A/N: Okay, so I'm glad everyone seemed to like the imprinting. Stephenie made it so hard for all of us FanFiction authors! We've had to come up with some crazy stuff, and this is mine. Hope you guys like it! I'm doing better keeping up with answering your reviews, but as always some people don't have their PM turned on, so shouts out to Pinkchic, Lady-Isowen and "Guests" for their reviews. Hope I didn't miss anyone! Love them, keep 'em coming!

As usual, nothing you recognize is mine.

CHAPTER 11

Jacob watched me carefully. He put a finger under my chin and made me look at him, then took both my hands in his. His hands were hotter than I'd ever felt them, and their temperature caused me to abruptly become completely absorbed in what he was saying. I stared into his eyes, unblinking, as he looked back at me.

"Bella, do you know what imprinting is?" he asked.

"Imprinting?" I asked in confusion. That was a biology term, wasn't it? Some kind of baby bird thing. "You mean like with ducklings?"

Jake huffed a laugh. "No, no. Not with ducklings. Bella, it's a way some animals find their mates. It's the way…the way some werewolves find their mates."

"Their mates?" I asked, completely mystified. "What are you talking about?"

"You've seen Sam and Emily, right? How devoted they are to each other, how in love they are?"

Just thinking of Sam and Emily embarrassed me. Their love was so obvious, it was as if you were witnessing something private. It wasn't nauseating in any way; I never found myself thinking, Get a room! It was the way I thought love was supposed to be; perfect love, fairy tale love. I nodded.

"That's because of the imprint," Jacob explained. "Sam imprinted on Emily the first time he saw her after he phased for the first time. It caused a ton of grief for him, but once the imprint happens, there's no turning back."

"Grief? Why would falling in love so deeply cause anyone grief?" I asked, confused.

"It's a long story, and I'll tell you about it someday. But Bella," he paused, his eyes never leaving my face. "Did you hear what I said? About no turning back?"

My eyebrows met in confusion. Why was he telling me this and why was he attaching such importance to it? I didn't need to know this; it was pack lore, and I was an outsider, despite my assertion to Emily yesterday that I wasn't. I didn't need to know all the legends.

"Okay?" I said, both verifying that I'd heard and asking him why he was telling me. I didn't want to talk about this now. I was worried…I knew Edward had to be just past the tree line. He was waiting to ambush me, to try to turn me again, to…

"The reason I'm telling you this is because…I imprinted."

Before I even had a second to think, my lips spat out, "Who is she?"

He grinned, and it took over his entire face. He even laughed, which I thought was particularly cruel. I didn't want Edward any more, and now Jake was saying he was unavailable, 'no turning back.' I failed to see the humor in the situation.

"She's you, Bells!" he laughed joyfully.

Now I was really mystified. "But how?" I asked in confusion. "You said that Sam imprinted on Emily the first time he saw her after the first time he phased. For us, that would have been…back when I came to the rez on that rainy Saturday a month or so ago. You've seen me dozens of times since then. Why wouldn't you have already imprinted?"

"I don't know," Jacob replied, shaking his head but never taking his eyes off my face. The love I saw there was almost palpable. "Maybe because you saw me phase, you had to see me phase back. Maybe because Edward had such a hold on you, you were blocking the imprint."

Blocking. Of course, I'd heard that one before. I'd somehow blocked Edward's intrusive gift since Day One – Edward had called it a glitch in my system. But I shook my head stubbornly. I could still feel that pull on my heart; the pull that had been absent - taking my heart with it - when Edward had left me in September. It worried me, that tugging on my heart. I didn't like the feeling; I associated it with Edward and my obsession with him and all he stood for.

"I'll ask Sam," Jacob announced. "Let's go talk to him."

I pulled my hands away and crossed my arms over my chest. "No!" I protested. "It's personal!"

