AN: Well, after thinking about it, I decided on which way to go with it. I felt that it was the direction that I wanted to go, and I hope that everyone understands that without getting angry. Also, as much as I hate to bring it to an end, I feel that the next chapter will be the last. I believe that the story has run it's course, and I hope that everyone finds the last couple of chapters to be satisfying. As always, your reviews are appreciated.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for Jackson.

Reviews:

Hannah Smith: I'm glad that you've enjoyed the story, even if it is outside of your normal interest. I hope you continue to enjoy it as it comes to its conclusion!

Hank's Lady: I'm really glad that the chapter was able to evoke some decent emotion. Your & Matt's support has really meant a lot to me through this process.

mangagranatcat: Glad that you enjoyed it. I understand where you're coming from about life not being fair, but I hope you're not disappointed in the ending.

rAbiDmutt03: That's actually a really cool idea. I might do that someday, but after thinking about it heavily, I decided that I'd keep my first story simple and linear. I hope you're not disappointed that I'm only going to write one ending to give it a true since of closure, but I do think it's a great idea that could be well implemented. It's just, at least for me, I could only get behind and truly 'feel' one ending. I really appreciate the idea though.

chacra: I've got a bit of a habit of enjoying cliffhanger chapters. That was the last really suspenseful one though!

Jake's POV

Time seemed to slow down as I charged at the leech threatening to end my best friend's – no, my soul mate's – life. In my mind, I could see the field that the newborn battle had taken place at and the final vampire sinking his teeth into Embry. Embry, who had put himself between me and that leech. Just like after the attack, Embry was suffering because of me. I watched as she began to lower her teeth towards his neck, but I was NOT going to let this happen again.

I launched myself, tackling her to the ground. She screamed in pain as I ripped her arms off in two quick motions. "You mutt!" She yelled. "Can't you see, I was doing him a favor! Only those who have given up come into my grasp!" Her words hurt. I had led Embry to this point, forcing him to give up on living. I snarled at her, and as I ripped off her head, I could only think that I would do anything possible to make sure that he recovered and never became so vulnerable again. Even if he hated me – and I deserved it for everything I had put him through – I would understand and do what he asked, even if it meant never seeing him again. I didn't deserve him, but would do whatever I could to make sure that he was happy, one way or another.

I phased back, pulling on my shorts, and ran over to Embry, who had slunk down against the tree that the leech had pinned him to. I gently lifted him up and began carrying him back to his house. His eyes, fluttered open and I stared deep into them. Suddenly everything became about him. The light had finally been cut on, and I could see that it was always supposed to be Embry. He was the only thing holding me to this earth and his happiness is all that I needed in the world. I needed to protect him, to show him that he was loved, and to do whatever he asked of me. I only hoped that he'd still want me in his life.

"Are you really here?" He asked weakly.

"Yes, Em, I'm here. And I'm always going to be. Now, get some rest. You need it." I whispered.

He stopped fighting his exhaustion and nuzzled his head into my chest. It felt right, having him so close. I just hated that it'd taken him breaking down for me to finally realize the depth of our connection.

As I approached his house, I saw that the lights were on. I got to the door, only to find Embry's worried mother ushering me into the house. I silently carried him up the stairs, placing him gently in his bed before walking back to explain what had happened to his mother. She at least knew about the wolves, which meant that I didn't need to lie too much.

She sat on the couch, beckoning for me to join her as I neared. I sat down and she started asking a stream of questions. "How is he? What happened? Where did he go? How did you find him?" and so on. After she calmed down, I told her about finding him engaged with a vampire that he had sensed. I couldn't bring myself to admit that he had been lulled into a trap because of what I'd done. Actually, I had no idea if she even knew about how much he loved me.

As if sensing my thoughts, she pulled me into a hug. "I'm not surprised that it was you who rescued him." She started. "You know, he's cared about you for a long time. He's never admitted it to me, but I think that he's loved you for years." I nodded, feeling a tear creep down my face. How could I have been so stupid? I had relied on the pack mentality to know how everyone felt about things for so long that I had been completely blind to the fact that my best friend was hurting because of me.

"I will never let him hurt because of me again" I said softly.

"I know you won't Jake. Just, go be with him right now. He's been a mess since you left, and I think he needs you by his side more than anything. I'll have breakfast ready in the morning. I think he might finally eat with you here. Now, however, I think we could all use a little rest. You look pretty rough." She said, a small smile creeping across her face.

