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.

160. Chapter 160

Chapter 160

It wasn't until after Christmas passed, but Levi was finally able to go see A Clockwork Orange. He'd gone with Sergei, Caleb and Evalynn and, wanting to see what all the hullabaloo was about after Levi had spent weeks eagerly awaiting the movie, she and Embry joined them as well. Sadly, she and Embry did not appreciate the film nearly so much as Levi did, although he was extremely sad over the ending. Levi explained that the movie had omitted the final chapter of the book. Said chapter had indeed 'rehabilitated' Alex (Malcolm McDowell) from his previous rehabilitation but instead of violence making him ill, he'd just lost interest in it and, when encountering one of his old droogs, decided that he wanted to find a good job, get married and start a family and that droog had invited him to his weekly visits with friends.

"I'm not sure I really like that ending," Heather said after Levi explained.

"The point is intended to be that even the worst of person can better themselves," Levi said.

"I don't know if someone like Malcolm McDowell's character is redeemable regardless," Embry said.

"Probably not, but taking out that last chapter completely misses the point of the book and turns it into shock value for the sake of shock value," Levi said.

"Yeah, I'd say beating a woman to death with a giant penis statue is shocking," Embry said.

"It was a bust of Beethoven in the book," Levi said.

"What does 'Clockwork Orange' even mean?" Sergei asked.

"I think it's an old Cockney saying. 'Queer as a clockwork orange', so something is so strange or silly as an orange operating on clockwork…or something," Levi said. "Nadja explained it much better in one of her letters. I can try to find it and I'll tell you, but basically it just means something's weird."

"So was that entire movie basically cockney? Because I can't remember the British being that unintelligible when we'd been stationed there during the war," Embry said.

"It's a mish-mash of bastardized Russian, old Cockney terms and pure gibberish," Levi said. "It takes a lot of getting used to when you're reading it, but I eventually got the hang of it after a second read through."

"You read that book twice?" Evalynn asked with a scrunched nose.

"I had to! I'd gotten some of the language but not all of it, so after a first read through with no help, I read it again with Nadja's cheat list she'd written at the end of the book and it made a lot more sense."

"I preferred Willy Wonka. That's what I'll say," Embry said.

Travis relayed to the family shortly after New Year's that Oscar had proposed to him. He promised that when he and Oscar visited, they could all do something together to celebrate, otherwise the two of them wanted to keep this whole thing very low key. Oscar had already had the giant chief's son's wedding when he'd married Wisteria and there had been no joy in the event for him. When he married Travis, he wanted it to be completely different and, therefore, a happy memory and Travis had no problem with a small, private ceremony. They'd told their friends about the engagement and how the ceremony would take place and that group of friends insisted they all go out somewhere for a big dinner to celebrate. So come January, Oscar and Travis drove to the tribe, got their moon ceremony and were determined to marry under the New Moon which they had a few days to prepare for. They made arrangements with their work places to have the necessary days off and the day of, they drove to the tribe for their wedding. Once the moon was out, Owota prepared a tiny pyre in his medical office, performed the ceremony with Oliver at his side in an approximation of what a usual wedding would be like, Travis and Oscar lit the small pyre and the four of them danced around it as a way of instilling good luck and sealing the union.

"That may have been the fastest wedding I've ever been to," Travis said after they'd officially married and were on their way back home.

"I wouldn't change a thing about it," Oscar smiled and took Travis by the hand to kiss him. He wore a bracelet that was a mirror of the one he'd made for Travis and they'd even gotten gold bands. "Obviously we can't change our names or anything, but if we had to pretend, would you take my name?"

"You don't want to be Oscar Reed?" Travis asked with a light chuckle.

"I think Oscar Barker has a good ring," he said. "Oh well, a rose by any other name is still my husband now. You're stuck with me, Travis."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Travis smiled. Oscar shifted his gaze to glance at Travis and rather suddenly, he pulled off to the side of the road catching Travis by surprise but he didn't have time to question Oscar before the man was all over him. "Oscar!" Travis said through his laughter.

"Backseat; now. It's time to consummate our marriage," Oscar said.

"Shouldn't we get home first?" Travis said.

"Later. Right now: backseat. Don't make me ask again," Oscar said.

"What will you do if I make you ask again? Perhaps more nicely?" Travis teased. Oscar's answer was to get out of the car, go around to open the passenger seat and grab a hold of Travis and tossing him into the backseat all while Travis was laughing. Oscar got into the backseat after him and was already pulling off Travis's clothes. "This isn't 'asking nicely', Oscar," Travis teased.

"Travis," Oscar said, slightly exasperated but unable to help smiling at Travis's playfulness, "May we please consummate our marriage in the back of your car? I'll even go down on you first."

Travis laughed and said, "Since you asked nicely, that'll be fine." With that, Oscar proceeded to lower his head to Travis's body, getting straight to the point as it were and the two of them had their first union as Husband and Husband in the backseat of the car. When he thought about it, to Travis that seemed like the perfect way to start things off.

As planned, Ivory and Jaedynn returned to Washington on the 27th. When they landed, Anatoli was there waiting and ready to pick them up and they drove back to his and Ivory's house. Jaedynn would spend the night with them and return to Forks the next day and Nathan promised to let her have the rest of the week off but she would be returning to work right after New Year's. She kept looking at the clock throughout the evening waiting for 8:00, 10:00 New York time. She'd not said anything about it to Ivory so when it was finally eight, Jaedynn excused herself and got to a phone to dial the number Alex had given her. The phone rang for a moment when an answer finally came.

"Órale," that same woman's voice from before answered.

"Hey," Jaedynn said, "I'm trying to reach Alex. Who is this?"

"Rita," the woman said and then, "Hold on." A moment passed before Alex was on the phone following a string of Spanish.

"Good to hear from you, Buttercup," Alex said. "Do you miss me yet?"

Jaedynn smiled, "I do. So Rita's your mother right?"

"Yes, Rita is my mother," Alex said. He sounded slightly offended. "Already told you, Buttercup: I'm not juggling you."

"I didn't mean to imply that," Jaedynn said. "I just wanted to make sure I remembered."

"It's fine," Alex said. "So how was your flight?"

"Not bad," Jaedynn said. "I think we managed to either beat or miss the rush to leave New York after the holidays."

"Why would anyone want to leave New York?" Alex said rhetorically with a smile on his voice. "So when are you coming back, Buttercup?"

"Let me relax and get settled back home before talking of me traveling again," Jaedynn said with humor but she didn't hear Alex laugh. "My available time off doesn't reset until January."

"Come visit me in January then," he said.

"I can't do that; daddy has me returning to work then," Jaedynn said. "Hey! How about you come to Seattle?"

"Hm," he said, apparently thinking about it. "I don't know. I don't know if I can get away long enough, but I'll tell you what: I'll think about it and see what I can work out."

"My little brother is actually getting married this year, so how about you come then? It's in August."

"Too far away," Alex said. "I miss you, Buttercup. Being with you made me feel so good. Didn't I do the same for you?"

"I had a lot of fun," Jaedynn said, getting uncomfortable from the intensity of his expression. "I guess we'll play it by ear?"

"Yeah," he said. He was audibly disappointed.

"Jaedynn," Ivory's voice came from behind her.

"Hijo de Puta," she heard Alex say. "What number can I reach you?"

"Hold on a moment," Jaedynn said and put her hand over the phone. "Everything alright?"

"Who are you on the phone with?" Ivory asked.

"I'm talking to Alex. I'll be off in a moment."

"Alex? You mean that asshole that took us to the Jazz club? Why are you calling him? And on our phone no less! That's a long distance call!"

"Look, Alex, I'll have to talk to you another time, okay?" Jaedynn said, bringing the phone back to her ear.

"What's the number I can reach you at?" Alex asked and Jaedynn provided the number to her father's house. "You'll be there tomorrow night? Same time?"

"Yeah, I'll be home," Jaedynn said.

"Talk to you then," Alex said and hung up the phone.

"Jaedynn!" Ivory said and she finally turned as she was putting the phone back on the stand. "You can't make long distance calls like that on my phone without asking! It's expensive!"

"What's going on?" Anatoli asked as he stepped into the room.

"I said I'm sorry; I'll pay you back once the phone bill comes in. Just calm down," Jaedynn said.

"Why are you even calling this guy? He took us to a Jazz club once."

"Ivory, what's the matter?" Anatoli asked again.

"While Jaedynn and I were in New York, there was this guy that talked to Jaedynn in a liquor store, then he finds us in Central Park and invites us to a Jazz club, then this asshole took Jaedynn outside without telling me so she's fucking gone for all I know and leaves me with the bill, then I find Jaedynn in the back ally of the club with this guy like he thinks she's some common hooker and then he pops up when we're seeing that Christmas tree."

"Did he hurt either of you?" Anatoli asked as he stood straighter.

"No, Anatoli, he didn't hurt either of us. Your wife's just being mellow dramatic," Jaedynn said. "Look, this guy and I hit it off so we agreed we'd keep talking. That's it."

"Jaedynn, I'm going to be real blunt with you: I don't like this guy. I've seen guys like him when I worked at the casino and they're all the same. He's a con-artist. Mark my words."

"Daddy was a con-artist back in the day," Jaedynn pointed out.

"Daddy was going through a hard time first of all and second of all, the only people he 'conned' were two criminals that tried to kill him and some bitch that docked him his pay when he wouldn't sleep with her. I'm not saying daddy's a saint or anything, Jaedynn, but daddy was doing what he had to at the time. This guy's just a piece of shit: mark my words for it. Best case scenario – absolute BEST case scenario – he's involved in a pyramid scheme or Ponzi scheme."

"Oh come on, Ivory; no he's not," Jaedynn said, exasperated. "Sure he's a bit intense, but he's really nice."

"He's a pretty face, Jaedynn, and that's about it."

"Okay, okay, let's calm down," Anatoli stepped in. Ivory rolled her eyes and threw up her hands.

"Whatever; I've said my piece," Ivory said. "You can't call this guy at my house and I guarantee you daddy won't be happy with you calling using his phone either."

"I'm sure daddy will be a lot more reasonable," Jaedynn said.

Ivory huffed a laugh, "You're delusional, Jaedynn."

"Ivory, Jaedynn, breathe," Anatoli stepped in again putting his hand on Ivory's shoulder as a gentle attempt to help her relax. "You've both had a long flight and a long day, so why don't we relax on the couch. Maybe give Argo attention."

"I'll give Argo attention. Lord knows my poor baby missed me," Ivory said with a sigh and walked away to the couch, sat down and Argo turned and rested his strong head on her lap to receive well deserved pets.

Jaedynn and Ivory didn't talk to one another except in passing for the rest of the evening. Jaedynn left the next morning to return to Forks still not having really spoken to Ivory more than a few words. She'd not wanted to really talk about it when she returned home so she didn't ask Nathan about making long distance calls. It didn't seem that Ivory told Nathan about it because the man welcomed her home with a big hug and asked how the trip had gone without any reference to the night before. While she'd omitted a number of their interactions, she did mention that she and Ivory had received a tip from a guy named Alex about a cool bar and he'd taken them, but that was about it. When it neared eight, she brought the phone upstairs and just told Nathan she'd been expecting to hear from a friend of hers and she wanted the phone to herself so as not to bother anyone. Then, at 8:00 on the dot, the phone rang and Jaedynn answered.

"My God you're punctual," Jaedynn said after answering the phone.

"I'm always punctual when I'm on my time, Buttercup" Alex said seductively. "So how was your first day back in Washington?"

"A little stressful. Ivory was upset about me making a long distance call on her phone. Right now I'm on my dad's phone, but he makes long distance calls to Las Vegas all the time, so I'm sure it'll be fine," Jaedynn said.

"Your dad do a lot of gambling or something?" Alex asked.

"No, Ivory's mom lives in Las Vegas. Daddy and Tamara are still good friends and they talk all the time," Ivory said. "So how was your day? Are you back to work or still enjoying the holidays?"

"I never stop working, Buttercup," Alex said.

"That's sad to hear. You said you work in sales right? What do you sell?"

