A/N: For a change of pace, here is Bella's POV.

Terror gripped me as I got into the car with Sam and two other members of his pack. Forcing myself to walk away from Edward, not knowing if I'd ever see him again, was the hardest thing I'd ever done. Despite his reassurances, and those of his friends and family, I was afraid of any of them getting hurt...or worse. My entire body ached as the distance between us grew.

Sam gave me a warm smile and a knowing look. Edward had explained about the wolves and imprinting. He'd shared the discussion he and Sam had when they met. Sam and Emily were a lot like me and Edward, and I did feel comfortable around him. The other two Quileutes in the car were a whole other story though. The one who couldn't stop glaring and scowling at me was Paul. I thought he was going to punch me the first time he looked at me. His stare was intense and I was waiting for him to lash out at me. Jared, the other one, wasn't exactly happy either, but he wasn't trying to bore holes through me with his eyes.

Turning my gaze to the lush green blur that was flying by my window, I remembered when I first moved here. Who knew that these forests were full of supernatural creatures, and that I would be the one human to discover them? Was it fate that brought me here, or just chance? The familiar roads to La Push reminded me of Jacob, my childhood friend. He was just a boy, even now, though he was nearly seven feet tall and looked as if he stepped right out of a body building competition. He was the one that helped me connect the dots with the legends of his tribe. It was hard to reconcile the carefree boy with the jaded wolf who hunted and killed vampires. Part of me wanted to see him again, to talk about everything with my friend, but I couldn't forget the obsession that led him to hunt me down and kidnap me. This new Jacob scared me. He could hurt Edward, or any of the Cullens, and he had the motivation to do so. He wanted to possess me. I hoped he'd gotten over it and moved on. I wished that he'd find happiness with someone who could love him like he deserved to be loved.

We drove past the familiar house where Charlie's best friend and his son lived. My heart clenched with nostalgia. I longed for simpler times and wished Edward was just a boy, and I was a just a girl, and the world was safe from supernatural creatures that should only exist in legends.

The car stopped at another small house, but it was beautifully quaint. The personal touches on the roughly hewn wood porch let everyone know this home was filled with love. Paul slammed the door to the car and stormed off. Jared jogged off after him. Sam and I sat in the car for a moment before he turned to me.

"It hurts, doesn't it? Being this far away from him?" He asked with a gentle smile.

I nodded and bit my lip in order to hold back the tears that threatened to spill over. My hand had been absently massaging my chest, trying to relieve the ache. Movement on the front porch caught Sam's eye and his face split into a huge grin as he laid eyes on the beautiful woman I assumed was Emily. His whole countenance lit up at the sight of her.

"Let's go in, Emily's been wanting to meet you." He unfolded himself from the car, much more gracefully than a man his size should have been able to. Within seconds they were in each others' arms and sharing a kiss so intense I had to look away. I fiddled with my bag, minding my own business until Sam called out to me.

"Bella, come over here and meet Emily." He gestured for me to join them and once I did, she reached out and grasped my wrists, squeezing gently.

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Bella. I hope you'll be comfortable here and if you need anything, please don't hesitate to let me know." Her voice was like warm honey, just like her smile, even though half her face was marred by three long, jagged scars. I was thankful that Edward had filled me in on their story so that I didn't embarrass anyone with my curiosity.

"Thank you, Emily. I'll try not to get in the way." I offered her a small smile, even though I had very little reason to smile at the moment.

"None of that, now. Let's go get you settled." She let me into the house and down the hall to the small guestroom. A crib was crammed into the corner of the room, the full size bed taking up most of the room. I gasped and wheeled around with my eyes locked on her belly.

"Are you?" I asked.

Emily's entire face lit up and she nodded in confirmation. "We just found out." She crossed the room to stroke the antique crib lovingly and let out a little laugh. "I suppose half the reservation has slept in this at some point. They just keep passing it from family to family."

"Oh wow, that's pretty neat."

Her smile grew even wider. "Yes it is. We may not have much..." She trailed off.

