AN: Pretty much all the vampires and a bit of the wolf-pack belong to SM.

I don't even own Trisha, Ethan, David, Taylor, or any of the other wolf kids. They belong to yay4shanghai. She's just letting me borrow them for a little while because she's cool like that!

Thank you to all of you who continue to read and review! You guys are awesome!

Very, very special thanks to yay4shanghai for being the most awesome beta on the face of the planet and to KupKakes09 because she rocks! Don't forget to show them some love!

************************************************************************

Chapter 13: "And Then the Shit Hits the Fan"

ETHAN'S POV

I was on high! The fucking king of the world! A freaking Mac truck could come and run me over and I wouldn't feel it. I was so happy. For the first time in months, I didn't feel like I had to compete with David for my Ray. She was all mine and she had given me everything.

I went home following my romantic tryst with Trisha, stumbling into the kitchen at well past 2 a.m. Dad was waiting for me. His face in a smile as I approached that fell as soon as I walked in.

"Ethan, what have you done?" He asked me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You smell like sex. You smell like sex and Trisha," Dad said.

"Well, that's not really any of your business, now is it?" I was tired of his lip.

"Actually, son, it is. What the hell am I going to tell your mother when you're dead? You know what the consequences are for a wolf having sex with another wolf's imprint?"

"Yeah, I know," I said, smartly, "and I don't care."

"You don't care? David will kill you, you do realize that, don't you?" Dad was always so rational when it came to imprinting. He didn't see that it could and should be broken. "Do you not remember the last time you fought David? You almost got yourself and your brother killed? Is that what you want?"

"It doesn't matter, Dad. Just stay out of it!" I ran upstairs to my room.

The high was gone.

TRISHA'S POV

It hurt to move. Every part of my body was in pain. After crawling in my window the night before, I ran to the bathroom for the typical sink scrubdown, having to scrub other parts that I had never given any consideration before. And then the guilt set in. I should have been overjoyed to have made love to Ethan, and I was. But also knew that there would be consequences if we were ever found out. I also knew that as much as I was fighting the imprint and didn't love David in the love kind of way, I couldn't hurt him. Not anymore than I already had.

"Trisha, time for school," Mom said, tapping on my door and then letting herself in.

"Mom, I don't feel so good. Can I stay home today?" I didn't even roll over to look at her.

"What's wrong, baby girl?" She asked. She sat on my bed and put her hand to my forehead. "You don't feel like you have a fever. Is it your stomach?"

Try a little lower than that, I thought. Instead I said, "Yeah. I feel really crampy."

"Oh! That kind of pain! You stay in bed, okay?" Mom must have thought cramps meant my period. I didn't care, I just rolled over and closed my eyes. I drifted off to sleep and woke up later in the afternoon.

"Trisha?" I heard a husky voice say. "Are you feeling any better?"

I sat up and saw David sitting on my bed. "I hope you don't mind. Your Mom let me in." He gave me a "David-smile" and I burst into tears. My mind started going a million miles a minute and I could almost envision a hamster running on a wheel as my head started to hurt.

Why did he have to be so nice to me? If he'd known what I did last night, he would hate me. He would kill Ethan. Why was I so selfish? I maintained that this was just friendship, but I knew it wasn't. David's eyes showed so much more than just friendship. And even when we hugged, what seemed like an innocent friend hug, was filled with love and adoration.

David pulled me to him and I sobbed into his chest. "What did I do? I didn't mean to upset you." He was whispering softly into my ear. I could hear his voice start to shake and I looked him in the eyes. He was starting to tear up. Why? Because I'm his imprint, when I hurt, he hurts.

"Please don't cry, sweetie," he said.

I was being stupid and wreckless. I should have listened to the side of me that said "Fuck this! Kick him out!" But I didn't. I listened to the side of me that was relishing the closeness of David, the side that now that it knew what physical contact with a man was like, wanted anything just be nearer to David. I did something stupid.

I moved to straddle his waist, looking deeply into his eyes. He looked at me with confusion. I needed him to make me feel better. To make the terrible guilt go away. David was so important to me now, not in the same way Ethan was but just as important. It burned, the guilt— knowing that last night's events would crush the friend I now held so dear. I leaned in and kissed him softly. He kissed me back but quickly started to pull away. I grabbed his neck and pulled his lips back to mine, moving my hand to grab his and move it to my breast. It rested there for a second frozen before he squeezed it gently. I kissed him harder, unzipping his jeans and running my hand down his chest, shoving it into his boxers. He groaned as a grabbed hold of him.

