Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Suggested Listening: Bella by Angus and Julia Stone, In Our Blood by Horse Feathers, Still Dreaming by Silverstein, A Million Years by Alexander, Only Love by Ben Howard, Little Things by One Direction.

Chapter Thirty-One: Still Dreaming

"Don't let me fall, Mom."

"Never, Baby-girl."

One step at a time...

Golden eyes. Faded crowd. Hush. That perfect, impossible face.

"I, Edward Cullen, take you, Bella Swan..."

Cool hands on mine.

"...for better, for worse..."

Gaze full of promise.

"To love, to cherish.."

Solemn words, honest and heartfelt, spoken from deep within the soul.

"As long as we both shall live."

Absence.

"I wish Charlie was here."

Pangs of guilt. My father's eyes in a mirror, an awkward shuffling of feet led by perfect rhythm. No grace or propriety - just like Charlie, and just like me.

Smiling faces, but even still, pain.

"Enjoying the party, Mrs. Cullen?" A lop-sided smile.

Love and warmth. Excitement and awe. Security.

A cloud ever-present, darkened with worry.

"What is it?"

"A surprise wedding gift."

Drifting away from the light and noise, out to the darkness of the forest. Still, there was a void.

"Thank you. This is very... kind of you."

"Kind is my middle name. Can I cut in?"

Finally, relief.

Warm hands. Broad shoulders, salty tears.

"Stop blubbering, Bella, you'll ruin your dress. It's just me."

"Now, almost everyone I love is here."

Face buried in solid chest. Lips on my hair. Breath over my scalp.

"I don't know if I'll get more than just this one dance. I better make the best of it."

Uneven circles. A twirl. Tired eyes and a crinkled shirt.

"You'd think I'd be used to telling you goodbye by now."

Tears caught on warm finger-tips. Kind, sympathetic eyes.

Then, the snap.

"Bella, have you lost your mind? You can't be that stupid... Tell me you're joking!"

Iron grip on my arms, ripped away suddenly. Wolves from the darkness, snarling and shouting.

"How can you do this?! If Charlie knew, he'd... he'd... " the words were lost, victim to the blind rage and devastation in dark, onyx eyes.

Dragging of feet, rage and power. And then he was gone.

The last thing I heard before I woke up, sweating with shivers wracking my very bones, was that single, long, mournful howl. Mourning me.

The week leading to my birthday felt far from celebratory. Apart from two text messages, Leah withdrew from contact even more, ignoring questions and refusing to give even a hint as to her whereabouts. All the while, I ignored the dreams, putting them to the back of my mind as the memories faded; Ebbing away along with the potent self-hatred that, even though my own father had died, I'd still been selfish enough to barely postpone my wedding a full month. Edward Cullen blinded me to all but perfection, while I just seemed to form new flaws.

Embry was kept busy. Secrets amongst pack were beginning to unravel, and he showed up at my door in the afternoon midweek, eyes fraught with worry and tension.

"It's bad, Bella."

I ushered him inside, my heart pounding for the latest blow. Leah's disappearance was bearing down on them all, and the pressure of keeping her secrets was putting him, Quil and I on edge.

"Paul attacked Sam."

My mouth gaped, hand automatically moving to cover it as I shut the door behind him. "What? Oh my god, are they alright?"

He swallowed thickly, a shaking hand weaving into his hair as he paced the small space between the kitchen and the stairs. "I tried to stop him - Quil and I heard him bust through the door of Emily's house and we just knew. " His eyes stared at nothing, recalling the memory in his minds eye. "He just fucking went for him. I've never seen anything like it, not even when we all first..." he sighed, continuing, "It was just complete luck that Emily was upstairs... or maybe he knew, I don't know. His head's a mess."

"Did anyone get hurt?"

He shook his head. "Nothing permanent, but the house got trashed... Sam didn't even know what was going on." He threw his hands up, as if not fully believing what had happened. "He just lost it. He was ranting and raving about it being Sam's fault that she was gone, and that he'd damaged her, and that it was up to him to bring her home - and then he phased."

"Oh, no..."

He halted his steps, turning towards me, face was grim in recollection. "I ran for Jake, it took an alpha order for him to calm Paul down, but..." Embry's eyes reached mine again pointedly. "They know about him and Leah. They know everything, B."

I stepped back, my shoulders hitting the wall before I stopped. "About..."

His gaze raked over me worriedly, and he stepped forward, pulling me into an embrace that I just knew was an effort to get a grasp back on his own frayed nerves, as much as it was for mine. He breathed into my hair, his shoulders rising and falling deeply and shook his head.

