29. Best friends share… everything.

Disclaimer: the characters and all recognisable situations belong to Stephenie Meyer - this is a work of fan fiction, except for the legends and histories of the Quileute that, of course, belong to them. I pay my respects to their gods.

Thanks to BanSidhe [ruadh sidhe] and Feebes86 for betaing and pre-reading.


The rest of their dinner passed in a weighty silence. Bella didn't know what to say to him and Charlie seemed to be sulking. She washed up silently and left him to his game. She had school tomorrow, she packed her bag and looked at her diary.

Her phone rang where she had it thrown on the bed. It was Quil.

"You okay?"

"Yes."

"You told him?"

"Yes."

"You sure you're okay?"

"I… don't know how to describe it, Quil. He was so disappointed."

"Did he shout at you?"

"Oddly, no and that was almost worse." She fiddled with the quilt with her fingers. "He mentioned racism. Are there people who won't like you dating a white girl…? I think he called it a hokwat… I think… it was something like that."

She could hear Quil sigh through the phone. "Some," he admitted.

"Oh. Like whom?"

"Like Embry's mother," he admitted.

"That sounds about right. I am really sure that I do not want to meet her."

"Yeah. I know what you mean."

"Speaking of mothers… yours is a gem."

"Yeah she is. Why?"

"Charlie recognised her meatloaf."

Quil laughed.

"No seriously, Quil. It helped. You have to thank her again for me."

"I'll tell her." He paused. "She likes you."

"I'm glad. That will make some things easier."

There was a silence while they both listened to each other breathe.

"I miss you already," Quil sighed.

"Yeah I miss you too," she confessed. "Oh, I should warn you. Charlie says he will shoot anyone who climbs in my window."

"Did he now?"

"I think he means it, too."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Don't even try it," she threatened.

"I wasn't going to… really, I wasn't," Quil cajoled.

"Didn't Embry already look after you?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Is he okay? Do you think? I worry about him."

"Yeah, I worry about him too."

Another silence.

"We talked. When you went to visit your mum. He said he can't tell her the secret, because she's not Quileute."

"She's Makah, from up further west; from Neah Bay."

"He said if the tribal council wanted her to know, that they would have told her."

"Yeah. We've had that argument before too."

"Can Sam tell her?"

"Are you kidding? The whole pack wants to tell her. Embry won't let us."

"Oh for heaven's sake," she blustered. "What is wrong with him? Why doesn't he want her to know?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. He told me that his mum feels bad enough for him being fatherless. She doesn't need to know that his father gave him the wolf gene too."

"It's her choice to leave him fatherless. Surely she could have dated or remarried or something?"

"Yeah. Good point." He sighed again. "I don't understand her. I just know that she makes his life hell."

"She's not going to take it well, is she? Us three dating? You and Embry being together."

"No. She won't."

"We'll just have to make sure we are there for him… if and when it happens."

"I think I hate her," Quil confessed.

"If she hurts Embry…" Bella threatened.

"Whoa… watch it there, girl," Quil chuckled. "I agree. Just in case you were wondering, but Embry has made it worse for himself. If he had told her about the wolves earlier, then he could have explained imprinting to her. I'm not saying she would accept it any easier, but it might lessen the blow a little. Now she'll get it all in one, big pile… and that is never a good option."

"True… I just want to look after him… make sure he is okay."

"I know, Bells, I know."

"I have to go. I have school tomorrow."

"I wish I could come out and see you."

"I still don't know how I will sleep without you."

"Use extra blankets."

She chuckled.

"You need to call Embry, too," Quil reminded her.

"I'll do that."

"That's the only reason I am getting off the line, by the way. Otherwise I'd lie here and listen to you fall asleep."

"Awww. That is so romantic."

" Yeah it kind of was, huh?" he sounded surprised.

"I love you, Quil."

"Love you too, Bells."

They hung up. It almost hurt her to do it. She really was going to miss them. After a mere two nights sleeping in their arms, she didn't know what to do with herself.

She laid out what she was going to wear for school tomorrow. She hoped the slut sneezing would have abated, but she knew better than to count on it. She suspected that a large part of it related to the Cullens. People had resented the fact that she, and only she, had ever attracted the attention of the ever so perfect and extraordinary Cullens.

It had not done her any favours, once they had left. Without her.

She brushed her teeth and said goodnight to Charlie. Well, she called it down the stairs. She wasn't brave enough to face him again. She checked her alarm and crawled into bed before calling Embry.

"Hello?" He sounded out of it. Maybe she had woken him up.

"Oh, sorry… did I wake you?" She could hear him yawn.

"I don't mind."

"Well, I'm sorry anyway. What are you doing asleep so early?"

"I've had trouble sleeping lately, but I guess I wore myself out on the weekend," he chuckled.

"Yeah, right. Maybe you just feel better?"

"Why?"

"We sorted some stuff out…" she tried.

"You think my life is all sorted out, Bella?"

"No," she conceded. "But you've made some big steps."

He snorted. "You've been talking to Quil."

"Of course. He just hung up." She wanted to share his cute romantic line with Embry, but then she wasn't sure it was appropriate. Do you discuss with boyfriend B, what boyfriend A says? She still had a lot of stuff to work out in this relationship. She shifted uneasily, moving her pillow behind her.

"Are you in bed already too?" Embry asked.

"How could you know that?"

"I can hear the bedclothes moving."

"I will never get over the freaky skills you guys have."

"Pity phones don't have smello-vision or whatever you call it."

"Uh huh."

"I've got a free period tomorrow," Embry suggested.

"Meaning what?"

"I could run to Forks. Just to check on you…"

"You don't have to do that."

"What if I want to? And Quil will be happier if one of us sees you."

"He can't come?"

"Not on a Tuesday… but I'm pretty sure he could make it up on Wednesday."

"Will that be enough?" she asked in a tiny voice. "For us all?"

"I don't know, Honey. But it's a start."

"I … just don't know when I can see you guys … you know… properly," she whispered the last word.

"Honey, don't worry about us; we'll be okay. We are worried about you. With that shit at school and Charlie and everything."

"And I'm worried about you."

"We did pretty well on the weekend. That will see us through for a while," he suggested. "And we have each other."

"So tomorrow?" she checked.

"I think you might need a hug."

She blinked quickly. "You are so sweet. You'd run all the way to Forks, just to give me a hug?"

She could hear him smile. "Yeah. For you."

"I love you, Embry."

"Love you too, Honey."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Count on it."

She hung up.

"I am going to spend double the time a normal teenage girl does on the phone with her boyfriend," she grizzled.