s o m e d ay, somehow`` [Clary]

[dakota ephraim black]

God, walking the halls all day was such a flashback to the past.

Wasn't it just a year ago that he wandered aimlessly through his classes, never focused at all on the studies, but the werewolves hidden amongst the rest of his peers? And wasn't it just a year ago that he was one of those werewolves? Toying with the zipper of his forest green jacket that did nothing to aid the slightly cooler-than-normal temperature he had (at least it wasn't icy and marble, which he recognized as only when one was full vampire), Dakota Black slid his tray as the cafeteria lady dumped a foreign lump onto the metal container. Puzzled but remaining polite, he merely cocked his head to the side in silent comment as he fished in the pockets of his jeans for change to pay for his meal. Tossing the crumpled dollar bill and quarters into her palm, Dakota thanked the lunch lady before sighing and grabbing a fork, ready to poke and prod at it until it finally moved on its own accord. Which, seeing as it was school food, after all, was a likely possibility.

Glumly tossing the food into a nearby trash can, Dakota kept his can of soda and popped it open easily, taking a sip of the fizzling grape flavor. There were added benefits of not being a complete werewolf anymore, one of them being he felt he didn't need to devour half the school's food supply before he was satiated. Dakota didn't need to eat as much anymore (though sometimes he would, he would protest while grinning, he was a growing boy after all), having the appetite more or less like the average human. Average. Dakota snorted at the thought; nothing was ever average anymore. His eyes sifted over the new and different faces, occasionally flickering over an old face he recognized or talked to the last time he was at school as a sophomore.

He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised when some of the human ones did a double-take at his face, as if to assure themselves it really was him. No longer solemn-faced or even close to as bitter as he once was, Dakota had also changed body wise... quite a bit, actually. The feeling of eyes watching him was a bit disconcerting, alien, and just downright awkward to the senior boy. But, he reminded himself as his eyes continued to wander along the cafeteria, there was something more important he had to attend to. If she was here at school today, anyway, which he sincerely hoped. It was only his first day back, after all.

Just as quickly as his curiousity came, it vanished along with a sudden freezing of his form. She was in line, talking to a friend. Clarissa Hale.

[/color] Dakota swallowed tight, his chest stiff with some overwhelming emotion. God, was she always that beautiful? There was something different about her, and he wondered vaguely if she had gotten a haircut or just changed her style of wardrobe in the past year. There was a new, feminine slenderness about her body - and with a great wave of satisfaction he eyed his mother's necklace hanging from her neck, the one he had given her so long ago. She had remembered him. She had to have wanted to, to wear it anyway. Ditching his can of soda and seat, he crossed the room in a few strides, eager and breathless. She was here. He was home. He touched her hand, gently guiding her to face him.

"Clary?"[/color]
[/blockquote][/size]

[Clarissa Hale]

As Clary walked into the cafeteria and took her spot in line with one of her friends she didn't think about what the lunch ladies were about to serve, as many of her peers were, and instead thought about the fact that she had a test after lunch. A perfectly mundane and normal thing to be thinking about, nothing too out of the ordinary. But that wasn't the only thing on her mind as the line inched forward like a snail. As she plucked up her tray she wondered vaguely if Conner would agree to spar with her again today, and whether or not she could get him to allow her to go on a patrol. He would probably say yes to the first request and no to the second, as always. With a small sigh she inched forward again, drifting out of her thoughts and back into the present.

The school cafeteria was a medley of sounds and smells, all swirling together into one big jumbled mess like they always had. The cafeteria's food, if it could be called food, smelled as unsavory as always, today reeking of grease although she could also smell the soggy green beans that had been cooked way too long. At least the few packmates that were in school could share her sentiment about the way the food smelled, although her human counterparts couldn't. They all thought it was nasty, but they couldn't appreciate its nastiness to the level she could. With a little shudder she pushed her tray down the line, making a face when she heard the lunch lady ladle the whatever-it-was onto her plate. For once she was grateful she couldn't see what it was. If she could see it she probably would have been even more grossed out, if that was even humanly possible. Her human friend made a noise of disgust as she got served, the topic of discussion quickly shifting to whether or not the food could move, given the right provocation.

"Of course it can. I mean, it looks like something puked on the plate." her friend said, crinkling her nose in disgust. Clary just smiled slightly and said nothing, pushing her tray further down the line. She could hear the lunch lady sniff disapprovingly at her friend, but she was ignored, Clary's friend continuing to whisper to her about the grossness of cafeteria food. "I get it. Cmon, you're ruining my appetite."

[/color] Clary said with a laugh just as her friend finally stopped her commentary and went oddly silent. A faint crease materialized between Clary's eyebrows as she frowned, wondering just what had made her stop talking. She was about to open her mouth and ask when a certain scent reached her nose and made her freeze. No way.. no way.[/color] Had it always been this hard to breathe? Time seemed to slow and stop, then speed up a split second later as a lot of things seemed to happen at once. First her friend leaned in to whisper that some hottie was heading right for them and in the very next moment she felt a familiar hand touch hers, guiding her around to face him.

"Clary?"