"No, not about us. But Paul's mind bust wide open. We saw everything - the first time they were together, every single time they were alone... talking to you, asking for help..." He raised his head again to look at me, smoothing a tendril of loose hair back from my cheek. "Jake was livid. He can't believe that all of this has been happening right under his nose, and he had no idea."

"It's not like it was personal," I said, leaning into his palm. "If it wasn't for the Pack, you guys would actually have personal lives, remember?"

Embry's mouth quirked. "I guess we traded those in for paws and a tail," he said ruefully, but the crinkle at the corners of his eyes soon fell away. He hugged me to himself once again, cradling me to his shoulder as his chin dropped. "I don't know how Paul managed not to spill our secret, too."

Breathing a sigh of indecision, I let my head fall forward against him and turned towards his neck. "We're running on borrowed time here, Em."

He leaned me back, placing a kiss on my forehead and looked into my eyes. "It was close," he agreed.

"We knew it was coming, though," I continued, dread filling each syllable as the weekend closed in around us.

Sliding his eyes shut in reluctant agreement, he nodded, before looking down at me again. "I know, it's just... It's your birthday this weekend, the first real occasion for us, and we've got so much happening already. I just want to be able to spoil you for oneday without drama."

The shaking started up again, and I tilted my chin upwards, pressing my lips to the softer flesh of his neck, reassuring.

I had never seen Embry so worked up, and the wolf so close to the surface. Stress and duty were wearing him down, and I felt a surge of protectiveness for them both - man and animal - flare up in my gut, prompting me to press my body further into his. I wanted to shield him from everything torturing his normally sweet, even-tempered self. I wanted to take away his burdens, or at least show him that he didn't need to shoulder them alone. He leaned his head forward, resting on my clavicle as I felt his powerful arms wind around me a little tighter. The shaking stopped, and Embry's tension melted away.

"Afterwards, we'll tell them. I promise," he said.

I let myself be soothed by his vow, though I was still worried we were walking on a knife-edge. His eyes, though - when he got no response, he leaned back, and that damn pleading-puppy look was my kryptonite, whether he was doing it purposefully or not. I found myself agreeing.

"Okay. After."

I dreamt of endless travelling, of reaching the most perfect island and spending my 'real honeymoon' in the arms of who I believed I truly loved.

I had no-one to call, no tie to home but a detached phone call to Renee. I had no tie to the human world, once Jacob had made it clear that I had severed ours.

Charlie's house lay empty, waiting for a time when I was brave enough to admit that he was truly gone, and that I had nothing left - just that same marble embrace.

But those arms were the wrong temperature, and each time I got a flash of Edward's skin on mine, I woke with a start, craving a different set of shoulders, a heartbeat, and warm breath on my lips.

I started to resent Leah's voicemail.

On Friday night, I spent my last hours of being eighteen wondering if somehow it was a rule that my birthday heralded nothing but pain and confusion. Charlie spent any time not at work in a deep sleep, as he was now. My best friend was MIA. My boyfriend was struggling to hold his family together, and everyone in my life seemed to be struggling with something they weren't equipped to deal with. Sometime before midnight, I collapsed face-down into my pillows, hoping that I could skip the day all together. No more was I obsessed with the idea of getting older - just the idea of maturing.

Restless dreams faded into the feeling of a warm breeze, chasing away the dark remnants of a life filled with even more struggles than the one I was leading. In that other life, I craved intimacy and comfort, and grew weary of feeling like it was unreasonable to ask for it. Such a contrast with the now.

The first thing I felt were his lips.

His hand drew my hair back from my cheek, giving him better access to my neck and my shoulders. I smiled involuntarily into the pillow, feeling his hair tickle my skin as his nose weaved a path over my shoulder, leaving kisses and tiny tastes in his wake. Not knowing what time it was, how he got here, or how long we had just made me want to shut the world out, savour the moment and savour him like I wouldn't get another chance. I drew in a breath, tasting his scent of pine and sea-salt ; the feeling of his warmth sending a contrasting shiver skating down my spine.

He gently slipped the strap of my top down and I refused to move, even to open my eyes, not yet willing to give up the butterflies and how he seemed to tease each nerve-ending like he had a mental map of my body. Embry had always been a diligent student.

I felt the chill on my back of the covers being drawn away like a present being carefully unwrapped, soon replaced by the feeling of his own heat, covering my body with his. He was naked, I realised; already hard and pulsing and I felt his need brush my skin ever-so-subtly in his quest down my body. The knowledge that he was so affected by my presence, so drawn in by the sight of my prone form was a thrill I didn't think I'd ever get used to. I bathed in the blind sensations of his touch and his scent, and the sound of his laboured breaths blooming over the small of my back. I was his to explore and play with, but the real treat was getting to lay here and let it happen.

