**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY PART OF THE TWILIGHT SAGA…. OR JAKE FOR THAT MATTER.... WOWWW THAT'S DEPRESSING ***

Enjoy. 

"Jake."

He heard it, but decided to give no sign that he had.

"Jake!" Jacob Black let the throaty growl rumble through his body. Unfortunately, Embry was a pain, and could've cared less about his apparent bad mood. He was tired. They had spent most of the night—and well into morning –patrolling along the boundaries of La Push. And though the Cullens, including Bella and Nessie, hadn't been living in Forks for nearly a year now, they still had a disturbingly fair amount of vamp activity around the reservation.

And wasn't that just peachy? The Cullens he didn't mind. He considered them family. And Nessie was his best friend. That was the role she'd chosen for him, and now he couldn't see her any other way. But with the Cullens, his easy acceptance began and ended.

Not that he didn't feel indebted to many of them to a degree. They'd proven themselves invaluable when they'd stood alongside the Cullens and the pack in an ultimate faceoff against the Volturi for Nessie.

Unfortunately, the traveling vamps they'd encountered so far hadn't been at all like their allies with whom they'd stood side by side. No, they were the bad kind; bad bloodsuckers with even worst attitudes. And none of them had taken kindly to realizing that they weren't the only creatures that existed beyond the realm of myth and legends. And for many of them, it had been the last thing they'd realized.

And so they continued to guard their land. Protecting the ones they loved and cherished.

Unfortunately, that left him with getting little to no sleep. And it was a crappy way to go, running on empty. He needed to sleep, to just close his eyes and pass out without interruption. But noooo, Embry had to come bug him.

"Jake!"

"What?!" Jake yelled. Whipping his head to the other side to glare at Embry, who raised both his arms up in mock surrender, grinning.

"Look dude, don't shoot the messenger. 'S not my fault."

"What do you want, Embry?" Jake gritted, trying to be calm.

"Welllllll," he began, over exaggerating whatever it was he had to say. "Quil's family's here man. We promised Quil's mom we'd help welcome them back."

Jake groaned. "I realize this Embry. But really, can't it wait?"

Embry chuckled. "I sympathize man. 'Specially since you're the only one that's had the luxury of sleeping for literally eleven hours even. "

Jake bolted up and grabbed for the alarm clock. 8:00pm. Jeeze. He couldn't believe he'd slept for eleven hours.

He jumped out of the bed, throwing on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt as he searched his small, but messy room for any pair of shows. Embry snorted. "Jake, take it easy man. No patrols today. Everyone is at Sam and Emily's with Quil's cousins. They've been here most of the afternoon actually. Sam was gonna let you sleep, but everyone's been asking about you. And man, that cousin of Quil's is a looker, Jake. I mean, really, you gotta see her." He laughed and Jake arched an eyebrow at him and asked, "Wonder what Margie would say if she knew you were checking out another girl."

Embry snorted, "Please. I'm just acknowledging that the girl's not a total hag, ok? Margie would have my head served on a platter and I know it." He grinned. "Besides, I'd have to be crazy to even think of giving her up."

Jake looked at his friend. Ya, Embry was a pain, but when it came to Margaret, the guy was a goner. It had surprised them all when Embry imprinted on quiet, little Margaret. But the girl had tamed the playboy of the group without lifting a finger. And Jake was happy for him, he was. But sometimes…sometimes he wished things had gone differently with Nessie. He loved her, as a brother would a sister, but sometimes he wished for the deeper love—the passion –that could come with imprinting. He longed to be able to hold someone that he could truly claim as his.

He shook his head, clearing it of his disturbing thoughts. "Let's just go, man."

***

Twenty minutes later, Jake made his way around the group of Quil's family, apologizing for his late arrival. He moved around the various bodies and faces that made up the La Push reservation. He grinned wryly, it always amazed at how close he and the pack bordered between the odd normality of the people who lived in ignorant bliss of the existence of werewolves, and they smaller group of people who well knew the reality of their supernatural presence.

He saw Sam just a few yards away and began to make his was towards him when a small body ran smack dab into his chest. It didn't hurt him of course, but he did hear a small grunt escape the small form in front of him. And then he was looking down into a pair of beautiful eyes, eyes dark as midnight.

**A/N: okaaaay. Chapter one. Let me know what you guys think. Would love to hear any ideas or comments **