Disclaimer: No, I don't own anything. Except the character Ava. And most of the plot. The rest, regretfully, belongs to SM. A/N down at the bottom. Read on, my beauties!

Friday, September 13 6:34 P.M. Forks, WA BPOV

Sam's house was two stories tall, in worn red brick, with a red front door and large windows. It looked like the kind of home you usually think about when you envision a cottage in the woods. There was a pathway of rocks to the front door, and I saw that it also led off to the side of the house was a large rectangle of dark brown, healthy looking dirt. At my questioning glance towards it, Sam shrugged. "Ava wants to try gardening when she gets back. Personally, I'm hoping she likes cooking. The only thing I can do is barbeque." I smiled as he held open the front door for me and I stepped in. "You're a poet and you didn't know it."

The first floor looked very wide and open. The living room area held three large patchwork couches, a coffee table and a stack of board games beside the wall that was as tall as I was. The dining room area had a long table, fit for fourteen people. I looked over at the rustic and rough looking table, it kinda looked like it was handmade. Before I could ask, Sam said, "Paul gets bored easily, he likes to work with his hands. He made the table and chairs for me a couple years back with Jacob Black, Quil Aterea, and Embry Call." I ran a hand over the smooth surface of the wood. "He's very talented." Sam nodded and motioned into another room.

The next room was the kitchen, and oh what a sight it was. There was a long island with barstools, stainless steel sink and oven/stovetop and this huge fridge, and lots of overhead cabinet space and countertop space. The cabinets were the same tawny colored wood as the table, and they also looked a little rough, like they were handmade too. At my arched, questioning eyebrow, Sam grinned and nodded proudly. "Paul, Jared, and I did this part. It was a hell of a lot of work, and Paul was an ass to deal with, but it turned out." I continued to gaze around the kitchen in awe. I whispered dramatically, "Please let me cook in your kitchen." He threw his head back in laughter. I laughed a bit too, but I was dead serious. "Sam, I will die tonight if I don't get to. Don't you trust me enough?" He nodded, his grin spread wide over his face.

"Bella, you do what you want in here, you can't be a worse cook than any of the rest of us." I smiled, and practically ran to the fridge, surveying its contents. "How much do you guys eat?" I looked him over trying to anticipate his answer, (involuntarily memorizing his muscles) and he said, "About enough to feed a third world country." I glanced up at his face, man was he tall, and saw that he was only half joking. I perked up. "I'll make two pans of casserole, then, one to take home with me, and you guys can share the other one." He gave me a strange look. "Are you sure you want to do this, Bells?" I paused, and smiled. He'd called me Bells. "Sam Uley, cooking makes me happy, and being denied the right to cook makes me unhappy." I arched an eyebrow. "Now do you want to make me unhappy?" He laughed and just shook his head. "Crazy chick."

I shook my own head. What had gotten into me? I usually never felt this happy or content around anyone, and I'd never flirted in my life… It's Sam. I realized, as I took ingredients out of the fridge, that I had never felt…safe with anyone like I did Sam. It was ridiculous and weird, but it was definitely something I needed after last night. Sam made me feel like myself, like I could really be Bella around him. All too often I had to be too grown up, too mature, when I was living with Renee because she was like a child herself, and one of us had to be an adult. It worked out in the end, but sometimes I couldn't help feeling that I had lost a lot of my childhood. I was a little too serious for most kids my age, and I tended to be a loner. Being new in town must have been what worked magic on my social life. Or it might have been the fact that Sam was probably just being nice to me for Ava's benefit. Whatever the case, I decided not to question it.