Drawing the cotton of my shirt upwards, he exposed more skin to scent and taste and feel, not content with clothes or barriers anymore. It felt like forever since anything had actually come between us anyway.

Each touch was like a gentle electric charge, creating a want in the base of my stomach that I curled my toes to try and relieve.

His mouth found the waistband of my panties, warm breath ghosting over the dimple of my pelvis before his lips tugged at the elastic, fingers slipping in deftly to relieve me of the offending garment. The material crept down my legs languidly, already damp from the reactions of my body, followed by his lips and tongue until my lower half was naked before him. I sucked in a calming breath, not quite sure what to expect next.

The bed dipped as he leaned back up on his arms, and I fought back a squirm as he laid a kiss on the back of my knee. I refused to give in yet.

He dragged his nose up my inner-thigh, and I felt the thrum of thousands of tiny goose-bumps erupt over my skin. I held still.

I could feel him smirking behind me.

He mouthed over the skin at the curve of my bottom, leaving wet kisses that I fought back a moan in response to. Who knew I was so sensitive there? He did.

His hand came up to palm the skin of my outer-thighs, leaving anticipatory chills in his wake. Then, he called my bluff. His mouth clamped down on my flesh, and I felt the faintest of nips with his teeth on my skin, causing me to stiffen and let out a surprised squeak. I turned in a single motion to take in the self-satisfied smirk on his face.

"I knew you were awake," he said.

I smiled sleepily at him. "I was curio- aah..." My words were cut off as his finger disappeared between my thighs, teasing past my folds to find the spot which sent a shudder wracking through me, my back arching into his touch. I bit down on my lip, eyes opening once more to see his stare, dark and confident, raking over my body with appreciation in the dim, early-morning light. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my clavicle, his hair teasing my jaw, breath fanning over my skin, all warmth and possession. My body jolted towards him, no sound but my own gasps and his soft huff of smug laughter at my reaction.

The fabric of my top was lowered, freeing my breast to his waiting mouth as his busy hand lazily circled and teased, spreading my evidential need over the tiny pearl of nerves. I squeezed my eyes shut, left panting and embarrassingly aroused.

He said nothing as I wove both hands into his hair, holding him latched on to me, just wanting more.

How had things become so effortless for us? It felt like forever since we'd been awkwardly dancing around each other, only feeling content when we were locked in a kiss or feeling each other's heat for ourselves.

I felt his tiny sigh over my nipple. He slipped a finger inside where I ached, and there was a barely-audible hum of approval at the slick heat he found. His eyes held mine then, full of secrets and intent as he forged a path past my ribs and down my body. I could do nothing but watch as he reached the apex of my thighs, eyes finally tearing away to close shut. His lashes fanned over his cheekbones as broad shoulders rose and fell, taking in my scent with a teasing, one-dimpled smile. This boy had plans.

He held my hips in place with both hands, lowering his mouth on to my body with a devastatingly slow descent.

Was he really...?

My hips jerked at the first contact of his tongue on me, and I tugged handfuls of soft, inky hair with urgent need.

Don't stop.

Muffled curses tumbled from my mouth as he worked, his tongue alternating between stiff and slack, creating a sensation of mystery which tricked my body and charged it with a tangible need.

He shouldn't be so good at this...

I writhed beneath him, arching my hips towards his mouth as he lapped and suckled, sending waves of tingling pleasure through my stomach and out to to each extremity. Gaping at the ceiling, my eyes glazed and fluttered shut, like I'd been completely floored by his talents. One hand from my hip disappeared, and I felt a teasing at my entrance, circling outside but not quite entering me in an alternate pattern with his tongue. My head turned left and right as I moaned deeply, feeling myself getting closer and closer to bliss with each teasing movement.

"Oh my- Please..."

The tension built until I was tumbling over the edge, each muscle in my stomach tensing and releasing as finally his finger slid inside and my inner walls clenched around it in a frayed rhythm of ecstasy.

The ceiling blurred as I caught my breath, my body twitching at each contact with his skin as he climbed back up my body. Aftershocks pulled my muscles taut and slack, and I finally opened my eyes again to see him hovering over me, watching each crest play out over my features with a quiet pride.

Holy shit, he's beautiful.

I sucked in a breath as one hand trailed languidly over my flank, still so over-sensitive from the force of my orgasm that it felt like a single touch would be all it took to make me explode once again.