For a moment she just stood there, one hand still resting on her tray as she stared blindly at the spot where he would be. Seconds ticked by, the silence seeming to stretch on forever until she finally spoke. "Dakota."[/color] she breathed, more of a statement than a question. Her other hand dropped the tray, letting it fall with a clatter as she reached forward, touching his face delicately as if she was afraid it would shatter beneath her fingertips. However, the surprised expression on her face quickly changed to a very, very dangerous looking scowl as soon as she located his face and without any warning whatsoever she drew the hand on his face back and struck him with all her might. "You fucking asshole! How dare you!"[/color] she roared, yanking her hand away from him, her expression positively murderous. "You think you can disappear for an entire fucking year and just waltz on back here?!"[/color] She stood there, positively quivering with fury, clenching her teeth as her eyes flashed. If looks could kill, those who met her gaze would have certainly dropped dead. A years worth of pent up frustration, hurt, and resentment was just about to be released on an unsuspecting young man.

This wasn't going to be pretty.
[/size][/blockquote]

[dakota ephraim black]

She had remembered him, after all. Dakota could not even remember liking his name ever so much, not with comparing it the way she had whispered it in recognition, so quietly that he might have missed it. A small noise of contentment escaped his throat as her hands softly traced his skin, and it was then that he wondered what she thought of it. Surely Clary would have noticed his scent was slightly different than what it had been before, and his skin was not marble-hard but cool to the touch instead of burning hot. ”Hello to you, too,”

[/color] he murmured to her contentedly, glad to have her near after so long. Dakota thought back to what he had first thought when he had met Clary, almost two years ago. She looked even more amazing up close.[/color] She really had. The reunion had been worth it, and it had been sweet.

Well, at least for the first five seconds that passed. He watched as her expression switched faster than lightning, and took a step back as she swung her hand back and struck his cheek with a stinging slap. Blinking in bemusement, Dakota cocked his head to the side at her. ”Y’know…,”[/color] he drawled lazily, his voice holding strong traces of poorly-hidden humor,”That might have hurt at one point. If, you know, we were fifteen again.”[/color] The half-breed was a bit more sturdy nowadays; who couldn’t say on his time off away from La Push he hadn’t trained some with his newfound abilities and strength? ”But good try. I did feel it,”[/color] he added thoughtfully; it became apparent to him that Clary had gotten stronger as well. What was she so angry about, anyway?

Clary continued her cursing at him, assumingly not noticing the way Dakota’s eyebrows raised fractionally at her words. Was she really that upset at him? He had only sent her a letter a week ago from Rachel’s, informing her he’d be back and enrolled as a senior at La Push with her. Dakota held up a hand to silence her (or attempt, anyway, she looked really pissed off), shaking his head back and forth in misunderstanding. ”I would have visited you yesterday, swear, but we were busy unpacking and settling in… do you know I live on the Reservation now?”[/color] he paused for a moment, remembering how he had explained about Audrey coming to live with him as well. ”She doesn’t like La Push very much so far,”[/color] he sighed in his confession, shoulders slumping,”But I hope she’ll grow to like it. Maybe you could stop by and meet her?”[/color] Dakota had taken up his new responsibility as a big brother to heart, and he tried to make it as comfortable as possible for Audrey now. He supposed it wasn’t easy, moving to a brand-new school in a new town in your junior year, without the complications of being a newly-phased werewolf at that. From what he knew, Audrey hadn’t phased since, and therefore hadn’t met the rest of the pack in their joint, hive mind.

Returning his attention to her anger, Dakota tried to place a soothing hand on hers. ”I really missed you,”[/color] he told her earnestly, honesty shining apparent in his eyes. Maybe all she needed was for him to remind her that it was all okay now and calm her down, and she would be all right. The shaking of her form was apparent, and the last thing she probably needed was to explode into a wolf right in front of everyone. ”It wasn’t so bad after finding her, I’ll admit that,”[/color] he continued, referring to meeting his mother after an entire childhood and adolescence without her presence,”But every day there was still something missing, and I hadn’t known what it was until I came back, until I saw you again.”[/blockquote][/size]

[Clarissa Hale]

Currently the difference in Dakota's temperature and scent were the things furthest from her mind. Sure, she did notice, but she'd already gotten a whiff of his new smell when he had come to see her that one day a year ago so it wasn't too much of a shocker. Maybe if she wasn't pissed as hell she would have taken some time to evaluate the difference in his features by touch, the strange coolness of his skin, even the odd hardness that it had. But unfortunately for Dakota she was pissed off, making such observations lost on her. Not that her female peers had the same sort of mindset. They stared at him with abandon, whispering this and that about the "hunk" talking to the weird blind chick, the gossiping getting even worse when she went off the handle.

When her slap did not have the effect she desired, it even seemed to amuse him for some reason, an odd noise halfway between a growl and a hiss escaped her. The quivering was getting more pronounced as her hands clenched into fists, her nails beginning to bite into her palms. Not that she noticed, or cared, that the nails were beginning to break the skin. What was he, dense? He should at the very least be trying to figure out why she'd slapped him, or apologized for his lengthy absence or something. Instead he stood there, drawling like a cocky little bastard as he brushed off her slap like it was nothing. An oddly strangled noise escaped her when he mentioned the "if we were fifteen again" bit. He had quite the nerve to bring that up. A muscle jumped in her jaw as she considered going for a punch instead of a slap. Maybe that would be able to get past his thick skull and make it very clear to him just how pissed off she was. However, her plans to slug him were quickly diverted by what he said next.

Not that what he said was making her feel any better. On the contrary, it made her even madder. So he'd been here for a day already and he hadn't even bothered to say hello? "No, I didn't, and you could have had the fucking decency to tell me, Dakota."

