Second Chances

Disclaimer: I own nada!
A/N: I like this chappie. Madie meets members of the pack and has a small accident that will change her views on life.

Falling, Part II

It had been almost three weeks since Embry began to live with me. We aced our Chemistry homework, and that brought Quil's, Jacob's and Embry's grade to a B plus. I was the only A in class! Our group-homework was over, but we continued to spend time together in school.

I was surprised when Paul, Jacob, Embry and Quil, missed a whole week of school. It was the Friday when we were supposed to turn in our Chemistry homework, when Embry came home late at night and told me that he was going away for a few days. He didn't specify where he was going. I was worried and for a second, I thought that he might be with someone else. When Monday rolled around, Paul wasn't in our history class or Art class. Quil and Jacob were also absent from our Chem. class, that kinda set my heart at ease. Embry wasn't alone! His friends were with him.

Our new history teacher, Ms. Black, was the bomb; she was great and so accessible. All the boys in the class happened to have massive crushes on her. She was Jacob Black's older sister. She made history so interesting and fun!

It was boring in the house without Embry. My weekend consisted of cleaning the house, cooking for myself and doing laundry. I did all my homework and watched television at my uncle's house.

It was a beautiful sunny day and I decided to go to First Beach. It was a little crowded and there was a group of people laughing and arranging the picnic tables for lunch. There were people surfing, flying their kites and playing football. I walked closer to the sea shore and sat on the cold floor; playing with the sand and watching it slid out of my hands.

I stayed seated in the same spot for nearly three hours. The afternoon sun was shining brightly and the wind blew my hair in all directions. I wrapped the blanket around my shoulders and shivered. It was a great afternoon and many people took advantage of the nice November weather.

I actually felt at ease. There was no one to interrupt my thoughts and being alone near the ocean gave me a sense of serenity (that's my real name Serenity!- but I like Liz Alexis). There was nothing that could resemble the peace that sitting under a radiant sky provided. I felt liberated.

The week had come and gone by pretty quickly. It felt good to have some time to myself to ponder about the way I was living my life. Living with Embry Call happened to be such a great idea, more than what I had expected. My Aunt Ryona and Uncle M were nonchalant when they found out that he was staying at my house. They happened to like him and accepted our relationship.

Embry helped around the house and he was a great guest. Our sex life could not be any better. He was the person for me! I did like him and I respected him and enjoyed being with him. I was slowly giving in to the idea of accepting him as a boyfriend, but we were more than that.

I was still cautious of my heart. I was also very careful at school. I didn't want problems with Em's ex-girlfriend or her friends, but she was still hostile towards me. I wanted to wait a while, before I let the whole world know that Embry was mine! I wanted to yell, scream it to the four winds that he was already taken.

"Are you Madison?" a female voice called from behind me. I turned my head to look at her and found a pretty girl smiling back at me. Beside her stood a tall girl, with a kind smile on her lips and with three pinkish scars that went down her once pretty face. Her eyes were dark and they danced vibrantly.

"Yes!" I answered, wrapping the blanket tighter around my neck. "Who are you guys?" I asked, smiling at them. I got to my feet and stared at them.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Where are my manners?" she laughed heartedly and extended her hand, I shook it and smiled pleasantly at them.

"My name is Kimberley Santos and this is my good friend Emily Young." she said, her cheeks getting rosy with embarrassment.

I nodded my head and took Emily's hand.

"It's a great pleasure to meet you Emily and Kimberley." I said politely, shuddering as the cold air blew between us three.

"You can call me Kim. It's so much better and shorter." Kim said bashfully. She gave Emily a fleeting look and turned back to face me.

"We came by to invite you to join us for a BBQ." she said, taking a step closer to where I stood. "Paul, Jacob, Quil and Embry are on their way back from-"

"They are back!" Emily said quickly, nudging Kimberly on the ribs. "They should be helping unload the food from Sam's truck."

I stared at both of them and gave them quizzical looks. "Why?" I asked curiously, taking off the blanket from my shoulders and draping it over my head. I often did that when I was nervous or felt scared. It was my way of protecting myself from the outside world. "You girls don't know me." I muttered, looking down at the floor.

