Black Hole Sun [Harry Potter/Twilight]

XLIII : The Invisible String

GWEN

"Hi" Gwen said, immediately knowing there something was off about Edward. "Come in."

"I saw the light turned on" Edward said quietly, giving her a small smile that didn't quite match the sadness swimming in his golden eyes.

"Were you just sneaking outside of my window?" The raven-haired woman teased, as she closed the door behind him. "A peeping tom vampire, you could make a movie about that in Hollywood."

Edward couldn't help but let out a chuckle, as his smile did not quite match his sorrowful eyes.

"The Quileute's explained to me what Hollywood was" Gwen explained, as she led Edward to the living room. "They're quite characters. Even got a nickname from them."

"You were with the wolves?" Edward asked suddenly, as her words registered with him and his face turned to one of concern. "Werewolves are unstable. Sometimes, the people near them get hurt, they get killed. They're dangerous Gwen. You can't be around them--"

"I can do what I want. Besides, they're not so tough. I even pinned one of them down."

"You what?!"

"It wasn't a big deal, I knew Paul would fine."

"They're volatile! Especially Paul! They're untrained and could hurt you! They tried to attack you just a few days ago!"

"No, they tried to attack you."

Gwen and Edward both stood still, the brown eyes looking into the golden ones, both trying to challenge the other. And yet, they both held their ground with equal footing. There was something else to their gaze. It wasn't threatening nor full of anger or superiority. It was full of caring, concern, and a maybe, a little bit of lust.

Unintentionally, the two moved closer to one another, as though they were a sun and a moon, gravitating towards one another with an unexplainable force.

"I know them better than you think, Gwen. I was here the last time" Edward said, breaking their silence as they were now merely inches from each other.

"Last one of what?" Gwen questioned, as she looked up to meet Edward's golden eyes.

"We started crossing paths with the wolves about seventy years ago. We had just settled near Hoquiam. That was before Alice and Jasper were with us. We outnumbered them, but that wouldn't have stopped it from turning into a fight if not for Carlisle. He managed to convince Ephraim Black that coexisting was possible, and eventually we made the truce. Even then, we knew how dangerous and volatile they could be. And they still are. They're children now. Back then, they were men. And even then, they had trouble controlling themselves."

"So seventy years ago there was a truce, and then here you come along again and break it."

"I didn't break it for just any old reason" Edward said tenderly, as he examined Gwen once more with desolation. "I broke it because I couldn't stand the idea of you being in danger. Of you getting hurt, and me...Cowardly waiting on the sidelines."

"You know those puppies couldn't hurt me, you can't even hurt me" Gwen said in a teasing but quiet voice.

Edward had a sorrowful look in his eyes once more, as though his entire world was coming apart. She knew the look. It was one she once wore on a daily basis. Swallowing hard, Gwen felt an sadness develop in her chest. It was almost as though she could feel what he was feeling, just by being around him.