A/N: Before I begin with my usual Author's Note, I wanted to let everyone know that I MET ROBERT PATTINSON DURING THE HOT TOPIC TOUR LAST MONTH AND IT WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! AHHHHH! (And I've seen the Twilight movie 10 times so far! I love it!)

–ahem—

Anyway, Hi everyone! I'm sorry it's taken SO long for an update, but school has been killing me slowly… Hope you've been enjoying the story so far! I've been anxiously awaiting this point in the story when Jake's little pack from Breaking Dawn is reunited. Just a quick heads-up… there's not a lot of STORY in this chapter… it's mostly getting Jacob (and the readers!) up-to-date on what's been happening back at home in the four-ish years that Jake's been gone (since he didn't really get a chance to talk with the Cullens much). On with the show!

Chapter Ten

"Nice place, Jake." Seth smiled appreciatively as he and his sister followed their now two-legged friend into the large white house.

"Yeah," His sister agreed. "It's definitely a lot cleaner than I'd expect from you." Leah smirked as she spoke.

Jacob shook his head, smiling. She hadn't changed a bit. "I guess some of Nessie's good habits rubbed off on me..." Jacob muttered, the smile slowly vanishing from his face. His joy at seeing his friends again had almost made him forget why they were there in the first place. He cleared his throat softly before continuing down the hall.

The three were silent for several moments until they came to a stop in the middle of the living room. Seth and Leah glanced at their host expectantly for a moment. Jacob was still fairly new to the prospect of having guests to entertain. He hesitated briefly before speaking.

"Um… you can put your stuff in there, I guess." Jake pointed Seth in the direction of his own bedroom before directing Leah toward Nessie's old room. He supposed it was only polite. He could sleep on the floor, or even outside, in wolf form; the couch was much too small for him.

With a small shake of his head, Jacob began to consider how he would break the news to his friends; it looked like they were expecting to stay awhile, but there was no way he would let them. He couldn't allow them to put their lives at risk for his sake. They would have to go back to Washington, where it was safe.

Jacob subtly averted his eyes as Seth stepped back into the main room. The slight limp with which he now walked was much more apparent up close, and seeing it pained Jake more than he expected it to. There was no way he would let Seth get hurt again – not because of him. But that conversation could wait until later… He knew it was selfish, but the presence of his friends made Jacob the happiest he'd been since Nessie had left. Perhaps a two or three day visit wouldn't hurt.

With a heavy sigh, Seth threw himself back onto the couch, closing his eyes. Jacob took a seat beside him, laughing softly. "Go ahead… make yourself at home," He muttered mockingly, coaxing a slight smile from his exhausted friend.

"I'll call if anything happens, I promise." Leah rolled her eyes as she emerged from around the corner, a tiny black cell phone held to her ear.

Jacob stood to offer her his spot on the couch, but she refused him with a slight shake of her head and instead sat herself on the floor, folding her legs carefully beneath her. "I love you too… Everything's gonna be fine." She smiled softly as she spoke. "Yeah, he's right here… hold on."

Leah extended her arm toward her brother, who plucked the phone from her grasp. "Mom?" Seth paused briefly before rolling his eyes, just as his sister had. "Yes, we'll be careful. Uh-huh. Don't worry, I'll tell him." Seth winked at Jacob. "Love you. Charlie too. Tell him not to worry, okay? Alright, talk to you soon. Bye."

Seth tossed the phone back to his sister, shaking his head. "Sorry, Jake. Mom made us promise we'd call as soon as we got in. She and Charlie have kinda been freaking out about this whole thing."

"Can't really blame 'em though," Leah added. "I mean, we couldn't exactly tell them where we were going or what we'd be doing, so…"

Jacob's eyebrows pulled together as his friends spoke. Something had sounded out-of-place, but he couldn't figure out what.

Seth eyed his friend's puzzled expression for a moment before realizing the confusion. "Wow, I forgot how much things have changed since you and Nessie left." He shook his head in amazement. "Mom and Charlie got married, what, three years ago?" He glanced toward his sister who nodded in confirmation. "He lives with us down on the Res. It's a longer commute for him, but I don't think he minds… he and mom are pretty crazy about each other." A small smile came to his lips as he spoke. "And it's nice having another guy around the house."

