Hillary pushed herself away from the desk in the administrative office of the tribe. She rubbed the throb in her temples and sighed. She had been looking over business ventures and crunching numbers for hours, well weeks really. Stretching she tried to roll the stress and the tension from her shoulders and neck.
It had been a busy fall. Alani returned home and settled in to school again. She and Embry had remained in touch and talked constantly. Jacob had begun work on the house. Hillary had occasionally stopped in to help and give her input as well. Their relationship was confusing for her. They weren't dating, but they weren't just friends either. She avoided him for weeks, avoided the pack in general for weeks and threw herself into her work for the tribe before it became too unbearable for her.
Sighing she sat back in her chair and closed her eyes. Rubbing at the ache in her chest, she fought against the urge to find Jacob. She had been home for over six months now and it seemed like he was determined to take things at a snail's pace now. When she had told him that she wanted to take things slow, she hadn't meant this slow. He told her after that day at the house that he didn't want to push her away or move too fast. It was so frustrating that she wanted to bang her head on the desk.
Hillary stood and packed all of her things into her tote. Grabbing her keys she called out to let everyone that she was leaving for the long weekend. Thanksgiving had crept up on everyone. Though they didn't celebrate the holiday for obvious reason, they still got the time off for it.
Walking briskly to her car, Hillary mused over just how quickly the year was passing for her. They had opened the garage less than a week ago and already there was business steadily flowing into the shop. Sam's business was also solid, with only a few minor tweaks needed to help it remain viable.
Hillary drove to her parents' house and ran upstairs to grab her bags. She hadn't seen or heard from anyone since the garage had opened. They had all been so busy and she forgot that she hadn't told them that she was flying out to visit Alani and Rebecca.
Hillary kissed her parents goodbye with a promise to call as soon as the plane landed. Laughing she ran to her car, knowing that she would be cutting it close catching her flight. Originally she was going to ask Embry and Jacob if they wanted to go with her on this trip. She had brought up the idea over a month ago, but with the garage opening, they couldn't leave town.
The ride to the airport passed quickly. Hillary found a parking spot and ran to catch her flight. She made it just in time for the final call for boarding and quickly took her seat. Pulling her phone out of her bag she saw a couple missed texts. She would have to reply when she landed as they signal to turn off phones was given.
Hillary curled up and leaned against the window. She felt the sleep that she had been missing catch up to her as she drifted off, letting the sound of the plane engine lull her.
Jacob had been rubbing his chest off and on all day. He glanced at Embry and around at the garage. They had been working hard to keep up with the work flow. The whole pack was pitching in to keep the grueling schedule that he had agreed to on some of the repair jobs.
Looking at the clock he realized that it was past dinner time. Pulling his phone from his pocket it dawned on him that he hadn't talked to or heard from Hillary in a couple of days. He wiped his hands clean on a rag and sent a text, waiting for a reply. She should be out of work by now, he mused waiting. Looking over at Embry, he noticed his friend watching him.
"Hey, what's up?" Jacob asked.
"Are you alright, man?" Embry asked. "You've been rubbing your chest all day."
"Yeah, I'm good," Jake said with a shrug.
"It, well shit, Jake, you haven't done that since before," Embry said carefully.
Jake snapped his head to look at Embry as a sinking feeling set in. His eye went wide in panic as he ran out of the garage and tore off towards the woods, shouting for Embry to lock up. He phased mid-stride and raced towards Hillary's parent's house. He prayed that everything was fine. The pack chimed in trying to figure out what was wrong, but he ignored them and pushed himself further than he had before. He halted in the tree line just behind her parent's home and tugged on a pair of shorts that he left there. He made his way to the door and knocked urgently.
Jane answered the door with a confused look, "Is everything alright Jacob?" she asked.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," he said quickly. "Where's Hillary? Is everything alright with her?"
"She didn't tell you?" Jane asked in confusion.
"Tell me what?" Jacob asked.
"Jake, she just caught a flight to Hawaii," she said. "Hillary has gone to visit Alani and Rebecca. She was going to ask you and Embry to go with her, but with how busy the garage and house have kept everyone, she opted to go on her own."
"She just left?" he demanded.
"Now none of that, Jacob Black!" she said sharply. "She tried to call to talk about it last week, but you were too busy to talk. I told her not to change her plans. She needed a break. She's been working herself into the ground."
Jacob nodded and turned back to the woods. Once in the tree line he stripped and phased. Immediately he was assaulted by the voices and thoughts of the pack. He felt and heard their waves of sympathy as well as their annoyance that Hillary had left without mentioning her plans. Embry chimed in that she had spoken to them about it a month prior, but everything had gotten so busy.
