A/N: Okay, here's chapter two from Seth's POV. I'm not sure how well I'm doing with his character - it's kind of tricky to write someone who's both thirty-one and stuck at somewhere between fourteen and twenty physically and mentally. Thank you to everyone who read and alerted, and a cookie to RoxyLo, who reviewed. :)

I also wanted to make one thing clear before the story goes any further: this is NOT an anti-Jake story. And, although my feelings on the Jake/Nessie pairing aren't exactly friendly, it's not an attack on that pairing, either. Whatever my fandom feelings toward the character, I try to leave those behind when I'm writing. Jake's not going to be left out in the cold while everyone else rides off into the sunset, and he's not going to be some pedophilic, abusive monster either. I only wanted to bring this up now because after the beginning of the chapter, some people might get the wrong idea. I didn't want anyone closing out of the window convinced that this is just another "Jake rapes Bella/kills Edward/ruins everyone's lives" fic.

steps down from soap box Now that that's over with, I hope ya'll enjoy the chapter!

It's a lot easier to be lost than found. It's the reason we're always searching, and rarely discovered - so many locks, not enough keys.

- Lock and Key

Chapter Two

I'm patrolling the north edge of the forest and ignoring Leah's latest snit when Jacob phases.

I feel it immediately: hurt. Disbelief. Shock. Rage. We both do. He's not thinking clearly, hasn't been thinking clearly since the wedding, really, and now it's all getting ready to come out in one explosive act of violence. The whole gruesome birth scene is playing on a loop in his head until he's seeing red and Leah is yelping in pain. Jake is skulking across the living room floor, his eyes fixed on the target and murder on his mind.

I'll kill her. I'll kill her.

Wait, Jake, WAIT! I yell, hoping desperately that he'll listen. I abandon the perimeter when he keeps moving forward, knowing that even the threat of the entire pack attacking isn't as dangerous as Jake killing Bella and Edward's baby would be. Leah is shouting something at him, too, trying desperately to distract him, hold him off, anything to keep him from starting a war with the vampires.

This is not happening, I think, Jake can't be about to do this.

Then:

Then, I'm looking at Renesmee through Jacob's eyes, and gravity is uprooted so abruptly that I'm keening, struggling not to collapse on all fours and cling to the earth for anchorage. The baby, the baby girl with Bella's eyes and Edward's nose and a bottle of blood nestled against her lips, is looking up at me/him/Leah so innocently and trustingly that my/his/her whole being is coiling to protect her.

My stomach is lurching and my limbs are shaking and, oh God, I can feel what Jacob is feeling and he's feeling like this baby that he's considered Bella's death sentence and the worst of the leeches for so long is now his only reason in the world to keep hanging on. Nothing exists but her soft, unblemished skin and pure brown eyes; nothing matters but the tiny crease in those perfect, almost invisible eyebrows as she tries to plead with him/me.

And Jacob is thinking that she's choking on that thick red blood, that they're poisoning her the way they poisoned her mother and that she's saying, Help, please, get me out of here.

But the imprinting is over. My mind is starting to become my own again, and through Jacob's stormy emotions and Leah's knee-jerk disgust at this earth-shattering development I realize that Renesmee's not scared of Rosalie at all. She's afraid of him.

Jacob, who is in wolf form and was growling menacingly at her just seconds ago. Jacob, who is now snarling at her godmother, teeth exposed and body poised to leap.

Then Emmett and Jasper and Alice are barreling in through the door, and quicker than I/Leah/Jake can blink, quicker than anything can be done to stop him, Emmett, who has recognized the danger to his mate, is crashing into me/Leah/Jacob and fighting like his life depends on it (and maybe it does).

I have tunnel vision, only able to see Jacob's view of Emmett as the two of them fight and the unbeaten trail underneath my feet. Faster, I think, faster – and then, why aren't the rest of them doing anything?

A howl goes up somewhere, and suddenly I'm aware of the other, larger pack coming out of their hiding place a few miles off from the Cullen's house and beating a quick path toward Jacob and Renesmee. My brothers getting ready to attack my leader. Leah and I both turn and move toward them: we protect our Alpha first and foremost, but it's our job to protect his imprint as well. The thought – that that's what Bella's baby is, now, and that that's the reason why this fight can't happen, can't get any bigger – makes me sick for some reason I don't understand.

We burst out from opposite ends of the clearing, coming face to face with the rest of the wolves. I wish I could say something, tell them why they can't come any further, why they can't make this crappy situation even worse, but they're not in my head anymore and phasing right now isn't safe; so instead I join Leah and make a small, pathetic barrier between them and their targets.

Then Paul is coming straight at me, teeth bared, foreleg raised like he's going to swing –

:o:o:

Seth ripped through the woods with rapidly increasing agitation. Twigs and branches snapped under his paws and the small, nocturnal wildlife skittered away from him as his determined beeline took him into ever thicker foliage and underbrush. His quick movements sprayed lines of icy snow into the surrounding trees.

