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𝑬 𝑽 𝑬 𝑹 𝑮 𝑹 𝑬 𝑬 𝑵
❝ 𝚒'𝚕𝚕 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚋𝚘𝚢𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚞𝚐 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚗𝚘𝚠 ❞

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ㅤ𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐀 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐊 and getting Bella introduced to Leah, May decided on dragging the brunette away from everyone else, asking her if they could talk. Much to Jacob's chagrin, Bella agreed, while he was forced to park the Rabbit back into their garage, where two motorcycles were parked.

Jacob had wanted to talk to Bella, but with May's intervention and her alpha command, he couldn't really do anything about it. But the more he was away from Bella, the less he felt that need to be with her. May and Leah's talk—that he saw and heard through the pack link—also made him hesitate to approach Bella now. After all, she was already technically an imprintee.

Still, he harbored feelings for the girl. However, May's presence and her words of wisdom is making him reevaluate his emotions. He couldn't help but still be angry at the fact that out of everyone Bella could've ended up with, she just had to be with a vampire, his mortal enemy. Maybe that could be why he was so frustrated with the situation.

May, on the other hand, was wondering how to exactly broach the conversation with Bella. Ever since she got here, it was almost like she was fixing everyone else's messes. Though it wasn't something she signed up for, it was almost like it just made sense for her to do it. Oddly enough, talking to them rationally about their irrationality reminded her much of how she and her team would talk in front of police officers as they gave them the profile.

It was Bella who broke the silence. "Why...why exactly did you want to talk to me?" She awkwardly cleared her throat while running a hand through her hair. "It's not anything bad is it?"

The eldest Black shook her head, maintaining her slow pace of walking through the woods to make sure Bella could follow her without tripping or getting lost.

"Nothing like that," May said. "I just wanted you to know the truth, and everything I know about the situation." At Bella's confused expression, she smiled. "I had a feeling you don't know what's happening, judging by how angry you were at your boyfriend earlier."

"H-How do you know?"

"Well, I know my brother only came here to warn the Cullens off. And your expressions were very readable. It wasn't that hard to guess."

"R-Right, you're, um, you're a profiler, right? You can...read people? That's your job?"

"I suppose," May laughed. "Not literally, though. No one can read minds."

Bella cleared her throat. "Edward...Edward can."

May frowned and stopped in her tracks. "Wait...what?"

The pale brunette shrugged, stopping too as she stared up at May. "Yeah. He, uh, can read minds. He can't read mine, though. And yours. He can't read yours."

"Is this like Alice's? I mean, is reading minds his thing? His ability?"

"Yeah, um," she bit her lip for a second. "The way it was explained to me is that...when a human changes to a vampire, their...everything's enhanced. Something like that. And if they already had something unique about them, it becomes this...ability."

May hummed in thought, digesting the human girl's worlds. "So how come Edward can't read mine?"

"He's not sure," Bella frowned. "For me, he literally can't hear anything. But for you, there's something else. Like...like you're in a different frequency, or something. He said it's weird. Without you around, he can hear the wolves' thoughts, but when you're there, it's like you're blanketing them."

"Different frequency, huh?"

"Yeah, like...like he doesn't understand what your mind's saying."

"That's a good thing, then," May grinned, looking at the younger girl. "I don't have to lie to you."

"I...what?"

"Bella, I believe that we may just be able to help each other."

"You're telling me you told Bella the truth?" Sam frowned. "That you're alpha, that you're a wolf, and that you believe Victoria's behind all of this?"

"Exactly," May told him, just as she was folding her clothes back into her duffel, which was on the floor. She was finally getting ready to leave, and Sam was there to drive her all the way to the airport. "She told me something very interesting about the vampires too, which I think can be beneficial to us. Poor girl's smart, but she's a bit slow."

"We'll talk about the vampire thing later," Sam sighed and crossed his arms. "But why did you tell her everything? Or most of everything, at least."

"Because Edward can't read her mind," she revealed. "And she's actually very sweet and trustworthy. Plus, the vampires trust her. So I had to do the same, so she can make them do what I want."

