Hey, hey, my Lovelies!
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Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN TWILIGHT! UNFORTUNATELY... D:
Without further ado...Enjoy!
Chapter 35
Glimpses
Paul's Point of View
Billie! Billie no! I bellowed through the pack mind as my love, my imprint was snatched and manhandled right before my eyes by that Bastard, Omar. My heart shattered as their forms grew smaller and smaller whilst I was subdued by the two wolves separating me from her. I snarled and gnarled as my teeth, claws, paws tore into them but they weren't fucking going down! I howled with rage and fear for my imprint as her form disappeared from my sight.
Paul, we'll get her. Push through! Seth shouted as he tore the throat out of a dark brown wolf, a whine escaping his lungs as he fell to the ground, lifeless.
What do you think I'm trying to do? These dicks won't go freaking down! I snarled, tearing into a hind flank of a grey wolf. I whined as claws tore into my side but steadied myself, knocking a brick wolf to its side as I wrenched a piece of its shoulder off. It howled in pain and I revelled in it.
Paul, above you! Quil bellowed and I looked up in tie to see a lithe grey wolf launching itself from a high boulder and onto my back. I gnarled as its teeth sank into my neck but I threw it off, pressing my paw into its heart as I tore away its throat.
I was suddenly rendered unhelpful and motionless as a fierce jolt of pain coursed through me and I howled, feeling as if my very soul was tearing apart. Billie! She's gone! The bastard took her! No, Billie, Baby, no! I cried out, the pain intensifying with every millimetre that was put between us. I was hardly able to defend myself against a russet wolf's attack but thankfully, Jacob was right there, tearing it to shreds.
Wolves all around us suddenly began to disperse, retreating back into the woods in every direction as their alphas drew back. My brothers raced after them, vengeance and determination surging through the pack mind like a poison, clouding our minds and mixing with the rage that was burning deep within our hearts at one of our own being taken from us. My Billie.
My mind was only one place, focused on one thing as I bolted at high speed through the forest, dodging branches and jumping over fallen trees like they weren't even there. All the while, my nose followed the mixture of Omar and Billie scents blindly. My mind raced as my paws raced faster. Other presence joined me and I knew that my brothers had fallen into formation with me at its peak. Jake was to my right, Sam to his right. To my left was Jared, and then Embry. All the others fell behind us.
I came to a skidding halt as Billie's scent veered into two different directions, one east and the other west. One was mixed with Omar's scent and the other with the fucking black wolf scum that brushed up against my Billie.
Jake, what do we do? Embry asked, panicked. I growled as every second we wasted here, I knew they were gaining distance between us.
Split up! Paul, you're with me. Take the route you feel most confident with. Jake ordered, following my lead as I growled and barrelled to the east. Jake, Embry, Seth, Sam and Jennie followed me as I pushed myself further and faster than ever before.
I don't know how long we ran since time didn't register with us right now. Billie's name was like an echoed mantra across the whole pack mind, bouncing off each other's minds. It was the only thing we were thinking. Instincts took over me awhile back and I was no longer man, but a fierce, determined, enraged wolf that was on the war path to find his mate and kill the bastards that took her.
Fuck! This trail ends at a damn secluded beach! Have you still got yours? Quil asked, agitated and angry. We all growled and I pushed myself faster now that I knew that we were on the right track. I'm coming for you, Baby. Hang on!
I could hear cars on the highway and my heart raced. Fear spiked as every step we took, took us closer to the road side but the scent was heading that way. Getting too close, Jake sprang in front of me to stop me in my tracks. I growled at him and tried to dance past him but he matched me every time, preventing me from going any further.
What the fuck are you doing? I bellowed angrily as I snapped at him. He growled in warning.
You can't go out there like this. You'll expose us all! He groused, bitingly. I gnarled, viciously. It was easy for him to say! No, it's not actually. I care for Billie just like the others but we cant go out there! We have a secret to protect!
I don't give a fuck! My imprint is out there, Jake. MY IMPRINT! I have to find her! I yelled, fiercely. Again, I tried to dance my way passed him but it was then that Embry joined Jake to block my way, the look of distress and defeat on his face. NO! No, no, NO! I refused to accept defeat. I needed to find her!Fuck off, Embry! Let me passed. I need to find her! We need to go after her! She's out there all alone! Please?
Dude, I'm sorry. I want to go get her too but if this trail leads onto the highway then not only will you expose us if you go out there but it'll be likely that they had a car waiting. She could be long gone by now. Paul, I'm sorry but she's gone. I'm so sorry. His voice trailed off in severe pain, loss and grief. The tears in his voice made it tremble and I could see in his mind just ow much he wanted to follow but the minds of my brothers echoed his words, even Sam and Jennie. Pain, agony and sorrow were the choice emotions echoing between us and it crippled us all. Agonised, grieving howls penetrated the air around us and I could vaguely hear cars on the highway screech to a halt or swerve with surprise at the mournful sound.
