A/N: In case you missed the last chapter and author's note, this is the second chapter to go up today. Make sure you've read the other one before starting on this one. Again, thanks to Jezebel Jai-Braxlin for beta reading.

September 8th, 2008

Going by Embry's house that morning had been weird. Running beside him in our wolf forms all the way to Port Angeles had been weird. Walking around campus with him was beyond weird. It was something else entirely.

I felt like people were staring at us even though I could see that they weren't. True, Embry was larger than any other guy here, but no one cared enough to throw more than a passing glance our way. I had no reason to feel like I was on display, like there were invisible spotlights on us wherever we walked.

"How are you finding college so far?" I asked as we walked towards the building where Embry's first class and mine both happened to be.

"We got here five minutes ago, Leah."

There was amusement in his voice, but I couldn't grin back at him. I felt too nervous. I shrugged uncomfortably at the jab. The question had been asked out of a need to say something and get my mind off of the crowd around us, but I felt like I'd been called out.

I pushed him to say more. "Your first impression though."

Embry shrugged, looking around the campus again as if searching for something to comment on. "It seems pretty okay so far. Nothing incredible, but nothing terrible either."

I nodded along. That was how I'd felt this time last year. Actually, it was remarkably similar to how I felt this year. It was just that this year my feelings had a different source: Embry.

For days I'd been trying to figure out why coming to school with him felt so nerve-wracking. We weren't doing anything together that would feel out of place at home, and it wasn't like I cared to be seen with him or anything stupid like that. I'd finally settled on the idea that I was worried about him meeting Joselyn more than anything.

Joselyn and I had been friends for the better part of a year, but she had yet to meet any of the other wolves, not even Seth. I'd been hoping to keep that true for as long as possible, maybe forever. There were too many things that could go wrong if I introduced her to more supernatural creatures.

Embry coming to school with us had ruined that plan. Forcing them to never meet would have me running around campus like a headless chicken to make it work. There was little choice but to let them meet and be prepared to intervene at any signs of crisis. That had been the best solution I had been able to come up with.

If Joselyn was going to meet any of the wolves, I would have chosen Seth or Embry or, maybe, Jake. They were the least intimidating to any outsiders. Not all of the other pack members knew how to be subtle or calm around people. I would have been much more worried about one of them slipping and saying something wrong than I was Embry.

Embry had a better grasp on how to appear… normal, for lack of a better word.

Because of that, it was reasonable to believe that Joselyn wouldn't suspect anything strange was happening back in La Push. So, while I knew my nerves over having Embry on campus stemmed from his meeting Joselyn, I couldn't figure out why I was as worked up as I was. I didn't have much reason to suspect it would end badly.

Joselyn had been looking forward to it actually. She'd gotten a large grin the first time I mentioned that she would be meeting Embry this semester. It was strange when she didn't know him, only knew of him from my various mentions of him. I supposed she was excited to meet someone else from my life. That was supposed to be a big friendship step, right? I couldn't be sure when most of my childhood friends had known each other and my family for their entire lives.

"This is it," I announced once we reached the door to Embry's classroom. "Mine is down the hall. I'll find you somewhere along here," I motioned down the hallway, "as soon as our classes are over, and we can go meet Joselyn."

Embry nodded but didn't say anything before wandering into his classroom. I stood outside, glancing in the doorway for a few moments before realizing I looked strange doing so. I hurried away, never getting to see if Embry settled in easily or not.

I wasn't sure how well he'd achieve making friends. Like me, he'd been around the same people his entire life. He'd grabbed onto Jake and Quil at a young age, and he hadn't had to assert much energy making friends ever since. The big difference was that I was on campus, so he didn't have a completely clean slate like I had. I hoped he was thankful. A little more than a year ago, I would have dumped him aside and made him scramble on his own without a second thought.

My own class was pretty full already by the time I arrived. I took an empty seat, not stressed about choosing the "right" one as I had last year. This had become too routine to bother me now.