I began to hum quietly as I dropped some chicken into a cast iron skillet on the stove in some oil and butter to fry. I busted around the kitchen, occasionally looking out the large window above the sink and the other above the stove to study the outside of the house. Sam strolled in just as I was chopping up some garlic. He grinned. "You know, all you need is an apron, and you could be the perfect housewife." I rolled my eyes. "Please, my expectations for life are higher than a simple housewife." His grin widened. "So a housewife and a mother?" I threw an oven mitt at him but he just caught it in mid air, grin still in place. I turned back to the four pans in front of me and began to layer in the cheese, chicken, green beans, and the partially cooked bowtie pasta noodle. Sam began to say something, but the front door banging open and the sound of Jared and Paul emerging from outside was louder than whatever Sam had to say.

Both boys froze when they saw me in the kitchen, and Jared glanced curiously at Sam. "Uh, Sam?" Paul jerked out of his trance and threw a wad of clothing at Sam. "These are her clothes." He jerked his thumb towards me. "They're covered in sand, and I think that might be marshmallow on the shirt." Sam just stared at him and Paul grinned a bit before explaining further, "That innocent little party's gotten pretty rowdy, and that Jessica girl was drunk off her ass-you know what, it's better that you don't know." Sam nodded, then glanced at me. "You mind wearing one of my shirts?" I shook my head. I didn't see another option, as both my clothes were icky and I couldn't exactly go running around Sam's house in a swimsuit. That's not the reason you're so comfortable with it. I elected to ignore that particular thought.

Paul leaned over the pans of food and sniffed the air. "What the hell is this, it smells good. Nothing ever made here smells good." I laughed. "You're smelling the chicken- hey!" I grabbed a wooden spoon from nearby and whacked his hand when he reached to steal a hunk of chicken. Paul snatched my forearm in a tight, burning grip. Paul's hands were burning up, just like Sam's had been. My eyes flew to his, a protest on my lips, but I froze when I met his eyes. They had turned from a warm, slightly mocking brown to hard and icy. I felt my breath start to come faster. I knew that Paul wasn't the man that had been in my bedroom last night, but in that moment, they just looked so similar…their eyes held the same emotion. Indifference. My eyes widened my heart beginning to pound as his grip on my arm tightened and he bared his teeth in an animalistic way. "Don't ever hit me." Before I could respond, Sam's broad russet colored back appeared inches in front of me, separating me from Paul. He spoke. "Paul. Let her go." When Paul didn't obey, a rumbling sound like crashing boulders rose from the depth of Sam's chest. The sound seemed oddly appropriate, but almost…inhuman.

"Outside. Now." There was no room for argument in Sam's hard, deep voice; and faster than I could watch, Paul was out the door. Sam glanced over his shoulder at me and then at Jared before stalking out the door behind Paul. I rubbed my arm furiously, trying to erase the memory from my mind. I concentrated on my breathing again, starting when Jared spoke up, saying, "Yeah, Paul gets like that sometimes. You'd think that since he just had sex not two hours ago, he'd be a happy camper." Jared ignored my blush and continued talking. "So I'm sorry, Bella. He's just got some serious anger issues." Jared smiled to himself, like he was thinking about an inside joke that he knew I wouldn't get. I huffed and turned back to the food. I asked him over my shoulder, "Well, do you want to help me with this, at least do something useful?" He chuckled at my biting tone. "Well at least you're not as delicate as you look." As he walked over to me, I scoffed. I'd run both my own life and my mother's since I was eight. So I was definitely a lot tougher than I looked. I sighed, trying to wrap my head around what happened. One thing was for sure, something else was going on here in Forks. The man from last night had definitely seemed inhuman, and these boys, though not like the man, were giving off a similar vibe.

I decided to try and get my mind off of it for a while by engaging Jared in conversation. "So, how old are you and Paul?" Nice Bella, good topic! Jared just smiled. "I'm twenty one and Paul's nineteen." I felt my jaw drop. "Are you serious? You guys look like you're twenty five or something!" Jared laughed. "Yeah, we get that kind of thing a lot. How old are you?" I reached for the cheese, which he handed to me and I resumed making dinner. "I'm seventeen." Jared looked taken aback. "Only seventeen? No offense, but you really don't act like you're seventeen." I shrugged and quipped, "It's just my maturity surpassing yours, don't worry. I'm sure you'll catch up in a few decades." Jared threw his head back in laughter and I allowed myself a smile. It wasn't often that I made people laugh. "You should really use that line of Paul, that'd be hilarious!" I frowned. "No, I think I'll leave Paul alone." He groaned.