[/color] she hissed darkly. After a moment the rest of the words in that sentence slowly filtered into her brain. Wait.. we...? The burning fury on her face was temporarily overshadowed by a flicker of confusion, especially when he kept on talking. She went oddly still as a cold sensation spread through her body while what he said sank in, making her feel sick. "Meet... her...?"[/color] Her voice sounded oddly strained as she struggled to make sense of what he was saying. Sure, Dakota had abandoned her for a year, but he wouldn't leave her for some other girl.. would he? What on earth had Clary done? Was there something wrong with her perhaps? Had it been something she'd said? Still, even if it was her fault, he could have at least given her some warning or something.

It was almost as if someone had stuffed cotton into Clary's ears as she stood there mutely as Dakota touched her hand and tried to whisper soothing words. The only thing that she heard, the only thing that seemed capable of shocking her out of her temporary silence was the bit about her. It wasn’t so bad after finding her, I’ll admit that... In her head, that sentence was all that mattered. She didn't even bother to listen to what he said next, that sentence still ringing through her ears with absolute clarity. He really had found someone else then, while Clary had been sitting around waiting and waiting and waiting for him to come back. "You mean to tell me... that I waited for you for an entire fucking year,"[/color] she said, her voice oddly calm and hollow. "And you just went and got yourself some whore in the meantime and brought her back with you?"[/color] The trembling returned as she abruptly yanked her hand away from his and reached up to yank the necklace from around her throat, the chain snapping easily. She paused for a moment, holding it in her fist as she quivered, her determination wavering for a second or two before it stabilized and she chucked it at him.

Angry tears started to well up in her eyes as she bent down to grab her cane from where she had dropped it. If he thought that he could just do this to her and get away with it, he had another thought coming. Rubbing furiously at her eyes to stop the tears Clary promptly stormed off, her cane hitting the tiles with a little bit more force than necessary. She didn't want to provide her classmates with any more gossip, and if she got any angrier she would shift in front of them which would not be good. What she needed was some fresh air, and to be somewhere far far away from him, even though part of her wanted to go right back.
[/size][/blockquote]

[dakota ephraim black]

”But I’m sure I mentioned it, though,”

[/color] he frowned quizzically, cocking his head to the side as if to help him remember. Yes, he had mentioned he was moving back to the Reservation, hadn’t he? It was in the last letter, if not the one before that. Dakota had kept her in constant update with his life, from the most insignificant change to meeting his mother again. The teen stood, more confused as ever, bothered by her blatant rage building up towards him. He was genuinely sorry he had to go, but hadn’t he also explained that in his letters? There was no reason, none at all in his mind, that he could fathom to explain why she would be this upset with him. But there had to be; she loved him, didn’t she? So she had to have some sort of valid reason to stare at Dakota that, if looks could kill, would.

The sudden tensing of her body alerted him, was there something wrong with what he said? ”Yes…,”[/color] he said slowly, cautiously, not sure why his words would set her off like they did,”I think meeting another, uh…”[/color] He paused for another moment, averting his eyes to the many onlookers they were beginning to attract. There were several, and he had just begun to notice how they had whispered commentaries throughout the entire ordeal so far. ”I heard that! She’s got a hell of a hand.” “Yeah, but did you see how he brushed it off?” “They’re not… they couldn’t be a couple or anything, right?” “That’s Dakota Black, he’s only had eyes for her since sophomore year.” ”Person, like you, would help her out a bit. She’s been having some trouble adjusting,”[/color] Dakota finished lamely, anxiously observing her reaction. Why would news of his half-sister trouble her?

Her angry tirade spilled out furthermore, and Dakota’s eyes widened as he heard the words come out of her mouth. Was she serious? What possible vendetta could she have against Audrey, who she had never even seen or met before? True, had Dakota not been staring into the eyes of his imprint, his true love, he would have surely growled in ferocity and defense of his blood. He had taken it upon himself to protect Audrey no matter what, even from the vicious rumors that were sure to come as this scene carried on. ”Clarissa, I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t call my sister a whore,”[/color] Dakota forced out calmly, as the crowds around them gasped. ”Holy shit, incest!” “No, you idiot, she didn’t know!” “He has a sister? … Is she hot?” He shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them again. No, he knew it in his heart that Clary wouldn’t insult his family like that. Especially with how he had poured his heart into the letters with his joy after reconciliation with them, she couldn’t have, unless- unless…

Unless she never got the letters in the first place.[/color] But how could that happen? He had written the addresses neatly every time, sent them to the post office himself. Before he could open his mouth to question her, though, he felt his heart clench painfully as she ripped off the necklace and thrown it back at him. Holding it in his hands, Dakota ran his thumb over the wooden figurine wolf and was brought back to the day he gave it to her. The whispers in the cafeteria exploded into full frontal conversation as Clary stalked off. ”Break up central, here we go.” “Do you think he’ll go out with me to Winter Formal?” ”You didn’t get my letters!”[/color] Dakota called after her, clutching the necklace in his hand as he jogged to follow her, pulling her around by her arm. ”Clary, please, wait, wait,”[/color] he asked of her, sounding very much hurt that she would get such a wrong impression of him. He waited until she had stopped before he held her face with both his hands, forcing her not to turn away from him. She had to listen to him, she just had to.

