SM owns Twilight. We just want to live in her world a bit longer.

A/N Thanks so much for all your encouraging words on the last chapter. The plot bunnies are running rampant and I was trying to reign them in. However, if you are enjoying this story as much as me, I will let them out. Lol

Chapter 40

Bella was nervously finishing up her shift the next day at the cafe. Mary had noticed how distracted she was and asked if she was okay.

"I'm pregnant," she eventually told the older lady who Bella looked up to like a grandmother.

"Oh, that's so exciting. Congratulations, my dear," she said happily. "If you ever need help with anything, just let me know."

Bella was happy that she was not upset about her only employee falling pregnant.

When she had five minutes left, Jake came by to see her. She felt butterflies in her stomach when she saw him smile at her from the door. "Hi," she whispered, knowing he could hear her.

"Hey you," he said just as quietly. "You ready for this?"

Bella nodded nervously. Jake took a seat at a table to wait for her.

A few minutes later, Embry and Leah appeared and joined him.

"Hey guys, can I get you anything?" Bella asked.

"We're good," Leah said. "Why have you asked us to meet you here?" Always straight to the point.

"Just give Bella a second to finish her shift, then she can join us," Jake told them.

Bella took her apron off and told Mary she was finishing up. She grabbed a few extra muffins from out the back and placed them on the table in front of her wolves.

She grabbed one for herself, and when she sat down, she started picking it at it.

"So…?" Leah asked. Embry was not saying much, just watching what was going on.

"Bella and I have some news that we are going to share with the pack tonight at the impromptu bonfire, but we thought that it might be best to talk to you first," Jake said carefully.

Leah's body stiffened, and she lifted her gaze to Bella. "Your pregnant, aren't you?"

Bella nodded and waited for her reaction. She knew this was a touchy subject, which is why they were doing this here and now.

Leah blew out a breath, "congrats. I kinda expected it. You two have been fucking like bunnies. So, is that it?" she asked unexpectedly, getting ready to leave.

Jake looked at Bella, and they were both a bit confused. That was not really the reaction they had anticipated

"Actually, " Jake interrupted her from getting up. "I wanted to ask you first, but I would like to talk to Sybil about you and Embry. If that's okay with you?"

"Why?" Embry asked.

"It's not likely there is some other prophecy to explain our imprint. We're just fucked," Leah said casually with a shrug of her shoulders.

"We don't know that," Jake tried to say.

Leah and Embry stood in sync and pushed their chairs back under the table.

"Can we patrol tonight, during the bonfire?" Embry asked.

Jake and Bella stood, feeling awkward still sitting there without them.

"Yeah, sure. I'll swap you out at 10 with Quil."

"Cool," Embry said as he grabbed Leah's hand, and they left.

Bella and Jake stood silently, watching them walk away.

"That was weird, wasn't it?" Bella asked. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Yeah, that was strange, even for Leah," Jake said with a frown.

"We may need to speak to Sybil anyway. They didn't specifically say no?" Bella suggested.

"I'll keep an eye on them," Jake said.

"Oh my goodness, Emily!" Bella squealed as Emily entered the Black's house. She hadn't seen her since before the pack transfer, and it was clear that her scars were slowly fading. Her smile was almost equal on both sides of her mouth.

Bella pulled her out of Sam's arms into a hug. "How are you feeling?" Bella asked.

"Oh, Bella," Emily started tearing up. "I can't believe it."

"You looked amazing," Bella was so happy for her friend. Emily was such a bubbly person but had pulled away from most of society as she didn't like the looks people gave her. However, her confidence was returning, and she was glowing.

Kim also gave Emily a hug, and the girls stayed in the house while the boys went outside to cook the meat on the BBQ.

Eva was still very quiet, just watching the girls. She was the newbie and was still finding her place.

"So, what's tonight about?" Kim asked.

"Oh, I don't know. Something Jake wants to talk to the pack about."

"Uh-huh," Emily said with a raise of her eyebrow. Eva just smiled at Bella like she already knew the secret.

"You know you can tell us," Kim tried again.

"Later. Come on, let's get this food ready, and we can join them outside."

Bella worked hard to keep the girls from getting too curious.

After dinner had been eaten, they were all sitting around the bonfire cooking marshmallows. Bella had recently decided that she loved them fire-roasted on the outside, all gooey and melted on the inside.

"So…" Quil asked once everyone was outside. "What's going on?"

Bella was sitting on Jake's lap, keeping warm. They had also recently discovered that they needed to be touching as much as possible. Even just being in the same room wasn't enough at the moment.

Jake was stroking Bella's leg subconsciously. "So, Bella and I have an announcement," Jake paused for dramatic effect. "We're pregnant!" he shouted.

The other girls both squealed, and the boys cheered and howled.

"Wait, wait," Jake tried to calm them down. "With twins!"

The cheers rang even louder, and Bella was quickly swept up into hugs by the girls. The pack congratulated Jake with man hugs and pats on the back.

