Disclaimer: The original characters and plot belong to SM, the amazing creator of the Twilight Saga.

AN: I hope this finds everyone in an amazing mood. The holidays are upon us and Breaking Dawn Part 2 is out. To top it off, this is the fic I have wanted to write ever since Josh and Zach were floating around in my mind! I wanted to give you a few hints at the end of Tanya's Choice, but I knew I planned on writing this one soon after. So without further ado, here is Joshua's Choice!

~Emmettroselover

Chapter 1

Rosalie could hear the melodic sound of Edward's baby grand piano as she approached the cottage where Zach was taking lessons from his uncle. Four years passed peacefully and blissfully since the Cullens became aware of the new generation of wolves in La Push. The years went by too quickly for Rosalie as she watched her son grow and mature. Her family was complete with her baby boy and she could not be happier with her existence. The rest of the family enjoyed the peace and quiet as well, even though Alice was still a ball of energy.

Instead of simply planning a wedding right away for Kate and Garrett, she wanted to plan the biggest extravaganza she could imagine, much to Kate and Garrett's consternation. The couple refused to help her and even threatened to not attend, but it only made Alice laugh at their feeble attempts to make themselves scarce. The three of them came to an agreement. She would give them time to wrap their mind around such a big affair if they promised to not complain once the day arrived. They agreed and the wedding day was only months away. She planned and organized more than ever before and planned on turning the island into one big party for all of their friends and family. While Alice was busying planning, the rest of the family tried to stay clear of her and Rosalie was more than happy to escape to Edward and Bella's cottage to listen in on her son's piano lesson. She beamed with pride as she walked in to see her son gracefully tinkling the keys while performing a familiar lullaby.

"Your grandmother will love to hear you play her lullaby. I think she will be beside herself with happiness. You play it so beautifully," praised Rosalie as she ran a hand adoringly through her son's curls. Zach grinned from ear to ear, his deep dimples on full display.

"I have a great teacher. Uncle Edward says I am a natural."

"You are," confirmed Edward and Rosalie winked at her brother.

"Well it does run in the family," she said as Edward grinned crookedly.

"Yes it does. Zach, I think your lesson is complete for the day. Why don't you go over to Renesmee and Nahuel's, your brother and Kaya are over there," suggested Edward. Zach kissed his mother's cheek and patted his uncle on the back in thanks before leaving. Rosalie took her son's place at the piano beside Edward who chuckled.

"He is going to love it when his lullaby is finished. He truly does enjoy playing," informed Edward as he played a part of the lullaby with his sister.

"It is nice to know the next generation of Cullens can appreciate the arts like we do," giggled Rosalie while testing out the form of the lullaby.

"Your other son doesn't have the ear that Zach does, but he is quite good. I guess it is fitting that Zach and Renesmee are the most interested in music like us while Seth, Nahuel, and Kaya simply wanted to learn the basics. I wonder if Joshua will have a musical talent." Rosalie looked at him curiously.

"You count Joshua in the next generation of our family?"

"Don't you? It is obvious that once he phases he will be able to interact even more with our family. Leah is practically your sister and I accepted that Jacob would be in the family long ago." Rosalie smirked.

"Yes, as your son-in-law, I for one am glad that didn't come to fruition," she teased.

"Things did seem to work out better for all involved once Renesmee and Nahuel found each other," chuckled Edward.

"I wonder what Joshua will be like when he phases. I hope it is an easier transition for him than it was for the other wolves. Leah is worried about it. She says he has been moodier lately and talking back. You know that isn't like Joshua."

"Which means he will be a wolf soon enough and hopefully with the help of his parents, his uncle, and his best friend, he will come to terms with it quickly. He already knows it is going to happen."

"That is true. Now what is different about Zach's lullaby? The harmony still seems a bit off to me. It doesn't match the melody like it should. When did you change this to adagio?"

"Last night when I played it in my head, it just seemed to flow better," explained Edward as they studied the sheet of music. He nodded in agreement as he read her thoughts and wrote down a symbol.