NO, YOU FUCKERS, NO! I WILL NOT ABANDON HER! SHE'S MY IMPRINT, MY EVERYTHING! I NEED HER! THERE'S NO WAY I HELL! I bellowed, falling to the ground as overwhelming amounts of loss, grief and agony coursed through my body, taunting every single nerve ending that it had to offer.
My mind, my very soul begged me to get up, to go after her but my body wasn't co-operating at all. It was like it had shut down on me and there was no way to get back up. I knew that Jake and Em were right, even though it was deep, deep down and the excruciating pain the truth caused was unbearable. But my wolf refused to accept it; he refused to accept the fact that his imprint was lost because we could both feel her. I whimpered with the fear and panic coursing through her as well as the pain of being so far away from me that was building with each mile. Her worry for me escalated as she sensed my own emotions through the imprint bond. It was like a vicious cycle.
Paul, come on, let us help get you up. We need to go home. Jake murmured, nudging my ear with his muzzle as he whined. I growled in protest but even if I was willing, my body wasn't moving from its spot, not yet. Paul, Man, there's nothing we can do. We need to regroup. The girls are are probably going mad with worry. Let's go home.
'The girls'? The girls? Yeah, it's alright for you guys! Your imprints are safe and sound at fucking home! MY IMPRINT IS OUT THERE WITH A FUCKING PSYCHO AND YOU WANT GO HOME? I rumbled, the new surge of anger making me able to spring to my feet and snap at my alpha.
THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO RIGHT NOW, PAUL! WE NEED TO GO HOME AND REGROUP! COLLIN AND PHILIP ARE INJURED! He shouted right back, his own anger and failure creeping up on him for a second before he was able to compose himself. His voice evened out, becoming softer as if he was speaking to a wounded animal. Well shit, I practically am. Paul, I want to go search for her as much as you do but I have a lot more people to worry about right now. If there was any other choice, I'd be right behind you but we don't even have a trail to follow anymore. Just come home, rest, eat and then we'll come back out. Please?
Fuck this, Jake. I'm not going home, not while she's out there, panicked and scared shitless. I have to do something. I need to find her. You can't expect me to anything like sleep or eat when I knew she's not safe. Think if it was Nessie, or Claire, or Emily, or Kim, or Violet, or Susie, or Megan. I ranted, pacing back and forth as I growled. Don't you dare fucking lie to me and say that you wouldn't feel exactly like this if it was them! Don't stand there and lie to me and say that you'd be willing to go home to SLEEP and EAT when they are out there.
Fuck you. Go home. Eat a fuck horse and sleep like a baby. Give the fuck up but NEVER expect me to do the same whilst she's still out there! I snarled before shooting off into the dense greenery, my main and only focus being to find my imprint, my baby, my Billie.
Jared's Point of View
The Pack was a fucked up mess. Sam was constantly angry, angry with himself for 'allowing' Billie to be taken, even though it was nobody's fault. His anger was always causing him to phase and that was seriously beginning t piss of Emily, who was OCD with cooking for the pack and everybody to keep her mind of the intense worry and fear she had for her Niece. Jennie spent a whole lot of time phased, missing three weeks of school until Sam forced her to go back. Yeah, that was a bad day when that kicked off. Jennie wasn't happy. If she wasn't phased or at school, she was in the arms of her imprint, bawling er eyes out for her lost best friend and sister.
Levi was a lot quieter than normal, which was pretty much silent, day in, day out. H threw himself into his school work and despite everything that was going on, he was no getting straight A's in all his classes. Tyler had taken it amongst himself to cheer up his twin brother and his younger sister, who was on a fraction of the bubbly mini-Emily she had always been. Nowadays, she just sits in her room, playing silently with her dollies because anywhere else in the house, you could hear Jennie and Sam going at it all the time, or Emily and Sam as she got onto him about phasing, which only resulted in him doing just that anyway and that served to piss her off even more.
The littler wolf kids were sad that Billie wasn't around anymore and that their older relatively were either fighting, crying or silent but in the most part, they didn't really understand the severity of Billie's absence. They were innocent in that way. What I wouldn't give to be in there shoes right now. All of my brothers were angry all the time, disappointed in themselves and pissed off, phasing whenever they thought about their failure to keep Billie safe, to protect a brother's imprint. Jake was throwing himself into his pack duties as alpha, embracing his birthright with everything in him.
