Sup!!! Got another chapter up! Happy Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Hanakuh, and whatever else they've got coming up here! I ate so much food I'm fairly certain I'm going to need a wheelchair to get into school. ANYWAYS another chapter! Read and review, I hope yall enjoy.

I snap my eyes open with a permanent blush on my face. My whole body feels hot and I briefly wonder if it wasn't just a dream. I hope it was just a dream.

I look around the living room and see Embry passed out on his half of the couch. Oh. Thank God.

I exhale in relief, slumping back down into the soft couch. There's two blankets tangled around my legs, and I know I didn't get them for myself.

"Just a dream Kensi." I whisper quietly. "Just a dream."

I sit up and walk into the kitchen silently, pulling my shorts down from between my thighs and try to regulate my breathing. Heart pounding, blood racing through my veins, and almost sweating.

I pull the sleeves up on my hoodie and open the fridge. The cool air doesn't help.

I never dream unless it's a nightmare. I haven't had a dream that didn't turn into a damn nightmare in a while.

Until today! When I had a dream about Embry and now there are things I simply cannot un-see, un-feel, and un-hear.

Oh God I sincerely hope I wasn't sleep talking. Dani hasn't heard me talk in my sleep before, but there's a first for everything.

"Oh hell." I groan quietly. I make coffee as silently as I can before grabbing my mug and walking outside into the cold morning air. It's cloudy, no surprise, but the cool air is refreshing and distracting. Not to mention the forest and all the sounds, sights, and smells a dozen feet off my patio calm and clear my head.

Probably a good thing I clear my head now before I possibly spend all day with Embry. As have most of my days been spent the past few weeks. With Embry. Sometimes he spends the night if he doesn't have patrol. Others, he goes home for his mom.

Which kind of pisses me off. His mom is dying, possibly, and he chooses to see me all the time. It seems like his priorities are out of sorts.

The door behind me slides open. The twist in my heart and the magnetic tug at my body pulling me backwards tells me it's Embry. He had to have imprinted on me. It's the only explanation as to why I'm falling so quickly, and why I can sense him like this.

"Morning." I greet from behind my coffee mug. "There's coffee inside if you didn't already find it."

"I know. It's too early."

I pull my phone out of my hoodie and check the time. "You're right. Seven AM is way too early." My tone is sarcastic because it's actually the exact opposite.

"Feels early." Embry whines as he walks across the deck and sits beside me on the bench. I shouldn't have moved over, or pulled my legs up to my chest to accommodate him if I really didn't want to talk to him.

"What time are we going to your mom's?" I ask.

He sighs. "You're sure you want to go? She's going to assume we're dating and you don't want that."

You're right I don't, but I have a dream that says otherwise. And I'm constantly showing you differently though, so how do you not know how much I want you.

"You're being a worry wart." I reply with a crude snort.

"I was thinking about going over and making her breakfast as a peace offering." Embry finally answers.

"I shall get dressed then." I answer standing up and walking into my house with my coffee in tow.

What does one wear to meet someone's mother who has Leukemia? I don't know!

I decide on a pair of tight form-fitting jeans, black tank top and blue flannel. Casual, and yet with earrings it's formal. I only wear hoops because the earrings that dangle from my ears often have multiple parts where the metal grinds together and gives me a headache.

"Can we take your car?" Embry's back is to me, but I intentionally hit the squeaky floorboard to announce my presence. But if he imprinted on me I didn't need to, he would've sensed me coming regardless.

"We could walk but it's more normal to drive there. Less conspicuous." He explains.

"Yeah. Keys are in the drawer by your hip there."

Embry reaches down and grabs my keys out of the drawer, identifying them by the unique key chain. He tosses them to me turning around and I snag them out of the air.

"Imma need directions." I say with a smirk.

I watch Embry swallow hard as I walk past him to the door. No way in hell he would look at me like that if someone else imprinted on me, they'd kill him.

"Yeah." Embry says, clearing his throat. He follows me down the stairs, his heart pounding.

"Take a left." Embry says pointing right.

I grab his arm and point it left, as he was telling me.

"I meant right." He blushes like crazy and I smile. It's times like this where I can see that he really is shy. And bashful.

"Of course." I tease following his directions. The ride is short and quiet. Would've been a lot longer if I actually followed traffic laws.

Embry's mom's house is a small one story house. Ivy and moss covers the white siding and blue shutters. There's two cars parked in the driveway, a small Toyota and then a Ford pickup belonging to Embry.

"Heads up, if she's awake, she's probably going to scream at me." Embry warns.

"Well if I was your mom I'm not sure I wouldn't scream at you too." I tease with a smirk on my lips. I kill the engine and unlock the car as Embry gets out. He jogs around the front of the car and opens my door for me.

My surprise is quickly cut off when I remember I'm supposed to be his girlfriend. Oh hell. Maybe being his girlfriend after a dream like that isn't a good idea, pretending or not.

"I feel like a spy." I mutter as he grabs my hand. Butterflies float through me as his knuckles graze my thigh as he walks me up the damp concrete steps and opens the front door for me.

