The Twilight Series belongs to S. Meyer, no copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing with the characters.

AN: Again the next two chaps will be written as a series of scenes. This one goes in order but the next chapter will be a bit different (which I should have up later today, so don't kill me yet).

They sat there silently, neither speaking a word. At some point he stood and walked over to her. His hand extended.

"Sue, I'm sorry."

Grasping his hand she stood and looked at him. "For what?"

"This is my fault."

"How? You said it has to do with genes—the original ones from Taha Aki—Ateara, Black, and Uley."

He stared at her blankly, trying to figure out what she was trying to get at. "Black and Uley," she clarified. "My grandmother was a Black and I was a Uley before we married."

He pulled her into his arms, transferring his strength to her through his touch. "It wouldn't matter, darling. It wouldn't. Maybe Leah wouldn't have but Seth—why would our son be spared when the others' sons weren't? By apologizing; I meant I was sorry for not telling you—not preparing you."

Her hand stroked the nape of his neck. Her fingers touched the ends of his hair, fluffing it slightly. "I don't think I would have believed you."

He chuckled softly, holding her a little closer and kissing the top of her head. "Probably not. You'd blame Old Quil's 'shine for my claims."

Strangely enough most of the occupants of the Clearwater house slept through the night. The well-maintained house Harry kept ensured that no one was woken by Jared opening Leah's window and crawling into bed with her. Though at some point one of them got up and forgot to re-lock her door.

Sue and Harry woke up first and while he started brewing coffee, she got started on breakfast. Scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast—an easy breakfast for the day. And not so hard to make enough to meet Leah's increased appetite. It was something he had seen with the boys after they phased; he assumed it would be similar for her.

Once the coffee was done brewing, he poured a cup for himself and one for Sue. Then he added cream and sugar to his cup and just a bit of sugar to hers. In all their years together, she never bothered with cream and half the time she didn't care if there was sugar or not in it. Long days at the hospital meant coffee was what kept her fueled. The sugar was just an added bonus. Sometimes more was added than necessary if it was a day where she didn't get a chance to sit and eat lunch—the little bit of sugar mixed with the caffeine was enough to keep her going.

He handed her cup to her and she stopped for a moment; her actions of putting bacon onto a baking sheet interrupted. He took the opportunity to kiss her cheek and murmured, "Good morning. I'll go wake up the kids."

"That's a good idea. I don't think Leah ate much yesterday."

He nodded in response to her words before turning to walk out of the kitchen. Seth had always been more difficult to wake up than Leah. He opted to try her first. He opened the door; the hinges gliding open without a single protest.

His eyes widened in surprise as he took in his daughter's sleeping form. At first he didn't recognize the mass of bronzed skin and muscles with black cropped hair that was wrapped around her. And when he did—he was torn between fatherly concern and relief. Relief that she had someone to help and comfort her through the transition from being just a girl into the role of a tribal protector. He had seen the way this young man had stood up for his daughter yesterday; the unspoken meaning behind their clasped hands.

The desperation of Jared's pleas only months ago; his request to see her for just a moment. He had refused. His daughter had already been hurt by this business and he refused to allow her to be hurt further. He had known they had become friends during the time Sam was missing.

But there was something about the intimacy of their embrace that bellied the explanation of only being friends. Whatever they had it was something more. It left him to wonder how this was going to work. Jared had an imprint and despite the revelations of yesterday—he wasn't sure it was enough to change things.

Leah stirred in her sleep, muttering softly; her brow wrinkling. Instinctively Jared pulled her tighter to him, his nose buried in the crook of her neck. Without opening his eyes, he shushed her.

"Shh, it's okay. I'm right here."

She seemed to settle with his simple actions and words. Leaving Harry to feel like an intruder on something he shouldn't be witnessing. It also reinforced the need to have a talk with the two of them. Regardless of her age—she was still his daughter and she lived under his roof which meant she needed to follow their rules.

Loudly, he cleared his throat before speaking, "Leah, breakfast will be ready soon. Your mother and I expect you and your guest to join us. He can borrow one of my shirts."

He bit his lip to hold his snicker in as he watched them both stiffen at the same time a slight flush crept across their cheeks. Satisfied that they were both mortified enough to do his bidding, he turned and closed the door behind him. Then he made his way up the stairs to Seth's room.

It took a bit of work to get Seth moving but after turning on his light, stealing his blankets, and threatening to pour cold water on his head—Seth stomped his way to the bathroom. The sound of the toilet flushing and sink running assured him that his son would be downstairs shortly.

