatures of our world, then maybe..."

He trailed off thoughtfully. However, his eyes returned to me, and again he was frowning. "So, you were going cliff diving with this werewolf girl?"

I shrugged. "Yeah."

He eyed me beadily. "Been out doing anything else? With werewolf girl, I mean."

I wasn't sure where this was leading. "Sure, we hang out all the time." I added, "To be honest, I've been spending most of my free time down at La Push lately."

Archie put a hand to his head and let out an exasperated groan. "So let me get this straight. All this time we've been gone, you've been running around out here—palling around with werewolves."

I felt like this was an unfair characterization of my social life. "She wasn't when I first met her. She's only been a werewolf for a few weeks."

Archie ran a hand over his short hair and groaned. "Not just a werewolf, but a young werewolf. And a female wolf at that. Double the emotional volatility. Seriously, dude, there is something wrong with you."

He shook his head, muttering to himself, "What on earth made her think you'd be nice and safe if we left? It's like you've got a neon sign on your forehead—Danger from mythical monsters wanted."

I was getting a little peeved. "There's nothing wrong with werewolves," I muttered.

"Yeah," said Archie, rolling his eyes. "Until they get pissed off about something. I mean, most people would have just gone back to normal life when the vampires left town. Be safe as the average person in a small town can be. But no, if you can't put your life on the line hanging out with one kind of monster, you go off to find another."

I shook my head. I could tell there wasn't much point arguing, but I couldn't help but answer, "Look, I probably wouldn't be here without Jules and the rest of her pack. You guys might have left, but that doesn't mean there aren't still vampires around. The wolves were the only thing that stood between me and getting eaten when I ran into Lauren in the woods, and Victor's apparently been on some kind of campaign against me. Lauren told me he has some kind of elaborate revenge plot going on to make up for Joss. It's a good thing the wolves are around, or I wouldn't still be around."

Archie went very still. His usually easygoing expression darkened in a look so savage that it nearly made me fall back a step.

"Did you just say Lauren?" he demanded. "And—Victor?"

I nodded, my voice momentarily failing me at the look in his black eyes.

Archie sighed deeply. "Okay. I think we better go sit down, and then I want you to start from the beginning."

We headed into the living room, and we both took up a place on the couch. Archie didn't sprawl himself out like he always had before, and instead sat slightly on the edge, his entire form rigid with tension. He fixed me with such an intense expression I felt a bit nervous.

I tried to tell him everything I could remember that seemed relevant. I left out the part about the voices and the motorcycles, but I explained how Jules and I had become friends, and how shortly thereafter she'd joined the wolf pack. I recounted how I'd gone out hiking and run into Lauren, and how she had told me Victor's diabolical intentions before the wolf pack had arrived to stop her from eating me. I mentioned how recently I'd been coming down to La Push for protection, and the pack had been working on hunting Victor down. I added how I'd seen something red when Jules had pulled me from the water after I'd jumped from the cliff, and how it had only just occurred to me what it had probably been. I finished up with the news about Holly Clearwater.

Archie listened to me with rapt attention, not interrupting once. When I mentioned the red flames on the water, I saw his lips curl back from his teeth in an expression that didn't look the faintest bit like a smile. The look sent a shiver down my spine.

At last he looked away, brow furrowed deeply. "Wow," he said. He let out a kind of hollow, bitter laugh. "Our leaving really didn't do you any favors at all, did it?"

I stared at him blankly. Normally, when Archie stated the obvious, he did it with a grin and twist of humor in his tone, but there wasn't a trace of amusement now.

Finally, I shrugged and looked away. Trying to sound circumspect, I said, "Sometimes you just can't do the best thing for everybody. For one person to do the right thing for themselves, sometimes that means something bad for someone else. That's life."

Archie's expression as he regarded me was hard to interpret. At last he shook his head. "Well...I guess I jumped the gun running down here. Sorry. I should get out of your hair."

He started to stand up, and a bolt of panic shot through me. He couldn't leave now. After all these months I finally got to see him again, he couldn't just go like this. I couldn't take it.

Before I even knew what I was doing, I was on my feet, and my hand was locked in a vice-like grip on his shoulder. My eyes were wide and wild.

"Wait," I blurted.

Archie's gaze flickered to my face, startled.