Dakota waited a beat, and could almost feel the eyes of the student body watching them in this intense moment. ”Every second I was gone there was emptiness in my chest, in my heart; something only you could fill. I sent you letters whenever I could, in Braille even so you could read them.”[/color] He ignored the buzzing of his peers, and continued on firmly, his voice growing stronger with each passing word. ”I met my mom, and after - after Audrey turned, I brought her back here with me. She’s my sister. And I do love her, I do, but I’m in love with you. It’s always you, Clary.”[/color][/size][/blockquote]

[Clarissa Hale]

It was only now that Clary started to notice the absurdity of some of what he was saying. How on earth had he mentioned this before? He'd never once tried to contact her by calling her up or using some other sort of means. But.. what if he had, and it just never got to me?

[/color] That would have been just her luck, for letters from him to get lost in the mail and never reach her home. But even while part of her brain tried to function rationally the other half continued to fume and burn, built up resentment bubbling up to the surface that refused to be done away with by a possible explanation. Concrete evidence was what it wanted, and since there was a lack there of, there was no reason to be so easy to forgive. "Mention it? How could you have mentioned it? You never bothered to even try and contact me."[/color] she said bitterly, her look becoming a bit more resentful and hurt than murderous.

The not so subtle whispers of her peers finally started to register in Clary's head, causing a dull flush to color her cheeks although their gossiping didn't exactly stop her from continuing their little confrontation. This little incident would probably haunt her for the rest of the school year but she wasn't about to back down because she was afraid of hurting her own image. Most of them thought she was crazy anyway, and their gossip just proved it. "Talk about crazy girlfriends." "Yeah, she's going pretty ballistic on him." "Wonder where she learned to hit like that, I thought she did ballet, not karate." A muscle jumped in her jaw again as she tried her very best to ignore their commentary, although she noted the one about how she had a hell of a hand with a bit of perverse satisfaction. At least someone appreciated the lengths she'd gone to in order to make herself a bit stronger, albeit they probably didn't understand just what she'd done to make that slap have enough force to break the jaw of a normal little human. But as always, Dakota's words tugged her attention back to him and as with the rest of this conversation, what he said made little sense. "A person like me? What, is she blind too?"[/color] It would be odd if he had gone to find someone just like her, in that respect anyway.

She barely managed to catch what he said as she stormed off, the tapping of her cane missing a beat before she continued, her eyes staring straight ahead as the whispering spread like wildfire. "Wow. She sure jumped to the wrong conclusion." "Look at that, she just keeps on walking." She was his sister...[/color] While the thought was a bit of a comfort, Clary still stubbornly maintained her anger. Her reasoning being that he could have at least explained that in the first place, instead of leaving what he'd said open to interpretation. What was she supposed to think when he'd spoken like that? Any other sane girl in her position would have made the same connections that she had, and they would have definitely gotten as angry as she had. But the burn of anger was slowly and steadily being replaced with the burn of humiliation as she was subjected to the gossip of her classmates, her enhanced senses allowing her to hear every word, both good and bad. Shame and regret started to replace the anger, and she started to want to get out of here not because she wanted to escape Dakota, but because she wanted to get as far as she could from the prying eyes of her peers.

However, one little comment from a girl who was speculating over whether or not Dakota would ask her to the winter formal almost made Clary stop in her tracks. She would have very much liked to turn to her and give her a good talking to about just what would happen if she tried to chase another girls man, especially her man, but she remembered two things which would prevent her from doing any such thing. The first being that she shouldn't technically have been able to hear that comment and secondly she was supposed to be pissed off at Dakota, not trying to stake her claim on him. So she just kept on walking, or at least she tried to until Dakota grabbed her arm and stopped her. She tried, although without much effort, to tug her arm out of his grip, frowning a little at where she thought he was although as per usual she was a bit off. "Let me go."[/color] she said, stubbornly giving her arm a little half-hearted tug. "I never got any letters. Why would you even write letters? I can't-"[/color] she started to protest, although her voice died away when he put his hands on her face, turning her toward him.

It was almost as if by that motion he had temporarily put the rest of the school body on mute, making their chatter little more than a mildly annoying buzzing. The anger was long gone by now, but the mild hurt remained as she gazed up at him, although that was quickly starting to melt away as well. But even though the hurt was fading the stupid tears started to well up again. Honestly, what was wrong with her? "But you can't even write in Braille."[/color] she protested rather lamely, her brow creasing as she frowned the tiniest bit. "You could have used a phone, you big stupid idiot."[/color] she said, her voice getting quieter with each sentence, unlike his. "Then I wouldn't have worried so damn much, or gotten so pissed off at you."[/color] She paused for a moment, warring desires battling it out in her head for a few moments as she debated on whether she should continue to chew him out or forgive him. But his next words seemed to seal the deal and make her next course of action the only logical choice, to her at least. Without saying another word she suddenly surged upward, her arms wrapping around his neck and her fingers tangling themselves in his hair as she kissed him fiercely and almost possessively. She completely ignored the minor eruption of gossiping that occurred when she attacked him in such a fashion.

I'll let you guess which side won.
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[dakota ephraim black]

He shook his head again at her misunderstanding; how could he explain when the entire room was practically holding their breath to hear every uttered word between the two? ”No, not blind…,”

[/color] he murmured, trailing off as he wondered how to word it correctly. I meant she phases into a giant wolf, much like yourself… No… she…[/color] Dakota bit his lip, cocking his head to the side, temporarily allowing other voices to penetrate his moment of concentration. ”Oooh, burn.” “Is he talking about the junior with the attitude? I swear I offered her a pencil and she glared at me…” “She’s not blind… wait, what?” Stifling the now overwhelming urge to roll his eyes (didn’t they have anything better to do than hiss to each other about what was going on between them?), Dakota paused again. ”By ‘like you’, I meant having things in common with some of the ‘protectors’ of La Push.” ”Now I’m confused.” “The old Uleys’ cult?”

