Chapter 12. Yeah I'm on a roll. No more four days between updates. Well, at least, I hope. Anywhozzle, a lot of you loved the last chapter, and it was a favorite of mine. And a lot of you are wanting a wedding. I'm might possibly be trying to get that to happen at the end of this story, so just bear with me. We'll see.

*Disclaimer*

Please Enjoy!

RPOV

Later that night, I was straddling Jacob's hips and lying back against his legs. His feet were propped up on the mattress, his back to the headboard, and I was being held in the cradle of his body. He was playing with the end of one of my curls while I twisted my engagement ring around and around.

I needed to talk to Aunt Alice about getting Jacob one made. It would be nice to have a matching set.

"I still can't believe they gave us the cabin," he said pulling me out of my thoughts.

I nodded. "I know. It's crazy. A whole place to ourselves. And then Seth and Shelby? They get the other cabin and a positive result all in one day. Their heads must be spinning."

"I know mine would be. Man, Seth's gonna be a great dad. And Shelby? Absolutely fantastic mom."

"You really think so?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I mean, the fact that she's nervous and still scared about it tells me that she's serious about it. Which is good. That kid's gonna be in great hands."

"Definitely."

In a move so fast I couldn't catch it, Jacob managed to flip us around so that I was on my back underneath him. A very high pitched squeak left me as I hit the mattress. He settled his weight perfectly on top of me and I loved the feel of him there. I was warm and safe as long as I with him. Running my hands up his thick arms, I leaned up to kiss the underside of his jaw.

He leaned down to press his lips to mine. "I wanna get married."

I laughed. "I know, Jake. That's why there's a ring on my finger."

"No," he shook his head. "I mean as soon as possible. I want you to be my wife. And I want to be your husband."

Looking into his face, he was utterly serious. I stroked his face. "Ok, Jacob. I'll see what I can do with Aunt Alice and the girls."

He nodded, turned his head, and pressed a kiss into my wrist. "I need you," he whispered.

A slow grin spread over my face. "Again?"

Not seeing the expression on my face, he shook his head and pulled back. "Sorry-,"

I gripped the sides of his face and made him look at me. "No, don't be. I like that you tell me that. And that you need me like that. Don't ever be sorry. And you don't have to ask my permission to make love to me. Remember? You're the Alpha male. You can go even over my head."

His eyes flashed to me in surprise. "So you want me to tell you every time the urge comes up?" He sounded skeptical.

I placed my lips over his. "Tell me." Moved down to his jaw. "Show me." A further down to the spot over his heart. "Take me."

A small growl rumbled up and out of him. "I think you might be underestimating how much I want you at any given time. There may be days we don't get out of the house if you really mean that."

My grin was pure lust. "And?"

His grin was pure sex as his hips flexed into mine. He was already hard and thick behind his sleep sweats. And my panties were already damp as he rubbed against me. My head punched back into the fluffy blankets as he nuzzled his way down my throat and moved the t-shirt out of the way. A half a second later, he leaned back and frowned.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm your alpha male, right?"

I nodded. "You're my only male, and definitely my alpha."

He ground his hips into me and bit his lower lip.

"Why do you ask?" I said breathlessly, trying to hold on to sanity as his hips kept rotating.

"Because I'm thinking of ordering you to start sleeping naked so I don't have to swim through all these layers to get to your skin."

That made me laugh. I'd been worried he'd been thinking too hard about something. But in all honesty, I'd been the one with the stupid hang-ups, not him. I decided to tease him out of relief.

"And you think I'd comply with that order?"

He growled low. "You'd better."

"Says who?"

"Me."

"Or what?"

The growl he let out vibrated over my skin. Through hooded eyes, I watched as he reached up, took the old t-shirt of his that I wore to bed in two fists, and ripped it down the middle with nothing but brute strength. And that just shot me up even higher, my body rushing for him. His tongue found the skin of my waist that started just above my panties and moved in a slow, sensual glide up the center of my torso, between my breasts, and up my neck where he finished with a kiss behind my ear.

"I'll rip them off you myself," he whispered in a low growl.