No one hardly dared to go anywhere near the Clearwater house anymore. Mel was constantly sobbing with the loss of her daughter, which upsets Harry whenever he saw her. She tried to confine it to her bedroom but the feelings creep up on her so suddenly that she could start sobbing right in the kitchen as she was making dinner that no one was going to eat apart from Seth, even then it wasn't very much. He was constantly angry with himself, beating himself up about how things went down and disappointed in himself that he hadn't followed Paul to look for Billie. His sense of failure was hard to stomach whenever you were phased with him; it was almost enough to bring a wolf to his knees. It was heartbreaking to hear his thoughts.
The worst out of all the Clearwater family was definitely the oldest son. Dyl had been horrendously physically sick since the night Billie had been taken. He was so thin, too thin since he couldn't keep down anything that Mel made him eat. He hardly slept anymore and practically lived in her bedroom, inhaling her scent from her sheets just to keep him sane. If I hadn't have known better, I would have said he was a wolf without us knowing because his actions were very wolf-like. He snapped at anyone who tried to enter her room. It's become like his new territory and was very possessive and protective.
Life at home was dull and depressing, not that I expected my family to be any different than the other pack families. Billie's kidnap hit us just as much as the others. Everyone of us could feel the pain radiating off my little princess, even Reuben though he didn't really understand why she was so sad, just that she was and it made him sad too. My Anna was dealing with this nearly as bad as Dyl.
There wasn't a night that went by where I don't hear her sobbing her little heart out into her pillow, trying to muffle them so that I wouldn't hear as well, but I do. I always do. It tore my heart shreds and my soul ached for her but there was never anything any of us could do. She locked her bedroom door every night, denying each of us the opportunity to comfort her. She obviously didn't want it but it was harder not to every night that went by.
There was one man that any of us couldn't bear bear to be around. One man that could and has reduced us to our knees with his tormented thoughts and heart breaking whimpering. Phasing with him truly was unbearable and even though it might have been harsh, we all avoided it at all costs. He was quiet. He was physically drawn, only a shell of the man I'd grown up with, the one I was on th wrestling team with in high school. He was angry. He was distraught. He was lost without her. He wasn't eating. He wasn't sleeping. He wasn't patrolling, not that Jake made him. We all understood.
Billie was taken in early January. It was now the first of July. The day after she was taken and we'd regrouped, eat, slept and re-energised, we rejoined Paul and stormed into Omar's home Reservation but the whole place was deserted of any and all wolves. Yeah, we scared the crap out of the locals but we didn't give a shit. Our only focus was our Billie but she wasn't there. It was like Omar and his pack had abandoned their own tribe now that they'd gotten everything they had set out for – Billie. It frustrated us all to no end that we had no idea where Tyrone's territory was, where he lived because with Omar not being in his, it was very likely that they'd taken her to his land. It was no use though – we didn't know where it was.
That didn't stop him though. He never gave up searching for her, looking high and low for her along the western Canadian border, moving further and further in land when he came up empty and growing more and more fatigued, angry and desperate with every false trail and dead end. He was ruthless and relentless in his search, giving himself over to the wolf and the most primal of his instincts and senses. He fed of live animals, slept in dense bushes and spent his entire day running, searching. He was every bit savage now that we weren't. He'd given up his humanity in the hopes of finding his mate and I didn't blame him. I'd never give up if it was my Kim out there. It hurt to even think about it. He fought the pain to his last scrap of energy until he collapsed in a Canadian forest from exhaustion, grief and pain.
The most traumatic thing about the whole situation, after that first fortnight he as relentlessly searching for her, was watching Paul's fall from humanity and sanity, watching as he physically deteriorated, whining as he tossed and turned restlessly after he'd pass out from sheer exhaustion. We listened as he begged for Billie in his sleep, pleading for her to come back to him. It was horrific and definitely one of worst moments of my life...but we could remember everything, every little piece of him that fell away and the time it happened...
January 20th – Jared's Point of View
The man was driven by the most feral, primal of instincts, overcome by rage, longing, desperation and intense determination. His mind was 100% wolf but both the man and wolf was constantly tormented by the fear, terror, panic and pain they could feel through the imprint bond. Everyday that goes by, it grew more and more intense and the rage within him was building and when he snaps, I doubt that the forest would be able to withstand it at all.
He hasn't spoken to us since we left him searching, which had to be the most disgraceful thing we'd ever done to a brother and his imprint. We should have stuck with him, we shouldn't have given up, no matter how tired, hungry or hopeless we were. It wasn't fair to him and definitely not to Billie. That was what fuelled us to storm Omar's home. Coming up with nothing there, Paul threw himself back into his search, more desperate than ever.
February 14th – Sam's Point of View
We all knew what date it was and what it meant but none of us celebrated as we would have done. None of us felt anything remotely close to happiness with Billie still gone and the sadness and loss only seemed to strengthen as time went on.
