DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The legends of the Quileute belong to them. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Thanks to Mrstrentreznor and feebes86 for betaing and pre-reading this story.

A/N: There seems to be some confusion regarding Billy Black. As per the Black family tree in the Twilight Official Illustrated Guide, Ephraim's son was named William, and his son also William (aka Billy). In this fic I have always referred to William Sr. as Bill not Billy. For the record, between writing the original story and publishing the Guide, SM created an extra generation of wolves.

1969

BPOV

I first noticed him as a little boy, no more than about two or three, being driven onto the Rez by his folks in a big shiny car, a Ford I thought it was.

His parents were old, they must have been nearly Grandpa Ephraim's age, but unlike Grandpa Ephraim they looked their age. And they were hokwát. That was the strange part, why would they be here?

And then I saw their car pull up outside Uncle Quil and Aunty Molly's house. Aunty Molly was a hokwát too, but we didn't talk about it. I tried to ask Daddy about it once but Grandpa was there and he said I shouldn't talk about it; that Molly was my Aunty and she belonged on the Rez.

And then he gave me the look; only Grandpa has it, and when he looks at you like that you do as he asks. Even Daddy won't argue with him when he's like that.

I wanted to go and see who those people were, so I asked Mommy if I could go to Quil's house. She said I could, but that she'd like to go and see Aunty Molly too. So she took me by the hand and we walked to her house.

Quil was there with the little kid I'd seen. He was the fourth Quil of the family and why they kept using the same name every time seemed really silly to me. Besides, Quil was a stupid name, not like William or Ephraim. I kinda wished that I'd been named after Grandpa instead of Daddy but Daddy said there could only ever be one Ephraim Black.

Anyway, because there were so many Quils around, my friend Harry Clearwater and I decided to call him Four. Billy, Harry and Four, the best group of friends on the Rez. There were some Uley boys too, but I didn't like them much; they were wild.

I went over to Four and asked him who the little kid was. Four said "His name is Charlie Swan. His Dad and Aunty Molly are related; I think they're cousins or something. I heard Mom say that they come out here because Charlie is an only child and they want someone for him to play with."

I snorted. "What is he, three? We're six, why would we want to play with him?"

Four just said that his Mom had asked him to play with Charlie and that he would get some special treats if he did. So he did as she asked and because he was my friend, I did too. That was all there was to start with; something I did to help Four and keep the grown-ups happy.

Maybe that's all it ever would have been but one day when I was on the beach I saw Charlie there and he needed my help.

Some kids were picking on him; calling him names because he was white, pushing and shoving him. I ran over to him and looked around to see who the bullies were who were teasing him. No surprise really, it was Josh Uley and his friends. He was a nasty boy and I didn't like to be around him, although it was hard to stay away since he was from a wolf family.

Not THE wolf family though. I didn't really want to get caught up in this, but I was the grandson of the Alpha. I could almost hear his voice in my head, telling me that I was a Black and I should look after the weak. That if I wanted to be a protector when I grew up now was a good time to start.

So I did what I had to do; I stepped in. "Get lost, Uley; leave the boy alone."

"What if I don't wanna? He's a paleface."

"He's a Swan. He's related to Aunty Molly. Do you want to have Uncle Quil on your back? And if Uncle Quil doesn't sort you out I'll tell Grandpa."

Josh got all huffy. He said "You wouldn't! I was just having some fun here."

"I don't think Charlie is having any fun. Leave him alone and pick on someone your own size."

He could have fought with me I guess but he just shrugged his shoulders and then turned away and ran off. I supposed that even if he wasn't going to do something on my say so he knew enough not to annoy Grandpa Ephraim. Nobody on the Rez was that stupid.

I went over to Charlie and asked him if he was alright. He stood up and brushed himself off. "Thanks. I think I'm okay now. I've seen you at Aunty Molly's; you're Billy Black aren't you?"

I just quietly nodded to him. "Yes, my Dad is Bill Black. And Quil is my Uncle who is married to Aunty Molly. Are you going to be coming to the Rez a lot?"

"Yeah I think so. Mommy and Daddy want me to have someone to play with and they know Aunty Molly. We don't really know anyone in Forks and I don't have any brothers or sisters."

"Well you can play with me then next time you come here. But I think now you need to go back to Aunty Molly's house; don't worry, I'll take you."

That was three years ago; since then we'd become buddies. Charlie was a gangly kid with dark curly hair, and pale. I was a bit more solid, and not much taller, seeing as how he was younger than me. Together with Harry and Four we ran riot on the Rez, playing down on the beach and fishing when the weather was fine.

Today we were all at my house, playing cards and chatting quietly. The weather was fine, but it was cold, and so we stayed inside. I'd seen some strange kids in Forks on my last trip there and I thought I'd ask Charlie about them.