Emily took a step towards me and took my free hand. Her hands were as small as mine and they were warm. "We do know who you are. We're friends of Paul and Embry." she said softly, her melodious voice resonated in my ears and it reminded me of bells ringing in the distance.

I relaxed a bit and smiled. "It's nice to meet friends of Embry." I said nonchalantly, trying to hide my nervousness.

"But why me? I mean- I'm happy to be invited to a BBQ, but why? I-" I trailed off, shaking my head. I drew in a deep breath and bit my lips.

"Oh, don't worry. We're a tight group of friends. We know how Embry feels about you and we want to welcome you in to the pack!" Emily said, squeezing my hand gently.

"Please, join us! It would be such a pleasure to have you with us. I prepared a succulent Potato Salad and Blueberry Cobbler."

Kim nodded her head and took my other hand. "Well, now that we're friends, let's go and start making some grub for those hungry wolves." she said happily, as they both pulled me towards the picnic tables' area.

I reluctantly accepted their invitation. One, because they practically dragged me! Second, because I was hungry! Thirdly, because they mentioned Embry's name! We walked for at least fifteen minutes, until we made it to a small elevated portion of the beach were all the BBQ grills and picnic tables were. To my surprise, I saw Paul coming towards me with a devious smile on his face. He wrapped his arms around me and I became tensed as he hugged me.

Emily and Kim laughed, but walked away to where the rest of the people sat or stood.

There was something that scared me about Paul. There was the fear that he would get mad and start throwing fists at me. I knew that he didn't like me. He never returned the note that I sent him, asking if he could forgive me. I guess that he wasn't willing to accept me as a friend. I wasn't disappointed or anything. Actually, being it kinda bothered me, since he was Em's friend. But in reality... it felt safe.

"Madison Love!" he laughed, pulling me away from him and staring down into my eyes. "I'm so glad to have you here. I hope that Kim and Emily were kind to you. I told them to invite you to the BBQ." he said, his voice calmed and collected. "I know how much you must've missed Embry."

"T-thank you." I muttered quickly, trying to pry myself free from his arms. He smiled down at me and shook his head. "What? Why are you shaking your head for?" I said worriedly.

"I won't hurt you. I promise!" he said, leaning closer to my ear. "I won't even scare you. I swear. I just wanted to speak with you."

I bit the inside of my cheeks, trying to stop myself from crying out of fear. "You promise! You cross your heart and hope to die, let a lightning strike you in the ass? Promise, promise?" I said childishly. It was what my brothers' way of making promises!

He laughed and I could hear the rest of his friends laughing too. "I promise." he chortled. Did they hear us?

I let him guide me to a table far away from his group of friends.

"Here" he said, handing me a heavy coat. "It's Embry's he left it at Sam's house. It should keep you warm." he said, taking the blanket from my hands and helping me put the black and gray coat.

I put it on and felt safe, as if Embry's arms were around me. "Thank you!" I said politely, placing the hood on my head.

"Warm?" Paul asked, taking the sleeve of the coat in his hand. I nodded my head and took a step away from him.

He began to walk and dragged me with him. He stopped and smiled at me, placing his hand on my shoulder. The smell of grilled meat and spices floated freely around us. He removed his hand from my shoulder and turned to face the sea. La Push was slowly showing me how wonderful it was. I wasn't still partial to it, but when the sun shone brightly over the horizon and the ocean water was so crystalline and blue... I had to stop and admire its beauty!

"You know that Embry is a good friend of mine. Most of the people that you're about to meet are part of my family. We're not blood related, but there are invisible bonds that tie us together. We consider ourselves a pack! A tight family unit! We love each other and protect each other just like a family would." he said, turning to face me.

"I understand." I said, trying hard to sound casual. "Embry has said something related to that."

"I know." he paused, pacing around me. "I know that he is trying to slowly get you involve in his life. He seems happy. I really haven't seen Em this happy. It's all thanks to you! You opened the doors to your house and let him in, without even knowing him. And you made him happy. He really appreciates you and loves you." he said softly.

For an instant, Paul seems so approachable. His eyes were soft and his frown was slowly fading. He actually looked human and less menacing.

"I guess," he paused. "I guess what I'm trying to say is... that you have made Embry happy. I hope that someday, you love that boy the way he loves you." he mumbled, looking down at his enormous hands.