"No, Bella that's exactly what you don't do to a guy like Paul. You've got to let him know you trust him, you feel comfortable around him, and he'll eventually lay off the asshole-like tendencies. A bit." I grinned. "I'm sure. Pass the chicken, will you?" He did, then asked, "Weren't you friends with Sam's little sister, Ava?" I smiled. "Yep. She, Jacob Black and I were partners in crime when we were younger." He smiled broadly. "Oh yeah, I remember Sam telling stories about some of the stuff you guys did when you were younger. Ava's a blast, and Jake's awesome. I know it's kind of an oxymoron to be friends with your best friend's little sister, but she's awesome to hang around. Her sarcasm gets me every single time." I grinned. "You've got no idea. This one time, when Ava and I were thirteen and Jake was twelve, we went down to First Beach the first day of summer vacation, and there was this life guard there. And Ava walks up…"

We swapped stories of 'heroics' from our younger years, and after a particularly rousing tale about one of Jared's favorite 'Adventures', as he called them, Jared was in tears from laughing so hard, and I was lying on the floor trying to remember what breathing felt like. Moisture was leaking from the corners of my eyes, but I was able to see Sam's looming form stand over me before dropping a wad of clothing on top of me. I felt the shape of it and decided that either it was a cotton dress or Sam's interpretation of a shirt. I tugged it on over my head, still lying on the ground, to Jared and a newly appeared Paul's amusement, and Sam reached down to help me stand. The shirt fell down to my knees, the sleeves covering most of my arms. I looked him up and down suspiciously. "Just how big are you?" The boys laughed and Paul, leaning against the island, said, "That's what she said." I rolled my eyes at the overused phrase and childishly stuck out my tongue at him, then smiled. Jared barked out a laugh. "What was that about your maturity level?" I harrumphed, and he helped me slide the casseroles in the oven, and I set the timer. Paul snorted. "You know, I think I don't actually hate you." I answered breezily, "Good. I've accomplished my life's goal." "What, meeting an incredibly hot native?" "No, not caring." Paul let out a surprised laugh, and Jared shook his head. "Paul I think you've met your match."

Paul murmured something that I couldn't hear, but apparently Sam heard it and by the expression on his face, he really didn't like it. I ignored them and Jared commented, gesturing to Sam's shirt, "That's one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen." I rolled my eyes, grinning. "Like you'd know fashion if it bit you in the ass. This is the casual equivalent of haute couture." While Sam and Jared snorted in amusement, Paul gave me a pleading look. "Please, don't talk about…girl stuff anymore." His face scrunched up into a look of severe distaste, the expression looking kind of hilarious on his face, like he was terrified of the topic. I gave him an evil grin. "Aw, is widdle Pauly afwaid of wip gwoss?" He shuddered. "I can literally feel my balls crawling back up into my body right now." I squeezed my eyes shut, tight. "Ew. Gross. I did not need to think about that." At the same time, Jared recoiled and said, "Paul! Gross!" in displeasure.

