Woohoo! Who else is excited for this one? I am totally pumped! And I am not telling you ANYTHING about this story. No hints. So don't ask. Bahahahah!

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October

RPOV

Halloween. Jacob and I had just celebrated our third anniversary. Our son, Will, was two years old. Jules, his sister, was a little over a year. All the kids in our families and packs were gathering around the Cullen house to get ready to go trick-or-treating on the rez and in Forks. Half of Jacob's pack and half of Walker's pack was going to follow us around. Jules was dressed up as Tigger, the costume made by my mother, Bella. Will was going out as a dinosaur, also made by my mother. Shocking. I was surprised he didn't want to go as a car. Next year he'd probably be going out as his dad in a greased up t-shirt, jeans, and boots.

I loved Halloween. Seeing all the kids together was just breathtaking. They were the next generation. And to see them all getting along was gorgeous.

My mood changed when Tricia came up to me. I'd felt her staring at me all night.

I shook my head. "Not now, Tricia. Please.

Her eyes pleaded with me. "Nessie. Please. Help me out. If you don't, I'll do it alone."

Turning away from everyone, I pulled her with me none too gently. "Tricia, this is not something that you can just jump into," I said angrily under my breath. "Or just decide out of thin air. I mean, have you even talked to Embry about this?"

She stopped and pulled her arm out of my hold. "No, I haven't. And I'm not going to. This isn't his decision."

"He's your husband. He should get a say. How do you think he'd react to someone infecting you?" The last bit was hissed out so nobody would hear it.

For a moment, she gaped at me before straightening her shoulders. "He'd understand."

I shook my head. "No, he'd go apeshit. You might be his wife, but I grew up with him. I know how he was before you and how he is now. As an outsider? I wouldn't attack you with a fly swatter. And if he found out I helped you…?" I shook my head again. "No, Tricia. Besides, who would you get to do it? Shelby won't. And Walker laid down rules for his wolves. There's no chance."

Which wasn't exactly true. I knew of at least one who would probably sympathize with her enough to infect her. Which was exactly what she wanted. Months ago, she'd come to me begging to help her find a way to stay with her husband longer since he'd accepted the fact that he would have to stop phasing to age and die with her in a normal human lifespan. I'd said no then and ever since.

Her ice blue eyes filled with tears. "What would you do if you were me? If you were human and Jacob wasn't?

Gritting my teeth, I tried really hard not to sympathize myself. "Don't, Tricia. Don't do that to me."

Reaching out, she gripped my arms under my shoulders. "You'd do the same thing, Ness. Don't even try to say you wouldn't."

"That's not the point, Tricia."

"Hey, ladies." Jacob had come to stand beside us with Jules in his arms. Fly away curls stuck out from her fitted hood. He looked between the two of us. "Everything okay?" His eyes honed in on Tricia's hands gripping my arms.

Pulling out of her grasp, I nodded and smiled. "Yeah we're good. Just a woman thing. You know how it goes." As a distraction, I looked at Jules. "Hey, cutie. You ready to go get some candy?" I tickled her neck. She scrunched up and giggled.

She reached out for me and I took her. Her arms wrapped around my neck as she squeezed me. "'Uv you, Momma."

I squeezed her back. "Love you, too, cutie."

Jacob's expression softened.

"'uv you, Daddy."

Leaning forward, he kissed her cheek. "Love you, too, baby girl."

I set her down. "Go find your brother, okay? We'll leave in a minute."

"Jue?"

Turns out we didn't have to go find him. He was already searching for her. Of course he was. Ever since the night she was born, he was all about his baby sister. Even in a green and black dinosaur costume, he was determined. Cutely determined. His black and bronze hair poked out of his costume just like Jules's.

Reaching us, he held out his hand. "Jule, 'ome wif me."

"Otay, 'ill."

She took his hand and scampered off.

"They grew so fast," Tricia whispered beside me.

So caught up in my family, I'd forgotten that she was still standing there. I turned to her and nodded. "Yeah, they have. But at least they get a normal childhood. Unlike me. I grew way too fast." I gave her a steady stare. "At least if you and Embry have kids, they'll grow normal like Leila and Henry."

Her face tightened up.

Giving her one last look, I wrapped my arm around Jacob's waist and we followed our kids back to the group milling around the front yard.

"What was all that about?" he asked, lips to my ear. I knew he'd recognized the argument for what it was.

I leaned into him. "I'll tell you later." She'd become so insistent that I was feeling the need to tell him. I figured she'd have cooled off and thought about it. I'd underestimated her determination on the subject, however. If Jacob couldn't talk her out of it, we'd be forced to talk to Embry.

"You sure?"

I nodded. "Yeah." Leaning up, I pressed my lips to his. "Let's enjoy tonight with the kidlets.

"Hmm, maybe we can get our spook on tonight. They'll be exhausted from walking around so much."

Smiling against his lips, I squeezed his waist and dipped my hand into his back pocket to grip his ass for a moment. "I was thinking the same thing."

He chuckled. "Even after two kids, we still got it."

"Well, duh. We're a young couple who are madly in love with each other."

