A/N: I've returned from the void to post yet another spontaneous update. Even when I've been inactive for months, I still get little emails that people are following and favoriting and it makes my day tbh! Hope this finds you in good spirits!

Suggested listening: Julia by the Beatles


"Half of what I say is meaningless, but I say it just to reach you, Julia.

Julia, Julia, ocean child, calls me…

Julia, seashell eyes, windy smile, calls me…"

Chapter 9: Interruption

"Hey Jules, how did you sleep?"

Julia had made her way downstairs for the first time that day to find Emily stationed at the kitchen table, affixing tiny pink flowers to place cards for her wedding guests. It was almost exactly a week until the event, and the bride-to-be wasn't wasting any time in her preparation.

"Longer than I should have," she admitted, making her way to the refrigerator. She had decided to delay breakfast in order to sleep in for the first time since school ended, and the growling of her stomach confirmed that it wasn't one of her best ideas. Rummaging around, she pulled out a gallon of milk, then found an open box of Cheerios in the cupboard.

"I was wondering why I didn't see you all morning."

Julia joined her cousin at the table, grabbing a banana from the basket of fruit on her way over.

"I don't usually like to sleep in," she said, eyeing the sea of place cards spread out on the table before her. Many were for members of her extended family from the Makah reservation. She even found her own name somewhere in the middle of them. It made the upcoming wedding feel more real, more imminent.

"What teenager doesn't like sleeping in?" Emily gave her cousin a quizzical look.

"One that's too used to getting up for early morning practices on the weekends," Julia said matter-of-factly between spoonfuls of her cereal.

"Understandable. What's on the agenda for today?" her cousin inquired, feigning a nonchalant tone. Emily knew very well what Julia would be up to today, thanks to a phone call from a nervous Embry earlier that morning.

Julia shrugged, "Nothing major. Embry offered to show me around the rez, so I took him up on it."

"Oh?" Emily did everything in her power to stifle the smirk that threatened to play across her lips. "And what time is this supposed to happen?"

Julia glanced at the clock above the stove. It was currently eleven forty-five.

"About fifteen minutes," she replied, quickly finishing her food and bringing the bowl over to the sink.

"Well, I'm glad that Sam's friends are making you feel welcome here," Emily said, letting her smile take over now that her cousin's back was turned. As soon as she focused again on her crafting, the creaking of the screen door leading to the porch made her head snap up once again. "Speaking of Sam, I really need to have him fix that door…"

The sound of footsteps sounded through the kitchen, followed by a male voice saying, "Morning Emily, Julia..."

Julia turned around to find Embry standing just inside the threshold. He looked almost too happy to see her. His smile was so intense that it made Julia a little uncomfortable, causing a warmth to spread involuntarily across her cheeks.

"I'm a little early, I know. If you're not ready to go, that's okay. I can wait," Embry said to her. Truth be told, he had been ready to come hours ago, mind buzzing with the thought of getting to see her again. He had waited around all morning, dodging questions from his mom about why he suddenly seemed so chipper until he couldn't take it anymore and made the trip to Emily's on foot.

"Oh, I just... Have to go grab some shoes," Julia said, taking a step back toward the staircase. Why did she suddenly feel so nervous? "I'll just be a minute."

Julia felt his gaze linger on her as she ducked away up the stairs. After slipping on her favorite pair of Converse in the privacy of her room, she paused in front of the mirror in the corner. Caught up in sudden doubt, she stared back at her own reflection, absentmindedly playing with the bottom hem of her top. Her nerves started to make sense. The last time she had been alone with a guy, it had been with her now-ex boyfriend. She didn't really know what to expect. She wasn't like her extroverted best friend, who seemed to be able to go up and have a conversation with any guy she fancied. It had been Natalie who had pushed her to try flirting with Ben in the first place. Now, she was about to be one-on-one with a boy she just met yesterday. Of course, things with Embry weren't like that... They were acquaintances at the very most.

Still, the unknown stressed her out more than she would have liked it to. Where would Embry take her? What would they do? What would they talk about…? Usually with the lacrosse guys she was friends with, she talked about sports. Did Embry even like sports?

Julia sighed, snapping herself out of her jumbled thoughts and made her way out of her room. She didn't want to keep him waiting too long.

As she descended the stairs, Julia could hear Emily speaking to Embry in a hushed tone.