Jared began to lay into Paul and Sam leaned over to say, "Can I see you outside for a moment?" I glanced at the oven timer and nodded. "Jared, watch the oven will you?" My only answer was a large hand flapping in my direction from both other guys. I smiled. These crazy weirdoes. Sam opened a door I hadn't noticed before that led outside. He walked over next to the large patch of bare earth he claimed was for Ava, with me following. I wasn't looking where I was going, though and my clumsy feet struck again. I slammed into Sam's back, and when I tried to back away, I did it too quickly and ended up just tangling my feet and crashing to the ground. Two burning hot hands slipped around my waist and yanked me back upright, and I found myself being held to Sam's chest. I inhaled, and it was the strangest thing to notice, but he smelled so amazing. Like the sea and the forest and musky and so very male. I looked up into his coal black eyes and smiled. "Sorry, I seem to need a lot of saving when I'm around you." He grinned and set me down carefully. "Eh, I don't mind." He sat down cross legged on the ground, and then patted the earth in front of him, indicating he wanted me to do the same. I cocked my head, but complied.

As I was sitting, Sam said quite innocently, "Woah, you sat down and you didn't even give yourself a hernia! I'm so proud." I glared at him and smacked his arm lightly. Instead of getting Paul's reaction, which I had belatedly thought and cringed about before I could stop the motion, he just laughed. I shook my head and let my hands fall to the emerald grass on either side of me, running my fingers through it. His cheeky grin was still on his face when he stated, "You crazy person." I gave him a look. "Right back at you, oh mighty King Sam." "Oh mighty King Sam?" I shrugged. "It seems to fit." It did. Sam carried this vibe of pure power and authority that was increasingly noticeable among the other boys. It didn't feel forced, or like he was trying to prove something, just more like it was something he did naturally. Sam shrugged his powerful shoulders. "Well, thanks. I think. Anyway, I brought you out here because I wanted to ask you about the man you said broke into your room last night."

I lowered my head, my smile disappearing from my face. "Yeah?" Sam frowned. "Did you tell your father?" I shook my head. "No. I tried, but he thought that I'd had a nightmare…To be honest I'm almost glad he didn't believe me." Sam's eyes snapped to mine. "Why?" His voice had a harder edge to it. I sighed, and ran my fingers through my tangled, salty hair. "Because I'm not entirely sure that he would believe me if I told him everything." Sam's face relaxed a little bit, and he asked, "Did you know him?" I shook my head. "Did he hurt you?" I held up the arm that he had scraped, the line was wider and deeper than I had expected, and I looked at it as if seeing it for the first time. "He did that with his fingernail. His hand was really cold, and hard. Like marble." I shuddered, remembering. "He did that, and then he licked off the blood. I didn't know what to do, I was terrified." Sam nodded in understanding. "Anything else?" I frowned, and then decided to just tell him. After all, if he doesn't know you're bat shit crazy by now, he will soon anyway. "He kept talking about weird things. He said that he'd been out 'hunting' and that he'd been 'sated', but then he smelled me and got thirsty. I still have no idea what the hell he was talking about." Sam sighed. "Bella, I-"

He was interrupted by Jared shouting from the house, "Bella, Sam! FOOD!" I tried for a grin. Sam sighed in irritation. He gave me a long look as he stood up and held his hands out. I placed my hands, tiny by comparison, in his burning hot ones. For a strange reason, the warmth comforted me. "Bella, this conversation is only over if there's nothing else you want to say." I sighed and rubbed my forehead. It really had been a long two days. I was so glad that I was finally home, but was it worth all this worry about my freaking safety? Although with Sam…I didn't feel threatened. I felt safe. I was comfortable enough to really and truly be Bella around him and the other guys. It was a nice change, but I still needed to figure out what the hell was going on with my intruder.

We walked back to the house in silence, both of us preoccupied with our thoughts. After taking out the casseroles for them to cool a bit, I chopped up some lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, and at Jared's request, pickles to use for a salad. "Pickles, really?" Paul seemed disgusted. After wrangling Paul and Jared into setting the table, I used Sam's house phone to call the Police Station to talk to Charlie. His deputy, Joe Farris, put him on. "Bells?" I smiled, even though he couldn't see me through the phone. "Hey, Dad! I'm at Sam Uley's right now, I had to save him from his own cooking and I made him dinner. I made us some if you're going home anytime soon." "No, sorry Bells, but a case just came in about a missing hiker, his friend saw some huge paw prints near their campsite, so we're going out to look for him." I nodded. "Ok, just be careful, alright? I'll be home by…" "Ten. You'll be home by ten." I laughed at the stern tone in his voice. "Ok, Dad. Ten it is. Call you when I get home." "Love you, Bells." "Love you too, Dad." I hung up the phone and wandered into the dining room, where all three guys were arguing loudly. I cocked an eyebrow at Sam, who was vemhenantly opposing Paul's view on this football team versus' that football team. I sat down next to him, and scooped myself a portion of the casserole.