My nails raked over his skin as my hands went up his arms and across his shoulders. A low rumble sounded in his chest.

"Mmm, I think I could live with that," I whispered. I took one of his hands and thrust is against my core and we both shouted out.

"Oh, god, Nessie," he grunted.

"Show me who's boss, Jacob.

His hand moved over. Another rip sounded as my body jerked. At least I wasn't attached to those panties, either. And after they ended up on the floor, Jacob and I performed an encore of my taking from last night.

JPOV

The sunshine coming from the window-wall pulled me up into consciousness, but it was Nessie's elbow in my ribs that completely woke me up.

"Ow, Ness. What was that fo-,"

The scream that came out of her was loud and shrill enough to wake the dead…in Scotland. My body moved before my mind gave it the command. Before she could start swinging, I pushed my body on top of hers and held her arms between us. Her eyes were closed down tight, tears rolling down from them. With my hands busy, I couldn't put a hand over her mouth so that she wouldn't wake Seth and Shelby.

When I heard feet pounding down the hallway, I yelled, "Don't you dare open that door! Just stay out there." Nobody was going to see her like this. We were both naked with the sheets around our waists. I didn't care if they saw me, but nobody was seeing her body. Nobody but me.

"Jacob, what's going on?" Bella's voice was panicked and terrified.

Before I could answer, Nessie screamed again and then whimpered. Moving so that her arms were trapped between our bodies, I brought my hand up to her hair and forehead.

"We're coming in," Shelby said.

"No," I said with a command. Shelby wasn't my wolf, but Seth would know the tone and hold her back. "Stay out there. She's having another nightmare. Let me wake her up. She wouldn't want you to see her like this." When they didn't respond and didn't barge in anyway, I focused solely on her. "Nessie, wake up." I stroked her hair back away from her sweaty skin. "Baby, please wake up."

Nothing. She wasn't responding at all to me. Her nightmare captured her so completely that my begging was cut off. Fine. Though she wasn't a wolf, she responded to commands.

"Nessie," I said firmly in my deepest Alpha tone I had. Her body immediately stilled under me. "Renesmee Black." At her future name, the tension left her. "Wake up. Right now." By the way she moved against me, I knew she was fighting whatever dark thing she was facing in her subconscious. She was battling to follow the orders of her alpha male, clawing to get back to me. My fingers caressed her forehead. "Now, Nessie. Not later. Now." I probably shouldn't have been pushing her like this, but I was terrified that if I stopped talking, she'd be pulled back under.

To my relief, a moment later, her eyes fluttered and her lips parted to take a shaky breath.

"Jacob?"

My body didn't chill out until I saw her eyes focus on me. I had to know she was awake. When they did manage to focus on my face, my muscles gave out, making me land on top of her.

"Thank god," I breathed into her hair.

She slowly worked her arms out from between us so that she could wrap them around my shoulders and stroke my back.

"Sorry I scared you," she whispered stroking my hair. "At least you came back before it got too bad."

Leaning back, I studied her face. "Nessie, I didn't leave."

She frowned. "What?"

"I didn't leave the bed. I've been next to you since last night. You elbowed me in the ribs. That's what woke me up, and then you started screaming. Do you remember what you saw?"

Her frown deepened as she sank back into the pillows. I was probably heavy as hell on top of her, but I didn't want to move. The need to touch her and feel her against me was pounding through my blood.

"It's more what I didn't see, I guess. Just a bunch of shadows."

The bedroom door shuddered when someone pounded on it. "I swear by all that's holy, if you don't let Seth let me in that room, I'm gonna mess you up, Jake. Let. Me. In."

I rolled my eyes. Shelby was like that sister-in-law that you got along with most of the time, but when things got tense, she was crawling all over your ass.

Looking back down at Nessie, I asked, "Are you ok?"

She nodded and ran her hands over my back. "Thank you for waking me up. You ordered me awake, didn't you?"

I nodded. "It was the only thing I could think of. And it worked."

"Well, thank you."

I pressed a kiss to her lips. "Any time. That's what I'm here for, to take care of you."

She grinned and kissed me back. I rolled off her going for the closet. "Give me a sec, Shelby."