"But you have everything you need and your home is filled with love." I understood. Though the Cullens' resources came in handy, there was something to say for making the best of what you had. I'd never had much in material goods when I lived with my mother, but there was unconditional love. I hoped Emily wasn't feeling embarrassed about her home. I thought it was beautiful and told her so. She blushed and headed for the door.

"I'll leave you to get settled. Come and join us in the living room when you're ready." She paused. "And Bella? I'm sure everything is going to work out just fine. They know what they're doing."

I bit my lip again to keep from letting out a sob and nodded. Despite the fact that these people were the sworn enemies of my adopted family, I had a feeling that Emily and I had a lot in common. Falling in love with supernatural creatures was not something that happened to your average human.

After taking some time to calm down, I tried to push my fear for my family's life to the back of my mind. Yoga pants were always comfortable, even when they came with expensive designer labels, so I changed into a pair of those and one of Edward's t-shirts, needing his scent surrounding me. The murmur of voices reached me down the short hallway and I found Emily and Sam in the kitchen, working together on dinner. They orbited around one another, anticipating each others' needs. I couldn't help but smile. I knew what it was like to find your one and only.

Sam of course heard my approach and greeted me with a smile of his own. His brown eyes twinkled as he wrapped his arms around Emily's waist, resting his hands over her womb. She blushed and grinned and swatted playfully at him for embarrassing her in front of a guest. "We're glad to have you here, Bella. I know our last meeting wasn't under the best of circumstances, and I will always be sorry for what we did. We had no idea of what truly occurred and I'm afraid we let our prejudices, and Jacob, persuade us into action. I hope you'll forgive me."

His sincere words warmed my heart. Maybe there was hope that this ridiculous feud between the two groups could be ended. I waved dismissively. "Don't worry about it Sam. I do forgive you, and I forgive Jacob. I know you were only acting out of concern. Also, I don't think I ever got a chance to thank you for finding me in the woods that day and taking me home to Charlie."

"Just doing my job, Bella. You know your father, and by extension, you, are considered friends of the tribe. We would do whatever it takes to protect you both."

"I appreciate that, Sam. I really do. Seems I need a lot more protecting that your average human too." I joked weakly.

Sam's face turned serious for a moment. "He does treat you right, doesn't he?"

I thought about being offended for about three seconds, before I recognized he was only asking out of brotherly concern. For some reason, I brought out the protectiveness in those around me, probably because of my innate ability to attract trouble like a magnet. "Oh yes. He's never hurt me, Sam, intentionally or otherwise. They are truly good people. Your ancestors were right to trust them." I blushed then, and held out my left hand. It's not like I'd been able to share our engagement with anyone. Alice had seen it all before it ever happened and shared with the rest of the family as it was happening. Sam's eyes widened when he saw the ring, and then his face settled into a satisfied smile. Emily wriggled out of his arms in order to get a closer look. She didn't squeal like girls in the movies do, but gently took my hand and grinned up at me.

"It's beautiful. I wish you both every happiness."

"Thank you, Emily."

"That's all good to hear. If you ever need us for anything, please don't hesitate to ask." Sam turned back to the stove after I nodded.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked.

"Oh heavens no. You're a guest, Bella. Why don't you take a seat and relax." Emily pointed to a chair at the table and returned to her dance with Sam as they finished up with dinner.

"It smells wonderful." I felt awkward sitting there and doing nothing while they both cooked, but it appeared as if they enjoyed this routine. I briefly wondered what it would be like to hunt with Edward. If we would share the same type of ease with each other.

"Thank you. It's some venison Sam brought home." She placed a plate of fresh bread shaped like pitas on the table and Sam brought over the stew. "Hope that's okay?"

I nodded as my stomach grumbled, letting me know exactly how hungry I was. "Sounds good."

