Embry POV

It made me smile to see that Bella was having a good time coming up with a list of new car options, even though cars weren't her favorite thing. I was a little surprised at how much I knew about them just from hanging out with Jake while growing up. Having Bella look to me for advice was pretty ego-boosting.

It mostly made up for the whispers that I kept catching bits of. I wasn't sure that Bella noticed, but the guys from the grocery store a while back were here in the library along with a few other kids. If they hadn't liked me way back then, they really didn't like me now. The way Bella and I were sitting was pretty darn obvious that we were a couple now.

They probably thought they were being quiet—and I didn't know how I was hearing them, any more than I'd known with Jake and Quil the other day—but what they were muttering…to hear myself called a "muck" or a "salmon cruncher" was beyond insulting and made my blood start to boil. But it helped to breathe deeply—maybe because it meant I was breathing in Bella's scent. She was more important to me than anything that those idiots could say. Still, it might be time to take a break. That itch between my shoulder blades was starting to bug me.

"Think we've gotten enough done for now?" I asked Bella.

"I guess so. We've got enough to get started looking at. Dad will probably want to look this list over and give his opinions, too. And…" she looked up at me with a mischievous gleam in her eyes, "I seem to recall that I owe you some cookies."

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Bella POV

Embry might have thought I didn't notice, but I did get the feeling that something—or maybe someone—was bothering him. What I wasn't sure about was why. Was it my typical tendency of attracting the attention of guys whether I wanted it or not, or was Angela right about how some people would view our mixed-race relationship? Either way, I was eager to agree when Embry asked about leaving the library.

While I got started pulling together the ingredients for the chocolate chip peanut butter chip cookies that he requested, I put Embry to work chopping vegetables.

"Veggies in the cookies?" he inquired dubiously.

"No," I smirked. "That's for dinner. Entrée," I interrupted myself. Abandoning the cookie ingredients, I dashed to the freezer to pull out a ziplock bag with fish from one of my dad's recent trips-which, thankfully, Sue Clearwater had skinned and deboned. Setting the prepped fish in a bowl of lukewarm water to thaw, I quickly made a marinade, and then returned to cookie-making.

"Have I told you lately that you're amazing?" Embry asked me.

"No, I don't think so. Am I?"

He laid down his knife, stepped behind me, and wrapped his arms around me. Bending down, he whispered, "You are," in my ear before dipping his head lower to rest in the crook of my neck. As tall as he was, it had to be uncomfortable to be contorted over like that, but Embry didn't seem to mind. He just stayed where he was, his breathing the only sound in the kitchen. We stayed like that for a while, and might not have moved for even longer if I hadn't twitched involuntarily from the internal tingling that Embry's exhalations across my skin evoked.

"Sorry," he apologized-though he didn't sound particularly regretful.

"I liked it," I admitted, "it just tickled a little bit."

"Then in that case…" in a fast move, he swooped me up and set me down on the one bare spot of kitchen counter. It put me almost at his height, and Embry used it to advantage to pull me against him and kiss me the way that I was coming to be addicted to. Time seemed completely irrelevant when compared to Embry's lips on mine. His tongue traced the line of my lips, which opened automatically. Embry took advantage, stroking his tongue into my mouth. I had only enough time to think, "So this is what they meant," before thought became impossible. Sensations pulsed through me and fire raced along my skin.

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Embry POV

For all that I—and Bella—had been saying we didn't want to rush into anything, I was starting to wonder if it was a fight I—we—had any chance of winning. The more time I spent with Bella, the more I wanted more and the more my heart, mind, and body seemed to demand more. And from the way Bella unconsciously pressed even closer against me, it seemed like she felt the same way.

My hands seemed disconnected from my brain, and traced along her sides, daring to dip under the hem of her shirt to stroke against her bare skin. I felt, more than heard, her moan softly, and couldn't help replying—especially not when her fingers and tongue started imitating mine. The world seemed to be getting hotter-not the blood-boiling heat of anger, but rather a transforming and empowering warmth.