"You are right. An accelerando would work better for the transition. It embodies him more," said Edward and she smiled blissfully as they continued to play the melody.

"Thank you for helping me with this Edward. Zach is going to love it."

"It is my pleasure. It is nice to collaborate on a gift with a sister that doesn't just force me into the purchase."

"That is why I refuse to buy gifts with Alice if I can help it. I still cannot believe she has been so open to ideas for the surprise after the wedding."

"Well it doesn't just involve her and I think she can accept that…for once."

"I am surprised she isn't storming in here right now to scold us for speaking about her in such a way," laughed Rosalie. Edward nodded as he wrote down a couple of notes.

"That is only because she is busy decorating for the wedding. You know the only reason Emmett offered to help is so he could stick it to Garrett right? He and Kate are not exactly in love with the grandiose display that Alice has planned."

"With any luck, we can all hide out until the day comes and then grin and bear it."

"Why do you think the kids are in Renesmee and Nahuel's cottage," chuckled Edward and Rosalie shook her head with laugh, knowing that the kids were hiding from Alice.

Zach laughed as Renesmee cracked the door of her and Nahuel's cottage open and peeked out at him. He crossed his arms with a playful glare at his cousin.

"I am not saying the password."

"Then you can't come in," she sang and he groaned.

"Aw come on Renesmee, don't make me….."

"Password or no entrance."

"Why can't it be something simple and not nearly as cheesy, like open says me?" Seth poked his head out the door.

"I take offense to that. The password is awesome," defended Seth.

"Of course you think so. You came up with it and you should be ashamed of yourself for such a lame reference. Come on guys let me in," he whined. Nahuel and Kaya waved at him from the window of the living room while Renesmee and Seth whispered conspiratorially.

"Password," they said in unison and Zach groaned.

"Fine, little pig, little pig, let me in," he muttered as they all laughed at his unenthusiastic expression. Renesmee opened the door for him.

"See was that so hard," she teased and he rubbed his hands together.

"You know next time I will just use my power to blow this house right on down…stupid big bad wolf reference" grumbled Zach. He sat down on the couch beside Seth.

"Nothing wrong with wolves, even though I don't think they get a fair shake of things in fairytales. How was the lesson, little bro?"

"Great, Uncle Edward says I am a natural," he boasted and Renesmee giggled as she sat across from him.

"Of course you are, Aunt Rose is a great pianist," said Renesmee. Nahuel handed her a sandwich as he joined her on the sofa and Kaya grabbed a cookie from Seth's pocket. He playfully glared at her and Zach chuckled at their choices of snacks.

"I swear you never stop eating. Poor grandma has no choice but to be in the kitchen once a day with you vultures hanging around." Nahuel swallowed the bite of chicken salad in his mouth before shrugging.

"She loves to cook for us and we love to eat, so it is a win-win situation. I am not nearly as infatuated with her cookie recipe as your brother is but her chicken salad sandwiches are delicious," informed Nahuel and Kaya nodded happily as she swiftly snatched the sandwich from her brother, took a bite, and then handed it back to him as he grumbled about her getting her own food.

"You don't know what you are missing Zach," said Kaya.

"That doesn't even sound appealing. I will stick to animal blood, especially grizzly and caribou. Now that is a good meal!"

"You are so much like your father," chuckled Seth and Zach puffed out his chest proudly.

"Thanks! So are you coming with me to pick up J from school? Mom said I can drive my car." Seth's eyes widened in shock.

"How did you manage to swing that," questioned Seth.

"I have my ways. I better get going if I am going to pick him up at lunch. Are you coming?"

"No I am going to stay here and hide out from the pixie. Do you really think it is a good idea to pick him up that early? I doubt mom or Leah will appreciate you helping him skip class," warned Seth.

"He told me last night that it was a half day, something about it being the last day of school before they let out for summer. I am so happy I don't have to worry about that. That all sounds so boring." Renesmee winked at him as he stood up.

"To think that our parents had to go through it over and over, well except my mom," giggled Renesmee and Zach waved goodbye to everyone before running out of the cottage. He darted across the island to the ferry, but stopped in his tracks when he saw his parents standing there with their arms crossed.

