**EDIT: Just fixing some serious errors...hehe..

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer. I'm just using them for non-profitable entertainment usage. However, I do own my OCs mentioned in this chapter; Bailey, Dorian, and Kendra. :)

Chapter 10: Wolves Ain't Howl Alone

"Poor Otto," Bailey sighed, lifting the puppy to her face. "I keep leaving him here. Was he good?"

"Sure, sure, the perfect dog," Billy replied, waving away her worries. "It's no problem having him here. You're busy, I understand."

"Yeah, but he's my responsibility," Bailey murmured, frowning.

"Oh, Jake, before I forget… Bella called," Billy said. If Jacob had any reaction to the news, he didn't show it. "Seemed pretty important. You should call back.

Jacob grumbled but made his way to the kitchen, taking his time punching the number in the dial and fiddling with the phone as he waited an answer. He didn't have to wait long; Bella answered the phone immediately and enthusiastically. Jacob kept his tone curt, giving short replies and grunts. The conversation was over quickly, though it didn't help Jacob's sour expression any. He slammed the phone back onto the hook, scowling.

"What did she say?" Billy asked.

"Bella's bloodsucker is sitting out," Jacob said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "They have some new strategy and it somehow involves me. I have to go meet them in the clearing."

"Can't they use someone else?" Bailey suggested.

"They're more familiar with me," Jacob explained. "I don't want to do it but I'm the only one that's slightly more reasonable with the leeches."

"You want me to tell Sam? I can give him a call for you," Billy said.

Jacob nodded. "I'd appreciate it, dad."

"Will you be gone long?" Bailey asked.

"Hope not. Unless you want to crash this party too? Seems like I can't leave you by yourself, huh?" Jacob grinned when he noticed Bailey's pout and poked her protruding lip. "You're cute, you know that?"

Bailey couldn't recall a time when her face had been so hot.

He explained to Bailey during the car ride that the vampires were going to use his scent to mask Bella's, which required him to carry her up a snowy mountain where her vampire boyfriend would be waiting, safely away from the fight. Bailey's eyes flickered at that piece of information, and Jacob only assumed it was because she wanted him to stay behind too. He was shocked she voiced the complete opposite of what he was thinking:

"This is mainly their fault, and Edward won't even be there to fix the problem he created?"

Before Jacob could formulate a response to express how proud he was, they had already pulled up near the edge of the clearing. Bella, Edward, and another vampire with blond hair stood waiting, who Bailey recalled as the one named Jasper. Jacob scoffed.

"You're sitting out the fight? Did you pull a muscle or something?" Jacob asked sarcastically.

"I'm doing it for Bella," Edward said flatly. "It's safer this way. Maybe you should be more concerned with your own, and do the same."

Jacob snorted, crossing his arms. "Nothing will even get close to La Push. I have nothing to worry about."

"Suit yourself," Edward mumbled under his breath.

"What'd you say bl-"

Jasper cleared his throat. "Perhaps we should get back to the matter at hand...?"

"We explained everything already. Waiting on you, Jacob Black," Edward said, gesturing to Bella. "Run, dog."

Jacob bristled at the use of his full name but otherwise had no reaction to Edward's quip. Without a word, he scooped Bella into his arms and sprinted into the forest. Bella shuffled back and forth on her feet, staring off into space. Jasper and Edward stood unnaturally still next to her.

"I hate dogs," Edward grumbled under his breath.

There was a brief shuffle in Bailey's cardigan, which caused all eyes to turn on her. A spotted puppy appeared through the V opening of her cardigan, tongue lolling out in a playful expression.

"Woof!"

Bailey bit her lip to keep from laughing at Edward's sour expression.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"She's really persistent," Jacob stated. "She even tried to get me to sit out."

"Would you?" Bailey asked, pulling the puppy out of her cardigan and watching him scurry around the house.

"No way," Jacob scoffed. He snuck a guilty glance at the girl sitting next to him. "Unless you wanted me to."

Bailey shook her head. "You seem excited to fight. I won't stop you."

"It doesn't matter how I feel. It's all up to you," Jacob said. "I'd sit out in a heartbeat, even if it meant going against Sam."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that because I'm not asking you to sit out," Bailey said.

"I swear you're going to spoil me," Jacob chuckled.

Bailey lightly traced his jaw with her index finger. "Then perhaps I should shower you with more gifts."

"Oh really?"

