Woo-hoo! Chapter 29! I missed you guys! I got a new computer because my other one died and I am still getting used to it so forgive me. I don't have Word anymore 'cause I used up all my uploads so I'm using an unfamiliar program :( so please bear with me. It doesn't have the auto-correct that I'm used to.

Now, for this chapter. I love it. It's one of my favorites. In a very very early version of my version of Jake and Nessie before Caden even came along, bits of this chapter had been in that original. So I really wanted it here, and I was so excited to write it. It's just all kinds of sweet. And funny. Caden and Christa crack me up. Hope you like it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Oh, and we are almost done with this story. Only a few more chapters! Sooooo buckle your seat belts, guys. The third story is on its way. AND I am already working on a sequel series that's about the KIDS! Totally excited about that. Now, enough of my ramblings. You don't read these anyway ;)

*Disclaimer*

Please Enjoy! And Happy Birthday to one of my reviewers! You're great!

JPOV

Again, my phone ringing woke me up. I didn't even open my eyes as I rolled over. Wait...something was missing. Just as my brain was clicking, the sound of my phone became shrill as it got closer to me.

The bed wiggled a little, and then I heard, "Hello?" in a soft voice. "Yeah, he's fine, just asleep. What's up?...Now?...Ok, I'll get him up, and we'll get down there."

"What's wrong," I mumbled.

The phone beeped and the bed wiggled again. A moment later, Nessie draped herself across my chest. She was still naked. Instinctively, I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her on top of me even though I was covered by a sheet.

She giggled. "Good morning to you, too."

"Mmm, how 'bout a replay of last night?"

Again with the giggle. "We don't have time. That was Paul. He said we need to get down to the big house. Something's up. He was vague about what though. He sounded excited."

That made me open my eyes. Paul was never excited about anything unless it had to do with my sister.

Nessie had apparently been up for a while. Her hair was damp, freshly washed. And now that I was paying attention, the scent of mint and honey floated around her.

I frowned as I slid my hand up and down her smooth back. "You're never up before me."

She smiled down at me and drew a finger between my eyes. "There's a first time for everything, Jake. Besides, for some reason, I was hot. We must have kept the comforter on last night, I guess. Usually it's just the sheet because of your body heat."

It was a perfectly ordinary reason, but it didn't feel right. With my new wolfy sense, I sniffed at her. No medicines or anything. I didn't smell that acrid scent of a lie. All that was there was chocolate, honey, and mint. Her love and just that scent that was her.

This time her laugh was full throated. "Don't look so suspicious. I just woke up early. Nothing to get all suspicious about."

I shook my head. "Alright, alright. Let's get up. What time is it anyway?"

"Noon," she answered as she crawled over me. My side of the bed was on the side of the room with the closet.

I groaned as I got out of bed and stretched. I jumped when I felt her slap my ass. Turning around in shock, I saw her dart into the closet, laughing. She closed and locked the door. I hadn't even known that door had a lock. She was feeling awfully playful, and it had started last night. I wasn't complaining mainly because lately, she'd been worried and stressed out because of everything going on. I loved the less serious side of her. She always knew how to make people feel loved and light.

Shaking my head, I went for the bathroom for necessities and a quick shower. When I was done, I came back into the room rubbing my hair with the towel to find that she'd laid my clothes out for me. Jeans and a black tank. Surprise, surprise.

I dressed quickly and met her upstairs. She was wearing skin tight hiphuggers and a dark green long sleeve T. She'd put the top half of her hair in a clip. She was waiting for me at the door. Derek and Adam were standing in the open door waiting for us.

Twenty minutes later, we were walking up to the kitchen door of the Cullen house with Nessie tucked into my side. It was colder than it had been yesterday. If it kept getting colder, that storm may not happen.

We were at the door when I looked up. Something had grabbed my attention. Edward was on the second floor, and he was shaking his head. It took me a moment to realize he was answering my thought. The storm was still coming. He nodded.

Sighing, I went inside. According to Alice, that storm would come in less than a week. She was guessing about Saturday or Sunday. Fabulous.

Rachel and Paul were in the kitchen, but something was up. They were throwing little glances at each other and failing not to smile in that way that told people they were trying to hide something.

"Hey, Jacob, Nessie," Rach said.

I gave her a raised eyebrow while Nessie said, "Hey. Nice to see you two. What's up?"

I left her to visit with them, and went for the living room. I needed to talk to Edward about the whole weather/attack thing that was supposedly happening soon. I didn't get further than the kitchen door. the person on the couch stopped me in my tracks. I was pretty sure I stopped breathing, too.

She was an exact copy of my sister who was sitting in the kitchen. I looked back over my shoulder to make sure Rachel was still sitting at the table between Paul and Nessie. When I had that confirmation, I looked back to the couch.

