The buffeting winds outside were making the house creak, mixing with their howling to create an unsettling noise that left her wondering if the pack would even be audible. Emily lit a fire to keep off the growing chill, and it reminded Bella of every moment she'd spent in his arms. She hoped it would be the last time she ever needed a fire to warm her.

Emily's preferred method of distraction was baking and watching movies, and so she spent the earlier part of the evening learning the finer points of baking cookies. After over a year of making endless, massive batches, she had perfected her peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe.

"I know you won't be the only wolf girl forever, Bella, but I want to pass on some extremely important information: the secret ingredient is toffee bits."

No wonder. Emily seemed to have a compulsive need to feed everyone, and had adapted her portion sizes to suit the pack, so she'd forgotten what normal portion sizes looked like. If she spent too much time with her, she was going to blow up like Violet Beauregarde. Emily was ceaselessly cheerful and sweet, and she was far too talented at keeping Bella's mind off of everything.

"What made you change your mind about Jacob?" And extremely perceptive.

"I didn't really 'change my mind'" she chuckled. "I think I always loved him, in my own twisted way. There was just something so natural about the way we fit together, even the way we make fun of each other. And after everything he's done for me...I guess he didn't give me a choice, did he?"

"Don't I know it," Emily sighed, her voice suddenly tainted with melancholy.

"Was Sam like that?"

"In a way."

Emily's unbreakable demeanor was replaced by something more quiet and somber, as if she were thinking about a dead family member. Bella looked down and went back to mixing the batter.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry."

"No, it's alright. It's important information."

"A while ago, Jacob said something about Sam imprinting. He didn't really want to get into it, though."

"Yes," she replied. "You see, Sam was actually dating my best friend for years before he first phased. My cousin Leah, actually.'

"Leah Clearwater?"

She should have realized that a tiny community like the reservation with an even tinier dating pool would have a lot of drama. She's always thought they were so close-knit, and the unbridled adoration Sam showed Emily made it all the more strange.

"The very same. They dated all of high school and for a while after. Everyone was sure they were going to get married. And then one day, the day after he first phased, he saw me at one of the bonfires and that was it. He broke up with Leah that night and showed up at my door the next day."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that. Imprinting is some seriously potent wolf magic."

"So it's like love at first sight?" Their world was complicated enough without adding something like this to the mix.

"More of a spiritual bond, like soul mates. Yet another vague tribal legend that turned out to be true," she laughed. "After that, you belong to each other."

"Do you have any say in it?"

"I suppose," Emily said. "The imprintee could just walk away at any time, but that's not very likely. It's hard to reject that level devotion."

"So he just showed up? Did he tell you he imprinted?"

"Nope. I had no idea what was going on with him. He started coming around all the time with Jared, helping me with my groceries at the store. He was so awkward and sweet...I don't know. It completely caught me off guard. We started talking regularly, seeing each other at parties, and that was it. I was hooked. The rest, as they say, is history." She smiled contentedly as she recounted their story.

"Did you and Leah ever…?"

Her face darkened.

"No. She hasn't spoken to me since. Seth says she thinks he was cheating with me. I can't say I blame her. We can't tell her about the imprint, and there's no other explanation we could give that she'll believe. I don't know if she'll ever forgive us...I really miss her."

Bella pondered this over the measuring cup of chocolate chips. Poor Leah. No wonder she always looked so unhappy. If Sam could unceremoniously dump Leah after years together because of some ancient Quileute ju-ju, then it could happen to anyone. The thought turned her stomach. Emily must have read her mind, because she immediately stepped in to comfort her.

"Oh no, Bella, sweetie. I'm sorry-I didn't mean to scare you like that. There's nothing for you to worry about. Really."

"I don't see how," she mumbled. "He could leave at any moment and it would be totally out of our control. I couldn't even be mad at him about it. It's not like I can just lock him in the house forever."

"It's not guaranteed even between us mortals, remember. No one is immune from heartbreak."

