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.

109. Chapter 109

Chapter 109

When JJ got on that train, he'd figured he'd be going to basic training in the states and then shipped off to Korea. He was wrong. He was taken straight to a port town which sailed him to Japan first where they already had a base and he underwent training there with several other wide eyed recruits. Their training lasted all of a few weeks before they awaited further orders. As it turns out, JJ and the troops that had joined alongside him had come at an opportune time as General MacArthur was already preparing for an invasion to the north. The goal? Inchon. Then Seoul. Liberating South Korea's capital from communist troops and forcing the North Koreans to fight on two fronts, one in Inchon and another near Port Pusan where the allied forces had been cornered. After that? Pyongyang. They'd suffered a humiliating loss when they first entered Korea using old equipment left over from the Second World War. They'd paid dearly for that mistake.

General MacArthur had plans to change their luck however and he fully intended to change their luck entirely to the favor of the allies despite the hopeless feeling they'd had after such a defeat and being cornered and surrounded in Pusan. If JJ had learned anything about General MacArthur, it was that the man was 'larger than life' and was a decorated war hero both from the First World War and when he'd led the fight against Japan. The man wasn't about to let the North Koreans and the communists get away with what happened to them and he planned to invade in Inchon just as he'd directed men to invade Japan. It was a bold move and JJ would be part of it. It was also intensely risky. The port where they were to invade had two states: high and low tides. During high tides, the area was protected by high walls. At low tide, there was mud for several meters making an invasion impossible. It would be the largest naval landing since D-Day and JJ started to feel a renewed sense of pride.

He was terrified, knowing full well just from the vivid and horrific memories of his uncles what he was about to face. And he was scared, but also proud. Even if he'd not joined in the way he should have or despite what occurred before he left, JJ kept wondering his Jae would have been proud of him. He clutched the tooth he'd been given every night, hoping that, if his father was watching over him and he'd not been going crazy that night, Jae was proud. Prouder of him than ever. JJ wanted it to be true. So badly he wanted it to be true. Operation Chromite as MacArthur's plan was named would be a victory. Or JJ desperately hoped it would be. Not because he wanted the glory or the prestige of this operation working. He wanted to be just like Jae and win the day just like his father and his uncles and all the allied troops when they invaded the beaches of Normandy and turn the tides of the war like true heroes. However, there was one key difference: the tides would be their worst enemy and timing would be absolutely crucial. Men had been handpicked for the operation and only the best men were chosen. JJ was honored to be one of them. He would make his father proud.

It was the day before they were set to deploy. JJ had found a few people to hang around during the meal hours but he had a habit of sticking to himself. All he had with him was his father's picture, but he found himself wishing he had a picture of his mom, brother and sister. He missed everyone, but he missed the three of them the most. JJ, at seven in the afternoon their time in Japan, went to a commanding officer and begged for permission to call home. It seemed JJ was not the first or the last to do so and his officer gave him permission, but he had ten minutes just like the others. He was actually relieved when there was actually a line to call family. He had time to breath and think of what to say. He obviously couldn't tell anyone exactly what would happen. All he could do was reassure his mother that he'd fight his hardest and that he'd be okay. The man if front of him was holding a cross between his fingers praying in line and his hands were shaking.

"Who are you calling?" JJ asked, hoping to get the man's mind off things.

"My wife," the man mumbled. "She's staying with my parents, so I'll be able to talk to all of them." He was quiet a moment and seemed saddened. "She's pregnant. We're expecting our first child."

"Congratulations," JJ said. The man smiled weakly but it didn't last.

"I won't be there," the man said. "I'll be here in Asia. I don't even know when I'll come home or how old my child will be when I do."

"So long as you come home, that's all that little kid and his mom will care about," JJ said. "I'm Private JJ Dauer."

"Private Jared Hadley," he said and they shook hands. "What about you? Do you have a wife? Kids? Maybe fiancé or girlfriend?"

"Just a mother, little brother and little sister," JJ said. "And several family members that live nearby. I'm more concerned about talking to mom. When I joined the military, I did it for all the wrong reasons. Figures I don't figure it out until I'm already signed up ready to ship off. She was furious and heartbroken when she found out I was going to war. I just want to let her know I'll be okay."

"Why'd you join?" Private Hadley asked.

"I felt like they didn't need me anymore," JJ said. "My dad, Corporal Jae Dauer, fought in the second world war. He died during the liberation of Paris. It was painful for all of us but mom and I took it the worst I think. So much so that we never really moved on. Or I didn't. Mom met someone that's helped make her feel like herself again and I don't like it. I'm glad she's happy, but I don't like that it's with someone else besides my dad."

"How old were you when you dad died?"

"Fifteen," JJ said. "Dad told me to look after my mom and siblings while he was away. When he died, I took it upon myself to take that responsibility more to heart. I was actually the man of the house and they were my responsibility." JJ was quiet a moment. "It's hard to let go."

"I can imagine," Private Hadley said. "So does the JJ stand for anything?"

"Jay Jacob after my dad and my mom's dad," JJ said. The line moved forward and there was now one guy ahead of Hadley. "Did you and your wife have any names picked out?"

"Clarice if it's a girl, John if it's a boy," Private Hadley smiled. "She was six months along when I left. She'll have the baby by October or November. "Lisa's hoping the baby's born in November like she was."

"Lisa's your wife?"

"Yeah," Private Hadley said. "We got married right after we graduated. High School sweethearts – you know how it goes." JJ smiled at him reassuringly.

"Where are you from?"

"Utah," the man answered. "You?"

"Washington. The state," JJ clarified. Private Hadley smiled at him and held his hand out to JJ.

"Thank you for the reassurance, Dauer," Private Hadley smiled.

"Any time, Hadley," JJ said. Then it was Private Hadley's turn to call home and just based on his voice, Lisa was the first one he got to talk to before speaking with his mother and father. When his time was up, he gave the phone over to JJ so he could call his mother's house number. After one ring, there was an answer.

"Dauer residence," Suerro's voice came on the other end. To keep calm, JJ grabbed a hold of the wolf's tooth and breathed deep.

"Hey, Suerro, it's JJ. What time is it there?"

"It's three in the morning," Suerro said. "Your mother is still awake, so I'll get her." JJ heard the phone be put down on the counter and seconds later, Natalie's voice was on the other line.

"JJ? Honey?"

"Hey mom," JJ said.

"How are you?" Natalie asked. "How did basic training go? Do you know when you're being deployed?"

"Soon," JJ said. "I'm getting deployed soon," JJ continued, keeping his answers vague as he knew he'd be required to anyway. I wanted to be sure to call you before I left."

"I'm glad you did," Natalie said. He could hear his mother's smile and he smiled too. "How did basic training go? Your uncles tell me it's a lot to handle."

"You learn your place real quick; that's for sure," JJ smiled. "I take it Salem and Nesia are in bed?"

"They are," Natalie said. "They're really only letting you call at this hour?"

"Well, it's seven here," JJ said. "Look, mom, I don't really know if I'm allowed to say specifically where I am but I've already reached Asia so I'm a few hours ahead of you."

"I thought you said you hadn't been deployed yet?"

"For Korea," JJ said. "I haven't been deployed for Korea yet. I don't want you to worry too much, mom. I just called because I missed you. Salem and Nesia too."

"We miss you too, honey," Natalie said and JJ could hear a little whimper forming.

"Oh, come on, mom, don't cry," JJ soothed. "I promise I'll be okay."

"JJ, the papers are saying things aren't going well in Korea," Natalie said. "Rumors say we're losing pretty badly in fact."

"We just hit a rough patch, mom. That's all. I can't really go into detail, but we have something up our sleeve. I think we'll be able to get the upper hand."

"I can't remember the last time you've been so optimistic," Natalie said, but she continued. "Just be very careful, okay? I want you home."

"I know, mom," JJ said. "I really am sorry about all those things I said to you and joining the army like this behind your back. No matter how upset I was and no matter how I feel about Suerro, that wasn't fair to you."

"It's okay, JJ," Natalie said. "I don't want to dwell on that now. I just want you to keep focused and be safe."

"Tall order, mom, but I'll do my best," JJ said with a hint of humor, but Natalie wasn't amused.

"I'm serious, JJ," Natalie said. "I'll worry until you're home."

"I know, mom," JJ said. "How has everything else been? Are Salem and Nesia doing alright?"

"They're doing fine," Natalie said. "They miss you a lot."

"Do they really?"

"They do," Natalie said. "Salem says the room feels so lonely when you're not there. He's not used to having a room to himself and he's been having a hard time falling asleep some nights."

"I'd ask to talk to them, but I don't think I should wake them. You'll let them know I called, right?"

"Of course I will," Natalie said.

"Dauer," one officer said. "Ten minutes up."

"Sorry, mom, my ten minutes are up, so I've got to go. I'll talk to you as soon as I can okay?"

"Okay," Natalie answered with a sad tone. "I love you, JJ."