"What I sell depends on what I can scrap or refurbish," Alex said. "I'll go to shops and sell what I've got, sometimes I'll host poker games and such when I can, but my key source of income involves investments. It's complicated shit; I don't want to bore you with it. I'll bet being a police dispatcher is far more interesting."

"It can be," Jaedynn said. "Everyone knows everyone here and we're a small community so any emergencies that arise can usually be handled really quickly. I'm sure being a dispatcher in New York is a lot more draining."

"I don't know any dispatchers otherwise I'd tell you," Alex said. "So you said your brother's getting married in August?"

"Yeah, August the 5th. I don't know the venue yet – so far we've only received the 'save the dates'. My grandma's aunt Alice has been in high gear planning this wedding."

"Your grandma's aunt? So you just have a big family of vampires or something?"

"Pretty much," Jaedynn said.

"So wait," Alex started and was quiet, apparently trying to remember something, "West coast, coven member named Alice….I feel like I've heard about this before."

"It's the Cullen Coven," Jaedynn said.

"The coven that supposedly brought down the Volturi, Cullens?" Alex asked.

"The very same," Jaedynn said. "It was before I was born, but yeah."

"And Alice is the one that's a future seer or something, right?"

"Yeah, but it's not perfect. She can see vampires perfectly, humans are blurry and anything else she can't see. Like our pack, half-breeds, those she can't see. We aren't really sure why, but hey."

"Isn't there a mind reader in the coven or something?"

"We've got two actually. My Grandpa Edward and my Uncle Kyle. I'd say we're downright unbeatable if you ask me," Jaedynn smiled.

"With a gift of foresight, it might seem that way," Alex said. "You said 'pack'. That's what you call the group of wolves that you can all turn into right? You did say it was wolves?"

"Yes, I did," Jaedynn said, "Are you intimidated?" she asked jokingly.

"Nothing scares me, Buttercup," Alex said with a mischievous tone to his voice.

She was on the phone with Alex for about an hour. It was actually a really nice phone call where they talked about their interests, childhood memories (mostly hers though) and anything else that came to their minds. He ended the call but promised he'd call her again, same time and at the same number. And true to his word, Alex made a habit of calling her at the same time every night.

When January came, she returned to work and life returned to normal save for the inclusion of her nightly calls from Alex. When Nathan received his phone bill, Jaedynn was prepared to have him upset with her, but she was surprised when he didn't seem upset.

"Jaedynn?" Nathan said, "Who keeps calling the house with a 212 area code?" He looked through all the numbers and noticed all of them were slightly different. "Seriously, it's a different New York number every other call."

"Just a friend I met in New York," Jaedynn was quick to say. "I'm really sorry if I racked up a huge bill. I'll pay you for it."

"It didn't end up costing extra; they're incoming calls," Nathan said. "Why the hell is it always a different number? Does this friend not have a house phone? Who is this person?"

"Just a guy named Alex. His job keeps him moving around a lot so he doesn't keep the same number for very long," Jaedynn said. This time, Nathan looked up at her strangely.

"You didn't tell me you met someone," Nathan said.

"It's not like that," Jaedynn said, "We're just talking over the phone. We hit it off and…well, maybe it could turn serious, but right now we're just talking."

"This guy's calling you every single night and it's 'not serious'?" Nathan asked skeptically. "Jaedynn, if you've met someone, you can just tell me. Did you imprint of this guy?"

"No, he's not my imprint, daddy," Jaedynn said. "If he were, I'd have said something I promise. Like I said: we're just getting to know each other."

"So…..what exactly does he do that his number keeps changing like this? I'll be honest: that seems sketchy to me."

"He works in sales and makes investments," Jaedynn said.

"Okay. What the hell does that mean?" Nathan asked. "What does he sell and what's he invested in? Is he a door to door salesman and if so, is it for a legitimate company or one of those pyramid scheme things? Regardless, why would that require him to move and change numbers like this? What is he investing in and how lucrative is it? How lucrative could any of these projects possibly be if it requires him to move and change numbers a lot? This all sounds legally questionable."

"I'm not sure," Jaedynn said. "He doesn't usually talk about his job. I'm sure if he sat down and explained it, it would make sense. He's more interested in talking about our day and getting to know me. I appreciate that if I'm honest."

"Jaedynn, if you're thinking you want a committed relationship with this guy, what he does for a living is pretty damn important information to be privy to," Nathan said.

"It's alright, daddy, nothing's serious," Jaedynn said. "At this point, he's just a really nice guy that I met in New York and we're talking. If I decide it's worth making things serious, then I'll ask him more about his job."

Nathan was quiet for a moment before finally saying, "Jaedynn, this guy sounds like a con-artist."

"He's not a con-artist, daddy. I promise," Jaedynn said.

"Jaedynn, I've dealt with these kind of people both when I was traveling and since becoming an officer," Nathan said, "and they're all the same. Their methods may change over time, but a con-artist is a con-artist. I don't want you getting taken advantage of."

"I promise, daddy, I'm not being taken advantage of," Jaedynn said. "He's just a guy that I met and hit it off with and we're getting to know each other. If you met him, you'd like him; I promise. In fact, I suggested that he come to Washington for Gabriel's wedding, so you can meet him then."

"And did you check with Gabriel that he's alright with you inviting this guy?"

"Oh come on, Alice is inviting so many people that we don't know: what's one more?"

"While I might not know these people, I trust Alice's judge of character at least," Nathan said, put the bill down on the table with a heavy sigh and rubbed his face. "Look, honey, I don't want you to think I don't trust you or your judgment but I want you to really think this over. He won't give you a blunt answer of what he does for a living and what he has told you sounds questionable at best, he keeps changing his phone number and presumably his location, you're saying the two of you are just talking as friends but he's calling you virtually every single night and for an hour plus at a time: how is none of this concerning you?"

"Because I've had a chance to get to know him and he's a good guy. A bit intense at times, sure, but I really like him," Jaedynn said.

"Can you do one thing for me at least? Demand an answer from him about what he does for a living. If he can give you a legitimate answer then you won't hear any more complaints out of me, but can you do that for me? If only for my peace of mind?"

"Sure," Jaedynn said with a nod. "I will, daddy. I'm sorry to worry you but I promise there's nothing to worry about."

"Get a straight answer out of this kid and I'll worry a little less. Deal?"

"Deal," Jaedynn said. With their conversation in mind, Jaedynn waited for Alex to call her that night and, like clockwork, the phone rang at 8:00 and she answered. "Alex?"

"Who else?" Alex said but she heard the humor in his voice. "How was your day, Buttercup?"

"It was alright," Jaedynn said. "So hey, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Ask me anything," he said.

"What exactly do you do for a living? I know you say sales and investments but what is it exactly you sell and invest in? I'm only asking because I really like you and I would feel more comfortable with us moving forward if I had a better understanding of what you do. You know what I mean?"

There was a brief silence and then, "What brought all this up?"

"My dad received the phone bill and I told him that you and I hit it off and were just taking over the phone and getting to know each other. He asked me what you do for a living and I tried explaining it but he thinks it sounds really questionable."

"Questionable?"

"Illegal," Jaedynn clarified. "I told him that it's not like that but he's not really sold. I was just hoping you could give me a better perspective of what you do and that'll calm daddy down quite a bit if I can be more specific."

"Alright," Alex said and then continued, "What I sell is dependent on what I can get a hold of like I told you before. I do a lot of dumpster diving and what I collect I will refurbish and sell to pawn shops or antique shops. It doesn't makeup must of a percentage of my income so it's much more of a hobby. I host tournaments with my friends for poker and I get a chunk of money for that, but the majority of my income comes from investments in projects. So for example, if someone comes up with a new product but they need funding, I help them procure that funding for a nominal fee. Does that make sense?"

"I see," Jaedynn said, feeling much better. "But why do you have to change your number all the time? Doesn't that make it hard for clients to get a hold of you?"

"I have a personal number, but I don't want my clients calling that number. The reason I don't use that number to call you is to avoid a cross country charge or whatever it is they charge to cheat you," Alex said. "If my clients need to talk to me, they have my beeper's number so I will always call them within the hour."

"So is there a project you're working on now?"

"I have a client that's trying to get funding for a kitchen product he wants to make," Alex said. "Something to do with…I don't know – convenient hanging space for small apartments or something. I'd have to look at my notes."

"How long does it usually take for you to raise money?"

"Depends on the project but I make a point to ensure it takes as little time as possible: a month at the absolute most," Alex said.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Alex said.

"How do you do it?"

"Creative fundraisers and shit," Alex said. "Does that help?"

"It helps a lot," Jaedynn said with a smile. "I'm sorry to pester you about it."

"It's fine; so long as we're good," Alex said. "I really miss you, Buttercup."

"I miss you too," Jaedynn said. "I can try to get some time off this summer so I can visit you. You'll still come to Washington in August right?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Alex promised. "Maybe you can get time off to visit me in the spring; come see me sooner."

"I'll work something out," Jaedynn agreed and the two proceeded to talk for about an hour. The following day during work, Jaedynn was on her way to her lunch break when she heard Nathan call her into his office. "Daddy? I thought you were on patrol today."

"I was. I just got back. Boris patrols in the afternoon remember?"

"Oh, right," Jaedynn said. "Is everything okay?"

"I overheard you ask Alex about what he does for a living. I was curious what his answer was," Nathan said.

"He explained that his main source of income is helping inventors raise money and he takes a percentage of that, but he also hosts poker tournaments and if someone throws out furniture or anything of the like, he'll collect it, restore it and sell it to pawn shops or antique stores." Nathan stared at her a moment in silence, clearly not very impressed with that answer.

"So…..he's a dumpster diver, a gambler and a panhandler?"

"Daddy, stop; you're being unfair. What he does may seem unconventional to most, but he does have an honest living."

"Okay, and what is the explanation for the constant changing numbers?"

"He doesn't want his clients calling his personal number but he has a pager that they can reach him at and he calls them from the nearest phone within the hour," Jaedynn said.

"Why doesn't he have a work phone or office?"

"I didn't ask," Jaedynn said.

"Jaedynn," Nathan started and scratched the back of his head, "Honey, I really don't think this guy's being honest. This all sounds extremely shady. This doesn't sound like a slightly unconventional structure; this sounds like a guy that's making a point to be hard to find at any given time."

"Daddy, by the sound of it, he doesn't have the means to have a full on office. He makes money the best way he can in a city where it's hard to get by. Not everyone's a well off lawyer like Uncle Kevin. Frankly, given he's been on his own since he was a kid, I think he's done pretty decently for himself."

"Hold on: what do you mean he's been on his own since he was a kid?"

"He's a half breed and when he changed his mother, she evidently didn't really look after him and he had to take care of himself," Jaedynn said. The suspicion in Nathan's eyes intensified. "Daddy, he's been doing what he does for 20 years. It's not like he's just an up and comer in what he does."

"Yeah, I bet," Nathan said and groaned. "Jaedynn, I don't want you taking to this kid anymore. I know you're saying that it's 'honest' work, but I know horseshit when I smell it."

"Daddy, that's completely unfair! You just don't get him."

"Trust me Jaedynn: I get him," Nathan said. "I don't know why he feels like he can or what's motivating him to pick on you, but he's taking advantage of you and I won't let him do it."

"I can't believe this. You're blowing an unconventional job completely out of proportion," Jaedynn said.

"Jaedynn, why are you arguing with me about this? This kid's not worth arguing over."

"I'm arguing because I really like this guy," Jaedynn said. "You're judging him before you've ever even met him and that's not right. He's coming in August so when he's here you can meet him."

"Frankly, Jaedynn, I don't want to meet this kid," Nathan said. "I'm sorry that you think I'm being unreasonable, but I don't trust this kid. Again, I don't know why he's doing it, but he's taking advantage of you. This kid just sees you as a conquest; the moment he gets what he wants he'll move on."

"He hasn't moved on yet," Jaedynn said, putting her hands on her hips challengingly. He'd not looked angry before but he certainly was now.

"You said you only met in Central Park and went to a Jazz club," Nathan said.

"Yeah and Christmas Eve, he invited me out for more sight-seeing and, well, one thing led to another and you know how it goes," Jaedynn answered flippantly.

