The pack emerged from one side of the clearing. It was early morning, and they didn't know why they'd been asked to assemble. Pond was still yawning nosily into his hand, and stretching until his joints cracked. It seemed that, like all teenagers, they all had trouble getting up in the morning. Jacob was the only one awake and aware amongst them. He stalked the edge of the clearing, obviously on edge. None of the boys had picked up a scent in the meadow, but they did notice their leader's strange behaviour.

A light breeze was blowing. It whispered through the trees behind them and into the clearing. Slowly, as each of the boys truly awakened, they began to notice the eerie silence. No birds were calling to each other from inside the dense forest, and there was no sound of animals. Sometimes it would be like this when they went out to patrol, their presence would scare away the smaller woodland creatures. But they'd been standing stationary for long enough now that sighs of life should have returned.

The boys began to grow uneasy. Jacob could hear them throwing half formed theories back and forth. He mentally hushed them. They fell into silence, even keeping their thoughts in check. But he could tell that they were confused, and more than a little on edge.

Jacob watched the trees on the other side of the clearing. He hoped that he'd picked a good place for this to happen. Maybe picking a place so far away from civilisation had been a bad idea. Out here, he didn't know how much he would be able to control the boys when their instincts took over.

A slight movement from amongst the bordering trees was lost to the inexperienced senses of the other wolves, but Jacob saw it.

His heart began beating faster. Now was the time. He just hoped he'd done enough to prepare the boys for it.

He turned back to them, words of explanation on the tip of his tongue. Just as he was about to speak them, the wind shifted around. Carried on the breeze was a scent that was somehow familiar to all of the wolves, passed down through some ancestral instinct. A shiver ran through the group in front of him, and Jacob began to panic as the situation fell completely out of his control.

Jack was the first to shift. He moved past Jacob, into the middle of the clearing, waiting for the others to follow. One by one they did.

They made an impressive sight, standing tall together, coats shining in the early morning sun. Jacob would have been proud, if he wasn't panicking so much. He shifted and ran after them.

As Jacob took his place at the head of the group, he knew that Edward had retreated from the bordering trees, slinking back into the deeper cover of the forest. He tried to reach the minds of the other wolves, but not a single one of them was thinking rationally. Even Harley and Sam were lost in the instinctual urge caused by Edward's presence.

They had been wolves for so long, without ever having met their adversary. The instinct had grown in them until it reached this overpowering level. Jacob cursed himself for letting it go on for so long, letting it reach this point. He couldn't have known what the repression would have caused, but he'd always known that it wouldn't be good.

The pack turned at a sound behind them. Using the movement of the wind, Edward had reappeared in the meadow behind them, while they couldn't smell him.

Jacob watched as Edward stood, completely exposed, only meters from uncontrollable wolves. The vampire was trusting him to get his wards under control.

Jack growled and took a step forward. Pond growled and leap forward, waiting for the rest to catch up before continuing. Edward stood his ground.

He wouldn't do anything to hurt them, Jacob realised. Not while he knows how much they matter to me.

Jacob rushed forward to stand between his advancing pack and the vampire. He turned his back on Edward, facing down the werewolves.

A collective growl rose from the group. They continued to advance.

Stop. Jacob commanded, taking a fraction of a step menacingly towards them.

While it wasn't enough to completely break through the instinctual haze, it made the wolves pause. Jacob could see the confusion in the collective mind of the wolves, and knew that he had to use it to his advantage.

Focusing on the chink in the armour, Jacob released the memories and emotions that he'd been keeping from his pack, giving them everything that he had every held back.

Bella.

His years searching for Edward, searching for revenge.

Finding him.

Truly finding him.

Everything. Every thought that Jacob had ever needed to keep hidden. Every truth that he hadn't wanted to accept.

Right up to why he would give his life to protect Edward.

There was no reaction. There was no movement at all.

The wolves stood completely still, and Jacob could only hope that his confession would take.

Edward stood behind him, having seen everything that Jacob had sent to the pack. He didn't move either, understanding the danger facing both of them. No alpha could have controlled his pack under such circumstances.

