FINALLY!

Thanks for being patient with me. This one's gonna be a kinda rollercoaster. Good luck!

This is rated T for language and minor adult content.

I don't own anything Twilight. SM owns it all, I'm just messing around! I hope you enjoy it.

Troy wrapped me in his arms as we lay beneath the puckerberry bushes in exhaustion. After traveling through Loess playing with the local wild wolves and opening my mind to my mate so he could see how his father irked me, we fell naked where we shifted. He kissed the crown of my head and whispered his love for me. Understandably, Troy was not pleased with the way his father seemed to pop up everywhere I had been the day before. He thought that maybe the Chief was checking up on the paleface to see if he could find some ammunition to use against me during the tribal meeting. Not that I am normally a rude person, but thankfully my day had been smooth running and friendly, despite the lurking Tribal Elder. Troy smoothed his hands down my arms and back up before tightening his embrace. I sighed contently.

"When will you be moving to the reservation?" I asked timidly. Dread curled a tight coil in my stomach. I knew, rationally, that I had nothing to fear but my feelings aren't always rational. I am a woman, you know. I had tried to peek the answer from his inner mind on our run but he kept a tight lid on those thoughts. That move, of course, had me thinking the worst.

Kissing my hair again Troy sat up, bringing me with him and I settled my back against his chest. His forearms covered my chest as he held me tightly, letting me feel his heartbeat against my back. He was quiet for a long time, simply holding me close and tracing random patterns on my skin. I had a feeling he was trying to distract me but I would not fall for it.

Well, I would try not to.

His soft ministrations had my skin flaming sensually. Firm, warm lips pressed against the side of my neck and trailed up and down its length. I squirmed, feeling very warm and ready to search out my bedroom when Troy chuckled. The sound brought me back to reality and I huffed in aggravation.

"Easy, vixen." He warned me with laughter in his deep tone. "I'll answer your question if you'll answer one of mine first."

I tried to sit up and away from him but he held firm, pulling me back into his chest and kissing my head again. "What question?" I asked, wary of what he would want from me. He knew I couldn't live on the reservation until after my trial and that was a big if they ruled in my favor.

"This is an important question, Bella."

"So then shouldn't I be allowed to look at you when you ask?" I questioned petulantly. Troy chuckled again and the vibration of that noise ran through my body as warm as his ministrations did. I squirmed again in his lap.

Quietly, Troy stated, "I'd rather ask you like this in case your answer is no."

I stilled and ran through the questions he could ask me that would have him acting so uncharacteristically nervous. He could be asking me to marry him but I dismissed that one immediately. I don't think he would do that while we were naked on the forest floor underneath puckerberry bushes. He could ask me to move in with him and Grams or he could be asking me to move in with Grams and watch over her while he lives on the reservation. Somehow, none of these seemed like something Troy would ask me. I supposed I could just shut my inner monologue up and listen to my mate. I tilted my head slightly, simultaneously baring my neck and turning my ear toward him so he would know he had my attention.

Clearing his throat, he swallowed roughly. "Bella…" He had to clear his throat again. "Will you allow me to live here with you until the Tribal Council allows you access to live on our reservation?"

He wants to live with me in my little stone cottage? What about Grams? I didn't miss the stress of the word when. It seemed that he was confident that I would be accepted onto his land. Of course I would love to have him here. The twirling bounce my heart was doing in my chest should've been proof enough of that.

Really? I couldn't believe it. My eyes stared, dazed and unseeing, straight ahead of me as my mind worked out how to tell him what I wanted. After several minutes of silence and an awkward shift from Troy beneath me, I decided.

The 'oomph!' Troy made as I lithely twisted and flipped onto my stomach, shoving him onto his back on the bracken, made me smile wider than I already was. I knew my face was glowing and his answering smile almost took my breath away. I smashed my lips to his while strong hands traveled the length of my body. We laid together quickly and roughly under the privacy of the bushes while I let my body give the answer my mouth was too busy to say.

After a quick dinner of toasted cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, we laid in bed under the Nidawi and Pahoja carving on my headboard. My head rested on Troy's strong bronze chest while my fingers played with the coarse hair on his abdomen. His light snores filtered through the small bedroom and I was so relaxed knowing that this would be our way for the next two months. He explained that Grams had been seeing the local doctor down the road from her thrift shop and had literally kicked Troy out on his ass. She wished him well and told him to go get his foxy lady. I grinned like a loon, picturing her yelling at Troy playfully. I drifted off to sleep wrapped in my mate's arms, ready to tackle anything work would throw at me in the morning.

Troy had moved into my cottage - now our cottage - six weeks ago and it had been practically complete bliss. We had our quirks and faults to get used to but it seemed to be going very well until recently. My meeting in Omaha was coming up and though Troy was helping me with the paperwork and organization, he was rather distant. Work for him kept him fairly busy and he checked on Grams every two days. We had to cut that back when both Troy and myself had walked in on Grams and the Little Sioux Family Practitioner. I had to stop Troy from pouring bleach in his face, poor guy. Abi and Bray were busy parents of freshly newborn triplets and we tried to help as much as possible but they were adamant to do it all themselves on Tribal land. I felt slightly snubbed, but let it go easily enough because Troy was worrying me. At first, I thought maybe he was upset we weren't pregnant or I had done something wrong around the house. However, as time wore on I realized I was over thinking things. I let him have his space and though I was very worried, I didn't bother him with my concerns. I actually wondered if he was having second thoughts about living with me on the reservation.

