(This story is brewing like a firestorm in my head and may end up being quite long when finished. I'll have to see where it takes me. Stephenie Meyer is the brilliant mind who owns all these characters that I play around with. The world of Twilight is her baby and I own nothing.)

Nessie

It was my birthday. My tenth. For most people, turning ten meant a big birthday cake with lots of frosting, balloons and presents. It meant all your school friends surrounding you, playing games, and having fun. For me, things weren't so carefree. I was ten years old and still going on eighteen. Birthdays really didn't matter much for me. One more year to be walking the earth, but since I had stopped growing at year seven, this was just another notch on the tree.

Leah was sitting with me on the deck in back of the house in Oakwood, California, that she shared with her pack brothers. Our friendship had taken time and patience to develop, but by now she had become a dear friend to me. She was quiet, her dark eyes watching me thoughtfully. One would be quick to look at her and think her half mad the way the pack members were often wild, looking disheveled. Though she had softened somewhat, Leah retained a hard look to her, and it was warranted and well earned. Her past was a sad one, but one I refused to dwell on. Jacob says I am a huge part in bringing Leah back from the emotional dead place she had been wallowing in for so long. I couldn't take the credit. She did all the fighting herself. My strong sister.

We were waiting for the guys to come home, well, I was really only waiting for one guy. My guy. I had driven from the home that I shared with the rest of the Cullens after a fight I had with them. One that involved Jacob. My parents could have easily prevented me from leaving. They would always have the physical advantage over me, but they didn't even attempt to. I grabbed the keys to my silver Audi, a modest car compared to the others in the garage, and slammed the door as I left the house. I sped over 80mph all the way to the lakefront property that Esme built for Jake's small tribe. As I pulled into the drive, I could sense Leah, and ran around the side of the house as she ran into me. Her face had an accusing glare and I knew she was aware of the situation.

"The guys went off to find him." She said, frowning. "I couldn't stand to hear all the Jake angst in my head so I offered to stay."

I sighed and crossed my arms. "So, now everyone knows."

"Welcome to pack life, Nessie. You can still back out. Just be glad you'll always have at least some privacy. I have no choice."

"Sorry." I crossed my arms defensively and she just turned her back to me and started walking to the backyard.

"Well, come on. They'll be back sooner or later." She said and I quickly followed her, walking silently as we made it to the deck to sit and wait for the wolves to return.

She didn't ask me any details, but she was like that, stoic in a way. We just sat as she discussed her own experience, while we listening for any indication that the boys would be returning. I wondered how angry Jacob was. He had fought with my family and gone running off to the woods. Leah had been hunting at the time, and was shocked by the anger and hurt thoughts running through Jacob's head. She instantly knew a good deal of the situation by that and couldn't stand to remain in wolf form. The other pack members dashed off to find Jacob and try to calm him. I didn't want Jake to be upset. He could be sensitive and I knew I should have given him the news earlier. He wouldn't have taken it quite so hard coming from me. There were times when the vampires still put him on the defensive, though he was considered family by them, with the exception of possibly Rosalie. It was my fault it was all happening this way. The wrong way. I knew Jacob much better than to have let this happen.

"Can you phase and let them know I'm here?," I asked Leah.

She sighed and got up off the bench, then looked down at me. "You owe me big for this," she said as I shrugged at her. Then she walked down the steps to the backyard. She whipped off her tank top and undid her shorts, letting them slide down. I watched as her body began to shift in the moonlight, changing into the gray wolf that I knew as a sister. Jake's pack was no longer modest with me, and by now it meant nothing to them to have me be witness to any form shifts. She immediately shook her shaggy head and paused as she was undoubtedly listening to the boys' chatter in her head. Then she growled a bit and ran to the edge of the forest, waiting. A sandy colored wolf soon burst forth from the trees, stopping to meet his sister before loping across the yard to the edge of the deck. I lost visual contact with him for a few moments, but noticed that Leah was now a human once more, changing back into her clothes. She walked back to the deck as Seth came from the side of it, now in his cutoffs, the typical fashion choice of wolf boys everywhere.

"Jeez, Nessie. I know you have to go, but still." Seth, always one to speak the blunt and obvious truth. "He's just mad that he can't go, too."

I moaned. "I know." I looked at Seth's youthful and very honest face. "Is he really mad?"

