Don't own Twilight. Another without a real ending. Sorry about that. This one was loosely inspired by Closer to God by Mrstrentreznor.

Need

Harry Clearwater, Billy Black, Sam Uley, and Old Quil Ateara sat at the head of the conference room table, all four of them looking towards me. It was Billy who broke the silence. "What can we do for you Bella?"

"I've come to seek asylum."

"Why?"

"For a few reasons." I mumbled. "Firstly, I didn't go back to the Cullens when they came back, and Alice and Edward have been harassing me at school. The principal is willing to let me finish online to avoid them. Secondly, and I'm only saying this because I was told you know, and of course Sam knows, the pack has been patrolling around my house and it would be easier for them if they didn't have to."

"But what about Charlie?" Harry asked, interrupting me.

"Thirdly, my father paid a member of the pack to seduce me after one of the bonfires. I was a virgin before then, and I've not slept with anyone since." I stood and unzipped my hoodie for dramatic effect, "he got me pregnant. So fourthly, I want my child to be raised on the reservation where it can grow up in the culture of their ancestors."

All of their jaws were wide open. "What? What evidence do you have that it was a pack member?" Sam asked.

"Besides the fact that I'm constantly running a steady 102.2 now?" I pulled the neck of the hoodie away and turned my head so that they could see the scar on my neck. "Because he fucking claimed me."

"Who?" There were light trembles running up Sam's body.

"I won't tell you. He should."

"If he's not mentioned it yet why would he now?"

I gestured to my stomach. "Call a pack meeting at your place or something and tell them what I just told you. Watch for his reaction." I turned to look between the four of them. "So will I be granted asylum?"

"Yes." They voted.

"Thank you. I brought my suitcases, and they're in my car… um.. where will I be staying?"

They looked between each other, but it was Old Quil who answered. "My Daughter-in-law runs our little grocery store here. It has an apartment above it. Are you able to pay bills?"

I nodded. "I have my college fund, and I sold the shit the Cullens gave me."

"Okay. I'm sure you'll have a reduced rent-."

"She's not paying for it." Sam growled. "Which ever one of the pack members that it was will be paying her expenses."

"Have you been to the doctor yet?" Harry asked.

"I've been meeting Sue at the clinic. Like I said, I want this child to know where they come from. I want them to be born here."

"Does she know who?"

"No. Three people know. Me, my father, and the one who did it."

"Were you forced?" Sam asked.

"No. I only found out that he was paid for it afterwards. I won't stop him from having a relationship with his child, but I won't see him."

"I'll call Joy and have her set the apartment up, and start a charge account for you to use. Sam says the pack member will cover your expenses, we'll include grocery bills in that."

I looked to Sam. "Can… can you keep where I'll be from them?"

"I can keep it from everybody but Emily. If she asks, the imprint doesn't allow me to lie."

I nodded. "Maybe she'd be willing to come over and cook with me sometime?"

"I'm sure she'd love that. She doesn't know many people here, outside of the pack."

"Can I ask one more thing of you Sam?" I asked quietly.

"Of course."

"Can you give an alpha order that they can't call me leech lover, or vampire girl? Stress isn't good for the baby, and it stresses me out-."

"I won't let them upset you Bella. I won't let any harm come to you, or your child." He gave me a sympathetic look. "Do you mind if Emily comes over once you've settled in? She misses you."

I nodded. "Why don't the two of you come over for dinner? Maybe you could help move furniture if needed?"

Harry Clearwater drove me over to the store in my car, and led me up the stairs to the small apartment. It was two bedrooms, had a decent sized kitchen, and a comfortable living room. He helped me move my bags upstairs due to my condition, and placed them on the bed for me. Before he left he sat on the opposite end of the couch to me. "I want you to know, that as you're carrying the child of a Spirit Warrior, you are considered part of the tribe now. The mark is significant because with it, you are granted the same rights and privileges of a pack member. You are entitled to come to the bonfires, and if you would like, you could even tell some of the stories."

"I'd love to learn more of the histories, and to help tell them." I told him.

He smiled softly. "There are some of them, such as the tale of the third wife, that I think you'd be able to tell better than us gristly old men."

I laughed. "You're not old Harry."

"I want you to know, that if I had known what Charlie did, I'd have shot him, or done something to stop it."

Suddenly quiet, I looked down and caressed my bump. "I… a part of me wishes it hadn't happened. But the larger part of me couldn't ever regret this child. I love them already."

"I remember when Sue was pregnant with Leah, and then Seth. I'm glad that she's been helping you."

"I'm grateful for her help." I told him, just as we heard the wolf howls off in the distance. I turned to glance out the window. "I guess… I guess the pack knows now."

