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.

A/N: I am not a doctor, but the medical information in this chapter is as accurate as I can make it, and has been checked by my pre-reader feebes86.

1992

CarlislePOV

I got to La Push as soon as I could, and an ambulance came with me. It was too late to save Ephraim's wife; she had drowned, as had Quil's. I would concentrate my energies on trying to save the living, and there was plenty of work to be done.

Just because Lucy and the other non-wolf victims had survived the wreck didn't mean they were out of the woods. They'd all ingested a little bit of seawater when the boat capsized, the difference between them would be how they reacted to it.

I had no concerns about the wolves, at least as far as their physical health was concerned; and the younger family members were healthy enough to get through this.

No, my main fear was for Lucy's welfare. She'd been around as Quil II's wife and mate almost since the time of the treaty signing. She was a mother and a grandmother, in her late seventies, and human. She had pre-existing medical conditions, including heart disease, and this was going to make it harder for her to recover.

I admitted her to hospital, against the protests of some of the Quileute, and did my best to try to save her. The seawater, being more salty than her bodily fluids, was throwing her electrolytes out of balance and damaging her lungs; making it harder for her to breathe.

I had feared that this might happen, and it was probably a relief that it had not happened to more victims. The others, Joy and the two children, were admitted overnight for observation and then sent home. The two wolves declined treatment, as I expected.

Her husband sat by her bedside, not leaving it even to go to the funerals of his sister and daughter-in-law. If devotion alone could produce a miracle, Lucy Ateara would be walking out of this hospital. Time would tell, but I wasn't hopeful.

BillPOV

Mom was gone, and Dad was bereft. The older generation on the Rez always said that my mother was the love of Dad's life, and perhaps she was, but they'd had very little time together whereas Dad and Mom had been married for over fifty years.

For a marriage that began as a means for Dad to care for his friend's widow, their relationship had strengthened and deepened over time to be a true partnership. Their love might not have been the all-consuming passion of their first marriages, but it was real nevertheless.

Neither could imagine life without the other, but only one was virtually immortal. They were always going to be separated by death, and now they had been. And in the absence of a functioning Alpha, it was left to his Beta, Levi, and I to pick up the pieces.

The position of Alpha was hereditary of course; had the Alpha retired or died before now I would have taken over from him. So I felt it was my duty to step up to the plate as it were and relieve his burden, and I needed all the help I could get.

There were three or four things all happening at once. There were shipwreck victims in the hospital, and maybe not all of them would live. There were funerals to organize for Mom and my cousin. And there were two widowers on the Rez; one who was grieving but who, I thought, with help would get through this.

The other, had already tried to kill himself once and it was entirely possible that he might do it again. Dad had threatened an Alpha order to prevent it, but hadn't actually issued one, and wasn't really in the right frame of mind to do it now.

Some things needed to be done, and soon. Without his helpmate, Dad would not take care of himself properly, I was sure of that. I'd been to see him, and done as much as I could with him, but it wasn't enough so I decided to go and have a word to my daughters Nora, Jennie and Emmie.

I found them, with their mother, drinking tea and reminiscing about Mom, tears in their eyes. I went around the room, hugging and kissing them in turn; then stood beside my Judy, an arm slipped around her waist. My daughters rolled their eyes, but since out of all four of them only Connie was married, they had until now, no choice but to put up with us.

I cleared my throat and started on my proposal. "I have something I'd like to talk to you all about. I'm really worried about Dad; he's been hit hard and I'm afraid he won't look after himself properly. So I wondered whether some or all of you might be able to help him with that."

Jennie piped up. Since her twin had married Kevin Littlesea she had been at a loose end. "I'd like to help Granddad. What can I do?"

The others murmured their willingness to help as well.

"I was thinking that maybe you could take turns in going over there and cooking and cleaning for him; or maybe it might be better for one of you to move in for a while. I don't believe that he will take this as badly as Quil has, but he isn't going to want to look after himself or the house much."

The girls put their heads together; eventually Nora, the eldest, spoke up.

