Author's Note: I don't own anything Twilight related, it's just good writing material.

Keep in mind that my first couple of chapters usually aren't the greatest, but I get better as I go on. I hope you enjoy this story.

I hated my parents, that were all there was to it. If it weren't for them dying, I wouldn't have the obligation of returning to La Push to watch after my younger brother. Okay so maybe I didn't hate them, but I hated the circumstances of my return to the place I once called home, the place I couldn't stand. La Push held bad memories, and I was glad to see the day where I left that stupid Indian reservation to live my own life and not hear about the legends that made our tribe work from day to day. Not only was it the legends that go to me, but it was the stupid rules that we had to follow. We weren't allowed to speak of the legends to anyone...why, I would never understand, they were just stupid stories.

I turned down the road that would lead the way back to my old house and sighed. Nothing had changed. The houses were still the same, the yard decorations were still the same, if not faded a little. It was like I had been away for maybe a week instead of eight years. I had left home at the ripe age of sixteen to live with my wealthy aunt and uncle in Sault Lake City, which suited me better because they were rarely home and gave me the run of the house. Now, however, I had to take on the financial situation that my parents had put themselves in--they hadn't even thought to get life insurance because, from what my brother told me over the phone, they hadn't expected to 'go' anytime soon. Surprise, folks!

I got out of the car and looked up at the three story tan house and sighed. I wasn't ready for this. I'd had to make all of the funeral and burial plans over the phone and then fly in the night before the service. I was studying my favorite spot of the house--the Widow's Peak--when my brother walked hesitantly out of the house to meet me at the end of the sidewalk.

"Hey sis." He murmured before pulling me into his arms. It took me a second to move for various reasons. One, my brother had grown since I had least seen him--he used to be under my breasts and now he stood towering over my head. The other reason was because he was actually dressed nicely. Sure, we were about to go to a funeral and all, but he never seemed like the type to dress up. Especially since he had me send him clothes with holes in them and various other articles of clothing our parents hadn't approved of. Plus he was HANDSOM. And not in an incest sort of way, just in general.

"Hey Ben." I finally managed and hugged him back. "I'm sorry I couldn't have been here sooner."

"It's okay. You're a busy girl what with running your own company and all." He smiled a little.

"It's not my business, Benjamin. It's our aunt and uncle's."

"Right." He answered coolly. Ben had never really cared for our aunt and uncle McLeary--he didn't care for much of mom's family....

We walked inside and I could tell that Ben had been forced to clean the house by himself growing up, because there was no way mom and dad let him off that easy. The house was spotless, and I could smell something cooking in the oven.

"Are you actually cooking, Ben?" I asked in surprise.

A chuckle escaped his lips. "No, Emily decided to stop in and cook us some food."

"Emily?" I asked recalling the beautiful woman who was scarred on the one side of her face. I had forgotten all about her....

We entered the kitchen to find Emily bent over an apple pie, but she straightened up and smiled when she noticed us. Sure, her smile was a bit lopsided, but I could see the beauty in her face. It was no wonder Sam was so in love with her. Wait...they were still in love, right?

"It's so good to see you again, Stephanie!" Emily exclaimed as she hurried over and pulled me into a tight embrace.

"You too." I smiled back at her.

I was afraid of what people would have thought of me for disappearing like I had, but Emily made it clear that she didn't have any hard feelings towards me. It wasn't really Leah I was worried about, though. It was more Embry who had me worried. When Ben and I were growing up, we stuck close to Embry and his clan, which included Jacob, Quil and Paul. However over the years, their group of friends grew bigger and now there was a rather large group that I had yet to meet.

"Are you kids about ready?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, let's get this over with." I answered somberly.

The funeral service seemed like it took forever. I did my fair share of crying, as did Ben and most everyone else who was seated around us. The casket was closed on dad because the car accident did the most damage to him and Ben had said that it wasn't pretty. Mom, however, was beautiful. She was still so young, the sides of her eyes were just starting to show signs of age, but I believed that was because she had always worn a smile. I definitely acquired my skin from her. Though I was pale, it was very easy for me to tan, so because it was summer I fit right in with all of the other bronze-skinned bodies. I got dad's green eyes, though, and not mom's blue ones. Ben had gotten the piercing blue eyes that seemed to run in the family, along with dark hair and pale skin, though he seemed a little paler than I remembered.

