Still don't own. Another with no real ending.

Alfie

I was zoned out at the bonfire, before I suddenly remembered something, and turned to Billy where he sat beside Old Quil. "Hey Billy, what ever happened to Alfie?"

Billy looked stunned, but everyone else just looked confused. "You remember that?"

"Yeah, he was the most adorable dog I've ever seen. I begged Renee to get a dog for years after that."

"What dog?" Jake asked.

Billy opened his mouth to speak, but I was already explaining. "The earliest summer I remember visiting, Charlie had a work emergency and your mom and dad offered to babysit me. Your dad said you were having a sleepover with one of your friends. Rach and Becs were sleeping over at Sue and Harrys. So it was just me, your mom, your dad, and Alfie."

"Bella, we never had a dog." Jake said slowly.

"Yes you did! I even asked your mom if I could keep him because he felt like home, and she said that we belonged together, and I could keep him after I was older."

Billy had a soft smile on his face. "I forgot she'd told you that."

Jake was just looking between the two of us confused. "So? Where's my dog?" I asked.

"I'm telling you Bells, we never had a dog."

"You're just upset because he was gone the next morning. But you must have been brought back overnight bec-." I cut myself off and felt my eyes widen, before turning to look back at Billy. "Holy shit. It was him wasn't it?"

"Sarah was going to take you over to Sue and Harrys to spend time with the girls, because Jake had phased that morning when Renee was talking on the phone to Sarah about how she was leaving Charlie and taking you with her. Suddenly there was a tiny little pup in the kitchen growling. He didn't stop growling until your dad dropped you off. He'd actually been fairly aggressive, but he turned into a lap dog with you."

I thought of the prolonged eye contact when I'd first entered the house, and how the growls had stopped instantly, as Alfie had slowly approached with his tail wagging and his head bowed. "Why Alfie?"

Billy rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, since he phased so young, I just assumed he'd be alpha, but you didn't think that was a cute enough name, so you said you were going to call him Alfie." He shrugged. "I also couldn't just come out and tell you that it was Jacob, you were four years old."

"Wait," Sam cut in, and I suddenly remembered there were other people there. "You're saying Jacob phased when he was two years old?"

I didn't hear Billy's reply, as I ran over all of my interactions with Jake throughout the years. How he'd always looked terrible when I first showed up at the beginning of summer. How he'd always smiled so brightly at me when he saw me. How I always felt connected to him. I inhaled sharply, as my eyes focused on Billy again. "He.." I couldn't put it to words. "Did he…?"

Billy looked very serious. "Do you remember the story Sarah told you that night?" Thinking back, it was almost word for word the imprinting legend told at imprint bonfires, without the supernatural terminology. I nodded.

"This explains so much." I said, barely louder than a whisper. "The tingles when I'm passing the border onto La Push. The pull I've always felt." My fists clenched. "All of this time, and you never told me. Fuck, when Jake phased in march.. the way he was ordered to treat me." A slightly guilty look crossed both Sam and Billy's faces. My voice raised, and I stood slowly from the log I was sitting on. "Have I not been abandoned enough?! Charlie didn't fucking fight to keep me when Renee ran away! Renee didn't fucking care for me as a daughter, more like a live in maid until she got remarried! I spent nearly a god damned year under leech thrall! Then the other half of my fucking soul was ordered to keep away from me! Then after learning of imprinting, I stayed away for fear he would imprint on someone else! Why the hell would you do that to either of us? Surely you saw how this affected your own son William Black!"

"Wait- leech thrall?" Kim asked.

I sighed, "It's a hunting mechanism. Their scent can disarm their prey. He was my lab partner in Bio my junior year, and by the time summer came, he was sneaking into my room, leaving his scent all across it, so even while at home I wasn't safe. That's why I reacted so bad after they left. I didn't fucking miss them, I sure as hell didn't love them. I was going through withdrawals. Latent scent isn't as potent. I kept getting sick last winter because I left the window open every night to try and air it out." I turned to where Jake was sitting, stunned, glancing between me and Billy. "Jake?" I said tentatively.

He swallowed, and I could still see that the gears were turning in his head. "Yeah?"

