The funeral was a small service held on the beach. It was an uncommonly rain-free day. The sun wasn't shining, but weakly glowing from behind dark clouds. Most of the words spoken were in Quileute, but I didn't mind. The soothing sound of Billy and Old Quil's deep baritones lulled me into a dream-like state. Although the two were dressed in elaborate ceremonial robes, no others were. Sue wore a simple black dress as did Leah. Both stood aside a beautiful closed-casket made of a rich wood. Seth, the only remaining male Clearwater, stood with his brothers. With his pack. All seven men stood directly behind Billy and Old Quil. They each wore dark pants, but remained barefoot and half-naked. Each showed off barrel-chests with their tattoo-covered shoulders displayed to the small crowd. Seth was the only one with a tiny black symbol painted over his right pectoral. A symbol that was directly over his heart. A symbol of mourning.

For a time, I focused on Sam. He was standing tall and proud despite the white wrappings on his thick wrist. Eventually, my eyes sought out Jacob only to find those mocha eyes locked on me. He remained a sober expression, all of them did, but I could see the cracks in Jacob's façade. His eyes were shining like liquid ink. His teeth were clenched. His bare toes dug into the sand. It was the sight of that nervous, childish habit that had my tight chest slowly loosening. I drew in grateful gulps of air.

After the service, the majority of people went to the Clearwater house on foot. Jacob, Sam, Quil, and Seth went in the opposite direction carrying Harry's casket silently off of the beach. My bare feet lingered just as a drizzle of rain began. Charlie had helped Billy's wheel-chair out of the sand. The two of them were leading Sue and Leah while a few others followed in their footsteps. I looked up at the sky, blinking, until a warm set of fingers brushed my shoulder. I jolted and looked up at Embry's broken expression. I didn't miss the red-rim of his eyes.

Just behind him hovered Paul and Jared. One glared while the other blankly stared as if dazed. Both seemed lost. Embry whispered, "Can we walk with you?"

"Of course." I whispered before reaching out and taking Embry's hand in mine. I felt awkward. My face blushed hotly, but I didn't let go. We walked side by side with Paul and Jared following reluctantly. They only came after Embry whispered quietly to them. As we lingered outside the Clearwaters' yard, Embry squeezed my hand. He quietly said, "Thanks."

I bit my lip and said, "No problem."

"Isn't this cute." Paul snorted from nearby. I didn't fail to notice how he talked out of the corner of his lips as if he didn't want to cause a scene. "The two of you getting cozy now, huh? Wonder what Baby Alpha is going to think about his Leech Lover shacking up with his best friend."

"Don't be a dick, Paul." Embry sighed tiredly and rubbed at his red eyes.

Although my face was aflame and Embry had quickly dropped my hand as if it had scalded him, I focused on Paul as I said, "I'm sorry for making everything harder for all of you. I'm sorry Harry is dead. I'm sorry you're miserable, Paul. I hope all of this ends soon, so you can get on with your life."

There was a pause. Paul snapped, "Save your drivel for somebody who cares, Swan. Better yet, go spout your poetry to Jake. He gets off on it, don't you know?"

"Enough." Embry firmly said. "I mean it, Paul. Enough."

The man scoffed before rolling his eyes and jogging off down the road. Jared sighed before saying, "He's going to patrol earlier than expected. Quil is likely already out there now that they've taken care of Harry."

"I know." Embry replied, "Go let Jake know about Paul, please."

"Yeah. On it." Jared said before turning and following Paul's trail.

Embry stayed by my side as we entered the Clearwaters' house. It took only moments for me to realize the house was entirely too small for the amount of people crammed into it. There were wonderful scents wafting from the kitchen. People in dark clothing were murmuring in corners and picking fitfully at casseroles. Embry went right to Sue's side, hugging her softly and murmuring in her ear for a long moment. After that, he came to my side and gestured. I followed him to the kitchen. We stood in a line for food. My feet shifted nervously as people brushed my shoulders and offered quiet apologies. Embry filled up a plate before handing over a much smaller serving to me. I muttered, "Thanks."

