Title: Better Than a Soap Opera
Chapter: BAM! And They All Started Exploding Into 'Wolves
Summary: One day, Sam, Jared, and Paul are pulled away by the elders of the village, leaving Brady in confusion. That is... Until Billy Black brings Brady into his house to take care of little Andrew, a 'wolf in transformation, and only Brady is there to help him out.
Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight. That's all Stephenie Meyer. I just like the empty holes I can fill up with my imagination. :3 But, really, who doesn't find joy in fan fiction?
I was just hanging out with Collin, kicking back and relaxing after weeks of restless watches and mindless pacing. First, we were all prepared to attack the bloodsuckers over the way because of Jacob's crush. After that, Jacob left us, then Seth, and finally Leah. So, what were we to do? We were a broken group, on divided sides. Of course, when Nessie—Yeah, she's like family to us, what with Jacob imprinting on her and all—was born, all of this changed. We relaxed, Jacob's pack relaxed, the bloodsuckers relaxed. So, that's what Collin and I were doing. Relaxing before the ultimate showdown.
Well, that was how Paul put it. Not that I would put much faith in the things he tends to say. Collin was hanging on to every word, though, but mostly because Sam didn't disagree with Paul, and we all know how much Collin worships Sam.
"What are you thinking about?" Collin asked, his cheery voice interrupting my private—for now—thoughts.
"What was up with Old Quil earlier today?"
Collin nodded, his "thoughtful" face scrunching up his eyebrows and making him squint at me. I had to smile. It was an incredibly funny face. "Yeah..."
--
We were—that is, Collin, Jared, Paul, Sam, and I—at Sam's place. It was a little upsetting, seeing how empty Emily's kitchen was becoming. Not that Quil and Embry, and sometimes even Jacob and Seth with the occasional Leah, didn't drop on by, but now we were the pack. The whole pack. So, there we were, just talking. Breakfast was long over, so we just had a man-to-man—or wolf-to-wolf, if you like—chat. It was nice. Collin and I were being treated as adults and not little kids. Ever since Collin proved himself when they had the first meeting with Jacob, we've been getting a bit more respect. It's hard, you know, to be a kid stuck inside the body of a mature male.
Old Quil ran in, out of breath, his face red with exhaustion, sweat all over him. He'd obviously ran over here, not even thinking of getting into a car. He didn't need to be overexerting himself. Emily came in right behind him, clasping her hands together. I could see the worry on her face. She didn't know what was happening, but she knew it was major. Sam stood up quickly, his seriously stern face on. I glanced at Collin, to see what he was thinking of. His was the mirror image of Sam's. He actually had it down pretty good.
"What is it?" Sam probed, placing his large hand on the older man's shoulder. "Did something happen? Is somebody..."
Sam let his words trailed off, and my stomach tightened up on itself. He wanted to know if somebody had been attacked.
Old Quil shook his head, opening his mouth to take a deep breath. "I need you... You and Jared, quick."
Without another word, Jared and Sam rushed off, following poor Old Quil, who looked dead after his sudden jog.
Collin looked at me, and I just shrugged back at him. Paul frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Well, I'm glad I'm an important member of this pack, too!" He gruffed, looking disgruntled that Old Quil hadn't chosen him for his mission, whatever it was.
"Tell me about it..." Collin grumbled along with the older 'wolf. I just laughed, shaking my head at my best friend.
Paul didn't have to wait much longer, though. We had fallen into silence with Sam and Jared gone, a comfortable one shared between creatures such as ourselves. Whatever we had to say, we all were going to now about it later, anyway.
The phone rang, and Emily answered. It was a short conversation, because about ten seconds later, Emily came into the kitchen, her eyes slightly wide. I knew that she knew now what was going on. "Paul... Sue Clearwater needs you... You need to go to her place."
"What is it, Emily?" Paul asked, trying to sound serious, but the excitement in his voice was quite clear.
"There's a..." She glanced at us, me and Collin, and I knew that whatever respect we had gained during this tribulation wasn't enough to grant us access into what was happening, even though we were as much a part of the pack as the others.
Paul followed her gaze, nodded sharply, and stood up from her table. "I'll bring Rachel by later on tonight, Emily. Thanks for breakfast!"
He was gone, and it was just the "little kids" left.
How could we be little kids when we had the appearance of men? It was hard enough trying to get my parents to not realize that I could go partying without people thinking twice about it, but did my own pack have to treat me like a baby, too?
--
"Don't think too hard about it, Collin," I told him, frowning. "They'll tell us eventually."
"Yeah, okay."
I sighed, scrambling up to my feet. "I better get home before my mom gets mad at me again."
"She still yelling about you coming home so late last night?"
I nodded, then shrugged, as if to say, "What can I do about it?" I didn't want to tell her, didn't need to tell her. That was that.
I left Collin behind, but he wasn't really going to be alone. I could already hear him phasing.
I didn't notice Billy at first. I was staring at the ground, hoping beyond hope that Mom wouldn't be mad at me when I got home. More or less, I was hoping that she wouldn't still be yelling. Our house was down the road from the Blacks, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when Billy called out my name. I was startled, though.
"Brady!"
I stopped walking, swinging my head up to stare at him. "Hello, Billy."
He smiled at me, nodding. "I have a favor to ask of you."
"Me?"
"Yes. The others are too busy, and I couldn't reach my son. I need you."
I nodded, jogging up to the porch to meet him. My eyebrows were perked up high. He needed me. Was this what happened to the older guys? "What happened?"
Billy shook his head, closing his eyes briefly. "Since the Cullens have been inviting more vampires all the time..."
My shoulders sagged as I realized what he was telling me. "More people have transformed?"
The old man nodded, looking weary and drawn out. "I need you to come inside. I found Andrew out back... I need you to help him out, make sure he's safe."
I walked up the steps and onto the porch, nodding as I did so. "Okay. I'll stay with him; you just get out of here Billy."
The elder smiled crookedly at me, saying, "I know he's in good hands. I'll call later to check up on you. He's in Jacob's old room. It's the..." The man sighed. I squeezed his shoulder, not speaking, just letting him know that it would all be okay.
I headed inside, heading straight towards Jacob's former room. I pushed the door open lightly, peering inside. I knew Andrew. He was really just a kid, about ten-years-old. He was sitting on the bed, his body in small convulsions. Tears stained his face. I was only a few years older than him, but I suddenly felt worlds older, worlds more mature than this crying child. He turned to stare up at me, unashamed of his crying, just staring at me with large, fearful eyes.
"What's wrong with me, Brady?" He even sounded young. How would the change affect him? How old will his body mature? When it was done, would he be a ten-year-old boy trapped in a young man's body? Would he be awkward, disproportioned?
I walked over to him, sitting down next to him on the bed. He curled up next to me, still young enough to be comforted like this. I put an arm around him, hugging him close. "You've been chosen, Andrew."
"Chosen?" The little boy sniffed, and I nodded. His shivers continued, even against my warmth, even against his own growing temperature.
"Yes. You get to be special, a protector. You get to be my little brother."
"And Collin's?"
I smiled. Andrew had always looked up to me and Collin, so I nodded for him, letting him know that he was safe, with us, with his new family. "Yes. Do you want to hear a story about what you are now?"
AN: Sorry, guys, for taking so long to update. It's been crazy, starting college and everything! Hope you enjoyed Brady's chapter!