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.

150. Chapter 150

Chapter 150

After picking Evalynn up from the airport, Heather made the long drive back to the tribe and to Kyle's house. No one was home when they arrived: Evalina and Kyle were at the hospital and Caleb was out with Ashley and a few other friends meaning Evalynn had the house all to herself. Heather stayed over for a few hours having dinner with Evalynn and talking. Caleb eventually came home around 9 in the evening after he'd dropped Ashley off back at her house and when he stepped into the house, Evalynn couldn't believe the man in the doorway was her baby brother.

"Jesus, Caleb, who did you eat?" Evalynn asked as she approached her little brother who now towered over her at 6'6".

"I don't eat out and tell, Evalynn," Caleb said and Evalynn slapped Caleb's shoulder roughly.

"That's not what I meant and you know it," Evalynn said.

"Hey, you walked right into it," Caleb laughed and gave Evalynn a big hug.

"Wait until you see Levi," Heather said. "Same height as Caleb and you'd think he became Superman."

"Hey, there's something nice about being big and tall," Caleb smiled and then released Evalynn. "So how was your flight?"

"Not half bad," Evalynn said. "I got to spend time with Caroline before I left."

"How're things going with her?"

"Great," Evalynn said. "We had the apartment all to ourselves this weekend before I left."

"Did you now?" Caleb asked and held up his hands, "I won't ask for details. So long as you didn't get her pregnant."

"Very funny, squirt," Evalynn gently punched Caleb's shoulder.

"Watch who you're calling squirt. I'm a higher weight class than you now," Caleb said.

"Irrelevant. I could still whoop you," Evalynn smiled and started trying to tickle Caleb's stomach but he averted her with a yell while she and Heather started laughing.

Heather stayed another hour that night before making the drive back home. She didn't have work the next day but she still wanted to get some sleep and enjoy sleeping in. Evalynn finally got to see how her cousins had reacted to the growth spurt and she had the same reaction. Jae Sun especially had experienced quite a growth spurt reaching 6'7". While Eun Mi's height and size had already been slightly funny, albeit at her expense, seeing her now when compared to her sons that had shifted – especially Jae Sun – was comically ridiculous. It was the funniest thing to see this enormous man towering over his poor mother still referring to this tiny thing as 'Eomma'.

Still teaching her cooking class in town, Eun Mi brought Jae Sun with her to help with a few things and one of her students, seeing Jae Sun after having not seen him for a while, asked, "Jesus Christ almighty, Eun Mi! What are you feeding this kid?"

Eun Mi's only answer was the make a downward motion from her midriff down to between her legs and say "This is the road to success." Everyone got a good laugh at that.

"Send this boy to Nam – scare the shit out of them Charlies with a stare," one student's husband who was dropping her off said.

"Make him use the gun as a toothpick for dramatic effect," another man suggested.

"I can't join the army; I'm too tall. I already checked," Jae sun said.

"There's a height limit?"

"Yeah: Men cannot exceed 80 inches. I'm 80.4," Jae Sun said.

"Well shit, that's hardly over," that same man said.

"The army doesn't agree," Jae Sun smiled.

They laughed just a little when Jae Sun left having to bend down so his head wouldn't hit the frame of the door. "That poor kid," he and the other man laughed. Jae Sun's little brothers that had shifted, although not getting as tall as him, all went through huge growth spurts as well. Eun So was the shortest, 5'7", at his tender age of 14 but there was no doubt he'd get taller as he got older.

For Kevin, Amber and their children, it was the first Hanukkah without Levi sr. and the weight of his passing was heavy on all of them. The 4th of December 1969 marked the first day of Hanukkah and they started with a special prayer like they always would, but pictures of Levi Sr. surrounded the menorah as a way to feel like he was there with them. Anna could barely get through the prayer, but they managed. Ivory was still getting used to how to properly celebrate Hanukkah and with all frankness, Anatoli was still unfamiliar with the prayers compared to his mother and younger siblings, but he always did his best to follow along. Embry joined the festivities alongside Heather, also doing his best to acclimate to the festivities as best he could. On the last day of Hanukkah, after school, Levi drove to the cemetery where his grandpa was buried and sat by his grave just talking to the headstone a little wishing his grandpa could really be there. He placed evergreen branches before the headstone and said a little prayer before eventually returning home. When it was Christmas Eve, they all made the drive to the tribe to enjoy Christmas with the family.

As she always did, on Christmas Day Eun Mi focused her attention predominantly on making Jae Sun's favorite birthday dinner and there was a cake available for anyone that wanted it. Since he was turning 18, he got to enjoy the spiked eggnog with all the other adults and – in a show of solidarity to his dad and grandma – Jae Sun had the dairy/egg free version that was available before partaking in the regular eggnog. While Jae Sun wasn't planning for college, he was planning to get into animation. He'd been spending months thus far putting together a portfolio that he'd forward to Disney (dreaming big as it were) but he'd also forward that portfolio to any other studio that might be in Seattle. He wasn't holding his breath that Disney would accept him (his art style being distinctly different than that of traditional Disney) but he was willing to adapt. That portfolio would include stand-alone drawings, his comics that featured the misadventures of Popo and the Chicken coop, and general drawings that depicted his fondest memories and stories from South Korea including when they'd adopted Popo, that time Jae Sun accidently spilled a whole tin of Rice wine all over himself and many more.

"You know what, Jae Sun," Salem said when he'd asked to look at the drawings, "if Disney doesn't have the good sense to hire you, I certainly will."

"I don't know if I'd be as talented applying ink to skin," Jae Sun smiled.

"That's what training and practice is for," Salem said. "According to Arturo, when he was apprenticing, he used to practice on pig skin. I'm sure we could arrange for something like that."

"I appreciate the offer, Uncle Salem," Jae Sun said. "If I don't get work where I'll be sending my portfolio, I'll take you up on your offer."

"Hell, take me up on my offer regardless," Salem said. "You can be purely commission: coming in to do tattoos when you're specifically requested or something."

"I should probably have a clientele in order to do that," Jae Sun said.

"We'll build you one; don't you worry," Salem smiled and patted Jae Sun's back before handing back the portfolio. "No hard feelings if you decide you don't want to, but give it some thought, okay?"

"Sure thing," Jae Sun said.

Through Christmas to New Year's, the family stayed predominantly at the Cullen house enjoying the festivities, singing Christmas and New Year's songs, the kids played outside building snowmen and enjoyed hot cocoa when they came inside, and all around hand a good time. Evalynn was sad for it to end but was also eager to go back to New Haven, starting to miss Caroline a little. When she did return to New Haven with Dimitri and Heidi, Evalynn invited Caroline over to her apartment for a belated New Year's dinner where Caroline finally met 'Uncle' Dimitri and 'Aunt' Heidi.

And so, with the start of 1970, life went on as usual. Evalynn balanced going to school, enjoying time with her friends in her study group and seeing Caroline every weekend or at least every other weekend. The two of them talked all the time through the week as well. Around the same time in February that year, both JJ's family and Nesia lost beloved companions. Willow passed away an old grumpy cat warm in her bed and Popo died the same way: curled up at JJ's feet while they were in bed. The children were heartbroken for Popo's loss and JJ made a little spot for the old cat in a spot in the garden Eun Mi had directed and they held a tiny funeral for him. Nesia did the same finding a spot in her yard for her departed friend. Not a few weeks later, Cindy passed away. In truth, they couldn't believe she had lived so long, but Cindy had been a hardy, powerful ol' girl. Nathan and the family found a spot for her as well and when Ivory had returned home after saying goodbye to Cindy, she went right to Argo and gave him a big hug. Everyone recovered from their losses by proceeding with day to day. Though JJ was loathe to admit it, he really missed Popo but life had to go on.

It was towards the end of March on a day that was caught in between winter and spring. It was chilly but nothing unbearable, though Eun Mi sent all the children to school in warm coats. Before leaving the house, JJ went to the kitchen to give Eun Mi a tight hug and kiss telling her 'I love you' before leaving to go to work. As he stepped out of the house and walked down the steps of their porch, he thought he heard something. It sounded like a high pitched chorus of little squeaks that he wasn't sure what it was. At first, he thought maybe it was baby chickens (one of their chickens had laid eggs not long ago) and tried to follow the sound. It sounded like it was coming from under the house and as JJ got closer, he suddenly heard a distinct and unmistakable 'Meow' from a kitten. JJ moved much faster towards the sound until he was kneeling and looking under the porch. Lo and behold, there was a large black cat surrounded by materials she'd seemed to use to construct a small nest like structure and at her belly were about 7 kittens of all sorts of colors.

"God damn it," JJ said perhaps a little too loud, stood and then yelled, "Eun Mi!" A moment later, Eun Mi ran outside.

"What is it?" Eun Mi asked, concerned.

"There's a fucking cat under the house!" JJ said. Realizing JJ wasn't yelling due to an emergency, Eun Mi was less concerned but kept calm. She went on her knees to look under the porch and there was the cat.

"Would you look at that?" Eun Mi said calmly.

"Eun Mi, we need to get them out from under the porch."

"JJ, she is a cat with kittens. We can't force her to move," Eun Mi said and then got on her stomach and tried to crawl under the porch. JJ heard the cat hiss.

"Eun Mi, get out from under there! Fucking cat might hurt you," JJ barked and kneeled down ready to grab a hold of Eun Mi.

"She's just scared, JJ; it's fine," Eun Mi insisted then started making little noises at the cat. The cat was audibly growling and JJ could see the cat's fur coming to attention, so Eun Mi pulled away from the cat. "It looks like she's feral."

"You think?" JJ asked sarcastically and Eun Mi swatted his chest.

"I'll take care of it, JJ. You go to work."

"You're going to get rid of the cat?" JJ pressed.

"I will get the out from under the porch, JJ. Don't worry," Eun Mi said.

"Eun Mi," JJ said, "I mean it. I want the cat gone."

"Relax, JJ; I will take care of it," Eun Mi said. JJ paused for a moment then sighed.

"Alright. I'll see you tonight. I love you."

"I love you too," Eun Mi said, the two kissed and JJ got in his car and drove to the store to open up.