He brought me to the backyard. There was a small patio with an overhead. Very few people were outside due to the sudden drizzle, but Embry didn't seem to mind it. I figured his body temperature stopped him from ever catching a chill. We sat down at a picnic table. Embry immediately tucked in to his plate. I realized, not for the first time, he had much better manners than the other pack members. I picked at a ham and cheese wheat roll. My eyes kept scanning the treeline at the edge of the property as I sipped on a glass of sweet tea.

Once I realized Embry had finished nearly all of his food, I wordlessly passed him my bread roll and a handful of cookies. He whispered, "You haven't eaten."

I set the offered items on his plate and picked up a chocolate chip cookie. I made a point to swallow the entire thing, although my throat felt very dry. After finishing off my glass of tea, Embry and I tossed our paper plates. I whispered, "Where's Jake?"

"Probably sorting out Sam." He whispered back.

A few minutes later, Seth came out of the forest and joined us at the picnic table. He plopped down next to me and sighed heavily. It was mindboggling to realize this tall, broad, overly muscular man-child was once the round-cheeked boy who had giggled at Jacob's jokes just a few months before. Seth was barely fifteen and yet he looked as if he were a very active twenty-five-year-old.

"Are you cold, Bella?" He asked me with earnest hazel eyes turned in my direction. He said, "You're shivering. It must be the rain. Let's go to Jake's house. Much less of a crowd."

"Don't you want to see your Mom?" I hesitantly asked.

"Leah is with her right now." Seth replied as he stood up. "Besides, I don't really want any more people telling me how sorry they are. Feels terrible after a while."

Tears burned instantly in my eyes, but I blinked them away and followed the boy. Embry was at our side. We shared a long look, but said nothing even as Seth chattered on. He spoke of Jacob mostly. Of how he thought Jacob was doing the right thing by befriending the Cullens. Of how he thought Sam was a great person, but was too worried to see the bigger picture of making allies. Of how Sam's wrist was healing nicely thanks to Seth's mother and her medical skills. It seemed as if the craziness of a supernatural world hadn't changed Seth's viewpoint of Jacob, who he had held in high-esteem since the moment I had met him.

When we made it to the Blacks' house, Seth held the door open for me. I ducked inside right after Embry. Seth closed the door and sighed, "Much better. Do you think Jake has anything to eat?"

He walked to the kitchen and paused. "Do you think Jake would mind if I dug through the refrigerator, Em?"

"Nah." Embry quietly said, "Jake won't care."

I stood awkwardly in the middle of the small house, blinking and wondering. Seth was warming up a plate of leftover rice and gravy in the microwave when Embry sucked in a sharp breath. By the time I turned to face him, Embry was at the door and yanking it open. A fork clattered to the floor as Seth spun on his heels. His eyes were wide. He opened his mouth, but Embry spoke swiftly.

"Stay with Bella. Don't leave her side. If you scent anything, holler for us."

And then Embry was gone. I darted to Seth's side as he bent to pick up the wayward silverware. I demanded, "What? A vampire? What's going on, Seth?"

"I'm not too sure." He slowly said, biting his lower lip. I frowned with my arms crossed over my stomach as I waited. He eventually said, "I think somebody Phased."

"As in somebody was too angry? Too upset?" I hesitantly asked.

"No, no. Well, yes, but…" Seth shook his head and whispered, "A new wolf."

"Oh, no…" I quietly released a shaky breath and sat at the rickety kitchen table. We were silent. Both of us stayed frozen for some time before Seth pulled a plate from the microwave and sat down. He ate mechanically. By the time he was halfway finished, I had poured a cup of milk and brought it to him.

