CHAPTER 17: IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY
When we arrived at the Clearwaters' house, we were surprised to find Sue's car in the driveway. We all phased back to human, this took Quil a little while longer and Embry chuckled at his predicament. We headed for the front door with Seth unconscious in my arms.
"Why do you think Sue is home?" I asked.
"You've got me." Embry said.
"Unless Sam talked to her." Quil said.
"Oh great, our fearless leader spilled the beans. Great now Sue will want to kill me too." Embry whimpered.
"Wow for such a man, you sure are scarred of women." Quil chuckled and Embry punched him in the shoulder.
"I missed this." I smiled.
"Me too." Quil agreed.
"I didn't miss the know-it-all meat head." Embry muttered.
"Of course you didn't." Quil chuckled.
We got to front door and Sue automatically swung it open and she looked a little crestfallen, till she saw Seth in my arms.
"What happened to my baby?" she cried.
"It's a long story." I said, eyeing Embry.
"Put him on the couch, over there." Sue said.
"Trust me it's better if he is on a table." I said.
"Are you saying my baby has what all the older boys have? He 's only fifteen, I can't lose my husband and my baby!" Sue cried.
"Mrs. Clearwater, Seth won't leave you its okay." Quil assured her.
"If I can ask." I said putting Seth on their dining room table. "Were you waiting for someone?"
"Yes, Sam is coming to check out Leah." Sue said.
"Huh?" I asked, confused and on cue Sam entered.
Sam walked over to the four of us around an unconscious Seth. I stood to face him with Quil and Embry on either side.
"I'm staying right here, till Seth is complete." I told Sam, it was then I realized Jared wasn't there only Paul.
"Jacob what are you…..." Sam asked and then spotted Seth unconscious.
"No, he's so young. Are you sure?" Sam asked.
"He was just like everyone else." I nodded.
"I guess it runs in the family then, I wasn't even here to see him, just Leah." Sam said.
"Why Leah?" I asked and turned to the other side of the room to see an unconscious Leah as well.
"So she got very angry Mrs. Clearwater and then she passed out?" Sam asked her.
"Yes, I hope you can help Billy and Quil said you could." Sue pleaded.
"I'll do everything I can, I didn't believe it was possible but apparently sex doesn't matter either." Sam said.
"Paul, I want you to show Mrs. Clearwater what to expect." Sam ordered him.
"It would better if you sat down" I told her and Sam nodded in agreement.
Sam gave Paul a look and I held Sue's hand tightly as Paul phased into a werewolf. Sue wasn't as shocked as we thought she'd be.
"So the legends are true." Sue said.
"Yes." Sam said.
"So my Leah is becoming a wolf?" Sue asked.
"Not just her." Quil said, looking in Seth's direction.
"Not my baby, no! He's too young to fight vampires!" Sue cried and threw herself over his lifeless body.
"I'm understand you're fear but, when a Quileute is called into duty it does not matter." Sam said.
"Jacob talk some sense into him." Sue pleaded with me.
"I'll keep him on easy missions and if it helps I could have a veteran with him at all times." Sam said.
"So does this mean you're all wolves as well?" Sue asked.
"Yes." Sam said.
"Then Jacob." Sue said.
"If that's what you want, then it will be done." Sam said.
"Alright Jacob once Seth is complete you will train him and be his guard. Understand?" Sam asked.
"Yes." I said.
We had our dinner at the Clearwaters' and eventually we were joined by Jared, Billy and Old Quil. Leah was the first one to regain consciousness and she basically freaked out in all meanings of the word. After she passed out again from the pain, Seth awoke. I ran over to him as quickly as I could.
"Jake is that you?" Seth asked.
"Yes, little bro I'm here. Didn't I promise you?" I asked.
"So, I have what you guys had?" Seth asked.
"Yep, I'm gonna help you through this. Because I want to and your mother and Sam ordered me to." I said.
"It really hurts." Seth cried, tears running down his face.
"It's okay my baby." Sue said, running over and cradling her son's head in her arms.
"Mommy please make it go away!" he screamed in agony.
"Do something, help him!" Sue yelled at my father and Old Quil.
"We did all we can, he has to endure this pain Sue. They all did." Old Quil said.