Paul came home a few days ago, if only for a few hours. He stayed in Billie's room the entire time. Seth didn't even know he was in there until Dyl screamed as he walked in to her room as he always does after coming back from school. He tried to get him to eat, to sleep but to no avail. The only person that seemed relatively welcome anywhere near him was Dyl. They stayed in her room, silently as they laid on her bed. I knew that Paul remembered the intense connection Billie had with Dyl and perhaps he still felt it through Billie. Perhaps he thought that having Dyl near him was like having her there.
Paul left again though as soon as night fell, continuing his search until he collapsed the next day somewhere in a Canadian forest. We only knew that because his mind abruptly cut off from Quil and Brady's whilst they were patrolling, however tormented by his thoughts they were. They were scared shitless and had howled for back-up immediately. A art of me had hoped that it was Omar and his pack, that they were back but it wasn't but I was mortified to hear what the duo had to say about Paul and Jake immediately sprang into action.
Whilst Leah, Jennie, Andrew and Steven stayed to protect the reservation, the rest of us stormed through the forest like one entity, our main goal being to get to Paul before anything happened to him and bring him home. We found him faced down in a river and all of us had thought the worst in that one moment. The only thing that laid us to rest was the fact that Embry could still hear his heart beat. He was human and alive, but barely. The journey back home was long and gruesome but we made it, with Paul strapped onto Jared's back the whole way.
March 8th – Jacob's Point of View
Paul was volatile. You couldn't even ask him if he needed any water without him beginning to shake with pure rage and growl menacingly at you. Paul was once one of the proudest, strongest, opinionated and righteous men I'd ever had the pleasure of knowing but here he was, with a broken will, a broken heart and just physically broken.
He didn't eat. His once ripped, lean body was now thin, scrawny and sunken with famine and fatigue. His bones were near damn well visible and I could feel his ribs one time as he slept, passed out from exhaustion. He didn't sleep willingly, the nightmares rocking his very core until he wakes up screaming for Billie with an ice cold sweat covering the entire expanse of his scalding hot body.
Charlie had decided to get more involved, getting us to describe Omar and Tyrone's faces to a sketch person and alerting any and all law enforcement offices that would be willing to keep an eye out. He registered her onto a missing persons website, hoping to get a lead from there, maybe and even contacted the Canadian authorities to warn and ask them to keep a look out as well. He was going through a lot of trouble and effort and I knew that he wanted to do his bit because Billie was as much his grand-daughter as Nessie was now but I just didn't have it in me to tell him that if Omar didn't him or her to be found, then it wasn't going to happen.
April 16th
Nessie called her grand-father in this morning. We all hoped that Dr. Cullen could help Paul because the downward spiral he was stuck on was becoming tighter and he now couldn't even rest when he passed out from exhaustion. He constantly tossed and turned, whining and whimpering for it all to stop and for his imprint to come back. The sleeping pills that Carlisle had prescribed and we forced him to take were only doing so much as well. He still whined and whimpered but only occasionally and he was much more restful.
He refused to eat anything and it was taking its toll on his body so whilst he slept, Carlisle had to inject him with vitamin shots to keep his nutrients up. It had to be that way because let's face it, Paul wasn't the type of guy to let someone do that when he was in his right mind, imagine what he'd do whilst he was in this state. In fact we didn't have to imagine anything the day after Carlisle administered his third shot. He had decided to try and fit an IV to make it easier and even before he got started, I didn't think that it was going to be a good idea but I let him do it. As soon as Paul woke up though, he ripped it from his arm, snarling and growling like I had expected. He nearly killed Carlisle that day for his efforts. It only took Philip and I to hold him back due to his weakened state, whereas normally it would have taken the two of us plus three more to subdue him properly. That alone should tell you how much he's deteriorated over the last few months. It truly was a sickening sight.
But Paul wasn't the only one who needed medical help anymore. Dyl had been rushed to hospital yesterday because he was just that sick with grief and worry. Mel had called Sam since we were over for a pack meeting, screaming for Seth to come home because Dyl was puking up blood or something. We all sprinted over to the Clearwater house and luckily, Dr. Cullen was in the area since he was treating Paul. E he was right on our trail and announced that he need to go to the hospital as soon as possible. Mel collapsed in shock and I ended up having to take Harry home with me so that Seth could concentrate on his wife and eldest son.
May12th – Quil's Point of View
Paul couldn't even get out of bed this morning. He was panting and crying out with pain whilst clutching his chest. His arms were shaking with the effort to get him sat up. He could barely keep his eyes open long enough to acknowledge half the pack watching hum until he passed out again, falling haphazardly to the side. He would have fallen from the bed if Embry hadn't have caught him.
It was so hard to watch him be like this. This was the guy who made our lives a living hell with his angry, volatile nature. He was one of the funniest guys I'd ever know and knew more about how to please a woman that I'd ever dream of. I would have never admitted, but I'd always looked up to Paul, as an older brother and such. He was a great guy under that tough exterior and it wounded each and every one of us to see him like this.