Then the guys got a hold of Bella, and all gave her a hug. By the time she got to the third guy, she realized they were all smelling her. "Hey," she complained to Seth. "Stop sniffing me."

All the boys laughed, "I can't help it; my wolf needs to smell the new pack pups."

"Don't worry, Bella, they all did it to me too," Emily said with an endearing smile.

"Hopefully, this is a once-off thing," she grumbled. Still, secretly she was happy about the warm reception they had received. She was still upset by her father, who she hadn't seen since the night before.

After all the guys had sufficiently hugged Bella, Jake pulled her out of Colin's arms and hugged her himself. Usually, his wolf didn't like the smell of other wolves on his mate, but tonight was different. They were accepting his pups as one or two of their own. He hugged her tightly and inhaled her mixed scent.

A few left to get home when the commotion died down, but the couples stayed around the fire.

Bella finally got a chance to question Eva, "you already knew, didn't you?

Eva looked guilty. "I guessed."

"How did you guess?" Jake asked.

Seth had her on his lap; it seemed to be the favorite spot for imprints. Their boys were so large that their mates could sit so comfortably on their laps. Plus, they kept the cold air at bay. Seth looked at Eva like he was the proudest man in the world. "My girl is special," he said.

Eva rolled her eyes, "I can see people's auras. I'm still learning. My Grandma is teaching me. Yours is always very pink and red. Passion, love, strength, but I also noticed yours had a glint of green in it and it was the same as Emily's."

"That's so cool," Quil said in awe. "What does mine look like?"

"Yours is almost all orange, with a little bit of yellow," Eva said.

"What does that mean?" Quil asked.

"You're an idiot," Jared said quickly.

"It means," Eva talked over Jared, "that you are courageous, happy, and friendly."

Quil puffed his chest out. "Yep, I'm the most courageous out of the whole pack."

There were a few snickers around the fire. "More like the stupidest," Seth said.

This caused Quil to tackle Seth, and a mock fight broke out.

When 9:30 rolled around, Bella excused herself from the gathering to get to bed. She was exhausted after her morning shift at work and the fact that she was growing two humans in her tummy.

Everyone decided to clear out then, except for Quil. He was staying to do patrol later with Jake.

Jake left Quil by the fire and went inside with Bella. He had made sure that the boys had cleaned the kitchen, so there wasn't any clean-up left for Bella.

They took a quick shower together, and Jake lay with Bella in bed while she went to sleep.

At ten o'clock, Jake kissed a sleeping Bella and threw a couple of extra blankets over her. They hadn't been back to her house since Charlie had pretty much kicked him out.

Jake could see where Charlie was coming from. Jake had broken his promise, and he wasn't going to entirely blame the elders. Still, he was not impressed that Charlie had upset Bella. Bella put up a good front for everyone tonight, but inside she felt like something was missing. That something was her father. She wished he could accept the fact that they had all made mistakes and move forward together.

Jake spotted Quil by the fire, and they walked together towards the forest before phasing.

Hey guys, is everything quiet tonight? Jake asked Embry and Leah.

All good, boss, Embry said.

Jake frowned at his official response.

Bye, Jake, Leah said quickly before phasing out.

Embry followed just as quick with a good-bye, guys.

Jake sighed as he and Quil separated and went in opposite directions on their well-worn path.

They've been acting weird, Quil commented.

I know, Jake said. They've had a lot on their plate. Give them time.

I miss my friend, Quil thought morosely, probably not trying to let Jake in on how lonely he sometimes felt.

I'm sorry, Jake thought. He needed to make more time for his friends. But, unfortunately, that wasn't going to be easy with everything that was going on.

The following day Jake was rudely awoken by his phone ringing. After climbing back into bed with Bella at two am, he was not happy about being awoken at 5:30.

With Bella still lying on his chest, he reached his arm out for his mobile and answered it, maybe a bit grumpier than was really necessary. "What?"

Bella was instantly awake, hearing his tone. She lifted her head and placed her hand on his chest.

"Leah's gone," Seth frantically said over the phone.

"What?"

"She gone, taken all her clothes, and her car's gone."

"Damn it!" Jake growled.

"Embry's gone too," Bella whispered.

"What? I mean, fuck, of course, he's gone too. But, how do you know?" he asked Bella, who could now clearly hear the phone call.

"I can feel where they are. They are together, far away from here."

Jake scrubbed his hand down his face. "Seth, does your mom know?"

"No, not yet."

"Good, don't tell her. Cover for her, please, just for today."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to bring her back. Both of them. Fucking idiots."

"Okay, can do. Thanks, Jake. Just…" he trailed off, not sure if he should finish.

"Spit it out, kid."

"Don't be too harsh on her. She's been through a lot."

"I know that. But, this is not acceptable."

"I know. I'm sorry," Seth said sincerely.

"Not your fault, Seth. Get your patrol done with Brady. Don't think about Leah or Embry. Then get to school. I'll bring her home."

