AN: So embarrassed that I left a scene out of the last chapter. Everyone who reviewed for #48 got to see it, and I've just added it to the chapter on the site, so if you didn't review you can go back and catch that new scene (and if you want to review then, great).
To anyone who might have been wondering when the real drama would return...I can only quote Captain James T. Kirk and say "Buckle up."
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At the beginning of September, Jared and I invited his family over for a dinner at our house that Friday night. "You've been so hospitable to us, we want to return the favor," we explained.
Laura and I spent a while in what would be the baby's nursery, talking up ideas on furniture and accessories.
"We do still have a few months to get everything ready," James said, poking his head in the door, "so if you ladies are ready for a break, the food is waiting."
Before they left, I asked Laura about mending a jacket of mine which I'd noticed had a rip. "I probably won't be able to wear it for a while, but I ought to see about getting it fixed before it gets worse."
"I'd be happy to, Bella," she replied, taking the jacket from me and draping it over her arm.
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Jared had to spend part of Saturday helping the part-time employees at the store. His parents had some shopping trip out of town, and they and Drew would be gone most of the day. Emily and I spent a little while working on a class project, and the rest of the time just hanging out with everyone else. Only Collin wasn't there, and I guessed that he'd either gotten roped into going along, or had volunteered to keep Drew company.
The deepening of Jake and Savannah's relationship was now obvious to everyone; her lack of knowledge about the pack did keep the teasing a lot milder than it probably would have been otherwise. I was pleased to see that he was being just as careful with her as Jared had been with me.
"What do you think about it?" I asked Rachel when we had a moment alone.
Pondering the question briefly, Rachel said, "Well, since I'm part of an imprint, too, I really can't say anything against it. I'm glad he's found 'the one' who's meant for him. But this is my little brother we're talking about here, and he's still got this last year of high school left, so a part of me wishes he wasn't in something so serious this soon."
"I think the other wolves will make sure he remembers that Savannah definitely isn't ready for anything too serious, and won't be for a while; and if they don't, I will." I was firm on that. Savannah was my new little sister, and I'd be looking out for her just as much as the others.
When James and Laura arrived back from their trip and picked up Savannah, I couldn't avoid noticing how every wolf there simultaneously stiffened and zeroed in on them. I couldn't see anything wrong, but would have to wait until they left to find out what they'd noticed. Jake's good manners in helping Savannah into the car once Collin had exited also would have let him get an up-close look.
"Mrs. Mahan?" Seth moved a little closer.
"Yes, Seth?"
"Would it be okay if Drew spent the night at my house tonight?"
"I think your mom has enough going on right now without getting invaded," Laura declared. "But, if you boys want to come over to our house, that's fine with us."
Because I was watching for it, I saw the sidelong glance Seth sent Sam's way and the slight nod delivered in return.
"Sure. We'll grab our stuff and be over soon if that's okay." Plans decided, the Mahan's headed for home, with the pack watching intently, Jake most of all. Once we were clear, I was determined to get some answers.
"What's going on? What did you all smell?"
"Leech—all over the car," Paul spat.
"But they weren't touched…" Embry puzzled out.
"Collin, answers," Sam directed.
"They took us into Seattle to pick up something they'd ordered, and 'cause this was 'Drew's Day'. We'd've been back sooner than this, but when we came out of the store it looked like someone tried to break into the car, so they called the cops to check thing out."
"Anything missing?"
"Couple jackets, maybe," Collin shrugged.
My eyes squeezed shut for a moment. "Not again," I breathed. Instantly, all eyes were on me.
"What?" Sam snapped.
"I gave Laura a jacket to fix. If she left it in the car…" My voice trailed off.
"Bella!"
"Jared!" My husband arrived, wrapped his arms around me, but focused his attention on the Alpha.
"What the hell is going on, Sam?"
"A vampire apparently got close, if not into, your parents' car today. No harm done, but—"
"I think he's gonna phase," Collin interrupted. "Drew got twitchier and twitchier the closer we got to here, kept saying he smelled something."
"Where is he?" Jared scanned the yard.
"Heading home with your family. The young guys are going to spend the night." Sam turned his attention to the trio. "If it starts to happen, one of you call us, the other two get him outside and away from people. Now, get a move on."
