you ran away ran away it was right on cue
Foo Fighters, "Dear Rosemary"

10. Play To Your Strengths

For a long few beats everything was silent, except for the leaves rustling overhead - until I finally said the only thing I could think of. "Excuse me?"

The doctor shook his head. "The Volturi are coming. This is my fault, and I cannot apologize enough-"

"And the Volturi are what now?" I was sure I knew the name, but I couldn't put it together with any details...

"They're assholes," Emmett supplied.

One of the wolves behind me snorted in amusement. I couldn't directly read their thoughts without being phased, but I could almost hear the They're bloodsuckers, goes without saying.

Or maybe that's just what I was thinking.

"The Volturi are the royalty and sole government of vampires," Carlisle said. He sounded weary, except they didn't know anything about real exhaustion. "They maintain boundaries and order for our kind; a small group, but very old and very powerful. It is... not wise to provoke them, which unfortunately you have."

"How?" I demanded. "We've never even met these leeches."

"You've provoked them by existing." He began to pace back and forth. I felt every muscle in my body tense, but the doctor - either by accident or design - didn't step a single foot onto our lands. Maybe he could feel the line the same way I could. Something to consider. "Irina will relate to Aro that there is a large collection of shapeshifters in the Pacific Northwest who have taken it upon themselves to wipe out any of our kind that come within reach. If it were only one or two of you, perhaps the Volturi would not inconvenience themselves-"

"Hold up," I cut him off. Rudely, probably, but I had no interest in wasting politeness on these things. "Will relate?"

Carlisle nodded. "Alice has seen it."

"More or less," Rosalie muttered.

This was making my headache worse. "So it hasn't happened yet. It might not happen at all."

"Alice has had some confusion with her visions - anything involving your Pack seems to be difficult for her - but some things are quite certain. She's seen nothing that varies in this future. Irina will tell the Volturi of your existence, and the Volturi will come here for the purpose of eradicating you." Carlisle frowned again. "Her insight beyond that is muddied. She can't see past your presence."

Great. "So how many bloodsuckers are we talking about?"

"It's hard to say. They'll surely leave some behind to maintain their concerns in Italy, and the time involved in bringing together their allies would be a deterrent. The longer they wait, the more numerous you will become. But according to Alice those decisions haven't been made yet. Hazarding a guess, I would say... no less than four, no more than eight." He smiled grimly. "Unless their methods have changed since I last saw them, which is unlikely. Very little about them changes."

"And?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"I don't see the issue." I shrugged. "Your royalty arrives to kill us. We kill them first."

Jared and Paul growled their approval; Emmett grinned and said, "Finally someone agrees with me."

The doctor was shaking his head; his face was so pale compared to the darkness of the forest that it hurt my eyes. "It's not that simple-"

"We'll tear them apart and burn them to ash," I said flatly. "That's perfectly simple."

I was, of course, bluffing.

This was bad. Bloodsuckers we didn't know, had no insight into, who were supposedly coming for the express purpose of wiping us out. I remembered now that Bella had mentioned them at one point, and if the doctor was to be believed, they were very old bloodsuckers with a history of effectively dealing with threats. They'd have to be if they'd really been keeping a world full of leeches under their dead thumbs. And my Pack had wound up on their radar.

We'd never faced more than one vampire at a time.

The Cullens were going to be difficult enough...

"I'm afraid it's not that easy." Carlisle's voice was a little too understanding, like he was following my line of thought. "Even if you could destroy them-" yeah, he knew I had my doubts, no question "-there are... disadvantages to that course of action."

Both Rosalie and Emmett rolled their yellow eyes. Note to self: Dissention in the ranks.

"Regardless of their unsavory methods, the Volturi are very effective rulers," the doctor continued. "I may not agree with their philosophies, but believe me when I tell you that anarchy is not the ideal state for the vampire world. If the population discovered there was no one to stop them from revealing themselves and hunting at will... ruthless government is better than no government at all."