Several minutes before class, Lucas slipped into the classroom, causing me to groan. Of course he was toeing the line of being late to the first class of the year. Again.

He hurried into the classroom, eyes scanning for an empty seat. They landed on me briefly, and I offered a small, albeit awkward smile and half wave. Lucas returned it before hurrying to the other side of the room. I breathed a sigh of relief. I hadn't bothered to come up with an escape plan if he decided to sit down beside me. Truth be told, I'd never considered the possibility that Lucas could wind up in another one of my classes.

It didn't take long before he was settled in a seat beside another girl, and the two of them were chatting happily until the professor arrived. Maybe they were just now meeting like Lucas and I had the year before. Maybe she was already a friend or even his girlfriend. I didn't know, and I relished the idea of being clueless. Whoever she was, I hoped they got along and that I never had any awkward run ins with Lucas this semester. I had other things I needed to be dealing with.

Class dragged on for ages. Not only did we do nothing but discuss the syllabus, the professor was one who insisted on taking up the entire class time on the first day.

When we finally got out, the hall wasn't crowded since most classes had been dismissed early. Embry was lounging on one of the benches that dotted the hallway, looking a bit uncomfortable. I noticed his shoulders loosen once he saw me, and I grinned knowing I had caught him in a nervous moment.

"How was your first class?" I asked as I stopped in front of his bench and waited for him to grab his bag and stand up.

"Fine," he replied. We began walking, with me leading the way to the shady spot on campus where Joselyn and I always met. "Remarkably like any first class in high school, actually."

I nodded along. "Yeah, syllabus days are always like that. You'll start picking up on the differences later."

Embry nodded, eyes scanning campus as we walked.

"Your next class isn't for an hour and a half, right?"

Embry assured me that it was, which was convenient. Mine and Joselyn's next classes both started at the same time as well. That was a great thing when you spent all your breaks together.

"It's in that same building," Embry continued.

"You're studying engineering. A lot of your classes will be in that building."

Embry took that as an opportunity to scan his schedule again, seeing which building each of them were in. I watched him, hoping he didn't bowl anyone over while paying attention to his schedule and not where he walked. He could flatten a lot of the other students.

Joselyn was already perched on top of the wall when we arrived. She bounced up and down as we approached, hopping to the ground as soon as I was close enough to hug. She squeezed me so tightly that it would have been painful if I were a human, and I squeezed her back as tightly as I dared. Embry watched from behind us.

"This is Embry," I announced once I'd pulled away from her. I ushered Embry closer so that he was a part of the group. "Embry, this is Joselyn."

"Nice to meet you," Joselyn said in an upbeat voice. She held out her hand for a shake, which Embry looked at a few seconds longer than normal before reacting. Probably because he'd never been in the position to shake some stranger's hand before.

"You too," he said, an easy smile on his face.

"You liking college so far?" Joselyn asked as she perched herself back up on the wall. I pulled myself up beside her, with Embry following on my other side.

"Everyone keeps asking me that, but all I've done so far is listen to a professor talk about the grading scale for an hour."

Joselyn's grin was amused. "Fair enough. I'm sure you'll wind up liking it more than high school though. Everyone does. You have more freedom now, if nothing else."

"Let's hope my mom sees it that way," Embry muttered.

I glanced over at Joselyn to see her looking at him curiously.

"Embry's mom is on high alert all the time," I told her. It was the best excuse I had. Joselyn could understand an overbearing mom, but if we delved into the topic of what Embry had done to prompt it, things became difficult to explain. This was one of those topics I tried to avoid with Joselyn.

"On high alert is one way of putting it," Embry allowed. He must have sensed that I didn't like where the conversation was going, or he felt the same way himself. Either way, he dropped any complaints about his mother.

"So," Joselyn said when it didn't appear that either Embry or I was going to speak up again. "What are you studying?"

"Electrical engineering. You? I don't think Leah ever mentioned."

I hadn't. I wasn't sure why I would have. It wasn't like Embry ever had cause to wonder what it was that Joselyn was studying. He'd hardly known who she was.

