A/N- Thanks everyone for such an AWESOME response to this story! Edward thanks you profusely.

And, to answer a question, there will be only one Edward once he reaches his predestined time period. Frankly, I think Bella's hormones would go into overload if faced with two Edwards. Besides, I'm a firm believer in time paradoxes.

This chapter will not have Edward (please don't hurt me!), but it's for a very good reason that I hope that you, my dear readers, will understand the necessity. Hopefully you'll enjoy it regardless.

This entire chapter is in third person POV. Edward will be back in chapter 3!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Twilight. And I have no inside knowledge of any secret ceremonies be they Native American or otherwise. This is simply fiction from an imaginative mind.

Chapter 2- And With A Little Help From Above

Forks, Washington- May 30, 2004

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The early morning sun had barely begun its ascent when a wheelchair bound man rolled himself into his small kitchen. Grabbing his favorite coffee mug, he filled it to the brim with boiling water and slipped a small teabag into the steamy liquid.

He gazed out of the window as he waited for the tea to brew fully. It was going to be a bright, sunny day, a rare occurrence for this area. But his thoughts held no joy. Instead, his thoughts concentrated on the happenings going on a few miles away. Happenings that gave him many a sleepless night lately.

He tentatively gave the tea a small sip. His nose crinkled and he made a gagging sound in his throat. Goldenseal tea might be good for you, but it tasted too bitter to his liking. Sue told him to add a bit of honey to offset the bitterness. He told her that the only substance that could possibly help with the awful taste would be hard liquor, and he was barred from drinking that anymore because of his liver problems.

The man glanced at the clock. His visitor would be arriving soon.

Taking a deep, calming breath, he mustered up the courage to just drink the nasty concoction as quickly as possible. With the deed done, at last, he then rummaged around in the kitchen until he found his hidden stash of chocolate chip cookies. Sue could make him drink foul medicinal brews all she wanted, but she couldn't keep his beloved junk food out of his house. He lived with a ravenous teenage boy, after all. He was forced by near starvation to discover his house's best hiding places.

A knock at the front door a few minutes later echoed through the house. The man in the wheelchair smoothed down his long, black hair before answering.

The man waiting patiently outside the door gave the man in the wheelchair a small half smile. "Morning, Billy," he said. The man pulled off his baseball cap as he dropped into one of the kitchen table's chairs.

Billy Black parked himself across the table from the other man. "You hungry?" he asked.

"Oh, no thanks. Sue already fed me this morning. Eggs and sausage links."

Billy rolled his eyes. "She makes me eat and drink bark and roots while you dine on fatty food. That doesn't sound fair to me, Harry."

"I've been a good husband to her. I eat whatever she puts in front of me without one word of complaint. Trust me, I've had my fair share of her 'health' foods. Then she rewards me with a nice breakfast."

Billy gave a sigh. The time for small talk was done. There was serious business to discuss. "Thanks for agreeing to come by so early. I wanted to be sure that we could talk without any interruptions."

"No problem," said Harry Clearwater. "Where's Jacob?"

"He stayed the night at Embry Call's place. He'll be asleep for at least a couple of more hours."

Harry nodded his head in understanding. "So, go ahead and tell me what's on your mind."

Billy began fidgeting slightly in his chair. "I'm worried."

"What about?"

"They've been here for months, Harry. Six of them for god's sake. And we are outnumbered and underprepared." Billy's mouth turned down into a frown.

"Maybe they'll move along soon. The last time they came here they only stayed for a short time."

"I'm not going to rely on them to be consistent with their habits. It's in their nature to wait us out. They could watch us until our guard is down and then strike."

Harry's eyebrow rose up. "You think they'll break the treaty?"

Billy shrugged. "Who knows? I'm trying to think of all the possibilities."

"But we're not defenceless. We've got Sam."

"One against six of them would be suicide. And Sam is still learning to control his strength. He doesn't have the skill to take on more than one at a time yet." Billy rubbed his face with his hands. "He needs help."

"Isn't that what we've been doing for the past 3 months? You and I have told him everything he needs to know. What else could we do?" said a frustrated sounding Harry.

With a shake of his head, Billy said, "No, not us. Sam needs help from others of his kind."

Harry's eyes lit up. "I agree that would help him out, but we can't predict which, if any, of the boys will go through the changing process. And most of them are barely fourteen. It will take years before they're ready."

"That's right. We can't. But we can encourage it to happen more quickly," said Billy.

Giving his head a tilt to the right, Harry asked, "How?"

"A ceremony that is only to be used in the most urgent of times." Billy paused to look at Harry. Harry continued to look back with a bewildered expression. "Taha Aki's Spirit Dance."

Harry's eyes showed recognition. "I thought that was just a myth," he said breathlessly.

Billy could not hold back a brief laugh. "And did you think the tales of Quileute men turning into wolves were just fairy tales, too?"

