Shipshape & Bristol Fashion

Embry knew he likely had the world's largest, goofiest grin on his face as he stared down at Freja. She loved him. While he had imagined what it would be like to hear her say those words, it still was overwhelming to finally have it happen. And well, he hadn't exactly thought it would happen like this.

Freja's chuckle brought him out of his daze.

"Think we should probably get in. If you haven't noticed, we are currently standing in the Pacific Ocean in the dead of winter," Freja said. "And I happen to be completely naked."

Embry shook his head and nearly looked down, but then quickly kept his eyes trained on her face, not realizing that she had completely transformed back to her human form and was, indeed, naked. Thankfully, her long hair covered most of her front and she was only above water from the waist up.

His cheeks turned slightly pink as he glanced over his shoulder, seeing her grandparents eagerly waiting for them on the beach, before looking back down at Freja, who was now smirking at him slightly. While she seemed every bit the woman he had fallen for, there was something new about her. A worldliness that she hadn't had before. No matter. He was eager to hear about where she had been and what she had done for the last month.

Reaching down, he lifted her up in his arms, causing Freja to squeal slightly as her grip around his neck tightened.

"I can walk, you know," she quipped. "Again - not The Little Mermaid."

"I know, just…" Embry trailed off, trying to focus on getting back to shore rather than staring at her the entire way.

He wasn't sure why he was so shy about this. He had been phasing for over six years now and it wasn't like he was unused to seeing people naked. He was in a pack with Leah, after all. But there was something about the idea of seeing Freja naked - especially with her grandparents standing a few feet away - that had him blushing like a high school girl.

Freja chuckled softly and shook her head.

"It's the exact same thing as when you phase, if I remember correctly," she said.

"I know, just… we're all a bunch of guys now. And we always tie a pair of pants to our leg so we have clothes on hand," he replied, feeling a bit lame. Especially since Freja, who could be just as awkward and shy, seemed to be taking the entire situation in stride.

"Interesting concept, though I don't think it'll be applicable in my case," she quipped in return.

Once they reached the beach, she leapt out of Embry's arms and ran over to her grandparents, wrapping her arms around both of their necks. Embry stayed back and glanced around, allowing the family a moment as tears fell down Astrid's cheeks and Oscar's eyes began glistening slightly.

And, well, he was trying to avoid staring at Freja.

When she let go, her grandfather quickly gave her his coat and they both wrapped their arms around her shoulders, leading her back to the house with Embry following.

"Where were you?" Astrid asked.

"Come, let her get inside and warmed up a bit before we begin with all the questions," Oscar chided.

"It is a bit chilly. And I'm so hungry," Freja admitted.

"I have some stew. We'll get you dry, warm and fed, and then we talk," Astrid said, glancing back at Embry with a smile.

"Sounds like a plan…"

OOOO

Finally, the group was settled in the living room with Freja and Embry in dry clothing. He was thankful he had left a spare set there by accident, as he was fairly sure there was no way he'd fit into any of Oscar's things. Freja was surprisingly dressed only in a long sleeve t-shirt and cotton shorts, though Embry was sure that had more to do with the fact she was currently snuggled up to his side on the sofa, his arm around her, as she scarfed down her second bowl of stew.

He thought the wolves could put away food, but full Havsfru Freja could give just about all of them a run for their money, he thought as he watched her.

"Swimming burns a lot of calories… make you pretty hungry," she said with a sheepish smile and blush as she put the bowl down on the coffee table.

"Hey, I'm not complaining," Embry replied, with a grin and a chuckle, happy to see more of the Freja he knew returning.

He couldn't stop touching her. Whether it was pulling her closer for unexpected hugs, or tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Or just… anything to remind him that she really was here, sitting on the sofa next to him. He hadn't been able to take his eyes off her since she had come back downstairs after changing and he swore she was glowing.

But then again, that could just be him.

Astrid bustled in from the kitchen, placing two mugs of tea into Embry and Freja's hands before sitting down in a chair and focusing her full attention on her granddaughter.

"What happened?" she said, a smile on her face. It seemed Embry wasn't the only one giddy to have Freja back.

