AN: Sorry for taking so long on this. You'd think my run of recent snow days would have let me get more done. But life's been doing a knock-down and kick to me some lately, so I've had a lot on my mind. But I've finally managed to get this finished, and given you a longer than usual chapter to make up for the delay. Hope you enjoy this update. Can't wait to hear what you think.
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Jake POV (night of the storm)
I ran for a long time, trying to beat down my temper. It felt like I was being pounded by the furious surf that sometimes hit the coast. Being a wolf, my dad's lies and omissions, abandoning my friend, not being around Bella, my 'friend' stealing my girl...all of it and more kept slamming into me and I couldn't catch up, much less get ahead of any of it.
So stop running, Jared advised.
What?
You're caught in a cycle that keeps feeding itself. Being mad about this whole wolf thing touches all of the other stuff. Honestly, Jake, none of us would have chosen this life-but it chose us and all the complaining in the world won't change that. If you can accept it, then I don't think you'll be anywhere near so angry and you can start dealing with all the other stuff.
Maybe Jared was right. Maybe I'd never stopped fighting against everything even once I'd gone human again.
'Course I'm right-I'm Beta, he grinned mentally.
Why?
'Cause I phased second and know the most after Sam.
Sure, sure.
I'm not saying we don't all still have bad days with all this, but we've each of us had to man up and just take what we've been given.
And my dad?
It sucks-I get that. And yeah, maybe you do have a point about it being better if future wolves know in advance that it's coming. But it's been tradition, like, forever, that no one is told until it happens. Even thinking about breaking tradition is a big deal for someone like your dad. But at least you can talk to him about what's going on with you. Just think for a sec how you'd feel if you had to keep this a secret from him.
He's smart-he'd figure it out.
Maybe. He did see his grandpa and the rest of the last pack. You know, he probably envies you.
Envies me?!
If the Cullens had come back a couple decades ago, it would have been his generation that phased. Maybe your friend Quil's dad would still be alive. Maybe your dad wouldn't be in a wheelchair right now. He wouldn't be watching you suffer through this; he'd be able to protect his tribe and take care of himself.
Part of me wanted to believe what Jared was telling me, but the hurt was just as strong, and the two were fighting inside me. So I focused on running. I didn't consciously think of a particular destination, just let my feet carry me.
Jake, Jared warned, when he realized where I'd ended up. Sam said to keep your distance from her, remember?
Would you listen to him if you were in my place and he was making you stay away from Kim?
I don't know. But he's Alpha, Jake. You have to respect that, whether or not you like it. There was a flash of something in Jared's mind, quickly buried.
Sure, sure. But I pushed Jared—and Sam—out of my mind to focus on Bella's house. There's no one here, I realized.
Her dad's probably on duty tonight, so maybe she's staying with a friend.
Huh?
Sheesh, am I the only one who pays attention to the weather forecasts? Jared muttered, filling me in on the storm that was on its way.
Jared, Jake, both of you head home. We'll suspend the patrols until the storm's over, Sam's voice cut in. We both acknowledged him and started moving. The others had phased out by the time I got back to the rez. My path the final distance to my house took me past Embry's and I stopped. He was outside, putting up storm shutters over the windows. Where once I would have headed over to help him, now I just stared.
How dare he? My thoughts raged. How dare he steal her away from me? Unbidden, my mind replayed the scene of earlier today, what I'd seen in Quil's mind about Embry and Bella walking away from the beach, her hand tucked into his. A little thing, that really wasn't. All this summer, she'd always shied away from too much physical contact with someone else. There had to be separation on the couch, and she'd started refusing help on the stairs just as soon as she could. I'd hated it, but had tried not to push. So why was Embry—Embry—able to hold her hand when I never could? Any why, by everything that was holy, could he dare to kiss Bella—my Bella?
Embry hung the last shutter and turned to look at the trees, almost looking right at me, though I knew he couldn't see me. Embry took a couple steps forward, gaze shifting upward to the sky as a bolt of lightning streaked overhead. Then he reversed course and went inside his house.