Leah simply shrugged. "Yeah… he's pretty cool, I guess. Though I can't say I'm thrilled about having a bunch of bloodsuckers in the extended family."

Seth laughed out loud. "Oh, come on. You like the Cullens way more than you're willing to admit."

"They're not terrible." She allowed. Her eyes flashed back to Jacob. "So I guess that makes you our… step-nephew-in-law or something, huh?" She said with a smirk.

Jacob laughed softly. "Or something." He agreed, still trying to absorb the news. He'd noticed that Charlie and Sue had been spending a lot of time together in the months following Bella's wedding, but he never would have expected to hear that they'd gotten married barely a year later. How much else had changed in the time he'd been gone?

"Mom wanted us to tell you to take care of yourself, by the way." Seth said, waking Jacob from his reverie. "She knows we're with you… but that's about it. We knew it was too dangerous to tell her anything else."

"I can't believe she even let you guys leave… How did you even get here so fast anyway?" Jacob asked. "I mean, I didn't even talk to Nessie until late last night."

Seth laughed. "Yeah, we figured as much when our phone started ringing at 1AM."

Leah's eyes narrowed. "Did they forget that those of us with a pulse actually sleep?" She sighed heavily.

Seth ignored his sister's comment. "Anyway, Edward told us you were planning on doing something completely stupid— "

"Which we'd never expect from you, of course." Leah teased. Jacob leaned forward, taking a playful swing at her, which she dodged easily.

Her brother couldn't suppress a small smile as he continued. "So we started packing right away, just throwing whatever we could find into our bags. Mom and Charlie weren't too happy when we couldn't tell them where we were going or how long we'd be gone, but they kind of eased up when we mentioned you, Jake. They miss you a lot."

"We went straight to the Cullen's place. They gave us a ton of cash and directions on how to find you. They let us borrow a car and the next thing you know, we were at the airport." Leah paused. "Of course, we had to let Quil and the others know what was going on before we went anywhere. They were all dying to come along and see you… I don't think any of us have really been the same since you left. But there was no way they could; Quil was already losing two of us, and with the chance of our little Italian friends popping in for a visit, I think he wants the pack ready for a fight."

"Quil?" Jacob shook his head, confused. "Is he Alpha now? What about Sam?"

Leah said nothing and became suddenly interested in tracing the grain pattern of the hardwood floor. Seth hesitated a moment before answering, his eyes flicking momentarily toward his sister. "Sam and Emily finally got married last year. We all wish you could have been there. It was really nice." He paused to take a sideways glance at his sister, gauging her reaction. Her expression remained unchanged. "Anyway, a few months before the wedding, Sam decided to stop phasing so they could have a 'normal' life… They were really excited about starting a family together. They're, uh… having a boy. I think he's due in July."

"August." Leah corrected him, her eyes never leaving the floor. "They asked me to be his godmother."

Jacob studied her unusual expression, trying to decide whether she was about to burst into laughter or tears. He supposed Emily and Sam were just trying to be nice… They cared about Leah very much, after all. But couldn't they see how much it was torturing her?

Seth bit his lip, eyeing his sister anxiously. "Um, yeah… So with you and Sam out of the picture, Quil was next in line, I guess." His expression suddenly relaxed and he rolled his eyes dramatically. "You should see him. He definitely loves it way too much. It's kind of disgusting sometimes."

"Really? Well, has he been doing a good job?" Jacob asked, trying to picture his friend as leader of the pack.

It was Leah who answered, abruptly returning to her normal self. "He isn't 'bad' at it or anything, he just needs to get over himself sometimes." She sighed. "You and Sam never really wanted it like he did, and I think that's why you were both so good at it. He could definitely learn a thing or two about humility."

Jacob shook his head, unsurprised at what Leah had told him. "Well I guess he'll have lots of time to brush up on it… He's still got a good ten years or so to wait for Claire, right?" He smiled, realizing that Claire would be turning eight in just a few months. He suddenly wished he had been able to see her grow up. Where had the time gone?