"We're not arguing about this anymore, Jaedynn," Nathan finally said after staring at her visibly angry with her. "If you want to be mad at me and say I'm being 'unfair' but this isn't up for negotiation anymore. I don't want you talking to this boy."

"You can't tell me what to do."

"You bet your ass I can. I'm your father," Nathan said.

"I'm a 26 year old woman that is fully capable of making her own decisions and that you think I'm naïve and stupid is hurtful."

"When in this entire conversation did I call you naïve and stupid?" Nathan asked defensively.

"You're implying it," Jaedynn said. "I really like him and I'm going to talk to him whether you like it or not."

"Not on my fucking phone you're not," Nathan said.

"Fine, then I'll make other arrangements," Jaedynn said and moved to leave Nathan's office.

"Jaedynn!" Nathan said and stood up, making Jaedynn look at him again. "I'm serious, Jaedynn. I don't know what he's trying to pull but it won't be on you."

"He's not trying to 'pull' anything, dad! I don't know why you and Ivory are just so baffled by the possibility that a guy really likes me and wants to get to know me, but that's not my problem at this point."

"I'm not baffled that a guy likes you, Jaedynn. I'm baffled that a con-artist has set his sights on you!"

"He's not a con-artist!" Jaedynn yelled back. "I'm not talking about this anymore, dad. He's a decent guy and you're refusing to give him a chance. You say what you want: I'm still going to talk to him. For that matter, come spring, I'm going to New York to visit him."

"Like fuck you are!" Nathan said.

"I don't need your permission!" Jaedynn said and walked out of the office in a huff. Deciding she would make good on her statement, Jaedynn went home and called the number she had received from him before. If she had to, she'd call an operator and try to get a hold of him.

"Jaedynn, what are you doing home?" Ada asked when Jaedynn came in.

"I just need to make a call," Jaedynn said. She ran up to get the number and then dialed. It rang a few times before there was an answer.

"Hello?" a woman's voice came. It wasn't the woman she'd recognized as Rita's voice.

"Hi, I'm calling for Alex. Is he there?"

"No, he hasn't been here in a while. Who is this?"

"This is Jaedynn. Who is this?"

"Name's Suzanne," she answered. "How do you know my boyfriend?" Just like that, Jaedynn felt dumber than she'd ever felt in her whole life.

"He's your boyfriend?"

"Yeah," the woman answered, suddenly becoming aggressive. "I don't know what that asshole told you, but he's my boyfriend, okay? So back the fuck off." The phone line went dead and it took Jaedynn a moment to finally put the phone back on the receiver just as Nathan barged into the house.

"Jaedynn, I'm fucking serious!"

"You don't have to scream," Jaedynn mumbled.

"What's going on?" Ada asked Nathan. "Who's Alex?"

"I'll tell you in a minute," Nathan said, "Jaedynn, I'm serious-"

"I won't call him anymore," Jaedynn answered. She was starting to cry and when Nathan noticed, he approached her.

"Jaedynn, what's wrong?"

"The girl that answered his phone said she was his girlfriend," Jaedynn said through a frog in her throat.

"Jaedynn," Nathan started but she ran out of the kitchen, up the stairs and he heard her bedroom door slam shut.

"Who's Alex?" Ada asked again.

"Some fucking punk that's getting an earful from me next he calls," Nathan said. A few hours later at eight o'clock, the phone rang and Nathan was there and ready to answer it. "Hello?" he began just in case.

"I'm calling for Jaedynn. Is she there?" a man on the other line said.

"By chance is this Alex?"

"Yes, it is," he said. "Put her on the phone."

"No," Nathan said, "You won't be talking to Jaedynn anymore."

"Says who?"

"Says her father, you little piss-ant," Nathan said. "I suggest if you're planning to fuck over someone, you start with Suzanne. It was Suzanne, right?" He didn't give Alex a chance to retort and hung up the phone. The phone didn't ring again that night; Nathan hadn't suspected it would. He wanted to talk to Jaedynn about it, but he knew she wouldn't want to. She was upset enough and he didn't want a heart to heart being perceived as an 'I told you so' conversation. When Jaedynn was ready to talk, she would, but until then he would give her space.

Uilette was in the final stretch of her pregnancy. The second Saturday of January 1972, they all went to the tribe for the baby shower that was held at the Cullen house. She and Taraq received more white and yellow and gray gender neutral clothes than they knew what to do with, diapers, a crib, changing table and dresser, car seat, stroller; everything they could possibly need as new parents. Taraq got all the furniture into a moving truck with the help of all his brothers and the smaller items were put in the car so it would be ready when Uilette wanted to return home. If there was anything she didn't like about being pregnant, it was the fact that she was always tired and when it was only a few hours into their baby shower, she was tired and just wanted lay down. When they returned home, Bayaq, Embry and Anatoli helped Taraq get all the furniture into the house and to the baby's room while Uilette plopped into bed to take a nap. Once the furniture was in the room and set up, the guys got some dinner and let Uilette continue to relax. By the time Taraq returned home, Uilette was waddling her way down the stairs.

"Let me help you," Taraq said as he came to her. She stayed on the stairs where she'd reached and Taraq helped her the remaining way down. "Sorry to leave you. You were still asleep after we'd gotten the furniture set up so we went out to get some food."

"I saw it," Uilette said, "It looks so beautiful. Do we have anything light in the fridge? I feel so bloated right now but really should eat something."

"Let me see what's in the fridge and I'll make you something," Taraq said and helped her get seated at the kitchen table.

"I can't wait for the baby to be born. I feel like a beached whale," Uilette said.

"You look beautiful," Taraq reassured while he was searching through the fridge. He got out some pasta salad and left over slices of chicken and brought it to the table for her with a fork.

"You still think I'm beautiful even now?" Uilette asked with a smile.

"Always," Taraq said, kissed her and then sat beside her at the table. "Is the baby still sleeping?"

"I think so," Uilette said and rubbed her hand over her belly. She'd felt the baby move but it wasn't a kick, it was more like the baby was turning over. "I think the baby's getting ready to…..how did Kyle explain it? The baby is turning so it's upside down?"

"The baby is getting into birthing position," Taraq said. "So you're feeling the baby move?"

"Yeah," she said, "But the baby isn't here yet." She indicated the lowest part of her pelvis. "I'm told I will know the baby's coming when I feel it there."

"More or less," Taraq said. "Granted by the time I was old enough to remember, my mother had been pregnant several times so she was an expert, but I remember mom would be in labor but still do whatever she'd needed to do that day. We wouldn't even know mom was in labor until the contractions were so intense she couldn't stand anymore and by then, the baby was here in about an hour."

"I wish I could do this so confidently," Uilette said. "I wonder if we're having a boy like Cidelle and Bayaq."

"Just one more month and we'll find out," Taraq said and reached over to rub her belly. He felt a gentle movement like the baby was turning in its sleep and smiled. Uilette put a hand over his on her belly in a tender loving moment.

As January progressed, Uilette kept feeling the baby move and prepare until she felt like a ball was forever pressing on her pelvis. It was possibly the hardest part of the pregnancy because she was constantly uncomfortable no matter what position she was in. Then the pain started. It was so faint at first that she'd not really noticed it at first. When February came, she got a chance to call home and told her mother how she'd been feeling and was informed that her body was getting ready to deliver and she needed to be prepared for it to get much, much worse. Genevieve wanted to make sure she was present for the birth of both grandchildren, so Oscar helped her get to Washington and she stayed with Uilette and Taraq. She'd stay there until it was time for Cidelle to give birth at which point she'd stay with them for a while. The plan was she'd stay until summer and return to Arizona on the bus with the kids when they returned home for summer vacation.

"Thank you for coming to stay with us," Uilette said to Genevieve once she'd arrived with Taraq and gave her daughter a hug.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world," Genevieve said. "Your father will be here soon too. He wants to meet his grandchild."

"Is father still upset?" Uilette asked.

"I confess Taraq is still not your father's favorite person, but he's more concerned about the baby," Genevieve said and rubbed Uilette's belly.

Genevieve's presence had proven to be invaluable. She made the last few weeks of Uilette's pregnancy considerably easier by helping her out around the house and also just general advice and comfort. Takara arrived about a week after Genevieve and was also staying with Uilette and Taraq as they awaited the baby. Takara was cordial with Taraq, but he still didn't care to be especially friendly either. All his interest and concern was on his daughter and helping her get through the birth and meet his grandchild. Genevieve and Takara were with Uilette when her water broke during the middle of the day and were able to call Kyle, then call Taraq. Taraq was at the house within twenty minutes of getting the call and helped Uilette get upstairs to their bedroom. Kyle made Embry Sr. and Caevia aware and they joined him into the city. Taraq wanted to get behind Uilette right away, but Genevieve told him not to and to stay calm.

"The baby is not on its way yet. She needs to move around," Genevieve said and Uilette started crying.

"Mother, please, I can't; it hurts so much," Uilette cried and Taraq was at her side with her hand in his.

"I know it hurts, Uilette, but if you stay down it'll take longer for the baby to come," Genevieve said.

Uilette cried more and got herself out of the bed and held onto Taraq so she wouldn't fall. Taraq made sure Uilette stayed stable and upright while he walked her around the room. She moved so slowly because the pain was so great but she kept moving. She moved more when the contraction was at a rest but when a contraction pulsed, it made her stop suddenly. Whenever that happened, Taraq would hold Uilette and sway her from side to side as a means of soothing her. He'd watched Embry Sr. do as much for Caevia when he was a kid and that always seemed to make his mother feel better. Even when she would start crying loudly enough that it sounded as though she were screaming and it was directly in his ear, he'd keep her close swaying her to ease the pain in any way he could.

When Kyle finally made it to the house, Embry Sr. and Caevia stayed downstairs with Takara while Kyle went upstairs and helped get Uilette laying down so he could check how far she'd dilated. Three centimeters. Not even close and barely far enough to be considered active labor. That may have made Uilette cry the most. She'd known childbirth would be painful, had been warned, had it described to her, but even after all that she wasn't prepared for how excruciating it was. She'd have given just about anything for the pain to finally end and have her baby in her arms. Kyle had Uilette continue to move around as best she could in the hopes of helping her along but it didn't seem to be working. After another several hours, she'd only dilated one more centimeter. When she'd still not progressed nearly as much as Kyle would have expected by the following day, they began discussing the possible necessity of a c-section which would require that they move her to the hospital, but Uilette refused. She wanted the baby born in the home according to tradition. So they continued to wait and monitor her and she continued moving around hoping to help herself along. By the time it was the 25 hour mark, she reached about eight centimeters so Kyle reassured that, although she was moving along very slowly, she was moving along enough that they might not have to go to the hospital.

"I'm so sorry this is taking so long," Uilette said to Taraq as they were swaying side to side during a contraction.

"Don't apologize, Uilette," Taraq said to her. "It's almost over, Uilette. You'll get through this." Uilette started crying when yet another excruciating contraction came and lasted for upwards of a few minutes.

When the contraction continued, Kyle had Uilette get back into bed and checked her progress. She'd finally reached 9 centimeters and Kyle ordered she stay in bed so they could be ready once she was finally fully dilated. Bayaq and Cidelle arrived afternoon of that day having thought the baby was born by now only to find out Uilette was still in labor. When she'd finally reached ten centimeters at long last, Taraq sat behind her on the bed to keep her elevated. Genevieve sat on the bed beside Uilette holding her hand, Cidelle came upstairs to offer the same support and Kyle got into position encouraging Uilette to push in time with her contractions. She pushed when Kyle ordered her to and it took several of the longest minutes of her life before she started to feel a tiny head start to crown. It was such a bizarre sensation but when she felt it, she pushed that much harder until finally the baby sprang into the world with a loud cry.

"It's a boy," Kyle announced and brought the baby to Uilette so she could hold him on her chest while she cried. The little boy continued to cry, adjusting to the sudden cold compared to his warm cocoon.

"He's beautiful, Uilette," Genevieve praised and rubbed her hand over his little back.

"He looks just like you, Taraq," Cidelle smiled and the little boy. "What's his name?"

"Caden," Taraq smiled.