He reached down between us, taking a hold of his waiting length and teased at me. I sucked in a breath before a peal of tortured laughter escaped my lips, my head thrown back into the pillow and my knees jerking skyward.

"Oh god... I can't..."

I wasn't forming sentences anymore, just grasping at his shoulders with a feral need, but I couldn't coherently decide what would satiate me. He smiled above me with one furrowed brow, enjoying the break in my composure as he slipped the just head of his shaft inside. My walls reacted instantly, clenching and relaxing in the aftermath of my previous collapse.

I clawed at him again, this time feeling his hands take charge of mine and press them into the mattress by my head. He circled his hips, not quite fully buried within me and I called out, still pulsating with hypersensitivity. I couldn't function, and in a desperate need for calm I turned my face, biting down on his bicep as he filled me fully with a single, deliberate thrust.

The feeling of stretching around him chased the air from my lungs and I moaned lazily, just succumbing to the moment. He regarded me patiently, the corner of his bottom lip disappearing between his teeth while he held his own urges at bay. He was always reading me, and I didn't know if I was really that transparent, or if he was just that good at it.

When I'd calmed enough, he began the first movement of his hips, pulling out almost fully before I felt everyinch of him occupying me again. My brow puckered as my jaw fell slack, and he buried his face in my neck, soft, barely-audible grunts signalling his own pleasure as he repeated his movements in the same languid rhythm.

I could barely remember what day it was, why he was even here, and nothing mattered but what he was doing to me. I was completely prone and vulnerable beneath him, but no part of that caused me worry. If anything, giving myself over to him, letting him give and take what he wanted was more arousing than finding my own pleasure in his body. He was my solace. We found peace in each other and these moments where no-one else existed.

Never stop.

Still pinned in his hands, my knees grazed the soft plains of his hips and sides, the feeling of his muscles tensing and relaxing on my inner-thighs adding to the sensuality of being powerless beneath his strength. Looking at him intently, I angled my hips upwards and locked my ankles around his waist, the change in trajectory finding a new spot deep inside me. It caused an involuntary tightening around him.

"Holy fuck," he cursed, the next thrust becoming more desperate and making my answering gasp descend into a deep whimper.

He let go of one hand, using his free one to prop up and watch my features, his eyes darting between mine and taking in what each push of his hips brought out in me. His stare was dark and passionate, hair in wild disarray from my earlier ministrations. I reached up for purchase on his shoulder, hot and slick from the warmth of the room and his own barely-contained arousal. It felt surreal that he was as turned on as I was - my muscles felt useless, and here he was, using his strength and skill to bring out bursts of pleasure in me. A kiss was placed on my lips, and his tongue darted between mine to savour each gasp and moan as I tasted myself on him.

Each thrust matched the last, the raw power of his movements felt on my hand as I reached down and grasped at the muscles of his delectable ass. He pulled away from my lips for breath, never far from my skin as he pressed kiss after kiss on my temple and down my jaw. Finally he settled there, his nose pressed to the hollow of my cheek as each breath fanned out and tugged at the stray wisps of hair about my neck and ear. Every drive into my heat matched the play of air on my shoulder, exertion straining each heave of his lungs.

It wasn't yet enough. I mewled petulantly, and his movements became more pronounced. His hands disappeared beneath the curve of my back to pull me away from the bed and towards him. My head lolled limply on to his shoulder as we became upright, one hand weaving around his neck to hold on, the other still tracking each meeting of our flesh on his buttocks as my legs framed him.

Suddenly, in the deep connection I felt him stiffen, and his lips clamped down on the muscle of my neck as his rhythm fell into chaos. He grunted once and again, and with a final hard thrust upwards and he spilled himself into me. The feeling of each surge of warmth deep inside spurred my own climax, and my nails dug deep into satin flesh as I rode out each wave. Body jerking and clamping around him, it caused my toes to curl and my head to fall back as I cried out.

We held there for a silent moment, punctuated with a flutter of muscles as the last residual crests of pleasure flowed into each other. Sweat traced down my back, carving a path between my shoulder blades. My breasts pressed against the solid of his chest and we felt one, joined without seams. Our breaths in came in unison, heartbeats matched. When the shudders stopped, he finally lifted his head, his hand coming up to smooth the hair back from my face and take in my dilated, satisfied stare. He kissed my nose and mouth, his hand waving into my hair to cradle my boneless form to him, and he smiled.

"Happy Birthday, Baby," he whispered.