The inside of his house smells like lemon-scented cleaner, Clorox, and fresh apple pie from a wax melter in the corner of the living room.

"Now I'm feeling like an apple pie thank you very much." I retort.

Embry smirks. "Emily makes a mean apple pie, and around this time or year she's sure to have one in the oven or something. If my mom lets me leave the house we can steal some of Emily's pie."

"Hell yeah." I mutter following Embry into the kitchen. It's small and cozy, way too small to have the fancy island that's in the center.

"What's for breakfast?" I ask rummaging through the cabinets like it's my house and not his.

"Her favorite is waffles." Embry offers. "If you feel like it. She probably won't keep it down for long though."

There's an obvious pain in his eyes. I nod understanding his pain.

"I get it."

"I'm going to go see how she's doing." Embry says quietly. I can't hear his footsteps as he walks back to her bedroom.

I find ingredients I want for waffles and start putting them together. There's already a waffle maker on the island, and it was sues recently. Whoever used it, did a terrible job of cleaning it. Looks like yesterday maybe.

Down the hallway I try to ignore the softest voice I've ever heard. Embry's mother's voice is soft and light, ringing like a bell in my ears. She sounds disappointed and unsurprised as she chides Embry about gang activities.

"She thinks you're in a gang?" I say incredulously. I know he heard it.

"I'm not in a gang." Embry promises. His voice is exasperated and annoyed.

"Be nice to your mother!" I sass down the hallway. "She brought you into this world and I'll help her take you out of it."

I hear his mother laugh. A serious change from the scolding tone moments ago. "Who is she?"

"My friend, mom." Embry says. "She's just a friend."

Huh. Guess he chickened out there. Fine with me.

"She the reason you're never home?" His mom accuses.

"Not entirely." Embry answers.

She sighs. "Did you just leave her out there?"

I walk back hoping I'm not going to walk in on her or something.

"Ma'am, I've commandeered control of your kitchen. Waffles for breakfast?" I say standing beside Embry in the doorway.

Embry's mother's eyes widen. "He's making you cook?"

I scoff. "Ms. Call, he couldn't get me to do anything if he tried. I actually volunteered."

She beams at me. "You like cooking then?" Her brown eyes that are very similar to Embry's eyes are bright and alive now. She's bald, the light shining off her skin. She's beautiful and looks so strong, despite being slightly sickly on account of the port in her chest and the IV stand beside her.

"I love cooking." I tell her. "And I'm told I make a mean waffle. If you're up for it I'd be happy to make you and I one, and Embry about six."

Ms. Call's laughter bubbles out of her and Embry looks over at me with wide and admirable eyes. His hand grazes the back of my hand and I can feel him projecting his thoughts. I open my mind to them to hear his voice in my head say: You, Kensi, are a godsend. She hasn't laughed in months.

I elbow his side slightly before smirking.

"I'll start on that then." I say dismissing myself back to the kitchen.

"Embry my God." His mom hisses. "Where did you find her?"

"Around." I can see the smirk on Embry's face.

"Is she Quileute?" She asks.

"Paul Lahote's baby sister."

"Well damn. I don't know how… does she know about…?" The question is open and therefore I have no idea what I know about.

"Yeah she knows." Embry says.

I start a waffle for her while I make more batter. I hear the shower kick on, but when Embry's mom stumbles down the hallway bracing herself on her IV stand in the same yoga pants and tank top she was in fifteen minutes ago I know Embry is showering.

"Sorry." She apologizes. "Had I known I would have company I would've cleaned up."

I smile and shake my head. "I don't mind. Sounds like a job for Embry."

She snorts. "Oh he does a lot when he's home, but he's hardly ever home."

I nod in understanding.

"How long have you know my son?" She asks.

I whistle between my teeth. "Quite a while. A long time."

"I've never seen you around the rez before." She remarks.

I smile at her as she ties a neon green and white bandana around her russet scalp. She's wearing huge earrings and sitting cross-legged on the bar stool.

"I lived with my father for a while." I answer.

"Right. Paul is one of Embry's friends isn't he? Is that how you met?"

"Pretty much." I answer realizing it isn't that far off base.

"Do you know where Embry always is when he isn't with you?" She asks.

I wince. "I don't know if it makes me a terrible person for not demanding to know where he is 24/7 but I know my brother wouldn't be involved in any gangs if it's any consolation."

She bites her lips.

"I doubt Billy Black, the chief, would allow some kid in a gang to date his daughter." I say leaning forward.

She shrugs as if she hadn't thought about it.

"Quil wouldn't associate with gangs either, not with his father on the council. Neither would Seth and Leah with their mother a council member too."

I smirk before leaning forward. "Between you and me, I doubt half of these gang members' girlfriends would be pregnant, married, engaged or already have a kid if what they were doing is illegal."

"You make a valid point." She sighs. "I've been fighting this since he was a sophomore in high school. He's 18, and I can't really tell him what to do anymore anyways, but… I worry."