"I'll move in, and take care of his daily needs. Jennie is going to shop for him and Emmie will visit and try to spend time with him, cheer him up, since she's the favorite. When I can't be there or need a break, one of those two will take over until I get back."

I turned to my wife. She nodded, and with that I agreed to the plan. "Pack some bags then Nora; and go to your Granddad's. Your Mom will go with you to explain to him what's happening; and that means I can go and deal with Quil. He has lost an imprint, and I'm very worried about him."

"Is he going to die too?" Judy asked me, concerned. She had known Quil all her life, as had I.

"Not if I can help it" I replied, determined. I was more than willing to bear the burden; I just hoped that it would not be mine for long.

I went in search of Levi and Billy. I found them both in the Council room, talking earnestly about the events of the past day or so.

Billy looked up. "Dad, I hadn't expected to see you here. I thought you were with Granddad."

Things were moving quickly. "I was; I needed to help him with Mom. He carried her out of the water and just kept going; I had to go and see where he went. But I've persuaded him now to let me deal with the arrangements, so I've taken her and made those. The last time I saw him he was sitting in his chair at home."

"Is he going to be okay? I've seen in Levi and Quil's minds what he was like the last time and I don't want that to happen again".

"I think so. There's no doubt he feels this keenly, but it seems a quieter kind of grief than last time. He's been weeping, I could see that, and to be honest I felt as though I was intruding if I stayed there longer than I needed to."

Levi'd had a front row seat to the loss of my mother, and for once he shed his cynicism, confirming my impressions. "I think you're right Bill. Your father's love for your mother was so strong it was almost like an imprint, and she was snatched away from him so young, and so suddenly. He will take this hard, but he'll survive it. If I were you though, I'd send someone around there to take care of him; he won't look after himself too well."

I replied "Already taken care of. I've spoken to my girls, the three unmarried ones anyway, and Nora is going to live there with him for a time. The other two will do other things for him and relieve her when they can. I think we'll be okay; it's Quil I'm worried about."

"Has any member of the tribe ever lost an imprint before? I'm not aware of one." Billy was curious.

"Not in living memory, don't forget imprints are quite rare. But as you know when the Third Wife of Taha Aki died, he remained in wolf form beside her for three days, then vanished into the forest and was never seen or heard from again. So I'm in no doubt that Quil is in grave danger of losing his life over this."

"Who is with him?" Levi asked.

"I don't know. His father is at the hospital with Lucy, and Four may be there also with his family. They were all badly affected by being in the water and would need to be cleared by a doctor before they could come home. I really think that it is going to be up to us, and the rest of the Pack, to deal with this. Once we have found him he should not be left alone for any reason until he has recovered enough to move on with his life."

Billy looked thoughtful for a moment. "Is he likely to be in wolf form do you think?"

"It's a possibility I suppose. But don't we have someone on patrol?"

"I'm not sure. In the commotion everyone came in to see what the emergency was. Maybe nobody went back on patrol; it was supposed to be the two Quils going on duty next after being given the day off."

That would explain why there'd been no howling. I turned to Levi. "Find Charles and Josh and ask them to go on patrol. You have five wolf pack members in your family Levi; do you think they could bear the burden of patrolling for a few days? I wouldn't ask except that the Atearas, Blacks and Clearwaters have between them lost a mother, wife, sister or grandmother today."

Levi could be hard to deal with but this time he just shrugged and said "Yes, it's no problem."

He seemed quieter than usual, and then I remembered that his son Embry had been involved, but that as he hadn't publicly acknowledged paternity, he was unable to go to his side. I smacked my head; was there no family on the Rez this tragedy hadn't touched?

"I'm sorry about Embry, Levi, and I know you must be worried about him. If you need to go to see him then please do."

He sighed. "I can't. Tiffany has insisted that I not come forward; she likes our private arrangement and has found it hard to come to terms with the fact that I am old enough to be her grandfather. So naturally I must respect her wishes. I look at it this way; he'll find out about me soon enough."

"Then why don't we do the only thing any of us can do and try to save another life. I'll phase, and see if he is in his wolf form. If he is, I'll remain that way and begin to run to wherever it is that he's taken himself; do the same and follow me. If he's not in his wolf form we'll need to mount a search party."

