A/N: Thank you to TheEagerScribbler for beta reading this chapter.

June 6th, 2010

The phone was heavy in my hand as I stared down at it. I'd been doing that a lot over the past week, ever since the day of my last phone call with Joselyn. It had been through this phone that we'd argued. I couldn't shake that thought from my mind. It had become something far more menacing than a phone.

I knew that calling Joselyn was my only option for apologizing, but something about doing it through the phone felt wrong. It was like another reminder of how distant we were from each other.

Still, I couldn't go all the way to Port Angeles. Joselyn was busy, and there was no good way to plan such a trip to fit both of our schedules without talking to her first. Which meant I had to pick up the phone either way. I wasn't going to get out of that.

Embry had been urging me to do it for days. Joselyn, he said, was upset about it too. She wanted to talk to me but felt that I needed to be the one to apologize. He said we were both being stubborn, and one of us had to break if we wanted it to get better. I had a sneaking suspicion that Joselyn was being told similar things.

Joselyn was right in thinking that I should apologize. Shit like this was always my fault. I was, after all, a bitch and everyone knew it. It was a label that I no longer felt like I could escape, and my astonishment that Joselyn had put up with it for so long had returned.

Taking a deep breath, I took the plunge and dialed Joselyn's number. I still didn't know what it was that I was going to say. My heart drummed in my ears as I waited for her to pick up.

Or for it to go to voicemail. I wouldn't have been surprised. I almost expected it, and I reminded myself that could easily come about because of how busy she was. Still, the possibility didn't ease my anxiety. The few short seconds it took to wait for something to happen stretched on for millennia.

Then the dialtone clicked off, signaling that Joselyn had picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Joselyn asked. There was a nervous tone to her voice that was certainly a result of seeing my name on her caller ID.

"Hi," I answered. Then I added, "It's me. Leah."

"Hi," Joselyn echoed. I had a feeling these unnecessary, short responses were going to be a recurring feature of this conversation if I didn't steer us in the right direction.

"Are you able to talk?" As soon as I said it, I rubbed my forehead in frustration.

"Obviously. Otherwise, I would have let the call go to voicemail." The bite in her voice was so unlike Joselyn that the comment caused the churning in my stomach to worsen, not lessen. Every second of this phone call made me more nervous about saying what I needed to say.

It didn't help that I still felt lost as to what it was that I needed to say. I had a general idea, but I didn't have the right words. I wasn't even sure if I had the right ideas. My mind was little more than a jumbled mess that I was struggling to make sense of.

There was a moment of silence as I tried to untangle the thoughts into words that would make sense, but before I could do so, Joselyn sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry, Leah. I really am."

"What?" I asked out of shock and confusion. "I called because I thought I was the one who needed to apologize."

There was another sigh from Joselyn before she answered. "My apology doesn't meant that you can't apologize," she pointed out, a note of bitterness in her voice. "But I do feel guilty too. That doesn't mean that I don't think you should have heard some of that stuff. I would stand by a lot of what I said, but I'm sorry that it came out the way it did. I should have told you what I thought calmly and not yelled it at you."

"I don't think you could call that yelling. Harsh, yes, but there's no way that was yelling."

"Well, harsh is bad enough," Joselyn said.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes and grin, knowing that Joselyn couldn't see it. My anxiety had only lessened a bit, but Joselyn being torn up about not using the right tone of voice was so like her that I couldn't help but be amused.

It felt foolish to have believed that she would never forgive me. Of course she would. Joselyn was one of the most forgiving people I knew, and while I typically thought of that as a foolish characteristic for anyone to possess, I was thankful Joselyn possessed it in that moment.

"I'm sorry too," I said, trying to ride on the coattails of my amusement. It was difficult to forget about my nerves. "I was harsh too."

"You still don't get why I was angry, do you?"

There was that edge to her voice, but I could tell that she was struggling to maintain it. She didn't want to get angry at me again, and this time I could also tell that she had my best interests at heart, even if she was getting frustrated by what she had perceived as my hard headedness.