An angry sigh came from the other side. "I've given you plenty, but you're right. I don't need to see her naked. Or you for that matter."

I shot a glare at the door before ducking into the closet. I pulled on a pair of boxers and grabbed a pair of shorts and one of my old t-shirts for Nessie. And I insisted on putting the clothes on her. It made me feel better to be the one to take care of her. When I was done sliding the shorts up her long legs and over her hips, she gave me a kiss and snuggled up to my chest. I sat there in the middle of the bed just holding her against me.

"You can come in now, Shelby," I called.

The door burst open and a very focused best friend stomped into the room. She came straight for Nessie. The male in me didn't like giving up my female but I allowed Shelby to take Nessie into her arms. She stroked her long curls down her back.

"Are you ok? You scared the crap out of me."

Bella was next and then Seth. Edward came in with a hot cup of something that smelled like hot chocolate. Nessie extracted herself from Shelby's hold to scoot back against the headboard. She took the mug from him in hands that were covered with the shirt sleeves.

"Thanks, Daddy." She took a sip and melted back into the pillows. I moved to sit next to her and lifted my arm in invitation. She took it and leaned into my body. Nessie seemed to realize that Shelby was staring a hole into her head because she gave out a weak chuckle. "Yes, Shelby, I'm ok. Sorry I scared everyone." She frowned.

"What is it?" Bella asked.

Nessie shook her head as if she'd been thinking really hard about something. "I just wish I could remember what it was about. Just shadows. That's it. I can remember everything before the cabin, but once that fire starts up, pieces get cut out. I just don't understand."

"Well, if that was the most traumatic part of that night for you, it would make sense that your mind is protecting you from it. The nightmares could be that those missing pieces are trying to break through," Carlisle said from the doorway. "I mean, you're not stressed out anymore. You and Jacob seem to be getting along just fine."

"Yeah, but for months I was ok, not stressed out, and they weren't like this. Not to mention," she said, motioning to me. "Jacob said he didn't leave my side. Even he couldn't keep this one away."

Carlisle shrugged. "Again, it makes sense. Your entire being feels safe with Jacob. It does make sense that your mind is freeing itself up when he's around. I can't explain why it's popping up now, but I can guess that it has something to do with you maturing in the past couple days. You've been through a lot with Jacob and got through it. Maybe your subconscious is thinking that you're strong enough to handle what it's kept secret from you."

From where he was standing in the doorway, I could see Edward's frown.

"What is it, Edward?" I asked.

He shook his head. "There's something about this nightmare that was different than the others that she was having when you weren't near her."

"And that would be…?" Shelby asked.

Again with the head shake. "I don't know. It's like, everybody's mind has a certain tone. This nightmare wasn't the same tone as the others. There's something..."

"Fabricated?" said a smooth accented voice.

Everybody turned to face the hallway. Caden and Leah were standing there. His eyes were on Nessie.

"Mine have been feeling the same way," he said. "I'm missing bits and pieces."

"Hmm, maybe we should sit down and go through the events of that night," Carlisle suggested.

Nessie shivered beside me as if that thought scared her. I wasn't thrilled with the idea either, but maybe it would hold the key to these nightmares. It was something worth trying for if we could get rid of them. I squeezed her shoulders.

"Maybe later, Doc. She needs some time to cool down."

He nodded in a way that also seemed like a bow. "Of course."

Thankfully, everyone took that as their cue to leave. Edward and Bella came to kiss their daughter on the forehead reluctantly. Shelby gave her one last hug and a "if you need to talk" before she left with Seth.

"Caden," Nessie called as the couple turned to leave. When he turned back with a question on his face, Nessie lowered her voice and eyes. "Later, when we go through all that, will…will you be there? Will you help me?"

His expression turned soft as he walked across the room and took her hand. "Of course, Nessie. I wouldn't let you go through that alone." He kissed her knuckles, gave me a nod, and walked out with Leah's hand in his.