"What would you suggest?" I snapped. "Do you expect us to let them do your dirty work?" At my words I felt a deep-down, rumbling current of hatred. The Pack was listening through Jared and Paul, and they had come to the same conclusion: the local leeches were hoping the foreign leeches would kill us so they wouldn't have to.

Fat chance of that.

"What I would suggest," Carlisle said mildly, "is an alliance. If we face them together in a show of mutual strength, I believe we can negotiate."

"Negotiate."

"Yes. The Volturi are reasonable and I have known them for a very long time. With Jasper's aid to keep emotions from running too high, there's a very good chance this could end without any unnecessary violence."

The wolf began to shudder and shake inside me. I tried to swallow back my rage. "You want us to let them walk away."

"It's the lesser of two evils-"

"Do they drink blood?" I demanded hotly. "Do they eat people?"

Carlisle paused for a long moment, then his shoulders slumped. Not one damned thread of his sweater was out of place. "Yes."

Snarls erupted from the wolves behind me.

"Then we don't negotiate." -kill them kill them kill them- "We destroy them or we die trying. That's what we're made to do."

More rumblings of approval from the Pack... threaded with undercurrents of fear.

The leech doctor's expression turned slightly exasperated. "I beg you, look at the situation rationally. What good will you be able to do for your people if you're all dead? Who will defend your friends, your families? Your loved ones?"

-emilyemilyemily-

"We can protect our own," I managed to say - but I gritted my teeth against the surge of anxiety. The bloodsucker saw it. And he knew he had me.

Damn it.

"Let us help," he went on. His voice got more aggravating as he tried to persuade me, like it was scratching at the inside of my skull. "Let us bring this to a peaceful resolution."

I winced against the pain in my head. "And if you can't?"

"Then we would fight with you." Carlisle's eyes were cold. "I owe you reparations and I must do everything in my power to make amends. What has happened to you and your people is my fault. We... should never have returned."

"We agree on that," I muttered.

He smiled wanly. "I don't want bloodshed, but if it cannot be avoided, we will not leave you alone in combat. You have my word."

Emmett grinned again.

The clearing was pitch black now; the clouds were too thick to let through any moonlight. It made no difference to my senses. The leech looked and sounded genuine.

"Why should we believe any of this?" I asked, crossing my arms. For a moment I wished I was dressed. Maybe it would give me a better air of authority. "Give us one good reason to trust you."

"Your grandfathers did," Carlisle said simply.

True.

Of course, look how that worked out for them.

Advantages: If the doctor was right (a big if), the combination of their coven and our Pack would shift the numbers dramatically in our favor. They had information about the bloodsucker royalty we didn't. We would be presented with the opportunity to take down some of the most dangerous vampires in existence. And there was nothing to say things wouldn't 'accidentally' come to bloodshed.

Disadvantages: It could be a trap.

-emilyemilyemily-

"What do you two think?" I asked the other two bloodsuckers, who looked up in surprise. "You've got to have opinions."

Never make a decision without getting as much input as possible. Even if you're probably going to disregard it.

"I think-" The big one glanced at Carlisle, then reluctantly said, "I think we shouldn't fight unless we have to." He looked undeniably in favor of the have to approach.

"And you, Blondie?"

Rosalie's face was hard and her voice was cold. "Wipe them out."

Carlisle sighed. Or at least pretended to.

For a moment I regretted arranging this meeting so that Jacob couldn't attend; it would have been nice to consult with someone. As it stood, this was my call to make and no one else's. I was Alpha. And I could feel the weight of six other minds waiting for my decision.

Our grandfathers took them at their word. And technically they'd never violated the treaty.

-emilyemilyemily-

"None of it - none of it - happens in our territory," I said slowly. "They get intercepted on your land."

The doctor nodded. "Of course."

"And," I added, "you tell us everything you know about the bloodsuckers. Every. Single. Thing."

"You'll know all that I know. And if you're willing," Carlisle said, folding his hands, "I would recommend a training session with our battle expert, Jasper. That can be arranged right away. Tomorrow night, perhaps."

I frowned. "Training?"