"I'm not sure at this point, Joselyn." It no longer felt like such a struggle to speak. I felt like I had permission to explain my thoughts and feelings without immediate judgment or condemnation, and I focused on explaining them to the best of my ability. "I think I get what you're angry about," I said. "Yet at the same time, I don't think I agree with you. Like, that stuff about Embry. I don't think I'm doing what you said I am, and I don't want to make you angry at me anymore. I just don't get why you're accusing me of what you are."

Another moment of silence. Another sigh from Joselyn.

"I believe you," she assured me. Her voice sounded more sympathetic than annoyed, but I wasn't sure that I liked it any more than before. "But I stand by what I said. Remember how oblivious you managed to stay towards your feelings for Embry for so long? And that was even though everyone around you knew about them. Would you be able to trust that I'm noticing something about you and your actions that you haven't realized yet? Could you at least give me the benefit of the doubt on that?"

That hadn't been a request I had expected to receive. It was unlike any request that Joselyn, or anyone else I knew for that matter, had made to me, and there was such a genuineness to it. She was trying to act in my best interest, even if I continued to disagree with her over what the truth was.

"No," I admitted, trying to ignore the thought of Joselyn's disappointed face. I could see it in my mind no matter how steadfastly I tried to erase it. "I can't. I do believe that that's what you believe, but I know myself better than anyone else. I know my own feelings, and I know that you're worried about nothing, Joselyn. Can you believe that? Can you give me the benefit of the doubt on that?"

It took her a while, but her eventual response was what I knew it would be.

"No."

I drummed my fingers against my thigh, waiting for her to elaborate. I knew that she would if I gave her the time.

"I can't," she continued. "I know that's what you believe too, but I'm not going to lie and say that I believe it. Eventually, you're going to have to realize that other people may see things more clearly than yourself, and then you'll start to take me seriously. You'll look at yourself and see what I'm seeing."

"And what exactly are you seeing?"

"Someone who's terrified of falling in love even though she's already done it. Someone who's a flight risk because she doesn't believe that someone can love her, can keep loving her. All because she thinks so little of herself."

I sucked in a sharp breath. I hadn't been expecting those words, and they shocked me. I thought of Sam, of everything I had felt since what had happened. I considered myself to be over it, but Joselyn's words stirred up old wounds. Wounds that I wanted to be gone.

"I can't do this." Getting the words out of my throat was difficult. I didn't think I would manage until they were already out and being transmitted through the phone.

"I figured," Joselyn replied, and the edge was back in her voice.

But that didn't scare me anymore. Instead, I felt indignant. Even if I had problems, they were my problems, not Joselyn's. This wasn't her place. I no longer wanted to listen to her try to swoop in and fix any of my problems whether they were real or imagined.

And I maintained that these were imagined.

"I'll talk to you later," Joselyn continued. "About safe stuff, I promise. I won't bring this up again until you're ready, but I hope you start to think, Leah. Try to help yourself."

I didn't say anything as Joselyn hung up without a goodbye for the second time in a row. This time didn't sting as much as the last. Instead, I felt a numbness settle over my body. I was fine. I would be fine.

June 16th, 2010

"You want to what?"

Jake shot me a look like I shouldn't have had to ask that question, but I didn't agree.

"You think that will work?" I asked, looking around at the rest of the pack who had filled the room. "Just barging into the Cullen's house-"

"We're not going to barge in," Jacob interrupted. Frustration colored his voice. Such a common occurrence these days when the vamps seemed to have him close to his wit's end each and every day. "We're going to go for a visit. That's normal."

"Um, it's not though," Quil pointed out. "For you, maybe it is. You're over at that damn house all the time. Us? I can't remember the last time I was there, and I'm okay with that. That place reeks."

"I don't care how you feel about the smell," Jake said through gritted teeth. "We've got to figure out what's going on. I'm tired of them acting like nothing's up. Are you going to go with me or not?"

Jake looked at me, and I had a feeling that he knew it was because I was a sure bet. Mentally, I was groaning, and I knew that it was because a part of my brain had already decided that I was going along with this. I was beta after all. I had a duty to the pack to do what the alpa requested of me, and Jake wanted me to do this. It would qualify as pack business. For once, my status was working against me.

"I'll go," I said with a sigh.

Jake nodded, not surprised, and it was confirmed for me that he'd known I would be the easiest to convince. His gaze turned next to Seth: the notorious easy sell within the pack. Even now I thought that he hero worshipped Jake in a quieter way than in the past, and he would do anything Jacob asked of him.