I struggled to get a hold of myself. Measuring my voice, trying to force it to sound more normal, I went on, "You just got here. At least stay over until tomorrow morning. We have...a lot to catch up on, and..."

I couldn't continue. My throat had closed up.

Archie regarded me carefully for a long minute, looking uneasy, even alarmed. "Okay, man," he said, and he spoke in a low, almost gentle voice "Okay. I'll stay over. I'm not going anywhere."

I tried not to think about how pathetic I had to look right now—my eyes wide and desperate, my entire face contorted with terror and pain.

Archie was looking at me in a strange way, with uncertainty, with discomfort, the way he might look at someone fragile, who needed reassurances and kind words. I worked to pull myself together—Archie was going to stay awhile longer, so there was no use having a breakdown now. Plenty of time to break down later.

I forced a grin, and did my best to sound normal as I said, "Cool. Great. Feels like it's been a while since I've had friends over."

Archie didn't smile back. His black eyes were deeply troubled as he studied me.

"You know something?" he said suddenly.

I blinked. "Yeah?"

"You really look like hell."

I was quiet for a second, not sure how to respond. He was glaring at me, though his expression was more pained than angry. At last, I said, "Uh, I drowned today, remember?"

Archie shook his head, ignoring me. "So bad," he muttered to himself. "You just look so bad. So not together. Like a basket case."

It was true, of course, but it still seemed rude to say it.

"Yeah, okay," I said with a touch of annoyance. "I get the picture. I've been giving it my best shot. It hasn't exactly been a cakewalk, you know."

Archie looked away, still glaring. "Yeah, guess not," he muttered. "I just kind of hoped it would be different than this. I kind of hoped it wouldn't turn out exactly like I expected it would."

We were both silent for a minute. I tried to think of something to say to lighten the mood—I didn't like seeing Archie so serious. But before I could think of anything, the phone suddenly rang, making me jump.

I was sure that had to be my dad, and I automatically turned toward the kitche. However, as I thought again, I seized Archie by the wrist and dragged him along with me, in case he was getting any ideas about bolting.

"Charlie?" I answered.

"No, it's me," said a sullen voice.

"Jules!" I gasped. I couldn't say how relieved I was to hear her voice.

"Just making sure you were still alive," she said, sounding as though she resented the fact.

"Yeah," I said quickly. "It was like I thought, it was one of the—"

"Yeah, I got it," she said shortly. "Bye."

The line clicked off, leaving me clutching the phone and the dial tone buzzing in the background. With a sigh, I slowly placed the phone back in the cradle. I had no idea how I was going to fix this. It was all such a mess.

I turned around to find Archie observing me closely.

"So that was the werewolf girl, huh?" he guessed.

I nodded.

"She sounded kind of ticked."

Again, I nodded. "She doesn't like vampires."

"Guess she wouldn't." Archie paused, and he seemed to be thinking very carefully about something.

"What?" I said, eying him suspiciously.

He shook his head. "Just trying to figure out what needs to happen next. I really should go see Carine, so she can decide what to do about all this."

My grip on his wrist tightened convulsively. However, I forced a smile. "Course," I said, voice cracking. "Of course, but—you're going to stay here a while first, right? You can't just drop in and leave just like that. Stay a little while, at least."

Archie gave me that look again. Like he was handling glass and if he wasn't careful, he might break something.

"If you think that's a good idea," he said slowly.

My death grip on his wrist loosened slightly, and I let out a silent beath of relief. "Yeah, you can stay here. I know Charlie will be psyched to see you again."

"I do have my own house already, you know," he pointed out.

"Oh. Okay." My tone dropped with obvious disappointment before I could stop it.

Archie studied me again. "Well, I'll at least need an overnight bag or something. So your old man doesn't get suspicious."

My mouth spread in a huge grin at this, and I threw an arm around his shoulder. "You're the best, man!"

Archie sighed, pinching my wrist with his thumb and forefinger and carefully removing it. "And, I think I'd better go hunting. Like, right now."

I looked back into his solid black eyes.

"Sorry," I said, forcing myself to put some distance between us again.

"Think you could manage not jumping off any cliffs or be attacked by any werewolves in the next hour?"

I pretended to think about it. "I guess I can try."

"I have no idea why, but for some reason, I'm not trusting you." Archie rolled his eyes, then let them slide closed. For a moment his expression smoothed. When his eyes opened again, he said, "Okay, you'll be just fine. For tonight, anyway."