My sister, Rebecca, was sitting there. She'd been flipping through a magazine. Now, she sat there smiling at me, the magazine forgotten on the coffee table.

"Hey, Jake," she said tentatively as she slowly stood up.

"Jake?" Nessie said behind me. When I didn't answer, I heard the chair scrape on the floor as she stood up to come to me. "Hey, you al-oh," she gasped as she got a look at Rachel's twin. I felt more than saw her look back at Rachel just as I had.

"What are you doing here?" I blurted. "I thought you were in Hawaii."

She shrugged. "I was. And it's nice to see you, too, baby brother." Her eyes swept me from head to toe. "Man, dad wasn't kidding. You got huge."

"Dad?" I was still in total shock. I hadn't seen my sister is over ten years.

She nodded, tucking her short hair behind her ear. "Yeah, he sends me pictures all the time." She stepped closer. "So, can I get a hug? I haven't seen you in a long time."

In reflex, I opened my arms to her. She stepped in and pressed in close to me. Finally, I shook out of my shock and hugged her hard. And, as pansy as it sounded, I tried really hard not to cry. I felt a small hand rub circles on my back. Nessie. Somehow she knew how this was affecting me.

"I missed you so much, Jake," Becca whispered against my chest. A second later, she pulled back and rubbed her thumbs under her eyes. Then, her eyes shifted to over my shoulder. "You going to introduce us?" she asked me.

Clearing my throat, I stepped back. "Uh, Nessie, this is my sister Rebecca. Becca this is my fiancee, Renesmee, but everyone calls her Nessie."

They smiled and reached for each other at the same time.

"It's so nice to meet you, Nessie. Dad tells me a lot about you when I'm able to call. He says you help Jake out a lot."

Nessie looked surprised. "I do what I can when he lets me."

Becca smiled as they pulled apart. "Oh, I know what you mean. As the only boy, he was a terror when we were little."

"Amen," Rachel said from the kitchen. The girls erupted into giggles.

"Hey!" I said. "No ganging up on me. That's not fair. Now, Becca, what are you doing here?"

She choked back some more giggles and said, "I got a wedding invite from an Alice Cullen, your future aunt-in-law." Her face sobered a little, but she kept a soft smile. "And dad told me about the pack, Jake. I know you're the Alpha. That's another reason I came back."

I frowned. "I don't understand. Did you phase?"

She shook her head just as I heard a car pull up outside. She smiled and sighed. "Just in time." Doors opened and closed. At least two heartbeats and a pattering sound on the porch . "Thomas and I are moving back. Charlie helped out finding a house in Forks."

I just blinked at her. Not only was she here for my wedding but she was moving back?

There was a knock on the door and Becca looked at Nessie, who nodded, and then said, "Come on in. Door's open."

The next thing I knew, the sound of little feet was in the house. And a high pitched voice came with it.

"Momma, momma!"

Shock. I was definitely in shock again as Becca scooped up a black-haired, tan-skinned little boy. He was about five or six years old. Old enough to talk. A man I had never met came down the hallway with a sippy-cup and diaper bag that probably just held toys now.

"Becca...?" I asked.

Her shoulders rose with a deep breath before she turned around. "Jacob, I want you to meet your nephew, Henry." She looked at the boy who was staring at me. "Henry, can you say hi to your Uncle Jacob?"

At first he looked scared and like he was going to bury his face into Becca's neck. Instead, he studied me. After a moment, his little face broke out into a huge grin as he reached for me. "Unca Daycob!"

"He knows me?" I asked, stepping closer to them.

Becca grinned. "I asked dad to send me pictures with names. He knows everybody, including Nessie's family." She held Henry out to me. "Here, he wants you to hold him, Jake. He's been dying to meet you."

"Unca Daycob, Unca Daycob!"

Little arms reached out for me, fingers opening and closing. As I took him into my arms, I felt Rachel come up behind me. She stared from Henry to me to Rachel with tears in her eyes. I just stared at Henry, my nephew, and felt awe and a little wave of anger.

I wanted to demand why she didn't tell us that she was pregnant to begin with. A five year old nephew? But I didn't. This was supposed to be a happy moment, and I could see the tension in her shoulders. She knew that Rach and I were going to have a word with her later. Right now, I just needed to concentrate on the little boy in my arms.

"He's beautiful, Becca," Rachel said as Henry wrapped his arms around my neck as much as he could and planted a sloppy kiss on my cheek.

Becca grinned. But her husband smiled and answered with, "Thanks. He's got good genes from his momma."

I frowned as Henry reached for Rachel before pausing. My sisters weren't identical but it was close enough that he was confused. His little head turned back and forth a couple times before he looked back at Rachel and grinned.