"He's had some... experience... fighting our kind," the doctor said. "More than the rest of us combined. And he's got a brilliant mind for tactics. In the event that the negotiations were to go poorly, his insight would be invaluable."

I bit back a growl. "That's the one who can screw with emotions, right?" I didn't want that leech near any of our heads. I didn't want the mind-reader near us either, but at least that one couldn't do anything. Theoretically.

I really hated these bastards.

"Jasper's a good guy," Emmett threw in. "He won't screw with you unless we ask him to."

"Ask him to," I shot back, "and we'll rip your damn heads off."

Emmett bared sharp white teeth, and Jared snarled in response.

The likelihood of a truce holding together for long didn't seem high.

"So does your little psychic see when these bloodsuckers are supposed to get here?" I asked, directing my question to Carlisle.

"As I said, it's difficult for her whenever your tribe is or could be involved," he said carefully. "But the vision seems to take place during rain-"

"That's helpful," I muttered.

"-and in the not very distant future. The Volturi aren't the sort to let threats develop for longer than they must, but they're limited by the basic physics of travel, same as the rest of us. Less than a week, in all likelihood."

Less than a week.

An unpleasant feeling settled deep into my stomach. Something like nervousness.

I didn't have the luxury of being nervous.

And if this was all true... I didn't have the luxury of being choosy about allies.

"Fine," I bit out between gritted teeth. "We'll take your training, at least. Tomorrow night. I'll decide after that if we want the rest of your help."

"That's very reasonable," Carlisle said. His tone was relieved. "We have no objections."

"And," I added, "this has no effect on whether we accept your presence. Four weeks, leech. If you're not gone by then we will make you leave."

He smiled humorlessly. "If Bella Swan has departed as well, there will be no reason to force us."

Bella fucking Swan.

Paul's growls filled the clearing, and a wave of indignation and outrage washed through my blood - and not just his. I whirled around and met the huge, black eyes of the silver wolf. "Hold it." The last thing I needed right now was for this to degenerate into a battle.

Paul glared at me, but his bunched shoulders lowered. His rage didn't abate. Neither did Jared's. Neither did mine. I turned back to the leeches with a glare. "If you think for one damn second I'm going to separate Jacob from his imprint now-"

"What the hell is an imprint?" Rosalie burst out, her arms crossed. She was tapping her foot against the forest floor. "I'm getting curious."

I blinked, derailed. "What?"

"Edward said Bella's mutt boyfriend keeps thinking about 'imprints'," she said, making air quotes, "so are you going to let us in on the big secret, or what?"

For a brief moment I felt like I was talking to Leah. Thank God neither of them could read my thoughts. "You really don't know?" I said, looking back at Carlisle.

He shook his head.

"Well, it's... it's just..." I found myself strangely tongue-tied. The idea that anyone might not know what imprinting was, when imprinting was everything, imprinting was the center of the world... "Bella's Jacob's soul mate. Literally."

Rosalie snorted.

Carlisle's frown deepened. "How do you know?"

-emilyemilyemily-

"Because I do," I said bluntly. "She's my brother's and no one else's, so lay a hand on her and you'll have me to deal with. Bella Swan stays."

I might not be wild about the girl, but she was one of us now, under my protection same as the rest of the Pack. And I didn't like the way these bloodsuckers were talking about her.

"I understand," Carlisle murmured. "It's a discussion for another day, I think, but I do understand. One must protect one's family."

My feet took me across the boundary line and I felt a strange severing; shudders shook my shoulders as I towered over the sanctimonious marble leech, who held up a hand to forestall his 'children'. "Don't ever compare your family to mine." The fact that he wouldn't respond to commands didn't stop the primal voice from forming in my throat. My fists clenched at my sides. "Not. Ever."

Kill him kill him kill him kill him-

"Sam." I blinked and turned; Paul had transformed and was looking at me with a stony expression. "We're done here, aren't we?"

Jared growled in agreement.

I took a deep lungful of air; the stink of the leeches nearly made me phase, but the breath itself was calming. My temper waned. "Yes. We're done." Embarrassing to have to have Paul, of all people, step in. Good that he was learning self-control. Even if I was beginning to lose mine.