"And...you'll be back?" I said, trying to sound nonchalant and failing.

Archie held up one finger. "One hour. That's it, I swear. If it gets to be one hour and one minute, you can be pretty sure something happened."

I glanced at the clock apprehensively.

Archie suddenly laughed and took a swipe at me. "How did I get along without you? You crack me up." Then he was gone.

I mentally made a list of things to get done while he was gone. Remembering what Archie had said about my smell, I decided to head upstairs and take a quick shower first. I didn't want him pretending to gag every time he came near me. I sniffed my own shoulder as I peeled off my filthy shirt, wondering what it was he didn't like, but I couldn't detect anything but seaweed and brine. Strange.

After I was done, I headed back to the kitchen and popped some leftovers in the microwave, enough for me and for Charlie when he got home. I expected he would be pretty worn from the day's events, and starving. I felt a cloud pass over my jubilant mood as I thought of him, down at the hospital making arrangements with Saul Clearwater. I couldn't imagine how he'd be feeling when he got home.

While I waited for the food to heat, I grabbed a couple of thick blankets from upstairs and set them out on the couch. Archie didn't need to sleep, of course, but Charlie would be expecting to see something.

I shoveled in my food quickly without really tasting it, chugging down glass after glass of water. Apparently all the salt water in my system had left me dehydrated.

I decided to go watch some sports to pass the rest of the time, but as I headed toward the living room, I was startled to see Archie already there, sitting on the couch where the blankets were. He turned around to grin at me, and I saw his eyes were a liquid gold.

"Yo," he said. "Hope you didn't call the police while I was gone."

I glanced at the clock. "Nope. You made the deadline. Ten minutes early, in fact."

I threw myself down on the couch beside him, again grinning so wide I wouldn't be surprised if my face was sore in the morning.

Archie shook his head, grinning a little. "Look at you. You're crazy, you know that?"

I shrugged. "I know. I've accepted it with good grace."

We briefly lapsed into silence then.

"Um," I said at last. "Does Carine know you're here?"

Archie shook his head. "No, she was out on a hunting trip with Earnest when I got the vision. She'll probably find out everything from the others when she gets back, and I'll bet she'll call me first thing."

I nodded slowly. I hesitated, then drew a deep breath. "So...um...Does she...?"

I didn't need to finish for Archie to understand what I meant.

He looked at me seriously. "Honestly? She hasn't got a clue. She would probably be seriously ticked if she did."

I considered that. "Meaning she wasn't close by when you got your vision," I guessed. "Hunting?"

Archie shook his head. "She hasn't been staying with us. She only checks in with Carine and Earnest every few months."

"Oh." For a second, I had a treacherous impulse to ask him what she was up to. I remembered what she had said, about there being plenty of distractions for her kind—and I was suddenly dying to know what she was up to right now. However, I knew that knowing would only make the torment worse later, so instead I said, "So, where's Jessamine?"

Archie shrugged. "Back with the others in Denali. We were all kind of separated for a while, doing our own thing, but we're all together again, and we thought we'd pay Tanvir's family a visit. When I got the vision...well, Jess thought it really wasn't our place to do anything, considering how we all swore we wouldn't interfere. But—" He grinned a little ruefully. "Well, I guess Jess tends to be a bit better at keeping promises than I am."

I opened my mouth to ask him to explain that more fully, but then he blinked and asked suddenly, "You really think your dad's going to be okay to find me here? Randomly taking up your couch in the living room?"

Surprised, I paused, then nodded. "I think he'll be glad to see you again."

"Hope you're right," he said, turning his head in the direction of the front drive. "Because we're about to find out."

I heard the cruiser pull into the driveway, and I got up from the couch, going quickly to open the door.

Charlie looked about as bad as I could remember seeing him. He shuffled forward with his shoulders hunched, his eyes on the ground.

I met him partway, and he came automatically to a stop. For a second I just stood there in front of him, not sure what to do. At last I reached forward and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and he did the same in return, gripping me tightly.

"I'm sorry, Dad," I said in a low, hoarse voice.

He didn't answer, only nodded.

We headed back up to the door, and I kept an arm securely wrapped around his shoulders, in case he needed any support.