"I love you too mom. Give Salem and Nesia a hug for me."

"I will," Natalie answered. With his commanding officer's impatient reminder of his time up, JJ and Natalie said goodbye and he hung up the phone so the next guy behind him could call.

After hanging up, Natalie put the phone away and felt a chill go down her spine. "He's going to war soon," she finally mumbled. Suerro approached her and stood before her ready to offer whatever she needed from him.

"He's a strong kid, Natalie. Just have faith in him." Natalie looked up at Suerro with her eyes watering. Suerro took her in his arms and held her close while she tried not to cry. "I'll tell you a secret."

"What?"

"Before JJ left," Suerro said, "I was walking along the coast trying to clear my head. I was still furious at the time. While I was walking, an image appeared in the water. Jae as a matter of fact." Natalie looked right up at Suerro suddenly. "He told me to get Taha Aki's tooth from out of the grave."

"What?"

"He told me to retrieve the tooth. So I swam to the island and dug it up. It wasn't so heavy and it was even warm. After I got it out, a raven and blue bird flew to the island and took it away. I think they were giving it to JJ. I think so long as he wears that tooth, he'll be okay."

"How can you be so sure?" Natalie asked.

"Because I don't think for a second Jae would let anything happen to JJ," Suerro said.

Natalie wanted so badly to believe what Suerro was saying, but she had to realize there was still a chance whether she liked it or not. All the same, she had to do as Suerro said and have faith in her son that he'd be okay. Back in Japan after JJ had gotten off the phone, he returned to the bunker ready to just go to sleep right then and there. He stared at the picture of his dad again for courage and grabbed the tooth around his neck for more. He and the others would have a very big day bright and early the next morning.

Two days prior there had begun an onslaught of airstrikes on Inchon in an effort to put a relief of the first wave of Marines that would be going first. The beach was divided into three categories: green, red and blue beach. Green beach was the first target and they'd had to go at exactly the right time when the tides were high enough for the first line of troops to start climbing the sea wall. JJ and the men he advanced with were coming in behind the Marines. It was six in the morning on September 15th when Operation Chromite officially began. Even so far away, JJ could hear the gunfire, the bombs and could smile to smoke and hear screaming. They were in a water tanker that was taking them to the beach, but they would have to wait for the signal from the Marines that it was clear to push forward. Private Hadley was by JJ's side. They'd not spoken to one another, far too nervous now that they were approaching Inchon. Hadley gripped his cross and JJ could see how scared the man was. His terror mirroring JJ's.

"We'll make it, Hadley," JJ whispered. "Hell by the time we get to the beach, the Marines will have those commies pounded so far into the dirt, they'll see hell itself." He hadn't realized others heard him, but evidently they had because there was the briefest laugh that passed through a few of them.

"I don't care if they meet their maker now or later, so long as I don't meet Him today or any time soon," Hadley said. "That goes for all of us."

"Amen," several of them chanted a moment and even JJ chimed it. He held his ancestor's tooth. It felt warm to him which he'd thought strange, but he didn't question it.

"Anyone else here have a dad or family member that fought in Germany?" JJ asked and a few nodded. "Do you think this is what it was like for them when they stormed the beaches of Normandy?"

"If you mean scared shitless, I imagine so," someone said.

"Be prepared!" the officer in command on the boat ordered.

The Marines were victorious in their mission, landing in Green Beach and scaling the sea wall, but then the tides retreated and they were stranded, forced to keep their position until the tides turned and more reinforcements could come it. It would be several hours before the tides would return to their desired height and they would finally be able to get their the other two beaches of the Inchon fort. They had to prepare for a counter attack from the North Koreans, but the counter attach never came and, finally, hours after the first landing, the tides had become favorable and more land troops could invade the beach. Red Beach was concurred next by the Marines and they were met with much the same weak resistance. Only one more beach left.

Blue beach was the next and final beach to concur and was attacked almost simultaneously with Red Beach. But unlike Red Beach where there was little resistance, Blue Beach was another matter. The tides had quite literally turned for the worse. There were high winds and the water thrashed them around causing some to drown and those that did make it to the beach suffered the smoke from the navel assault that the beach had previously suffered before the Marines were sent in. The smoke, combined with the town being up in flames and the rain mixing with all of it made the beach nearly impossible to see. Boats got mixed up and were landing on wrong beaches, but they were left to figure it out and make it work, still encountering little resistance from actual troops. The fire, rain, smoke and tides had been their greatest enemy that day.

Regardless of the problems they'd faced over that two day battle, the allied forces had won the day and continued to push inland, liberating village after village from North Korean invasion still being met with little resistance. Having eventually finally reached the beaches of Inchon and pushing forward with the others, the Marines having taken the brunt of the initial onslaught, JJ was surprised by how little resistance they'd met. Of course, the North Korean troops attention had been largely held elsewhere closer to the Port of Pusan. So the ambush had proven to be a resounding victory. Within eleven days, they'd recaptured the South Korean capital of Seoul.

"I can't believe it," Private Hadley said when he and JJ and several other recruits were sitting together eating their rations the night after they'd made it to Seoul. "We did it. We retook the capital."

"When we get home, you be sure to tell your little girl or boy all about hers or his daddy's valiant march into retaking South Korea," one of the guys said and lifted his canteen to cheer even if all they had was water. When they'd arrived in Seoul and liberated the city, they'd marched through the city feeling as though the war had been all but lost for North Korea. News of the victory had reached Pusan and they prepared to join them all North.

"Cheers to little John or Clarice," JJ said and Hadley appeared touched that JJ had remembered. In the time he'd been marching through Korea with the others, he really had started to feel like a new man. He'd not felt like he belonged in a very long time and he finally felt like he did. It was the best feeling of his life.

"Cheers," everyone agreed and lifted their water filled canteens and drank together.

"You know," Hadley said after they all finished. "I never thought I'd say this, but once you get passed the smoke, it's actually really beautiful here. The mountains are like nothing I've ever seen."

"You should see the mountains in Washington," JJ said. "There are hot springs tucked away and my tribe tells stories of an evil ogres that used to live atop them that would kidnap and eat children until a brave Quileute girl shoved the ogres into the fire and saved the children."

"So do kids find out she's dead when they're younger or older?" someone asked and they laughed.

"I always knew, but that didn't stop us all from being warned against being bad lest we bring the ogres back to life," JJ chuckled. "My grandpa actually claims to know where the ogres' cave hides."

"No shit?" someone said.

"Oh yeah," JJ said. "He showed it to us once. Me and a bunch of us kids. There was a fire bit and gum covered tree branches just like in the story."

"Sounds spooky," someone said.

With Seoul taken and the enemy surrounded, it took nothing for the allied troops to corner and completely defeat the North Korean troops and force them back over the 38th Parallel, making North and South Korea put back where they had started. In truth, the war could have ended there, but MacArthur wanted to push the Allies further, stating that North Korea should pay the penalty for invading the South and desired to crush communism in North Korea with a strong and swift hand, keeping up their momentum.

Of course, news of this harrowing success and good turn of events reached the newspapers in the United States. Since JJ's leaving, Suerro had started getting the paper ever single morning so they all could read it for updates on the efforts in Korea and they had the radio on set to the news constantly hoping they would hear something about what was going on. Suerro and everyone else spoke of this good fortune as a positive in front of Natalie to lift her unnerved spirits. Nathan, Kyle, Embry, Travis and Peta would keep a restrained optimism. They knew better than to assume good fortune meant no lives lost. In New York, Kevin also kept up with the news at all times keeping Amber up to date and informed. Embry continued to visit every weekend. Heather had become his greatest source of relief and playing with the little baby made it possible to forget if only a moment what was going on. He continued to worry about his nephew though.

"Maybe we should have gone with him," Embry said one evening to Kevin while it was just the two of them sitting on the couch together while Amber was feeding Heather and getting her ready for bed in her room.

"It was too sudden," Kevin said. "Besides, the way I understand it, there's no guarantee we would have all gone together."

"We didn't have that guarantee in Europe either, but we made it work," Embry said.

"Still," Kevin stared at his bourbon in the glass feeling a heavy weight on his shoulders that never relented even after all these years. "I should have been the one to go back for Travis. I was the one that dragged all of you into the war. It was my responsibility. Nothing would have happened to Jae if I'd been the one to go after Travis."

"You had no way of knowing," Embry mumbled and swigged his own bourbon down in one gulp and poured himself another glass. "You know, mom nags me that she thinks I have a drinking problem."

"We all have a drinking problem," Kevin groaned and took another sip of his bourbon. "It's called watching your comrades and friends die before your eyes."

"No shit," Embry said and drank more. He replayed the night before JJ enlisted in his head again and felt angry in the blur in his head that was forming. "Should've snapped that boy's neck for what he did," Embry said. "He'd still be in bed recovering now if I had."

