It was just past midnight on the small Quileute reservation of La Push. Laila Young sat perched on the small embroidered window seat, staring out at the dark expansive forest. The moonlight shone down, causing the dew drops glisten and every so often, the eyes of small critters would illuminate. She stared hard, as if to will the whole scenery to change back to the comfortable yard of her old house back in Texas. It was warm and dry there, the suns rays an essential part of day to day life. How could anyone live without that? She chuckled without humor. It had been 4 days since she arrived to her cousin Emily's home in La Push, Washington where she hadn't seen a single ray of sunshine since she arrived. How the hell was that possible? And what was the point of living by the beach if it was too cold and rainy to even go swimming? A deer had caught her eyes, then broke off into run back into the forest behind the house, effectively breaking her reverie. She shivered, pulling the too-big green flannel she borrowed from Sam's closet tighter. She sighed and stood up, stretching her arms that felt weird after sitting for so long.

"You okay?" Emily's quiet voice was pronounced through the small, silent house. Laila turned in time to see Emily pop open the refrigerator door, her long black hair piled high on her head in a neat bun.

"I'm fine. Can't sleep." She ran her fingers through her own soft curls that ran down her back. She loved her cousin dearly, yet she couldn't help but always feel inferior to her. Emily was beautiful. Her high cheekbones accentuated her almond eyes almost as perfectly as her black bangs framed her face. Golden, tanned skin and shiny black hair that hung long, she couldn't bring herself to cut her hair. Laila had tight honey brown curls that were hard to tame on a good day. She was more red-brown than golden, thanks to genetics on her fathers side, and her brown eyes were nothing short of boring. Cousins, they were. Did they look the part? Hell no.

She sighed once again and slipped into the chair that was at the counter. Emily turned back around, plopping cheese and butter onto the counter.

"Hungry?" Emily asked with a knowing smile. She grabbed the bread from on top of the fridge.

"I'm always in the mood for your famous grilled cheese," Laila smirked. She looked back out the window, and shivered. "So where are the boys then?"

Emily stiffened for a nano-second, then dropped the butter in the pan with a sizzle.

"I'm not sure exactly, although I do know Seth and Paul are in the forest, near the house," She set the first sandwich in the pan while Laila considered this, and the smell was mouth watering. "Hey, I know this might all be too much for you, I don't want you to be uncomfortable here Laila." Emily grabbed her cousins hand, her face sincere in apology. Laila snickered.

"Don't worry about me cuz, I've always been braver than you anyways. What's so scary about a bunch of teen wolves?" Emily looked relieved at that, and set down Laila's grilled cheese in front of her, cooked crispy exactly how she liked it. Laila took a bite, and groaned.

"Em, how can you make cheese and bread taste so good?" Emily chortled and set another sizzling sandwich in the pan.

The truth was, Laila missed her boys. She had moved here to La Push to be near her cousin and family. But she also wanted to see her friends that she had known since she was little. Apparently, since she had permanently relocated to this wet green alien planet, Sam and "the tribal council" had felt it necessary to inform her of the Quiluete legends... which were more or less cold hard facts. She had taken it well, almost too well- at which point Sam had correctly assumed that she didn't believe anything that was coming from Old Quils mouth. So he had stood up, looked Laila dead in her eyes, and phased. And that was that.

It had been 4 days, and she hadn't been able to talk to or see any of her dearest friends. Jacob was at the top of that list. They had been inseparable since she was 5 for every summer Emily's mother, her Aunt Jem, had taken her in. They had ridden bikes together, played in the mud and explored the outskirts of the forest until they had grown into the awkward, pre-teen stage. Then they had graduated to drinking together at 14, finding a loose cigarette and smoking it for the first time (Jacob made her promise she would never ever touch one again, and she never did), and receiving her first kiss from Quil during a truth or dare game. The summer of Laila's graduation from high school- Jacob and the other boys had gotten her truly fucked up, and she spent the first night of that summer hunched over Embry's toilet, with him rubbing her back and Jared supplying her with water, crackers and Tylenol. It was actually worst summer she ever had there, when she and Jacob ignored each other for weeks after his first kiss (Laila despised the tramp, thank god that didn't last long) although they had forgiven each other and the little quarrel was forgotten. Her summers here were always action-packed and there was never a dull moment. She had almost counted on her close friends to trample her as soon as her flight landed. Which was why it was kind of upsetting that Sam had ordered the boys away from Emily's house.