"Hey, Dad?" I began, my voice still low. I figured it was better to warn him ahead of time. "Um, we had some unexpected company while you were gone."

His expression was still empty and bleak, and before he had a chance to ask me what I meant, Archie was in the doorway.

"Hey, Chief," he said in a subdued voice. "Sorry, guess my timing couldn't have been worse."

"Archie?" he said, squinting. "Archie Cullen?"

"Yeah," he said. "Just happened to be in the neighborhood and I thought I'd stop by."

Charlie hesitated. "Is Carine with you?"

"No, I'm on my own," he said, answering the question Charlie hadn't asked—both Archie and I knew he wasn't really asking about Carine.

"He can stay over, right?" I said. "I sort of already asked him."

"Sure," said Charlie, voice toneless with exhaustion. "We're glad to have you."

"Thanks," said Archie. "Sorry again for coming at such a lousy time."

Charlie shook his head, and he added sincerely, "No, I'm glad to see you here. I'm going to be busy the next while, doing what I can to help the Clearwaters...It'll be good for Beau to have a friend around."

"I left some dinner for you on the table," I told him as we passed over the threshold.

"Thanks, kid," he said. He gently patted my shoulder, then pulled away, heading toward the kitchen.

I followed Archie back to the living room, and we both took up our places on the couch. I was exhausted from the day's events, and my eyelids drooped, but I didn't want to sleep. I didn't know how long Archie was planning to stay, and I hated to waste any of it snoring. I had so many questions I wanted to ask him, about what everyone was up to these days. Carine, Earnest, Eleanor, Royal, Jessamine...and, against my better judgment...

I don't know exactly when I fell asleep, but I was startled when I awoke to realize I had slept without dreaming.

I'd been laid out on the couch, the blankets I'd gotten for Archie draped over me. I was still a bit out of it, so I didn't move right away, and it took me a minute to realize I could hear low voices coming from the kitchen.

"Give it to me straight," Archie was saying, his voice low and serious. "Just how bad was it?"

Charlie sighed deeply. "It was...pretty bad."

I assumed they were talking about the Clearwaters until Archie said, "Tell me everything, starting from when we left."

There was a pause while the cupboard door was closed and a dial on the stove was clicked off. Apparently Charlie had just gotten done fixing breakfast. I wanted to jump up and go stop Charlie from telling Archie anything, but I had a feeling that wouldn't stop him from finding out sometime. And I had to admit, I was just a bit curious—there were some parts I only had the haziest recollections myself. I'd been underwater, my brain numb, my ears plugged up.

"You know, I went through something similar," Charlie began in a low voice. "When his mother left. It was a rough time for me—everything sort of lost its color. So, Beau...I wasn't surprised by how deeply affected he was. His mother was always the kind who thrived on the new, but Beau is more...brittle, I guess you might say. Unbendable. I guess he must get that from me. Back then, it was tough, but I pushed through it and got back on my feet. Beau's reaction, though...I've never seen anything that extreme."

Charlie took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "That first morning, when I went in to check on him. He was just sitting there, staring. I asked him if he was going to go to school, and he didn't answer. He just stayed like that—for days. I wanted to just leave him alone so he could sort things out, but as far as I could tell, he wasn't eating or drinking. I don't know if he even slept. It was like—looking at a corpse."

"What did you do?" Archie asked in a low voice.

"I didn't want to get the doctors involved if we didn't have to," he said. "Sometimes when you're going through something, head doctors can make things worse than they already are. So I called Renée to come down here. I thought maybe if she took him back to Florida, he'd get better—Sometimes a change is what you need to get yourself out of a rut. But when we started putting some of his things together in a suitcase, he suddenly came back to life. He grabbed all the clothes Renée was packing for him, and threw them on the floor. When we tried to talk to him, he said he wasn't leaving, and that was all he would say until Renée left. We decided not to argue, and I thought, since he was finally moving again, maybe he'd start to improve after that. Get up, get on with life. And at first, I really did think things were getting better..."

Charlie trailed off, remembering. Guilt gnawed at me as I realized just how much worry I had caused him and my mom.

"But?" Archie prodded.