We shared one more kiss before, surprisingly, Uncle Jasper gathered all the kids around. The adults were surrounding the kids to keep them safe and in sight. What wasn't surprising was that Will and Jules were standing in front. Brayden and Henry, permanently attached to Leila, stood with them. Uncle Jasper was dressed up as a confederate soldier. Something told me that the outfit was wasn't a reproduction but the real deal from his days in the Texas Cavalry. Aunt Alice was dressed up as a flapper girl, her dress shining and headband across her forehead. Uncle Emmett amused everybody with a plastic cape and plastic vampire fangs. With his dark hair and pale skin, he rather pulled off the traditional vampire look. Haleigh had asked Aunt Rosalie if she would dress up as a princess to match her costume. I was still very impressed with the whole Cinderella get-up. She looked as if she should actually be attending a ball in a far off country. My mother and father had gone with the Disney look by outfitting the Beauty and the Beast. One of my all-time favorites. Haleigh was thrilled. She'd dressed all in pink as Rapunzel from Tangled. Her hair wasn't blonde but it was long enough now to qualify.

"Alright," Uncle Jasper said in his thick southern accent, clapping his hands together. "Are we ready?"

The kids screamed a big "yeah".

"Alright," he said again. "Let's march out."

He took the lead down the driveway with Aunt Alice on his arm. As one, the kids all followed him, making sure not to run out in front of him. Those were the rules. We'd all gone over them so many times that even little Jules rolled her eyes when I started over.

Grinning, hand in hand, Jacob and I followed behind the crowd. Both of us kept an eye on the kids and our surroundings as we walked. Shelby, holding Piper, came to walk with us. Seth was on patrol tonight. As was Embry.

"Happy Halloween," she said to us.

Her eyes flashed amber as she smiled slightly pointed teeth at us.

Happy Halloween, indeed.

WalkerPOV

Something wasn't right. Of course it wasn't. It was Halloween night. Bad things happened on Halloween.

Looking down at the three shredded deer on my land, I couldn't be surprised. That didn't mean I had to like it. I also knew what had done it. Which turned my mood even darker.

"Walker, it wasn't one of us. You gave us a direct order."

Putting one hand on my hip and the other at the bridge of my nose, I said, "If we were Jacob's wolves with one of his orders, I'd agree with you. But our type of wolf can disobey a direct order. We need to question everyone." Turning to Bianca, I amended, "I need to question everyone."

She gave me a look. "You think I did this? Please. After bringing the pack here and begging for you to take over? Why would I do something like this?"

Well, hell. She had a point. "Fine. What about Angelica?"

Now her face thinned in anger. "Never! She would never do anything like this. I kill a fly and she's all over my ass."

"Okay, alright. Fine. We need to question everybody. If that pans out, then of course we'll know it's outside the pack."

"What about Jacob's pack?"

I gave her a sharp look. "Don't even go there. It's not them. This is their home. They've fought to protect it."

Bianca stepped closer to me. "This isn't Forks, Walker. Or the rez. We're outside the town."

"I'm aware of that. But it wasn't them. That I know." I met her gaze. "But I'll still tell him about it. Of course, I will. He deserves to know something is back in his territory."

Bianca walked around the deer one more time. "I don't know, Walker. It could just be mountain lions or actual wolves. If they're hungry enough, they'll come down here. The deer won't stay too far in the north and they're the prime source of protein. It's not like I haven't seen this before."

"Would a pack of wolves take down three though?"

She nodded. "If the pack is big enough, yes. It doesn't have to be werewolves. Or-,"

I turned back to her. "Or what?"

"It could be werewolves. If they're just passing through, they could have scented us, recognized that this was our land, and chose to hunt here knowing that it wouldn't be that big of a deal."

"Is that more likely?"

Again, she shrugged and tucked her short hair behind her ear. "I've seen that too. A lot. It could be a small pack of ten to twenty. These carcasses are pretty clean. Werewolves are meticulous in their eating."

Rubbing my temples, I took a deep breath. "Okay, first you try to convince me that it's just regular wolves. Now you want to tell me it's just a small traveling pack. Which one do you think it is?" My aggravation seeped into my voice.

Her eyes grew hard. "I'm just throwing ideas out. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'll stick with the traveling pack. It happens, Walker. It happened with us while we were with Edmund. They'll leave the bodies where they know a fuss won't get kicked up over it. With this amount of land, it would be easy for us to just throw the left overs in the woods to decompose. I mentioned the natural wolves so you would calm down."

Taking a deep breath through my nose and out through my mouth, I said, "Bianca, I don't need you sugarcoating shit, alright? If I'm truly going to lead this pack and know what the hell I'm doing, I need you to be honest with me. If you think that this was harmless, you need to tell me that so I don't freak out. I have a wife and a daughter to protect as well as a huge pack. Don't not be honest with me just because you think it might hurt my feelings or something. Just tell me."

She studied me for a long moment before nodding. "Alright. I'm sorry."

"Alright, so what do we do now?"

"When Brent comes back from patrols, we can get him to move the carcasses. He used to do it all the time. Until then, you have gifts to open and thank-you letters to write."

Apparently, with Children of the Moon, when a new pack leader emerged, it was common practice for neighboring packs to send gifts for the new leader and his or her mate. It was a grapevine of information apparently because just the other day, I received an antique hunting dagger from a pack in Florida. Christa had gotten a ruby the size of her thumb from the female. We were going to have it set into a necklace of some sort. And from the leader's son to Haleigh? A necklace made of alligator teeth. It was very intricate and beautiful, but too mature for her to wear at her age now with her running and playing outside. She could wear it when she was older.