The visual reminder of the storm's approach got me moving, too. Part of what Jared had said earlier really was true tonight—there was no way my dad would be able to get our house ready for the storm, and mad or not, I needed to step up there. Turned out, someone had already done our shutters, so I silently got out the storm supplies from the cabinets and put them in their usual spots around the house. I could feel Dad looking at me, and from his sighs I knew he wanted to say something, but he stayed quiet.
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After the storm, Sam rousted everyone in the pack out of our homes. As they'd planned while I'd been out running, the tree had indeed fallen down, neatly disguising the damage I'd done to Bella's truck. If I wasn't still so pissed off about everything, I might have actually been impressed with the idea what whoever-it-was had come up with. But all I could think was how this was something else that the whole wolf-thing had screwed up. Bella had loved her truck, and I'd loved that she had it, that I'd been able to fix it up and keep it running for her. Now, it was fit only for the junkyard.
Sam pulled me from my dark thoughts to go out with him and help others on the reservation that had also suffered damage from the storm. We were just finishing up at one house when something pulled me toward the front yard. Rounding the corner of the house, I saw two people walking down the street, hand-in-hand. A red haze clouded my vision when I realized it was Embry and Bella.
Mine. Bella. Mine, my thoughts echoed. I barely heard Sam's muttered growl of annoyance, and breathed command to stay put. So I used my eyes to do what my body couldn't: trying to glare Embry into submission like he was a wolf I considered myself superior to. But he wasn't one, and my stare just provoked a return one from him. I really wished my gaze was a laser, to cut through him and let me see Bella. I just needed to look at her and… But she stayed on the far side of Embry, and when I spoke her name, her only words were a plea for him to take her home.
My body started shaking with rage when Embry took Bella away. Sam hauled me toward the nearby woods through brute force. I phased right out of my clothes and started running again.
Is that all you do? Paul wondered. Shred and run?
Shut up, Paul, I growled, and for some reason, he listened.
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Bella POV (morning after the storm)
Embry insisted on walking me up to the porch, not that I really minded.
"Other than the storm, did you have a good time the last couple days?" There seemed to be something veiled in Embry's question, but whether he was asking if I regretted what had-or hadn't-happened between us last night or the run-in we'd just had with Jake, I wasn't quite sure.
"I did." It was the truth. As Embry had said, neither one of us was really ready for things to go that far physically, but he'd been perfect at saying that without it seeming like a rejection. And Jake...I loved it that Embry hadn't questioned or argued with my desire to get away-and hadn't let Jake distract him from that.
"Great."
Any awkwardness was averted by my dad coming around the side of the house dragging a tree branch. Embry jumped down off the porch and helped Charlie carry it the rest of the way to the edge of the street.
"Welcome home, Bells," Charlie said. Then, "Hey, Embry. How's things down at La Push?"
"Hi, Charlie. Things are okay. Some downed branches and stuff, shed or two that lost a roof or got smashed. Maybe some folks still without power. A big storm, but if could have been a lot worse."
"'Bout the same up here."
"Any more branches like that to move?"
"Nope. Thanks for the offer, though."
"No problem."
It was interesting to watch the interactions between my dad and my new boyfriend; interesting, and nice. Very different from how Charlie had been with Edward.
"Whatcha thinking about?" Embry's question interrupted my musings.
"Nothing really."
"Jake?"
"Nope."
"Something up with Jake?" Charlie asked.
"Saw him just before we left," Embry admitted. Him and Sam Uley. Guess you were right about him not being happy about us," he gestured between himself and me.
"What did he say?"
"Just glared. But if looks could kill..." his voice trailed off and he shrugged.
