Rachel pulled up in her silver sedan and stared at her old house. It looked even shabbier than it had four years ago. She sighed, old memories flooding in. This was the house she had been born in, the house she, and her twin sister, and her little brother had been raised in. This house had seen them grow up, seen her parents fall in love in it and raise them in it, and seen she, her siblings, and her father mourn in it after her mother's death.

Stepping out of the car she sighed as her new sneakers hit mud. She had bought new sneakers for the occasion, knowing that La Push was not the cleanest and driest place. Shaking her head she grabbed her purse and walked up the ramp to the front door.

Should she knock? She had lived there once, so was it technically her house? Was anyone home? They knew she was coming to visit today, but she hadn't given them a specific time that she would arrive so she wasn't sure if they were expecting her to be there right now. Shaking her head again she wrapped her knuckles on the door and waited.

After what seemed like forever the door opened and she smiled warmly as her father greeted her.

"Rachel! How lovely to see you!" he reached out and pulled her down into a warm hug. Rachel squeezed him gently, surprising tears threatening to overflow.

"It's good to be back here dad." She said tightly. She pulled back and they went inside. He wheeled himself over to the living room and she sat down on the couch. Wow. The couch sank under her 125-pound weight and it creaked as she shifted her feet.

"Umm, dad, I think y

ou need a new couch." She said, raising an eyebrow. He laughed.

"Sweetheart, I need a lot of new things. The couch is the least of my problems." He said and I smiled.

"Well okay, hey, where's Jake? I thought I saw some sort of missing poster for him in Forks but I passed by it too quickly to really take a look at it. Are those old posters? Did someone forget to take them down? Jake isn't really missing is he dad?"

"Well, no. He isn't missing; he's just gone on an extended… trip. I'm not sure when he'll be back. Charlie put those posters up because he thinks Jake is missing but he really isn't." my father avoided my eyes and I rolled them.

"Suure dad, sure." I said. "No seriously, where is Jake? I was talking to Leah the other day and she said something about Jake needing some space and time alone. Why?"

"It's nothing, well, you remember Charlie's daughter Bella?" I nodded, "Well she and Jake were really close, like best friends close, but she's getting married and he really doesn't like the guy she's marrying so he's just a little sour. He got a wedding invitation from her a few days ago and it set him off." Dad shrugged like it was nothing but something about it told me it wasn't.

"So Jake just took off?"

"He's fine, I hear from it everyday." Dad reassured me. I nodded, still doubtful. There was an awkward silence for a moment before dad turned back to me.

"Why don't you go and bring your things in and then maybe head down to the beach. I know it's kind of windy and cloudy today but it would do you some good. I'll bet you haven't been to the beach since you moved away." He smiled a little too brightly. Rachel narrowed her eyes at him but he didn't see it. She decided not to tell him that she had been to the beach since she'd left, it just wasn't a cloudy, cold, windy one like La Push's beaches.

"Sure sure," She said, giving him his favourite answer. He smiled again, and Rachel could tell it was genuine.

"It's good to have you back Rach, it really is." He said, before ambling off to the kitchen. She shook her head, some things never change. Rachel went out and brought my bags in. She hadn't brought too many since she was only here for a week. Setting them down on her old bed, Rachel looked around the room. She and Rebecca had shared a room and when they'd left, they had left most of their stuff behind. She shook her head, blocking out the memories of why they had both left. Being here was painful, especially being in this house. Rachel walked over to the old desk and ran her fingers along the dusty pin board, still covered with pictures from she and Rebecca's lives. Pictures of them together; pictures of Jake, their father, their friends, and… their mother. Rachel fingered one of the pictures of her mother, one of her smiling as she sat next to their father in the old red truck. Rachel could see Jacob in the background, five years old, he was carrying a shovel and she could see mud on his sleeve. Rachel smiled, letting out a sob. She hadn't realized she was crying. She wiped her tears away with her sleeve and headed out to my car. She couldn't stand to be in that house another second. Jumping in, she drove away.

Rachel hadn't realized that she was heading to First Beach until she arrived and was parked. She sat there in her car for a moment in stunned silence. There was a knock on her window. Rachel jumped and peered out the window to see Embry Call and Quil Ateara standing outside her car peering in at her. She opened the door and got out.

"Hey Rach! Billy told us you were coming! Wow, we didn't expect you for a couple of hours." Embry grinned and pulled her into a hug. Rachel marveled at the fact that he was so tall, it was surprising since last time she had seen him he was still a little kid.

"Hey Rachel," Quil greeted, a little less enthusiastically. He pulled her into a warm hug. Rachel smiled, Quil had always had a soft heart and had always been kind to her as well as a little shy.

"Hey Embry! Quil! Wow, you too sure have grown since I last saw you guys." Rachel marveled at their height, they had to be at least six feet. She suddenly felt small at her five foot six.

"You should see Jake, he's massive!" Quil said with a grin.

"Where is Jake anyway? Have you talked to him lately?" she asked him, if she couldn't get his whereabouts out of her father, maybe his friends would know. Embry and Quil shared a look that she couldn't quite decipher.

"No, we haven't talked to him lately." Embry finally replied slowly. She narrowed her eyes at him and he shrugged.

"At least not on the phone." He added. Quil nodded.

"Quil! Embry!" a voice called out. Both boys turned as an older boy walked towards them. He was tall, taller than them, by a good few inches. He looked slightly familiar but she couldn't quite place his name.

"Hey Sam, we were just saying hello to Jake's sister." Embry said. Sam nodded and gave them both a look. They glanced at Rachel before skittering off. That's odd. Rachel thought, but the though disappeared quickly as Sam approached her.

She remembered him vaguely. He was a little bit younger than her and had dated Leah Clearwater all through high school. She knew at one point they had even been engaged, or at least soon to be engaged, before something got in the way. From what Leah had said when she had spoken to her a few days ago, Sam was now engaged to her cousin, Emily Young.

"Rachel Black," Sam said by way of greeting. Rachel shoved her hands into her pockets.

"Hello," she squeaked, god he was gorgeous. And tall. He's engaged you idiot! A little voice in her head told her. She shook off the thought and turned to him. He seemed to be waiting for her to say something.

"Umm…"

"I understand you wish to know where you brother is, but trust me, he's fine. We've talked to him recently, this morning in fact, and Billy has been in contact with him." Sam's voice was commanding and deep. Something about it forced Rachel to calm down and want to believe him.

"May I speak to him?" she asked, guessing what his answer would be. Sam shook his head.

"Not right now, but I'll let him know you wish to talk to him." He turned abruptly and walked away. Rachel shook my head. Things had gotten weird since she had left. Rachel hoped my brother wasn't spending too much time with Sam. His attitude was a little too domineering and sure.

"Nice speaking to you," she muttered, turning and heading towards one of the pathways that went along First Beach.