Make Up Lee Way

Embry's head hurt, that much he knew. But then he felt much warmer than he had earlier and knew something soft was wrapped around him. And he was moving.

Eyes flying open, he tried to sit up, but strong hands pushed him back down. Blearily, he looked around and found himself in the small cabin below deck of the fishing boat, a worried Quil standing over him. Wait, how did he get here? The last thing he remembered, he had been dragged back under the water by a vengeful Sven while Freja attempted to rescue him.

And here he thought he had been going to rescue her.

"Take it easy," Quil said.

"Freja," Embry croaked.

"I'm here."

Embry looked over, seeing Freja walking up to him with a watery smile, a blanket wrapped around her. Quil moved out of the way as she dropped down to his level, and leaned her forehead against his.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I… accidentally hit you into the wall when I was trying to get you away from Sven and it must have knocked you out… but then I got you out of the water and did CPR. You weren't breathing for a few seconds," she said, and he could hear the tremble in her voice. "Scared me…"

Embry reached up and caressed her cheek, relief finally settling in, even though he could clearly see cuts decorating her face, her lip split. They had gotten Freja. But then, Sven was still out there somewhere. They would still need to run.

"Sven?" he asked.

"He disappeared, but… I have a feeling he's not coming back any time soon, if at all," Freja said with a small smile. "Made sure to give him a few reminders about what happens to him when he messes with me or anyone I love."

Embry chuckled and pressed a kiss to her lips. It was then that he remembered her mother. His smile fell away. As if sensing what he was going to ask next, Freja gulped.

"Lette and Hans took her to get help," she said softly. "But I'm sure they'll find us soon and let us know how she is."

Embry nodded, knowing that Freja was likely going to worry until they finally got news on Ingrid and for her sake, he hoped that she survived. He then looked to the other side of the small room, seeing Aleksander leaning against a wall dressed in a sweater and jeans that were slightly too big for him, his eyes watching the scene before him without any expression.

Embry was conflicted. While he now understood that this Freja's brother, he also knew that he was one of the ones that had kidnapped her and brought her to Sven. He wasn't completely sure that he could be trusted.

"Aleksander helped me get you out," Freja said. Embry looked back at her. "He knew of another passage that was dry that came out aboveground. We carried you out and then saw the boat."

"Seriously, dude, you scared the hell out of us for a bit," Quil said, now frowning. "Jake nearly jumped into the water to swim over."

Embry swallowed and looked from Quil, to Freja, who was now smiling softly at him. He finally looked back over at Aleksander.

"Thanks," he said.

"It was the least I could do," he replied, finally speaking. His swirling eyes shifted over to Freja as a look of confusion came over his face. He then shook his head and looked away.

"We're almost back to the marina," Freja said. "Jacob called ahead and Dr. Cullen is going to meet us at my house to look you over and make sure everything's okay."

"I'll be mostly healed by then," Embry replied with a small smile. Freja rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling. "And here I thought I was rescuing you."

"You did," Freja said. "I would probably be on my way to the clan by now with him if you haven't shown up when you did." She glanced towards Aleksander again. "I was working on a plan, though I thought it would be easier to get away from them once we were out of the cave…"

"Figured you were. We thought we'd try and make things a bit easier," Embry replied. "Your mom showed up with Hans and Lette not long after they took you. They were the ones that tracked you. They had seen Sven return angry and knew that he was going to try and do something, so tried to get here in time to warn you."

Embry stopped speaking as he, Quil and Freja all looked towards Aleksander. The Havsfru shifted uncomfortably under their gazes. He pushed off the wall, but didn't move closer.

"I knew this was not a good idea," he said, his eyes falling on Freja. "I remember when you were with us… you said that you already had a partner. I didn't want to help him, but Sven is… he's our leader's son. Next in line to take over the clan. I couldn't say no…"

"Yes, you could have," Embry said, now frowning at him, a soft growl in his voice. Freja glanced at him, frowning, but seemed conflicted. She then looked back at Aleksander.

"You don't understand our ways. I am… no one. Even though the clan leader took me in and raised me as his own, to everyone else I am just an orphan with no standing. To go against Sven or Michael… it can have dire consequences," he said. He looked to Freja. "I had heard about your… our… mother. O-our grandparents. It was a warning to the rest of us."