"Leaving without saying goodbye, that is strike one," warned Rosalie and he smiled sheepishly. He pulled his mother into a big hug and she giggled as he twirled her around before setting her back on her feet. He hugged his father as well.

"Sorry, I was excited. Bye, be back tonight."

"Oh no you don't mister, we will meet you this evening at Leah and Jake's. Have Joshua back by dinnertime. Em, I am having second thoughts about this." Emmett wrapped his wife securely in his arms as he grinned at her, showing the dimples she could never resist.

"Don't worry angel, Zach knows that he better not take advantage of our trust in him or do anything that will make us regret giving him some freedom, right," warned Emmett as he gave his son a stern look and Zach quickly nodded.

"Yes sir." Rosalie glanced at her husband and he kissed her cheek as she pulled the keys to Zach's brand new BMW from her pocket.

"Do not make me regret this," she warned as she tossed him the keys. His eyes lit up and he hugged her again before running onto the ferry.

"I won't mom. Love you, bye! I promise to be careful," he called as he started up the ferry and parked his car on it. Rosalie and Emmett watched him pull away from the island and she took in a shaky breath.

"Are we doing the right thing? He is only thirteen years old, isn't he too young," she questioned.

"You know he is actually much older than that in maturity. He is a smart kid and will be fine. Besides, I already have Alice keeping an eye on him." She kissed her husband and nodded, hoping that her son would be responsible with his newfound freedom.

The private docking garage that the Cullens owned in Butler Cove, thirty miles north of Forks, made it easy for Zach to hop into his BMW as soon as he reached land. He sped down the winding road leading to Forks and arrived at Forks High School just as the early release bell rang. The fog was thick in the region and while it was not raining, it was a dark, cloudy day. Zach leaned against the hood of his cherry red sports car as he waited for Joshua in the parking lot. Joshua jogged over to him as soon as he saw his best friend and they performed their secret handshake with a laugh.

"This day couldn't go by fast enough. It was so boring. Hey, I want you to meet some friends of mine." Zach grinned when Joshua led him over to a group of giggling girls. They openly gawked at him and began to blush and giggle even more. It was no secret that Zach was impossibly handsome. He was the perfect mixture of his parents and he smiled in the way that his father smiled at his mother when he wanted her attention.

"Ladies, it is a pleasure. I am Zach." They giggled even more and Joshua rolled his eyes at their reaction to Zach.

"Zach, this is April, Nina, and Casey. They are on the cheerleading squad. Girls, this is my best friend, Zach," introduced Joshua and Casey batted her eyes at Zach.

"You must be on the football team. What school do you play for," asked Casey and Joshua gulped, but Zach was not fazed by the question as he shrugged nonchalantly.

"I am home schooled. Josh and I have been friends since we were kids. Our parents are close. I am not from the area though, just visiting."

"Oh, that's so sweet of you to come pick him up," said Nina as she looked him up and down, taking in the impressive bulge of his muscles.

"Well thank you," he chuckled.

"Where are you boys headed? We were about to go to the diner for lunch. You can come with us if you want," offered April and Zach smiled appreciatively at her.

"Thank you, but we planned on heading to the movies in Port Angeles," said Zach.

"Yea, we are going to check out an action flick, the best way to start the summer," said Joshua and Casey winked at them.

"We love going to the movies. Maybe we will see you there. It was nice meeting you Zach. Bye Josh," said Casey before walking away with more sway in her hips than necessary. Zach wrapped an arm around Joshua as they watched the girls walk away.

"I am starting to see the appeal of high school."

"Yep," chuckled Joshua. He let out a low whistle as he appraised Zach's car and Zach smiled smugly.

"Beautiful right, my mom and dad got it for me." They slid into the car and Zach revved the engine. The bass and boom of music blasted from the stereo and he cruised out of the parking lot as Joshua's classmates stared at them in awe. As soon as they were outside of Forks City Limits, Joshua pumped his fist in excitement.