Jake guffawed, like every word out of my mouth was hilarious. "Personal!" he spluttered. "Baby, there's no such thing as personal anymore. I'm a member of the pack. They know what my thoughts are. They'd all know the minute I phased anyway. C'mon, Sam knows a lot more about this than I do."

"You go talk to him. I'm embarrassed," I said stubbornly.

He looked at me tenderly, appearing to completely understand. "Okay, Bells. You stay right here. Don't go anywhere, okay?"

I shrugged. "Where would I go?" I asked rhetorically as he opened the car door.

I watched him jog across the Cullen's lawn toward Sam, and as I did, something strange happened. The draw on my heart became stronger as he retreated. Was that tugging sensation for Edward? It couldn't be. Edward was nowhere to be seen. Jacob had said that Embry would let us know if Paul and Jared let him out of their sight. So where was that dragging on my center coming from? Could it be Jake?

I saw him begin talking to Sam, and Sam reached out, shaking Jacob's hand and then pulling him in for a hug. Congratulating him. They started to walk away, Sam's arm around Jake's shoulder, lost in conversation. The tugging got tighter as they walked further from me.

Almost without conscious thought, I pulled the handle on the car door and before I knew it, I found myself going after – no, running after Jake and Sam.

When I got closer, the pull slackened. I was fascinated by this new development. I'd only truly felt the thread with Edward when he left me after my disastrous birthday, and it's what caused the hole in the first place. Then I'd felt it again a few minutes ago when he was leaving for good. But this! This was like a metal cable being pulled by a winch. Like some unseen force was cranking a handle that tightened this hold between us – some supernatural compulsion that wouldn't allow me to let him out of my sight.

I caught up with him, grabbing his arm from behind, and like he already knew I was there, he reached back without looking and took my hand. I interrupted their conversation, "Jake, I couldn't let you walk away from me. There's something…an invisible cable or something attached between us. It pulled me…"

Sam smiled at me. "Emily calls it her link. When she tells me the link is getting tight, that means I have to get back to her as soon as I can. Sometimes I can't, but I know what she means. I can feel it too."

"Does Jared have something like that with Kim?" Jacob asked Sam.

"Jared and Kim?" I asked, confused. "Are they imprinted too?"

"Jared imprinted on Kim right away," Sam answered. "As soon as he laid eyes on her after the first time he phased. Maybe that's another reason, Jacob. I've never heard of anyone imprinting outside the tribe."

"You think that's why it took so long for me?" Jacob asked.

Sam considered it for a moment. "I really don't know. What you said about phasing makes sense, but so does the other thing you said, about her being so tied to Edward that she was blocking the imprint. Or it could be that she's an outsider." Sam sounded doubtful on the latter reason.

"You know about Edward's ability to read minds, right?" I asked Sam. He nodded. "Well, I don't know if Jake ever told you, but Edward couldn't read my mind. He always used to say I was blocking him. He thought it was a glitch in my system. Maybe that has something to do with it."

Sam nodded, his face contemplative. "We should talk to the elders, see if this phenomenon has happened in the past," he said thoughtfully. "I've never heard of the imprint not being immediate. But it's obvious it's real. You feel the link, and that confirms it. Do you feel it, Jacob?"

"I feel something," Jake answered. "I know that I imprinted, if that's what you mean. She looks like an angel to me. Almost like she's glowing." He looked down at me, the love in his face nearly overwhelming.

"That's the imprint, alright," Sam confirmed. "It gets a little dimmer over time, or maybe you get used to it, but it never goes away. It's useful for finding her in a crowd."

Jake and Sam laughed, and then Jake turned to me, concern flooding his features.

"Are you okay here, Bells? We should really wait until Paul and Jared get back so we know the bloodsucker is really on his way off the continent. I know this place holds some pretty hard memories for you, so if you need to get out of here…"

I cut him off. "As long as you stay with me, I'll be okay, Jake," I told him.

He pulled me close, enveloping me in his ultra-warm embrace and sheltering me from the drizzle. "I'm here, Baby," he whispered into my hair.