I woke up a few hours later to the sight of Embry's sleeping face, lips quirked in a dream, mere inches from mine, He was laying on his side, one arm curled under the pillow, other hand resting possessively on my back. The crinkled sheets just about reached the deep 'V' at his hip, and I couldn't believe how lucky I was that real life was better than dreams.

Watching him here, he looked so quiet and innocent, a strong contrast with the man who had come into my room without a sound last night, and played my body like an instrument only he had learned. There was still a delightful ache in the muscles of my stomach, left over from the new sensations they'd experienced. My skin was salted and smelled of him, and I didn't want to move.

His shoulder rose in a deep, sleepy breath, and a glimpse of his tongue darted out to pull his top lip into his mouth. Without thinking, I found myself mirroring the movement, before a smile broke out over my face in realisation. I was so in tune with him, even in sleep. Oblivious, his adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, brow furrowing minutely to whatever scenario was playing out behind those full-lashed lids; their surface flickering with the movement of his eyes. I watched him for a moment, how the planes of his chest and torso were without flaws save for two ancient scars near his ribcage. How his arms flexed and relaxed in his sleep, like whatever dream he was having spilled over into his physical body, and he was seconds away from breaking into a sprint. One leg was bent at the knee in comfort on the too-small bed, angling his body closer to mine without constricting me. Even without conscious thought, he was respecting my space.

He seemed almost impossible to me, though he was comfortably sprawled before my eyes like something from every girl's fantasy. That body, though beautiful and majestic in its form, was constantly coiled for action, poised to protect against any danger - and it was astounding to me that the safety he solemnly pledged to preserve was my own.

I pulled back with a start as he pressed his nose further into my pillow, fearful that he was waking up and cutting my reverie short, but he wasn't. His chest expanded in an extended breath into the fabric. He was basking in my scent, I realised. Like a cliche, I sighed contentedly through a chuckle, not quite believing that any of what I was looking at was really mine.

His stomach rumbled then,and I took it as my cue to press my lips to his temple and slink out of bed. He didn't so much as stir.

I found his shirt balled up beside a pair of washed-out jeans by the window. Picking it up, I pressed it to my nose. It was all him. Funny how he could be right there, sleeping in my bed, soft breaths filling the silence of the room and I still couldn't get enough. I slipped it over my head, smiling as it came to rest mid-thigh and I took in the abstract image of the Millennium Falcon, the shape formed from the text of Han Solo's "It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs!" quote. He really was a giant geek.

Tiptoeing out into the hall, I took note of Charlie's door. It was ajar, and light from his window partially filled the dark passage between it and the stairs. He was gone, and had been for a while. The quiet house was evidence of that.

When I reached the kitchen, clicking on the coffee-pot, I turned to find a small brown package on the table, beside a larger one more ornately wrapped. I smiled - for my parents at least, my birthday was still a reason to celebrate. Charlie's scrawled writing adorned a note over the first one.

"Bells,

Gone fishing with Billy. Presents are from me and your mom, no prizes for guessing which is which.

Don't cook tonight, we can do something special maybe.

Happy Birthday,

Dad."

I filled two mugs of coffee - one no sugar - and hitched the presents under my arm. Was this really happening? Was I really getting a blissful morning in bed with my boyfriend, on my birthday? It felt like I was borrowing someone else's life for the day.

The scent of strong coffee under his nose finally woke the sleeping giant. His eyes fluttered open and he squinted at me, focus darting to the mug I held in front of him and back to my smile. His own lips curved, answering mine and he pushed himself up, taking the offered cup.

He watched me as I shuffled towards him on my knees. "Well that's a sight I could get used to seeing every morning," he said. I frowned good-naturedly at him and his eyes roved over me again. "You... sex hair, nothing but my shirt," he explained, "You're really try'na get the wolf on-side, huh?"

I smoothed the shirt over my legs as I sat back in my heels, taking a sip. "It smells like you," I mumbled, catching the breathtaking smile cracking over his face in my peripheral vision.

"I'm okay with you wearing nothing but that ever again," he replied. I smiled into my lap, feeling the slightest of blushes threatening to bloom over my cheeks. He shifted in the bed slightly, causing the paper of Charlie's present to rustle with the movement. Glancing at his, he frowned, before looking at me apologetically.

"Shit, I was supposed to be awake before you were!" he whined, still giving the presents a glare. "I had this big, romantic birthday breakfast planned."

I couldn't help grinning. "You did? What if Charlie was here?"

"Pfft, I knew he was going off with Billy for the day. Couldn't believe my luck... why d'ya think I showed up here at six am?"

My eyebrows rose. "Was that the time? I was kinda distracted..."