He reached out again with, "Ray, Ray!"

Becca laughed as I handed him over. "He still can't quite get your name, Rach."

"Rebecca," I said when the lightbulb in my head flickered to life. When she looked at me, I gave her a look. "Good genes? That's why you came back, isn't it? Were you scared he'd phase and not have help or something?"

Her husband, Tom, stepped forward to wrap an arm around her. "Not at all." He squeezed her and shared a look with her. "It was about time to relocate anyway, and she'd been wanting to come back."

"But the werewolf gene in him wouldn't get triggered unless there were...enemies around. I'm pretty sure he was protected from that in Hawaii."

Tom shook his head again. "It's not that we didn't want the gene triggered, though. It's a part of his heritage. And Becca told me that she has it on both sides. She also said that out of the three of you siblings, you were the only one to phase."

I just stared at him. "You want him to phase?"

Tom shrugged. "It won't happen 'til he's older, right? If it happens at all?"

Thinking about it, I stared at my nephew in Rachel's arms. "I guess so. All of us phased either in our late teens or early twenties."

Nessie had come up behind me, and Henry saw her. Grinning, he reached for her. She took him into her arms, and he buried himself in her hair. Not two seconds later, I heard another car pull up.

Becca smiled radiantly. "That must be dad and Uncle Charlie."

We waited as car doors opened and closed. Henry cooed and giggled at Nessie as she danced around with him and made goofy faces. She was so great with kids, a natural, and I couldn't help but stare at her. Even with kids that weren't hers, she glowed. God, I wanted that so bad. But first, we had to survive all this shit from Tristan and the Volturi. Because make no mistake, Jane was going to die one way or another. And so was Tristan. He'd caused enough trouble in my territory, and I'd be damned if Nessie got pregnant now with him running amok. Although, since we couldn't use condoms, she could very well be pregnant now or soon if we didn't slow it down. Baby or no baby, however, I was going to marry her in October. It was the end of August. We barely had a month, but according to Alice, the storm would hit in less than a week. And now, my long-lost sister shows up with her toddler? They were going to stay down in the rez with Rachel and Paul, or someone, until this whole mess passed. I wasn't about to let them stay in Forks. The rez was better protected. Becca would probably fight, but I wasn't giving them a choice. Tom would understand the need to protect family. He was a man. No matter how progressive the world became, some men just had the instinct to protect what was theirs. I was betting he was one of them since he cared enough about my sister to move to dreary Forks from warm Hawaii for their son and her need to come back home.

The door opened a while I was still lost in thought and we all heard, "Hey, hey! Where's my baby girl?"

Becca went to meet him at the hallway. "Hey, dad!" She stooped down and wrapped her arms around him. "Ooo, I missed you so much!" And then she was off to Charlie. Sue was next. I hadn't even seen her walk through the door.

As Tom was introduced, Nessie stepped up beside me with Henry in her arms. He was peeking out from locks of her hair. Billy froze mid-smile at whatever Charlie was saying. When Billy didn't answer him, Charlie turned and froze as well as he got a good look at his granddaughter and the child in her arms.

Rebecca hadn't told Billy that she had a son? Rachel and me, I could understand. But our dad? He hadn't known all this time that he had a grandson.

Now, Becca looked nervous. She cleared her throat. "Dad-."

"You had a baby?" he whispered.

She wouldn't meet his eyes. "I'm so sorry, daddy."

Tom cleared his throat. "Nessie, I think I'm going to get him some food together. Would you mind helping me out?"

Nessie looked startled for a second before she shook her head and smiled. "Of course. Come on. The kitchen's just behind me."

When the three of them disappeared, we all stared at Becca. She'd started crying silently. Though I knew Rachel was angry with her, too, she moved around me so that she could hug her twin. I think we were all more disappointed than angry, though. I knew I was.

"Becca," I said. Billy looked too shocked to say anything. She wouldn't look at me, just the floor. "Becca, why didn't you tell us? You talk to dad. Why didn't you tell him?"

She burst into sobs. "I'm sorry. I just thought if you knew that you'd want to make me come up here, and we just didn't have the money. And I know that's not an excuse. I just-I just...I could have told you and sent pictures, but...but, I was so homesick for you and and everybody else that I barely had the strength to talk to dad let alone tell you that I had a baby. I am so, so sorry."

Billy, Rachel, and I all shared a look. And then Billy and I converged into a group hug as much as we could since Billy was in a wheelchair.

"Becca, baby," Billy said. "We're not angry. We're upset, true, but not angry. We can't lose another of this family. Jacob and Rachel will need you when I go to join your mother. I want my kids to know each other and be close. But I think I speak for all of us when I say that we're ecstatic that he knows us. That was a brilliant idea on your part. Ok, sweetie? We love you."