"I don't like ganging up on them," Seth began, "but I'll go."

Jake's eyes turned to each of our pack members in turn, and soon, everyone had agreed. Frankly, I was surprised that the youngest members were invited. It seemed unnecessary. They added nothing to our intended purpose. I thought Jake and I would have sufficed as visitors, but I got the feeling he was banking on intimidating the Cullens through numbers.

After all, there would be eight of us on the Cullens' doorstep, and there were only three of them in Forks. Two if you decided to discount Nessie, which seemed reasonable. It was unlikely she was in on the secret considering how easily she would give it up to Jake.

"We'll go tomorrow."

Standing at the front of the room with a clenched fist, Jake looked like the perfect picture of a leader. One who was determined that we were going to win something. He had chosen a hell of a time to come into his own as alpha. I'd never seen him like this before.

The confidence might have been misplaced. I wasn't convinced that we'd be able to make the Cullens talk. Us showing up together didn't change our chances. The Cullens were too aware of the fact that we weren't a threat. They were, after all, the family of Jacob's imprint.

June 17th, 2010

I didn't like that showing up at casa de Cullen made me nervous. The vamps had stopped being intimidating a long time ago. Hell, I could claim half of them as family if it served my purposes, but I would never stoop low enough to try that. I much preferred pretending like Bella wasn't the daughter of my stepfather. It made me feel better about life.

But I shouldn't have been nervous about entering the house, and it wasn't the entering of the house that had me nervous per se.

Instead, I couldn't stop worrying about what the conflict we were about to start would look like. Well, maybe the conflict we were going to continue. The point could be made that the Cullens had started it by concealing information.

Regardless of who was responsible, it was about to come to the forefront, and that was a huge risk when vampires and shapeshifters were involved. Us wolves had been created to kill vampires, and I didn't think it mattered much what the official friendship status was if we got angry at each other. I didn't want to hold back anyone from hurting anyone else today.

Edward greeted us at the door with a tightlipped expression, but he was nothing but polite as he ushered us in. All eight of us, without one comment or question about why we were there.

The younger wolves had each been here only a few times, and I wasn't sure they'd gotten to come inside the house back then. Most of the wolves avoided it at all costs due to the smell. Jake was the only one of us who had adapted. While the rest of us rubbed at our noses, Jake maintained a confident facade and appeared to not have detected the noticeable odor.

He led the way into the house, taking a seat on a couch as if nothing were out of the ordinary. The other guys followed after him obediently, either taking the seats on either side of him or shuffling behind the couch, not willing to spread out further in the room. Bringing up the rear, I rolled my eyes. They already looked hostile, and nothing had been said.

I claimed the armrest of the couch, Embry beside me. It gave me a feeling of superiority being perched above the other wolves on the couch.

Bella and Edward sat across from us, trying to appear as foreboding as an entire group of wolves. They didn't give off as intimidating of a demeanor as we did. Bella looked more confused than anything else. Edward was struggling to appear friendly, but I could tell that he didn't feel like we were friends.

The vampires knew what this was about. There was no other explanation for why so many wolves had appeared on their doorstep today.

I inspected both of them to take in their demeanor. Only when I had finished inspecting Bella and Edward did I bother to notice Nessie sticking her head out from behind the couch. She watched us with a hint of fear in her eyes. Not fear of us but fear of what she sensed was about to happen between her family and her second family.

Jake's eyes were on her, but he didn't motion her over like he typically would have. I watched as Nessie edged around the back of the couch her parents sat on, getting closer to us as if no one would notice if she did it little by little.

Jake tore his eyes away from her and back to the Cullens. His eyes flickered between Bella and Nessie, almost ignoring Edward all together. Bella's eyes kept flickering away from his gaze, and I could tell that she felt guilty about whatever it was she was helping conceal.

"We need to talk," Jacob announced, although that much was evident to everyone gathered in the room. Jake continued to speak before any of the vampires could say anything. "You're hiding something from us, and I would like to know what it is."

I could sense the frustration emanating off Jake. He was struggling to keep his voice under control, to not show the vamps how angry he was after their continued lies. But he was failing. The vampires knew as well as we did how he felt.

