"There's no use yelling at them to open the door." a voice said.

Layla yelled in surprise, moving back. "Embry?" she asked.

"I've been down here for nearly half an hour. Leah told me that Sue needed my help getting boxes because Seth refused to get up." Embry said. "Where are you going all dressed up?"

"Leah told me Sue and Seth wanted to see me before I left. Edward and I were signed up for a charity dance competition." Layla said. "Are there any windows?"

"No. I checked. I also tried ramming the door down." Embry said.

"Good Lord. Are you hurt?" Layla asked.

"I'm fine." Embry said.

"Alrighty." Layla said, looking around. She found a plastic lawn chair and wiped it off before sitting down, slipping her shoes off. "Why are we locked down here?"

"Not a clue." Embry said.

"Dandy. Just dandy." Layla muttered. "How's your girlfriend?"

"She's okay." Embry said.

Layla nodded and sat back in the chair, pulling something out of her bra and popping it into her mouth.

"What are you doing?" Embry asked, staring at her.

"I may or may not have put grapes in my bra." Layla said, pulling another one out and eating it. "You can't bring food on the dance floor, but they never said you couldn't specifically put grapes in your bra and then eat them secretly."

Embry burst out laughing. "Can I have some? I haven't eaten in a while." he asked.

"Sure." Layla said, pulling a few out and handing them to him. "Sorry, they're warm."

Embry ate each grape slowly, savoring their taste. Nothing had ever tasted so good, and he didn't know if it was because he was really hungry, or if it was because they'd been next to Layla's skin.

"Do you have anymore?" Embry asked.

Layla stood up and walked over to Embry, pulling the top of her dress down slightly, grapes falling out of it. "I have a lot." she said.

"You're not going to eat anymore?" Embry asked.

"I'm good." Layla said. "I'm just tired."

"There's a chaise in here, somewhere." Embry said, standing up.

Layla stood up as well and started looking around, finding box after box of clothes. Embry went to the back and pulled out an old, half broken lounge chair, and unfolding it, laying it out. Layla opened a box of old clothes and started wiping off the chair, trying to get all the dust and cobwebs off.

"If I give you the rest of your grapes, will you give me your shirt? I can't sleep in this dress." Layla said. "I have a feeling they're not going to let us out for a while."

"Deal." Embry said, pulling his shirt off.

Layla pulled the rest of the grapes out of her bra and handed them to Embry who gave her his shirt. Layla went around behind a wall of boxes and slid her dress off, pulling his shirt over her. She laid her dress on the plastic chair and walked back over to the chaise and laid down. She tossed and turned for several minutes, unable to find a comfortable position. She tried pulling her legs up into the shirt, trying to keep warm in the cold, damp basement. Embry walked over a few seconds later, having found and old quilt and spread it over Layla. Layla looked up at him, wanting so badly for Embry to join her so she could at least get warm. As if Embry could read her mind, he knelt down and picked Layla and the quilt up, laying down and laying her on his chest, wrapping the blanket around the both of them.

"Your teeth were chattering." Embry said.

Layla didn't care at the moment what his reasoning was. Everything felt right as she laid on him, her ear against his chest, listening to the steady thump-thump-thump of his heart. 'What did my fingers do before they held him? What did my heart do, with its love?' Layla thought, the words of Sylvia Plath repeating over and over in her mind.

"Have you ever read anything by Sylvia Plath?" Layla asked, turning her head to look up at Embry.

"Not really, no." Embry said. "Why?"

"I just wondered. I collect quotes and poems like others collect rocks and stamps and shot glasses." Layla said.

"Can...will you tell me some?" Embry asked.

Layla laid her head back on his chest, closing her eyes. "Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.". That's from Wuthering Heights. "And then, sometimes when you win, you lose. Other times, when you lose, you win."

"What was that one from?" Embry asked.

"A movie. What Dreams May Come. You can borrow the dvd if you want." Layla said, nodding off. "What did my fingers do before they held him? What did my heart do, with its love?" she whispered.

Embry pulled Layla closer, burying his face in her neck, feeling such a sense of contentment deep within his chest. Layla's cheek was pressed against his chest, her breath steady against his skin as she fell easily, happily to sleep. Embry's wolf, he could feel, was finally calm and silent. His mind wasn't filled with swirling words and thoughts and phrases, none of them happy, none of them good, all attacking and never resting. Embry took advantage of the silence, not wanting to sleep, but stay awake and cherish the serenity.

An hour passed, then two. Layla was sound asleep and Embry was still awake when the basement door cracked open, Leah walking through, shutting the door behind her. She walked down the steps and saw Layla's dress and shoes laying across an old plastic chair and she grinned. 'Finally, my girl got some.' Leah thought. She went around several piles of boxes and saw Embry laying in one of their own lounge chairs with Layla sprawled out on top of him, wearing his shirt.

Embry looked up at Leah, seeing the look of excitement on your face.