And just like that, all my anger and disappointment were gone. Because Billy was right. Though she hadn't told us there was a new addition to the family, she had taught him about us. He knew us, recognized us.

"How did you afford to come back up here?" I asked as gently as I could. I was curious, but not in accusatory way.

Before Becca could answer, Tom came back in the room. "As soon as Charlie called to tell us he'd found a place cheap to rent, we sold our house and flew straight here. We sold the house yesterday before we left."

Becca looked up at me with a tear-stained face. "I want my son to know his roots, who he is, and who he could be. Neither me nor Tom had any family down there. Henry only had pictures to learn his relatives. That's not fair to him. Here? I get to spend time with you, Rach, and dad. And Tom has family in northern California. And Henry has his aunts and uncles."

As Tom went around to pull his wife into his arms, I felt a small hand pat my arm. Looking over, I found Henry grinning up at me and reaching for me to hold him. Nessie grinned as I took him.

"Welcome home, little guy," I said.

He giggled.

RPOV

Henry was the most adorable thing in the world. When we'd all sat down for lunch, he spent most of his time in his uncle's lap, giving Jake wet kisses and gurgly giggles. Jacob probably didn't realize it, but he was a natural. Henry loved him, and I knew that Jacob was already wrapped around his finger. If Jacob was this great with two kids that weren't his, then I really couldn't wait to see him when we had our own.

It was a few hours later that we were still sitting around the table talking when a rush of movement entered the house. Rachel had said that my family had gone hunting when my Aunt Alice had seen visitors coming into the house. Apparently, they were back, and I saw Rebecca tighten her grip on her son where he was snoozing in her arms. She was sitting between Jacob and Tom. Jacob leaned over to whisper something to her as he stroked her back. If I'd wanted to, I could have probably heard what he'd said, but he'd whispered it for a reason. Becca took in a deep breath and nodded.

Smiling, she handed off Henry to Tom, stood up, and excused herself. I gave Jacob a questioning glance.

He leaned over to whisper to me, "I think she might need someone to talk to. Would you mind?"

I shook my head.

"Thanks. And could you get her to agree to stay on the rez? Please? At least until this mess is over. The rez is safest for them right now."

I nodded again, gave him a kiss, and excused myself. Jacob was right. She probably needed someone to talk to who wasn't as close to the situation as her sister, brother, and dad. I was kind of perfect because I knew the situation, but didn't have a feeling one way or another.

She'd gone for the front door. My guess was that she was sitting on the porch. I was right. She was sitting on the steps.

When the door closed with a click behind me, she gave out a bitter laugh. "I knew one of you would be out here to give me hell. Which one is it? Rach or Jacob?"

I cleared my throat. "Um, neither, actually."

She whipped around, looking startled. "Oh, Nessie, hi."

I smiled. "Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you. You mind if I join you?"

She shrugged and turned back around. "If you want to. If you can stand to. You must be angry with me out of principle because of Jake."

I sat down on the top step with her, rested my elbows on my knees and clasped my hands together. "Actually, Jacob doesn't do my thinking for me. I have my own opinions. And I am not angry with you." When glanced at me, I shrugged. "Whether we're human or not, we all make mistakes, and we all do what we think is right. That's what you did."

"I was so stupid to hide Henry away like that." She took a deep breath. "I don't know if Jacob talks to you about me. Probably not since I hurt them so bad. But I left as soon as I could, Nessie. I couldn't bear to stay in the same vicinity of where our mother died. Everything reminded me of her. And we all grew up with the legends of our people. Dad always believed the wolves would return, that the gene would kick in again when the enemies returned. But really, werewolves and vampires? I just couldn't handle it. I wasn't proud of where I'd come from."

"What changed?" I asked softly.

"Henry," she said immediately. "And, of course, dad telling me about Jake and the pack. But mostly Henry. If I kept him away from here, he'd never know anything about himself, let alone me. The moment he was born and I first held him in my arms, I knew I had to face my pain and come back. For five years, Tom and I saved up as much money as we could. I finally called dad, and asked for pictures when Henry started recognizing people. I told dad I was making a photo album and needed updated pictures. Even then, I should have told him. I should have asked for Rachel's and Jake's numbers to talk to them. I just missed them more than anything. It was hard enough just talking to dad. I wish I could go back, though, and tell them. They wouldn't be angry with me."

I nudged her with my shoulder and gave her a gentle smile. "They aren't angry, Rebecca. Like Billy said, they're upset. But honestly, they'll get over it. You got some serious brownie points for making sure your son knew his aunt, uncle, and grandfather. And another thing is, we're all having issues wrapping our minds around this because we have some serious stuff going on, some dangerous stuff. So, at the same time, Jacob is worrying about the safety of his family, and the nephew he just met and fell in love with."