"Biology right now. I plan to become a physician."

I could see Embry's eyes widen almost imperceptibly. That had been my reaction to hearing it for the first time too. It was strange being in front of a real life med student. Or pre-med, but the ambition was the same. Somehow I'd had trouble believing that some people chose that career path and went to school until I'd been confronted with Joselyn and seen her take on the workload.

"Wow," Embry said. "That's impressive."

Joselyn blushed, a rare look for her except for when anyone commented on her choice of profession. "Thank you. I've wanted to do it since I was five, so it's just been a matter of pushing myself to do the actual work."

"She's forgetting to tell you that she writes novels too. Apparently, that's only a hobby," I interjected, even throwing in an eye roll for effect.

Embry looked properly impressed, and Joselyn was the same shade of red she always got when people complimented her achievements.

I felt out of place sitting between the medical student and the engineering student. It felt like Joselyn and Embry had their career paths nailed down, and they were worthy choices at that. And then there was me, the girl who'd chosen her major at random because she may or may not do something with it. Sometimes it felt like I didn't deserve to earn a degree considering how apathetic I was towards the idea of studying business.

"Leah said that she's known you for ages," Joselyn continued, a scary looking smirk on her face. My eyes widened, knowing something unpleasant was coming. "You have got to give me some embarrassing stories."

"Joselyn," I protested. It only caused them both to laugh. Crossing my arms against my chest, I scowled and waited for them to stop. Eventually, Embry was able to get some words out.

"I can't say I have any, although I wish I did."

I looked at him in surprise. There was no way he didn't have anything. The pack connection meant it was too easy to pass along embarrassing moments on accident. We'd all done it. I couldn't figure out why Embry wouldn't bring one of those moments up. Even if he'd learned of something via my thoughts, he was smart enough to conceal that bit of the story.

He caught my eye, and I saw the minuscule shrug he did when Joselyn's eyes were averted. I could tell I wasn't going to get an explanation. Not an adequate one at least.

By the time we were running back to La Push that afternoon, Joselyn and Embry had exchanged phone numbers with each other. They were getting along far better than I could have imagined. Maybe I shouldn't have been so surprised. Joselyn and Embry both tended to get along with people more often than not. It wasn't shocking that they would get along with each other.

But my school world and my wolf world had always felt incompatible. Them merging in any way had been unimaginable. It was why Embry joining me at school had been jarring. These were two isolated parts of my life that had never touched each other until now. To see my two closest friends from both factions getting along was strange yet unexpectedly satisfying.

Not that I was going to tell Embry or Joselyn that mushy shit. I'd never even call either of them my closest friends to their faces. I didn't do that sort of emotional crap. I'd already been working at keeping my thoughts in check when Embry and I were phased together.

It was easy when I was also preoccupied with Embry's strange reaction to being asked for embarrassing stories earlier that day. I didn't hesitate to ask about it once we were in the privacy of our own minds. None of the other wolves in our pack were phased to overhear anything we shared.

What was with the whole 'not having embarrassing stories' thing?

Embry gave off a wordless thought that acted as a mental shrug. The pack had become more adept at communicating now that we'd all been wolves for a long time. Part of that had been the ability to understand simpler thoughts when there weren't words or images attached.

I kept my mind as empty as possible to show him that I expected a better explanation than that. Eventually, he followed through.

You were uncomfortable with it, he explained. I slipped, letting a thought of surprise pass through my mind, but I controlled myself quickly, keeping my mind emotionless as I listened. If I had said something, I only would have been joking around, but you were acting like you were on edge today. I didn't think it'd be a good idea to make you any more uncomfortable. Maybe I'll share some of my supply with Joselyn later on. I'm sure there will be more opportunities.

The rest of the run home, I couldn't allow my thoughts to linger on what Embry had said, not when he had access to everything that ran through my mind. Instead, I focused on the woods that we ran through. Embry's mind was quiet too. I saw flashes of his classes from the day and things he thought he should remember, but nothing more than that.

