DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The legends of the Quileute belong to them. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Thanks to Mrstrentreznor for betaing and pre-reading this story.

1938

EdPOV

After two years in Forks, I was finally going to be leaving for college. Not a day too soon either. I knew Carlisle and Esme had enjoyed putting down roots in this Godforsaken place, and Emmett certainly needed to be away from big cities, but I was bored to death. It was too wet, too green, and too lupine.

Over that period of time the wolves had finally begun to notice that we were settling in for a long stay. And that we were using our powers of persuasion to keep the fine people of Forks completely happy with that state of affairs. So cry me a river.

Ephraim managed to get his head in the game for long enough to summon Carlisle to the treaty line for a discussion. Since his marriage to Martha he had been completely distracted, which suited us, but his pack mates were beginning to despair of him. That was until Emmett decided to glamor a girl from the La Push Rez in his travels.

She went home spouting all kinds of nonsense about how wonderful we were and it didn't take long for the great and mighty Alpha to sniff us out, literally and figuratively. So the five of us found ourselves at the treaty line again, Carlisle and I in front and the others behind us; being confronted by two snarling wolves and one supremely riled Alpha about our intentions towards the town and its inhabitants.

Times like this I hated my mind-reading gift. Yes, it was useful, but wading around inside the minds of these dogs was about as unpleasant as drinking rabbit blood. And there were some very graphic mental pictures being projected of dismemberment, venom and matches. You could always rely on Levi Uley to come up with the most imaginative scenarios for our demise.

There was no point in relaying any of that to Carlisle. For one thing, they would hear us. For another, it would make no difference. He was determined to play the diplomat, within reason. And although his need to remain here was as strong as ever, he genuinely wanted to get along with Ephraim and his pack and would not stand for any dissension.

Ephraim spoke first. "Is it true that you have been using your vampiric powers to persuade the people you encounter to forget that you're monsters?"

Carlisle sighed. "You know, and I know, that we are vampires. But they don't, and when the odd person works out that something is up we need to do something to keep the secret."

Ephraim glared at us. "If staying here is such a problem for you, then why don't you go? You've been here for two years now, it wouldn't look bad if you were to leave. We'd like to have normal lives, shape shifting is a burden on both the body and the soul."

Carlisle's butterscotch eyes flared with a fire I had rarely seen in them before now. "We are not going anywhere, you're going to have to get used to us being here, and I don't care whether you want us here or not."

"Oh, you can be very sure that we don't want you here... you..." Ephraim snarled, his words being swallowed by his explosion into a wall of fur, claws and teeth. His mind was a maelstrom of anger, disillusionment and hate. There was a longing to leave the supernatural world behind and be with his wife, coupled with a dawning realisation that at the time the treaty was signed he had been duped.

I waited for his thoughts to calm down enough that I could begin to convey them to Carlisle, but the growling was getting louder and louder, and all three of them had their hackles raised. Finally some coherent thoughts began to filter through the mess of Ephraim's brain.

I spoke. "He's furious with us all, especially you Carlisle. He knows that the treaty didn't specify a period for us to stay here, but he feels it was implied that in order to keep the secret, we would need to move on at some point. And although dazzling doesn't break the treaty it's not in the spirit of it, either."

Carlisle nodded. "It's true, I have been less than frank with you, but I have wandered this earth for hundreds of years. I was alone for most of them, and I just wanted to belong someplace for once."

Ephraim snorted. At least that was what the sound coming from his enormous snout sounded like. That thought didn't need much translation but I provided it anyway. "He says if your life is so unbearable that you could always walk into a bonfire. He'd even let you over the treaty line to attend one if you would guarantee there'd be a pile of purple ash afterwards."

Carlisle's eyes widened. He was so used to making his way in this life trying to befriend everyone he met, that real hostility was unsettling for him. Of course Levi had always been rude, but I knew Carlisle dismissed him as a hothead. He respected Ephraim, and so the anger and derision being directed back at him from that quarter was upsetting.

He tried to calm the situation. "Our presence here is non-negotiable but I promise you that no humans will be harmed by us. The steps we have taken will ensure that should the Volturi ever pass this way, they are protected from execution for knowing our secret. And we give you our word as we did before that your secret is safe with us."

I turned to Carlisle. "I think you had better explain to them about the Volturi. They are puzzled about that and it is making them more angry, not less."