I felt myself tearing up as I stood there looking at my mother, saying my last goodbyes, and knew I had to leave, but I still couldn't bring myself to walk away. Though I had never had a close relationship with my parents, I still loved them and kept in touch often enough, keeping them up to date on my life and me with theirs. I was going to miss them, but more so the opportunity to grow closer to them as I so suddenly wanted. I guess the saying 'you don't know what you have until it's gone' had never hit me until I placed my hand on the side of my mother's cold face.

"I love you, mom." I half whispered, half sobbed. I felt my body shaking and knew the tears weren't far behind. I buried my face in my hands as I felt someone moving me, turning me into them and rubbing me back.

"It's okay." The unfamiliar voice murmured. I wasn't sure who was comforting me, but I was glad I had someone to hold onto. Finally, I calmed myself down enough to look into the eyes of the man who had been patient enough to stand there with me.

"Paul?" I asked in disbelief. He was TALL, to say the least.

"Nice to see you again Stephanie." He managed a smile. "I'm sorry it had to be under these circumstances."

"Me too...." I agreed quietly. I allowed him to walk me to my car so I could drive to the gravesite--the place of my parents' final resting-place.

"You have to get out of bed sometime, sis." Ben was saying for the millionth time. It had been a week since the funeral and still I couldn't bring myself to get out of bed. I was too wrapped up in what could have been. The possibilities of how our lives would have turned out had I stayed home plagued my mind. Would mom and dad still be alive today...?

"I don't wanna." I mumbled.

"You have to eat." He urged. I felt the tears welling up again and turned away from my younger brother.

"I'm sorry, Ben."

"For what?" He furrowed his brows in confusion.

"I'm the older sibling. I'm supposed to be taking care of you, not the other way around." I sniffled. I suddenly stopped crying and sat up. "You're right. You're absolutely right, Ben. I need to get up. I need to get up and start being responsible. People die everyday, right? It's no different with our parents. I'm going downstairs to make breakfast."

I climbed out of bed and left a very confused Ben behind as I made my way towards the kitchen to start breakfast. I got out the eggs, milk and the Bisquick. I felt like pancakes and I was going to make them. I was just putting the first pancake on the griddle when there was knock on the door.

"I'll get it!" Ben hollered as he clanked down the stairs. I took in appearance for the first time in a week: messy hair, punked-out clothes and this weird sort of bracelet hanging off of his pale wrist. Since when had my brother gotten so pale? He definitely needed to get out in the sun more often.

"Hey Ben!" A female voice rang out. I was instantly curious as to who it was and met Ben in the doorway. The pale skinned girl studied me a minute, almost as if I were competition.

"Um...Stephanie, this is my girlfriend, Monica. Monica, this is my sister." Ben introduced us and I was suddenly very aware of my disheveled appearance.

"Nice to meet you." I nodded with a polite smile. Her face softened as she realized I was not about to steal her boyfriend and I quickly excused myself. "Ben, keep an eye on breakfast."

"Alright." He answered as I was halfway up the stairs. I stopped and turned around. "Monica if you'd like to stay for breakfast, you can."

I raced upstairs and changed my clothes, which didn't take long, and then I brushed my long curly red hair into a sloppy bun in the back of my head. I decided I would take a shower after breakfast....

As I descended the stairs I heard another voice in the kitchen. It was a deep voice, so I knew it wasn't Monica, and it was too deep to be Ben's. As I rounded the corner I saw yet another gargantuan male standing before me. Really? Had all of the men around here taken some sort of steroid in their pubescent stages to grow freakishly tall? I shook my head and grabbed the spatula from Ben.

"Thanks for taking over, but you can go watch T.V. or something." I offered as I busied myself with the rest of the bacon.