We split up when we neared La Push. Despite being the fastest of the wolves, it hadn't bothered me to run at his speed, and even now, I lingered to avoid phasing out before Embry did.

In the split second before I phased out, I sent Embry a 'thank you.' I caught the beginning of a reply, but the connection broke far too soon for me to interpret what it had been.

September 11th, 2008

Nessie had gotten a stack of coloring books for her birthday. That was her new hobby now that she was chronologically two and the way she was currently choosing to express her creativity.

She'd opened present after present at her party that was a coloring book or crayons or markers, and a day later, she had spread out at least five coloring books and ten packs of drawing utensils on the floor of Jake and Billy's house. Her current projects, each only partially finished, were varied. A half-colored Barbie laid side-by-side with a half-colored picture of a detailed ocean scene. Which one Nessie wanted to work on changed by the minute.

Billy was watching a football game while she worked. Meanwhile, I felt out of place sitting on the sofa. I'd grown up with Billy Black, but babysitting his son's imprint in his house was a situation I'd never been in before.

I wasn't supposed to be here at all. Jake was the one who was supposed to be watching over his imprint.

But then two vampires who weren't Cullens had wandered onto tribal lands. Both packs had been alerted to go after them, and we'd killed them shortly afterward.

Then, Jake and Sam, mostly Sam, had deemed a joint pack meeting necessary for the first time in ages. I would be the first to admit that the first non-Cullen vampires in ages were note-worthy, but Sam was more concerned than he should be. There had been no sign that these two vamps were a part of something, not two who had just happened to stumble onto the wrong lands. But a meeting was happening regardless, and Jake had been supposed to pick Nessie up to babysit.

One of the alphas couldn't be spared for a joint pack meeting, but apparently, a beta could be. I didn't think that was fair, but my vocal complaints about the meeting being unnecessary had made me a prime candidate for the job. My cries of sexism over Jake sending the lone female to babysit had gone ignored.

I'd picked Nessie up from Bella, packed in as many insults to the leech as I could to take out my frustration, and brought her to Jake and Billy's to wait for her imprint to arrive and take her off my hands. It felt like I didn't need to be here. I got why Jake didn't want to thrust Nessie onto Billy. I really did, but Nessie wasn't a difficult child to care for. She had done nothing except color since we got here, and it wasn't like Billy couldn't watch her do that.

Sure, she could throw the occasional temper tantrum, but those had gotten rarer as she aged. I could also tell that she held a respect for Billy that was only rivaled by her respect for Charlie. She wouldn't give him an ounce of trouble. Hell, it would be a rare moment if she gave me any trouble.

Although she had just turned two, Nessie appeared to be six or seven years old. That was my best estimate. She was reaching a point where it was harder to pick out the exact year she would be if she were a human child. Sometimes I thought the more advanced development of her mind made her appear older than her physical appearance alone. If you saw her reading a book almost the size of her, it wasn't typical to think "six-year-old" when you saw her.

That didn't mean she didn't have her child moments. The recent adoption of coloring as her hobby of choice, behind only reading, made her appear younger as she laid on her stomach on the floor, swinging her legs in the air behind her. And she still had her share of moments that hinted she hadn't been in the world that long. Her naivety would strike often enough that there was no doubting she was younger than she appeared.

By the time Jake showed up, I was half tempted to ask Nessie for a coloring book and some crayons. Focusing on that would at least distract me from the uncomfortable feel of the house. Nessie didn't feel any of that as she hunched over the outline of a mermaid to make sure she wasn't coloring outside the lines.

I got to my feet the second Jake was at the door, wanting to go home and study like I was supposed to be doing. I had a test in several days that I had yet to crack a book for. But Jake didn't look at me as he passed. Maybe it was the wolf chain of command that had leaked through to all parts of our lives, but I didn't feel right leaving without acknowledgment. Instead, I hovered near the door, wondering what it was that had Jake looking so off.

Had there actually been something more to those two vampires? Had I missed something important?