The necessity of breathing finally broke our lip-lock. My head tilted and my lips traced a path down her neck to the juncture with her shoulder. Bella's own head tipped away to give me more access. Before long, I drew back in satisfaction to look at the hickey I'd placed on her skin. It might be a little caveman-ish of me, but I wanted everyone to know that she was mine and I was hers.

Bella caught my self-satisfied expression and queried, "What's that for?"

"I'd say I'm sorry," I reached to touch the mark, "but I'm not."

"You might be if my dad sees that," she replied. "I think I better change my shirt before he comes home and notices." Bella scooted toward the edge of the counter, preparatory to jumping down. But her hand slipped, and flailed for something to use to catch her balance. I kept her from falling, but her hand knocked the bag of flour off the counter. It hit the floor and exploded in a cloud of white dust, covering both of us. "Oops. Looks like I'm not the only one who needs to change. I can give you something of my dad's to wear and I'll throw your stuff in the wash with mine."

"Nice of you," I said, in a deep tone that made her visibly shiver.

I followed her upstairs and waited in the hall while she went into her dad's room, returning with a t-shirt and pair of sweatpants. We went in separate directions, Bella to her room and me into the bathroom, to change. Bella's dad's sweatpants fit okay, but the shirt was too tight. Clearly, my old jacket wasn't the only thing too small for me anymore. I wondered what Bella would say if I walked out of the bathroom shirtless and decided to find out.

"Did you not like the shirt?" she asked.

"Too small."

Bella surveyed me carefully. "Well…you are a lot buffer than Charlie is, so I guess that makes sense." And then, the way I'd hoped she would but hadn't been sure she would, Bella walked up to me and ran her hands up from my stomach, across my chest, and to my shoulders, spreading a wave of heat over me. "Definitely studly."

Taking the risk of playing with fire, my own hands moved along her arms and over shoulders left bare by the strappy top she'd changed into. Unable to resist, I leaned down and gave her a new hickey to match the first, just on the other side of her neck.

"Let me guess, you're not sorry for this one, either, right?" Bella murmured.

"Well…"

Bella went up on tiptoe and her arms wrapped around my neck. Pressed up against me like this, she couldn't help feeling exactly how not-sorry I was right now. Her head tilted back enough for me to see a wicked grin cross her face, and she squirmed.

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Bella POV

The rational part of my mind couldn't believe I was doing this. Had it really been only the night before last that I'd practically incinerated from embarrassment when I'd accidentally touched the proof of Embry's desire for me? And now I was deliberately inciting it? Perhaps the bigger question might be why was I doing it? Teenage recklessness? A desire to see what would happen if I pushed Embry the way I'd tried—and failed—to push Edward?

Involuntarily, Embry bucked against me, transferring a flash of heat. His head banged back against the wall and my linked hands released from around his neck sending me sliding down his body to the floor. I started to feel bad, worrying that I'd taken things too far, when we'd both said from the beginning that we didn't want to rush things.

"Should I say I'm sorry?" I asked, meaning it.

Embry gave me a weak grin. "You're not really sorry any more than I was."

"No…" I confessed.

"Hey," his long arm reached out to tap my chin. "I like knowing you want me as much as I want you. And I do want you. There's a big part of me that doesn't want to remember that your dad could come home at any time and catch us. If it weren't for that, we'd be in your room right now. I think. Maybe." His skin flushed, but Embry met my eyes squarely and honesty shone in his.

"Maybe we'd better go back downstairs then," I suggested. I grabbed all of our floury clothes—and a shirt to go over my camisole—and led the way back down to the kitchen. After getting the washer started, we companionably started making cookies until the fish was ready to go in the marinade. Fortunately for us, the laundry cycle finished before Charlie got home, so he didn't get an eyeful of my boyfriend's chest. My dad didn't really react much to having my boyfriend here again for dinner.

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Jake POV

Shit! I thought. I spun my Rabbit around and sped toward the outskirts of town. Dumping my car in the first convenient hiding spot, I took a few precious seconds to strip my clothes off before phasing.

What's going on? I asked. Instantly, the minds of the others were open to me.

They're back!

They who?

Vamps.