Bailey turned next to him, her lips softly pressing against the corner of his mouth. When his own lips quirked into a scowl she giggled, just slightly moving over to fully press her lips against his. His hands immediately grasped her little waist, pulling her until she sat pretzel style in his lap. She leaned down, now a few inches taller than he, and kissed him once again. Her hands pressed against his chest to keep her balance while his hands kept a firm grip against her waist, sliding beneath her cardigan. The tank top she wore underneath had risen slightly, giving him access to the warm flesh of her waist.

A soft rap on the door interrupted them. Bailey jumped violently, pulling away and gasping for much needed air and falling out of Jacob's hold. Bailey squinted at the puppy that stood before her in her upside down position, head cocked to the side. Without hesitation, Otto lapped her cheeks and nose, causing her to sputter and roll away. Jacob's eyes swiveled to his father, hearing Billy's squeaky wheelchair enter the living room. Billy shrugged, clearly not expecting any visitors. Jacob sighed in frustration and ran his hand through his hair, answering the door. Sam and Emily stood at the entrance, Emily smiling brightly when she spotted Bailey on the floor.

"Perfect! Just the people I wanted to see," Emily said, stepping inside with Sam just behind her.

"What is it?" Jacob asked in a slightly agitated tone.

"Well, since we're in the middle of a summer holiday, I thought it would be fun to have a July 4th dinner," Emily said, looking over to Bailey. "And we were wondering if we could use your house!"

Bailey blinked. "M-mine?"

"I hope it's not too much trouble! You're house has so much more space than my own, and our pack keeps growing," Emily explained. "I'll even do all the cooking at my house, if that works for you!"

"No, no, it's fine. You can use my house if you want, even cook there," Bailey said.

"Really?" Emily said excitedly, clasping her hands together. "This will be so much fun! We can both cook together and everyone will be all dressed up!"

"Dressed up? As in fancy? For the 4th of July?" Jacob asked incredulously.

"Yes, Jacob! It'll only be one night," Emily said. "You boys always walk around with practically nothing anyway! It won't kill you to put more clothes on for one occasion!"

"But Emily..."

"And I'm sure Bailey will get all dolled up, especially for you!" Emily continued, hooking her arm with Bailey's. "You can't look like a country bumpkin next to her!"

Jacob scowled. "Who cares what I look like?"

"You're dressing up, Jacob," Emily said sternly, pointing at him indignantly even as Sam ushered her out the door. "I mean it!"

"She seemed... enthusiastic," Jacob muttered.

Bailey tapped her finger against her lip, pouting. "I'll have to find something really nice to wear."

"It's not really that big of a deal," Jacob argued. "All we really need are fireworks."

Her eyes turned to Jacob. "Don't you want to see me look nice?"

Jacob rolled his eyes. "You always look nice."

"But nicer."

"Bailey, if you want to dress up for me, then by all means do it," Jacob said, tugging on a lock of her hair. "You can wear a garbage bag and I'll still think you're beautiful."

Bailey hid her burning face in her hands.

Jacob grinned. "I'll walk you home."

The date for the dinner was set for the weekend, just a few days before the big battle. That gave Bailey the whole night to decide what she was going to cook, and she would have the morning the next day to gather all the ingredients and begin cooking with Emily. She sat in the middle of her bed, dressed in an oversized flannel top that hid her short shorts, and dark socks that stopped mid thigh- her version of pajamas. Jacob dozed on her bed, curled by her form. His feet hung off the end of the bed, much to her amusement. She held up a milk bone treat in her hand, smiling as Otto attempted to jump in the air and snatch it from her hand. His tail wagged eagerly. With her other hand she dialed her sister's number on her cell phone.

"What's up sis?" Kendra answered.

"Just calling and checking on you. I miss you," Bailey replied.

"Aw, I miss you too. How's the little runt?"

"Otto is great. I'm playing with him right now."

Kendra laughed on the other end. "That good, but I was talking about Jacob."

A startled blush flashed across her face as she glanced at the sleeping man next to her. She dropped the milk bone in her surprise and Otto nabbed it off the floor and ran out of the room triumphantly. "O-Oh. He's great too."

"So Jacob's score is a 'great', huh? I guess he's not so little after all! You made him into a man!" Kendra cheered.

Bailey sputtered, holding the phone away from her ear when she heard her sister begin to cackle. "W-We didn't do a-anything like…like that!"

"What? Boring! His virginity is yours for the taking, Bails!"

"How are you feeling?" Bailey asked, changing the subject.

Kendra chuckled at her attempt but accepted it. "Icky. You?"

"I'm fine over here. Hope you get better soon."

"Me too. I think I got sick from dressing totally wrong. I mean, I looked cute, but it wasn't worth it."