You're getting reckless, he thought, and tried to coach himself into some semblance of stealth. It shouldn't have been very hard – in his wolf form he was naturally graceful. It seemed, though, that his refusal to scream his way out of his nightmares had translated into a fierce need to make as much noise as possible now that he was awake. His heart pounded frantically, his lips curling into a snarl as his animal instincts reacted to the recognition of an invisible threat.

Finally, his movements slowed and quieted. His pell-mell run shifted into a lighter, less taxing one and his tail twitched as the muscles in his back relaxed. With the forest sounds ringing in his ears and his every hair on end, he felt a rare and peaceful communion with his wolf side. For a moment the years and miles had melted away and he was back at home, simply going for a late-night run with his prickly older sister.

Seth gave a short, joyful bark as he picked up the trail of a small but tasty animal, and within seconds he was noiselessly creeping toward his prey. Just a little… bit…

Hey, hot stuff, get back into your Levis. Collin and Quil are picking up patrol in fifteen minutes.

With a beautifully estimated leap, Seth pounced on the helpless creature and gently broke its neck. Yes! He growled happily before tucking into his late-night snack.

Ugh. You couldn't wait twenty minutes and toss a burrito in the microwave?

Leah's alert, condescending voice broke into his thoughtless munching and he heaved a great, soundless sigh. No, I couldn't. All that running made me hungry.

Yeah, I'd probably be pretty hungry too if I was trying to jump out of my pelt.

As the last remnants of meat disappeared he turned his attention to cleaning his forepaws. Rest in peace, little rabbit. You've contributed to a worthy cause.

Since when is feeding your gluttony a worthy cause?

A groan rumbled in Seth's throat, transformed into a snarl by his vocal chords. You're not usually this annoying.

It was a long day. I had to cover for Embry when his wife decided to go into labor, and Emily called to tell me that she and Kim are dragging me over to Quil's place tomorrow so we can coo over bridal crap with Claire and the leech.

He stiffened at the mention of Renesmee. There was a quick, sharp pull in his chest at the memories conjured: Bella, pregnant and half dead; Edward, wild-eyed and desperate; the two of them holding each other the many times they'd 'heard' their daughter. Even the scorn in Leah's voice and the dismissive name she used didn't cut through her obvious affection for the last remaining member of the Cullen clan.

– "Seth, stay with Bella! You have to stay with Bella!" –

With a few long breaths, he rose to all fours and started back through the woods. How is she? he asked softly.

There was nearly a minute of silence in which only Leah's mental presence came through. Then her voice picked up, monotone and sarcastic as ever. She's peachy. She hit sixteen last week, and Jacob's self-imposed monkitude is now officially over. He's practically beside himself with joy.

Seth's ears flattened at the implication in her tone. He felt an almost familial surge of protection. So they haven't told her anything?

Not yet. Jake says he's just waiting until the time is right, whenever the hell that's supposed to be. Naomi and Eric are starting to get antsy, though. They thought the cat would be out of the bag as soon as her birthday was over.

Before he could stop it another growl was ripping through his chest. His stride quickened as he tried to beat out the sudden increase of aggression. It's not my problem anymore, he reminded himself. Her parents love her. And Jake wouldn't hurt his own imprint.

Leah answered his comments as if they had been addressed to her, the bond in their head suddenly quieting to a near-inaudible string of thought. She's okay, Seth. Happy. Claire and Erin love her like you wouldn't believe. She's got good parents. The pack considers her a little sister. Even if she leaves Jake, she's not going to be alone.

You really think she will?

I… her thoughts stopped mid-train. Something between a whine and a yelp escaped his throat; he had the nagging suspicion that whatever she was about to say had been brewing for awhile. A moment later her voice resumed in quick, jumbled spurts. Look, Seth, you know that His Highness has ordered me to keep my mouth shut. But she's been getting restless lately, and I think… all I'm saying is, maybe you should come home. It might not be as hard for her to hear the truth from a stranger.

His spine stiffened. Even if he'd never met her, even if he'd been gone for years, he still couldn't make himself believe that he was a stranger. He had been the one willing to leave his pack to protect her and her family. He had been the one to sit by Bella when she got cold and the one to talk to Edward when he got too tense. He was the one Edward had –

Seth… it wasn't your fault. The sisterly lilt to her mind-voice was so rarely heard that it almost had him turning around, expecting to find Leah standing right behind him in wolf form. As voices and memories crowded his head, he tried to hone in on her presence in his mind and push everything else back.

I know. I just… The image he'd woken to flashed across his mind and he reared back and let out a long, piercing howl.

God, will you stop thinking about that?! I can hardly look at Nessie anymore without seeing that room.

He hung his giant head in guilt. Sorry, Lee Lee.

It's not your fault. Jacob thinks about it, too. But Seth… it's been sixteen years. Maybe it's time to come home.