They left, and I could feel Jared trembling against me. The thought that a vampire had gotten so close to our family literally terrified me, as very little had ever done before. I was sure that Jared had to be just as scared, as well as worried for the brother about to join him.
"Take me home," I whispered. "Please, take me home." I part of me hated to play on the imprint like this, but we both needed time alone right now. Jared had helped so many of them, now they could return the favor and help him and Drew.
"We've got this, bro," Jake promised. "You take care of Bella, we'll look after Drew. Promise you'll get the call if anything happens."
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Savannah POV
For someone who was getting to have three of his friends sleep over, Drew didn't seem too happy about it. He grumbled about the dinner mom fixed, shot down the guys' videogame suggestions, and didn't really want me around either. So I ended up going to my room to work on the cross-stitch I was making for Jared and Bella's baby. I was hoping to have it done to give to Bella at her birthday, but if I didn't get more done it'd be a Christmas present instead.
"Don't stay up too late, sweetie," mom said when she and dad came in to tell me goodnight.
"I won't," I promised. I put my cross-stitch away and realized I was a little hungry. I knew it was against mom's rules to have a snack at bedtime, but I decided to try and sneak to the kitchen to find something. As I started to creep down the hall, I heard something hit the floor and whispered voices.
"No"
"Crap"
"Call them"
As the phone buttons began to beep, Seth said, "Drew, man, come on. Let's go for a little run—burn this off."
"Don't want to," he muttered.
"Please, man," Collin whispered. "Just let's go outside."
The sounds of feet moving increased. They'll wake mom and dad up if they aren't careful, I thought. The door shut behind them and I moved into the kitchen. They shouldn't be sneaking out: it's late. Finally discovering my rebellious inner teenager, I followed them—followed them outside and into the woods where we were forbidden to go. I knew better; boy, did I know better, but I kept going anyway.
"Drew, calm down."
"Easy, buddy."
"Breathe, man"
I crept closer, almost to the edge of the little clearing they'd stopped in, and peaked around a tree. Drew was in the middle, the other three surrounding him. My twin started to shake violently. He turned, twisted, and grew. His clothes ripped and in the next moment my brother was gone and a wolf stood where he'd been, head lifted in a howl. I shrieked involuntarily at the same moment that Collin and Brady also turned into wolves. Seth spun around and saw me.
"Savannah? Stay there!" He shifted so that he was between me and them, and turned back to face the wolves.
"Seth? What? How?" I stuttered. He ignored me as another wolf appeared from the other side of the clearing. He ignored the others and came up to Seth, sliding even closer to me. I knew I ought to be screaming hysterically or something to have a wolf—let alone four of them—almost in touching distance, but something about this latest arrival let me calm down and stay quiet.
"Took you long enough," Seth muttered.
"Savannah? Are you okay?" I spun and almost screamed again when I heard and then saw Jared.
"He—they're—"
My older brother sighed, looking more than eighteen. "Yeah, I know. We'll explain in a minute, okay?"
"We?" This was obviously my night to be ignored, because he didn't answer me either.
"Seth, why don't you and Jake take Sav over to Bella's—the rest of the pack's on their way. Collin, Brady, and I will sort Drew out and be there soon."
Seth nodded, and the wolf beside him returned to the trees for a minute. He didn't come back, though; instead, Jacob, my boyfriend, did. During that same time, I'd seen my elder brother strip off his shorts, toss them on the ground, and turn into a wolf, too. Has the whole world gone crazy? I wondered.
Jacob came close to me. His hands rose, then fell, like he wasn't sure if he should try to touch me or not.
"What's going on here?" I whispered, feeling like a little girl again and wanting only to be hugged and told that everything was going to be fine. It was almost as if Jake sensed that, because he took that last step toward me and carefully reached his arm around me.
"It's okay, I promise, Vanah." I'd never said anything, but I really liked how he'd given me a nickname, something that only he ever used.
"Why did I have to leave?"
"Explaining everything will be easier inside and with everyone else there. Plus, Drew'll calm down easier without so big of an audience. He doesn't have any clothes now, either. Crap!" Jacob slapped his thigh. "Seth, sneak back and grab him something to wear. Collin and Brady, too."