So far, I'd received from three different leaders. And seeing as how packs didn't favor technology, I had to write letters of thanks to P.O. boxes instead of just picking up a phone to say "hey, thanks". Rubbing my neck, I followed her back toward the village of cabins.

Unease slithered through my gut as I looked back to the three dead deer staring at me.

JPOV

Nessie giggled as she slid across the hardwood of the ground floor toward the gated entrance to the stairs that led to our bedroom. I paced after her, tracking her every move. She'd been infuriating all night, sending me glances, randomly rubbing against me sensually. As soon as we'd gotten home, Will and Jules mixed their candy and we'd all sat down to watch a movie. Nothing scary although I couldn't wait until they were old enough for Hocus Pocus. Such a classic, and one of my favorites.

We'd just put them upstairs in their beds. The cribs had been packed away a while ago in favor of twin beds with bars. They were asleep long before their heads hit the pillows.

Now, my body was fired up, wanting to take my female before we bedded down for the night. When I made it to the bottom of the stairs, she was already half naked. Her jeans and underwear had been shucked off, and one of my button-downs covered her. She'd left it unbuttoned all the way down until it covered the juncture of her thighs. On her knees at the foot of the bed, she leaned toward me holding the posts of the bedframe.

When I got close enough, she tilted that lean body against mine. A year after our daughter was born, she had burned all the baby weight off. Her breasts stayed a little larger than they had been, but as a guy, I could live with that. Now, through the shirt, I cupped the heavy weights, stroking my thumb over her peaked nipples. A moan tore from her throat as her hand worked on my jeans. Once they were undone, she smoothed her hands up my stomach, pushing the shirt with it. I released her long enough to rip the shirt over my head and throw it with her jeans. Her nails left red welts on my skin as they skidded back down to my jeans. Her hair was up in a messy knot, so I dug through the curls and efficiently snapped the hair band. Those bronze curls spilled down her back in a sexy wave.

Her smile was beautiful painted with the firelight. Gently cupping her face, the heat having shrank back a little, I kissed her once, twice, before deepening it. It stayed tender and I moved closer so that there was no space between our bodies. Mine was rock hard whereas hers was soft. Her breasts were pressed to my stomach, hips down at my thighs.

When I pulled back, she was breathing hard, eyes closed, and that smile back. "Mmm, that was perfect," she whispered, licking her lips.

Sliding my hands down the column of her neck, I pressed my palms to her breastbone and smoothed outward, pushing the shirt off her shoulders. Once it was off her arms, it pooled at her waist, still covering that special place that belonged only to me. I sank to my knees in front of her. The goddess image was back. With me kneeling in front of her and her on her knees on the bed above me, painted in firelight, she looked like a sensual queen ready to be serviced.

Well, I was more than happy to pull through.

Wrapping my arms around her waist, I leaned in to flick my tongue over a nipple. Her breath punched out in a heady gasp. Now, after the kids, she was more sensitive there, every touch something sizzling. I knew, because she'd shown me the first time we'd made love after Jules was born. Sex was just different for her, the sensations heightened.

Settling in, I played my tongue and teeth over her. Her arms slid around my shoulders, urging me closer. Gripping her breast, I pulled in as much of her as I could, still flicking my tongue. Her whole body jerked in my arms before I slid her out and moved to the other breast.

Finally pulling back, her chest glistened from my mouth. Those chocolate eyes were closed and she was breathing as if she'd just run a mile in thirty seconds. While she pulled herself together, my fingers went for the rest of the buttons on the shirt. Once I pulled it away from her body, I saw, even from this angle, that she was swollen and wet. So ready for me. It wasn't until I ripped the shirt down the middle that she opened her eyes.

"Jacob?"

"Go up on your knees."

"Why?"

"I want to try something new. Please."

Nodding, she did as I asked.

"Hands on the bedposts." When she did that, I used one half of the shirt to tie one end around her wrist and the other around the wood. She had room to move, a length of fabric to grab onto. I did the same with the other. They were secure enough that she had to stay in that position and couldn't sit back on her heels the way she was.

I moved back in front of her to see that a sexual heat had joined the firelight in her eyes. This excited her. She actually liked this. A

And so did I.

Still in my jeans, I licked my lips and ran my hands over her body. Palmed her breasts, kneading them. Smoothed over her quivering stomach. Cupped her needy core. She jerked against the restraints, but they held. What followed my hands were my lips. I kissed and licked every contour of the front of her. By the time I went around back and licked my way up her spine, her whole body was shivering and convulsing.

Finally, I moved back in front of her, going back down on my knees. Just looking at her tied up and panting had my erection uncomfortably tight even in my loosened jeans. Digging through the material, I palmed myself with one long stroke. So damn sensitive.

"Spread your knees," I ordered in a guttural tone.

She did it, forcing her arms to stretch even more. I searched her face for any signs of pain, but all I found was burning pleasure. Her eyes were slits as she watched me lean forward. I kept my eyes locked with hers when my tongue darted out to her core and tasted her. She convulsed again. I growled with my lips pressed to her folds.

