Wolves of the Pacific

by greenpeach20

In 1902, Renesmee Cullen grew tired of the tedious life of moving around with her family and decided to make the journey west as a mail order bride. Yet a chance encounter with a reddish brown wolf would change her life forever.

50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Following their talk with their dads, Kevin and Embry felt like a great weight was lifted off their shoulders. If nothing else, it was a happy remainder of home. The two of them walked back to the front ready to face another day and proud of their hard work. As they walked past, Kevin saw people walking out of the synagogue they'd passed earlier. He noticed the number of people there was rather small, but there was a woman that seemed to be the one they all looked to. A rather tall brunette woman that appeared to be in her mid to late thirties. At the moment she was talking to a blonde woman. She had long hair, blue eyes and a bright smile when she looked at the brunette she was talking to. Kevin found he thought she was rather pretty. That woman glanced his way and smiled a little and he smiled back. The woman turned her attention to someone else and Kevin shrugged and continued to follow Embry back to the front.

Seth was surprised to hear about Kevin and Embry's shifting. Of course, Seth was the only person in the trenches privy to that information. They all noticed, however, how warm Embry and Kevin suddenly were. Though no one gave two shits about why and only focused on huddling to them to stay warm. The remainder of the months were a big game of cat and mouse. The Germans would attack through the trenches and they'd fight back, or vice versa. Come May, it was announced to them that the French Army was going to be planting bombs on the bridge near town to defend the territory and they would be rolling machine guns there to assist. It was suspected the Germans would try passing into Chateau Thierry through that bridge and they needed to defend it. After the announcement, Seth went to Sgt. Stanley and requested the opportunity to go into town, if only for a moment. Reluctantly, Sgt. Stanley permitted Seth to go, but he needed to return as soon as possible. That meant no 'dilly dallying' as Sgt. Stanley put it.

Evidently, word got around that the Germans were planning to invade by the bridge. When Seth arrived in town, there were far fewer people. Several seemed to have packed their things and ran away. None of the street walkers he usually saw were out, including Charlene. Seth became extremely nervous and went straight to Charlene's house and knocked on the door. When she answered, he breathed a sigh of relief, as did she. Charlene grabbed Seth's jacket and pulled him inside. They hugged one another and shared a kiss.

"Where is everyone?" Seth asked after they kissed.

"They ran away," she answered. "I don't know where, but it's further from here. Only a few of us remained."

"Were you planning to leave?" Seth asked.

"I wanted to leave for Paris," Charlene said. "But I didn't want to leave without speaking to you."

"Charlene, I don't know how safe it will be here," Seth said. "If you think Paris will be safer, than you should go."

"That's just it. I don't know if it will be. The Germans are aiming for Paris as it is. We're just a stepping stone, really." Charlene hugged Seth a little tighter. "I won't leave. I'll stay here."

"Charlene-"

"Seth, it doesn't matter where I go. Until the war's over, nowhere will be safe." Charlene and Seth hugged a while longer rocking back and forth in one another's arms. "I love you, Seth." There was a moment where Seth didn't answer, but when he did, he tried to remain playful.

"Do you mean that, or are you just trying to flatter me?" Seth asked.

"I mean it," she said. "You've made me so happy since you came here. Even if I can only see you for an hour every so often, it's always a time I look forward to."

"I love you too," Seth said. "If I never said it, it was because I never thought you'd feel that way for me."

"You mean because you're a client?" Seth nodded. "You've been so much more for so long, Seth. And I do really mean that. I don't really know what that'll mean for us, but I didn't want to have never told you."

"We'll talk about it," Seth said. "When this is all over, we'll talk about it. If the Germans make it through and they attack the city, stay inside and out of site as best you can. Okay?"

"I will. You need to promise you'll be alright, though. Promise no matter what, you'll be alright."

"I promise," Seth answered. "I'll meet you here. But if you have to leave, write to me and I'll follow you there."

"I'll not leave without you," Charlene said. She reached up to kiss his jaw and, though he was regretted having to do so, he stopped her after giving her a quick kiss.

"I can't stay very long. I just needed to make sure you were alright."

"I'm alright, Seth. When you come back, you'll know where to find me."

The two of them shared one more kiss before Seth finally left to return to the front, but not before Charlene gave Seth a single handkerchief for good luck and so he'd have something of hers. When he returned, Sgt. Stanley ordered him to return to the trenches. The men would need a good rest. They would march to the bridge the following morning.

At the break of dawn, they were all awoken and began marching to the bridge carrying massive machine guns with them. A number of men remained at the trenches to keep an eye on no man's land and ensure the Germans didn't try to cross that way. When they arrived, some French soldiers were already planting the bombs and they stepped in to assist. Hours passed of them setting things up and, once everything was done, they remained stationed there for several more hours. Kevin began to think there was no way the Germans would try to cross. Not after seeing them there. But the following day, while they were waiting, Kevin, Embry and Seth were talking amongst themselves as were a few other men when they heard a gun go off and someone in the group, Kevin wasn't certain who, took the bullet to the head and fell over with blood gushing from his head. Kevin made Embry and Seth duck so they wouldn't be hit by the next wave of bullets. Any that didn't duck under the machine guns were shot and most killed instantly.

"Set off the bombs!" they heard the orders yelled in the distance and Sgt. Stanley repeated to order.

Kevin grabbed the pulley to ignite the dynamite they'd planted while Embry and Seth and several others went to the machine guns and started shooting. Soldiers on the other side went down like flies, but they still got shots on them before Kevin and the man to the left of the bridge pushed down and the dynamite went off. There was a shake as the bridge crumbled under the explosion. Some German soldiers were killed in the blast while some fell to death or injury when the bridge was destroyed. After the shock wore off, the Germans continued to shoot, having nothing else they could do. Kevin went right to Seth and Embry and defended them by shooting at anyone he noticed was aiming at them. Then he pulled out grenades and threw them in the direction of the other side of the bridge. After the grenades went off, they saw the Germans were retreating, so they were immediately ordered to take the equipment and return to the front. When they returned, Embry was still shaking from the feel of the machine gun under his fingers.

Initially, after the incident at the bridge, there was calm. But it didn't last long. Just days following, they were woken to a bell and told they needed to get into position and start shooting. Some men tried to run into no man's land, but they were immediately shot down. So most remained in the trenches. They were handed more grenades and Kevin and Embry threw them as hard as they could so they'd land on the other side. The loud cracks and bangs of the grenades and the guns made their ears hurt. With better hearing came worse reaction to loud noises. They had to stop, though, when mustard gas landed. They all rushed to put on their masks and continued to fight through the masks. Kevin saw a grenade coming their way, so he just caught it like a ball and threw it right back. It exploded before reaching the German side, but it was still better than it going off in their trench. Eventually, the gunfire calmed, but it wasn't a victory for anyone, just a desperate desire to rest.

That seemed to go on for weeks. There would be an attack, they'd hold down their area, and it was stopped for just a moment only to continue the next day. Kevin did his best to make sure Seth and Embry were never hit, but it was exhausting. No one was allowed to leave the trenches through that whole time. They all remained there and on the offensive. As the weather improved, the rain would come and the trenches would get soaked and flood, but they would deal with it and fight through it. One day in July, however, there seemed to be an up in the ante. They'd been fighting for an hour, shooting and throwing grenades, firing their machine guns, as they'd been doing since they'd arrived at the trenches.

However, this day turned out to be different. At first, there was quiet. They assumed maybe the fight was done for the day. But just as they started to calm down, the German infantry rose from the trenches in one last act of what Kevin could only call bravery and started marching through no man's land to attack directly. Immediately, Kevin was nervous. So were Seth and Embry. Nervous or not, they heard the orders to leave the trenches and attack so they wouldn't get too far.

"Both of you stay close to me," Kevin said and shifted to a vampire.

"Don't have to tell me twice," Embry muttered, realizing he was shaking. Before they went, Sgt. Stanley ran over to Kevin.

"This is it, your highness," Sgt. Stanley managed to tease. "You make me proud out there. You hear me, boy?"

"Yes, sir," Kevin answered.

"Good," he said, then he ran over to Lt. McCarthy and gave him much the same message, but then Kevin realized something.

"I promised your mother I'd make sure you got home alive," Sgt. Stanley said to Lt. McCarthy. "Don't you dare make a liar of me. Now go out there and give em' hell."

"Yes, Uncle Henry," Lt. McCarthy said.

Shortly thereafter, they were all ordered to leap from the trenches and run like bats out of hell. They had the machine guns backing them up and grenades from the back, but so did the Germans. He couldn't grab them and shove them aside, so instead, Kevin pushed directions into Embry's and Seth's heads. If a bullet was coming towards them, he'd tell them to run to the right or left or to duck to avoid it. When they met the line of men, the man that came across Kevin instantly backed away when he realized his eyes were a scarlet red. He muttered something in German and Kevin took advantage of the opportunity to stab the man with his bayonet. He lifted his gun up afterwards and shot the man that was coming towards him. He then had the freedom to shoot the men behind the German machine guns, putting a huge relief on the men that remained. He heard someone scream and looked to his left, fearing it was Seth. But it was Lt. McCarthy. The German that had shot him in the hip was about to stab him. So Kevin aimed and shot the soldier in the head, causing him to fly to the side.

Lt. McCarthy was able to retrieve his gun and shoot at anyone that approached him. Kevin, Seth and Embry pressed forward and killed as many German soldiers as they could. Yet, something wasn't right. Kevin realized there weren't as many as he would have anticipated. They managed to kill most and several began to run back to the trenches. They attempted to throw grenades, but any that came near Kevin, he just caught and threw back. Eventually, the commanding officers also realized the number of men they were facing was too small and they were all ordered back to the trenches. Kevin went straight to Lt. McCarthy when they received the order.

"Where are you hit?" Kevin asked.

"My fucking hip," Lt. McCarthy forced. Kevin nodded and thought of the best way to get the man on his shoulder. As he did so, he looked in the distance and realized Sgt. Stanley was laying on the ground too.

"Sergeant!" Kevin yelled and carried Lt. McCarthy with him to Sgt. Stanley. He heard the order for them to return again and started hearing gunshots again. He took his gun and shot where the sounds were coming. He saw two more people approach the machine guns. He shot them both, picked up the grenades near Sgt. Stanley and threw them right at the machine guns, completely destroying them.

"Jesus, kid!" Lt. McCarthy yelled when he saw the guns get obliterated. Kevin ignored him and turned over Sgt. Stanley. He was shot, but it was his right shoulder. He could be alright! So Kevin finally looked at Lt. McCarthy.

"What side can you walk on?" Kevin asked.

"My left," he answered. He finally realized Kevin's eyes. Even knowing that, Kevin didn't give it a single thought. They had more important things to worry about than discretion.

"I'll carry you on the side you can walk. I'll get Sgt. Stanley on the other side."