Paul paused in his and Sam's argument to look disbelievingly at my plate. "Is that all you're going to eat?" I looked down in confusion. "It's a pretty big portion, Paul." I was a little more than slightly curious to see what he considered a healthy portion. He snorted. "That's ridiculous." He cut himself half of what was left of the casserole, and heaped it into a mountain on his plate. "That is a normal sized portion." I looked between the two plates, a skeptical look in my eyes. "I think I'll stick with what I'm eating right now, if you don't mind. I'd rather not puke my guts out tonight." Jared shook his head and laughed, Sam smirked. And just like that, we all began to talk. At the same time. Over each other and around each other and to each other, not really about anything specific, just anything that came to mind. It was loud, but it was really a hell of a lot of fun.

I'd never laughed so hard, talked so much, or had so much fun just from talking in my life as I did that night. After the boys had finally finished their dinner, I leaned back in my chair and said happily, "This is so much better than that party on Second Beach." Sam cocked his head. "Not into the party scene?" I shrugged. "Well, maybe not that as much as the fact that I don't really like the people at the party." I clapped my hand over my mouth, my eyes wide. The guys laughed, and I asked in horror, "Did I really just say that?" Paul nodded, and still grinning, said, "Well, just as a warning, Lauren doesn't really like you either. But then again, I don't think she likes anyone." I frowned, thinking. "I don't know, she was talking about you pretty fondly when we left Forks for La Push." He grinned arrogantly. "She likes me for my dick." Sam and Jared both let out yells of discomfort, and I grimaced, blushing. "And that is my cue. Sam, do you think you could drive me home? I'm a little worried what Mike Newton might try with me if I ride home with him." Sam nodded. "Sure."

Jared gave Paul a disgusted look. "Can you not talk about that stuff? I really don't want to even think about your dick." I chuckled as Paul and Jared struck up a new argument, shaking my head. Yeah. This is so much better than hanging out with Jessica, Angela, and Lauren while get drunk. I stood up from the table, and Sam picked up the other casserole pan from the fridge while I made my way to his truck, my sand encrusted clothing in hand. The monstrous white beast's owner held the door open for me and I climbed in, giving Sam a smile. He grinned back at me, and ran over to the other side and swung his large body into the cab of the truck, setting the casserole down on the floor of the cab. I gave him a strange look. "Are you just going to leave the Dynamic Duo in there alone?" He laughed and started the truck. "They practically live here anyways. You know, Ava calls them that too." I slapped my forehead. "Shit, I didn't get to talk to her."

Sam remained silent. I looked over at him, gasping, my face clearing with realization. "You evil, evil, evil little man! You knew that your sister wasn't going to call, you brought me over here to cook for you!" He managed to keep his face and voice clear of any emotion when he said, "Bells, I am not little, not even close. Oh but next time, do you want me to have an apron ready for you?" I made a noise of protest and glared at him, crossing my arms. He looked over at me as he pulled onto the road that led to Forks, and said with a grin, "You look good in my shirt." The freezing retort I had ready got stuck in my throat. Before I could stop myself, my tongue blurted out, "And you look good without one." He gave a surprised bark of laughter, and I blushed and turned away. Rain began to fall outside, with the light fading behind it. Sam said with a smile evident in his voice, "Why thank you, miss." I shook my head, smiling.