"Can I see Alfie? It's been so long, and I miss him."

He stood slowly and backed away from the fire, only just entering the nearby tree line. I heard him taking off his clothes, and then my Alfie was stepping out onto the sand. Sam moved to follow me, for protection I'm sure, but both Alfie and I growled at him. "He could be dangerous." Sam said softly as I stepped closer to my wolf.

"You're looking at the clumsiest person in the Olympic peninsula, a pebble could be dangerous. Alfie would never hurt me. You should have more trust in him, and more trust in your own wolf. You can't just treat them like separate people. They are you. Alfie knew me from the moment he saw me, because Alfie is Jake. Just as Jake is Alfie." I then walked up to Alfie, who bowed his head to me, before sticking his nose into the juncture where my neck meets my shoulder. I reached both arms around him, and slid one hand up to scratch him behind the ear. I became aware of the fact that I was standing on my tippy toes. "This was so much easier when we were both short." He snorted against my neck before he nudged me away just enough so that he could sink to the ground. He then gestured for me to join him, so I did, curling up against his side, hand running through the fur on his head. I couldn't remember the last time I'd felt this content. I sighed in relief, before burying my face into the fur of his neck. I could feel him rumbling in a lupine purr. It was so relaxing, that I could feel myself falling asleep.

My dreams were a mystery. There was a rumbling growl followed by retreating footsteps and a familiar voice saying, "don't you think she'd be more comfortable inside?" The growl got a little louder at that, until I nuzzled into the warm fur which brought pack the purring noise.

"We're just trying to-."

"Shhh Alfie." I mumbled sleepily.

I could see the forest moving past me as I rode on the back of my wolf when the rumbling growl reappeared, bringing me back to the edge of consciousness. "Son, maybe you should phase back? And take Bella home?"

My arms tightened around him, and my fingers twisted back into his fur. "Don't leave me." I whimpered. I could feel him curl around me, and the purring put me back to sleep, curled against his chest. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind I was glad that the bonfire had been in Sam and Emily's back yard this time, because at least there wouldn't be anybody coming across a humongous wolf curled around a tiny human. I woke feeling more relaxed than I could remember feeling in a very long time. I pressed my face against the furry chest and inhaled deeply. "Jake." I sighed. His chest rumbled in a purr again. "This… this is what has been missing. This whole time. Ever since Renee took me away, something's been missing. An emptiness I couldn't explain, that only grew as I did. I finally feel like myself again." I opened my eyes slowly, and was surprised by how high the sun was, I checked my watch and was shocked to see that it was almost noon. "Wow. I slept for a long time." A blush rose to my cheeks.

Alfie moved to stand and meandered over to the tree line, I could sense the phase in him, and wasn't surprised when Jake came out of the woods with just his cut offs on. He sat down beside me and leaned back in the grass, pulling me with him. I curled into his side, head on his chest, arm across his stomach. "I didn't know," he said softly, "I didn't remember phasing as a child."

"I didn't remember either 'til last night. I had a flash of memory of being dropped off at your house, and it brought it all back."

"Not remembering… I couldn't understand why my wolf has been so restless. I don't remember imprinting on you." He swallowed heavily. "All I know is that I've loved you for as long as I can remember. I've always wanted you to be safe and happy."

"I was always worried about you when I came to visit. The first time I was over during the summers you always looked like you'd been sick. You were always back to looking healthy by the time I had to leave again."

His arms tightened around me. "The relief that I felt when I saw you every summer makes sense now. The wolf needed- no, we need you. Present tense, not past. I feel peaceful for the first time in my life."

"Me too. I need you both."

We were silent for a few minutes. "Do you know you talk in your sleep?"

I groaned. "Unfortunately." I closed my eyes. "What did I say?"

He snorted. "Several things. My second favorite has to be you telling me not to pee inside the house. I believe your exact words were 'You may be a dog, but you don't have to act like one. Either piss in the toilet or go outside'."

I blushed again. "At least tell me everybody was gone by that point?" I pleaded.

"They took shifts staying out here with us. They kept their distance, but seemed worried that I, or Alfie really, would hurt you."

I scoffed at the idea. "You would never hurt me."