Kevin got Lt. McCarthy on one side and made sure to get Sgt. Stanley on the other side and started running them as fast as he could back to the trenches so he could get them to medics. He needed to make sure their wounds didn't touch the mud or they'd almost certainly get an infection the doctor wouldn't be able to fix. When he returned, Lt. McCarthy cringed from the jump inside.

"Holly shit, Corporal!" one man yelled at Kevin, but he continued to ignore everyone and got them to the medics. It was only once the doctors took the Lieutenant and the Sergeant that he changed back, leaving no one else any the wiser.

"Lt. McCarthy was shot in the hip. Sgt. Stanley got hit in the right shoulder. You need to get them to the hospital!"

"We will, Corporal," the medic answered and started carting them away.

He returned to the trenches as he'd originally been ordered to do, only for the commanding officer to order the men out of the trenches and to the city. Evidently, the Germans had gotten past the defenses and were making their way to town to claim it. The Germans arrived before they all did, but once they were there, all hell broke loose. Seth's first thought was to go straight to Charlene's house to make sure she was alright. He went to a corner and reloaded his gun before venturing back and shooting his way through the streets, fighting with his bayonet if he had to. When he finally made it to Charlene's house, he let himself in and he didn't see her.

"Charlene," Seth called out, and only then did he see her poke her head out.

"Seth!" she said and she began to approach him. Seth began to approach her, but then there was a sharp pain in his leg following a loud bang. He fell to the ground from the pain in his leg and Charlene screamed in terror and went right to him. "Seth! Est-ce que tu vas bien?!" she screamed over and over and Seth turned to see the person that had shot him.

The man aimed his gun again, but Seth went for his gun as well. Thankfully, the man was out of bullets, but that meant he reverted to the bayonet as well. Seth attempted to strike but the soldier hit it aside and was about to stab him when another loud bang sounded from behind him. The bullet went through his skull out his eye and landed against the wall, causing blood to fly everywhere and Charlene screamed again. Embry stepped forward into the house.

"Seth, are you alright?" Embry asked and kicked the German soldier off Seth.

"He shot my leg," Seth said. Kevin ran into the house and sat beside Embry.

"Let me get the bullet out," Kevin said. "Mademoiselle, Avez-vous un couteau?" Kevin asked.

"Oui," she answered and went to her drawers to find a small knife.

Kevin took the knife and took out the bullet from the spot where Seth was shot. Seth made sure not to scream so it wouldn't give away their position. Once the bullet was out, Kevin tore off a piece of his uniform and tied it around Seth's leg so it would help stop the bleeding. Kevin instructed Charlene to take Seth to the back and keep him there, covering his wound as best she could so it would stop the bleeding and they would return to take him to the medics once they had everything under control. Charlene agreed and they helped her get Seth to the back where he would be hidden. Charlene locked the door behind them when they finally left and returned to the streets.

Continuing as before, Kevin remained in his vampiric form and told Embry when needed to duck, move to the left or move to the right so any bullets would miss. It wasn't long, though, before everyone was out of bullets and they were fighting with their bayonets. By that point, Kevin would grab the bayonets and break them before they could get to Embry. They fought for hours and remained in the town for hours. When it was nearing the end of the day of fighting, the streets were quiet. It was Germans, Americans and French that lined the streets dead. They were sneaking around in near darkness, trying not to be seen and trying to ensure anyone they saw that was a German soldier, they killed on site. As they were walking through the streets, Kevin swore he heard something. It was crying.

"Do you hear that?" Kevin asked when he realized what the sound was.

"It's a baby," Embry said.

Kevin followed the sound down the block, realizing he'd heard it literally from a mile away. They continued to sneak around and keep out of sight until they reached the source of the sound. It was a tiny little house near the end of the street. He looked in the windows and saw nothing but a few trinkets and some furniture.

"We need to check inside," Kevin said.

"Are you crazy?" Embry said. "What if someone's already in there?"

"Exactly," Kevin said and went right to the door and forced it open as quietly as possible. The door wasn't locked, which scared Kevin. "Watch my back," Kevin said as they entered the house.

It was actually a very nice house, but instantly he smelled blood and he smelled an overwhelmingly sweet smell of a vampire, but it had dissipated. Whoever had been there had left weeks ago. He went to the first room where he smelled the blood. What he saw was a couple dead in their bed, drained of their blood. It wasn't the room where the crying was coming from.

"A vampire did this," Embry said.

"I know," Kevin answered and continued on. "He's gone, though."

"Yeah, the smell's really weak."

"Stay alert," Kevin said and they continued forward. He realized there was blood splattered everywhere. There had been a struggle. Kevin kept going until he reached the back room where the crying was coming from.

When he opened the door, the first thing he saw was a woman he recognized. It was the blonde woman he'd seen months ago at the synagogue when he and Embry had passed. He was stunned by what he saw. She was covered in blood and it had flowed all over the bed. It centered near her belly where there was a clear, gaping hole. She'd been injured previous to that. She was in a nightgown and around her neck was the same star he'd seen on the synagogue. Then he looked around for the crying. He couldn't see the source, but he knew it was there.

"Fuck," Embry muttered. "What happened?"

"She had a half breed," Kevin answered. He finally found where the source of the sound was. It was the closet that was closed. "Keep an eye on the door while I check the closet."

Embry remained on guard directing his attention towards the entrance while Kevin went to the closet where the crying was the loudest. He opened the closet door, and the source of the cry leaped at him in self-defense and tried to bite him, but his skin was too hard for the child to pierce. He pulled the toddler sized child off him and Embry instantly pointed his gun at the child in a panic. Kevin finally pushed the child off him and pressed it to the bed at arm's length and looked at the child. It was a little girl with blonde hair that was still dirty with blood caked on. She was trying to nip him and squirming and kept crying.

"Calmez-vous!" Kevin yelled assuming if the child spoke anything, it was French. The little girl finally stopped squirming, but she kept crying. She was completely naked, so Kevin took off his jacket and wrapped it around her. "Ne pleure pas. Ne pleure pas," Kevin cooed to the little girl asking her not to cry and trying to comfort her. Kevin changed back to his normal self, hoping it would calm the little girl more. When he did, she finally stopped crying and only whimpered a little. She opened her eyes a little to look up at Kevin. She had big blue eyes and the sweetest little face. And when Kevin looked into her eyes, he felt the world shift and change.

"What?" Embry asked when Kevin went completely still suddenly and then stood up. "What's wrong."

"She's my imprint," Kevin mumbled and kept looking at the little girl. She seemed to instantly relax when she opened her eyes and looked at Kevin. She even smiled at him.

"What are we going to do? We can't take her back to the front with us."

"I know," Kevin answered. The little girl reached up to Kevin's face to touch him and Kevin brought his hand to hers. What's your name? he pushed the thought into her mind without even thinking. She didn't answer. Couldn't answer really. Quel est votre nom? He asked again in French. She still didn't answer. "I don't think she has a name."

"How would she be able to answer you if she did?" Embry asked. Kevin kept looking at her. Her hair was such a bright blonde underneath the blood. He looked at her mother, who's hair was a slightly darker shade, more like an amber color.

"Amber," Kevin said out loud and the little girl giggled and wiggled around. "Aimez-vous ce nom?" (Do you like that name) Kevin asked with a smile. The little girl kept smiling. "Okay. Votre nom sera Amber," Kevin smiled and tickled her chin. "Je m'appelle Kevin," (My name is Kevin) he said and Amber smiled and took a hold of the hand he had on her chin.

"You're naming her Amber?" Embry asked.

"I think it suits her," Kevin said.

"Great," Embry said. "Now what are we going to do with her?"

Kevin tried to think what they could do. The town was barren and there was no way they could take her back to the front. Even if he could, he would never do that. She'd be in danger if he took her there. He thought about where they could go and looked at the mother again and saw her necklace. When he saw the star, he realized they could try the synagogue.

"The synagogue," Kevin said.

"The what?"

"That building just outside of town that we passed," Kevin said. "This woman. I remember seeing her there. Maybe we can take Amber there."

"Maybe," Embry said. "Let's try to get there, drop her off and go as fast as we can." Embry started walking to the front of the house, preparing himself and making sure they were safe. Kevin looked at the mother and her necklace. He placed Amber down and went to the woman and reached around her neck to take the necklace. He went to a pale of water and cleaned the necklace before he put it around Amber's neck and picked her up. "Kevin, hurry up," Embry whispered harshly.

After the necklace was clasped, Kevin picked Amber back up, but she started whimpering again. Then it dawned on Kevin: she must be famished. He told Embry they needed to find a German soldier before they went on so Amber could drink some blood. Embry agreed and they looked all over until they found one lone German soldier that was still alive despite all the odds. When he had the chance, he grabbed the man from behind and dragged him in the ally. Using his bayonet, he made a cut in the man's neck while he struggled violently. After smelling the blood, Amber rushed to him on all fours and bit right into his neck to drink. The man screamed, but Kevin kept his hand over the man's mouth so no one would hear him. He eventually stopped moving after his eyes rolled into the back of his head and there was some gargling in his throat. She didn't drink all of it, but what she did drink was satiating and when she was done, she plopped on her belly and sighed contentedly.

"Years of seeing your mom do that and it still creeps me out," Embry muttered.

"I know," Kevin said. He picked up Amber and wrapped her back up in his jacket. She was sound asleep now, sleeping off her meal. "Let's get her to that synagogue."

They roamed through the streets discreetly, avoiding American and French soldiers alike not wanting them to see the baby. When they were out of town, Amber was still sound asleep and snuggling up to Kevin's chest. They went up the dirt road until they finally made it to the synagogue. It looked so barren compared to when he'd seen it last. Kevin told Embry to wait at the bottom of the steps while Kevin went up the steps to the door. Once in front of them, he knocked as loud as he could.

"Bonjour? Est-ce que quelqu'un est là?" (Hello? Is anyone there?) Kevin called out until there was finally an answer. It was the brunette woman he remembered. However, when she saw Kevin, she attempted to slam the door, but Kevin wouldn't let her. "Mademoiselle, s'il vous plaît! Aidez-moi! J'ai un enfant!" (Miss, please! Help! I have a child!) Kevin said as he forced the door back open. She looked at the little girl, unable to force the door closed, then looked at Kevin.

"What do you want?" she asked in English.

"Please," Kevin said. "I found this little girl. Her mother and two other people in the house were dead and her mother was wearing this." Kevin held up the star. The woman looked at the star Kevin indicated and recognized the necklace instantly.

"Do you take me for a fool? I saw Charlotte just weeks ago and she was not pregnant! What have you done to her?!" the woman yelled.

"Please, I know it sounds unbelievable but that blonde woman is this little girl's mother. We found her dead in her room and this little girl was hiding in the closet when we found her." The woman looked closer at the little girl. She touched the child, who squired and looked up at the woman. When she saw those eyes, she couldn't believe it.

"Ce n'est pas possible," she mumbled and stepped away.

"I assure you it is possible," Kevin continued. "Her father was a vampire and-"

"A vampire? What in God's name are you talking about?"