JJ went about his day as usual. He was still in the process of expanding the store and it was coming along nicely but there were still sections that needed a lot of work. He would be putting out ads to get new employees soon, the plan being to hire a kid from the tribe and a kid from town that would do some part time work for him but he wanted to finish expanding the store before he did that. The rum that Salem and Arturo were brewing was still aging so it would be a while before that came to fruition, but he'd obtained his liquor license for the store in preparation for that and was selling alcohol now which was shaping up to be pretty lucrative. After closing shop, JJ made the drive home and when he returned, the first thing he did was check under the porch. No cat or kittens. Good, JJ thought. Feeling a little better, JJ walked up the stairs and opened the door to let himself into the house only to see the kids on the floor playing with the kittens and his little sister Nesia cuddling up with the mother cat.

"Eun Mi," JJ said in a quiet but unmistakable voice of irritation.

"Good, you're home," Nesia smiled and put the black cat from her lap so she could stand. "Eun Mi called me after school to tell me there was a mother cat and her kittens under the porch and she needed help getting them out. I don't know why you were having trouble: she's the sweetest thing."

"I think I just scared her," Eun Mi smiled.

"Daddy, can we keep them?!" Eun Mae and Mae Yon asked at the same time with bright and pleading puppy dog eyes.

"No, Mae Mae, we can't keep them!" JJ said. "Eun Mi, you said you'd get rid of the cat!"

"I am," Eun Mi said, "Nesia is taking the cat and her kittens."

"Make sure to spread the word that we've got kittens if anyone wants them," Nesia said. "By my estimation, I'd say the kittens are about two or three weeks old, so they need a few more weeks, but once they're old enough, we can give them away."

"Daddy, please, please, please, can we keep one?" Eun Mae pleaded and went right up to JJ pulling on his shirt and begging with her little dark brown eyes.

"Please, daddy, can we keep one?" Mae Yon came as reinforcement to her sister.

"Come on, dad; just one," Hae Li spoke up.

"God damn it, I said no!" JJ said started walking towards the stairs. "Nesia, I want that cat and her kittens out of the house."

"Relax, JJ, I'll take them all home," Nesia said with a heavy sigh. "Just let the kids play with the kittens a little longer."

"I'm going upstairs to take a shower; when I come back, I want the cats out," JJ said. He looked at Eun Mi and then said, "And dinner on the table. It smells delicious by the way." Then JJ went upstairs to their bedroom so he could shower. Nesia sighed and grabbed the cleaned cat carrier she'd brought.

"Please, Aunt Nesia, can we play with the kittens longer?" Mae Yon pleaded.

"I'm sorry, girls, but daddy says he wants them out of the house," Nesia said.

"Why is daddy being so mean? He loved Popo," Eun Mae said.

"Now, now, honey, your daddy doesn't typically like cats," Nesia said. "Remember it is his house and we need to honor his request. You're more than welcome to come to my house after school to play with the kittens if you want but if your father says no to having a cat, then the answer is no."

Eun Mae and Mae Yon pouted visibly but eventually said, "Yes Aunt Nesia," in unison.

Nesia left with the cat and her kittens and they were gone by the time JJ came downstairs as promised. Later that evening when Eun Mi and JJ were in bed together, they were getting ready to go to sleep when Eun Mi snuggled up to JJ planting her hand and cheek on his chest affectionately.

"I know what you're doing," JJ said when Eun Mi was against him.

"What am I doing?"

"You're trying to butter me up so I'll let you and the kids keep one of those kittens," JJ said. "It won't work."

Eun Mi didn't answer right away having been caught red handed. Rather than deny it, she gently trailed her finger over JJ's chest. "You know the kids have been sad since Popo passed away. I know you miss him too. Don't try to deny it."

"Just because I miss Popo doesn't mean I want another cat," JJ said. "I didn't want Popo when we adopted him."

"Exactly, and before you knew it you loved that cat," Eun Mi said.

"Don't make assumptions Eun Mi," JJ said and Eun Mi smiled, planting a kiss on JJ's chest.

"I just think it would be nice to have a cat again," Eun Mi said. "I know the kids would love it too. Especially the girls."

"Eun Mi," JJ said firmly but she persisted.

"Just think about it, okay? Nesia said they can go to her house to play with the kittens and they've got time before they're old enough for new homes."

"The answer's still no, Eun Mi," JJ said, but Eun Mi smiled and lifted her head to give JJ a kiss.

"Just think about it," Eun Mi said and rested her head on JJ's chest again.

JJ was resolved: they would NOT have another cat. He'd tolerated having a cat for nearly 2 decades. He'd not have another cat. But then the kids went over to Nesia's house to visit every day after school and started bonding with the kittens. In particular, the twins bonded with a little calico kitten that they named TT – short for Teoteul – when Nesia explained that TT's coloring of calico was called 'Turtle'. Jae Sun, on the other hand, bonded with a little kitten that was mostly white with an all black fluffy tale, black ears, a black patch on his back and a black right paw. This kitten in particular gravitated to Jae Sun and he'd play with the kitten becoming more and more attached until, against his better judgment, he gave the cat a name: Poki.

He was definitely a mischievous little kitten. On three different occasions, Poki dug his way into Jae Sun's pocket to snuggle even when he was getting too big for it, he chewed on the laces of Jae Sun's shoes while he played with them, he was pushy at meal times when the kittens started eating solid food and would shove his brothers and sisters aside to get more than his share, Poki tore up Nesia's rug near singlehandedly despite there being a perfectly good homemade cat tree in Nesia's house; altogether a very misbehaving little cat. But when Poki was able to move around with greater ease and Jae Sun had come to visit, Poki just walked up to Jae Sun, plopped in his lap and ended up sitting there for about an hour. Nesia joked that Poki 'chose' Jae Sun and despite trying not to fall for this little cat, Jae Sun couldn't help himself.

"Dad?" Jae Sun said when they were all at the dinner table together around the time when the kittens were about 6 weeks old and JJ had spread the word in town that kittens would be available to adopt very soon.

"Yeah?" JJ asked.

"I know you said you didn't want to adopt another cat but-" Jae Sun stopped when JJ put down his fork and groaned a little while he rubbed his face. "There's one kitten in particular that I really want to adopt. He's black and white like Popo was but his pattern is a little different. He's a really sweet car; a little mischievous but a lot of fun. And I promise when I move out I'll take him with me, so I'll take soul care of him and he'll be my cat."

"If Jae Sun gets to have a cat, we want to keep TT," Eun Mae said and Mae Yon quickly agreed as did Hae Li. Before JJ knew it, everyone at the table was begging him to let them bring home TT as their family cat while Jae Sun was asking he be able to bring home Poki. After hearing the kids pleading their case as it were and Eun Mi staring at him with a loving, encouraging smile, JJ finally heavily before picking his fork back up returning his attention to his food.

"Fine, you can have the God damn cats," JJ finally said and the twins cheered and ran around the table over to him to give JJ a big hug repeating thank you over and over again. After dinner, JJ told Eun Mi he was going to visit his little brother and made the drive up to Port Angeles.

"I remember when I used to be able to say 'no'," JJ said to Salem as they sat out on his tiny balcony drinking beer. "I miss those days."

"Think of it this way: Jae Sun said he's taking one of those cats with him when he moves out, so you'll only have two cats for a few months. A year tops."

"There's still the matter of having a single cat in the house," JJ grumbled. "The girls named that fucking cat TT. They said it was short for…whatever the Korean word for Turtle is."

"That's cute," Salem chuckled.

"Hell, there are a few more kittens up for grabs if you want one," JJ said.

"I'll pass," Salem said. "This building doesn't allow pets anyway."

"Good call," JJ said. "First I was conned into letting Eun Mi keep Popo, then she tricks me into allowing a chicken coop in the backyard and just when I thought we'd have fewer animals, she guilts me into letting the kids have another cat."

"You're just being a grouch," Salem said. "Despite how you're phrasing it, I know Eun Mi is very grateful that you've been so generous."

"You call it generous, I call it spineless," JJ groaned. "I keep saying I'll put my foot down, but then she just smiles at me and I'm putty in her hands."

"I'm sure she puts in more effort than just a smile," Salem teased.

"Yes, she'll do that too," JJ said with humor. JJ started thinking a moment reflecting back on something Salem pointed out. "My eldest is 18. I still can't believe it sometimes."

"I know, right?" Salem said. "I know he has his heart set on animation, but I hope he considers my offer."

"He's considering it; don't worry," JJ said. "He's added to that portfolio of his. I'm sure once he submits that, Disney will be banging on the door begging him to work for them."

"I'm sure they will," Salem said encouragingly. "He hasn't gotten any taller since last I saw him has he?"

"No, thank God," JJ said with a small laugh. "I think if that poor kid got any taller the world wouldn't be able to support him. He's taller than me; can you believe that shit?!"

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't," Salem said. "Especially when you look at Eun Mi. What's it like, I wonder, for your son to be three times you're size?"

"He's not three times her size," JJ defended. "She reaches up to his chest same as she does me."

"Maybe as a birthday present I'll get her a new phone book or one of those seats for toddlers so they can sit at the dinner table," Salem said and JJ hit Salem's arm while he laughed.

"She's 39 you asshole," JJ said though he was laughing all the same.

"In theory," Salem said and JJ hit him again. They laughed for a bit and once they calmed down, they finished off their beers and Salem went to get more.

Once he was outside with their drinks, JJ asked, "So how has the Tattoo shop been doing?"

"Great," Salem said, "We're getting a wider customer pool which is mostly great but sometimes bad. I never thought I'd have to do this, but I had to write a disclaimer in our services booklet stating we will not tattoo your genitalia."

"I'm sorry, what?" JJ asked.

"A guy walked in and told us he wanted us to tattoo a torpedo on his dick. Arturo got it done but God damn. Unless that guy's erect, it'll just look scrunched up and weird."

"How'd he even get it on the guy?"

"The client had to basically tug on his dick for at least four solid hours. The plan was to get an erection and keep it I guess, but as it turns out having a needle on your dick's a bit of a buzz kill," Salem said with sarcasm. "After it was done, the client was happy but Arturo came out of the private room he did the tattoo in, looked me dead in the eye and said, 'I am never, ever doing that again'. And that was that: we will not tattoo genitalia going forward."