Edward's eyes moved to me, and my own eyes narrowed, challenging him like I seemed to do every time he was in front of me. Edward only offered a smirk before glancing away, but a split second later, I felt Embry's hand on my thigh.

I looked down to see him scowling at Edward, and I felt surprised. He never got jealous, and even now I didn't think that was the best word to describe his actions. It was more like he was being protective, but even that was out of character. I was a wolf. I didn't need protecting.

Except, perhaps, from vampires, and that was the only reason I could find for the sudden change in character.

I didn't welcome it, but now wasn't the time to argue about that. Instead, I reached down to grip Embry's hand in my own, figuring that it would be a helpful anchor for the coming conversation.

"Perhaps it would be best if we discuss what you've come to discuss," Edward responded in what was meant to be an authoritative voice. I didn't find it calming. It was more infuriating than anything else.

"Right," Jake replied. It was clear to me that he wasn't sure where he was going with this. While yesterday he had been a pillar of confidence, it was becoming obvious that he hadn't thought out what he wanted to say when face-to-face with the vampires. Either he hadn't thought about it, or he had been unable to decide while attempting to prepare himself. Either way, he was floundering.

Eventually, he settled on saying, "Are you going to explain to us what it is you've been hiding?"

It worked as well as anything else could have, I supposed. Although I liked to think that I could have come up with something better. Something more persuasive. Or at least something angrier.

Jacob had appeared strong-willed when we arrived. He'd looked the part of a confident alpha who had come to get answers and protect his pack. Now he seemed to be wilting when faced with his future in-laws. The family he had come to almost regard as his own, no matter how much it revolted me.

I also didn't think that Nessie's presence was helping. Perhaps that was why neither of her parents had tried to send her away. Her presence in the room was guaranteed to keep Jacob calm.

"I'm not sure-" Edward began, but he was cut off by the sudden growls of a handful of wolves. They were glaring at Edward, and Edward settled back into his seat, not interested in finishing his thought.

Even Bella had placed a hand on Edward's arm as if censuring him, and that, perhaps, had been what had gotten him to shut up. Still, Bella didn't glance in Edward's direction. Her gaze remained on Jacob, steadier than it had been moments before.

"We'll share the truth with you. All of it. You have our word."

She glanced over at Edward. Edward nodded, but it was more reluctant than Bella's eager agreement. An action only meant to please her or show his defeat. I was sure he had rationalized not telling us as being advantageous or safer somehow, but I had little doubt that the real reasoning was a continued prejudice toward us. One that he couldn't shake despite who his future son-in-law was.

Nessie took the agreement to talk to mean that she could move without facing any reprimand. She scurried over to Jacob, closing the space between them before anyone had the chance to stop her. Jake reached for her out of instinct rather than thought. Embry shuffled closer to me to make room for her on the couch between him and Jake.

It was hard not to feel like Nessie had just chosen a side. Edward's forehead creased in a frown deeper than the one that had been there since we'd arrived. He watched Nessie intently, as if his gaze alone would be enough to pull her back to the vampire side of the room.

The thought gave me a feeling of satisfaction, and I couldn't help but smirk despite the mood that continued to permeate the room. Edward's eyes didn't flicker towards me, but I saw his jaw tighten. I doubted I was the only wolf who had watched what had happened with amusement, and Edward didn't seem eager to draw further attention to it.

"Bella, Edward," Jake said, bringing everyone else out of their disappointment or satisfaction. Edward's eyes snapped to Jake from where he'd been watching Nessie. He offered Jake a tight smile.

"Are you going to explain it to us?" Jake asked.

His confidence had returned upon having his imprint by his side. It was like having her there was a comfort and also a reminder that he could protect her should any physical conflict break out.

After a long pause, Edward spoke, his voice clear and confident. "Alice has seen some developments in the Volturi's plans."

"How recent?" Jake answered, his scowl back. "How long have you been keeping secrets?"

Edward sighed, looking somewhat regretful. A feeling of dread had begun to take over my stomach as we waited to see where this was leading us, but I was the beta of this pack, and I'd known from the beginning that the position meant shouldering responsibilities. I couldn't default on those responsibilities regardless of what my fears were, so I straightened my shoulders and fixed my gaze on the vampire, waiting to hear what he would tell us.

