I don't know why anyone puts up with me. I've been working on this for so long :| My excuses are invalid -..- I'll just shut up and let you get to the chapter now... It should go without saying that characters that are native to the Twilight universe aren't mine. My characters are mine. And that is all :)
It'd been over a week… no sign of the non-vampire. Or… whatever it was. Embry was thankful for its absence, but at the same time it made his stomach crawl. Like there was some unknown danger out there lurking, waiting for them to drop their guard or something. Oddly enough, they hadn't seen anything of Stanley or Cassandra either. Joanna's siblings seemed to have just vanished. Then again, it wasn't like they saw them so often anyway. Still, it was going to make investigating their involvement that much more tricky if they weren't around to be investigated.
Jake had called Nessie the moment they'd all gotten into the house… well, after getting dressed of course. She'd driven over right away. It was still funny to see Nessie, who was about the same size as Alice, behind the wheel of a car. The little hybrid may've appeared to be 14 or 15, but in reality she was 6. Of course, her brain was probably older than all of them, considering how quickly she absorbed knowledge. Embry knew this from the bond with Jake. The girl was practically an adult. She and Jake weren't exactly intimately involved yet, but she had told Jake that they would be… when she was ready. He remembered the relief it had been on Jake when she'd been the one to bring it up and establish control of the situation. He was more than willing to do whatever she needed, after all. Now that she acknowledged that, it was up to her to state her needs.
Anyway, back to Nessie. She had been a part of their 'council', but only in so much as to tell them that she didn't know the person they'd seen or what he even was. She'd put in a call to Carlisle (sometimes, it was really great that Vampires didn't need sleep), and he'd confirmed that he had never heard of anything like it. The Cullens were currently up in Denali, a vacation that Nessie had decided to skip out on if only for Jacob's sake. Embry had never fully understood the longing for an imprint until his current situation. Carlisle promised to gather the family together for a family meeting, explaining the situation to all of them before returning home.
Lucky for Embry, he'd been able to spend time with Joanna, and not just 'creepy stalker wolf' time either. Firstly, she wanted to introduce him to her new pet… a reddish brown bunny she called Ricky. That was interesting. Embry had to lay down on his back on the floor for the rabbit to come out and be comfortable with him. Even then it would dart away under furniture from time to time. Joanna said that behavior was common in rabbits… so the two of them spent a bit of time on the floor, him laying down and her sitting against her chair, until the rabbit grew used to him. Talk about startling. Once Ricky got over his prey instincts, he hopped over and nipped at Embry's clothes. Joanna had said that they were called love nips, and that rabbits did this around people they liked.
The second reason Joanna had invited him over? To ask him if he'd help her paint her living room. What a fun day that had been. All the furniture had been gathered in the center of the room with an enormous tarp over everything, and Ricky and his litter box had been ushered into another room. Joanna had put on energetic music and danced about as she rolled paint on the walls. Perhaps 'dance' wasn't exactly the right word. She'd hop back and forth from one foot to the other, jumping while the roller was on the wall… an adorable sight if ever there was one. Embry had joined in, of course, but he wasn't as energetic a dancer as Joanna. Her living room was now a strange shade of purple (he'd asked if this was plum, but she'd assured him it was a darker variation of eggplant), but the base boards and trim were all a vivid magenta. He'd thought it was one of the strangest color combinations in the world, but oddly enough.. It fit. Her sofa and chairs remained creamy white, but she'd thrown in a few purple and pink pillows to make the colors 'tie together', her own words.
When she'd pronounced her house as 'done', he had mentioned something about not having seen all of her house. She was very happy to give him a tour. Her office was painted chartreuse green with the trim a soft buttery yellow. The curtains on the many windows around the room were pale yellow as well and sheer, allowing plenty of light in. Her bedroom was another matter altogether. It was a very dark teal, with even darker navy blue trim. Her bed was a simple frame, barely even seen, and the bedding was brighter teal waves, weaving together. The curtains on the only window she had were a strange iridescent blue, that looked almost violet in some light. He didn't see her bathroom; he didn't ask to see her bathroom. The guest bathroom was a pale blue, which she admitted was taking the easy way out. The guest bedroom was painted a slate gray with black trim. The bedding was all dark burgundy though.
"Trundle bed?" He'd asked.
"Yeah. Just in case a couple of someones need to crash." She had replied with a smile. They had talked a bit about her place, though mostly how it was definitely her. And then he'd brought up the gathering at Sam's place. He'd invited her, assuring her that if she wanted, she could invite her siblings along as well. That was when she told him that she wasn't sure where Stan or Cassey were. He'd asked if she was sure she wanted to go, and though she looked slightly terrified, she had nodded firmly.