Jared and Paul were back by nightfall. They'd phased in the woods before they returned, and they reported that they had observed Edward purchase a direct flight ticket, one-way from SEA-TAC Airport to London, Heathrow and proceed through security. They'd waited until the flight left with him on it before returning to the Cullen house. Nothing was said about his actions or his supposed state of mind when he departed the airport, and I was surprised to find that I didn't even care. The iron-fisted grip he'd had on me for this past year-plus had departed with him.

The pack congratulated us, and there were hugs and back-slapping all around. Jake looked incredible to me, his dazzling grin flashing again and again as he accepted his friends' good wishes. The joy in his black eyes was bordering on tangible, and I wanted to catch it and hold it forever. As I held his hand in the darkening yard of the Cullens, his touch grew warmer and warmer. It seemed to permeate my being entirely, ending up low in my belly and settling there, a satisfied feeling that I couldn't seem to hide. I was sure my face was as blissful as his.

Sam insisted that we go back to the reservation and talk to the elders about the imprint and why it had taken so long. I didn't even care why. All I wanted was to have Jake to myself, to hold him and talk to him and plan with him. But Jacob was anxious to find out what had been the delay in imprinting, and he told me that Charlie was at Billy's so if I felt uncomfortable, I could hang out there until they were finished.

I felt completely intimidated to meet with the council but I didn't want to go to Billy's either, so I asked Jacob if it was okay if I visited Emily while they met with the elders. Sam thought that was a good idea, and we drove there in the Rabbit while the pack phased and followed in wolf form.

Sam and the rest beat us there, because the Rabbit had to stay on roads, but the wolves could cut through the forest. When we arrived at Emily's, the entire pack was there including the Clearwaters. Sam and Emily came out to greet us, and Emily's effusive welcome brought tears to my eyes.

"Bella, my sister!" she cried, gathering me in a hug and actually lifting me and swinging me around. "You're truly a wolf girl now!" She laughed with delight. "Who would have thought it was possible? I'm so excited to have you in the family!" I didn't think I could be any happier than I'd been when Jacob told me about imprinting, but I was wrong. I was getting happier by the minute. The more contact I had with these people, the more elated I became. I was almost afraid to let Jake go see the council. In my experience, happiness was short lived and a disaster was always lurking around the corner. I was sure that the delay in the imprint, or the fact that I was an outsider, or some other reason, would abolish the imprint somehow and leave me with this cable from my heart stretching to nowhere. I didn't think I could take it if that happened.

Jacob, Sam, and the rest of the pack left to talk to the council, leaving Emily and me to visit. I started by thanking her for her help.

"I really wanted to leave Billy's house yesterday and go tell Edward about the Treaty," I told her. "Thanks again for telling me the truth."

Emily was confused. "What in the world would make you believe that the pack would kill him for fraternizing with you? What put that thought in your head?" she asked.

"Not what, who." I answered, disgusted. "It was Edward's sister, Alice. She friend-requested me on Facebook and like an idiot I accepted. She told me all this nonsense, and she has a way of making things sound really believable. Emily, she was my best girlfriend ever since I started dating Edward. I couldn't believe she'd lie to me."

"It's always sad when someone doesn't live up to your expectations," Emily sighed. She was careful not to throw Alice under the bus, and I recognized that technique from my mother, Renee. As flaky as Renee was, she'd never badmouth a friend. It was her policy that if I ever made up with the person, I'd hold it against her for vilifying my friend. It was something I'd learned from her long ago but failed time after time to put into practice. I recognized the kind action in Emily, but I knew it was wasted. I'd never forgive Alice for lying to me and almost causing me to ignore Jacob's directive.

"Sisters before misters," I said sagely, and Emily laughed.

"Well, we're truly sisters now, Bella. Our men are brothers, so that makes us sisters, and eventually real sisters-in-law."

My eyes grew round. "Really?" I said in wonderment. "We'll be sisters-in-law?"