The rest of the ride to Forks was silent, for the most part. I gave him a few directions here and there, but all in all it was just a comfortable silence. As he pulled up to my house, we both turned to face the other simultaneously. Sam frowned at me. "You look scared." I nodded. "I am scared." My voice was very quiet. Sam looked out at my house and said, "I have a feeling that you'll be safe tonight." His eyes swung to look at me, pinning me in my seat. "You know that you're safe here." I lifted my eyes to his. "It's so weird, and it's crazy…but I know." I've never felt as safe as I do with you. I let that remain unspoken. Silence fell again. We never once looked away from each other. I needed some time to think. Time to sort through it all. Time to myself. But staring at Sam's deep, undecipherable, liquid black eyes, I never wanted to move. Because something was going on behind those eyes. And I wanted to know what. Eventually, he broke the eye contact. "Do you want to come over tomorrow to actually talk to my sister? I promise no hidden agendas, she actually is supposed to call." I grinned. "Sure, as long as I'm not in your way." He grinned too, showing off his even white teeth.

"Come on, let's get you inside." He was unbuckled, out of the car, and holding my door open for me in the pouring rain by the time I'd gotten untangled from my seatbelt. Sam slipped those huge and hot hands around my waist and physically lifted me from the truck, setting me down carefully. I was so close to him in the rain that I found myself leaning back a little to admire his body and the rain fell in rivulets down and across his muscles. My mouth went dry watching those impressive hunks of muscle bunch up and loosen in accordance with his movements as he gathered my stuff from the cab of the truck. I decided that Sam didn't just look good without a shirt; he looked fucking amazing without it. His eyes met mine, and I blushed. I grabbed my things from him, and ran to the front door. I turned and gave him one last smile and a wave before entering the house, smiling wider when he shook his head, smiling. He thought I was ridiculous, but maybe it was in a good way.

Once inside, I leaned back against the front door, fanning my face. I should have been freezing from the rain. I should have been embarrassed about my behavior towards Sam. I was neither. I decided not to dwell on that just yet. I sighed and walked into the kitchen, pulling open the refrigerator and grimacing at its contents. Pizza, beer, sandwich meat, mayo, and one lone, sad looking apple. I shook my head, and placed the casserole in the fridge. This madness stops tomorrow. I've got to remember to go by the grocery store for Charlie and I. I shut the fridge, still concentrating on mundane tasks until I could get up stairs to my computer for some research.

I reached for the land line phone and dialed the station. Joe Farris answered again. "Hello, this is Forks Police Station, how may I help you?" I picked at my fingernails as I said, "Hey, this is Bella Swan, could you please tell my father Chief Swan that I'm home and alive?" With an obvious smile in his voice, he said, "I will let him know. Anything else?" "No, that's it, thanks." "Thank you for calling!" I hung up the phone, and pushed off of the wall.

With the food put away and Charlie notified of my presence in the house, I ran upstairs to my bedroom, tripping twice on the stairs, and grabbed my other dirty clothes, putting them and my sandy, marshmallow streaked clothes in a laundry hamper. As I walked back downstairs to the laundry room, I began running through options in my head. Ok, let's see. He was pale. He had fangs. He licked my freaking blood. But somehow I don't think that he was Count Dracula. I threw the clothes into the washer and started it. He was also really handsome. Still really scary and really fucking creepy, but good-looking. I remembered a proud, dark head thrown back in laughter. He was ice cold. I remembered two burning hands engulfing mine. His finger felt really hard, like marble. I remembered Sam's hard muscles under my fingers from the beach. Oh, stop it, that's your best friend's brother! I stomped back upstairs to my room and gathered stuff for a shower.

Come on, woman, think. He could have been an actor or something and he was preparing for a role. Yeah, right. Ok, he could have been an escapee from a mental hospital. Plausible, but still doesn't explain why he was all freezing cold and marble hard and how he drew blood from my arm with his freaking fingernail! I sighed in irritation, and turned the shower on. I made to take off my borrowed swimsuit, and then the realization hit me. I felt a smile overtake my face as I realized something.