"Thanks, Bella." He gave a feeble smile and drained the glass. I watched as he went to the sink and began washing his dishes. When it became clear that Seth was going to wash the towering stack of neglected dishes, I rolled up the sleeves of my cotton dress and denim jacket. I shoved my elbows in sudsy water. After drying each dish, I handed it over to Seth, who was much taller and capable of easily putting each item in its cabinet. Seth whispered, "I wonder where Leah is. Maybe she's with Jacob."

"She's with one of them." I replied, "If not Jacob, then Embry or Quil. Maybe even Paul or Jared. I don't think any of them would let her get hurt, Seth."

"Yeah." He whispered, "We protect each other even though we fight a lot."

I pressed my lips together, glancing at him. Seth offered a sad smile and said, "I know you might think I'm crazy for saying that because of Sam and Jacob, but neither of them want to hurt each other. They might disagree, but they still help each other. The fight looked worse than it was, Bella. We're wolves. We get angry and we're tough on each other. There's a pecking order, but we work well as a pack. Sam and Jacob are both filled with guilt and worry for the other already."

Half an hour later, there was a lone howl that echoed through the house. I sat up straighter on the sofa and glanced nervously at Seth, who was looking out the window. He said, "It's a reassurance, Bella. Not a warning call."

"Oh." I mumbled, "Okay. Did you get anything else out of that noise?"

Seth chuckled and shook his head. "Nope. It was Jake, though. He's thoughtful like that. He knows you and I are wondering what's going on right now."

After a time, I wandered down the hall and found myself in Jacob's bedroom. The door was wide open and clothes were spilling out into the hallway. Retrieving a laundry basket, I piled all of the dirty cut-off denim and sweatpants into the basket and set the washing machine. The task of cleaning his bedroom kept me busy for a long while. Because I had already rearranged his desk, magazines, and closet I thought I might as well do a well-rounded job. And so, I was scrubbing the floorboards on my hands and knees when Seth found me.

He asked, "Do you need any help, Bella?"

I glanced at the tall boy who was still biting his lip. I said, "Sure, sure. Could you bring the set of folded clothes back here? Thanks."

When Seth returned, I wordlessly handed him a scrub brush. As he went to work on the baseboards of Jacob's bedroom, I carefully rearranged the battered dresser. By the time I was finished, Jacob had three drawers filled with fresh clothes. Despite not wanting to notice, I was very aware that the majority of his clothing no longer consisted of undergarments or shirts or pants. Just cut up shorts. After searching for a while, I realized Jacob had only one pair of sneakers. I could only assume he had ruined any other pairs while running about in the forest.

I went to the bathroom and found an old cloth, which I used to scrape the mud off the soles of the sneakers. I set those underneath his tiny desk just as Seth wiped the floor down with a dry cloth. He sat back on his heels and said, "There. Good as new."

"Thanks, Seth." I said. There was another howl, which caused Seth to cock his head to the side. He stood up and headed for the front of the house, but his pace was leisure and didn't send me into a worried panic. I pulled clean sheets out of another laundry basket and made Jacob's bed. After fluffing the pillows, I plopped onto the bed and sighed. Somewhere between worrying and staring at the ceiling, I fell asleep.

It was the squeak of a floor board that had my heavy eyes opening. I rolled over and found Jacob leaning against the doorway. He was wearing loose shorts and no shirt. His hair was damp and glistening in the dark. I smelled the crisp aroma of soap and the faint freshness of his shampoo. It smelled like cool mountain air. There were dark circles under his eyes and a tired smile on his face. His arms were folded across his bare chest. He unfolded them and stepped into the room before gently shutting the door.

He murmured, "I found you sleeping in here earlier. Just about the best sight I could think of. I didn't have the heart to wake you." Jacob shrugged and added, "I like seeing you right there, with my pillow and curled up under my blanket."

My cheeks were hot as I dropped my gaze. Slowly, I sat up and ran my hand through my hair. I could feel his intense stare. My arms went around my waist as Jacob sighed, "Too much again, right?"