Her eyes filled with worry. "Dangerous? How dangerous?"

"Life or death." I said it clear, without hesitation, and the most serious eye contact I could muster.

She watched me as if she were waiting for me to tell her I was kidding. I wish I was. "So what are you saying?" she asked.

I took a deep breath. "Jake and I want you, Tom, and Henry to stay on the rez."

"What? Why?"

"Forks isn't safe right now, but the rez is. No scents of our enemies have been found there for a while now. Forks is compromised. People have been attacked and killed. Jacob doesn't want you there. And frankly, I agree with him."

"But he can't tell us what to do. Tom wouldn't understand anyway."

Moving around, I faced her and took her hands in mine. "Listen to me, Rebecca. Henry isn't safe in Forks. Especially if it comes out that he's Jacob's nephew."

"Jacob specifically is in danger?"

I nodded. "And me. Both of us are the priority of our enemies. You have to listen to us. Jacob is a good alpha. He knows what he's doing, and I one-hundred percent back him up. The pack and the entire rez treat him as their chief, ok? Please. Just let us get this problem over with before you move into that house."

"Nessie's right."

I whirled to find my parents standing at the door. Mom stepped forward with a smile. "Rebecca, you know that we're different. I know Billy talked to you. Edward and I would be happy to buy the house and keep it up for you so that it's ready for you to move in when the time comes."

I grinned. What is it with you two and houses? I thought.

Dad grinned at me.

Rachel shook her head. "God, no. We couldn't ask you to do that."

"You didn't. We're offering," Dad said. "And you're going to accept it. Jacob is our son-in-law which makes you family."

"But you know nothing about us."

Dad smiled again. "I know more than you think."

Becca looked at me with raised eyebrows.

I shrugged. "He can read minds."

She blinked. "Excuse me?"

I nodded. "Our kind sometimes has abilities. All the Cullens have an ability of some sort. Dad can read minds. Mom can block other mental abilities. She's known as a shield. I can project my thoughts and memories. Aunt Alice can kind of predict the future. Things like that."

She swallowed hard, but nodded. "I guess dad wasn't lying."

I shook my head. "Probably not. He knows everything about us since I'm engaged to his son. He may have omitted some stuff, but he probably didn't make anything up."

She gave a short laugh. "Sounds like dad."

I looked up to my own dad but he was gone. I snorted. "Looks like you're taking that offer."

"What? No, I-," she stuttered and looked back, too, with a sigh.

"Sorry. My dad doesn't give people choices sometimes. He thinks too many people are too nice for their own good."

She sighed again.

"So, Tom doesn't know about this?"

"He knows about the wolves. I told him the legend and then I told him about Jake. Dad sent me a picture of you and Jake when he was in wolf form."

Laughter bubbled up my throat. "How did Tom take it?"

Her own laughter joined mine. "He freaked out at first. But once I told him that it was a very real possibility for our baby to inherit that gene, he knew I was telling the truth. Neither one of us would do anything to hurt Henry. It was actually Tom who got the ball rolling on us moving here. He's determined for Henry to have a full life that isn't boring." She laughed again, but at something she was remembering. "All throughout my pregnancy, he was so worried that we'd be boring parents, that we'd be those parents that embarrass their kid without even trying." Turning toward me, she studied me. "So you and my baby brother, huh?"

I laughed. "Yeah, me and Jacob."

"You planning on kids? You'd make great parents."

I played with the ring on my finger. "Yeah, we want kids. But not until we're all safe and we can raise them in a loving, non-chaotic environment. We're both worried about what would happen if I got pregnant now."

She gave me a look. "No protection?"

To my credit, I didn't blush. I just shook my head. "Birth control won't work on me. I'm only half human. And, trust me, we tried. A few years ago to see how my body reacted to certain medicines. My body rejected it. I kept throwing up everywhere. And Jacob can't use a condom. His body heat from being a wolf and the friction would melt it."

"And you can't abstain until it's all done?" She was giving me that adult look that said, yes, you can control the craving.

I shook my head and tried to put it into words. "If we hadn't already made love to begin with, sure, we'd be able to. But with us being the alpha couple, there's something more primal about that connection. It's more than a craving. There are some days or nights where afterward, we're laying there and trying to figure out how we got there in the first place."

She nodded. "I think I know what you mean. After that first time with Tom, it was an...insatiable need. Even though I don't phase, I still have that blood running through me. I'd never felt anything like that with any of my other lovers. Don't tell anyone, but that's kind of how I knew Tom was the one. At first, every time I touched him or he touched me, just the barest of fingertips on my cheek, I was this needy animal. It was quite intense."

"Insatiable and intense," I nodded. "Good words. Perfect words." I turned to her again. "So you're going to stay on the rez, right?"