"True," Seth agreed. "But that also means we'll be putting up with him for awhile… assuming me and Leah decide to go back after we're through with all this."

Jacob carefully ignored the last comment. "What about Embry? Or Jared?" He asked, suddenly wondering about the rest of his pack brothers.

"Jared stopped phasing too, so he and Kim can be together. I think they're planning on getting married next year." Leah's voice had a slight bitter edge to it as she spoke. "And Embry imprinted a few weeks ago." She added, her tone as casual as if she were discussing the weather.

Jacob's eyes widened "What?! With who? What's she like?" He let his mouth hang open, both shocked and excited for his friend.

Seth smiled. "She's kind of shy, but really pretty too. Her name's Shannon, she's from the Makah Res. She came down to visit family last month and Embry ran into her on the beach."

There was a moment's hesitation before Jacob spoke. "How old?"

"Fifteen. He's still gotta wait a few years, but it won't be so bad." Seth shrugged as he spoke. "I've never seen him so happy."

Jacob nodded in agreement, understanding all too well just how wonderful imprinting truly was. "What about you?" He asked his friend, realizing now that every one of the original pack members had now imprinted… but what did that mean for the rest of them?

"Nothing yet." Seth smiled, unconcerned. "I definitely think it's more common than we thought, but I'm not worried. I just know it's gonna happen for me someday… I just have to find her. For all I know, she hasn't even been born yet. I mean, look at you and Nessie." He sighed wistfully. "But I don't mind waiting."

Seth was silent for a few moments after that. Jacob paused, allowing his friend some time to think before opening his mouth to speak again. "What about Paul?" He asked slowly, afraid of the answer. "What's he been up to?" Hopefully not marrying my sister… He practically shuddered at the thought.

"Not a lot… He's practically been living at your house these past couple of years though." Leah smiled as she spoke. "Right now I think he's trying to decide when would be the right time to leave the pack like Sam and Jared did. But he knows Quil might need him soon, and Rachel doesn't seem to be in a rush, so I think he's prepared to wait. It's probably for the best anyway… we really need him. I mean, we got some new guys just before you left, but they're just so young. They've been getting better, but they've still got a long way to go. But man, Colin and Brady definitely get a kick out of 'em… they really love bossing everyone else around for once." She laughed softly before once again falling into silence.

Jacob did not speak for several moments, contemplating what he was about to say. He had asked about everyone – except for the one person he wondered about most. The one person he missed more than all the others. The one person it pained him to even think about. He took a deep breath. "What about my dad?"

Seth hesitated just a moment before responding. "He's fine." He assured his friend. "It's just… hard for him. I mean, he's got your sister with him, but we all know he was never close with her like he was with you. He still talks about you all the time." Seth smiled sadly. "I think it makes things easier to have Charlie living so close by, but he's not the same man he used to be…"

Jacob closed his eyes, letting the crushing guilt wash over him. Now he remembered why he so rarely thought about his father; the pain was unbearable, suffocating. "Does he know you're here?" His voice was almost a whisper.

Leah shook her head slowly. "We didn't want him knowing that you might be in danger… he worries about you so much already. But I'm sure Mom and Charlie must have said something to him by now."

A wave of emotion surged through him as Jacob tried to suppress the image of his father's frantic, worried face. Had he not hurt his dad enough already? HHeHefe

He thought back to a distant afternoon four years before… the last time he had spoken to his father.

Jacob closed the door behind him as he and Nessie squeezed into the extremely cramped phone booth. "I've just gotta make a quick call, Ness. Then we can go home." He assured her.

"Okay." Nessie replied, though she wore a slightly puzzled expression as she lifted her hand toward his face.

Jacob bent forward, allowing her to touch him. An image of a painfully familiar face flashed before his eyes. "Yeah, it's him... I've just gotta say goodbye." He closed his eyes for a moment, then picked up the phone and dialed.