"Well, she was…"

She slowed her pace, trying to find some context to the conversation. It was difficult when she could only hear bits and pieces through the wall. Julia knew it wasn't polite to eavesdrop, but she couldn't help her curiosity, especially since she began to get the feeling that the conversation wasn't meant for her ears. What could Emily be hiding from her? It wasn't like her cousin to keep secrets from her.

As she silently entered the kitchen again, she caught Emily mid-sentence.

"Didn't take it very well… She'll open up when she's-"

"Ready," Julia announced herself. Her cousin turned around, eyes going wide for a split second before quickly busying herself with her place cards once more. Julia heard Embry laugh quietly at Emily. As she crossed the room, she had the uncomfortable realization that they had been talking about her.

"Have a nice time, Jules," Emily said hastily. She forced the corners of her mouth up, even though her body language made her look tense.

"See you later, Em," Julia said, barely making eye contact with her cousin. Embry held the screen door open for her as she stepped out onto the porch.

It was nowhere near as nice outside as it had been yesterday. While it wasn't gloomy and rainy, the sun had disappeared behind the clouds, taking the warm touch of its rays with it. Trying to push her nerves and the overheard bits of conversation out of her head, Julia breathed in the fresh air as she made her way down the steps and onto the dirt driveway. Embry wasn't far behind her.

"How did you get here?" she asked him, noticing that the driveway was absent of any cars, including Sam's truck. Hopefully he hadn't come all the way here on foot just for her.

"I walked," Embry shrugged it off as if it were nothing, confirming her suspicions.

"Oh. Wow… Hopefully wherever you're taking me is within walking distance, then," Julia gave a nervous laugh. This day was already off to an interesting start.

Embry made his way to her side, then lead her away from the house. He reassured her, "Stop one is just a short walk from here. After that, it's up to you."

"I'm really not that picky. As long as we're outside, I'm up for anything."

"Hmm…" Embry thought for a moment as they walked side-by-side up the dirt road. When he had asked for her opinion on where to take Julia, Emily had mentioned how they spent lots of time by the water together when they were younger. "How about the beach?"

He looked down at her just in time to see her face light up at the mention of the beach.

"That sounds perfect," Julia couldn't help but let her grin spread from ear to ear. She had all but forgotten about the long stretches of sand covering the western border of the reservation, the ones that were so similar to those she frequented as a child in Neah Bay. "I've been looking forward to seeing the ocean again. There's just something magical about it."

"Definitely," Embry agreed, secretly reveling in the joy his suggestion had given her. Her happiness made him happy.

So this is what having an imprint feels like… he thought, trying and failing to keep a neutral expression. He simply couldn't help it.

As they walked together quietly, Embry reluctantly kept some physical distance between the two of them for Julia's sake. He wanted nothing more than to be closer to her, hands intertwined as they traveled farther away from Sam and Emily's. However, he had promised Emily that he would take things slow, and he wasn't one to break promises. Meanwhile, Julia found it almost hard to keep up with Embry. His stride was much bigger than hers, forcing her to pick up the pace just so she wouldn't fall behind.

Julia figured that now would be as good of a time as ever to try to get some information out of him. How she ended up having dinner with an additional seven teenage and twenty-something boys was still a mystery to her. She cleared her throat, putting Embry on the spot, "So, how do you know Sam?"

"Uh, well… We went to school together," Embry stated, making something up on the fly. Sam was a full four years older than him, meaning they never would have gone to high school with each other. Of course, Julia didn't know that. While he hated having to lie to her, Embry knew that once she found out the truth about the pack, it wouldn't matter.

"I see," she replied, seeming to accept his half-assed explanation. "Small town, everyone is friends with each other. Same as it was in Neah Bay."

They had just about reached a short driveway. At the end of it, Julia observed two buildings. One was a small, single-level house with red siding and white trim. A ramp was attached to the front stoop. Standing slightly behind it was a smaller building that looked to be in worse condition. The outside seemed generally unkempt, featuring dirty glass window panes and paint that was chipped in various places. There was a rusted garage door that was currently closed, and a plain white door next to it that was propped open with a large piece of firewood.

"We're here," Embry announced, starting down the driveway toward the more battered-looking building. Julia followed a few paces behind him.

"Where exactly is here? Do you live here?" she asked, looking around at the lot. There were two cars sitting in the driveway, indicating that someone was already home. One was an ancient-looking Volkswagen hatchback. It's red paint job nearly matched that of the house. The other was a tan pickup truck which seemed to at least be from this decade.

So I guess everyone around here really does drive a truck, Julia thought.