"So what's with the gag order anyway?" Laila wondered, a little peeved at Sam. And peeved at the guys. Why would they listen to him? You would think after a year she could atleast get a phone call...

"Sam's just trying to protect you, Laila. Don't take it personal... if he orders one of them to do- or not do- something, they have to obey. It's kind of part of the whole wolf thing."

"It's not fair. They shouldn't have to suffer because of me-"

"Suffer! Ha!" Emily laughed and picked up both their empty floral plates. She shook her head. "Nobody is suffering Laila. You will see the boys soon enough, I promise." Emily's nonchalant attitude did appease her a little. There was comfortable silence between them as Emily washed her plates and Laila sat on the yellow cushioned seat. Her eyes fell on a picture of Emily and Sam, mid-laugh that was hung on the fridge. It was one of many reminders around the small, cozy home that they were irresistibly and utterly in love.

"So is it weird for you? To date a... werewolf?" She hoped Emily didn't hear her hesitation over the word. It was still weird as hell for her to say out loud.

"Not at all. He's still Sam, just bigger and stronger. But even when he's changed into a wolf, he's still there inside. Just a furrier body." She giggled, only one half of her perfect face turned up into the smile, as the other half was cast into a somewhat permanent frown from the bear attack last year. It hurt Laila every time she looked at it. She turned away.

"Don't you miss when things were normal? Or if you would have never known?" Laila insisted, starting to question her own involvement. Why did she have to know about it? She wasn't even Quiluete technically. That came from Emily's father, which she had no relation to. Her mother and Emily's mother were sisters. Although she was treated like family by nearly everyone, that small little fact was always in the back of her head. Different. Couldn't even fit in where she felt most comfortable.

"I would never go back. I think I was born to live a life like this." Emily beamed, and Laila knew that was true. Emily deserved the world, and she could see that Sam did everything to give her that. She yawned suddenly, and blinked against the dryness in her eyes. She was sure that grilled cheese would put her to sleep, and after making her way upstairs to the guest room bed, she succumbed.

A low howl ripped through the thick, morning fog, and it made Paul jump to his feet immediately. He had just gotten to sleep, dammit. Couldn't he get one good hour of sleep? He grumbled, removing his shorts as he jogged through his shabby, back door and phased, already at the forest edge.

'Mornin' boys' Sams thoughts were on edge, yet there was a hint cheerfulness surrounded his thoughts too. Paul ignored it, he wasn't in the mood.

'What's going on?' Jared demanded, suspicious. The light brown wolf fell into a run next to Paul, heading for the clearing where Sam sat perched, waiting for them. Paul dug his claws into the damp earth, pushing faster. He didn't want company right now.

'Get your head out of your ass dude, you're not the only one whose tired' Jared complained. Paul growled, making it to the clearing before anyone else. Sam was waiting for everyone with expectant eyes.

'This has better be important, I just got off a 12 hour shift' Paul sat next to Sam as Jared, Quil and Seth finally arrived.

'Where is Leah?' Sam questioned Seth. The sandy wolf shrugged.

'What's this about?' Jacob broke the clearing, his russet colored wolf pacing back and forth as Embry and Leah finally joined the group. Jacob was excited, panting and his huge tail whipping back and forth. His thoughts were centered around Laila and the alpha order that had banned him from seeing the girl. Jesus, kid needed to get a grip.

'Actually, Jacob, that's exactly why I called you all here. I think it would be better now that she's had time to adjust, if we all visited her. I'm lifting the ban. She seems to be taking it very well, and I see no reason to keep you all from her. I can see it in her eyes, she misses you all.'

There was a moment of silence, and then Jacob turned and skirted off like a bat out of hell in the direction of Emily's house. The rest of the pack howled in excitement, following after the baby alpha.

'Seriously? That's it?' Paul snorted, turning to head back home. It was 7am, Christ. He could've been asleep by now. He didn't understand it. What was so damn special about this annoying girl that everybody gravitated to her. He would pass.

'Bro shut the hell up. Go get some sleep, I'm sure she doesn't wanna see your ugly mug first thing in the morning anyway' Embry piped up, and Paul couldn't disagree. There was little love between the two for as long as he could remember, and she probably despised him as much as he despised her. No, he didn't even care enough to despise her.

'Em's making breakfast Paul, you can at least eat and say hi before you go pass out' Seth volunteered. Paul's wolf stopped just short of the clearing to his back yard. He could use some frisbee sized cinnamon rolls, and maybe some eggs. His stomach grumbled achingly, and the decision was made. He was at Emily's house just after everyone else arrived, and phased back to put his shorts back on. He could already hear the chorus of the pack in the small house. It was just barely big enough to hold the already large pack of shapeshifters, how could they just throw another person into the mix with ease? Especially one who would judge them knowing what they were, or so easily expose them.