When he walked back into the kitchen, Sue was just about to start cooking the eggs. He placed a hand on her arm, stopping her. He grabbed another half a dozen eggs from the carton on the counter and added them to the bowl.

"Harry," she stated quizzically.

"Believe me, darling, it will get eaten. We—well, our daughter has a guest."

"What?!" she gasped. "And you didn't grab your shotgun?"

"Nope. I'm feeling generous this morning. Plus we've got bigger things to worry about. We'll have to discuss the rules with them both later."

They finished up breakfast together and placed the food on the table. While he had been waking up their children she had set the table, so he only needed to add one more place setting. Shuffling footsteps and harsh whispers alerted him to their arrival. He winked at Sue before turning away, a grin tugging on his cheeks, "Well, speak of them and they'll show up. Have a seat, kids."

Neither Jared nor Leah could meet his gaze and mumbled a greeting before sitting down at the table. Seth's loud footsteps minutes later announced his arrival which made their gathering complete. If Harry hadn't been certain that Seth's phase was imminent he would have no choice but to realize it now.

"What's he doing here? I'm sick of Sam's lackeys following me around—now they're invited to breakfast," he snarled.

His attitude and demeanor was the complete opposite of the happy boy he had been for the past fourteen years. As a baby, he had rarely cried or fussed—it had boggled their minds. In fact, Sue had mentioned it to Seth's pediatrician as she was sure there was something wrong with him. But Seth was completely healthy and her concerns were brushed away. The pediatrician's exact words were along the lines of: Mrs. Clearwater, you and your husband are lucky to have a content baby. I wouldn't worry about it—ninety percent of the parents I see each day would give anything to have such a quiet, calm child.

"Seth, behave yourself. Jared is here as a guest and will be treated as such," Harry barked at his son. The fine line between exerting his authority and activating his son's phase was getting thinner and thinner by the day, the hour, the minute.

He watched as Seth rolled his eyes before responding, his tone and words flippant, "Whatever, dad. It's bullshit and you know it but I guess Sam's got you believing he shits rainbows."

He placed on restraining hand on Sue's knee; an unspoken gesture for her to stay quiet and not escalate things. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as her mouth opened and shut several times. She was fighting against her basic instincts as a mother to intervene and correct his behavior.

Disrespect was one thing that wasn't tolerated in the Clearwater house. While they encouraged their children to form their own opinions—the expression of them was never to be done at the expense of another. Differing values and beliefs were recognized as an essential component which separated them from the animal kingdom. No two people were created alike nor were the things which they held dear.

"Seth," he warned.

"Why do you even bother, dad? It's not like you give a shit about us. You spend more time with Sam and his lackeys than us," his tone loud and angry.

Their gazes were drawn to Seth's vibrating form. He shimmered like a tuning fork. His expression furious; his teeth bared. Harry felt as his heart pounded harder and the chest pains that had been present on and off for the past few weeks returned with a vengeance.

The pain took his breath away and he felt his body break out in a cold sweat. His left arm was suddenly heavy and lifeless. He didn't think he could lift it if he tried. Lightheadedness washed over him and he struggled to keep his eyes open. He opened his mouth to reprimand his son, to ask for help—to tell them he loved them but nothing came out.

Sue stared at him in confusion. Her brow furrowed while she sat there frozen. Seth continued his angry tirade despite the fact no one was listening. Jared glanced at Harry and back at Leah, seeing the exact moment she realized what was happening.

"Dad…" she managed to squeak out before his skin turned ashen and he slumped in his chair.

Sue screamed and began to sob loudly. Seth's anger was too intense for his human self to realize what was happening. His wolf was too near the surface. It left Jared and Leah to spring into action.

She jumped from her chair and pulled her dad to the floor, ordering Jared at the same time, "Take him outside. I don't care what they said—force it. If he doesn't phase now…fuck…I don't want to think about when or where it will happen."

Jared responded with a nod and grabbed Seth by the collar and began to pull him towards the door. He had just reached it when he saw her hands center on Harry's chest so she could begin compressions.

"Leah," he began, pulling her attention from her father. "Not too hard. Your strength is more than what you're used to."

"Thanks," she answered before turning back to her father. The sound of the door slamming shut signified their departure. She glanced at her mom; her voice strong and steady despite her panic, "Mom, call 911."

FF_8756144_19 12/18/12 1:12AM