In wolf form, Jared gaped at Jacob. "What the fuck, Black? You can't be serious! That's MY SON in your big beefy arms?" The agitated wolf paced, growling and shaking his head. In a fury, he snapped at the larger wolf's flank.

"Calm down, Jared, and knock it off. Leah will kill me when she finds out I let that memory slip into the pack consciousness."

"Do you think for one minute that I give a single flying FUCK what Leah does to you? MY SON, Jacob! MY PUP!" Jared's anguished mental voice sputtered. He was beyond words. He turned, and with a swish of his tail, he was gone. He ran back toward the beginning of the patrol route - or more likely toward the Clearwater house, which was in the same direction.

Jacob sighed and let him go. As if he had a choice. He had no control over Sam's pack members, but they did share patrol duty and he resolutely padded back to the well worn trail to continue his shift alone.

Sue was at the kitchen sink when the enormous brown wolf came barreling across her back yard. She recognized Jared by the dark mask-like patches around his eyes. He skidded to a halt, and she winced at the muddy brown furrows he left in the neatly trimmed grass. The screen door banged, and she turned to face a furious naked young man.

Sighing, Sue nodded at Jared and pointed to the shorts that were banded to his right leg. "Would you mind, Jared?" she spoke softly.

Jared looked down in confusion, momentarily distracted, and understanding finally dawned in his brown eyes. Without taking his eyes from Sue, he bent and retrieved the cutoffs and pulled them on with practiced ease, snapping and zipping them in one smooth motion.

"Thank you," Sue said simply. "Now sit."

Jared shook his head, running nervous fingers through short, wavy hair as he paced. "Sorry. Can't sit."

Sue pulled out a chair and sat, looking up at him with sympathy in her dark eyes. "Look, I am sorry, Jared. But it's not my job to act as go-between for you two. I can try to talk her into calling you, but that's all I can do."

Jared sank into a chair across from her. "It's killing me, Sue. I've been in love with Leah since high school. And my son...it's breaking my heart."

Sue patted his hand. "I get it, Jared. You know what her fear is though. You simply can't guarantee her that you won't imprint on someone else. She couldn't take that kind of rejection again."

Blinking rapidly, he looked down at the table between them. "I know. I tried to tell her what I can guarantee is that I would never leave her, no matter what. I'm not Sam."

"Well, I honestly have no idea where she is, Jared. She told me nothing except that she has a room in a boarding house and works in a diner. That could put her in any town or city in this country. And she called me on her cell, so there's no area code for a hint. She leaves it off, in a drawer, when she's not using it."

At that moment, Leah opened the top drawer of the dresser in her room and searched among her undies for her cell phone. She switched it on and noticed the battery life was low, so she plugged it in. There were several new messages, mostly from Jared. With a jolt, Leah realized that he might know about James by now. "No secrets in the pack" had been drilled into her head. She deleted each message without listening to it.

Ever since her visit to LaPush last weekend, Leah had been itchy. Aiyanna had volunteered to sit with James while Leah went for a run. "He just ate, has a clean diaper, and should sleep for a couple of hours. You sure you're okay with him?"

"Jeez, Lee, I'm not an amateur! I have two little nephews, remember?" Aiyanna laughed. "We'll be fine. If he gets fussy, there's always this!" She held up the book Sue had given them. "Now go!"

It was great to feel the wind in her fur again. Her big paws kicked up a litter of leaves and pine needles as Leah streaked through the deep forest. She stopped at a clear stream and drank thirstily of the delicious water, then headed back the way she had come. She was in sight of the cleft in solid rock where she had left her clothes when Jared's voice boomed in her head.

"Leah!" It stopped her in her tracks. Where was he? Surely not 250 miles away! The pain and anguish in that single word shook her. Her thoughts scattered like the leaves under her paws.

"Jared? Where are you?"

"I'm on patrol, Leah. Please, PLEASE talk to me…" The mental plea was snapped off when she phased, hurrying naked to where she had stashed her clothes. She dressed quickly, her hands shaking so badly she couldn't tie her shoes. She sat in the car for ten minutes until her breathing returned to normal. Then she sped back to her son, her world.

"Lee?" Aiyanna looked up in alarm. "You look like you've seen a ghost! Are you okay?" James was asleep in his cradle, but Leah noticed absently that he had a different outfit on.

Leah nodded. "I'm fine. Just a...a message from James's father. Kinda shook me."

Frowning, Aiyanna stayed where she was on the edge of Leah's bed and patted the spot beside her. "You know I don't interfere, and I try to mind my own business, but what's the deal with this guy? Are you afraid of him, Lee?"

Leah's smile was weak. "No, not at all. But he found out about James from Jake. It was an accident, but…" She shrugged. "There are no secrets on the rez, Anna."

"If you're not afraid of him, why don't you talk things out then? I mean - you certainly don't have to live with him, but even divorced couples can sometimes discuss things." She spoke softly. "If he's not a bad guy, maybe he should get to meet his son."

Leah sighed. "It's so much more complicated than that. But I can't explain," she added lamely.

Aiyanna looked her in the eyes, her expression grim. "I love you, my friend, and that's why I'm saying this to your face. That sounds like a bullshit excuse for not facing the situation." With uncharacteristic brevity, she got up and left Leah to her thoughts.

Under cover of darkness, Leah packed up the car once again. She tucked James carefully into his car seat and kissed his soft hair. "We're going to meet your daddy, my precious baby, and we'll see how it goes. Looks like all I needed was a kick in my behind!"

It was ten in the morning, and Jared's truck was the only vehicle in the driveway. His mom must have left for work. Leah rang the bell and waited. After a few minutes, she rang it again. Maybe he was on patrol...and then the door opened. Jared stood there, his dark eyes on the bundle in her arms. He backed away from the door without a word, his eyes never leaving the baby.

"His name is James," Leah stated calmly. "James Clearwater Cameron."

Jared's gaze shifted from his son to Leah, and as their eyes met one hand shot out, grabbing a wing chair to steady him, as the other hand clutched at his chest. His eyes widened, and Leah thought he was having some kind of attack. "Jared! Are you okay? Oh my god…" She watched, helpless, as his mouth opened and closed. For two endless minutes he stared, and one by one his hands dropped to his sides.

Leah took a step back as he reached for her, still unaware of what was happening to him. "Did you feel that?" he finally gasped. She shook her head. "I think it's called imprinting," he breathed.