55. Best friends share… everything.

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

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


The doctor let them take Embry home to the Black house. He still wasn't one hundred percent, but he could heal the rest of the way on his own. His voice stayed husky. He hated lying in bed all day. But he said at least the mattress smelt really good. In another day or so he was completely healed. He would bear scars for the rest of his days. Fast healing didn't erase scars.

Bella stayed with them both until Joy Ateara told her off and said she had to go back to school because the boys had to go back to school. Embry swore that he had dropped out and Joy looked like she was going to smack him upside the head.

He went back to school with Quil. And Bella went back to Forks High School. Lauren avoided her now. In fact a lot of people did and that suited her fine. The rumour that she had not only been kidnapped, but had been rescued and returned, somehow got around; like everything seemed to. She couldn't tell Angela and Ben what had really happened. Angela gave her worried glances but, she didn't ask, and Bella just tried to be her friend. She assured her that everything was fine now.

But the attack had left Embry with almost a hardened aura. He now looked like someone who had been through bad things. His goofy, demeanour had well and truly gone. He had grown up. Walking along between the two of them, people actually stepped away from them or apologised if they got in their way. Quil looked dangerous enough, but it was Embry that people avoided.

Bella didn't see much of Charlie; she was virtually living at the Black house. She started to think of it as home too. Billy rather enjoyed her being there, cooking for him and grousing at him about his diet. Charlie groused about her not being at the house cooking for him. She baked extra cookies for the police station in compensation and made sure she left meals in one serving size containers for Charlie to reheat.

The pack got busy constructing Billy Black's new home. Quil was on double construction shifts for blowing the secret. Bella complained and Sam put himself on double shifts too; that shut her up. And really, the faster they built the house, the better for them all.

Everything was virtually back to normal, except for one thing. Sex.

They weren't having any.

And they all felt bad about it.

Bella just seemed to have fewer hours in the day; she was driving back and forth to attend school, studying for her finals, cooking and grocery shopping for two households and feeding two werewolves. She fell into bed between them exhausted most nights. Cuddling up together was great, but it wasn't quite what they had imagined it would be like to live together. Plus they were aware that it was Billy's house and he was asleep on the other side of the wall. The recklessness of the mating weekend was gone.

Quil and Embry were odd with each other. It was largely Quil, and he didn't know how to fix it. And because they weren't together, Bella and Quil felt guilty if they tried to do anything, as if they were rubbing Embry's face in it.

One afternoon Billy was out; Jake had taken him to a medical check-up and Quil was at his mum's place. Embry grabbed Bella and picked her up.

She protested, "No, don't, you'll hurt yourself."

He made a noise that sounded mostly exasperated.

He carried her into their bedroom and slammed the door shut behind him with a foot.

"Embry?" she asked carefully.

"I'm not sick," he growled out in his new raspy voice.

"No, of course you're not," she responded.

"So why are you treating me like an invalid?"

She opened her mouth to argue with him and then shut it again. She weighed nothing to him. He could carry her easily. He was all healed and he wouldn't hurt himself. She knew that.

He raised an eyebrow. "Hmmm?"

"I don't know… I'm sorry."

"Good. So let's fuck. Everyone's out."

She wasn't sure that she recognised this Embry. "Are you really sure that we -"

"YES! Christ." He sat down on the bed and held her to his chest. Her legs were wrapped around his waist and her feet on the bed. He buried his face in her neck. She put her arms around his shoulders and hugged him.

Quil had come home and he could hear them. He didn't think Embry knew he was there yet. He sat at the kitchen table and listened. He remembered listening to them fuck while he ate the breakfast omelettes Bella had cooked; that first weekend.

Embry spoke, his voice muffled in her neck. "Neither of you will touch me."

"That's not true," she argued. "We touch you."

He lifted his head and looked at her face. "You know what I mean. Don't argue with me, Honey, I know it's true. I have to sleep with you both and I'm so hard my dick is just gonna snap off. When was the last time we had sex? Got a blow job? Had a shower together? When was the last time we were all naked in bed? When did you start wearing pyjamas?" He paused. "Quil won't touch me," he almost sobbed the last part.

"I…" She couldn't argue with him. He was right.

He inhaled and his shoulders shook.

"Please, Honey," Embry begged. "Quil won't fuck me."

"Maybe he thinks he's going to hurt you." She knew Quil had been devastated by the damage Embry had taken, and that he couldn't stop it happening.

"How can he hurt me? He's hurting me by not touching me. He thinks I'm weak," Embry whimpered.

"No, Embry; not weak… just fragile."

"He never thought I was fragile before."

Quil grimaced.

"I know. He manhandled you before, but he's never nearly lost you before either," she argued. "You were so… broken. And he felt every cut."

"So what's your excuse?" he asked her.

She inhaled sharply at that accusation. "I … I don't know. I think I am treating you almost like a rape victim. I'm frightened to touch you." She stroked his shoulders. "Because you were hurt so badly and that was kind of my fault."

"It wasn't your fault," he sighed. "It was the vampires. And they didn't cut me there. I'm not broken. That was one good thing about having you taped to my front."

She tried to hug him closer. Maybe if they had been to a counsellor or something. But how did you even begin to explain what had happened to them to a counsellor? We were tortured by vampires? Sure, you were. It was a just over a week ago and we have nothing to show for it but a pile of ash and a few scars.

"You and Quil had sex," he accused.

"Yes," she admitted. But it had only been the once in the shower at the medical centre. "And then I had my period," she argued.

Quil put his hands over his face. He didn't want to interrupt, and he couldn't bring himself to leave. He prayed silently.