RPOV

Caden's promise reassured me, calming me a little. He'd been there with me that night. Those members of his old pack had beaten him to a pulp and he'd gone through so much pain at the hands of…of whom? Pain sliced through my temples. Man, I remembered being seated in a chair while he was strung up to a rafter in that tiny cabin. He'd started convulsing and I yelled at someone, but it wasn't that she-wolf or the pack leader. There was a third, a dark shadow that caused pain whenever I tried to penetrate the darkness of my memories. And one phrase kept echoing in my head: I'm sorry.

"You ok?" Jacob's voice was low and close to my ear as if he knew something was wrong. Something more than just that nightmare.

I nodded against his chest. "Yeah. Just every time I try to remember, I get a massive headache."

He squeezed me to him. "Well, stop for now. We'll get with Caden and see if we can piece things together. Finish your hot chocolate, then we'll go get you some breakfast."

I patted his rumbling stomach. "You have to eat, too. But hey, on a brighter note, can we start packing?"

A chuckle rumbled up from his chest. "You wanna take all this with us? Don't you think we'll need a room in case we need to crash here?"

I shrugged. "Actually, I figured they might turn it into a nursery. I mean, the crib is already in here. Plus, Shelby and Seth will be moving into the other cabin. That'll free up that room, too. Visiting babies need a place to sleep other than couches and arms."

He shrugged. "You have a point. We'll go into town later and get some boxes. How does that sound?"

"Perfect. And we can go visit grandpa. We haven't seen him in a while. Or Sue."

He reached for his cell phone. "Maybe we can rope Seth and Shelbs into going. I'm sure Sue will want to hear the happy news and see Shelby."

While we waited for a response, he rubbed his hand up and down my arm. The quiet was filled with unvoiced thoughts. I knew he was worried, and I was lost in my memories of that horrible night that we lost one of our own. And Caden and I almost died. Would have had it not been for Jacob. We owed him our lives.

That truth hit me hard enough that my chest actually hurt. That was my answer, wasn't it? Dad was right. Jacob had proven he'd loved me beyond the imprint months ago. He'd pulled me out of that burning cabin.

Looking over, I saw he was checking his phone again. He was absolutely beautiful with his russet skin and dark eyes. And the power he exuded now was worthy of a king of the woods. The power matched his big body. A body that was made for aggression, fighting, and love-making. I leaned over, took the phone out of his hands, threw it and the mug on the bedside table, and swung myself into his lap.

"Nessie, what-,"

Straddling his hips like I'd done last night, I wrapped my hands around his neck and crushed my lips to his. He wrapped his arms around me to pull me up against his body as he let me kiss him, my mouth dominating his. I tried to put all my love and gratitude into my lips, teeth, and tongue as I worshiped his mouth the way I should have months ago for what he'd done for me. When I eventually pulled back, we were both breathing hard and our eyes were a little unfocused.

His hands squeezed my waist. "What was that for? I'll be sure to do it again."

"Thank you," I whispered.

His face turned serious and one of his hands came up to stroke my hair out of my face. "For what, sweetie?"

"For saving my life. Back in that cabin. You pulled me out because you loved me."

He nodded as if he understood where my thoughts had gone. "I did and I do. You're my future. And like Morgan said, you're my sanity. If you left me, I would have nothing to keep me tethered to this world."

"Never." I couldn't seem to get my voice above a whisper. "I will never leave you, again, Jacob. Ever." I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and hugged him tight. I held him so tight that I began to shake with the effort. "Thank you so very much for staying with me, for being patient, for saving my life."

His big arms enveloped me and held me so tight that I could barely breathe. But that was ok, because it let me know that I was still alive, that I had been given yet another shot at fixing my own life, myself. And the smoky, woodsy smell of him comforted me even more. Jacob was my rock, my foundation. Likewise, I would be nothing without him.

"I'll always pick you back up, Nessie. Every damn time you fall, I'll pick you back up and hold you until you can get your strength back. I'll be whatever you need me to be."

Hours, days, or weeks could have passed around us for all the attention we were paying. We stayed like that for a while, just holding each other, before our bodies started getting with the program of necessity. Both of our stomachs growled out at the same time.

We chuckled and pulled apart. Jacob's hand went back to stroking my hair. "Let's get you fed, ok? I don't like how pale you are."