"Hey Charlie?"

He looked up at me. "Yeah Billy?"

"I was wondering do you know anything about those weird kids I've seen around Forks?"

Maybe he hadn't noticed them, but it was worth a try.

"What weird kids? I don't see many kids and those that I do see just look like us. Well, not like you Billy but you're brown. All I ever see in Forks are other pale kids like me."

"Are there any that are really pale? Like ghostly pale?"

"Oh you mean like the Cullen girl and some others around town. Haven't seen much of them, they keep to themselves. And if you ask me, they're weird; I don't wanna have anything to do with them."

"Do they go to school?"

"Nope, they get home-schooled by the Cullens. Why do you want to know anyway?"

"Just curious. I saw one last time I was there and he made me feel really strange; like I was scared, but I knew I wasn't scared because I'd been fine until he saw me."

Charlie shivered. "You're creeping me out Billy; can we talk about something else? I could show you my baseball cards."

Just then Harry and Four looked up from their game of snap. Harry looked bugged. "Yeah Billy, who cares about palefaces anyway? Sorry Charlie, we don't mean you; you're part of the Rez now."

EphPOV

Amelia and I were going to Bill's house for dinner. He and Judy had five children now; Nora, Billy, the twins Jennie and Connie, and the baby Emmie. I loved my grandchildren dearly, but sometimes it was hard to see the girls all there, especially the twins, and not be reminded of the babies I'd lost, as well as their mother.

And time was marching on; with every day that passed I was reminded that one day I'd lose Amelia as well. We were both in our fifties now; I was fifty-five and she was a year or two older. She was ageing and I wasn't which was causing her to doubt herself and sometimes fall into despair.

It didn't matter how often I told her that she was my wife, that I'd chosen her and wanted no other woman. Every night she went to bed with a man who looked young enough to be her son, and every morning she woke up with a man who looked exactly the same. And she did so knowing that she did not wake up the same; as slow as it was, she was growing older in years and looks.

Tonight I found her in front of the mirror, checking herself minutely looking for wrinkles and grey hairs. It wasn't the first time she'd done that and it wouldn't be the last. I walked silently up behind her and even though she could have seen me approach, so focused was she on her self-scrutiny that she had no idea I was there until I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed.

She jumped; or tried to. My grip was too strong for her to go far. I nuzzled her neck, my long black hair falling in front of my face. "What have I said to you about that my love? You spend far too much time in front of that mirror."

"I know" Amelia groaned. "But I can't help it. I'm a grandmother, and I look like one, and here I am married to the handsomest man on the Rez. I worry that one day you'll leave me for a younger woman."

Damn Carlisle Cullen to the furthest depths of hell. If it wasn't for him Bill would be Alpha and I'd be ageing right along with her. Not that such insults had any effect on him; I knew him well enough to know that he believed he was damned from the moment he was bitten. But that my wife had to suffer one moment of doubt of my enduring love for her was an outrage, and I could do nothing about it.

All that I could do was to be there day in and day out, and tell her every day that I loved her. Most of the time it was enough, but on days like today it was hard for her. And as much as I liked young Charlie Swan, the presence of his family on the Rez was a complication, because they weren't party to the secret and the disparity between Amelia's appearance and mine was noticeable.

I gritted my teeth. "Amelia. How long have we been married now? A quarter of a century at least. Have I ever, in that time, given you any reason to believe that I wanted to leave you?"

She turned around to face me, craning her neck to meet my gaze. "No, you haven't, and I love you for it. But in ten years time you'll still look the same and I'll be an old woman."

"Have you forgotten I'm almost the same age as you? I may look twenty-five, but I'm not that age. We belong together, and I don't give a damn who thinks otherwise. Nobody on the Rez would ever question our relationship and nobody outside of the Rez has a right to know about it."

"That's fine in theory Ephraim but you know as well as I do that if I walked with you anywhere in Forks or Port Angeles the people who saw us would think you were my son."

Sadly, she was right about that. Not that I cared for my own part, but for hers I felt the insult to her that those assumptions implied. "I'm happy to acknowledge you as my wife wherever we go, but if you're uncomfortable with that feel free to call me Bill when we're out. We get mistaken for each other all the time by the hokwáts. After all don't all Indians look the same?"

Amelia laughed. It was a small, weak laugh, but it was better than nothing. She buried her head in my chest and inhaled. Somehow my scent seemed to soothe her, and strengthen her resolve.

Which brought me to the issue today. We were going to be at Bill's house and Charlie would be there as well as other Rez families. Amelia lived in fear that he would say something in front of everyone; I thought he was still too young to really notice, but it was an issue that needed to be addressed if we were going to allow outsiders onto the Rez. Otherwise my wife would never venture from her home, and that possibility was unacceptable to me.