"Well… I found our clan," Freja said after taking a sip of tea.

Apparently this wasn't a good thing, judging by the expressions on her grandparents' faces. Astrid had gone a bit pale while even Oscar - who always seemed to be calm - sat up in his chair, a look of worry on his face. But then Embry remembered that this was the clan that had exiled both of them and Freja's mother to the land over her father.

"Don't look so worried. Everything was fine," Freja said, her brow furrowing. "They have a new leader who was very welcoming. Seemed upset when I said I wanted to leave."

A look passed between the two older Larssens that Embry caught, but Freja seemed to miss as she was too busy blowing on her tea.

"But it doesn't really matter all that much since I don't plan to join them," Freja said, looking back up at them and at Embry, smiling softly. "This is my home, after all."

Embry was pretty sure that his heart was about to burst. It was hard to resist the urge to kiss her right then and there, but he knew it would be a struggle to rein it in and her grandparents were still sitting across from them. While they were on good terms, he worried one wrong move could ruin it all.

"He let you stay with them? And then… let you go?" Astrid said, a note of incredulity in her voice.

Freja looked over at them and nodded, though she seemed a bit perturbed by her grandparents' reactions. Embry studied them as well, taking in their confused looks as they glanced at each other. He supposed this had something to do with clan politics - which he knew absolutely nothing about. At first he was so drunk on the fact that Freja was finally back that he didn't care, but was now beginning to worry a bit.

He needed to pay more attention. This was his imprint, after all. If there was any sort of threat to her, he needed to know about it.

"I'm not sure why you guys are so worried. It's different now," she said. "And I wasn't the only halfling. There were two others with the clan."

Astrid and Oscar's mouths both dropped open at that as Embry whipped his head back to look at her, a smile tugging at his lips. If there were others, perhaps this meant she had learned more about herself.

"Seriously?" he asked, now eager to hear it all. She looked up at him and nodded, then looked back at her grandparents.

"They're from other clans, but spending time traveling the oceans to learn more about our kind all over the world," she said, her eyes lighting up. "And… god, there's so much to tell you about."

"Good news, I hope," Astrid said, now appearing happier as she leaned towards Freja. She nodded again, but then attempted to stifle a yawn.

"Too much to get into tonight, but they said they would come visit - the halflings," she replied. "But I can say that there's not really anything for us to worry about."

Again, she glanced up at Embry, her smile causing his stomach to do flip-flops. He heard her continue to talk a bit more about the clan, her grandparents asking a few questions about old friends, but Embry struggled to focus as he latched on to what she had said just prior to that. That there was nothing for them to worry about. They would be okay. And they could now start on their future together.

It was a bit overwhelming and he couldn't help but feel a bit dizzy at it all. But at the same time, Embry knew that this was pretty much the happiest day of his life so far. Freja had come back. And she had said that she loved him. And everything with them was going to be fine.

"Well, that is all rather fascinating," Oscar said, grabbing Embry's attention. He met the old man's eye, seeing a mischievous twinkle there. "But I am feeling a bit tired. Too old for so much excitement. Perhaps it is time for us to retire and we can pick this up tomorrow morning, eh?"

He looked over at Astrid who frowned immediately.

"Freja has just gotten back and you want to go to bed?" she nearly shouted.

"I think it is for the best," Oscar said, nodding his head towards Freja and Embry and giving her a look.

Embry coughed in an attempt to hide his chuckle as he immediately picked up on what he was attempting to do. Next to him, Freja struggled to keep from grinning as her grandmother continued arguing with her grandfather, still not understanding what he was insinuating.

"You infuriating woman. We are going upstairs to allow these two some time to catch up alone!" Oscar finally said as he stood and pulled Astrid up with him.

Her eyes widened slightly as she looked over at the couple. Her surprise then quickly morphed into something more apologetic as she allowed Oscar to guide her away.

"Feel free to stay, Embry. You know where the spare linens are," she said before they disappeared up the stairs.

Both Embry and Freja watched them go, before looking at each other, starting to grin.

Finally, alone.