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I had a feeling Charlie was going to have more to say about Jake, but I wasn't quite ready for that. So I gratefully used the excuse of needing a shower and took time to think. I was pissed that Jake was pissed about me and Embry being together-especially since he didn't have any right to be upset. If Jake and I were exes, then maybe...no, not even then. But we weren't exes-unless ex-friends counted. That was another thing that bugged me-why Jake seemed to think he could glare at us with how he'd abandoned both Embry and me. And the way he'd acted had just been too extreme-all Embry and I had been doing was holding hands as we walked down the street. Now, if we'd been making out, like last night...
Remembering that-and Embry's reaction-made me regret just a little that he'd stopped things from going too far; which was a total turnaround from what I'd been thinking earlier. If he hadn't... Shoot! I slapped my forehead.
I rushed through the rest of my shower, threw on some clothes, and hastily called Angela.
"Ange?"
"Hey, Bella."
"Is there a good health clinic in town? I need to get a prescription refilled."
It took a moment, but then Angela said, "Ah," in an enlightened tone. "Sure. My mom and I use Dr. Dusquene. She's great." She spelled out the name and even gave me the phone number.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome. So…I guess things are going well between you and Embry?"
"Yeah," I couldn't help blushing even in a phone conversation. "It's still really new, but yeah. He kinda makes me lose my head sometimes," I confessed in a whisper.
"Is that bad? Do you not want that?"
"No. Not yet. He respects us both, but…"
"'Better safe than sorry,' as the saying goes," Angela clearly knew what I meant without me having to say it.
"Have you—" I started to ask, before deciding it wasn't any of my business.
"No. Preacher's kid and all. But Mom wanted me on something once I started dating."
It had been one of my mom's few truly maternal moments, taking me to the doctor a couple years ago to get put on birth control. I hadn't been sure about it—with no boyfriend then or at all while I lived in Phoenix there hadn't seemed to be a point—though she'd insisted anyway. Maybe Renee had just been petrified at the idea of becoming a grandma in her mid-thirties—especially as she worked so hard to not look her age. So I'd gone on the pill, and gotten a refill just before I'd moved up here, which had lasted through the end of the school year. Edward had been too old-fashioned to say anything, but one of Alice's comments one time had made me think that my being on the pill had helped him be around me; it certainly wasn't like it had been needed for its designed purpose, though.
But my prescription had run out at the same time as my romance had fizzled. Being sick so long, and not having a boyfriend, had put all thoughts of a new appointment for a refill out of my mind. Now, however, I did have Embry, and with the way we seemed to react to one another…We might both be saying that we weren't ready for that yet—and even mean it—but accidents could always happen. I didn't exactly know about Embry, but I wasn't looking to become a teen parent.
After thanking Angela again, I hung up and called the clinic about an appointment. Amazingly, they not only accepted Charlie's insurance, but they even had an opening this afternoon—a cancellation due to last night's storm. Another quick call arranged for Angela to give me a ride. When I came back downstairs, Charlie must've gotten tired of waiting for me. A peek out the window showed him raking up the twigs and leaves the storm had blown around. I scrawled a note telling him I'd be with Angela for a little while, and slipped out front to her car.
An hour later, I was stepping back into the house—birth control in hand—when Charlie walked out of the kitchen.
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Charlie POV
I was happy for Bells that she'd found Embry, and I really liked him for making her smile and laugh again. But I couldn't help feeling sorry for Jake, that he'd lost out on her. Maybe it was my own experience that made me sympathetic, even with all the crap that my best friend's son was pulling right now. If he ever showed his face again, maybe I could help him—but who was I kidding? Me, give love advice?
I heard the phone ringing, and ignored it at first; Bella was sure to answer it. But when it kept ringing, I ran inside, grabbing the phone off the receiver. I offered a breathless "Hello" at the same time that I saw a piece of paper on the counter.
"Hey, Chief," Billy greeted me. I'd always found it ironic that he called me by my official job title so much when he was also just as entitled to use it where his tribe was concerned.
"You all okay down there?" I asked first. Having lived her all my life, I knew well how the coast could get slammed by our storms, and parts of the reservation were low-lying enough that flooding was a real danger.