"It's hard to describe," said Charlie in a low, rough voice. "He seemed to be acting normal. He went back to school and work, was eating again, and kept up with his homework. He answered if someone asked him a direct question. But there was just something...off. It was like he was just going through the motions. Like he wasn't really all there. It was like...living in the same house as a war veteran, who came back from the thick of the fighting. He never spent time with other people. He would do strange things with no explanation—I found all his CDs smashed in the trash once, and he'd get up and slip out of the room if the television was on. When he smiled, it was mechanical, like a robot. It never reached his eyes. He never went anywhere, never went out with friends. He had nightmares every night, and he'd wake up throwing up, or sometimes he'd scream like he was being tortured."

I listened, absorbing all this. All that effort to keep from worrying him, and I hadn't hidden a single thing from him. I guess he had always been more observant than I'd given him credit for.

Charlie sighed again. "I just...couldn't understand it. It wasn't like a girl had left him, it was like someone had died. Like someone he knew had been killed in action."

Like someone had been killed in action—That was a good way to describe it. I was the one. I'd been killed in action—from the moment I'd lost the future I'd absolutely decided on.

"I'm sorry," said Archie quietly. "Really sorry."

I could almost see Charlie shaking his head. "It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault, really. It's just...he doesn't get over things so easily. He's always been one to stay a bit apart from the crowd, go at his own pace. But when he declares himself, he doesn't change his mind."

"He seems better now, though," said Archie slowly. "I mean better than what you just described."

"Yeah," said Charlie, and he sounded a little more hopeful. "Yeah. Ever since he started hanging out at the Blacks' place, with Julie Black, he's been a lot better. I think he's going to be okay."

He added, "You know, I think Julie's a good match for him. She knows how to have fun, but she knows what it means to have to be responsible, like Beau. Beau spent a lot of years watching out for his mother, keeping things organized, and Julies's had similar responsibilities for the last few years, having to care for her mother's physical needs since she lost her father. She's not too bad in the looks department either." Charlie's tone was warm.

"Glad to hear it," said Archie.

"Well," Charlie amended. "I don't know exactly what their relationship is now. They might still just be friends at the moment. Like I said, he doesn't change easily. He's like a tank—he just keeps going at his own pace in one direction, and won't turn even if it means he plows right over a landmine. But...I think they would make a good match. Maybe, with some more time..."

"More time," Archie echoed in a murmur.

Charlie hesitated. Then he said slowly, "Hey, kid, you know we're glad to see you, I can tell Beau definitely is...but I am a little worried. This might set him back."

"I know," said Archie, sighing heavily. "I had no idea it would be like this. I'm sorry."

"It's all right," Charlie answered with a grunt. "You didn't know." He added, "And who knows? Maybe it'll turn out for the best."

There was a break in the conversation while forks scraped against the plates and Charlie chewed. I figure Archie had secretly chucked his somewhere.

At last there was a pause in the sound of utensils, and Charlie said in a low voice, so low I almost didn't catch it, "There's something I have to know."

"Shoot," said Archie.

Another pause. Then Charlie said, in a voice just a touch colder than anything he had said so far, "She isn't going to be coming for a visit, too, is she?"

There was a moment of silence, and even laying on the couch in the living room, I could feel the sudden tension.

In all these past few months, I couldn't remember Charlie ever saying anything bad or critical about Edythe. I'd always thought maybe he felt like saying anything negative about how Edythe had left would also be saying something against my mom, and he had never once criticized my mom in front of me, not in all the years I had known him. So the warning in his voice startled me.

Archie finally responded. "No. She doesn't even know I'm here."

I heard the sound of a chair scraping back against the floor, and water rushing from the faucet, splashing against a dish.

I decided now was a good time to wake up. I turned on the couch, making the springs squeak, then stretched and yawned loudly. The kitchen was silent.

Charlie left soon after, as he was working with Saul Clearwater to make the funeral arrangements for the next day. I spent the day with Archie. I told him we could go do something in town, but he seemed content to just sit on the couch and talk.

I asked him about what the others had been up to, and he helped me get caught up. Carine had been working nights in Ithaca and teaching part time at Cornell, while Earnest had been working on restoring a seventeenth century house, a historical monument, nearby. Jessamine had been at Cornell, too, studying philosophy. Royal and Eleanor had gotten back from another honeymoon in Europe, and Archie had spent the last few months researching the lead I'd given him last spring, based on what Joss had said about his life before his change. He'd managed to find the asylum he'd spent the last years of his human life.