"JJ was a ticking bomb," Kevin said. "He's been behaving wrongly for years now, but we never did anything because we always attributed it to losing Jae." Kevin finished his glass and poured more. "We should have all stepped in to help with him."

"Me at the very least," Embry thought somberly. "I'm the one that used to get on Natalie's damn case so much for not giving that boy a firm slap to the face when he spoke out of line. Should've just done it myself. If I had, maybe none of this would have happened. Now all we can do is sit around and wait for either the war to be over or for news to come that JJ's died in the line of action." Embry choked on that last possibility.

He thought back to that day coming to Paris. He remembered Travis' blood curdling scream when he'd been shot in the leg. He remembered watching Jae run like a bat out of hell to Travis and lift him to his feet to force the man to run for cover. He remembered hearing the gunshot first and the blow second. He remembered the look in his little brother's eyes as his life faded away. Terror, sadness, undoubtedly flashes of those he was leaving behind playing before his eyes as a pain unlike any other had ripped through him and he was going cold. He remembered it so vividly. It haunted all of them. Embry started tearing up, practically tossed his glass onto the table nearly spilling it and put his face in his hands. He couldn't do anything but picture it being JJ. Blood on his uniform, fear and regret in his eyes that he'd die overseas and never come home. It was enough to make him sob.

"I should have been the one to step up and take care of them when Jae died. I'm the eldest; it should have been me," Embry cried and Kevin went to his side to rub his back. "I failed, Kevin. My little brother looked in my eyes and he would have pleaded, begged, me to keep his family safe. Look what I did? Stood by while my nephew fell into a depression we couldn't get him out of and now he's overseas where I can't protect him."

Kevin didn't say anything because nothing he said would help. He kept patting Embry's back while he cried. Overhearing the man, Amber ran out with Heather still in her arms. She patted Embry's shoulder and when he looked up, she handed Heather over to him, sound asleep with a peaceful face that Embry couldn't help but envy. She calmed him but he still thought of his nephew. He held Heather close and rocked her back and forth so he could try to calm down but also make sure not to wake her. The troops in Korea were under a more optimistic mindset as most Americans keeping an eye on this war were. They'd truly made a remarkable turnaround and they were extremely proud.

"We're leaving Seoul soon right?" JJ asked Hadley while they were staring up at the stars. After Hadley had mentioned how pretty the scenery was, JJ paid a little more attention and found he agreed. The mountains made him think of home, but they were so different.

"Yeah," Hadley said. "I wrote to Lisa. I doubt I'll get her reply any time soon, but so long as she knows I'm alright."

"October or November right? For the baby?"

"Yeah," Hadley said. "I hope it looks like Lisa. She's very pretty." Hadley pulled out a picture he had of her and showed it to JJ. She was pretty to be sure and her hair was styled for the time.

"You're lucky," JJ said and Hadley put the picture away in his pocket while they stared up at the stars. "I've only got a picture of my dad with me. I wish I'd thought to bring a picture of my mom, brother and sister too." JJ pulled out the picture of his dad and showed it to Hadley.

"Oh wow," Hadley chuckled, "you're the image of your dad for sure. You just don't seem to have his smile."

"I get that a lot," JJ said and accepted back the picture. "I used to apparently. After my dad died, I never really found anything to be happy about."

"The way you talk about him, I'd be a wreck too," Hadley said. "What are your siblings' names?"

"Salem and Nesia," JJ said. "Dad really wanted a lot of kids. Mom put her foot down with Nesia, but they'd still talk about it all the time."

"Three kids sounds like plenty to me," Hadley chuckled. "But then, I'm an only child."

"So you're spoiled is what you're saying?" JJ teased and Hadley chuckled.

"I dare say because I'm an only child my parents were tougher on me. Mom really wanted me to get into engineering but it was just never something I liked. I joined the army because it seemed like the right thing to do. I admit I didn't really know what I wanted to do. Of course, there was still a wife to take care of."

"I work for a General Store," JJ said. "My dad worked there when he was alive and I begged for his job when we found out he'd died. The man who owns the place was going to hand it over to my dad, but he's giving it to me when he retires."

"Sounds like quality job security," Hadley smiled. "At the rate things are going, we'll be home by Christmas."

"Don't jinx it," JJ said. "The higher ups keep saying that and every time they do, it doesn't happen."

"I'll pray for it," Hadley said. "You're an Indian aren't you? Are you religious?"

"My mom's baptized Catholic but the kids and I never were. My grandma's Catholic and my mom and all my uncles are baptized. Uncle Nathan and Uncle Kyle both married Catholics so when they have kids, they'll be baptized. My Uncle Kevin married a Jewish woman. I was mostly raised with my tribe's religion. An awareness of the things around us, a respect for nature and the tricksters. That sort of thing."

"I see," Hadley said. "What about a girlfriend? Or even just someone you were interested in back home."

"I never dated," JJ said. "I never had an interest in anyone at home or in town. I'm a bit of a loner."

"You should change that when you get home," Hadley said encouragingly. "A loving wife does a man good. Take it from me."

"I guess," JJ said. "I don't know if I want to."

"When you find the right girl, you'll want to," Hadley said. "Besides, I'm sure back home you've got a line waiting for you. You're a good looking guy. You probably just never noticed them."

"I doubt it," JJ said. "I'm what you might call a sourpuss. Any girl I speak to my age doesn't really take much interest in me. Never really thought about it."

"Well," Hadley patted JJ's shoulder, "perk up once you're home and give them a winning smile. And not that off putting half smile you'll do. I mean a real smile."

"Yes, dad," JJ teased and made Hadley laugh.

Eventually they were ordered to get to bed and went to the bunkers for the night. Bright and early the next day, JJ and the Allies began their march over the 38thParallel with Pyongyang being their next target. Everything was happening so quickly, only adding fuel to their hubris and hopes for a quick resolution. MacArthur was promising his troops they'd crush North Korea and even have them home for Christmas. It was a wishful thought as all the men missed home and even JJ was beginning to believe it.

"You know what I'm going to do when we get home?" Hadley said to JJ when they were in a tank going down the roads. "I'm going to by my baby the biggest teddy bear I can find and surprise him or her on Christmas day."

JJ smiled a little, "That's a hell of a lot better than seeing Santa."

"I suggest," Hadley said, "to apologize to your poor mother that you get her something really nice. A souvenir from Japan when we stop there. Jade or something."

"How much do you think I'm making exactly?" JJ joked.

"You make the same as me," Hadley said. "And you're not sending your pay home, so I suggest you get her something nice. Or maybe one of those waving cat things we saw in the shops. What was that thing called again?"

"I just called it a waving cat. I'm sure someone told me but I forgot."

"Maneki Neko," Private Jun answered.

"Yeah, that," JJ said.

"Or maybe a silk dress," Hadley suggested. "I'm definitely getting Lisa one of those on our way back. She loves silk."

"You'd have to be insane not to," JJ said. "I have to think of something to get Salem and Nesia too. I'll definitely see about getting Nesia a waving cat. She loves cats. Always wanted one."

"Why didn't you guys get her one?"

"Because I hate cats," JJ said. "They're all snarly and they bite. I think I met one cat in my whole life. It bit me and I had to soak my hand in whiskey. Decided if cats don't like me, then the feeling's mutual."

"Oh, come on," Hadley said. "You probably deserved it."

"That's what Nesia claims," JJ grumbled. "Either way, at the time she'd asked, I was the only one working, so if she wanted anything she needed to come to me. By the time mom was working, she discovered she was allergic to cats, so that crushed Nesia's hopes right there. She's vowed the moment she's old enough, she's getting herself a cat and she has threatened to, quote, 'Rub it in my mean face,' end quote."

Hadley laughed, "Now that I'd pay to see. Cats are great. My grandma had cats so I grew up with them. The key to cats is letting them come to you. They'll greet you when they're ready. Helps if you feed them too. You feed them and they'll be your best friend. You rub their cheeks and chin, they'll purr and love you forever."

"Sure," JJ said skeptically. "I take it you have a cat?"

"Two," Hadley chuckled. "Tommy, our calico, was the first to know Lisa was pregnant. Swear to God. She started feeling under the weather and Tommy would go on her lap and rub his head against her belly while he purred. He was still doing it when I'd left. He'd sit on Lisa's lap and rub up against her belly and purr. Bossley is funny. He's our other cat. Mostly white with a little brown patch on his shoulder. Whenever the baby kicks, Bossley will swat at Lisa's belly where the baby kicked."

"Cute," JJ said.

"I see you're more of a dog person," Hadley joked and JJ smiled a little to himself.

"Never had one myself, but I know I like them," JJ said.

"Give cats a chance; that's all I'm saying," Hadley chuckled. "Your mother has an excuse. Yours seems to be just that you're a grouch."

"Bah Humbug," JJ grumbled and Hadley laughed again. "So what do you think Pyongyang will be like?"

"Cold most likely by the time we get there."

"Is it stupid to say I didn't realize it snowed in Asia? I thought it was always too warm for that."

