"The Cullens. Are Vampires." Grace said slowly repeating back what Jake had told her. Skepticism was thick in her voice but a nagging feeling started to take shape in the back of her mind.

"Yes." Jake said simply, not breaking eye contact with her. Grace stared at him for a solid minute and then with complete disbelief in her voice she said,

"Jake-"

"Grace, think about it." He interjected. And she was. The Cullens. Edward. Bella's boyfriend was a vampire? The thing they were trained to kill? It just didn't seem likely. Bella would have told her right? But maybe not. Grace hadn't exactly been forthcoming with the wolves or her being the Spirit Bird for almost two months. "Don't you feel it?" he asked.

Grace perked up at that and looked around her room. Things had felt off last night when she and Paul had pulled up to the house. Paul had said there was a vampire here, but she had thought he was referring to the redhead.

Her eyes lit up with crashing realization-the dream, the feeling she had when she first met Edward that had set her destiny in motion.

"Then that means she knows." Grace said suddenly. Jake nodded, placing his hands in his lap and satisfied with his explanation. "And now she's going to get him?" Jake sighed and let his gaze fall to the floor.

"I guess." Grace sensed no danger when Alice was here and she sensed no danger when she first met Edward, only in her dream did she feel ill at ease. She stood up suddenly lost in thought. Jake mirrored her, reaching his hands out unconsciously to her. She paced away from him, one hand on her hip, chewing her lip and thinking.

"So the redhead is -"

"Victoria," Jake responded sickly. Grace raised an eyebrow. "Can you just come here, and listen?"

"Excuse me?"

"You know what I mean." Jake shook his outstretched hands at her beckoning her over. She stood far apart from him, critical but she wasn't sure why. His face communicated defeat, but she felt something deeper was plaguing him. She recognized that look that pulled at his face but she couldn't convince herself that it was true.

"I want to go talk to Sam. And the rest of the pack." Grace moved decidedly to her dresser and pulled on some loose sweats over her sleep shorts and dragged an oversized hoodie over her torso. Jacob gave her a wanting look.

"Is that Paul's?" Grace was confused for a moment by his question and then looked down at the hoodie. It was a plain grey hoodie but it was ripped in certain places as if someone had tugged on it too much.

"Is that important?" Grace shot back. She wasn't sure why she was being so defensive. Maybe it was the fact that she had felt exceedingly confused by her friendship/relationship with Jake and then the fact that what Jake and Bella had was never explained also irked her. And now this new Jake, who was clearly thrown out to sea, adrift, looking for safe harbor, she wasn't familiar with. And all of this uncertainty made her feel disconnected from him, which felt worse.

"I guess not," he said, hurt mutating into concealed anger coloring his voice. It was true. The hoodie was Paul's, but it was one she was given in her early training days with Jared, Sam, and Paul, when she would overshoot and land in the water. On one particularly cold January day, Paul had given her his sweatshirt on the ride home, fearing she might freeze to death. Grace recalled the awkward moment of changing in his forerunner during the drive, looping her hands in the sweatshirt while trying to discreetly take the soaked t-shirt off underneath it. She remembered Paul's face and how his eyes were drawn to the sound her wet t-shirt made as it plopped on the floor of the car.

Now standing in front of Jake, she felt an odd sense of betrayal that shouldn't be there. She shook her head to clear it.

"Okay, then let's go." She turned and jogged down the steps, coming to a stop when she remembered Charlie in the other room. The note was still upstairs on her desk. She slowly walked into the living room where he was staring at the tv but not really watching it. She leaned down and hugged him gently to which he kindly returned.

"I'm going to run to the rez with Jake real quick. Are you going to be okay?"

"Always am." He smiled sadly and she returned it, grief washing over her again.

"I'll bring back something from the diner, yeah?" Grace said and patted his shoulder. He nodded and turned back to the tv.

She grabbed her sneakers and jogged down the steps pulling them on. Jake was lagging behind, dreading something that Grace couldn't quite place.

She did realize on the drive there that she was actively blocking him out. For this she was sorry but couldn't seem to let him in.

When she pulled up to Sam's, she was relieved to see everyone there. She hopped from the truck and was met with the pack pouring out the front door. Along with-

"Leah?" Grace said when she spotted her. Leah did not look happy to be there. She looked to Sam for confirmation and he gave a short nod. Grace's heart broke, understanding instantly what that meant.

Paul was looking from Grace to Jacob, a small smirk on his face.

"What are you smiling at?" Grace said.

"Did you tell her?" Paul said, his eyes not leaving Grace but directing the question to Jacob.

"Paul." Sam said.

"Yeah, he told me about the Cullens. How long have you all known?" Grace asked. The pack shifted uncomfortably and her eyes landed on Sam, "Another order to withhold information? Really?"

"You were too close to the situation, I didn't want to make it more complicated than it already was." Sam stated plainly. Instead of reacting, Grace considered this.

"Okay," she said softly. Sam looked surprised. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"The treaty states that they are not a threat, we don't harm them unless they break the treaty by coming onto our land or biting a human. To the best of our knowledge, they are less dangerous than the average vampire. That's everything." Sam said.