We all ran towards the forest, and once I'd reached a clearing beyond the treeline I phased. There he was, lying in a part of the forest I recognized, curled around the body of his dead mate and snarling at any creature that approached. He seemed to be making no effort to move, or to fend for himself; I feared that without our intervention he'd starve or die of thirst.

I took off in his direction; Billy and Levi quickly phasing and following me. After running together for about twenty minutes or so, we came to the clearing where he lay. He heard us approach and bristled; his fur standing on end and his teeth bared.

I tried to speak to him inside his mind. "Quil. This is Bill; your old friend. We are not here to try to harm you or your mate; but you must know that you can't remain here with her. Quileute traditions must be observed; she must be given a proper funeral and burial. And you need to come back to us."

Levi chimed in; trying to use his experience from the time before. We wolves never did anything by half measures; whether it be fighting, loving or mourning.

"Quil. Your mother is still very ill. Your father is with her. Your son almost lost his family too; and the Atearas have lost an aunt as well as a mother. I know you've lost your imprint and you want to die; but you can't, you have too much to live for. Is this what your wife would want for you? Don't be a coward; face up to the future."

Quil growled; baring his teeth again, his yellow eyes wild. Trust Levi to stir him up, but maybe he needed to be made to feel something. What we didn't want was for him to just lose all hope and fade away; or run off into the forest as Taha Aki had and remain a wolf for the rest of his days.

We approached a little closer; but the nearer we got to them the more hostile Quil's responses were. He covered his imprint completely with his body, surrounding her and glowering at us. Occasionally he'd bend down and place his head on her chest; or rub his snout along her face, whimpering.

She lay, her unseeing eyes facing upwards, as if gazing at the stars; stars that she would never see again. Billy disappeared for a few minutes and returned, carrying the handle of an old bucket in his mouth that he'd found, and filled with water at a nearby stream.

He approached Quil and placed it beside him; the older wolf allowing the approach but not making any move to drink from it. We watched him for some time longer but his mind was wandering; instead of conscious thoughts or plans, we were given his thoughts about his mate. Most prominent was the day of the imprint; was it really almost forty years since James' coven had been killed?

I was beginning to gain an appreciation for the job Levi had been presented with when Dad ran away. His inability to take the reins fully had contributed to how he felt now; a bit rebellious and resentful at times, unwilling to take responsibility again. He'd had the problem of how to deal with an Alpha who wanted to die; this I hoped would be easier.

Easier, because even if he was grief-stricken himself, the Alpha could somehow be made to muster the energy needed to issue one order. I would ask him to order Quil to give up the body of his wife to us and phase back so that we could care for him.

I thought to Billy and Levi. "I hate to have to do this, but I'm going to ask the Alpha for help. I know he should be left alone but Quil will die if we leave him here. Guard him, and await our return. If you can get him to eat or drink that would be even better."

I took off in the direction of La Push, running as quickly and as silently as I could through the forest. There was nobody around, so I ran in wolf form until I reached Dad's clothesline, phasing back and taking a pair of jeans off the line to clothe myself in.

I found my father with my daughters, eating some stew very slowly and reluctantly, but mostly just pushing it around the plate with his fork.

The chair opposite him was vacant, so I flipped it around to face the other way and straddled it, leaning over the back of it, my arms crossed. Dad looked up when he heard the chair scraping on the floor, and lifted an eyebrow, but said nothing, resuming his meal.

There was an uncomfortable silence which lasted several minutes, and although I had no idea how to broach the issue I'd come here to see him about, eventually I just decided to dive in and get it over with.

"Dad?" I ventured, gingerly.

He looked up again. "Yes, Bill?"

This wasn't going to be easy; there was a dead look in his eyes, as if everything that gave his life meaning was gone, and maybe for now it seemed to him as though it was.

"I know this is hard for you, to lose Mom so suddenly. I know how much you miss her; God knows I miss her too. She's the only mother I've ever known. But there is someone worse off than you or me, someone whose very life is at risk. Dad, Quil is suffering terribly from the loss of his imprint. He's beyond all reason at the moment, in his wolf form and guarding her body. I need you to come with me and order him to phase back and give her up for burial. After that, I'll leave you alone until you're ready to come back to us."