I smiled. "And I don't like how it sounds as if your stomach is about to eat itself."

We managed to untangle ourselves from each other and the bed to go put on some real clothes. I couldn't really bear to be away from him so I slipped into one of his old hoodies as my shirt for the day. His scent was still on it because I'd started making him roll around on all his old stuff that I wore so that I'd be able to smell him and calm myself down. Hell, he'd even started rolling around on my clothes. Pulling the collar up around my nose, I breathed deep. Yeah, calm was definitely what I felt…as well as passion.

I smiled as his hands snaked around my waist under the hoodie. And then I felt his lips at my hair. "Mmm, I love you in my clothes."

I hugged his arms to me. "I thought you wanted me naked all the time?"

That was answered with a growl that vibrated into my back. "Only if we're alone." He kissed my hair again. "So that means, once we're moved into the cabin, you get to unpack wearing nothing but skin."

"And what if I get cold?"

"Mmm, then I'll warm you back up."

I turned around in his arms and wrapped mine around his neck. "You know we'd never get anything done if that's the plan."

"And your point would be…?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

That made me laugh and roll my eyes. "We'll talk about it."

He shook his head. "Not if I make it an order."

"I'm not a wolf," I felt the need to point out.

"Doesn't matter. You like it when I order you around. You like it when I get all aggressive male on you."

Just thinking of the look in his eyes when he expected me to obey him made my body heat up. I loved the dominance of him, the way he wanted to claim me. He was starting to embrace the wolf's instincts more and more, and that animal, raw side of him made me want to submit to him. Not to mention that he was the Alpha. He was nothing but power and brute strength, everything that a male was supposed to be for his female.

"You like that, don't you? You like the thought of me putting you where I want you, dominating you," he growled into my ear.

One look inside my head and I knew I hadn't put up my mental block. I was projecting onto him, showing him what I wanted him to do with me if I disobeyed, how I wanted at least one of our love-making sessions to become a game…one that led to him taking me hard, giving me all the strength of his body as we let the wildness take control of us. Because, make no mistake, I knew he was holding back still. He didn't want to hurt me. I could feel the control of his hips even when he was on the edge. And I wanted more than anything for him to let that control slip for even a second just to get a taste of it.

He growled a little and swiveled his hips. "We'll talk about it," he said copying me.

"Not if I make it an order," I said with a grin. "I'm the only one you'll ever submit for, and you want to as badly as I do."

"I hate that you know me so well."

"No you don't. You like it that I'm the only one who can't read minds that knows you. We're soul mates, Jacob. I recognize the hunger in you."

His stomach chose that moment to remind us that we were both hungry. "Speaking of hunger," he said with his lips pressed to mine.

We laughed as he walked us backward toward the bedroom door, our lips still hooked together.

"Oh, come on, guys," Shelby's voice said with a smile. "We have things to do today that doesn't include being tangled up on the bed or floor."

I turned around to face her. "The floor? Is that where you guys end up when the banging on the wall stops?"

The blush that raced up her neck and across her face was the color of a fire truck.

Jacob laughed. "I think that's our answer."

Shelby turned and stomped out the door. "Seth! I'm going to kill your Alpha!" she yelled.

"What did I do?" Jacob asked.

I shrugged. "She's too attached to me, so you're the best candidate for revenge-murder."

"Great," he grumbled. "Being mated to you is proving hazardous to my health."

"Mated to me?" The grin on my face was just happy-go-lucky.

He shrugged. "Well, we're a mated couple now, Nessie. I'm mated to you whether or not we get married. It's a wolf thing."

"And you're embracing your wolf."

"It's about time I did. I still have control and human traditions ingrained in my brain, but the wolf's instincts have yet to lead me astray. All my fuck-ups were because I ignored those instincts and went with my human ramblings."

We grinned at each other. "Your wolf gave us to each other."

"Yeah, I guess so. I guess I should thank Billy for the great genes."

I laughed. "Absolutely. We need to see him, too, you know."

He nodded. "Yeah, and you need to go visit the rez. They asked about you when I made my rounds with Morgan."

"Really?"