I laughed and took my exit, walking back up to Embry's room. He lay in the middle of the bed, shivering and whimpering, as if still in a nightmare. I lay down with him, wrapping my arms around him in a protective embrace. He seemed to calm down and his steady heart rate filled my ears, serving as a lullaby as I drifted into deep sleep. I'd just have to beg for his forgiveness in the morning…

Embry's POV (picking up from when he was in the forest)

I had been waiting for the pain to come, but it never did. I was suddenly not being held up by death's embrace, and I quickly slid down the tree. I could hear screaming from the vampire, but the next thing I knew, everything was silent. I was being lifted up by warm strong arms and I fought to open my eyes. I couldn't believe what I saw, knowing that my eyes were playing tricks on me. I weakly tried to see if this was real, only to be told to rest. I couldn't fight it anymore, and drifted into a peaceful sleep.

The peace didn't last long. A new nightmare emerged. I sat there, looking at Jake, standing in a blinding light. He turned around, walking away from me, and no matter how fast I ran, I couldn't catch up. I finally collapsed on the ground, whimpering that I'd never be able to get to him. Suddenly, I looked up and saw him, and he just held me. The dream ended, but I still felt the comfort, and for the first time that I could remember, I felt completely safe.

I woke up several hours later, trying to piece together what had had happened in my dream. I remembered being attacked and saved by my imprint. I really must be losing it. That's when I realized that I couldn't move. I was being held tightly, and as I inhaled, I took in the scent that I would recognize no matter what was happening. I could see the russet arms wrapped around my chest, but I didn't need to turn around to know that it was Jake's body that I was curled up against. I tried to get free to think about the situation, but I was still too weak. My struggles did succeed in waking him up, however, and he released me, allowing me turn to face him.

"What are you doing here, Jake?" I asked, unable to comprehend that he was actually here.

"I'm here because I want…no, because I need to be…" he said silently. "Why did you never tell me that you had imprinted?" He questioned, and I felt the sinking feeling in my gut. He had come all the way back because he had felt obligated after learning my true secret.

"Listen, Jake. You don't have to worry about it. I'm not asking you to be with me. I'd never take away your free will. You can just reject me and get it over with. Just know that I don't blame you, so you can be guilt free, as long as it means that you're happy." I said, fighting off the tears. I had to be strong to allow him to live his life.

What happened next made me rethink whether or not I was actually awake. I felt his lips press gently against mine, passionately caressing my mouth. I stared in his eyes when he broke away, gasping from shock. "What are you doing?" I asked, stunned.

"What I should have done a long time ago. I'm so sorry I hurt you, Em. I was so blinded that I couldn't see that it was you that was there for me. You always took care of me, protected me from danger, and served as my crying shoulder when I was so caught on Bella. I should've been able to get over it and be there for you, not always taking from you. I understand if you don't want me anymore, but I can't allow you to suffer because of me again. I needed you to know that I…that I love you, Em…" He trailed off, his words dripping with sincerity.

I had no words, and simply let the tears flow out as he pulled me into an embrace. These were the words I had always wanted to hear. Could it be possible that everything was going to work out?

"Does that mean that you'll…stay with me?" I asked, shyly.

"I'll never leave you, unless you demand it of me." He said, humorously. "There's something you need to know, though, Em…" He finished, waiting until I nodded for him to continue.

"I may have…um…imprinted on you when I found you." He said. I dropped my head, but he immediately lifted my chin so that I was staring in his eyes. "I don't want you to think that's why I care about you though. You need to know that once I figured out how you had always loved me that I came back because I wanted you. It's not any kind of obligation. I wanted to be with you, and the imprint just sort of sealed the deal." He said, begging me with his eyes to believe him.

I could tell that there was no deceit in his eyes. "I love you, Jake" I answered as I rolled over on top of him, leaning in for a kiss. He grabbed my head passionately and nibbled on my lip, begging for entrance. I obliged, and our tongues began to explore each other's mouths. I couldn't have felt more complete, but the moment had to be ruined.

"Embry!" I heard my mom yell from downstairs. The smell of food was drifting up from the kitchen and my stomach growled loud enough to challenge my wolf. Jake looked saddened and rolled me off of him. "You need to eat. I've seen…I've seen the pain I caused you over the past few weeks…" He said, sorrow plaguing each word.

"It's not your fault Jake. You had your own issues, and maybe if I had ever had the guts to admit things, we could have both been saved a lot of heartache." I said, pulling him into a hug. He smiled slightly before throwing me over his shoulder and carrying me down the stairs.

"Aww boys, good to see you up and alive this morning" My mom said, smiling as Jake put me back on the ground.

"Um…there's something I need to tell you, Mom…" I said, afraid to look at her.

"If you're worried about telling me that you're gay, or in love with Jake, you don't have to worry about it. I already figured it out. I just wished that you'd talked to me about it, but you always were my little introvert." She finished, pulling me into a hug. "Thanks Mom. I love you…" I said, tears threatening to fall. "I love you too, son, and nothing will ever change that." She said, a smile plastered on her face.

"All right, let's work on getting you back into shape" Jake laughed, placing a plate in front of an empty chair and pulling me toward it. Mom made him a large plate as well, claiming to have already eaten and left to watch the morning news.