Paul looked so harmless. He was really a teddy bear! Aww, how cute could he be?

"Why are you staring at me like that?" he scolded. "Just because I said something mushy about a friend, doesn't mean I'm nice!" he growled, but at that instant I wasn't afraid of him.

"Oh, I know. I am seriously shaking here." I teased. I walked up to him and nodded. "I'll try my best to make Em happier. But you have to give me an answer to the note that I sent you. Am I forgiven?" I asked seriously.

Paul looked away and crossed his arms over his chest. "Only on the condition, that you treat Em like he's the only man for you. The kid is an awesome guy and I hate to see any of my little brother's hurt!" he said with a scowl.

"I will! But, seriously, you guys look older than your age!" I mumbled, reaching my hand to touch him, but he quickly jerked away from me. "I will treat Em kindly. I do it already. You can't really resist his charm." I chuckled, turning around from him.

"Thanks, Paul!" I said happily. I was slowly finding my place in this small town. I never knew that one day I would be considering Paul my friend.

"Follow me." he ordered, motioning me to follow him. I walked behind Paul up a small path, until we came across a clearing near a cliff. It was amazing how clear that water looked from where we stood. It would be divine to dive and swim in the ocean if the water was a little warmer. We were in the middle of autumn and just the thought of someone falling in there, sent shivers down my back.

"Madie-Love! You're here!" I heard Jacob Black shout behind us. I turned to face him and saw him running like a freight train towards me. I closed my eyes and braced myself to feel Jacob's hard body pressing against me. He really wasn't aware of his strength when he hugged me. There were time that when Quil, Embry and Jacob hugged me, I would end up with bruises.

Jacob scooped me in his arms and gave me a tight hug. I tried to look up to see his face, but he had me pressed against his chest.

"I couldn't believe it when Jared told me that you were here! Sam said that you were with Paul and I feared that he would've thrown you off a cliff." he joked, spinning me around.

"So, I came up as soon as possible. Embry is also on his way here." he said, resting his cheek on my forehead. If my brothers were as loving and kind as Jacob and Quil; I probably would've ended differently. My life would've been so much better!

Jacob continued to twirl me around and I heard Paul laughing heartedly at us. "Be careful, Jake. You're too close to the cliff." Paul said worriedly.

"Hush, idiot!" Jake said, "I'll be careful!"

"Stop! Stop, please!" I pleaded, trying to pry free from him. He gently placed me on the floor and I felt the world spinning around me. I tried to balance myself, but it felt like I was on the air.

"I'm so dizzy!" I whispered, holding the side of my head and walking towards Paul.

I reached for Paul, but lost my footing. I knew that something terrible was going to happen. I knew that the moment I took a wrong step, I would die!

"Madie! Madie! Fuck Paul, grab her!" I heard Quil's voice yelled. "Grab her!" he yelled louder.

"I'm fucking trying!" I heard Paul shout, he caught the hood of the coat I was wearing. "I got her, but she's too small for the damn coat!" he said worriedly. "She slipping, damn it!"

"Madison!" Jacob screamed.

I was slowly slipping; Embry's coat was too large for me. I tried to snatch Paul's hand, but I was so dizzy and everything seemed to be turning.

"Paul, hold on to her!" it was Embry's voice. He sounded so afraid, that I felt like crying. "Paul, hold her. Hold my baby girl, don't let her fall!"

The moment I began to descend, memories of my old life began to surface. I saw my father's scowl and my brothers' indifference. I saw Tom trying to control me. Everything felt like the end, but then I saw his face. I heard his voice and laughter. I saw his smile and tears began to well in my eyes. I didn't want to die!

I opened my eyes and saw the cliff getting further away from me! I was falling so fast and I was so afraid. What if I never got to see Embry's smile or hear his voice? I would miss his hugs and kisses!

The air underneath me began to engulf me and the fear of not seeing Embry one last time was beating savagely in my heart. I wanted to scream, but I was muted by the strong impact of my body hitting the cold water.

It felt like millions of needles were poking my skin. The need to move my body was slowly fading away. I was consumed by the rapids and the darkness befell upon me like a distant dream. As I gasped for air, one thought was constantly present in my mind; Embry!