"Well, not everything." Paul responded.

"Don't, Paul." Sam said. Jake had his arms crossed and was glaring daggers at Paul. The other members had spread out, preparing for a fight, lounging on the porch or climbing into Grace's truck bed to get a better vantage point.

"What else then?" Grace said, prompting Paul.

"Tell her," Paul baited. Jacob was stone faced.

"Tell me what?" Grace looked to Jacob. Only when she looked his way did he avert his gaze from Paul and his eyes softened. He opened his mouth as if to say something but stopped when Paul let out a huff that turned into a laugh. Jacob's eyes went straight back to Paul, the anger returning. "Tell me WHAT?" Grace said louder this time. Paul and Jacob were in a standoff. And when Paul was satisfied that Jake wouldn't say it first, he took the initiative.

"He kissed her." Paul said, looking back to Grace as if he won something.

"Who?" Grace looked to Jake.

"Bella." Paul confirmed.

"Paul, that's enough." Sam barked.

Grace didn't let her eyes leave Jake and she turned her body to stand directly in front of him. He glanced up over her head and back at Paul, clearly uncomfortable.

"I didn't kiss her." Jake said evenly, disappointed even.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You almost kissed her and then you told her you loved her." Paul clarified-he took an automatic step toward Grace. This seemed to incense Jake who looked like he was about to lunge for him. Grace was speechless for a moment, still staring up at Jake with her mouth open, waiting for words to form.

"Is that true?" she finally managed to say in a tone stronger than she realized. Jake hesitated for a moment, shaking out his right hand nervously and not meeting her gaze for a moment. Then he took a deep breath, looked her dead in the eye and said,

"Yes."

The sound of the 'yes' rang out like a shot to Grace and she outwardly flinched. So that look on his face that Grace had spotted earlier this morning was accurate—heartbreak. She knew that feeling all too well and was sure that as Jake was looking at her now, he'd see that same look reflected back at him on her face.

She had so many more questions she wanted to ask, but feared the answer to them, so instead, she remained silent, staring up at Jake who was desperately trying to communicate with her. Grace took a step back and stood next to Paul. She suddenly felt repelled by the one person she felt the closest connection to.

Resolved to keep herself together, she swallowed hard, tears brimming in her eyes and turned to walk slowly up into Emily's house. Some of the pack followed close behind her, leaving Jake, Paul, and Sam out in front. Grace had heard enough for one day.

A few minutes later, Paul and Sam crossed the threshold to the door and Paul took his place next to Grace who was sitting up on the kitchen counter, eating some granola from Emily's snack stash. Jake never came inside, in fact, Grace was pretty sure he took off shortly after Paul and Sam joined the others. Leah sat on a chair on the porch by the open front door, not wanting to come inside, Grace felt a similar feeling washing off of her that she herself felt.

When Grace got home that afternoon with food in hand for her and Charlie, she could easily sense the wolf presence nearby but she chose to ignore it.

She carefully opened the door and called out: "Charlie?" as she made her way toward the kitchen. She was met by him standing there holding the note that Bella had given Grace, staring at it.

"I found this on your desk." Charlie said, even toned but clearly upset. "It seems like it's for me." Grace swallowed hard and set the diner food down. All she could do was nod. "So she left again...to go find him?" Grace nodded again. "When was this?"

"Last night." Grace almost whispered. Charlie crumpled the letter and left it on the counter.

"Let's eat," he said dejectedly. Grace stood quietly in place and then grabbed some food once Charlie had sat at the kitchen table.

"Am I grounded?" Grace finally squeaked out pushing around her veggie lasagna. Charlie chewed thoughtfully for a moment.

"Not yet. Why is there something you should be grounded for?" Charlie asked, an odd tone of nonchalance masking his obvious pain. Grace could definitely think of a list of reasons. "Harry's funeral is tomorrow, I'm sure you'll be needed to help out, so plan on that." Grace gave a soft nod.

The next morning, Grace woke up early to get ready. She braided her hair and tied purple and yellow ribbons into her hair that she had worn to her father's funeral. She let her necklace Ti'Hal had adorned her with hang long and refitted her bracelet. Grace smoothed out the simple black dress she'd only worn one other time that fell just above her knees.

She waited until the sun rose, sitting on the staircase and looking out her front door, waiting for Charlie. When he finally came down, he was surprised and helped her up off the stairs and to his cruiser. They drove in silence as Grace clutched her black jacket in her lap. She'd done this before, she could do this again.

Everyone was gathered at the community center and planned to walk the short distance to a lightly wooded area where Harry was to be buried. Grace automatically scanned the crowd when they arrived looking for her pack, and unfortunately, one face in particular. Was she a glutton for pain?

She saw most of the pack gathered toward the front, Sam was talking to some of the elders, and the rest were milling about conversing with those closest to them. Leah was next to her mother, arm around her, looking to hold onto composure for as long as she was able. Seth was folded into the pack's group. She signaled to Charlie that she would be back when she made eye contact with Quil who gave her the nod and a wave. Everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief once she joined their gathering. Ti'Hal was nearby, eyeing her.

When it was time to walk over, Paul and Sam rejoined their group. Paul took Grace's hand in his and she couldn't help but look him up and down.