"Um...Stephanie, you remember Embry, don't you?" Ben's voice had an edge to it that I hadn't heard before, so I turned in confusion to see what was going on. Ben looked a little moody, but Embry was staring at me in a sort of fascination.

"Hi Embry." I finally managed before turning back to my food. I wasn't sure what it was, but the comfortable air that I always remembered Embry to have around himself was no longer there. He seemed more...hostile....

"It's nice to see you again, Rae." I could hear the smile in Embry's voice as he called me by my old nickname. Rae was my middle name, and Embry was the only one who got away with calling me that. Okay...so maybe it wasn't hostility I had sensed...but there was definitely something different about him.

"It's good to see you too." I felt my cheeks fill with a blush. I wasn't sure if Embry remembered the last conversation we'd ever had, but I sure did.

***

"Why do you want to get out of this place so bad?" Embry looked from me to Paul with angry, confused eyes. "Why can't you just chill out and be a kid?"

"Because I'm tired of being treated like a kid, Em." I retorted. Embry and Paul had always been the guys I was closest with, and it angered me that they didn't see my point. "I hate living with my folks."

"Because they make you behave like a regular teenage girl should?" Paul crossed his arms and frowned at me. I hated it when he did that....

"Look, I'll miss you, too...." I started.

"I love you, Steph." He murmured, not meeting my gaze.

"I love you, too, Paul, I just need to get out. I'm suffocating here!" I threw my hands up in exasperation, but stopped when Paul met my eyes with his own tear-filled ones. I gaze a confused glance in Embry's direction and he just shook his head. What the hell was going on?

"No, I really love you. I always have, how could you not see this? Please don't go?" He begged. "Or at least promise to come back...."

I didn't know what to say, so I turned around and ran. It was a little hard to run since we were pretty far into the woods. I kept tripped and stumbling over tree roots and rocks. I didn't want to face the fact that I would be breaking Paul's heart....

"Rae, wait up!" Embry called from behind me. I didn't want to slow down, but my I involuntarily came to a stop as my body wanted.

"I don't love him that way, Em." Was the first thing I managed to gasp.

"I know you don't." He wasn't even out of breath! What the hell was up with that? Well...he was pretty fit for a fifteen-year-old. "Look, please stay. Everyone's going to miss you, and living with your folks can't be that bad...."

"It is bad!" I stomped my foot. Yes, I actually stomped my foot. "They're so controlling!"

"You're over reacting." Embry was quiet. "Look, Paul isn't the only one who loves you, Rae. Only my love is different. I don't want you in anyway other than what we are now, so don't freak out."

"Then how do you mean?"

"Come on, Stephanie. We've known each other since we were in diapers, how could we not love each other in some form?" He chuckled. "Promise me you'll at least come back to visit."

"I promise, Em." I whispered.

***

"You're remembering too, aren't you?" Embry asked quietly, snapping me out of my thoughts and making me jump.

"What're you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about." His voice was deep and sounded a little upset...and very close to me. "It might have taken you eight years, but at least you kept up to your promise--in a way."

I turned to see that Embry was closer than I realized. I had to back up a step--which didn't do any good since I was already next to the counter. There was something in his eyes, something I didn't like, but wasn't exactly sure what to make of it. What the hell was going on with him?

"Look, I was a stupid little kid, okay?" I finally admitted, already feeling the moisture in my eyes. "I should have listened to you and Paul and stayed, but I didn't. It's not something I'm proud of, so get off it."

"Hey...." He sounded surprised. "I didn't mean to make you cry."

"Yes you did, jerk." I tried to sound cheerful as I wiped my eyes.

"No, trust me when I say hurt is the last thing I would have wanted to do to you."

"It's okay...." I smiled reassuringly as the doorbell rang. "Jeez, you'd think this was a hotel or something."

I answered the door to see Paul and some other guy with him.

"Hi Steph." Paul smiled at me before the other guy pushed his way passed him and grabbed me in a tight embrace.