Then David did the smartest thing I've ever seen him do. He pushed me off of him. "Um…I have to go," and then he gone. He knew this wasn't right. I wasn't right. I wasn't thinking clearly, everything in my world was shaking images and thought moving so quickly I couldn't keep them in perspective. I knew one thing for certain though, it was all my fault.

I've ruined it all! Everything was shit now and it was all my fault. I was in pain, I hurt David, and I was going to eventually hurt Ethan. I'd fucked it all up!

I rolled myself out of bed and threw on the nearest clothes I could find, shuddering a little with every step, feeling a little soreness from the previous evening's events. Sure, I didn't technically have my license yet, but I knew how to drive. No one would think anything about it. I jumped into my car. My car. The car that David had practically built from the ground up, just for me. Everything for me— even down to the car color, candy apple red. The tears didn't stop as I drove towards the Wahalla house.

I knocked on the door and waited for Kim to answer it. She was smiling, holding Annabelle in her arms. Then she looked at my face.

"What's wrong?" She asked, short but concerned.

"Can I talk to you?" I asked.

I had always been so close to Kim and the one thing that I missed most, since everything with Ethan had gotten the Wahalla family on the outs with everyone, was Kim's friendship. She was like a second mother to me, a trusted confidant. I felt like I had let her down almost as much as I had my own parents.

"Let me put Annabelle down for a nap and I'll be right back. Go get yourself something to drink in the kitchen." She closed the door behind her and moved towards the stairs.

I walked into the kitchen, grabbing a glass to fill with water.

"Come have a seat," she said sitting at the kitchen table, pulling out a chair for me.

I settled in, sipping the water, and trying not to look her in the eyes.

Kim put her hand on my cheek and turned me to look at her. "Alright, Trisha-bug, what's up?"

I started sobbing again. "Everything is messed up. I've ruined it all."

"What are you talking about?" Kim asked.

"Everything! Don't you see it? Ethan and I have been seeing each other for months. Months, Kim. I can't let him go. I love him so much, so, so much," I whimpered.

She sat up and sighed. "I'm not an idiot, Trish. I know you've been seeing him. I also know that you two had sex last night." Kim was never one to beat around the bush.

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"Jared said he wreaked of sex last night, and you," Kim folded her hands. "Why would you do that, Trisha? You know what happens if David finds out you two had sex? He's your imprint. He'll kill Ethan, you know that right?"

Another thing I hadn't thought of. The stupid rules of the pack. The rule that sleeping with another's imprint meant a fight to the death, a fight everyone was certain Ethan would lose. Hell, even I knew he would never be able to beat David.

I shook my head at her. "Even if I did, I would have done it anyway. I'm selfish, Kim. I'm the worst kind of person out there. I want my cake and I want to eat it too. Now I've doomed Ethan to death and David will hate me forever."

Kim grabbed my shoulders. "What I'm going to say to you is not easy and I should've said it months ago. I always thought that you'd figure it out for yourself. God, I feel like a traitor saying this." She cleared her throat and looked me straight in the eyes. "I love you Trisha and I would have loved to have had you as a daughter-in-law, but the game is up. You need to stop playing around. You need to give in to the imprint."

I stared at her stunned, hurt, and a little pissed off. "What are you saying? What about Ethan?"

"That's exactly why you need to give in now, cuz you will sooner or later. Would you rather it be now, while your relationship is still fresh or years from now, when you've been together for so long," she paused. "You're going to hurt him eventually. It won't be as bad if you just get it over with now."

"No! I won't! I love him! He's my everything, Kim! I won't be able to live, to breath, to exist without him! I can't…" I trailed off in sobs.

I saw Kim's watery eyes. "If you love him, sweetie, you'll let him go."

"But I don't love David. I could never love him like I love Ethan," I whimpered.

Kim pulled me into a hug. "Give it time. You'll love him. They always do, who can resist a guy that loves you with every inch of his being?"

"But I can't…" I trailed again.

"You can. You have to, and you know this is the right thing to do," Kim continued hugging me, as I sobbed into her chest.

I heard Jared come in and Kim tell him to call my Dad to come get me. Dad was less than thrilled. I didn't stop crying. I couldn't will my body to stop.

On the way home, while drowning out Dad's banter about "my age" and "the car" and "why was I home from school," I made my decision.