"Just come and get me." She'd said. That was three days ago.
… Tonight. Was the night. Jake and Quil had taken turns commenting on the fact that he was so nervous they could use him as a jackhammer. Leah had stopped her moping to remind them that they were all idiots. Seth had been supportive. But Embry was still a bit of a wreck.
"I still think I should stay on patrol." Leah grumbled.
"No." Was Jake's response. Leah scowled.
"Leah, it's been years…" Seth reminded as comfortingly as possible. Leah still wasn't so keen on being made to visit with Sam in close proximity. She and Emily had worked out a rocky truce, but Sam was still a catalyst for her. Embry imagined that if Sam had never imprinted on Emily, Leah would have continued to love him till the day she died. It made things all the more sad.
"So, the good doctor's coming tonight?" Quil asked.
Jake nodded. "Nessie said that they won't all come… which is good." Jake's face was almost comical. Embry couldn't imagine having the entire Cullen clan in Sam's house.. Especially for one of their little parties. "Carlisle and Esme will be coming… along with Jasper and Alice."
"…But, not Edward or Bella?" Quil asked, slightly confused.
"There really isn't any point in having all the big guns there." Jake said with a shrug as he picked up another chicken wing. "Having Jasper there will help with the mood…"
Embry sat up a little straighter upon hearing that. He hadn't voluntarily shared any of Joanna's social anxiety problems with the pack, but… well, pack bond was pretty absolute. He had to wonder if Jacob hadn't specifically requested Jasper come, if only to help Joanna feel more at ease at the gathering. The pups weren't coming, but there would still be plenty of people there.
"I still think Seth and I aren't necessary for this." Leah said again. Jacob glared at her, but Seth nodded.
"We could stay a little farther back.." He admitted. "Make sure that no uninvited guests try to attend."
Jacob sighed. "Fine. If you two want to lurk outside, that's just fine."
"Just don't beg for scraps." Quil joked with a smirk.
Embry drove over to Joanna's house in Jake's rabbit. He wasn't early or late. He knew because he checked the clock on the dash twice before going over to knock on the door. He was pleasantly surprised when the door opened. Joanna was wearing a knee-length, teal tie-dye dress, with a pale white teeshirt underneath and navy blue leggings ad sandals. She wore earrings that looked like back feathers with a single turquoise dot in the center of them.
"You look…wow." Embry said with a smile. Joanna ducked her eyes with a tiny smile.
"Thanks." She said. "You look pretty wow yourself."
"Oh, this old thing." He said motioning to the plaid blue shirt he was wearing. It did dress up the jeans a little, but.. It wasn't much. "You ready to go?"
"Um. Yeah." She murmured, reaching back fro the front door. "Ricky, mind the place while I'm out." She called softly before closing the door.
"You don't think he'll throw any wild parties do you?" Embry joked.
"I hope not." Joanna said with a chuckle. "There ain't no party like a bunny party…"
"…Because a bunny party don't…stop?" he finished, making her giggle. He opened the passenger door for her and jogged around to the driver's side once she was seated.
"Clear blue ocean." He heard her whispering to herself as he opened the driver's side door.
"You're gonna be okay, you know." He said as comfortingly as possible. "None of the guests bite." Joanna's eyes widened momentarily in shock, but then she deflated with a breathy chuckle.
"Sorry. My social skills are so subpar." She offered him a timid smile. "I'll try not to be an epic buzz kill."
"You'll be fine." Embry assured. "It's not like the entire community is turning out for this. It's just Jake and his dad Billy, and Quil, you remember Quil. And, uh, Sue of course. And Sam and his wife Emily. Oh, and they invited a local doctor that's friends with the family along with his wife and a couple of his kids. Really low key."
"And you'll be there."
"And I'll be there." He said with a nod before starting the car. "I'll be right there with you… and if you find you want to leave, then I'll take you back home."
She smiled as they pulled away from the house. "When did you get saddled with being my keeper?"
"You make it sound like it's a chore." Embry countered.
"Stan didn't threaten you into looking after me, did he?"
"What? No!" Embry shook his head, laughing just a little. "No, he threatened me about treating you badly, but he never once demanded that I take care of you or anything."
Joanna's mouth screwed up sideways . "Yeah, I would apologize for that, but it's sort of his job as big brother…"
"Totally understandable." Embry said with a shrug. "Besides… I actually like spending time with you." Embry looked aver at her as much as he could without taking his eyes off the road. "I like being with you, Joanna." He said it again, to really get the point across.