He nodded and looked back at the wolves. "The Volturi are like vampire royalty. They have existed for thousands of years and we are expected to live circumspectly, and keep the secret of our true nature from humans. If any human finds out what we really are and the Volturi find out about it, our lives and that of the human would be forfeit. But they live in Italy and rarely travel much to this part of the world. It might be hundreds of years before they come here, if at all."

Ephraim regained his human form. He was less angry, less everything really, standing in front of us completely unperturbed by the fact that his clothes had been shredded. These dogs really had no sense of shame, there were ladies present after all. "I don't like this. I don't like it AT ALL, but I don't want to start a war either. We WILL revisit this at a later date, but for now please try to behave like normal human beings. If you don't there will be consequences. Oh, and leave the Quileute alone. That is MY tribe, MY rules, you don't go near them."

Carlisle's shoulders sagged. "As you wish, we will try to be more circumspect in future."

The meeting ended. The wolves watched us turn and run in the direction of our home, before doing the same. I looked over my shoulder in time to see Ephraim phase on the fly, something I had never seen done before. I had to admit it was impressive, even for him.

As we walked in the front door of the house, Carlisle turned to Emmett. "I trust Edward not to break the undertaking I just gave Ephraim, but so help me, if you mess up like this again, then you and Rose can find your own way in the world. I don't need any more problems like that; the wolves are annoyed enough as it is."

Emmett's eyes darted around the room. "Aww...sorry again Dad, I guess sometimes I just can't control myself. It sure was fun dazzling that girl, I just wanted to make her say some silly things, guess I went too far. "

"I know you mean well, Emmett", Carlisle said, "but that won't do us any good if we are sent away or killed because you wanted to have a bit of fun with the locals."

Rose was becoming irritated. Her nostrils flared - a head toss couldn't be too far away. "I don't suppose, Carlisle, that your precious Edward has to toe the same line, does he?"

I never did like Rosalie. Social climbing tramp, I would never understand why Carlisle had bitten her. So I decided to put her in her place. "Carlisle knows that I am more controlled than Emmett. He also knows that as I am going away to college very soon he has nothing to fear from me. I will never be a threat to the secret here in Forks."

Esme had not said much so far about this issue, but she never did like arguments. "That's enough everyone, we know what we have to do, let's get on and do it, shall we?"

And with that, Mr and Mrs House Vampire snapped their personas back into place, and normal service was resumed. It was all too much for me, I went out in search of a mountain lion for my dinner.

EphPOV

As Levi, Quil and I ran back through the forest, we communicated silently within the pack mind. For once, we were in agreement about the Cullens and what they had done.

"I hate to say I told you so Ephraim, but...I told you so," crowed Levi.

"Yes you did, and it's true to say that we've been lied to, but even now I still think that the treaty is worthwhile," I replied.

"Why is that?" asked Quil. "Surely it can't be of any benefit to us to have Cold Ones on our doorstep if they are going to threaten their secret, and maybe ours."

It wasn't as easy as that, I had given my word. "I don't want them here, I wasn't lying when I said that, but they are here and so we have to find a way to make that work for us."

"You mean use them for our benefit?" Quil was openly sceptical about that.

"Can't be done," scoffed Levi. "We should just drive them off or end them, I'd be happy to light the match."

"Think about it..." I tried to reason with them. "I still believe that their dream of staying here for too much longer is just that, a dream. Sooner or later one of them will slip up, probably the gigantic one, and they will have to hightail it out of Forks. Until then, we can use them as backup in case of any more vampire attacks around here. There are only three of us after all."

Quil shook his head as he ran. "I really think you are too trusting, Ephraim. I am suspicious of Carlisle and I think he has plans that we are not going to like."

"You may well be right but my hands are tied. I can't force them out without either breaking the treaty myself or waiting for them to do it...but..."

Levi interrupted me. "Oh, I'd be happy to do that for you Ephraim, just say the word, there's no treaty if they're dead..."

"And there's no treaty if we're dead Levi, remember they outnumber us. But we will watch them more closely from now on, to ensure that our secret is safe and our people protected. If anything untoward happens I will be phased and attacking faster than either of you can MOVE."

They both nodded their heads. It would be a wait and see operation, and frankly I hoped that we wouldn't have to wait too long.

We were near the edge of the forest now, so I transformed, looked around carefully, and then darted back into my house. Martha was sewing by the fire. So beautiful, I just had to walk over to her, kiss her and place my hand on her belly. Our first baby was due any day and although the pregnancy had become a burden, she still looked radiant, to me anyway.

She looked up. "Please don't tell me Ephraim that you have shredded another set of clothes. I know you know that if you phase dressed I can't save them. And go and put some pants on."