"Yup. They like you. Oh, and did I tell you that Morgan imprinted?"

My eyes went wide. "Nuh-uh."

"Mhm"

"Shut up! Who?"

"Lucas."

My jaw hit the floor. "Oh, she must be loving that."

We started walking down the hallway and stairs. The smell of waffles, bacon, and eggs wafted up to us, making us walk faster.

He snorted as we hit the downstairs landing. "Oh, yeah. She looked scared to death when she stared at him. But he's good for her. Her reflex is to push him away, but he'll ignore it and stay with her."

"Wait, he knows about it?"

Jacob nodded. "Yeah, it was weird. He was as taken with her as she was with him. So we told him about the imprint. He'll be phasing soon anyway. Might as well get it over with."

When we got into the kitchen, Seth and Shelby were already there, digging in. Jacob and I sat across from them and started piling our plates up. Glasses of sweet tea were set in front of us. My glass was regular sized, but Jacob's was a giant cylinder as was Seth's.

"How do you know he'll be phasing?" I asked as I piled eggs onto his plate.

Before Esme could beat him to it, Jacob got up to get the ketchup from the fridge.

"Who's going to be phasing?" Seth asked around a mouthful of waffle.

"Lucas," Jacob said. "And I know because back in May, he was still a normal-sized teenager. But in the past couple months, he's gotten huge. Nearly as big as me. And that was the same kind of growth spurt I had."

"Isn't that the truth," Momma's voice said from the doorway. She smiled at me. "It seemed like one day Jacob was a scrawny beanpole and the next?" She shook her head. "He was towering over me with muscles I knew that a gym couldn't give him overnight."

"Definitely. I felt like I could actually feel my bones lengthening and my muscles bulking up. I ate a shitload of meat." Jacob glanced at Esme. "Sorry for the language."

She smiled at him warmly. "After ten years of hearing it, I know when it's coming. Don't worry; I'm quite used to it."

He grinned at her. "You're the best, Esme."

She came over to pat him on the shoulder. "A mother or grandmother should always be accepting of her family no matter how they come. Language is just words, and I know you mean no offense. A bunch of rowdy males like you? I would expect nothing less, and it makes me love you all the more."

Shelby let out a sigh and we all turned to watch her place her hand over her stomach and smile. But when she finally focused on us, she scowled.

"Oh, shut up. It's the damn hormones."

We all laughed, and eventually she joined in.

SethPOV

Laughing with all the others, I couldn't keep my eyes off Shelby. Even though she grumbled and was still worried about being pregnant, she glowed. When we'd gotten to our room last night, her hand had barely left her stomach and the smile hadn't left her face at all, even after I scooted down on the bed to press my ear to her stomach. The baby's heartbeat was strong and fast. And that rhythm had put me out fast.

Today, Carlisle wanted to do an ultrasound just to make sure. I wasn't sure if she should be eating before, but he didn't seem to mind as he stood in the corner watching his mate and family have a Hallmark moment.

"Why are you staring at me?" Shelby asked, pulling me out of my head.

I smiled. "You're beautiful. How could I not?"

She rolled her eyes but smiled with pleasure. "Think you can handle this emotional Shelby for another however many months?"

Taking her hand in mine, I brought it up to kiss her knuckles. "Shelby, I could handle you through anything for the rest of forever."

"Man, you wolf types sure are romantic when it comes to your mates. Why can't we get some love?" Emmett sauntered in the room with Rosalie not far behind.

Rosalie went straight for Nessie and pulled her into a hug. When assurances were given that her niece was ok, Rosalie took up playing with Nessie's hair. She even gave a warm smile to Jacob when he nodded at her. The vampire sure had changed her tune since Nessie had gone off on her months ago. She was nicer to all the wolves, even Leah.

"I'm sure Morgan would be happy to oblige in giving you some pack 'love', Emmett. All you gotta do is sweet-talk her a little," Jacob said with a grin.

Emmett shuddered. "I'm not scared of much, but that female is scary."

"Eh, she'll calm down now that she's imprinted. It's not you her affections are focused on now."

"Thank God for that. And may God have mercy on that guy's soul."

