The night that the Quileute wolf pack decided that now was the time to go after Edward Cullen was chilly, not unnatural for the Pacific Northwest, but it still chilled their bones all the same. The killings of citizens had seemingly stopped, and there were no more notes or bonfires with purple ashes. Edward had effectively killed all of his accomplices, and he, unlike Alice wasn't restricted when it came to dealing with the wolves. He would most certainly use that to his advantage.

Jacob was planning an all-out assault on Edward, but he couldn't leave the reservation unprotected. Sam had contracted a high fever, and Sue and Emily had done the same thing for him that they'd done for Seth—ice baths and everything cold was poured alongside his body in the bathtub. He was in the clear, but still recovering. So that left Jacob in charge for the time being. Seth was back up to par, and another wolf made things a little more even, but two wolves gone from the equation made things less than even.

Little—well, not so little—Collin Littlesea had been buried in the reservation cemetery a few days before, with Quil, Jared, Embry, Paul, Jacob and Leah had been the pallbearers. It had rained briefly during the service, but had lightened up enough for Billy to tell the tales of the Quileute to all of the people who lived on the reservation and not simply for the pack members and their imprints, minus Claire of course. It was a somber occasion, and Collin's mother declined to attend her own son's funeral. She'd protested his being involved in the goings-on of vampire hunting, afraid that it would lead to the exact scenario that had occurred. Her only son had been murdered by a vampire, and she would never forgive the Elders of the tribe for forcing her son into something he didn't want. Because even though he loved being a wolf, he was still only a kid, and going up against vampires? Well, he'd been scared, but Collin was a brave little guy, and he'd gone down a hero.

They'd dressed in black, naturally and had taken a few personal belongings of Collin's that Brady—sneaky, little one that he is—had snuck out without Mrs. Littlesea noticing. Jacob, taking on the Alpha's role, had built up a bonfire using old Quileute techniques and placed the items reverently atop the pile of wood and lit it on fire. It symbolized Collin's spirit rising out of the ashes—his spirit warrior rising out of the fire to go into the heavens and protect the world from harm.

After this poignant part of the service, they'd all retreated to Sam and Emily's house once more to enjoy a feast prepared by the ladies of the reservation. Breads, meats, vegetable platters—a big turn-off to the wolves—candied foods, anything you could think of. Bella even made her famous lasagna that Jacob nearly devoured by himself. It was the perfect end to a somber day.

Jacob prided himself on being able to get past painful parts of his past with increasing ease, but he couldn't help but wonder what he would be feeling if it was his son—Jacob desperately wanted a son, but don't tell Bella—he'd buried in the tiny cemetery. He couldn't bring himself to blame Mrs. Littlesea for her not wanting to attend. It was probably too painful. She'd never supported them. He was thankful that should the occasion arise, Bella would be more accepting of her son—or daughter—joining the ranks of the wolf pack.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Bella asked, nudging him in the shoulder. He'd hid in the kitchen while they told stories about Collin. He was a little ashamed to say that he didn't know that much about the kid, other than he was best friends with Brady, his mother and that he was only eighteen when he died. No more members had joined the wolf pack, and Brady was older by two months (I don't know for sure) so he was still the youngest.

"I just…I can't understand how I fought side-by-side with that kid for five years without knowing who he really was."

"He was brave, that's all you need to know. He did just what any of you would have done if it had been you in his place, right?" Bella understood him so well, and she usually knew the right way to pull him out of his funk. He smiled and reached out with one hand and pulled her close.

"Yeah, though I would've hated leaving you after so little time."

"We've had a good five years together. Not exactly the amount I'd hope for should tomorrow be our last day, but in the end, we've had a good time."

"Bells, I want to have fifty, no, seventy years being your husband. I want to have more kids with you, and grow old and grey. But still as hot and buff as I am right now, of course," She laughed at this comment. "I want everything every normal couple can hope for, but in this lifestyle, as we've seen, isn't exactly a stable life. After Edward is taken care of, then I'm sure we'll eventually stop phasing after a year or two. It'll never be normal around here, though. Any kids we end up having could end up phasing if vampires come around, and we'll always be surrounded by this craziness."

She leaned against his shoulder and sighed. "Well, I can't seem to escape from paranormal creatures, so why start now, right? I don't mind this craziness, so long as we stay human and alive."

"Where's Willa?" Jacob sat up straighter, remembering Willa had come with them to the house, as if she had a choice.

"Don't worry, Jake. Sue's kidnapped her again. She and Charlie are inseparable, and she's in love with Willa. It makes her want to have kids again, but she's too old."

"Sue? She's in her forties. She can still have kids."

"Yeah, but she doesn't feel like she can anymore. I mean, Charlie never really wanted any more kids after me, and Sue's not sure if he would. They're both nearing their fifties, Jake."

"I don't know, Charlie seems to be pretty into the idea of having a kid with Sue. He loves Willa's skin tone."

"Oh, god. I can't imagine having a little brother or sister now."

"Don't you, though? A three-year-old or something like that?"

Bella's face darkened a little, and she grew visibly saddened. "Renee doesn't consider me her daughter anymore. She doesn't like that I married a Native American and had a child with him. She didn't like Charlie being friends with Billy, Harry and Old Quil, so she left. I committed the ultimate betrayal in a way. Oliver Luke Dwyer *anyone who can guess the inspiration for the first two names gets a one-shot!* is my half-brother, but is as far away as a stranger I met on the street."

"I'm sorry, Bells."

A/N: Okay, I decided to make it a little shorter than normal. I'm too busy watching Criminal Minds and having my mouth being numb from fillings to concentrate much. Sorry.