I really want to work on my Jared and Kim story, but inspiration keeps coming over here in Times of Change so, I'll go with it and eventually make time for The Click of Imprinting. I own nothing but Erin.

"Go!" Seth hissed, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the parking lot. Out of nowhere, someone slammed into Seth, almost knocking him over. He steadied himself and looked at the guy, "Quil?"

I looked closer to see Seth was correct, the guy was Quil. Only not? He looked panicked and feverish, the expressions so very foreign on his features, that he was almost unrecognizable. I was used to easy smiles and dumb quirked eyebrows from Quil. "Oh my god, Quil! We have to get out of here before-"

I was cut off.

"Erin Avery Black! What the fuck are you doing here?!" My heart actually plummeted into my stomach, panic igniting in my veins. I turn sharply to see Embry a couple feet away looking seriously pissed. I swallowed hard and stepped forward, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I could ask you the same thing." I was surprised by how forceful that sentence actually came out.

"I'm here breaking the party up with Sam and Paul!" He growled, stepping closer. I felt relieved, not hearing Jacob's name, but it didn't last long. Embry looked like he was about to exploded in anger and I knew I was in the danger zone. "Not that I have to answer to you."

I couldn't help but cringe. He had spat out the 'you' like I was some disgusting thing he was forced to deal with. I would have been able to shrug it off coming for almost anyone else. But Embry? My shy, sweet, reasonable childhood friend? From him it cut like a blade. Tears burned in my eyes and I tried to blink them away.

I forced a glare and tried to access all my pent up rage at Sam and Embry and Jake, "No, you don't answer to me, Embry," I spat his name like it was poison in my mouth, "But what about your mother? The one that spent weeks calling over to my house almost every night praying her baby was there and not hanging around with the La Push cult?!"

I'd hit the right spot. Hurt flickered across Embry's face and then white-hot rage, tremors rippling down his body. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sam and Paul running up and watched as they grabbed Embry's arms, holding him back. I tried to step forward but a hand grabbed mine, grounding me where I was. I looked back to see Seth watching me with pleading eyes.

In a second, the forced anger was gone. I sighed, shoulders slouching, and turned back to Sam, Embry and Paul. Embry was taking deep breaths and seemed much calmer, not that I cared. Sam looked at us, his eyes widening. He whispered something to Paul, who nodded and ran off towards the woods. Sam muttered to Embry as well then nodded. "Embry will be driving you home."

"Quil ca-" I started but stopped short, seeing Quil no where in sight. "What the?" Had he not been just behind Seth and me a second ago?

Embry ignored me and lead the way to the parking lot. "Where did Quil park?" He asked, shortly. I looked at Seth, who sighed and pointed. Embry spotted the black car and nodded, walking over to it.

It was only when Seth started to walk away and I stayed that I realized that our hands were still linked. I allowed him to move me with him, suddenly hyperaware of every cell of our skin that was touching. Seth, on the other hand, seemed to be totally oblivious, like this crazy, electrifying feeling was second nature to him.

I got into the car's passenger seat, next to Embry, releasing Seth's hand. The car was silent which allowed me sometime to think, though I had to fight to suppress fresh memories of Seth's lips looming just over mine. What would await me at home? Sam would have called Uncle Billy without a doubt and with my luck Jacob would be pulling up the same time we did and would demand an explanation.

I glared out of the window, what had I done anyway? It wasn't a school night, I'd told my legal guardian I was going out and who I'd be with, I didn't drink or do drugs at the party, and it wasn't even past my midnight curfew. I was faultless, but it didn't matter I assumed, I was dead meat for nothing.

Then something hit me like a train. Quil. Feverish? Like Embry just before he vanished without a trace for a week. Panicked? Embry the next time I saw him, he looked terrified, just like Quil tonight. And missing? It was all there and I'd been too worried about my pitiful self and distracted by my pathetic 'what ifs' with Seth to notice.

I turned to Embry, "So the trios back together, isn't it?"

Embry's eyebrows knit together but he kept his eyes on the road, "What?"

"Whatever the fuck happened to you and Jacob, it's happening to Quil, isn't it?" I demanded. In the corner of my eye, I saw Seth shoot up in his seat, listening carefully.

"Erin, you really don't have any idea-"

"Then give me one! I've lost two of my big brothers already, at least give me a clean break this time. Quil won't be at school on Monday, right? And he'll avoid me like the plague when he does come back, right? Just like you and Jake?"

Embry's grip on the steering wheel tightened and he took a deep breath. "I don't know for sure." He said, glancing at me then in the rearview mirror at Seth, "But yeah, probably."

Pissed off and pouty, I felt the need to kick something flare to life in my stomach. I wanted to hit Sam Uley over and over with a baseball bat, wanted to strangle every single person who had lied to me in the last two weeks. I felt tears of fury and rage well up in my eyes again but blinked them back. I hated that my body always wanted to cry when I was angry.

I glanced back at Seth, noticing with a jolt that his expression was one of pure terror. Instinctively, I bent my hand back and rested it over Seth's shaking one. He didn't look at me, but after a moment the trembling under my fingers eased. My anger grew, the flare of it igniting the blood in my veins. Now, they were scaring Seth? Yeah, well Sam Uley better not even look at him ever again. Seth was mine, he belonged with me, and no one was going to touch him.

I took a deep breath and shook my head, using my free hand to sweep some hair from my eyes. Thoughts like that about Seth were definitely new.