A moment later, the door opened and Christa walked in. "Jacob, may I speak to you for a moment?"

Her eyes were wary as they darted from him to me. Jacob glanced at me, and I nodded. Excusing himself, he kissed Nessie and went for the door. Shelby and Nessie started talking about woman stuff like pregnancy and weddings, but I was solely concentrated on Jacob's shadow through the lace-covered window in the door. I was the only one who caught his shoulders tightening, which meant nothing good had come from the patrol update. Looking over to Edward, he nodded, confirming my thoughts.

Dammit, not again. Why couldn't whatever happened months ago leave us in peace? Something was brewing, something that could cost us another or more lives. And now I had something to be even more worried over. My unborn child was now as much at risk as my mate. And that was not acceptable in any way. Now I knew how Edward and Bella had felt when the news that the pack was coming for them when Bella was pregnant with Nessie. I was terrified and yet strangely resolved that nothing was going to touch Shelby without having to put me in an early grave first. And I would fight to the death to keep her safe.

When Jacob came back in, the room went silent. The expression on his face was exhaustion. He was already tired of all the drama. Something was in our woods again, and it couldn't be a coincidence. Whoever or whatever had been here last time was back, and it was going to start causing problems if hunters found those deer torn apart. They'd run to Charlie who would then have to placate them while we worked around the clock to find whatever it was and stop it.

"What is it, Jake?" Nessie asked worriedly.

He went to her, bent down, and pressed a very firm kiss to her lips. When he leaned back, he made very direct eye contact with her. "Another deer was found ripped apart in the woods. This is actually the second one. Seth and I found the first a couple days ago."

Her breath stopped short. "You-you mean like last time?"

Jake shook his head. "Yes and no. These deer have been mutilated, much worse than months ago when we came across that clearing."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Surprisingly, there was no anger to her tone. She was just curious.

"I was going to, but we got distracted."

Nessie reached up to stroke his hands where they rested on her face. "Ok, well, what do we do?"

I'm pretty sure we all just stared at her. No anger for not telling her. She knew now and she wanted to know what the next move was. She'd truly gone and grown up on us. And we all took deep breaths.

Jacob took another deep, relieved breath. "Well, we need to tighten up the patrols again, double them up, too. If there are going to be even more vampires involved, then we might get some more wolves soon, including Lucas. And we could use them."

At the mention of vampires, Nessie's face scrunched up in pain. Her fingers went up to massage her temples, nodding while Jake talked.

"Nessie, you ok?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. Like I told Jake, when I try to remember that night, I get an instant headache. But I'm ok if I back off." She motioned with her hand and then went back to massaging her temple. "Go on, keep talking. I'm ok."

Edward went to the cabinet and took down a pill bottle. He filled a glass with water and handed both to her. She said thanks while Jake and I watched to make sure she took them both.

When she did, I looked to Jake. "I'll tell the wolves that patrol around the rez to watch for potential phases. I think we'll need a pack meeting to start arranging the hand-offs for tighter shifts."

Jake nodded. "Good idea. But I still want to go on with our lives, so let's not overwork them. We don't know for sure if it's more than a mountain lion since we can't get a bead on the scent. We can make calls while we do our visiting and box-collecting."

"True. Whatever it is hasn't exactly come forward to make threats, and I think we're well protected until we can get things arranged."

Once we figured all that out, the girls took deep breaths. I wrapped my arm around Shelby's waist and brought her closer. "You ok?"

She nodded. "Yeah." Her hand went to her stomach. "I guess I'm just…"

"Yeah, I know. Me, too. But we'll be alright. I won't let anything happen to you."

"Or to you. Remember that conversation about me needing you to be ok?"

I nodded. "Of course." I kissed her temple. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Carlisle stepped away from the wall. "Why don't we get some happy stuff going? Ultrasound, anyone?"

So, yeah. Another nightmare. :/ And the drama begins. Kind of. Anywhozzle, as much as I would love a lemon in every chapter, there will be "blackouts" because we know how young love is that has finally crossed that line: they're always all over each other. But never fear, more will come, I promise. Please review. I love them, and you guys! xoxoxoxo