Kyle cut the cord and took Caden away for a moment to get him cleaned up and then had Genevieve hold him while Kyle helped Uilette deliver the placenta. By the end of all that, she was so tired. She'd slept so little during the last thirty hours but she wanted to try feeding Caden. Sadly, Caden did not seem interested so Genevieve and Kyle both encouraged her to get some much deserved sleep and let them all worry about the baby for now. Taraq finally got to hold his son staying in their bedroom while Uilette slept. It looked as though it were the best sleep she'd had in nine months. While she slept, Taraq brought Caden downstairs to meet his adoring public and he was passed around from family member to family member while Caden was sound asleep swaddled in a little white blanket.

"He's a cute little guy," Bayaq said to Taraq while the two stood together in the kitchen while the grandparents and Cidelle gushed over the baby. "Archer will have someone to play with once he's born."

"You guys decided on Archer?" Taraq asked.

"Yeah," Bayaq said. "Archer Call. And we've already gotten his room painted and we're looking forward to the furniture. I'm sure Jacob will be thrilled when he can relax on building all this furniture for a while."

"We'll all need to do something to thank Jacob for all that."

"We do," Bayaq agreed. "We'll get with Salem and figure something out."

As planned, Genevieve and Takara stayed in Taraq's and Uilette's home helping with the baby. It was still extremely awkward between Taraq and Takara, but the two of them remained cordial with each other. Caden soon proved to be a very wiggly little baby that moved around whenever he could. When he wasn't sleeping, he was kicking and swinging his little hands and feet around making little noises. Takara joked the boy was already trying to fly. When Caden finally latched for the first time for his first meal, it was such a surreal experience for Uilette. He'd clutched onto her finger with his tiny hand and Taraq was sitting beside her on their bed.

By that time, Jaedynn had not spoken to anyone about what happened. She would converse when she had to and during work, but it was brief, to the point, and clear she wanted as little interaction as possible. "I'm not juggling you," he'd said. She played that in her head over and over again. For a time, she'd thought it must have been a misunderstanding, but seeing as he'd made no attempts to call her since Nathan told him off, she was left to guess it wasn't and the man wasn't contacting her because he knew he'd been caught red handed. Ivory had not initially contacted Jaedynn since she'd called Alex at her house but Ivory had tried reaching out later only to hear about what happened from Nathan who told her to give Jaedynn some space. But when 'space' had turned into Jaedynn being a recluse whenever possible, Nathan tried to talk to her, but Jaedynn wasn't having it. So he asked Ivory to step in hoping she could help. So Ivory showed up at the house, a big bottle of Rosé in hand, grabbed two glasses and ran upstairs to Jaedynn's room.

"Knock, knock," Ivory said as she knocked the door and let herself in. Jaedynn was sitting on her bed reading a magazine when Ivory stepped in and Jaedynn did not lift her head more than a moment. "Mind if I come in?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Jaedynn said perhaps too harshly.

"Who said anything about 'talking about it'? I just figured it was about time I had a bottle of Rosé with my favorite sister," Ivory said as she opened the bottle and poured herself and Jaedynn a glass. Jaedynn looked at Ivory as she did so and accepted the glass from her once offered, but she didn't drink it. Ivory sat on her old bed sipping from her glass while Jaedynn stared blankly into nothingness.

"I'm so fucking stupid," Jaedynn finally mumbled. She tossed the magazine to the side and sat up straighter on her bed but she felt like she was on the verge of crying. "I guess I owe you and daddy an apology."

"You don't owe a damn thing," Ivory said and walked over so she could sit on Jaedynn's bed with her. "He's a charmer and guys like that will say or do anything to get what they want out of you. I'm just relieved you caught him for what he is before it was too late."

"I thought he really had feelings for me. Why else was he going through all the trouble of keeping in contact with me?"

"No point in trying to understand his motives. He's not your problem now," Ivory said. Jaedynn finally started crying and Ivory scooted to her and hugged her. "Don't waste tears on him, Jaedynn. He's not worth it."

"Easy for you to say," Jaedynn said. "He promised he wasn't juggling me. There has to be some explanation. Maybe I jumped the gun."

"Oh no, don't start defending him or justifying him. That's exactly what he wants you to do," Ivory said. "If that bastard does call back or try to contact you, he's just going to try justifying his actions. Hell, he'll probably try to spin it to be your fault. Don't let him do it. I know it hurts, but assholes like him are all too common and I've seen what men like him do. You're too good for that. You deserve someone that'll adore you and demand nothing from you except what he gives you in return."

"Is daddy still mad at me?"

"Absolutely not," Ivory said. "Daddy was never mad at you; he was scared for you. Believe me, if daddy's angry at anyone, it's Alex. He saw the writing on the wall and wanted to protect you. Maybe that came off as him being an ogre but you know he meant well." Jaedynn hugged Ivory back with one arm while she held her glass of wine.

"I'm really sorry, Ivory," Jaedynn said.

"It's alright," Ivory said. "I know it hurts, but don't let him get to you. Just take it in strides and before you know it, you'll be laughing this off wondering what you ever saw in that clown."

"I hope so," Jaedynn said. Ivory tapped her glass against Jaedynn's.

"Someday, my prince will come," Ivory started singing, "Someday, I'll find my love."

"And how thrilling that moment will be," Jaedynn continued, "When the prince of my dreams comes to me."

"He'll whisper, 'I love you'," Ivory sang.

"And steal a kiss or two," Jaedynn proceeded.

"Though he's far away," they sang together, "I'll find my love someday. Someday when my dreams come true."

"Thanks, Ivory," Jaedynn said.

"Any time," Ivory smiled and hugged her a little tighter.

They continued not to hear from Alex and as far as Ivory and Nathan were concerned, that was just fine. Their hope was that this issue was resolved and Jaedynn could move on from the situation. Levi started applying to every college in New York that could offer him the major he wanted and make sure he had plenty of routes to go with it. Although with his research, he began considering Princeton University. Granted that would put him in New Jersey, but it was a 1 hour drive or so from Manhattan, so he could possibly stay in New Jersey during the week and stay in Manhattan during the week, but that was assuming he was accepted. He applied both to Princeton University as well as New York University, both schools have excellent math programs but he also applied to Colombia and Cornell, though he was gunning for the schools that would keep him close to Manhattan. The next step was to wait for the acceptance or decline letters to come in.

Trying to find a suitable movie to send Nadja's way had sadly been put on hold given his schedule but then in late March, he received a package from Evalynn of all people. Inside it was a reel labeled Pink Flamingos directed by John Waters. She'd written him a very simple note that said, "This ought to shock her," with a winking smiley face drawn beside it. So come the weekend when his grandma was asleep for the night and Levi could be alone, he set up the reel with a white sheet hung so he could watch the movie and just like with The Devils, Pink Flamingos opened with a scene that was slightly ridiculous. It was a man dressed in drag that was at the grocery store, said man stuffed the steak between his legs under his dress and then walked out without paying. To say it was low budget was movie would be an understatement.

At the trailer where the movie predominantly took place there was a large woman in just her white underwear named Eidie sitting in a baby's floor crib or whatever those things were called going on about wanting eggs from the egg-man. It was possibly the most confused he'd ever been while watching a movie and he wasn't entirely sure he enjoyed it. He figured out this was a satire, but he wasn't entirely sure what it was making fun of. Although he was far more taken off guard when the main character, Divine (who was the Drag Queen staring in the film), was breaking into the house of the antagonists Connie and Raymond Marble with her son then proceeded to blow said son right in the living room.

"What the fuck am I watching?" Levi mumbled out loud to himself as he watched the whole thing happen.

It mercifully ended when the Marbles returned home. Divine ultimately won the day by performing live murder for a group of reporters that she'd invited to the trailer and saying Connie Marble was convicted of 'assholism'. That admittedly struck Levi as a little funny, but then the movie wasn't 'ha, ha' funny otherwise. Finally when the credits rolled the camera lingered on a dog taking a shit on the side walk, then Divine coming up behind that dog, picking it up and eating it. Levi had an instant gagging reaction to seeing that and he stopped the reel.

He debated whether or not to send the reel to Nadja. He wasn't sure he 'got it' and he suspected Nadja wouldn't get it either. But he'd promised to send her a shock film, so he packed the reel back up and wrote Nadja his letter. "I'm warning you right now," he put in his letter, "a drag queen literally eats shit at the end. Brace yourself for that." It was a while before he got a reply from Nadja but when he did, it was a letter that was its usual contents, however it all started with, "What did you make me watch!?" She explained that she watched the movie and was just as confused by it as he'd been. She stated that she would look into it if only for the sake of closure but affirmed that she'd not choose to watch it again anytime soon. Given the rest of her letter was normal and expressed her usual wit and humor, he was confident she wasn't mad though he still wrote an apology just to be safe.

Once April rolled around, Cidelle and Yvonne were ready for the whole thing to be done. Cidelle knew what to expect at least while Yvonne only hand second hand knowledge from her experience helping her father. Yvonne and Salem continued taking a picture each and every week and they had them all compiled in order. It was bizarre. In later months, she felt so bloated and gross that she had to make herself stand for a picture, though she never expressed the ill at ease feeling to Salem. She reminded herself this was for their baby book and, honestly, when she saw the pictures, it always looked far better than how she felt. In pictures she looked radiant and like she was glowing. If only she felt that way. They'd found out they were having a girl, so they were secretly hoping they'd really have a Mae in May. The pack knew about this of course and teased Salem endlessly about it, but were happy for him all the same.

"Will you be angry if I say I want to wait a while before we have more children?" Cidelle asked Bayaq while the two of them were getting ready for bed one night.

"We can wait," Bayaq smiled and hugged her close. "It's the final stretch so it'll be over soon."

"Yes, I remember how that 'final stretch' feels," Cidelle said. "I'm not looking forward to that part. I just hope I'm not in labor as long as Uilette."

"How long were you in labor when you'd been pregnant before?"

"About a day as I recall," Cidelle said and then shuddered. "That'll be a rough day. You'll come home the moment I'm in labor?"

"I'll be a call away," Bayaq promised and gave her a kiss. She laid on her side with her back against his chest and Bayaq rubbed his hand over her belly and felt the baby move a little. "There you are, Archer," Bayaq smiled and guided Cidelle to move over so her belly was facing him. She smiled while Bayaq got closer the her belly and started talking. He'd sometimes tell a bedtime story but most of the time, Bayaq would tell the baby about things that happened at work. Tonight, it was a tale of how the granite that was ordered for a kitchen remodel had arrived in completely the wrong style and color. "So we have to order a whole new slabs of marble, but we aren't charging the customer for that so she wasn't nearly as upset. Her husband's still irate but I'm told she calmed him down. We certainly won't be paying for the new granite to ship. Your Aunt Gaeli called the granite company and, oh, you should have seen her on the phone with the representative. We're getting those new slabs and our next order completely free of charge so when we get to work on that woman's neighbor's house for her kitchen, it'll be free and we can offer a nice discount." Bayaq glanced up at Cidelle and saw she was falling asleep and smiled. "Mommy isn't terribly interested in marble. At least I know you'll listen."

"I'm listening," Cidelle said though couldn't fight a yawn.

"It's okay, Cidelle," Bayaq said and came up to her so he could kiss her.

She turned back around and the two of them fell asleep with Bayaq resting a hand on her belly affectionately. Within weeks, she began experiencing what she recognized as being the first stages of labor. She knew it was only the beginning, but she still told Genevieve who then moved into Bayaq's and Cidelle's home with Takara so they could be at the ready to help the moment things changed. By that time, Uilette had gotten into a routine with Caden. He wasn't quite sleeping through the night yet, but when he was asleep he would not wake for anyone or anything. Her favorite thing to see was Taraq taking a nap in their bedroom with Caden sleeping on his chest swaddled in a blanket comfy as could be. When Taraq was at work, she kept things orderly but her attention was focused on Caden. She didn't want to miss a single thing like when he lifted his head by himself the first time, when he smiled at her for the first time, that look of fascination in his eyes when presented with a toy and the joy he expressed when Uilette, Genevieve, Takara or Taraq played with him. He was such a happy baby. It was a little harder when Takara and Genevieve were no longer living there, but Genevieve taught her to make a little swaddling carrier that would allow her to do other work around the house while keeping Caden strapped to her chest.