We chatted about inconsequential things while we ate. The fresh bread and stew made for a simple but hearty and delicious meal. Emily and I both devoured our one bowl, and I watched somewhat appalled at the amount of food Sam was able to put away. She chuckled at my shocked expression when he scraped the bottom of the pot for his fourth bowl and gently rested her hand on my arm. "It's the wolf genes. Their metabolism burns through food so quickly. You should see it when they all get together. They eat us out of house and home." Sam gave us a wolfish grin and winked, before shoving another piece of bread in his mouth.

I was surprised by how gracious my hosts were. They'd treated me with nothing but respect and kindness. I certainly hadn't expected this level warmth and acceptance. From what I'd experienced that day in the woods between the two factions, I guess I expected them to merely tolerate my presence, not welcome me with open arms.

Sam insisted on cleaning up the dishes, and with a loving caress to Emily's womb, he sent us to the living room to relax.

"I don't usually watch television unless the guys are over for a game, but if you want to find something to watch, feel free." She offered me the remote, but I declined.

"That's okay. I'd rather enjoy the peace and quiet. There's always some level of noise at our house because Emmett is watching something or playing video games in the living room. If, by some miracle, the television is off, then there's music playing. I can't imagine how much worse it's going to be with vampire hearing..." My hand instantly covered my mouth, shocked that I'd let something like that slip, and I waited for an explosion from either of them.

Emily's eyes widened slightly, and she looked over at Sam who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest and a small smirk. "I gave them permission to change you."

"Why? You hate them."

The couple exchanged a look and Sam came to sit down next to Emily. "You're right. We do hate vampires. It's what we are, and we can't help it. When vampires moved into the area, the wolf gene that had laid dormant for a couple generations, was reawakened. We are the protectors. The young men in the tribe take the form of the wolf so we can protect our people from the Cold Ones." He paused and grimaced before lovingly running his fingers over Emily's scarred cheek. "I was the first." Sam's entire being rippled unnaturally and Emily grasped his hands tightly.

"I had no idea what had happened to me when it occurred. I though I'd gone insane. It took me two weeks to calm down enough to phase back. Everyone had been looking for me. My mother and Leah had called the forest rangers and the police. When I finally found my way back, I couldn't bring myself to talk to anyone about what had happened. They would have all thought I was crazy, or on drugs." He snorted. "Turns out they assumed that I was up to no good anyway. Leah was so angry with me..." Sam looked up, his brow furrowed. "We were high school sweethearts, Leah and I. I loved her with everything I had."

Hurt flashed across both their faces. "She's my cousin, but we grew up like sisters." Emily added.

I knew the confusion was evident on my face. "I'll explain it all." Sam assured me. "Old Quil came to visit one day and when I shook his hand, he nearly had a stroke. He quickly convened a meeting among the elders who remembered. The fact that my skin was so hot was a dead giveaway about my condition. Mr. Ateara, Billy, and Harry had actually seen their grandfathers phase. I finally had an explanation. I knew what I was and what my purpose was." He sighed. "I also knew others would be joining me, so I waited. I wanted to be there for them so they didn't have to go through the terror that I experienced. All of this, of course, had to be kept a secret. I couldn't even tell my mother, or Leah. Things were rough, but we were working them out. I loved her...so much."

Emily discreetly wiped a tear from her cheek and squeezed his hand once more in a silent show of support.

"One day Emily came to visit. The moment I laid eyes on her, my entire world shifted. She was all I could see. I'd heard the legends about imprinting, but never thought it would happen to me."

"Imprinting?" I blurted out, my curiosity causing me to rudely interrupt him. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize. It's something that's been known to happen to our kind. Apparently the wolf in us recognizes the one person who completes us. A soul mate, if you will. Once we meet them, it's permanent and irreversible. Nothing else matters and they come before all others. I loved Leah, but I imprinted on Emily. Being away from her physically hurts." He winced, as if remembering first hand.