'Did you two get it on?' Leah asked, mouthing the words silently.

'No. I have a girlfriend.' Embry said, hating those words.

"What?" Leah asked aloud.

"What huh?" Layla said, eyes opening and looking around. "What?"

"You and him didn't have sex?" Leah asked bluntly.

"No? Were we supposed to?" Layla asked, still half asleep.

Embry sat up, sliding Layla off of him gently and standing up.

"I've told you and Jake both. I've got a girlfriend, and I'm not going to cheat on her, no matter what you all think of her." Embry said, heading for the door.

"Jake! Lock the door!" Leah called out.

"You locked me down here because you thought he'd be desperate enough to sleep with me?" Layla asked, looking hurt.

"He likes you! We all know it! He's just being stupid." Leah said.

"I'm. With. Audrey. I don't want to fuck Layla and we're not going out no matter how many times you try to push us together. Why can't you get that through your thick skull, Leah?" Embry growled.

Layla's chest tightened as she heard those words coming from Embry's mouth. She stood quietly and walked to the chair, grabbing her dress and slipping it back on, laying Embry's shirt in the chair. She held her shoes and quietly walked up the stairs, knocking softly on the door.

"Please, Jake? Let me just...I just want to go home." Layla whispered.

A few seconds later, Jake opened the door and saw the most heartbroken look on Layla's face. He let her out of the basement.

"Why would you do that to me?" Layla asked.

Before he could reply, Layla walked out of the house, heading back to her father's house, Embry's words still ringing loudly in her head. She rubbed her chest, it still feeling tight and uncomfortable. She walked into the house, seeing her father in the kitchen.

"Hey, princess. How was the competition?" Eric asked.

"Didn't go. I'm...I'm just going to go to my room. If anyone stops by, will you tell them I'm just...just really tired?" Layla asked.

"What's wrong?" Eric asked.

"Can I tell you about it later?" Layla asked, her voice breaking. "I just really want to go lay down." she whispered.

"Whoever it is, I'll kick their ass." Eric said. "Go lay down, princess."

Layla nodded and walked to her bedroom, shutting her door. She put her shoes up and took her dress off and hung it up. She slipped her bra and panties off and walked to her dresser, pulling out a pair of leggings and a long sleeved shirt and put them on before going over to her bed and crawling in. She grabbed her phone and saw she had 47 missed calls from Rosalie, Alice, and Edward. She sent Rosalie a short text, telling her something came up and that she was fine, but she didn't feel like dancing.

She opened the browser on her phone, pulling up flight schedules from here to New York, looking at flight schedules.

Leah argued with Embry to the point that Jake had to be a physical barrier between them so Leah wouldn't beat the shit out of him.

"You're being so unbelievably stupid, you jackass!" Leah shouted, trying to push past Jake.

"Takes one to know one." Embry replied, crossing him arms. The demons were back and louder than ever and it made him very, very pissy.

"I will shove my foot so far up your ass-" Leah started.

"I'm not you, I don't get things shoved up my ass." Embry said.

At that, Jake turned around and landed a very solid punch to Embry's nose, breaking it. He doubled over, covering his face.

"Say one more word to her or even about her, I fucking dare you." Jake growled out, itching to phase.

Sam stomped down the stairs after Seth had found him, telling him about the arguing going on. He walked around the boxes, seeing Embry on his knees on the ground, cradling his nose. He looked up and saw Jake breathing hard, Leah's hand on his shoulder.

"What in the hell is going on here? I cannot leave anyone alone for a minute lately!" Sam said, glaring.

"We were trying to show that idiot how perfect he and Layla were together and he just didn't even get it!" Leah said. "Then he starts shooting his mouth off."

"Because I picked my girlfriend over Layla?" Embry grumbled.

"She's a whore." Leah muttered.

"Do I have to repeat what I said earlier?" Embry asked, standing up.

Leah's eyes went wide and she inhaled sharply. "You're calling me a whore now? That's the pot calling the kettle black, Call." she said.

Sam rushed in time to grab Jake by the arms and pull back hard, trying to keep him from pummeling and killing Embry.

"Jake! Forest!" Sam ordered. "Embry, you follow me! You all are killing me."

Leah pulled Jake to the forest where he immediately phased. Leah phased as well, walking up to him and rubbing her face against his neck. Sam walked slowly to let Jake calm down before he and Embry went into the forest.

"Phase. Now." Sam ordered.

Sam waited for Embry to phase, but he didn't. "Are you defying me?!" he growled.

"I'm trying!" Embry yelled. "But I fucking can't! I can't phase!" his voice got higher, sounding panicked. "I can't phase!"

"Fuck." Sam whispered.

...

...

...

Author's Note: Line up, we're all going to smack the sheet out of Embry, okay? Okay. What a buttface. He will get better, though, I promise. Just hold tight. It'll be that much better.