By the last week of April, Cidelle was experiencing contractions that she remembered as being true labor rather than the false, practice labor. She was able to deal with it at first, but when it really got going, she could not fall asleep. She laid in bed trying to go to sleep but the pain that would constantly emerge, rest, then reemerge kept her up. At one in the morning, her water broke, but her contractions remained more or less the same. She stayed in the bathroom for about an hour before coming out and going to Bayaq's side of the bed. She touched his shoulder and shoved him gently at first until he groaned and startled awake.

"Cidelle? Is everything okay?" he said, his voice thick with sleep.

"My water broke about an hour ago. My contractions haven't changed much but I don't know how long that will last," Cidelle said.

"Why didn't you wake me when it broke?" Bayaq asked as he sat up and grabbed the phone getting ready to dial Kyle's number.

"Last time, I'd gone hours after my water broke before anything really happened," Cidelle said.

"We'll see what Kyle says," Bayaq said and waited until Kyle was finally on the phone just as groggy as Bayaq was.

After having everything relayed to him, Kyle promised he'd be at their house in two hours and to have Cidelle walk around to encourage further dilation but that she needed to lay down if the contractions were too intense and too close together. Bayaq stayed at Cidelle's side guiding her around the room and they'd stop if she had a particularly strong contraction. Her crying eventually woke up Genevieve who stayed in the room with them. She also tried calling Embry Sr. and Caevia but Kyle had already told them and they were driving with him to the city. By the time Kyle arrived with Bayaq's parents, Cidelle was sitting down on the bed unable to bare standing through her most recent contraction. Kyle checked how far along she was and she was already at five centimeters. He was relieved she wasn't experiencing the same delays that Uilette had. The remaining time was rather routine and nothing out of the ordinary or concerning so it was just a matter of waiting for her to dilate enough. Finally come five in the morning, Archer was born and Kyle gave Cidelle her son so she and Bayaq could hold him. Bayaq called Embry and let him know he was staying home that day and by the end of the day, Uilette, Taraq and Embry Jr. were at the house to meet Archer.

"How do you feel?" Uilette asked Cidelle. She was sitting beside her on the bed with Caden in her arms while Archer was downstairs with the whole family being passed around to be welcomed.

"Better than I did this morning," Cidelle said, "But still exhausted."

"Try being in labor for 30 hours," Uilette teased. Caden had his tiny head up and was looking around taking everything in and Uilette had her hand near his head just in case.

"Relax, Uilette, he's not going to break," Cidelle giggled. "Babies are stronger than we give them credit for."

"I don't want to risk it," Uilette said.

"Did he get to meet Archer?" Cidelle asked.

"I introduced him, but Caden didn't seem terribly interested. He was more interested in seeing his grandpa," Uilette smiled.

"We'll have them playing together once they're more mobile," Cidelle said but Uilette shook her head while she smiled at Caden.

"Caden has reached his max size. You're going to stay a peanut forever. Yes you are! Yes you are!" she cooed to Caden who looked at her, smiled and started grabbing at her hair and face.

"Dare to dream, Uilette," Cidelle smiled. "He is a cute little peanut, though. He looks just like Archer in fact."

"When I saw Archer, he made me think of Caden," Uilette smiled. "They may be twins in spirit."

"I think Caden has Taraq's nose, though. Archer has mine," Cidelle said.

"I'd have to look at him again," Uilette said. "They both look so much like Taraq and Bayaq though."

"They do," Cidelle smiled and started playing with Caden's little toes.

Then April passed. Within the first few days of May, Yvonne already started to feel contractions. Sadly, Owota could not leave for such a long stretch as was required to visit, but it was agreed Salem and Yvonne would go to the Tistilal with Mae in arm so she could meet her grandparents. The plan was to drive since, as JJ so kindly reminded Salem, having a baby on a plane was a nightmare for everybody involved (especially the baby) and if there was another option for travel: best to take that one. Yvonne was more ready than ever for this all to be over. Everything ached and when she started experiencing false labor it was even worse. She'd called Kyle who had come into the city to check on her and affirmed it was false labor and she still had a ways to go and to drink plenty of water to ease the practice contractions.

"I don't feel very pretty right now," Yvonne said after Salem had taken their latest picture.

"You're always beautiful, Yvonne," Salem assured. He put the picture down and came over to her to give her a hug. He felt a kick hit him, so he glanced down then got to his knees so he could rub Yvonne's belly. "Do you know if she's lowering?" he asked.

"It feels like it," Yvonne said. "I'll bet you that was our last picture of me before Mae's born."

"I'll take that bet," Salem smiled and stood back up. "Maybe by next week we'll be taking a picture of you holding her."

"I hope so," Yvonne said.

It was, sadly, one more full week that passed with still no labor. They got one more photo of her against the backdrop of their bedroom and it was put in the baby book along with all the others. Their daughter's name was already written in the book: Mae Dauer. JJ had teased Salem over them deciding on Mae when he already had a nephew named Mae Sun and nieces named Eun Mae and Mae Yon, but Salem just gave JJ the same argument he'd made over the name Jae: her name would be just Mae. No need for anything fancy. Arturo was aware, so come Monday after their latest picture, Salem was glued near the phone just in case Yvonne called him. When Monday, then Tuesday, and then Wednesday flew by with nothing changing, Salem was getting anxious. Thursday he could barely sit still. Yvonne had told him she was feeling pain but nothing to be alarmed about and that it was okay for him to go to work. She'd call him if anything changed. He'd been staring at the phone all day.

"Penny for your thoughts, Salem?" Arturo asked after a client had left.

"Just nervous," Salem said. "I feel like I'm going crazy waiting."

"Welcome to being a first time father," Arturo smiled. "Just relax. Mae will get here when she wants to. I'm afraid when they're that age, they don't operate on anyone's time but their own."

"So I've heard," Salem said. "Is it normal to feel really scared?"

"Of course it is," Arturo said. "No matter what number you're on, a baby is nerve racking. You're responsible for another person, your whole life changes and needs to center around them: but it's worth it. Take it from me. I'm shocked I haven't lost all my hair for all the trouble Emilio gets himself into, but I wouldn't trade him for anything."

"I know," Salem smiled. Then the phone rang and he answered it on the first ring. "Hello?"

"Hi, I'm calling because I'm interested in coming in for a consultation. Are you guys open until nine?"

"Yeah," Salem's shoulders slumped, "Our lead artist will be here until nine. What's the name and I'll make sure he expects you." Salem finished with the customer and put down the phone with a groan.

"Just a customer?"

"Yeah," Salem said. "Should I call home and check on her?"

"Now you're being paranoid, Salem. Just relax. If she needs you, she'll call you."

"What if she tried to call while that guy was on the phone?"

"Did you hear the line beep?"

"No," Salem said.

"Then she didn't try calling," Arturo said.

"Alright," Salem sighed, then the phone rang again and he answered immediately. "Yvonne?"

"No…names James Antler? I wanted to double check I'm still on schedule for a tattoo tomorrow? Arturo's my artist."

"Arturo, you've got a James Antler on schedule for tomorrow?"

"10:00," Arturo said.

"You're confirmed for tomorrow 10:00," Salem said.

"Thanks; see you then," the guy said and hung up.

"Son of a bitch," Salem muttered.

"Breathe, Salem," Arturo chuckled and returned to his station to prepare for his next appointment.

Needing to get his mind on something else, Salem worked on the books for about an hour. They had some payments due so he got those checks written so they could be dropped off at the bank the following day. Once that was done, he turned his attention to submissions from Arturo and their other artist for materials that needed to be ordered so he had those forms filled out to have in the mailbox before he left. It was a chore to stay focused, but at least his work was getting done. The phone had rang several times during that window. The damn thing felt like the boy crying wolf and it was getting on his nerves.

While he was completing the order form for transfer paper, the phone rang again and he answered, "Thank you for calling Inked, this Salem; how can I help you?"

"Salem, it's Yvonne."

Salem was immediately at attention, "Yvonne? Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm alright. I called Kyle already and he's on his way. My water just broke."

"I'll be home in a minute," Salem said and the two disconnected.

"Are you out of here?" Arturo asked as Salem got his keys.

"Yeah, Yvonne just called. I've written the checks and we have two more order forms that need to be filled out."

"I'll get that taken care of. You go home," Arturo said.

"Good luck, boss," their other artist said while he was hunched over someone's back working on a tattoo. Salem bolted home as fast as possible and when he was home, Yvonne was downstairs moving around staying close to the wall.

"What can I do?" Salem asked.

"Can you help me upstairs?" Yvonne asked and Salem rushed to her and helped her upstairs.

"Okay," Salem said once they'd reached their bedroom, "What else can I do?"

"Can you draw me a warm bath?" Yvonne asked. Salem nodded and went to the bathroom to get the tub filled with hot water then went to get Yvonne. She dipped her toe into the water that had filled thus far but pulled away. "Can you turn it to a cooler temperature? It's too hot right now."

"It is?" Salem asked and felt it. To him it felt like that type of warm that you'd want to soak in when your muscles are sore. He turned the knob so it was cooler and waited another minute before Yvonne dipped her toe in again.

"Almost. It can't exceed my body temperature."

"Okay," Salem answered and turned the knob just a little more. By the time the tub was half full, it was just right so Yvonne stepped in and Salem helped her lower into a sitting position. She pulled off her dress and Salem rang it out and hung it to dry. Yvonne laid back still visibly uncomfortable but looking like she felt a little better. "Did that help?"

"Not much, but I'll take it," Yvonne said and kept breathing. Soon, though, the water started to feel cold and Yvonne asked for help getting out. By the time she was out of the tub and dried off with a towel wrapped around her, Kyle arrived and met them upstairs.

"Can you lay down for me Yvonne and I'll check how far along you are," Kyle instructed. Yvonne laid down and when Kyle checked, she was four centimeters along. "4 centimeters, so you've still got a ways to go."

"Should I get up and walk around?" Yvonne asked.

"You certainly can," Kyle said. "When did you start feeling contractions like what you're experiencing now?"

"Late last night," Yvonne said, "But they were really few and far apart."

"How far apart are they now?"

"I haven't been paying attention," Yvonne said.

"We'll do that now, then," Kyle said.

They waited several minutes before another contraction occurred and from there, Kyle kept close attention of their timing. He allowed 2 hours before checking her again and when he did, she was at approximately 7 centimeters, so she was making good progress. She started moving around, desperate for it to be over and willing to do just about anything to move things along. Natalie and Suerro came to the house later in the afternoon and Yvonne was still in labor when they arrived. By that evening, Yvonne was finally dilated enough and contractions were frequent enough that she could start pushing. Salem made sure he was sitting behind her to keep her slightly elevated and when Kyle told Yvonne the baby was crowning, she pushed even harder and didn't stop until she felt the baby being born and heard the baby crying.

"It's a girl," Kyle announced.

Even if they'd already known, the announcement made it feel more special. Kyle handed their daughter to Yvonne and the baby cried while she was rested on Yvonne's chest. She already had thick black hair and her skin was pale but it would certainly deepen in color once she adjusted to being in the world. Kyle grabbed Salem's Polaroid and got up close to take a picture of Salem, Yvonne and Mae together to properly complete the compilation of photos they'd started for their baby book. Once the cord was cut, Kyle took Mae to the side to get her cleaned up and swaddled in a blanket to help her relax. Natalie came upstairs both to meet her granddaughter and also to keep her company while Kyle helped Yvonne with the last of the delivery. Yvonne fell asleep the instant she was able to and Salem sat on the other side of the bed holding Mae. By that time, Mae was fast asleep and he could take a good look at her.

"She's so beautiful, Salem," Natalie said to Salem. "She looks just like you."

"She does, doesn't she?" Salem said and gently rubbed the back of his finger over her cheek. She already had a deeper skin tone than she'd had before and it was clear she was going to be tanner like her mother. "I was a wreck all day at work waiting to hear from Yvonne," Salem said.