"Dude, this car is awesome! Did you see how everyone was looking at us? You just cemented my spot in the ranks of the popular kids."

"If I went to that school, we would be treated like royalty. Every time we would walk into the school, people would know that Zach and Josh owned it and you know why?"

"Because of our awesome levels of alpha-ness?"

"Yep," laughed Zach and Joshua grinned at him.

"I wonder if Casey was serious about seeing us at the movies. I think she has a crush on you."

"They are humans, no thanks."

"Your Uncle Edward fell for a human. It could work."

"Haven't you heard the stories about all the drama they caused because of it?"

"Yea but it worked out."

"Like I said, no thanks. I am not in a rush to find my mate, but when I do, she will be someone that I don't have to explain so much to. You know how complicated our family is. It will be hard enough explaining it to another vampire."

"I wonder what your girl will be like."

"Who knows, but that is the great thing about mates. She will be perfect for me. It will feel natural, better than anything I have ever known, and when it happens I will just know. That's why I am not in a rush."

"I bet your mom is happy about that huh? She is totally going to freak out when you find your mate."

"Oh like yours will be any better when you imprint," he challenged and Joshua shuttered at the thought.

"Good point!"

"So what about the cheerleaders, do you like any of them?"

"Nina is pretty cute," admitted Joshua and Zach grinned as he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Joshua loves Nina," he sang.

"Shut up!" They both laughed and Joshua turned up the music as they cruised down the road to Port Angeles. Suddenly Zach's senses perked up and he noticed a dark figure out the corner of his eye. He looked into the forest and could see a dark brown wolf peering at them.

"Whoa is that Caleb? Is he following us," asked Zach and Joshua swallowed hard.

"Probably, the guy is pretty creepy. He won't follow us in Port Angeles, but sometimes I can feel him watching me."

"Does he have some type of crush on you or something? Oh no, he didn't imprint did he!" Joshua nudged him and chuckled.

"No! You know it doesn't work like that!"

"Oh well excuse me for not knowing where wolves draw the line of creepiness. Infants are fine, dude on dude not so much, got it," teased Zach and Joshua rolled his eyes, but couldn't hide his amusement.

"That would not be cool. Anyways, I think he senses it within me, my alpha-ness."

"Have you told your parents?"

"Nah, it will be fine. I already have a pack. I'm just waiting for the gene to kick in so I can make it official. Caleb has a pretty big pack now though. There are more of them," said Joshua as he stared out the window. They noticed that Caleb was no longer following them and Zach turned off the music.

"Hey, don't worry J. Your pack is much better."

"Yea, my family is great."

"Seth and your parents are a pretty cool family to have," he agreed and Joshua smiled at him.

"Yea and so is the rest of my family." They bumped fists as understanding passed between them. They were more than just best friends. They were family and always would be.

The boys thoroughly enjoyed the action film and Joshua was more than happy to get two buckets of popcorn, bags of candy, nachos, and two hot dogs during the movie. Zach rolled his eyes at him as they walked out of the movie theater with Joshua slurping loudly on the last of his soda.

"Only one large drink to wash down all that junk?"

"Yea I didn't want to overdo it." They laughed and exited the theater as someone called their names. Zach smiled when he turned around to see Nina, Casey, and April following them out.

"Well what a coincidence ladies," said Zach and they giggled at his teasing.

"We decided to follow your lead and see a movie too. So tell me Zach, how often do you visit Josh? Will you be around this summer? It would be great if we could hang out at the beach whenever you are in town," suggested Nina. Zach noticed how Joshua's jaw clenched in anger and he quickly shook his head.

"Thank you for the offer, but I am not really a fan of the beach," said Zach and Nina formed her lips into a pout.

"Not even a little bit," she asked and before Zach could politely decline, Joshua stepped in between them.

"He said no. He isn't interested in you so why don't you run along and find someone else to flirt with," challenged Joshua as he glared at the girl. Hurt and rejection flashed across her face and Zach pulled Joshua behind him.