I hand her a plate and slide the syrup over to her. "You shouldn't. I'll keep him in line for you."

I hand her a fork and a knife. "Syrup? Any fruit I can get for you? Powdered sugar? Jam?"

Ms. Call's eyes widen. "You must really doctor these up."

I smirk. "My twin and I never matured past five. Dani still puts sprinkles on her pancakes."

The woman scoffs a laugh as she cuts up her waffle. "Just syrup, thank you."

Embry comes out wearing a black tee shirt and a pair of jeans. About the most clothes I've ever seen him wear. Unfortunately.

"That's rich. Really, Kens." Embry says. "You haven't matured past five either."

I roll my eyes. "I should mention I spit in your breakfast."

Embry laughs as I slide him a stack of three waffles.

"Do I need to make more for your egregious appetite or will you survive?" I tease.

Embry shakes his head. "I'll live. Did you make one for yourself?"

"I ate it while you were taking your sweet time in the shower." I answer but I do fork a piece off his plate.

There's a cold look in his eyes and I just smirk. Never mess with a werewolf's food. Ever.

I risk my life twice and steal a second bit off his plate before dropping the fork and backing away. I grab dishes and walk to the sink throwing a smirk over my shoulder.

"You find that funny don't you?"

I laugh which answers the question.

"So, your name is Kensi right?" She asks.

"Yes ma'am." I chirp.

"What do you do for a living?" Ms. Call asks.

"Well. I currently am working a security gig in Seattle to make some money before I go to college to be a doctor of some kind."

"Oh really?" Ms. Call asks. "Doctors and I don't really get along too well."

I snort. "We don't either but I just love helping people. Doctor or cop or something."

"Doctor? Maybe? Sounds safer?" Embry offers. There's a teasing glint in his eyes so I shrug. "Yeah but… cop sounds like more fun."

Embry shrugs before turning back to his breakfast.

"Personally I think we'll get along better if you were a cop." Ms. Call laughs. "I've seen enough doctors to last a life time."

I smile softly. "You'd be surprised but I've seen a lot of doctors myself. Jumping out of trees as a child. Lots of broken bones."

Ms. Call smiles. "Have you met Dr. Cullen here in town?"

"Yeah on a few occasions." I answer keeping my voice light. Vampire doctor.

"He's so good looking isn't he?" She teases.

It gags me to nod and smile at her. Physically gags me. Their repulsive scent echoes inside my mind.

"He's a good doctor." Ms. Call justifies.

I smile at the woman. "Good doctor we agree on."

Saved my sister's ass, tried to save my dad.

"I appreciate you making me breakfast, Kensi." Ms. Call says. "I'm going to take me after-breakfast nap and lie down for a while. And hopefully not throw up your waffles."

I smile. "It's no big deal, Ms. Call. I was happy to."

She smiles at me. "Call me Tiffany, please. And those are the best waffles I've had in a long time. Embry isn't a terrible chef but since he banned me from the kitchen I've been stuck with his cooking."

"Hey now." Embry defends.

"Well we can't have that." I say patting her hand. "I'll leave my number and you can call me whenever you need me to make you food so Embry doesn't have to give us all food poisoning."

"Oh really?" Embry retorts looking between us exasperated. "It is not that bad."

I smile patting his shoulder as I walk past him. "I'm more inclined to believe your mother's word over your own, Embry."

He rolls his eyes, but I can see the warmth on the back of his neck after I touched him.

I sigh quietly. He stands at the island where I was a few moments ago organizing his mother's pills quietly.

How long is he going to wait before he tells me? And until then do I pretend like he isn't the king of my heart? Do I pretend like every time he says my name I don't want to kiss him against a wall? I don't want to overstep and do something before he tells me in case I'm looking at this all wrong and Embry is not the wolf who imprinted on me but some other wolf.

I frown biting my lip. How much longer can I keep this a secret? I know he can hear my heartbeat, and it's becoming more exhausting than it ever was thrilling trying to hide my feelings for him.

Embry must've sensed my intense gaze on him before he looks up and locks eyes with me.

I raise my eyebrows to him before offering a smirk.

Can he keep staying the night if I keep having these dreams? I mean it happened once but what if it happens again and I can't keep my mouth shut? Do I want this a secret more than I want to end this and tell him?

"What are you thinking about?" Embry asks.

"Colette and Mara." I answer right off the bat.

There's something that flickers across his features. "Are you considering their offer?"

In that very moment I make a split second decision.

"Not sure yet. I don't want to have some bimbo in charge if you know what I mean."

Embry nods but there's pain in his eyes. His hands shake but not because he's about to phase.

"Sounds like a bunch of bureaucratic bullshit if you ask me." Embry mutters. "I think it would be a waste of your time. And you seemed pretty against it. But if you want to go, I wouldn't stop you."

Oh yes, Embry, yes you are.

Because this is the final nail in the coffin. The way he holds his tongue and selects his words carefully. The stiff tension in his shoulders, and the pain in his eyes.