"My friend Jake lives here with his dad and sister. This is his shop, but he lets Quil and I work out of it," Embry explained, pausing just outside of the door to wait for her to catch up with him.

"As in work on cars?" Julia guessed. Embry nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, bikes too. It's kind of our thing. Plus I make some money on the side doing repairs for people. I finally have enough saved up to get a car of my own. I'm going up to Forks soon to look at one with Quil..."

While Embry delivered his long-winded explanation, Julia stopped to look him in the eyes before heading into the shop.

"You know, I didn't have you pegged down as a car guy."

As he walked in after her, Embry shook his head and gave a throaty chuckle.

"And what kind of guy did you have me pegged down as?"

"...I don't know. I've never met anyone who was interested in fixing cars."

Right. This girl was an athlete, Embry remembered. All of the guys she talked to back home were probably athletes, too. Their worlds were pretty much polar opposites and rarely intersected. Although he knew they were soulmates, destined by the spirits to be perfect for each other, he couldn't help but puzzle over whether or not she considered him to be her type at all. Furthermore, he wondered how he compared to guys she had previously been with... Guys like the boyfriend Emily had just told him that she recently broke up with. Emily, trying to make sure Julia didn't hear their conversation, wouldn't give him any specifics. From what she did say, however, he got the impression that Julia had been very invested in him.

Embry watched as Julia looked around, her steadfast gaze studying the inside of the workshop. Despite their obvious social differences, he realized deep down inside they were kindred spirits - silent observers of the world around them, taking in and analyzing every little detail.

"Brace yourself, you're about to meet another one," Jacob's voice suddenly broke Embry's fixation on his imprint. Caught up between her and his train of thought, he had almost forgotten about the red hatchback in the driveway signaling that his friend was home.

"Uh, Jake, this is Julia. She's Emily's cousin," Embry said, motioning to Jacob's unfamiliar guest. Julia turned her attention to him, walking over to where he was seated.

"Jacob Black. Nice to meet you," he said, putting down the tools he was holding and wiping the grime off of his hands using his t-shirt. Jacob, Julia observed, looked strikingly similar to Embry, Sam, and the rest of their friends - tall and muscular, with his dark hair cropped short. For what seemed like the millionth time in the span of two days, she formally introduced herself and shook his hand. Much like Embry's had been, it seemed unusually hot, almost feverish. There was something odd about these La Push boys, she decided, but she had no idea what.

"How long have you been working on that?" she asked, motioning to Jacob's current project. It was an old motorcycle. The wheels had been removed and the body was missing it's paint in a few places, but overall it looked to be in an alright condition.

"A month, on and off. I haven't been as dedicated as I should be," Jacob responded sheepishly as she took a look at it. She had never actually seen a motorcycle up close before.

While Julia was distracted, Embry quickly caught his friend's eye, mouthing the word imprint and nodding toward her. Jacob raised his brows in surprise, mouthing back a simple question: yours? After confirmation from Embry, he responded with his signature I-told-you-so smirk.

"How about you," Julia said, turning to look at Embry as Jacob went back to his work. "Do you have a project?"

"I wouldn't exactly call it a project anymore," he explained, walking over to another bike that was propped up in the corner of the shop. This one looked more put together than Jacob's. It was completely intact, wheels and all, and even cleaned up a bit. "It's pretty much done. Just have to double-check a couple of things."

Julia, spotting a couch on the wall opposite of where the two boys mused over their bikes, went over and sat down. She watched as Embry carefully inspected the work he had done so far, occasionally making adjustments. Even though she didn't have much automotive knowledge, she could appreciate his thoroughness and attention to detail. As he worked, he chatted with Jake, who apparently was passing the time until he could go see someone named Nessie.

"Looks pretty good to me," he said after a while, lifting up the kick stand with his foot and taking the bike by the handles. He glanced at Julia, a twinkle in his eye. "Only thing left to do is test it out."

"My mom always said that if she ever caught me on the back of someone's motorcycle, I'd be grounded for the rest of my life," Julia said, only half-joking. Somewhere in the background, she heard Jacob stifle a snort. She watched as Embry wheeled the bike to the entrance of the shop, having an idea of what was to come next.

"Then it's a good thing that she isn't here right now."

Embry opened the garage door, allowing the pale, blue-grey glow of the overcast sky to trickle in. The only noises that filled the silence between them now were a classic rock song coming from a radio somewhere in the shop and the sound of metal clinking as Jacob worked on his own motorcycle. Julia stood up, then slowly walked over to Embry.