"What happens if he wants you to tattoo cannon balls on his…well, balls?"

"Get 'em done elsewhere; we ain't doin' it," Salem said.

"Next question is was this man drunk?"

"Nope; stone cold sober," Salem said. "If you're visibly intoxicated, we won't tattoo you. Your judgment being severally impaired aside, when you're drunk it affects the tattoo and you don't want that."

"Ah," JJ said, "Is that the worst experience you've had?"

"It wasn't my worst experience but it's definitely the weirdest thing I've seen. I'm looking forward to that guy Arturo's training being ready to start tattooing; he'll take a lot of pressure off Arturo and we'll finally have someone that can help walk-ins that want tiny tattoos."

"Good luck," JJ said.

"How has the General Store been doing?"

"It's doing well. I'm almost finished with the expansion and adding liquor to our inventory has brought a nice boost in profits. I'm just waiting for yours and Arturo's rum to be ready."

"We'll be giving it another year to age," Salem said. "We've got about 5 barrels of this stuff so once it's closer to being ready, we'll buy loads of bottles and start filling them."

"What are you naming it?"

"We haven't decided yet," Salem said. "All we know right now is we want the label to include a mariposa flower."

"So wait until you've tasted it before naming it?"

"Exactly," Salem smiled.

JJ eventually returned back home by which point Eun Mi and the kids were already in bed. Trying his best to be quiet, JJ got ready for bed and climbed in beside Eun Mi as gently as he could. He heard her moan a little from the disruption and then she turned onto her back. JJ thought for a moment she'd not woken up, but soon she turned again so she was on her side facing JJ. She moved a little closer and started cuddling up to him.

"No more cats, Eun Mi," JJ said and Eun Mi giggled.

"It's not that," Eun Mi said. "I just wanted to thank you for this afternoon. The kids are really excited, especially the twins."

"Yeah, I know," JJ groaned and wrapped an arm under Eun Mi so he could pull her closer. "Don't ever let it be said I don't love you all."

"There was never a doubt," Eun Mi said and kissed JJ's chin before resting her face on his chest ready to go right back to sleep. "I love you," Eun Mi said.

"I love you too," JJ said and the two drifted to sleep.

2 weeks later the kittens were ready for their forever homes. The kids all went to Nesia's house to get their two kittens, TT and Poki, and the remaining kittens JJ brought into town offering to sell the kittens for $25 per kitten. Nesia kept the mother cat, naming her Pippy, and one of her other kittens; a white, grey and brown little kitten that she named Tina. Pippy, being a feral cat, remained rather stand offish with most. She would come to Nesia on the few occasions she deemed petting in her repertoire for the day otherwise she came and went from the house as she pleased and tended to keep to herself while her kitten – having been raised with people and therefore tame – was much more social and preferred to stay in the house with Nesia. To avoid any more kittens, Nesia made sure Pippy and Tina were fixed and the same was done for Poki and TT once they were old enough. TT acclimated to the family quite nicely, often playing with her brother and loving to chase bird toys and mice and anything else she could pounce. Poki was the same, though he was, as JJ phrased it, 'an asshole cat'.

On his first night in their house, Poki ended up stuck in the garbage can and couldn't get out until someone opened the little door. Everyone was out of the house for a few hours one day only for Jae Sun to be the first to come home to Poki, once again, stuck in the garbage can and having to give him another bath which Poki absolutely loathed. When Eun Mi came home, she heard the loudest little screech of a meow sound over and over as Jae Sun was giving Poki a bath after his latest garbage incident. Each time he'd gotten stuck in the garbage can, the garbage bag would be torn to shreds and they'd have to clean. Poki also would climb up Jae Sun's leg to get onto his lap so he could steal food off the dinner table which JJ did not appreciate. When Poki was big enough, he started hopping onto the kitchen counter to steal food, one time stealing an entire chicken right off the plate and making Eun Mi chase him until she could get it back. One would think he was never fed which couldn't be further from the truth, but Poki seemed to be forever eager for food. To call Poki merely persistent would be a disservice. Despite his antics, though, he was Jae Sun's cat and he loved him. Poki always slept on Jae Sun's bed preferring to nap on Jae Sun's pillow or on the floor where light came in through the window on the rare occasion that sun was peeking through. His favorite thing to do, though, was to go under Jae Sun's shirt and snuggle. Whenever Jae Sun was drawing, Poki also loved to sit on his lap or on his work desk demanding attention, though it was more likely Poki just wanted to be under the light of Jae Sun's work lamp.

"I'm trying to work, Poki," Jae Sun said to the little cat as he curled onto his back showing off his belly on top of Jae Sun's drawing. Jae Sun laughed and picked up Poki to put the cat on his lap and start scratching his chin. Poki loved having his chin scratched. However, Poki loved fresh laundry more. In preparation for being on his own, Jae Sun started helping Eun Mi with laundry. They would sit together on the couch folding freshly cleaned laundry and Poki would lay down in the laundry reveling in the cozy warmth of the clothes fresh out the dryer. Sometimes he would even hop into the dryer right after it was finished with its cycle and Jae Sun would have to force Poki out, cat hair all over everyone's clothes. Their folding routine began to include using rubber gloves to rub off the cat hair in the hopes that JJ would never notice cat hair on his clothes. He still did of course and he wasn't happy about it.

When it was nearing the end of the school year, Jae Sun officially had his portfolio mailed to Burbank, California and kept his fingers crossed they'd like what he sent. He also sent his submissions to a studio in Seattle that got back to him before he even graduated saying they'd love for him to start working as soon as he graduated. He accepted since he'd not heard back from Disney and it turned out to be a good decision. He eventually heard back from Disney who said that, while his artwork was fantastic, it was not within Disney's style and they regretted to inform him that they would not be accepting his application but they wished him luck in his future endeavors. Jae Sun didn't let himself get too beat up over it but he was definitely sad. Finally graduation came for Jae Sun and the other kids in his class and, already having a job waiting for him in the city, Embry let Jae Sun live with him until he could afford his own apartment. Of course, that meant Embry now had to deal with Poki's shenanigans which, while funny when it was at JJ's expense, were extremely annoying having to deal with them himself. Poki would steal food as he pleased, claw at toilet paper since he no longer had a cat tree, he ruined Embry's couch scratching at it (Jae Sun promised to replace that as soon as he could) and just get on Embry's nerves.

"Kid," Embry said the Jae Sun after he'd finally restrained Poki so Embry could get his food away, "When do you get your first paycheck?"

"I get my first paycheck next Friday. I don't know if I'll have enough to move but I can start looking," Jae Sun said.

"At this point, Jae Sun, I'll pay for the damn apartment myself if it means that cat's out of my house," Embry said.

"I won't ask you to do that," Jae Sun said. "I promise, by my second check, I'll be able to move out."

"Alright," Embry said and then glared at the cat. "Just try to keep that fur ball out of trouble."

As he promised, when Jae Sun received his second paycheck from the studio, he began the search for his own apartment and was able to find a place in the city that would allow him to have a cat. Once he was moved in, Eun Mi gave him a scratching post for Poki to use and any other hand-me-downs that he needed either for the cat or just to have in his apartment. It was weird being on his own at first and Eun Mi came into the city as often as possible to check on him, cook Jae Sun dinner and just make sure the apartment was clean and cozy. Once he was comfortable, Jae Sun finally took Salem up on his offer to train under Arturo learning how to do tattoos. Jae Sun was very lucky that his first proper skins were pig skins given becoming used to the needle was a nightmare. His first few tattoos that he made came out far less than perfect to say the least.

"Keep practicing," Arturo always told him. "You're talented on paper – with practice you'll be talented on skin too."

That same summer, Levi turned 16 and finally obtained his license. Once he had that, Anna signed over Levi Sr.'s car over to him as promised and, once again, refused to accept any payment telling Levi Jr. that his grandfather would have happily let him have the car. Now that he had a car, he started looking for a job. A bunch of the kids from the tribe, Caleb and Sergei included, started looking for work and, since it was the summer, Embry gave a bunch of the boys work helping to build the apartments. It slowed the process down a little since it meant a lot of training, but it all worked out for them. The majority used the money they'd saved from the summer work to buy their own cars and get work in town or, in the case of two fresh graduates, get work doing maintenance on the apartments once they were done. In the meantime, they would be helping finish building the complex and once it was done, they would receive greatly discounted rent if they wanted to live there.

Levi eventually got a summer job at a grocery store nearby and once school started back up they worked with him so he would work after school and on weekends. Caleb and Sergei got work in town for a logging company that had them doing a lot of heavy lifting on the weekends and on days they were working during the week, they were in the warehouse helping with labels or anything else the staff needed help with – anything they could do after school for three or four hours. Since Caleb started working, it sadly meant he and Ashley didn't get to see each other after school all the time like they used to, but they still saw one another every day at school and would sneak around whenever they could. Often the two of them would have lunch together in his car and, if they wanted to, make out in the back seat until the bell ran and they had to get back inside.

Emma Leigh as planned applied and was accepted to Beauty School and decided she wanted to go to the school in Seattle. Wanting to give Emma Leigh her own space and independence but also ensuring she was close by someone she knew, Emmett and Rosalie rented Emma Leigh an apartment in the same building Jae Sun was living in. It was a few blocks away from her school so she would walk to and from school every day and sometimes she'd visit with Jae Sun to see his cat and other times she'd go straight home or out with friends she'd met. Gabriel felt her absence near immediately. Before she'd moved, she told him that when he needed a hair cut to come visit and she'd happily get that done for him. She needed someone to practice on anyway! Within a week of her leaving, Gabriel was staring at himself in the mirror almost willing his hair to grow long enough to be ready for cutting. If he thought she'd do it, he'd go to her place asking she shave his head just so he could visit sooner, but she'd insist his hair needed some length otherwise it would be a waste of his 'thick wavy hair'. Eventually, though, his hair was finally long enough and Gabriel called Emma Leigh to agree on a date that he could come get his hair cut.