Nessie sensed Jake's mood too. She dropped the crayon she had been holding and pushed herself up to a sitting position. It took Billy a second longer to realize something was up, but when he did, he glanced between Jake and the remote, debating whether this called for turning off the sports.

Jake didn't say anything right away. He sat down on the couch where I'd been seconds before, and Nessie wasted no time pushing herself off the floor and hurrying to his side. Jake wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into his side without looking at her.

"I need to ask you something," Jake said to Billy without preamble.

Billy frowned and reached for the remote, clicking off the television.

"What is it?"

At this point, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be here or not, but it wasn't like my presence was hidden like the time I'd eavesdropped on Seth and Al. Everyone knew I was here, and no one was asking me to leave.

Jake took a deep breath before speaking. "I know there's been a nonverbal agreement that we don't talk about who Embry's father is or could be." Billy's frown deepened, but it was difficult to make any sense of his emotions. "But something just happened, and I really have to ask if you know anything."

Way to search for information without flat out asking if he and Embry were brothers. I would give Jake that. Not that anyone in this house was clueless about what it was that Jake was asking. Well, Nessie probably was. As far as I knew, she'd never been told anything about the mystery of Embry's father.

But I was also confused. What had "just happened"? They were supposed to be having a meeting about two random vampires who wandered onto our land. How had Embry's father come up during that? If I felt like I had been missing something before, I definitely felt it now. I was cursing the day Jacob Black had deemed me his imprint's babysitter.

Billy looked as shocked as I felt. This had been a taboo subject for so long that I had begun to believe no one would ever get any answers, not even Embry. No one had ever acted like they wanted to know the answer enough to search for it, which was what made Jake's sudden confrontation shocking.

It took a few moments for Billy to collect himself and for his shock to become less obvious. Nessie looked back and forth between Jake and Billy, trying to figure out what was happening in front of her. Her brow furrowed, and she placed a hand on Jake's arm. I could tell she had shown him a thought by the way he shook his head at her and turned back to Billy.

"I'm not Embry's father," Billy said in an authoritative tone of voice. Jake instantly deflated. I could hear his long exhale. The statement wasn't surprising to me. I'd always known Billy Black couldn't be Embry's father. It hadn't made sense. I'd thought long and hard if there would be some surprising twist where he admitted he was, but I'd never been able to imagine it.

Jake should have felt the same way, but I knew even the most minuscule of chances that his father was also Embry's had worried him. Even if it had, he still trusted his father enough to take him on his word. There was no indication that he planned to push Billy further and make sure he was telling the truth.

Then, Billy continued and caused both Jake and I to stare at him in surprise. "But I do know more than that."

"What?" Jake asked.

I couldn't help but take a step towards them again from where I'd been standing in front of the door. The action was instinctive, without me realizing I was moving until they were closer than they had been before.

Billy nodded, looking away from his son with a somber expression. "I knew before his mother came to La Push. I was younger then, but I still had the connections I have now. I'm not the only one who knows, but none of the younger generation has been told. It felt unnecessary unless we could tell that Embry was going to phase."

Jake looked angry. Any fear he'd shown over the possibility of his father betraying his mother was now replaced with anger that his father had betrayed both him and Embry by never sharing this information.

"And you never- You never thought to say anything even after Embry had phased?"

Billy's eyes were sorrowful, but I got the impression it was more for hurting his son than personal regret for his actions.

"It wasn't my place. If anyone should talk to Embry about his father, it's Tiffany Call. Doing so was never my place. When it became obvious she and Embry weren't going to talk about it, it didn't feel right for me to tell you either. I completely feel like Embry deserves the information. If he came to me directly and asked for it, I would consider giving it to him, especially now that he's eighteen. But it was never my place to step in and say something while you kids were growing up."

It would be difficult for Jake to argue against that. If he wasn't struggling against an instinctual feeling of betrayal, he would have seen that. As it was, I could tell he still felt angry. Everyone was silent for a few moments, allowing Jake to get himself under control. Nessie was on her knees on the couch beside him, attempting to get to his eye level, and she was hovering closely, transmitting messages to him through her touch.