Embry looked at Freja as well, seeing her blinking back tears at the mention of her mother. She then took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

"Yea… I, I get it," she said. "And well… I am grateful that you helped me get Embry out of there."

The two siblings silently studied each other for a time and Embry glanced over at Quil. Part of him felt as though they were intruding on a private moment, but it wasn't like they could go anywhere. Well, he couldn't at least.

"You… you're welcome to stay with us, my grandparents and I, if you want. Just until we hear about Mama or… however long you need to," Freja offered. Aleksander's eyes widened slightly, but then he nodded.

"Thank you… I would like that," he replied.

Embry sighed, looking over at Quil. While he wasn't so keen on yet another Havsfru guest, at least this one was Freja's brother. And well, he was starting to think that maybe Aleksander could be trusted. That he wasn't as bad as the others.

He had helped Freja get him out of the cavern. And he hadn't done much fighting for Sven when things went down. But he hadn't necessarily helped when Sven had Ingrid either. Granted, he didn't know that it was his mother at the time. Freja smiled at her brother and then returned to looking at Embry.

"Do you really think this is over?" he couldn't help but ask, wondering if there was a chance that Sven might come back again, even though he had lost. Again. Freja shrugged.

"I don't know, but we can talk about that later when we get to my grandparents'. You should probably rest," she said. Embry chuckled and reached up, touching her cheek.

"I'm fine, Freja," he said before pulling her towards him and kissing her.

"Yep, we'll just… go help Jacob," Quil said, already ushering a frowning Aleksander out of the room. Embry laughed softly as the door shut behind them. Freja looked over at it and then back down at Embry.

"I'm sorry," Embry said before she could say anything. Freja frowned. "I wasn't there and they got to you."

"Em, they were waiting for the moment I was alone. And we both know you can't watch me every second. It would have happened at some point eventually, so there's no need to blame yourself," Freja replied softly as she moved to lie next to him on the small bed and Embry pulled the blanket around to cover both of them, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Yea, but…" Embry frowned as he felt his cheeks heat up. "I just feel so stupid… I only left to get… condoms." He closed his eyes in shame, though Freja's soft laughter had them flying open again.

"I refuse to let you blame yourself for this," she said, still smiling. "And I would argue that you were making responsible decisions. I mean… for what we had planned…"

It was Embry's turn to chuckle as a faint blush painted Freja's cheeks. He reached up and tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

"And you came to my rescue. So I think everything's good," Freja said. "I was so worried that he was going to hurt you. Or my grandparents. I didn't know how I was going to get away from Sven, but I knew I had to make a deal so that he wouldn't hurt or kill you."

The smile faded from her face as another look of worry replaced it. Embry pulled her closer, enveloping her with his warmth.

"But we're all okay now. Your mom is strong; she's going to be okay too. And I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that it stays that way," he vowed.

"I know," Freja said softly. Embry looked down at her a moment, before pressing his lips against hers and tightening his arms around her.

Though she still had the blanket around her, as he pulled her closer, it fell open slightly and it was at that moment that he realized she was still completely naked underneath it, her bare chest now resting against his.

The kiss deepened slightly, even though at the back of his mind, he knew that they were on a small boat with his two best friends and Freja's brother just outside. This was neither the place or the time, but he couldn't stop kissing her, happy to have her back in his arms again.

But then there was a loud knock on the door that had them coming apart as Embry shot up in the bed.

"What?" he shouted, slightly annoyed at being interrupted.

"We're back!" Jacob's voice came through the door. "Come on!"

Embry sighed and looked down at Freja, who was slightly flush.

"Well… better get to your grandparents'..."

OOOO

"FREJA!"

As soon as they stepped through the front door, she was engulfed in a massive hug by both of her grandparents. They squeezed her so hard that she struggled to breath at first and nearly dropped the blanket around her. Embry had only brought along one set of spare clothes, which she gave to Aleksander, knowing they wouldn't fit her at all.

Astrid then let go of her, her eyes full of tears, as she grinned and then looked around, confusion starting to enter her eyes.

"Where are the others? Where is Ingrid," she asked, her eyes settling on Embry, who had an arm around Jacob's shoulder as he helped him over to the couch. Bruises and cuts littered his large, bare chest.

