A/N: I'm dead tired so I'm not bothering to edit any further. Sorry for any typos; I'll fix them later.

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

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Chapter 12: Last Chance

I slammed the back door. It was late. I was angry. No doubt everyone was asleep.

Someone snorted in the living room, followed a few seconds later by snores.

Joe.

I rolled my eyes as I yanked open the fridge, the little light casting the dark room in its uncharacteristically bright glare. I grabbed various elements for a sandwich and closed the fridge quickly. My eyes adjusted quickly to the moonlight as I piled meat onto bread. My mind started to wander.

I had had a patrol shift after dinner. Brady had been on as well. He was still apologising. Though I was glad he was aware of his errors in the forest, he tended to dwell and replay the situation in his mind. It was as if my name and presence was now intertwined with Kathleen.

I grinned. Okay, that was true, what with the whole imprinting thing. But whenever his mind drifted to me, he automatically recalled the attack and the leech. Eventually he would remember that he was in wolf form and that I could read and see his thoughts as if they were my own. He'd apologise again. I'd forgive him only to have the process repeat a few minutes later. It was grueling. I had to watch her be terrified of seeing Brady as a wolf. I had to watch her be relieved at the sight of the leech. Over. And over. And over.

I had therefore been more than relieved when Seth replaced Brady.

What's got your nose bent out of shape? he had asked.

Brady. He keeps trying to apologise for the run in with the leech. Of course, that had made me relive the visions Brady had sent me. Seth apologized, then apologized for apologizing, then apologized on top of that until I yelled at him to stop.

When am I going to meet Kathleen?

Soon.

That had set off my thoughts on her. Seth listened carefully as I remembered the stories I had told her in the week since the pack meeting. I had told her about Utlapa's usurpation of Taha Aki's chieftainship. I had told her about how Taha Aki's spirit had convinced the Great Wolf to allow him to share the animal's physical body so that he could defeat Utlapa. I had told her about Kaheleha, the powerful Spirit Chief who led his spirit army to fight the intruders. I replayed the conversation I had had with her over dinner. I had told her about Bella, about Edward, about me changing and getting sick and having to keep secrets from her. I hinted at everything I could, trying to get her to guess the rest.

Did she get it? I had forgotten about Seth.

No. I think she might be close though.

I should say so. Sam's voice had been low and dangerous. The echo of it in my mind still made me shudder. He had shown up in front of me, ready to relieve me and take the overnight shift. His black fir was bristling angrily, his incisors glinting in the moonlight. He was angry.

Didn't I tell you not to tell her? He growled.

I haven't told her. And I hadn't. Sam didn't feel like arguing semantics.

You give me no choice, Jacob. His Alpha voice. Shit. You will not tell her you're a werewolf or a shapeshifter or what every you want to call it. You will not tell anyone else to tell her that you are a werewolf or a shapeshifter or any other creature that hints at your abilities. You will not reveal any other pack member's identities or abilities to her. You will not tell her anything else about Bella, Edward, or the rest of the Cullens. You will not break the treaty.

Another injunction.

I had shifted back automatically, not bothering to find my pants first. I snuck around the forest naked for a few minutes before finding the cut offs I had left in a bush, thinking to myself. Stupid pack connection. Now Sam knew I was challenging him and his order. He was trying to make me stop. He was trying to make me fall in line like the rest of the pack.

Well the rest of the pack didn't have their imprints practically rejected simply because they weren't connected to the tribe by blood.

I wolfed dowm my monstrous sandwich quickly and went upstairs. I considered bugging the sleeping Joe again, but I had more pressing matters on my mind. Pranking would have to wait for once.

I paced a circle around my room; it was too small to pace in a line. I had to think. I had to rationalize. I couldn't tell her straight out. The damn injunction wouldn't let me. I hadn't been able to tell her why exactly Bella and I had drifted apart. I couldn't explain that Edward was a vampire and when he married Bella, she probably became one. She was as good as dead. I hadn't lied about that. But I hadn't told the truth either.

I couldn't break the treaty. I couldn't break the injunction. I couldn't tell her much more than I already had. I was already pushing my boundaries.

I groaned. There was a way around this. There had to be. I had weaseled my way around Sam's words before; I could do it again. My eyes drifted to the wall I shared with her. My ears twitched; I couldn't hear anything. She's probably asleep, I concluded before starting to pace in the opposite direction.

No werewolves. No shapeshifters. No Cullens. No treaty. I repeated the mantra in my mind over and over, searching for the loophole. What did the treaty say? The leeches stayed off our land and we didn't reveal their secret. Well, there was a leech on our land so wasn't the treaty already broken? I shook my head. The vampires were the treaty breakers, the lawbreakers. They were the evil ones. I was above that. No. There was some other way.

No werewolves. No shapeshifters. No Cullens. No…treaty. We wouldn't reveal them to the pale-faces, to people outside the tribe. She was outside the tribe.

Or was she?

She was my imprint. She was my soul mate. Didn't that make her part of the tribe? Dad had certainly accepted her. Old Quil had seemed rather fond of her. Two tribe elders approved of her. Certainly that qualified her. And if I was forbidden from talking about the Cullens, then I couldn't reveal their secret. That didn't mean I couldn't tell her about vampires. I just couldn't say the Cullens were vampires.

It sounded plausible. I grinned. Maybe Sam would finally realize that he couldn't control me.

About an hour later, I had thoroughly convinced myself that my reasoning was valid and adhered to Sam's injunction. It was time.

I knocked on Kathleen's door, still repeating my concocted story.

No answer.

I knocked again, a little louder.

Nothing.