"They seem to be preparing for a sooner attack than we had anticipated."

For the first time, there was a quiver of fear in Edward's voice. I'd never seen him show fear in front of us, not even the last time we had faced the Volturi. I had no way of knowing what he had felt inside, but on the outside he had remained the poster child for cool, calm, and collected.

"How soon?" Jake asked, his voice trembling with fear.

Nessie, who hadn't heard any of this before based on the wide-eyed look on her face, had shuffled closer to Jake's side, and Jake kept one arm around her. I wasn't sure who was comforting each other more.

The guys were looking around at each other with the same fear stricken look on their faces.

"Not tomorrow or even within the next year," Edward assured us, but the confidence necessary for it to be effective was missing. "Alice believes that there is no way they could be ready in less than a year."

"Not very comforting," Jacob muttered.

"I know," Edward said. "It's not like it brings any to me either."

For once, I was willing to believe him. If for no other reason than that I knew this was as terrifying for the Cullens as it was for us. Maybe it was even more so as they were the primary targets. As far as we could tell, we were merely caught in the crossfire.

Edward continued, "We plan to be long gone by the time an attack comes." Jake pulled Nessie closer, a motion that didn't go unnoticed by her parents. "Bella and I leave within the next six months."

Nessie whimpered, burying her face in Jacob's chest.

"And Nessie?" Jake asked. All thoughts of a potential attack had gone out the window now that he realized he was close to losing his imprint.

"She stays with you," said Edward, "at least until after it's over. Then we reassess what we'll do."

"We were going to mention it to you," Bella said hesitantly. She knew that she had risked angering Jake to a point that she never had before.

"When?" Jake asked angrily. Bella cowered under his gaze, burrowing into Edward's side in a manner not unlike how Nessie was pressing herself against Jake.

"Soon," Bella replied, but we knew it was a useless answer. I figured from the look on Edward's face that he had left the job of telling Jacob to Bella, and it had been Bella who had failed to do it before this. That didn't make me feel any better than Edward, who was unlikely to have pushed Bella to do it when she showed reluctance.

"Well, thanks for that," Jake replied.

"There is one other thing." I could hear the regret in Edward's voice that came from interrupting such a heated exchange, but he had the demeanor of someone who thought they had an important point to add.

"Having Nessie in La Push will make you more of a target than you would be otherwise," Edward said. "She's a rarity, and we know the Volturi want her. They want her more than the rest of us combined. I have no doubt they will attack us first in an effort to strip us of whatever power they imagine we possess.

"Our family has every intention of fighting back if cornered. If we win, then the battle is over. However, if we lose, if the Volturi kill us, then you will be become their next target."

"Because of Nessie."

Nessie shuddered as Jacob said the words. I'd never seen her this terrified in her life.

"Because of Nessie," Edward confirmed. "I already know what actions you will take, but because of everything I've told you, Carlisle feels that it's only polite that I offer-"

"Nessie will stay here," Jake replied harshly. "She is my imprint, and we will protect her no matter what the risk."

Edward nodded. Bella gave him a satisfied smile. They had known that was the decision Jacob would make, yet Nessie stared up at him in awe.

There was never an option. Every wolf who had observed the thoughts of an imprinted wolf knew that we would be tasked with Nessie's protection.

"Very well," Edward said with a note of finality. "Then Nessie stays here with you when Bella and I leave."

Jake gave a short nod as Nessie's first tears broke free. She tilted her eyes to the floor to hide her face. I was surprised that she didn't move to cling to her parents and beg them to stay. I was certain that the Nessie of a year ago would have done just that. Now I could tell that she was steeling herself against the instinct. Almost as if she needed to prepare herself for the future heartbreak.

Bella and Edward did look saddened, but neither one of them looked likely to protest. Their eyes remained on their daughter. I wondered if they'd been vocal about letting her stay or reluctant. Part of me wanted to know, but none of me wanted to ask.

I remained quiet, as did most of the guys, for only a few minutes longer. Soon, everyone was filing out of the house. Jake gave me a look before I could follow, telling me that we needed to talk. I escaped to the front porch, not able to take the stench of the house any longer. Even outside, it was only slightly less potent.