OOOO

As soon as she was sure that she heard the door to her grandparents' door shut, Freja reached up to grab Embry's face, pulling him down to her lips. After a month apart, all she really wanted to do for the next week was to kiss him as much as possible to make up for all the time she had been gone.

She hadn't intended to stay away for a full month. But then she had somehow run into her clan and discovered the other halflings, Freja decided to spend some time with them learning more about their kind and herself.

Everyday she thought about Embry, missing him. But there was so much for her to learn from the clan that would help with their future. Though finally, even though she still felt that she hadn't learned enough, she needed to come home. See her grandparents. Tell Embry that she loved him too - something she should have done before she took off.

And now she was here, practically attacking him on the couch, unable to get enough of him or his warmth. Tingles ran through her body as he wrapped his arms around her and she deepened the kiss. But still, it wasn't enough.

Freja pushed herself against him, now practically climbing into his lap. She heard a soft, low noise come from his throat, which only made her more enthusiastic. But then she felt him pushing her away.

"Freja," he said, catching his breath. "You do realize your grandparents are just upstairs."

"So?" she asked, grinning wickedly as she attempted to kiss him again. Embry ducked her advance, pushing her away again.

"As… awesome as this is, I do not want your grandparents to walk in on us," he said, chuckling as he glanced down.

She frowned slightly before looking down and realizing that she had apparently been trying to pull his shirt off, a few rips now there from where her nails had transformed slightly in the heat of the moment. Looking back up at him, Freja felt the blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Sorry," she said, moving off of Embry.

Christ, she hadn't meant to jump him. But then again, it had been a month since she had seen him. Though, really, she wasn't exactly sure what had come over her. She had never been with a guy like that before and she certainly didn't want her first time - ever and with Embry - to be in the living room with her grandparents upstairs.

"It's fine," he said, pulling her closer to him once she was seated back at his side. "Definitely not complaining. Just don't really think your grandparents' couch is the most romantic place for… you know."

Freja looked up, catching the blush across Embry's face as he looked away from her. She was pretty sure it mirrored her own. For all the things she learned while she was away - and she had certainly learned a lot - she found herself suddenly shy and unready to get into that discussion with him just yet.

But at the same time, a spike of anticipation hit her in her stomach, though she attempted to push it aside for the moment. Wouldn't do to get herself all hot and bothered when nothing could happen. So instead, Freja settled her head on his shoulder as Embry enclosed his arm around her, the warmth from his body comforting though starting to make her slightly drowsy.

"So what it's like? Living in the ocean," Embry asked after she was settled.

"It's… well, I suppose humans would find it dark and cold. But for me, it was… amazing. Being able to swim long distances over a short period of time without getting tired. Seeing all these creatures that most people would never even dream up seeing… finding others like me," she said, her mind going back.

She hadn't been completely sure where she was after she had taken off, all she knew is that something inside her had been pushing her to keep going. There was something out in the depths of the ocean waiting for her. And while she had been caught up in the wonder that was the world under the waves, she had been shocked to come across the clan. Then to find out it was her family's clan.

And then to have them accept her among them.

"And then there's the whole breathing underwater thing," Embry added. Freja chuckled.

"That too," she said.

"So… how many people are in this clan?" he then asked.

"There were about 50," Freja said. She looked up, finding his brow slightly furrowed.

"Is that a lot?" he asked, looking down at her.

"Well, it's much smaller than it used to be, actually… think of clans as moving villages rather than, say, family units," Freja said, recalling everything she had been told and learned.

"Okay, so they're moving, swimming villages," Embry said.

"Yes, and generations ago, back when there were more of us, a clan could have hundreds. And they tended to stay more stationary. Created grand cities on the bottom of the ocean," Freja explained. "But as more humans took the seas, it became harder to hide with such large communities, so they began to split up and keep moving… and then, well… we started dying out. There's not nearly as many Havsfru as there once was…"

Freja frowned slightly, thinking back to the many stories that the others in the clan had told her. While her grandparents had certainly told her a lot growing up, it had been heartbreaking to hear that so many had died out - either hunted down long ago or dying from the pollution now taking over the seas. Being in the ocean and hearing the history of her kind had made it hit harder, feel more real.