"They were both so angry with me. Emily refused to pay me any attention because I'd hurt her cousin so deeply. I couldn't stay away from her. I followed her around like a lost puppy, just needing to be near her. She wouldn't even talk to me. The whole reservation was up in arms at what I scoundrel I was. Then one day, Emily finally agreed to go for a walk with me so we could talk. It turned into an argument, and I lost control. Emily was too close." Sam's eyes glistened with tears as he once more stroked her cheek. She dipped her head, her long hair shielding her face from us. "I've never been so heartsick in my entire life. The thought that I'd hurt the one person I needed more than anything tore me apart. I truly lost it then, rarely coming home. I chose to spend my days in wolf form running through the forests and avoiding everyone. They all thought the worst of me as it was. Being away from her felt like someone had ripped my heart out of my chest. The pain...the ache...was unbearable. But I felt I deserved it for the pain I'd caused her and Leah." He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, not wanting to cry in front of me. "It was Emily who tracked me down. She stalked after me in the woods and demanded I phase back so we could talk. She was so beautiful and fierce, even with the angry red gashes I'd caused marring her face. The next thing I knew, she was comforting me. She was exactly what I needed, and always will be." Sam kissed Emily's cheek and then pushed himself off the couch with a huff. He was trying to shake off his emotions. I hid a smile at how tender this hulking man-wolf could be.

"When we are in our wolf form, we share one mind. Much like your mind reader, we can all hear the thoughts of one another. It's our form of communication since we obviously can't talk. When Jacob phased, he learned that all of the legends were true. He found out the truth about the Cullens. Paul thought of the scene at the river, and Jake nearly went mad with rage. He swore they had either kidnapped or killed you. So he spent all his time trying to track them and, well, you know the rest of that story. I still am so sorry that I allowed it, but we really didn't know what to think at that time. When I got home, Emily and I talked. She helped me see that we weren't so different than your vampires."

A sound of disbelief escaped me. "You really see similarities there?"

He nodded solemnly. "We were all thrust into the supernatural life without anyone asking if it was what we wanted. Our lives were all irrevocably changed, and we've all had to learn to deal with those changes. We have had to learn to control our phasing just as your vampires learned to control their bloodlust. We both have superhuman speed and strength and still have to fit in with the humans to hide our secrets. I could go on, but I'm sure you get the idea."

I nodded, unsure of where he was going with this, but relieved that he seemed reasonable about the whole vampire thing.

"I didn't ask to fall in love with Emily. That choice was taken from me because of what I am. But I do love her, more than anything. Being away from her hurts. It seems this is something else we have in common. Not that we've discussed it at length, but I know both you and Edward suffered the same kind of crippling pain when you were apart. That night I found you in the woods, you were nothing more than a shell. Knowing what you planned..." Sam swallowed thickly and I winced at the memory. We avoided each others' eyes. "I know that kind of pain. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy." The corner of his mouth pulled up into a small smirk. "It's as obvious to me as it must be to the rest of your family that you two are mates. You complete each other, and if this is the life you want, it is not my right to stand in the way. If someone tried to keep me away from Emily, I'd rather die than suffer that kind of agony. The treaty was written up the way it was in order to force the Cullens to keep their word that they wouldn't feed on humans. While, yes they have to bite you in order to change you, it's not the same. It's a technicality that some of the pack wish to enforce, but I refuse to keep you two apart over semantics. It's not fair for him to watch you grow old and infirm while he remains frozen as he is for eternity. He doesn't have the option we do."

"What do you mean?"

"Surely you've noticed some of us are unusually large for our ages?"

I nodded. "Jake's just sixteen, but he looks like an adult."

"Right. See, when the gene is triggered, we go through one hell of a growth spurt. Within a matter of weeks, we reach our full potential. Then we stop aging."

"What?" I blurted out, disbelieving. Werewolves were immortal too? I shook my head at the fact that I was surrounded by supernatural creatures who never aged, while every day I moved nearer to my death. At least I had the promise that Edward would change me, and soon. At least now he wanted it as much as I did.

"As long as we are phasing, we do not age. However, unlike your vampires, we have the option to stop phasing. Once we have enough control to do so, we begin to age again."