Taking a deep breath through her nose, she blew it out of her mouth loudly. "Yeah. I'll talk to Tom."

"Good. We just want you safe."

"I know. And thank you."

The door opened again. We turned to find Tom. "Hey, ladies. Esme says dinner's ready."

I smiled. Rebecca said, "Thanks, babe."

He was about to go back in when he popped his head back out. "Oh, and Henry is looking for momma and aunt Ren," he said with a smile.

Becca and I laughed as we both stood up. I wrapped my arm through her elbow and she rested her head on my shoulder as we went in for dinner.

Mustn't disappoint my new nephew.

ChristaPOV

Fuming, I marched down to Leah and Caden's place. Walker was spending the day with his sister instead of going with me to talk to Caden about what or who we found at the store yesterday. I really wanted just one more good punch.

Morgan was beside me trying hard not to smile. "I thought you told him about imprinting."

"I did."

"Then why isn't he trying to get to know you?"

I sighed and growled at the same time. "Look, I didn't tell him that I imprinted on him, ok? I just explained what it was and told him that Embry had imprinted on Tricia."

"You did what?" She stopped walking but I didn't. She had to jog to catch up to me. "Why didn't you tell him?"

"I was hoping that he would make the connection if I told him about it and the fact that I was hanging around him more. But no. Apparently the part of his brain that performs math to put two and two together is broken. Or he's ignoring it. Or he's just really that stupid."

"Guess which one I'm going for?" she said.

"Exactly," I said sarcastically. I only muttered, "Asshole."

Morgan laughed. It was a sincere laugh, one that, before we'd started talking again, I hadn't heard in years. Lucas was on her other side, quietly smiling and holding her hand. He didn't say a word. Smart man, or I would have hit him.

Morgan was still laughing as I knocked on the front door. Caden was the one to open it about five minutes later. His hair was sticking up everywhere and he was dressed in nothing but a pair of jeans that were zipped but not buttoned. There red welts on the skin of his shoulders, chest, and arms.

Irritated again, I pushed past him into the house with a growl. "Is everyone around here having sex? Jesus."

Caden didn't even say anything. He just crossed his arms over his chest and gave raised eyebrows to Morgan.

She tried her best not to grin, and failed. "Dry spells make anyone cranky."

Lucas pressed his lips into a tight line as Leah came into the room in a dark green robe.

"What is going on?" she asked.

Caden shrugged and pulled her into his side. "Didn't get a chance to ask, love." He looked over to me. "Any reason you're interrupting my wet spell?"

I rolled my eyes and gagged while Leah slapped him on the chest and choked. "Caden!"

"What? It's true."

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I pulled up the pictures from the grocery store, picked out a clear one and tossed him the phone. He caught it easily and stared at it. At first his brows pulled down low, but as he flipped through the other pictures, he became more emotional. Swallowing hard and breathing rapidly, he handed me the phone back.

"You know him, don't you?" Morgan asked, folding her arms under her breasts. All the joking was gone from her face.

Caden nodded. "It's Ethan." His voice was choked. He cleared his throat. "We need to talk to Jacob."

Ten minutes later, we were at the Cullen house. There was a crowd inside. I could feel the energy. And there were several scents mixed together. Morgan, Lucas, and I had been practicing what Caden had taught us.

We went inside to find everybody in the kitchen. There were three new people that I'd never seen before, one of them a child no more than four or five years old. The man didn't look familiar but the woman did. She looked like Rachel.

"Rebecca?" Leah said in surprise from our little group.

The woman transferred the boy to Jacob's arms and rushed forward with a large smile and arms opened wide.

"Leah!" she said as she wrapped her arms around the other woman. "Oh my god, I have missed you so much! How are you?" The woman, Rebecca, stepped back and held Leah and arms' length. "Wow, you look amazing."

Leah smiled, bright and happy, which was rare. "Thank you. You look great, too. But what are doing here?"

"Tom and I decided to move back. For our son."

Leah's eyes went to the little boy. "That's...that's your son?"

Rebecca nodded. "His name is Henry."

At the sound of his name, the boy looked up. When his eyes went to Leah, he frowned. If I didn't know any better, I'd have said he was trying to remember something. After a moment, he suddenly grinned. "Le-le!"

Rebecca laughed. "I've said this a thousand times, but he knows everybody. I taught him from pictures."

Leah looked close to tears as she waved at Henry, who waved a chubby hand in return.

"So," Rebecca said in an excitedly expectant voice.

"So what?"

She motioned to Caden who was now fully dressed with a shirt and buttoned pants. Hallelujah. "Who is this?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm so used to everyone knowing who he is. Rebecca, this is Caden, my imprint. Caden, this is Rebecca, my childhood friend, and Jacob and Rachel's sister."