On Sunday midday he made the long drive to Seattle and once he located the apartment complex went up the stairs to the top floor where Emma Leigh's apartment was located. Emmett and Rosalie got Emma Leigh a two bedroom apartment on the top floor of the building that was the most up to date model the complex had – only the best for their little girl. She'd even personalized the apartment painting all the walls a pale springy green with pale lavender, bright yellow and white fabrics to keep with her color scheme and pale wood furniture. She had a mat right out her front door that said "Welcome" and there was a porcelain dog right beside the door. Gabriel knocked on the door and Emma Leigh opened the door near immediately and smiled brightly at him.

"Hey!" she said and gave Gabriel a big hug that he returned. "It feels like I haven't seen you in forever." She released him and then stepped aside. "Come in; I've got a chair set up for you. Do you want any water? Coffee or tea? I have some black tea and some fresh vanilla soy milk that Eun Mi brought over."

"Just water is fine," Gabriel said as he stepped inside and then took a look around. It was the first time he was seeing the apartment in the flesh and, looking at it, it really felt like Emma Leigh. She went to the open kitchen in her apartment and poured Gabriel some tap water and put a slice of lemon wedge in it. Once she handed him the glass of water, she led Gabriel to the large bathroom.

"We're just doing the usual?"

"Yeah," Gabriel answered and took a chug of his water before getting situated over the tub so Emma Leigh could wash his hair. After it was cleaned, she partially towel dried his hair and then put a fresh towel on his shoulders before leading him to her 2nd bedroom space where she had a chair situated. Gabriel sat down and Emma Leigh got the cover over him and started cutting.

"So what's new?" she asked as she began cutting.

"Nothing special for me," Gabriel answered. "Things returned more or less to normal after 4th of July, but that was a rough weekend."

"A little too much drinking and excitement I take it?" Emma Leigh asked with a smile.

"Yeah," Gabriel answered. "We had a special drink for the night that was red, white and blue – grenadine at the bottom, use a spoon to layer peach schnapps and then top it off with Blue Curacao. Really fun looking drinks actually."

"How do you separate the liquors?"

"You layer them based on weight. Grenadine is the heaviest, then the schnapps and finally the curacao. Anyway, Ariel was making those all night long and another drink special: Peach Whiskey Tea. That one was tea, whiskey and peach juice. Another good one. And more beer than you could wrap your head around. Great night for profits, not so much for people behaving like adults. I had to break up a fight and escort the combatants outside; I think they continued fighting outside but mom just wanted them out of the bar. There were at least ten people that got so drunk they fell asleep at the bar I had to drive them all back home and let's just say clean up after the bar closed was fucking gross. Imagine my brother and I, mom and the other employees moping the floor for the better part of an hour while the fireworks were still going off outside. And that was after we'd been spot cleaning throughout the night."

"Gross," Emma Leigh scrunched her nose.

"It was Nadeshka's first day of work to boot," Gabriel said with a humored smile.

"Oh, that's right! I haven't talked to her since I moved to the city so I didn't get to ask how she's liked working for your mom's bar. I can't believe you made her start on 4th of July."

"It was the perfect time to start; we needed all the help we could get," Gabriel said. "And compared to that, every night she's worked after that has been a cake walk."

"I suppose it would be," Emma Leigh said.

"So how are you enjoying Beauty School?"

"It's tougher than I thought it would be, but it's still early," Emma Leigh said. "I suppose it would be hard. They've only got a year to prepare me for the industry."

"With you, I'm sure they don't need that long," Gabriel said.

"You flatter me," Emma Leigh smiled. A brief silence passed as Emma Leigh focused on cutting and making sure she had the right length all around. She started running her fingers through it to loosen the follicles and got them briefly caught which made her giggle. "You've got such thick hair. I'm jealous of it."

"You have thick hair," Gabriel said.

"No, I don't. I have medium hair at best," Emma Leigh said. "I just tease it so it's fuller. You can imagine brushing that out is a pain but if I didn't, I'd look like I had string for hair."

"I like your hair," Gabriel said. "It's really silky."

"Well, thank you. That I'll agree with," Emma Leigh said. "I'm considering bleaching my hair."

"Please don't," Gabriel begged. "You look good with black hair."

"I'm Asian; of course I do," Emma Leigh giggled, "But I want hair more like mom's. She has such beautiful hair."

"If you bleached your hair, Rosalie would have a heart attack; I promise you," Gabriel said.

Emma Leigh shrugged, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'd like it somewhere, though. Maybe I can dye some sections under the top layers of hair so it just peaks out from time to time. At least it would be interesting compared to straight black."

"That could look nice," Gabriel relented. "Practice on someone else first, though."

"Oh, of course," Emma Leigh agreed. "Next week we're going to start going over color theory and once that's done they'll give us hands on application with color and how it affects the hair. We're only using dummy heads right now, though."

"I hear dummies don't complain, though," Gabriel joked and made Emma Leigh giggle.

"True, they're very patient, understanding clients," Emma Leigh agreed. "I can't wait to start doing color, though. It's a lot more complicated than you might think. You can't just put color on the hair – you have to lift the existing color and replace it but you have to be really careful with your mixture so you don't give someone a brassy or dull color."

"Even if someone is fair haired?"

"Yeah, even then," Emma Leigh said. She came around the chair so she was standing in front of him prepared to start cutting from a new angle and their eyes met. When they did, Emma Leigh went still. Something was….different. She couldn't understand it. Suddenly, looking him in the eye now, she felt butterflies in her stomach.

"Are you okay?" Gabriel asked. That took Emma Leigh out of her daze and she returned to the task at hand.

"Yeah; sorry, I dozed out for a moment," she said and focused entirely on Gabriel's hair. Gabriel didn't say anything. Instead he kept his eyes forward so Emma Leigh could keep working. Once she was done, she ran her hands through his hair to get rid of any strays and started brushing it out. "We'll let it air dry. It looks best when it dries naturally."

"Okay," Gabriel answered and stood from the chair taking off the smock. He went to the bathroom to look in the mirror and it looked as it always did when Alice would cut it. "It looks great, Emma Leigh. I appreciate it. How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing; it's no trouble," Emma Leigh said. She wasn't looking at him now. She seemed to be anxious now and Gabriel couldn't help wondering if maybe her feelings had changed.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," Emma Leigh managed a shy smile. "Come back in 6 weeks and I'll cut it for you again."

"Sure," Gabriel said and stepped back into the 2nd bedroom space. "Do…um…would you like to hang out sooner than that? We can go see a movie if you want. We can see what's playing and if anything sparks our interest."

"No, not a movie. I can't stand movie theatres; they're always freezing and they're dirty," Emma Leigh said, but she insistently regretted it and said, "Although, if you want to go, maybe there's something worth seeing."

Gabriel couldn't help smiling, "No, we can do something else. Do you want to go bowling? Anything you want; I'm not picky." She glanced down at her long, painted nails timidly and he almost chuckled out loud. "How about we rent some bikes and you and I go bike riding? There's a nice trail near here."

"Sure," Emma Leigh said, perking up at last but then she got timid again. It was so strange seeing her be nervous. He'd not thought she was capable of it. "I would love to go bike riding."

"Great," Gabriel smiled. "How about next Sunday?"

"Sounds great," Emma Leigh said, but then started to approach. "I'm free all day; did you want to stay for a while? I have a deck of cards if you want to play something."

"Sure," Gabriel affirmed.

"Great! Just let me vacuum in here and we'll start playing. In the meantime, help yourself to some coffee okay?"

"Do you want any?"

"No, I'm alright, but thank you," she answered.

Gabriel helped himself to some coffee and met Emma Leigh at her little dining table so they could play cards. They kept it simple playing matching games together so they could talk pleasantly. Gabriel took note of how she was talking to him: the change in her mannerisms, the pale blush that would appear when their eyes met, and the giddiness she exhibited but was trying to hide. Gabriel was feeling a little giddy himself. After months and months of keeping his change in feelings to himself and after years of keeping his imprinting on her to himself, it seemed like they might be able to move forward. Or at least take steps towards moving forward. It was a little bit of a gamble, but Gabriel shifted the conversation as soon as he was able to.

"So have you met anyone since moving out here?"

"I've met plenty of people," Emma Leigh said.

"I know," Gabriel smiled, "I meant have you been seeing anyone…you know…romantically?"

"Oh," Emma Leigh began blushing and gently shook her head, "No, not at all. Just about all my classmates are women and when they've taken me out, I don't think any of the men are really interested in me. Hell, I think one guy took one look at me and just about had a heart attack because I gave him Vietnam flashbacks."

"How did he even know you're Vietnamese?"

"I don't think it matters, but he never asked. Never said a word to me. He just saw me, seemed to doze off chillingly and when he came back to his senses, he was shaking and ran out of the bar."

"It's not you; Vietnam's been a nightmare for everybody. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I know," Emma Leigh said. "He doesn't know that I'm Vietnamese by birth only. He can't be expected to know by rearing I'm a proper southern bell from the Upper East Side."

Gabriel finally smiled, "That's true. His loss."

"Ew," she said, "He wasn't my type."

"Do you mind if I ask what your type is?" Gabriel asked, deciding to be bold. The question made Emma Leigh blush.

"I don't know," she mumbled, "He'd have to be tall. I'd like him to be taller than me at least."

"Given you're 5'2", that shouldn't be too hard a requirement to meet," Gabriel teased and Emma Leigh smiled.

"He has to be fun to be around…I guess that goes without saying."

"It's the least he can be," Gabriel smiled.

"He needs to know what he's getting into," Emma Leigh said, some confidence in her demeanor returning as she straightened in her seat. "I'm very fortunate; no doubt about it. Mommy and daddy saw I was raised right – I need a man that knows he's with a lady and I fully expect to be treated like one."

"Fair enough," Gabriel said with a light smirk. "Might be fair to warn the poor sap that your dad owns and knows how to operate a gun."

"Daddy doesn't need that," Emma Leigh said, waving her hand dismissively. "A gun would be a mercy by comparison."

"True," Gabriel said. "Would you tell him you're half vampire?"