I stepped back onto our land. All of this land ought to be ours.

"Tomorrow night, then?" Carlisle said calmly, as though he didn't know I wanted to tear his head from his shoulders.

We'd take what we needed from them and then decide if we wanted anything else. There were more advantages to the agreement than disadvantages. For now. "Yes. Here. After dark. All of you." If the entire Pack would be present, then I wanted every single one of these bloodsuckers in my line of sight. No one sneaking around while we were distracted.

I trusted these assholes about as far as I could reach.

"Thank you." The doctor nodded, then turned to his so-called children. "Emmett, Rosalie?"

"See you tomorrow," Emmett said, weirdly cheerful. He flexed his arms - they were nearly as muscled as mine. "Should be fun."

Rosalie just nodded. She'd been perusing Paul's nakedness with a smirk; he noticed and smirked right back. Under no circumstances would I be examining the advantages and disadvantages of that.

The vampires left the clearing, but I waited until I couldn't smell them anymore before I phased.

Are you kidding me?

There's no way they're telling the truth. (liars all of them)

What if they are?

They're not.

But what if they are?

We can't let them anywhere near (kimkimkim) the rez, who knows what they'll do-

(don't like this don't want to die)

So it's all because we ripped up that black-haired leech? Is there anyone who doesn't have a pissed-off girlfriend?

(claireclaireclaire) If we have to kill these Italians and the Cullens at the (claireclaireclaire) same time, then bring it.

What are we going to do, Sam?

What's the next move?

Are we really going to meet them?

Do you trust them?

Yes, tell us your big plan, O Wise Leader. (you're so full of shit don't think i don't know you)

Quiet. In the sudden silence I was able to pad quietly through the forest, feeling the loam crunch under my paws, swallowing back the part of me that wanted to scream that I didn't know what to do, figure it out for yourselves and leave me alone-

-emilyemilyemily-

No. Later.

We'll be here tomorrow evening. My mental voice was calm and authoritative, the way it needed to be. All of us. We'll take the training they offer. I'll decide beyond that.

Waves of emotion: surprise, uncertainty, nervousness, anticipation. Relief that their Alpha knew what he was doing.

God, I was tired.

Leah, Paul, Seth, go home. Quil, Embry, Jared, you're on with me until morning.

Aye aye, Cap'n.

Paul, dude, the blonde vamp was checking you out.

Go for it. (almost hot for a dead thing)

What do you think would happen?

Jeez, it might freeze off.

[cool hands] Shut up, morons.

At least if they were bickering, they hadn't noticed that their Alpha was making it up as he went.

By the time the sun had risen, after a long night of mulling over every single scenario I could think of with those bloodsuckers, I was dead on my paws. Twenty-four hours of straight patrol was pushing it even for me.

But when Jacob phased and appeared on the mental map, it was worth it.

(bellabellabella) Hey, guys! Have a good night?

Nothing but relaxed, happy, blissful calm.

It was the most collected I'd ever felt him.

He'd stopped fighting.

Beautiful morning, isn't it?

Jared, Embry, and Quil started laughing. "Beautiful morning"?

Wow. Just... wow.

Any second now he's gonna start singing about raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens-

Shut it, guys. A hint of embarrassment, but not much. Mostly just ridiculous cheerfulness.

I remembered that feeling. But I couldn't remember if I'd felt it after the first time with Leah, or the first time with Emily.

So how was it?

Details, man!

A half-second of deep, instinctual feelings only I could see- (bellabellabella) [the taste of sweat along a pale shoulder blade] (loveyouloveyouloveyou) -before Jacob's mind shut like a steel trap. Everything disappeared, even from me. None of your business.

Well. Interesting to feel what he could do when he wasn't using all his energy to fight the imprint. The question was whether he realized he wasn't fighting anymore. If he didn't, I certainly wasn't going to enlighten him.

Well, you won't believe what happened to us. And without preamble - Jared was a good guy, but he never thought more than one step ahead - his mind raced through the images of our meeting with the leeches.