"When we marry our wolves," she smiled. "Why do you seem so surprised? Jacob must've told you, imprinting is for keeps."

"For keeps," I repeated, enchanted. "I can really count on that? Jacob and I will be husband and wife someday?"

"Of course," Emily said. "Can you imagine it any other way?"

I couldn't, but that didn't mean anything. In my limited experience, wanting and getting were two very different concepts. "Not really," I admitted.

"Neither can I," Emily said. "Although I must say, I'll be glad when Jake steps up and takes Alpha from Sam. I hate that he's always in charge."

"What?" I asked, entirely taken aback. "Did you say Jake will take Alpha?"

"You don't know about that?" asked Emily sheepishly. "Oh, God, I'm sorry. Maybe he wanted to tell you himself."

"Tell me what?" I screeched.

"Well, Jacob has wolf blood on both sides. His mom is from the Ateara line and Billy is obviously from the Black line. Sam only has wolf blood on the Uley side. Jake's great-grandfather, Ephraim Black, was the last wolf chief. So that makes Jake the Alpha. Only he didn't want it. He hates the wolf, Bella. He hates the way it rules his life. He'd give anything to go back."

I knew that already. I knew how Jake felt about the wolf. But maybe things were different now, now that he'd imprinted. I couldn't conceive of my peaceful, beautiful, radiant Jacob being the chief of a tribe of warriors. I nodded, looking up at Emily.

"I know he hates it," I told her. "But maybe he'll change his mind. We're connected so deeply now, I can't imagine he would want to give that up. If it weren't for the wolf, we wouldn't have that."

"That's true. I'm still so excited for you guys, Bella! Kim doesn't come around often, because her mom doesn't really like Jared so usually Jared goes over to her place, trying to win her mother over. But you and I can become best friends. It will be so nice to have another woman to talk to!"

I laughed, delighted with her enthusiasm. "It must be tough to be the only girl among so many men," I said.

Emily sighed, her happy face suddenly gone. "Except Leah," she said sadly.

"What about Leah?" I asked, mystified.

"You don't know about Sam and Leah? Wow, Jake really is a gentleman, isn't he?" I wasn't sure what she meant, so I didn't answer, and she sighed again. "Leah and Sam dated ever since she was a freshman in high school. They were in love," Emily began.

I gasped. Leah and Sam?

"I know, right?" Emily said. "Until he phased one day out of the blue. She didn't know, and he was so freaked out he didn't phase back for, like, two weeks. Everyone thought something happened to him. Leah and Sam's mom had the police out looking for him in the woods. It was a nightmare."

"I had no idea," I whispered.

"And you can't tell anyone about the wolf, either. The only way Sam even knew he wasn't going nuts was old Quil came over to his house to see his mom, and Sam shook his hand. Quil thought he was touching a hot iron. He took Sam to the council and they figured it out. So then Sam would phase now and then, whenever he was mad or a vampire was around. When he was phased, Leah couldn't reach him, and Sam couldn't say where he was. There were a lot of fights, a lot of misunderstandings that really couldn't be cleared up. But they were trying to make it work. Then I walked in one day, and that was all she wrote."

"Sam imprinted on you," I said, inflectionless.

"Yep. Leah lost it. Even I didn't like it. Sure, I'd always thought Sam was hot, but he was Leah's boyfriend, so he was strictly off limits. Until Sam explained it to me. And then phased while I was standing too close, earning me this." She gestured to her scarred cheek. "The reaction Sam had to what he'd done to me won me over. I'll love him until the day I die. And Leah's left out in the cold."

"That's terrible," I said softly. "Poor Leah."

"I hate it, but there's nothing I can do. You understand, don't you? You don't hate me now?"

"It's not your fault, Emily. It's not even Sam's fault."

"I know," she said, dejected. "It's the fault of the stupid genetics."

"Genetics?" I asked. Now I was really confused.

"Yeah, you know. To make stronger werewolves. Or to pass the gene on in the best way."