She must be asleep. I considered going back and waiting until morning. Then again, if I waited, that would give Sam time to possible revise his injunction. He could restrict me further. Also, talking to her now ensured privacy. This was something only she could know.

I inhaled deeply and opened the door.

My ears pricked up to the sounds of deep breathing. I walked toward her bed silently. She was curled up in a ball, the blankets pulled up under her chin. Her face was clear of emotion. I knelt down and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Kathleen," I whispered. Her eyebrows twitched together and she burrowed further under the blankets, tucking her nose in. I smiled and shook her lightly. "Kathleen."

"Mmm," she groaned, frowning. Slowly, her eyes opened. "Jake?" The nickname automatically made me think of Bella. I lost heart slightly. What if Kathleen could only ever love me the way Bella did.

Impossible. She was my imprint. She had to love me. I'd die otherwise.

"What time's it?"

"About 2." I smiled guiltily.

"In the morning?" She grasped for her cell phone. The bright screen verified what I had said. She slumped back down and rolled over, pulling the covers up to her ears. She wasn't getting away that easy.

"Kathleen, seriously. We need to talk."

"Can't this wait until morning?" I heard her voice fading.

"Technically, it is morning," I tried to joke. She didn't appreciate it. "No, it can't wait." I rocked her shoulder more forcefully until she propped herself up on her elbows and looked me in the eye.

"All right, I'm up. What's so important?"

"I realized I never finished my story." I tried to make my voice enticing. She looked at me blankly.

"I'm a little old for a bedtime story." She was about to lie back down. I crawled onto the bed next to her and held her shoulder, forcing her to stay upright.

"Come on," I smiled at her. "You've been bugging me about my secret. Have you given up?"

"Yes, Jacob. I give up," she muttered, trying to shove my hand off. I put my other hand on her shoulder, shaking her, trying to keep her up. "Jacob, quit! God, why are all the Quileute men so freaking cryptic?"

Because Sam's an ass.

I let her shrug me off and leaned against the wall.

"Trust me, this story will help you."

That got her. She scooted beside me, still wrapped in blankets. "All right, lay it on me Jacobim."

It was my last chance; I decided to take it slow. "Okay, so you know most of the old Quileute legends. All the stories about our origins?"

"Mmm, yeah. Taha Aki. Spirit warriors. Utlapa. The Great Wolf. Kaheleha. Wolves are our sacred friends."

I laughed quietly. "Right. Let's talk about Taha Aki for a second. Remember his power?"

"W-W-Wolf man," she yawned. I nudged her.

"Do you remember how he got like that?"

"Fought Utlapa. The Great Wolf shares his spirit with Taha Aki to defeat him. Taha keeps the ability afterwards and can…shift between human and wolf forms."

"Very good." This was starting out well. "So Taha Aki got his powers when his tribe was in trouble. When he had children, his children inherited his gifts. According to legend, all descendents of Taha Aki inherited his abilities. Understand?"

"Mmm-hmm." She was starting to nod off. I touched her cheek and tilted her head toward me.

"You need to stay awake. We're getting into the story now," I said. I took her hand and another deep breath. "Ok, so we've established that you know the legends of the Quileutes. What you don't know are the legends of the cold ones."

"Cold ones?"

"Vampires. Blood suckers. Leeches. They're the wolf shapeshifter's only natural enemy. If one comes into the territory of a Taha Aki descendant, the descendant's dormant powers become active. They will become a shapeshifter. Understand?"

"Like Underworld," she mumbled.

"What?"

She was starting to drop off again. "The…werewolves and vampires. Fighting. Constantly. Natural enemies."

"Not werewolves. Shapeshifters." I squeezed her hand. "Like werewolves, but they can change anytime they want, not just when there's a full moon. Their powers come from inheritance, not from bites."

"Right, right," she sighed. "I was just saying it's similar." She rested her head sleepily on my shoulder.

"I guess." We could argue the differences between the beasts and me later. "Listen carefully. I'm almost done."

"Good."

"Years ago, some of the vampires settled near here. This pack promised they were civilized, that they lived differently than the rest of their kind so that they weren't dangerous to our tribe or any other humans. The descendants of Taha Aki, one of which was Chief," I nudged her head on this, making her raise her head sleepily. "The chief drew a treaty. As long as the leeches stayed off our land, he wouldn't reveal their identity. Have you got it so far?"

"Leeches. Weren't dangerous. Treaty between them and the chief," she said blearily.

"And the chief was…?"

"Descendant of Taha."

Close enough.

"Good. Now this is very important." I stroked her knuckle gently, staring at the wall. "There will always be a risk for humans when the cold ones are around, even if they're supposedly civilized. Therefore, the descendants of Taha Aki…the descendants of the chief…gained powers. Kathleen…"

She tilted her head toward me to signal that she was listening. Her eyes were nearly closed.

"You can't have one without the other," I said slowly and clearly. "Where there's vampires, there will always be shapeshifters. And the shapeshifters are always Quileute. The powers stay in the family: the family that descended from Taha Aki, the original shapeshifter."

I stopped talking. Kathleen was breathing deeply again. I looked down; she had fallen back asleep, leaned against me with her head on my shoulder. I sighed. Hopefully she had gotten everything. Hopefully, she'd put all the pieces together soon. In the meantime, I had to either skive off of patrols or insist that I patrol alone or only with Quil or Embry, who in turn only patrolled with me. Anyone else would betray me to Sam.

I settled back against the wall, trying to get comfortable. I couldn't bring myself to wake her up again. She shifted closer to me with a little sigh. I put a protective arm around her, holding her hand with the other. At least she wanted to be with me for now.

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A/N: Review please. Thanks tons.