Bella thought of her father, the 'terminal bachelor.' Despite his gruff exterior, she knew Charlie was rather shy, especially around women. She didn't believe that he ever truly got over Renee. He was a mate-for-life sort of guy who thought he would have her forever, but Renee was too much of a free spirit to stay in one place. The divorce had made him too guarded out of fear of losing someone else. He and Billy seemed to have that in common. It was clear where Bella got it from.

Emily scooped dough onto the cookie sheets and slid them into the oven. The smell of the last batch was hovering over the kitchen, warming the entire house with butter and sugar. It was soothing; Emily's homemade aromatherapy.

"But like I said, there's nothing for you to worry about. It's already a done deal."

Bella stopped dead.

"Do you mean he-"

"Imprinted on you, yep. A while ago.

"That doesn't make any sense. When did this happen?"

"You remember the day we first met, when you came over with the boys for breakfast?"

"How could I forget," she said.

Jacob had tried to punch Mike, refused to return her calls, dropped off of the face of the earth, and then coldly told her they couldn't be friends anymore. The pain was unbearable, almost more so than her breakup. She was being abandoned again by another boy she trusted, her best friend and...something. She felt like she had fallen in a pit that she might never be able to climb out of. It nearly crushed her all over again. And then he turned into a giant hairy beast about 15 feet in front of her face.

"That week really sucked."

"I'm sure," she said sympathetically. "Jake had phased just a couple weeks before, and the adjustment was so difficult for him. It's pretty terrible in the beginning, you know: they have no idea what's happening and neither do their parents. Some of them just run off after they phase and it takes a lot to calm them down. They have to be separated from everyone but the pack or they could hurt someone if they I get too mad. Sam told him that he wouldn't be able to see you anymore because of the secret. More than that though, he was afraid Jake didn't have control over the wolf and could hurt you. It's a bit of a sensitive issue for Sam and I."

She looked at Bella out of the corner of her eyes on the scarred side of her face. She had initially been told that Emily had been attacked by a bear, but she should have known better.

"Sam says he was a total wreck. He thought about nothing but you the whole time. You two were doing so well and this wolf business just pulled the rug right out from under him. Then you came to his house to find him and BAM." She smacked her rubber spatula on the counter.

"I mean, there was a literal 'BAM,' too. He kind of exploded a few feet in front of me."

Emily chuckled.

"Ah yes, you never forget your first wolf explosion." Bella couldn't help but laugh as well. Emily knew how to lighten the mood.

"Well anyways, I'm glad you didn't give up on him. Everybody knew he was already head-over-heels for you before he phased, but now Sam can't interfere with you two anymore. It looks like even the spirits understand that the pack has to listen to their alpha, but even the alpha has to listen to his wife."

"But if that's true then how would he even know that he imprinted?"

"Sam says you know it when you see it. It's impossible to miss. And with Jake, the whole pack got to watch it happen in real-time. Embry likes to call it 'a cosmic bitch-slap to the heart.'"

"A real poet, that one."

This was a lot to take in, especially tonight. Soul mates, pack drama, old memories, and all of this new information about Jacob; knowing Jacob could stay by her side forever. But that depended on him making it through the night in one piece. It had been several hours already, and as exhausted as she was, there was no way she would be able to sleep until he was back in her arms again.

"Emily, how do you do it? Watch Sam go off to fight evil all the time and sit here hoping he'll come back?"

Emily's trademark smile faded, and she gazed thoughtfully out the kitchen window.

"I keep myself busy. I bake, I make food for when he comes home, I stress clean, I work on my garden, all kinds of things. The truth is that I never stop worrying. I just try to enjoy all of the time I have with him now." She blushed. "And all the time we will have."

She looked down at her hand. There was a white gold band around her finger that sparkled even under the dim kitchen lights.

"He proposed?"

Emily nodded excitedly and showed Bella her hand close up.

"Oh my god, that's amazing! When?"

"Three days ago. He wanted to take me out to dinner, and I thought it was just because we hadn't had much time together lately. They brought out the dessert and that's when he asked me. I swear, I think I fell in love with him all over again." She was blushing like a schoolgirl.