"Yeah, we're okay. Damage could have been a lot worse. A few minor injuries, but nothing Sue couldn't handle."
"That's good."
"What about Forks?"
"Some trees down, a few shattered windows. Internet's out, too."
"Same down here. And speaking of that…" Billy's voice trailed off briefly, "I really hate to say this, but you're definitely going to have to that car shopping for Bella now."
"Because…?"
"Jake spent some time working on the truck yesterday and then drove it around some to test it out. It was looking promising but…"
"But, what, Billy?" I really loved my friend, but there were times when his roundabout way of talking drove me crazy.
"One of those big trees we had in the yard came down last night."
I got the feeling I wasn't going to like where this would end up, and said so.
"You're right," Billy admitted. "The spot where Jake parked the truck was right in the path of the tree's fall. It got crushed for good. Definitely not worth the time and money to get it fixed—and honestly, I don't think it's even possible now."
"Not worth it?"
"Nope. The tree came down right on the hood and crushed it, so the engine is toast. You might get something selling it for scrap metal. Jake says there are a few places in Port Angeles that will take it. We've got someone going up in a few days that can take it along with other scrap from the reservation, and I'll see that you get whatever money the truck brings in."
Billy had ended the call as quickly as he could, but I didn't mind that too much. Something about this was making me think like a cop. I knew that Bella's "luck" could be a bit strange, but it just seemed beyond reasonable that only hours after Jake had apparently started working on Bella's truck, it would get totaled by a tree falling on it. And if one of the trees had really been at that great a risk of falling down, then why hadn't someone noticed it beforehand? The way that Billy didn't seem to want me to see the damage in person was another thing bugging me-not that the offer was a bad one, what with how it might not even have been needed if Jake had just fixed the truck to begin with. It just really seemed like Billy was trying to hide something and I didn't know if I needed to track it down or not.
I finally remembered the note from Bella. It didn't explain much, just that she was with Angela for a little while. I waited for her to come back and wondered how I'd break the news about her truck.
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Embry POV
I got home from dropping Bella off and felt that same eyes-boring-into-me sensation that I'd had last night when I was putting up the storm shutters. Turning around, I saw the reason why this time: Jake, standing with Quil at the edge of the treeline, watching. Just like earlier today, Jake's eyes bored into me, no sign of our lifelong friendship in them He seemed to be vibrating a little from the rage I could see even at this distance. None of us said anything, just stood and stared. This couldn't just be about this morning; I was sure now that Quil must have told Jake about seeing me and Bella yesterday and me dating and kissing her. Just as clearly, Jake was pissed about it, just like I'd told Charlie an hour ago. Not that it really bothered me right now. So I just locked eyes with him and waited. No way was I going to let him intimidate me or make me roll over and give in.
Quil laid a hand on his shoulder and said, "Jake, man, you know you can't-"
"Says who?" he growled.
"Jake," Quil groaned.
A little farther off, another figure emerged from the forest: Sam Uley again. "Jake, Quil, come on," he said, and turned away. With another snarl and glare, Jake stalked after him. Quil lingered for a minute, eyes and face pained. A second call of his name finally took him away.
That was weird, I thought. The way Jake had tried to stare me down...how I'd heard them talking all the way across the yard... What-
But my mental puzzling was interrupted by my mom calling me inside.
"Yeah, Mom?"
Her response was to set a box of condoms on the table.
"What's this for? Do you think we were lying to you this morning? Do you not trust me?" The questions poured out, pushed by a sudden tide of anger rising inside me. The fact that my mom could easily have been right in assuming the worst really didn't mean much to me at this moment.
"I do believe you, Embry," she said, not reacting to my uncharacteristic display of temper, "and I do trust you. But I also understand that promises and principles can go flying out the window sometimes."
"Is that what happened with you and my dad?" I asked, even though I knew she probably wouldn't answer me this time, either, any more than she had any other time I'd asked about this forbidden subject.