"I guess I'd have no choice," Emma Leigh said and then her gaze shifted to him. Gabriel kept his own gaze to her neutral while she was thoughtful. "I suppose he deserves to know why I don't eat and when I scream it makes your head hurt."

"Does more than that from what I've seen," Gabriel said. "I wouldn't recommend implementing that against a loved one. Just saying."

"True," Emma Leigh smiled. "He'd have to be dreamy too."

"Care to elaborate?" Gabriel asked with a small chuckle.

"I already said tall, so throw dark and handsome into that as well," Emma Leigh said. "He'd need to know that, while I expect him to treat me like a lady, he'll need to respect my space and ambitions. I won't be barefoot and pregnant while he's out working. I want my own life."

"You're entitled to that," Gabriel agreed.

"But he also needs to understand I want kids someday. Maybe even just one, but I want kids. And I want a girl."

"A girl?" Gabriel asked.

"Yeah, I want a girl," Emma Leigh said and started to look like she was daydreaming, their card game all but discarded. "She'll have black hair, I think she'll be tan too, and she'll have brown eyes too. She'll be just like me."

"May God have mercy on her father's soul," Gabriel joked and Emma Leigh tossed a card at him while Gabriel laughed. "So does this future child have a name yet or will you let the father have a say in her name?"

"Oh, he'll agree to whatever name I decide," she said confidently and Gabriel made sure he didn't laugh. "I'd like a Spanish name."

"Spanish?" Gabriel asked and Emma Leigh nodded, still in that dreamy state. "Why Spanish?" When he asked, Emma Leigh suddenly realized the reason but was too embarrassed to admit it. From the moment they began the topic, she was picturing someone like Gabriel as the man on her arm.

"I just think Spanish names are pretty," Emma Leigh said. "Maybe Soledad or Llorona."

"Interesting choices," Gabriel answered hesitantly. "Do you know what those mean?"

"No, I can't say I do," Emma Leigh admitted. "Care to tell me?"

"Soledad means 'Loneliness' and Llorona is the name of the fabled woman that cries in the night and kidnaps children that have been bad," Gabriel said.

"Oh," Emma Leigh said, "I guess those might not be the best names to give my daughter. That's so sad: I really liked those names."

"They sound nice, sure, but I wouldn't recommend them for a child," Gabriel said.

"What would you name her if you had a daughter?"

"Me?" Gabriel asked and Emma Leigh nodded with an eager smile. "Um…I don't know. I never thought about it. I'd want something unique to be sure. Maybe Adalita."

"Oh! I like that," Emma Leigh smiled.

Gabriel smiled but shrugged, "I probably can't use it, though. Knowing Ariel, he'd want to name his daughter that. It's effectively naming the girl after mom."

"Is it?"

"Yeah. Adding 'lita' to something technically means junior or 'little' – so 'Little Ada'. Adalita," Gabriel explained.

"I see," Emma Leigh said, "In that case, he just needs to have kids first."

Gabriel chuckled, "True. To the victor goes the name I guess."

"What other name would you give a girl if Ariel beat you to that name?"

"Maybe something similar but more Inca in nature. My great Aunts are Atzi and Citclali. My grandma is Yaretzi. Maybe Adaretzi?"

"I don't like that as much," Emma Leigh said.

"Yeah, it's not as nice as Adalita," Gabriel agreed. "Honestly, I'm starting to warm up to 'Llorona' a little bit. It's a shame it means crying woman."

"Yeah," Emma Leigh sighed. "What other Spanish names are there?"

"There are loads," Gabriel said. "Mercedes is a nice name." Emma Leigh shook her head. "There's Maria, although if I were to name a girl after my mom, I'd rather it be 'Ada'. If mom and dad had a daughter together, they'd have named her Angelica. That's a really nice name."

"What about Gabriella?"

"No," Gabriel said, "I don't want to name my kid after me. We get that enough in the family and I'd rather avoid it."

"Fair enough," Emma Leigh said.

"So what happens if you have a boy?" Gabriel asked.

"Hm," Emma Leigh hummed and started thinking. "Maybe after my grandparents depending on what Grandpa McCarthy's name was or Grandpa Hale's name. Assuming they aren't anything old timey."

"What does that mean?" Gabriel asked with a laugh.

"Names like Reginald or Leopold," Emma Leigh said, "When I hear names like that, I think of men that sit in a library with Brandy and a cigar bragging about their exploits in Africa."

"Exploits in Africa sound like an interesting story," Gabriel smiled. "Now I'm curious what your grandparents' names were."

"I know Grandma Hale's name was Lillian; it's how mom got her middle name. I think daddy said his mother's name was….Edith? Don't quote me. The only time daddy ever talked about Grandma was when I'd asked how he and mom had met and he told me how he'd gone hunting instead of going to church and grandma told him when he died and went to hell he could explain himself to Satan."

"All things considered, I'd say your dad got off easy," Gabriel joked and Emma Leigh smiled.

"He most certainly did," Emma Leigh said. "Honestly, I don't even think my grandparents would have liked me."

"Don't be silly; they'd have loved you," Gabriel said.

"Oh, no they wouldn't," Emma Leigh said. "I'd be this weird child from the 'Orient' that should be out working on the railroads while mom and daddy should be making their own beautiful babies."

"I can promise you with complete sincerity that Emmett and Rosalie wouldn't trade you for anything in the world," Gabriel said adamantly.

"I know," Emma Leigh said, "I'm just not so naïve to think they wouldn't have loved to have children of their own."

"They do have a child of their own. They've got you," Gabriel said.

"You know what I mean."

"I do, and you know regardless of how you came into their lives, you're the best thing that ever happened to them," Gabriel said. "You were a prayer the two of them never thought would be answered whether it was answered by a child they made together or a child that deserved a 2nd chance in life." Emma Leigh smiled at him and even looked like she might be getting teary eyed.

"Do you mean that?"

"Call them now and ask for yourself if you don't believe me," Gabriel said. They stared at one another a moment before Emma Leigh stood from the dining table and went to the phone in the living room. She dialed the number to the Cullen house and Esme was the one to answer.

"Hey Esme. It's Emma Leigh," she said once Esme answered the phone, "Are my parents home?"

"Emmett's here. One moment; I'll get him for you. Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine. I just want to talk to daddy," Emma Leigh said and waited just seconds before Emmett was on the other line.

"Everything alright, honey?" Emmett asked on the other line.

"Yeah, I just wanted to ask you something," Emma Leigh said and then glanced at Gabriel. "Do you or mom ever wish you'd had children of your own instead of me?" There was silence for a moment on the other line. It took Emmett a moment to recover from the shock of the question.

"Why would you think that?" Emmett finally asked.

"It's just that…well, when people hear my name and then they see me, they're a little surprised. You don't exactly expect to meet a Vietnamese woman when you hear the name Emma Leigh McCarthy. No one's said it, but I know they wonder why an American couple would adopt me instead of just having kids of their own." It was a sincere answer Gabriel realized. Back in the tribe, no one batted an eye at Emmett and Rosalie having her as their daughter. When she'd moved to the city, she'd started getting strange looks and even inadvertent, 'wait, you're Asian? I would have never guessed by your name' and all manner of rude and inappropriate questions.

"That was never an option and even if it was, it's none of their fucking business," Emmett finally answered.

"I know," Emma Leigh said and started twisting the cord of the phone in her finger sorrowfully. "I know she must not have meant anything by it, but one woman asked me if I knew who my 'real parents' are. I asked her what she meant by that and she said she meant my 'Chinese parents'. I was so angry at her I didn't bother correcting her and just said I don't know my birth parents and I'm happy that I have the parents I do. I fell silly, but that comment hurt my feelings."

"It's not silly, Emma Leigh – whoever that woman was had no business saying that to you," Emmett said. "When did this happen?"

"It was my first day of school," Emma Leigh said. "I shouldn't let it bug me and I wasn't going to say anything, but I guess it's just been eating at me. I know you and mom always wanted kids but just couldn't have any. I started thinking if it weren't for that, you wouldn't have wanted me. Then I started thinking about what my grandparents would have thought if they were alive to see me and that they wouldn't have loved me because I'm different."

"Emma Leigh, that couldn't be further from the truth," Emmett said. "I won't speak for Rosalie's parents or for mine. When we changed, that meant we had to walk away from them and there's nothing we can do about that. I can only speak for your mother and I. By the time I met your mother, we were already vampires; any chance of starting a family was taken from us long before we met. That didn't change that your mother and I wanted children more than anything but it was simply something we couldn't have and we would have to be content with it just being us. Adoption wasn't even something that crossed our minds as a possibility until Amber was born, but Amber wasn't ours. We learned that the hard way. But when you were born? It was different. You have no idea how long your mother has waited to be called 'Mommy'. When you called her that, you made our dreams come true. You chose us and that was the best feeling in the world. You're our daughter whether your mother and I had you ourselves or we adopted you, and don't let anyone tell you differently."

"Really?" Emma Leigh asked as a tear fell.

"Yes, really," Emmett said. "I'm sorry that it came at the expense of someone else, but your mother and I wouldn't give you up for anyone or anything." That statement left Emma Leigh thinking. She knew what happened to her mother: she'd been stranded and she took her own life. She'd known her mother's name and it made the woman more real to her.

"Can I ask you something else?"

"Of course you can," Emmett said.

"If…do you think my birth mother loved me? If she could have lived, do you think she'd have loved me?"

"I don't believe for a moment your birth mother didn't love you," Emmett said.

"Why didn't she let Salem take her then? Salem could have gotten her help couldn't he?"

"I don't know," Emmett answered honestly. "I think when she was carrying you she didn't know what was happening. She knew you were a baby and I'm sure she loved you, but I doubt she understood what was happening to her. Your birth mother was abandoned by her company and was likely scared and assumed she had no other options on top of not fully understanding what type of pregnancy she was experiencing. She had no way to know I'm sure. I'm just happy that, even if she had died, she didn't take you with her. You have no idea how grateful I am for that; how grateful you mother is."

Emma Leigh brushed away another tear. "Will you be mad if I say I wish I could have at least known her?"

"Of course not," Emmet said. "From what little Salem was told, she sounds like she was an incredible woman. I think she would have been proud of the woman you are."