"Mama… she got hurt," Freja said. Astrid's eyes widened and her hand came to her mouth. "She's alive… for now. I think. Lette and Hans took her to get help. But there's someone you should meet, Mor-mor, Papa."

She swallowed and turned to Aleksander, who was hesitating in the door as he studied Astrid and Oscar. Even though she was still a bit unsure, something in Freja reached out to him. He was her brother after all. And he had said that he didn't want to help Sven. He felt he had had no choice. And there was every chance he could get cast out of the clan for helping her. He had nowhere else to go.

"This is Aleksander… my brother," Freja said. "And these are our grandparents…"

Astrid's mouth dropped open as she stared at him. She then reached out and gently touched his face.

"Aleksander," she whispered as a soft smile filled her face.

She then pulled him into the house and into a strong embrace. Freja watched on and smiled as she saw the look of utter confusion come over Aleksander's face. But then something softened and he returned the hug.

"I'm, ah, I need clothes," Freja said as she hurried over to the stairs and up to her room.

While she could have used a few moments to herself to gather her thoughts, she quickly pulled out some clothes and dressed, then made her way back downstairs as Dr. Cullen, who must have been in the kitchen, was feeling around Embry's ribs.

"Certainly gave him quite the hit," Carlisle said, glancing over at Freja. "Broke three ribs."

Her face paled slightly as she gulped. God, she hadn't meant to hurt him. Hadn't even realized that she had hit him with her tail as she shot after Sven. Not until she turned around and found him floating unconscious in the water.

"I'm fine, Freja," Embry said, though he winced slightly as Carlisle hit a tender spot. "It'll be better in no time."

"Still, take it easy for a couple days. Maybe no phasing until you're sure it's all healed," Carlisle said, moving to examine the lump on Embry's head. "I'm not 100 percent sure that you didn't get a concussion."

"We know the drill," Quil said, standing next to Jacob, who still looked worried. "Though I have a feeling he's going to prefer Freja looking after him than us." He looked over at her, grinning.

She didn't even bother returning it as she walked over and sat next to Embry, looking him over and taking in all his injuries. Oh, god. This was her fault.

"I'm fine," Embry said, likely reading her expression and knowing what she was thinking. "I knew there was a chance I could get hurt. Stop blaming yourself."

"But you wouldn't-"

"Nope. Not going to let you take the fault. The only person at fault here is Sven," Embry said quickly, cutting her off with a stern look. She stared at him a few moments and then nodded. There was no use arguing about it. And at least he was alive.

Freja then found herself looking towards the back door, wishing the others would come back. She kept imagining her mother walking through the door, healed and ready for them to finally be a family again.

"She'll be okay, Freja. She's strong," Embry said softly. She turned back to look at him and nodded, trying to keep from crying again. Her mother would be fine. Everything was going to be fine.

"I should look you over as well," Carlisle said, his eyes taking in her cuts and then focused on the bruises around Freja's wrists that were just visible from under her sleeves.

"I'm fine," she said. "Really." Carlisle gave her a concerned look, but then nodded.

"Please call if you need me further," he said.

"Of course, thank you, Carlisle," Astrid said. The vampire left, and Aleksander moved closer to the couch, staring at the front door.

"What is he?" he asked, turning to look back at the others, appearing baffled. "He is not human. But he is not like you - wolves."

"Vampire," Astrid said gently. Aleksander's eyes widened in surprise. He then looked down at Freja.

"You have kept the strangest company," he said. She smiled softly and nodded.

"You'll get used to it. If you want to stay, that is," she replied. She then looked over at her grandparents hopefully. They looked at each other and back at Aleksander, nodding immediately.

"Of course, you are family. Stay as long as you wish," Astrid said, tears filling her eyes yet again, apparently overwhelmed to find that she had another grandchild, no matter the circumstances. She then took a deep breath and looked at Freja. "What happened?"

Quil and Jacob perked up, probably eager to hear the story as well since they had been stuck on the boat the whole time.

"They were about to take me back to the clan when the others showed up," Freja said as Embry wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close to him. "Mama, Hans and Lette tried to distract the others so that Embry and I could get away, but Sven got Mama. Held a knife to her neck and said he would leave her and everyone alone if I went with him."

Freja took a deep breath as she closed her eyes and she was back in the cavern. Fear coursing through her. Her mother's shouts in her mind.