"She is a little later than originally anticipated," Natalie smiled. "Mae Dauer: it's such a pretty name."

"It suits her," Salem said. "I hope Yvonne's parents don't mind if we wait until end of June to go visit."

"Yvonne needs time to heal; I'm sure Owota and Myta won't mind. Her mother's name is Myta right?"

"Yeah," Salem said. "I'll need to call Andy and let him know the baby's born."

"Salem, for God's sake, don't get another tattoo," Natalie sand and Salem chuckled.

"I haven't decided if I will, mom," Salem said. "If I do, I might ask Jae Sun to do it. The boy needs to finally apply ink to human skin."

"Salem," Natalie said with a heavy sigh.

Salem stayed home the following day to stay with Yvonne so she could relax when she needed but he also just wanted to spend time with his little girl. Salem got a call in to Andy to let him know Mae was born and he gave his congratulations in his own way. Were it not for the fact they were driving, Salem would suggest they go to Florida together, but the drive there would be too much. Only going to Arizona would have to do for now. While Yvonne was taking a nap and Salem was holding Mae, he started hearing something peck at the window. He stood up from the bed and saw Blu outside. Salem put Mae down in a little bassinette so he could open the window and Blu squeezed into the house and flew right to the edge of the bassinette so he was looking at the baby. Salem stayed quiet as he watched Blu hop into the bassinette to get closer to the little girl. She wiggled around in her sleep and Blu stayed put until she stopped moving. When she did, Blu hopped up and sat right on her tiny chest to look at her. He stood up again when Mae started to wiggle and she opened her eyes. Mae started moving her hands around and Salem came over to make sure she didn't accidently hit the bird.

"Her name is Mae," Salem said to the bird. Blu sang a little song and hopped twice on her chest in a little dance. Then he sat down seemingly content to stay nested where he was for now. Salem guided Mae's tiny hand over Blu's back so she could feel his feathers and she began wiggling again. "She's a little worm, this one," Salem smiled. "Be careful, Mae. Birds eat worms," Salem joked. Mae then released a high pitched sound for lack of a better way to express herself and that caused Yvonne to groan and wake. "Sorry, did she wake you?"

"It's alright," Yvonne said as she turned over with a yawn before finally getting up. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's just excited. Blu came to visit," Salem said. Yvonne quickly got out of bed and came to the bassinette to see the little blue bird.

"This is Blu?"

"Yeah, this is him. You met him before."

"I know," Yvonne said, "I just didn't see him." Yvonne went to her knees so she was eye level with Mae and Blu. Yvonne extended a finger but Blu stayed on top of Mae. She smiled, "I see he'd rather be with his granddaughter."

"I think so," Salem said and kneeled down along with Yvonne. Mae was free to move around now that Salem wasn't holding her little hands and Blu managed to dance around her so she didn't accidently hit him. "It's been a while since he's had a baby to visit. This must be a nice treat for him."

"Last time was Eun Mae and Mae Yon, right?"

"Yeah," Salem said. He watched Mae interact with Blu and couldn't help smiling. "Dad was a real family man. If he'd had his way and nothing happened to him, he and mom would have produced at least a dozen of us."

Yvonne smiled, "That may be a few too many children."

"Mom certainly thought so," Salem said. "I just hope I'm half the father he was."

"You will be," Yvonne smiled.

Blu stayed on top of Mae until she began to cry. She was just hungry so she stopped crying the moment she was being fed. Blu flew away but Salem kept the window open for a few more hours in case Blu returned. Salem went to the shop Saturday since that and Sunday were their busiest days of the week but thankfully Arturo and taken care of the orders and got the checks to the bank so everything was up to speed. As soon as they were able, Arturo brought Esparenza and Emilio over so they could meet the new baby but also so they could just hang out together and not long after, extended family came to their house to visit and to see Mae, passing the little girl around from person to person and gushing over her. Nesia and Ahiga of course were among those that came to visit and after they'd returned back to their home, Nesia felt that twinge of jealousy.

"Mae is a precious little girl," Nesia said.

"She is," Ahiga agreed. "I've been told when they're that age, there's no getting any sleep so I pity them that."

"I don't know; Mae seems like a very relaxed baby. I think I heard her cry once and it was because she was dirty."

"I'd cry too in her position," Ahiga smiled. He looked at Nesia and noticed the smile she was giving him and he suspected he knew what that smile was. "Are you jealous?"

"A little," she admitted. "We don't really talk about having kids."

"I'm not ready to," Ahiga said while he rubbed the back of his neck. He felt guilty about it, but he couldn't help it. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Nesia said and approached him to give Ahiga a hug, "I'd rather you were honest with me than trying to appease me."

"Thank you," Ahiga said and hugged her back. "I don't want you to think that I'm putting off kids and getting married because I don't want to. I want to; but I'm not ready right now."

"I know," Nesia said and lifted her head to look up at Ahiga with a loving smile. "I love you."

"I love you too," Ahiga smiled back and gave her a kiss. "You're too good for me; you know that?" he said between kisses.

"I don't think so," Nesia said. "I love you the way you are." Ahiga reached down to lift her legs up and around his waist so he was holding her as they kissed.

"I want to be better than I am," Ahiga said. "Not just for you but for myself too."

"I know," Nesia replied. They continued kissing until Ahiga walked around to the couch and laid her down to make love to her.

Jaedynn was finally starting to feel better after what happened earlier that year. After she'd talked to Ivory, she began feeling much better, though she was still really sad. Sure he'd been intense and a little brash, but she'd really liked Alex. He'd given her attention she'd been craving but had previously turned away because she was waiting for her imprint. However after she'd accepted that kind of affection, she began missing it. She couldn't listen to Build me up Buttercup by The Foundations when it came on the radio because it never failed to make her think of Alex. She'd been intensely attracted to him too. Compounding all those factors, she definitely felt his absence but was doing her best to put it behind her. He'd lied to her she kept telling herself. He'd promised he wasn't 'juggling' her as he'd put it and yet when she tried contacting him, she'd gotten a girlfriend on the phone. She had to accept that Alex had simply taken what he'd wanted from her and was done with her.

"Has the officer arrived at your home, ma'am?" Jaedynn asked the woman on her line.

"Yes, I see him now," the woman asked. It was a routine call: some neighbor kids were causing mischief in someone's yard and the cops were called to round them up. Jaedynn stayed on the phone with the woman until she heard her talking to Nathan and got her cue to end the call so her line was back open.

"We do not take personal calls on this line, sir. You have a nice day," she overheard one of her coworkers say and then hang up the phone so the line was open again. She thought nothing of it and continued her work. As she was entering the log regarding the woman that called about kids and notating Nathan had arrived there, her phone rang. She quickly finished her entry then answered the phone.

"Tribal Police; what's your emergency?" Jaedynn said.

"I'm at the Pacific Motel up in Port Angeles. Meet me there at 9. Room 12A," a man said and then immediately hung up.

She realized it was Alex's voice and Jaedynn was stiff. She looked around as if someone would know who had just called her but the two other girls in her office were focused on their own work and not paying attention to her. She looked at the clock to check the time: 2:30. Her shift ended at 7:00. She shivered a little. She didn't know what to do. She wasn't sure she was ready for the ramifications of going, but she wasn't sure she was ready for the ramifications if she didn't go either. What if she went and Nathan found out? What if she didn't go and Alex was intensely persistent, calling her over and over until she came? It was all she could think about for the rest of the day. After she'd clocked out for the day, she walked home going over it in her head trying to figure out what to do. By the time she got home, she glanced at her car. She walked over to her car and got in before she even realized she was doing it and she made the drive up to Port Angeles. She should give him a chance to explain himself at least, she reasoned. Maybe it really had been a big misunderstanding. It took her a while to actually find the motel but she found it in time to make the 9:00 time. She found 12A on the ground floor and knocked on the door. As soon as she knocked, she overheard Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine begin to play and then Alex opened the door.

"Right on time," Alex smiled at her and stepped aside inviting her in. Jaedynn stepped in and just as he closed the door, he approached her to try to kiss her, but she stepped away.

"When I tried to call you, a woman answered and said she was your girlfriend," Jaedynn said.

"Yes, I know," Alex said. "She and I were dating at one point, but I had broken up with her back in November. It took me a while to find a new place to live, so I was staying with her at the time. She wasn't taking the breakup well, so I made a point about not having you call when she was there and insisted on calling you myself."

"Why didn't you call and tell me that?"

"Your dad didn't give me a chance to," Alex said, "And when I tried calling, he wouldn't let me talk to you." Alex sounded frustrated. She couldn't remember him calling and Nathan hadn't said anything. Maybe he'd called at different times? "Jaedynn, I miss you," Alex said. "I'm sorry you ended up speaking to my Ex and she gave you misinformation. I've already chewed her out for it and I've moved into a new place so you'll never have to worry about her again. I came here so I could finally talk to you and give you my side of the story without your dad or your sister twisting it."

"I didn't hear from you so I thought –" Jaedynn started, tears forming.

"Did you really think I would just abandon you? I wouldn't! Do you realize how much that hurts me to know you thought that?"

"I didn't know what to think," Jaedynn said. "We'd only known each other a short time and-"

"Time's got nothing to do with it, Buttercup," Alex said and then pressed a kiss to her lips that she reciprocated.

She felt so guilty for not allowing him to explain and for thinking he'd lied to her. She knew there had to be an explanation and she was just happy to finally have it. When Alex laid her down on the bed, she accepted every affectionate touch, every kiss and met his passion with her own, getting lost in it. By the time they'd both reached their climax, she felt like jelly and hugged him back when he came down to her to wrap his arms around her.

"I love you, Jaedynn. Please say you love me to," he whispered in her ear.

"I love you too, Alex," Jaedynn answered, overcome in that moment. Alex lifted his head so he was staring into her eyes.

"Come back to New York with me," Alex said and just like that, the fog of passion had passed and reality set in.

"Alex….I can't just leave on a whim," Jaedynn said.

"Sure you can," Alex said. "We'll just get on a plane and go."

"I can't just leave my family, Alex," Jaedynn said.

"The same family that lied to you about me?"

"Alex, try to understand," Jaedynn said but Alex interrupted her.

"I thought you said you love me," he said.

"I do, but-"

"Then come back to New York with me," Alex said. "If you're worried about packing your things, don't worry about shit like that. I'll buy you new things. It'll be fine."

"Alex, please, you're pressuring me," Jaedynn said. Alex got off her and started to walk away.

"I'll take a shower, okay? If you're still here when I get out, we'll get on the first plane to New York. If you're not here, we'll end it."

Before Jaedynn could argue, Alex was in the bathroom and she heard the shower turn on. She sat alone in that hotel room for what seemed like forever thinking it over. What he was asking her was crazy. She couldn't just up and leave without telling anyone. She tried to remember if she'd overheard Nathan answer the phone and hang up suddenly, or talk harshly over the phone but she couldn't remember. If Alex had called, she'd at least have overheard Nathan complain about it to Ada María wouldn't she? Unless he made sure she wouldn't overhear. And Nathan had made no bones about not liking Alex. Was it really so unlikely that Nathan would actively prevent Jaedynn and Alex from talking in that case? Even so, she couldn't just run away to New York….could she? She loved him. She knew she loved Alex. She wanted to be with him, everyone else's opinions be damned. Didn't she deserve to be happy? Didn't she deserve to be loved with that passion she'd known simply by proxy? Why should her sisters and brothers all have their imprints and she not be allowed to fall in love too? Alex had come all this way to apologize to her and wanted to run away with her. Wasn't that proof of how much he loved her? She heard the shower turn off and she turned her body waiting for Alex to come out. Eventually he did and he had a towel on his shoulders rubbing it over his dark hair and when he saw her, he smiled.

"I knew all along you loved me," Alex said.

"I should call my family and let them know I'm leaving at least," Jaedynn said.

"No, not now," Alex said. "Wait until we're in New York, okay? If you tell them now, they'll try to stop you." Alex came over to kneel on the bed, come forward on his hands and pressed a kiss to Jaedynn's lips. "Let's get dressed, Buttercup, and we'll go."