"I'm told it snows," Hadley said. "It snows here right?" Hadley asked a young South Korean troop, Private Park Min Jun, or just Jun. Jun was one of the South Korean troops they'd come to befriend since they'd made it to Seoul. He was a really young kid. Younger than someone should join the military and definitely younger than JJ and Hadley but he was a good kid. Sharp as a whip and determined.

"Of course it snows," Jun said. His accent was still thick, but he was getting better and better with his English as time went on. "Especially close to mountains."

"You guys don't do Christmas do you?" Hadley said and Jun shook his head. "That's a shame. Christmas at my house was always a lot of fun. My parents will be doing a lot of last minute Christmas shopping trying to find things for the baby."

"Daddy coming home will be the best gift that kid can get," JJ said. "You're not married right, Jun?"

"No," Jun nodded.

"That's alright," Hadley said. "You're young. You've got time."

"Me on the other had evidently needs to 'get on that'," JJ joked.

"You're older," Hadley chuckled. "I'll tell you what, Jun. We'll have a little mini Christmas with you before we get sent back. There will be a lot to celebrate by then."

"That's assuming they don't come back," Jun said.

"They won't," JJ said. "We're making sure of it."

"If they don't, I'll tell my mother to make special batch of kimchi just for you," Jun smiled lightly.

"No thanks. It's got fish in it doesn't it?"

"Of course it does," Jun said. "What's the matter with Fish? Fish is good for you."

"I don't eat fish," JJ said.

"You should see this rabbit eat," Hadley chuckled. "He just pokes at his food and he won't eat meat."

"Why?" Jun asked.

"Just how I grew up," JJ said. "My mom has a lot of food allergies and aversions. She kind of passed that on to me."

"I can't believe you're not a little skeleton the way you eat," Hadley said. "I mean Jun's on the skinny side, but he's got an excuse."

"You flatter me, Jared," Jun said sarcastically. He was a tiny man in height and size growing up in a village where crop production on their farm wasn't always the greatest. "It's all the kimchi."

"Too spicy," Hadley said.

"I offer you white kimchi and you said it was too sour. Make up your mind!" Jun said.

"Make it without fish and then I'll tell you what I think about it," JJ said.

"You Americans are too picky," Jun grumbled.

"I'm not picky," Hadley defended. "I just don't like sour things." Jun mumbled something in Korean likely insulting what he considered Hadley's lack of taste in good food. "Come again, Jun?"

"Nothing," Jun waved dismissively. "JJ."

"Yeah?"

"You have your card deck right?"

"Yeah?"

"Good. Next we get the chance, show me poker again."

A few hours later when they were station near a village they'd recently taken, JJ walked Jun through the rules of poker and Hadley joined them for a game. Three other South Korean troops joined the game after the first few rounds and those that had cigarettes lit up as they all ate their rations. Jun watched JJ it almost horror while he watched JJ do just as Hadley claimed he did and pick around his food only eating certain things before offering what was left to Hadley.

"You keep this up, Dauer, you're going to make me fat," Hadley joked but accepted the ration left over. "Seriously though, that can't be good for you. Aren't you starving?"

"I'm used to it," JJ said. "Honestly, I'm eating a hell of a lot more out in the field than I did back home. Uncle Hailey, my boss, used to threaten to send me home without pay if I didn't eat. I called his bluff once and it was no fucking bluff let me tell you."

"Are you serious?"

"Why would you do that on purpose?" Jun asked.

"It wasn't really on purpose," JJ said. "I was just never hungry."

"How can you not be hungry the way you eat?" Hadley asked.

"You eat the way I did when I didn't have food," Jun scolded.

"Can we please not talk about my eating habits and focus on the game?" JJ said and played his hand of a full house beating everyone that round.

They did eventually drop it and returned to playing another round of poker. Then, by October 20th, they'd finally reached and concurred the North Korean capital city Pyongyang. It was another easy victory for them with their brute force and heavy artillery. When they got there, it was another big city, but there were pictures of Kim Il Sung absolutely everywhere exalting the man as phenomenal in every way possible. At least according to Jun.

"What's so great about him?" JJ asked Jun while they were walking through Pyongyang after it had been concurred.

"I don't really know," Jun said. "I can always ask the captured, but I doubt they tell us anything."

"Doesn't really matter I guess," JJ said. "After this we'll keep pushing forward."

"I don't know if we should," Jun mumbled a little. "China hasn't gotten involved yet, but if they do, we'll be fighting a dragon."

"Literally or figuratively?" JJ asked.

"He means figuratively JJ," Hadley smiled. "Besides, unifying Korea again means concurring all of the north. Even if it means concurring the last rock atop that giant mountain."

"I don't think you understand what we might be up against," Jun said cautiously. "We all suffered Japan's imperialist oppression. I was barely old enough to remember, but my parents remember. Vividly. And China got it so much worse than we did. I'm worried they'll see it as a direct threat to them and China won't tolerate imperialist oppression ever again. I'd wager my pay on that."

"They'd rather deal with us than Japan," Hadley said.

"They certainly won't see it that way," JJ sighed. "Let's just hope we stop with Korea and call it a day. Being home by Christmas is sounding like a happy proposition."

"Stop, JJ, you're making me daydream," Hadley smiled fondly.

Unfortunately, Jun was right to be worried. General MacArthur fully intended to push through to the Yalu River where North Korea bordered China. Before they could reach that goal, China officially joined the war on the side of North Korea. What they may have lacked in technology they made up for in sheer numbers. All hopes of being home by Christmas were dashed almost overnight no matter how hard they fought.

"This is what I was afraid of," Jun said while several men were huddled together near a fire. They'd managed to retreat one assault but they knew full well there would be another. Hadley, who'd been so elated before, was solemn and unnerved. His baby, Clarice or John, were almost certainly born by now. His greatest fear was never getting to meet him or her or never even knowing who they were.

"We'll get through this," JJ said, more so to reassure Hadley. "They may have numbers, but we still have better weapons."

"All the good it's done us so far," Hadley mumbled. "We were doing so well and now this."

"It's just a hiccup," JJ kept trying to lift his spirits. Jun didn't say anything and just stared at the fire. It was light out but the sun was going down. They'd have to put out the fire soon and they sure as shit weren't looking forward to it. It hadn't started snowing yet, but it was starting to get cold. And Jun hadn't been kidding about the mountains being a little colder.

While they were there, they started hearing gunshots and bombs going off. After a string of expletives from the men, they put out the fire, got their guns and prepared for the worst. They took cover where they could so they could recollect themselves and get prepared. While JJ was loading his gun, he heard a shot fire closer to him that was comfortable and aimed where he'd heard the shot, fired, and took care of the problem with a bullet through the guy's eye. He'd gotten much better at it, but that still left a sinking feeling in his throat every time it happened.

The first time he'd shot and killed someone, it was almost enough to make him throw up. It was a strange and undesirable feeling of having a person's life in your hands but never wanting that kind of power. Especially when the ones you faced had the same power to do the same to you. He glanced towards Hadley who was getting his gun aimed. Then he glanced at Jun who was doing the same thing. They moved to another safe spot and did the same thing, following a pattern trying to kill as many as they could. They reached one point of cover and were loading their guns when a grenade landed near them.

"Run!" JJ screamed and they ran as fast as they could narrowly avoiding the worst of the blast under another area of cover. They tried running for cover again when a gunshot and JJ heard a man scream and then fall over. He looked back and saw Hadley on the ground shot in the side. "Hadley!" JJ yelled.

"JJ don't!" Jun yelled and tried aiming, but he got a gunshot to the shoulder and fell. JJ feared he might be dead and focused on Hadley.

"Fuck, Hadley, talk to me!"

"Not really in a condition to tell you a bedtime story!" Hadley yelled as JJ turned him on his back. It wasn't fatal. JJ knew that at least. He aimed his gun and managed to shoot two more opposing soldiers giving them some relief.

"Good, you have the strength to be sarcastic," JJ said and started trying to address the wound with what little medical knowledge he had from being in Uncle Kyle's head. "I'll try to fix this and we'll make a run for it."

"With what medical training?!"

"Do you see any medics?" JJ yelled and, seeing someone aiming at them, shot at the other person and made them go down. "Unless you do, I'm your only option here."

"I don't like my options," Hadley said while JJ started by removing the bullet with his army knife. With nothing to cauterize it, JJ tore off some of Hadley's uniform and stuffed the wound to help stop the bleeding, then shot down another enemy. Hadley had not taken the procedure quietly. "Sweet Mary mother of God," Hadley was practically crying.

"It'll do until I can get you to a M.A.S.H.," JJ said. "Help me." JJ got Hadley onto his feet and started making a run for it. Jun's eyes were closed and, with regret, JJ had to go past him.

