I spent the ride to La Push in quiet contemplation after having handed the keys to the escort over to my own personal navigational system. He glanced over at me often during the fifteen minute ride, but said nothing. I was beginning to feel awkward with him, only now realizing that we hadn't actually introduced ourselves and not knowing how to rectify the situation at this late date without sounding completely retarded. It hadn't escaped my notice that I only cared about what he thought because of what had happened in Bella's room.

I was uncomfortably aware of his every shift in movement. It was irritating how distracted I was with him. I didn't want to think about the way he completely dominated the space inside the small car, or notice the play of muscle beneath his smooth skin as he switched gears.

He pulled off the road in front of a small blue cottage that could have been a twin to the Black's. It was the same size, with the same barely peaked roof, all the windows and doors of the same size and in the right location. But that was where the similarities ended.

The yard was freshly mowed with a clothes line off to the side, freshly washed sheets flapping in the slight breeze. Various tended flower beds stood ready and waiting for the flowers that would soon be in bloom, accenting the homey yard decorations scattered about, most notably a faded white picket fence. Lacey curtains hung from the windows, one with a pie sitting quaintly on the sill, and even from the street I could smell the aroma of freshly baked bread. This was so obviously Emily's house that had I been able to make it to La Push on my own I would have instantly known it was hers.

My observation of this picturesque little cottage was interrupted when the car door I was leaning against opened suddenly. I hadn't even noticed him exit the car, and now here he was, playing the gentleman for me, a playful grin on his face as he held his hand out for me.

I ignored the gesture, pushing past him to stand on the well beaten path that led to the front door. It was time to put on my game face.

Up until about twenty minutes ago, I'd had no compunctions about strolling into the wolf's den, pun intended, and spinning whatever tale was needed to keep me in the loop for the duration of what I was now referring to as 'my visit.' But now I had to admit to a growing sense of unease and general nervousness. My situation was becoming more and more real by the second, and it was getting harder to view this as just a lark. The characters were becoming flesh and blood people with each detail I discovered that hadn't been mentioned in the books. It was growing harder to reconcile my conscience with any thoughts of deception.

I took a deep breath, and pulled down on the hem of my shirt,which I had felt riding up all day, then began the fifteen step journey to the door.

I heard him chuckle behind me, and I turned to shoot him a dirty look. With a raised eyebrow and two long strides, he passed me to reach the front door, and held it open for me.

"I promise not to let Sam bite you," he taunted.

I was nearly choking on the sudden flare of temper that seemed to come from nowhere, and it took all my effort to push it down. This boy really knew how to push my buttons.

A small, dark hand came into view to land a resounding smack on his bare shoulder.

"Quit harassing the poor girl, Embry."

Embry? I mused as I shot a contemplative glance in his direction. Something shifted inside of me at the sound of his name, and I began to feel a little more at ease.

A statuesque woman with long, silky black hair that fell nearly to her waist appeared in the doorway, and when she turned to flash me a warm, brilliant smile I realized it was Emily. The slight rounding of her stomach threw me off for a second, as it slowly dawned on me that she was expecting. I knew there had to be some sex going on somewhere in this story, I thought.

I made sure to keep my gaze aligned with her nearly black eyes, and returned the open expression she had given to me. I couldn't help but notice the red glazed welts trailing down the whole side of her face. And without the warmth in her eyes, and the confidence in her stance, they would have greatly marred her appearance. She was still an exceptionally beautiful woman, despite the livid marks on her skin.

She wiped her hands on the dish towel slung over her shoulder and extended one in my direction.

"You must be Caroline, Bella's sister, right? Why don't you come in and sit down. I just made some fresh apple butter bread, would you like a slice before these heathens devour it all?"

She sent a disapproving glance in Embry's direction, and he grinned back, almost sheepishly.

"Apple butter bread? I think I just fell in love," I muttered to myself, and Emily's smile became demure, taking my words as the compliment they were. She gestured for me to come inside, while elbowing Embry in the ribs.

"Okay, okay, I'm going," he said to her before turning back to me. "Would you like some butter on it?"

"No, thanks. I'll take it plain."

I'd had a love affair with fresh baked bread, especially the moist cake types for the last fifteen years. Unfortunately, I lacked the skill to make it myself. Emily had just become my new best friend.