"Miss, please, listen. That woman, Charlotte you said? She was almost certainly raped by a vampire. She became pregnant and she had Amber just a few short weeks later. I know what she is because my mother is like this little girl."

"I don't believe you," the woman said after shaking her head in terror. "Charlotte and her parents ran away with everyone else. I know they did!"

"They may have planned to, but they never got to leave."

"This is ridiculous! Get out of here!"

"Miss, please!" Kevin stopped her from slamming the door. "Look, I don't care if you believe me or not. Just please take Amber! I can't take her back to the front and her mother was wearing a necklace like the star on this building. I wouldn't have brought her here if I wasn't confident she would be safe." The woman looked at Kevin, then looked at the little girl. She saw those big blue eyes again and her heart melted. She took a deep breath and opened the door wider.

"Give her here," the woman said, extending her arms and Kevin handed Amber over. The moment he did, Amber started to whimper and fuss and cry. She unwrapped Amber and handed Kevin back his jacket, which he accepted reluctantly.

"It's okay, Amber," Kevin said. "I'll come back as soon as I can." Then he looked at the woman. "Thank you, Miss.."

"Mrs. Lavoie," she answered. "Mrs. Genevieve Lavoie. I have old baby clothes here and blankets. She'll be alright."

"Thank you, Mrs. Lavoie," Kevin said. "I promise, I'll visit as regularly as I can." He stepped forward and gave Amber a quick kiss on the head. "I promise, I'll come back," he repeated to Amber, who continued to whimper and cry as he stepped away. Kevin watched with a heavy heart as Mrs. Lavoie closed the door of the synagogue. He could hear Amber continuing to cry.

"Kevin," Embry tugged on Kevin's arm, "we have to go back."

"I know," Kevin muttered and put back on his jacket. He kept staring at the synagogue as he and Embry ran away to return to town and he didn't stop looking over his shoulder until the building was completely out of view.

When they returned to town, all seemed to have gone quiet. They went back to Charlene's house to check on Seth. When they got there, Charlene was still keeping pressure on his leg, but he seemed to be alright. Embry and Kevin helped get Seth to a medic where they would rush him to a hospital. The men were ordered to return to the trenches and when they returned, for the first time, there was a real sense of victory. Kevin and Embry were eager to become wolves so they could tell their fathers all about it, but it would have to wait. Days later, at the hospital, Sgt. Stanley awoke to the site of white walls, white sheets and a young lady dressing his wounds. She smiled kindly when she saw he'd woken up.

"Excellent, you're awake," she said. "Just give me one second to finish this and I'll tell the doctor."

"How long was I out?"

"About four days. You took quite a hit to your chest, but thank goodness you got to us in time. Corporal Black got you and Lt. McCarthy out of the field and to the medics."

"Where's Lt. McCarthy?"

"He's on the other side of the room," she answered. "He was asleep last I checked on him, but I'll make sure you know when he's awake."

"What happened?"

"With the battle? Your boys were victorious," she said to him proudly. "They pushed the Germans back and out of town. We lost many that day, but we won all the same."

"When can I return?"

"Sergeant, don't be silly. Your injuries are too serious for you to go back to the front. You'll stay here until you're well enough to be sent home."

"What about Lt. McCarthy?"

"The same goes for him," she said. "He was shot in the hip. We saved the leg, but I'm afraid he'll almost certainly never walk quite right again. He'll need to walk using a cane. We'll provide him with one." Sgt. Stanley nodded and looked around until he found Lt. McCarthy. But then he realized Seth was there, talking to a young woman.

"Pvt. Seth Jagger is here?" Sgt. Stanley said.

"You mean the Indian?"

"Yes," Sgt. Stanley said. "How are his wounds?"

"He was shot in the leg," the nurse said. "The bullet was removed by the time he got here. He said Pvt. Call shot the German that was about to kill him and Corporal Black removed the bullet and had that young woman there keep pressure on the wound. It's a good thing they did. Otherwise, the man would have lost the leg. But the doctor saved it. He'll be a similar case to Lt. McCarthy. He'll walk with a limp the rest of his life."

"Black certainly was a hero that day, wasn't he?" Sgt. Stanley said.

"It sounds that way," the nurse smiled. She finished up one last thing and patted his chest. "There we go. You're all done. Let me fetch the doctor for you."

"Miss," Sgt. Stanley asked. "Please, bring over Lt. McCarthy. I need to speak to him."

"Of course. Right after the doctor's examined you, I'll go fetch Lt. McCarthy."

The nurse went to fetch the doctor. Meanwhile, Seth and Charlene were side by side. She came to the hospital begging she be able to see Seth. Initially, they wouldn't let her in, but she was insistent and demanded she be able to see him. A nurse went to Seth's bed and he requested he be able to see her. She'd been with him since that morning. At first, she'd just cried and hugged him. That day had been frightening for both of them for a lot of reasons. But now she was calm and Seth wanted to talk about something more serious.

"They won't be sending me back to the front after this," Seth said.

"Thank God for that," Charlene said. "If there's any possible good that came out of this, it was that."

"Yes, but that also means they're sending me home," Seth said. Charlene's smile weakened when that dawned on her.

"I hadn't been thinking about that," she said.

"It's all I've been thinking about," Seth said. "I guess now's the time we need to discuss what we're going to do."

"Yes," she said. "Did you have a plan you wanted to present?"

"Come back with me," Seth said. "Or I'll stay here with you. I'm fine with either. I'll learn French, we'll go to Paris, I'll find a job, we'll get married and we'll live happily ever after." Charlene giggled and rested her head on Seth's shoulder.

"You would stay here for me?" Charlene asked.

"If you want to stay in France, we'll stay in France. If you want to come back to America with me, we'll go back to America. I'm happy so long as you're happy." Charlene kept her head rested on Seth's shoulder and thought about it.

She would love for them to live in Paris. It would be like a fantasy come true if they lived in Paris. She could be a dancer like she envisioned and she could teach Seth French and he could get a job doing something exciting. Then they could get married, maybe even at Notre Dame herself, and start a family. But the reality of the situation wasn't quite so romantic as that. The truth was she didn't have any family in France, not anymore. Seth, on the other hand, had family back in America. And he had family he loved. He may be willing to run away to Paris with her, but he wouldn't be happy. Not in the long run anyway. Finally, Charlene looked up at Seth.

"I'll go to America with you," she said. "You have family in America. All my family is gone. Besides, can you imagine what your sister would say if you never came home? She'd come across the ocean and beat you up herself." Seth started chuckling and kissed Charlene's head.

"Yeah, she would," Seth agreed. "I know we'll be going through Paris to go back. Maybe we can get married there."

"Yes," Charlene smiled. "It can be our honeymoon."

"Then when we get back, we'll have a tribal wedding."

"How does that work?"

"The medicine man determines what cycle of the moon we have to get married under and there's a ceremony under that moon and a big party and we retreat into our home for three days without any interruption from anyone."

"That does sound lovely," Charlene said.

"I have a tent right now, but I can ask Renesmee's family to build us a house."

"Would they do that?"

"Of course," Seth smiled. "They've done it for a lot of people at the tribe. I can even ask them to build us a house on the beach."

"Really?" Charlene said. "I would love that." She brought herself just a little closer. "Imagine raising children there. They could play on the beach while we watch them from a porch or patio."

"I'll make sure they know you'd like that," Seth smiled. "And I'll get a job when we get back. I'll take care of you."

"Do you know when you're being discharged?"

"Not yet," Seth said. "I can ask a doctor to let me wire family and let them know you're coming. I may even be able to have someone meet you in New York."

"You mean I go ahead of you?" Charlene asked.

"That would probably be the best thing to do," Seth said. "I'll wire family first and find out what they say we should do. If anyone will be able to make this work, it'll be the Cullens."

"That's your cousin's wife's family, right?"

"Yeah," Seth nodded. "I'll get in contact with them as soon as I can."

"No worries," she smiled. "You focus on getting better. Do you think they'll let me visit you every day?"

"I'll make sure they do," Seth smiled back and they shared another kiss.

The doctor finally finished examining Sgt. Stanley and, as per his request, he went to get Lt. McCarthy and brought the man over to Sgt. Stanley's bed. Sgt. Stanley attempted to sit up, but the nurse immediately told him not to and that he needed to rest. He attempted to swat the woman's hands away and tell her to leave him be, but she was persistent and told him to relax. She compromised and retrieved three extra pillows and placed them under his head and shoulders so he would be more upright. After he was situated, Sgt. Stanley asked that she allow him and Lt. McCarthy time to talk. She agreed and walked away to assist other patients.

"I assume you heard what happened," Lt. McCarthy said.

"Yes, I did," Sgt. Stanley said. "And by the sounds of it, Corporal Black saved my life and yours. And Pvt. Jagger's for that matter."

"Yeah," Lt. McCarthy mumbled. "I must have been in shock. I swear that boy's eyes were scarlet red when he saved me."

"Frankly, boy, I'm sure everything was red out there," Sgt. Stanley said. "They're sending the both of us back, but I fully intend to see that boy rewarded for this."

"I assumed you would."

"Don't be flippant," Sgt. Stanley said. "If it weren't for him, we'd both be dead right now. We both owe him our lives."

"I know," Lt. McCarthy said. "I just assumed you would promote him and get him a medal."

"Naturally," Sgt. Stanley said. "One thing he said he wanted was opportunities that wouldn't have been made available to him had he never joined the military."

"And, indeed, a medal and promotions are things he'd never have accomplished were he not in the military."

"Yes, but that's what I'm doing for him. I'm more interested in what you plan to do." Sgt. Stanley and Lt. McCarthy exchanged looks for a moment while he thought. Aside from a promotion or medals, he wasn't sure what he could offer. "Perhaps you could speak with your father."

"My father?" Lt. McCarthy thought about what his uncle was suggesting. "He'd never allow it. Kevin's an Indian, whether he saved my life or not. He won't be welcome."

"Well, you make him welcome," Sgt. Stanley said. "You're in a position to offer that boy something far better than a medal and a promotion."

"Father won't go for it. I know that man, he just won't."

"He won't do it, or you refuse to ask?" Sgt. Stanley asked pointedly.

"Both," Lt. McCarthy sighed. "If I requested such a thing of father, he'd laugh in my face."

"Fine, let him have his laugh. Then you can explain to him, again, how that boy saved your life and mine. You make sure you explain that to your mother too. Hell, I'll explain that to your mother. If all else fails, I'll tell your mother to bring her wrath upon your father if he says no."

"I know you will," Lt. McCarthy rubbed his face. "I'll wire mother and father and let them know I'm alright. When I'm home, I'll talk to father about it."

"Don't you dare forget, either," Sgt. Stanley said. "I'll remind you if need be."

"I won't forget, Uncle Henry," Lt. McCarthy said. "I can't promise father will agree."

"Make him," Sgt. Stanley said bluntly.