Jake skidded to a halt outside his home. It was a work in progress, but still home. He tugged on shorts as he walked towards the back patio. The pack converged on the house and followed him inside. Jacob dropped into one of the kitchen chair and slumped forward against the table.
"Jake," Embry approached him carefully. "She's coming back. She's just visiting."
"I'm a horrible imprinter," he mumbled against his hands. "I have been blowing her off for the past couple of weeks because we're so busy. Damn it!"
"So go after her," Jared said leaning against the kitchen counter. "Embry said she wanted you guys to go, so go after her and surprise her."
"I can't just leave the shop," Jake countered.
"If that's all that's holding you back, you're an idiot," Paul interjected. "There are enough hands here to pick up the slack while you're gone."
Sam stepped into the house and nodded to Jake and the rest of the pack. "Jacob, you should go to her. I can step in while you're gone," he offered.
Jacob looked around his kitchen and nodded to his pack, his family. He caught Embry's eye and nodded. He stood giving them some instructions and turned to jog up the stairs. He threw a duffle bag on the bed and started tossing clothes in the bag. He heard the pack talking downstairs as he was walking around his room and the bathroom grabbing things for the trip. Pausing before heading downstairs he tugged on a pair of jeans and t-shirt and searched for his shoes.
Once his bag was packed and he was fully dressed, he grabbed his wallet and keys. Walking down the stairs he found the pack waiting. Embry was just walking back in the door with his own bag as he entered the kitchen. Paul offered to drive them to the airport. Quil had gone online and booked them tickets on the next flight to Hawaii.
Soon Jacob found himself crammed in the cab of Paul's truck with Paul and Embry on their way to the airport. Apparently Quil had called Jane Brigs to get the information for traveling to Hawaii for Jacob and Embry. She had helped them to make arrangements and given them the address for Rebecca's house where Hillary would be staying.
Miles seemed to pass by slowly on the trip and Paul was making the most out of ribbing them about chasing after their girls. It was good natured and he meant well. Paul had mellowed out since imprinting on Rachel. He was happy for his pack mates, his brothers and wanted to help.
Jacob and Embry nearly launched themselves from the truck and made their way into the airport. Neither had flown before and didn't know what to expect. They walked swiftly towards the terminal they needed to be at and went through security as quickly as they could. Not even a half hour later they were boarding the flight and on their way across the ocean.
Neither of them slept, the flight was uncomfortable for both of them as they were much larger than the average passenger. Leg room was cramped and nearly non-existent for them. Embry was white knuckling the arm rests while Jacob was looking out the window. Both were counting down the hours to their arrival.
Hours later they breathed a sigh of relief as they touched down on soil again. They departed the plane and headed out to pick up their rental car. Jane had arranged for their car and given them directions how to get to Rebecca's house before they left. Jack had stood in the background with a speculative look on his face and then nodded in understanding. He had grudgingly understood that Jacob had grown up and seen how wrong he had been.
The two wolves fidgeted as they drove the car towards Jacob's sister's house. They hoped that it would not be an unwelcome surprise when they showed up on the doorstep unannounced and unexpected.
Hillary laughed softly sipping a glass of wine leaning against the counter watching Rebecca and Michael preparing dinner. Alani was sitting at the table laughing along with them as she they told her stories of when they were first dating. Hillary smiled softly, subconsciously rubbing her chest. She noticed that Alani had been doing the same since she had arrived.
There was a knock at the door and Rebecca went down the hall to answer the door. Her shriek had them running towards the door. Hillary slid into the foyer and her breath caught in her throat. Alani gasped from beside her as they found Jacob and Embry hugging Rebecca.
Jacob turned and met her gaze and a slow smile spread across her face. Before she knew how it happened she was in his arms. Her fingers carded into his hair as she tugged his mouth down to her own. Jacob let out a rumbling groan in the back of his throat. He pulled her closer still, molding her body against his, drawing the kiss deeper.
Hillary sighed into his mouth as they pulled apart. Looking up into his eyes she knew that they could figure it out if they worked together. She buried her face into his chest and he nuzzled into her hair, just holding her. Glancing over, she noticed that Alani and Embry found themselves in a similar embrace. Snorting she turned to meet the amused gaze of Rebecca and Michael.
"Well it's nice to finally meet my brother in law in person," Michael said with a smirk. "Welcome to our home. Come on in, you guys can take the other guest room."
Hillary laughed and pulled Jacob down the hallway behind her towards the kitchen and heart of the home. Jacob looked around him taking in every detail that he could of his sister's home. He could see her influence throughout the home, with little touches of home.