"Stephanie!" He exclaimed. "Oh my gosh it's so good to see you! I didn't believe the guys, but they said you were here but I wasn't here, I was there, but now I'm here and here you are!"

"Um...that sentence was confusing and can you put me down so I can see who the hell you are?!" I borderline freaked out.

"Oh...right. Sorry Steph."

"Jake?" I asked in disbelief.

"The one and only." His grin was huge, as was the rest of him. They followed me inside and Jake instantly went to my plate of food.

"Jacob!" Embry hollered.

"He's fine." I rolled my eyes. "I'll just have some cereal or something."

"Ask next time, idiot." Paul slapped Jake on the head.

"Sorry...this just smells wonderful."

"So what's everyone doing here?" I asked as I watched Jacob shovel the food in his mouth. You'd think he was never fed anything....

"Well, we wanted to see if you'd like to hang out with us...you know, like we used to." Paul offered.

"Sure." I answered automatically. "I'll just go through my parents' financial stuff later."

"Oh...would you rather get that done?" Embry asked...he seemed a little over concerned if you asked me, but that was the way Embry had always been.

"No, she needs a day out." Ben said suddenly, causing everyone to jump. I noticed a sudden tension in the air, but waited until Ben was out of the room to comment on it.

"Alright, what's going on?" I demanded.

"What're you talking about?" Jake asked. He always had been better at nonchalance than the others, who all answered 'nothing'.

"Did something happen between you guys and my brother?"

"That's a different story for a different time." Paul said sternly.

"But I have a right to know."

"I said different story for a different time!" Paul shouted at me, which was uncharacteristic of him....

"Hey! Be nice, prick!" Embry ordered.

"Oh...nice." Jacob smiled widely as Paul gasped. Then something really odd happened: Paul tackled Embry to the floor, and eventually took their brawl out to the front yard.

"What the hell is going on?!" I demanded out of Jacob.

"Um...I'm not really the one who can tell you." He answered apologetically.

"Then take me to someone who can." When Jacob didn't move, I shrieked again. "Now, dammit!"

There was no way what I was hearing was true. Everyone was making shit up as a way to fool around with my head. Vampires? Werewolves? What the hell were they trying to pull? Wasn't it bad enough my emotions were already out of whack, they had to fuck around with my head, too? It was bullshit....

"Say something...." Jacob urged. We were all sitting in his father's house and they had just explained why Paul had beat up Embry in my kitchen and front yard. It was because they were both werewolves and had bad tempers...but I sensed there was more.

"What am I supposed to say?" I demanded. "I was raised to believe that this shit isn't real!"

"Well that's a start...." Seth, one of the younger ones, mumbled. Seth and my brother had always gotten along, but now the guys hardly spoke to him.

"What are the problems between you guys and my brother?" I asked quietly, almost afraid of the answer.

"We can't really tell you that." Jacob spoke up before anyone else got the chance. "As much as we would like to, we can't. You have to go to your bro for that."

"Alright then. I'm going home." I stood up and walked to the door.

"Stephanie." Billy Black called. I stopped and turned around. "There's something else you should know."

"And just what is that?" I sighed. "Because we all know I can take some more bullshit."

"You remember the part about imprinting?" His face turned mischievous.

"Yeah...."

"Well, you have an imprint, Stephanie." He paused as a cheesy smile spread across his face.

"Who?" My curiosity was piqued, and I temporarily forgot about Ben....

"Me, Rae." I looked up and was met with another cheesy grin.

I was going to lose my freaking mind. I left Billy's house and took a long hike along the coast of the Pacific. It wasn't bad enough that Paul was still in love with me, even after eight years, but now Embry was, too? Was this in my parents' scheme to not only bring me back home, but make me go crazy, too? Was this my punishment for abandoning my family? I thought back to how young Ben had been--only eight years old. I knew that as soon as I was out of the house they would have bestowed all of my responsibilities onto him. Even though my mother was a happy person, her parental skills lacked just about everything. She thought that because we were her children we had to do everything we were told--which was true to an extent. The fact that we had to do what we were told did not mean it was an open invitation to make Ben and I her own personal slaves. As if that wasn't bad enough, dad just over looked it and ignored Ben and I for the most part. Sure, most teenagers over exaggerated about doing too many chores, but in my and Ben's case, we weren't. I felt the deepest guilt as I thought back to what Ben's childhood must have been like and how much of a selfish person it would take to just abandon their little brother the way I had.

