When Bella woke up on Friday, she couldn't see any silvery scar lines on Leah's neck. She looked all over. She decided that now was the time to suck on that neck and give Leah a hickey. She pressed her lips to the soft skin and sucked.

"Mmmmm." Leah responded.

When Bella was sure she had sucked hard enough to leave a mark, she let go. She watched the purplish red mark, now striped, as it faded back to brown.

"Wow." She breathed.

"What is it baby?" Leah asked.

"The hickey had stripes, I think where the scars were. I don't see your scars anymore Leah, except when I gave you a hickey."

"Cool," was all Leah said.

o.~*~.o

Even though Leah had given the pack the day off, Bella still had to work. Leah was not thrilled to see Quil, Jake, Paul and Rachel waiting with Old Quil downstairs.

"I thought I told you to take the day off!"

"You didn't order it." Paul countered. "Rachel had to come for the Quileute lessons. The rest of us chose to do this on our day off."

"You don't even translate, Paul." Leah snarked.

"I'm helping Jake." He swung his arm around Jake's shoulder. Jake looked uncomfortable. He didn't want to get kicked out because of Paul.

Jake sat down in front of Nonithe's journals and got to work. "Dude, you are annoying her." Jake said.

"I know, but I have to be near her. She almost died."

"You're not accomplishing anything. She is fine now, except annoyed. If you don't lay off, she'll demote you to omega."

"She can't. I'm beta." Paul insisted confidently.

"I can and I will. Go home, Paul. Don't make me order it. We'll keep Rachel until lunch and then she can choose if she helps you cook this afternoon or if she wants to stay with us."

"Fine." Paul pouted. He walked out the door. He spent the whole morning cooking to keep himself distracted. At noon, he was at the library door with a full tray of food for Leah. "I'm sorry, I'm just leaving this here for your lunch." He said to Leah without making eye contact.

Leah stood and walked around the food, appraising it. "This pleases me, Paul. Now, go feed your girl. I'll see you at the bonfire tonight."

Paul bowed his head and left with Rachel. He was hoping he'd earn an invitation back to the library for the afternoon.

"No one's allowed back this afternoon, Paul, not even me." Rachel said while they walked home. "Everyone is being sent home to cook. You're not the only one that annoyed her. The whole pack was there all morning and she was on edge. Only Seth, Billy and Old Quil will be allowed in this afternoon. And Bella, of course."

"But she can't just take over the library like that! It's a public space."

"That's the spirit, Paul! But she's not blocking the public from entering the library, just the pack. She already took over the pack weeks ago."

Paul grumbled. "But I worry! And why does Seth get to go?"

"They're cooking together this afternoon. Seth has been worried but he kept his distance. He knew not to piss her off."

Paul groaned. "I'm an idiot."

"You know, this kind of obsessive protectiveness would make any other girlfriend jealous."

"You know it's not like that, right?"

"I know, I can feel it in our connection. The way you responded to them having sex was like how I responded to Jake and Jen."

Paul shivered at that comparison. Leah was nothing like Jake and Bella was nothing like Jen. But he understood. "So how does Seth do it without annoying her?"

"Maybe more practice? Or maybe you need to rely on your wolf. The wolf is the source of your connection to her, right?"

"Yeah, but no, that's a bad idea. The wolf is even more freaked by her injury than I am."

"Maybe your wolf and her wolf need to have a meditation session or something, so your wolf is assured that she is ok."

Something clicked in Paul's mind then. "That's brilliant, Rachel! That's exactly what I need."

o.~*~.o

That's how Leah ended up with both brothers in her apartment after lunch.

Paul was speaking frantically. "I've figured it out, Leah! Well, Rachel did. She's so much smarter than me. Anyway, it's the wolf. We've got to connect as wolves."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Leah asked, already annoyed again.

"You know how I've been crazy annoying since you were injured?"

"Yeah, but it's not just you. You're just the worst, Paul."

"Well, Rachel explained it to me. My wolf is antsy because they are like twins. She says if we spend time together as a wolf, it will calm down my wolf, like how you and Bella do when your wolf is scared for Bella's safety and shit."

Leah considered. "Seth, do you want to do this, too?"