Jacob's thoughts came screeching to a halt.

I mentally groaned. Thank you, Jared.

Dude, you're an idiot.

What? What'd I do?

What the hell? Jacob had stopped; I couldn't feel the air moving against his fur anymore. You talked to the bloodsuckers? Why didn't you wait for me?

Because your priorities were elsewhere. There was more bitterness in my thoughts than I'd intended.

Yeah, but-

Just wait a second. I swallowed - still a strange feeling in such a large throat, even after all this time - and organized my memories into something coherent that Jacob could follow. And I let him see what had happened.

Holy crap. Jacob's shock reverberated through my mind. Do you believe them?

Yes. Maybe. Do you?

More shock, and I realized Jacob hadn't expected to be consulted. I felt him sort through what he'd just seen, much more efficiently than I'd expected. He was finally putting all of his focus where it should be instead of splitting his energy to fight losing battles. I... I think they're telling the truth. But I'd believe it for sure if it came from the one who screws around with emotions. Jasper.

I blinked. Why him? Seemed like he'd be the least trustworthy, being the one who could literally change what was in your head.

I think he's got something of his own going on. A flash of a conversation in a parking lot- "I don't appreciate this, Jasper." "I wouldn't expect you to." -and a feeling of hatred mixed with grudging respect. I don't like him, but I don't think he likes the others.

I don't think the blond and the big one like the others, either, Embry threw in. You should've seen it. It was weird.

Even the leader didn't like some of it. Quil skirted dangerously close to the shared memories of Carlisle's talk about Bella, but he backed off before going there. Apparently he was more sensible than Jared. They're not so together as they act.

It was a lot of information to sort through, and I couldn't sort when I was nearly walking into trees. All right, I'm going to Emily's. Jacob, you're in charge. Jared, Embry, Quil, you can go home when the others phase.

(claireclaireclaire) Can I go see-

No, I ordered quickly - but there was a strange overlap. Jacob had issued the same order at the same moment.

Surprise from everyone. Including Jacob himself. Um, sorry, Sam.

That's fine. I tamped down on my emotions. Not difficult, considering I wasn't sure what they were yet.

Rising anxiety. Please (claireclaireclaire) I just want to make sure she's okay (claireclaireclaire) she doesn't feel right [a twirling girl and suffusing adoration same girl sick in bed] I won't be seen, I promise (claireclaireclaire)-

Go run the length of the river, I commanded. It felt like there were frag grenades going off inside my skull. One hundred times. Human form. Now.

Exhausted dismay before Quil's mind vanished. But the longing for his imprint echoed.

(kimkimkim)

(bellabellabella)

-emilyemilyemily-

Ugh.

Embry was mentally shaking his head. You imprint people are weird.

He makes me nervous, Sam. Jared's plans had changed in the space of a moment - he'd been thinking of going home, now he would be heading straight to Kim's instead. I feel it all the time. Are you going to do something about this soon?

I was already padding towards Emily's. I'm working on it. There had to be a solution. Something had to be done before Quil drove the rest of us as crazy as Jacob had.

A wash of guilt. Jacob had picked up on my thoughts. One more thing to keep an eye on.

Call me if you need me, I thought just before I phased.

When I walked through the front door Emily took one look at me and pushed me in the direction of the bathroom. I barely managed to make it through a shower without passing out, and I didn't even bother to try to climb up to the loft. I was unconscious almost before my head hit the couch.

In my dreams I was torn in different directions.

