A/N: I hope you enjoy the new chapter! I got sick while I was away so I didn't get to write as much as I would have liked. I promise though that you will get another update by the end of the week.

Twilight = Not Mine

17) It All Comes Crumbling Down

It felt like hours that I just stood their staring out the door waiting for Embry to come back, but he didn't. I would have stayed there all night too if Brook hadn't dragged me over to the couch. She just stayed there rubbing my back and wiping the tears from my eyes. Apparently she was trying to comfort me, waiting til I was ready to talk. The thing is though, I had no idea what to say, I mean what just happened.

Finally I looked up at all the worried faces in the room staring at me, Brook, Leah, Emily, Jared, and Quil. I guess while I was dazed by Embry's sudden departure the rest of the guys must have followed them. Looking at all of them and actually seeing the hurt and fear for me in their eyes, I decided that it was time to talk.

"I know you all want to know how it happened and I promise I will tell you but first you have to tell me something." By the glances they started throwing each others way I knew that they knew what I wanted to know. It was just a matter of which one was going to give in and tell me.

"Sure Ashlynn, what is it?" I could tell by the shaking in Emily's voice that she was just trying to prolong having to explain.

"Why did Embry leave? What did I do?" I could help but cry harder as I said these words. He was so mad when he found out about my scar, but why. What if he didn't want me anymore, what if I was damaged goods? Maybe seeing the horrible scar that covered my whole stomach repulsed him. Just thinking of that caused my heart so much pain I thought I would die right then and there.

Apparently Emily sensed my internal struggle and immediately rushed over to the couch and sat on the other side of me. "Ashlynn I know what you are thinking but I promise you it is not your fault. Embry was just upset, believe it or not he has a hard time in believing that there was a whole part of your life that he wasn't there for. Ever since he met you his world has revolved around you and the thought of you being hurt and him not being able to stop it really bothered him. Embry just needs to calm down a little bit and then he will explain it all to you better than I ever could." Emily tried so hard to say the right things, that goes with out saying. The thing is though, eyes never lie and looking into hers eyes I knew she wasn't telling me everything. It was plain to see the doubt and uncertainty but I didn't tell her that mostly cause I didn't want to admit it myself.

"Thanks Emily, I hope you are right? Do you think he still loves me? What am I saying of course he doesn't, I mean who could love me with this thing." I pointed to my scar just as I noticed a painful look cross Emily's face. "Oh know Emily I didn't mean it like that. You are so much more beautiful then I will ever be and not even a scar can take that away from you. Plus Sam fell in love with you before it even happened and I can tell by the way he looks at you that nothing could ever make him stop loving you. I on the other hand am just an average girl." I was taken aback when Emily started to laugh.

"Sorry Ashlynn I don't mean to laugh at you but you seriously don't see yourself clearly. You are beautiful and if we could have picked any girl in the world for Embry to love it would've been you. You might not see it but trust me the rest of us do, we see it every time he thinks of you, every time he looks at you, even when he says your name. That look that Sam gives me is the same look Embry gives you. If you never trust me on anything else then please trust me on this, nothing, especially that silly scar, could keep Embry away from you." Emily's words started sinking in and I could help but smile. I knew she was right but there was still a small pain tugging away at my heart. I had a feeling though that it wouldn't go away until I got to talk to Embry.

"Thanks Em that means alot." I hugged her then as I wiped away the rest of my undried tears.

"Sorry to interrupt ladies but we really would like to know how you got that scar." Quil startled me, I forgot for a minute that him and Jared were still in the room.

"That's ok Quil, I promised that I would tell you guys and now I will. When I was eight my father took me too the zoo, once a month they would have a special event. It was called Animal of the month in which they would have a special exhibit of different animals around the country that they didn't already have in the zoo. The day that we went the animal was the wolf and I was so excited to go and see them because from movies and pictures that I have seen I knew how beautiful they were. Anyways we were only there for 10 minutes before things started to go wrong. Some how one of the wolves had gotten out of the cage and they weren't able to evacuate emerying out of the building. I was turning around to find my father but when I did I was met by two yellow eyes. I couldn't move, I was too afraid, so I screamed, hoping that daddy would come get me but that is when the wolf attacked." I paused to take a break and let it sink in before I continued.

"One of the animal trainers was able to get him off of me before he was able to do too much damage but I still lost a lot of the blood. So needless to say I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. I had to stay in there for two weeks, at first they couldn't get the bleeding to stop and then the stitches kept tearing. In all I think I had to get a total of about 300 stitches." At those words everyone let out a breath that I didn't even know they were holding.

"Wow Ash I am so sorry we had no idea." I could see in Brook's eyes the tears that were falling.

"It's ok Brook it's not your fault, there was no way you could have known. Besides it's not like I advertised it. It took me two years of nightmares and lots of pills and painkillers to get over it so I try not to talk about it. Honestly though I really am fine now, I haven't had those nightmares for seven years and it stopped hurting after about 7 months." There was no need to tell them that I started having wolf dreams again, not because they would worry but because these ones weren't the same as before. These dreams didn't scare me and wake me up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat.

"Well Ashlynn thanks for telling us, I know it must have been hard for you. Remember though that we are here for you no matter what." Leah never really said much to me before so it felt good hearing something like that from her.