I saw a large tree that had fallen over and went to sit on it and before I knew it, I was crying. It wasn't the sort of crying where a few tears escape and everything is all better, it was the kind where your entire body is shakes from the sobs racking the entirety of your body. I was so caught up in crying that I didn't hear anyone approaching.

"Is everything okay?" Embry asked gently.

"No." I sniveled. "Everything is not okay."

"What can I do to help?" He sat down next to me and quietly pulled me into his arms. The warmth from his body instantly warmed me up; burning up must have been another wolf power or something. For an instant, wrapped up in Embry's long arms, I felt as if I didn't have any burdens to bear, like my parents hadn't just died and left me a huge financial mess. Or that I didn't have to be in charge of a seventeen year old boy. I was only twenty-four; I was too young to worry about those types of things. I could have taken the easy way out and asked our aunt and uncle for help, but I was determined to get out of this mess on my own.

"You can't help, Em." I sobbed again. "I'm in so deep...."

"In what? I have to help you, Rae. I'm sort of obligated now."

"Obligated?" I asked a little defensively. "So now I'm a burden?"

"I didn't mean it like that." He sighed. "I love you, Steph. You could never be a burden to me. Why don't we start with what you're in too deep with?"

"Well...my parents had literally no money. I have no idea how we're going to cover funeral costs, let alone bills for the house and money for food...I don't know how I'm going to put food on the table for Ben and I, Em. I don't have a job; I left that to come live out here. I had a good life in Utah...."

"I see." He said a little coolly.

"Don't get me wrong," I hurried on. "I'm not upset about moving out here...well, too much anyways.... I just don't know how I'm going to deal with any of this."

"Have you tried going to the bank and sitting down with someone to help with finances? They usually have good advisors."

"I hadn't thought about that."

"You never know, something good might come your way...." He sighed and pulled me tighter against his body. "Look, I don't expect you to love me the way I love you, so stop worrying about that. I know you took in a lot of information tonight and I don't want to push you into anything you don't want."

"Then how am I supposed to handle this?" I asked bluntly and a little rudely.

"I'm just whatever you need."

"I just need a friend and maybe a good shoulder to cry on once in a while." I said sadly.

"I can do that, but please don't ask me to stay out of your life. You don't realize how much pain that would cause me." He met my worried gaze with one of his own.

"Why would I ask you to stay out of my life? Just because you're an animal doesn't mean I'm going to exile you. Hell, I've always known there was something a little primal about you."

"Very funny." He chuckled and I smiled. I didn't want to face the music, but I knew I had to. As long as I had support from those around me, though, I knew I could do it.

"Sis, we need to talk." Ben announced as soon as I walked in the front door. Monica was still at the house; I could see her sitting in the living room.

"I really don't think I can handle any more talk for tonight." I sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"I just came from Billy Black's and...well, let's just say that he made it clear why all the guys are seven feet tall." I smiled a little, then stopped when I met my brother's eyes. He had me instantly worried.

"Well, this shouldn't come as too much of a shock, then." He frowned. "Just know I never meant to hurt anyone and that I love you, okay?"

"Oh my gosh, you and Monica killed someone!" I shrieked. "Was it Mr. Keller, the P.E. teacher? Ooh, it's the math tutor you hate so much, isn't it?!"

"What?" He looked at me in disbelief then shook his head a little impatiently. "No, this is serious."

"I don't know about you, but killing people is pretty damned serious, little brother."

"Steph, stop moving!" He held me still with his hands on my shoulders. "Okay, what I'm about to say may or may not shock you."

"Just spill it, Benjamin."

"Okay...Stephanie, I'm a vampire."

And that's when I blacked out.