"So," Rebecca began with a grin, "It's wonderful to see you boys. I'm guessing however it's not my wonderful face that drew you here."
"Becks," Jake began, "we discussed coming with Hillary a little over a month ago. Things just got too busy and we sort of overlooked making plans."
Hillary stepped and leaned against Jacob as he stood against the counter. He wrapped his arms around her and held her against him. She grinned up at him and laughed softly.
"I imagined what it would be like to have you here often," she said softly, answering his curious gaze. "Alani and I will take you around town and take you to all of our favorite places tomorrow."
Jake flashed her a grin, "I'd like that. I want to spend some time with Becks and Mike as well. No time like the present to get to know my brother in law."
Rebecca smiled at her brother and met Hillary's eye. It had been something that Hillary tried to convince Rebecca about for years. Hillary had assured her friend that her family loved her and would forgive her for her actions, especially since Rachel had returned home too.
"It will be great to catch up with you Jake," Rebecca said softly.
"Well this is just the beginning of family reunions," Michael said winking at Hillary. "I was going to wait to surprise you Rebecca, but we're going home for Christmas."
"Home?" she asked in confusion.
"We're going to La Push for Christmas, honey," he told her softly. "You miss home and your family. It's already been too long and something that I should have made sure happened before now. We didn't have the money before, but we do now."
Rebecca burst into tears and threw her arms around Michael. He breathed her in and held her close, kissing the top of her head. Glancing over at Jacob he smiled and shrugged.
"We've wanted to get her back home to visit, but money wasn't always there," Michael said rubbing the back of his neck. "She never wanted to be away from her family this long."
"Life happens," Jacob said with a shrug. "It'll be good to have you. Dad misses you."
Embry sat at the table with Alani pressed against his side. He held her to him and took a deep breath. It had been a difficult three months without her. Just six more months until she graduated. Six more months until she could come to La Push. He was thrilled to be here and to see her and where she came from. The drive from the airport was a blur. They hadn't really stopped to look around at all. They were in such a rush to get to the girls.
They sat talking in the kitchen for another hour before everyone turned in for the night. Alani went home for the night, but would be returning in the morning. Embry didn't want her to go, but she promised to be back in the morning. He and Jacob bunked in the guest room. There were two twin beds which was highly amusing to Hillary. She was staying in the room that she had been in before.
When dawn broke the next morning, Hillary padded down the hallway towards the kitchen. She started getting breakfast ready and buzzed around the kitchen. Rebecca and Michael usually slept in on the weekends, but she knew that Jacob and Embry would be up as soon as they smelled the bacon sizzling on the griddle.
Sure enough not even five minutes later she heard the heavy footfalls of Jacob and Embry approaching. They sat at the stools of the counter and watched as Hillary finished making breakfast. She put two plates of food aside for Rebecca and Michael. Grabbing a plate for herself and setting some aside for Alani, she let the two large men pile the food onto their plates.
Hillary ate her food while watching Jacob and Embry dig in. She heard Alani let herself into the house and come into the kitchen, grabbing the food that Hillary had set aside for her. The women talked quietly as they watched their wolves eat. It still amused and disgusted them at the amount that they ate, but they knew they needed it.
"So where do you want to go today?" Hillary asked.
Pausing mid bite, "Maybe just hang around here and stay local," Jake replied. "I haven't seen my sister in years and I want to see where you lived when you were here."
Hillary smiled and began cleaning up from cooking. She found the sponge plucked from her hands and herself gently moved away from the sink. Jacob winked at her and shooed her from the kitchen. She tried to protest, but he told her that if she cooked, she wasn't going to clean. Reaching up, she kissed the corner of his mouth and stepped out of his grasp. She winked over her shoulder and walked back to her room to change for the day.
Hillary sat on her bed and looked around the room that she had lived in for three years. All of her personal things had been shipped home, but there were still touches of her there. Alani entered the room and the two best friends sat on the bed in silence.
"I'm glad they came," Alani said with a smile. "I've missed Embry. We talk almost every day, but it's not the same."
Hillary smiled softly. He had come for her this time. Part of her wished that he had before, but neither of them were ready to move ahead. She nodded to Alani and grinned.
"I'm glad that they came as well," she giggled. "I can't wait to take them to the beach and for a hike. There's so much to do and see and only three days to do it all in!"
"Relax, Hillary," Alani laughed. "We can always come back. Hawaii is always going to be here. Maybe for my spring break you can all come back, or I can come to La Push?"