After several minutes, Jake looked up, but he still avoided looking at his father. Instead, his gaze turned to me, and I tensed up, wondering if I should have left before the confrontation had happened. It was the first time I'd been acknowledged since Jake walked into the house.

"Leah, Nessie and I will walk you out."

It was an unnecessary gesture, which meant he had something important to tell me. I questioned how important it could be if he was bringing Nessie along but assumed it was because he felt like having her at his side right now. I nodded and headed out the door, not waiting for them to follow like I knew they would.

I was halfway down the yard before Jake caught up to me with Nessie in his arms.

"Just what exactly happened at that meeting?" I asked instantly. Raising my eyebrow and giving Jake my best serious expression.

-He sighed. I could tell from the way Nessie was watching him that she was as curious as I was, although I doubted she would have pried for answers herself. She had always had a belief that she shouldn't ask about specifics when it came to pack details. I wasn't sure if she felt like she wasn't allowed because she was half vamp or because of her age. Either way, it was a bit ridiculous considering Jake would tell her anything she asked to know.

"The meeting itself wasn't what you should be asking about." I looked at Jake in confusion. As much as the time had felt like it was dragging on, he hadn't been gone long enough for much to happen outside the meeting. "It's what happened that interrupted the meeting."

I said nothing, choosing instead to stare at Jake until he continued. He hesitated before saying anything more out of either worry about me knowing whatever it was or being unsure how to retell the events.

"Joshua Uley called Sam tonight."

Oh. Well, that… That was a surprise. Sam hadn't spoken to his dad since he was five. Not unless Joshua had called earlier than this, but I imagined word of such a call would have spread around the pack. It wasn't something Sam would feel necessary to keep quiet. I didn't think so at least.

"I'm going to ignore the obvious question of why the fuck Joshua Uley decided to do that after more than fifteen years and focus instead on how that led to you confronting Billy."

Jake sighed, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "See, this would be a great story if it weren't so messed up." He paused again, collecting his thoughts. "You see, Joshua Uley called Sam because he currently as a three-year-old daughter whose mother walked out. He called Sam for help because, get this, he admits that he has no idea what to do with a child."

"Oh, God…"

I wasn't Sam's biggest fan, but I could acknowledge that this was one of the most messed up things I'd heard in a long time.

"He can't possibly-" I cut myself off, not sure what to say. "I just- Wow… Okay. So, that led to Billy how?"

"Being told he had a sibling-a 'for sure' sibling at least-got Sam a little worked up. Understandable, but how he chose to take out that frustration wasn't the smartest. He started yelling at his dad, and trust me, that was the understandable part. He swore he'd never help him, although I think he feels bad about the sister who is sure to have a shit childhood. Then, he went on to yell at Joshua Uley about everything he had done to his mother, which included probably fathering Embry. While Embry was in the room."

My stomach knotted. I thought I might be sick. All I could do was stare at Jake in horror as he continued speaking.

"Joshua told Sam that he had no idea what he was talking about. If he ever had an idea who Embry was, he's forgotten about it since, and Sam never used Tiffany's name while yelling. But Joshua made it pretty clear that he may have fathered more children than just Sam and the little girl. One of them could be Embry."

"Then why confront Billy? Joshua has always been the most obvious choice, and this is as good a confirmation as we may get. Was there a need to ask your dad? You were always against it in the past."

Jake looked conflicted. He adjusted his weight and shifted Nessie in his arms, gripping her a bit tighter.

"I just-It's complicated." He paused again, struggling to find words to describe what he was thinking. "I didn't want my dad to have cheated on my mom, right? Obviously, I didn't. But I was watching Embry's face as Sam yelled at Joshua, and… Embry's my best friend. God, he's been my best friend for as long as I can remember. He doesn't deserve to have Joshua Uley as a father. He deserves to have a good father.

"I just kept thinking that. Even though I didn't want my dad to be Embry's dad too for so many reasons, I just wanted to help my best friend. He deserves better than Joshua Uley."