Joanna's expression blanked and she took a deep breath. It felt so odd… as though all the organs in her torso had malfunctioned at exactly the same time and then rebooted. "Oh." She murmured, feeling lame for such a bland response. "I… I feel somewhat at a loss now."
"You don't have to … say anything if you don't—"
"Yes, but.. I… I do enjoy spending time with you too, Embry. Really. But… I understand that."
Embry blinked, giving her a skant look out of the corner of his eye. "What do you mean?"
"Well, it's easy to enjoy being with you. You're fun… and you're really kind… and you're so effortless. Not to mention you're terribly easy on the eyes." Joanna said with a nod. Embry laughed just slightly self conscious. "I guess I just don't understand why you feel that way about me." She said with a sigh. "I'm an obsessive compulsive shut-in that doesn't do anything unless she has a family member to hide behind."
"Hey, you're not hiding behind anyone now." He reminded.
"But you know what I mean. I'm difficult to put up with if things aren't just so, not to mention being fairly broken as far as being a person goes."
"You aren't broken."
"…Only a little." Joanna said, smiling. "And I can cover up the cracks." She continued to smile at him. "Why do you like me anyway?" she asked, genuinely curious.
Embry took a deep breath… how to explain without actually explaining too much? There was no way she was ready for the whole wolf imprint thing yet. "Do you believe in fate?" he asked, leaping on an idea. Joanna nodded decisively. No hesitation. Good. "That day on the beach, back when we first met? I saw you and you were all alone, and it really worried me. I didn't really know why at the time. But then… our eyes met and something inside just sort of clicked into place. It was something I was so unaware of that was just missing in me, that when it slide into place… it took me by surprise." He smiled. "All I know is that… at that moment all I could think was, 'I have to protect her'. And… yeah.." He shrugged. "I guess it's sort of a lame excuse…"
"It's not lame." Joanna said firmly. "I'm an artist, after all. I understand gut feelings that are just as real as the laws of physics." Joanna seemed very adamant about defending him, yet still at a bit of a loss. "I just wish I'd felt such a solid connection on my end as well. Maybe it would've been less painless."
Embry smiled sheepishly. "If it were completely effortless, we may not appreciate it." He responded and earned a bit of a smile. "And… we're here." He murmured, slowing the car to a stop in the front yard. He watched as Joanna unwrapped a root-beer barrel candy and put it in her mouth. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You're gonna be just fine." Embry assured. "I'll be right with you." She smiled at him and nodded. Embry got out and jogged over to open her car door. "Uh… did you ever get in touch with Stan or Cassie about coming?"
Joanna shook her head. "Stan and Cassie are really busy with work right now. There's this really huge case that's taking up all their attention." Her expression scrunched up slightly. "They did mention that some of my other siblings may be in the area, but I told them I didn't know if just anyone could crash the party."
"Other siblings?" Embry asked, feeling a cryptic cold settle into his gut. The big guy with Stan maybe? Certainly couldn't have been those two red-eyed non-vampires…
"Yeah. He didn't specify who though… which kinda has me worried." Joanna said, rolling her eyes. "I told him I'd be fine on my own…"
"Ah."
"I doubt he believed me, but I think it's really great that I managed to say it none the less." Embry laughed as they approached the front porch together.
If Joanna noticed the fancy car that stuck out next to all their old, beat up ones, she didn't show it. Embry could smell the vampires inside before he'd even reached for the front door, but the up-side was that Joanna looked decidedly more relaxed and happy than she had mere seconds ago. Sam and Emily were there at the door inviting them in and introducing themselves to Joanna. She took it in stride, and smiled at them as if they were old friends of hers. Billy and Jake came next, Jake introducing his 'old man', and Billy inquiring more about Joanna. She seemed to talk to them effortlessly. Embry's eyes scanned the room and he found the Cullen's were at the back of it, more near the kitchen. His eyes landed on Jasper and he nodded his appreciation and received a nod in return. Once Joanna had gone through pretty much everyone of the Quilutte's, Dr. Cullen began to make his way over to introduce himself.
"Hello." Carlisle said easily. "I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen and this is my wife Esme."
Then, something strange happened. Joanna's entire back seized up, her face turned white-wash as every freckle disappeared.
"Are you all ri—"
"Catch her." Alice said, and Embry was already behind her so it wasn't much of a feat. Joanna's eyes rolled back up into her head and she fainted. Even as dead weight, she didn't weigh very much at all. Embry levered her back in his arms, pushing her hair out of her face.
"What happened?" He asked, finding it odd that he wasn't feeling frantic. Bloody Jasper.
"Her heart rate suddenly sky rocketed and then this." Carlisle was saying as he leaned forward to carefully check her pulse. "Her heart rate is steady now… whatever it was couldn't be medical."