"Jake," she breathed.

Gripping my hard length, I went to dive in, enjoying all the slick pleasure that coated my tongue and slid down the back of my throat. She tasted like mint and honey, and I drank her down like I'd been in the desert for years. At this angle, though, I couldn't actually tongue fuck her, so I moved to press my back against the foot of the bed so that I was directly under her.

There. That was better.

The faster my tongue moved over her, the fast my hand moved over my hard, hot length. We'd never done oral this way before, and as I sat there, about to thrust my tongue inside of her, I wondered what the fuck had I been thinking? Or not thinking, as was the case.

"Jacob, please, I'm not going to last."

I thrust my tongue up inside her as deep as I could. Immediately, her inner walls latched on, spasming, and a whole lot of her pleasure coasted down my throat. There was so much of it that I couldn't keep up swallowing, and some of it seeped out of the corner of my mouth. Nessie had been working on trying not to scream since I couldn't always clap a hand over her mouth. I knew she was gritting her teeth while the mewling noises escaped her throat.

With her orgasm, my body was ready to burst. Instead, I jumped to my feet, picked up her hips and thrust inside of her while her orgasm continued to contract. Her walls clenched me tightly with each thrust, adding to that delicious pleasure. Her hands were still tied, forcing her into a swinging motion with each of my thrusts, so the leverage slammed her over my hips again and again. Still no pain. Eyes squeezed tight, she bit down on her lower lip, still whimpering in a way that told me the pleasure was all she was feeling.

I cradled her ass and continued to pound into her. The bed groaned and creaked with the force, but neither of us really cared.

"Jacob," she gasped out again. Her hands gripped down on the length of shirt before her body convulsed again.

This time when her body clamped around mine, it brought my orgasm to a roaring conclusion. As I jetted inside of her, it was very nearly violent. While my body was without control, my claws shot out. I knew I was bleeding her hips, but that just seemed to take her higher. She arched against the restraints and my hands, rubbing that sweet spot against my very lower stomach. I was locked against her, only able to ride out the waves of pleasure.

A few minutes later, both of us spent, we just stayed like that, breathing hard. Her upper body was elevated. After a while, what I'd pumped into her started to leak out. Bracing her back with an arm, I reached up and cut the binds that held her arms. Her body was nothing but liquid in my arms. Gently, I laid her down and pulled out of her. I was likewise coated in my own juices as well as hers.

I managed to stumble to the bathroom long enough to get a wet washcloth. After I cleaned myself up, which was difficult with how sensitive I was to touch, I tossed that cloth and wet another one. After I cleaned her up, I threw the cloth over with our dirty clothes and lifted her higher onto the bed. She was half asleep with the warm fuzzies as I settled her into the plushy mattress and pillows. I moved in beside her, wrapping us up with the sheet even though we were both hot and sweaty. She rolled over with a happy, relaxed smile, hands cradling her cheek. I noticed that there were red marks around her wrists.

I ran a finger around them.

She frowned, eyes still closed. "I'm fine, Jake."

"I know. Just wanted to soothe it a little."

She smiled now. "That was fun. I liked you being in complete control."

Leaning forward, I kissed her nose. "Me, too. What was it you wanted to tell me earlier?" Sinking down into the blankets, she sighed. I knew I'd lost her. "Nevermind. Tell me tomorrow."

"Mhm."

Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled her against me. The mother of my children. For some reason, it was a relief that we still made love like newlyweds, that we weren't, in fact, the boring parents.

Before I fell asleep wrapped around her, I lifted up to check the two monitors on her bedside table. Both kids were quiet and passed out cold.

Grinning at my luck, I fell into an easy sleep.

RPOV

"She wants to do what?" Jacob demanded.

I had just told him about Tricia's demands. I sympathized with her. Truly, I did. But this was a huge decision she was trying to make without talking to her mate about it. I'd learned not to keep things of this kind of importance from Jacob. Tricia was, by extension, a member of the pack, and he needed to know.

I sat down heavily in front of him, Jules in my arms with a bottle. She had yet to accept the sippy cup though I was trying. "You heard me," I said as Will made explosion noises from the living room.

Jacob leaned onto his elbows on the table. It seemed like every big conversation we had was done at the kitchen table.

"What is she thinking?"

"That she wants a lot more time with her mate. Jacob, I agree with her." His head shot up. I went on quickly. "What I mean is that I know that I would feel the same way. But, I do think this is something that she needs to talk to Embry about. Maybe even Walker and Caden."

"God, this is like your mom all over again."

"What do you mean?" I asked while Jules stood up in my lap, still sucking on the bottle. Her fingers played in the curls at the nape of my neck. She was still in her Tigger pants with the coiled tail. Some of her whiskers were still there with the make-up Aunt Rosalie had used.

He sighed. "Bella wanted to be turned no matter what anybody said to try to change her mind. Even Edward. In the end, it is her decision. I just don't know how that would go over with the imprint. I do know that you're right. Embry will have a cow if he finds out. Besides, Walker forbade any of his wolves from infecting someone. And I highly doubt he'll make an exception for his sister. I mean, I know he's okay with what he is, but that doesn't mean he wants it for Tricia."