"Thanks, Jake," he said before hanging up.

Bella was already getting up off Jake and putting some clothes on. She was looking apprehensive. Probably blaming herself for their actions.

"What are you doing?" Jake asked her.

"Getting dressed. I'm coming with you," she told him. Her face suddenly dropped and turned green.

Jake followed her quickly to the bathroom and found her dry fetching into the toilet bowl. He held her hair and stroked her back. Now he was feeling guilty.

"Don't," she mumbled, standing up and walking to the sink. She washed her mouth out and splashed cold water on her face.

"What?" Jake asked, confused.

"Don't feel guilty. This is on both of us, and it will be worth it in the end." Bella decided water wasn't enough, so she grabbed Jake's toothbrush; she really needed to get her own and started brushing her teeth.

"I know," Jake said, pulling her into a side hug, trying to avoid her elbow. "I just don't like you being sick, or hurt, or stressed."

Bella rose one eyebrow and looked at him in the mirror. Then, she spat and said, "you know that is pretty much my entire life, even before I knew you."

"I love you," he said, kissing her toothpaste mouth.

"I know, but I'm still coming." She could be so determined when she wanted something. Jake sighed. "How do you plan on finding them?" she asked. "You can't follow their trail in the car."

"I don't know. Try and think like them."

Bella rolled her eyes at him.

"What? Have you got a better idea?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah. I can find them."

"How?"

"I guess with everything that's been going on, we haven't really had a chance to talk about all the changes. But, the night of my birthday, I realized I could feel all of the pack in my mind. I can tell where they all are."

"Huh," Jake said. "That would be handy for me, the alpha of the pack. Why do you get a special power?" he said with a grin.

"Because you need me," she poked him on the chest. "I'm the luna to your alpha. We need to do life together. Share some of the responsibilities and burdens."

Jake smiled down at his beautiful mate. He felt truly lucky to have been given her. "I love you," he said again before kissing her.

"I love you, too," she whispered when he pulled back.

He dropped to his knees, "and, I love you two," he whispered before kissing her belly. Bella stroked her hands through his hair, and he hugged her tight around the waist.

After a quick breakfast of dry toast for Bella and a whole box of cereal for Jake, they packed a quick bag, just in case they were gone longer than a night and left the house.

Jake told his dad that they needed a day to themselves but should be back by dinner. He sent a few messages to the pack to let them know of his absence, but not why.

While Jake was driving, Bella called Emily and asked if she could do her shift today at the café, if Mary agreed. She said she'd be happy to. So she called the cafe and teed it up. Mary was pleased with the help and thankful that Bella had made the arrangement.

Once they left Forks, Bella concentrated on the spark she now recognized as Leah and Embry, and they followed the 101 south down the coastline. She was adamant that they were not getting further away, so that was reassuring. With an eight-hour start, they would never catch them if they didn't stop.

Jake and Bella enjoyed the drive together. Chatting about anything and everything. They fought over the music on the radio and which cd to listen to next when they got no signal.

They talked about their plans for the babies and what they planned to do before they arrived. Anything to distract them from the fact that their friends had abandoned them.

"I'm going to talk to Dad about getting us a house of our own on the Res," Jake said.

Bella sighed, "I'd love that. Someplace that we can call home, together. Not your place or my place, but ours."

"Me too," Jake said, squeezing her hand. "I don't care that we are young. We need a place. The council should be able to find something suitable for us."

"Even if the house needs a little renovation, that would be okay. If it's alright with you, we could use some of that money I have set aside. Use Sam's construction company and local suppliers. Put the money back into the community. What do you think?"

"I love it," Jake said with a proud smile.

They continued to bicker over baby names until they reached Olympia. Jake was convinced they would be girls, twin girls ran in his family, however, Bella felt like they were boys. The only thing they agreed on was that they should be family and or biblical names. If they were girls, Jake could pick the names; if they were boys, Bella would pick. If they got one of each, they would get to choose one each.

Hunger called to both of them, and they had a quick snack or second breakfast for Jake before they took off south down the I-5 towards Portland. Jake was sure that they would head to Seattle, but Bella was convinced otherwise.

As they got closer to Woodland, Bella knew they needed to head East.

When they got closer to Lake Mersin, Jake drove slower so Bella could concentrate. With her eyes closed, she could point in the direction of where they were, and they were close. They drove to the south of the lake until they found a small campground.

"They are here," Bella announced.

Jake parked the car and walked into the grounds. He had tried to convince Bella to stay in the car, but she insisted, and there was no persuading her.

When Jake spotted Leah's car, he shook his head as the realization of what they had done hit him. Before he knew it, he was shaking in anger. Bella placed her hand in the middle of his back to calm him down.

With his shaking barely under control, he followed their scent now to a small cabin and pounded on the door. They waited silently for them to answer.

A/N Oh man, they are in trouble now. Do you think they should be punished or given leniency?