I swallowed heavily and asked, "What happened today?"

There was a pause, but I kept my eyes on the shiny floorboards. He quietly explained, "Two more Phased. Boys. Twin brothers named Brady and Collin Littlesea. I wasn't expecting it. Hell, they weren't even on Sam's radar. He was looking amongst families at the Makah Rez. The Uley, Clearwater, and Young bloodlines live on that Rez, too. The connection is faint, but if anybody else was to Phase we expected it to be there. Even Embry has cousins up at Makah's Rez."

I cleared my throat and asked, "Are they okay? Brady and Collin?"

"They're scared shitless." Jacob said starkly. "Having strangers in their mind while they're exploding into beasts isn't exactly a calming thing. Seth is with them now. Seems they all know each other. They're friends."

I asked, "You don't know them? I thought everyone knew everyone on the Rez."

"Yes." He replied, "I know their family, but they're so much younger than me."

I raised my eyebrows. "Younger? Seth's age?"

"No. The twins just turned thirteen yesterday." He explained with a sigh.

"Thirteen?" I exclaimed, "Holy crow."

"Yeah, I know. Nothing to be done now except teach them." Jacob muttered.

I hesitantly asked, "Where are they now? Were they able to…Phase back?"

"Nope." He said as he leaned heavily against the wall. "They're hiding out in a big tree trunk. I stayed with them and talked to them for a long time. They calmed down, but they're cautious and scared. When Seth was mentioned, both boys perked up. Seems, uh, Brady, has a crush on Seth."

"A crush…?" I echoed with wide eyes. Jacob slowly smirked as I blushed. I mumbled, "Poor Brady."

Jacob smirked. "Seth is being gracious about it. He's flattered, actually."

I nodded. "Of course, he is. He's such a great boy, isn't he?"

"Yeah." Jacob shrugged, "Seth's a pretty good kid."

There was a pause. Jacob sighed. I asked, "What else? Sit down and tell me."

I could see how tired he was. Jacob shuffled my way and plopped on the mattress. He stared around the bedroom before whispering, "The boys were so small. I mean, the change has hit them for sure, but they weren't ready. They Phased months before they should have. Half the muscle mass they need is missing. It really hurt them, Bells. They were screaming when I found them. I didn't know what in the hell to do…and…"

I reached out, putting my arms around his shoulder. I rubbed softly and prompted, "And?"

Jacob let out a gush of air. "Embry came straight to us. He's got a way about him. You know, calm and quiet. Sam is usually the same way. He showed up, too, asked permission to help. I felt like such an asshole, Bella, because Sam felt as if he had to ask to aid his own pack. I felt stupid because all my talking wasn't helping them. None of us could stop these boys from feeling pain. The fever has been making them delirious. Took forever before they listened to a thing any of us had to say. Took even longer before I realized playing memories might help them more than actual words."

"It worked in the end, didn't it?" I said, "All of you came together to help two boys who were hurting and scared. Even now, none of you are leaving them to their own devices. That's what's important, Jake."

"Yeah." He croaked, "Yeah, I guess."

I slowly said, "Maybe I was wrong about Sam. Things like this don't make sense. We only do the best we can. I've made some stupidly embarrassing decisions and I was only making those decisions for myself. I can't imagine trying to lead people. I'm going to apologize to him next time I see him, okay?"

Jacob eyed me oddly. "Sam doesn't hate you, Bells. Or me. He just thinks…"

I prompted again, "Thinks what?"

"Nothing. Never mind." He shook his head quickly.

I asked, "Since when have we started lying to each other?"

"It isn't a lie if I haven't said anything." He pointed out.

"Don't dodge me, Black." I sharply replied.

He dryly stated, "I'd rather dodge than have you mad at me, Swan."

I said, "I promise I won't get mad."

He replied, "Sam thinks we're acting stupid and it puts us in danger."

