Re-viewed/edited 29/01/13

Eternal

Ten

Forever

Love you Daddy

Love you too baby girl

The rest of the school year had passed in a blur and I was able to graduate a year in advance, much to Jake's happiness though he had yet to graduate. Or go back to school at all lately.

My summer was spent helping Emily clean up after the guys as they worked on the Wolf Den, a name Quil had thought up and had stuck much to Paul's annoyance.

When I had recovered from my shock over what the guys had planned I had asked how they could afford it. Apparently when the last pack was alive they had banded together and put their savings in one account. The money had gone untouched for nearly fifty years and had gained a significant amount of interest. They were able to build the Wolf Den, furnish it and pay utility bills for at least ten years.

And that wasn't factoring in the monthly tithe the whole tribe unknowingly paid to them as well as their own contributions from their areas of work. When I had offered to add to it from the ridiculous fund my mother had set up for me I was met with growls and refusals.

My mother had contacted me before I finished school. She came once again with her fancy lawyer and sat in my dad's living room, her eyes tight as she looked me over. Charlie had said she was trying to find a way for her to get some visiting rights over me but the contract she had signed when I was younger had no loop holes and if she wanted to see me it had to be on my terms.

I was waiting to meet her now. Jacob was busy so today Embry was watching over me as I waited on the dock in Port Angeles for her to arrive. I wasn't sure what she had planned for us to do but I was hoping that it wouldn't get awkward between us. What did you talk about to a woman who had left you alone for over a decade with no contact?

"Hello Bella." I startled slightly, too engrossed in my thoughts to notice Rene's approach and making Embry growl slightly behind me, placing a hand on my hip like he was going to pull me away.

"Um Hey…" What did I call her? She seemed to notice my struggle but just smiled sadly, her eyes darting to Embry and then his hand on my hip. "This is Embry, Jacob's friend." I said, struggling again how to introduce her to him.

"Hello Embry." Her eyes once again latched onto Embry's hand on my hip. Touches between me and the pack were somewhat expected now. It was odd if I was with a pack member and they weren't making contact with either another wolf or an imprint. The touch between them strengthened their bonds and could reassure them if they felt troubled. Out of all the wolves Embry was the one who needed the contact the most and was one of the first to stop over when I was in the house on my own at night.

"Where is Jacob?" She asked, pulling her bag higher on her shoulder as she glanced at Embry once more. "I thought he would be here with you."

I shook my head. "He couldn't get time off work, they've been busy in the garage over the summer. Embry said he would come instead." I bit my lip and moved Embry's hand so it was held in mine. "What…What did you have planned?"

Rene smiled tightly again. "I thought we could have a look at the stores, maybe if you want, I could help you pick out some stuff for school?"

I started to nod before I shook my head. "I graduated actually, so I have no more school but we can still look. I need some new pyjamas."

We shopped awkwardly but I did manage to find new clothes to sleep in as well as some communal sleep wear for the pack. Rene offered to pay and I hesitated before agreeing, knowing that if I said no she would think I wasn't trying but if I had said yes I worried that I would be hurting her financially. She did let me pay for the guys stuff before we went to get some food, much to Embry's delight.

I handed him some money before getting a table, Rene following behind after she had given Embry her order.

"So, you finished school? I thought you had a year left?" I nodded, explaining about how I was able to graduate.

"Do you have plans? Or are you still undecided? Did you apply for college?"

I glanced over to Embry, seeing he was still in the queue for food but had on side of his head cocked in our direction as his eyes quickly scanned the crowd.

"Um, a gallery here in Port Angeles is displaying my work, I get money from their and I um…I wasn't really interested in college but it's always an option I guess if I change my mind."

She nodded but I noticed her eyes seemed sad.

"Are you happy?" She whispered, he eyes darting over to Embry. I smiled and nodded. "That's good." She took a deep breath before slowly reaching out to touch my hand. "I'm sorry Bella. I'm sorry I left you…it was…when I found out what had happened to you, I couldn't handle it. I was your mother! Wasn't I supposed to know what was happening in my baby's life? How did I not spot what was going on?

"I thought it was best for you to live with Charlie. I missed you so much but when I signed by rights away I didn't realise how much that would affect me. A day hasn't gone by where I didn't think of you.

"So many times I picked up the phone hoping that I could get to hear your voice, hear you small giggle. I wished I thought giving full custody to Charlie over, I wanted to know what was happening in your life, who your friends were, what you like to eat, whether you liked school or not."

I sat and listened, not reacting to her words, wishing like hell Embry would hurry up already.

"Do you think…so you think we could keep in contact? Maybe see each other a few times a month, e-mail and phone calls?" I stared down at the table. Should I let her back in my life? Would she eventually leave again?

Deciding she couldn't do much harm I nodded.

Eternal

A low whistle escaped from my dad's lips as he looked over the huge building. "You want me to let you live here? Bells, you're gunna need a map of the place."

I giggled and pulled him through the door. "Most of the guys have moved in now. It's just Jacob and Quil that are still sorting stuff at home."

He nodded, a hand coming up to brush over his head. "Billy and I actually discussed that. We thought…well considering your old enough to move out in September we thought that me moving down here and in with Billy would put off a load of pressure on Jake. And its only an extra twenty minute drive to get into work."

I gaped at my father. He would move in with his best friend so me and my boyfriend could live together without having to worry how his dad was getting around in the morning.

Sniffling, I turned to bury my face in his chest. My arms came to wrap tightly around his waist as his came around my shoulders. It wasn't long until my body began to shake with sobs.

"What's wrong?" A deep voice demanded, warm arms gripping my hips and a hot face joined mine pressed against my dads.

A mumble reply followed but I didn't want to let go of my dad. He had sacrificed so much for me already I didn't think, couldn't even comprehend that he would do any more for me than he already had.

The warm face pressed closer to mine but I still held tightly to my father. I blinked away my tears and Quil's face came into bleary focus. He moved his head closer and kissed my jaw before his tongue darted out and licked the tears from my cheeks.

A rumble came from his chest and he nudged his way between me and my father, his arms pulling me into his chest as he rubbed his face against mine.

"What's wrong?" He lifted me up in his arms and moved us to the couch, settling me in his lap.

"My Dad…" I whispered, my voice already croaky from the few tears I had shed.

Quil pointed his chin over my shoulder. "He's fine, stood there looking at you like you've gone crazy."

I twisted in his grasp to look at my father. I bit my lip at returned his smile with a watery one of my own. "Love you Daddy."

"Love you too baby girl."

Eternal

I shifted on the bed, rolling over and ending up with a face full of fur. The only one downside sometimes to letting the wolves sleep in the bed when Jacob had night patrols was that sometime they came straight off patrol themselves and always brought mud or twigs into the bed.

Grumbling, I rolled back over to my earlier position before sighing when I realised why I moved in the first place: Paul had his feet tucked under the pillow.

Coming to the realisation that I wouldn't be getting any more sleep, I went through the obstacle course that was the huge bed, smiling when I managed to only stand on Embry's tail and no one else.

Yawning, the three flights of stairs never seemed so long. By the time I reached the ground floor, I was ready for another nap. As much as I sometime moaned about the wolves in the bed, the distance between my bed and the fridge or the fact that they all could all hear it when I had to pee, I wouldn't give it up for anything in the world.

Let me know what you think!