By all the gods in heaven, was Clary always this damn stubborn? He didn’t see her, not once, turn back towards him as she walked away – not that it would have been a good thing to begin with, he guessed if she had it would have been accompanied with some scathing remark of the sort. If not for the fact he had called out for her enough that the humans heard well enough, then for the fact she was a werewolf with enhanced hearing, assured him that she had to have heard him correct her misconception. Dakota couldn’t help but catch onto a few comments from passerby males that had caught interest in the young, blind woman. ”She’s single, now, dude, go for it!” “How hard do you think it’d be to get her into bed with me?” Not stopping to even pretend he hadn’t heard the hushed words, Dakota’s attention from Clary was diverted as he darkly stared down the two boys whom the comments had come from. Although they couldn’t be sure how he had overheard them, there was no mistaking Dakota’s look of fury, and, gradually, the slinking of their shoulders as they turned away and refused to meet his eyes. Lousy fuckers.[/color]

At least she had the patience in her to at least take in his words, he thought, watching her face change with dawning comprehension. ”You’re right, I suck at Braille,”[/color] he admitted sheepishly, ducking his head for a moment and chuckling lowly,”I had to get help at the post office, I looked pretty stupid if you really want to know.”[/color] Dakota caught the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes, resting his forehead against hers before pressing the lightest of kisses on her cheek. ”But I couldn’t let just a simple barrier stop me from talking to you,”[/color] he told her, shutting his eyes for a short second, enjoying the warmth he felt from her. As she continued, though, Dakota had finally felt a wave of relief, and the tiniest bit of smug satisfaction as he laughed at her following sentence. God, he had really missed hearing her voice, even when she was just scolding him. ”Yeah… that’s true,”[/color] Dakota amended,”But this ‘big stupid idiot’, as you put it, is here to stay this time around.”[/color]

Dakota wasn’t exactly sure what she’d do next – so he was more than just a little taken aback by the strength and fervor that had overcame her when Clary leaned in forward to claim his lips in a kiss. Somewhere in the faint background he could hear some crude cheers from his classmates, but he ignored them. This wasn’t admittedly very hard to do, as Dakota felt himself kissing her back with just as much passion. His hands – still one of them clutching the necklace - had wrapped themselves around her waist, one of them on the small of her back as he pulled her closer to him. But still it hadn’t been close enough, pressing her further into him as his mind was lost in a haze. There was nothing, nothing but her in all his senses. She was all he could see, feel, hear, and taste, and nothing had ever felt better. [/blockquote][/size]

[Clarissa Hale]

What was it about humans that made them feel the need to gossip? What, their love lives are so boring they feel compelled to talk about mine?

[/color] Clary thought in disgust as she heard some snippets of the conversations going on about her and Dakota. They were starting to use less and less caution, which was pretty stupid on their part because it only made it easier for Clary to hear and if they got loud enough she would be finally be able to respond. And they would not want that. Especially if she caught them talking about the boy she was currently chewing out. While she wasn't about to admit it outright, Clary always got pretty touchy on subjects related to her imprint. Especially when it came to other girls expressing so much as the tiniest bit of interest in him. However, her attentions were diverted from trying to figure out just how to confront that one girl commenting on how she could snag Dakota now that he was "single" when Dakota talked about the mystery girl having something similar to the protectors of La Push. "..Oh."[/color] Shock and then recognition dawned on her face as what he was saying started to get through her apparently thick skull. The question was, would Clary start to listen or was she stubborn enough to keep on trying to escape?

It just so happened that Clary was just that damn stubborn. Even her older brother didn't know where her tenacity came from. Neither of her parents had ever really stuck to one plan or the other, taking the chance to cop out of being involved in their children's lives when they could. And yet Clary had to have the largest stubborn streak ever before seen in her family. Which was why she was able to keep on walking, even as explanations were being offered about his little absence and the mystery girl. While stubbornness wasn't exactly the strongest point in Clary's personality, it could be called a major flaw actually, that stubbornness had served her well in the past. It was only during times like this that her stubborn streak made her act in ways that proved to not be in her best interest. "Can't pay attention to their own business."[/color] she whispered darkly as more people commented on her heartlessness as she walked away. Still, at the very least her fleeing the scene would move this confrontation to a more private venue where plenty of curious students wouldn't bear witness to their lover's quarrel.

Although when he stopped her, her plans changed a bit abruptly. The need to escape from the eyes that seemed to burn into her skin (even though she couldn't even see them looking in the first place) seemed to dissolve, as did her awareness of the fact that they were watching. For now at least she felt as if she and Dakota were enclosed in their own little bubble of a universe and she could shut out all of the comments, good or bad (mostly bad), about their actions. Now she was starting to feel very, very guilty for her previous reaction when he'd said hello. She wanted to kick herself, or maybe smack herself with her cane. Either that or go crawl into a nice hole somewhere. A little smile made her lips twitch up when he talked about the post office. She could picture it in her head, or at least she could imagine the conversation, and that alone was enough to make her laugh. She did manage a little giggle that was interrupted by a hiccup of a little sob, her face immediately burning with shame. Why on earth was she getting so emotional? What was she, a pansy? "You'd better not."[/color] she whispered, fighting to put a slightly threatening scowl on her face, and failing. The anger was starting to bleed away now, the rest of her was way too determined to be happy now that she was back in his presence.