It was days before Kevin was able to get away from the front. When he was able, it was after one of the Lieutenants told him he needed to go to the hospital per request of Sgt. Stanley. Kevin requested if Embry could come, but he was ordered to remain at the front. So Kevin went to the hospital alone. He would use that time to try and speak to his dad and see Amber again. He'd been worried about her ever since he left her with Mrs. Lavoie. He would need to go to the hospital first. He was certain, once Jacob found out about Seth's injury, Jacob would want confirmation that Seth was alright. When he arrived at the hospital, he told the nurse at the entrance that he'd been asked for by Sgt. Stanley and she led him with her to an office on the other side of the building. She confirmed Kevin would be permitted to visit Seth once he was finished speaking with Sgt. Stanley. He was taken to an office and waited ten minutes before Sgt. Stanley came in with assistance dressed in his uniform and his jacket over his wrapped and bandaged right arm.

"How're you feeling sergeant?" Kevin asked.

"Sore," Sgt. Stanley answered. "Though I'll take sore any day." He walked closer and sat against the desk in the room while Kevin remained seated. "You saved my life out there."

"I couldn't just leave you, sir," Kevin answered.

"Regardless, if you'd not saved me, I'd be dead. If you'd not saved Lt. McCarthy, he'd be dead too. I don't suppose you're aware the boy's my nephew?"

"I did overhear him call you uncle," Kevin said. "That's not why I saved him though."

"I don't really care why you saved him. I'm more concerned about the fact you did. If anything happened to that boy, his mother would have found a way to bring me back to life and kill me again."

Kevin laughed, "I fear I'd face the same punishment if anything happened to Embry or Seth."

"Moral of the story is never underestimate a woman's wrath," Sgt. Stanley chuckled. "Anyway, Corporal, the reason I brought you in here is, besides to thank you, to promote you to Sergeant." Kevin went wide eyed.

"Sergeant, sir?"

"You bet your ass, your majesty," Sgt. Stanley chuckled. "The front needs someone to replace me. I can think of no one better than you. Sgt. Black has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

"It's an honor, sir," Kevin smiled.

"There's one more thing," Sgt. Stanley said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin box. "This was a little harder to get. I had to fight for it, but I spoke with my superiors and got them to understand that you deserve this." Sgt. Stanley opened the box and presented to Kevin a bright, gold star with a woman engraved on it and a bright blue sash that it hung from with 13 white stars. In that box, right next to the medal, was an updated clothe patch to press into his uniform. "It's my honor to present to you the Medal of Honor. It's the highest medal the US Army can offer." Kevin stared at the medal, wide eyed and speechless.

"Sgt. Stanley," Kevin finally managed. "You went through all that trouble to get me a medal?"

"A medal you earned, Sergeant," Sgt. Stanley said proudly. Kevin accepted the box with the medal rested inside.

"I don't know what to say besides to thank you," Kevin said.

"That's all you need to say, your highness," Sgt. Stanley teased and Kevin chuckled.

"I can't wait to tell dad," Kevin began without thinking. "He was so proud when he found out I'd become a corporal."

"I'll bet he'll be tickled pink," Sgt. Stanley said. Kevin smiled and breathed a sigh of relief that Sgt. Stanley obviously didn't notice anything odd about what Kevin said.

"I think he'd be tickled purple, sir," Kevin joked. The two started laughing and Sgt. Stanley patted Kevin's shoulder in laughter. "I'm a little embarrassed to ask but would you mind if I hugged you?" Kevin asked.

"Just mind the shoulder," Sgt. Stanley said and Kevin stood up and hugged the man, making sure not to hurt his shoulder. After releasing, Kevin looked at the medal again.

"I really do appreciate this, Sgt. Stanley."

"Like I said, you earned it," Sgt. Stanley said. "I've already notified the other commanding officers at the front. When you step back in those trenches, you're to be addressed as Sgt. Black and you will take command of the unit. You will defer to Lt. Casey."

"Yes, sir," Kevin answered. Sgt. Stanley saluted him and Kevin saluted right back.

"Now go visit Pvt. Jagger. I'm sure he could use a visit from his cousin. That woman from town's been visiting him every day since she demanded she be allowed here."

"I'll go see him now," Kevin said. "And thank you again."

"Thank you for saving mine and my nephew's life," Sgt. Stanley replied and Kevin left the office while putting on his medal. He went to Seth and took a seat beside his bed right next to Charlene.

"Well, that's a shiny new medal," Seth smiled when he saw it. "I see Sgt. Stanley told you the news?"

"He gave me this medal and promoted me to sergeant," Kevin smiled.

"Yeah, that's what I heard he was going to do," Seth said. "You should be proud of yourself, kid. Now you can say you're the youngest Sergeant in the unit."

"Let me get that sewn on for you, dear," a nurse said from behind Kevin and he handed her his jacket so she could sew on his new rank badge. "This won't take but a minute," she smiled and went to a corner near them so Kevin could see her work.

"Charlene?" Seth said. "Do you mind giving me and Kevin a minute to talk?"

"Of course," she said and gave Seth a kiss before she walked over to the nurse and sat next to her.

"You two are serious I see," Kevin asked. "I assume she's coming back home with you?"

"That's one thing I wanted to talk about, yes," Seth said and sat up. "I assume you're planning to talk to Jacob if he's still on patrol, right?"

"I hope he is. It's about 12 now, so I'd better hurry. I wanted to see Amber too."

"Who's Amber?"

"She's a little girl Embry and I found. I imprinted on her. I couldn't just leave her, but I couldn't take her with me to the front, so I took her to this synagogue just outside town. The woman that seems to run the place, Mrs. Lavoie, took her for me and I want to check up on her."

"Well, good for you, Kevin," Seth said.

"So besides letting dad know you've been shot but you're okay and you're coming home with a new lady friend, what else did you want me to relay?"

"That 'lady friend' has agreed to marry me," Seth said. "We'll get married in Paris and once we're both back in Washington, we'll have a moon ceremony. But that little tent of mine just isn't big enough. I was hoping you could ask Jacob to tell Renesmee's family to build us a house. One on the shore if it's possible. I presented the possibility to her and she really likes the idea of a house on the shore with a nice patio."

"I'll make sure to tell him," Kevin nodded. "When are you being sent back?"

"As soon as I'm well enough to travel," Seth said. "I know we won't be able to travel together. I imagine she'll get to New York before I do. I was hoping Edward and Bella might be able to meet her there and get her back to Washington."

"I'm sure they won't mind," Kevin nodded. "Send them a telegram as soon as you know when she's departing."

"A post office would have a telegraph, right?"

"They should," Kevin said. "Just let them know where it needs to be sent and they should be able to help you. Or I can give my grandparents an estimation and they'll just go to Elis Island every day and wait until they see her."

"I imagine I'll be discharged in the next month," Seth said. "After that, she and I will take some time to ourselves in Paris before I have to get on the boat home. I'd say late August, early September is a safe time to expect us. All the same, I'll try to send a telegram as soon as I know what boat Charlene will be on."

"I'll make sure they know," Kevin said. "Make sure you get something nice for Leah."

"I'll do that," Seth smiled. "Now go talk to your dad. You're wasting time talking to me."

Kevin laughed. "I'll see you again soon."

"See you soon," Seth said and smiled. Kevin smiled back and stood from his chair, going to Charlene and the nurse. Charlene returned to Seth's side.

"Just one second, dear," the nurse said as she put in the last few stitches and made a knot to secure the badge. "There we go, Sergeant," she said, offering Kevin his jacket.

"Thank you, miss," Kevin answered and finally left the hospital.

Firstly, he went from the hospital to the woods nearest the synagogue. The moment he was done talking to Jacob, he would go to the synagogue to see Amber and check on her. When he got to the woods, he undressed and placed his clothes on the ground in a neat manner so the badge and new patch would be visible. Once he was naked, Kevin shifted into a wolf and waited only seconds before he heard Jacob, who already heard everything Kevin wanted to tell him.

You won a medal, became a sergeant and everything, eh? Jacob said with a smile. And Seth and Embry are alright?

They're both alright. Seth looks like he's bouncing back from that bullet to the leg really well. He'll be going home soon with a new fiancé, and he was hoping for a new house, Grandma and Grandpa to meet Charlene and so on.

That'll be an interesting thing to tell Leah about. I'll tell the Cullens to get to work on that beachside house, Jacob chuckled. Look at the medal. Let me see it. Kevin looked at the medal like Jacob said and he could hear the smile in Jacob's voice. You may have been right, Kevin. Joining the army may have been the best decision you've ever made. Your mother will be interested to hear about Amber.

I know. I'm going to see her again once we're done talking. I haven't seen her in weeks and I miss her.

I'm sure she misses you too. So you don't know anything about her family?

I know the mother's name was Charlotte. That's what Mrs. Lavoie called her. I tried explaining what Amber is-

I'll have to explain that to your grandparents. It's like us with the pack. Telling too many people is a big faux pas.

I know it is, but I couldn't take Amber to the front and that woman's bound to notice she's growing faster than a child should. I'd rather have her in the loop and know what she's dealing with than take Amber uninformed and do something drastic.

I agree, Jacob answered with a sigh. She's a cute little thing. Even if she tried to attack you.

The town was in the middle of an invasion and guns were going off left and right. Can you really blame her for panicking?

Can't say I can, Jacob answered. Do you think that Mrs. Lavoie will keep Amber's name the same?

Why wouldn't she? Kevin asked, panicking a little. Amber suits her.

She may have decided to name Amber after her mother is all. Assuming she decided to believe you that is.

I don't care if she believes me as long as she takes care of Amber. I'll take her home with me once this is all over.

When do you suppose that will be? Jacob asked.

I don't know. I can't imagine it'll last much longer. We forced the Germans back at Chateau Thierry and that hit them hard with their numbers. I assume they'll try pushing back again to get through the enemy lines, but they're running out of food and men. There's no way they can do this much longer.

Wouldn't they have more men now that the Eastern Front is gone?

The Eastern front is gone?

I assume it is. According to the papers, the Bolsheviks in Russia took over the government and word goes they've assassinated the Romanovs.

I'm not certain, Kevin said. If that's the case, that might give them a little more to work with. We'll just have to wait and see. All I can do it follow Sgt. Stanley's example and lead the men as best I can.

Uncle Jasper will be happy to hear about this, Jacob chuckled. He went on and on about how he was the youngest…whatever he was in the cavalry when he was in the Confederate army.

Yes, yes, Uncle Jasper, I know, Kevin joked and the two of them laughed. I'll even let him frame my medal for me when I get back.

I'm sure he'd be…what was the term Sgt. Stanley used? Tickled pink?

Tickled purple, dad,Kevin said. And don't worry, Uncle Embry,Kevin turned his attention to Embry Sr. I'll make sure Tatter knows you said hi.

You keep taking care of him,Embry laughed. Poor kid's never going to live that down.

Not in a million years,Jacob laughed.