I decided to have a quiet word to Quil and Molly soon; to see what had been said already to the Swans and to work something out for the future. In the meantime, we had a visit to make.

"Are you ready to leave now my love? We shouldn't be late; I don't want Bill and Judy to be put to any bother."

"Yes Ephraim, I'm ready. As ready as I'll ever be."

I opened the door, waited for her to go outside, followed her and closed it behind us, taking her arm in mine. Amelia tilted her head to the side and rested it on my shoulder, and together we walked to Bill's house, chatting as we went.

BPOV

I heard a knock on the door, and then Grandpa walked in with Grandma Amelia. She wasn't my real Grandma, but my real Grandma had died a very long time ago, when Daddy was only little. The funny thing was, although Grandma Amelia was the same age as Grandpa or maybe a bit older or younger, because he was a wolf he was starting to look a lot younger than her.

That was something I wasn't allowed to talk about. There were lots of things we weren't allowed to talk about. There was also the fact that Grandpa and Daddy looked like brothers. We weren't like the other families in town, and not even all of the families on the Rez were like that.

I wondered if Charlie would notice; I was sure that he would one day when he was older. Harry, Four and I knew things about the Rez that Charlie didn't, and sometimes it was tough to keep it secret like we had to. Mainly because it was so cool.

It's not easy to get used to the idea that your Daddy and Grandpa are wolves. I've seen them in their wolf forms; Grandpa is HUGE and russet brown. I hope I can be a wolf someday. And when I do, it'll be hard to keep that a secret from Charlie; but I'll have to.

I ran to Grandpa. "Grandpa! Grandma Amelia!"

Yeah, I knew it wasn't cool to be like that with your Grandpa but Harry Charlie and Four didn't care, they thought he was awesome.

He scooped me up and sat down; asking me about my day. The others crowded around and while Mommy and Grandma Amelia did the cooking, he told us stories. He said that they were legends, and fairy tales; but they were children's versions of the stories that we told at the bonfires, and I knew they were true. Charlie didn't know that though; while he sat at Grandpa's feet and listened, taking in every word he said, I laughed and rolled my eyes.

Later, after dinner, and after Charlie had been collected by his Mom and Dad and gone home, Grandpa came to my room as I was getting into bed. He tucked me in and then sat down on a chair next to it.

He looked very serious, and I was afraid of what he might say to me. "Billy, I need to speak to you about what happened earlier. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

I knew exactly what he was talking about. I looked down; I didn't want to see the look in his eyes. I hated it when he was upset with me. "Do you mean when you were telling your stories and I laughed and rolled my eyes?"

"Yes Billy, I mean precisely that. I know that Charlie is going to be here a lot, but he is not one of us; as much as we would like him to be. So he can never know our secret, and that means if I tell him some stories like I might at a bonfire, you must never do anything to make him think that they're true. And you must also not make him feel silly for enjoying them just as stories, which is all they are to him. I was watching him, and he seemed confused as to why you were acting the way you did."

"I'm sorry Grandpa, I guess I can't help that I think you and Daddy being wolves is so cool. I wish I could tell him and show him what you look like as a wolf."

Grandpa sighed. I was only a kid but sometimes, like now, he seemed to me to be sad, like he had too many things to worry about.

"There's nothing cool about being a wolf, Billy. If you ask your Dad he'll say the same thing. It's painful, and strange, and a big responsibility. If you become one, and I hope you don't, no thought you have while phased will ever be your own again."

I stretched my arms out to try to reach him. He got off his chair and kneeled down on the floor of my room. Even then he towered over me; he was so huge he filled every room he walked into.

"Hug me grandpa? I know how hard you and Daddy work to protect the Rez, and I won't be silly about it again. I don't want you to be mad at me."

Grandpa leaned over and pulled me over to him and wrapped me up in a great big hug. I could hardly breathe, there was so much of him and so little of me. And his long hair tickled my neck. He kissed the top of my head and then set me back down again.

He stood up then and went over to the light switch. But before he turned it off he said "Goodnight Billy. I love you, and so does Grandma Amelia, so sleep well, and we'll see you tomorrow."

And then the light went out, and I rolled over and went to sleep, dreaming about wolves. An enormous russet one, a smaller and paler red-brown one with russet tips and another one. It was smaller again, the same color as the second one, but with russet spots. In my dream, I was that wolf; running free in the forest with my Dad and Grandpa. I didn't care what Grandpa said, I knew I'd be a wolf one day.

A/N: Every so often in writing this, I have an idea for an outtake. If anyone would like to see an outtake of something in the story; maybe a bit that was not explored in detail, something that was left out or an alternate POV, please feel free to message me. PM me on here, or send a direct message on other sites. I am also on twitter as bmitw1. Any that I may write will only be posted before the story is complete if they don't give away the ending. :)