He knew that it was reckless, dangerous, stupid. It had been less than a month since he and Nessie had settled into their new life in Brazil... no doubt the Volturi would still be hunting them, trying to track their every move. But he couldn't bear it any longer; he couldn't go on without saying goodbye to his father, hearing his voice one more time.

He held one of Nessie's small hands tightly in his as he waited for someone to answer. It only took two rings.

"Hello?" Billy's voice sounded weak, tired. It was even harder than before for Jacob to control his emotion.

"Hi, Dad." He said softly.

"Jacob?!" His father's words came in a rush. "Are you alright? They won't tell me anything… Where are –"

"I can't talk long, Dad. I'm sorry." Jacob sighed softly, relieved that at least someone must have survived the attack to speak to his father. He tried not to dwell on who it might be. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm safe. This might be the only chance I get to talk to you…"

His father paused. "Are you coming home, son?" It sounded as though he already knew the answer.

"I don't think so… I'm sorry." His voice was thick as he spoke. "I wish I could explain why."

Billy did not speak for a moment. "I think I understand." Jacob was surprised by the calm tone of his father's voice. "I know you'll be fine… You can take care of yourself." He took a deep breath. "But I'll sure miss you."

Jacob could no longer fight back his tears. "I'm so sorry, Dad. I… I've gotta go. I love you."

"Jake, wait… I – "

"I'm sorry." He repeated.

"Jake…"

With a deep breath, Jacob hung up the phone.

"Are you okay?" Leah whispered, bringing her friend back to the present.

"Yeah." He tried to smile as he hurriedly wiped a tear from his eye. "I just miss him, that's all."

Seth patted him soothingly on the shoulder. "Just think – once we get everything taken care of here, you can come home and see him again… Nessie and Bella too."

Leah stood suddenly, taking a seat on the arm of the couch. "And speaking of getting things 'taken care of', what's the plan, Mr. Alpha?"

"What do you mean?"

Seth laughed. "Well, we knew there was no way we'd be able to talk any sense into you… so I guess the best we can do is help you take these guys down… but we need to know what your plan is before we can do anything."

Jacob thought for a moment. "Um… Well, the plan was that I would be doing this alone. I hadn't exactly come up with a strategy yet…"

"Which is exactly why you can't do this alone!" Leah rolled her eyes as she spoke. "You need our help."

You're right, Jacob silently agreed. I can't do this alone… but I have to. "We'll talk about it." He allowed.

"Alright, but before we do any talking, can we get outside and run a little?" Seth stood carefully, stretching his injured leg. "My leg gets kinda stiff if I just sit around too long."

"Sounds good to me." Leah grinned evilly at Jacob. "I bet I can still beat you."

Jacob shrugged, returning her smile. "Probably… Nessie always does." He stood, leading the others toward the front door. "Besides, there's a lot I want to tell you guys too… but it might be easier just to show you."

"Alright." Leah said as they headed down the front steps. "But none of the gross details about you and Nessie, okay? Seth and I just ate." She stuck her tongue out at him briefly before breaking into a run. Before Jacob could even blink, the small grey wolf was darting into the trees, her shed clothes trailing behind her.

Her brother shook his head for a moment before bounding after her, his injury slowing him down much less than Jacob had expected. Jake could not suppress his joy at the realization that his old pack was really together again. He hesitated a moment before phasing. Having Seth and Leah with him made him feel so happy… almost whole again. How would he ever find the strength to push them away?

He chased the thought from his mind as he took a running leap into the air, landing on four powerful legs. With a few quick strides he disappeared into the trees behind his friends, forgetting, for a moment, the dangers that lay ahead of him.

A/N: WOW. That was long! I'm sorry! Anyways, I hope you all liked it! I've never ever tried to write ANYTHING about Seth or Leah before, so I'm hoping they weren't terribly out of character. (One thing to keep in mind is that ALL of my characters are approximately four years older than they were in BD, so I'd like to imagine they've all matured a little since then (particularly Seth and Jacob). Leah will always be snarky and bitter… hahahahaha!) As always, please R&R! If I don't update before the end of the month (which I very well may… you never know!) I hope everyone has a happy holiday and New Year!!!