Slowly, one by one, the boys shifted back. In minutes, Jacob was face to face with five teenagers. Not the hulking wolves that he'd just faced down, but somehow just as terrifying.

No one spoke. Jacob watched the boys. Harley, Jack, Kallem, Pond and Sam. All of them knew the truth now. The whole truth.

They watched him back.

Pond was the first to speak up.

"Dude, too much information." The young boy smiled cautiously at Jacob.

"But I think we get what you're trying to say." Harley continued.

Jack snorted. "Yeah, in technicolour."

Each of the boys laughed and Jacob felt the tension drop. He felt laugher bubbling up in his own chest, but didn't dare let it out. It would probably be hysterical giggles. He was in complete shock. This was not what he'd been expecting. After everything that had happened with Sam and Jack, after what Kallem had said to him, this was not how he'd expected the boys to react to the truth. Not with jokes and laughter.

Harley was watching him, had quietly noticed his confusion.

After everything that happened with us, with Jack and Sam, they kind of learned to be a little more accepting. We all share their emotions, after all. People find it hard not to change under such circumstances.

Jacob heard Harley's thoughts, and knew that somehow he was the only one. These boys were unlike any wolves in Quileute history.

Pond affectionately punched Sam in the arm, laughing.

"See, I told you."

Sam smiled back at him, before turning to look curiously at Jacob.

Jacob just shrugged and smiled back.

The boys all laughed and mucked around until Jacob remembered Edward standing behind him. The vampire had been standing so still that he'd slipped out of Jacob's mind.

"Okay, guys, I'm glad…to have your blessing, or something, but that's not why I brought you here."

The boys fell silent. Jacob turned back to beckon Edward forward. Edward was beside him in a heartbeat.

"You guys know everything now. You know about my history, and you know about Edward."

The boys stood in awe. Jacob didn't blame them. They were faced with a very real, very living, creature of legend. Being a creature of legend themselves had worn out it's novelty a while ago.

Now that they were all together, Jacob didn't know what to say. There was nothing that needed to be said, everything was already known by all, but the silence was making him uncomfortable. He was glad when Harley broke it.

"Hello Mr Cullen," he began politely, addressing Edward. "My grandfather has told me a lot about you. My name is Harley. Seth is my grandfather."

Edward smiled at him. "Hello Harley. Please, call me Edward. I don't think there's ever been a Mr Cullen. I knew your grandfather well, he was a friend of mine."

"It's good to finally meet you Edward. It's about time Jacob brought a boy home."

Jacob couldn't help but blush at Harley's way of mentioning him. Something about the way Harley said it made Jacob think that the boy had always known. Too smart for his own good, that one.

One by one the boys introduced themselves. It was a little awkward, but Jacob thought that it couldn't have gone better.

(...)

The pack left soon. Though they'd gotten over their murderous instincts, the close proximity to a vampire was clearly taking its toll on them. They were still too young and inexperienced to be completely comfortable around Edward.

When they were gone, Edward and Jacob were left alone in the clearing. Jacob moved towards the man and pulled him close. He made sure that the younglings were out of hearing range, for their own sake and his. It had felt strange enough to share the information that he had after so many years of hiding it.

Edward wrapped his arms around Jacob's torso and pulled him closer. Jacob sighed into Edward's shoulder. Relief took over and made his limbs shake. All the worrying was finally over.

"That went well." Jacob's words were muffled in the fabric of Edward's shirt.

When he received no answer, he pulled back a little to look at the shorter man. Edward didn't meet his eyes, and Jacob was instantly worried that he'd done something wrong. Had Edward been uncomfortable with the pack knowing everything? Every kiss, every touch, it was theirs and it would belong only to the two of them. But wolves don't really get that luxury. Perhaps Edward was upset that he'd had to share it all.

Jacob leaned down to meet Edward's eyes. The unspoken question caused the vampire to sigh.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For everything. For them. They're my fault."

Jacob didn't say anything, just left Edward continue speaking.