His smile was filthy and hood-eyed. "Yeah, that was kinda the point. Get here, ravage you into a coma, and then 'Operation Birthday'."

I smirked back at his attempt at sleaze. "Well, we can still have breakfast - after I open these," I said, turning to set my mug on the night-stand and picking up Renee's gift. "It's tradition - presents before breakfast."

He held out a hand and shrugged. "Well, no arguing with tradition. Come on, I wanna see your haul."

I smiled back at him before attacking the paper. So I hated getting presents, but everything about today felt new. New life, new love, new me.

After present time - some new clothes I could actually see myself wearing, a gift certificate to Victoria's Secret (which Embry was more pleased with than I was) and some perfume from Renee and Phil, and a beautiful, leather-bound journal with a Barnes & Noble gift card inside the cover from Charlie - I moved to start on breakfast.

"Wait... aren't you forgetting something?" he interrupted, moving to lean over the side of the bed. I frowned turning back to him.

"Like what?"

He raised his brows. "Like my present?"

I smiled, pushing a knee back on the bed. I threaded my hair behind my ear, pressing my lips together. "I thought you were my present," I said, poking my tongue through my teeth in mischief.

"Oh man, you sound just like Quil," he groaned, pulling a rectangular shape covered in cloth on to his lap. He looked at he pointedly. "You don't wanna know where he suggested I tie a bow for you to 'unwrap'."

I spluttered a loud laugh. "Of course he did," I said, nodding. That kid was ridiculous. "Is he really planning strippers for tonight? Because I'm telling you now, male or female, I'm not down with that."

He chuckled. "Well, at first I thought he was joking, but then he got really into the idea. I kinda had to shut him down. I hope you know you're partially responsible for crushing Quil's dreams."

I crinkled my forehead, giving him a wide-eyed nod. "I can live with it as long as I don't have some stranger's crotch grinding in my face."

He laughed, loud this time. "Yeah, I'd prefer if that didn't happen, too."

I shimmied up closer to him as he stared at the mystery object. "It's nothing huge... and I made most of it myself... apart from the canvas, I mean.."

I frowned. "Canvas? You got me a picture?"

His mouth quirked on one side and he looked at me. "Ah, I'm ruining the surprise... here." He held out the gift, lacing his fingers together nervously as soon as his hands were free. I gave him one last look before delicately unfolding the cloth, and gasped.

In my hands was the most striking black-and-white image I'd ever seen. It was me, but it wasn't. The girl staring back at me was strong, confident and fierce. Her hair billowed behind her like a lion's mane, intense eyes watching and calculating like considering a threat. She was a warrior, poised for battle, but there was softness there too. It was in the quirk of her lips, the stance of her shoulders, and the glow of her skin. I realised, once I tore my eyes away to take in the rest of the image, that this was a character. The only pop of colour was the bright red title emblazoned beneath my collar. Embry had painted me into the poster of his very own action B-movie, "Isabella", and I was the heroine.

The detail of his rendering was so breathtaking that it looked like a photograph that I didn't remember posing for. I ran my fingers down the nose and over the lips, expecting to feel the indents of paint on the base. Behind me was the silhouette of a dark forest, ghostly images of wolves and golden eyes glimpsed through the trees. I picked out scenes from the forest so nearby - and even my truck parked in a clearing, so small that the naked eye would need to squint to really see it.

"I put it through some image editing software... so it'd look more, uh, real?" he explained from beyond me. "My skills aren't that good." I could hear the nerves in his voice without even looking at him.

"Embry, it's... whoa..." I breathed. "You made this?" I finally looked at him, where all the earlier confidence had withered into a sheepish smile.

"Uh, yeah," he said, leaning forward and pointing to certain parts of the poster with text or extra imaging. He licked his lips. "I added all of this stuff later... the cast names are all your friends, see?"

I smiled as I read... he'd put Leah as producer, himself as director, and included even friends from school in the list. It ended with my parents surnames in "A Swan-Higginbotham Production"

"So... do you like it?" he asked tentatively. I realised I had barely said a word since unwrapping it. I looked up, wide-eyed.

"Are you kidding me? I love it... no-one's ever given me something so original and thought-out before. The details, the ideas...It must have taken forever."

He smiled in relief. "The painting took a while, it was mostly just playing around with the software after that, and I got it printed so it'd last longer."

"It's amazing.. it really is... and this girl?" I said, pointing to my not-quite-mirror-image in the poster. "I'd like to meet her."

One eyebrow rose admonishingly. "You're kidding, right? I know her. The night you told me about everything that happened, what you did for your dad... you became this girl to me," he said, tapping the canvas. "You're unbelievable."

