Chapter 10 – Welcome To The Party

Embry's POV

I walked into Paul and Rachel's house carrying a gift bag. It was their son Devlin's 7th birthday. I wasn't sure what to get a kid that age, but the lady at the story pointed out a few choices. I decided to get him a Transformer toy. For one thing, they were kick ass. For another, I had to admit I found it sweet irony that I was getting a former shape-shifter's son a toy that could shift into another shape.

I walked through the house and entered the backyard where the festivities were being held. Sean, Paul's youngest son, waddled over to me as soon as he saw me. He was going to be two in another couple of months. Though Paul had insisted that Sean looked just like Rachel when he was born, the kid was a miniature of Paul. He certainly had Paul's strength. He didn't show any signs that he had once been a preemie. Rachel had also made a full recovery after the horrible time she had giving birth to him.

I picked him up and lifted him in the air. His attention was instantly drawn to the colorful bag in my hand.

"Whaz that Unca Embee?" Sean asked.

"Your brother's birthday present," I told him, before setting him back down on the ground.

He quickly grabbed my hand and dragged me over to where Rachel and Paul were. Over the past year and some odd months since I graduated from college, I had become increasingly close to the Wakeh family. I secretly thought my need to spend time with them had to do with the fact that Rachel looked so much like Rebecca. If I couldn't be with my imprint, her family could give me the slight fix I needed to survive.

It wasn't that I was attracted to Rachel. I couldn't even see her face. She was blurry to me like every other woman who wasn't my imprint. But just the fact that she shared the same DNA as her twin helped alleviate the longing I felt for Rebecca. Paul and Rachel were understanding enough that they let me hang out with them whenever the unsettledness I felt began to overwhelm me.

It was strange. Ever since my graduation night, I felt different. I tried to describe it to Sam once. It was like when a person goes to the dentist to have a cavity filled and they're given Novacaine. You can feel your face with your hand once your mouth goes numb, but it seems alien to you. That's how my body felt. It was like I was living inside someone else's body where the skin didn't quite fit the bone structure.

Something had happened to my imprint connection the night of my graduation. I knew Rebecca was all right. After I had walked away from that woman I had sex with that night, I had passed out in my car. As soon as I had woken up, I'd rushed to Rachel's house and made her call Rebecca. Rebecca amazingly had been awake, given that it had to be early in the morning for her. She'd grouchily told her sister she was fine and hung up the phone.

Just as I was about to have a full blown panic attack because I'd known, contrary to what Rebecca said, she wasn't fine, Rachel offered me coffee and we'd sat and talked. As we talked, the strange numbness settled in and it never quite left.

My anti-social behavior worsened. I had been distant with my friends before my graduation night, but now I was practically a recluse. The only time I seemed to get out anymore was when I was hanging out with Paul's family or when Sam asked me to patrol. My sex life had become non-existent. I never even thought about sleeping with another woman since that night. I never returned to school to get my teaching certificate either. I just went through the actions of life without really living it.

Even now as I watched Devlin run towards me with excitement flushing his face, I could only feel the lightest twinge of joy in his expression. Rachel took my gift bag from me and set it on the table with some other gifts.

"So, did you hear anything?" I asked Rachel. She had asked Rebecca to come home for the party, but Rebecca hadn't been sure what her plans were.

She shook her head, looking at me with sad concern, "Sorry Embry, Becks isn't going to make it to the party after all."

"Oh…okay," I said, trying to smile to hide my disappointment.

Knowing I probably looked even worse, I turned and went over to where Quil was sitting near the barbeque area drinking a beer. Quil was staring off in the distance with a frown etched heavily on his face. I knew he was having some problems with Claire lately. She had apparently tried to kiss him a few months ago, but Quil rejected her because she was only 14.

She had turned 15 last month and her behavior was getting worse and worse. She was a typical rebellious teen, but she seemed to be hell bent on taking her defiance to a whole new level. Last time I saw her, she was dressed all in black from her dyed hair to her black nail polish to her black shoes. She had just started a new school year and had already been expelled for a day because she had skipped class to go smoke in the school parking lot.

I knew that Quil was worried about her behavior, but I also knew he was concerned because he still couldn't see Claire in a romantic light. Whenever he tried to picture her as his future wife, something in his brain blocked him. It only added to his worry and grief.

"Hey man," I said.

"Hey," Quil muttered back as he turned the bottom of his beer bottle in the palm of his hand.

"How are things going? Any improvement with Claire?" I asked.