They managed to keep running until they happened upon a small clutch that were fighting off some Chinese and North Korean troops. JJ shot at the enemy troops relieving his comrades and they all continued to retreat. JJ made a turn where he knew a tank was so they might be able to get on, but at the sound of a gunshot, he felt the excruciating pain of a bullet ripping through his throat and the force alone was enough to make him fall to the ground. He could hear Hadley yelling at him and even heard his own gun going off, but he couldn't move and his throat was in so much pain. He couldn't breathe and he couldn't feel his body. Hadley, once he was able, turned JJ over onto his back, but he still couldn't breathe and all he tasted was blood.

He heard Hadley screaming but his vision was fading. He thought he heard something beating but he didn't know where it was coming from. He also felt like there was something warm beneath him but he could only feel it from his chin. It dawned on him he was paralyzed. Hadley started shooting again and he felt Hadley trying to drag JJ away. JJ heard a wolf's growl and he moved the only thing he could. His eyes. They stopped moving a moment as Hadley desperately tried to collect himself from his own pain while JJ saw a wolf. It was a grey wolf that was impossibly large. One of the pack? No. It couldn't be. No one looked like this wolf. And he appeared faded somehow. Hadley didn't appear to notice the wolf but it kept coming closer. It's human eyes stared into his and, suddenly, he realized the beating and warm feeling was from the tooth. Even so, it hurt so bad and he still couldn't breathe. After trying to keep his eyes open, the lack of being able to breathe was too much, his eyes kept getting heavy, and he finally closed them.

Back home, the papers had to relay the news that their initial good luck had run out and they'd been pushed back by the Chinese. The only solace they had was that they weren't getting any word that JJ was harmed or dead. Of course, they weren't getting word that he was safe either and that was just as bad. JJ hadn't shifted at all at any point during his time overseas unlike how his father and uncles had done and it had Natalie all the more worried.

"So much for sending by son home by Christmas," Natalie said after they'd listened to the news finding out the Allied forces had been pushed back behind the 38th Parallel.

"So long as he comes home," Suerro said. "That's the important thing."

"I know," Natalie said. "I just wish I could know he was okay. I know they can't, but I wish he could call me so I could hear his voice."

"Me too," Salem said sorrowfully. "I wish we could send him something."

"I'm sure we can once he's settled back somewhere," Suerro said. "If there's any good thing about them being back past the border, JJ will be somewhere we can reach him."

"How will we know though?" Salem asked.

"He'll write," Suerro said. "I'm sure of that at least."

"What if he doesn't?" Natalie asked. Suerro knew what she meant and held her.

"JJ will come home, Natalie," Suerro said. "I didn't dig back up that tooth for nothing."

"Good thing you didn't tell JJ you'd gotten it for him," Salem said.

"I'd shove it down his throat if I had to," Suerro said with irritation but took a moment to calm himself. "I just hope when he comes home we can finally bury the hatchet."

"I hope so," Natalie said. "Maybe we'll at least know where he is by Christmas and we can send him something."

Suerro nodded his head and hugged Natalie a little tighter for a moment to help sooth her. With the turn of events, Embry wasn't visiting New York as often as he'd hoped, but Kevin and Amber had decided they would come home sooner. Alphonse was happy to go to New York in his place and just stay longer than anticipated that way Kevin could be home with his family. They were home by Hanukah and just in time for Ivory to get on a train and come to Washington to visit. Nathan, when at the train station with Ada María and all his other children, put on a big smile when Ivory got off the train and ran right for him nearly leaping into his arms when he kneeled down.

"Daddy!" Ivory said as she approached him and when she was in his arms, Nathan stood up taking her with him.

"How's my baby girl?" Nathan asked and kissed her cheek. "I missed you a whole lot."

"I missed you too, daddy," Ivory said and hugged him tight.

"Ariel, go get your sister's luggage?" Nathan asked and Ariel went back to the train to find out where Ivory's things were and get them. "So how'd that little army knife I gave you work out for you?" Nathan asked. It was the first time Ivory was traveling alone and Nathan insisted she had something with her when she traveled.

"Not a soul bothered me, daddy," Ivory giggled.

"Good," Nathan said and patted her back. Ariel came back with one suitcase and they all started getting to the giant truck to get home. Ariel, Gabriel and Ada María sat in the bed of the truck with the back window wide open while Scarlet sat in the front with Jaedynn in her lap and Ivory sitting between here and Nathan. "So guess what," he said, wanting to make sure the topic was taken care of.

"What?"

"Your cousin JJ's fighting in Korea," Nathan said.

"He's a soldier like you?"

"Yeah, Ivory, just like me," Nathan said. "Well, let's hope not just like me. Between you and me, daddy wasn't always very nice when he was overseas."

"It's okay, daddy," Ivory said reassuringly though not really grasping what exactly he was really referring to and he preferred it that way.

"So how's school? Your mom still your primary teacher?"

"No, mommy teaches the younger kids. I'm a big kid now! That means I get to take classes with the big kids!"

"You're right; forgive my mistake," Nathan chuckled and petted Ivory's head. "You're certainly starting to talk like a big kid. That's my fault though." Ivory giggled and hugged Nathan.

"It's okay, daddy."

"No, it's not okay. Your mom called me yelling at me because you swore at your fucking teacher." Ada María pinched Nathan's ear and made Ivory laugh.

"Daddy, I didn't swear at my teacher. She pointed the ruler at me and said at the end of this ruler is an idiot and I just asked which end." Ariel and Gabriel both laughed and Nathan did too.

"Your mom still wasn't too happy about that," Nathan said. "Good thing your teacher called me when you said ass in class."

"Yes, and you yelled at the poor woman," Scarlet said.

"I did not yell at her," Nathan said. "She said Ivory had said A in class. She did not specify Ivory swore in class."

"Daddy, your exact words to this woman were, 'I don't mean to be an A or a B, but sounds to me like you're a C that just needs a good F.' I was standing right there when you said it."

"Well, she was being a bitch," Nathan said and Ada María pinched Nathan's ear again.

"Yeah, she was just being a bitch," Ivory said and Ada María reached into the cabin of the car through the window and spanked Ivory right on her butt.

"Language, mija," Ada María said firmly.

"Sorry, Ada," Ivory said while snuggling up to Nathan and hugging him. When they arrived back at the tribe, they went to Jacob's and Renesmee's house so Ivory could see her grandparents and Suerro and Natalie were there.

"This is Ivory?" Suerro asked while Natalie hugged her niece.

"Yeah," Natalie said. "Ivory, this is Suerro Rouge."

"Hello," Ivory said shyly.

"Hello, Ivory. I've heard a lot about you. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I heard about a nice handful of your stunts." Ivory smiled a little, becoming a little more comfortable before Natalie put the little girl back down. "Did you come alone?"

"Yup," Ivory smiled proudly. "Rode the train all by myself. Daddy gave me his army knife and told me if anyone I don't know tries anything to put it to good use." Suerro looked up at Nathan.

"They don't have pepper spray in Nevada?"

"Mommy gave me pepper spray," Ivory said.

"No danger then," Suerro smiled at the little girl.

"So anything new since we left?" Nathan asked.

"No," Natalie said. "Just more news of the troops being back in Seoul and near the 38th Parallel."

"Daddy, what's the 38th Parallel?" Ivory asked.

"It's the artificial border that separates North and South Korea," Nathan said.

"Why are they separated?"

"One side's communist, the other side is capitalist," Nathan said. "So I'll bet you're hungry."

Ivory nodded eagerly and went to the table where Renesmee had already prepared dinner for those that were eating. While they sat down together, Scarlet had started eating but was then not feeling good and stopped, putting her head in her hand and closing her eyes.

"You alright, Scarlet?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah," Scarlet said. "Just my stomach acting up." There was a brief silence between them while Scarlet rubbed her stomach. They'd found out, shortly after Kai had left. She wasn't really showing very much, but they knew.

"Kyle, you're doing another check up this weekend right?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah," Kyle nodded. "She's doing fine, Nathan. You can relax a little."

"I'll relax when I smack Kai right in the face," Nathan grumbled.

"Daddy, honestly," Scarlet sighed. "Are you really anyone to talk?" Nathan didn't say anything and just poked his food. "We'll tell Kai as soon as he gets back."

"And when will that be?" Nathan said.

"Soon," Scarlet shrugged. "He said he was going to Hawaii and then coming back. Unless he's slowed down by the Navy or something, I'm sure he'll be back soon."

"Alright," Nathan said.

"What's the matter?" Ivory asked.

"Oh, right, we didn't tell you," Scarlet said. "You're going to be an Aunt, Ivory. I'm pregnant."

"Really?!" Ivory smiled and went around the table and tried touching Scarlet's belly, but she didn't feel anything. "The baby's not kicking."

"No, not right now," Scarlet said. "Don't worry, the moment I feel a kick, I'll come grab you so you can feel." Ivory cheered and hugged Scarlet.

"Daddy, have you felt it yet?" Ivory asked.

"Once or twice," Nathan said.

"Are you excited to be a grandpa?" Scarlet asked and Nathan smiled a little.