"I feel like I'm suffocating," I wheezed to Embry.

He rubbed my back though he couldn't have been feeling better about it himself.

Jake stepped out the front door, having said his goodbyes to Nessie, and I made a beeline for the trees, needing to get as far away from the smell of vampire as I could before we talked. Jake and Embry followed me without complaint, and we breathed in deep as the smell become easier to handle.

"We'll need to talk to Sam," Jake said as we continued to walk in the direction of La Push. "As soon as possible too. I'm not letting him go off on me when he finds out I was keeping stuff from him."

"Tomorrow," I urged him. "Right now I need a shower. Please, let's put off dealing with Sam until tomorrow."

For a moment, I thought Jacob was going to argue, but as he thought about it, I could see the moment he changed his mind.

"Tomorrow," he agreed. "It's better that way. Gives me time to think about how to tell him or whatever."

"You should work on that," Embry joked. "Especially after the less than stellar impression you made in front of the vamps back there."

Jake reached out and shoved Embry, almost sending him into a tree. He mumbled a few choice words as he began walking rapidly past Embry and me.

Embry smirked, proud of himself. I held back to wait for him. Recovering, he took my hand in his as we walked, running his thumb over my skin. Goosebumps erupted. I never managed to get used to the sensation of Embry's skin on mine.

"You okay?" he asked, and I nodded, unable to summon enough energy to protest the question. I was at least as okay as Embry was, as okay as anyone could be after hearing what we had heard. I was okay enough to function, and that was as good as it was going to get while the Volturi were such a large and looming threat.

"I'm fine," I responded. Embry gave me that look that made it evident that he didn't believe me, but I did nothing except glance away, eyes roving around at the woods instead of looking at him. "As fine as I can be," I acceded. "You?"

Embry sighed, looking away from me just like I had him. "The same I guess."

I nodded. There was no other response that was adequate. Not that that response was adequate either. Suddenly, life felt terrifying again, and I didn't have a desire to dwell upon it.

That didn't stop it from being the one thing I thought about as I laid in bed and attempted to sleep that night.

June 18th, 2010

The next day came after a long night with no sleep, and the day itself dragged on even longer. I sat at my desk, struggling with all of my might to complete the work I was being paid to do.

I did make progress, but it wasn't the same as I would have done on an average day. I kept zoning out, my sleeplessness from the night before catching up with me. I would stare at the computer screen or a sheet of paper for long stretches of time before I snapped back to reality.

The entire day was one long struggle, and the worst part was what it was leading up to.

I didn't want to help Jacob tell Sam what had happened the day before. In fact, I dreaded it. I knew it was my duty as his beta. It was, perhaps, one of the most important duties I'd been given over the last several years, which meant I couldn't back out, but that didn't make me eager.

When I left the office that day, Jake sat outside of the building in his car. He was tapping his fingers against the wheel as I approached, lost in his own thoughts. Ones that I imagined were similar to those I'd been experiencing all day.

"Hey," I greeted as I pulled the door open and got inside.

Jake's mind was pulled away from where it had been. He nodded and provided me with his own greeting.

"Ready?" he asked.

I shook my head in an honest answer. "Ready to let Sam lose his temper with us when none of this is our fault? Not in the slightest."

"Me either," Jake agreed. He turned the key in the car, making the engine start.

I was quiet as we began our drive. It was the same route I took home every day. I'd seen it a million times, but not being the one driving meant I could inspect my surroundings in more detail.

Jacob began drumming his fingers on the steering wheel as he drove. I turned a sharp eye at him, hoping that would be enough to make him stop, but he didn't notice.

"Jake," I shot at him.

He was startled, and it took several moments for him to put together why I was glaring at him in the first place.

"Sorry," he said, moving one of his hands away from the wheel as if that were necessary for him to avoid the temptation of doing it again. His other hand gripped the wheel tighter. There was a possibility that it would be deformed when he let go of it.

"So, did you plan what you're going to say?" I asked, feeling the need to fill the silence to quell both of our fears.

Jake let out the air in his lungs. "I thought about it. I'm not sure that I actually came up with something."

"Right. Of course not."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Clearwater. I'm glad that you believed in me."

"Maybe I'd feel bad about it if you'd managed to prove me wrong."