"You know what I've taught you about that step in a relationship," she sidestepped-just like I'd expected. "I expect you to be responsible no matter what or when."
"Fine," I muttered, swiping up the box. "Message received."
I tossed the condoms onto my dresser. Right now I felt annoyed that Mom might not really believe me, even if she'd said she did; plus, my question and her avoidance had brought up all those buried dad-issues that I usually tried to ignore. Atypically, I let myself wallow in the negative feelings, pointless though they were. With a strangled sound I flopped down on the bed. Okay, so I couldn't do anything about my unknown absent dad or my very-much-present ex-friends, but I could handle my mom. Really, Embry? She almost was right to doubt you. Last night could easily... I rolled over with a groan and repeated the noise when my nose landed in my shirt from last night-a shirt full of Bella's scent. Yeah, maybe it will be good to have those around. Like Mom had said minutes ago, the 'right thing' could easily be forgotten in the heat of the moment-and Bella seemed to be getting really good at making me do that forgetting.
My thoughts were starting to take me into dangerous territory again, so the ringing of my cell phone was a welcome distraction. "Hello?" I answered, not even taking the time to check the caller ID.
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Bella POV
"Hey, Embry," I replied. "How's your day been?"
"Weird," he finally answered after a pause.
Part of me didn't want to push when he seemed to not want to elaborate, but we were dating now and, People are supposed to share about their days when they're dating someone. Besides, it was another chance for me to contrast him with Edward if Embry answered me.
"Tell me about it?" I requested.
"Okay… Well, Jake was waiting near my house when I got back, doing that death-glare again. Quil was with him, but wasn't doing anything. That Sam Uley showed up again and told them to leave—the strange thing is that they did it. Then, once I got inside, my mom sat me down for a 'talk'—" he paused again—"and gave me a box of condoms."
My face flamed in response and sympathy—probably as embarrassed to hear this as Embry was to say it. So the least I could do was reply in kind.
"I had an appointment myself this afternoon. I'm still not saying I'm ready for that," I rushed on, "but if—when—we are…do, then I'll be okay."
"Your dad made you an appointment for that?" Embry spluttered.
"No!" burst out of me. "We'd've both died if he had. Charlie was embarrassed enough when he saw me walk back in the house with it afterward."
"I bet," Embry empathized. "Wait, so how'd you get there, then?"
"Angela."
"Nice of her."
"Yeah. I try not to impose on my friends, but it was an emergency."
We were both quiet, trying to decide how to change the topic of conversation.
"Do anything else today?" Embry asked.
"Talked with my dad about getting a new—or new to me—car."
"Giving up on the truck?" I heard a noise like he'd just sat up on his bed or something.
"I have to now. Billy called Charlie while I was gone. Apparently that big tree in their yard got knocked down last night. My perfect luck that my truck was ground zero for the impact. It's totaled from what Billy said."
Embry choked. "Are you kidding me? A tree took down that tank?"
"Seems like it. And right after Jake finally started to actually work on it."
He was silent for a minute. "You really believe all that?" he eventually asked. "Jake finally starts to work on it and just happens to park it right under the only tree they lose? That's almost too impossible to believe. And with how Jake's been acting today," he sighed, "I almost hate to say it, but I'd honestly almost believe that he took a sledgehammer to it himself than that all those little coincidences actually happened."
Now I was quiet. I didn't want to believe something like that about Jake, either. But my experience with the Cullens seemed to have inclined me to see and expect the unusual in everything. And Embry was right: there were an awful lot of coincidences in the story Billy had told Charlie.
"So, anyway, Charlie's taking me to Port Angeles on Saturday to do some looking around. Do you want to come? You probably know more than either of us does."
"Sure. We can do research before the trip—get an idea of what you do and don't want. You'll want to be an informed shopper so that those sales-sharks can't take advantage of you."
"Want to help me with that tomorrow?" I queried, adding a teasing postscript, "I'll make more cookies..."
"Deal."