"Okay," Jaedynn said, smiling back at him. Jaedynn felt so nervous. She and Alex got dressed and, deciding they can't abandon her car, they started the long drive to New York rather than fly, but no matter what, she kept thinking about home and what she was leaving behind. It was worth it though, she told herself. She was running away with the man she loved. What could be more romantic?

"Dymek residence," Anatoli answered his phone groggily a few hours later. He heard Ivory groan having also been woken up by the sound of the phone ringing.

"Anatoli, it's Nathan. Are Ivory and Jaedynn out together?"

"No, Ivory's at home. Why?"

"She left the station after work and everyone I've talked to said they saw her return home, but then she got in her car and drove off," Nathan said.

"Anatoli, who's on the phone?" Ivory asked.

"Nathan," Anatoli said. "Do you want to talk to him? He's asking about Jaedynn." Ivory rolled over and reached to take the phone from Anatoli.

"Daddy? It's Ivory. You're calling about Jaedynn?"

"Yeah, have you seen her?"

"No, I haven't. Why?"

"I don't know where she is and so far all I've been able to find out is she drove off after returning home and I already checked the bar and she's not there."

"I'll check the bars up here and see if I can find her," Ivory said.

"Thank you. Leave me a message if you find her."

Anatoli and Ivory searched the phone book for every bar in Seattle, wrote each place down and took their own cars to search the city for Jaedynn. Nathan called Salem and made the same request, so Salem searched Port Angeles for Jaedynn trying to find her, also searching every bar in town and even checking the park. Those on patrol that night were also searching all over for Jaedynn. The more time they spent looking for Jaedynn with no luck the more frantic Nathan became. Ada María left the bar to help look for her but ordered Ariel and Gabriel to stay at the bar and keep things running. By the wee hours of the morning and having still not found her, Nathan was in a panic. He went into the station late and only because he wanted to speak to her two coworkers.

"Jenna, Sally," Nathan said and the two girls jumped and the sound of his startling voice, "Did Jaedynn tell you where she was going after work?"

"No," Jenna answered and then glanced at Sally who shook her head. "She was a little quiet yesterday, but we didn't notice anything wrong."

"You're sure?" Nathan asked.

"Honest, Officer Black, she didn't say anything to us," Jenna said.

Sally seemed to remember something and said, "I did get a weird call yesterday. This guy got on the phone asking for Jaedynn saying it was private or something and I told him we don't take personal calls."

Nathan went stiff. "When was this?"

"About two o'clock or so," Sally said, "but I didn't hear anything after that."

"Thanks Sally," Nathan said and went to the back room where all the recordings for the calls were kept.

They were replaced on 24 hour rotations as part of the dispatcher's responsibilities – definitely an expensive system especially since each dispatcher had their own recording device to their phones but one could never be sure when a recording would be needed in a court of law. Nathan located the recordings from the previous day that belonged to Jaedynn and got it in the machine, rewound the tape and listened to the recordings. When a dispatcher answered, the recording would start and then when the call ended the recording would stop, so he was listening to call after call in quick succession until, finally, he found what he was looking for.

"Tribal Police; what's your emergency?"

""I'm at the Pacific Motel up in Port Angeles. Meet me there at 9. Room 12A."

The call ended there and two calls later, there was nothing else in reference to that call. Nathan stopped the recording and left the station driving up to Port Angeles to look for this Motel. He finally found it, parked the police car in front of the motel's office and stepped inside to find a man in his thirties occupied with something but he came to attention when he saw Nathan.

"Good morning, Officer," the man said, "what can I help you with?"

"I'm investigating a missing person and I have reason to believe that she came to this motel yesterday. Can you tell me who was staying in 12A yesterday," Nathan said.

"No one that I'm aware of," the man answered. "Yesterday, I noticed the key wasn't behind the desk like it's supposed to be and when I couldn't find it, I'd called a locksmith to fix it, but when he arrived this morning and we went to the room, the key was in the keyhole. It was definitely used when I stepped inside. As to who used it, I don't know."

"Can I search the room?"

"Do you have a warrant, Officer?" the man asked as per protocol.

"No," Nathan said. "Look, this missing person is my daughter. I need to search the room so I can try to find anything that would indicate where she'd gone. Did you happen to see her? She'd have been in a 1967 blue Ford LTD." Nathan pulled out his wallet, then a picture of Jaedynn and presented it to the man. He took one look and nodded.

"Yeah, I remember seeing her out my window, but she didn't come inside. It was around 9 as I recall. She walked to one of the rooms as soon as she got here but I didn't see which one. I assumed she was meeting someone so I didn't stop her," the man said, turned to get the 12A key and came around the desk. "Come with me, Officer."

Nathan followed the man out of the office and down the line of doors until they reached 12A. He unlocked and opened the door stepping aside so Nathan could go in and when he looked around, nothing seemed amiss immediately. It had clearly been cleaned since it was last used. Nathan searched the room high and low trying to find something, but he couldn't. He stayed calm as possible, but it was wearing on him.

"Did you happen to see her leave?" Nathan asked.

"I'm afraid not," the man said. "When I saw her, it was the end of my shift and the night manager came in. Do you want me to call him in?"

"No, that won't be necessary," Nathan managed. "I think I know what happened. Thank you for your help, sir."

"Yes, Officer," the man said and Nathan went to his cruiser and drove to the Port Angeles Police

Department to officially file a missing person's report. While he was at the station, he called Kevin at his office and asked him to notify the apartment building in Manhattan that he'd be there by tomorrow. The moment Nathan got to New York, he'd be filing another report but would search for Jaedynn himself. Word was spread around the family and when Ivory found out, she called the apartment building herself to advise them that they needed to tell Nathan as soon as he arrived that according to Alex Vayez, he resided in Harlem and that was where Nathan should start his search. There were members of the pack out all hours of the day just in case Jaedynn shifted and they could find out where she was but they never heard anything.

Filing the police report with the Port Angeles Police took what seemed like forever. By the time Nathan finally left, it was well into the afternoon. He called home and told Ada María that he was going to New York and to make sure someone was home to answer the phone if Jaedynn called the house. Ariel and Gabriel were left in charge of the bar while Ada María stayed at home, but knowing their sister was missing put a an unmistakable tension in the air. Nathan didn't bother going home to pack some things. He needed to get to the airport and on the first available plane to New York. But the soonest available plane wasn't leaving until morning. Edward called another airport for Nathan but the other airport's next plane to New York wasn't leaving until a later time, so Nathan stayed and waited. It was miserable.

Finally he was able to board the plane and was fidgeting the whole time. He was shaking and feeling this sense of terror that he'd not been able to hide. On two separate occasions, the flight attendant asked him if he was alright, but he insisted he was fine. It was noon the following day by the time he arrived in New York and the first thing he did was go to the apartment just in case Jaedynn was there, but she wasn't. Instead, Nathan was given Ivory's message about going to Harlem. So that's what he did. He went to the Police Station in Harlem and filed a missing person report providing Jaedynn's picture, a description of her and all the cops in the area were instructed to keep a lookout for her. Of course, this also took several hours.

"It'll be alright, Mr. Black," the officer said to Nathan when he was clearly fighting back tears. "We'll find your daughter. All the cops in the area have been made aware to look for her."

"Can cops near the Upper East Side be made aware to look for her? My brother's apartment is there and I had thought she might go there, but my other daughter said the man that took here lives in this area."

"I'll send word to 19th precinct to have their officers keep a lookout for her," the officer said. "Did you advise the apartment that she might go there?"

"Yes; I asked them to call the emergency contacts the moment she arrives assuming she does," Nathan said.

"That'll help," the officer said. "You're certain she was taken by someone?"

"Yes: Alex Vayez," Nathan said the name bitterly.

"Let me check our records, see if he's got priors," the officer said and left the desk to search their files. Several minutes later, the cop returned with nothing. "I can't find anything but that doesn't necessarily mean he's not had run-ins with the law. He very well could use fake identification to get by."

"Son of a bitch," Nathan said.

"We have your daughter's description, so once we find her, we'll bring her and whoever she's with to the station."

"Thank you," Nathan finally said.

Upon the officer's recommendation, Nathan went back to the apartment despite wanting to keep looking. The front desk promised him again when he returned that if Jaedynn came, they were notify him immediately. Nathan couldn't sleep no matter how he tried and through the night, he didn't hear anything. When the sun peaked up, he showered quickly, burrowed some clothes from Kevin's closet and left the apartment desperate to be productive and find Jaedynn. That day, Kevin was at the office but he couldn't focus. Since it became clear Jaedynn was missing, everyone was on edge. Wherever there was a phone, someone was near it in case she called. Keeping the situation vague, Kevin made his staff aware he'd not be taking any calls from clients today. Midway through the day, hid phone rang and he pressed the button.

"Kevin Black," he said.

"Mr. Black, I have a Mr. McAllister on the line? He's calling from New York; says he works in the lobby of your apartment?"

"Put him through," Kevin said hurriedly. The receptionist put the call through and he answered on the first ring. "Hello?"

"Mr. Black? This is Mr. McAllister from 5th Avenue apartments. I've got your niece in the lobby right now. She has requested to use your phone line to call home."

"Have you called the police?" Kevin asked.

"Yes, Mr. Black, we have," Mr. McAllister said. "We've already tripped the silent alarm and I've got them in the lobby right now. As far as we have been informed, your niece has been missing. Should we ask the police to take her to the station?"

"No, Jaedynn can stay in my apartment," Kevin said, "But unless the man with her is my brother, I want that man arrested."

"We will inform the police, Mr. Black. Do you want me to transfer your call to the front desk and have you speak with Miss Black?"

"Yes, please," Kevin said.

Back in the lobby, Jaedynn was anxious but above all, she was exhausted. She and Alex had been driving for two and a half days straight with almost no breaks. They'd stop here and there when absolutely necessary otherwise they would take turns sleeping while the other drove until they finally reached New York. Jaedynn had thought they'd go straight to Alex's place but when they reached Harlem, Alex drove them to a gas station and stepped inside for a moment while Jaedynn filled the tank. When Alex finally came out, he got behind the wheel and they ended up driving around Manhattan for an hour but she wasn't sure why and Alex didn't say. She asked if they could go to his place so she could call home to let them know where she was but Alex suggested she place the call from somewhere else. Just when he said he found a place they could call, he'd negate the idea and they'd keep driving without saying the reason for the change. Eventually they circled around the Upper East Side until there was a place to park Jaedynn's car that was really close to her uncle's apartment.

"See if they'll let you call home but try to keep it quick, okay?" Alex said once he found a place to park the car.

"I don't know if it'll be quick," Jaedynn said. "I mean, I've been gone for days. They'll have questions."

"Just try to answer quickly," Alex said. "I don't know about you, but I'd like to go home and relax. Besides, it's about time you saw our place." Alex smiled at her and rubbed a thumb over her cheek which made her smile. It was greatly welcomed. Through the trip, she and Alex barely spoke and the irregular sleep was making him irritable. He'd always apologize if he snapped at her, but Jaedynn did her best to stay quiet so he wouldn't get upset. "Come on, Buttercup. Let's get this done then we'll go home."

"Okay," Jaedynn smiled and the two of them got out of the car. When they came into the lobby, she recognized the staff and they clearly recognized her. They even looked a little panicked.

"Miss Black," a man said as he walked right up to her making it so the front desk was no longer in view. "Your family is searching for you. You've put them in quite a panic."

"Yes, I had a feeling," Jaedynn said. "I just wanted to call home and let them know I'm alright."

"One moment and I'll call your uncle," the man said and walked away. As they waited in the lobby, Alex took a hold of her hand. She looked over her shoulder at him and he was surveying the space and would sometimes look outside. She heard a siren in the distance outside but didn't think anything of it until it started to approach. Alex noticed too.

"Assholes called the police. Come on, Jaedynn; we need to go," Alex said.

"You stay right there, sir!" the young man at the front desk said.

"You called the police?" Jaedynn asked and just then the phone rang.

"Yes, ma'am, we did. Those were our instructions," the man said as he answered the phone.

"Jaedynn, come on!" Alex snapped and tried to pull her but the police were already coming into the lobby with their guns drawn.