Damn it. An idiot could figure that out! Which ones? Cullen, Red and Dread, or someone else?

Don't know. Must be new ones.

No, there's Dreadlocks.

Immediately, the pack sprang into action, shifting into a wide arc to envelop our prey. At least, that was the plan. The leeches, though, seemed to have their own ideas. The new ones made a sharp turn and put on speed. Dreadlocks bolted the complete opposite direction.

Damn it, Sam snarled. Paul, Jake, get him. Jared and Quil, you're with me. Get to the imprints now.

Normally the cautious one when it came to strategic decisions, Jared wasn't arguing with the order to bolt to La Push and protect Kim and Emily, even if it did mean the pack was splitting up to deal with both threats. Paul and I put on speed to go after Dreadlocks, while the rest of the pack headed for home. Our guy didn't seem to be bothered by the loss of his arm the last time we'd met. He tore through the forest, trying to outrun us again.

Not gonna happen, right? Paul thought at me.

Nope.

Where's he going?

Keeps curving around to the right, like he's trying to get to…Forks. Bella! I put it together and howled.

Focus, more than one mind thought at me.

I put on speed, cutting him off yet again. With a hiss that grated in our ears, he split away again, heading north and away from both the reservation and Forks.

Damn him, Paul grumbled long minutes later. This damned leech kept going into the trees, or up sheer cliff faces—any and every natural feature that he could use to advantage but that only slowed us down because we couldn't do likewise. Finally, he took to the water, leaving us stranded on shore.

Is that-? I wondered, seeing something bright in the distance.

Paul squinted and considered. Yeah, I think that's her. Damn it. Sam, they're gone. Need any help?

Help? Quil cut in, insulted.

We're fine, Sam spoke over my friend. Didn't make it much over halfway to the treaty-line before we caught them. Easy to kill them—didn't seem like they even knew how to put up a fight.

Coming home then, reported Paul.

Hey, Sam—I started to say.

I heard, he continued before I had the chance. Maybe you're right—I just don't know. She certainly attracted the Cullens to her easily enough—

They pulled her in, I countered. Bella had been interested in spending time with me in the beginning, before they'd butted in and stolen her away.

Po-tay-toe, po-tah-toe, Paul offered.

-So if she's a magnet for some of them, then maybe she's a magnet for more.

Then we've got to make sure that doesn't happen, was my vow.

We will, and it won't, Sam agreed.

I need to talk to Bella, Sam. I need her to be safe, I begged.

And I need to see that you can handle it, Jake, he replied. She's safe enough for now if she stays around people in town; we'll be on patrol to keep any bloodsuckers from getting close to her, I swear it.

But—

Two days ago, you stomped the hell out of her truck, Jake. I get that the idea of her being with Embry right now pisses you off. But remember what I said: I don't like keeping you away from Bella, but I'm not about to let you hurt her, either, if you lose your temper again. Keep up like you have today, and I think you'll be ready soon.

What about calling her? Can I do that?

Or use your dads as go-betweens to pass notes? Paul snorted, and Quil couldn't help laughing.

Shut up! I snarled at both of them.

Okay, Sam finally decided. You can call her.

Better have a good apology ready, teased Paul. And he ran for home before I could take a swipe at him.

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Bella POV

"Hey, Bella!" Leah's voice practically bounced out of the phone's speaker. "How's life back in the thriving metropolis of Forks?"

"Ha-ha," I laughed. "Very funny. About like normal, I guess. How's Pullman?"

Leah had gotten my message and called me not long after Embry had left for the night. She talked excitedly for quite a while about getting settled in her new place, reconnecting with Rachel Black, her new job, the campus, and a lot more, before finally running out of steam.

"So how's Embry?" she fished.

"Good. Great. Sexy," I said the last word in a whisper.

"Oh-ho! Okay, girlfriend, details."

Blushing most of the way through it, I did just that, telling her about pretty much everything: the beach day, Quil's reaction and how different he was now, the sleepover at Embry's, the storm and the damage to my truck that I didn't believe were related, today…

"I just don't know what I'm doing," I finished. "I—we—both said that we aren't ready for more, and yet 'more' is all I seem to want."