In that moment, I started to see myself through Embry's eyes. I was strong, confident, and self-assured, and more than anything, I hoped that one day, I'd see myself like that too. I placed the picture carefully on the bed and leaned forward, laying my lips on his in a grateful, disbelieving kiss. "Thank you," I said.

He pressed his nose to mine, eyes closing as his arms wound around me. He gave me a contented smile. "My pleasure."

After some thorough gratitude, I was sitting across from him at my kitchen table, feet crossed in the lap of his jeans while we made easy conversation.

"It's still kinda weird that they want me down at the Rez tonight," I said, spooning another mouthful of fruit and yoghurt past my lips. Embry was making short work of a stack of waffles, and I was trying to pace myself. He swallowed thickly and raised a brow.

"Why?" he queried, dropping his free hand to cover my toes, his warmth seeping into them and chasing off the chill.

"Well, it's not like I've been Miss Socialite lately. I hadn't seen any of the girls before the engagement party." In truth, I was nervous to be around them without my crutch - Leah. With her by my side, I felt confident enough to take the good with the bad. I hadn't heard from her in days, and was currently trying not to feel too hurt that she hadn't so much as texted to wish me a happy birthday. But she had her own stuff going on, and I had to stop making everything about me.

Embry smiled indulgently. "You know Emily, any excuse to put out a spread. Besides, they all missed you. It might be kinda nice to let loose for a while."

"Even with Leah still gone?" I said sorrowfully. He patted my foot and laid down the fork, both hands making soothing strokes further up my legs.

"Especially... a lost of stuff's been changing around here. We gotta take a break from it, before... you know," he said mouth quirking as his eyes fell guiltily. I pulled my feet back and sat up.

"What's up?" I said, leaning into my forearms on the table with a frown. He looked up, as if caught doing something he didn't want me to see and shook his head.

"It's nothing, we promised we'd deal with this after your day."

I cocked my head to the side, training my expression into a stern one. "Embry..."

He looked away, chewing his lip contemplatively and shrugged. "I don't wanna get into it."

"Well I do. Come on, it's my birthday, and that means I get everything I want."

He tried to smile, but it came out a sad, dejected shadow of the one I'd grown so fond of. He sighed. "God, why can't I ever say 'no' to you?"

I smirked proudly. "Because I'm awesome, remember?"

He rolled his eyes, smiling genuinely this time. "Sure. It's got nothing to do with the fact that you're cute as fuck, either," he laughed. As if remembering what he agreed to, he cleared his throat, sobering up instantly. "Um, well, remember how I knew were your dad was gonna be today?"

I nodded. "From Billy, yeah."

"Well, that's 'cuz I was over at Jake's last night. He called me, really cryptic, and asked me to walk over, not phase."

I narrowed my eyes, wondering where this was going. "Okay..?"

"Well, turns out, it was Pack stuff he wanted to talk about... private stuff. After Paul's episode, and finding out about him and Leah this week," he sighed, "Jake feels like he's losing grip on everything. Like he doesn't know what's going on in his own pack. And Paulrefuses to even acknowledge Sam anymore, so his role as interim Beta is pretty much null and void."

"So why does he want to talk to you about it? Shouldn't he have called a meeting?"

"Because he wants to make me his Beta," he said, face turning sickly as he spoke. He avoided my gaze, picking at the leftovers on his plate before his eyes darted to mine again. "Because he needs someone he 'trusts' as his right hand. Isn't that a fucking joke?"

My heart sank. of course Embry had been feeling like crap - he'd been confronted face-to-face with betraying Jacob by the man himself, who was still completely oblivious.

"Oh, Em..."

"I mean, the only person in the Pack he thinks he can trust has been lying to his face for weeks. It's sick." He pushed the plate away and rested an elbow in the vacated space, propping his forehead on his palm. "We've even got Quil lying to him for fuck sake. And there he was, asking me this with that huge fucking grin, expecting me to feel honoured and I thought I was gonna hurl."

I stood up, crossing the short distance and tugged on his shoulder, pulling him back far enough to sit on his lap. I turned to face him, cradling his head between my hands and laid a kiss on his forehead.

"I'm so sorry."

He gave a soft scoff. "It's not your fault. It's this whole situation... I don't think there's much we could have done different. I just feel... shitty."

I nodded, burying my nose in his hair.

"I know, and more than anything that just shows me how amazing you are. If you didn't care, then I think I'd have to re-think some things," I said, pulling back to offer a small smile. He looked up at me, eyes weaving over my face like he was reminding himself why he was doing this. I just hoped I was worth it. Finally, he returned my expression, letting out a sigh as he rested his chin on my sternum. I still played with his hair, finding comfort in bringing some to him, no matter how small.