Harry smiled. "Don't be a jackass just because I wasn't let in on all the tribe's secrets. Tell me, what will the ceremony do?"

Billy paused a moment to consider how to answer. "The dance summons Taha Aki's spirit. It pierces through both time and place. We will beg for his help."

"And it will work?" Harry questioned, still in awe.

"That's what my father told me. The dance hasn't been used since before the white settlers came here."

Thoughts whorled through Harry's head. "How do we do it?"

Another laugh erupted from Billy. "There's no 'we' in this, Harry. The boys will have to do it."

"Why?" Harry blurted out.

"It will only work if the direct descendants of Taha Aki perform the ceremony. Plus, the participants must be of the right age. We're just too damned old."

Disappointed, but undaunted, Harry said, "OK. When are we going to do this?"

Billy's face turned optimistic. "I figure the night of the summer solstice would be the best time. So, that gives us a few weeks to train the boys before the big day."

"What will we tell them? We can't reveal the secret of the wolf transformation until they are already turned," Harry added.

"We will tell them that a special dance ceremony that hasn't been used in generations needs to be performed. The ceremony is thought to bring peace and balance to the tribe. Since many of them know the Quileute language, we'll word our plea to Taha Aki carefully to avoid any subjects they don't need to know yet. And we'll tell them how much of an honor it is to be involved."

A half hour later, Harry left to begin preparations. There will be much to do in the next three weeks.

When Billy's son arrived home later that morning, he found his father whistling tranquilly while reading that morning's paper. It was the first time in weeks that Jacob had seen a legitimate smile on his old man's face.

Three weeks passed.

A small group of teenage boys wearing ceremonial garb watched Harry as he lit a fire. The cliff where the ceremony will be taking place has been carefully cleared of any trash or debris.

Billy watched silently as a tall, dark figure walks up to him. The man's gigantic form is draped with his tribe's robe and he dons a brightly colored wooden headpiece of a snarling wolf. "We're almost ready. Sunset is approaching. Get into position," said Billy with authority.

Sam is briefly stopped by an old man with long gray hair, old Quil Ateara. Old Quil grabbed his shoulder, wishing him good luck before allowing Sam to assume his position near the fire.

The tall man watched with unamused eyes as he listened to the young teenagers joking around the fire. He grunted in annoyance when he hears young Quil Ateara accuse him of forgetting to bring the chocolate and marshmallows.

Billy calls out, "That's enough. The time has come for the ceremony to begin. Everyone get into your assigned positions." He watched the boys arrange themselves as they had been taught. He then looked towards the tall man. "OK, Sam. It's all you now."

Sam straightened his posture. He gave a nod toward the boys assigned to provide the drum beats. They complied immediately and the deep, rhythmic sound soon enveloped the boys.

Taking a large breath, Sam then began chanting the Quileute words Billy and Harry taught him.

Paul and Jared waited for Sam to finish the first phase of his chant. As soon as Sam's mouth closed, they began moving their feet in a slow procession around the fire. After their first circuit, Embry and Jacob joined in. Then, one by one, the other boys followed.

The beating of the drums picked up pace until it sounded like frantic heartbeats. Sam's chanting words resumed, cutting through the evening air. The dancing youths' movements changed to a swift dance, alternating with a crawl on all fours.

Watching from the sidelines, Billy's hands gripped his wheelchair's arms in anticipation. The end of the ceremony was near.

Sam raised his right hand into the air, a small cloth bag clutched within. The dancing boys immediately ceased all movement. Sam slowly, but with purpose, glided closer to the fire.

Carefully he lowered his upraised hand until it was back at heart level.

More words were uttered as he untied the bag. Then, with his left hand, he extracted a handful of black hair or fur.

His voice rose and the drums stopped their music.

With a cry of anguish, Sam threw the clump into the fire.

The smell of burning hair permeated the area- though no one moved or made any comments about the unpleasant odor.

The silence did not last.

A great gust of wind swept in from the forest that lay behind them. Their fire flared up almost double in size. Some of the boys gasped in shock.

Then, just as suddenly, the fire extinguished itself in almost an instant.

No one uttered a sound for a few seconds. The sight momentarily rendering everyone dumb.

Laughter soon drifted in the air. Everyone stared back at the boy who broke the silence. Jacob Black declared, "The party's over, folks." The other boys joined with their own laughter.

Harry stepped up to his young son and congratulated him on his performance. He broke away from Seth's hug after telling him to go have fun hanging out on the beach with the others.

Harry found Billy contemplatively staring at the smouldering coals, and looked at him questioningly.

"It has been done," declared Billy.

Then, without another word, Billy passed by Harry, heading towards home.

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A/N- Thanks for reaching the end! Chapter 3 will be up in a couple of days. Edward will need your comfort and support to get him through a difficult situation.

And, remember, Edward loves feedback. ;-)