Emily laughed softly as I stared at him, gaping.

"So, you see, it's possible for me remain like this eternally and be forced to watch Emily grow old before my eyes. There is no way for me to make her like me – virtually indestructible and forever young. Thankfully, there is a way to unfreeze my body, so that I can spend the rest of my life growing old by her side. Edward doesn't have that option, but there is another way. He can make you like him, as long as he has the control. If this is what you want, I will support your decision."

I stood up and embraced him quickly. His skin was scorching hot, such a contrast from the icy cold touch of my vampire family. He towered over me and I had to crane my neck to look up to him. "Thank you. Thank you for understanding. This is what I want. I want to be with him, as one of them, for eternity. He deserves this happiness and we'll always be grateful to you for accepting our decision."

Sam gave me a quick grin and nodded. "Just...be careful. I mean, he can do this without killing you, right?"

I bristled at the implication and narrowed my eyes. "If anyone has the control to do it, Edward does. If not him, then Carlisle. You know his reputation."

"Sorry, we're just led to believe that when there is blood, they can't stop the feeding frenzy..."

"Do you know what happened to me in Phoenix?" My voice came out sharper than I intended.

"Well, no. Billy assumed they had hurt you in some way. I mean, you went out with the guy once, then came home and argued with Charlie, telling him you were leaving Forks. Next thing we heard was that you were in the hospital and had nearly died after losing a large amount of blood. We all made assumptions, but none of us knew what really happened."

"There were three nomad vampires in the area at that time. Surely you remember the animal attacks?"

"Of course. I'd caught their scent a few times, but was never able to track them down."

"I never even thought about you being out there, sorry. Well they were leaving town, but heard the Cullens playing baseball and decided to check it out. It was there that James, one of the males, decided he was in the mood for a game, and I was the prize." I told them both about how we made up a convincing story so that I could leave and keep Charlie safe. I described how the entire family worked together in order to try to take out the other vampires. Emily gasped when I explained how I evaded Jasper and Alice in order to go save my mother from James. Sam growled and shuddered with rage as I told them what he did to me in the ballet studio.

"He bit you?" Emily cried out.

"Yeah." I showed them my scar.

"But, you're still...you..." Sam stuttered.

"That's why you don't have to worry about Edward accidentally going too far. He could have let me go through the change, or he could have sucked the venom out."

A heavy silence fell on the room as they both considered what I had said. Both their faces wore expressions of disbelief and maybe a little bit of awe.

Sam's face shifted into one of determination. "He truly loves you and I give you both my blessing. Not that it would have mattered if I didn't." He winked as a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "For what it's worth...and I know you probably don't remember much of your time here from when you were a kid...but the tribe has always considered you and Charlie as our own. We'll take care of him, Bella."

A sudden surge of emotion brought tears to my eyes. My visits to Forks were so few and far between when I was younger, but I did have a vague recollection of playing with some of the kids on the beach. I couldn't tell you exactly who they were, but apparently they remembered me. Knowing the pack, and the tribe, would continue to watch over Charlie for me was the best gift I'd ever received.

"Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me."

Sam gave me a kind smile and then turned to Emily. "I have to meet with the pack now. We'll be on patrol until this is over, but there will always be someone here watching in case anything happens. I haven't assigned Jacob a shift, so you won't have to see him." I whispered my thanks and he nodded before heading to his bedroom. Emily blushed and then followed him.

I couldn't help but giggle, knowing they needed a little privacy, and turned on the television so they wouldn't have to worry about me overhearing anything. Twenty minutes into a show about Alaskan fisherman trying to catch crabs while battling treacherous seas, they finally emerged. I had been musing about vampires taking over dangerous jobs like those and Sam's sudden presence beside me actually made me jump. For such a large guy, he certainly moved silently.

"I'm going to head out now, Bella. Try to get some sleep. We've got you and Charlie covered, and your vampires are going to take out Victoria and her army. It will all be over soon." His hot, heavy hand rested on my shoulder for a moment, patting it affectionately.