"No she wouldn't have," Emma Leigh said. "She'd think I was a brat."

"You're not a brat, Emma Leigh; your mother and I just raised you right," Emmett said and Emma Leigh finally laughed a little. "And if anyone ever questions you again, you just give them a sweet smile and say, 'Bless your heart'," Emmett said, ending with his natural southern drawl that Emma Leigh rarely ever heard. "I'll tell you something: that was your Grandma Edith's way of telling someone off."

"Glad to know I remembered my Grandma McCarthy's name," Emma Leigh said. "What was grandpa's name?"

"My dad you mean?"

"Yeah," Emma Leigh said.

"His name was Donald," Emmett said. "Your Grandpa Hale's name was Leonard, Grandma Hale's name was Lillian."

"Good to know," Emma Leigh smiled. "Will you be offended if one day when I give you grandchildren that I don't want to name them Donald or Leonard?"

"Honey, I don't want you to name them Donald or Leonard," Emmett reassured. "And don't worry about giving us grandkids right now. There's plenty of time for that. How about your mother and I come up to Seattle to see you? We'll all go do something fun together."

"I'd like that. I actually just finished cutting Gabriel's hair not long ago, so I'll send him on his way," Emma Leigh said and gave Gabriel a light smile that he returned.

"Alright, we'll be there in an hour. And remember, baby girl," Emmett said, "If anyone give you trouble," he stopped, allowing her to answer.

"Just smile and say 'Bless your heart'," Emma Leigh answered, adding the southern drawl she'd learned from Emmett.

"That's my girl," Emmett said. "We'll see you in a bit. I love you, honey."

"I love you too, daddy. I'll see you in a bit," Emma Leigh said and the two of them ended their call.

"What did I tell you?" Gabriel said with a smile.

"Thank you; I think I needed that," Emma Leigh said.

"Why didn't you say something sooner? Emmett's right; it's no one's business," Gabriel said.

"I didn't say anything because I knew what people were saying didn't matter," Emma Leigh said, "But I'm not used to anyone questioning me like that. It took me off guard and I guess I tried ignoring it when I really should have said something to mom and daddy."

"Well, like Emmett said: you just tell them to fuck off."

Emma Leigh smiled, "A lady says, 'Bless your heart'."

"My apologies for being so crass, miss," Gabriel said. Then he stood from the dining table. "I'll get out of your hair. Did you still want to go bike riding together next weekend?"

"I would like that," Emma Leigh smiled and walked Gabriel to the door.

"Thanks for the haircut," Gabriel said. "Have fun today."

"I will," Emma Leigh said and then when Gabriel stepped out of the apartment, she said, "Gabriel?" Gabriel stopped and looked at her.

"Yeah?"

Emma Leigh licked her lips nervously and finally said, "If I told you I think I really like you, what would you say?"

Gabriel didn't answer right away, but when he did, he smiled lovingly at her, "I'd say I'm one lucky son of a bitch." Emma Leigh gave him a humored smile.

"I think I like you…I think I really, really like you," Emma Leigh said.

"I'm one very, very lucky son of a bitch," Gabriel answered and she laughed a little. A moment passed where the two just stared at each other before Gabriel, deciding to be bold again, took her hand and pressed a kiss to it. "You have a fine day, miss."

"You do the same," Emma Leigh said with a smile and even spoke in a southern accent.

With that, Gabriel walked away and returned to his car. Once there, he just sat there a moment and basked. He was over the moon. When he made it to work that day, he walked into the bar with a spring in his step whistling the last song he heard on the radio. He remained in that mood throughout the night and when the bar closed at midnight, Ariel and Gabriel stayed behind and cleaned up. Even mopping the floor at the end of the night, Gabriel had a silly smile on his face.

"Estas de buen humor hoy," (You're in a good mood today) Ariel said after they finished cleaning and put everything away.

"Emma Leigh me dijo que le gusto," (Emma Leigh told me she likes me) Gabriel said. "Me preguntó qué diría si dijera que ella realmente me quiere. Le dije que diría que soy un afortunado hijo de puta." (She asked what I would say if she said that she really likes me. I told her I would say I am a lucky son of a bitch).

Ariel laughed, "¿Están juntos ahora?" (So are you together now?)

"No creo que pueda decir que es oficial. Vamos a montar en bicicleta el próximo fin de semana," (I don't think I can say it's official. We are going bike riding next weekend) Gabriel said.

"Suena como una primera cita romantic," (Sounds like a romantic first date) Ariel said.

"¿Cuándo vas a decirle a Emmett y Rosalie que estás enamorada de Emma Leigh?" (When are you going to tell Emmett and Rosalie you're in love with Emma Leigh?) Ariel asked and Gabriel went still for a moment.

"No lo se aun," (I don't know yet) Gabriel said and then was thoughtful. "Cuando sé que ella quiere estar conmigo, es cuando hablaré con Emmett." (When I know she wants to be with me, that's when I'll talk to Emmett).

"Pensé que habías dicho que le gustas," (I thought you said she likes you) Ariel said.

"Exactamente. Ella dijo que le gusto. Ella no dijo que me ama," (Exactly. She said she likes me. She didn't say she loves me) Gabriel said. "Creo que ahora mismo ella está enamorada de mí." (I think right now she just has a crush on me).

"Claro," (Clear) Ariel said. "Supongo que es mejor estar seguro de que te quiere antes de caminar hacia Emmett con bolas de latón." (I suppose it is best to be sure she loves you before walking up to Emmett with brass balls).

Gabriel laughed, "Asegúrate de seguir tu propio consejo cuando llegue el momento." (Be sure that you take your own advice when the time comes).

"Tengo mucho tiempo," ( I've got plenty of time) Ariel said. "Y Boris le gusto." (And Boris likes me). Gabriel flipped Ariel off and the two of them started laughing playfully.

Once the bar was cleaned and locked up, Ariel and Gabriel drove back to the tribe and went right to bed sleeping in until 1 in the afternoon. The following week, Gabriel and Emma Leigh rented bikes at a shop near the trail and road their bikes through the trees along the dirt road for several hours. They didn't talk very much through that bike ride until it started to drizzle and they needed to seek shelter. They found it under a picnic area where a bunch of other people were also waiting out the rain eating granola or a sandwich or fruit; whatever they'd brought. The two of them picked a free table toward the edge of the space since a number of people had gotten there first and had taken the center spots.

"There's a skunk nearby," Emma Leigh mumbled when the smell started to waft, but Gabriel already knew what it actually was. He glanced over his shoulder and lo and behold, there were about four people huddled together in one corner of the picnic area smoking weed. The substance had been illegal since May when Nixon passed the Controlled Substance Act, it seemed to do little to deter anyone that was so inclined to smoke.

"It'll pass," Gabriel finally said. "So how was school this week? You said something about starting color theory?"

"That was the beginning of the week, yes," Emma Leigh said. "Friday they gave us dummy heads and we had to do five different color requests. So one 'client' had black hair but wanted blonde, another 'client' wanted a different shade of blonde on their already blonde hair, then one was a brunette that wanted to be a redhead, a blonde that wanted to be a redhead and the last one we got to get creative and do what we wanted. So for my fifth 'client' I asked for a bust with black hair so I could test what I want to do to my hair and it turned out great. I styled it with that 1940's pinup style for fun and the instructor adored it."

"Did you tell Emmett and Rosalie you want to dye your hair?"

"I did and mom is still trying to convince me not to," Emma Leigh said. "She tells me, 'Don't dye your hair! It's beautiful as it is' and I tell her, 'Mom, I'm only dying the bottom layer blonde.' I'm going to do that tonight actually." Emma Leigh looked at Gabriel with a sweet smile. "I don't suppose you could stay and help me."

"I can stay here as long as 3, but I need to make sure I'm driving home by then. I need to be at the bar no later than 5."

Emma Leigh glanced at her watch and said, "Then we'd better get back now. You can use my shower once we get back."

"I appreciate it," Gabriel said and the two got their hoods from their jackets back up and biked back up the trail to where they'd rented their bikes and then drove back to Emma Leigh's apartment.

"I need to mix my color and dry my hair, so let me grab what I need out of the bathroom then it's all yours. I have fresh towels in the linen closet for you."

"Thanks, Emma Leigh," Gabriel said and grabbed out a white towel and handed on to her as well. "Where are the boxes of dye?"

"Oh, I'm not using box dye," Emma Leigh said, "I'm using dyes that I got from my school. Since I'm going from black to blonde, I need to be very gentle or my hair will fall out." Gabriel gawked at her while she was mixing the color in a bowl she'd gotten from her school.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.

"Don't worry; I tested this on a bust with the same hair texture as me and I know what to do. I'm adjusting the formula enough to account for my virgin hair."

"Pardon?"

"Virgin hair: it means my hair has never undergone any color treatment before," Emma Leigh explained as she used the special brush to start mixing the concoction. "Okay. Now I just need to separate my hair."

"You're positive you know what you're doing?" Gabriel asked.

"Yes, yes, I know what to do," Emma Leigh said and put down her bowl to come over and gently push Gabriel. "Take your shower. I'll need it once my color is done processing and once my hair's clean I'll need to treat it."

"Alright," Gabriel said and finally went inside the bathroom to take a shower. By the time he'd finished and came out, Emma Leigh was sitting in the little chair in her 2nd bedroom space letting her hair process. She looked over her shoulder then put down the copy of Vogue she'd been reading.

"Good, perfect timing," she smiled and glanced at her timer. "I've got 2 more minutes before I need to get in there and wash my hair." Gabriel couldn't tell if it was or was not going well. She had the majority of her hair tied in a top knot at the top of her head so only a small section at the bottom of her scalp was free and covered in the dye.

"Is it looking right?" Gabriel asked.

"So far, so good," Emma Leigh said as she took a look in the mirror. "I'm hoping the roots got fully dyed, but it looks like they did."

"Are the roots hard to dye or something?"

"Not at all; they process the fastest so you have to apply the color to your roots last," Emma Leigh said. "Okay, let me in there."