"Well, maybe he should tell you himself. I think he's on his way." Seth gave me an apologetic smile and put his hand on my shoulder. "Just be glad you are his imprinted. He won't completely wrath out on you."

"Thanks so much." I tried to shoot him a mock smirk, but it was cut short when I suddenly heard a far off rustle of brush. Several animals running toward the house through the forest. One with a scent that I knew as well as my own. One that I always knew since my first day. My senses were heightened to it and I stood up and leapt off the edge of the deck to the soft grass, waiting for the wolves to arrive.

Then, as soon as they were coming at us, they stopped. Confused, I ran to the edge of the trees. I was there in less than a second, and ran straight into a broad chest with arms that encircled me.

"Oof. Jake!" He had stopped to shift and throw his shorts on in the trees when I had expected him to run out in full wolf form. I looked up at him to see that his deep set, dark eyes were looking down into mine, his longish black hair framing his features. I bit my lower lip and wanted to smooth the mixture of fear and anger away from the face I so loved.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"Italy. To see Aro and the rest of those Volturi scum. I could handle going along as your guard dog. What I can't take is being left behind."

I suddenly broke free of his embrace and backed up from him. "You know, I don't like it either! I wish you could go."

His eyes flashed. "Then I'm going. I'll find a way."

"Carlisle froze the pack's black card," I said without a hesitation. My grandfather had provided the pack with their own card. He knew they were too proud to use it, so made sure they knew it was for "emergencies". It was the only way they'd accept such a thing from him. As for the freeze, it was to keep Jake from charging any last minute plane tickets. He deserved to know the whole truth. "It's safer if you stay here."

He sneered. "Yeah. I know. Oh, that was a part of the lovely fight I had at your house tonight. I got to hear all about this crap from Bella. She's 'doing it for my own good.'" He began to pace. "You know, there was a time when she wasn't so self righteous. I gotta say, vampirism isn't doing that girl any favors."

"She's right. I don't want you in the path of actual "children of the moon" werewolves. Aro mentioned they're having an epidemic of them right now. We all think you would be safer staying here. I can't risk you getting bitten by one just so I can feel safe." I scowled at him. He was attacking my family again. But, he was angry and rightfully so. He stopped pacing and looked at me, breathing deeply to calm himself down.

"I can take a werewolf."

"Well, we'll never know. Because you aren't coming.

He looked like he was fighting inside, trying not to make me feel upset, though still needing to let out his feelings. "I don't like it. I don't want you to go. Volturi are dangerous."

"So are the Cullens! Have you met my family?!" My voice raised a bit and I could hear Quil snicker from the porch, the guys having gotten back while we were arguing. Jake shot him a look and he put up his hands in mock surrender, turning back to the others as they continued to listen to us. Quil was down visiting the pack for the week while his imprinted, Claire, was away on vacation on her last week before school began. He had joined Jacob's pack, but when we moved away from Forks, he stayed there to be close to Claire. One day, we all hoped he would be ours again.

"Yeah. They are a bit on my shit list right now."

I sighed. "Well, it might interest you to know that you weren't the only one who threw choice words around them tonight. I had a nice fight, too. Alice and I got home from a movie, probably just after you stormed out of there. I was livid that they told you without me. Um…I actually hissed at Edward. I don't think I ever really did that before."

Jacob stopped trying to focus his energy and pretty much just…stopped. He just looked at me, his eyes a little incredulous. Then he smirked. "Really? You hissed?"

I was just glad he was actually smiling, so I did the same to make the mood lighter. "Yeah. Everyone stopped arguing with me then and I just took off and came here." I paused for a bit, deciding if I should actually show him what happened at my home earlier that night. I could feel my sharp teeth bite at my lower lip as I approached him and reached for his head. He bowed a bit to allow me to give him the memory of the arguement and my rebellious behavior. It passed through us quickly, forcing me to re-live all the gory details along with my own bravado. When it was shared, I let him go and waited for a reaction.

"Wow." Jake was looking at me like I just killed an entire pride of lions, or beat Emmett at arm wrestling or something. I shot him a look that meant he was being ridiculous.

"It wasn't that great," I said, thinking back on the shock of everyone witnessing my moment of defiance. The look on my parents' faces was priceless. "Well, actually it was, kinda." I smiled and my lashes dusted my cheeks as I felt them flush. His arms were around me again and he was kissing the top of my head.

"My fierce little she wolf."

"Rawr," I said.