Tada, I'm finally back! Sorry for being absent for so much longer than I had estimated I would be. College keeps me exceedingly busy. Therefore, I didn't think it would be fair to any of you to start something without having it planned out enough that I would have an idea of where I'm going to prevent as many cases of writer's block. So, I warn you now, no promises on the consistence of updates. I'll do my best though, you can count on that.

In this fic, BD has never taken place. Because it just wouldn't work the way I want it to. And because I just say so. I'm also uncertain on exact ages in the actual series so once again I've decided to take liberty with them and do what I want. :)

Okay, so, enjoy. :) Mwah!

Embry yawned and stretched, exhausted and annoyed. Why did he have to give up a normal life just because the stupid Cullens had to live in Forks? There hadn't been problems for any of the time they were here. It was unfair that he had to give up his personal life, his dreams and hopes and expectations, just because they wanted to live here.

Why did he have to lose a life because they wanted to pretend to be human? He had a finite time of living, while they had… well, forever.

No, he reminded himself; he was stuck in time now too. Until he could stop phasing, he'd remain ageless, stuck in this overgrown body that didn't look anything like any other eighteen year old's.

Again, unfair.

Though, okay, the looking older and being really built thing was kinda cool. When he did manage to get his butt into school, all the girls stared. And that was even with him wearing a shirt. He'd come across one or two outside of school, where there was no rule about having to wear a shirt (meaning that he didn't) and that had been almost enjoyable.

Except for the fact that he was only looking like he did because he wasn't human anymore. He was a monster, too, just like the bloodsuckers. Except he was a good monster.

Wasn't that an oxymoron. A good monster. He silently laughed, bitter.

Bottom line was – he hated that he'd had to give up everything important because the Cullens were vampires and couldn't help but move to Forks. He wanted to hate them, and he sort of did, but not as much as others – Paul and Sam, for example. He hated them because they were unnatural and because it was their existing that had lost him his life. He didn't want to get to know them, he didn't care what they did as long as they didn't kill any humans, and he really just wanted them to leave.

But then that Bella Swan girl had to go and get one's attention latched on her, like a leech stuck on a juicy vein. Embry grinned at his analogy, then winced as Jacob sent a blast of angry thoughts his way.

Oh shut up, he grumbled sullenly. You know it's true. If she hadn't gotten entangled with the leeches, we'd be free to be normal.

Jacob's thoughts cut off, meaning he'd phased back to escape Embry's truth. If – when – Sam found out, he wouldn't be happy. Jacob was supposed to patrol for the next two hours still, and if he couldn't just deal with Embry's thoughts, there was no way he'd be able to deal with Jared's or Paul's.

Personally, Embry had decided he didn't give a flying rat in space what Bella Swan wanted. She wanted to be a frozen stinkin' leech, no skin off his nose. It was her life to do with as she pleased, and that included giving it up for a stupid bloodsucker that had hurt her deeply when he'd left her. Who was Embry to tell her how to live her life? Especially when he knew all about wanting a life to dictate on your own. He'd love to be able to have that type of control over his life.

Besides, if the bloodsuckers changed Bella Swan, they'd probably have to leave, and he could get back to his own life thank you very much. Seemed like a good plan to him.

Of course, love-sick Jacob didn't think of it that way. He was so hung up on Bella Swan - soon to be Bella Cullen; she was marrying the leech in like… a month - that all he could think about was how she'd be a dead parasite and woe was him and boo-hoo – he couldn't have a fairy tale with her. Obviously Bella didn't care as much about Jake as he did about her; she had taken back the leech quickly enough after all. Didn't stop Jake from obsessing over her.

Sighing, Embry stopped short of the edge of the woods outside his house and phased back, reaching up into the branches above and pulling down his clothes. Unlike some lucky members of the pack – like Jared and Sam and of course Jacob and Quil – his family didn't know what he was. Made it damn hard to explain why he was failing classes at school, why he would disappear for hours at a time, why he snuck out at night. Already his dad had grounded him a dozen times in the past three months, and the last time Embry had been caught sneaking back in, his parents had gotten into a huge fight over how to punish him. Dad – kick him out. Mom – no way.

Talk about clash of the titans.

That's why he'd had to ask for the shift in the late afternoon. Sam had been giving it to some of the younger ones, but Embry knew his family couldn't take much more strain. At least for a little while, he was going to have to lay low.

Seth had taken Embry's place and the kid was ecstatic about it. Probably the only one of them to seem to be curious about the parasites and not just automatically dislike them, Seth was odd but enthusiastic. He'd practically phased with excitement when Sam told him the news. He was like a friggin' puppy dog wagging its tail, all eager to please and shit.

As Embry walked into the house, he stopped in the kitchen to snatch a couple of homemade French fries off a plate, getting his hand out of the way just in time before his mom could smack it.

"Embry Call, you leave those for dinner," she chastised, but she was smiling slightly so he knew it wasn't a big deal. He kissed her on the cheek, to which she added with affectionate disgust, "Go take a shower, you smell."

Laughing, Embry headed down the hall to take a shower, but almost got bulldozed over by his baby sister. Kasey latched onto his leg with the strength of super glue, burying her little face into his skin and talking rapidly about her day, the words muffled because she had yet to move her face.

Grinning, Embry bent down and slowly and carefully pried her arms apart, lifting her in his arms and holding her level with his face as she continued chattering. She was talking about coloring something after lunch, he thought, her pretty blue eyes bright with excitement.