The front door opened in to a large rectangular space that was the living room and kitchen, the two separated by a worn brown couch with a long, Formica topped metal table directly behind it. A newer looking , beige micro fiber love seat was pushed against one wall and a matching plush chair sat directly across from it. A small, homemade wooden stand sat directly to the left of the front door with a modest sized 29" television on it.

The far back wall consisted of an L-shaped white countertop, with an old looking gas range stove and an even older looking Frigidaire with a latch handle. The woodwork on the cabinets, however, was spectacular. Painstakingly carved edges and swirls framed a large central diamond shape on each of the doors.

After noticing that, I took a closer look at the wooden shelves and molding around the room. All were artfully crafted and stained in matching fashion to the cupboards. Someone liked woodworking.

Sam sat in the chair, and as I walked further into the room to sit on the end of the couch closest to him, he lifted the remote and turned off the TV. With a nod of his head in the direction of the two guys that sat at the table, he turned his light brown gaze on me.

"Caroline," he said in way of a greeting with another slight nod of his head. Outstretching one thick brown arm, he handed me a much abused piece of paper.

"Just Caro," I replied as I took what he offered and looked down to see my own writing on it. It was the note I'd given him yesterday.

A dip in the couch caught my attention and I looked over to see that Embry had taken the seat next to me, and handed over a slice of bread on a paper towel. Paul sat next to him, and Emily sat on the loveseat next to who I now knew must be Jared.

"Thank you," I mumbled as I took the bread, breaking off a piece and popping it in my mouth as I turned back to Sam.

He just kind of stared at me, expressionless, for several minutes. Almost as if he expected me to say something. It was intimidating, to say the least. I did my best to hide my nervousness, and continued to munch on the bread.

"That was really good. Thank you, Emily," I told her politely after I'd finished the last bite. She just smiled sweetly and continued to look at me expectantly. I turned back to Sam, but he still had the same blank, almost serene expression.

Well, this was awkward.

The whole situation kind of reminded me of a shakedown, like on the crime shows where the cops stick a suspect in a room for hours and sit behind the two-way mirror waiting for him to lose his cool before they start questioning him.

In the back of my mind, I pictured Sam slamming a meaty fist on the arm of the chair and shouting 'where were you on the night of September 2nd?!'

I felt my lips twitch up before I caught the oncoming smile, and focused on my surroundings again.

"You have a beautiful home," I began, but was interrupted as Paul slapped a hand loudly against his thigh and leaned forward to glare at me.

"Cut the shit," he roared unexpectedly, and I jumped in my seat. "How the hell did you know those things?"

After my initial shock, I regained my composure and turned a steely glare on him. NO ONE spoke to me that way.

"So nice to meet you too, Paul," I replied coolly, and felt a small measure of triumph at his surprised expression.

"How did you-"

"-know your name?" I finished for him. "You'd be surprised at the things I know."

Paul glanced over my shoulder at Sam.

"Then I guess what we need to ask is just how much you know, and more importantly, how."

At the sound of his voice, I turned back to face Sam.

"The first is kind of a broad ranging question, don't you think? It'd be better to narrow it down to more specifics. I'll tell you what I can, with the understanding that it doesn't leave this room. And that includes your wolfy mind share thing, too. I don't want Bella to learn of this conversation. Since we all know how well Jake does with keeping secrets from her, so no telling Jacob either. If you don't think that's possible, let me know now."

Sam's face lost a little of its color, but otherwise gave no indication of being surprised.

"Is that how you know of the pack? Through Jacob?" he asked calmly.

I couldn't help but find humor in the situation.

"It took Jacob weeks to find the balls to get around your no telling edict so he could have Bella back in his life, and you think he would somehow tell me first?" I couldn't help but smirk.

There was a sharp gleam in his eyes as he continued to try and read my face.

"The how of it really isn't important, as I severely doubt anyone else will find out the same way I did. Is there anything else you'd like to know? Like who's going to phase next? I can tell you the next five names, but beyond that I can only give you a number as to how many members. How about imprinting? I know of two, possibly three more who will imprint."

Sam's composure broke, and he looked positively floored.