I didn't leave my room all evening. Not for dinner, not to talk to David when he called, not for anything. When I heard my Dad's snores set in, I climbed out the window and headed to the loveshack. Ethan wasn't there yet. I was glad of that, I sat down on the seat, the same dumb van seat that had been there for years and had gotten me in so much trouble.

"Hey, babe," Ethan said as he walked in the garage. He sounded so happy. He leaned in to kiss me but I pushed him away.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I can't do this anymore. I can't lie and cheat and disappoint everyone anymore. I won't," I said.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" He asked, naively.

"I'm done Ethan. I'm done sneaking around, I'm done breaking everyone's heart, I'm done being the screw up, the one everyone gossips about and looks down on." I knew I was hurting him. I needed to hurt him to make it believable, for him to know he had to move on.

"You don't mean that, Ray, I know you don't. You love me and I love you. No one else, remember?" His voice was cracking, fighting off tears, I clenched my fist forcing my tears back.

"I don't. Not anymore. I owe it David to see…" Ethan interrupted me.

"This is about David? This is about that good-for-nothing son of a bitch that couldn't even add two plus two until fourth grade? There's no way you want him. I know you, Trisha, you would die from boredom with him."

"You shouldn't talk about my imprint like that. Don't you get it, Ethan? I don't belong to you! I never did!" I screamed at him.

"So you belong to him?!"

"I don't belong to anyone! Not to you, not to David, not to Paul fucking Wise! I am me and I am making a decision for me!" I rebutted.

"Yeah, because everything else in this whole fucking situation was never about you!" Ethan added, sarcasm dripping from his words. "Because it's your family that everyone hates. You're the one that got your ass kicked by your ex-best friend and his gay brother."

"Leave Mark out of this! He's never done anything to you. In fact, he was a brother to your brother when you were too busy wallowing in self-pity," I spat at him. I felt very defensive of Mark. He could say whatever he wanted about me, my family, hell even David, but Mark was off-limits. Mark had been a bigger man than either he or David, willing to pick up the slack when they both couldn't or wouldn't.

"Self-pity caused by you, my dear," Ethan said. "Ray, I know what you're doing. I'm disappointed that you're so easy to give up. We've fought for two years and now you're just quitting?"

"Yes. I don't want you anymore, Ethan. Please leave me alone," I said it. I cut him out just like that.

"You're making a huge mistake. I can't believe this! I've lost so much for you, I spend my days alone, my father won't talk to me, I lost my friends, everything! Ugh! And of course, like a typical Black, you're playing the victim, making yourself a martyr for your own fucking cause. Good luck! Even if David is dumb enough to fall for you, he won't ever love you like I have. Like I always will." And then he was gone.

My loveshack was now a mausoleum. The place that had once held such enjoyment now exuded defeat. It was the death, not of a person or a car, but of a love that was so great, both parties were willing to make sacrifices for the other. And now my Ethan was gone. The boy I dreamed about for the last five years of my life, who I followed and adored for as long as I could remember, was no longer a part of my world. I curled into a ball on the cursed van seat and cried, almost positive that I would never stop mourning the love that once was.

DAVID'S POV

I could still taste her on my lips. I would never wash them. I wanted Trisha with me in some form forever. Why the fuck did I stop her? If I hadn't pushed her away, we'd both no longer be virgins and we'd both be the happiest people in the world. God, I loved her! I denied it and denied it, but I loved her. And I wanted her, bad!

I couldn't stop thinking about the things I wanted to do to her. She was so damn hot! I could feel myself getting hard as I fantasized about her body. Shit! This is no bueno! Not good! How'm I gonna ride in the truck to take her to school tomorrow if I can't look at her without getting so much wood I could build the next ark? But she was just so beautiful and, hot damn, that girl knew how to kiss.

I had done a lot in my life, sexually, I mean. I had Mallory, my last girlfriend who I have to admit was never afraid to try anything, and before her, Tiffany, the girl that worshiped the ground I walked on. Mallory and I enjoyed a very physical relationship. We're talking blowjobs, fucking her with my tongue, you name it. But kissing Trisha was so much better than any of that.

What made life so miserable was knowing Trisha was hiding something from me. For months, as I worked on her car, planning how we'd christen the backseat, the same backseat we'd eventually haul our kids around in, and I could smell his scent all around. It made me want to puke. Ethan's disgusting sweet scent practically painted the walls of that damn garage. But I never let on to Trisha that I knew. I had to trust her, Momma said, trying to calm me after the first week of coming home and wanting to bash Ethan's fucking head in.