"And I agree. But I also see her point, Jake. And there is one wolf here who isn't officially part of Walker's pack."

He frowned at me. "Who?"

Jules reached out for him. "Daddy."

He took her and swung her into his lap. She latched an arm around his neck just as she had done with me. I saw her stretch her neck, eyes on the living room. She was watching out for Will.

Jacob looked at me while he played his fingers through his daughter's hair, absently untangling it. With her curls, it was a hassle to brush them, so we took turns finger combing them. "Who, Ness?"

"Rhett. And if she made the right argument, he'd sympathize with her enough to do it. Remember his story? He accepted the infection, wanted it. Although, if he did it and someone found out, Walker would send him back to Calahan and Emma depending on if he agreed or not."

He sighed again, closed his eyes, and leaned into Jules, pressing his face to her shoulder. She squeezed his neck, still watching her brother. "I'll go talk to her."

Reaching across the table, I gripped his hand. "Don't tell Embry. Not yet. Please. I don't want to cause a rift between them if we don't have to."

He squeezed my fingers in return. "Okay. I'll see what I can do." Slowly, his fingers traced over what was left of the red marks from the night before.

Our eyes met and I knew we were both remembering. A chill shot through me. What he'd done to me last night had been beyond erotic that there had multiple times of me just thinking about it that had nearly brought me to orgasm. Total domination, and I couldn't wait to do it again. I knew he couldn't either from what I'd heard from him in the shower this morning

Sighing he looked down at his watch. "If I'm going to talk to her it should be as soon as possible. Embry's at his shop right now. Maybe I should go down and have the chat with her now."

I nodded. "Of course."

His hand came up to stroke my cheek. "Thank you for telling me."

I smiled back. "If I had known how determined she was, I would have said something earlier."

Nodding, he stood up and put Jules down. "Go play with your brother, baby girl."

"Otay, Daddy."

He knelt next to her. "Can Daddy get a kiss?"

She nodded before planting one on his lips. It was wet and loud with a big, dramatic, "Muah!" Giggling she ran into the living room, the Tigger tail bouncing out from her behind amusingly.

We both chuckled as she dropped next to Will on her knees and grabbed a dinosaur. Together, they went all Godzilla on the block and Lego town he'd been working on. Jacob kissed me before he slipped into his boots and went for the door. He put on is jacket, and then grabbed the keys.

Before he could open the door, Jules jumped up and raced for him, wrapping her arms around his legs. "Daddy, go 'if you."

He gently detached her, knelt down, and said, "No, baby. Stay here with Momma."

"No!" she cried, flinging herself around his neck. "Daddy!" And proceeded to cry into the shoulder of his leather jacket.

Wrapping his arms around her, he looked at me. I held my hands up. "She's your daddy's girl. Take her if you want to. Will and I will hold down the fort."

He looked at Jules. Her face was red and splotchy as she rubbed at her eyes. "Alright, baby girl. Let's get your shoes and coat on."

Instantly, she brightened up. "Otay, Daddy."

I laughed when he shook his head and started helping her into her shoes. "Other foot, baby." "Otay, Daddy." After she stepped into them, he put the Velcro in place and reached for her coat. "Arms up. Let me hold Tigger." She handed him the stuffed animal before holding her arms up. He tucked it under his arm and put the coat on her. When she turned around, she did that universal "pick me up" gesture.

He swung her up into his arms. "Say 'bye, Momma', 'bye, Will'."

"Bye, Momma. Bye, 'ill."

I grinned. "Bye, baby. Love you."

"'uv you."

"Bye, Jue Jue. Bye, Daddy."

"See ya later, big guy. Be good and take care of Momma."

He wasn't even paying attention, rolling a car around the rug. "Otay, Daddy."

Grinning, he looked at me. "See you later. Love you."

"Love you, too. Drive safe. And good luck with Tricia."

His grin turned to a smirk. "Thanks. If she's anything like your mother, she'll be impossible."

I chuckled. "Oh go on. We'll watch cartoons or something."

On his way out the door, he hefted Jules. "Wanna go see Aunt Tricia?"

She nodded.

"Alright. Let's gee Aunt Tricia."

And then they were gone. I just sat there, breathing in the silence. Until a little hand with a dinosaur was shoved in my face. "Mommy, come play."

Playfully darting forward to grab him up, I nibbled on his neck. "Play dinosaurs or cars?"

"Bof!" he yelled, giggling.

"Both?"

He nodded. "Yeah-huh."

Carrying him under my arm, I went into the living room where Legos and blocks were scattered everywhere. "Dinosaurs and cars it is," I said as I sat down with him in my lap.

JPOV

"Daddy?"

I couldn't help but grin every time my kids called me that. I loved that word. "What, baby?" I asked looking into the mirror. She was holding her paci out away from her mouth.

"See An Rissa?"

"Yes, baby, we're going to see Aunt Tricia."