"First one to have kids, may as well be the first one to have grandkids," Nathan smiled and gently touched Scarlet's face briefly. "Don't worry, Scarlet. Like I said, I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at Kai, but I'm not mad at you."

"It's not like he knew when he left," Scarlet said. "I certainly didn't."

"I guess," Nathan sighed.

"What's the baby's name?" Ivory asked.

"Well," Scarlet said, "If it's a girl, I'm naming her Luana after her grandma. If it's a boy, I think I'll name him Aulani after his daddy."

"I thought Aulani was his last name," Nathan said.

"No, Aulani is part of his name. He just goes by Kai," Scarlet said and rubbed. Then she felt a very gentle kick and grabbed Ivory's hand so she could feel the kick and her face lit up.

"When will the baby be here?" Ivory asked.

"April," Scarlet said. "Right Uncle Kyle?"

"March/April, somewhere in there," Kyle said.

"So Kyle," Renesmee started.

"It'll happen when it happens, mom," Kyle said before she could even ask the question. Evalina smiled gently and patted Kyle's shoulder. She'd continued to be patient with him while he kept putting off starting a family. They were so close to finishing the hospital. In fact, they were due to start operation around when Scarlet's baby was due. But Kyle was starting to say 'it'll happen when it happens' rather than 'when the hospital opens'.

"Come on, Kyle, stop putting it off," Nathan said. "You're giving our mom grey hairs from your stubbornness." Jacob hit Nathan's shoulder.

"Don't say things like that. Your mother isn't getting gray hairs," Jacob said.

"Thank you," Renesmee said smiling appreciatively.

"She's getting pushy and impatient, but she's not getting grays," Jacob said and Renesmee hit his arm while he laughed. She was even smiling a little.

"And you're turning into a curmudgeon old man," Renesmee joked back.

"Jesus, you two fight like an old married couple," Suerro chuckled.

"We've been married 47 years," Jacob said. "What do you want from us?"

"Has it really been that long?" Nathan asked. "What should we do when the two of you finally reach your fiftieth anniversary?"

"That's between me and your mother," Jacob said.

Around that time, Kevin and Amber were getting the house decorated for Hanukah and every night of Hanukah, they went to her parents' house just down the street to sing and light the candles together. Kevin thought for a change he and Amber could host Christmas, so they all spent the weekend before Christmas Day at Kevin's house getting the tree ready. Nathan had already finished shopping for Ivory and Jaedynn, so he went ahead and brought them with into the city to get a few last minute presents. He was carrying most of the bags, but Ivory and Jaedynn carried one or two while they walked down the street together. While they were walking, they past a little shop in particular that caught Ivory's eye and made her stop to stare into the window. It was a moment before Nathan finally noticed and looked back, stopping Jaedynn when he did.

"Ivory, what are you looking at?" he asked.

"Daddy, look! Look at the puppy!" Ivory said. Nathan sighed and went to the shop window with Jaedynn following behind him. When he got to the window, he saw what had grabbed Ivory's attention.

It was a tiny puppy with a short grey coat and a mostly square face and short floppy ears with the fastest wagging tale Nathan had ever seen. The puppy had a strong posture with tiny blue eyes and a white patch on its chest. When Ivory was staring into the window at the puppy, it – or she – got onto her hind legs with her white paws pressed against the window. The sign said it was an Pit-bull Terrier and even showed an old WW1 recruitment poster with a pit-bull wearing an American flag as a collar.

"Daddy, isn't she cute?" Ivory asked.

"She's a cute puppy," Nathan said. "Unfortunately, puppies always turn into dogs."

"Daddy, can we get her?" Ivory asked.

"No, Ivory," Nathan said. "A puppy is a big responsibility. It's like adopting a kid."

"I can be responsible!" Ivory pressed. "I help mommy take care of our dragons."

"Honey, lizards and dogs are not the same thing. Lizards are more self sufficient. Dogs are pack animals and require a lot of attention."

"I'll give her all the attention!" Ivory insisted.

"Ivory, we aren't getting a puppy," Nathan said.

"Please daddy?" Jaedynn started chiming in and the two little girls stared up at him with wide, hopeful eyes and virtually the exact same pout.

"Please, daddy?" Ivory said. After so many years, this shouldn't work. Ivory had clearly been training Jaedynn because she was copying her sister's face exactly. But damn it if that face with a sweetly worded 'please' didn't turn him to mush each and every time. Finally, Nathan sighed heavily and went to the door of the pet shop.

"Yeah!" Ivory cheered.

"I haven't said yes yet," Nathan grumbled as he was opening the door to the shop with his little girls chasing after him.

A few hours later, Nathan walked into Kevin's house holding bags and bags of dog toys while Ivory was holding the little pit-bull puppy in her arms with a look of victory in her smile. Everyone was talking around the fireplace and the tree when they walked in and they saw the dog.

"Kevin?" Amber looked right at him, but Nathan spoke.

"Don't worry, she's not for you," Nathan said.

"Daddy bought us a puppy!" Ivory announced. "I named her Cinderella!"

"Or Cindy," Nathan said.

"And does Tamara know you just bought Ivory a puppy?" Ada María asked.

"I haven't really had a chance to tell her," Nathan said.

"Isn't she cute?!" Ivory said showing the puppy to Ada María. She accepted the puppy to hold her and the puppy, Cindy, started licking her chin and Ada María grinned a little.

"Yes, mija, she's precious," Ada María said.

"Is that a Pit?" Ariel asked, requesting to take the puppy from his mom and holding her once he had Cindy.

"Yup," Nathan said.

"You know, apparently they make good guard dogs. They've got jaws that can crush bone."

"I have jaws that can crush bone," Nathan grumbled, knowing full well how suckered he'd just been. Even if Cindy was precious, he'd basically adopted another child. "Ivory, why don't you go ahead and call your mom. It's almost four."

"Okay," Ivory said and went to the phone. Amber dialed the number for Ivory while Ariel put the puppy down. Of course, there was no time to relax as the puppy started to squat, so Nathan yelled 'no!' and grabbed the puppy to take her outside. Amber rushed to the spot to make sure it wasn't soiled, but Nathan had managed to get the puppy outside before she peed or pooped on the couch.

"Okay," Amber sighed with relief. "Kevin, do we have any newspapers we can make the dog use?"

"Sure, I'll grab some," Kevin got up from where he'd been sitting and got the newspaper. In the meantime, Ivory was talking to her mom and Nathan came in just in time.

"Mommy, guess what! Daddy got me a puppy!" There was a silence while she listened. "Yeah! It's a pit-bull puppy. Her name is Cinderella. Daddy says we should call her Cindy." There was another moment of silence and she looked at Nathan. "Daddy, mommy asked to talk to you."

"Sure," Nathan said. "Ariel, hold Cindy." Nathan handed the puppy over to Ariel and he started scratching Cindy's belly and letting her lick him while Ivory went to the living room so she could also play with the puppy. Nathan picked up the phone and brought it to his ear. "Hey, Tamara."

"You fell for the puppy dog eyes again didn't you," she said with slight irritation.

"Yes, Tamara," Nathan said.

"Nathan, she can't bring a puppy here. I don't want a dog."

"I know, Tamara, I know," Nathan said. "The puppy can stay with me."

"That's not fair to Ivory, Nathan," Tamara said. "Does she understand she has to let you keep the dog with you?"

"Yes, I did explain that," Nathan said.

"And was she listening to you when you told her that or had you already handed over the puppy and completely lost her attention?" Nathan was quiet but that was all the answer Tamara needed. "That's what I thought," she sighed.

"Tamara, relax, I'll make sure she understands the puppy has to stay here with us," Nathan said. "I already resigned myself to the fact that I'll be the one taking care of Cindy."

"As long as you understand that," Tamara said. "Go ahead and put Ivory back on the phone?"

"Sure," Nathan said. "Ivory, come talk to you mom."

Ivory nodded and ran back to the phone which Nathan handed to her and she spoke with Tamara a while longer. Amber got the little newspaper potty space ready for Cindy, but the moment Cindy s much as started sniffing a spot for too long, Nathan would take the puppy outside to pee or poop in the snow. Cindy didn't much care for the snow since the cold didn't feel good on her little paws, but she had to learn eventually and better now than never. Natalie was heartbroken that they'd not received any word of JJ's current, more permanent location by the time it was Christmas, so they weren't able to send him anything, but there were still presents under the tree for him that Natalie had gotten. Kevin told Natalie he'd save the presents at his house so that when JJ did finally come home, they could give him all his presents at once. The thought finally made Natalie smile and she agreed that sounded like a wonderful idea.

