AN: I am so sorry this has taken so long. Between me being sick and my computer being sick..... Not betaed as I was in a hurry to get this to you! I promise I won't be so long again.

CHAPTER 58

Jake's POV

Returning to the Res was surreal.

We had battled and won. No more brothers were lost and a secret was shared, unintentionally.

Leah was pregnant.

I watched as my brothers circled Leah. Protecting her from anything and everything.

We all knew what we'd need to face when we got back, the reality of Paul's death.

Our brother was not coming back.

Paul.

He may have been the most ornery of my brothers, but he was still my brother, and I felt his loss intensely.

But Leah, Leah didn't deserve this.

I have to say, during the battle I was angry at Bella.

She knew about Leah's pregnancy, and she knew we would have never allowed her to be there if we knew she was pregnant.

Bella had tricked us into allowing Leah to come. And when Leah phased, we all saw that she was pregnant and we knew her presence was premeditated.

Bella was wrong to decide for us. It should have been our call.

Even if the pregnancy was only confirmed by Arriel. Bella knew. She should have protected Leah and her baby. She should have told us so we could have protected her.

Thank God, that Leah was okay.

I guess it would be, Thank Arriel. She was the one who saw that it would all be okay.

And I guess it was Arriel's visions that guided Bella's judgement.

And I can't blame Arriel, after all she's... she's my....my... uh oh... keep my thoughts clear... mind reader present.

New direction....

So Leah was going to be a Mommy.

This was unprecedented.

Granted, everything about Leah was.

She's the first female wolf.

A double imprint. Paul for Leah and Leah for Paul.

Frozen in time, so she thought.

She was so worried about being a genetic dead end since her girl stuff didn't happen after she phased the first time. Not that I knew the details, nor did I want them.

I guess she was wrong.

We'd have to talk to the elders. And maybe the vamp doctor.

Lots to think about.

I listened intently to the new vamp that was accompanying us back to the Res. Some sort of vampire royalty apparently.

I wasn't impressed.

All I knew is that she was a red-eyed vamp. A human eater.

I'll give her the benefit of the doubt for now, because she says she wants nothing more to do with that life.

Bringing her back to the Res could be a mistake but, between the mind reader and the pack, we'd make sure everyone was safe.

She would not hunt a human while she was on our turf. She would either eat animals or go hungry until she goes back to Italy.

We had important things we needed to deal with now.

We had to present the ashes to the elders and to confirm for them that there were no further casualties.

We had to get the vamps to Brady's house. Maybe Leah would stay there too.

We needed to figure out how to explain Paul's death to the rest of the tribe. Not everyone knew about the wolves.

My brothers and I agreed, we wanted him to be known as a hero.

Leah needed that, and so would their baby.

How to explain his death?

Maybe my dad would know.

I dispatched some of the younger guys to bring the elders to Brady's house. I wanted to be near the queen lady to be sure everyone was safe. I don't know why, but I didn't trust her.

"Edward, we're approaching Brady's house. This is where you guys will stay," I told the mind reader.

"Thank you, Jacob. Is it okay if we go with you, to see the elders first? Carlisle wanted us to be sure to follow proper customs," he said.

"They will come here. Nathan and Brady have gone to fetch them," I said.

"Athenodora, I would prefer is you were to wait inside while the elders are here," Edward said.

"I understand," Athenodora said softly.

"Irina and I will stay with her," the little dark haired future seer said.

"I do not need guards," Athenodora said, seeming like she was offended.

"I did not offer to stay to guard you. The humans that are coming here know what we are, but we are traditionally enemies of the wolves, and if I lower the number of us that they need to confront, it will be easier for them," the short one said.

"The humans know?" Athenodora asked. "That's awful. It is a certain death from our kind. Aro. Aro will...."

"Who is this Aro and what will he do?" I asked, perceiving a threat from this vamp.