I turned onto the main road that would take me down to the rez. Jules was tucked into her car seat with one of her many blankets over her legs. I'd taken the truck since it was just the two of us. The heater was on full blast and pointing toward the back for her. Looking in the rear view mirror, I watched her bat her hair away from her face as she stuck her paci back in, looking out the window. God, she was gorgeous, just like Nessie. And she really was her daddy's little girl. If she was awake when I left for work, she screamed when she couldn't go with me. On days I was at home on the computer, she'd sit on my lap and go back to sleep or brush her doll's hair or play a game on my phone. We'd found the Disney version of that crush game, the Frozen version. She loved that thing. When I wasn't at home, Nessie would calm her down by putting that movie on repeat. She loved her Elsa/Anna. Nessie had seen it so many times that I'd caught her humming the songs. Even Will would sing along. And every now and then, I'd catch myself humming the snowman song. But honestly? I totally didn't mind sitting there, hours and hours, watching it with her.

"Daddy?"

Chuckling, I said again, "What, baby?"

"'ill?" She said it in such a way that I knew she was asking where he was.

I looked in the mirror. "He's at home with Mommy."

"Oh. Otay."

It wasn't long before we pulled down the drive to Embry's house. It was a secluded cottage that they were slowly repairing. It looked good with the porch freshly uncluttered and swept. Once I was parked at the front door, Jules had unbuckled herself, having learned from Will, and climbed over the console to stand in my lap and hold onto my shoulders.

"Ready?"

"Yeah-huh."

"Got Tigger?" She nodded. "Got your binki?" She nodded again, taking it out of her mouth to shove it in my face. I opened the door and tucked her to me. "Alright. Let's go see Aunt Tricia."

Tricia must have already heard us pull up because before I could knock, the door opened.

"An Rissa!" Jules struggled to be put down, so I set her on her fee. She ran, slowed at the stairs, and then ran again.

Tricia grinned and caught her, swinging her up. "Hey, peanut. Did you have fun last night?"

Jules was grinning. "Yeah-huh."

"Good. That's good." She looked at me over my daughter's shoulder.

When I returned it, I made sure to put into my stare that I wasn't here for a social call.

Nodding, she visibly pulled herself back together and smiled at Jules. "You wanna watch a movie? Your daddy and I need to have grown up talk."

"Otay!"

Tricia set her down so she could run into the house. I went to stand beside her. "Nessie told you?"

"She did. Of course, I could have guessed something was up from the way you were grabbing her last night."

"Do we have to do this?"

When she turned to me, I nodded. "You know we do. I promised Ness I wouldn't tell Embry. Not until after I talked to you."

She motioned inside where Jules disappeared. "So you brought your kid?"

I let out a laugh. "That was unintentional, and a breakdown that nobody needed. I figured you'd like to see her."

As if she were chilly, she tucked her hands into her pockets. "Yeah. She's getting big. Old for her age, you know?"

"Yeah. Carlisle suspects they're both about a year more advanced than their actual ages."

"That's good, I guess. Out of the newborn stage faster."

Nodding, I knew she was dragging out the polite chit chat. "Definitely. That was the one that scared me the most. Now, they're not so fragile."

We were quiet for a while. From where we stood, we could see Jules had climbed onto the couch and was having a conversation with Tigger. Probably about their tails since she was tugging on hers pointedly and then tugging the toy's.

Out of some anxious emotion, Tricia huffed out a breath. "Shall we?"

"Sure."

Tricia had Jules pick out a movie and turned it on. I bent over the back of the couch and kissed my daughter's hair. "Be good and watch your movie, okay? We'll go back home in a little while."

"Otay, Daddy." She turned and kiss my cheek. I kissed hers. And then she was totally transfixed.

Tricia nodded for the kitchen. From the table, I'd be able to keep an eye on Jules. Slipping out of my jacket and hanging it on the chair, I sat down. Tricia moved toward the coffee maker.

"Coffee?"

"Uh, no. Thanks, though." When the music of the movie started up, I turned to her and said, "Why, Tricia? Why do you want to do this to yourself?"

Sighing, she braced her arms on the counter and hung her head. "I just need more time with him. And any kids we have. No doubt they'll phase. Especially with more vampires roaming the area, visiting the Cullens. I know Benjamin's been around a few times."

"Tricia, you're –what, nineteen? Twenty? And Embry has been frozen since he was seventeen. We all have. You have plenty of time. Not to mention that Embry seems fine with aging beside you. It's not like he's angry with you over it."

"And he'll be okay with this decision. I don't see why he wouldn't be. Would you, if it was Nessie?"

I glared at her. "Do not try to justify this by using my mate. Even though she sympathizes with you. This is a life changing decision. One that I've come across before." The moment I said it, I immediately wanted to take it back.

Tricia perked up, her blue eyes nearly burning me with their intensity. "What do you mean?"

Like every other woman of the pack, I knew she wouldn't let it go until I answered her. Sighing, I turned back to the table when she sat down with a hot mug. "Bella. Nessie's mom. I knew her back when she was human. If she were still human, we'd be about the same age. She wanted forever with Edward and would risk the venom killing her to get it. Edward, of course, did not want her to become like him because he thought himself soulless and a monster. He didn't want her to be a newborn and kill humans from her thirst. But then she got pregnant with Nessie. Complications came up and Edward was forced to inject her with venom. She died on the table before he injected her and we didn't know if it would work." I looked up at her with stern eyes. "Tricia, I have two points to make. One, Edward knew about her decision even though he didn't like it. Two, what makes you think you could survive the infection? It isn't a sure thing, from what Caden's told me. The infection has killed as much as it's changed."