"But the imprinting thing is just a fluke. It's rare, right? That's what all the legends say." This came from Jared. His face betrayed the surprise and alarm that was lightly laced in his voice. Ahh, so he hadn't imprinted yet, I thought with a trace of irony. The whole Sam, Emily, and Leah episode must have been even 'prettier' than described in the book.

"Make that four," I said to no one in particular. "Would you like to know 100%, Jared?" I asked him with a slight smile on my face.

He paled, exchanging worried glances with the others, before sitting back.

"Do-do I imprint?" he asked nervously.

I nodded, and his jaw dropped.

This was fun. I felt my inner Miss Cleo coming out.

"Don't worry, it all works out fine. Perfect, in fact. You won't even have to try to convince her to give you a try."

Paul sat forward again, pinning me with a disbelieving look.

"You can't possibly know that." If I had been in any doubt of the scorn he felt for what I was saying, his voice had just confirmed it.

"I know everyone will be relieved when you finally imprint. She'll do wonders for your personality." Embry and Jared tried to hold back their laughter, and failed. "Her brother, however, will be less than enthused."

Sam cleared his throat loudly, and I turned my attention on him.

"What can you tell me about the red head? What kind of intelligence do you have on her?"

What exactly could I tell him? It wasn't exactly as if Stephenie Meyer actually devoted any time on the development of Victoria's character. The most I knew about her was how absolutely scared shitless Bella was of her.

"Well, I don't think I know anything about her that would help you out right now. Not for another few weeks, at least," I mused.

"But I will tell you this: she's smart, she's fast, and she's incredibly lucky. How she continues to escape you is almost mind boggling. Oh, and not to put on the pressure or anything, but if you don't get her in the next month, you're gonna have a whole other set of complications that will allow her to continue to escape. Right now she's working alone, but that will soon change."

I had the complete and utter attention of the room. Sam had sat forward in his seat as I spoke, positively drinking in my words.

"Why are you being so cryptic?" he asked as he carefully read my expression.

"If you know so damn much, why don't you tell us where to find her? Or do you enjoy the idea that she's out there snacking on the general population?" Paul interjected heatedly.

"Do you really have to be such an ass, Paul? Seriously. It's not like I'm charging you a dollar ninety nine a minute here. And if I had a copy of her daily agenda or her current mailing address I would definitely share it with the pack. But it just doesn't work like that, ok? So could you just shut the fuck up unless you have something reasonable to say?"

I tried to temper my words with a softer tone and a look that asked his understanding. The last thing I needed was for him to wolf out. It seemed to work, because instead of phasing he simply pressed his lips together tightly and gave me the look of death.

That I could live with.

"Could you please explain to us how 'it' does work?" Sam asked calmly when it became apparent that Paul had himself under control.

"I don't know..." I began as I searched my mind for a comparison. "Have you ever seen the Butterfly Effect with Ashton Kutcher?"

They looked at each other skeptically, shaking their heads no in consensus.

"Who's Ashton Kutcher?" Emily asked.

"An actor. Started out on That 70's Show."

Her face registered confusion. "Which seventies show?"

I shook my head. "Never mind. Hmmm. New approach. Have you ever seen Back to the Future?"

That movie wouldn't work as well, but I could use it. As the words escaped my mouth, however, the pack began exchanging loaded looks. With the exception of Sam, they began laughing.

"This is just too much!" Paul commented between laughs.

"Are you supposed to be Marty McFly in this analogy, or the crazy doc?" Jared called out as he reached his fist over to Paul for a bump and erupted into a new fit of laughter.

I gave them all dirty looks, slightly insulted, and more than a little betrayed by the look of humor on Embry's face.

Sam waited patiently for the hilarity to die down before resuming his questioning.

"Are you saying you are a time traveler? And that's how you know these things? Because you're from the future?" I couldn't miss the underlying tone of disbelief in his voice.

"Good lord, no. But it would be a more believable explanation than the truth. What I meant was: I know a certain series of events that's 'supposed' to happen. If we change one event, I'm not sure how much it will affect the rest. Do you understand what I'm getting at here?" I gave him a quizzical look, unsure if I had made any sense with that ramble.

"Kinda like in the movie, Marty knows his parents kiss at the dance and fall in love, but because he saved his dad from being hit by the car, his mom gets a crush on Marty instead and doesn't want to go to the dance with his dad," Embry piped up.