My own heart was heavy with the loss of Billie. She was a great young lady and had brought this pack even more alive than before. Claire really loved her and these days, she'd hardly come out the house because she was that stricken with grief and worry. I hear all the imprints were like that now. I never truly grasped how much Billie was loved amongst us but with her absence, I could see that it was a massive amount. Hell, I didn't even realise how much I cherished the girl.
June 18th – Embry's Point of View
Paul puked up blood today. He passed out straight after and we had to sit him up to prevent him choking on his own bloody vomit. Dr. Cullen was worried and stricken, which made me respect the vampire a lot more than I had, but he said that this was caused by the absence of his imprint and there wasn't a whole lot that he could do but keep him comfortable. It took us a while to realise what he meant by that but when he did, the room was stricken with sobs.
Paul was dying...
And there wasn't anything we could do about it.
June 23rd – Seth's Point of View
Dyl was discharged from the hospital on the 20th but by no means was he any better. He was pale and sickly. He vomited the best part of the day and hardly slept at night, even wrapped up in Billie's sheets. Mel slaved over him but there wasn't much that he wanted, rather than needed. With how much he was vomiting, he needed fluids. He hardly kept them down but he did his best. Despite his worry for Billie, I knew that he hated the grief he was putting us both through, not to mention his little brother, so he was trying to get better for our sakes. It's just...proving hard for the little guy. My heart broke for him.
After he'd puked up all that blood and passed out again, Paul hasn't woken back up. Dr. Cullen deemed him comatose late on the 19th when they couldn't wake him up and it was then that an IV was fitted. Every time we entered his bed room, it was like you couldn't breathe. The mere sight of him nearly made me sick or fall to my knees every time. The thought of Dr. Cullen only keeping him company wasn't any comfort whatsoever. In addition to a nutrient drip, he'd fitted a morphine drip to ease away his pain.
No one had the energy to keep their tears in when sitting at his beside. His whimpers and yelps in his sleep were weak and quiet but they tore at our very souls. Seeing any pack brother like this was heart wrenching, especially when you knew there was nothing you could do about it. I've never felt so helpless in my life. It was a feeling that was entirely foreign to me and it was the worst feeling in the world. I've always been able to help, whether it was mom in the garden, Sam around the Res or even Emily in the kitchen, I've always been able to and now, I was so out of my element because there was nothing to do but wait.
Fuck did I hate waiting...
I sat at his side, staring blankly at his twitching, restless face as tears stained my cheeks, relentlessly. They'd started as soon as I set eyes on him, and they've never left him for as long as I've been here. It's been almost five months since Billie was taken and the search has been on going this entire time. We picked up where Paul had collapsed, not wanting to let a brother down but we were having as much luck as he did. We never gave up though, just like him. I knew he'd still be out there if he were able, which he was far from being.
A soft knock on the bedroom door had my gaze leaving Paul for the first time for two hours straight. I looked at the door, knowing that whoever it was would simply come in. I smiled tightly as I set eyes on Sam and I looked back at Paul to give him the privacy he granted so many others in my place as tears filled and spilled over his eyes. He cleared his throat but I didn't look at him. I swallowed hard, fighting back my own tears.
"Um, Seth, Emily cooked, if you want anything." he murmured, softly. It was as if anything louder was sacrilege in this room, like it would disturb Paul was his seemingly peaceful slumber. He's been still for days now, not even whimpering and if I couldn't hear his heartbeat or his breathing, I would be terrified and thinking he was...no, I couldn't even go there.
Instead of answering him, the words that escaped my mouth were ones that matched my thoughts of the past two hours. "Did you know that he'd have been my son-in-law?" I asked, staring at Paul with my elbows resting on my knees, my chin on my clenched fists. I could tell that Sam was taken aback my my random question but cleared his throat again, sitting on the other side of Paul without a word.
"Yeah, Seth, I knew that." he whispered cautiously. I nodded before chuckling dryly.
"I mean, if a complete stranger came up to us ten years ago and told us that he'd become my son-in-law one day, we'd call him bat crazy and kick him the hell of our Res for drug usage." I said, shaking my head. I heard Sam chuckled, softly and nod out the corner of my eye. My face turned sombre and I felt more tears escape. "It's funny...because now, I can't bare the thought of him not being. My little girl isn't going to be able to be with her imprint and it kills me. It fucking kills me, Sam."
"I know, Seth. I know." he sighed, emotionally. I watched as Paul twitched in his sleep. It was the most movement he's made for a week.
"They didn't deserve this, Sam...especially that beautiful girl. She's been through so much shit. She deserved the happiness Paul brought her. It's not fair." I whimpered, burying my face in my hands. Sam didn't say anything. "What can we do, Sam? There has to be something!"
