The world stopped.

It felt as if time had halted, and yet, she was suddenly, somehow, more aware of herself than ever before – the way her heart beat in her chest, the shaky breath she was pulling in, the way her body was alight with fire. It coalesced, crested, building within her – Jacob's eyes burning – and then all at once, it abated, but all over she tingled, warmed from within by a strange something she could sense as well as she could sense the grass crushed beneath her hands.

And then Jacob was gone, bowled over by three furred forms that were snapping and snarling, and she lay there shaking, eyes on the grey of the sky. The sounds faded, because Jacob had stilled, frozen as she was, and shakily she raised herself up on her elbows. Sam and Paul were still standing over Jacob's body, where he was lying still, bleeding a little from one of his ears. But Embry was whining a little, and as she watched, Sam turned and snapped at him, and he went scrambling into the trees, still limping a little on his injured leg.

Hands on her shoulders made her jump and make a noise, and Jacob twitched where he was lying. "Hey! Hey, it's okay – it's just me." Jared lifted her upright, hands gentle. "Are you okay?" she gave him a hopeless look.

Alex felt the warmth inside her stoke, lifting and tugging, and almost involuntarily she looked back over at Jacob. "No." She said, honestly and his jaw tightened. Unease began to fill her, and she swallowed thickly. "Tell me that didn't just happen." She said hoarsely, to Jacob. Something was wrong. Something had just happened, and if it was what she thought it was, she thought she might be sick.

Jacob whined, and she scowled. "Phase back." She told him. He whimpered again, and she stepped out of Jared's lose grip towards him. "Phase back now, Jacob." He shuddered, and then he was shrinking and transforming. He was naked, but she couldn't have cared less, only had eyes for his twisted face. Paul turned and ran back towards the trees, appearing in the next moment human, holding a pair of shorts that he tossed in Jacob's direction. She waited for him to pull them on shakily before she spoke again. She had to be clear. "Tell me that you didn't just Imprint on me." She whispered furiously.

Jacob looked to Sam, who hadn't moved, fangs still half exposed in warning. "I did-"

Alex punched him.

She yelped, her fist smarting, Jacob unmoved. "Fuck you." She told him through gritted teeth.

He bristled, the fire inside her sparking a little painfully. She recognised it for what it was, his anger. "Fuck me? It's not like I could have controlled it!"

"Yes, fuck you!" She screamed back. "You've just-" she broke off wildly, shaking her head. "It's not supposed to be us." She said. Jacob's face went a little tight, and Alex turned to Sam and Paul. "Can you guys give us a minute."

Paul shook his head instantly. "No."

"Please." She said, a little desperately. Sam made a soft noise, and then turned to leave, nudging Paul with his snout on the way past.

Paul looked hesitant. "If he- just call, and we'll be back, okay?" He gave Jacob a dangerous look that didn't seem to register.

Then, they were alone. Jacob turned his flat eyes on her. "Bella." He said simply, challengingly.

"Embry." She said in return. "It's not meant to be us." She repeated.

Jacob nodded, "We can be… friends. Sam said it could just be a friendship." It sounded as though he was trying to convince himself a little, and Alex felt another pang of anger. She wasn't sure if it was his, or if it was her own now. "I didn't want this either." He told her. They stared at each other for another long moment.

"I never wanted any of this for you." She admitted quietly. "I didn't want it for Embry, and I never wanted it for you either."

Jacob scowled. "Whatever. It doesn't make a difference." She nodded silently, and he let out a frustrated breath, and turned away from her, towards the house.

She let him go, determinedly ignoring the way the fire leapt in protest, the way the thing holding them together protested, like a rubber band being stretched. She ignored it, and she tramped it down, and as the door slammed behind him, it fell back.

She still felt sick.

She sat down hard on the grass, jarring herself a little with the impact, and dug her fingers into the soft dirt, clinging.

It shouldn't have been them. It shouldn't have happened at all.

It was a curse. It took away their free-will, it tried to force them together. It was tugging at her, even now, and she gagged at the sensation, clenching her teeth and willing her sick away.