Smiling like nothing was wrong, he took Rebecca's hand and kissed the back of it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Rebecca. Leah has actually talked about you a lot."

Rebecca shot Leah a "hubba hubba" look. It was probably the accent. And the fact that Caden was stunningly gorgeous. Leah grinned and blushed.

"What are you doing here, Caden?" Jacob said from the table. He was bouncing his legs under the table, making the little boy jiggle around in his lap. "It's your and Leah's day off. Normally you're holed up at your house."

Caden grinned. "This is true. However, this," he pointed at me, "firecracker dragged me out of my day off. She and Walker found something yesterday."

"What was it?"

Caden's eyes flicked around the room. "I'm not sure business should be discussed here."

"Oh, right." Jacob handed Henry over to the man, Tom, and got up.

"Wait," Rebecca said. "I am a Black. If Rachel can sit in on this stuff, then so can I."

Caden and Jacob shared a look. Tom cleared his throat.

"I'll just take Henry to watch cartoons so you guys can talk."

"Honey,-" Rebecca started.

Tom came to kiss her. "It's ok. You take care of family stuff. You can tell me later if you feel up to it." And then he was gone. A moment later, the TV turned on. A second after that, cartoons played in the background.

Jacob crossed his arms over his chest. "What's up?"

Caden held his hand out to me. It took me a second to realize he wanted the phone. I dug it out again, flipped through the pictures, and gave it to him. He tossed it to Jake. I rolled my eyes. Men.

Jacob frowned and flipped through the pictures. "Who am I looking at?"

Caden smiled. "That's Ethan."

"Ooooook?"

"He's a very good friend of mine and part of Tristan's pack. He was a loner like me. I taught him the ropes. It makes sense that Tristan would send him into the town to interact. Ethan is the only one who's still in touch with his humanity, besides me of course."

"He was super nice," I added.

"You talked to him?" Caden asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, we got close to him and everything. He had to scent Walker. I couldn't have cancelled out his scent that well."

"Ok? And what does that mean for us?" Jacob demanded.

Caden leaned forward, planting his hands on the table and leaning into them. "It means, Jacob, that if I can get into contact with him, he may be our way into Tristan's pack, our foot in the door for information. Ethan and I were so close that I feared Tristan would kill him because of my betrayal."

Jacob thought this over. "What if it's a trap though? If you were that tight, maybe Tristan is using him as a lure, hoping you'll try to get in contact."

Caden shook his head. "There are two things that Tristan could have done. One, he could have told the pack that I betrayed them, making me a traitor. Or two, he could have told them that I was dead. I'm betting on the second."

"Why?"

"If they thought I was alive and going against Tristan, it would give them the opportunity to leave that pack to seek me out. They have to know that something is really wrong with him by now. Trying to set up a kingdom here is damn near suicidal. The other packs would come after him for trying to out us to the world. If the rest of his pack knows his plan, then they'll be looking for a way out even if they are as psychotic as he is. If they knew that I was alive, then they'd come to me asking me to fight him for alpha."

Jacob took a deep breath and scrubbed his face.

"I thought they were a pack of dominants?" I asked. "Why couldn't the others challenge him?"

Caden turned to me. "That's a good question. The answer is that there are different levels of power. All of them are dominant but at different levels. None of them come close to Tristan, except me. We're about equal. That's why I was second in command."

"So, let's say he told them that you were dead," Jacob said. "What are we supposed to do with that?"

Caden grinned. "That would mean that Tristan lied to them. One of the rules of a pack of our kind is that none of us lie to each other because we can always smell it, so there's really no use. Dominants hate to be lied to. That's an act of betrayal. And as far as they're concerned, I have never once lied to them."

Jacob's eyes narrowed as he asked the question we were all thinking. "And have you ever lied to them?"

Caden shook his head and the grin vanished. "No. Not once."

That imaginary light bulb on top of my head flickered to life. "So, you think they'll swing over to our side if Ethan tells them that he saw you alive?"

Caden nodded. "They'd be able to smell the lie on him otherwise."

"Hmmm, it has possibilities. How many times would he need to go grocery shopping?"

"At least twice or three times a week. It's Wednesday, so probably once more. Friday or Saturday."

Jacob nodded. "Ok. You'll be sitting out of patrol shifts. You'll work the town circuit in the shops."

Caden clapped his hands together. "Excellent."

"But remember, there is still a chance it could be a trap."

"A small one," Caden corrected.

Jacob glared at him. "But still a chance."

Caden just shrugged.

Jacob tossed me the phone. "Good job, Christa. This helps."

I couldn't help my grin of satisfaction. "Thank you. I went through hell trying to get those pictures."

Morgan snorted. "Yeah, she had to pretend to be Walker's girlfriend."