"I don't know, Seth. We're looking all that we can but...I don't know." he sighed, standing up and leaving the room. I sighed too, shaking my head with grief as I looked back at Paul.
I sat there for another hour, pack members coming in and out as they usually did but only stopping for a few minutes because the sight was too much. I ignored them, lost in my own swirl of thoughts until I felt my imprint's touch against my shoulder. Blindly, I reached around her waist and pulled her into my lap. She came willingly, wrapping her arms around my neck in silence. I buried my face in her neck, hating the face that my little girl could have this with her imprint one day.
"Baby, maybe we should go home. Being here isn't doing you any good. It's only making you sad." she whispered into my ear and I sighed, knowing that she was right but feeling like I shouldn't leave, for Billie. She seemed to read my mind. "I'm not saying to stay away but it's late and I know you're tired. Let's go home, eat and go to bed. We'll come back in the morning, I promise. Billie won't mind for a few hours, I know."
I deflated at her words, nodding as I cradled her against my body and stood. She held on, blowing one more kiss towards Paul before I carried her from the bedroom. Pack members littered the living room and some murmured good-nights as we made our way out. The drive home was silent. Neither of us knew what to say to the other. We'd both lost a daughter. Mom was still here when we pulled up to the house. I could sense that both kids were asleep but Dyl was tossing and turning with some nightmare. I sighed, hating how this was effecting him but we shouldn't have expected any different as memory serves.
I got out and helped Mel out, leading her into the house. Mom shot up from Charlie's arms as she saw us come in and she wrapped her arms around my waist, tightly. I smiled down at her, noticing her tears and wiped one away as it escaped. She smiled back and let go, pulling Mel into her arms.
"Hey Charlie." I murmured, nodding. He smiled, sadly.
"Hey, Kiddo. The boys are asleep. If you don't mind, I'm gonna get your mother home. She's exhausted." he said and I nodded, kissing mom on the cheek as he lead her out the house. I turned to Mel and we shared a sad, longing smile. She hugged me and I sighed, resting my chin on her head tiredly. My head shot up to the stairs as a loud whimper came from Billie's room. Mel pulled away and nodded.
"Go to him. I'm going off to bed." she told me, climbing the stairs.
I was right behind her after locking the doors and turning off the lights. I smiled at her as she turned to look at me from our bedroom door and then I pushed open Billie's to see him sat up in bed, crying to himself silently as he shook. I sighed, my heart breaking at the sight as I crossed the room to him. He reached out for me and I climbed up on the bed, pulling em into my arms, tightly.
"Daddy." he wept, softly. I held him tighter.
"It's okay, Bud. Go back to sleep. It's alright." I crooned, rubbing small circles onto his back. He cried for a few more minutes until I heard his breathing even out. I held him for a few more until gently laying him down, tucking the comforter around him before plucking a shirt from Billie's laundry hamper. I tucked it into Dyl's arms and he sighed, pulling it closer.
With one last look, I left him there, moving down the hall to our room to see Mel curled up into a ball, softly weeping. Silently, I slipped off my cut offs, climbing in behind her and pulling her back flush to my chest. A sob escaped her chest as she turned to face me, clinging on for dear life. All I could do was cry with her until we both drifted off to sleep.
Sam's Point of View
The Cullens wanted a meeting in the forest, or so Nessie told Jake, and there was no way in hell I was missing it. Apparently, the Pixie vampire, Alice, had caught a glimpse of Billie this morning, nothing ground breaking but it was something. The whole pack was abuzz from the information and it took everything in me and Jake to freaking stop them from darting straight to the meeting place as soon as we told them. The meeting wasn't until nine and it was only half eight. Emily had made breakfast and despite our eagerness and need to find out what this Alice leech had to say, we were dead hungry.
"How is Paul this morning?" Kim asked, solemnly. The guys' eyes dropped to the table. It was asked every day now, it shouldn't be a surprise when someone comes out with it anymore but it was and it still cut like a knife to think of one of my best friends, my second companion and my brother to be in the state he was right now.
"No change, I'm sorry to say. He called out to her again last night." Sue informed us but it was nothing new. He constantly called out for her now. It was heart wrenching whenever you were there with him.
"Why's Uncle Paul so sick, Daddy?" Gracie asked me with a cute confused expression on her face. I sighed, smiling at her softly as I brushed her hair out o her face.
"He just misses Billie, Sweetie." I replied, gently. A frown spread a cross her face before turning sad and her head bowed.
"Me too." she sniffled, biting the corner of her lip.
"Hey, Gracie, how's about we go to the park or something. I'll get you an ice cream." Jennie suggested, standing from her seat. I eyed her thankfully but confused.
