Hey everyone... ugh... I do not feel well -.-; Sorry if this took a while... been busy. Thanks again for those lovely reviews!

Also, to answer a question: Hunters track vampires just as much as they track wolves and shifters. Holy water, stakes, silver, and so on... Just think of Buffy.

Twenty: The Shifters of La Push

They were lucky enough to get to the reservation before the sun rose that day because of Edward. Bella, as tired as she was, couldn't stop her mind from going back and forth between the vampire and Jacob. Would things go back to normal? No, they couldn't possibly. For one, it wouldn't be fair to Jacob, and for another thing, Bella wasn't even sure she wanted Edward anymore. With all of the thoughts that had crossed her mind during his absence, the thoughts of his abandonment seemed to be the most bitter. And yet at the same time, here he was, defying the head of his family to return to her. Part of her could not help but feel some kind of pride knowing that. It disgusted her in a way. The band of wolves finally were nearing the reservation when Bella realized how incredibly tired she was. She barely kept her eyes open as she leaned into Nickey's back, keeping herself from falling off. She spotted Edward through her tinted visor. He was still running along side them, not complaining, not sweating or showing weakness. Even more convoluted and confusing thoughts pulsated through her mind, and she shut her eyes tightly, trying to protect her brain for now. When they got to La Push, Jacob told them all to wait outside while he spoke with his father. Bella remained on Nickey's bike, the vibration of the idling machine nearly rocking her to sleep. She watched as he slipped into the house, vanishing from sight. All was silent among the wolves. Edward seemed to be ignoring them, and they did the same. Bella simply chose to remain where she was until Jacob returned. When he did, he told Mac's pack that they could make themselves at home in the large garage beside the house. It was big enough for their bikes, and it had quite a few cots to spare. Bella got off in order to allow Nickey to follow the rest of them as they parked inside. This left only Jacob, Edward and Bella standing in front of the large house. She was too afraid to speak. Luckily, she didn't have to.

"You can sleep in the attic," said Jacob stiffly. "There's a bunch of boxes and stuff up there that you can cover yourself with in the daytime."

Edward paused before turning to Bella. "You don't mind that I stay here, do you?" The question had an incredible amount of malice behind it. So much so that it made her take a half step back, as though she were slapped. Wordlessly, she shook her head. Edward then turned to Jacob, who invited him in. After that, he swiftly moved into the house and up the stairs, the sound of the attic door opening and closing. Jacob turned to Bella before walking over to her, taking her hand.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

Bella nodded mutely. "Can I... just have a bed to sleep in? I'm really tired." With a nod, Jacob lead her into the house and then to her usual guest room. It felt smaller then the last time she stayed over, which was during the spring time at school. It felt surreal to be there now. But she little cared. Thanking her dear friend, she moved under the blankets and fell asleep almost instantly.

When she awoke, it was nearing two in the afternoon, and she heard voices down below. She sat up for a moment, her head buzzed and her body feeling like lead. It took her a while to remember what had happened, but soon, she recalled all that transpired the night before. It felt like a strange dream, but being where she was now, she knew it to be real. She got out of bed and looked at herself in the mirror. Thankfully, she had brought her toothbrush and hairbrush along with her. After changing and making herself presentable, she headed downstairs, rather hungry. The smell of grilled cheese sandwiches made it to her senses. When she got to the kitchen, she noticed the center island was a bit more crowded then usual. Jacob sat at the corner, while both Tommy and Pike sat at his left. Across from them sat two native boys whom Bella recognized from her time spent at La Push. She smiled at them all as she walked into the kitchen. Quil and Embry both smiled back at her. The two were practically attached to each other with how much they were seen together. Quil was a slightly short boy, with beady eyes and small hands. He had short hair with shaggy bangs that hung around his eye line. Embry, on the other hand, was a tall, stretched out male, with large eyes and a swift stride. His black hair was usually kept in a short braid down his slender neck. She sat herself beside Jacob, who handed her a sandwiches.

"How're you doing?" he asked.

"Ok, I guess. At least I got some sleep." She thanked him for the food and began to eat, filling her empty stomach that was just as grateful. Embry nodded.

"Yeah... hunters. That sucks, man."

"We're used to them by now," said Tommy with a shrug. "Still... I wish they'd leave us alone. At least every once and a while."

"Well you should be safe here," Quil interjected. "Hunters don't usually come to shifter territory like this..." He then trailed off, his eyes darting to Bella. "Uh... I mean..."

"Relax," said Jacob. "She knows." Quil seemed a bit relieved and pushed his bangs back from his forehead.

"Good... I was wondering when she'd figure it out." He stopped talking, however, when the sliding glass door of the kitchen opened up. Bella turned to see none other then Sam Uely, along with a girl whom Bella recognized as Emily, Sam's girlfriend. Much like how Quil and Embry were different in body time, so were Sam and Emily. While Sam had a thick, bear like body, Emily had a very graceful, willow-esq figure. She had long black hair, like Sam, though hers reached her mid back. She also had black bangs that covered most of her right face. But Bella knew what she hid. When she was younger, she was attacked by a bear. Only recently did Bella find out that Sam used to have problems controlling his shifter form.

They walked into the kitchen, taking a few seats as well. Jacob didn't bother to make eye contact with his cousin. Emily smiled at two of the guests. "You must be the shifters in Billy's garage." She shook their hands politely. "I'm Emily. This is my boyfriend, Sam." The bear merely nodded, putting a few sandwiches on his plate for them to share.

Pike, who seemed to grow a great interest in the reservation, leaned forward, smiling. "Wow... so you guys are all Quileute shifters?"

"Not exactly," said Emily. "I'm half Cheyenne. My dad was raised in South Dakota and the moved to La Push when he was younger, where he met my mom. It's the reason I'm the only one who can turn into a horse."