"You know Jacob is going to want to know where you are. He cares about you."

I looked down at my hands. "Jake is my best friend. But the pack are his brothers. I know he would believe me, if I told him. But I didn't want to cause dissension. If I told him, he wouldn't have been able to keep it from them."

Hours later I was just setting the table when there was a knock on the door. "It's open!" I called out. Emily came running in, and Sam was behind her looking worried.

"Bella!" Emily cried out as she pulled me into a hug. "I've missed you so much!"

I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her. "I've missed you too. I'm sorry I haven't been by in a while."

"After what we found out today, I completely understand."

I looked at Sam, but he still had a worried look on his face. "So how did the pack take it?"

"Not good. Leah tried to kill him. We finally got her to back off when Jake and surprisingly Paul tried to do the same. Leah wants to know if she can visit? None of them know where you are, but she asked me to give you her phone number." He told me, holding out a piece of paper.

I took it and moved to set it down by the phone. "I'll call her later. Now, I hope you two like roast and the fixin's." I told them, as I moved to the kitchen. But before I could pull the dish out of the oven, Sam had come in behind me.

When I gave him a curious look he shrugged as he pulled on the oven mitts. "Sue said you shouldn't be lifting anything heavy."

I chuckled as I moved aside to let him at it. "I put it in there just fine."

I moved to place the heat proof pad on the table so that he could place the baking dish down on it. The salad, mashed potatoes, and biscuits were already there. "Oh Bella, this smells wonderful. It's such a nice change from cooking for the pack all of the time." Emily gushed.

After we'd sat down and began eating, I felt the need to talk. "Harry invited me to learn the legends, and maybe even tell a few at the bonfires. He also said I was considered a pack member now?"

Sam nodded slowly. "If telling the stories is something you want to do, you should. There's something… magical about telling them. You… you might encounter Jared there."

"I understand. I'm not afraid of him though. I was never afraid of him. I was just hurt in the aftermath."

Sam hesitated for a moment. "You should know, that he didn't actually take the money Charlie offered." I froze, looking at Sam with my mouth open. "He said that he could see you were hurting and only wanted to help."

"HELP?" I yelled, both hands slamming down on the table as I stood up. "He thought sleeping with me would help? Then biting me, so I can't even think of anybody but him, so I feel like I'm drawn to him, which I guess did make me forget about fucking Edward Cullen. But help me?" I stepped away from the table and walked quickly to the bathroom. Sinking down on the toilet and putting my face in my hands. I couldn't stop the sobbing.

It was only a moment before Emily entered and wrapped her arms around me. "Hey, it's going to be alright." She whispered quietly in an attempt to comfort me.

"How is this going to be alright? I have nobody. I feel cold all of the time, ever since that night. I can't think straight. My father tried to… to.. get me a male prostitute for gods sake. I haven't talked to Jake in months. I haven't talked to Charlie since I found out what he did. I lost my family."

She ran a hand up and down my back. "Hey. We're your family. Me and Sam are your family. After the pack meeting today, I'm sure Jake understands why you disappeared. You could call him. Leah probably considers you family too. Seth thought of you as a sister since he realized you weren't afraid of him for phasing into a giant wolf. The pack loves you. All of us are protective of you."

I snorted. "Even Paul? He calls me leech lover."

"Even Paul." Came Sam's voice from the doorway. "Emily couldn't hear what he was saying to Jared through the pack mind, and for the record, ever since you told the Cullens to take a hike when they come back he hasn't called you that once."

I looked down. "I'm sorry for freaking out at you. It's been a stressful few months."

"I know you don't want to see Jared. But maybe you'd consider coming over to ours for a get together? I'll make sure he's on patrol?"

I nodded. "I've missed everybody. Honestly, as long as he keeps his distance I don't think it would be a problem if he were there. I know how important these gatherings are for the pack."

"Tomorrow night?" Sam offered, and I nodded.

After they left I wondered if Jared would end up being there. I paced back and forth for about an hour before I gave in and went to bed. Saturday morning was spent unpacking the rest of my measly belongings and spreading them around the apartment. I then ventured downstairs to the store to grab some supplies to make my grandma's 'famous' brownies. When I realized that I couldn't possibly carry everything I picked up the scrap of paper that held Leah's number, and punched it into my phone. After two rings a sharp voice answered. "What?"

"L.. Leah?" I asked quietly.

"Bella? Are you okay?" She asked, sounding concerned.

"Yeah.. I made brownies for the gathering tonight, and realized that I couldn't carry them all. I was wondering if you'd be willing to help?"