"She uh…" Embry felt very guilty as he continued. "She's got some… social anxiety …thing." Carlisle looked at him clinically, the way that doctors are apt to do.
"How severe?"
"… She mentioned borderline agoraphobia."
"And yet she came here?" This question came from Jasper.
"She's trying to work past it." Embry murmured, not at all happy with having to share this information. Of course, he was even less pleased with himself for putting Joanna in this situation.
"Can you see her on her own, Alice?" Jake was asking.
"She should wake up in a minute." Alice said, her brow furrowed in concentration.
"Maybe we shouldn't be crowding around her when she does." Esme murmured.
Embry nodded, carefully picking her up and placing her on the love seat.
Joanna's trip into unconsciousness probably couldn't have been avoided in any universe. As she entered the party, she'd been wondering why in the world this was all so easy. New people, new faces, shaking hands and giving high fives (in Quil's case), and she didn't feel anxious or suffocated at all. And then… it all happened at once.
Honestly, she couldn't have controlled her fight/flight response even if she'd wanted to at that point.
She came to gasping and reminding herself that in order to breath properly she had to avoid hyperventilation.
"Hey, hey, you're okay. I'm right here, Joanna." Embry's voice grounded her at least. She reached out and grasped at his shirt as means of pulling herself up. It was strange to be corralled in his arms and not feel anxious about it. And then the calm hit her. It was like hydrocodone - heavy and soothing and all encompassing and yet at the same time she was completely aware. She did the only thing she could think to do. She swallowed hard, and coughed, fanning her face.
"Candy." She croaked.
"C-… The candy?" Embry asked, and then understanding dawned on him. "You choked on the candy?" he asked, and she nodded.
"Oh, goodness." This came from one of the ladies that she'd just met — Sue? Who went into the kitchen and came back with a cup of water. "Here, dear. Sip this."
Joanna nodded and took the offered cup in both hands before slowly sipping its contents. She didn't fight the calm that continually spread through her. Mostly because she couldn't, but also because it was helping despite the fact that it wasn't natural.
"Guess it's lucky we have a doctor in the house." Jake joked, and Joanna dared to peek up at the man who'd tried to introduce himself just moments ago. All of them were golden eyed… and all of them were looking at her in concern.
"I'm so sorry." Joanna murmured.
"It's hardly your fault." The golden eyed woman next to the doctor said. She was so beautiful, it was almost distracting. There was a bit of silence descending as everyone watched Joanna carefully. She reached down and grasped the crystal point that hung from her neck in a nervous gesture. Now she knew something was going on. With this many eyes on her, she normally would've been a wreck… and that was without the obvious elephant in the room.
"I suppose I should reintroduce myself. I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen. This is my wife Esme, my son Jasper, and my daughter Alice."
Joanna nodded. "I didn't faint this time; we're already doing so much better." That got a chuckle from the room's occupants, though the Cullens appeared only mildly amused. "It's a pleasure to meet you all, I'm sure. Sorry for the theatrics."
"Oh, yeah, you're such a diva." Embry teased. Joanna wondered if she should ask Embry if they could leave… but that would be suspicious, wouldn't it? Maybe… if this calm held up, she could ride it out.
"She didn't choke." Carlisle sub-whispered. He knew the non-wolves in the room couldn't hear it, but it had to be said. "She didn't choke, I would've heard that. Besides, we all would've noticed if she wasn't breathing."
"What do you think happened then?" This question came from Jasper.
"I have no idea… maybe, she just had a bit of an episode and is trying to play it off."
"You don't think it could be white-coat syndrome do you?" Esme asked. There was that.. She didn't faint until Carlisle had introduced himself as 'Dr. Carlisle Cullen' after all.
"Don't worry about it." Jasper responded. "I'll make sure to keep her calm."
"So, Joanna, are you hungry?" Emily asked. "We've got a whole mess of hot dogs and burgers."
Joanna nodded. "I could definitely use a burger." She said. Embry rose, and Joanna rose with him. It was interesting to see how the dynamic between them had changed just slightly. Before, though they had entered together, they weren't crowding into each other's space. Now, Joanna seemed to want to cling close to him… like she was afraid to leave his side.
"Something's just not right.." Carlisle murmured softly.
And that's all for this chapter :| You guys remember me saying that I was taking a creative writing class this semester and how I was looking forward to it? Yeah... it turns out, fanfiction doesn't really qualify as work you can submit for that class. So, I've been busting my tale writing other things and working on this in snippets. I suppose I don't have that excuse on my side when I have nothing to occupy my time...but I do write on a bunch of original things, so... yeah. My brains in multiple directions.