For a moment, she just stared into her mug as if all the answers were in the cream and sugar. "But…Walker and Shelby made it through."

"That's true. And it could be true that you make it through. However, Tricia, you cannot keep this from Embry. If you want my support in this, I have one condition."

Those electric eyes snapped up to mine. "What?" she demanded. "What is it?"

I leaned onto my elbows and gave her the most direct eye contact that I could manage. "You will talk to both Embry and Walker."

She snapped back in her seat like I had smacked her. "That's two conditions," she whispered shakily.

"One, and you know it. Don't split hairs."

She just kept on staring at me. "Why would you support me?"

Taking a deep breath, I threw myself out there. "Look, just because I didn't answer your earlier question about Ness doesn't mean I don't get where you're coming from. As an imprinted male, I want to protect her from everything, including death. If she were human, then I'd have to say that yes, I'd want her with me. Also, again, I do agree with my wife. It's your life. But you are married. Even if he weren't imprinted and a werewolf, I would tell you to talk to him. That's not fair to him. Hell, maybe he'll shock me to death by agreeing. I don't know, especially not with him when it comes to you. But if you talk to him, and he comes after me for agreeing, I will support your decision. I made the mistake of shutting Bella out when she told me about hers. We lost precious time. And –I probably shouldn't say this, but – I think you would have a good chance at surviving with Embry close to you. I totally believe that's how Shelby survived. Walker, though? Just too much of an ass to stay down."

Tricia choked out a laugh around her mug. "That's true."

My expression softened. "If you really want this, and support from me and Ness, then talk to them. Please."

Her eyes dropped to the table. "I thought you would try to talk me out of it."

That brought a laugh out of me. "I know better than that. I just needed to see if you had the same determination that I saw in Bella. And I do. I see that conviction. Tricia, you are a part of this family. This choice will not only affect you and Embry. By extension, it will affect all of us. Not to mention, you need to consider your parents."

At that, anger turned her icy eyes to electricity. "They're the ones who threw us out. I don't see why I should consider them. Mom has had her chances to come see me. It's been months. They disowned us. And though it hurts, Walker and I have our own families, families that accept us."

Reaching across the table, I gripped her hand. "Yes, we do. And we don't want to see you get hurt or you and Embry fall apart from a bad decision. Please. I'm talking from experience here."

Knowing I'd made my argument the best I could, I got up and made my own cup of coffee. Sitting back down, I watched as Jules sang along, as best she could, with a Disney movie. Every now and then, Tigger would make an appearance over her head as she danced him on her lap. As much as I wanted to see her grow up, I'd miss this. It was doubtful that she'd keep calling me "daddy". It would end up as "dad", probably with an attitude and an eye roll. I could see it now. I could also see Will growing up to be all "whaddup, pop". We'd be nipping that one in the bud fairly quickly. "Pop" had been my grandfather, what I remembered of him.

"Okay."

My mug was almost to my lips when she said it. Lowering it, I looked over at her.

She nodded, her hair falling over her shoulders as she looked down into her mug. "I'll talk to them. I promise."

Setting the mug down, I dipped down to grab her eyes with mine. "Don't make promises to me that you won't keep, Tricia. You lie to me, I will have Embry on the phone in a heartbeat. And I will take back all my support. That's how serious I am. Now look at me and tell me that, one, you understand that, and two, that you'll talk to them."

Major brownie points in her favor when she straightened her shoulders, looked me straight in the eye and said, "I understand your conditions. And I promise you that I will talk to both Embry and Walker about my choice to become infected."

Nostrils flared, I scented the air. Nothing but truth vibes. "Good. Then we have an agreement."

It was as I was sitting back in the chair that a wave of uneasiness slammed into me, hitting me hard in the chest. For a moment, breathing was difficult. Sitting back in the chair, I rubbed the spot over my heart.

"Jacob? Are you okay?"

I shook my head not looking at her. "No. I need to get home."

Getting up, I dumped the coffee and went for my kid. "Jules, baby, we need to go home."

"No," she whined.

"Jules," my tone was the sharpest I'd ever used on her.

It grabbed her attention and she looked up at me.

I held my arms out and softened my tone a little. "We need to go home. See Mommy and Will."

Tricia followed me. "What happened?"

I shook my head as Jules stood up and held her arms up. "I don't know," I said, swinging her into my arms. "I just…I need to go. Remember your promise."

Before she could say anything, I was out the door and buckling Jules into her car seat. That uneasiness hit me again when I started the truck and booked it out of the drive. Going as fast as I could while still being careful, I raced home, knowing that something wasn't right. Jules must have sensed my mood because she stayed quiet, holding onto her Tigger and staring out the window.

In less than twenty minutes, I skidded onto the dirt in front of our cabin. Jules unbuckled herself quickly and jumped into my arms. Digging out the key to the house, I practically broke the locks as I burst through the door at the same time that I unlocked it.

Immediately, I knew something was wrong. Will was crying real tears, scared tears. When Nessie didn't come running, I looked around the floor, knowing she would have played with him after I left with Jules. I was so frantic that I had to stop, close my eyes, and force myself to calm down. Opening them again after a few deep breaths, I looked back at Will.

And the soul of Nessie's shoe beside him. She never took her shoes off and left them in the middle of the floor. She always put them under the coffee table neatly.