"Huh...that makes sense."

"Yeah, the vampires still don't trust my thoughts fully because they don't have Alice's confirmation. Which I think is stupid, considering they already know she's being blocked," she zipped her bag closed and pulled it up to place it on her bed, "so I'm hopeful that they get it through their thick skulls that the only thing that makes sense is my theory. There is no waiting for the Volturi to fix this problem because those vampires don't even like them. And there's no looking for decisions when they know someone's found ways to work around it. I don't get why they won't listen."

Sam shrugged, grabbing her fully packed duffel and bringing it to his truck. May followed close behind him.

"They're not gonna believe you right off the bat because you're from the enemy's side," Sam stated.

May scoffed. "It's like they forgot I'm an FBI agent. And they still don't know I'm a shifter, so it's just...ugh, it's frustrating."

"They'll believe soon enough, especially with Bella on your side," he gestured for her to get in the vehicle. "Now, come on. Can't be late for your flight."

On the drive to the airport, the two continued to talk about the state of the pack, as well as the current state of the vampires. It's only smart to think about your enemies too. Of course, May kept reiterating that since they haven't done anything bad, they must not treat the vampires badly; but that they must still keep their guard up and watch each other's backs.

Finally, May was on her plane back home. She was actually excited. She's gotten the hang of traveling—though still hasn't mastered it—and the pack's doing well, so she's not too concerned; she knows she's done what she can, and hopes that it might just be the one thing that nudges everyone towards the right direction.

She let herself fall asleep despite the tight fit, and when she woke up, she was back in DC. It was surprisingly a smooth flight, no crying babies or anything, and she had the entire row to herself, which allowed her to stretch her legs when needed. She even turned her row into a small bed during cruising altitude.

It didn't take her long before she found her car, quickly unlocking it. But her sense of smell quickly picked up that someone else has been in her car. It's not Spencer's distinct peppermint-and-books small, nor was it Derek's evergreen and musk. It wasn't any of the other's either. Frowning, she shoved her bag in and looked around, pinpointing the direction of where this person went. It was an odd smell, admittedly.

Whoever it was smelled like burnt flesh.

The scent of it made her grimace, and she closed her car door and went to investigate. It just led to an empty parking spot. And at that point, the smell had been covered with the scent of car oil and gasoline, meaning that the person, whoever it was, hopped into a car and drove away. She could still pick up the scent of burnt flesh, but she knew the second she stepped out into the road, it would disappear. Or at least, be overpowered by the scent of other humans, and mostly trash.

She clicked her tongue, and walked back towards her car, being hyperaware of her surroundings now. But other than the odd smell, she can't see or hear anything strange. Sighing, she hopped inside and drove off.

It seemed as though she slept the whole day, because when she woke up, Spencer was already making their usual breakfast of eggs and bacon.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Spencer greeted her with a grin as soon as she stepped out of her room. "You slept the whole day. You were already asleep when I got home."

"Sorry," she winced. "It's been a rough couple of days."

Spencer's smile dropped. "The vampires?"

"Well, I've...I've seen them. And there's a lot of them," hey eyes wore downcast. "It's not looking good."

"You know, if it gets any worse, they're gonna call us in," he pointed out.

She looked up to meet his eyes. "I know."

He eyed her curiously. "Are you ready for that?"

"Ready for what?"

"Ready for your worlds to collide."

May grimaced. "No, not at all. But if it happens, it happens. If it's meant to be, it will be."

Spencer pursed his lips as he handed her the plate of breakfast food, as well as a glass of orange juice. As he wiped his hands on his pants, he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Do you tell Derek the truth before or after the grand reveal?"

"I..." She hesitated. "I don't know."

May Black was greeted with hugs as soon as she entered the familiar walls of their bullpen. Penelope practically bulldozed through everyone as she elbowed them to get to the front and immediately embracing the tall brunette.

"You're back!" Penelope squealed.