"Forgive him ladies. It has been a long day. We should be going, but thank you again for the invite. Maybe we will see you around this summer when I am in town. Have a good day," said Zach as he heard Joshua's heart pick up in pace. The girls glanced at each other curiously and slowly nodded as Zach grabbed Joshua by the arm. As soon as they got to the parking lot, Joshua tried to jerk away from him and Zach gulped.

"We need to get you home."

"Why, so you can go back there and flirt with Nina some more," dared Joshua as he got into the car. He slammed the door shut and Zach winced as he slid into the car.

"J, calm down, I was not flirting with her. She was flirting with me."

"I told you I like her!"

"She doesn't know that! Look, let's get you home because I think you are about to….."

"I don't need to go home," shouted Joshua and Zach peeled out of the parking lot to head to La Push. The silence and tension in the car was deafening as Zach raced down the road. Joshua's hot glare was trained on Zach.

"What now," asked Zach and Joshua smirked.

"You think you are so much better than me, don't you?"

"J, you aren't thinking straight right now. I better call….."

"You aren't calling anyone," shouted Joshua as he began to shake. His breathing became ragged and Zach could feel the heat radiating off of him in waves.

"Oh come on, not now," groaned Zach as Joshua shook uncontrollably. Zach looked into the rearview mirror and saw a van with a family inside. A semi-truck was in the lane of oncoming traffic and he realized in that moment that Joshua could cause a dangerous scene if he did not act swiftly. Zach made a sharp turn onto a narrow dirt road that headed toward the trails of the Olympic Forest.

"J, listen to me. You need to calm down. Just let me call your parents and….."

"Don't talk down to me Zach! You think you are so smart, so much better than me," roared Joshua as his entire body shook.

"Don't you dare phase in my car!" Zach swerved off of the road and the car came to a screeching halt. Joshua solely started to morph into a wolf before Zach's eyes. Zach quickly opened the passenger door and pushed Joshua out just in time as Joshua phased into a hulking wolf. His hind leg kicked at the passenger door, sending it hurling into the forest, and Zach's jaw dropped in utter dismay. He ran around the car to the passenger side to assess the damage where the door had been ripped off.

"My car," he wailed and Joshua snarled at him, which made Zach growl back.

"Hey, you do not get to bark at me after you ruined my car! My mom is going to kill me! How could you…" He stopped midsentence as his senses perked up and the stench of wolves filled his nostrils.

"You have got to be kidding me." He crouched defensively by the car as Caleb's pack galloped toward them. The pack emerged from the forest and Joshua whimpered as Caleb stalked toward him, communicating with the new wolf telepathically.

It is about time Josh. We have been waiting for you to join us.

What are you talking about? I am in my dad's pack.

Do you really want to be in a pack with your parents? They can't understand how you feel right now. You should resent them. You should resent all of them, especially Zach. It is instinctive for you to realize how evil he truly is.

Zach looked back and forth at the two wolves during their silent exchange. Joshua whimpered and Zach glared at Caleb.

"Hey, leave him alone!" Caleb barked at Zach and Zach did not hesitant to hurl him into the brush by using his force field. Caleb yelped as he crashed into the forest floor. The rest of the pack jumped at Zach in an attempt to defend their alpha, but his ability was too powerful for them. He used it to catch the pack midair and let out a booming laugh.

"I love being me," he chuckled as he tossed them back into the brush by their alpha. Caleb growled at him and made it back to his feet. He stalked toward Zach, who winked at him.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you," warned Zach as he crossed his arms. A loud of howl echoed around the group and Joshua's pointy ears perked up as he heard the call. He ran into the forest and Zach groaned.

"Great now where are you going? You are not leaving me here alone to explain my damaged car to my mom," yelled Zach, but Joshua kept running. Caleb and his pack slowly backtracked into the brush and Zach waved at them tauntingly as Caleb growled at him. Zach saw Leah in her wolf form heading his way and he frowned in confusion when he noticed that Joshua was nowhere to be found.

"Where is Josh? What just happened," he questioned as she nudged his pocket with her snout. His phone began to ring in his pocket and he nodded his understanding. He winced as he heard his mother's voice.