"I'd like that," Embry said from the doorway.
Jake and Embry entered the room and sat and the chairs near the desk and window. They had overheard the girls' conversation and were glad that they had decided to come. Alani was right though, there was plenty of time to see the important places and come back again for a visit some day.
Hillary stood from the bed and tugged Jake up standing. "Come on, let's give you a tour of the house and hang out by the pool today," she said with a smile.
Jacob allowed his imprint to lead him through the house. Seeing her so at peace and happy thrilled him. He just hoped that she didn't regret going back to La Push. He hadn't seen much of Hawaii, but what he could see out the windows this place really was paradise. He could understand why his sister stayed and why Hillary was so happy here for three years.
"Hey," Hillary said, reaching up to touch his cheek, "are you alright? What's wrong Jake?"
"You seem happy here," he said softly. "I just want you to be happy, Hillary. I don't want you to regret moving back to La Push."
"Jake," she said with a pang in her chest. "I'm happy because you're here with me. I love it here and it was great when I lived here, but it's not home. Not without you here."
He pulled her flush against him and slanted his mouth over hers with a groan. How could he have ever denied her? What did he ever do to deserve her? He felt her wrap her arms up around his neck and her fingers tugging on his hair. When breathing became an issue and heat began to pool lowly, he eased back and rested his forehead against hers.
"We can come back," he promised. "We can always come back, Hillary, whenever you want."
She smiled and nodded at him. This was exactly what she wanted. Looking around the backyard she realized that not much had changed in the six or so months that she had been gone. Glancing at the cove below, she grinned and saw the waves were good. While Rebecca and Michael didn't have a private beach of their own, the neighborhood had access to the beach below. It was only accessible by locals and footpaths.
Jake sat down in one of the patio chairs and tugged Hillary across his lap. They sat talking quietly about how the past few weeks had been for both of them. The tension slowly eased out of their shoulders and they just enjoyed the quiet company of one another.
Embry and Alani joined them, smiling happily with one another. Embry nuzzled into Alani's shoulder and grinned over at Jake. Hillary looked at Alani in question and watched as her friend blushed.
"Alani has decided that she's definitely moving to La Push after graduation," Embry said with a wide smile. "We can take a couple cases of her things on the plane with us back, right?"
Hillary and Jake congratulated the pair. They sat outside for a while before Rebecca and Michael joined them. The group agreed to a low key day. Hillary led them down the path towards the crashing waves below. The weather was perfect and warm. She raced Alani towards the water and dove into the waves. Jake and Embry chased after them and caught up quickly.
"I told you it's like bath water compared to First Beach," Hillary said with a grin.
They spent a couple of hours down at the beach before heading up to the house for lunch. Michael fired up the grill and turned on the radio. Rebecca bustled around the kitchen and waved off help from the others.
"Well look what the cat dragged in," a voice called out coming around the corner of the house.
Hillary turned and smiled as she saw that Kahale had arrived with who she assumed was Chelsea his new girlfriend and Honi. She noticed Honi was scowling at Jacob and Embry and looked back towards Kahale sadly.
"That's enough, Honi!" Kahale said sharply. "Behave or leave. She's made it abundantly clear that she's not interested in you. Stop being such an ass or leave."
Honi glared at his brother and left without a word. Hillary felt tears sting her eyes. Kahale jogged back to his brother arguing with him in the distance, but the wolves heard. Honi harbored some deep feelings for Hillary that she didn't return. He was upset that she had so easily accepted Jacob back into her life after she had come to Hawaii so broken. Kahale told him that if he wasn't careful he wouldn't even have her friendship if he kept up his behavior. He needed to accept her decision and support her or leave her alone.
The twins returned and greeted everyone. Chelsea stood beside Kahale awkwardly at first, but began opening up to the group. Honi sat in the corner by himself looking miserable. Hillary avoided eye contact with him and sighed in relief when Rebecca and Michael had joined them. Michael scowled at the brooding twin. He knew that nothing but trouble would come of Honi coming around. He had tried to explain to him when he came back three months ago furious and heartbroken that Hillary never had feelings for him. The younger man stubbornly refused to believe that she wanted to be with Jacob.
Jacob talked with Kahale and Chelsea. He tucked Hillary to his side and occasionally dropped a kiss in her hair or on her temple. He laughed with Alani and Embry and teased his sister and brother in law. He pointedly avoided Honi for fear that he would literally tear the man to shreds. Not only for his feelings towards Hillary, but for the fact that his behavior was hurting her.
The group sat and ate. For almost everyone it was a happy reunion. Honi excused himself and left part way through the meal and didn't return. Kahale shrugged and glared at his brother's retreating back.