Despite the promise he had made to himself, for a moment Seth thought about it. For most of the wolves phasing had been a curse. For him it had been completion – proof that he finally belonged somewhere, was a part of something greater than himself. He'd been willing to follow Sam and Jacob to the ends of the earth if they asked it of him, to put himself in a situation he probably wouldn't live through if that was what was needed. Not being near his brothers, both physically and spiritually, was a wound almost as deep as his reasons for leaving in the first place. And he missed his human family, too: his father's mother, who had been the quiet presence in the house after his dad's death, and his mother, who still refused to talk to him. His sister, the only one who had fought for him and the only one who he had any sort of contact with, was the one he missed most.

I can't come back. Alpha's orders.

Leah snarled impatiently. You leave Jacob to me.

He exhaled noisily. I still can't come back. I'm sorry.

What the hell is wrong with you, Seth? Do you have any idea how much this is hurting mom? Her goddamn husband thinks that he's the reason you're gone, and of course that means that he's always looking for leads on your whereabouts and putting out missing persons notices. You think it bad when Jake disappeared years ago? This is ten times worse. And mom –

The same mom who won't even take my calls? he interrupted. Seth pushed his paws into the ground harder than necessary as he felt the familiar trickle of annoyance and pain.

You know mom. She's convinced that if she ignores you long enough, you'll have to come back. She bawls every year on your birthday.

Crap. Leah was good, and she knew it. His heart stuttered at the thought of his mom, who hadn't even cried at his father's funeral, crying over him. It made him feel like the kicked puppy his sister always accused him of being, and with a soft growl he acknowledged that the guilt trip she'd been laying was working.

Besides, what about me? Not only do I have to deal with Jacob and his panting after a soul mate that isn't even legal but I also get the shitty job of playing go-between with the rest of the pack. It doesn't help that once I finally get an imprint he can't –

You imprinted? Seth broke off from his focused run, bounding through the trees in excitement. Man, I can't believe you didn't tell me! What is he like? Where did you meet him? Have you told the pack about him yet? Have you told him about the pack? Is he –

Calm down, Seth! And no, I haven't told him anything yet. He tried to pick me up at a bar – Leah's voice became pained – I turned around, and he just… ah. Her voice turned smug. But I told him to go fuck himself when he asked me out on a date.

He made a high-pitched sound of distress. Leave it to Leah to purposely shoot down the one person who probably wasn't naturally scared out of their mind by her. You just told him to… do that… and then let him leave? What the heck, Leah?

Oh, relax. He told me I was full of shit, and we're going out tomorrow night. Only because it was that or a bonfire with all the other furballs, though. If he doesn't screw things up irredeemably, and that's a big if, maybe I'll let him call me.

An image of a tall man – Seth guessed he was probably over six feet – with black hair and eyes and slightly Middle Eastern features flashed into Seth's head. Leah's satisfaction and lust (ugh) were palpable. Still, even with the awkwardness of having to feel his sister's overpowering love, resentment, panic, and less than innocent appreciation for her imprint, he couldn't help but be glad that she'd found someone. Just because she could take care of herself didn't mean she should have to. You could be taking care of her if you were with the pack – where you belong, a small, wheedling voice in his head taunted him.

She spoke again, softly and sounding much more sincere than before. This is really big for me, Seth. I mean, I'm not going starry-eyed or expecting true love, but I just never thought that this was a possibility. Now that I know it is, I'm not sure how I'm going to do this without screwing up. I haven't told any of the guys yet, and when I tell Quinn I'd really like it if you were there to meet him. Or, you know, serve as a punching bag if he turns out to be a huge pansy and catches the next bus out of town.

That won't happen, Lee Lee, he thought firmly. Imprinting is forever. He slowed as the small house he lived in came into view.

A brief, unsettling disturbance rippled through their mental link, and he could almost feel the set-in of her dark mood. Is it? Before he could answer, she reminded him that Quil and Collin were taking over for her in five minutes.

Okay, he thought glumly. I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow?

Unless my date goes really well.

He shuddered at the implications, spouting off a mental 'yuck' and making sure it reached her. He felt a quick stab of loneliness as he got ready to phase.

Bye, Leah.

See ya soon, little brother.

With that, he let his wolf instincts wane and felt his body shifting and reforming as he took human form once more. The Alaskan winter sent a faintly noticeable chill up his back, and he made his way quickly to the open garage and the pair of pajama pants he'd left on the bench. Seth groaned when he caught sight of the clock and realized that he only had two hours before he had to be up for work; three, if he was lazy.

The run had exhausted him, and his nightmares, once cut off, thankfully left him alone. As he climbed into bed and shifted onto his back, though, it wasn't Edward or Bella's voice that he heard. It was his sister's, grim and contemplative, as she questioned the one bond they'd been led to believe was unbreakable. His easy acceptance of everything werewolf and his need for sleep were hard to counteract, though, and even his sister's guilt trips and general moodiness weren't enough to keep him tossing and turning for more than a minute. Seth slept peacefully through the remainder of the night.