"So… I'm guessing this is my ride to the beach?" she asked, eyeing him as he climbed onto the bike. He nodded happily in affirmation, giving her a reassuring smile.

Julia took a deep, steading breath before swinging her leg over the back of the seat behind Embry. The bike's engine roared to life, and she timidly wrapped her arms around Embry's torso. There were two things she immediately noticed - the first was the inexplicable, intense heat radiating from his body. As unusual as it was, it was oddly soothing to her. The second was that he definitely had abs… Which was so totally not helping her nerves at the moment.

A wave of euphoria washed over Embry as Julia pressed into his back, holding herself close to him. He could feel her heartbeat quicken as he picked his feet up off the ground, letting the bike inch forward. He called out a hasty goodbye to Jacob as the two of them left the garage behind and made their way to the road.

"Don't be scared. I won't let anything happen to you. Promise," Embry said loud enough for Julia to hear.

"I never said I was scared," she asserted, laughing as if she had something to hide behind her amusement.

If someone would have told her two days ago that this was how she'd be spending her first full day on the rez, Julia would have scoffed at them. She had expected to have a pretty boring first couple of days until she figured out what to do with her time in La Push. Yet here she was, on the back of a motorcycle belonging to a boy who was practically a stranger to her. She knew her mom would have a fit if she ever found out about this.

As they started down the road, Julia could feel the bike start to gain speed. Almost involuntarily, her hold on Embry tightened. She watched the trees quickly passing by as the two of them cruised farther and farther away from Jacob's house. Before she knew it, they were driving along the coast, heading toward the main part of town. Julia had eased into the seat a bit more, getting used to the sensation of being on a motorcycle. Now, she felt almost as if she were flying. It was exhilarating.

To her left, Julia could now see the ocean peaking through open spots between the trees. She couldn't believe how fast they seemed to have gotten across the reservation. Within a few minutes, Embry had slowed down and pulled into a parking lot about a hundred feet away from a trail leading to the beach. They didn't have much company, as there were were only a few other cars in the parking lot.

It wasn't until she got off the motorcycle that Julia was finally able to catch her breath.

"Jeez," she breathed, running a hand through her messy, windswept hair. Embry, propping the bike up in its parking space, tried to gauge her reaction and feared the worst. "That was… Awesome."

Embry cracked a relieved smile, "Glad you enjoyed it."

"Never in a million years did I think I'd ever have the guts to ride a motorcycle," she replied, shaking her head in disbelief. Embry led her down the short trail and onto the rocky beach.

"So you were scared, huh?" he asked, giving her a smirk that told her he could see through whatever act she would try to pull off. She could say whatever she wanted, but there was no denying that he felt the pounding of her heart against his back during the entire drive. She had been, at the very least, a little bit nervous.

"Well… You know what they say," Julia said, trying to redeem herself. "Being fearless isn't about not ever being afraid of anything. It's about being scared, but doing it anyways… Or something like that. Right?"

"I like that. Very philosophical," Embry said, nodding in validation. They had reached the part where the dirt of the trail met the sand. "Anyways, welcome to First Beach."

Julia turned her full attention to the vast body of water in front of her. She took slow steps, as if going any faster would make the scene disappear. Even with the lack of sunlight, Julia couldn't imagine a more beautiful place. The dark blue waves of the Pacific ocean seemed to invite her in like an old friend. She took a deep breath, enjoying the calming scent of the salty air that whipped around her, tugging at the tendrils of her hair that she had just fixed after the motorcycle ride. It had been far too long since she had been able to experience this. In a way, it felt like coming home.

Embry held back, letting her have this moment. She looked so at ease, so peaceful, so happy… He decided he'd have to come here with her more often. After a while, he joined her at her side, and the two started down the long stretch of coastline together.

The wind started to pick up, bringing a bit of a chill with it. Julia hugged her arms close to her body, trying to keep warm, and mentally scolded herself for not wearing some kind of jacket. Her long-sleeved shirt just wasn't cutting it right now.

"It's colder than I thought it would be," she said absentmindedly, tucking a bit of hair that had flown out of place behind her ear. Without missing a beat, Embry removed the flannel he had layered on and placed it around Julia's shoulders. She noticed how his hands lingered a little longer than what she would consider to be normal.

"Embry, you don't have to-"

"It's okay. You need it more than I do," he insisted. In fact, he didn't need it at all. Having a body temperature ten degrees hotter than the average human had its perks. He watched as Julia reluctantly slipped her arms inside of the shirt. It hung around her loosely, swaying with the wind. Embry thought it was comical - and adorable - how big it was on her.