"She's hanging around some girls known for their drug use," Quil told me wearily as he ran a hand down his face tiredly. "I don't know how to reach her anymore. She's so mad at me for rejecting her. Every time I try to go see her or talk to her, she blows me off."

"Quil, she's only 15. She's a teenager…give her time."

Quil chuckled sardonically, "Time's all I have."

We both looked solemnly towards Devlin and his friends. Paul had set up a piñata and Devlin was trying to hit it. Dev was getting so big, but he still was enjoying every minute of his childhood. I sometimes wished I could go back to those simpler times.

"What about you?" Quil suddenly asked. "Any news on Becks?"

I shook my head sadly. "Rachel just told me Rebecca wasn't going to be able to make it back."

"Sorry man," Quil said sympathetically. I shrugged in return and began to ask him about the Seahawks.

The party continued for another hour. I was helping Paul with the barbeque when I froze. I felt my connection to Rebecca suddenly become stronger…stronger than it had been in a long time. I picked up her scent and began to look around frantically.

"Embry, you okay?" Paul asked with concern.

"She's here…Rebecca's here," I told him, excitement rising inside me.

Paul stepped away from the grill and sniffed the air. A smile broke out on his face as he picked up her scent. His sense of smell wasn't as strong as mine since he stopped phasing, but his senses were still more developed than the average humans.

Just then, Rebecca came out the back door of the house with a present in her hand. I wanted to run to her and grab her and never let go. Rachel got to her before I could and gave her twin a fierce hug.

"Becks! I didn't think you were going to make it!"

"Change of plans," Rebecca smiled back though I noticed tension around her mouth.

I walked over to her immediately. I went to hug her but when she saw me, she instantly stiffened. I stopped in my tracks as her gaze went right by me.

"Hello Embry, nice to see you again," she said formerly, not even looking at me. I might as well have been a distant acquaintance for all the warmth she showed me.

She looked across the yard and her face lit up slightly as she saw her nephews. She made her way over to them without acknowledging me any further. Rachel looked at me with confusion before she followed her twin. I felt like I had my heart ripped out and stomped on. What had I done to make my imprint act like that towards me?

I watched as Rebecca went up to Devlin and gave him a big hug. Sean was a little bit shyer around his aunt, but considering she looked exactly like his mom, he immediately warmed up to her. Quil, Seth, and the rest of the pack went up and hugged her and she enthusiastically hugged them back. It was like a huge family reunion, and I was the pathetic outcast, standing just outside the circle, completely unwelcome.

I made my way over to where Sam and Emily were standing with their son Nate. Nate was 11 now and he was huge; much too tall for the average kid his age. He wasn't paying attention to anything around him. He was too busy playing with some hand held video game. Not too far from them was Sam's daughter, Gracie, and the wolf that imprinted on her, Ryan. Gracie was nine and heavily into ballet. Even now, she was making Ryan practice with her by helping her twirl. While a wolf performing ballet might usually be a source of mockery, Ryan was just so happy being close to his imprint, everyone left him alone. Hopefully for Ryan, Gracie's passion for the finer arts wouldn't last long.

"Hey," Sam said as I walked up to him and Emily. He had his arm wrapped tightly around her waist.

"Hi," I responded. From my new vantage point, I could stare at Rebecca from across the yard without being too obvious.

"Are you happy to have Rebecca back?" He asked in a low tone.

"Sure," I said vaguely, hardly paying attention.

Rebecca's face suddenly jerked away from her nephews and skimmed the yard. I waited with baited breath for her eyes to make contact with mine, but instead they went right by me as though I was invisible. I felt gutted, but I also felt very confused.

What the hell was going on here? Seeing her again in the flesh proved to me that something was off between us and it wasn't just my imagination. I knew Rebecca. I had sometimes felt closer to her when I was younger than I had to Jacob and Quil. We had always been bonded even before I imprinted on her. So it didn't make sense to me whatsoever that she was now treating me like a social pariah.

The party continued throughout the day. Devlin opened up all of his presents. He loved mine. Cake and ice cream were soon served. I tried talking to Rebecca several times, but each time she saw me coming towards her, she somehow maneuvered herself so she didn't have to speak with me. I noticed Rachel frowning several times as she watched the exchanges between Rebecca and me.

Feeling frustrated, I made my way to the side of the house so I could get a moment alone. I pinched the bridge of my noise. If shape-shifters ever got headaches, I was fast on my way to getting one. I thought it would have meant everything in the world for Rebecca to be back in La Push. But given the current distance between us, she might as well have stayed in Hawaii. There was an invisible wall between us that I couldn't breach, and what pissed me off was I didn't understand why it was there in the first place. It was like I was trying to solve a mystery and the biggest clue was missing. Yet, I felt it should be obvious too.