"Down on the ground!" the officer in the lead yelled and Alex released Jaedynn trying to get away, but the cops grabbed him and forced him onto the floor. Jaedynn screamed and tried to tell the cops to let Alex go, but they ignored her and took him outside. Once they'd had a hold of him, Alex didn't fight them, but he did look right back at her.

"Miss Black!" the man at the front desk said and got her attention, "I have your uncle waiting to speak with you on the line."

"I'm going to the police station. You tell my Uncle I'm not talking to anyone right now," Jaedynn said and went outside trying to get the police to listen to her or at least tell her where they were taking Alex. When they finally told her, she got in her car and drove to the precinct.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Black; she left," the front desk employee said. "She said she's going to the police."

"The moment my brother gets back, tell him so he can bring her back," Kevin instructed.

Once he ended the call with the front desk, he called his office in New York to have one of his employees go to the station to help Jaedynn. While he'd been walking the streets, he noticed a police car's sirens go off and start driving in the direction of the apartment, so he quickly returned and was given Kevin's message. At the police station, by the time Jaedynn made it, the officers had already brought him to the back to be finger printed and questioned, so she couldn't see him.

"I'm here to see my boyfriend," Jaedynn said.

"Would you happen to be Jaedynn Black?" the officer asked.

"Yes," Jaedynn answered. That officer then picked up the phone and dialed a number. He was quiet as the phone rang and ignored Jaedynn when she asked again for Alex.

"Hey, Officer Callahan here," the officer said once the phone stopped ringing. "We've got Jaedynn Black. We can close the missing persons report."

"What missing persons report!?" Jaedynn said.

"The missing persons report your father filed, miss," the officer answered once he'd ended the call.

"Miss Black?" she heard and she turned to see a man in a suit that she didn't recognize.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Gerald MacArthur. Officer, I will be acting as Miss Black's lawyer, so if you need to question her, I will be present," Mr. MacArthur said.

"Question me? Why?!"

"Miss Black, it'll be alright. Officer, if you don't mind I would like a moment to speak with my client in private," Mr. MacArthur requested.

"I want to see Alex," Jaedynn demanded.

"You can see him once we've finished questioning him, Miss Black," Officer Callahan said.

"Miss Black, please come with me so we can talk?" Mr. MacArthur asked. "And Officer, if my client's father arrives, please direct him where we are?"

"Will do," Officer Callahan nodded and Mr. MacArthur guided Jaedynn to one of the interrogation rooms in the police station so they could speak privately. Mr. MacArthur took a seat at the table right away but Jaedynn continued to stand.

"I want to talk to Alex," Jaedynn said.

"As your lawyer, Miss Black, I must recommend against that," Mr. MacArthur said. "Please, Miss Black, sit down. You've had a rough few days."

"I've had a rough hour!" Jaedynn said. "I want my boyfriend released."

"Miss Black, he's facing kidnapping charges: if he wants out, he needs to post bail," Mr. MacArthur said.

"Fine, then I'll pay it," Jaedynn said.

"Miss Black, please. Sit down," Mr. MacArthur said and then the door opened. The moment Nathan saw Jaedynn, he came right to her and gave her a hug without saying a word. Then he released her and started looking her up and down.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Nathan asked frantically.

"Daddy, he didn't hurt me. I went with him willingly. He didn't kidnap me and I want the charges against him dropped."

"Not a chance in hell," Nathan said and looked at Mr. MacArthur. "You're with Kevin's firm right?"

"Yes sir," Mr. MacArthur said and stood to shake Nathan's hand. "The officers will want to question her and they're aware they are to do so while I'm present."

"Okay, good," Nathan said.

"None of you are listening to me! Alex didn't kidnap me! I went with him willingly!" The door opened again and another officer walked in. Mr. MacArthur and the officer asked everyone to sit and he took his own seat across from everyone. "Where's Alex?" Jaedynn asked the officer.

"He's in custody Miss Black. I just have a few questions I need to ask you," the officer said.

"All you need to know is I went with Alex willingly. I want the charges against him dropped."

"Absolutely not," Nathan said. "Jaedynn, why would you run off without telling me? We were up all night looking for you! I only figured out where you were going because I checked the phone records at the station! Why would you leave with him at all?"

"Mr. Black, I would recommend taking a deep breath," the officer said. "Miss Black, I understand that you went with him willingly, but given your father's distress and the involvement of the police, would you mind starting from the beginning?"

"I was at work, I received a call from Alex asking me to meet him so I met with him, we talked and we decided to come to New York together."

"Why?!" Nathan yelled. "For fuck's sake, Jaedynn, this asshole is playing you!"

"No he isn't!" Jaedynn yelled back. "We had a chance to talk and he already explained."

"Explained what?"

"That girl that answered the phone was an ex. They were still living together and he was looking for a new place, but she didn't take the breakup well. If you had let me talk to him all those times he tried calling to explain, we wouldn't be in this situation."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Nathan yelled. "He never fucking called! He called once, I told him off and he never called again!"

"He said he tried calling but you wouldn't let him talk to me."

"Of course I wouldn't! You caught him red handed!"

"I already told you that was an ex!" Jaedynn said.

"Let's calm down," the officer said. "Miss Black, regardless of talking or not, why didn't you call home to let your family know you were leaving; avoid all this panic and confusion?"

"Because they'd have stopped me from leaving if I did," Jaedynn said.

"You're God damned right I would have stopped you!" Nathan yelled. "I don't believe for a moment that not calling home was your idea."

"What does that matter?" Jaedynn said.

"What does it matter? What does it matter?!"

"Mr. Black, please," Mr. MacArthur said calmly.

"Just tell me what I need to do so Alex gets released," Jaedynn said.

"If you post his bail, then we can release him," the officer answered matter-of-factly.

"How much will that cost?" Jaedynn asked.

"Doesn't fucking matter what it costs; you're not paying his bail!" Nathan said. "If that little bastard wants to be bailed out, then he can pay for it himself. You are coming back home."

"No," Jaedynn said. "I'm staying here."

"Like hell you're staying here!"

"How much is his bail?" Jaedynn asked, ignoring Nathan.

"$450," the officer said.

"Would I be able to write a check or does it have to be cash?"

"Jaedynn, you're not posting that bastards bail!" Nathan yelled. Jaedynn didn't answer and her silence was scaring him. "Can the two of you give Jaedynn and I a moment to talk privately?" Mr. MacArthur and the officer nodded and left the room. "Jaedynn, honey, why did you run off with this kid?"

"Because I love him and I want to be with him," Jaedynn said.

"You love him? Jaedynn, you can't possibly love this guy. He's not even your imprint and regardless, he's a criminal! I'm telling you he is."

"He's not a criminal, daddy. He has an unconventional job. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Jaedynn, you called the number he gave you and the woman that answered said she was his girlfriend."

"Yes, and I already told you he explained," Jaedynn said. "She was a jealous ex and he would have explained that to you if you'd just let him talk to me."

"Jaedynn, he called one time! He did not call again after I spoke with him: I swear to Christ he didn't. Jaedynn, I don't know what he's telling you, but he's a God damn liar."

"You mean like Ada?" Jaedynn said flippantly.

"Jaedynn," Nathan said, "I won't claim that when I met Ada things weren't rocky, but she and I worked things out."

"That doesn't change that she cheated on you," Jaedynn said. "Yet you still forgave her and gave her another chance. She even changed for you."

"Jaedynn, Ada didn't change for me," Nathan said. "I never asked her to change and I didn't want her to. Ada's the same woman I fell in love with when I arrived in Brazil. She didn't change for me; she and I fell in love and she wanted to be with me so we worked things out and she's never been unfaithful to me again. That's more than Alex can say."

"Daddy, he didn't cheat on me!" Jaedynn said. "Why can't you just accept I love him? You have your imprint, Ariel and Gabriel have theirs, Scarlet met her imprint, even Ivory imprinted. Why is it so wrong that I finally met someone?"

"Jaedynn, I'm not saying you don't deserve to meet someone, but you deserve someone that loves you and won't hurt you."

"He does love me," Jaedynn insisted. "And I love him. I'm sorry things played out this way and I wish it didn't have to, but I'm staying here with Alex."

"Jaedynn, I'm not leaving you here with him."

"Daddy, I'm not a child. I can take care of myself," Jaedynn said.

"This isn't about whether or not you can take care of yourself, Jaedynn. This is about getting you back home," Nathan said.

"I'm staying here with Alex," Jaedynn said. "You might not understand, but he does love me and I love him."

"Jaedynn, you're not staying here with him."

"Yes I am," Jaedynn said.

"No you're not!" Nathan yelled and stood up as he did so. Jaedynn stayed seated and looked as though she was trying to hide her surprise and nervousness at Nathan's outburst but he noticed her reaction all the same. Nathan took a deep breath and then said, "Jaedynn, I'm begging you: come back home. I know you think you're in love with this guy but he's not worth all this."

"That's what you think, daddy, but I know him better than you," Jaedynn said. "Daddy, if you just gave him a chance and got to know him, I know you'd like him."

"You want me to 'give a chance' to a guy that took my daughter away without so much as a fucking call home?" Nathan asked, raising his voice again. Then he caught himself, took another deep breath and said, "You love him?"

"Yes, daddy," Jaedynn said.

"Fine, have it your way," Nathan finally said. "If you want to be with this guy, fine: be with this guy. But don't expect me to give him a chance. You mark my words, Jaedynn: he's a criminal. And when you finally come to your fucking senses," Nathan stopped himself again when he realized he was raising his voice. He looked at her for a moment silently begging her to reconsider, but she clearly wouldn't budge. "When you're finally ready," he continued, "you will always be welcomed back home."

Accepting that he wasn't going to change her mind, Nathan walked out of the interrogation room and told the officer and Mr. MacArthur they could go back inside and finish any remaining questioning they needed to do. In the meantime, he returned to Kevin's apartment and decided he would stay for a week; just in case. In the vain hope that Jaedynn changed her mind in that time, he wanted to be readily available. He called home to let Ada María know what happened, but there was no eloquence in his recounting of the event. No matter what he said, Jaedynn wouldn't listen to him. Whatever Alex had told Jaedynn, she believed him and he'd successfully turned Jaedynn against her own father. It hurt and while Nathan told Ada María he actually started to cry.

Back at the police station, Jaedynn answered the officers remaining questions with Mr. MacArthur present but insisted that she wanted the charges dropped and Alex released. She paid the bond and after having spent several hours in jail, they left Alex go and he met Jaedynn at the entrance of the police station. Jaedynn ran up to Alex and gave him a big hug.

"I'm so sorry," Jaedynn said. "I told my dad I was staying and I made sure the charges were dropped."

"No need to be charged with kidnapping when you came with me willingly," Alex said. "This wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I thought about bringing you back to New York with me."

"I know, but it's resolved now," Jaedynn said. "We can finally go home."

"Yes, let's," Alex said and guided Jaedynn out of the police station and back to the apartment so they could get Jaedynn's car. Alex drove and they arrived in Harlem in no time. It took longer to find a place to park her car, but once they had, Alex showed her the way to this brick building that looked a little on the older side, but it was charming. Once inside, they stayed on the ground floor going down the hall to a door at the end. "I know it's not the bigwig apartment you're used to with a view of Central Park, but it has plenty of space for two people," Alex said as he got his key in the lock. He opened the door and stepped aside so Jaedynn could enter.

To say it was tiny was certainly accurate. It was a studio apartment with the kitchen directly to the left – and by 'kitchen' it was really a wall with a stove in the middle and a sink at the opposite end of the line – right passed the final countertop of the kitchen was a door to the bathroom and the room had a center space meant as a 'family room' for lack of a better word. There was a TV at the very back of the apartment, a tiny unimpressive looking coffee table and to her left there was an added small space where a twin bed was tucked away. As she was taking in the space, Alex closed the apartment door, locked it and then came up behind Jaedynn to wrap his arms around her waist.

"Welcome home, Buttercup," he whispered in her ear and just like that, the confined space of the apartment didn't bother her. It was a classic bachelor pad at the moment. She'd make this place cozy; give it her touch so that it felt like home. It would take some getting used to, but she was excited for a new chapter in her life.