Seth split off and headed back to the house, while Jake and I walked toward Jared and Bella's apartment. "Mom and Dad…" I started to say, after a few minutes.
"Are sound asleep," Jake told me. "We'll have you all back home before they're awake to notice."
"I'm not dreaming this, am I?" I asked.
"Nope." I about jumped out of my skin when Seth was the one to answer my question, as I hadn't noticed him come back. I think the only reason I didn't was because Jake was right there beside me.
"You're wolves." I didn't even question that Seth had to be one, too. "My brothers are wolves."
"Yeah," Jake's answer was quiet.
At the apartment, we just walked right in. It seemed like all of Jared's friends were there, wearing nothing but shorts. Jake's sister was there, too, and so was Seth's. Bella was sitting on the couch between them. She had to use both of them to help her stand up when we came in. I gratefully fell into the hug she offered.
"Are you okay?" my big sister inquired.
"I don't know," I admitted. "Confused, a little scared…"
"Life will be different now," Bella agreed, "but it's not bad."
More footsteps on the stairs made us all turn. Collin and Brady came in first, followed by Jared and Drew, who shut the door behind them. Jared tugged Drew with him, and they joined Bella and me in a family hug. "I'm sorry," he whispered, to exactly whom, I wasn't sure. No one around us said anything until we let go and moved apart.
Sam Uley stood up and anyone who wasn't sitting found a place pretty quick. Jared went to the couch and sat with Bella on his lap. Jake perched on the arm of the chair I was in. Drew joined his friends on the floor. "Okay", he began. "First off, we obviously have a new member of the pack."
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Drew POV
I didn't have a clue why I was so on-edge today. Well, okay, I did know that I hadn't been happy to have my solo day with mom and dad partly taken up by them picking up the birthday present they'd ordered for Bella. And I couldn't understand why my cousin Collin had wanted to come along or why they'd let him.
I'd been starving all day, even with the snacks mom had packed. I didn't like getting shot down over the 'must have' pair of sneakers that they thought I didn't really need. And Collin's chatter—well, if he was trying to make me feel better, he was a total failure. And on top of it all, someone had tried to break into the car, or had done it, I didn't know which. I guess I did, 'cause mom got a little upset about the clothes that they'd taken. When we finally got to leave, the smell in the car was driving me crazy, and the worst part was that nobody believed me when I said there was something like burned cotton candy around.
Back at the rez, I would've liked it if I could have gone somewhere, but no, mom had to invite the guys over instead. Nothing was interesting, and my sister hung around for a while. And then, my skin started to itch and feel kinda tight. After that, the guys started acting really weird, telling me to "come on," to "calm down", to sneak outside. I didn't argue, I was having enough trouble just breathing. I barely even noticed when we went into the woods or when we stopped or when they surrounded me.
All of a sudden, the worst pain I'd ever felt was everywhere: hands, feet, shoulders—like I was coming apart. I tried to scream, but it wasn't sounding right. It wasn't me, it was some animal howling. And then, there was nothing. No pain, no itching—just nothing.
What was that?
Who phased?
Who said that? What happened? What's going on? Why did I start hurting like that?I tried to ask.
Drew?
What? Who? Where? I tried to turn my head to see who was talking, but my body didn't move right. My head was tilted forward and I had…paws? What?
Drew, buddy, its okay. You're fine.
Collin? I looked toward his voice and saw—aahh—I jumped when a wolf was standing where I'd thought Collin would be.
Welcome to the pack, coz.
What's going on? If I didn't start getting some answers to all my questions, like now, I was going to start freaking.
We're wolves and now you are, too.
Brady?
Yep. And when I looked the other way, sure enough, another wolf was there.
You guys got this one? A new voice, familiar, sort-of.
Yeah, Embry, we've got it, Brady replied.
Quil and I'll stay out then. Jake's almost to you.
I'm here. I spun and saw a new, even bigger wolf and a still-human Seth. Behind them both: Savannah, looking at us all like we were aliens or something, and Jared beside her.
"He's—they're—" she gasped.
"Yeah, I know," Jared replied. I couldn't figure out why he was here and not freaking out, so I probably missed a few things. The next thing I knew…
Drew, bro, you okay?