And boy, did she feel happy now that she had decided to put down the hatchet. Not bury it, she still had plenty of questions for him, but at least she'd decided to stop snarling at him. Although her questions were the furthest thing from her mind at that moment. Currently her mind was completely absorbed with Dakota Black. The softness of his hair, his lips, his taste, his scent, everything. She did not protest when he pressed her close to him, she pressed herself against him with about as much force, her fingers detaching from his hair at last as she began to trace her fingers lightly over his skin, re-memorizing every inch. Only when she ran short of breath did she pull away to draw in a deep shuddering breath, although she only moved as far as was necessary. The need to say something suddenly became apparent, although seeing as she was currently feeling practically intoxicated what came out was little more than a breathless whisper. "Love you."[/color] she murmured, her fingertips gently tracing his cheekbones. However, this brief break shattered her little bubble and the chattering of her classmates suddenly became very loud. "Did you see that?" "Talk about bipolar." "I don't think he's complaining." Her face instantly started to burn with shame, a flush burning under her skin as she buried her face in his shoulder. The feeling of shame was back in full force now, accompanied by a sudden desire for the earth to open up and swallow her whole. "Could we.. go somewhere else..? Please?"[/color] she mumbled against his shirt, trying to pretend as if she couldn't hear what everyone was saying. Which worked about as well as trying to hum tunes in order to block out the noise from a stereo whose volume was on high.
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[dakota ephraim black]

’Whoa, she just turned him down.’ ‘bitch much?’ At this, a low growl erupted from his throat. A few of the watchers had widened their eyes; a grown teenager growling? ”Apologize,”

[/color] he demanded, eyes still trained on Clary’s departure as he gradually tore his gaze away to stare down the culprit. The girl let out a squeak of some sort, and as his eyes narrowed, a quick apology was uttered. More than likely not truthful or heartfelt, but out of fear; either way it was an apology, so whatever. It was kind of stupid in its own way; his reputation seemed to have held him since he was a easily-provoked sophomore. There was very little anyone could do now to push Dakota that far over the edge – a more blissful control over himself, he supposed. Almost about to call out to Clary yet again, his attention was diverted when he heard another female voice about how she could probably “snag” him now. Dakota snorted in disbelief; she must be kidding. No, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t heard some of the more crude comments about him from the female base of the La Push population since he had come back, it wasn’t that. How could any of them even possibly believe they matched up to Clary? It was absurd in the highest degree.

In all honesty Dakota couldn’t really have expected Clary to just swallow his explanation and come running back to him; for one, it just wasn’t the Clary he knew to do that. It was a part of her that he loved, in all aspects anyway - her headstrong nature. Secondly, that would have been pretty… tame. And it was just a guess, but Dakota doubted any part of his life could ever be described as ‘tame’ (had it ever been?). He heard her mutter, and a small pang shot through his chest; it probably bothered him. Dakota shot a few of the louder perpetrators dirty looks, though he soon realized it was impossible to silence the entire room. It was high school, after all – gossip simply thrived on these conditions like a bubbling infestation. The words barely connected to his brain – such as heartless or ignorant, and somehow he realized they were talking about Clary. Ridiculous.[/color] Was he the only one who saw her as she was?

When she had finally begun to listen to him, though, a small wave of relief spread through him. He traced the outlines of her lips as they twitched upwards in a small smile, a mirrored reaction on his own face. It was true; he had looked more than just a little ridiculous on his part confusedly asking how to translate an entire letter into Braille. But it had to be done, so it was. ”Aw, damn, Clary,”[/color] he held in a small groan; was that a strangled sob he heard? ”Don’t, come on now, I’m here.”[/color] It just so happened that Dakota was a boy, and therefore not the best in the area of comforting women (Audrey had proven that enough with her shudder-inducing mood swings, good lord), but the fact it was his imprint made it ten times worse. Granted, he had come very far from the emotional void/capacity-of-filling-a-teaspoon that he was back then, but, well… girls were just scary. And undeniably unpredictable, at that. Dakota heard her next choice of words, and grinned, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. ”Wouldn’t even dream of it.”[/color]

The feel of her hands along his skin made him warm – no, ignite with a blazing happiness all throughout him. Dakota felt her pull away first, and it was only that he released her reluctantly as he pressed a softer, lighter kiss on her lips before pulling away. If you could really call it pulling away, anyway; his hands still lay on her hips and his forehead rested against hers, his chest rising and falling in calm, soothed breaths. ”Love you always,”[/color] he murmured back, letting her bury her head in his shoulder as the sound from their surroundings seemed to peak as soon as they were done. The whistling and crude yells had become increasingly louder, and it was only very sheepishly on his part that Dakota glanced around and caught the eyes of a few friends that he knew. He felt himself grinning widely, however, as he suddenly whisked her off the ground bride-style and started laughing. The hollers and yells had only continued to grow louder, and he was sure he heard the stamping of feet from some of the football players. ”Whatever you want, Clary,”[/color] Dakota replied, before adjusting his hold so she’d be more comfortable, striding outside of the cafeteria.[/blockquote][/size]

[Clarissa Hale]

At the moment Clary could be described as a ticking time bomb, her temper rising steadily as girls continued to whisper about snagging her boyfriend. As if she'd let them. Sure, they were fighting now, but that didn't mean she'd dumped him. She'd never even said "we're through" or any other phrase which could be twisted into or interpreted as meaning that she was dumping him. Which was not going to happen, not now, not ever. And yet they were under the bizarre delusion that a breakup was what this fight was leading up to. Maybe if she and Dakota only felt the normal, shallow sort of love that most high schoolers feel then that was what this situation would end in, but they had a far deeper connection than that. He was her imprint, for goodness sakes. Sure, she would yell at him, she could get pissed as hell at him, but she could never leave him, not ever.