I shivered, but not from anything unpleasant. Just remembering being that close to him put a longing in my gut that I just wasn't ready for. It was like an undercut to the solar plexus: painful, butterflies made of barbed wire.

Caden made a face like he had a bad taste in his mouth. "That does sound unpleasant," he said.

It was a day for rolling eyes. Morgan and I both did and shook our heads in unison. Jacob looked back and forth between us.

"You two really are best friends, aren't you?"

"What gave it away?" Morgan asked sarcastically.

Jacob gave her a look, but ignored the comment. "Because Shelby and Nessie do the same shit all the time."

"Who's Shelby?" Rebecca asked.

"Seth's imprint," Morgan said.

I nodded. "She's Caden's type of wolf."

Rebecca's brows pulled down low in confusion. "I was meaning to ask that. There are two types of werewolf?"

We all nodded. Jacob and Caden quickly went through the whole explanation, including all the drama going down, and ended with the news that Shelby was pregnant. When they were done, Rebecca sank down into a chair.

"Wow." She looked over at Nessie. "You weren't kidding, were you? About the danger?"

Nessie shook her head. "I wish I was."

We were all silent as we lost ourselves in our thoughts. It was Caden who disrupted that quiet.

"Christa, I want you and Walker with me in the town." He shot a look over to Jacob. "If that's alright with you."

Jacob crossed his arms again. "Why do want them with you?"

"Even though it was little, they had interaction with Ethan. He'll probably need familiar faces after seeing me resurrected from the dead."

"That's if Tristan told them that you were dead."

Caden shrugged. "It's worth a shot. It's a win-win for me either way."

Jacob nodded. "Ok. If they're up to it, you can have Walker and Christa. We'll put someone else on Sam and Emily with Morgan and Lucas."

I grinned and clapped my hands. "I'm game."

Caden grinned at me.

RPOV

Later that night, once everything calmed down again, Caden, Leah, Christa, Morgan, and Walker all left. Seth and Shelby showed up, and introductions were made all over again. Shelby made an instant connection with Henry. Jacob and I took up a couch, and Becca and Tom took up the love seat. Henry was being passed around. He never wanted to stay with one person too long. There was no doubt in my mind that he was a social butterfly. He'd turn heads in high school, and would probably be one of those guys who are nice to everyone.

We spent the night watching Disney movies while Esme and Mom made cupcakes for everyone. Over the hours, the pack trickled in and out giving updates to Jacob and Seth from patrols. Some of them stuck around. Adam and Derek sat on either side of the couch on the floor. They'd run a couple hours of patrols for some of the other guys who needed family time.

At the moment, the movie of choice was Beauty and the Beast. We were at the part where Belle and the Beast first sit in front of the fire after their day playing in the snow and Chip is wondering what's going on while the others are talking cryptically.

Jacob leaned over to whisper in my hair, "We should name our first son Chip." I could hear the smile in his voice.

I laughed and playfully slapped his chest. Turning my head, I kissed his lips with the softest of caresses. "No. Our first son will be named William," I whispered back.

He grinned against my mouth. "Oh, really?"

"Mhm. After his grandfather on his father's side."

He kissed me back. "I think I can live with that."

"You think?"

"Absolutely." He kissed me again. "And his middle name will be Edward."

I pulled back a little to stare up at him.

He shrugged a little, still grinning. "It's only fair."

Opening my mouth to say something, a small voice beat me to it.

"Unca Daycob."

Pulling away from me, Jacob looked over to his nephew with eyebrows raised.

Henry raised a chubby finger to his lips. "Shhh, I'm twying to whath."

"Sorry, buddy," Jacob whispered.

With a grin, Henry stood up and walked over to us to try to climb up onto the couch between us. I scooted over as Jacob helped him up. He sat forward once he was between us and put one small hand on my thigh and the other on Jacob's. Jacob and I shared a look and smile as Jacob snaked his arm around the back of the couch to rest his hand on the nape of my neck under my hair.

Feeling watched, I looked over to see Rebecca barely containing a smile as she watched her son enjoying time with his family. Claire, who had come up with Quil earlier on for dinner, came into the living room from the kitchen with a cup of hot chocolate in her hands. Her tongue was between her teeth as she tried not to spill it before sitting down in front of me and leaning back against my legs. Reaching out, I combed my fingers through her hair. She set her mug down and leaned her head back against my knees. Leaning more forward, Henry tried to copy me by petting her head like he would a dog.

I looked over again to grin back at my soon-to-be sister-in-law. She winked at me, and then settled in against her husband who leaned in to kiss her hair.

Yeah, family time was as good as it got.

See? Sweet, right? Soooo, please review? I love to know what you guys are thinking. It totally helps my groove. Until next time! xoxoxoxo