I was completely lost in my thoughts when Mark pounded on my door.

"Dude, it's 4 in the morning, you jackass! What'd you want?" I screamed at him.

"It's Trisha. Paul and Rachel can't find her." He mumbled it a little, not awake himself.

I jumped out of bed. "What'd you mean they can't find her?"

"Paul got up to take a piss and stopped to check in her room. She wasn't there. He's not phasing anymore so he can't sniff her out," he said as I opened the door, pulling on a pair of sweats, I was in the buff, I stopped wearing clothes to bed when my temperature rose over 100. "He wants you to find her, David. He said you'd feel a pull or something to where she is."

I didn't need to think about where she was. I knew. The only thing I had to wonder was if she was alone or if Ethan was with her.

"I know where she is. Call Paul and tell him to meet me at Billy's." I ran out the door, tying the pants to my ankle and running to phase.

Damn! I never get tired of being a wolf! I thought.

David, is that you? It was Embry. Shouldn't you be sleeping?

Trisha's missing. Paul asked me to go find her. I thought.

Then it happened. I felt Ethan phase. His thoughts were held back for a minute, until he realized I was phased. I could almost hear him give me an evil laugh like the bad guys in movies give when they do something really terrible.

I saw Trisha. My Trisha, laying under him and he was clearly fucking her.

You son-of-a-bitch! What the fuck have done? I swear, when I find you, you are fucking dead! I thought.

Holy Shit, Ethan! Embry again. What have you done?

You mean besides Trisha? Now Ethan was just being a prick. He was doing this just to piss me off, not because he was disrespecting Trisha.

I growled and ran faster. I had a choice to make. I could either find Ethan and kill him like the wolf in me wanted to do or I could find Trisha and make sure she was safe like my heart wanted to do. I decided this time to follow my heart.

I phased back as I got to Billy's garage. I could hear her crying. The sounds coming from her reminded me of that time last year when I kicked Mark in the balls. It was a sound of pain.

For fuck's sake, he better not have hurt her. I thought as I walked in the garage.

She was saying something but it was just words all jumbled up. It didn't make sense. She kept saying "Give in" and "dead" and "love." I scooped her up from the tear stained seat.

"Trisha, are you okay? Are you hurt?" I asked.

"David…" she whispered and put her hand on my cheek. "For you." She mumbled.

Wow. No idea what she's talking about. I thought.

I heard Paul pull up outside. He came in the garage and looked at his daughter.

"What the hell happened?" He asked.

"I found her like this. I don't think she was alone before I got here." I told him.

He leaned down to take her but I growled at him. "I got her." I felt like an ass for a second, staking my claim a little, but I needed to feel her, to know she was okay. I carried her to the car, keeping her in my lap while Paul drove to their house.

"Tell me what's wrong," I whispered in her ear. "I want to make it better."

She didn't say anything. She just kept sobbing into my bare chest. I knew one thing, I wasn't letting her go. I would wait until she told me she didn't want or need me before I let her go.

Rachel was standing on the porch waiting for us when we pulled into the driveway. "Where was she? Is she okay?" Rachel was scared shitless. I could hear it in her voice.

"She's not saying anything," Paul said.

Rachel moved a little forward and I started to growl before Paul grabbed her arm. "David won't let you touch her. Trust me, I tried," Paul said.

Mark was waiting for us in the house. "Bro, I know what happened," he whispered.

I carried Trisha back to her room and sat on her bed, still holding her.

"So, are you gonna tell me?" I snapped at Mark.

Mark sat next to me, placing his hand lightly on her back, I didn't protest. "She dumped him. Embry saw the whole thing when Ethan phased. He said you phased back and then Ethan just poured it all out."

"So what happened, give it to me straight." I said.

"She told him she needed to give into the imprint. She was tired of sneaking around, tired of everyone hating everyone else. He told her she was just playing the victim and she told him she didn't want him anymore. Basically, she's choosing you."

"Did she say those exact words? 'I want David?'" I asked.

"No, not in those exact words. But she did say it wasn't fair to be stringing you along like she has been and that she needed to try this out and see," Mark was happy.

I should have been thrilled, right? She was choosing me. I won. That simple. But I knew there was no way it would be this easy, and I didn't want to win her at the cost of losing every part of her that I loved. Losing her spunk and fullness of life. If that were the case, I wouldn't have really won her at all, right?

*NEXT CHAPTER: "¿Donde Esta Ethan?"