He walked through the back door, and eyes settled on Emily's warm smile. She was always welcoming of him, even with his more often than not surly attitude.

"I missed you shrimp! Now you'll never be able to get rid of me." Quil chuckled, pinching the small girl-Laila- as she squeaked. He couldn't even think her name. She was just the girl. The girl that Jacob couldn't seem to get his mind off of, the girl that Sam would give his life to protect for some reason, the girl that had captivated everyone around him- even Leah! Everyone loved her, was like an annoying alarm in his head. Beep, beep, beep. Laila, Laila, Laila. He turned around to face his pack mates. They all had her surrounded. She was sitting at the breakfast table, telling some story that had everyone engrossed.

"I swear! It was the worst flight I've ever been on. The guys head was practically in my lap, and he was snoring." Laila laughed, shaking her head. And of course Jacob was sitting next to her, arm thrown around her possessively in an attempt to make it out of the friend zone as she was describing her airplane horror story. Paul could see she was leaning away, just slightly. Jacob was always pushing the boundaries with her. Her back was to Paul, freckles playing under her brown dress at her shoulders and arms. Her loose curls were in a low bun, a few tendrils had escaped at her neck, and they had a touch of blonde in them. Had she dyed her hair? Or was it from the sun? She was slightly taller, he could tell even with her sitting down, her body taking more of a womanly shape. How old was she now? 20? And then he realized, why did he care? He turned back around and gathered eggs in the plate he was holding. Emily squeezed his arm.

"How are you? I haven't seen you around in a while." She almost whispered, and he smiled. She was so timid and quiet, and he liked that about her. Almost obedient, she was perfect for Sam. Perfect for a wolf. A stark contrast to her cousin Laila, who was too bold and confident. He wondered how the hell they could ever be related.

"I'm fine, just tired is all." He said, layering his eggs and bacon under a thick stream of syrup. He didn't even bother sitting at the full table. He ate standing in the kitchen, watching the pack flitter around this girl that didn't belong here. Sam caught his eye at that moment, and he knew it was a warning. Sam could feel the tenor of his thoughts. He turned away.

"You know, you've never even given her a chance. I don't understand why-"

"I don't make friends." He stated simply, as he finished his last bite and washed his plate off. He didn't want to offend Emily, but her cousin would be the very last person he would consider being 'friends' with. The thought was laughable. "Thanks for breakfast, Em." He winked at her, and left through the back door. As soon as he was out, he felt instantly better. It was almost nauseating, the pull they all felt for that girl. Christ, you'd think they all imprinted. He shook his head and phased, heading towards his house. Finally, some fucking peace and quiet.

He phased back, slipping on his shorts once again and proceeded through his house, to his bedroom. Once he laid down, it was easy enough to fall asleep. Annoyingly, his last conscious thoughts as he drifted off were of the girl and why she'd even move here in the first place.

"Ay Paul! Wake up man!" A booming voice echoed through his house. Paul groaned and rolled over, pulling the pillow over his head.

"Fuck off Quil," he grumbled. His bedroom door bounced open, hitting the wall. Paul shot up, his face set into a hard grimace as he inspected the hole in his wall that the doorknob had produced.

"Shit man, I'll fix that for you," he said, rubbing his fingers over the damage he had caused. "Tomorrow. Tonight, we're going to a bonfire," Paul glanced at the clock. 5:33. Well at least he got a good 8 hours of sleep, more than he had in days.

"Don't you know how to call? Or at least fucking knock?"

"You're a heavy sleeper. Anyways, get a shower, you reek," he sniffed, and at that he closed the door and made his way to the living room. Paul could hear his tv turn on, and then immediately after his fridge door opening. He pinched the bridge of his nose. Clearly Quil wasn't letting him out of this one. And on any other day, he really wouldn't have minded a pack bonfire on First Beach. This occasion would obviously be different, with Laila in the equation. He didn't want to be near her. Sighing in resignation, he bound out of his bed and headed for the shower. He could use a drink- or twenty- anyways.