"You guys clean up nice." she said off-hand. This resulted in a loose laugh from the group. She smiled at Paul who gave her a warm look and then reached out her other hand to Seth Clearwater who gladly took it.

Seth looked so young, at just 14 he only came up to just above Grace's shoulder. He dwarfed in comparison to the massive height of the pack. She appreciated regular-sized Seth, because once they started phasing, it triggered an uncontrollable growth spurt that defied normal height standards. Jake towered at nearly 6'5" and Paul was close behind him at 6'4". Grace was going to be in a neck brace by 20 from constantly having to look up at them.

They settled on a place in front, Seth sitting next to her and Paul draping an arm around her shoulder. Grace never let go of Seth's hand which gradually became clamier as the service proceeded. She was doing an alright job of keeping it together until Ti'Hal stood up and sang a farewell song. Paul got up from his seat as well as Sam and some other members of the pack to help lower Harry into the ground as Ti'Hal sang. Once they hoisted his casket and started to lower it, everyone stood up. Leah appeared at Grace's side, but she was too focused on watching Harry's casket slowly disappear from view.

As Ti'Hal reached a crescendo, Seth dropped Grace's hand and wrapped both his arms around her torso, clutching her as he hid his face and began to cry in full force now. Grace would take the weight of this pain gladly. And then she felt a hand grab for hers—Leah. She was still staring straight ahead but held onto Grace's free hand that wasn't looped around Seth so tightly that she felt her pulse throb in her fingertips.

She would take this pain too. Grace straightened up and felt the wash of grief run over her in the room. She opened herself to receiving every ounce of emotion and sadness in the room and let it crash in around her until she felt like she couldn't breathe anymore.

When the service ended and everyone began to depart toward the Clearwater home for the reception, Grace beelined it for the beach. She had to put the massive amount of grief that was burying her somewhere. As she weaved her way through the crowd and finally pushed to the edge, she ran directly into Jake. He was wearing a simple white button down shirt and grey slacks with a loosely fitted tie.

The sight of him almost made her burst into a million pieces. He tried to catch her under the arms to stop her but she took off, recasting just out of sight and landing directly on the edge of La Push beach. She kicked off her flats and waded waist deep into the water, letting out a wail so loud she thought her eardrums would explode. The grief that she held for Seth, Leah, the entire tribe that they put into her to carry spilled into the ocean and was pulled out by the waves. She took gasping, shuddering breaths as the cold water pushed against her hips, and she let her hands drift just above the water's surface. When she finally felt like the grief was drained from her, she calmly turned and trudged back to shore.

Paul was waiting, his chest rose and fell with deep breaths he was taking as he watched Grace step out from the waves. She walked right up to him and threw her arms around his neck and held onto him tight. He responded in kind and looped his arms around her torso and pressed his hands against her back. She relished in his warmth and felt an overwhelming sense of relief at being held.

She didn't know how long they stood there holding onto one another with the waves lapping up under their feet, but she hadn't felt like this in awhile. When he finally pulled back a little, he pressed his forehead to hers and she felt his warm breath on her face.

"You okay?" he breathed, his fingers gently moving across her lower back, making her shiver. She nodded and looked up at him, just for a beat. Something in her face must have conveyed a look of want, and she did feel a rush of excitement when he looked at her that way.

He dipped his head and pressed his lips to meet hers, and a splash of warmth spread from his lips to hers. His lips were soft and welcoming, such an opposite feeling to what he presented as a person. She knew this felt good and for a moment she pulled herself closer to him, which he readily interpreted as her want, but then just as quickly, something spiraled in her and she pulled back, taking a step away from him. The warmth evaporated and she felt cold again.

"Grace, it's okay." Paul reassured her, his breathing was still quick and labored from the kiss and his eyes were on fire as they looked at every inch of her. She looked at him and knew that was true, it was okay, they'd done nothing wrong, but in her she knew something was missing. She didn't have the energy to figure that out at this moment though.

"I know," she said but she kept her distance. "Let's go back." He looked at her for one more wanting moment and then nodded holding out his hand to hers.

She took it and together they traversed up the beach, Paul scooped up her shoes and carried them with him. If the pack didn't know already, they would know soon what had happened and for once, Grace didn't care.

They crested the hill and walked the rest of the way to the Clearwaters, easily getting absorbed into the crowd. Paul stayed close by as she was buoyed from elder to elder, family to family, to connect and share in their collective grief, but what Grace had done during the burial had seemed to lift the tribe up out of the overwhelming swell of sadness and alleviate some pain, at least for now. And for that she was grateful.

When she reached Ti'Hal, the gentle woman placed her hands on either side of Grace's face and brought her down to touch her forward to Grace's. They both closed their eyes and silently communicated to one another to which Ti'Hal quietly said: "Destinies take time to unravel, and people who matter most always return to you in the end. Hold tight, little bird."

Grace smiled and mumbled a soft thanks before finally moving back to the pack. Sam was holding onto Emily and they both were giving her a worried look but she waved them off.

She felt more sure than ever that she could handle this, whatever this was. But that didn't help the ache she felt growing within her.