Jake shrugged as he began slowing down to turn into Sam and Emily's driveway. The sight of the house had always filled me with dread in the past, but in recent years, that dread had died away and been replaced with something more akin to indifference.

Today, the dread had returned. My heart drummed in my chest as Jacob put the car in park. The house looked unassuming and unthreatening enough that I wanted to believe that I could be mistaken in worrying about what we were about to do.

"Did you check to make sure they're home?" I asked, hand poised on the handle of the car door as I prepared to get out.

Jake nodded as he pushed his own door open. "Yeah, I called."

I followed him out and let him lead the way to the door. Even postponing this by milliseconds was appealing. I wanted to believe that Sam would take the information we had to share in a calm and collected manner, but I already knew that was false hope. He would only be calm when it came to his own definition of that word.

Feeling like a hypocrite, I drummed my fingers against the porch railing as we waited for Emily or Sam to respond to Jacob's knock. Emily, of course, was the one to pull the door open. She smiled at us, not a hint that she sensed that something was off.

"Come in, come in," she urged us, stepping inside to let us into the house.

I tried to make myself smile, but I could feel how fake it felt. Like something I would have given her years ago. Shoving a baby toy out of the way, I took a spot beside Jake on the couch. Sam watched us as we settled in from his own spot across the room.

"Would you like anything to drink?" Emily asked, hovering about instead of taking her own seat.

Jake and I echoed each other with our refusals, and Emily hesitated like she might insist before she instead took a seat in the chair next to Sam's. I fidgeted, looking at Jacob and expecting him to lead the way through this.

Before Jake could open his mouth though, Sam spoke up.

"What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

Jacob cleared his throat, and I could feel the nervous energy radiating off of him. His hands twitched before he clasped them together in an attempt to hide it.

There was little chance to avoid the fact that we were here to discuss something serious. I was sure Jake had given that much away when he had first called Sam. If he hadn't, we sure were now with our nervous demeanors and reluctance to say what we had come here to say.

"We met with the Cullens yesterday," I said, losing my patience while waiting for Jacob to speak. This would have to be like ripping off a band-aid. That was the only way we would manage it.

"The Cullens," Sam repeated. His brow furrowed, and I was sure he was thinking about what such a meeting could have been about as he said the words. I saw a look of realization appear on his face, and I knew he had put it together without us having to explain, just like I'd known he would before we stepped foot in the house.

"The Volturi," he stated. There was a note of anger in his voice, but it was tinged with fear. I knew he'd been waiting for this while the rest of us remained convinced that it would never have to be something that we would need to deal with. Sam was going to have a hell of a time with his I-told-you-sos.

After we survived that was.

Until shit went down with the Volturi, it was far more likely that he would be a hard ass. Working us to the bone while convinced that it was for our own good. I already knew how everything would play out.

Everything, that was, except the confrontation with the Volturi itself. That was the great unknown that hung over our heads, and it was that fear that left my stomach churning. I had a feeling that wasn't going to stop for months. Or longer if we got it.

"The Volturi," Jake replied. He had gained confidence now that Sam had come to the right conclusion on his own. He squared his shoulders and set his face in a stern expression. I thought, a little belatedly, that he might be trying to prove himself as a capable alpha to Sam after feeling like he'd failed at the beginning.

"Alice's visions have changed," Jacob continued, and I couldn't help but notice that he left out the part about Alice's visions having changed a while ago. He wasn't going to tell Sam the whole truth about the Cullens hiding this information for as long as they did, and I couldn't blame him. I didn't want Sam to know either.

"She doesn't see the Volturi planning for hundreds of years. That's why they've been-" Jake caught himself as if he'd been about to say something that he thought he shouldn't. "That's why Carlisle and Esme moved away too, and Bella and Edward are moving in a few months. They're trying to make Forks and La Push less of a target. They'll lure the Volturi to England instead."

"And Nessie?" Sam asked, face tight in concentration. I noticed for the first time that Emily had taken hold of his hand and was gripping it tightly enough that her knuckles had turned white. I glanced up at her face, and when her eyes caught mine, they were wide with fear.