Laila appraised herself in the mirror, and sighed, taking off the stupid long sleeve shirt. She balled it up and threw it on the bed. Cold weather clothes were too uncomfortable. She was used to shorts, tank tops, dresses, sandals... Sadly she would have to trade in most of her wardrobe for something more weather appropriate in this awful climate. She settled for light blue skinny jeans and another one of Sam's oversized flannels- this time red. It smelled like him though, and she hugged it a little tighter. He was like her big brother.

Her hair was a long, thick braid thumping against her back as she bounded down the flight of stairs. Emily assessed her outfit for a quick second, and decided she was acceptable. Her first outfit had been a dress and flip flops, to which Emily laughed out loud and urged her back upstairs to change. Just because the sun was out didn't mean it was necessarily warm, she had told her.

"You can borrow my boots," Emily suggested, pointing to the dark brown hiking books that were sitting near the door.

"Uh, are we trekking through the forest? No thanks, I'll just wear my converse." She slipped on her worn, navy blue chucks and sat on the stairs, chin in hand. "What's tonight about anyways?"

Emily snickered, pulling her forest green raincoat on. It wasn't in the forecast to rain tonight, but it was always handy to have in case. "You, of course. Plus, it's the guys night off. Once a month, Sam lets all of them have a night off together, no patrolling. They have to stay on the reservation, but it's a nice break from the usual schedule."

The two girls walked out the front door, Emily locking it behind her, and Laila could see the break in the clouds as the sun went down. What a shame, finally some sunlight only for it to be taken away by dusk. She stepped out from under the eve of the house, just as a nearly naked Embry Call emerged from the forest. He was wearing only a pair of black shorts and worn tennis shoes. Holy crap, wasn't he cold?

"Ladies," He cheered in greeting, perfectly at ease as Emily pulled a hoodie from a chest on her front porch and tossed it to him.

"Embry, aren't you freezing?" Laila asked. He smirked and shrugged on the hoodie, covering his muscled brown chest. It fit over his burly arms just barely.

"Nope, I run pretty hot these days. It's a wolf thing." Laila shook her head in disbelief again. Would she ever get used to the supernatural? "Where are you gals headed anyway?"

"Sam wants us to get a few things from the store for the bonfire. Do you mind helping us?" Emily started for the rusty brown truck that had been her fathers before it was hers. It was old, but it was reliable.

"Yeah I'll come," he turned to Laila, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the truck. "What, cat got your tongue?"

"More like dogs got my tongue." She muttered under her breath.

About an hour later, the three had shown up to First Beach with bonfire items in tow. It wasn't much, just wood, hotdogs and s'mores stuff. It wouldn't have been an expensive trip if it weren't for the gallons of alcohol that they had to supply for the pack as well. Laila and Emily had settled for a few bottles of wine to share between them. The rest of the beer and hard liquor had been per request by the pack. Apparently being an oversized wolf on occasion made getting drunk an achievement that you had to work for.

Jacob had been the first to show up, overly eager to help set up the fire and logs surrounding it. Laila had started it, with Jacobs help, as he taught her how to start a fire without any lighter fluid. He had told her even if she couldn't taste it on the hot dogs, the rest of them could. Another one of their super senses.

Truthfully, she loved being with Jacob. Loved his personality, his laugh, and he was beautiful, just like the rest of them. She even loved the possessive edge he had on her, although she thought maybe she liked it a little too much. It was harmless though, to have him close to her, arm around her, a warm lap to sit in. It was nice to be close to someone like that, without it being like that.

It only took a few minutes for the rest of the pack to arrive, the cheerful energy lifting her mood. She claimed a seat in between Jacob and Leah, who in spite of her rough exterior and rocky start to their friendship, Laila had come to love to girl.

"Here, Laila," Emily passed her a red cup filled with wine, and Laila tested it. It was delicious. She nursed her cup and surveyed the group surrounding the fire. She loved every single one of these people. It didn't matter to her if they were something other, she realized. They were family to her, more family to her than her own flesh and blood sometimes (not including Emily). She subconsciously leaned towards Jacob, and he rested a hand on her knee. She took another sip from her cup, finishing it off and looked up. Her eyes settled on another pair of dark eyes, eyes that were scrutinizing her with resentment. Paul didn't look away, and neither did she. She felt herself flush, but she didn't care. What the hell was his problem? He could go to hell for all she-

"Laila, want a refill?" Emily stood in front of her, breaking her from her bitter staring contest, and also blocking her from the warmth of the fire. She felt a little chilly, and decided she could use another cup to warm up. But she wanted something stronger. She got up, shaking Jacobs arm off her back. He looked up, confused. She had a glint in her eyes.

"Alright, who wants to do some shots?"