"What? Pass on the gene?"

"God, Bella, didn't Jake tell you anything?" she asked, exasperated.

"Well, he only imprinted on me about two hours ago, so no. Are you saying that this is all about who can make the best wolf puppies?"

Emily laughed loudly. "Bella, they're not puppies! They're babies. And yes, that's why. So you must be pretty good in the reproduction department, or Jake would've imprinted on someone else."

Was she kidding? She didn't seem to be. "But I don't want babies! I'm only eighteen!" I cried.

"No one says you have to have them right away," Emily said reasonably. "I've been with Sam for over two years and we're not even married yet. You've got plenty of time."

"What if I don't want kids at all?" I asked. "Is that not my choice anymore?"

Emily shrugged. "I don't know. But you love Jake, right? And you'll want to give him what he wants, won't you? I think even if you don't want kids, you'll change your mind for him."

I thought about Jacob and his smile, his good looks, his infectious laugh and his positivity. Yes. I'd do anything for him. Anything he wanted.

"You're right," I said in amazement. I was so enchanted with the idea that I began imagining myself pregnant with his baby, carrying his offspring for him, presenting him with a little piece of the two of us. I'd never had these fantasies with Edward, because there was no way I could give birth to his child. It was impossible. But with Jake…

Emily laughed at the enraptured expression on my face and patted my hand. "I thought so," she said.

Human howling and loud footsteps announced their arrival an hour or so later. Emily and I had prepared four giant pans of lasagna along with salad and garlic bread for the pack. When they entered the house and Sam came to Emily, Jacob came straight to me. He enveloped me in his warm embrace, leaning his head down to me. I stood on tiptoe and raised my lips to his. Our mouths met, and Jake swung us around so his back was to the crowd in the kitchen. No one could see us as we eagerly tasted one another. We'd been apart much too long. I pulled back and traced his lips with the tip of my tongue, and he moaned quietly into my mouth. We didn't stop until we heard someone behind Jake conspicuously clearing his throat.

We turned back to the group amid laughter from the guys, and I was sure my face was beet red. Emily and I proceeded to serve the lasagna. We each had one square, and the pack devoured the rest.

"So what did the council say?" Emily asked when dinner was finished. We didn't dare ask while they were inhaling their food.

"They think Bella was blocking it. They never heard of it before, but there was one incident in the past where a wolf imprinted on an outsider. It worked out fine," Sam answered.

"I still think it easily could have been something else," Jacob insisted, with the air of someone continuing a previous conversation.

"I think with the evidence, this is probably the most likely scenario," Sam said.

"Why are you so bothered by it, Black?" asked Paul around a mouthful of bread. "Who cares? You're imprinted now, aren't you?"

Jacob snorted grumpily. "It bugs the shit outta me that Cullen is involved in this. I hate the fact that that fucking leech has so much power."

"Don't think of it like that, Jake," said Seth eagerly. Seth was a happy kid, never had a bad word for anyone. "Think of it like Bella has this freaky-strong mind that can block crazy, supernatural stuff. It's kinda cool if you think of it that way."

Jake grinned at him. "Leave it to Sunshine over there to put a positive spin on it," he laughed.

Seth laughed too. He seemed to like the gentle ribbing of his pack brothers. Leah, however, was morosely silent. I thought we should probably shelve the imprint talk for awhile. I put a hand on Jake's knee, and he looked at me immediately, a questioning look on his face, then a look of understanding. He'd always been good at reading me, and today was no exception.

"So, it's a night for celebration!" Jake said excitedly, changing the subject. "The bloodsuckers are gone – hopefully for good. We won't be waiting for the other shoe to fall anymore. I doubt they'll be back here until we're all long gone!"

"We should build a bonfire tonight on the cliffs!" added Jared.

"Yeah, we can let Bella light it," joked Embry. That even got a laugh from Leah.

K, that's it. Love to hear from you – tell me what you think!