I watched Jake even as he refused to meet my eyes. I could tell that he was holding onto Nessie for comfort. There was nothing I could say to change the situation, and I wasn't going to try. In fact, I was reeling from it too in my own way.

"You're a good friend," I told Jake.

He didn't have much of a response, but I didn't need one. Without another word, I set off down the road and away from the house. I'd been itching for Jake to get back so that I could go home and study, but that was the furthest thing from my mind now.

Both Embry and Sam would be upset right now. I was certain of that. For all intents and purposes, I should have been going off to find Embry. Not even I could explain why I began heading for Sam and Emily's house instead. Even as I walked, I had no idea what I planned to do or say when I got there.

After being alerted to my presence by Sam, Emily had the door open before I could reach the house. She tried to smile, but it wasn't convincing in the least. Her hand was on her stomach even though she wasn't showing yet. She liked to rub it all the time now. I could tell she was confused about why I was here.

I sighed. There was no way of making this less of an awkward situation. Now that I was here, I was also thinking about how I hadn't been alone with both of them for more than five minutes at a time, possibly, ever. Even now that I was getting along better with them both, it just hadn't happened.

"Can I talk to both of you?" I asked before Emily could question my presence.

She nodded, stepping aside to let me through. "Of course. Come inside."

I entered the house that looked infinitely calmer than it did whenever I was usually here. I was used to it being full of wolves no matter the time of day. It was the congregation spot for Sam's pack and, to a lesser extent, our pack too.

But tonight only Sam and Emily were here. Sam who was looking at me like he couldn't believe I was here without an obligation to be. Emily brushed past me to sit beside him, and they both watched me as I selected a seat on the other side of the living room.

"I heard about the meeting and the phone call," I said immediately after sitting down. There was no use not starting off with that. It was the reason I was here, and they had already guessed as much. The timing was too strange for it to be anything else. "You okay?"

Sam's eyes widened when I directed the question at him, and even Emily looked surprised though she tried to hide it. After a moment, Sam shrugged.

"I'm fine. It wasn't pleasant, but it's not like I suspected anything better from my dad. That call didn't do anything but confirm that he's as much of an ass as he always was when I was a kid."

I nodded, not letting on that his response made me feel less guilty about the anger I could feel bubbling up inside of me.

"Just one question." I paused, making sure I'd collected my thoughts before speaking. "Why did you have to drag Embry into it? Surely you had plenty of other shit to yell at your dad about when Embry was sitting in the fucking room, Sam?"

My voice was surprisingly calm and quiet compared to how I felt inside. It didn't rise above its normal level, but I could tell that Sam and Emily sensed how angry I was anyway. And I was pretty goddamn furious.

Sam's face flickered through several conflicting emotions before it settled on sadness. He ducked his head to look at his lap. "I didn't mean to," he admitted. "I got too angry, and it slipped out. By then, I was so angry that my mind had blinders. I hardly remembered that anyone was there, let alone Embry. I wouldn't have said any of it if I had. It's not like any of the shit my-our," he choked over the word, "dad did is his fault."

I didn't doubt that what Sam was saying was true. I also didn't doubt that he regretted what he'd done. None of that made me any less angry about it. He couldn't take back his actions now. Us wolves weren't time travelers.

"You still said it. Did you even try to talk to Embry afterward? Try to make it better?"

I could tell from the look on his face that he hadn't. Without having been there, I could picture it all, and I could guarantee Sam hadn't so much as looked at Embry after it happened. He would have acted like Embry wasn't there at all because it would make the problem go away. It was the same way he had avoided me after phasing because it was the only way he knew how to deal with problems. If the problem didn't involve fighting an enemy, then Sam's course of action was always avoidance.

Knowing that such an avoidance was because Sam hated hurting others' feelings didn't make me any less angry. After everything, after us, he should have understood shit like that didn't do anything except make the situation worse.