Still.. some of the comments about Clary's hostile behavior weren't all utterly false. The past year had changed Clary in a very different way than it had changed Dakota. Instead of making her calmer and more easy going, it had made her emotions more volatile and less reluctant to act on what she was feeling. The shell Clary had so carefully constructed about herself had been all but torn away during Dakota's absence. The impulsive, headstrong side she'd only previously shown Conner and Dakota was now on display for the whole world. In a way it was a good thing, seeing as Clary was no longer keeping herself distanced and aloof from others, but it also meant that she would get herself into situations like the one she was currently in. Which Clary did not particularly enjoy, for while her shell was gone her shyness was certainly not, and she still didn't like putting her feelings on display for people she didn't know. Which was what was currently happening, much to her displeasure.

But her displeasure about this whole situation quickly evaporated when his fingers traced her lips. As always, his touch alone was enough to make her heart start hammering in her chest and make everything else evaporate and lose importance. But even though she was feeling incredibly happy and even though her anger was draining away like water through a sieve, the tears just refused to stop. She didn't even want to cry. She blinked furiously as she tried to force herself to stop, her mouth twisting into a little grimace as her brow furrowed. "As if I'd let myself cry around anyone else."

[/color] she muttered when he spoke, speaking so softly that even the eavesdroppers with the best hearing couldn't catch what she said. Unless, of course, they had the heightened senses she and Dakota had. Then they would hear her just fine. "Do you think I want to cry? I don't even know why I'm crying, I'm not even sad."[/color] she mumbled, blinking furiously, the tears finally seeming to stop. Stupid hormones. The grimace quickly turned into a little smile again when he kissed her on the cheek. "damn right you wouldn't."[/color]

Being this happy had to be some sort of fluke. Nothing could ever be this perfect, feel this good, and be real. The rest of the school seemed happy to prove her right, the cat calls and the stomping causing her to come crashing down from her high. This could not get more humiliating. There's just no way. I will never live this down.[/color] Unfortunately for Clary, she was quickly proven wrong once again as it became very clear that yes, this could get more embarrassing. A squeak of surprise escaped her when Dakota swept her up, her arms wrapping instinctively around his neck as she clutched on for dear life. You would have thought she was dangling from a cliff instead of getting carried. "This wasn't what I meant!"[/color] she yelped, her eyes wide as he started to walk. "Put me down! Put me down!"[/color] she protested, although she wasn't exactly fighting his hold. Quite the contrary, her grip on him would have made it very hard for anyone to detach her from him. This detail was not missed by her classmates. "Woah!" "Didn't see that coming." "Did you see her face? Priceless!" "They don't waste time." The last comment made Clary go absolutely scarlet, temporarily forgetting the fact that she was supposed to be trying to get Dakota to put her down. But she didn't hide in shame this time either. Instead, face flushed and eyes blazing, she temporarily let go with one hand, giving their rude spectators the finger before she quickly regained her grip. The yelling that followed was thankfully cut off, for the most part, as the door to the cafeteria closed behind them.

"I can't believe you!"[/color] Clary said once they were a good few feet away from it. "Do you have any idea what they're going to say now?"[/color] she groaned, imagining the teasing and the dirty comments she was going to put up with from here on out. Still... in a way, it was worth it. She rather liked being carried around. But more than anything, she liked him being back. She'd take any amount of teasing in exchange for that.
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[dakota ephraim black]

Did these people honestly have no sense whatsoever? Both boy and girl clusters alike had formed, each strategizing how to steal the two from each other. You've got to be kidding me.

[/color] Dakota felt very much the urge to roll his eyes but supressed it; one, plans like that had hardly ever even worked; two, humans couldn't imprint. That had made all the difference in Dakota's mind. They couldn't feel the hold he had on Clary, and vice-versa. The unbreakable bond couldn't even bother to be tested by petty interference from hormonal classmates, it just wouldn't work. It wasn't compatible. No one would ever be - at least, not for him. His mate for life was Clarissa Ann Hale, and the chances of that changing anytime at all were simply nonexistent.

He couldn’t exactly deny her nature – but he supposed what surprised him to this moment was to the extent she would show it. Dakota had picked up enough on her words already to sense her annoyance towards the general La Push student population for the gossiping interference as it was, but the fact she had confronted him in the audience of everyone else was… new. Or maybe not all that new, he mused, he had been gone a while. It seemed to be both a good thing and a bad thing; a vice in this particular moment, although. Dakota was likely to take the newfound gossip and rumors in stride, Clary however, he wasn’t sure. Embarrassment, a given, yes, and for that he felt slightly sorry. Maybe he shouldn’t have confronted her in such a public place; but it wasn’t all his fault, was it? It couldn’t be, not when he had not even the slightest clue in the world how her reaction would be.