An endless thrumming heartbeat. (claireclaireclaire) A little girl with static-y black hair that barely touched her shoulders. A wide grin, a gap between front teeth. Spinning spinning spinning, then the girl fell over - a moment of panic, did she get hurt? - but no, she was just dizzy, giggling at her own silliness, the most adorable sound I'd ever heard. The giggles continued even as the girl turned pale and drawn, staying on the floor, curling into a ball and shivering-

-the giggles turned to chuckles, closer to the sound of a woman than a child. (kimkimkim) Rumpled sheets on the bed and a crippling joy. The girl-woman smiled a Mona Lisa smile, so shy with others but never shy with me never shy when doing this. A soft hand slid into my lap and the smile grew, the girl-woman not noticing that her face was becoming harder to see, that there was smoke blocking my view of her body and a crackling heat-

-the smile stayed but grew sadder, set in a pale face that looked like it had forgotten how to laugh. (bellabellabella) The pale girl picked up a socket wrench and I couldn't tell her it was the wrong one because her fingers brushed mine when she handed it to me and there was some rightness in her touch, not just the rightness I'd been feeling for months but something more that was uncurling deep inside, an expectant darkness I didn't understand. The pale girl blushed, and when she blushed she let go of the wrench and she vanished right in front of my eyes-

-and a woman took her place, soft curves in hips and breasts and stomach which was round and smooth beneath her shirt. (emilyemilyemily) When she reached for me I stepped back, filled with emotions I couldn't begin to vocalize. She dropped her hand, then looked down and rubbed her swollen belly tenderly, humming lightly. The most beautiful sight in the world even as the blood began to pour, the fabric of her shirt separating in four long gashes that cut down deep into her flesh, splitting the muscles of her abdomen and a baby cried and my hands were red and sticky-

"Sam?"

I jerked awake with a gasp. Emily was leaning over the couch, her hand over the receiver of her cordless phone. "Sorry," she murmured. A worry line was etched into her forehead. "Billy Black's on the phone. He says it's important."

My mouth was dry; my tongue stuck to my lips when I tried to wet them. "What time is it?"

"About six-thirty."

Damn. I'd been out for almost nine hours. I couldn't afford to do things like that. I hadn't done anything like that in months. "Right. Okay. Thanks." I took the phone and resisted the urge to rub my eyes like a child. "Billy?"

"Sam." The voice on the other end of the line had a strange tone. "Is Bella Swan there?"

Always that girl. Always. "No," I said curtly.

"You're sure?"

I managed not to roll my eyes, but it was a near thing. Too disrespectful even if the Elder couldn't see me. "Pretty sure." I covered the receiver with my hand and called into the kitchen, "Sweetheart, Bella's not here, right?"

"Not unless she's in the garden weeding."

"She's not here," I relayed to Billy. "Why?"

A long pause from the phone, and then Billy said, "Charlie called. She's not at home. He doesn't know where she is."

Oh.

I sat up quickly, the last fuzziness of sleep vanishing. "What do you mean?"

"I mean Bella's missing. At least according to Charlie. He says she spent the night with a friend and the friend dropped her off, but he got home at two and there was no sign of her. She's not answering her cell."

My stomach dropped and I swore. Creatively. "She didn't leave a note or anything?"

"No. But her backpack was in the front yard." A long pause. "Given what Charlie says was in it, she probably wouldn't have left it out in the open. It's not a good sign."

Shudders and tremors began to run through my body. Carlisle. That bloodsucking son of a bitch was dead. "And Charlie thinks, what, that we kidnapped her?"

"We're on the list." Billy was pretty good at hiding his emotions - much, much better than his son was - but he couldn't hide everything. The dread was audible. "I had to remind him several times that he doesn't have a right to come here and start busting in doors. He's got no evidence and no jurisdiction, but I don't think that will stop him for long. He wants Jacob."

Jesus Christ. Jacob.

I jumped off the couch, hanging up the phone without a Goodbye and tossed it aside.

"What's wrong?" Emily asked as she came out of the kitchen.

"Nothing. Don't worry." I stripped off my pants and tied them quickly to my leg. "Stay by the phone though, okay? If you hear from Bella, call Billy."

Her eyes widened, and her worry stabbed at my chest. "Is she okay?"

Probably not. "Yeah," I lied, kissing her on the cheek. "I just need to talk to her."

"All right..."

I closed the front door and phased as I jumped off the porch, streaking into the woods at top speed. Jacob, where are you?

I expected to be crushed by waves of fury; I expected to feel a huge distance between myself and the red wolf, probably twenty miles or more. I expected to look through his eyes and see the bloodsuckers' house burning.