I gave her my best puppy dog look. "Are you sure Martha that we can't find a better use for my nakedness? It's been days..."

She looked me up and down appraisingly. I was happy to submit to her scrutiny, ever since the day of our marriage when I had phased in front of her she had liked to see me naked and I liked to let her look. It led to other things... but not today.

She put down her sewing, and held out her hand. I helped her to stand and then we walked into the kitchen. "You know I love you Ephraim, and I know you love me, because I carry the proof of it, but I am so tired today. It can't be too long now until our child is born, and I just need to rest. Would you lie with me a while?"

I could do that. We went into the bedroom and she shed her clothes and lay down with me to sleep. She found my warmth comforting, and I loved to spoon her and place my large palms over her belly to feel the baby move. We both fell asleep that way, and slept for some hours, until I was woken by a scream.

I shot out of the bed like a cannon blast and ran to the front door. I looked outside, but there was nothing there. So I trudged back to bed, only to find Martha doubled over, her lovely features etched in pain. She looked up at me with those brown eyes that I loved so much and started to speak.

"E... Ephraim... I, argh... I think I'm in labour... oh, please hold me..."

I started to panic. "W... what... d... do you need me to do, darling?"

Martha was flushed, and breathing heavily. "Go and get the nurse from the Reservation, I don't think I'm going to have time to go to a hospital."

That sounded just fine to me. If she went to Forks, there was a chance that Carlisle might be there and I did not want him to be the one to deliver our child. Quileute women had been delivering babies right here on the Rez for centuries and I was happy for that tradition to continue. I ran back out the front door, phasing on the fly, and took off into the forest as fast as my four legs would carry me.

Quil was patrolling alone, so we shared our thoughts as I ran. He was closer to the nurse's house and offered to raise the alarm. Since my panicky phase had left me naked again, I had no real option but to let him; I had no clothes stashed near there that I could put on. I turned around and went back to the house, dressed, sat by Martha, and waited for help to arrive.

The nurse bustled through the front door about half an hour later and started issuing instructions left and right. After getting the boiled water and cloths that she asked me for, I started to walk back into our bedroom to be with Martha.

And stopped when a voice asked me "Just where do you think you are going?"

I replied, "In there to be with my wife."

The nurse was adamant. "I don't think so, you can wait outside until we're finished, a birthing room is no place for a man."

I knew there was no way that I would be allowed to be with Martha, so I found a chair and settled in to wait. But I was restless, and couldn't sit still for long, so I resorted to pacing up and down and then, when that didn't help, asking the nurse how long she thought the whole thing was going to take.

She told me it would be hours yet, so I decided to head for the forest. As I saw it, I could either run for a while, and work out my nerves that way, or I could curl up and try to get some sleep. In the end, I did both, flopping down exhausted after a few hours and dozing off.

When I awoke, I could hear Martha panting and grunting with the effort of what she was doing. Although I didn't really know anything about labour, I was worried that she might be getting close to the end, so I sorted myself out and went back inside the house.

About ten minutes later, Martha let out the loudest scream I had heard from her yet, and then there was a cry. That was my cue to take off towards the bedroom, where the nurse turned to me with a smile. "Congratulations Mr Black, you and your wife have a fine healthy son."

Martha looked tired, but happy. "What shall we name him, Ephraim?"

I thought about it for a minute. "I'd like to name him William. That is the name of one of my ancestors, and a fitting name for a boy. That is, unless you have any objections to it."

"No, not at all. But we should also name him after my father. Without him giving you permission to marry me, there would be no child."

"William Elijah it is then. Our beautiful boy."

The nurse had finished cleaning him up by then, and wrapped him up then handed him to his mother. Mother and son, the two most important people in my life. I looked at Martha, and silently asked her the question that was uppermost in my mind. She knew me so well by then, smiling at me and saying "would you like to hold him, my love?"

I picked him up. So tiny, and yet so perfectly formed. His hands made tiny little fists, and he scrunched his face up and cried, but he was my son, and he looked just like me. Being a father was overwhelming, but the best thing that had ever happened to me. I would love him for the rest of my life.

And I hoped that however long his life might be, becoming a shape shifter would not be a part of it. I still had hope that he could escape my fate, but in truth I was beginning to realise that Carlisle had played me false. My mistake, my burden.

A/N: The child born in this chapter is William Black Snr, Billy Black's father as per the Official Illustrated Guide by Stephenie Meyer