After their talk, Kevin said his goodbyes to Jacob and Embry sr. and promised he and Embry Jr. would return to talk to them as soon as possible. He changed back and put his clothes back on before stepping out of the woods and walking up the road to the synagogue. He heard laughter coming from outside. So rather than knock on the large doors, he walked around the building to a little playground that was in the back. He saw Amber and, despite how she'd grown in such a short time, he knew her instantly. She already looked like a 3 or 4 year old and her golden amber hair had gotten much longer and her eyes were an even brighter blue. She was on a swing with Mrs. Lavoie pushing her for momentum, appearing to be just as happy by the play. He was so relieved to see the woman he'd entrusted Amber with appeared to be taking good care of her. Just as he stepped towards them, Ambry was the first to see him.

"Kevin!" she yelled and leaped off the swing midair and landed on the ground before running right to him and hugging him. Mrs. Lavoie appeared alarmed to see him, but started to approach cautiously while Kevin kneeled down to hug Amber.

"Hey, Amber," Kevin said. He lifted her up in his arms and started rocking her a little. "Comment avez-vous été," (How have you been?) he asked.

"She's been doing just fine," Mrs. Lavoie answered for her. "I attempted to name her Charlotte, but she simply won't answer to it. She'll only answer to Amber."

"Elle a dit que vous répondez à Amber?" (She said you only answer to Amber?) Kevin asked.

"Oui!" Amber said confidently. "C'est mon nom."

"I went to her mother's home," Mrs. Lavoie said. "It was as you said," she continued. "Amber told me of how she'd been hiding in the closet because she was scared of the gunfire. She told me about how she remembered coming out and looking at Charlotte as she died. She said Charlotte smiled at her. I'm sure she did. She wished to be a mother. If only it had not happened like this." Mrs. Lavoie began to cry.

"Ne pleure pas, tante Genevieve," (Don't cry Aunt Genevieve) Amber pleaded, then she looked at Kevin. "Pour quoi pleure t-elle?" (Why is she crying?)

"Elle manque seulement votre mère," (She just misses your mother) Kevin answered and rubbed Amber's back. Amber looked sad and rested her head on Kevin's chest. She relaxed once she was rested there.

"She would not stop crying after you left," Mrs. Lavoie said after she recovered herself. "I think she only stopped crying when I took her outside and she attacked a rabbit. I felt so terrible for the poor thing. It kicked and squirmed the whole time Amber drank its blood." Mrs. Lavoie held back a gag.

"Better animals than a person," Kevin said. "The first thing I fed her was a German."

"Well, you'll see no tears from me over that," Mrs. Lavoie said bitterly.

"Is your husband fighting?"

"He was, but he got hit with a grenade. He lost his left leg from what I'm being told. He'll be coming home soon."

"Do you have children fighting?"

"No," Mrs. Lavoie said. "I'm not able to have children. We gave up on children so long ago."

"I'm sorry," Kevin said.

"I've resigned myself to it. I'm just relieved all those baby clothes we've spent so much money on hasn't gone completely to waste," she said. "I see you've won yourself a medal since we last saw you."

"Yes," Kevin answered. "I've been promoted to sergeant too. I saved my sergeant and lieutenant's lives. I'm now the youngest sergeant in the unit."

"How old are you?"

"I turn 15 in October," Kevin said.

"You're 14 years old?" Mrs. Lavoie asked, a little stunned. He looked so much older.

"Yeah," Kevin answered. "I lied about my age and said I was nineteen but I was 13 when we went to basic training and were shipped to France."

"How heroic of you," Mrs. Lavoie said, staring at him a moment, still a little stunned. "Go on and tell Amber. I'm sure she'll love to hear the story." Kevin smiled and looked down at Amber. Her eyes were closed, but he knew she wasn't asleep.

"Amber," he said until she looked up at him with her bright blue eyes. "Avez-vous vu la médaille je gagné?" (Did you see the medal I won) Kevin asked, showing the medal to Amber.

"No," she said and reached for it to play with it.

"J'ai sauvé la vie de mon sergent et la vie de mon lieutenant. Je promu sergent et gagné cette médaille," (I saved my sergeant's life and my lieutenant's life. I was promoted to sergeant and won this medal) Kevin boasted.

"Qu'est-ce qu'un sergent faire?" (What does a sergeant do?) Amber asked.

"Un sergent aide les hommes de plomb dans la bataille," (A sergeant helps lead men in battle) Kevin answered as simply as possible.

"I must say, your French is rather good," Mrs. Lavoie said.

"My grandpa taught me," Kevin said. "My uncle Carlisle was son to a pastor when he was human and he had a French governess if I remember correctly. When he changed my grandpa, he taught him French too. Grandpa taught my mom French and he started teaching all of us grandkids French."

"That explains your accent," she said.

"Pardon?"

"You sound like an Englishman when you speak French," she said.

"Oh," Kevin said. "Well, Uncle Carlisle and Grandpa Edward are English. So I imagine that's how they would sound."

"Indeed," she said. "I assume you plan to continue coming to visit?"

"As often as I can," Kevin said. "Would you mind if Amber and I played for a while?" Mrs. Lavoie nodded and Kevin walked back to the swings and put Amber down.

"Kevin, Kevin, Poussez-moi sur la balançoire!" (Push me on the swing) Amber said as she went back to the swing and got on while Kevin went behind her, took a hold of the rope, pulled her high up, then released her so she was going back and forth and giving her a push every time she came back to him.

Mrs. Lavoie stood back and watched the two of them play together. Kevin stayed longer than perhaps he should have, but he didn't want to leave. He pushed Amber on the swing and, when she decided she wanted to do something else, she leaped off midair, landed on the ground, ran around to Kevin, touched his leg, screamed, "Tag, vous êtes le!" (Tag, you're it) and began running away with Kevin following behind her. Kevin gave Amber a lead, but then ran for her, tagged her on the back and ran away with Amber chasing after him. She couldn't quite catch him, so she jumped and landed on his back, causing him to fall over. He made sure not to land on her but the two of them were laughing after Kevin fell.

"Should you not be returning to the front Sergeant?" Mrs. Lavoie said when the two of them landed. Kevin stopped laughed as he looked up at Mrs. Lavoie, realized she was right, and stood up with Amber sliding off his back.

"Quel est le problème, Kevin?," (What's the matter, Kevin?) Amber asked when she realized Kevin looked sad suddenly. Kevin kneeled down so they were on the same level.

"Je dois revenir à l'avant," (I have to return to the Front) Kevin said.

"Mais vous venez de recevoir ici!" (But you just got here) Amber cried.

"Je sais, et je suis désolé. Mais je dois retourner," (I know and I'm sorry. But I need to go back.) Kevin answered regretfully. "Je promets que je viendrai vous rendre visite à nouveau le plus tôt possible," (I promise I will come to visit you again as soon as possible) he continued.

"Ça se passera quand?" (when will that be) Amber asked, starting to get teary eyed.

"Dès que possible," (as soon as possible) Kevin said and gave Amber a hug. Amber hugged him back and didn't let go when he stood up. "You'll keep looking after her for me?" Kevin asked.

"Yes," Mrs. Lavoie said and went to take Amber, but she wouldn't let go of Kevin.

"No," she whimpered and held on.

"Chéri, le sergent doit revenir," (Darling, the sergeant has to return) Mrs. Lavoie said. "Vous devez laisser aller de lui," (You have to let go of him) she continued.

"No," Amber whimpered again.

"Amber, je promets que je reviendrai le plus tôt possible. Laissez Madame Lavoie vous prendre," (Amber, I promise I'll come back as soon as possible. Let Mrs. Lavoie take you) he said through a frog forming in his throat.

Amber continued to refuse, so Mrs. Lavoie took a hold of Amber and began tugging while Kevin gently unclasped Amber's tiny hands from around his shoulders so Mrs. Lavoie could take her. Amber started crying when she was in Mrs. Lavoie's arms. Wanting to give her anything to comfort her, Kevin took out his old Corporal badge for his uniform and handed it to Amber.

"Prenez soin de cela pour moi, d'accord Amber?" (Look after this for me, alright Amber) Kevin said. "Je vous promets que vous à peine le temps de me manquer. Je reviendrai bientôt," (I promise you'll barely have time to miss me. I'll come back soon). Amber sniffed one more time before finally reaching out her little hand fisted with her pinky extended.

"Promettez-vous?" (Do you promise) she asked. Kevin smiled and accepted her pinky in his own.

"Je promets," (I promise) Kevin and Amber shook their pinkies and before leaving, he kissed Amber on the head and finally walked away with a heavy heart. He kept looking back after her. She pushed herself out of Mrs. Lavoie's arms and came running to the front and started waving goodbye to him. Kevin turned, walking backwards, and waved goodbye right back to her. Je promets, he pushed the thought to her head and he saw her smile get just a little brighter.

Kevin walked back to the front barely able to lift his feet. He needed to snap out of it though, so he stood up straight and walked into the trenches. When he returned, one of the Lieutenants, Lt. Casey, motioned for Kevin to follow him into one of the offices underground. Kevin followed and stood on the other side of the desk from Lt. Casey.

"I've been informed of your promotion to Sergeant," Lt. Casey said.

"Yes, sir," Kevin answered.

"As such, you will be taking command of your unit in Sgt. Stanley's place. I will be taking over in Lt. McCarthy's place. You will defer to me, but I will expect you to make last minute decisions when needed."

"Yes, sir," Kevin answered. Lt. Casey stared at the medal on Kevin's coat and shook his head with a sigh.

"I can't believe that old bastard got that for you."

"I'm grateful for it, sir," Kevin answered.

"You'd best be," Lt. Casey said.

"Permission to speak freely, Lieutenant," Kevin requested. Lt. Casey nodded. "With all due respect, sir, I earned this medal and I've earned my rank as sergeant. I don't need you to like me and I don't care if you like me. I only ask that you respect me, the work I've put forward, and keep any prejudice you have against me to the side. Not for my sake, but for the sake of the men we are commanding."

"You do realize, Sergeant, that you're a 14 year old? You must realize that doesn't instill confidence in me. You may look much older than you are, but the fact remains you're just a boy."

"My age is irrelevant, sir," Kevin said. "I think I've proven that several times over. There are several men in the unit that lied about their age as I did, so a man my age in this unit is nothing unique. However, sir, I have proven that, my age aside, I'm just as strong and determined as the rest of you and that I'm willing to go above and beyond for all of you." Lt. Casey and Kevin stared at one another a moment, stone faced, as if to see if the other would back down. Eventually, Lt. Casey smiled.

"I think I'm beginning to see what Sgt. Stanley saw in you," Lt. Casey said. "Report to your men and await further orders. We've seen little activity from the enemy, but we need to remain on alert."

"Yes, sir," Kevin and Lt. Casey saluted one another.

"Dismissed, Sgt. Black," Lt. Casey said and Kevin left the office and returned to Embry and the others. It appeared everyone already knew about Kevin's promotion, because when they saw him, there was a moment of quiet applause.

"Congratulations, Sergeant," one man nudged Kevin as he went and a few others patted Kevin on the back while others went to see his medal. He eventually got to Embry and sat down beside him.