Gabriel got out of her way and finished drying his hair when he heard the shower turn back on. He overheard Emma Leigh singing 'I Got you Babe' while she was in the shower, so he went to her little record player and put Sonny and Cher's record on for her. He overheard her laugh a little when 'I Got you Babe' began to play and then she just started singing along to that and to each song that had played and he turned the record player down once she was out of the shower. When she stepped out, there was a distinct, platinum blonde section of her hair under all the black as she was drying it and then applied a product that was a creamy looking lotion thing and applied it to the treated section. Then she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror and tilted her head.

"Is everything okay?" Gabriel asked.

"I think I want bangs," she said suddenly. "Like Cher."

"What?"

"I want bangs like Cher," she repeated and came out to the living room in just a towel wrapped around her so she could look at the Look at Us album cover where Sonny and Cher were posing together between a tree. "Don't you think that would look cute?"

"Sure, it would be cute; I just don't know if maybe you're going a little overboard," Gabriel said.

"It's not overboard," Emma Leigh said and put down the cover and retreated to the room with her work chair to grab some scissors. Gabriel wondered if maybe he should stop her but quickly realized it would be in vain so he waited while she got a section of hair in front of her face and cut off a huge section. Once she had a large portion cut, she started styling it so there was a line that would follow her brow until she was satisfied with the shape. "There we go; once this dries, I'll style it and it'll look great." She smirked and clapped her hands, "Oh, Gabriel, it'll look so nice!"

"I can't wait to see it," Gabriel finally said and then looked at the clock. It was nearing three. "It's almost three, so I'd better get ready to leave."

"Just a second; I'll have this styled in no time," she said and then got out a large round brush and her hair dryer. She got her hair styled in large curls and made sure her bangs were perfectly straight which was very easy to do given her hair's natural inclination. She took a moment to make some finishing touches on her bangs so they looked exactly like Cher's did on the album cover. Then she went to her bedroom and closed the door. About five minutes later, she came out in a pair of bellbottom blue jeans and a green shirt that was lighter than the one on the album and was long sleeve. "So? What do you think?"

"I think you look adorable," Gabriel answered sincerely. Her bangs helped to frame her face and bring greater attention to her almond shaped black eyes. The large curls came down over her slender face and her bright smile completed the look. "I admit I was skeptical, but you did a great job."

"Thank you," Emma Leigh smiled with a blush. "I can't wait for everyone at school to see it."

"Show off your skills," Gabriel said and approached her. "Do you want to do anything together next weekend?"

"I would like that very much," Emma Leigh said. "How about we go swimming? This complex as an indoor pool."

"Sure," Gabriel said. Then Emma Leigh glanced at the vinyl that was playing and went to the player so she could pick up the needle and take it back to the beginning of Side A so 'I Got you Babe' was playing again and went to Gabriel.

"Dance with me," she practically ordered and took Gabriel's hands and placed on hand on her hip while he held her other hand in his. Finally her right hand rested on his shoulder and they began to sway. "About what I said last week," she continued once they were dancing, "I meant it you know. I really like you."

"I know," Gabriel said. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course," Emma Leigh said.

"I imprinted on you," he said and then she stopped dancing as she stared at him.

"That's…you mean that thing members of the pack do? When you love someone instantly?"

"Yeah," Gabriel said. "I never said anything because when you were brought here, Emmett and Rosalie were so happy. They deserved for you to be 'just their daughter' instead of me swooping in and saying I'd imprinted on you."

"So wait until the time was right before making things complicated?" Emma Leigh asked.

"Exactly," Gabriel answered and started swaying again. "You're sworn to secrecy, but Ariel imprinted on Nadeshka."

"Really?" Emma Leigh said. "She has a big crush on him; she'll be delighted."

"Hey," Gabriel said, "I said you're sworn to secrecy."

"My lips are sealed," Emma Leigh nodded. "So have you always loved me?"

"Not romantically," Gabriel said. "Things changed about a year or so ago. That's when I knew I was in love with you. Before that it was completely platonic."

"Why didn't you say anything then?"

"Because you didn't feel the same way," Gabriel answered. "I wouldn't do anything unless I knew you returned my feelings."

Emma Leigh smiled, "That's good to know." Once the song was over, they stopped dancing and Emma Leigh released Gabriel and then looked down bashfully as she brushed her hair behind her ear. "Same time next week? We'll go to the pool together?"

"Yeah," Gabriel nodded. Emma Leigh walked him to the door. It was still drizzling outside, but he had his jacket and pulled up his hoot. "I'll see you next weekend."

"See you next weekend," Emma Leigh smiled back and Gabriel walked away to return to his car so he could go straight to the bar for work.

After work, Gabriel and Ariel drove home together as they normally did but instead of going straight to bed, Gabriel wandered towards the Cullen House and stayed in the same general spot until hid great grandpa Edward came outside, having heard his thoughts, and the two wandered off so they could be completely alone. Edward already knew the whole story and why Gabriel was there, so he got straight to the point.

"I think it would be best," Edward said, "to start slow the way you two are now. She definitely has feelings for you, but until she calls that love, I would recommend holding off on talking to Emmett and Rosalie about it."

"Will they be angry?"

"If she loves you and they know she loves you, they won't be angry," Edward said. "I say give it more time; allow your relationship to evolve and when Emma Leigh affirms she's in love with you then you can talk to Emmett and Rosalie. Especially after last week. Emma Leigh really threw Emmett off with that question."

"That might be partially my fault," Gabriel admitted.

"It wasn't your fault," Edward said. "If anything, it's good you told her to call Emmett. He was shocked when Emma Leigh even suggested such a thing and if she'd not said anything and just let those feelings fester, it would have made things worse." Edward patted Gabriel's shoulder. "Go on home and get some sleep. You've had a long day."

"Alright, grandpa," Gabriel said. "And thanks for the advice."

"Any time," Edward said. "And thank you for staying quiet about this for so long. I know it wasn't easy on you, but now that Emma Leigh's grown, Emmett and Rosalie will be more open to her finding love. Just don't rush anything."

"I won't," Gabriel promised and the two parted ways so Gabriel could return home and sleep.

For a time, Gabriel did exactly as Edward suggested. Gabriel and Emma Leigh continued seeing one another once a week or whenever they could. At first, Emmett and Rosalie thought nothing of it. They were far more concerned with the fact that their daughter had dyed a portion of her hair blonde and given herself bangs seemingly out of nowhere. They liked it once they got used to it but it wasn't without Rosalie first asking what possessed Emma Leigh to do something so drastic. All the same, she was extremely happy with how her hair turned out. However, as weeks turned to months of Gabriel going to see Emma Leigh every weekend, Emmett began getting suspicious. He asked Edward about it first and was only told, 'Nothing inappropriate is going on between them'. Come November on a weekend Emmett and Rosalie came into the city to visit their daughter, the three of them were in a department store together. Rosalie and Emma Leigh were looking through brightly colored clothes with multitudes of different patterns talking amongst themselves if a pattern was fun or ugly as sin while Emmett followed along. Emma Leigh and Rosalie tried on just about all the same clothes and bought mostly the same pieces. If a stranger were to watch, they'd think Emma Leigh and Rosalie were best friends instead of mother and daughter. All the while, Emmett kept his question to himself, but when the three of them sat together after their shopping trip to relax, he couldn't keep quiet anymore.

"Emma Leigh," Emmett said.

"Yes, daddy?" she asked, looking at him giving her full attention.

"Is something going on between you and Gabriel?" he asked.

"Emmett, what are you talking about? Don't be silly," Rosalie said.

"Rosalie, Gabriel has been going to Emma Leigh's apartment every week for the past 4 months; I just want you to tell me what's going on, honey," Emmett said. Emma Leigh didn't look shocked or unwilling to answer which was a big relief for him. Rather, she looked rather innocent and even smiled a little.

"Well," Emma Leigh began, "the truth is Gabriel imprinted on me."

"What?" Emmett and Rosalie said in unison.

"Back in August, he came over so I could cut his hair and while I did, I realized….well, I don't know how to explain it. I was suddenly really attracted to him. I asked him to stay over and play cards with me, so we did. The next week, we went bike riding together and the week after that, we went swimming in the pool at the apartment complex. We've just been spending time together ever since then. He admitted to me he'd imprinted on me but he never said anything because he didn't want to upset you or mom and also he wouldn't have done anything unless he knew I felt the same way about him."

"Do you?" Rosalie asked hesitantly. The sweet breathy sigh coupled with her distant smile was all the answer she needed.

"I think I do, but I haven't said so," Emma Leigh said. "I don't want things to be super serious yet, what with school and all. I'd rather we just keep doing things together and when I'm ready, we can be more serious." She finally paid attention to the expression on her parents' faces and then said, "Nothing inappropriate is going on. If we're at my apartment, we play cards or a board game or watch TV – that's it. And most of the time we're out and about like I am with you."

"Alright," Emmett finally said and rubbed his face. "Just…..I don't want you getting ahead of yourself. Like you pointed out, you've got better things to worry about right now. I'll have a talk with Gabriel."

"Are you upset?" Emma Leigh asked innocently.

"I'm…not sure what I am," Emmett finally said. "I'll be honest: I don't like that you two are alone at your apartment for so long. I know you said nothing's going on and I believe you, but I'd rather it stay that way. I realize he's being on his best behavior from what you're telling me, but that pack of wolves don't always know to keep their damn hands to themselves."

"Daddy, that's completely unfair," Emma Leigh defended. Then she sighed and said, "But if it will make you feel better, we will no longer be alone together in my apartment. Whenever he comes over for a haircut, I'll ask Jae Sun to come up so we aren't alone, otherwise we'll keep our activity about town."

"I appreciate that, honey," Emmett said. "In fact, I would prefer it if Jae Sun were around when the two of you go out and about. Or let your mother and I be there."

"If it will make you feel better, then absolutely," Emma Leigh answered. Rosalie put her hand on Emma Leigh's comfortingly.

"Thank you for not arguing, Emma Leigh. Your father and I just want to make sure Gabriel is good to you."

"I know, mom," Emma Leigh said and Rosalie leaned over to kiss her cheek. They continued about their day and Rosalie and Emmett returned home after their shopping trip, but once Rosalie was inside, Emmett ran to the bar where Gabriel already was. He was towards the entrance as usual since it was the beginning of the night and no one was unruly. Gabriel looked at Emmett the moment he stepped inside.