"A horse shifter, really?!" Pike grew over excited. Had his wolf tail been out, it no doubt would have been wagging. "Wow... I knew a couple of shifters when I was making my way through Mexico with my brother, but... I never saw a horse shifter before."

Emily laughed lightly. "A mustang, more accurately. You don't really find a lot of those in Washington though, so I sort of stick out."

"I'll bet..." Bella could almost see the stars in his eyes as he propped his chin in his hands, smiling dreamily at the girl. Sam frowned at the wolf, but said nothing. He didn't seem the petty jealous type. Turning to Jacob, he began to speak.

"How long do you plan on staying this time." His tone was slightly sarcastic, but it had a more serious quality to it then anything. Jacob merely shrugged.

"As long as I want," he said simply. "What? I can't leave my own home now?"

Sam narrowed his eyes. "You know damn well what you can and can't do. And quite frankly, you've been too reckless for your own good. You have got to start accepting responsibility."

"I'll accept it on my own terms, all right?" The air became a bit tenser as Jacob flashed his angry, silver eyes in Sam's direction. "Last time I checked, you weren't my father."

"I might as well be," Sam snapped back. "You get away with far too much because Uncle Billy is too proud of you."

"So what if he is?" Jacob retorted. "You said it yourself. I'm the Mai-coh Mudjekee'wis, remember?"

"And yet, you couldn't care less about the duties of the chosen one. You're out having fun with a pack of stray dogs and a human girl."

Tommy frowned. "So what if he is?" he said, getting defensive of his friend. "What's wrong with a little fun?"

"It's useless," said Sam with a sniff. "He needs to be focusing on his responsibilities."

"Look, I never asked to be this, ok?!" Jacob practically shouted. "I never wanted to be the Mai-cho in the first place! So quite harping on me about what I have to do, because I don't want to!"

"Just because you're a wining teenager doesn't mean you have the power to choose your own fate!" Sam roared back. "You need to learn some respect!"

In a fit of rage, Jacob slammed his fist on the table and shot up. "Blow it out your ass, Sam!"

Sam also bolted to his feet. "Respect your elders!"

"Oh fuck off!" Jacob spat. "You're not even that old! You're twenty two!"

"Both of you, stop it!" Emily shot up, yanking on Sam's arm. "This is pointless! Sam, stop harping on Jacob about this, and Jacob, stop getting so upset!"

"Stay out of this, Emily!" Jacob barked.

"Don't talk to her like that!" Sam retorted. "She's just trying to keep the peace, you stupid little brat!"

Storming over, Jacob fearlessly glared at Sam. Despite his freakish height at his age, he was practically dwarfed by his huge cousin, who growled in a low, baritone frequency. "You wanna take this outside?"

"Thought you'd never ask." Turning on his heel, Sam stormed outside, Jacob following. Quickly, Bella rushed over and grabbed his arm.

"Jacob, what are you doing?!" she said frantically. "He's ten times bigger then you! Just let it go!"

"This doesn't concern you, Bella!" Jacob snapped, wrenching his arm from her grasp. He walked out to the back yard, where Sam was already starting to take off his clothes. Jacob started doing the same as Bella continued to try and stop him. But the stubborn male refused to listen to reason. Finally, Quil had to grab her arm and pull her away.

"You'll get hurt if you're in between them. They do this all the time."

With a fearful eye, she turned back to the now naked boys as they circled each other. Almost in unison, they began to change. While Jacob transformed into his sleek, white wolf that Bella had seen once before, Sam became a large, black bear, his eyes a pure, glowing white. With a roar and a howl, the two shifters launched at one another, Jacob going straight for Sam's throat. They tangled themselves against one another for a little bit before Jacob was able to leap off and go at him again. Bella nearly screamed with each new attack. She knew that they were just getting out their anger, but half the time, she felt as though they were really about to kill each other. Quil and Embry kept her at bay, however, while Emily just stood off to the side, pissed beyond belief. She had a feeling that Sam would be sleeping on the couch after tonight.

They slashed, they roared, they practically danced together in a song filled with claws and teeth. Bella could see strips of blood falling from their mouths and claws, trailing through their fur. Just when it looked as though Jacob was pinned for good by Sam, a gunshot rang through the air. Everyone turned to see Billy, a double rifle in his hands. Slowly, he wheeled himself down the patio and into the back yard. Both Jacob and Sam looked over, panting through their fangs. Billy's wrinkly face had a look as hard as stone engraved onto it. He stared at the boys, his noble brow furrowed in disappointment.

"That is enough." He did not shout, he didn't even raise his voice. He didn't need to. He rolled forward as the two fighting shifters remained still. Billy, though confined to a wheel chair, had always been a figure of profound wisdom and power. At least to Bella. And this scene was no different. He rested his double barrel in his lap, a sigh coming through his nose. "Go on then. Change back and get your clothes on."

Reluctantly, the boys returned to human form and pulled their clothes over their bodies. They both had a nasty set of fresh scratches now, ones that would take a while to heal. Billy clicked his tongue. "There will be no more fighting, understood? Sam, Jacob will accept his title on his own terms. And Jacob..." He gave his son an angry glare. "I expect more from you." Jacob lowered his eyes in shame, scratching at his neck a bit. "Now come inside. We have enough to worry about with hunters on the loose. The last thing we need is fighting amongst ourselves." Embry quickly came to Billy's side, helping him up the ramp and into the house. Glancing at Emily and Quil, Bella followed.

She hoped the tension would loosen between the two, though she knew what an empty hope that really was.

Ok! Here's your homework for this chapter: Predict what animals Quil and Embry change into. Those who get it right will get shout outs in the next chapter.

~T.