"I told him I'd think about it. I'll see how he feels, you know... after."

I nodded. "Tomorrow."

He raised his eyebrow. "Tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

After that, a tension that formed over the course of the conversation in his shoulders leeched away... and seemed to filter into mine. We had D-day almost upon us, and all I could do was try not to dwell on what that meant. What was going to happen once everyone knew? Would they be supportive? Taunting? Would they accept us?

I found myself kissing and touching Embry even more in an effort to calm my nerves. If he noticed, he didn't say, thankfully treating our afternoon like any other... just better. We made a show of cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast, where I learned that half of all household chores should be spent with your butt propped on the kitchen counter and you boyfriend standing between your parted knees, peppering kisses on any exposed flesh he could find

.

In my room, we chose a place to hang his present, which called for a celebratory group shower - apparently. I don't remember if I actually got to use conditioner or not but we stayed until the hot water ran cold. We spent the rest of our time together vegging on the couch and snuggling beneath my blankets like we should have been doing all those days we spent with each other. By the early evening, I forgot that I had been worried at all.

Inevitably, though, the time came when he had to leave.

"Do you have to?" I whined, reaching up on my toes to hook my arms around his neck and nip at his chin. We were on my front porch, and I was still wearing his shirt over some denim shorts, claiming that he couldn't leave the house without it. I should have known he'd brought a spare in his stupid back-pack. Damn wolves always needed extra clothing.

"I have to check in with my mom at least once before tonight," he said, smiling down at me. He gave me a little peck on the nose and smirked. "You just love making my life harder, don't you?"

I narrowed my eyes petulantly. "But it's my birthday," I crooned. He laughed and threw his eyes towards the heavens.

"That worked the first four times only."

I let my face fall into a smile and giggled. "I know, I'm totally messing with you," I said, hopping up to give him a light kiss on the lips. "But there isonly one day a year I can get away with saying that."

"And you're getting your money's worth..."

"Hey, we Swans are nothing if not frugal," I announced. He pressed a kiss to my forehead, huffing a soft laugh.

"I really have to go this time."

I nodded into his chest, inhaling his scent. "Yeah. See you tonight?"

He kissed me, long and languid in response. "That answer your question?" My lips tingled as he pulled away, and I nodded dumbly as his heat was taken from me. He walked to the end of the porch, turning once more. "Oh and Bella?" I met his gaze curiously. His eyes fell to the ground, travelling up my legs slowly as a shy smile teased his lips. "Um...Wear a skirt...?"

I gave him a devilish smile, finally getting my bearings back. "Only 'cause it worked out so well for me last time..." I said, toeing the wood coquettishly. He shook his head, laughing, and jogged down the steps towards where he'd hidden his dirtbike in the trees. His backpack was pulled over one shoulder, and a lightness laced his step, For that one blissful second, he looked like a normal, regular guy, someone who could just get on that bike and forget about everything else when he wanted to. He looked like he wasn't weighed down with duty or loyalty, like he was free. And I smiled as I thought, I did that.

He shot a salute over his shoulder, revving the engine and pealing out into the street unceremoniously. I stood for an extended second, until I could no longer hear the roar of machinery or see his retreating back.

I took a step behind me, the smile fading off my lips gradually as I was lost in thought. It was only when a slam rang out over the quiet street that my head jerked away from where Embry had been, my forehead creasing into a frown at the intrusion into my thoughts. My eyes scanned the vicinity, looking for that trace of movement that for some reason, had me on edge, the very air around me tingling with a force I couldn't pin-point.

It was then that I saw him, hand braced on the roof of his too-small car. I didn't know if it was for support, or to simply hold on to something. My eyes widened as I took in the sight of him; shoulders rising and falling, faint shimmers of energy around his outline, plain to see even from the distance. But it was the eyes. When I met them with my own, I wasn't prepared for their harshness, the sudden, stabbing chill that wracked my body from the look in them. Those eyes could dismember me and crumble the remains into dust, and they had never, not once, looked at me the way they were now. I faltered, my hand reaching my chest as the recognition of what he saw - what he'd witnessed - Embry and I doing fully sank in.

And he was furious.

I gulped in a breath, barely sure I could speak, so insistent was the pounding of my heart. But I had to try. It was up to me to try and mend this, I just didn't know where to start. Mind blank, I began with a question.

"Jacob," I rasped, though I knew I didn't need to be any louder, "What are you doing here?"

A/N: Thoughts?