His body shook, and a deep sigh, which felt as though it had come from the very depths of his being, rumbled out. It was unfair to ask this of him, but there were some things nobody else could do, and this was one of them.

He thought for a moment, and then threw me a bone. "I'll do it, but on one condition. I leave this house and go to the edge of the forest; phase, issue the order, phase back, and return here. I won't go to him, there's nothing I can do."

It wasn't enough, but it was all I was going to get. I thanked him, and we rose, leaving the house through the back door. We walked together in silence into the forest, and then the Alpha shed his clothes and phased, as he'd done so many times before.

I followed suit, so that I might be able to bear witness to the exchange. Before long the deep timbre of the Alpha's voice made itself known to us in our minds.

"Quil. This is your Alpha. Lift your head, and look at us. I ORDER you to resume your human form, return to La Push, and give up the body of your wife and mate to us for proper Quileute funeral rites. You are not to attempt to end your life in any way. Is this clear?"

An exhausted and desolate Quil thought, weakly, "I understand, Alpha, and will comply."

His head dipped, and he quivered, the scraggy looking wolf disappearing from our minds. I felt a rush of wind beside me and turned to find the Alpha phased back, dressed and already heading back towards the house.

I was torn, but Quil's need was greater than my father's, so I picked up my jeans in my mouth and began running into the forest, fearing what I might find when I saw him.

I was right to fear. The man I found was broken; dark circles around his eyes, and the tracks of tears that had been streaming down his face mixing with the dirt on his skin from where he had been lying. If he'd spent much more time in that state he'd have begun to look completely feral.

The three of us, having resumed our human forms as well, gathered him in our arms and brought him to his feet. Levi and Billy helped him on his way back to the Rez; and I dressed, then turned my attention to his wife. She was as light as a feather; I gathered her in my arms and walked slowly and carefully back to La Push.

The funerals were held as soon as possible, in accordance with our tribal customs. Dad was composed, but somber; his face a mask behind which his grief was all-consuming. The women of the family supported him, Judy and Sarah took one arm each, and his granddaughters and great-granddaughters sat nearby or at his feet.

Jake was too little to be at the funeral, so I arranged with Charlie Swan for him to bring Bella to the Rez for one last visit with him before she went home to her mother. They went to Billy's house, and spent their time playing with toys, and making sandcastles on the beach, under the watchful eye of her proud Dad.

Billy and I, together with the Elders, conducted the ceremonies. Quil was supported by his son, his sister Doris and her husband, and his niece Jane, looking like a shell of the man he once was. Joy was still unwell from her ordeal, and stayed home with her son.

I was going to have to deal with Tiffany at some point, she was furious at what had happened to Embry, but I fobbed her off. There were more important things to worry about.

After we'd finished at the burial grounds, Dad shuffled slowly off, paying little heed to his surroundings, content to be led to Billy's house for a meal. By the time I arrived there, the women were already home and Charlie had taken Bella and left, not wanting to intrude on our grief.

Dad entered the house and sniffed the air, his eyes widening; then shook his head, as if dislodging a stray thought, and sat down to eat. I had something quickly, but didn't stay, as I wanted to go back to the cemetery. I was worried about Quil.

After the funerals ended, he had spurned the help of his family, sending them on their way, saying that he wanted to be alone. They had respected his wishes and left, but one or two of them had looked back over their shoulders, uncertain that they were doing the right thing.

I approached the burial grounds quietly, melting into the trees so that I might see what Quil was doing. They were right to be worried. Once he was sure he was alone, he threw himself on the mound covering his wife's freshly dug grave and wailed, sobbing bitterly for some time until finally he shivered, and coughed, curling up and lying quietly in the dirt. I slipped away quietly; I was going to need help, I couldn't deal with this on my own.

CarlislePOV

The funerals of the drowning victims had been held; or so I'd heard. My job had been to try to prevent the need for a third, but I was losing the battle.