"My name was apparently Mark Brandon," he said. "I don't know where Archie came from—I think it must have been a nickname. I had a little brother named Clyde. He had a son—my nephew, I guess—and he's still alive and kicking in Biloxi. I couldn't find too much about my parents, except that their engagement was in the local paper at the time. I'm guessing they sent me to the asylum for having visions of the future, though there's not anything written down about that."

Archie said all this with nonchalance, but I watched him closely. I could only imagine what it must mean, to find out all this about his past. He had been wondering about it for so long. It must be a relief...and painful.

"I found an announcement of when I was born in a local paper, too," he said. "I even saw my own tombstone. It had the same date as my admission papers into the asylum."

He shook his head, smiling. "But, anyway..."

Archie told me how they were all currently spending Cornell's spring break in Denali with Tanvir and his family, all together—except one. He didn't once mention Edythe, and I didn't ask. I wondered if the others even knew what she was up to. Just enjoying her distractions? Or was she actively seeking out new acquaintances, in hopes of meeting a vampire guy who'd be a better match for her? To erase the guilt of what must seem like such a bad experience now...I shook my head and did my best not to think about it.

Charlie finally made it back in the late evening, and he looked even more haggard and worn than he had the previous night. He would be heading back up to the reservation tomorrow morning, so after a bit of dinner, he went straight to bed. Archie and I again took up the living room.

The next morning, I did a slight double-take when I sat up from the couch, and caught a glimpse of Charlie in the hall.

He was dressed in an old suit I'd never seen him wear before, the jacket open and the tie wide. I managed to lay back down before he noticed me, and he crept quietly to the door, trying not to wake us up. We both pretended to be asleep, until he was gone.

Archie sat up from the blankets I'd laid out on the floor. "Now what?" he said.

"You're the psychic, you tell me," I said.

He shook his head. "Right now, all I'm seeing is us sitting here staring at each other until someone makes a decision."

I considered. "Well," I said at last, "I've been down at La Push so much, I've gotten behind on all the housework."

He stared at me, raising an eyebrow. "Housework? Really? That's the best you can do?"

I picked at a bit of thread on the couch armrest. "I was just thinking it might make Charlie feel a bit better to come back to a neat, organized house. You know, after the funeral. I've really been letting things slide." I paused, then added, "But we can do something else if you want."

Archie sighed, but shook his head. "Nah, housework's fine. I guess anything that would help your dad out right now would be nice." He suddenly grinned and added with a wink, "You clean. I'll supervise."

I shook my head, but couldn't help but grin a little myself. "Thanks so much for the help."

I decided to start with the bathroom, hoping to knock the hardest part out first. It was starting to get a bit scary in there.

As I methodically went about each task, washing out the sink and then moving on to the tiled floor, Archie leaned against the open doorframe, shooting me questions about our school friends. Unfortunately, I couldn't tell him much, and Archie's usual grin seemed to get tighter by the minute as he began to get the full picture of zombie-me.

I was in the middle of scrubbing down the bathtub when the doorbell rang.

I turned to Archie. Sometimes it was useful, having someone around who could see the future.

"Who's that?" I asked.

Archie frowned for a moment. "Hmm," he said.

Useful, except when they didn't deign to answer you.

"Coming!" I shouted in the general direction of the door, then got up to quickly wash my hands.

"Hey," said Archie. "I think I'm going to just go and step out for a minute. Get some fresh air."

I stared at him. "Why?"

"Because I have a feeling I know who it is down there."

It took me a second to process that. "You mean you don't know?" I said, my eyebrows coming together. "You can't see?"

Archie's brow was furrowed. "No, I can't see," he said, with a hint of frustration. "Yesterday, when I didn't see you come up—I'm pretty sure now it wasn't a fluke."

I turned in the direction of the front door. "So, what you're saying is...the gaps in your vision...you can't see werewolves?"

"Looks that way," he said, mouth twisting with annoyance.

The doorbell rang again. Twice, quickly and impatiently.

"I'm gonna get going," said Archie. "Catch you in a few."

"You don't have to go," I said.

Archie laughed, but it wasn't quite his usual, carefree laugh. "This girl's a friend of yours, right? Trust me, you don't want to see the two of us in a room together."

He slapped me on the shoulder, then disappeared out into the hall, no doubt to jump out a window.

The doorbell rang again, and with a sigh, I started toward the stairs.