"Thanks Leah and actually it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I trust you guys now and I think of you like family. I had planned on telling you guys, I just wish it had been under better circumstances." Instantly I was bombarded by a giant group hug of everyone in the room. I couldn't help but laugh which lead to an eruption of laughter.

Jared was the first to calm himself down. "So I have to ask, how do you feel about wolves now." I could tell he was trying to make it a joke but there was something else laced in his voice that I couldn't put my finger on.

"Honestly, they terrify me." I swear I thought I heard a couple of sharp intakes of breath but everyone seemed to recover themselves before I could be sure. A couple of seconds later Quil got up and started walking to the door.

"Well I am going to go see if I could find the other guys." Just like that he walked out of the door without any farther explanation. I was really starting to worry now, Embry had been gone for a couple hours now. I know what Emily said but what if she was wrong, maybe Embry really had changed his mind about me.

"Yeah me and Kim are going to head on out now too, it's getting late." With that Jared and Kim walked out of the door leaving just Brook, Emily, Leah and myself.

"Well it's been along night so what do you say we get into some PJs and put in a chick flick and wait for the boys to come home." Brook and I agreed seeing as how we told our aunt we would be staying the night anyways but Leah said she was just going to go home. She had to get up early in the morning for something or other I didn't really pay attention. The truth was ever since he walked out the door I hadn't been able to think about anything but him. From the moment Embry walked into my life I knew he was the one for me, he is my one great love. I needed to see him, to be in his arms, to know that he still loved me too.

"Is The House Bunny ok?" Brook and I both nodded our heads as Emily put it into the DVD player. I have seen this movie before and I didn't really like it but I wanted to watch a movie that I didn't have to pay attention to. Besides it was kinda funny and I need something to make me laugh to keep me from crying.

It was only 10 minutes into the movie when we heard it. The howl of a wolf, although it sounded more like a pained cry. If wolves could have their hearts broken I am willing to bet it would sound like that. I was so startled that I jumped, leaving a worried Brook and Emily just staring at me.

"Ashlynn it's ok the wolves in our woods are good. They have been here far longer than us, we like to think of them as our protectors." I couldn't help but laugh and Emily gave me a confused look.

"Sorry, It's just that you sound like my father. When I was having those nightmares he used to tell me stories about how there are certain wolves that are good wolves. Wolves whose soul job is to keep people safe. Protectors of the people are what he called them." I didn't fail to notice the smile and wink that Emily and my sister shared when they thought I wasn't looking.

"Well maybe our father wasn't such a bad guy after all." Brook joked as she gave me a one armed hug and we settled back into the movie. The movie was just about over when I felt darkness as I fell into a light restless sleep.

I was standing on the beach again with the ocean to my back, staring out into the forest. I heard the crunching of leaves and the cracking of twigs before I saw him. He still had that same luscious dark brown fur with silver spots and those piercing eyes. Those eyes, where do I know those eyes. Only this time I wasn't as afraid of him as he was of me. He just sat there at the edge of the forest with his head resting on his front paws, staring at me as noises that sounded like whimpers escaped his mouth.

For once in my life I didn't want to run, well not away anyways, I wanted to run to him. There was so much in pain in his eyes, those eyes, that I just wanted to comfort him. Those eyes were so familiar, so reassuring, so calm that it made me forget that he was a wolf. Cautiously I started making my way towards him but the closer I got the farther away he got. I was about to open up my mouth and tell him not to be afraid when he got up and rose to his full height. Unsure of what he was going to do I gasped and jumped back startled. There was a heartbreaking look of pain in his eyes as he took in my reaction. Then with out another look he turned and ran into the woods leaving me standing there while an emptiness started to take over my heart.

Tears were falling hard from my eyes as it echoed through the forest. A heart wrenching howl filled the air and with out thinking I started running into the woods. I don't know what I was doing or where I was going but I needed to get to him. For what felt like hours I stumbled through the woods constantly falling over rocks and sticks. It was useless, I was more alone now then ever before, he had left me and I don't know why but it felt like he took my whole world with him.

Too tired to carry on I collapse into the puddle at my feet and willed the pain to go away. I found myself slipping into unconscious as the ground below me began to shake. Before I could panic about what was happening I heard his voice.

"Come on Ash wake up baby. It's ok it's just a bad dream." Slowly I opened my eyes to see the most glorious picture I have ever seen, Embry holding me in his arms. Suddenly everything bad disappeared, there was no longer a tug at my heart, my eyes were done shedding tears. Nothing else matter now that I was back with Embry, the only place in the world that I truly belong.

"Oh Embry where did you go last night? I missed you so much? I thought you left me for good." Embry just slowly shook his head as he pressed his lips to mine. Only this kiss wasn't like any of our other ones, this kiss was a slow, sweet kiss. It almost felt like he was trying to memorize my lips as if he would never feel them again.

"Come on Ash you got to get up so we can get you home. Brook already left with Jake, she said you were tossing and turning all night so when you finally were sound asleep she didn't want to wake you." There was a sadness in Embry's eyes and the tone of voice that made me worry but I knew he would tell me when he was ready. So without waiting any longer I got off the couch, grabbed my bag and slipped on my shoes. We were walking for about 5 minutes hand and hand when Embry finally spoke.

"Ash we need to talk." With those 5 little words my world came crashing down all over again.