"But he wasn't ready to tell the family yet. Of course the pack already knows, but now you're the only other person who knows. They're happy for us, but it's so nice to have a girl to gush with."

Bella wiped her hands off on her apron and hugged Emily, who was practically bouncing up and down, and she couldn't help but bounce with her. She wasn't exactly the big wedding type, but it would be a great way to wash away this bleak, tumultuous year.

"I'm so happy for you. Sam is a very lucky guy."

"I know he seems a little gruff sometimes, but he's a wonderful man," Emily said. "He takes such good care of me."

"I think he and Charlie have that in common."

She opened the oven and pulled out the last batch of cookies, taking extra care to not touch anything inside. If Jacob heard that she managed to hurt herself while sitting at home baking cookies, she'd never hear the end of it. If he ever heard it.

"Well, now all we have to do is get through the night without going completely crazy. Eventually we're going to run out of things to bake, or at least out of butter."

That was still a tall order. Even between Emily's stories and her good news, Bella's heart still dropped every time she thought about the fight, or when a spoon clattered into the sink, or when the shutters tapped against the clapboard siding.

"I've got just the thing." Emily dashed into the living room and began rooting around in the cupboard under the tv. She held up a multicolored rectangle that was too far away to make out. A VHS tape? She hadn't seen one in forever.

"How about 'My Best Friend's Wedding'?" she shouted.

"You have excellent taste!" Just the sort of fun nonsense they needed. Light, fluffy, and zero action sequences. Everything always turned out ok for Julia Roberts.

They started the movie and settled onto the couch, which was slowly caving in from the constant barrage of giant men. They must have been using every blanket in the house to compensate for the fire, which had been fading while they were in the kitchen. Bella had packed pajamas back when she was still under the delusion that she would be able to sleep that night, but she didn't dare change even to get comfortable. Her boots and coat were waiting for her at the door, ready to throw on at a moment's notice.

Despite the underlying tension, having a girl's night felt good. She had drifted apart from Jessica and Angela since the school year began, and her dad wasn't one for Gilmore Girls reruns. She could tell Emily needed one too. As they had both discovered, keeping secrets this big for so long was not conducive to keeping strong connections to the outside world. She had tried to reconnect with Jessica and Angela, but it was never the same as before. Seeing Emily was like having a big sister around, and probably the only person that she could talk to about Jacob and the pack, as well as the topics she tried to avoid with Charlie.

"Hey, Em? How do you keep things with you and Sam...you know...private? With the wolf pack mind-meld and all?"

Emily gave her a bemused, knowing smile.

"Ahhh, I thought so."

Bella began turning red. She wished she could keep all of this between her and Emily, like real girlfriends. She wanted more of Jake, but he was probably still going to have to patrol with his brothers sometimes, even once Victoria was dead. Maybe she'd get over it the same way the pack stopped caring about nudity.

"It's ok, Bella," she giggled, patting her on the shoulder.

"I wondered the same thing back in the beginning. Sam says he had to learn how to block it all out, like Buddah-level concentration. They'll all learn to control it eventually, especially once the others imprint, and then they'll all have too much blackmail material to tease each other with. There's no better motivation to control your thoughts than accidentally broadcasting your sex life."

"That sounds impossible. I'm such an open book; I would end up spilling everything if it was left to me."

"Me too. Sam says when we first got together, he used to imagine a mariachi band playing in his head."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. It was the loudest, most distracting thing he could think of. It drove Paul and Jared nuts."

The conversation was suddenly brought to a screeching halt by a sound carrying over wind. A single, long, high pitched noise. She hoped it was just the wind again. The silence that followed paralyzed them both. The air suddenly exploded with a chorus of howling. Some sounded pained, panicked, enraged, and they were drawing closer. The exact sound she hoped she would never hear. Bella leapt from her seat and rushed to the door, stomping her feet into her boots and barely snatching up her coat before sprinting out into the snow.