Instead, only bemusement. I'm down by the river. (bellabellabella) What's up?

He was still on our land.

What the hell?

Thank God you're back. Paul's irritation, laced with a sort of depressed resignation, seeped into my ribcage. If I have to listen to one more minute of Jacob's good mood I'm gonna rip his throat out.

You're just jealous. Nothing but cheerfulness. Still.

[cool hands] (no stop it no point) Jealous? Of you? Please. Keep the skinny little leech-lover. (doesn't matter fucking imprinting)

I told you not to call her that.

(so sick of this crap) Grand Poobah, may I respectfully request that the Beta be quarantined until this disgusting display of optimism wears off? I think I preferred him emo.

I think it's cool. Seth's mood was almost as good as Jacob's. I like it better when Jacob's happy.

Fine then. The Fuehrers of the Bloodsucker World are coming to rip us to pieces, but hell, let's all throw a party 'cause Jacob got laid.

Knock it off. The others obeyed the order instantly - Jacob's order, not mine. Sam, is it time to switch? (bellabellabella) A couple hours of crashing before tonight would be good. Haven't slept in awhile.

I... no. No, sorry, it's not time. I just...

Huh?

Nothing. See you in a few hours. And I phased back, hitting the forest floor on my hands and knees. The scar in my side burned like acid.

How could he not know?

Was it all a mistake? Maybe Bella had just gone off for the day to shop in Port Angeles or party in Seattle or something-

No. The backpack in her front yard.

How could he not know?

Was she not upset? I tried to focus on my own imprint-

-emilyemilyemily-

-I'd always known if she was upset, but had I ever noticed physical distance? I couldn't know; Emily had never gone anywhere. Emily rarely even left the house. I always knew where she was.

If she wasn't upset...

...maybe Bella had left of her own free will? Maybe the bloodsuckers had told her the same thing they'd told us and she'd taken them up on their offer of protection?

Possible.

But it didn't feel right. There was no reason to doubt Bella's devotion to Jacob. She wouldn't leave without at least saying something. She would have told him, and she didn't. He didn't know. They had to have done something to her.

Jacob didn't know.

Positives: Jacob doesn't lose his mind. Jacob doesn't lose everyone else's minds. The Pack stays focused while we deal with the Italian bloodsuckers. I'd have time to figure out where Bella was and, if necessary, kill Carlisle myself.

Negatives: He'd be better at finding Bella than I would. The longer it took him to find out, the worse it would be when he did. But if it could be kept from him for long enough, just a few days...

I struggled to my feet. My body ached, even after a long day of sleep, but my mind was clear.

There was the big picture to consider. I had to think of the whole Pack. Everyone's safety. The greater good.

I wasn't going to tell Jacob a damn thing.

Coming Soon: Cover Your Weaknesses

Sanity Update: Yes. I said loam.

Have wound up in a bit of an interesting place with this fic: namely, that getting into the heads of these characters is stressing me the fuck out. (It SUCKS to be Sam.) So I had to make a call: either stay on hiatus until I was sure I'd have the wherewithal to make it through the rest of the fic at a regular clip, or come out of hiatus immediately and give up regular updates. Went with the latter, since the former might never come. FotS will continue, but not with regular Wednesday updates. But the gaps shouldn't be too long between chapters. Just need to take a mental health day in between rougher scenes. (Which is also a good time to go write a drabble or two about AU!JakeandBells.) Sorry about the wait, sorry about the inconsistency, but hopefully inconsistency is better than indefinite hiatus.

Many thanks to mera_naam_joker and grrlinterrupted, who talked me down off the ledge for this chapter. The (temporary) new summary is for mintiflower, who won Third Place in the TATS Best Worst Summary contest. And for anyone who hasn't been to listen yet, check out gypseian's podfic of this story. The audio of the Packmind is perfect and arguably easier to understand than the written version. http:/ gypseian (dot) tumblr (dot) com (slash) post (slash) 3085261977 (slash) fots