"Be careful." I pleaded, wracked with guilt that he was in danger because of me. If anything happened to him, I'd never forgive myself for taking Emily's husband and her baby's father away from them.

"Always am." Sam replied curtly, and with one last kiss to her lips, he left. Emily shut the door behind him, but didn't lock it. I started to mention it, but then realized that the only creatures we needed to be afraid of, wouldn't be stopped by a locked door.

Emily rested her hand against the door for a moment, no doubt worrying about Sam, but then turned to me with a warm smile. "Girl's night!" She giggled. I'd barely known this woman for a day and she was treating me as if I was one of her best friends. It felt nice. She hurried into the kitchen and emerged with her arms full of snacks. "There's ice cream in the freezer and popcorn for the microwave if you want it, but I figured this would be enough." Emily unloaded bags of chips and candy on the table in front of the couch. When she saw my wide eyes at the amount of junk, she blushed. "Yeah I know, but you wouldn't believe how hungry I've been. Why don't you pick out a movie."

I headed over to the shelves to find something to watch as she opened a bag of candy and dug in. Not really caring what we watched, I put on an oldie but goodie and joined Emily on the couch.

It seemed neither one of us was in the mood for a movie and she turned to me with a serious expression. "Sam is a good man." I opened my mouth to tell her I never thought otherwise, but she continued. "He's been through a lot, and this whole wolf thing has been really hard on him. At first, he couldn't help but be bitter towards the Cullens, since it was their presence that caused him to lose everything he'd planned for. You have to understand that all he knew were the legends and what the elders told him. He never took the time to get to know any of them. He wasn't there when his ancestors made the treaty. So, of course, in his mind they were the enemy." She paused and poured a handful of candy into her mouth. I waited patiently while she ate. "Sorry." I waved her off. "When he came back from Jacob's rescue attempt, he felt so guilty, Bella. Once he heard your side of the story and saw how much Edward cared for you, he felt awful for trying to take you away. He was conflicted for a while – battling between the ingrained hatred he thought he should feel, and the knowledge that they weren't so different after all. After a couple of days, I convinced him to talk to me. He actually broke down when he thought about how much they had been forced to give up after they were changed without any choice in the matter. His outlook on his own life brightened after that, and he's been so much happier."

"Good. You both deserve to be happy. Every path has it's sacrifices, and it is unfair that none of the pack or the Cullens had a choice. I do have a choice, and I know what I want. It's nice to know you two accept that."

"You're a reasonable person, Bella, and I know you haven't made the decision lightly. You know what you're going to be giving up and while I'm sure there will be some unexpected issues, you'll be better adjusted because you know what you're getting into." Emily's voice turned soft. "Sam had to give up so much. Did you know he had a scholarship? He was going to go to college in Seattle. He and Leah were going to get married. He had his whole life planned out. Then one day, everything changed. His whole future was decided for him. The person he was to love was decided by some sort of mystical imprinting, he was something more than human, and he was tethered to the reservation because of it all. Anyone would be bitter...most of the guys are. Jacob especially."

"I hope Jacob is able to come to terms with his lot in life as Sam was." I offered sincerely. While I may not have harbored any romantic feelings for him, he had been a friend. He deserved to be happy too. That happiness was not going to be with me though.

"Me too..." Emily looked like she wanted to say more, but she grabbed a handful of chips and we were quiet for a while, the movie still droning on in the background.

After a while, she let out a huge yawn and apologized. "I'm just so tired all the time." One hand rubbed her belly, while the other rubbed her eye.

"Why don't you go on to bed, and I'll clean all this up." I offered.

"You don't have to do that, Bella."

"I want to. Now shoo! Get some rest, because once that baby gets here you won't be getting any."

She giggled. "Goodnight, Bella. I"m so glad you're here. It's nice to be able to talk to someone who knows. Sleep well."

A/N: The next chapter is already half written and will be up soon. Thanks to everyone for reading and I adore your reviews!