"What about the meeting?" I asked.
"I'll phase with one of you eventually. Just tell me then." she said, shrugging before picking Gracie up in her arms and taking her from the kitchen. I sighed after the pair of them, hating that this whole thing was effecting my girls so much.
"Mom can we go to the park with Jen and Gracie?" Tyler asked, finishing his pancakes. I was surprised since, not so much Levi but Tyler definitely wouldn't be caught dead at the park with his older sister. Ever since he's grown up, he preferred to go with his friends and not with Gracie and Levi when they went with Jen.
"Ask your sister." was all Em replied and I shared a smile with her. I knew that she was just as worried as the rest of us about what Alice saw but she was hiding it well.
"Guys we best go. It's nearly nine." I announced, rising from my chair and kissing Em's scarred cheek before moving towards the back door.
Jake nodded to the others to do as I say, since I wasn't the alpha anymore but old habits die hard, I suppose. I'll always be bossy with the guys; I have done since this generation of Pack had begun and I doubt that I'll even stop after I've stopped phasing and become totally human. It was just part of me Jake was patient and understanding with me though. He understood that it wasn't going to filter out of me over night and he's already told me that as long as it doesn't contradict what he was already thinking, he'd go along with it and not override it. He was the alpha now and every decision had to have his nod of approval. I understood that and accepted it s did the others. It seemed natural to follow him, despite it being my previous position.
We all stripped and phased inside the tree line, Jake taking his natural lead towards the clearing we were meeting in just a few miles out. I ran to Jake's right, since I was still technically his Beta until I officially stop phasing. Leah was to his left. The run was short but it was loud. The pack mind was overcrowded these days, especially after the transformations of Delvin, Bree and Duncan. Jennie made a whole lot of difference as well. She was one of the loudest and I was kind of thankful that she wasn't here right now. I was also kind of glad that Jacob had taken over. Just a few more months (hopefully) and I would be rid of this pack mind, though I would kind of miss it, and I would be able to enjoy the privacy that you mind is supposed to have.
Aw, we'll miss you too, Boss. Quil teased, reading my thoughts. I rolled my eyes, making many chuckle. I've always hated it when they call me that.
Yeah, now they're calling me it. Jake grumbled. They all laughed again. I grinned.
Fucking annoying isn't it? I asked, empathetically. He huffed.
You're not joking. He agreed. I could sense from the others' minds that they felt a rush of satisfaction that they were annoying the both of us. Bastards.
Harsh, Sam. So harsh. Craig laughed. I growled at him.
Get focused. We're nearly there. Jake called through the pack mind and we sobered immediately.
Despite the fact that the relations with the Cullens had transformed into somewhat familial, through Jake, we still had to be on guard because we didn't want our instincts to slip and take over, accidentally tearing one of them to shreds. I'm not sure how that would be received now, what with our strengthened relations. I mean, they can just put them back together, right? They'd be good as new and it'd be like nothing ever happened. If one of them were to be attacked and shredded, then it was down to being a total accident. For the most part, none of us felt any ill will towards them anymore. They were valuable allies.
Edward snorted, smirking at me. "You wouldn't have been thinking that a decade and a half ago." he chuckled.
"Saying what?" Nessie asked, curiously as she wrapped her arms around Jake's waist. I ran back to the trees and phased, pulling my shorts on before joining them again.
"That we don't feel any ill will towards your family."I answered and Jake chuckled.
"Perhaps we should get on with why we're here? According to Alice, it's nothing solid or possibly nothing viable but she's seen flashes of Billie." Rosalie suggested, a scowl on her face. Ah, things never change. The shared smirk between Jake and I told em he was thinking exactly the same.
"What do you mean flashes?" Embry asked, stepping forward with a worried expression.
"Like just glimpses. They aren't full visions like I usually have. They're snippets, if you like. And very short ones; only a couple of seconds each, if that. They aren't very clear and that could be chalked down to her being with werewolves, wherever she is." Alice explained from the arms of Jasper, his face tight and strained with the mixture of emotions that the mention of Billie's name conjures up in us.
"Well, what do you see?" Jake asked, confused and thoughtful.
"That's the thing. They make no sense. Sometimes it's children and I'd recognise her hair or one time I saw the palm of her hand, where she has that scar from the knife incident with Paul. I don't ever seen her face. But whenever I see anything of her, she's always with these children." she replied, frustrated.
"Children? What do they look like? How many? What age?" I asked, seriously.
"There's a little girl, a very little girl. She looks to be just walking; she's so shaky on her feet. She has short blonde hair and is the cutest child I've ever...glimpsed. And then a little boy, about five or six. He could easily pass off as a Quileute with his tanned skin, black hair. He's definitely of Native descent."
"One of Omar's wolves' pups?" Philip guessed, thoughtfully. I shrugged.