"Kind of, but since I'm here for the afternoon, why don't you and Paul test it out. Then if it works, maybe let the whole pack do it when we set up for the bonfire."

"Ok, why don't you hang downstairs? Paul will send you up when we're done."

Seth left. They both turned away from each other, stripped and phased. Leah stood still in her living room while Paul circled her, sniffing her all over.

When Paul was satisfied that she was physically fine, he asked her, SHOW ME THE MEMORIES OF THE INJURY AND THE HEALING. LEAVE NOTHING OUT. PLEASE. She showed him it all.

PLEASE SHOW ME CARRYING BELLA TO THE BED. She showed that too. He saw that there was no weakness, no dizziness, no darkness creeping in.

THANK YOU. Paul said, and started to phase out.

WAIT! SHOW ME EMBRY'S MEMORY OF THE IMPRINT BABYSITTING.

Leah watched as Embry told Angela about the cold ones with Bella's help. She watched Angela peek at Embry's body while Embry phased. She was thrilled that Angela was instantly comfortable with Embry's wolf.

Leah loved seeing Bella tell their love story to Angela. Bella was so enthusiastic, telling about how they spent time together, fell in love and moved in together. She was honest about their struggles and disagreements. Their relationship was real, not a magical fairy tale, but it was a wonderful thing, something Angela could have with Embry. Leah felt like she may be intruding on Bella's privacy, watching this memory, but it was so precious.

Then she listened to the imprint sex chat as Embry did the dishes. She thought maybe Seth shouldn't be in charge of watching the imprints. Maybe Quil would be a better choice. Paul had described Quil as the perfect imprint babysitter. This would be his chance to prove it.

THANK YOU. Leah said.

Paul phased back to human and put his clothes on.

"Do you want to stay and help us cook?" Leah offered, already not annoyed by him anymore.

"Tempting, but I need to get back to Rachel and you need to have some Seth time."

Leah smiled at him. She knew he was better now. He kissed her on the cheek and bolted.

Seth came up a few seconds later. "Better?"

"Much," she assured him and gave him a hug. "Rachel was right."

o.~*~.o

Seth showed Leah how to make their dad's red velvet cupcake recipe. They made four batches. Leah remembered how she had messed up frosting cupcakes with Bella.

"How do you frost them gently, Seth?" Leah asked as she watched Seth artfully frost the cupcakes one by one.

Seth looked at Leah, a little confused. "I don't know. Show me how you frost a cupcake. Try your best."

Leah lifted one and tried to move slowly, gently spreading the frosting, but somehow the top was separating from the rest of the cupcake.

Seth placed another cupcake in front of her. "Let's leave it on the table this time. Don't hold it in your hand."

The same thing happened. They each ate one of the ruined cup cakes.

"Do you have any ziploc bags?" Seth asked.

Leah opened a drawer and handed him one. He put a bunch of frosting into it and zipped it up. Then he cut a hole in one of the corners. He showed how to gently squeeze the frosting onto the cupcake. He handed her the bag.

She frosted a tray of cupcakes all by herself, with the ziploc bag trick, of course.

"I have no idea why you can't frost cupcakes normally, Leah, but I've found there's almost always a workaround when it comes to cooking."

"Cool. That's the only thing I haven't been able to do, but this is only my second time trying."

They made mini quiches with the cupcake pans, three different flavor combinations. The two of them were both fast choppers, so they spent a lot of the afternoon waiting for things to cook.

Seth showed Leah his favorite game on the xbox while they waited. It was the first time Leah had ever played anything on the xbox. The controllers were totally foreign to her. She wasn't very good at first but she had a lot of fun hanging out with Seth, just the two of them. She kind of wanted to set up a playdate for her and Seth, just like she had with Emily.

o.~*~.o

The whole pack was waiting on the beach when Leah arrived with Bella, Seth, and their food. Everyone started crowding the van trying to bring food for Leah.

"Back off!" Leah ordered. "Wolves, come with me. We're going for a run. Paul, Sam, you're in charge of the imprints."

The wolves all ran after Leah until they got into the forest line. "Strip and phase." She ordered. When everyone had phased. She played the memory of Paul explaining Rachel's theory, then of Paul circling her and asking for memories. As she did this, the other wolves were circling her, sniffing her. She felt like there was a nose in every part of her body but she had to endure it. By the time she had finished playing all of the memories, there was a more chill atmosphere in the pack mind.