"Alex…"

It was Embry, looking miserable. She stood unsteadily, but he didn't move, eyes downcast. "Listen, I understand. We can still be friends, and I don't-" Alex closed the difference between them and kissed him – hard. He made a surprised sound, and then broke apart from her. "What are you doing?"

"Not letting you breakup with me." She said, irrationally angry. "Embry, I'm not going to let some creepy ancient magic ruin this. I like you, and I hope, you like me."

"Alex, it's not that simple-" he tried, and she kissed him again. He let her, hands fluttering on her sides before he tucked them behind his back.

"Why can't it be that simple?" She asked, panting a little. "Jacob doesn't like me, and I don't like him. He's into Bella. We both know he's too stubborn to let that go." She looked up at him, at the tense lines of his face. Something uncomfortable stirred within her, and she ignored it. "Embry…"

Embry's mouth twisted unhappily. "I'm into you too, Alex." He sighed, "But I can't promise anything. I don't know."

"Why?" Alex asked.

Embry's jaw worked. "You don't understand; when Jacob Imprinted, I – my wolf I mean – he wanted to turn tail and run. I – he – still does."

"You're not your wolf, Em…" Alex said, and he gave her a hard look.

"You can't understand, Alex, don't pretend you do." His voice was sharp, and she took a small step back. "Sorry…" he said lowly.

He was right; there were things she would never understand – but she was right too. She wasn't going to throw her life away over an Imprint.

They were silent, at a standoff, but Alex refused to back away. Eventually Embry sighed. "We…we can try."

Alex let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. "Okay. That's- that's all I want."

They stood there in a sudden awkwardness that frightened her. Fuck. This was all kinds of wrong. She was angry again, could feel Jacob's own answering rage. They were both so angry – Alex hadn't felt like this before – wasn't sure how to fix it. "Will you take me home?" she asked quietly. Embry looked to the house, obviously seeking permission, and it only served to make her more angry, the fire licking its way up her ribcage, threatening to spill out of her mouth. She clenched her jaw tightly shut, stomping down on the sparks.

"Yeah." He said, clearly receiving a confirmation. She tried to take his hand as they headed towards her car, but she missed it, and wasn't sure if he had deliberately pulled away to scratch at his nose or if it had been an accident. Either way, it only made her feel worse.

The house was empty when they got home, and Embry lingered in the doorway until she managed to snag his wrist and pulled him in. The scratch on his torso was already faded to a white line, and when they reached the kitchen he gingerly took off the sling. "You hungry?" she asked him.

"I could eat." He said a little cautiously. She sighed, and headed for the fridge, pulling out the whole carton of eggs, and the unopened packet of bacon. She couldn't cook, but putting things in a pan and making sure they didn't burn was well within the scope of her ability.

It was only when they were eating – or at least, Embry was, shovelling eggs into his mouth with single-minded determination – did she break the uncomfortable silence. "We can't just tip-toe around this." She said, setting down the strip of crispy bacon she'd been chewing on.

Embry looked up, a little wide-eyed. "Alex-"

"You said we'd try, Em." She said, trying not to sound as though she was whining, which, she totally was, but wasn't willing to admit. Embry's jaw tightened and she watched a tremor run through him. She sat back, feeling guilty. For all his unusual composure, he was still a young wolf. Pushing him wouldn't help anything. "I'm sorry."

He didn't respond, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. A roll of nausea made her push back her chair and stand up. She wasn't hungry anymore. She washed her dishes in the silence that had settled over the room. It was quiet enough that she could hear him stand, despite his quiet grace, and she wasn't startled when his arms came around her. "I've got to go." He mumbled, squeezing her tight for a moment before letting go.

She didn't hear him leave, but felt the faint breeze that cooled her skin from her front door opening and closing, and bowed her head, staring unseeingly into the sudsy water. It was only the disturbance on the surface of the water that told her she was crying; tear drops splattering into the cooling water.

Everything was falling apart.