I turned to stare at him in amazement. Whereas the rest of the group assembled in the room had displayed serious doubts regarding my sanity, he sat there calmly explaining to Sam the very idea I was attempting to convey. And he did it with a straight face, matter of factly.

Sam mulled this over for a few minutes, glancing around the room at each person present before answering.

"I see. What can you tell me about the growth of the pack? Do you know the order, the approximate dates of phasing? What will be our final number?"

There was a hard edge to what he said, and I got the distinct feeling that I was being tested. I searched his stoic demeanor for any signs that he was fishing for a code word or something, and found no indicators. Yet the feeling persisted.

"I don't know the exact dates, but I do have a general outline. You guys already know about Quil," I stopped to glance around the room. We were all in agreement.

"I'm relatively certain that he's next, but I'm not absolutely certain. I just know sometime in the next month, for sure, he'll be joining the pack. And he'll be the next to imprint, after Jared." I gave Emily a pointed look. "His imprint will be rather shocking. But I guess it works out in its own weird little way."

I waited for another nod from Sam before proceeding. That little speech apparently hadn't been what he was looking for.

"The next two will be back to back, or simultaneously, and I'm pretty sure they will either be triggered by some bad news or the cause of it. I really don't know how else to explain that one, but I can tell you it's too late to prevent it. Maybe-" my voice trailed off, as I realized what it was I was really hinting at.

In a softer voice, I began again. "I don't know. It's one of those 'circle of life' things," I took a deep breath and looked away, suddenly uncomfortable.

Harry Clearwater's death would cut these guys deeply. He was Emily's uncle and a respected mentor to the pack. How was I supposed to tell them that he would be dead before the end of spring break? And I felt incredibly guilty for almost just spilling it out, like it meant nothing.

"Um, anyway, it'll be Seth and Leah Clearwater. They'll join the pack before the end of spring break," I finished lamely, hoping somehow that the mention of Leah joining the pack would overshadow the mention of 'bad news.'

It worked, and the room exploded as everyone joined in at once.

"Leah?"

"But she's a girl!"

"Holy shit!"

"That can't happen. Sam, tell her that just can't happen."

Sam put his hands up, effectively silencing the room.

"What will be the final number of the pack?" he asked with a serious expression, and I realized that THIS was what he was waiting for, and my answer would affect everything else.

"Thirteen. By this Christmas, if everything happens as I know it, there will be thirteen wolves."

A quick glance around the room confirmed the general opinion that I had shocked everyone. Several minutes passed as my words sank in.

Worry was plastered across Emily's face. "I think we need to leave Caro alone with Sam now," and she got up and began shooing the guys from the room. Jared and Paul got up immediately and walked out the front door. Embry stared at me long and hard, clearly reluctant, before following.

Sam simply continued to look at me with that same, intense expression.

"I find it incredibly hard to believe what you have told me so far. Thirteen? For something like that to happen by December..." he trailed off, at a loss for words.

"Yeah. Things will get incredibly tense. The order as I know it is Quil, Leah, Seth, Brady, and Collin. I don't know Brady or Collin's last names, or when they phase," I calmly replied.

"But they're barely teenagers, Seth just turned thirteen not that long ago. And if your speaking of the two I'm thinking of, they're only twelve..."

"From what I understand, after Seth they're all very young."

Sam steepled his fingers beneath his chin, staring blankly at the floor in contemplation.

"I don't know how you found out about us, and right now I'm not even sure it's relevant. But thirteen wolves? By December? What kind of asinine games are you playing? Do you even know what that would mean?"

All of his polite friendliness had instantly evaporated, leaving a steely, slightly hostile edge about him. To say I suddenly felt very frightened would be an understatement, but I met his hard gaze unflinchingly.

"I imagine that's what would be expected if a group of about thirty odd vampires were to suddenly take up residence in Forks," my voice came out steady and even as I continued to hold his gaze.

The color quickly drained from his face, replaced with equal measures of shock and horror. Sam quickly sat back in the chair, and gripped the padded arms tightly until his knuckles began to turn white, and I heard the cracking of the wooden frame beneath the upholstery.