Since JJ's leaving, Suerro became a much more prominent part of Natalie's family. He'd gone east for a little bit as he promised, but only long enough to inform his coven of the most recent goings on, including JJ's leaving, and that he'd introduce them to Natalie when the time was finally right. I.e. when JJ returned home. Since it had become obvious Suerro was staying with the tribe for good, Renesmee thought it would be excellent for Suerro to be more involved with the tribe in the form of acting as a teacher for the school. The school they'd finally built was relatively small, big enough to accommodate all the kids in the tribe and between her, Rosalie and Edward, they easily had a French teacher, Math and science teacher, English teacher and everything in between, but Renesmee was the only one of them that spoke Quileute. It had become extremely commonplace within the tribe for everyone to just speak English which, though he didn't voice it, bothered Jacob a lot and Renesmee knew it did. So she decided Suerro would be an excellent candidate to be a Quileute teacher for the school. Given that he also spoke French, he would be helpful in that realm as well and Suerro happily agreed to the role. He'd even effectively moved into Natalie's house, but he didn't share her bed. He always remained on the couch downstairs. He'd make them all breakfast lunch and dinner as well and this was always done while listening to the news either on radio or on the new TV Suerro had gotten them for Christmas, desperate for any news at all that they could get about the war.

His eyes were so heavy and his body felt like led. The smell of gunpowder still filled the air, but the sound of gunfire had ceased it seemed. His hands were above his head and he could feel they were tied with rope. JJ finally opened his eyes and couldn't believe he was alive. He could breath and he could feel his body again, but what he could feel now was the rope around his wrists and his butt dragging along the cold dirt. He kept forcing his eyes open and when he did, he recognized the uniforms of North Korean and Chinese troops. His eyes shot open with no trouble now as he looked around trying to reorient himself as it sunk in exactly what was going on. He was captured by the enemy and being taken to God only knew where. He saw two other Allied troops in the same condition as him, Hadley included. He was alive, but he'd lost consciousness clearly. JJ kept looking around and saw a small handful of South Korean troops that were being carried far more gingerly and with more care than JJ and his white allied troops. Jun was among those being carried, still unconscious.

"너 깨어?" (neo kkaeeo?) a voice came and JJ looked up at a North Korean troop that had been marching behind JJ. He didn't understand what he'd said and he didn't understand what came afterwards. "좋은. 너는 유용 할거야." (joh-eun. neoneun yuyong halgeoya.)

JJ started panicking, not understanding his captures but having a good idea what they planned to do to him. He started trying to fight but the soldier that had been talking to him hit him in the nose with the butt of his gun right in the face and making JJ lose consciousness again. He didn't finally come to until they'd reached what looked like a settlement where there were North Korean and Chinese troops as well as women that were occupied with different tasks though still wearing the winter uniforms. It had taken JJ to realize those were women in the first place. By the time JJ had the strength to try and fight again, he'd been tossed into what could only be described as a shitty tiger cage with several others, Hadley included. A soldier appeared to be assigned to watch then and he kept a very close eye on them with his gun drawn and out.

"Where the fuck are we?" JJ asked the soldier as he took a second to make sure his nose was still intact, but the soldier would not answer him. "I said where are we?!" JJ yelled.

"조용한!" (Joyounghan!) the man yelled back and hit the cage with his gun making JJ back away.

"Don't push your luck with them, JJ. They're feisty little fucks and they don't like questions." JJ turned around in surprise, not knowing the voice that had spoken to him, and saw a man he'd seen only in Travis' mind. He had a busted lip that looked like it was healing.

"How do you know my name?" JJ asked.

"I knew your dad," the man said. "You look exactly like him, so I put two and two together. Although, I'd be lying if I said you didn't make me nearly shit my pants for a moment."

"Wait, who are you?"

"Sergeant Oscar Barker," he answered. "I was part of the same company as your dad when we fought in Europe. I'll tell you what: I'll take Europe over this shit any day."

"Where are we?"

"In North Korea," Oscar answered. "Where we are in comparison to Pyongyang, I don't know but I think that's where they're taking us."

"Why?"

"We're POWs kid," Oscar said. "They probably want to question us or torture us or both. They were asking me things, but I wouldn't answer and they gave up. At least for the time being. Between you and me, their English isn't worth shit. Even if I had told them anything, they wouldn't understand it. They probably need to take us to someone that can actually speak English."

"Oh shit," JJ mumbled.

"Yeah, oh shit," Oscar said.

"Oh fuck!" JJ said.

"Yeah, that too," Oscar replied.

"What the fuck do we do? We have to get out of here," JJ said.

"If you've got any plans, kid, then I'm all ears," Oscar said. "Just keep in mind you've got a few wounded that you need to contend with. Unless you plan to abandon us."

"Like you wouldn't have in a heartbeat," JJ snarled and went to Hadley to check on him.

Oscar chuckled a little under his breath, "I see your cousin Travis told you a little about me." JJ didn't answer while he checked Hadley's wound. He was shocked to find, while it wasn't fully healed, the bleeding had not only stopped completely but was on the way to healing and doing so very well.

"Thought I'd lost you, buddy," JJ sighed a breath of relief and patted Hadley's shoulder.

"Friend of yours I take it?"

"Hadley and I were on a lot of missions together and we got deployed together. We've become kind of close these past few months. His wife just had a baby and I want to make sure he goes home to his kid."

"Fair enough," Oscar said. "Shouldn't make promises to the man you can't keep, though. Better to be honest than wrongfully get one's hopes up."

"Yes, I'm aware how you treated my cousin," JJ said with a hint of bitterness.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Oscar sighed. "I'm the shithead because I was blunt."

"Keep it up and I might just shoot you on Uncle Embry's behalf," JJ said and turned Hadley so he was on his back. He gently patted the man's face until he was finally starting to stir. "Jared. Jared, can you hear me?"

"JJ?" Hadley mumbled.

"Yeah, it's me," JJ said. Hadley opened his eyes and saw the dried blood on JJ's neck and mouth then remembered what happened and his eyes went wide.

"How did…I thought they got you in the throat. I was trying to drag you to safety but I thought you were a goner."

"Don't worry about me," JJ said. He'd not thought about how he'd been able to survive and, frankly, he wasn't about to look a gift wolf in the mouth even if they were currently in an enemy POW camp. "How's your side feeling?" Hadley looked down where he'd been shot and only felt a slight ache.

"Holy shit," he mumbled. "I don't know what you did, but it's better than it was."

"Good," JJ sighed a breath of relief. "Good. So long as you're okay. Now I can deliver the bad news."

"What bad –" Hadley started but then the butt of a gun slammed into the cage they were held in with their guard screaming something at them in Korean. "Oh, fuck me," he mumbled. "We're.."

"Yeah," JJ said. "Don't worry; we'll get out of here."

Oscar chuckled a little, "Come up with a plan, did you?"

"Not yet," JJ said. "But I'll think of something."

"Good luck with that," Oscar said. "These vipers are vicious. You'll need all the luck you can get." JJ sneered at Oscar but said nothing as he looked around the cage. There were two other prisoners with them that he knew from his company. Then he looked at Oscar.

"Where are the men you were captured with? Were you alone?"

"Dead," Oscar said. "I was captured with one other guy, but he'd gotten a bullet to the gut and didn't last long."

"Shit," JJ shuddered and helped Hadley sit up. "Davis, Clyde, are you guys alright?" he asked the two other guys in the cell with them.

"I can move if that's worth anything," Davis answered.

"Banged up, but I'll live," Clyde answered.

"Okay, good," JJ said. "Barker, I need to know whatever you can tell me."

"We're in hell?"

"Damn it, Barker!" the cage rattled again with a bang from the butt of the gun against the cage. Eventually he stopped looking at them, so JJ stared at Oscar. "You might be content to die, but the rest of us sure as shit aren't. We'll figure this out ourselves if we have to, but it would be a lot more helpful if you just cooperated."

"Kid, I don't know much more than you do," Oscar said. "All I've been able to figure out is they're taking us to Pyongyang."

"Should we wait until we get to Pyongyang?" Clyde asked. "We'll at least be closer to the border that way."

"It'll be more heavily armed," Davis pointed out. "I say we get the fuck out of here as soon as we can."

"Yeah, but how do we make sure we get back to South Korea without getting lost or caught?" Hadley asked. "It's not exactly like we can ask for directions."

"Maybe Jun can help us," JJ said. "It looks like they're nursing him back to health. Once he's well –"

"He won't help," Oscar said. "Why do you think they're nursing him back to health at all? There's a catch to their generosity. They don't see South Koreans as prisoners of war. They see them as 'liberated comrades' and they're going to re-educate him to love communism and the 'Great Leader'."

"Not Jun," JJ said. "He's too smart for that shit."

"It's either that or they kill him for not cooperating," Oscar said. "He'll either be on their side or dead for his lack of understanding for Kim Il Sung's greatness."

"Shit," JJ grumbled. "We'll just have to get to him somehow."

"You able to do that thing your Uncle Kevin can do?" Oscar asked.

"No, but-"

"No but. What's plan B?"

"I don't know yet," JJ said. "I'll think of something."