"Come home right now!"

"Mom this wasn't my fault."

"Zachary, we will have time to talk about this when you get home."

"Yes ma'am," he mumbled and Rosalie hung up on him. Leah galloped back into the forest.

"Tell J that I am going to kick his butt when I see him again and thanks for ruining my car," called Zach. He looked at his car and shook his head, knowing that he would have a lot of explaining to do to his parents.

While Jacob took Joshua back to the house, Leah went in search of Sam. She was not amused by the way Caleb and his pack acted toward her son or Zach and she wanted answers. Sam was waiting for her on the porch when she arrived and she looked at him curiously as he showed her his phone.

"I got a call from Jared. The word is out. Joshua is a wolf now, so I figured you would be stopping by."

"You know me too well," she said as she sat down by him on the porch.

"How is Josh doing?"

"Jake is taking care of him right now. He is a bit confused and disoriented. It doesn't matter how much we tried to prepare him for this. It takes time to get used to the intensity of the emotions pulsing through you."

"I am sorry that you didn't get your wish, Leah. I know you wanted Josh to be a normal kid."

"I accepted long ago that Josh would be a wolf. The reason I am here is because I want to know why Caleb tried to lure my son over to his pack." Sam sighed.

"I sensed that a change was coming and I am not even the alpha anymore, so I am sure that Caleb could sense it too. I know that Josh is a part of your pack, but that will not stop Caleb from trying to get him to join his."

"Josh would never join Caleb."

"You sure about that?"

"Of course I am!"

"Think about it, Leah. He is a teenager with all this new power. He would have more freedom in using it in Caleb's pack than under the watchful eye of his parents. That is what Caleb is banking on."

"Why does Caleb want my son?"

"Because he knows what we all know, Josh is the true alpha and he is rare. An alpha and beta created him. That has never been done before and Caleb is a lot of things, but he isn't blind to that. In his mind, that makes Josh a threat to his power over his pack, so he will try two approaches. First, he will try to lure him to his side to become his beta."

"And if that doesn't work?" Sam winced.

"Josh becomes the enemy," he confessed and Leah gritted her teeth.

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner!"

"Because I thought maybe I could talk Caleb out of it. He was doing so well for a while. After his altercation with the Cullens, he really seemed to understand that he needed to learn some responsibility, but then the power went to his head. Four more wolves have joined his pack and with each one, Caleb's ego gets bigger. He wants to change things around here so that he can make his mark in our legends."

"Since when does Caleb care about our legends? The only reason he even stayed here was because he could control a pack!"

"Caleb has always felt like an outsider and like he has to prove himself to the tribe. He is out to prove that he is the alpha."

"How does he plan on doing that?"

"I thought I talked him out of it after the Cullens saved his life, but he wants to reverse the treaty so that it goes back to the way it was before we agreed to add the stipulation about golden eyed vampires. He doesn't want them on our land at all, just like his father never did."

"Well maybe someone should remind Caleb that those golden eyed vampires saved his life and the lives of his pack members."

"He won't listen. I have tried. He has always been an angry young man and with each wolf that turns, he feeds off of their anger too. He is only twenty one years old and he has a lot of issues. I know that, but I am trying to help him work through them."

"Well you better try harder because now he is targeting my son and the pack tried to attack Zach. You are lucky Zach is so powerful because if anything would have happened to him, Rosalie would have….."

"I know. I will talk to Caleb about it….again. If you need any help with Josh, just let me know."

"You just worry about Caleb. We can handle our son. He just needs to gain his composure."

"I know you can handle it. Just keep in mind what it was like when we phased for the first time, that feeling of being out of control was almost unbearable so don't be surprised if Josh is extremely irrational right now. He might have been warned beforehand, but that doesn't change the fact that it is a new feeling for him."

"In other words, you think we are going to have our hands full." Sam chuckled and nodded.

"After all, he is the product of you and Jake. Neither of you were the tamest wolves when you first phased," he teased. Leah groaned and headed home to check on her son.