"That's impossible," he whispered in a low gravelly voice. "What you are describing - it's the apocalypse. Even with thirteen wolves... the majority of them would be little more than children..."

The hard look slowly returned, but with a hint of wavering.

"I don't believe you," he stated in the same voice, and I knew that somewhere deep down a part of him did.

"It's not all as bad as it sounds. With the exception of the random hiker that Victoria's taking out, the loss of life will mostly be vampire or people in Seattle. The pack will sustain some injuries in the first run in, but nothing that you guys can't heal from."

His glare softened minutely, and I noticed a faint glimmer of hope before he resumed the calm stoic façade.

"I assume you're here to prevent this from happening?" he replied blandly, as if we were discussing the weather. Once again, he leaned forward comfortably, resting his fore arms against his knees.

The casual question caught me off guard.

"Frankly, Sam, I have no idea why I'm here, or what it is that I'm supposed to do- if anything." I took a deep, steadying breath and ran a hand through my hair. It was a good question, and I'd given him the most honest answer I could. "I'm not even supposed to be here..."

We sat silently for a minute or two as I tried to figure out if I could actually salvage the situation or if I should just call it a day. It was definitely feeling like my idea to get in with the wolf pack had completely tanked.

At least I was relatively sure I could find my own way back home.

"You mentioned 'something bad' that was going to trigger the Clearwaters to phase. Let's begin with that and maybe we can go on from there."

I looked up at Sam in surprise. To be honest, I had expected him to tell me it was time to leave, but it appeared he was going to give me a chance.

A brief smile pulled at my lips before the enormity of what he was asking me to tell him settled on me. I was overcome with the urge to grab his hand before I began, but caught myself at the last minute. He simply continued to watch me in a detached manner.

"Yeah, I did. Sam, I don't know how to tell you this, so I'll just say it. I'm so sorry, Sam, really I am. I realize what this will mean to all of you, and I..." I hesitated and glanced away for a second, trying to focus on the right words.

There weren't any, and with this realization, I looked back up at him.

"Harry Clearwater is going to have a heart attack. A bad one. And he won't recover from it."

A hint of sadness crossed his features before he resumed the blank demeanor. I could see he was still struggling with the desire not to believe me.

"I'm not sure of the sequence of events, but sometime during the spring break, he will have a heart attack. I don't know if it's because one of his kids phases, or if the heart attack causes them to phase. But there it is. Also, on this day, you will almost catch Victoria, but she takes off into the ocean to evade you. I know you and Jacob will be hot on her trail. But Jacob needs to be with Bella that day. And you need to catch Victoria. Because after that day, things will get a lot harder."

I tried to replay the series of events in my head as I'd read them in the book. Harry's heart attack happened the same day that Bella jumped from the cliffs. If Jacob was with her, no matter what happened, Alice wouldn't 'see' them, and the Cullens wouldn't return. As long as the pack nailed Victoria within the next few weeks of that, she wouldn't have time to assemble her little newborn army. That should do it. That should fix all the fuckery that happened in Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.

"What is it that you're thinking so hard about?" Sam's strong, authoritative voice broke into my thoughts.

I gave him a long, assessing look. What the hell, might as well tell him. I briefly wondered if it was a good idea before I opened my mouth.

"Has Bella told you the Cullens have someone who can see the future?"

Sam went completely still for a second before shaking his head no. What I wouldn't give to know what he's thinking...

"She can't, however, see anything involving the wolves. So anytime Bella's with Jake, Alice can't 'see' what's going on with Bella. If Alice can't 'see' Bella's in danger, then the Cullens have no reason to return to Forks, right?"

He merely nodded as I continued to more or less think aloud.

"As for Victoria, if you guys catch her before, oh, say the end of April, she won't be able to hole up in Seattle and start making her own little army. If we change those two things, it should prevent an ass load of problems later."

I was getting tired of that cool stare of his.

"So say something."

"Is your sister in danger, Caro?" he asked calmly.

"A vampire is trying to kill her, what do you think?" I asked sarcastically.

"Beyond that. I can guarantee the pack will do everything in our power to keep her safe. So what is it the fortune-telling leech sees?"

Something about his tone of voice calmed the irrational irritation that had surfaced. What was wrong with me? I was supposed to be winning him over, not snapping at him...