"But you made friends. That's good," Embry said, attempting to navigate them to happier subjects.

"Yea, I did," Freja said. "The halflings were actually a mated couple - Hans and Lette. They've been together about 50 years, but honestly, I thought they were closer to my age…"

"That's good to hear," Embry replied.

"Yea, I suppose. Gives me more of an idea of how long I can expect to live," Freja said. "And then there's the leader - Michael - and his mate Maja. They have a son - Sven - who's not much older than me. He was nice and seemed really interested in the land."

"He planning to come visit, too?" Embry asked. Freja chuckled and looked up at him, catching the hint of jealousy in his voice.

She sat up and pressed a kiss against his lips.

"Absolutely nothing for you to worry about. I'm all yours," she said. "Besides, I don't think his father would allow it. They're still very much a 'stay in the water' sort."

The tension in his body instantly faded as he leaned forward and kissed her again.

"God, I missed you," he whispered, leaning his forehead against her.

"How hard was it for you?" Freja asked, frowning slightly as she remembered everything he had told her about the imprint. Part of the reason she tried to get back sooner was because she didn't want to prolong his pain.

"It wasn't great, but I knew it was important for you to do this," he replied, smiling slightly. "And I knew it would be worth it when you came back."

Freja smiled as she kissed him again, then settled back down in his arms.

"Anything new happen while I was gone?" she asked.

"Not really. But everyone misses you," Embry said. "They'll be happy to hear your back. Probably throw a party." Freja snorted.

"No need to have a party for me," she said.

"Well, seeing as you collapsed during the last one we tried to throw you, might be a nice chance to make up for it," he said.

Silence fell over them as they both thought back to Freja's birthday party. The smile fell from her face as she remembered the agonizing pain. The fever dreams.

"How bad was it for you? The Change?" he asked softly, tightening his arms around her.

"It was… confusing. I didn't know where I was half the time. And I kept having these weird dreams. One second I would be in the ocean and the next… surrounded by complete darkness. And then the pain," she said, barely whispering.

Freja closed her eyes a moment, taking a deep breath and then slowly letting it out. She then opened her eyes again.

"But I survived. That's the important thing. And… I think… part of it was you," she said, looking up at him again.

"Me?"

"Yea… when it would get really bad and I couldn't take it anymore… I would hear your voice. You always seemed to bring me back," she said.

They stared at each other a few moments, before Embry cracked a smile. He gently kissed her forehead.

"From here out, we're all good," he whispered.

"Yea," Freja said, now smiling. "And… now I know can do this…"

She took a deep breath and started to softly sing her mother's lullaby, no longer afraid that she would hurt Embry. She closed her eyes, relishing the memory that it always conjured up. Her mother slowly rocking her to sleep as she walked around a room, her eyes fixed on Freja in her arms. When she finished, she opened her eyes, seeing Embry was sitting with his eyes closed. He then blinked them open, a smile appearing.

"It's amazing when you do that," he whispered. Freja kissed him again, but suddenly felt rather tired.

It had been a long day between swimming back to her family and their reunion. All of a sudden, she felt as though she could sleep for days.

Apparently, Embry felt the same as he laid down on the sofa, pulling her down with him and then reaching for a blanket, arranging it over them. She rested her head on his chest, her breathing slowly matching his own. She felt Embry stroke her hair.

"I love you, Freja," he said softly.

"I love you, too," she replied.

Her eyes then drifted closed as she fell asleep, listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat.

OOOO

Sorry to make you guys wait for this! I was trying to get more of the story finished with writing before I posted another chapter and I'm getting there. Started Chapt. 24 and there are definitely only going to be about 29 chapters total. And yea, writing has been slow this week. I've got a ton of articles I'm working on for the magazine, so that's been eating into my time as well. But hoping to get some done this weekend since we're almost back in lockdown here in Seoul.

.2020 - Thanks!

Guest - Aw, thanks! I'm happy to have them back together as well. As you can see, this was a continuation of their reunion. Got some funnier chapters coming. ^_^

FallenSkye24 - Haha, well, she was always going to come back. ^_^

Thanks everyone for reading and following!