"Jacob, Athenodora, allow me to illuminate," the short pixie one said. "Secrecy is our biggest rule. We cannot allow humans to know of our existence without harm coming to both the humans, and the vampire or vampires responsible for their knowledge. Now Athenodora, the humans that are meeting us here now, are descendants of the wolf. Shape shifters. They have as much need for secrecy as we do, maybe more. They pose no threat of exposure of our world."

"I see," Athenodora said, quietly, obviously considering the statement.

"And Aro is the head leech?" I asked.

"Aro was one of three brothers who rule our world," Alice started explaining. "There are now two, Aro and Marcus. Caius, whom I'm certain you remember, was the third brother. Aro has always been the spokesman for the three. He is very charismatic and controlling."

"And pure evil," Athenodora added. "He has no more conscience than Caius had.... he's just better at hiding his evil intentions."

"But he poses no threat here?" I asked.

"Not at this time, but you can never be certain with Aro," Athenodora stated.

I didn't like the sound of this Aro guy.

Irina, Alice and Athenodora made their way into the house. Bella, with the babies snuggled against her and Edward, holding Charlie as if he were as light as a feather stood out front, waiting for the elder's to arrive. Leah made her way to Bella's side. I don't know if she was seeking comfort from Bella or seeking distance from us.

None of us had spoken bout the big pink elephant that hung over all of our heads.

I could hear the sound of cars approaching and I knew that the elders would be here in just a moment.

Leah took a deep breath and leaned her head on Bella's shoulder.

Apparently her hatred of all things vampire had ended.

Billy's POV

Being old and crippled sucks.

I felt so helpless as I sent my only son off to fight against an unknown number of vampires. Not to mention the other boys from our tribe... and Leah.

I was so proud of our boys, all of them.

Jacob, who took his role as Alpha very seriously. After a little bit of a rocky start he took to his role of Alpha Protector so well. No father could possibly be as proud as I was. Raising him for the last eight years without his mother had been difficult. I lost the use of my legs in the same accident that took her life and Jacob went from being a nine year old boy to being a care giver for a cripple. The boy never complained.

Sam, our first wolf. He had a crappy start. His alcoholic father abandoned him and his mother when he was a baby and, although he stayed in the area, he never acknowledged Sam again. He was instrumental in training all our boys, yet stood aside willingly when Jacob decided to take his rightful place. His imprint story nearly killed him, or had him killed. Having to break Leah's heart with Emily, her cousin and best friend, was painful for both of them, and not being able to explain it to her was pure torture.

Jared, steady, rock solid Jared. His mother gave him such a hard time about his late night activities that the council decided that he could tell her. He decided not to. He said that it wasn't worth the risk just to get her to stop hassling him. Kim, his imprint, had been a friend of his for years and he never had a single romantic feeling for her in all that time, until he phased.

Quil, the quiet boy. Never said a word, probably couldn't with six older sisters. He took to being a wolf so well. He could control phasing the first day and never looked back. Poor boy was stunned to have imprinted... especially when he realized his imprint was only two years old. He was seriously stressed over the matter until we were able to tell him that imprinting was not always a romantic love like it was for Sam and Emily, or Jared and Kim. For now, all imprinting means to him is a lot of nights providing free babysitting for Claire's parents and a little girl who thinks the sun rises and sets on .

Embry, nicest kid. Respectful, quiet, and loyal. He wasn't 'Quileute' but part of the 'Makah' tribe. He showed up about three years ago with his mother so she could teach at the school, but he fit right in with our boys. Jacob, Quil and Embry were inseparable. When he started showing signs of phasing it took the elders of our tribe by surprise, some more than others.

Although none of the other boys questioned us out loud, we knew they did, at least internally. He never knew who is father was and neither did they. They just knew of that there were four possibilities, all men who were married at the time. Me, Quil Aterra Sr, Sam Uley Sr., or Harry Clearwater.

I knew that everyone silently hoped it was Sam Uley Sr.