"Emmett," Gabriel said, "what brings you here?"

"Outside," Emmett said, "We need to talk." Gabriel didn't immediately respond, surprised by Emmett's order. He was about the walk about but immediately realized Gabriel wasn't making a motion to follow him. "I said outside. Now." Emmett said and finally went outside. Gabriel followed so they were outside and alone to talk.

"Is everything alright, Emmett?"

"It's my understanding that you imprinted on my daughter," Emmett said and Gabriel was taken off guard. It sounded like an accusation and Gabriel wasn't prepared. "She has assured me that there's nothing going on aside from you two spending time together and I appreciate your being respectful of me and Rosalie. That being said, I think it's time there be some hard boundaries put in place."

"Emmett, I assure you, the only reason I haven't come to talk to you is because Emma Leigh and I are still only friends at this point. I hope we will be more than friends soon but our relationship hasn't gone any further."

"That's what Emma Leigh told us," Emmett nodded. "I've explained that regardless, I am not comfortable with you two being in her apartment alone. It's inappropriate. She has agreed that if you two are at her apartment, either myself and Rosalie or Jae Sun are to be present. If you want to date my daughter, I won't forbid it or anything, but I expect you to do so properly and honor our ground rules."

"Absolutely," Gabriel agreed.

"Good," Emmett said and then put his hands in his pocket. "That went better than I thought it would."

"That's a good start I'd say."

"I guess it is," Emmett said. "You're going to see her tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Gabriel nodded, "The plan is to go to the pool together."

"Alright. Get ready at Jae Sun's apartment and if the two of you spend more time together, make sure it's at Jae Sun's place."

"Yes, sir," Gabriel said.

"Good," Emmett said. "Have a good evening at work."

"Have a good evening, Emmett," Gabriel answered and went back inside.

Adhering to Emmett's request, when Gabriel came into the city, he went to Jae Sun's apartment to get ready. He took Jae Sun by surprise given he'd not been informed of this new arrangement but let Gabriel in all the same. Once he was in his bathing suit and stepped outside, he glanced at a torn up couch that Poki was scratching at.

"Is Poki allowed to scratch at the couch?" Gabriel asked.

"Damn it," Jae Sun sighed after he poked his head up from his desk and saw Poki scratching. "Poki, no!" Jae Sun said and took a hold of Poki and put him in front of his scratching post which Poki started sniffing at before finally starting to scratch the post. "Thanks."

"No problem," Gabriel said and kneeled down to scratch Poki's back.

"Scratch his chin; that's his favorite," Jae Sun said and Gabriel did so. Poki started purring audibly and tilted his head towards Gabriel's hand eagerly accepting the attention.

Gabriel kept it short and met Emma Leigh downstairs so they could go to the pool together. Although he'd been really scared about it before, Emmett and Rosalie knowing about Gabriel and Emma Leigh made everything that much easier. There was no need for secrecy, there was no fear of causing upset if they got caught; they could just be together. When New Year's came that year and everyone was counting down, Gabriel gave Emma Leigh a kiss, their first, and they started 1971 as officially dating. With the start of 1971 life continued as normal. They still had their senior year left before they graduated in '72, but knowing they wanted to be together, on Valentine's Day of 1971, Caleb gave Ashley a bracelet indicating he wanted to marry her. He made it himself according to tradition, but he made it using Roman coins that his grandparents had sent to him having found out what he wanted to do. The largest coin was in the center and there were two smaller coins on either side. With help from the jeweler in town, he sautered these coins to a gold chain he'd also been sent by his grandparents. He slipped a delicate lace through the loops of the gold chain and presented it to her along with an engagement ring that was also a family heirloom. It wasn't of Roman lineage – rather it was a ring that Afton had given Chelsea many years before in 1911 as an anniversary present. It was a gold ring with a square cut emerald in the center surrounded by smaller diamonds. The plan was to get married the summer after they graduated high school, but both Kyle and Evalina as well as Henry and Uileila asked that Caleb and Ashley at least wait to start planning a wedding after they both had full time work and a place of their own to which they ultimately agreed.

"I swear everyone is getting married except me," Jaedynn said to Ivory while the two were out together. It wasn't often that they could see each other for drinks so they always took advantage of it when they could. Right now, they were sitting together at Ada María's bar enjoying mix drinks. They'd had this planned out for some time and had both been very excited, but the recent news of Caleb's and Ashley's engagement coupled with Gabriel and Emma Leigh officially being an item and then, upon coming to the bar, being reminded that Ariel had imprinted on Nadeshka and based on the pleasant way the two of them interacted it was only a matter of time before their feelings for one another changed and they became an item – all of it was overwhelming and Jaedynn couldn't fight her frustration. "I mean, even you're married."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ivory asked.

"I mean getting married was never something you wanted. Then, suddenly, Anatoli appears and out of nowhere, you're ready to marry him in a heartbeat."

"It's not just you," Ivory said. "Salem's still single. Blu Jae's single. So is Jae Sun. Levi, a bunch of Embry's brothers and sisters, Nesia - a bunch of members of the pack are single. It's not just you that's single and hasn't met their imprint."

"Fine, but I actually WANT to!" Jaedynn said in frustration. "Most of you that have your imprint never even cared until you met them. Why is it that I, the one that actually WANTS to meet her imprint, never does? I've gone to see you in Vegas lots of times: nothing. I go to New Haven this past summer to visit with Evalynn: nothing. Hell, even she's seeing some! And she's-"

"Not so loud," Ivory stopped her sister who then sighed heavily. "Jaedynn, you can't keep beating yourself up like this. Hell, maybe you should stop worrying about finding your imprint and just worry about finding love. Hell, Travis met his imprint and they didn't stay together."

"And that was 1 case out of how many wolves?" Jaedynn pointed out. Then she got teary eyed. "I've never even been with anyone before. I'm the only one among us that has actively made an effort to wait until I met my imprint before having sex and what does it get me? Everyone around me finding love except me."

"Jaedynn, you need to remember you're not the only one that's single," Ivory said. "You're just the only one that's this bothered by it. And it's not like you're the only one that's lonely either. Salem's been extremely lonely, but instead of crying about it, he makes himself busy."

"I already do that!" Jaedynn said. "I work as a 911 dispatcher for fuck's sake! How much more 'busy' can I keep myself?"

"Jaedynn, please, just breath," Ivory encouraged and moved to a seat closer to her little sister to rub her back while she was crying. "Jaedynn, you just need to open your heart to more possibilities. We don't know who your imprint is or where. Hell, he might not even be born yet for all we know. If you want my advice? Let yourself be happy whether he's your imprint or not. Uncle Jae and Aunt Natalie loved each other dearly regardless of not being imprinted on one another. Nothing says you can't have the same thing."

Jaedynn took a few deep breaths and then said, "I guess that's true."

"It is true," Ivory said. "How about you and I get time off this summer and we go to New York? Just you and me. We'll ask Uncle Kevin if we can use his apartment while we're there, we'll take in the sites, enjoy enough food to gain five pounds and have the time of our lives. What do you say?"

Finally, Jaedynn smiled a little and said, "That would be nice."

"Good! You talk to daddy and find out when you can get time off and get back to me. Then I'll talk to my manager and get that same window off and we'll just go to New York together. Okay?"

"Okay," Jaedynn said and hugged Ivory. "You're the best, Ivory."

"I do what I can," Ivory smiled and patted her sister's back. "This first round's on me okay?"

"Have I mentioned you're my favorite big sister?"

"Well, naturally. That goes without saying," Ivory said and the two laughed.

The following day, Jaedynn spoke with Nathan and confirmed a week in June when she could take off and relayed the dates to Ivory who then ran it by her own managers to get the okay. Once they had their assigned time off, they started making the arrangements. Come May, they were prepared and very excited for their trip together. The school was excited for the beginning of their summer vacation as well. For the Juniors and Seniors, it was also prom season at Levi's school. He had a date, but it had been a spur of the moment decision and he was shocked she'd said yes, so Levi made a point to invite Caleb and Sergei to join him and even bought tickets for them to come. Caleb, naturally, would bring Ashley as his date and Sergei had a date to bring as well and they all had a fantastic time together. All things considered, it was shaping up to be a great summer. However, it was interrupted rather suddenly midway through May.

The pack was out on patrol as always. There were about five wolves on patrol that night, Travis being among them. Mae Sun, Caleb, Levi and Blu Jae were on patrol along with him and, as the senior pack member, he was in charge. It had become the norm that the eldest pack member in the rotation would be leader for the night, the exception being if either Kevin or Jacob were on patrol. Jacob was definitive head of the pack regardless of rotation and Kevin was his second in command. That night was extremely uneventful as was typical and, frankly, preferred. As such, they took turns napping throughout the night. During the middle of the night, Travis was making his rounds surrounding the tribe. In the distance, he heard a bird's call, but he thought nothing of it at first. Then it got closer and, for some reason, it resonated with him. He could swear he'd heard that sound before!

Travis woke those that were asleep and got to an area where he could look into the sky. He found the cliff where the kids would usually cliff dive and in the distance he saw two enormous looking birds approaching. It can't be, Travis thought. He changed back and stood on the ledge of the cliff staring as the two birds approached. Eventually he could see them and, as he'd suspected, it was two giant flacons approaching with the same pattern as Embry when he was in his bird form. Travis couldn't believe it and without thinking, he yelled, "Oscar!" That seemed to catch the attention of the bird at the front who tilted his wings so he was approaching the cliff. Travis took several steps back allowing them space and both birds managed to land safely on the ledge and shift to human form. The man behind him Travis didn't recognize, but he definitely recognized Oscar. He looked exactly as he remembered.

"Oscar," Travis said in disbelief.

"Travis, I need you to collect your chief and all your pack. We need help," Oscar said.

"What? What do you mean? What's happening?" Travis asked, shaken by the rush in Oscar's tone.

"It's my understanding your pack is well versed in destroying vampires," Oscar said. "My tribe is in desperate need of your expertise."