We sat there, making small talk for a while before Jake decided to discuss some more important things.

"When did it happen?" he asked, catching me off guard. "When did you imprint on me?" He clarified.

"Um…when you phased for the first time. It's the main reason that I didn't phase after you. I needed to get a grip and hide it before I phased again." I responded, remembering the night over a year and a half ago.

"Did you ever think that it'd have been better if you'd told me?" He questioned.

"To be honest, no, I didn't. You were stuck on Bella. You still thought that you had a chance, and I know how you felt about imprinting. I needed you to still have your free will. Being bound wouldn't have made you happy…" I trailed off.

"I'm sorry Em, and I hate that you're probably right. But, Embry, I want you to know that I don't feel like it's an obligation. I am so happy that I'm with. I just wish that it hadn't taken so much pain to make it happen" He said, with the smile that I loved so much covering his entire face. "Do you want to tell the pack?" He asked lightly, not seeming to care about going public so quickly.

"Are you not worried about how they'll react? I mean, it could create some tension." I really was a worrier.

"I don't really care, Em. You saw how they took Jackson and Seth. I don't want you to hide anymore, but I won't pressure you into anything." He said, brushing his hand across my face.

"I guess I'd like to." I responded hesitantly. "Just give me a few days to get myself back in order. I'm still a little bit weak after the past couple weeks."

"Me too pup, me too." He said, as we finished our plates.

The next few days went without incident. The pack was glad to hear that Jake was back. With the exception of Quil, they'd been more caught up in Jake's departure than my illness. Finally, I felt strong enough and we agreed to tell the pack at the meeting that day. Meetings alternated between Jake's and Sam's as they had been splitting the duties before Jake's abrupt disappearance. Today's was at Jake's, Emily having begged to be able to have one day to get the house cleaned. We walked in, and after Sam gave out patrol schedules and talked about recent encounters, Jake cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"I want you guys to know that I imprinted." He said calmly. There were a number of shouts of support from the group. Quil was beaming, knowing what was coming next.

"Who's the lucky girl?" Seth asked, glad that his idol had finally found the happiness that he'd been experiencing for the past couple of months.

"Well…it's not a girl. I know that it may come as a shock, but I imprinted on Embry." Jake finished, staring me in the eyes as he said it. I couldn't help but scan the room and take in their responses. Most of them seemed surprised. Seth, Jackson, and Quil had goofy grins across their faces, while Paul simply shook his head.

The short silence was finally broken when Sam walked over to me and pulled me into a big hug. "I'm happy for you, little brother." He stated before walking back over to his chair. Everyone was accepting of it, and Paul finally stood up and walked over to me, Seth, and Jackson. Seth instinctively hid Jackson behind him and Jake almost made a move to come over until I shook my head at him. I wanted to see what Paul had to say.

He looked at the ground, seeming really nervous. "I just…I wanted to apologize to all of you. I shouldn't take out the fact that I haven't been able to find someone on you guys. I know that what you have is more than anything I've ever had with a girl, and I was just jealous. I hope that you'll forgive me for my disrespect." He finished, looking up at us for the first time.

I simply pulled him into a hug. He seemed shocked, but didn't pull away. "Thanks Paul. That took a lot of guts." I whispered, letting him go. He nodded to us, walking away towards the door, only to be stopped when he ran into a girl that had been coming in.

I watched and a huge smile crept across my face as I saw the look on his face as he stared into her eyes. Then I noticed that the girl looked oddly familiar. Realization hit me as I looked over at Jake's stunned face. The girl was none other than Rachel, Jake's sister that had come home to spend a few days with her family during winter break. Paul was completely speechless and I had to run to intercept Jake, pulling him away before he got to Paul.

"I'm going to kill him!" Jake shouted, beginning to shake in fury.

I put my hands on the back of his neck, forcing him to look at me. "You're going to do no such thing. He'll make your sister happier than anyone else can. Paul deserves this and I will not allow you to take away his source of happiness. Don't even think about it." I concluded, never breaking eye contact.

He sighed heavily, but nodded in compliance.

We walked out to see the newly imprinted couple, talking on the porch. Jake walked out and put his hand on Paul's shoulder, giving him a nod of acceptance. I was happy for Paul, especially after he had been respectful enough to apologize for his actions. Talk about some good karma. As I stood there chuckling, I couldn't help but question if this imprinting thing was really as rare as the elders said it was. All I knew was that I had my Jake, and nothing was going to tear us apart.

Well, there you have it. I've decided to give the poor kids a break. Next chapter will be the finale, and I'll probably throw on an Authors Note chapter just to close. I hope you've enjoyed this story thus far, and if you have (or wish to voice any problems that you have with it), I'd love to read it in a review or message.