I was still wearing Sam's shirt.

And it was so not going back to its original owner.

If Sam wanted it, then Mr. High and Mighty would have to come and take it.

I shivered with delight at the thought.

I yanked myself from my thoughts and tugged the shirt and then the swimsuit off of my body. I reached into the shower, and decided the water was ok. I clambered in, relishing the feeling of the water pounding into my back. As I soaped up my body and my hair, I tried to come up with a reason for why Sam, Jared, and Paul had seemed so odd. It could be because they're Quileute and they don't like having a pale-face around. I frowned, then reached for my face wash and scrubbed to remove all the makeup. No, Leah doesn't act like that and I have a feeling Paul or even Sam would have told me to get the fuck out if they didn't want me there. I leaned back to rinse shampoo from my hair. So, maybe they're just accustomed to acting like animals. I giggled at the thought and spread conditioner through my hair. Whenever the boys had laughed, there always seemed to be this underlying tone of a bark or a howl breaking through. So maybe they're secretly wolves. I shook my head, reaching for my shaving cream and razor. Be realistic, Bella.

But if they are wolves, that means they're either a shape-shifter of some sort or magic or something. I rolled my eyes. I really couldn't believe I was thinking about this. And maybe that man is one of those weirdoes who thinks that they're actually a vampire. I harrumphed and went back to shaving my legs. But what if he's actually a real vampire, blood drinker and all? I finished with one leg and started working on the other. Then I really am bat shit crazy. Nothing like that exists outside of Hollywood and books. I tried to dismiss the idea. Isabella Marie Swan, I officially proclaim you ready for the nut house, on the count of seeing things for what they are not, and for thinking that things like shape-shifters and vampires exist. I finished shaving, rinsed the conditioner from my hair, and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around me.

Still, it's an idea. Not a very likely one, but one nonetheless. I reached for my hair brush. I mean, come on. Who else would want to drink blood? And he sounded scared of the wolves howling, aren't vampires afraid of wolves? I rolled my eyes. Oh yeah. I was definitely going crazy. I dried off, and wrapped my hair in the towel, turban style. I pulled on my underwear and I decided to forgo my pj's and instead pulled Sam's shirt back on. I may be crazy, but I'm still here for now. I dragged the towel from my hair and yawned. Tomorrow. I'll think about this tomorrow. I yawned going back into my room, and I gave my window an accusatory glance. I walked over to it and flipped the lock. After I did so, I heard a wolf howl way off in the distance. I turned back to my bed, and flopped down on it, wriggling under the covers. I set the alarm for eight tomorrow morning, flipped off my bedside lamp, and was asleep by the time my head hit the pillow.

A/N: So…yeah. It's not as long as I wanted, but I really wanted to get this chapter out there. It's been rewritten from its original form for something a little different, that's why it's up today and not yesterday. Anyway, Read 'N Review, I smile like a loon whenever I see them, and I'm trying to get back to you guys, really I am, so I promise that somewhere in the near future you will have a response, even if you've just given me a one-liner to work with. I adore you all. Love to everyone, please for the sake of my mother-fucking sanity, send me good thoughts/vibes/voo-doo/whatever. I have a history test tomorrow that I am COMPLETELY unprepared for. Whoop-de-doodle-doo. Fuck my life. Gross. I wish I had my own Sam to drool over…don't we all? Don't know when the next chapter'll go up, hopefully this week. Eddie might make an appearance…still not sure. Hmm. Jake and Leah definitely will, and I'll start introducing members of the pack and Bella will start becoming more involved with the wolves. SHHHH! She doesn't KNOW about that yet! Oh, right. Speaking of which, I have a question. How do you think Sam should break the news about his furry other half?