I knew it wasn't.

Harry had confessed his drunken mistake to me right after Embry phased for the first time. He confessed to his wife and to me, but we all decided that the knowledge of his parenthood would destroy too many lives.

The silent question was a better option than a firm answer.

Nathan, silent, steady, dependable, with a firecracker sense of humor. As a wolf, he was sleek and speedy. When a howl was sent out, he was always first to respond. His imprint was a young lady from Port Angeles named Katrina. As soon as she turned eighteen, she moved up here and in with Nathan.

Paul, that boy had a chip off his shoulder. Even as a kid he was mean. He was a class A bully. No soft side. When he phased the first time, it took him a week to calm down enough to phase back. He didn't have a single redeeming quality until Leah phased the first time and he found his imprint.

Leah, Harry's only daughter. She stunned the hell out of us all when she ran out of the room and phased after Sam and Emily's wedding. Nobody expected it. Never before had there been a female wolf. Sam, who had helped all the other wolves after their first phase was completely hogtied by this one. Leah and Sam had been together for two years. A real couple until Sam phased and he imprinted on her cousin. Leah was incredibly bitter after that. Harsh and unsmiling. She didn't know about phasing or imprinting, as it is against the law to share with someone who is not an imprint, on council or phasing themselves.

Paul was finally the one to get her to calm down and within a day, we met the softer side of both of them. The double imprint, the ultimate bond. I know that everyone was worried about her now that he was gone. How does someone go on when their reason for living is gone. Our history showed that imprints usually died within a year of the death of their mate. I prayed that this wouldn't be Leah's fate.

Colin and Brady, identical twins with two very different personalities. Brady was a go getter, moved out the minute he turned eighteen and did everything for himself. Independent and strong. Colin, on the other hand, was so laid back. He stayed at home to take care of the family as best he could. Both great wolves. Neither had imprinted, yet.

Seth, our youngest wolf. Eager to please, great skills, friendly to a fault. He phased at fifteen, young compared to the rest. The youngest child of Harry and Sue Clearwater, younger brother of Leah. He had not imprinted yet.

I knew that the battle would not be easy but I was surprised at how well our protectors had accepted working with the golden eyes and their friends. I think most of that had to do with Isabella Swan.

Little Bella, how sad it made me when I heard she was a vampire. I had never wished that fate upon her and yet she accepted it and flourished. She was beautiful and graceful, like she was born to be a vampire. Her two babies were precious and completely new to me. Vampire-Human crossbreeds.

Jacob doesn't think I know what the girl is. He doesn't think I see. He has imprinted on the tiny girl. Though I can't say I am thrilled, I know it is as it was meant to be. I only wonder how her parents will take it.

The question of how to honor Paul weighs heavily on my mind. How can we honor one of our heroes when most of our people do not know him as any more than an angry young man? What heroic deed can we say he has done to merit the funeral ceremony he deserves?

I was thrilled to hear that the battle resulted in no more loss for our tribe but the question of honor weighed on my mind.

Harry, Sue, Sarah Uley and I, made our way to meet the protectors and some of their vampire allies at Brady's house near the edge of the reserve. I was warned that a new red eyed vampire would be with them and that my friend, my best friend since childhood, was with them, in the midst of his transformation.

Try as they may, and the boys assured me that Carlisle Cullen really did try, Charlie Swan was becoming a vampire. The thought pained me greatly and, although I couldn't be his friend as I once was, I hoped that he would be as controlled as Isabella was. Maybe we could still see each other... somehow.

As we pulled up to Brady's house in Harry's old truck, I could see all our boys. I would love to say that I looked at them all to make sure they were all okay, but that would be a lie. My eyes locked on my son, my boy, Jacob. He was in one piece... no injuries and for that I would be eternally grateful. He was my youngest child and the one that reminded me most of his mother.