"First, we need to get a handle of where we are," Clyde spoke up. "From there, we can observe these assholes and find a weak point in their guard."

"That'll take a while," Oscar said. "It's not always this little shit, but there is always someone guarding us without fail and there's always men patrolling the perimeter. We'll need a plan, but we'll need a fuck ton of luck on our side too."

"Do any of the people guarding us turn out to be South Korean troops? Or former ones?"

"Not to my knowledge," Oscar said. "They tend to take it easy on the South Korean troops so long as they cooperate."

"I say we at least try getting to Jun," Hadley said.

"Even if he were willing to help us, they'd never let him near," Oscar said. "We're never not being watched."

"That's assuming Jun even makes it," Clyde said. "When I did see him, that shot looked really bad."

"Can't even ask if he's okay," Hadley mumbled remorsefully. Even if their current guard spoke any English, he'd never tell them anything. "Poor kid. I don't think he was even eighteen."

"Don't talk about him in past tense, Jared," JJ said. "It's bad luck."

"You're right; I'm sorry," Hadley said. "I assume when it's nightfall, we're just going to have to huddle together like little hamsters to keep warm?"

"Don't worry, I won't bite," Oscar said. "Unless you ask me to."

"Not now, Barker," JJ said and they all huddled together to keep warm.

JJ and the others made a point to keep their eyes peeled for anything that might help them. JJ was able to see Jun, but he was on a stretcher and was being tended to by a few nurses on the camp. They never came anywhere near them so they were of no help. By the time the sun had gone down, it had gotten much colder and they stayed close to one another. They were given some food, but it was a tiny cup of what JJ assumed was rice porridge, but it smelled weird and JJ refused to eat it. He wasn't hungry enough to eat something he was convinced had been tampered with and when JJ refused to eat it, the others weren't keen on eating it either, so they kicked it out of the cage, suffered a moment of their guard yelling at them and didn't eat dinner that night. They were woken up the next morning with a boot against their cage and more suspicious smelling porridge that JJ continued to refuse to eat. The others refused too, but JJ wasn't sure how long that would last. Piss in one's porridge might not be so bad when one is hungry enough.

"We may need to suck it up and eat whatever they're giving us," Hadley said when it was approaching noon and he was really beginning to feel hungry. "Especially if we want any hope of getting back."

"Honestly, I trust the hound dog's nose," Oscar said, him and JJ being the only ones that got the joke. "Hadley's right, though. If you're wanting out of here, we'd better got on that before we starve to death. Any plan yet?"

"Nothing's come to me, yet," JJ mumbled.

"Something had better come to you soon," Oscar said.

JJ leered at Oscar before looking outside the cage they were being kept in. He'd thought they would be traveling for Pyongyang, but they weren't removed from the cage. Not for anything. Another day went by without anything happening outside of their guards rotating and sometimes food being brought. It seemed like they were waiting for something. JJ saw that Jun had finally woken up, but he wasn't in good shape from what he could see. JJ kept thinking about home, just as the others almost certainly did, knowing there was now an even higher likelihood they'd never return. JJ thought about his mom and how hurt she'd be if he never came home. He knew full well he was out of line when he implied she could replace him. He'd known better even when he said it. He could never take it back no matter how many times he said he was sorry. Now it seemed as though that would be one of her last memories of him if he didn't get out of here. But he didn't know what to do. One wrong move, and they'd likely be killed without hesitation. If they waited, they'd either die of starvation or be tortured to death. Their options were bleak no matter what.

There were pictures of Kim Il Sung everywhere in the camp. It was unsettling; as though 'the great leader' was always watching you. JJ suspected that was the whole point: make them believe he was always watching as though he were a god in human form. From memories his uncles had from entering Germany after winning the war, JJ wasn't even sure Adolf Hitler had made his people stare at his face so damn much. On the third day of no eating and nothing coming to him, JJ was beginning to actually feel hungry. It had been years since he'd known what that felt like. Sure, his eating habits were abysmal, but he would always eat something if he actually got hungry, even if he only drank some coffee. His comrades on the other hand had started feeling hunger by noon of their second day and had decided to bite the bullet and eat whatever was given to them. Oscar held out a little longer but gave in. JJ was the only one still refusing to eat anything.

"There seems to be some commotion," Oscar observed around one the afternoon of their fourth day. Their guard was still at arms and watching like a hawk, but some of the troops were going off towards the end of the camp as though to welcome someone.

"Who do you think it is?" Clyde asked.

"I doubt it's the General," Oscar said. "If it were, they'd all be screaming like little school girls I'm sure."

"His face on a poster is enough," JJ said.

Eventually, they saw who it was that had come in and it wasn't General Kim Il Sung. It was someone else that none of them had ever seen before, but he was clearly of a higher rank than anyone else in the camp. There were more troops everywhere of Chinese and North Korean loyalty and the camp felt so congested. The high ranked official was brought over to their cage but kept a good distance while he was told, presumably anyway, that they were POWs and they needed help with them to get information out of them. He wandered off with a few others not long after, leaving them alone with their guard again who was eventually relieved at around dinner. They were brought their usual gruel which JJ again refused to eat, not caring how hungry he got.

"JJ, seriously, just eat," Hadley said. "You're starting to worry me."

"I'll be fine," JJ insisted. "I'm still thinking."

"God damn it," Oscar mumbled.

"Fine, Barker. You got any bright fucking ideas?" JJ snapped.

"No more than you apparently."

"Then shut up unless you have something useful to tell me," JJ said.

"You look like your dad, but you're sure crankier than he'd ever get," Oscar said.

"You knew Dauer's dad?" Hadley asked.

"I did," Oscar nodded. "We served in WW2 together. Good guy. No one like him. JJ falls a little short of the man I'm afraid."

"I said shut up!" JJ yelled and the guard yelled something at them in Korean while slamming their cage with his gun. When they were quiet, the guard returned to his normal position.

A few people had started looking at them and were even whispering among themselves about them but JJ ignored it. They could think he was the big bad wolf all they wanted. The next day had seemed rather uneventful. JJ kept an eye on Jun from where he could and he was starting to sit up again after a nurse was helping him. It was the first time Jun had been able to look their way and seemed to say something to the woman treating him. She glanced back quickly before looking at Jun and presumably telling him something. Jun was extremely cautious from then on about looking in their direction. While the woman was treating Jun, someone else approached the medical tent and what JJ saw made the hair on his neck stand to attention.

It was a troop, or maybe just a helper – with the uniforms he could never be sure – that approached the medical tent but what struck terror into him was the fact that whoever this was had several things floating around him. Quite literally floating with nothing holding those things up. He couldn't believe his eyes and he was left to assume the North Koreans either wittingly or unwittingly had a vampire on their side. JJ wasn't sure how much good it did them, but it certainly put them at a dreadful disadvantage. He might be able to outrun a vampire but his comrades decidedly could not. From behind, whoever it was appeared the size of a child. He suspected even Alice was taller than this person. It probably was a child. Or had been a child when it was changed.

The woman treating Jun took the things the individual had brought and some were put right on the ground, again, with apparently nothing holding them up to begin with. He could overhear them talking, but he couldn't understand what they were saying. He kept staring, amazed and also terrified of what he'd seen. He didn't even check to see if the others had seen. He just kept staring. Whatever they'd been talking about ended rather abruptly when he heard someone yell 'Sasin!" and that grabbed the person's attention. He barely heard something else said but it was still in Korean. After hearing the order, whatever it was, Sasin, evidently the person's name, said something to the nurse attending to Jun and turned to grab a giant reddish brown clay pot, or Ongi as he was told they were called, but it wasn't with her hands. She stared at the pot and it lifted from the ground with apparently just her mind. He could finally see their whole body and only then did JJ realize that Sasin was a woman. She had long black hair that was braided on both sides with messy bangs that framed her face.

Once the pot was levitating before her, she finally looked in his direction and their eyes met. She had deep black almond shaped mono-lidded eyes and a dainty little nose with fuller pink hued lips on a delicate, rounded face with a tiny point to her chin. She was short. He couldn't believe how short she was even from what he could see. She may even be shorter than Alice. Or the same height perhaps. She was so tiny from what he could see despite the deceptive nature of her heavy winter coat, fur lined hat and boots. She looked about the size of a child, but she wasn't one. He could tell. Although, he wouldn't have been surprised if she were a teenager. She had a young looking face. She'd stopped in her tracks when she'd looked into his eyes just as he'd felt his own world stop for just a moment as he looked at her.

She appeared surprised for just a moment and unsure as they looked at one another until they were interrupted by the bark of whoever had demanded her attention before. She looked at who was talking, then back at JJ before attending to what she'd been told to. JJ kept watching her as she went away until he couldn't see her anymore and when he couldn't, he felt a hint of sadness come over him.

"What are you staring at?" Oscar asked, taking JJ out of his trance.

"Oh," JJ said, shaking his head just a little, but that wasn't enough and she stayed firmly in his mind. "Just saw something. That's all."