He's my soulmate, why am I questioning this so much?

I sunk deeper into the warm bathwater that I was soaking in. Troy was over at Gram's house now, doing some landscaping and whatnot and I was stressing myself out. Being Nidawi sounded really good right about now but that would have to wait. The pork tenderloin in the crockpot would not be ignored. The savory scent of our dinner tonight lingered under my nose even over the lavender and chamomile scent of my bath beads. My long dark hair was pulled high on my head to keep out of the water and I washed myself slowly, enjoying this special stress reliever. I could use another reliever but that was not in the question anymore apparently. At least not for a couple of weeks. I really wished that my mate would confide in me. The timer for the white rice went off so I reluctantly pulled the plug and got up from the bathtub, rubbing myself semi-dry and quickly dressing. The light blue fabric of my tee shirt clung to my damp skin and the biker shorts were difficult to pull up. I bounced on one leg, yanking the shorts in place, to the kitchen. My hair loosened some and flopped in a silly messy side bun but I ignored it.

I plated the rice, fresh lettuce salad, and pork tenderloin on the table for myself as Troy wasn't home yet. We would need to communicate properly about whatever was bothering him before I went insane. As much as I tried to keep my broad shoulders for all of this stress, I could feel the weight pushing on me. I ate dinner in silence, alone, bouncing my leg nervously under the countertop. My phone lay on the other side of the counter and though the screen was black, there were no lights blinking so I knew I had no missed anythings. It depressed me further, making the tenderloin sit like a rock in my stomach. I pushed my plate away, half eaten and cleaned up the mess from dinner, eager to get my mind on something else. It didn't take me long at all to empty the pot and crockpot into Tupperware dishes and stack them in the fridge, wipe down the counters, and wash the dishes. I even went so far as to hand dry them and put them rightfully away.

I leaned my hip against the corner of my kitchen counter and stared unseeing out into my small house. I kept it pretty immaculate, but Troy's shirt hung on the back of the couch that was still pushed against the bay window from Dad and Billy's visit. Big black steel toe boots sat by the front door and a crumpled newspaper laid on the small end table by the couch. All reminders that Troy lived here but didn't stick around much these days. A hot tear slipped down my cheek unchecked as I wondered if my mate was 'stepping out' on me. Now that Abetzi wasn't pregnant anymore, would she and Troy resume their previous love shacking? Was there someone new? So far as I knew, all shifters had only one mate. My heart thumped in my chest as my breath hitched. Another tear traveled the same path as the first, landing on my shirt and adding to the dampness of my skin.

There was a knock on the front door and I found that odd. No one that I knew, knocked. Glancing down at my evening attire - braless tee and biker shorts - I scampered to my bedroom to snatch my robe off of the back of the bathroom door. Sniffing the air as I neared the front of the house, I recognized my mom's scent and smiled widely as I opened the door. Her light mahogany hair was pulled into a ponytail, her eyes showing that she was freshly fed. The green oversized hoodie and faded distressed jeans were a far cry from the crap the Fae Fashionista usually allowed her to wear. I was instantly in her arms almost to the point of pain but I welcomed the embrace.

My emotions came bubbling up and I choked, "Oh, Mom!"

She shushed me as she stroked my back up and down, kissing my temple. Her cool skin was a welcome distraction as my emotions were making me feel hot. My phone chimed on the counter but I ignored it, content to harbor my mom's hug as long as she let me. We stood in the doorway for long minutes before she lifted me like a baby and carried me to the couch. She adjusted me in her lap and I laid my head on her shoulder. Renee didn't ask questions and I wondered if Alice had sent her, knowing I needed some sort of comfort. My phone chimed again and this time I made to get up for it. Mom clucked her tongue at me and held me to her.

"Not right now, sweetheart. Just relax." She whispered.

I hoped the messages were from Troy, letting me know he was safe or on his way home. It wasn't very late out but he usually let me know when he was coming. I would need to get my emotions in order before he showed up. No matter what he was going through, he would let me know in time and I had to be strong no matter what. I sniffled and swiped at my nose, though there was nothing there. My tears had dried on my cheeks and I wasn't usually a snotty crier. I scooted off my mom's lap and sat beside her on the couch, grasping her hand like the lifeline she was for me.

"Thank you." I said softly to avoid my voice from cracking.

Mom squeezed my fingers. "Don't apologize. I don't know what is wrong and you don't have to tell me but Alice said you needed me so I came. She tried to tell me why, but I wouldn't listen. It's your story to tell, baby girl."

I smiled at my mother and leaned over to kiss her cheek. With my emotions firmly in check again, I smoothed my hands down my thighs and cleared my throat. "I don't think it's anything really, but I am feeling paranoid."

Mom waited patiently as I gathered my thoughts. Besides, why should she be impatient? We had forever, after all. I felt tears gather in my eyes again but blinked rapidly to keep them restrained. Looking back into my mom's beautiful gold eyes, I whispered what I hadn't spoken aloud yet.

"I think Troy might be cheating on me."

A low, steady growl vibrated my mother's chest and I watched her eyes bleed black. I was not afraid of my mother but I was now afraid for Troy. Oh how could I be so stupid? Renee is still a newborn vampire. I opened my mouth to rectify my words when her eyes broke away from mine, darting to the door. I tightened my grip on her hand and chanced a look behind me.

Troy stood, angrier than I have ever seen him, in the doorway of our little stone cottage. His fists clenched tight as his eyes narrowed, flicking between mine and my mother's.