"It's possible." I agreed. "What else do you see? Anything that we could recognise and track the landscape? Try and figure out where she is?"
"Nothing of importance. There's just a load of trees and a reservation that looks similar to yours. There's no obvious landmarks or anything in anything that I've seen, which isn't much as I've said."
"Why are you seeing her now? I mean, you haven't for the last six months so why now?" Collin asked, perplexed Alice shrugged.
"I have no idea. I can't choose when to have visions. They come to me when they want to. I have no clue why I'm just beginning to see her, sort of, now." Alice replied, frustrated and put out. Jasper kissed the top of her head in comfort.
"You can't see everything Darlin'. You know that." he tried to sooth in his southern twang. I could see Bree and Leah smirk at it, blushing a little and it had always baffled me why women seemed to like that accent. Edward chuckled. I rolled my eyes again.
"Daddy, are you prying in minds again?" Nessie asked, disapprovingly. Edward looked innocent.
"No, of course not, Sweetie." he chuckled. Se sighed.
"We talked about this." she teased. Edward rolled his eyes and Bella giggled, kissing his cheek.
"Anyway, what does this mean exactly?" Jared asked, getting back to business. He wanted Billie home as much as the rest of us. Anna had been a mess and still was.
"We don't know what it means. But it has to be something otherwise Alice wouldn't have been getting the glimpses." Carlisle answered, thoughtfully. "I believe that we should keep our wits about us, prepare for the unexpected if I should happen."
"We should probably step up patrol, just in case." Jake agreed, glancing at Leah and I, both of us nodding.
"That;s all there is to share, I'm afraid. I wish I was seeing more for you guys but I'm sorry." Alice apologised, sadly. Jasper hugged her back to him, comfortingly. Jake smiled at her.
"You've done amazingly, Alice. Thank you." he assured her. I nodded.
"Really, you have." I agreed and she smiled at me, thankfully. Carlisle looked at me, worriedly.
"How is he? I was planning to come up later, to check on him again." he asked. All us wolves deflated, our shoulders sagging and faces falling. I sighed.
"He's not good. He hasn't woken up yet. He still calls for her in his sleep. Other than that, we get no response." I informed him. He nodded, as if he expected nothing less.
"None of you truly knew how bad it could get if you were away from your imprint?" he asked, eyeing us all. We shook our heads.
"i know the most. Emily tried fighting it before she gave him to the pull. Neither of us wanted to...um, hurt Leah." I stuttered, glancing her way. She smiled and shrugged. I sighed. "It was a months tops. Nothing like the time that has passed by for Paul. We're worried. He's slipping by more and more each day."
"We don't think he'll last much longer." Embry mumbled, sorrowful. A sad, tense silence overtook the group as we thought about what that could mean and began thinking about Paul's life.
We were all slightly startled when Bella chuckled and we all looked at her confused. "I can remember when I slapped him, that day in Jake's back yard." she giggled, shaking her head with a goofy smile on her face. "He was so mad!"
Quil laughed. "I'm surprised you didn't break your hand like you did after Jake kissed you." he teased. she glared at him whilst Jacob blushed, smiling and Nessie groaned.
"Quil! That's my mother and my husband you're talking about! It's still fucking weird." she groused, pulling Jake closer to her and giving her mother a half playful scowl. Bella laughed, holding her hands up whilst Edward chuckled.
"Hehe, my bad. Sorry." Quil replied, not seeming sorry at all. Nessie huffed and Jake kissed the tip of her nose, placating her.
"We should get going. Collin, Em and Craig are on patrol, Quil, Bree and Steven afterwards." Jake ordered, giving Nessie one last kiss before pulling away and heading towards the trees. I turned to smile at Alice, thanking her again before running off after him.
What does this mean? Quil asked, confused as we ran back to La Push.
It means something big is coming, in regards to Billie and that was the supernatural's way of warning us, through Alice. Patrollers need to be quick on the job now, no slacking. 100% on the job. Got it? Jake demanded, sternly and we all replied, clearly.
In my head and heart, I knew that Jacob was right. I knew that something, whether good or bad, was going to happen in regards to Billie and we needed to prepare for whatever it might be. I don't know what it was going to be or how we even prepare but we had to because there was no way we could afford being ambushed like Omar had done months ago, taking Billie. No one else was going to be taken, or anything. If Omar and his pack came back for whatever reason, we'd be ready. When a lead about Billie comes up, we'll be ready.
Because it was about time was fucking home, where she belongs.
Okay, so a very sad chapter. Probably not one you wanted but it was necessary, I'm afraid. At least it wasn't much of a cliff hanger, not as nasty as the last one :)
Please leave a review! You've been amazing in that department and I love you loads for it! :D
Love,
MrsWolfPack
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