I didn't know how long I stood there before I heard Rebecca's voice coming somewhere from the front of the house. Turning my head, I could see her walk into my view a short distance away. She didn't notice me because she was on her phone.

"I got your messages," Rebecca told whoever she was talking to.

"Well…at least you returned them. I didn't think you'd give me the courtesy," Ian's voice returned. I could pick up the anger in his voice even from the distance I was from her and her phone.

"What do you want, Ian?" Rebecca sighed.

"I want to talk about what we were discussing before you left." Ian said.

"And I don't. I think you've made your position more than clear," Rebecca replied bitterly.

"You're being ridiculous," Ian argued.

"I'm being ridiculous?" Rebecca repeated incredulously. "No…you know what? I'm not going to do this. I'm at my nephew's birthday party…a nephew I never get to see and I'm not going to get into it with you right now."

"So you're going to blame that on me too?" Ian asked sarcastically.

"Goodbye Ian," Rebecca said before hitting the end button on the phone.

She looked at it for a moment before chucking it hard across the yard. It hit a tree, shattering into several pieces. Rebecca pressed the palms of her hands to her forehead letting out a quiet sob. I couldn't take it anymore and took a step towards her.

I felt a restraining hand suddenly on my arm. Looking down, I noticed Rachel staring at me. She shook her head before walking towards her twin. She had obviously seen her sister's standoffish behavior with me. It nearly killed me, but I didn't go and comfort my imprint as I wanted to. Instead, I watched her twin walk to her and wrap her arms around her.

"I'm sorry," Rebecca wept against Rachel's shoulder. "I'm ruining Dev's party. I shouldn't have come here."

"Hey, I don't want to hear that," Rachel said. "You're always welcome."

Rachel pulled back and pushed away the damp hair clinging to Rebecca's face.

"How long are you going to be in town for?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know…maybe a few weeks." Rebecca sniffed.

"Why don't you and I make plans to go to Seattle one weekend?" Rachel suggested. "Just you and me. We can hang out and talk if you want."

"Yeah," Rebecca sniffed, nodding slowly. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Rachel wiped away some of the tears still running down Rebecca's cheeks.

"C'mon, let's go get your face washed up, okay?" Rachel offered.

"Okay," Rebecca replied.

They went into the house through the front door. I stood frozen for a moment before slowly turning to head back to the backyard. A frown furrowed my forehead as I walked. Rebecca needed comfort but she obviously didn't want me. I could sense that she was mad at me. Then again, maybe it was Ian she was pissed at, and I was getting the blast of her hostility. With confusion weighing heavily on my shoulders, I returned to the party.

The next day I got up bright and early and headed back over to Paul's house. I was helping him rebuild a boat he had bought. I pulled into the driveway and looked around hopefully. I knew Rebecca was staying at Billy's but I was still optimistic that she'd show up here today. I knocked on the front door and to my immense happiness, Rebecca answered. She, however, didn't look happy to see me.

"Isn't it a little early to be visiting?" Rebecca asked.

She was wearing a pair of fleece pants and a long sleeved fitted t-shirt. Her long black hair was pulled into a ponytail. Even dressed in a way meant for comfort only, she looked like she could be on the cover of a magazine.

"I'm supposed to help Paul with his boat," I explained, taken back by her behavior.

"He and Rachel had to run into Forks for some grocery shopping."

"Oh," I replied. "So they asked you to babysit, huh?"

"Yeah."

We stared at each other awkwardly for a moment before Rebecca sighed.

"You might as well come in and wait. They should be back any minute."

"Thanks," I said dryly. Wow, if her attitude got any warmer I might just freaking spontaneously combust.

I walked into the living room and noticed Devlin and Sean playing on the floor. Well, Sean was planted in front of the TV watching some tripped out kids show. I groaned as I noticed it was Yo Gabba Gabba. I had watched that with him a few times when I had babysat the kids for Paul and Rachel. Sean loved it, but the show seriously freaked me out.

"Hey Uncle Embry," Devlin called out. "You wanna be Megatron?"

He held up a Transformer toy. I noticed he had the other one I had given him for his birthday on his lap.

"Megatron…I think that would be the perfect one for Embry to play with," Rebecca said.

My eyebrows snapped together. I didn't know much about these toys, but I did know that Megatron was the bad guy. What really made me pause was the look she gave me…filled with such disappointment and disgust. My stomach turned slightly upon seeing that expression on my imprint's face.