I demanded, "How so? Neither of us asked for Victoria to be on a war path."
"No." Jacob huffed, "He thinks our feelings for each other put us in danger."

My hands stopped rubbing at his shoulders. Jacob sighed and quietly said, "You stop touching me the moment you really think about it."

Suddenly irritated, I jumped up from the bed. Jacob followed me as I quickly made my way down the narrowed hallway. "Wait, Bells. Come on. Are you really going to run off on me like this?"

As I walked out onto the porch Jacob angrily said, "You promised you wouldn't get mad. Just talk to me. Stop running and tell me how you feel. Damnit, Bella."

His fingers wrapped around my wrist as I lingered on the porch. I shrugged his hold off and muttered, "I don't know what to say."

"That's okay." He replied hastily, "I know you aren't big on feelings. I get it, Bells. It isn't exactly fun to bear yourself to somebody, but sometimes you need to."

He swallowed heavily and said, "There are times I know exactly what you're thinking and feeling. Other times, you act so contradictory that I'm lost. And right now, with everything going on, I'm really fucking lost, Bella."

Turning, I glanced up at him. Mocha eyes were deep and dark. The tight lines at his mouth showed me just how tired he was. Carefully, I tucked my head against his chest. Warm arms enveloped me instantly, holding me. I could hear the thick thumping of his heart. I could smell pine, soap, and ocean air. His voice vibrated through my ear as he rasped, "Is there no chance, Bella?"

My body felt cold and hot at the same time. My mouth opened, but no words came out. He tensed as if waiting and expecting a blow. I sighed, "Jacob…"

"Yeah?" He croaked, petting my hair with a trembling hand.

"I just…I'm not sure if I can give you what you want." I whispered.

"Just want you, Bells." He murmured against the top of my head. His arms pressed me even tighter against his chest. His heartbeat was pounding now. My fingertips began trailing up and down the base of his spine. Inhaling, Jacob let out the throatiest of sounds. It was a low, quiet, and completely involuntary noise.

My heart skipped a beat and my body trembled with fear, but still I pressed my lips against the hot skin of his sternum. He tasted of salt and sunshine. My lips curved into the smallest of smiles as Jacob gasped again. His fingers curled against my shoulders. He murmured, "Is that your answer, honey?"

"It's the best one I have." I whispered back. Thick fingertips played along the nape of my neck, causing me to break out in gooseflesh. The sky was dark, but I could tell it wasn't yet too late in the evening. I asked, "Did Charlie head home?"

"No. He's still at the Clearwaters'. Billy told him you were here with me."

I whispered, "Okay. I'm going home and back to sleep."

Jacob pleaded, "Let me drive you. You could fall asleep at the wheel."

"I don't think that would happen, but okay." I relented.

After a quiet ride, Jacob handed over the keys and gave me a soft, hesitant peck on the lips. It seemed my arms didn't listen to me and instead curled themselves around his waist once again. We hugged for what felt like the longest time. I clung to his warmth and crisp scent, rubbing my nose against his chest until he chuckled.

"Tickles, Bells."

A soft laugh escaped my lips as Jacob kissed the top of my head. His eyes grew serious as he rubbed his own nose against my cheek. After another smacking kiss to my head, Jacob jogged toward the trees. He called out, "I'll keep guard, Bells."

Charlie came home shortly after. I gave him a hug and he patted my back clumsily before trudging to his bedroom. He shut the door and didn't come back out again. The darkness still hadn't been able to hide his red nose and sniffles. My thoughts were occupied with Charlie for some time. I spent a moment looking out of my window, squinting. Once or twice, I saw a hulking shadow that could have been Jacob. It wasn't until I was changing into my pajamas and crawling into bed that I suddenly remembered an odd word I had heard Jacob say in the clearing the night he fought Sam. It floated to the forefront of my memory as if it had always been there, but then slipped away like wisps of smoke. Imprint. Imprint. She isn't your Imprint, Jacob!