WE GOOD? The pack was silent but heads were nodding. PHASE, GET DRESSED, AND LET'S SET UP.

o.~*~.o

The bonfire set up went smoothly and swiftly. No one was hovering around Leah anymore, at least not anymore than usual. Angela hung back at the snack table while the guys gathered wood for the bonfire.

"So, Angela," Bella elbowed her friend gently to get her attention. Leah was standing behind Bella, arms wrapped around her. "First bonfire? Pretty exciting!"

"Yeah, when was your first bonfire? Was it when Leah imprinted?"

"No, my first was when I was dating Jake. It was the one welcoming Leah and Seth to the pack."

"Why didn't Leah imprint then?"

Leah started kissing behind Bella's ear. "Well, it's a long story but you need to make eye contact to imprint and Leah and I didn't make eye contact that night, or during any other pack events until we met at the diner."

"Was there old beef between you two or something?"

Leah snorted. "No, I was going through a hard time when I first started phasing. I wasn't looking anyone in the eye at that time."

"Oh, because you were the only girl? And Sam was your ex, right? So the pack mind must have sucked." Angela guessed.

"Sam was the alpha then too, and my dad died of a heart attack when he saw me phase." Leah said. Bella squeezed her hand.

"Oh shit, Leah! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to pry. Shit. That sucks! I'd be pretty depressed then too."

"Thank you, and no need to apologize. It's a normal question and it's all common knowledge around here so it's best that you know. So how are things going with you and Embry?" Leah wiggled her eyebrows.

"Actually really great. I just can't get enough. Bella, I told my dad I'm staying with you tonight but I'm not, ok? Embry's mom is staying at her boyfriend's house so we have the house to ourselves and oh my god! I cannot wait!"

"Enjoy yourself. Embry's mom will!" Leah snickered.

"Shut up, Leah! Angela, Embry's mom is dating my dad."

"Eh. I forgot you said that. I just keep stepping in it tonight." Angela looked embarrassed.

"No, no, this is fun." Leah said, enthused.

"What is?" Kim asked.

"Tiff is staying with Charlie tonight so Angela gets Embry all to herself at his house." Leah explained.

"Oh! So have you guys fucked yet?" Kim asked, straight to the point.

Angela nodded.

"Ooooh." Kim was excited for them. "The fun has begun! And how was it? How did he fit?"

Angela sighed and whispered. "It was divine, nirvana, and the fit, it was more like a completion, you know? Like, when he's in me, I'm complete. I don't even know if that makes sense! It sounds so corny!" She looked embarrassed.

"It makes perfect sense to me." Kim said.

Embry jogged up to Angela then, "I want to show you something. Can you come with me?" Angela nodded. Embry picked her up and jogged off with her.

"They're going to fuck in the woods." Rachel said confidently.

"What makes you say that?" Bella asked.

"Paul has that same face when he wants me to go fuck in the woods." Rachel explained.

"Why don't you ever fuck me in the woods, Leah?" Bella asked.

"Because it's dirty and uncomfortable. But I could if you wanted."

"No, I don't, but it seemed like maybe it was a wolf thing."

"I think it's more of a guy thing." Leah theorized. "It's usually the girl that gets dirty and uncomfortable so I don't think the guys notice. I don't want that for either of us."

"Aww, Leah, you're the sweetest." Bella turned in Leah's arms and gave her a kiss.

"No she's not. She's ruining forest fucking fo the rest of us." Kim whined. "I like to think it's lusty and romantic, like he can't wait to have me. He has to have me right now."

"The wolves are pretty fast, Kim." Bella said. "He could take you somewhere comfortable."

"Let's not spoil it for them, baby. The guys will be mad at me if I ruin forest fucking. It seems like they all utilize it a lot. They might overthrow me."

Bella giggled. "They wouldn't. They'd stop fucking in the forest altogether if you told them to. You wouldn't even have to order it."

"Bella's right, but don't order it, please?" Rachel asked, making the begging symbol with her hands.

"Well, maybe you are right, but I'm not going to risk a mutiny for something I don't even care about."