Lucy was finding it harder and harder to breathe; her color wasn't good and the strain of having to fight for each breath was beginning to tell. She was developing pneumonia, and she was too old and weak to recover from that.

I needed to speak to a family member, but the shipwreck had gutted the Ateara family, and I honestly didn't know who to talk to. Her husband sat by her bedside where he had remained, almost without a break, since the wreck.

Just when I was about to give up and place a call to the Tribal Council, Peter Clearwater came into the hospital. He seemed tired, as though he hadn't slept for days, and maybe he hadn't. After all he'd lost his mother. But Lucy was his aunt as far as I knew, so a visit wasn't unexpected.

His eyes met mine, and narrowed; his instinctive response to the presence of a vampire. I returned his glare with a smile, and greeted him.

"Hello Peter, that's right isn't it? I was wondering if I could have a word with you before you go to see Lucy."

"What do you want?" he snapped.

"I need to talk to a family member about Lucy, and I don't want to trouble her husband and children with it."

"Fine then, spit it out."

"She's dying Peter. I've tried to save her but the seawater has affected her too badly. I'd like you to make arrangements for her family and friends to visit her one last time; or if you prefer we can discharge her from here and send her home to La Push for her last days."

He seemed shocked; perhaps the seriousness of her condition was not known to the tribe at this point. It was another blow for them, but one they couldn't avoid.

"I'll pass the message on and someone will contact you. Now if you'll excuse me I'd like to see my Aunt and Uncle."

I showed him into the room, and then left them together, giving instructions that they were not to be disturbed until the next round of monitoring was due. And then I retired to my office, because for the first time in a long time I really needed to be alone.

I'd failed yet again, and the taste of it was bitter.

BillPOV

I rounded up Billy, Harry and Josh Uley, some strong young wolves. Josh had just come off patrol, and was a little tired, but he agreed to help. Four I left to be with his wife and child; he had enough to deal with. News had filtered through that Lucy was dying, and this was yet another tragedy for their family, and our tribe.

We found Quil where I'd left him, prostrate on the grave of his late wife, sleeping fitfully. He wasn't crying anymore, he was worn out from the effort of it. Clutched in his hand and covering his nose was a piece of material; looking more closely it was a scarf that had belonged to her.

How best to deal with this? I had no idea. Finally, after some time spent watching Quil's heartbreak play out in front of us, Billy broke the silence.

"I'm sure we can all agree that we mustn't leave him here; he'll die if we do and I'm sure that even if that's not his intention, he won't care one way or the other. The Alpha order forbade him to kill himself, but how do you order someone not to fade away? And I think the Ateara family has enough to deal with at the moment. We need to come up with something, some way he can be cared for."

Harry's reply was as unexpected as it was swift. "My wife Sue's a nurse, we can care for him for a while until his family can take over, and make sure he's not left alone. It's the only way."

We shook hands on it, and then made our way over to the gravesite. Quil tried to resist us, but he was weakened by his grief and lack of nourishment. I was the largest wolf here, so I quickly phased and settled on my haunches.

The other three carefully transferred Quil onto my back; he was heavy, but I could manage. I stood slowly, and began to make my way to the Clearwater house. The other three accompanied me, one in front to clear the way, and the other two beside me, steadying Quil on my back.

Sometime later we arrived at our destination; I gave up my burden to the capable hands of Harry and Sue, and then we went our separate ways. I wanted to be home, to put some space between myself and the sadness that hung over the Rez like a shroud; I ran as fast as I could, still in my wolf form, unheeding of anyone who might be about. Near the back door I became Bill Black again, clothed myself, and went inside, into the loving arms of my sweetheart. Thank God she was home and waiting for me; I would never take that for granted again.

A/N: It is now December, and the holiday season is here. I am going on a month's leave from my job starting this Friday, and will be away from home for the first week of that. My betas will also have commitments during this time. So my usual weekly posting schedule will need to be suspended for a while, until the New Year; although if anything is written during that time and can be posted, it will be. On the plus side, I am hoping to catch up on some of my reading. Best wishes to all of my readers for a safe and happy festive season. :-)