AN: Hope you enjoyed the action in the last chapter. Built up some relationships, then tore everything down. Go ahead, call me cruel. I don't deny it. Oh well, here's another chapter. It switches POV a few times, but I hope that the changes will make sense. Hope you like it, and review if you decide that it's in your interest to do so!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Well, I guess I own Jackson, but nothing that's recognizable.

Reviews:

Hank's Lady: What can I say my dear, I thrive on pain. Not really, but I do enjoy writing it haha. And I'm glad you liked Jackson. I'm trying to be careful how much I put into an OC. Not everyone really likes seeing them take on too much of a role...

chacra: Yeah...couldn't help but to make everyone suffer. And I don't know about my muse. She seems to have been kind to me on my first story. Don't know if I can risk sending her away, otherwise this may not get finished haha. And I don't like Bella as a character. Had to make her a villain again. We'll just have to see how things play out from here!

oh2byoung: Hope you enjoy your weekend of freedom Matt. Also glad that you enjoyed my small attempt at bringing an OC to life. Sadly, I don't know if Bella will get what you feel like she deserves. We'll see though...

Embry's POV

Time began to creep by slowly. The first week I tried to function, fighting to make it through patrols and other responsibilities. I was glad that we were on break from school. I wasn't sure that I could give any kind of real effort to it. I didn't seem to be any worse off than Quil at this point. We both hurt losing Jake, and the only thing that I showed was a depressed demeanor. He didn't know about the fact that I had been crying myself to sleep at night. Jackson, Quil, and Seth tried to keep my spirits up. They were failing, but it wasn't their fault. Quil was taking the disappearance of his best friend hard as well. Seth considered Jake to be his role model and couldn't get over the fact that he had just abandoned us. Even Jackson was hurt, having grown close to Jake after he had been accepted so willingly by the Alpha. It's hard to really cheer others up when you're feeling the pain as well.

By the second week, I was a complete mess. I couldn't sleep without nightmares. Well, it really was just a nightmare, which played on repeat every time I closed my eyes. I would watch Jake's face, twisted in anger and disgust as he told me that he never wanted to see me again. The tears would stain my face, and he would finish by turning his back on me and banishing me from the reservation. I woke up in despair every time, curling into a ball in the middle of my bed. It was safe to say that my wolf was taking this abandonment as a final rejection, and I couldn't help but agree.

Along with the lack of restful sleep, I lost my appetite. I had no interest in anything mom made. She tried cooking my favorite things, but I could never stomach more than a couple bites. Eventually I just stopped leaving my room and cut myself off from everyone, not even able to talk anymore. Leaving the bed just didn't seem worth the energy anymore.

Quil was there every day. Despite my silence, he still tried to keep me up to date on everything that was happening. By now, the pack had given up on finding Jake, accepting that he'd have to come back on his own time. I could tell that Quil was beginning to worry at how I was carrying on. He was more aware of my feelings towards Jake than anyone else in the pack, and he tried his best to comfort me as I allowed myself to waste away.

In the third week, Quil looked like he was on the verge of collapse too. I guess I could understand how this was affecting him. One of his best friends had disappeared without a trace into the wilderness, while the other one had become a hollow shell. I hated that he was hurting too, but there wasn't anything I could do anymore. I was officially broken, and I no longer could hold back the tears that I had been hiding whenever he came around. He pulled me tightly, rocking me peacefully.

"It just hurts so much, Quil." I whispered. "I can't even explain. It's like I don't even want to carry on anymore."

Quil seemed lost in thought. He cooed me while I just cried myself to sleep, laying me down as I drifted into my recurring nightmare.

I woke up in the darkness. I felt a pull toward the window and looked out to see the full moon glisten against the snow that had apparently been falling. I don't know why, but I silently went downstairs and opened the front door, and stepped weakly out onto the ground. 2 weeks without moving had left me weak, but I couldn't fight whatever was compelling me forward. I walked into the forest, headed somewhere that I didn't know. I stopped in front of a tree, watching as a vampire sat there, singing a beautiful song that seemed to be pulling me toward her.

She paused, looking at me curiously. "A shifter? Normally my trap ensnares some broken soul, but I don't think I've ever caught one of your kind. I guess it'll do for now, but your blood isn't exactly what I was looking for." She mused, hopping down from the tree.

I felt no urge to fight her off as she pressed me up against a tree. What was the point? At least this was an end to the pain. I felt the numbness setting in as I embraced my fate, hoping to find comfort in the darkness…

Quil's POV

I had to be wrong. There was no way that he could have possibly held off the urge of an imprint for any extended period of time. That being said, I couldn't come up with an option that seemed any more viable. He looked exactly like I had whenever Claire had been taken home for the first time after I imprinted.

After I lay him back down to sleep, I took off to the Clearwater's house. Seth and Jackson had been with him when this all started. They were the only ones that could verify if Embry's pain was directly linked to Jake's disappearance.

I got there and knocked. Leah opened the door, a questioning look on her face.

"Are Seth and Jackson here? I have something important to ask." I explained quickly. She stood back and beckoned towards Seth's room. "Thanks Leah" I said, taking off towards the two wolves. I busted into the room, and was glad that they hadn't been doing anything that I wouldn't have wanted to see. It hadn't even crossed my mind to knock.