"I'm going to make breakfast for the kids," Rebecca muttered, without looking back at me.

I sat on the floor next to Devlin, entertaining him as he played. Once when Devlin got too enthusiastic, his little brother turned and said "shush." Who knew a two-year-old could have such attitude? I tried to concentrate on the kids, but my heart wasn't really into playtime right now. My mind and body were too attuned to Rebecca, who I could hear moving around in the kitchen.

The sudden sound of glass breaking followed by Rebecca softly swearing caught my ear. I stood up instantly and headed towards the kitchen telling the boys to stay where they were. When I entered the room, I saw Rebecca standing over the sink with a towel to her hand. Glass was shattered on the counter and floor.

"What happened?" I asked urgently, making my way over to her.

"Nothing, I reached for a glass and it fell out of the cupboard, shattering before it hit the floor. Some glass flew up and hit my hand."

I went over to her and carefully lifted the towel out of the way. Blood began to seep again, but the cut didn't look deep enough to require stitches.

"I'll be right back," I told her before I turned and headed to the bathroom.

I grabbed the first aid kit I knew was in there. The first day I ever babysat the boys, Paul had shown me where it was three times before they left. He had made some serious threats to my life if anything happened to his boys while they were in my care. I ran back to kitchen and went over to Rebecca.

I lifted the towel off her hand again and inspected the wound to make sure there wasn't any glass in it. Next I treated it with some anti-bacterial cream before placing a Scooby-Doo band-aid on it.

"Scooby, really?" Rebecca muttered.

"Sorry, I think that's all Paul and Rach have," I explained. "I'd love to see Paul in one of these."

I looked at her, still holding her hand. She had mirth in her eyes and looked truly happy for the first time since she had come back. As she stared back at me, the laughter slowly drained, and I caught a glimpse of such misery that it took my breath away. She quickly removed her hand and bent down to start picking up glass.

"I've got this," I told her.

"Fine." She didn't argue. "I'm going to check on the boys for a minute."

As I was finishing cleaning up, I heard Paul and Rachel return. After the groceries were brought in, Rachel and Rebecca finished getting breakfast ready for the boys. Paul and I headed outside to work on the boat.

"What'd you do to piss Rebecca off so bad?" Paul asked.

"What makes you think I did anything?" I returned.

"I think you'd have to be blind not to notice her attitude towards you at the party yesterday. Hell, everyone noticed."

"Well, your guess is as good as mine." I replied, focusing some of my anger and frustration on the boat.

I began to sand one spot for so long that I was beginning to damage it. Sighing, I switched to another area of the boat. Around noon, we finally decided to take a break and grab a beer. As we headed indoors, I noticed Devlin planted in front of the TV. Sean was no where to be seen which meant he was down for his afternoon nap. As we headed towards the kitchen I could hear Rachel and Rebecca talking quietly.

"…It's just weird that Embry's here all the time." Rebecca said. I froze as I heard my name. Paul did too. He turned to look at me with concern.

"Why is it weird? We've known him almost all our lives. And Paul and I have gotten really close to him this past year. I don't know what you have against him."

"I just think…I don't know…he just seems kind of like a sleaze."

"Embry?" Rachel remarked in disbelief. "Why on earth would you think that?"

"Never mind, it has nothing to do with me," Rebecca said somewhat angrily.

"Becks--"

"Seriously, can we drop this? I shouldn't have even said anything. I've got enough to deal with right now and Embry's not worth arguing over. So when do you want to leave for Seattle?"

I turned and walked out of the house without another word. I jumped in my car and took off to the garage. It was Saturday and I told the guys I wouldn't be in, but I needed a distraction and since I no longer used the bar and women as an escape from my problems, grease and oil would have to do.

I couldn't get her words out of my head though no matter how hard I worked.

Sleaze…Not worth it…

For what seemed like the millionth time, I wondered what the fuck I had done to piss Rebecca off so bad. As I worked, I made myself a promise. This trip home would be different. I needed to figure out what I had done wrong. My life had been unsettled for too long and I knew it was because of whatever I did to disrupt our connection.

I also knew I couldn't let Rebecca leave again without telling her how I felt. I couldn't take it anymore…of just going through life without living it, of not knowing if Rebecca cared for me in the slightest way. Going by the conversation in the kitchen, I would say it was a definite no, but I still needed to know.

This trip home, we were going to have it out.

And to hell with the consequences.

A/N – Next chapter will be back in Rebecca's POV. Please review!