"And Embry?"

Remembering how he'd reacted to me touching him, I knew there was no doubting him. "Oh, yeah," I breathed. It was true, and another thing I really liked about him. Until I'd started experiencing it in the last week or so, I hadn't realized what an emotional boost it was to know that a guy was interested in me and really wanted me. Oh, sure, Edward had been interested, in a way, but not really in that way.

"If you both want it, then I'd say to go for it, Bella."

My protest was automatic, "But it's crazy. It's too soon. Only a week."

"Does it feel wrong? And I'm asking your heart, not your head. Remember, you're seventeen, not forty."

As usual, my innate honesty compelled the truthful answer. "It feels right. I don't know why, but it does. But I don't know what to do with this, Leah. My mom always called me her 'middle aged child'. I don't know how to act like a teenager, not really."

Leah laughed. "Nobody ever does, not really. Just trust your instincts, and trust Embry. I have a feeling he'll look after both of you. And not just that way."

Naturally, my face flamed again in awareness of what she meant.

"As for the rest of it, just keep your distance. I don't know why, but too many people down at La Push think that the sun rises and sets by Sam Uley's word. If he's gotten to Jake and Quil now, maybe you and Embry should stay clear as much as you can."

"Oh, I think we will."

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And for the rest of the week, we did exactly that. Even though Angela had advised me earlier that we should do things on Embry's home ground, La Push was the last place either of us wanted to spend much time right now. He didn't say much about it, but from the little he did mention, I knew that Jake and the others were watching and disapproving. So we did things at my house, or Angela's, or Jessica's.

The thought I'd had recently, of how Edward had taken something away from me, with how he'd kept pushing me away anytime I'd tried to get close, somehow awoke in me the desire to take something away from him. I knew, rationally, that it was petty, and a little pointless given that he wasn't even here anymore, but I still wanted to. It took me a while to think of how I could do it. But then I remembered. I remembered a place that had been just for him, a place he'd taken me to once. If I could manage to find it again…

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Embry POV

I tried to keep quiet about things, but I somehow got the feeling that both Bella and my mom saw more than I wanted them to. Whether it was by Sam's order or something else, Jake was back to keeping his distance again—well, sort-of. He wasn't getting close to me, or talking, but more than once I saw him lurking around, just staring at me with dark eyes and newly-bulked-up arms crossed over his usually-bare muscled chest. It wasn't just Jake, either. I got some dirty looks from Jared Cameron when I went into his family's store one evening to get some last-minute ingredients for the dinner Mom was cooking.

"Don't be an idiot, Call. Leave the girl alone," he muttered.

"Shut the hell up," I retorted, slapping the money down on the counter. "Where the hell do you get off thinking you can tell me what to do?"

"It's for your own good," he said, collecting my money and slamming my change down on the counter in turn.

"I think I'll be the judge of what's good for me, not you, Cameron." And with that, I took my bag of groceries and stalked toward the door. Paul Lahote came in just as I got close. He gave me a funny look for a second, but stepped aside so I could leave. As I cleared the store's porch, I heard him ask Jared what was going on, and then say, "You off yet? Sam and the others will be waiting."

By the end of the week, it almost seemed like the attitude of Jake and the others was starting to rub off on others around the reservation, like my outsider origins were finally making me suspect somehow. So even though I'd planned to not let them run Bella and me off, I really didn't want to hang out here. Fortunately, neither my mom, nor Bella and her friends, minded me spending most of my time in Forks. I was really glad that I'd be spending half of this weekend hours away from the reservation, car shopping in Port Angeles.

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AN: Sorry for the delay. Busy times with family and some writer's block thrown in to boot. Thanks again MC for helping with story idea bouncing.

Guest: It's coming soon. I don't think that this Bella is quite as worried about Jake as canon Bella would have been (especially not with everything he's said and done), but she is likely compassionate enough that she won't want to hurt people even if they've hurt her.

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The racial slurs Embry overheard came from the Racial Slurs Database website. **In no way do I condone the use of derogatory terms toward Native Americans or any other ethnic group.