"Well, isn't that a shiny new medal?" Embry smiled at looked at the medal and the new patch on Kevin's jacket. "And a sergeant to boot."

"Dad was really proud," Kevin smiled. "Your dad said hi by the way. They miss us, can't wait for us to come home, the usual."

"Believe me, I can't wait to go home either," Embry said. "So how's Amber doing?" Embry asked.

"She's alright. She grew a lot since the last time you saw her." Kevin pushed the memories into Embry's head.

"No kidding," he said. "She's growing like a little dandelion. We're assuming she was born mid-July, right?"

"It would have to be," Kevin nodded. "She was grown enough and the scene looked old enough that she must have been there at least two weeks before we found her."

"Good thing we found her, then," Embry said. "So what's the plan after this is over? You're just taking her back?"

"Of course," Kevin said. "I'll take her back to Washington, she can grow up with the tribe and we'll just go from there."

"Will your parents be alright with basically adopting a new kid?"

"I was actually thinking of asking Rosalie and Emmett to adopt her," Kevin said. "You know how Rosalie's always wanted to have kids. This could be her opportunity. I know they'll be able to take care of her. Then I can be with her as a babysitter and a guardian until she's older."

"I'm sure Rosalie will be thrilled," Embry smiled.

"I hope so," Kevin said. "Then, she can get an education, she already knows French, so all Grandpa has to do is help make sure she learns English and keeps her French sharp, and maybe she can take to an instrument."

"Make a plain old Susie Homemaker out of her," Embry joked.

"It's not time for that yet," Kevin said. "Nothing will happen until she decides and she's older."

"I know," Embry said. "Believe me, I know how this all works. So how's Seth doing?"

"He's doing better. He and Charlene are getting married and she's going back with him to Washington."

"Well, Cupids just hitting everyone with his poison arrows, isn't he?" Embry chuckled. "Do you suppose I'll find a lady friend any time soon?"

"Maybe," Kevin said.

"Preferably one my age," Embry said. "I'd prefer not to live like a monk for 18 years like Quil had to."

"Honestly, Embry, if you imprint on someone your age, she'll hardly be anything you'll want to sleep with right now. We're 14, remember?"

"You're 14," Embry said. "I just turned 15. And thank you for remembering my birthday."

"Shit," Kevin said and hit his head against the dirt wall of the trench. "I forgot."

"It's fine, I had forgotten too until this shit calmed down. We were fighting off Germans and had more important things to worry about besides my birthday. But still, a little 'Happy Birthday, Embry' would have been nice before we started shooting for the day." Kevin shoved Embry and the two shared a laugh.

"You know what, just for that, you'd better remember my birthday."

"Yes, Sergeant," Embry joked. "I assume we aren't going to be there when Seth and Charlene get married?"

"I doubt it. He said they want to have a ceremony in Paris first."

"How fancy," Embry said.

"Then they want to have a moon ceremony and traditional wedding back home. He's going back soon, so they'll probably have a tribal wedding by November or December at latest. I also had to ask dad to tell Grandpa to started building a house on the shore for them to live in."

"Aiming to impress, I see," Embry chuckled. "I assume dad didn't mention any possible new brothers or sisters being on the way?"

"No," Kevin said. "The twins are doing alright and everyone misses you. Apparently, Aidie plans to kick you when you get back."

"Oh yeah?" Embry said. "We'll see about that. That little squirt will learn the hard way not to kick me. None of your siblings are planning to attack you when you get home I'm sure."

"Kyle had better not, at least. I got him a book that cost me half my paycheck."

"Did Uncle Jacob say how Kyle was liking that by the way?"

"It didn't really come up, but if the back of his mind is to be believed, Kyle's been doing nothing but reading."

"At least he appreciates it."

"I think he's trying to make sure he finishes it before we come home."

"Then we need to beat him to it," Embry joked and they shared a laugh.

Back in Washington just after they spoke with Kevin, Embry and Jacob returned home from the woods and both went right to their bedrooms. Jacob came in through the balcony and gave Renesmee a kiss on the cheek to wake her. She moaned a little as she recovered from her sleep and turned so she was looking at Jacob.

"I got to speak to Kevin," Jacob said.

"How is he?"

"Well," Jacob said with a proud smile. "Apparently, there was a huge battle. The Germans forced their way through and got into town. Kevin, Embry and Seth all had to fight hand to hand."

"Are they alright?" Renesmee asked, sitting up and looking at Jacob, horrified.

"Relax, Renesmee, they're all fine. Just let me finish. While Kevin was in the field, two of his commanding officers were shot and he saved them and brought them to medics. Then they were sent into town to stop the Germans from advancing. Seth went to look for Charlene-"

"Who's Charlene?" Renesmee asked.

"Calm down, Renesmee, let me finish. Seth went to look for Charlene, who's a woman he started seeing while he was there, and a German shot him in the leg."

"Oh my God, Jacob-"

"He's alright," Jacob said, taking Renesmee in his arms. "Embry shot the guy in the head and saved Seth. Kevin came and took out the bullet and Charlene looked after him until the battle was over. They kept on until they finally ran the Germans out. While they were there, Kevin happened upon a little house in town where he heard a baby crying. So he and Embry went inside to investigate and they found a little girl. She was a half breed. Whoever her father was had killed the older couple and raped the young woman. She had a baby and that baby was left alone for weeks. Kevin imprinted on her."

"Kevin imprinted? Already?"

"Yeah. He couldn't take care of her, so he took her to a place he said was called a synagogue."

"A synagogue?"

"Yeah. Apparently, the building has a star on it and the little girl's mother was wearing a star around her neck and he gave her that necklace. He named her Amber."

"So she's Jewish?"

"What?"

"Jewish," Renesmee said.

"I thought Jews became Christian or something."

"No, the Jews were the chosen people, and then Jesus came and there was a break in the religions and created a reform that led to Christianity. Judaism doesn't follow the new testament, only the old testament."

"Oh," Jacob said. "Then, yes, I guess she's Jewish. Her mother evidently was all the same."

"So Kevin's asking people at the synagogue to take care of Amber for him?"

"Yeah. There's a woman there that keeps after the building and she agreed to look after Amber. Once the war's over, Kevin wants to bring her home. He wants Rosalie and Emmett to adopt her."

"Well, that won't take much convincing," Renesmee sighed. "So why are you giving me this weird grin? Something else happened besides Kevin imprinted and Seth was shot. The latter certainly isn't a good thing."

"Well, two things," Jacob said. "Seth is coming home because of his injury. They saved his leg thanks to Kevin removing the bullet, but he'll be walking with a limp the rest of his life most likely. The good news is he's asked Charlene to marry him, they're getting married in Paris on their way back, and he wants to bring her back home so they can have a traditional wedding here."

"Well, that's good news," Renesmee finally smiled. "What's the second thing?"

"Well, like I'd said, during that battle, Kevin saved his sergeant's life and that sergeant's nephew's life. So not only did Kevin get promoted to Sergeant, but he also earned a Medal of Honor for his bravery."

Renesmee was wide eyed. "He did?"

"Yeah," Jacob said. "Sounds like our son's a hero."

"Oh my God," Renesmee started tearing up. "I can't wait to tell everyone," Renesmee said. "Jasper will be over the moon."

"That's what I said. Maybe Kevin was right to join the army. It looks like it's the best thing that's ever happened to him so far."

"A sergeant at 14," Renesmee smiled and started rubbing tears away. "I can't even be mad at him anymore."

"I know, I'm proud of him too." Jacob gave Renesmee another kiss on the cheek.

Renesmee started making the children breakfast that morning with a spring in her step. Caevia and Embry came over congratulating Renesmee for Kevin's accomplishments. Jacob went to go towards Leah's and Hailey's house and met her on the trail on her way to the village.

"I've got news about Seth," Jacob said. Leah got off the bike, tossed it on the ground and went right to Jacob.

"What? Is he alright?"

"He was injured, but he's alright now. He was shot in the leg, he'll walk with a limp, but otherwise he's fine, and he's bringing home a woman named Charlene and they're getting married."

"Seth's coming home?" Leah smiled. "Oh thank God. Who is this Charlene? He never mentioned he was seeing anyone in his letters."

"I guess it's a rather recent development. They're getting married in Paris and when they get back here, they'll have a traditional wedding."

"And her name is Charlene?" Leah said.

"Yup. I'll be telling the Cullens to start building him a house and they'll be back before the end of the year for sure."

"Good," Leah said. "It'll be weird having to pretend I don't know about this."

"Apparently, he'll be sending a telegram as soon as he's able. So once Hailey tells you about that, just pretend to be surprised. Cry, jump up and down, whatever you need to do."

"I guess that's one more person we'll have to lie to about the Cullens."

"Don't worry about that," Jacob said. "And Kevin's a sergeant now."

"A what?"

"He's a sergeant. And he won a Medal of Honor. Believe me, nothing would make me happier than to brag about it to your husband, Mitch and the rest of the townspeople, but I'll just have to wait until we get the next set of letters."

"Or until Seth comes home," Leah reminded.

"That's true," Jacob smiled.

"What did Aunt Sara and Uncle William say?"

"They weren't awake yet, so I haven't had a chance to tell them. I haven't told the kids yet either, but that will be over breakfast."

"Well, I'll meet you back at the tribe, then," Leah said and went back to her bike.

Jacob returned and by the time he got back, Sara and William were up, as was Sokajili. As best he could in Quileute, he told them about Kevin saving the lives of his commanding officers and how he was promoted for it and won a medal. They were pleased to hear it and went back to his and Renesmee's house where she'd started getting breakfast on the table. Sara went upstairs and woke the children and they were all told over breakfast what happened.

"Kevin's a sergeant?" Kyle asked.

"And he won a medal?" Nathan asked.

"Yes, he did," Jacob smiled. "They pushed the Germans back to their side of the front. Apparently, it's been rather calm since them."

"I would imagine so," Renesmee said. "That's quite a blow to suffer."

"Does this mean the war is over?" Sara asked.

"Not yet," Jacob said. "I think Kevin would have said something. The last news we had of the war is the Romanovs were assassinated. I'm sure we'll be hearing about this in the newspapers really soon though. And Seth's coming home soon, so he'll be able to tell us all about it."

"Oh, I'm so relieved," Sara said. "I can't wait to see Seth again."

"Me either," Jacob said. "I told Leah and she should be here soon."

"We need to tell my family," Renesmee said.

"We'll do that after breakfast. Besides, Edward will know the whole story and have told them by the time I get there."

"One less time to tell the story," Renesmee smiled.

They all finished breakfast and Jacob went to the Cullen house with all his kids and Embry's kids, except Peta, Gaeli and the twins, following behind him on their bikes. He got to the house first and, as he predicted, the whole family was outside ready to celebrate Kevin's accomplishment with Jacob. Jasper was very proud, claiming blood or not, the boy clearly took after him. Bella looked like she might cry were she able. Edward was pleased to know Kevin and Embry were safe and they were all happy Seth would be returning home and with a wife to boot. They would start building the house immediately of course. Right on the beach just as Charlene wanted. They agreed to wait for the telegram from Seth advising when Charlene would be on the boat and Edward agreed he and Bella would meet her in New York. They'd not been there in years anyway and were eager to see how much it had changed.