"Promise me one thing," I said, standing up from my seat. I made my way to the door while paying little attention to Sam and Emily. "Just try and talk to Embry. Make it a bit less difficult on the both of you. Neither one of you should have to suffer. You could at least try to get something positive out of this. Don't do something that will wind up hurting Embry more just because of shit your father did.

"I know some part of your mind can't help but think of Embry as a symbol of how your dad hurt you and your mom or whatever. But you know him Sam, and you know he's a person. A person who was abandoned by your dad too, even if he doesn't remember it. Try to get along with each other."

I chanced one glance back at Sam. The expression on his face was hard to read. It looked contemplative but in a way that was directed more at me than himself, like he was trying to figure out my motives. Without lingering too long, I closed the front door behind me, going home to study.

I didn't see Embry that night. While I'd never know, I imagined he'd locked himself in his room to have an introspective session where he mused over the meaning of life or parents or whatever he got out of this.

He didn't show up to class the next day. The only contact we had was one short text message that told me not to wait for him in the morning.

September 13th, 2008

On Saturday, I went to the cliff as normal, not expecting Embry to show up.

When I heard the leaves rustle, my heartbeat spiked and my entire body tensed. I stared as Embry appeared and sat down in his usual spot beside me. My eyes were wide as I gaped at him. It took a long time before Embry looked back, and I forced my gaping mouth to close.

"I talked to Sam last night."

That was it. There was no greeting or anything to lead up to the statement. He was going to launch right into that.

"Did you?" My voice was a mixture of nerves and genuine curiosity. I wanted to know more, but I didn't want to tell Embry anymore about my involvement than he already knew.

"Yeah, it was awkward as fuck, and apparently, I have you to thank for it."

My stomach sunk. He knew everything then. Embry was looking at me strangely, and the only thing I could do in response was shrug.

"I talked to Sam Thursday," I admitted. I didn't say anything more, waiting for Embry to steer the conversation.

"I know. Sam told me about the entire conversation. After a long, rambling bit about how he hadn't meant to hurt my feelings. One I could have done without hearing to be honest. Sam is not good at apologizing, Leah. It took half an hour for him to get it out. It was like watching a beached whale struggle to get in the ocean again, but he's too big for anyone to help."

"Was it really that bad?"

"It was that bad." He sighed. "Look, I'm not angry that you talked to Sam. I would rather not have had the conversation with Sam, but Sam's emotional incompetence isn't your problem. I'm thankful that you chewed him out on my behalf, I guess. It's also embarrassing, and Jared and Paul will mock me for the next one hundred years once they see it in Sam's head. But it was nice of you."

My face was hotter than it had ever felt since I'd phased for the first time. The potential consequences of my actions hadn't been on my mind the night I went to Sam and Emily's. Now, I wished I had stopped to think about it.

Embry wasn't looking at me except quick glances here and there.

"It was also very un-Leah-like," he continued. "I can't get why you did it."

He finally looked at me without looking away. I could see him studying me and calculating what I was thinking based on my demeanor. My face felt like it had gotten hotter, and I knew that my nerves were obvious because of my fidgeting.

"I wasn't thinking," I admitted. "I was watching Ness, and Jake came back. He told me about it. I was so angry about the entire thing after that, and for some reason, I went and yelled at Sam. Even at the time I didn't get why I was doing it if I'm honest.

"When Jake started telling the story, I was just angry at Joshua Uley. It was all on him, but when Jake kept telling it, I realized that Sam had been a jackass. Maybe that brought up anger I hadn't felt in months or maybe it was unrelated to the past. I don't know. I just did it."

Embry didn't respond. In fact, he was strangely still, watching the sun continue to rise in the sky. It was above the horizon now.

We sat there in silence until the sun reached the position that signaled our departure. I rose hesitantly, waiting to see if Embry would say anything. He was always the first of us to leave, while I preferred to linger. But he wasn't moving, and he wasn't stopping me either. His eyes remained on the horizon where the water met the sky.

As I left him there, I heard him say quietly, "Thank you, Leah."