"I thought if I could get close enough, I could push her out of the way and take Sven on my own. But he must have sensed that I was planning something. He stabbed her," she said, her voice much softer.

"Freja fought bravely. Overpowered him," Aleksander said stoically.

"At least I thought I won. When we were trying to help Mama, Sven dragged Embry into the water. I barely got him away in time," Freja said, a shudder going through her body, though Embry leaned over and pressed a kiss to her temple.

"And Sven?" Astrid asked.

"Hoping after that ass-kicking, he won't come back," Quil said with a chuckle. Both Embry and Freja looked over at him, causing the chuckle to die on his lips. "I mean… that's what you said earlier."

"He got away," Freja said, turning to look at her grandparents. "He promised to stay away, but I'm not sure if he will. Or what Michael might do when he finds out…"

"I don't see him punishing you," Aleksander said, causing everyone to look at him. "This was Sven's obsession. Michael had tried to talk him out of the idea of you as his mate. Told him to leave you alone. He wasn't happy when he found that Sven had come to the surface."

"You are sure?" Astrid asked, the hope clear in her voice.

God, Freja hoped he was. She really just wanted to live a normal life. Go on dates with her boyfriend. Work at the shop. Hang out with the packs. Finally have a weekend away with Embry with no interruptions or kidnappings.

"I can assure you, I will do no such thing," a deep voice boomed, causing everyone to jump and turn towards the kitchen, so wrapped up in their conversation that they didn't hear anyone come in from the back door.

Embry immediately jumped to his feet, putting himself in between Freja and the intruder as she sat in shock on the couch, though honestly, she should have expected Michael to show up at some point. She had just hoped she'd get a bit of a break before dealing with him.

Even Quil and Jacob had moved closer, their eyes fixed on Michael.

No one said anything as they all stared at the Havsfru leader. Though he wore a sarong around his waist, he dripped water onto the wood floor, droplets falling from his wet, copper-colored hair onto his bare chest. He was the same height as Sven, but he was broader, his expression more stoic as he settled his eyes on Freja.

"I mean no harm. I come here in peace," he said, glancing at Embry and then Quil and Jacob, obviously nervous about their presence.

"Forgive us if we don't believe you," Embry growled, clenching his fists. Michael grimaced slightly and then nodded.

"I suppose my son has not given you any reason to trust me. Nor I, for that matter," he said. "Very well. I have come to offer an official apology for Sven's actions. I had advised him to let it go, that you had chosen another. And he went against my orders to leave you in peace."

Freja could see the look of utter shock on her grandmother's face as Oscar gripped her hand. Her grandfather thankfully remained more reserved.

"Not good enough," Embry said, causing Freja to stand next to him and place her hand on his arm. As much as she appreciated it, she could handle this.

"He tried to kill Embry. May have killed my mother," she said sternly. She glanced behind her to Aleksander. "Our mother."

When she looked back at the clan leader, there was a look of pain on his face, but he quickly looked away from her, shame and guilt now clear in his eyes.

"She found you," he stated. "I had wondered how long before she would seek you out once I discovered she had escaped."

"You told her you would kill me and my grandparents if she didn't come with you. You kidnapped her. And then you just… abandoned her," Freja shouted, not caring that this was the clan leader. She was scared that her mother might still die and pissed at everything that had happened.

Someone needed to answer for it.

"And this was after you raped her and then took my brother from her!" she continued, inching towards him. "And then before that, you killed MY father! Let us think that SHE had killed him instead! You're a monster just like your son!"

It was Embry's turn to grab her arm, holding her back. She nearly jerked out of his reach, but stopped, knowing she'd probably need him to hold her back as she glared at the clan leader. Michael finally looked up, a deep sadness in his eyes. And regret. So much regret. Freja nearly reacted in surprise, but managed to maintain her glare.

"I don't deserve forgiveness for what I did. I was… arrogant. And wrong. Yes, a I am monster for what I did. I should have left your mother alone but… no one said no to me. Not then," he said softly. Freja couldn't help but snort and roll her eyes. "I went to release your mother, but found she had escaped already. I didn't know she had found you, though I had hope she would."

"So, you had a change of heart, all of a sudden?" she asked. "And I'm supposed to just take your word for it?"

