Pairing: Jacob(/Bella), Eli & Ezra, age 14 (Remember Jake and Bella's twins from my drabble, "If You Can't Beat 'em, Join 'em"? Same twins, same AU, but before their first phase.)

Rating: T

Genre: Family/Drama

Word Count: 500

Prompt: "You have no clue what you're doing, do you?"

The Next Generation

The sickening sound of flesh pounding flesh rang out loud and clear to the ears of a seasoned wolf as he wrapped up his patrol, heading home. The sound was oddly familiar, which is what drew his attention initially. Then he felt it, the simmering anger that pre-saged the first phase. It wasn't something Jake had ever felt before, taking over his rightful place as Alpha after the rest of the pack had already phased.

Still, he was Alpha. The ache in his chest was visceral and very telling. His wolf knew.

His boys had been displaying the early signs for weeks. Bella was the first to notice. With her heart in her throat and fear in her eyes, she'd come running to him out in the garage after forcibly separating Eli and Ezra during a heated battle over a video game controller. She said they were both burning up, faces red, bodies shaking. Even before she'd left the room, they were after each other again.

He'd rushed into the house just in time to haul them both outside and lock the boys up tight with the restraint of an Alpha order. No one was more surprised than Jake that it worked on pre-phased wolves.

But not for long, apparently…

Quil, who had been patrolling with Jake, looking for any sign of the vamps that had incited the fever in the next generation, filled in Embry and Paul as they came on for the next shift. Paul offered to run the lines while Embry ran to join Quil and Jake in case they needed help with the twins.

The three older wolves cautiously approached the clearing behind the Black house.

All of Jake's worst fears were confirmed as the fighting twins came into view. They were hellbent on beating the mad out of each other.

"Eli, Ezra!" Jake barked, phasing out and pulling his shorts on.

"Not now, Dad!" they chorused in unison.

"It's gonna happen anyway," Eli hissed as he caught a fist in the gut.

"Might as well get it over with where we won't hurt Mom," Ezra reasoned through gritted teeth.

"You … you're trying to make each other phase?!" Jake was dumbstruck.

"We've seen Aunt Emily, Dad. We're not stupid," Eli snarled, landing a solid punch to Ezra's sternum.

"Stop! Stop this right now," Jake demanded.

The boys' arms dropped, breath heaving as they stared each other down.

"You have no clue what you're doing, do you?" Jake was more mad at himself for not thinking of it first. Of course they wouldn't want to phase near their mom. His mind raced as he tried to figure out how to do this. He was Alpha. He should know this. "I think we can do this without you killing each other. Look at me."

Staring into their father's golden eyes, their bodies responded instantly to his Alpha order, "PHASE."

Two copper and cream wolves appeared, quivering on new legs, the next generation of La Push's wolf pack.