"Nessie stays here," Jake said as if he were challenging Sam to say differently. He didn't though. Of course he didn't. If there was one thing Sam took more seriously than our mission to kill vampires, it was the imprint bond. He may have resented the fact that Jacob had imprinted on a half vampire, but he would never deny Nessie's honored position of receiving full pack protection. No matter how much more dangerous that made things for the packs.

"Of course she does," Sam said with a nod. "I expected that Bella and Edward would try to take her with them. I would have thought you'd have to fight them or that Bella would try to make you go with them."

That last one had occurred to me as well. I'd almost expected it from Bella and had been surprised when she never brought it up as a possibility. She'd always cared about Jacob and not the rest of the wolves in either pack. It didn't matter that Seth and I were her step siblings, so I never would have expected her to have any qualms about trying to lure our alpha away from La Push. She would have remained oblivious to the trouble that would cause us.

"They didn't try either of those things." Jake sounded offended that Sam had suggested it. He still got ruffled when anyone spoke out against Bella. I rolled my eyes. Now wasn't the time to get up in arms about Sam stating something that could have easily happened. I elbowed Jake in the ribs to dissuade him from starting anything that I didn't want to deal with.

"Good," Sam replied, trying to stop a conflict as much as I was. "So Nessie stays here then."

"Just so we're clear." Jake took a deep breath as if steadying himself. "The Volturi are enthralled with how unique Nessie is. They want to take out the Cullens because they're a security threat, but they want Nessie alive. To study her like she's some science experiment. I will do everything in my power to protect her, but having her here also makes us a bigger target."

"Of course I know that," Sam replied with a roll of his eyes. "We've known that your imprint on her was going to be a risk for us since we learned we were facing off against the Volturi the first time. We postponed that fight, but I, for one, always knew it was only being postponed. There's nothing to be done about it. Nessie's pack."

Jacob's shoulders sagged in relief, like he hadn't been expecting Sam to affirm that fact readily.

Sam saw it too, and a flash of irritation passed by in his eyes. "What did you think I was going to do?" he asked. "Demand that she go with her parents? Demand that you take her somewhere else by yourself?"

Jake's shoulders hunched over as if he were ashamed. "I thought about suggesting that second one myself actually."

Sam leaned back as if forced to by the power of Jacob's words. Emily and I stared at him in disbelief too. As soon as I'd regained my bearings, I slapped him on the arm.

"How idiotic are you?" I asked, using all the venom I could muster. "Do you want both of you to die? As if you would stand a chance against the Volturi by yourself. The packs fighting them is a dangerous risk, but what you're suggesting is offering yourself and Nessie up as sacrifices."

Jake shrunk away from me. "I wasn't suggesting it," he replied testily. "I said that I thought about suggesting it. I decided against it."

"Good," I replied, not sure what else to say. I was blown away that Jake had even thought about it. "You're our goddamn alpha anyway. If you ever think about abandoning us in a situation like this again, then I'm killing you myself."

Jacob breathed easier upon hearing my words.

"So," Sam said after a moment of silence. "Nessie stays here, and we begin to prepare ourselves. We'll need to have joint pack meetings obviously. A lot of them. And we'll have to start training ourselves again. I only hope that the younger ones take it more seriously this time than they did the last."

I doubted it, but I didn't say as much out loud. I thought they'd take it less seriously this time. Now they were secure about being wolves and about their place in the pack. They had enough experience to think they would be able to handle themselves and not enough to grasp the full consequences of what was about to happen. They'd be unbearable.

Jake nodded in agreement. "My pack already knows. I expect you'll want to tell yours soon."

"Today if I can," Sam said with a nod. "Then I'll call you to discuss when we should be training."

I wasn't sure that it would be a discussion as much as it would be Sam demanding things of Jacob, but I also knew that Jacob would be fine with that. I could see him wilting under the pressure of preparing for this. He would want Sam to take on as much of the responsibility as he could, and I also knew that Sam would happily do so.

It frustrated me no matter how much I understood it.

But I held my tongue, knowing that it was what would happen, and it was the way both of them needed it to be in order to cope. It was going to be a long, terrifying wait, and I didn't relish the idea of getting worked up about anything that wasn't life or death.

Not when life or death was in the forefront of my mind, scaring me shitless.

A/N: There have been minor edits to this chapter since it was first posted.