"If I hadn't come here, they would never have had to…"

"Yeah, it's all your fault, blah blah blah. When are you going to get over this thing Edward? I swear you collect guilt like some people collect buttons. You can let it rule you if you want. You carry around this black hole, and sometimes I think you like to fall into it."

Edward looked up at him. He watched as Jacob stepped back, gold eyes holding no emotion.

"I don't blame you. Sometimes it's easier. All I can do is ask you not to do it. You don't need to blame yourself for everything. You don't need to hold on to it all."

Jacob hadn't mean to get so preachy. He wanted to help Edward, to show him that no one blamed him for what had happened to the boys. They'd get over it and on with their lives. It was only a matter of time.

Edward still didn't speak. They were standing in the middle of a random clearing. Doing nothing. In silence.

Jacob had shared enough today. One more thing couldn't hurt.

"I love you."

Edward straightened up instantly, looking a little shocked. Then he smiled. He stepped forward, back into Jacob's arms.

Jacob kissed Edward lips. The vampire smelled so good it should be illegal. He could hardly remember ever having been disgusted by it.

Edward's cold lips felt like a shot of ice through his mind, the intensity of it causing him to sigh into the shorter man's mouth. Edward pulled Jacob's lower lip between his teeth and nipped lightly. Jacob kissed him back fiercely.

As Jacob surfaced to take deep shuddering breaths, Edward moved back just far enough to look into his eyes.

"I know."

(...)

Jacob entered the room to a round of applause. The smart ass kids clapped and wolf whistled, while he waved his hands in the air to try and quiet them. He smiled, though, still riding high on the relief about the way things had turned out.

Yesterday could be described a nothing but a success. He'd spent so much time worrying about it, now he could relax. There would always be something else to worry about, but clearing even one item off that list was a cause for celebration.

Jacob addressed the group, when they had all finally fallen quiet.

"So, now you guys know everything. As long as you guys are anywhere near Edward, you'll continue to shift. So I guess we'll hang around a little longer, and then-"

Kallem interrupted him with a disapproving noise.

"You're going with him?"

Jacob nodded. "I guess so."

"What are we going to do?"

"Cycle out I guess. It's time to tag team back into normality."

Pond yelled out it disappointment. A few of the other boys nodded their agreement with his wordless complaint.

Jack gave words to their dissatisfaction. "Back to normality? Seriously? We get given amazing super powers for a year and we don't get to do anything at all with them? And you want to just push us back into our lives?"

Jacob looked at Jack, surprised.

"You guys don't want to go back?"

"Of course not," Sam piped in. "We're still learning about ourselves. Besides, we can't go back to our old lives. We've got to wait at least a couple of years to go back through the school system. What would we do? We're better here, with you. And if that means Edward has to stay, that's fine with us."

Jacob felt completely turned around. There were certainly points the boys were making that he had never considered, and he'd never expected the determination that they were showing, not to return to normal, but to stay as a pack.

"Okay then. If you guys are serious," Jacob looked around at them all once more, just confirming that they all truly felt the same. "Then I'll stay."

The youths started clapping and yelling again. Only Harley didn't join in. When the exuberance calmed down, Harley stepped forward. He looked a little concerned.

"Are you going to tell the La Push council what you told us?"

Jacob considered. He supposed that the council should be the next group to know. They were the one pushing to get rid of Edward, after all. But Jacob had the sinking suspicion that knowing what was going on between the vampire and their alpha would not change Sam's mind about the issue. The council had no right to know that much ab out his personal life. After all, he hadn't imprinted, so this wasn't a wolf thing. He didn't have much to do with them anyway. Jacob made up his mind.

"No, I don't think that this is something that they need to know. I can't show them like I showed you. They probably wouldn't understand."

"I'm sure they'd be grateful for that," commented Pond. Jacob cuffed him playfully around the head.

Harley was still looking thoughtful.

"Do you want us to keep it a secret for you?"

"I think it's probably for the best if you keep it quiet." Harley nodded, and moved back to sit down. The rest of the boys joined him, still playing boisterously.

Jacob promptly forgot about having to call his relationship a secret and, smiling, braved the fray.