"But he's just a child; surely you can do something else." Sue pleaded.
"There's nothing more to do. The pain eventually goes away, Sue if we could we would make this easier on them." Billy said.
Suddenly Seth began grunting and moaning, Billy pulled Sue away and she cried as Seth screamed louder than any of us ever had. I guess he was still a kid, I felt guilty. He was the one I didn't want it to happen to the most. He continued to moan in pain and ferociously thrash about and I suddenly made a split second decision. I ran over and pinned down his arms.
"Jacob, what are you doing? Do you know how dangerous that is?" Sam yelled.
"Does it look like I care?" I yelled back.
"Seth open your eyes and look at me. I know you can hear me. I know it hurts, probably worse than anything you've ever experienced before. But you won't feel like this forever I promise. If it hurts again, you squeeze my hands. I know you're stronger than this. Going through this change makes you a man and you'll be able to hang with me and the guys, but don't close your eyes like a scarred child. I know what it feels like, but I'm not leaving till you feel better." I yelled at the kid who idolized me.
Suddenly his eyelids fluttered open and he looked at me in pain and then it changed to determination.
"You okay?" I asked.
"If you can do it, so can I." Seth said and I smiled.
"What's this gonna make you?" I asked him again.
"A man and a man never backs down. My dad always said that." Seth said and squeezed my hand.
"Is it okay, if I scream?" he asked, with a pained look in his eye.
"Men scream, it's okay." I smiled at him and we all cringed as he screamed loudly in pain.
After a couple of hours, he passed out from the overwhelming pain. Everyone fell asleep in the living room, where Leah was resting and I was alone with that little knuckle head kid, who followed me everywhere. Seth's eyes opened and I kneeled beside the table.
"You okay?" I asked him.
"No." he said, fighting back tears.
"You can cry, we all did, I promise it won't make you any less of a man." I said.
"Jake I want it to stop, I keep feeling like I'm going to die." Seth cried.
"You're gonna be okay. I forgot to tell you what you're becoming didn't I?" I asked him.
"I heard the others, when I was unconscious. I'm becoming a wolf?" he asked, puzzled.
"Yeah, a really big wolf, the size may be new to you but you'll have fun. The others do anyway." I sighed.
"Don't you?" Seth asked me.
"Of course." I lied.
"Seriously?" Seth asked, giving me a cut the bullshit face.
"I just don't approve on the temper thing." I said.
"I didn't like being angry." Seth sighed.
"Did I hurt Embry?" he asked.
"You just broke his nose, but he had it coming don't worry." I chuckled.
"That doesn't make me feel any better." Seth sighed.
"You could let him punch you back." I said.
"What?" Seth asked, suddenly horrified.
"Don't worry Embry's all healed. We heal faster as werewolves, so that's not a problem. You did catch him off guard though." I laughed.
"Really, wow." Seth laughed, very proud of himself.
"Remind me not to piss you off." I said.
"Jake it's coming again. I can feel it." Seth whimpered.
"This is probably the last one, it will be the worst and with luck you'll phase." I said.
"Phase?" he asked.
"Turn into a wolf and then you'll be done." I said.
I felt the table shake, similar to Quil's last convulsion. Luckily said best friend woke up and I urged him over. Quil took his left side and me the right.
"Now grab our hands and squeeze and once your claws slice up our hands, it'll all be over." I told Seth and he gulped.
Even though I had only seen it once, it still frightened me to see little Seth shake like he was having a seizure. He screamed bloody murder because I knew from experience it felt like his body was being ripped apart. Then slowly his wolf features appeared and before we knew it, a sandy colored giant wolf had clawed the crap out of our hands and he collapsed. Slowly but surely he phased back to Seth. I lifted him up into my arms and carried him to his bed; finally he could sleep and not be in any more pain.
"Enjoy tomorrow, trainer." Quil chuckled to me.
"Enjoy being Embry's student." I laughed harder at Quil.
"Crap, I forgot." Quil sighed, which made me laugh harder.
Hope you guys enjoyed. I really wanted to emphasize the Seth and Jacob relationship. I'll probably do one or two more chapters, before the confrontation scene at the end of New Moon and then it's on to Eclipse. I hope you guys enjoyed. Peace to the individuals of the World!
~Con