"Won't you get cold, though?" she asked, eyeing his exposed arms.

"I think I'll be alright," Embry grinned at her. If only she knew.

"Thanks," she gave him an appreciative smile, then lead him over to a log big enough for the both of them to share.

They sat for a while with just enough space in between them, watching the waves roll in and out over the rocky shore. Embry liked that Julia didn't feel compelled to constantly make small talk - she was perfectly comfortable with silence. He glanced over at her, taking the opportunity to really look at her up close. She was by no means a supermodel, but to him she was simply stunning. As she gazed out over the Pacific, he studied her features. Her round cheekbones were rosy from the cool wind, and her full lips were pressed into a neutral line. Her dark brown eyes remained fixated on the water, giving nothing away. Embry could see that she was keeping her guard up. He wished she wouldn't.

"So," Julia asked, attempting to strike up some kind of conversation. "Where does the name Embry come from?"

Embry chuckled to himself. He figured she would ask at some point. Everyone did.

"Some soap opera star my mom had a thing for back in the day," he explained. "It's a little weird, I know."

"No, not weird. It's a nice name."

"Tell that to the rest of the guys. Quil and I get so much shit," Embry couldn't help but be glad that she didn't think his name was completely odd. He decided he would turn the tables on her now. "Where does the name Julia come from?"

"Julia is a common name," she replied nonchalantly. No one ever asked her about her name. No one ever really cared. "Nothing special about it."

"Humor me."

"Okay then. I was named after the song Julia, by the Beatles. My dad loved them. He would sing me that song every night when I was little," she said, smiling sadly at the water. Recalling it made her miss him terribly. Embry knew the song, thinking about how fitting it was not just for her, but for this moment. However, he immediately picked up on her nonverbal cue.

"Are you guys close..?" he asked hesitantly, feeling as if he might be treading dangerous waters. He didn't want to upset her, but he couldn't help his curiosity. He wanted to know everything about her, every tiny detail of her life.

"Daddy's little girl," Julia said, her eyes never leaving the waves. Embry nodded, not saying anything. He could tell she was holding something back, but he wasn't going to push her. She could tell him when she was ready to and he was okay with that.

The renewed silence between them was filled only by the rushing sound of the water and the seagulls cawing overhead.

"What about you?" her question caught Embry off guard. For the first time since they had sat down, Julia turned to look at him. "Are you close with your dad?"

Embry hesitated, unsure of how to answer her. He had almost forgotten that she wasn't from La Push, and unlike seemingly everyone else on the tiny reservation, didn't know about his family situation.

"No... Actually, I don't even know who my dad is," he replied. A shocked expression crossed Julia's face, until she realized she was probably being rude. She immediately broke eye contact with him.

"Oh…" she was flustered, feeling embarrassed now for bringing it up. "I-I'm sorry…"

"You don't have to apologize, Julia," Embry insisted. He wanted badly to put his arm around her, to reassure her that it was okay, but he didn't want to overstep any boundaries. "You had no idea."

She took a deep breath, nodding.

"I kind of understand, though, in a way," she said, looking up at him again. Something inside of her told her that she could trust him with this. "Growing up without your dad around, I mean."

Embry gave Julia a confused look. Before he had a chance to ask her to elaborate, however, he heard it... The last thing he wanted to hear at this moment.

The piercing howl of a wolf in the distance filled Embry's ears. He recognized it as belonging to Sam. He immediately froze, feeling his heart sink. That only meant one thing: emergency meeting. Now.

Embry was certain that Julia had heard Sam's howl. She turned her head to try and decipher which direction it was coming from, asking, "Wow, did you hear that…?"

"Shit," Embry closed his eyes in resignation, tilting his head back slightly. Of course this would happen to him.

"What's wrong?" Julia asked, brows furrowing together.

"I just, uh… Forgot that my mom asked me to run some errands today," he made up on the spot. Embry realized that it was a lame excuse, but he needed to tell her something, anything even remotely believable.

Embry stood up and without even thinking, offered his hand to Julia to help her to her feet as well. She took it, and in that moment, a wave of tranquility washed over him. He wished with everything in him that he could have been able to stay with her here in this moment, but his responsibility to the pack was too important. It didn't seem fair.

With her hand still in his, he lead her back to his motorcycle to get her back to Emily's as quickly as possible.