"Jacob promises to take her cliff diving. Instead, he's out patrolling with you after Victoria's spotted. Bella jumps without him and almost drowns. Because Jacob is the one to pull her out, all Alice sees is Bella jumping off a cliff."

"And the Cullens return? All of them?"

I shook my head no.

"Just Alice at first. But within a week, yes, they all return for the duration."

"Will this Alice be looking for your future as well?"

That brought me up short. Would she? I didn't think the past me had anything to do with the Cullens, but I didn't know for sure. And if Alice was really curious about Bella, logically wouldn't she search my future to see if Bella's in it and safe? Especially if she can't 'see' Bella on her own?

"I don't know. I don't think so. It wasn't as if I was close to her."

Sam reached for a glass perched on the wooden end table next to him, and took a long drink.

"And it's not just Jake she can't see, but all of us?"

I nodded.

"So here is what we're going to do. With the exception of school, I'm going to make sure there's at least one pack member with you two at all times. What the leeches can't see can't worry them. It would be a lot easier if you and Bella spent your free time here on the reservation. We'll have to find a way to step up patrols. It won't be easy with most of us in school, but we'll have to find a way."

Right here is where cyber schools would have come in handy, I thought to myself.

"Can't you speak to the Elders? Get a leave of absence, maybe make it up in summer school? What about allowing the guys to take their finals early so they can be done for the year?"

Sam looked slightly impressed.

"I hadn't thought about it. Perhaps something can be worked out."

With grace, he stood up from the chair, and I followed his lead. Outstretching his right hand to the door, I understood this was his way of calling our little 'powwow' at an end.

Was powwow even a word Native Americans used, I wondered idly, or was it just another retarded Hollywood stereotype? I made a mental note to find out. If I was going to be spending large amounts of time on the reservation, the least I could do was make sure I didn't offend anyone.

Sam walked with me out to the front porch. As if on cue, Emily and Embry walked around the corner of the house and into view. Emily shot Sam a worried glance, as if to silently ask if everything was okay. I didn't see Sam's response, but whatever it was softened her expression. She turned her attention to me as they came closer and smiled.

"I'm glad we were finally able to meet, Caro. I hope now that you know where I live you'll come by and visit."

I returned her smile whole heartedly. She was just one of those people you couldn't help but like.

"It appears as though I might be spending a lot of time around here. I just hope you don't get sick of seeing me."

A short laugh escaped her lips as from the corner of my eye I noticed Embry raise an eyebrow in Sam's direction.

"It'll be nice to have another woman around." Emily patted my shoulder as she walked past, stopping to whisper quickly something in Sam's ear before turning back in my direction.

"I'll see you around, Caro." She waved before disappearing inside the house.

"I really like her," I mentioned to no one in particular. Sam's face split into a huge, warm grin.

"She's great."

I lifted my hand to wave goodbye, and turned to walk to my car, doing my best to ignore the overwhelming presence that was now next to me.

"Caro, wait a second."

I turned at the sound of Sam's voice.

"I didn't take the time to introduce you guys earlier. Embry, Caro. Caro, Embry. Become best friends, you'll be spending a lot of time together." With that being said, he turned to follow Emily inside.

I shot an alarmed look at Embry.

He was all grins, like a kid at the county fair. I did not want to spend any time with him. He was just.... Just too much.

"Can't I have Jared?" I nearly whined in my panic.

Sam turned back at me with an inquisitive look.

"Jared? If he imprints like you say he will, he'll be wanting to spend his free time with her, not you."

Internally I debated the pros and cons of my only remaining option. This lasted only about a second.

"What about Paul? Rachel doesn't come home until after graduation?" I hated the sound of hope in my voice. Paul wasn't much of an option, but he was better than the alternative.

Sam lifted an eyebrow and lightly chuckled.

"Rachel? As in Rachel Black? Jacob's sister? This is going to be priceless!" Embry's smile was full of mischief.

"Rachel, huh? Regardless, I don't think you and Paul would be very compatible. You two have fun."

Sam let out another low chuckle as he shook his head and went inside, the screen door banging shut behind him.

"So... Best friend... What do you want to do now?"

I gave him an evil look before turning away and sulking to the car.