Three going on four, Kasey was light where he was dark. Blue eyes to his dark brown. Chestnut hair to his black. Lightly tanned skin to his dusky dark.

She was also a very poignant reminder that all was not well in his family. Embry didn't like to think about it too much, though. She was his baby sister and she was innocent and that was all that mattered. Besides. They were rather in the same boat in a way.

Embry carried her into his room, dropping her on his bed and grinning as she giggled when she bounced, her little hands coming up to cover her mouth. She bounced a couple more times purposefully, then fell sideways and buried her face in his pillow, glancing at him with that adorable, almost shy look.

"Emby pway wif Kasey?"

"After I shower."

Her brow furrowed deeply and she chewed on her finger. "Soon?" she asked, over emphasizing the "oo" in the word.

Before Embry could respond, the front door opened and closed and Kasey was scrambling off the bed and blurring out the door, squealing for "daddy". He listened as his father cheerfully greeted her and her delighted laughter and squeals as she was lifted and spun in the air.

Grabbing fresh clothes to change into, Embry ducked quickly out of his room and down the hall to the bathroom, avoiding his father's critical gaze.

Truth was, Herald Call wasn't even his father. Not that his mother and father knew that he knew. Embry wouldn't have ever known, but he'd turned into a werewolf.

Neither his mother nor "father" had werewolf bloodlines.

Meaning… one of them wasn't his actual parent. It had been deduced that it was one of three people – Billy Black, Joshua Uley, or Old Quil – which obviously wasn't something you could go around asking. Yeah; Embry's ancestry was taboo among the Pack.

This occasionally made things awkward as hell. It wasn't that the Pack judged him for it. But there was a … a difference there. Unintentional, but unmistakable.

So it appeared that bastard children weren't exactly uncommon in his family. His mom had had him… and his dad had had Kasey.

But Embry was oh so glad for Kasey. Sweet, bubbly Kasey with her big dimpled grin and her bright blue eyes; she somehow always made things seem less intense, less important or worrying.

And thankfully, Mom adored her as well. She never blamed Kasey for her origins.

Embry couldn't say the same was the case between him and Herald.

And it hadn't always been like that. Once upon a time, Herald and Embry had been like the stereotypical, tightly bonded father and son. Embry had admired his father. Embry had adored him. Worshiped him. Wanted to be just like him.

But that image had been shattered when Kasey's biological mother had dropped her off at the house, claiming she wanted to be something more than the "little woman". It had been a time of yelling and fighting and slammed doors and sobbing. It had completely ripped apart Embry's impressions of his father. The only good thing out of it all was Kasey. He'd vowed to take care of her and that was exactly what he did.

Things hadn't been the same once that had happened, even though his parents had worked things out, but they hadn't been bad.

No, that had come along with the whole werewolf thing. Then… that was when the dirty looks and the sarcastic cheap shots and the fighting had come along.

Embry managed to sneak out of the bathroom and into his own room without encountering Herald. He even managed to get dressed and when he opened the door, it wasn't his dad there but Kasey, holding her favorite doll and a toy wooden wolf Jake had carved at Embry's request for her. Already, the minimal paint was fading because she took the damn thing literally everywhere; it was almost entirely worn away at the top of the wolf's head because that was where Kasey constantly kissed it.

Kasey said the pretty wolf kept away the monsters.

She had no idea. But that was a good thing. Slightly ironic that she thought that, but absolutely adorable.

Kasey slipped by him into his room, sitting on the floor in front of his desk and making her baby doll hop around. He half-closed his door, turning around to go and ease himself to the floor next to her, watching with a slight smile. She was completely absorbed in her game, smiling happily, mumbling to herself. After a few moments, she looked up at him and handed him the toy wolf.

"Pway."

Embry chuckled and acquiesced. Apparently, the wolf was a "Pince" and the baby doll was his "pinsess".

The game lasted about twenty minutes before a throat cleared from the doorway. Embry glanced up, waiting to see if his dad would meet his eyes today. He didn't. He simply stated, "Dinner's done," and walked back down the hall.

Kasey leapt up, hand tucked inside Embry's, and pulled him eagerly to the kitchen. She brought the toy wolf with her.

Sometimes, Embry thought it would be easier just to let his father kick him out of the house. Sam and Emily would let him stay with them, or Billy probably would let him crash on the couch. They'd know what was going on and things would be easier.

But when it came right down to it, Embry knew he'd never be able to leave his home, no matter how rough things were. While the Pack was his pack, in the same way his family was like his pack as well. He couldn't just abandon them any more than he could abandon the Pack.

Besides… how would they explain it to Kasey? How would he be able to explain to his baby sister that he wasn't going to see her all the time anymore? She expected him to be there. And his mom – his mom would be hurt if he left. She'd probably take it personally or something.

No, Embry was stuck playing the double life. He was Superwolf or Wolfman or something like that. The furry, four-legged crusader of the night.

He really needed to stop watching so many super-hero movies.

It wasn't going to be easy, and maybe it wouldn't work like he wanted it to, but he was going to do his damndest to make things work with his family and his Pack.

Tada with my little prologue! ;) Hopefully none of you keeled over in shock at my finally making an appearance. I've got part of the first chapter written, and I've got a (very) sketchy outline in place so hopefully I'll be able to update semi-regularly. If you really want exact times, I'd say we're leaning towards every two weeks or so. Love and hugs all! :D