Hearing her softly mutter back to him, he tilted his head at her. ”As if I’d want you to cry at all,”[/color] Dakota sighed, letting his thumb brush away the stray tears that were beginning to slowly cease. She had smiled again and he had responded with his own, vibrant that she was finally beginning to realize he wouldn’t be going anywhere away for a long, long time. For what reason was there to leave Clary again, anyway? He had found his family, he could visit when he wanted (and perhaps bring her along to meet them as well), and he knew his extent and abilities as a half-breed by now. ”Nope,”[/color] Dakota grinned, shaking his head back and forth, bemused now,”I’m well aware you’d cheerfully beat me an inch from death if something like that were to happen.”[/color]

His laugh had become full-pronounced as her instinctual protest rose once he swept her off the ground with complete ease, sheepishly ducking his head in case she would decide to slap him yet again. Hazel eyes went wide to the brim in faux surprise, as he cocked his head to the side. ”No? But, that’s what I thought you meant, love,”[/color] Dakota told her, looking around once more to catch the eyes of a few people he knew back in the day and shooting them a pleased grin. The whispers, per se, had become blown out yells and cheers from some of the spectators, in fact. ”Whooo! Go Dakota!” “Dude, he’s got nerve.” “She looks like she might faint!” But perhaps one of the comments that had gone along the lines of ’They don’t waste time’ had sparked his attention, and before he could shout back Clary’s middle finger was waving proudly in the air. Dakota gaped at her temporarily.

Still chuckling at her and the situation, Dakota released his hold on her and gently put her back on solid ground. ”Not really. Though be sure to tell me when you find out, okay?”[/color] he teased her, wrapping her in a hug from behind. He had her in his arms again, and really, that was all that mattered.[/blockquote][/size]

[Clarissa Hale]

These people had to have brain damage of some sort. Or perhaps they were all suffering from a bout of idiocy which was making rounds in the school. As if they could hope to compete with the depth of her feelings for her imprint. Their petty, hormonal minds were about as deep as a puddle in comparison. They knew nothing of Dakota, or of her, and were simply obsessed with the fact that they happened to be good looking. Their personalities, their fears, their true natures, none of that came into play. All they paid attention to was the fact that Clary was "hot" and Dakota was also "hot", and that in their minds filled all the requirements needed for a suitable girlfriend or boyfriend. Shallow idiots.

[/color] Clary thought in disgust as she caught snippets of their conversations. Still, those who were intent on chasing her or Dakota were definitely not the majority, and she was able to take that as a small comfort.

Still, she wished this confrontation hadn't happened in such a public place. The original fearlessness that her fury had bestowed upon her was quickly melting away and was being happily replaced by her good old friend "insecurity". The conflict of fight or flight was not even a conflict any more, seeing as her mind was set on the flight option. Clary had changed in Dakota's absence, more like she'd changed because of it, but her old nature wasn't entirely gone. The ghosts of her insecurities remained, and while they held less power over her now that didn't mean they were gone for good. They wouldn't be good for a long, long time, and she knew that. One day they might disappear, but not now. Not yet.

A pleasant shiver ran through her when his thumb brushed across her cheek to sweep the tears away, although they had finally stopped. She smiled weakly at him when he spoke and shrugged. "Could have fooled me."[/color] she mumbled, although the hesitant smile remained, showing that she was trying to tell some sort of a joke. A tasteless joke to be sure, seeing as it might hurt him instead of making him laugh, but at least she was trying. That had to count for something, didn't it? With each passing second her anger seemed to steadily diminish, as did the anxious air she had about her as if she was still afraid that he would vanish if she looked away too soon. But the stubbornness was starting to come back and she gave him a fierce glare when he next spoke. It was more of an attempt at being threatening, not that she really succeeded. "damn right I would. And if I wouldn't, I'd get Conner to do it for me."[/color] she paused for a moment. ".. Though I'd only cheerfully beat you two inches from death. I don't want to take any chances."[/color] Her expression when she spoke was so incredibly serious it was almost laughable. Scratch the almost, it was laughable.

A noise of indignation and protest escaped her when he laughed, her grip on him tightening. Contrary to what he thought she would try, she didn't even think of slapping him. She was too busy trying to make sure she wouldn't fall. A scowl became rather pronounced on her face when he spoke, her brow knitting in disapproval. "Well it isn't what I meant! Put me down!"[/color] she said fiercely, although it was only a half-hearted protest now. The other, less crude comments that were being shouted made her face get even redder and she shrank slightly in his arms. "... You're enjoying this aren't you. I'll get you for this."[/color] she said darkly. "... And I am not going to faint."[/color] she protested, her blind eyes flashing defiantly as she straightened up a little, her pride starting to kick in again. The exclamations that had followed her flipping them off had made the werewolf just the tiniest bit smug. They certainly hadn't seen that coming, and she doubted that Dakota had expected it either. He probably hadn't expected any of what she'd done today, seeing as all of it had been out of character for her previous self.

Still giving Dakota a dirty look (or at least trying to, seeing as she didn't exactly know where he was) Clary released him the moment he let her slide to the ground. She took a moment to get her bearings, although before she could turn around to face him he was hugging her from behind. As per usual, he had the uncanny ability to wipe her mind clear and to calm her down with such a simple motion. She relaxed instantly, leaning back into his hold and tilting her head back in an attempt to look in his direction, her gaze oddly reproachful. "... I'll get you for this. You just wait."[/color] she mumbled, although the bitterness was more or less gone by now.
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