Jared?
Yeah.
We're…
I know. I'm sorry.
Sorry?
I hoped you wouldn't have to go through this. I didn't want you to. He was serious and I felt a twinge.
Is it bad?
He sighed. No, it's not bad—just tough sometimes.
How long have you been…a wolf? I knew I'd have to start getting used to saying it.
A couple years.
Does Bella know?
He snorted this time. Yeah. She knows. She knew about the wolf-thing even before we met.
How?
Jake.
Figures.
Yeah. He can't keep secrets from her any better than I can.
I didn't know what to say about that. Girls were a mystery to me right now, which was fine by me.
So, besides being stunned speechless, are you okay now? He asked.
I guess.
Ready to try phasing back?Collin butted in. I'd almost forgotten that he and Brady had even been there, and still were.
That's what we call it, Brady explained. When we shift from human to wolf or wolf to human.
Just think about being calm and human. Jared advised. Don't force it, it'll happen.
I tried to breathe deeply and relax. Much less painfully than before, I could feel my bones and skin shift. "Aaahh!" I yelped when I realized I was human again, not to mention naked. Next thing I knew, something cloth hit me in the face. Pulling it off my head, I found myself holding a pair of my shorts—but not the pair I'd been wearing earlier.
"Get used to shredding a lot of your clothes. Shoes, too," Jared suggested. My brother was dressed almost exactly like me, and we were alone. "Seth grabbed those from the house for you."
"Where is he? And everyone else?"
"Over at my place. There's a lot that you and Savannah need to know now."
"Why her? Because she saw me—us?"
"Partly," Jared admitted. "But she'd've learned it one day, anyway."
"Why?" I asked as we started walking. My brother stopped and turned to face me.
"Because one day she'll be to Jake what Bella is to me, what Emily is to Sam, Kim to Embry, Rachel to Paul. We call it 'imprinting' and it's when we find the one we're meant to be with, the one who's perfect for us."
"That's crazy!" I burst out. She was barely fourteen, just like me, and Jared was talking like 'forever' stuff.
"Crazy or not, it's what is. We're all keeping an eye on it, and them, of course. Come on, the others will be waiting at my place by now."
When we walked in, it seemed like most of his and my friends were all there watching us. My brother, my sisters and I hugged, and it felt really good. It didn't even bother me that there were people watching us.
"Okay", Sam began. "First off, we obviously have a new member of the pack. Drew, welcome. Do you have any questions?"
"Should I?" I couldn't think what I ought to ask. Savannah took care of that for me.
"How?"
"All of us who are wolves are descended from Taha Aki. All the stories about him are true. He was a wolf, and that ability was passed down to those with his blood. Just as happened then, when our tribe is threatened, those with that ability will become wolves, as he did."
"Is this going to happen to me, too?" her voice was full of panic. Everyone else stiffened.
"I don't know, I won't lie about that." Sam told her. "It's possible; you're just as much a descendant of Taha Aki as your brothers are. But I don't think it'll happen to you. Until Leah, we never knew it even was possible for a girl to transform. In her case, I suspect that she joined us because her blood ties to the last pack are so strong; plus, she'd spent the past two years being pissed off at me. We'll watch you, just in case, just like we've watched everyone who's ended up joining us."
"I think Sam's right about you," Leah contributed, "but if it does happen, I'll be here for you, Savannah. We all will."
Jared POV
I'd had a hell of a day, and it didn't seem to be getting any better. First off, I hadn't really appreciated having to spend it away from Bella. It wasn't like the part-timers we used on weekends couldn't handle things, but my parents had asked and it was one of the perils of a family business. Then, when my dad had come in to relieve me, I'd about lost it when I smelled the vampire stench that permeated his clothes. He'd mentioned a minor break-in to the car, and passed on my mom's apologies for Bella, as the jacket my mom had been meant to mend had apparently been among the things taken. I could barely make an unobtrusive departure before bolting for Sam's place.
Worse had come when I'd heard Collin sharing his opinion that Drew was definitely going to phase, and probably soon. As nothing further had seemed to come from Drew's growth-spurt, I'd come to hope that it was 'normal' after all; maybe it had been, but now it was more. I couldn't let myself get drawn too far into panic, not when Bella begged me to take her home. As much as the big brother in me wanted to be there for Drew, my wife, my imprint, had to come first. That, plus Jake's promise to watch and to call me, was the only thing that got me out of there.