"You kept telling me you loved me, while it was happening," Embry pointed out. "And now you won't love me."

"I'm sorry." It was all she had. And it wasn't enough.

"So if you and I fuck, then he knows I'm okay," Embry argued. "See? And then he will touch me; properly. I need him to."

Of course he did; he was his imprint. "I understand. I just worry…" she said.

"Please, Honey," Embry begged.

'Please, Bells,' Quil mouthed in the other room.

Bella suddenly understood that she and Quil weren't protecting Embry. He just saw them as rejecting him. Again. It was all happening again. Just like his mother and his father. Someone else was rejecting him. The two people he loved most in the world, weren't having sex with him.

"Oh, my God, Embry. We love you, of course we love you. Please don't think that we don't."

"So show me," he whispered. "Please, Honey."

She kissed him. She tried to show him how she felt about him in that kiss. "I'm sorry," she kept whispering. "I love you."

She leaned back and pulled at his shirt. He took it off for her. She knew Embry adored it when she talked to him. "Remember when you drove to school with me?"

"Yes." He was kissing the side of her neck while her hands ran all over his chest. "You made me take my shirt off."

"My turn now," she said. She took her shirt off.

"You promised me that would jump me when you got home from school," he said.

"And I did."

"Yes, you did," he agreed. "You woke me up when I was asleep in your bed."

"And I was sooo wet," she moaned, as his hands reached for her breasts and slid under her bra cups. "I'd been thinking about you fucking me aaallll day," she moaned.

Quil blinked. Was this his Bells?

"Keep talking," Embry murmured.

Oh, okay. Quil understood now. Embry liked her talking. Huh. He hadn't known that.

"And you were so hard…" she sighed.

He stood, turned and dropped her on her back onto the mattress. "Yeah?" he checked. He grabbed her legs and pulled her jeans off.

"Let me see you, Embry," she begged. "So long and so hard."

He dropped his trousers. "Like this?" he asked.

"God, look at you," she groaned. She reached for him and whispered sultrily, "I'm so lucky to have you."

He held his groin away from her. "Uh-uh," he warned. "You touch me, and I'll explode." Quil winced. He was so tense; Embry being upset, made him more tense. He just hadn't known what to do. Victoria had slashed Embry all over the back and the ass and those were Quil's favourite parts of him. And he had hated himself because he didn't know how to fix it. He really hoped this worked.

"Oh," Bella complained. "You mean, I can't take you in my mouth and lick you all over."

"Fuck, Honey," Embry whimpered.

Quil licked his lips.

"Later," Embry assured her.

"And then you pounded me, didn't you Embry?" Bella asked him.

"Sure did. I hung onto the head board with one hand," he whispered to her. "And I tried to fuck you through the mattress."

"Now, Embry, now. Do it now."

Quil took a deep breath; it was going to be okay.

Embry slid a finger inside her.

"I'm already wet, Embry. It's you that I need; you."

"Here I am." He steadied himself and entered her. He let out a guttural moan. "Christ, Bells. You feel so good."

"Pick me up," she told him. She wanted him to be confident again. He lifted her off the mattress and held her in his arms. "You're so strong," she gushed. He laughed. He sounded pleased and amused by her attempt to compliment him.

He turned and pressed her back up against the wall. She grunted, as he knocked the breath out of her. His hands slid down and held her under the thighs. He pulled her onto him as he pushed forward.

"Oh, yesss," she moaned.

As she thumped against the wall, Quil took the opportunity to sneak out and leave them alone. Everything was going to be okay. Whatever issue he had with fucking Embry was disappearing. He was okay. They were all okay. If he tried to join them now, he could fuck it up. He'd be welcomed by them both later; yeah… later. He'd think of some way to make it up to Embry.

He went to talk to his grandfather about the thorny issue of Tiffany Call. She had to go.

"Won't last long," Embry told Bella.

"Quality," she grunted. He leaned her back so that her shoulders touched the wall and her hips pushed into him. Her arms were extended and locked around his neck. "Mmmm," she hummed.

He withdrew and pushed into her again. "Bells, come for me. I love the look you get on your face."

She smiled at him. "Yeah, you told me in the shower."

"Stroke yourself, Honey," he instructed. "Slide your finger across that little button… can you do that?"

"For you," she breathed at him. She did as she was instructed. "Ungh," she muttered. "Oh yes."

"Atta girl." He watched her face. Her eyes fluttered closed and she moaned. Then her body jerked and he felt her internal muscles grab at him. He thrust forward one last time and stayed inside her.

"You feel that?" he asked her as his cock twitched inside her; dumping its load. He felt like he could keep coming for days.

"Yes," she hissed. "You're so hot, Embry. So hot."

"Love you, Honey," he told her.

He shifted his grip, and still holding her firmly, he turned and carried her to the bed. He sniffed. "Are you crying?"

She nodded.

"Why?" he asked.

"N-Nearly l-lost you," she managed.

"Oh, Bella." He cuddled her against him. He lay down on the bed and shuffled down so that they were lying on their sides, facing each other. He wiped away her tears with his fingers. She tried to wipe them too and they got in each other's way. She emitted a small nervous laugh.

"I was so frightened," she whispered.

"I know," he agreed. "Me too."

"You were so brave. You were amazing."

He played with what was left of her hair at the back of her neck. It had been neatened up by a hair dresser and was even shorter now. He kissed the end of her nose. She sniffed a little and got herself together.

"She's gone and she's not coming back," Embry stated vehemently.

"I know. And she's run out of mates, eh?"

He smiled at her. "Speaking of," he said. "You good to go again?"

She smiled. "Sure. If that's what you want."

"I want."