"I don't know, Jake. Leaving our border exposed, even for a few hours, sounds like a bad idea." Leah was cleaning up the kitchen, wiping down the table with a sponge. It was unusually quiet, as all the kids had homework and had dispersed right after dinner.
"Awww, come on, Leah. The kids are so excited about Christmas Eve!" Jacob rinsed the last plate and tucked it into the dishwasher, adding detergent and closing the door. "How about if I handle the gifts and you do a couple of circuits? Will that help?"
Rinsing the sponge, she replaced it next to the sink and dried her hands. "Good idea," she agreed. "Listen! Do you hear that?"
He froze. "What? I don't hear anything."
"Exactly," she said with a smile. "How about a movie?" She grabbed his hand and led him into the living room. "We'll have the whole pack here tomorrow packing up gifts for the kids, so let's enjoy the peace and quiet."
Pulling her onto his lap, Jacob whispered into her hair, "Sounds good to me. Quality time with my gal has been at a premium lately."
She relaxed into his strong arms, scanning the shelf of DVD's beside them. "How about White Christmas?"
He grinned. "Aren't you sick and tired of the white stuff?"
"Never," she said firmly.
Right on cue, a soft snow was falling on Christmas Eve as they packed small gifts for the wolf-boys to deliver to the reservation kids. The mood was merry, and Sue had provided punch and Christmas cookies to add to the festive atmosphere. Paul called out, "Anybody got two identical wolves? I have twin boys," he looked at the tag, "ten years old."
Jacob handed him two carved wolves, one white and one grey. "Take it from me," he said with a smile, "if they're twins they don't want identical gifts."
Paul grinned. "You're the expert," he said. Rachel, working beside Paul, nodded in agreement.
By ten p.m. the packing and distribution were done. Leah was pacing, and Jacob slipped an arm around her. "Go ahead," he whispered. "We've got it from here."
She sighed and kissed him lightly. "I'll see you back here in a couple of hours," she said as she hurried out the back door into the soft, gentle night.
Most of the rez children were sound asleep, and their parents smiled as they heard muffled heavy footfalls on porches and stoops. Looking out a nearby window, they would nod or smile at the giant wolves carrying small packages in their ferocious-looking teeth. Every once in a while, a child would peek out and gasp at the rare and wonderful sight.
Leah ran the perimeter slowly, enjoying the peace and silence of the moonless night. The snow was already deep, but her stride was sure and strong. She breathed deeply of the clear mountain air and felt completely at peace until, near the treaty border, her sensitive nose was assaulted with a familiar rancid odor.
"Not tonight," was her first thought as she veered off the trail following the unpleasant scent. Several yards off the trail, she stared in disbelief.
The powdery snow had been trampled in a vaguely circular shaped area. There were several sets of human-sized footprints around a mound of ashes. Prints leading away (and toward the border) were quickly filling with snow, but they seemed to belong to two or three adults. The stench was dissipating as Leah's sensitive nose circled the scene.
The rest of the route was serene as the storm continued to intensify. The wind was whipping through Leah's fur and the trail was quickly covered. Fortunately, she knew the perimeter route as well as her own back yard. As she shook out her fur at the trail head, Paul and Embry were waiting to relieve her.
Leah quickly gave them a mental rundown of the strange scene she had investigated. "I'm sure any tracks are obliterated by now," she told them as she replayed the discovery in their minds. "Just be extra mindful around that area. How did the deliveries go?"
She smiled as they replayed the evening's adventures. All the residents got a big kick out of the giant wolves, and very few children showed any fear of them. The gifts, including carved animals, beaded jewelry, and deerskin slippers among other crafts, were well received by the delighted children. It was a holiday that would live in their tribal history for many years to come.
Damp and bedraggled, Leah stumbled in after midnight. She was greeted by a crackling fire in the cozy living room and she snuggled into Jacob's warm embrace. "Looks like everything went according to plan," she murmured.
"It was great," he agreed. "How about you?"
Leah sighed. "I'm not sure." She pulled a knitted afghan around her as he gently toweled her dark hair. "Someone toasted a vampire near the border, and I can only guess it would be the Cullens."
Jacob paused, frowning. "On our side?"
She nodded. "If it was them, they were taking a big chance. If one of us caught them on our land, like maybe Paul, it could have been ugly. But they knew about our plans for tonight so I guess they were extra vigilant." She shook her head. "I really don't know what happened, but I plan to ask Carlisle in the morning."
Jacob grinned and handed her a cell phone. "Why morning? They don't sleep, remember?"
She set the phone on an end table. "Maybe not, but there are other things they can do at night without expecting to be interrupted."
He raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"
She grinned and smacked him in the head with a couch pillow. "Do I need to show you?"
He stood, throwing her easily over his shoulder and clicking off the TV. "I think I'd like that."
Carlisle's voice was smooth and melodic at 8 a.m. "Dr. Cullen. How may I help you?"
"Hello, Carlisle. It's Leah. I have a bit of an awkward question I need to ask you."
His laugh was musical. "Ask away. I have no secrets from your tribe, Leah."
"Do you happen to know who might have dusted a vampire near our border last evening? It would have been around ten."
There was silence for a long moment, and Leah wondered if he was making up a cover story. She was surprised when he answered honestly, "Jasper and Alice were out hunting last night, but they didn't say anything about any intruders. And this was on your land?"
"Yes, and that's why I'm calling. As much as we might appreciate such a…gesture, it would be a dangerous fracture of our treaty."
"I see what you mean, Leah. And in that same spirit, I will say that IF my children felt such an intrusion was absolutely necessary, they would likely not tell me about it for obvious reasons. Can we leave it at that?"
It was Leah's turn to be silent. Then she nodded. "I think we understand each other."
"In that case, may I wish you and your pack a Merry Christmas."
"Thanks, Carlisle. And the same to you and your family."