"Sure, where are you?"

I paused, hesitant. "If I give you the address will you be able to keep it from the pack mind?"

"Of course I can."

"I'm living in the apartment above the store." I told her, "You can come over early if you'd like. I haven't had girl talk in a while."

She paused. "If you're sure you're up for company I can come over now."

"I'd love that. The first batch of brownies is already out and cooling, the second is in the oven now." Ten minutes later there was a tentative knock on my door. "Just a minute," I called, checking the doneness of the brownies. Satisfied, I pulled them out and placed them on the cooling rack. I walked over to the door and opened it with a smile. "Hi!" I greeted cheerfully, turning back around to walk back towards the kitchen. "Come on in!"

I heard the door shut gently and her soft footsteps as she came over to sit at the little island. "That's a much nicer reception than I was expecting."

I poured the batter in the pan, and placed it in the oven, setting the timer again before I turned to look at her. "These are my Grandma Swans brownies. I can't be angry when I make them, because according to her, if you're not happy when you make them then it makes the chocolate go bad."

That brought a small smile to her face. "Dash of love or something like that?"

"Yep." I put a piece on a plate and held it out to her. "Would you like to try them? Make sure they didn't go bad?"

By the time we made it to Sam and Emily's Leah and I were chatting like old friends. She was carrying a stack of trays, while I just held two. Sam greeted us at the door, and gave me a warm smile. "Glad the two of you could make it."

"We brought brownies." I cheered, surprising him, since he shot Leah a confused look. We walked through the packed living room to sit the trays down on the counter.

"Grandma Swan's brownies?" A voice behind me asked, and I turned to see Jake.

"Of course."

He snorted, before approaching me and pulling me into a tight hug. "Spirits Bells I've missed you."

After a moment I pushed him away and rolled my eyes. "Jake, you know the rules."

He held his hands up in surrender. "I know. No being sad around the magical brownies or they'll taste bad."

I grinned, nodding. "Exactly. Emily do you need help with anything?"

"No Bella, why don't you go sit down? You've probably been on your feet all day making these."

Just as I went back into the living room the door opened again, and my nostrils flared. Need. I didn't know I had closed my eyes until I opened them to look at the man who'd just entered. Need. I didn't know I'd walked across the room until I was standing directly in front of him. Need. His hands were held up to show the others he wasn't doing anything as my nose ran up and down his throat. "I need to bite you." I heard my voice growl.

I felt his gulp. "Okay?" As soon as the word left his mouth my teeth pierced the skin of his neck. Instantly I felt the constant unease and restlessness from the last couple of months drift away. Mine. I jerked back in shock and glanced up at him with wide eyes.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me." There was absolute silence behind me.

"I guess we should be glad that didn't happen at a bonfire." Sam said quietly, causing me to blush.

I took a small step backwards, staring at the bitemark for a moment before realizing that the cuts were already healing, but there was still a trail of blood running down the front of his throat. I grabbed him by the elbow and dragged him into the kitchen, sitting him down on one of the stools as I grabbed a paper towel and ran it under the tap. Nobody moved as I wiped the blood off carefully. "I.. I'm so sorry."

I didn't feel the tears welling up in my eyes, until Jake spoke again. "Bella, you're going to ruin the brownies."

"Am I the only one who is confused as hell about what just happened?" Quil asked, standing from the sectional.

When I pulled the paper towel away, and saw that the cuts were healed, leaving behind the oval of my teeth, I moved to throw it in the trash. Sam glanced between the two of us. "My best guess is that because they both weren't marked Bella needed to complete it?" He said, not sounding very sure.

I snorted, fidgeting with my hands. "I marked you?" Jared whispered.

I nodded, and for the second time in as many days I pulled my hair out of the way so that he could see the mark on my neck. "Yeah."

"Did it hurt you?" He asked, concerned.

I closed my eyes to think back on it, making another blush rise to my cheeks. "No… um… the opposite actually." Thinking of his question, I opened my eyes to look at him. "Did I hurt you?"

"No. But now I understand why my wolf has been frantic for months. It calmed as soon as you bit me."

"I've been restless and anxious too." I gasped and grabbed my stomach, making everybody move towards me.

"Bella?"

"Bells?"

"What's wrong?"

I ignored all the questions though, and just grabbed the two hands closest to me, which happened to be Jared's and Leah's, and pressed them on my stomach. There was silence for a moment before they both gasped also. "I can feel them moving."

"Them?" Sam asked.

"Twins." I replied. "I was worried that I hadn't felt them earlier. Sue said to expect it between 16-20 weeks. I guess they just needed me to come home for it."