"I told you about the for the longest. You can find nice clothes that keep you warm."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya. But what did you really call for, Bails?"

"We're having a little party for the holidays, and I wanted to cook some things."

"You're getting back in the kitchen and I'm missing it?" Kendra gasped. "This is blasphemy!"

"I don't think that's the right word…"

Kendra scoffed. "Whatever. Which recipes do you want? I'll rack my brain and see what I remember."

"This would be easier if you just wrote down the recipes you learn instead of trying to memorize them."

"A good cook only needs to look at a recipe once and then never refer to it again!"

Bailey rolled her eyes. "Okay, chef. I was thinking our Mexican favorites and maybe some food from the homeland."

"Oh boy. Break out a pen and paper. This might take a while."

Kendra slid her phone shut, tossing it onto the nightstand beside her bed. She kicked the covers off and shuffled into the kitchen, pulling out a water bottle from the refrigerator.

"Was that Bailey on the phone?" Dorian asked, looking up from his book from where he sat on the counter.

"Yeah. She just wanted to know a few recipes," Kendra said, clearing her throat. "And I think I used up whatever was left of my voice."

"You know, you probably got sick because of the way you dress in this weather," Dorian pointed out.

"I was talking about that with Bailey, too," Kendra murmured.

"You know I'm right," Dorian said, "Just look at what you're wearing now!"

Kendra frowned. She wore a pair of pink shorts and a white, cropped shirt with long sleeves. Hardly appropriate for the winter weather, yes, but she did not seem to care.

"There's nothing wrong with looking cute while you're sick," Kendra said, blowing him a raspberry, only to cough a few times afterward.

"It's definitely wrong if you're only getting worse," Dorian retorted, steering her toward her bedroom. "Get some sleep."

"But I'm not tired!"

Kendra immediately fell asleep once she managed to crawl back into her bed.

It only felt like seconds to Kendra before she jerked from her fitful sleep, one eye cracking open and glancing around. The sunlight no longer brightened her room. She was beginning to wonder what had awoken her when she heard howling in the distance. Her brother, Dorian, straightened from his slumped position next to her bed and looked around, startled. He frowned, reaching for the wooden bat tucked beneath her bed.

"Wolves? In Chicago?" Dorian questioned.

"It's just one wolf," Kendra whispered, sitting up in the bed.

"Wolves don't howl alone, Kendra," Dorian said. "They travel in packs."

"Stay here," She told him suddenly.

"Wha-"

"I said stay!" She screamed hoarsely.

He held his hands up in defeat, scowling darkly at his sister.

She hauled herself out of the bed and wrapped the blanket over her head and around her shoulders. She hobbled across the room, sliding her feet into a pair of fuzzy slippers and putting her favorite Aviators on.

Dorian snorted. "What the hell are you putting on sunglasses for?"

Kendra's only response was to flash her middle finger, and she shuffled out of the room. The hallway was quiet, the overhead lights flickering on and off. Kendra narrowed her eyes as she stepped quietly down the hall, leaning against the wall for support. Finally reaching the elevator, she pressed the lobby button.

Kendra jumped when she heard a familiar ding! and the door slid open. It was only then that she realized she had briefly fallen asleep and slid to the floor. Gripping the hand bar that lined the elevator, she made to pull herself up but stopped short when the entrance doors burst open. A large silver wolf wedged itself between the narrow openings, smashing the lining of the door.

"Oh shit," Kendra muttered.

The wolf snapped its head toward her voice, snapping its jaw in her direction. She began frantically pressing buttons, biting her lip and the wolf charged. She looked at him one last time as the elevator door closed before he came near, screaming when the elevator shook from the impact.

The elevator stopped on the second floor, just three flights lower than her apartment. Cursing her terrible luck, she ran for the staircase exit and sprinted up the steps. She quickly became breathless after her first few lunges up the staircase. Her lungs burned and her legs were the equivalent of limp spaghetti. She stumbled on the dragging ends of her blanket and tripped, tumbling down a couple of steps.

She turned to see the wolf that stood still as a statue but was heaving madly like a rabid dog and growling. He bent forward and lunged toward her. Kendra spun and heaved herself up to run again, but human hands gripped her ankles and dragged her back down.

"Kendra," he growled, spinning her around. He ripped the sunglasses from her face and tossed them aside, observing the dark bruises around her eyes.

"Paul," Kendra choked out.

I can't take credit for the title ;) It's from the Bleach manga chapter 373.

And I apologize for the shortness, but I didn't want to reveal the entire reunion just yet. You'll just have to wonder until the next chapter...

Review?