Chapter 7 – For Love Or Imprint

Audrey had noticed Jake had gone MIA, but what was she expecting? It wasn't like he liked her or anything. She just wished she could stop thinking about him for more than two seconds. She had been traveling back and forth between La Push and Forks for physical therapy as she was trying to gain her muscles back in her arms. While also going to get her arms sanitized and cleaned and getting new bandages put on. It had only been three weeks and only about 10% of the skin had fully come back. She was getting discouraged and she had yet to even look at her arms.

She felt completely disgusted and sick to her stomach after ever examination, cleaning and bandage changing. She just felt worse and worse. Usually on those days is when she became mute, she didn't talk to anyone, she barely looked at anyone and just stayed in her own world.

Since Audrey had been moved into Emily and Sam's home; well her home now. She wasn't in much of a very talkative mood since getting there and Emily noticed it, but her and Sam both agreed not to push her too much. She interacted with Claire and spoke to the guys a few times, but it wasn't some long drawn out conversation she would answer a few of their questions while they were all sitting around the table during mealtime and that was about it. She didn't put out any effort to talk to anyone if they didn't start talking to her first.

Sam had let the guys know what had happened with her and the guys were extremely understanding; none of them however could figure out why Jake was suddenly being the avoidance King. The guys were all talking, which systematically ceased when the door opened and all eyes were on Audrey and Emily. They all took note of the PAINED expression on Audrey's usual expressionless poker face. The eyes followed her as she walked through the kitchen and jogged upstairs.

Emily frowned as Sam saddled himself up to her side as he leaned down and kissed her temple. "What happened Emily?"

Emily's frowned deepened. "Once they'd cleaned and sterilized her arms, they – they took these giant needles and pushed them into each of her forearms from elbow to wrist and did some nerve testing to make sure neither had nerve damage before too much more skin grew back and they couldn't fix it. I could hear her screaming as they shocked each nerve and I swear Sam I didn't know what to do. Dr. Cullen was with her the whole time. It was a necessary test; I just – I didn't know what to do." Emily's voice broke as did the dam that was holding her tears back.

Sam's heart literally broke as he watched a river of huge tears stream down Emily's tan cheeks. Sam pulled her into his arms and kissed the crown of her head as he jerked his head to the side and all the guys filed out of the kitchen and out onto the back porch. "It's okay Emily; we'll deal with it as best we can. We knew there were going to be challenges with taking in both the girls, especially after going through something as traumatizing as being caught in a fire that not only took the lives of both their parents but nearly took theirs as well. Audrey hasn't even had a fraction of a second to mourn the loss of her mother and Henry and Claire, she understands but to what degree I'm not sure."

Emily nodded as she tried to get her waterworks calmed down to a dull roar. She pulled back as she looked up at her husband. "How in the world do you put up with me and my emotional breaks?"

Sam chuckled as he wiped his thumbs under her eyes as he rid her beautiful face of the offending tears and the tracks they made. "I'm just good like that." He winked down at her. "Don't forget that." He leaned down and kissed her lips and then rained feather kisses all over her face.

Emily let out some watery giggles as she threw her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in his neck. "I don't know what I'd do without you Sam. I love you so much."

Sam wrapped his arms around her waist as he gently lifted her from the floor and softly squeezed her back but not too tight. "It's me that don't know what I'd do without you my angel. I love you just as much."

Ever since the two packs had been divided, Jake pretty much stayed to the Forks side of the border. Though his house was on the other side, when he patrolled he never deviated from his post. Embry was constantly going over the border line to see Leah since they'd imprinted on each other and Quil; Jake couldn't stop the eye roll. Quil had practically been camped out at Sam and Emily's since Claire had moved in there with her older sister. Why was Audrey so appealing to him? He knew she was his imprint, but come on how could he still be in love with Bella but have Audrey on his mind twenty-four-seven?

Intense dark eyes scanned the trees as his other senses kicked in; he smelled it. He could smell the leech, it burned his nose, but he recognized the scent it was a Cullen. They must've been out hunting. He watched as Bella and Alice came to a screeching halt in front of him.

"Hi Jake…" Bella's airy voice said up to him.

Jake nodded as he exhaled heavily through his snout. The stench was unbearable, but for Bella he would deal with it; she was still his friend, best friend not so much but friend none the less. He was torn between who she was now and who she used to be four years ago. He knew deep inside she was exactly the same person she was before she was changed into a blood sucking demon. It pained him to think of her that way and was sure had Edward been anywhere around and read his thoughts he would've dirty looked him into the ground.

Jake didn't care what Edward thought nor did, he would love to get his jaws around that leech; especially after he was personally responsible for ending Bella's human life, him that…thing. He would openly admit Renesmee was definitely one of the most adorable little girls he'd ever seen, but she was also one of the creepiest kids he'd ever met. His head jerked up as Bella suddenly lurched forward with Alice as then tackled a huge buck and easily snapped its neck.

Jake's lip curled slightly as he let out a grunt as he shook his head and walked away. There was no way in hell he was going to stand around and watch them feed. The thought physically disgusted him in every imaginable way.

"Oh c'mon Jake, don't be such a baby." Bella's laughter flittered through the trees behind him.

Jake couldn't help the growl that vibrated his insides. He felt someone phase in and rolled his eyes as Quil's chuckled danced inside his head.

'Dude is there some reason you're avoiding Audrey?' Quil questioned.

'It's none of your business. What I do is on me no one else.' Jake snapped back; his intense eyes looked over as his ears perked up when he saw the chocolate brown wolf coming towards him shaking his head.

Quil sighed heavily. 'I can't believe you're going to do that to your own imprint man. We all know that Bella put you through the ringer, but you can't honestly say you're still in love with her, can you?'

Jake growled lowly. 'Look just worry about patrolling for once and let me deal with my own problems. And yes since you have decided to go poking through my head; yes I'm still in love with Bella. I don't think I feel anything for Audrey. I barely know her."

That was a blatant lie, but that's all he was going to say on the matter.

Quil scoffed audibly. 'Wouldn't the whole idea of having an imprint be to GET to KNOW her? None of us knew our imprints before we imprinted except for Embry and Leah. I don't understand you sometimes Jake and you've been one of my best friends since practically birth.' Quil shook his head as he turned his back on Jake. 'If you'll excuse me alpha I have some patrolling to worry about.'

Jake watched as Quil trotted off after throwing his words back in his face. Yup he felt like a great big DICK. Lately, he'd been snippy with everyone on his side of the border; he hadn't spoken to Bella in so long. Today had actually been the first day he'd physically seen her in a few weeks. He wasn't sure about Audrey, in a way it was true he did barely know her, but since he'd first laid eyes on her he was definitely attracted to her. There was just something about how one girl who had been through so much could still laugh. Though as of late, he hadn't heard one giggle from her and suspected he had something to do with that.

He'd made himself scarce around Emily and Sam's; technically he'd been there every day, he just hadn't been inside unless he knew Audrey was sleeping or holed up in her room. Half the time he slept under her bedroom window as just a precaution. Which he wasn't really sure why he was taking any precautions, he had so many emotions and feelings flying around in his mind and body he couldn't tell which ones were for his love for Bella or which were for the imprint on Audrey.

He was going to have to make a decision; either cut ties with Bella and focus on Audrey or cut ties with everyone but his dad in La Push and stick with Bella and the Cullen's. Either way he had to figure it out soon because he didn't want to get too attached to Audrey.