They were all roasting hot dogs on sticks when Embry and Angela came back. Billy got into the stories when everyone took a seat around the fire. He started with abridged versions of the usual stories. Then he got into stories about Paltima's pack.

o.~*~.o

"We now know that when Paltima was a small girl, there was a blossoming werewolf population in Southern California. We are different from the werewolves in many ways. They only shift during a full moon. They do not have control over their shift. They do not carry memories from one form to another. They are contagious, transferring the power to shift through a bite. We are not allies with the werewolves, but we have a common enemy: the cold ones."

"The werewolves were terrorizing much of northern Mexico at this time, too, cutting off an escape route to the south. They hunted vampires from the California coast to the rockies. Some local vampires headed west across the mountains, deserts and prairies. Some traveled through the waters, the ocean and the gulf, where it is harder for the werewolves to track them. Many head north instead, opting to feast on the coastal villages and tribes."

"The coast was seen as an ideal route for many vampires. They could easily escape into the waters if a werewolf was tracking them. Also, there were not great distances between coastal populations. Fishing villages spotted the land. The cold ones could dine frequently and be on their way without even being noticed."

"Paltima was not an average girl of her times. She was what we would now call a tom boy, always playing with her twin brother Nonithe. The two were best friends, even though some in the tribe thought it was odd. Fraternal twins were seen as an abnormality at the time, not to be trusted, especially opposite sex twins."

"Of course the twins didn't care what anyone thought of them. They had strong and independent minds, They only noticed when it interfered with their lives, like when Paltima got in trouble."

"Nonithe taught Paltima to read in secret. He wanted her to share the experience of reading. He wanted her to explore unknown worlds through books and literature with him. Paltima got in trouble for this. Nonithe never did. To be fair, Paltima was not always discreet about reading, but she didn't think it was right that she had to be. She wanted to live life as fully as any man."

"When Paltima phased into her pack, she was the fourth to join. She did not know why vampires were coming through their land, as we do now. She just knew she had to kill them."

"Even more, she knew she had to protect her mate, Ohle, a young woman who grew up with her. Ohle lived four houses down the path from her when they were children. She had always loved Ohle, and she would never let anything happen to her, especially after imprinting on her."

"Their imprint bond was strong. It was a motivating force for Paltima but also her greatest comfort."

"The pack Paltima joined had no alpha. They made decisions in the pack mind, united, but not always wise. She was the first girl in the pack and they did not disrespect her for that. They did not treat her differently. They saw into her clear mind. They saw that she was a warrior and wise, so she was welcomed."

"Six months after Paltima joined the pack, Nonithe, her twin brother, joined the pack as well. Nonithe got on well with the pack but he and Paltima were close since childbirth. Nonithe also had a mate to protect. Together, they would devise plans to lure and repel vampires."

"They spread their scent far from the reservation in an attempt to deter vampires from coming at all. Cold ones that were too hungry still came through. Those desperate to stay by the coast still came through. A few were intellects, curious about the disgusting stench of the wolves. Others moved through the trees so that the wolfy musk wouldn't bother them as much. But fewer were coming thanks to Paltima and Nonithe's strategies. The pack saw the effectiveness of Palitma and Nonithe's tactics and followed them, spreading their scent also."

"Paltima and Nonithe left a wide, unscented path to lure determined leeches which they called the funnel. The funnel led to a point to the west of the village, a place with no trees, no escape for the cold ones except outrunning the pack. There was always a wolf guarding the funnel's point. Yet most of the vampires who came through were shredded by Paltima herself, or by Nonithe who was on her heels, speaking wisdom into her mind."

"The pack felt safer and stronger with her around. They honored her and her mate. They listened to her and obeyed her. She made them all stronger, uniting them to their wolves and to their imprints and to their people."

"Paltima led her pack for many years as vampires continued to travel through their land. More youth turned into wolves but all of them honored Paltima. She was an alpha not by birthright or council decision. She was an alpha because everyone followed her."

o.~*~.o

After the stories, they polished off all of the remaining snacks. Bella fell asleep in the short van ride to the library. Leah carried her up the stairs and into bed. She didn't bother to strip her, since she didn't want to wake her. Leah was exhausted too. She decided to lay down for just a minute before she got ready for bed. All too quickly she fell asleep.