I reluctantly pulled my eyes from him to focus on the rest of the group. The boys were all standing around, slightly tense. Bella and Edward were the only two vampires in sight. They stood beside each other, Bella had the twins in her arms, and Edward had Charlie in his. The sight of my old friend looking so broken was heartbreaking but the most heart stopping sight was that of Leah Clearwater standing beside Bella, her head resting on the young vampire mother's shoulder.

Leah hated what she was, more than anyone. She hated being a wolf. She blamed her conversion on vampires and on the Cullens in particular. It wasn't until she and Paul imprinted that she was even tolerable to be around. I worried that the loss of Paul would send her back to that stage, and I know her parents were both worried.

As soon as our truck pulled into the drive, Jacob was there to help me out. He pulled my chair out of the back and opened the door to help me out. As soon as he helped me into my chair, I grabbed him in my arms and hugged him with all the strength that I possessed.

"My son," I tried to say in a strong voice, but emotion and age made it sound like a strangled moan.

He didn't say anything, but he also didn't try to make me let go.

Sarah grabbed Sam in a fierce hug and settled into a short whispered conversation. Harry and Sue made their way to Leah and Seth. Seth went to them willingly but Leah stayed where she was with her head on Bella's shoulder.

As I let go of Jake I motioned for him to take me to Charlie.

"Edward," I said, acknowledging the vampire that held my friend.

"Billy, I know that you know this already but there was no other way. He chose this with full knowledge," Edward said.

"I am thankful that you saved him. He is too good a man to be taken from this world. He has a heart bigger than any other I have ever met and a gift for justice. I hope those follow him into his new life," I said.

"Carlisle believes that those of us with gifts in this life had those abilities as a human but they are just magnified," Edward said. "Bella was the first person that Carlisle truly knew as a human before they were changed and as far as we can tell it is true."

"Bella's heart and compassion have certainly followed her into this life," I agreed.

"Fine, Guys!" Bella added with a small smile. "Just talk like I'm not here."

"Sorry, Love," Edward said.

"Sorry, Bella. It was not my intent to disrespect you. It's just that everything I have ever learned about newborn vampires seems to be faulty," I said.

"Not true," said the small pixie vampire, joining us silently from the house. "Bella is special."

"That she is," Edward agreed.

"Let me take Charlie to somewhere more comfortable," Alice said.

Edward was about to agree but I had to interrupt and make a fool of myself.

"Why don't you let one of the boys do it. You're such a little thing," I said.

"Who could lift Charlie with little or no effort," she added. "Thanks for your concern Billy, but I really am very strong and will have no issue with it."

"Sorry," I mumbled going red.

"Hard to get used to Dad. That little girl is strong and fast. Nothing delicate or fragile about her," Jake said.

Edward placed Charlie's six foot tall body into Alice's tiny arms and she carried his two hundred pound frame into the house as though he weighed nothing. Now that his arms were empty, Edward quickly wrapped his arms around his wife.

"Leah," I acknowledged the young girl who clung to Bella.

"Hey, Billy," Leah said sadly.

"Leah has something she needs to say," Seth said rather loudly from his position at his parents' side.

"Seth," Bella said. "Have a little tact!"

"He's right, Bella. I need to say it," Leah said softly.

"I'm pregnant," she said. "I'm going to have a baby that Paul will never meet. He will never get a chance..."

Shock! That was the first emotion that registered. Harry Clearwater stood absolutely frozen but Sue moved quickly to her daughter's side. She pulled Leah into her arm's and Bella and the twins with her since she wouldn't budge away from Bella.

Leah sobbed into her mother's shoulder while Sue soothed and calmed her.

"It's okay," she crooned to her daughter. "We'll make this okay."

Strangely enough I knew it would be okay. Not just for Leah, but for the pack, and for our vampire allies as well. Things would be different but I knew whatever adversities we faced, we would face them together.

The Quileutes and the Cullens.... Werewolves and vampires... standing as one and fighting for what's right.