"I was gone for a week, Pen," May chuckled, hugging her back.

"Well, a lot's happened!"

"I know, Spencer's been filling me in."

"It's not the same without you, May," JJ grinned, hugging her as soon as Penelope let go. The blonde also gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Someone's been unbearable since you left."

"Let me guess," she teased. "Gid?"

Gideon scoffed, hugging May, patiently after waiting for his turn. "I'm always unbearable."

"Glad you're aware," she laughed as she hugged him back.

Then, Elle had her turn, hugging her tightly. Then, she pushed herself up on May's shoulder to whisper, "You have a lot to explain, Black. I'm hearing you have a date with Derek. Why didn't you tell me?"

May rolled her eyes playfully, letting Elle fall flat on her feet. "I wasn't even gonna say anything about it. How'd you know? Who told you?"

Elle grinned. "The man himself."

"Ugh."

"Welcome back, May," Hotch then finally greeted, having waited for everyone else to step aside for his turn. "How was home?"

"Home was fine," she shrugged, then gave him a pointed look. "I'll tell you all about it later."

"Good. You came back at an opportune time, you know?"

"Why?"

"Not much work," he smiled. "I'll let your boyfriend hug you now."

"I don't have a boyfriend."

"And I'm here to change that," Derek finally spoke up. There was a beaming grin on his face, his pearly whites on full show, eyes crinkling at the edges with how wide he was smiling. "Hey, May."

May couldn't help but beam back, ignoring Spencer who scoffed at her reaction while obviously trying not to laugh. "Derek."

"How's my favorite girl?" At this point, the entire team decided to walk away to give them space, but not before each of the girls gave May a look that screamed 'tell us everything!'.

"Favorite girl, huh?" May bit her lip slightly, berating herself for acting a bit like Bella Swan as she ran a hand through her hair. "What would your mom think?"

"I think..." Derek moved closer to her, making May stumble back a bit until she was sat on her desk, looking up at him. "I think she'll love the thought of me finding someone else to bother now."

She scoffed, pushing at his chest as lightly as she could, remembering her strength. He still felt it, and adjusted his stance. "Why do I believe that?"

He smiled. "Mom's gonna love you."

"Gonna?"

"You know, when y'all meet?"

"When?"

"May, I'm in this for the long run," he admitted. "And I know you wouldn't have it any other way."

She shrugged. "True. I do want my first to be the last. But is that something you want?"

He looked at her straight in the eyes. "I knew from the moment I met you."

Scoffing, she rolled her eyes. "You have a great way of showing that."

"Look, I'm sorry if I never looked serious enough for you, especially in the beginning," he told her. "But contrary to popular belief, I'm not a player. I flirted, sure, but do you think I slept or was even in relationships with all those women?"

"I didn't know what to think," she stated truthfully. "But you can't blame me for assuming."

"That's true. And I was scared too, you know. I was scared I wasn't good enough for you. One of the smartest people in the bureau. Also one of the most beautiful."

"Oh, shut up."

"I'm serious!" He laughed. "But now, I have the chance to prove myself to you. And I won't fuck this up."

She smiled at him. "Better not."

author's note: so i've seen a few people comment about how cute it would be for leah to imprint on spencer-- NO?!?!?!

guys, leah's a teenager. sure, an adult at 19. but she's...a teenager. and spencer's a whole ass adult. sure, she doesn't have to imprint immediately and whatnot, and technically the age gap isn't much, but they're in completely different stages of life and i'm uncomfortable with that.

leah is the same age as sam, who may literally BABYSAT. like ??? naur. there's no reason why a person in his mid-20s should have any romantic relationship with someone in their late teens. sure, their relationship doesn't need to be romantic (like i did with another book where i made leah imprint on renesmee so she can experience motherhood) but still. 

i'll still think about leah imprinting on spencer, but know that if that happens, it WILL NOT be a romantic relationship.

also this debate doesn't apply to teenager who's mated to a vampire (twilight universe). okay? tnx.

anyways, hope y'all enjoy this.