At home, Bella shook in my arms for a long time, and I'll admit, I shook, too. I could have lost most of my family today, and maybe the only reason I hadn't was because Bella's jacket had been in the car. I didn't want to think about why the bloodsucker had wanted it, or why he or she had left everything and everyone else untouched.
"Make me forget, Jared. Make it all go away," Bella begged. "Help us both forget." Even though I knew it wasn't a permanent solution, I needed this temporary oblivion just as much as she did. For a few minutes, we could let the whirlwind sweep away everything except for the two of us.
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I lay awake beside my dozing wife, my previous thoughts having returned to plague me. The phone ringing had me lunging to answer it. I didn't even have the chance to say anything before the person on the other end started talking.
"Jared, man, you gotta come now," Collin's voice was urgent. "It's gonna happen real soon. We're trying to get him outside and into the woods. Jake and his wingmen are out patrolling, but he's gonna need you." Then the call ended. I dropped the phone, shutting my eyes as if to negate my cousin's words.
"Go. Drew will need you." Bella had been awakened and was looking at me with infinite compassion in her eyes.
"Call the rest of the pack. Meeting here as soon as we can all get here." I snagged my shorts off the floor and dashed off, barely remembering to shut the door behind me.
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As Sam and other pack members started the now-familiar briefing, I could only cling to Bella's quiet strength. It had felt like a knife wound when Savannah had asked if she'd be next. I could only hope and pray that Sam and Leah were both right that it wasn't going to happen. Paul caught my eye and I saw the concern in his own; his imprint Rachel was in almost the same position as Savannah: a wolf's sister who could conceivably also phase.
"How are we going to explain this to mom and dad?" Drew asked. I winced.
"We aren't," I answered him. "They can't know about you any more than they could about me—or anybody else's parents, for that matter. What we are has to remain a secret."
"So what happens now?" Savannah wanted to know.
"So far as anyone else knows, nothing's changed," Jake told her and Drew. "You go to school and do stuff and home just like before. You can, and should, hang out with us as much as you can. Drew, you're going to really need to be careful. You're new to this, and you'll probably lose your temper pretty easily for a while. Got to be careful about that, because when you do you'll probably phase."
"And doing that around people who don't know isn't a good thing." Drew figured out.
"Right. Sam?" Jake turned to the Alpha. "Where do you want to put him on the patrol schedule?"
"Drew, how do you feel about early mornings?"
"Patrols?" my little brother definitely looked confused by that one.
"We split up the day into shifts and patrol around the reservation and the national park to make sure that there are no vampires around. I think you should be with someone experienced to begin with. Jared and Paul take the early morning shift, so you won't miss any school that way." Sam had come up with probably the best solution, at least for right now; Paul and I were the most experienced wolves next to Sam himself. Drew might prefer being with his friends, but having the four newest wolves patrol together wasn't a good idea.
"Okay, sure. You're the boss."
"Well, he is the Alpha," Brady stage-whispered. We were all glad for the chance to let off a little tension by laughing.
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The next week was largely spent in acquainting my siblings with the intricacies of pack and imprint life. Savannah had initially been a little wary of the whole destiny thing, but talks with the other girls, as well as Bella and Jake, had helped a lot. Drew ended up being very much like Seth and Quil, taking to wolf-life with surprising ease. Having his best friends in on the secret helped, and he and I had multiple mental conversations while running our patrols.
I sometimes felt like I was standing in a sand-glass, watching time trickle away, toward what end I was sure I didn't want to know. And it wasn't entirely because of Bella's rapidly approaching birthday. Almost as if she'd known I was thinking about it, she'd explicitly forbidden any sort of official party. And in view of the disaster that her last birthday and party had been, I couldn't blame her. I figured I'd be safe enough in planning a dinner with family and friends. Presents were officially discouraged, although I did suggest to the invited guests that practical things for Bella and/or the baby would be accepted. Here's hoping I'm right, I thought, as I went to sleep on the night of September 12th.