"I have regretted my decisions for some time, yes, but was not sure how I could make things right," he eyes fell on Aleksander. "I should have never taken you from your mother. Lied to you."

Aleksander didn't speak, only stared back. Michael then looked to Astrid and Oscar.

"I should have never punished you," he said. He then looked at Freja. "And I should have never caused all this pain."

"So what are you going to do about it now?" Embry asked. Michael looked at him and then at Freja.

"Sven will be punished. He disobeyed my orders and showed that he is not fit to lead our clan," Michael said. "He is no longer my heir and will be dealt with accordingly."

"That's not going to stop him from coming after us again. That's likely to just piss him off more," Freja said.

"I know," Michael said. "I assure you - he will not bother you again."

"And Mama?" Freja asked.

"She is free to go where she wishes. I… we - no one in the clan will bother you again. Though you are free to come and go among us as you wish," he said. "That will not change." He looked towards Aleksander. "I hope that you might consider returning… But I will not pressure you one way or the other. You are free to make your own choice. However, I still consider you my son… and therefore eligible to be my heir. If that is what you choose."

Aleksander's eyes widened slightly, probably not expecting Michael to offer him a position as his heir. And for a moment, it looked as though he hadn't considered the option of not returning to the clan. It was all he had ever known. But he then met Freja's eyes, something shifting in his own.

"I believe I will stay for the time being," Aleksander said, looking back at Michael. "I should like to spend time getting to know my family that I was stolen from." Michael nodded once.

Finally he turned, looking at Astrid and Oscar.

"I owe you a great apology," he said. He took a deep breath, stepping over to them. He then breathed out, her grandparents' eyes widening slightly as a breeze hit them.

Once he was done, he looked around the room again and then settled his gaze on Freja.

"I wish you a happy future," he said, bowing his head. He then turned and strode out of the house, shutting the door behind him.

Immediately, Freja walked over to her grandparents. Her grandmother was staring at her hands, her eyes wide.

"What did he do?" she asked, worried.

"He… gave us our forms back," Oscar whispered.

He looked to Astrid and the two hugged, both now crying. Freja blinked a few times, looking back and forth between them and then over at Embry. Honestly, she was suddenly starting to feel a bit lightheaded with everything that had gone on. She walked over to the couch as her grandparents began talking excitedly.

Sighing, she collapsed as Embry moved to sit next to her, Freja immediately curling up next to him and resting her head on his shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked softly.

"Just… overwhelmed," she admitted, glancing up at him. Embry smiled as he kissed her head.

"Just rest a bit…"

"Yea…"

OOOO

Freja jerked, somewhere in between sleep and wakefulness. She wasn't even sure when she had fallen asleep but figured Embry must have carried her up to her bed at some point because she was definitely in a bed. She then heard something and shot up, her eyes settled on her shut door as moonlight poured in through the windows.

"Freja?" Embry murmured. She looked over, not realizing he had stayed over. He blinked his eyes open, peering up at her sleepily.

"I heard something," she said, already climbing out of bed.

"It's probably Aleksander or your grandparents," he said, already settling back on the bed. "I didn't hear anything."

"Embry, I'm pretty sure someone else is here," she said, her hand on the doorknob as she turned it and pulled it open.

She stood there, staring down the darkened hallway a few moments, hearing Embry sigh and get out of bed, walking behind her. She then walked out and turned, seeing the door to the guest room closed, so it wasn't Aleksander. Embry following, she made her way downstairs, seeing the entire house dark.

"See, it's nothing," Embry said softly.

Freja then froze, seeing someone moving on the deck. At first, there was a spike of fear, but then that was quickly replaced with relief as she rushed through the living room, into the kitchen and then yanked the deck door open.

"Mama," she said, her eyes filling with tears as she wrapped her arms around her, not caring that she was getting wet.

"My precious, Freja… I'm finally home…"

OOOO

So, originally, I had this planned that Ingrid didn't come back and Freja's grandparents were going to go off and search for her (ending the story there) but then I realized I wanted to tie everything up in nice little bow, so I brought her back. Because honestly, I don't think I have it in me to do a sequel to this story and that would lend me to eventually trying to write one since I want everyone to have a happy ending.

But yea, one more chapter to go...

Thanks for reading and following!