Rosalie and Emmett were also pleased that Kevin would be bringing back Amber. Even if she would be a little older, Rosalie looked forward to being a mother and as eager to start preparing the house for a new little girl. Rosalie and Emmett were happy to remain in Washington so Kevin and Amber would be able to see one another frequently. They all returned to the village together, the children turning around on their bikes to follow after them. Though the trip back was much simpler since they were going downhill. They all loved riding back. It was like flying down a mountain.

"I say we put it here," Natalie suggested when they were all back and walking along the beach.

"We'll clear a space beside the village," Edward said. He went over to Natalie, kneeled down, turned her around to face the wooded area nearest the tribe and guided her hand to point at the corner of trees nearest the shore. "I think there would be a nice place. But what do you think?"

"I think that will be pretty!" Natalie said. "Jae, won't that be pretty?" Natalie asked.

"It'll be like your house," Jae chimed in.

"Can it be just like Aunt Renesmee's and Uncle Jacob's house?" Rae cheered.

"Their house is so fun to play at!" Sharisa agreed.

"Well, I think they might like that," Edward said. "I was thinking, though, that since Seth's new wife is French, we might give the home a feel of a French country home. White and blue with small floral prints and a quaint wooden kitchen. How does that sound?"

"Will it be pretty?" Sharisa asked.

"It'll be very pretty," Edward said. "How about all of you go play while we start planning this out."

The twins and triplets went off to go play as Edward instructed while he and the others went to the section of woods and started mentally measuring out the space and detailing how it would be laid out. It was on a hill, so they would need to use that structure in the final look of the house the way they'd done with Caevia's and Embry's house. They started working on clearing the designated area by that afternoon. It was hard for Leah to pretend she didn't know Seth was coming home. The longer they waited for any sort of news, the harder it was to keep quiet. But a few days after Leah had received the news, someone from the post office came into the General Store with two messages to deliver to Hailey and, subsequently, Leah. Hailey accepted the notice and started reading once the man was gone.

"What does it say?" Mitch asked. Hailey took a moment to read it and smiled.

"Seth's coming home," Hailey said.

"He is? Is he alright? What happened?"

"According to this, he was shot but he's alright now and they're discharging him for his injury. It also says he's bringing home a wife."

"A wife? He got married?"

"Getting married according to this." Then Hailey looked at the next, more official, message. "This is formal notice from the government that Seth's been discharged and he's being shipped back the 30th of September and will be sent back by train. He'll be home by late October."

"Oh thank goodness," Mitch smiled. "And congratulations to him. I was beginning to fear I'd have to start nagging him to get married."

"Looks like he's already taken care of that," Hailey chuckled. "I need to go tell Leah."

"Yes, you do that," Mitch said as Hailey left the store and got on his horse going straight to the tribe. When Hailey arrived and Leah saw him, she tried her best to act normal. She only hoped he was bringing the news she'd been waiting for.

"Leah!" Hailey said and he ran to her.

"What is it?" Leah asked.

"Seth's coming home. He was shot, but he's alright and being sent back."

"Seth's coming home?" Leah smiled and hugged Hailey. "Oh, thank God!"

"And you'll never believe this. Apparently, he's bringing a wife home too."

"Really? That's wonderful," Leah said. Hailey hugged Leah back, but then he glanced towards the beach and saw the Cullens working. The house already appeared to have its foundation and frame completed.

"What are they up to?"

"They're building a house," Leah said. "It'll be for Seth. Good thing he's coming home soon." Hailey stared at the house, then stared at Leah, then at the house again.

"How did they know he was coming back?"

"We do now," Leah said. "They were building that in anticipation that he would come home."

"I didn't realize Seth wanted a house."

"We were going to surprise him," Leah said. "Good thing we started, right?"

"Yeah, but he'll be back in October. There's no way they'll have that done in time."

"You underestimate them," Leah said. "Don't worry about the house. Let's just tell everyone Seth's coming home."

Leah pulled Hailey with her so they could announce together that Seth was coming home. Everyone acted surprised, but Hailey could tell they were 'acting'. He saw the kids all playing together on the beach, so he went over to Jae and tapped him over the head with the telegrams in his hand. Jae turned around and just smiled at Hailey.

"Hi Uncle Hailey! Did we get word Seth's coming home?" Hailey stared at the boy.

"Yeah," he said awkwardly. Suddenly, Edward stepped forward and put a hand on Jae's head.

"Did you bring good news, Mr. Dauer?"

"Yeah," Hailey said, raising an eyebrow. Edward remained calm, but he could hear the man's thoughts going wild trying to speculate how they could all possibly already know about Seth. "Seth's coming home. And he's bringing home a wife."

"That's excellent news indeed," Edward smiled and turned to face Emmett and Jasper who were helping, far slower than before, build the house. "Emmett, Jasper! Seth's coming home! And he's bringing a wife!"

"And you said building a house now was a dumb idea," Emmett said and continued what he was doing.

"I'll make sure to let everyone know when we get back home."

"Yeah," Hailey said awkwardly. Then he looked at Jae. "You behave yourself."

"Yes, Uncle Hailey," Jae smiled and continued playing with his sisters, Nathan and Natalie. Hailey walked away and went to Leah. She was speaking with a few people but when she saw that he was coming over, she stood from the group and went to him.

"Did you tell the kids?"

"Yeah," he said. "I'm going back to the General Store. I'll see you when you get home."

Hailey gave Leah a kiss and went to his horse to return back to town. He got back to the General Store and found people crowding around having heard Seth was coming back. So many young men wouldn't be coming home and two had come back due to their injuries before Seth. They were more excited about the fact that he would be bringing home a new wife. No one paid Hailey very much attention, which was good. He kept stewing over when he'd given the news. Upon reflection, he recalled Leah looked rather excited the past several days, but she'd seemed so eager to hide it, so he'd not asked. Now, here he went to the tribe just receiving telegrams announcing Seth was coming home and Leah wasn't nearly as excited as he'd imagined she'd be. It seemed that way for everyone. When he returned home that day, it was to Leah already being home and making dinner. Leah looked at the door and smiled at him.

"Welcome home," she said in a chipper tone.

"How did you already know about Seth coming home?" Hailey blurted out. He'd not meant to, but it was really bothering him.

"What are you talking about?" Leah asked, losing her smile.

"I mean, when I tell you, you are surprisingly underwhelmed, the Cullens are already building a damn house, and Jae asked me if 'I'd gotten word that Seth was home'. Look, Leah, I know you keep telling me the Cullens are weird and to accept it and I have but this is getting out of hand. This is getting a little beyond being 'weird' at this point."

"Hailey, we've been over this. Anything that is off about the Cullens, I'm not really at liberty to talk about."

"Fine, but one way or another you all knew Seth was coming home long before I got those telegrams. If you'd already known, why wouldn't you tell me?" Leah took a deep breath and leaned against the counter trying to think what she could say.

"Hailey, the way we found out…..I wouldn't know where to begin explaining how we found out."

"So you did already know?"

"Yes, Hailey, we've known for a few days."

"Days?" Hailey was shocked. "When did the Cullens start building that house? It wasn't there when we'd visited Jacob's house a few weeks ago."

"They started the moment we found out," answered honestly.

"So they got up foundation for a house on a hill and a frame done in a matter of days? What, are these people demigods or something?"

"No, Hailey," Leah sighed. "Look, they're weird. That's all I'm really able to tell you. They're weird. Regardless, we found out Seth was coming home and we're looking forward to him coming back. Hailey, I realize this is frustrating, but I don't want to argue with you. I really don't. I just want to be happy that my little brother is coming home and I want to be happy about it with you. I didn't tell you initially because it would require me explaining things that, quite frankly Hailey, I'm not allowed to tell you."

"What are you not allowed to tell me? That's what irritating me so damn much. What could possibly be going on that you can't tell me?"

"Hailey, even if I did tell you, you wouldn't believe me."

"Try me," Hailey said, taking a seat at the kitchen table. "Tell me what's going on. If I don't believe you, I promise I'll drop it."

"No, Hailey, if you don't believe me, you'll assume I'm lying to you and want the truth."

"Well, you already said they're not demigods. Are they fairies? Are they weird fairytale monsters? Seriously, Leah, what could possibly be going on that you can't explain it to me?"

"You want to know?" Leah asked pointedly, losing her patience.

"Yes, Leah, I want to know."

"The Cullens are vampires and select members of my tribe can turn into wolves," Leah blurted out. Frankly, she was sure he wouldn't believe her anyway.

"What?" Hailey said.

"The Cullens are vampires and Jacob and Embry can turn into wolves. Quil used to be able to turn into a wolf, but he retired after he and Claire had Henry. Recently, Kevin and Embry Jr. became wolves for the first time and now that they've done that, Jacob and Embry Sr. can hear them telepathically and they've been keeping us largely up to date that way." Hailey just gawked at Leah a moment trying to process what she'd just said.

"Are you being serious?"

"I'm being dead serious," Leah said. "There. Now you know exactly what's going on."

"Wait, so those people are vampires? Like from that Bram Stoker novel?"

"No, not like Dracula. Crosses don't bother them, garlic and onions just stink but wouldn't do much to repel them and they can go into sunlight but they sparkle."

"They what?" Hailey said.

"They sparkle," Leah repeated.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life."

"Look, Hailey, I don't make the rules, I'm just telling them to you. That's why those people like living here or in Alaska. There're a lot of overcast days. And they drink the blood of animals instead of humans. There's no baby kidnapping, there's no walking on walls, they're just much faster than the average human, they're slightly paler than they were when they were human, their eyes should be red, but since they drink animal blood, their eyes are all gold, they're cold and hard to the touch and they don't age."

"So wait a second," Hailey started. He couldn't believe he was even entertaining this, but then, what other option did he have at this point? "The Cullens are vampires."

"Yes,"

"That's why they don't age."

"Correct," Leah said. "And Renesmee's actually over fifty."

"What?" Hailey's jaw dropped.

"If I remember correctly, she was forty when she came here. Her oldest son is turning fifteen and she was with the tribe for a few months before Sgt. Lovejoy had taken her back, so she'd be about fifty five or fifty six."

"So you're telling me Edward and Bella are about seventy?"

"Bella's about that age," Leah said. "Edward's much older. He and Carlisle were around in 17th century England before they became vampires. They're both nearly 300 years old or so by now if they haven't reached that age already."

"You're joking."

"Nope," Leah said. "Dead serious." Hailey continued to stare at her with his mouth hanging open.

"And your cousin turns into a wolf," Hailey repeated.