Oh, God.

I set Jules on the floor quickly. "Jules, stay right here, okay? Don't move. Stay here." When she didn't answer, I cupped her face. "Do you understand? Stay. Here."

"O-otay."

In a heartbeat, I was across the room. Will was still wailing, but calmed when I approached. Nessie was laid out on the floor on her side, arm flung out as if she'd collapsed there. My heart dropped like a stone and fear threatened to choke me.

"Jesus! Nessie!" Going to my knees, I pulled her into my lap. Bending over her, I could hear and feel that she was still breathing. Picking up her wrist, I felt for her pulse. "Come on," I said just before I managed to find it. It was there. Weak but there.

My heart was going a mile a minute. It was boiling hot in here. Or was that me? Touching a hand to her forehead, I felt that the heat was coming from her. She was burning up. And now that I looked, sweat slid down her temples and hairline.

Forgetting the truck, I called Edward. When the line clicked, I didn't even let him get out a greeting. "Get up here! Right now! It's Nessie," I yelled.

Now, both kids were screaming. Edward burst into the house, narrowly missing Jules. Of course, he'd known she was there by her thoughts. Otherwise he'd have been more careful without knowing where the kids were. He was over to me in the blink of an eye.

Gently, he took his daughter from my arms. "I'll get her to Carlisle." And then he was gone.

Rosalie and Emmett were standing in the doorway. Reaching over, I picked up my screaming son and held him to my chest. God, how long had she been out? What the hell happened?

"Shhh, it's okay, buddy. It's okay. I'm right here. Daddy's here."

He started to calm down after a minute or two. Jules slowly moved toward me until I motioned her over. Then she ran into my open arm.

Rosalie came forward. "Can you…would you like us to-?"

I shook my head. "No. They won't go to anybody else right now." Which was totally true. Both of them were gripping me as if someone were already trying to take them away.

Getting to my feet, I hurried out of the house and down the hill with both of them shadowing me just in case I lost my footing. I didn't. And when I got to the house, Will and Jules were a runny-nosed mess. It took some coaxing to get Will to let go of me. After having seen his mother pass out, that wasn't surprising. But Bella managed to get him off me with the promise of some blood. He went but not happily. Rosalie took Jules before I raced up the stairs.

Nessie was in the bed with tubes and wires already attached to her. Though she was burning up, her skin was pale. I rushed to her side and took her hand.

"Talk to me, doc. Right now. You better talk."

Because I knew Carlisle was in or around the room.

"I don't know, Jacob."

He appeared across the bed in a moment, standing next to the machines.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" I demanded.

He looked at the machines beeping beside him. "Her vitals are good. She's breathing on her own. But her fever is ridiculously high. And she's incredibly dehydrated. It's almost like she's suffered the flu for a week."

I shook my head, looking down at her. With my free hand, I stroked her forehead and hair. "But that's not right. She was fine when I left. No symptoms at all. And all she drinks is water or blood. More the first than the second. We still hunt so she gets enough." Shaking my head, I looked at him. "Okay, so where do we go from here?"

He looked down at his granddaughter. "The only thing we can do is keep fluids in her and try to get her fever down with cold compresses and medicines. How long was it that you found her before you called Edward?"

"I was down talking to Tricia when I got this bad feeling. I packed up Jules and came straight home. When I came through the door, Will was screaming and Nessie was collapsed. As soon as I checked her breathing and pulse, I called Edward."

"No symptoms at all?"

I shook my head again. "No. Nothing. No temperature. No coughing. No throwing up. No pain. Nothing."

He held up her wrist that was on his side, pointing at the red mark. "And are these new?"

Looking back down at her, I shook my head. "No. We were…intimate…last night."

He nodded. "And she was fine then?" There was no judgment in his tone. Just a medical question about his patient.

But I glared up at him anyway. "No, doc. Seriously, if I'd noticed anything, I would tell you. This is my wife and the mother of my kids we're talking about here."

He held up his hands in a surrender gesture, but his face thinned out in aggression to match my own. "And this is my granddaughter. I'm just making sure. Right now, you're worried, anxious, and angry. It's common to forget something until a question is posed."

Gritting my teeth, I looked down again. This time, I saw her eyes move under her lids. "Ness?"

Her hand gripped mine.

"Doc?"

"I see. She's not in a coma. Just unconscious. The fever probably took her over with its swift appearance. Hopefully the fever will die down and she'll wake up soon. I'll take some blood to study since she's stable."

I nodded.

He did his thing. When he left, I sank down into the chair beside the bed and hung my head. "Jesus, Nessie. You gave me a heart attack. Scared Will to death." I wiped my palm over my face and then took her hand again, waiting for her to squeeze it. Stroking her hair again, I tried to choke back all the fear. "God, please, Nessie. You have to wake up. I don't care what Carlisle says. I won't rest easy until I see your eyes staring back at me. Please."

With my hands still on her, I hung my head and prayed that there was nothing to find in that blood sample.

Sooooo, I was terrified at the end of this chapter. Even though I know what's going on. I didn't know the end of this chapter was going to end up this way. If that makes any sense. Anywhozzle! Let me know? Yes? No? Maybe? Anyway, LOVE YOU GUYS! xoxoxoxox