"What the hell, Quil!" Seth shouted.

"Sorry guys, but it's an emergency. Tell me exactly what happened when you were with Embry the day Jake left." I demanded, fearing the result.

Seth looked startled, but Jackson was quick to respond. "He was perfectly normal for about an hour after Jake left to go see Bella. Then he just collapsed to the floor, holding his heart. He lay there for a few minutes before mumbling and going up to his room…" Jackson concluded.

Shit…there was no mistaking it. Embry had felt the pain of Jake's reaction to Bella's invitation to the wedding. The time away was literally killing him. Embry had imprinted on Jake.

"Thanks guys!" I shouted, storming off towards the forest. If I didn't get in touch with Jake, we were going to lose Embry, and I couldn't let that happen. I crossed into the trees, stripping down and tying the clothes to my leg, quickly phasing into wolf form. I could hear Sam and Jared phased, but I kept my thoughts controlled for now. "Guys, I need you both to end your patrol and phase back" I said, pleading that they would accept. "Why?" Sam demanded. "If you two are phased, there's no way that I'm going to get Jake to respond. I have to talk to him privately, if he's out there. I'm begging you to just listen to me this time. You can double my patrols or whatever you want, but please, phase out now!" I begged. "All right Quil, I don't know what you have up your sleeve, but I can tell that there's something going on. Jared, go ahead and phase back. We'll stop patrols until Quil says to resume them." I felt them phase out and prayed that Jake would finally let us in.

"Jake, I need to know that you're out there. I'm just going to say what I have to say, but if you're there, you need to listen to me. If you don't come back, Embry is going to die. Please…please listen! I can't stand losing either of you!" I cried, waiting for a reply. I was really worried that he had sealed himself off completely, and couldn't help but think that I might lose my best friend over this heartbreak…

Jake's POV

I had been perfectly fine wallowing in self-pity in my cave. Nobody had been able to find me, and I was pretty sure that they'd given up trying. That's when I heard Quil's desperate pleas. One line stood out among them all. "If you don't come back, Embry is going to die." The words echoed in my mind, drowning out everything else. What could he possibly mean by that? I know that Embry liked me, but come on, Quil was still powering through. He had to be overreacting.

I dropped my walls, finally letting my presence be known. I knew that it was just Quil & I phased. "What do you mean, Quil? What's wrong with him?" I responded, slightly worried that Quil might not be making this up.

"Oh Jake, thank God you're alive. Listen, you may not believe this, but I'm almost positive that Embry imprinted on you." Quil quickly stated.

"What are you talking about? I know that you said that he liked me, but I've seen how your mind always thinks of Claire. There's no way that he could have kept that hidden from us!" I shouted, starting to think that he was using this discussion just to figure out where I was.

"Listen to me Jake! After you left Embry's house, you went over to Bella's. It wasn't too long before she broke your heart and you took off. From what I can tell, at the exact moment that you ran away devastated, Embry collapsed to the floor, feeling the pain. He has been deteriorating every day since you left. It's like he doesn't even have the will to live anymore!" Quil cried, begging me to at least consider his explanation.

Along with his words, he sent me images. He showed me what he had seen back in Seattle, back when he found out about Embry's love for me and the night of drinking he'd had to endure after Embry had seen me with Rachel, mistaking her for a girlfriend. He proceeded to show me what he'd been like for the last few weeks. Embry had been getting thinner, refusing to eat. His body was wasting away and he wasn't leaving his room or speaking to anyone. "It just hurts so much, Quil. I can't even explain. It's like I don't even want to carry on anymore." Those were the only words he had said in weeks.

God…Embry had imprinted on me. There was no mistaking the pain that he was going through was more than from just a simple "infatuation" as he had described it to Quil in Seattle. It was starting to make sense. How his eyes lit up whenever I made the smallest gesture of kindness towards him. Why he had so willingly thrown his body between mine and the vampire back this summer. I had just attributed everything to our close friendship. He wasn't just in love with me, he was willing to do whatever he could to keep me safe and happy, even if he suffered. Even though he hated to do it, he had always been there when I was broken by Bella. After everything he had done for me, I had just abandoned him, thinking only of my own sadness. Not only was I a horrible friend, I had completely betrayed the person who was meant to be my soul mate and been blinded to the fact that he was always there for me. I didn't deserve his love…

"I believe you Quil," I said, looking at the moon that was beginning to rise in the sky. "I'm on my way back…"

With those simple words, I took off towards the reservation, pushing my legs as fast as I could. I ran for hours, finally reaching the La Push border at about midnight, judging by the moon. As I neared, I picked up on the scent of a vampire and…Embry? I drove into the ground faster than I thought possible, coming upon Embry pinned against a tree. He didn't even seem to be fighting off the leech that was about to end his life. I closed the distance between us. There was no way that I was going to let him die because of what I'd done…

Once again, Embry's life could end. Actually, it really could. I believe that there are only a few chapters left. I guess I'll just have to decide whether to allow a happy ending or go severely angsty for the last few. Review, let me know what you want. Otherwise, I might go to the coin flip before starting the next chapter.