"Yes," Leah said. "Our ancestor Taha Aki took over the body of a wolf to save the tribe from a tyrant like I'd told you and from there he discovered that he could turn back into a wolf. His descendants were able to become wolves too. Jacob, Quil and Embry are three of those descendants."

"So they're werewolves."

"No, werewolves are different. Jacob and the others are shape shifters."

"So they can take other forms?"

"No, just the wolf."

"And they're able to read each other's minds when they're wolves," Hailey repeated with what might only be described as a tone of sarcasm.

"Yes," Leah said.

"Do they trick little girls in red capes into taking the long way to grandma's house and eat people's grandparents too?"

"No, they hunt vampires."

"I thought you said the Cullens were vampires."

"They are."

"So if they hunt vampires, why are they alright with the Cullens?"

"Because Jacob married Renesmee."

"Yeah, but why? She's a vampire isn't she?"

"Only half. Bella was human when she got pregnant with Renesmee."

"So vampires can reproduce now?"

"Under a few rare circumstances, yes."

"But they're dead," Hailey stated rather than asked.

"Correct."

"How in the hell does Edward get an erection with which to impregnate a woman if he has no blood flow?"

"I never cared to ask," Leah answered bluntly. "And in case you're interested, Edward can read minds too. So can Kyle. Kevin and Renesmee can push their thoughts into other people's heads too." Hailey stared at Leah a moment longer, just getting angry now.

"You're really refusing to tell me what's going on with your family are you?"

"I've told you what's going on, Hailey. If you don't believe me, that's perfectly fine. Now can we please get back to dinner?"

"Fine, I'll drop it," Hailey muttered and went to his desk of clocks to tinker with something. Anything.

The two of them didn't really talk much for the rest of the evening. He was annoyed that Leah was insisting on lying to him about something. However, whatever was going on, there was no way it was vampires and men turning into wolves. The next morning, the two of them didn't really talk much to each other again and Leah left for the tribe without a word as soon as she finished her breakfast. While on her way, she passed Jae on his bike on the trail and didn't say anything. When she returned to the tribe, the Cullens were already there and, within seconds, Edward was standing right before Leah.

"Please don't lecture me, Edward. I snapped at him. I don't know what else to tell you."

"Leah, you told him everything. You should have stopped with the first statement."

"Well, I didn't," Leah said. "And now Hailey and I are arguing because you people can't be bothered to be normal and he didn't believe me."

"Leah, we do everything in our power to be as normal as possible, but when you're keeping people in the dark that are constantly around you, there's that chance that little quarks will slip through the cracks. That's the whole reason we moved to Alaska. Snapping at your husband and telling him everything doesn't help."

"Relax Edward, he doesn't even believe me."

"Right now," Edward said. "Let it stew for a while and he'll probably believe you."

"Then we can deal with it later," Leah muttered and walked away.

Jae continued down the trail to the General Store and parked his bike right next to the stables and let himself in through the back door. When he got in, Mitch looked in the back and said hi to him before continuing with a task. Jae looked around for Hailey until he found him in the closet area where all the inventory was kept. He looked like he was a million miles away, so Jae made sure to tread lightly so he wouldn't startle Hailey.

"Uncle Hailey," Jae said quietly and Hailey looked at him.

"What're you doing here so early?"

"I just wanted to buy a newspaper," Jae said.

"Oh," Hailey said. "Well, they're up front and ready. Just put your nickel on the counter." Jae nodded and began to back away, but he stopped.

"Is something wrong? You look upset."

"It's nothing," Hailey said.

"Leah looked upset too. Did you two fight or something?"

"Jae, I'd rather not discuss this. Please just get your paper and go home." His tone was meaner than he'd wanted it to be, but Jae nodded his head and walked out of the back room and went to the front to get his newspaper. He placed the nickel on the table, but he stepped near Mitch to see if he knew what was wrong.

"Morning, Mitch," Jae said.

"Morning, Jae. Just here for the paper?"

"Yeah." Jae glanced at Hailey again, who still looked rather out of it. "What's the matter with Uncle Hailey? He looks upset."

"I don't know," Mitch sighed. "He said he and Leah had an argument and told me to 'drop it'."

"I don't think Leah would tell me anything," Jae sighed. "Well, I hope he and Leah start feeling better."

"I do too. Hailey's been in there the past twenty minutes just staring at everything." Mitch finally smiled and patted Jae on the head. "Don't worry about it so much. It's grown up problems. You're too young to worry about such silly things. Enjoy being carefree because it'll be gone before you know it. Soon, you'll be married too and standing in the back staring at inventory like your sleeping while standing!" Mitch said the last portion rather loudly so Hailey would hear.

"I'll remember that," Jae said and stepped away with his paper in hand. He went through the back like he'd arrived and went to his bike. He was folding his paper and getting ready to leave when he heard the back door open and close.

"Jae," Hailey said.

"Yes, Uncle Hailey?"

"We're friends, right?"

"Yeah," Jae said excitedly.

"So if I asked you a question, you'd tell me the truth, right?"

"Yeah," Jae nodded.

"What exactly is up with the Cullens and your dad and Jacob?"

"What do you mean?" Jae asked, instantly getting nervous.

"Yesterday, when I'd told you guys about Seth coming home, you already knew."

"No-"

"Jae, you promised you wouldn't lie to me," Hailey said. Jae looked at Hailey a moment and sighed before nodding. "So you knew already?"

"Yes, Uncle Hailey," Seth said.

"And how did you know?"

"Kevin told Uncle Jacob and dad," Jae answered honestly.

"How?"

"Uncle Hailey, I'm not allowed to-"

"Yes, I've been hearing that from Leah for ten years and I'm tired of that answer. Look, Leah gave me this nonsensical story about the Cullens being vampires and your dad and Jacob being able to turn into wolves. I don't know what's going on that she can't just tell me about it, but I don't appreciate being assumed an idiot."

"Uncle Hailey, she wasn't lying to you," Jae said.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Hailey muttered. "Not you too."

"Uncle Hailey, it's the truth. The Cullens are vampires. Aunt Renesmee's half vampire and that's why Uncle Jacob could imprint on her."

"Imprint? What does that even mean?"

"It's hard to explain," Jae went on. "The most basic description I can give is love at first sight. It's a special love that you don't share with anyone else. Uncle Jacob imprinted on Aunt Renesmee and Dad imprinted on mom. Only wolves can imprint, though."

"I can't believe this," Hailey started rubbing his head. "So you're being serious? The Cullens are vampires and your dad can turn into a wolf?"

"Yes, Uncle Hailey," Jae said. "But you can't tell anyone! It's a family secret. No one's allowed to know. When Charlene gets here, she won't be allowed to know either."

"And you think she's not going to think it's strange the Cullens aren't aging because…."

"I don't know," Jae said. "It's not just the Cullens, it's my parents and Jacob and Renesmee. They won't age either."

"What?" Hailey said. "Are they vampires too now?"

"No. Aunt Renesmee is half vampire and Uncle Jacob is a wolf. Wolves are immortal until they give up their wolf spirit. Quil released his wolf spirit so he'll age alongside Claire. But my mom doesn't age, so dad will keep his wolf so he won't either."

"So why doesn't your mom age?"

"I don't know," Jae shrugged. "It has to do with the tribe my mom is from. She doesn't really talk about her home tribe. She doesn't like talking about them. So I don't know much. I just know my mom's at least 100."

"I…this…you know what? I don't care," Hailey said.

"Uncle Hailey, I promise I'm not lying to you, it's just we're-"

"No, Jae, really…I don't care anymore. I'll stop asking questions. I get it. I'm not allowed to know what you people get up to. I'll just accept that and we'll not discuss this again."

"Are you mad at me?" Jae asked.

"A little if I'm being honest. No one's willing to give me a straight fucking answer here."

"I'm trying to give you a straight answer, but you're yelling at me," Jae said, crossing his arms.

"I'm not yelling." Hailey started rubbing his eyes. "How exactly does your dad being a wolf make it possible for him to know what's going on with Seth?"

"Kevin and my brother became wolves. As long as they're wolves, they can hear one another. Even when Kevin and my brother are in France, dad and Uncle Jacob can hear them. That's how we knew about Seth. My dad and Uncle Jacob go out every night as wolves to protect the tribe. If Kevin or Embry are able to get away from the Front and change while they're still on patrol, they tell dad and Uncle Jacob what's going on."

"And that's how you all knew about Seth?"

"Yes, Uncle Hailey. And Kevin saved his commanding officers lives and now he's a Sergeant and won a Medal of Honor," Jae said eagerly.

"You're shitting me," Hailey said.

"No, Uncle Hailey, I'm telling you the truth. Just wait! Seth will tell you as much when he gets home." Hailey sighed and rubbed his face a little more. Then he stopped and looked at Jae.

"So Leah's not lying to me?"

"No," Jae said. Hailey started scratching the back of his head. He still didn't fully believe Jae, but then, the stories matched for the most part.

"I guess I owe Leah an apology."

"Judging by the way she looked when I past her, you've got a lot of apologizing to do."

Hailey chuckled a little. "I'll get to work on that tonight."

Jae smiled and gave Hailey a hug before he got on his bike and returned home. When he got back, Edward gave him much the same lecture he'd given Leah. But at this point, there was no reason to argue further. Edward could tell Hailey wasn't going to tell anyone and Jae already expressed to Hailey there was a need for discretion. And, of course, if he never said anything and they never said anything about Hailey knowing, no one else would need to be the wiser and there would be no reason for concern. Still, given that Hailey planned to apologize, Edward refrained from mentioning to Leah that Jae had spoken with Hailey and returned to building the house with Jasper and Emmett. At the pace they were going, the house would be completed in about four more days. Once it was completed, Esme, Rosalie and Alice would swoop in to decorate, eager to design it in a French style.

Leah didn't rush home. She ended up having dinner with the tribe and almost didn't return home. But she did eventually return and when she did, Hailey was at his little desk working on a clock. She ignored him and went upstairs to their bedroom ready to just go to bed. She was dressed for bed when Hailey finally came upstairs. She'd continued to ignore him until, while she was brushing her hair, Hailey came up behind her, hugged her, and started kissing her neck.

"I'm sorry about yesterday," Hailey said. "You're right: what's going on with the Cullens is none of my business and I shouldn't have made you tell me what's going on."

"Are you saying you believe me?"

"Jae pretty much told me exactly what you did." Leah put down her brush and looked around at Hailey.

"Jae told you?"

Hailey nodded. "Yes, he did. He told me you were telling me the truth and essentially confirmed exactly what you told me."

"Do you get why I never told you before and wasn't allowed to tell you?"

"Yes, I get it," Hailey took Leah back in his arms. "I won't tell anyone."

"I know you won't," Leah said and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Honestly, I'm so relieved you know. I didn't like lying to you. It was strange just telling you they're 'weird'. I know that was infuriating."

"Well, I know now and I'm still not certain I fully believe it. But it doesn't matter anyway. It's not important. What's important is Seth is coming home."

"Exactly," Leah smiled and gave Hailey a kiss.