"Please excuse my asshole of a brother," he said. "He'll get over himself or I'll kick his ass. Hillary, I don't want you to worry about him or feel guilty at all. This is all on him."
"I know," she whispered. "But that doesn't make it hurt any less. I didn't mean to hurt him, but I never felt that way for him. Maybe in another life time or circumstance, but I can't, Kahale."
Jacob sucked in a breath and looked down at Hillary who had tears in her eyes. Hearing her admit that she could have loved Honi hurt, but also sent a chill of panic up his spine. Not for the first time he realized he truly could have lost her forever. Looking over at Embry he swallowed thickly.
Hillary subconsciously tugged Jake's hand into her own as she listened to Kahale assure her that he knew that she never meant to hurt his brother. He also told her that she had been up front with them from the first meeting that she wasn't looking for a relationship and would be returning home. She had told people that her relationship status was complicated and she didn't want to make it worse. Eventually over time she had tried dating, other people not Honi.
"Are you alright?" Hillary asked Jake.
He nodded, but couldn't seem to form the words to reply. She could feel that his emotions were all over the place. His heart was racing and her own sped up to match each beat in time.
"Jake," she said softly, "you've got to take a breath and calm down. I'm not going anywhere and I'm not ever going to choose anyone else. You're it for me, you already know that."
He plucked her up from her seat and pulled her onto his lap, burying his face in her hair. His arms trembled slightly around her. There was a very important jewelry box at home and an even more important question he needed to ask her and soon. However, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a significant bracelet. He had worked on it at night in their future home as he thought about their life and future together. He finished it last night in the guest room and decided that he should give it to her.
Pulling back he looked down at his little mate and smiled. Tugging her wrist up with one hand he brought the bracelet up with the other and looked into her eyes for acceptance. Hillary's breath caught seeing the woven and intricately braided bracelet. There were carved beads and charms woven into it, the most prominent being a carved wooden wolf.
"Will you accept this," he asked gruffly.
"I accept this," she said with emotions swirling in her eyes, "and you."
That one phrase added was it for him. His lips crashed down to hers as soon as the bracelet was attached. In the background he heard his sister and Embry explaining the significance of it to the others. Eventually everything else dropped away and there was only the two of them. He felt heat pooling low in his belly and pulled back. It wasn't the time or place.
"Thank you," he said thickly.
"Congratulations!" Rebecca said launching herself to hug the pair.
They weren't engaged, but they were as good as. Kahale grinned and clapped Jake on the back. Embry winked at his pack mate and looked down at Alani shyly. He too would eventually be giving his mate a similar token.
Later that evening Kahale and Chelsea left, once again congratulating Hillary and Jacob. Hillary tugged Jacob back down towards the beach, giving Alani and Embry time alone as well. Jacob sat in the sand and tugged Hillary to sit in between his legs with his arms wrapped around her waist. They sat in silence as they watched the waves rolling to the shore. The sun slowly crossed the sky and they felt content and connected, they felt peace.
"I love you, Jake," Hillary said leaning her head back on his chest while looking up at him.
"I love you too, Hillary, more than you will ever know. I will spend the rest of our lives showing you," he said before leaning down to kiss her.
They sat on the beach until Jake heard Rebecca calling them to come up for dinner. He stood and swung Hillary up in his arms and carried her cradled to his chest back up the path towards his sister's home. Coming to Hawaii was turning out to be one the best decisions he had ever made. Now that he had Hillary, he would never let her go.
Their time in Hawaii passed in a blur. Hillary and Alani took them everywhere they could think of, but also made time to spend with Rebecca and Michael. It was fun and thrilling, but Jacob and Embry knew that they needed to go home. As much as they would love to stay they needed to get back to La Push. Hillary helped them to book their return flight with her. Alani tearfully said good bye to the trio.
Rebecca and Michael promised they would be in La Push for Christmas and offered their home to stay in whenever they returned to Hawaii. Rebecca held Hillary close and smoothed her hair down.
"I'm glad you came," Rebecca said with a smile.
"I am too," Hillary said with a grin. "Thank you both, for everything."
With one last hug, Hillary tugged Embry and Jake towards their terminal. Each of them were checking a large piece of luggage with Alani's belongings with them. Embry offered to store her things at his apartment for her. She shyly accepted and kissed him before he had left. Just six more months until she would be in La Push and at his side again.
Hillary sat sandwiched between the large men on the flight home. Jake lifted the armrest between their seats and tugged her against his side. Soon they were in air and on their way home.