Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

A/N: This is just a short idea I had about Embry's imprint. She is deliberately unnamed.

Chill

She screamed as she fell into the icy water, nearly panicking as the current tried to drag her under. Pushing hard, she broke the surface and gasped at the chill of the air as she swam to shore. Ignoring the apologies thrown her way from the younger members of the pack who had been goofing off too close to her, she took note of the way her heart skipped a beat and knew she had to get warm.

"Embry!" Her shout was unnecessary. He was already on his way over, growling at the young boys. She would have rolled her eyes at his anger if she'd had the energy, but it was still very flattering.

"What should I do," he asked, hands reaching out but stopping just before touching her.

"Take off your shirt," she replied through chattering teeth as she stripped her own over her head, unable to consider her own modesty in the face of the danger of hypothermia. "Get me something to dry off with." Her shoes and socks followed easily; she struggled a little with the fastenings of her jeans, but managed to slide them down her legs. Quil threw his shirt to Embry who held it out to her, eyes never leaving her trembling form. She glanced up as she fumbled with her bra clasps, and saw that the rest of the pack had all turned away to give her privacy. A cry of frustration left her lips, which were rapidly turning blue, when she couldn't get it open.

"Here, let me," Embry said gently as he threw the shirts over his shoulder and reached out, hesitation gone, embarrassment outweighed by the need to take care of her. He easily unclasped the wet bra, and she slid it off her arms, throwing it onto the pile of her clothes.

With Quil's shirt, he dried her skin rapidly, using the material to create friction. She sighed in both pain and relief as the heat from his hands seeped through the shirt. When most of the water was gone, she took the shirt from him and wrapped it around her hair, keeping it blocked from the wind. Taking Embry's shirt from him, she began pulling it over her head. When the hem of the shirt touched her thighs, she slipped out of her wet panties, allowing them to drop to the ground as well.

"Embry." He turned as Sam called his name, and raised his hand just in time to catch Emily's coat which he wrapped around his imprint. Lifting her into his arms, he began racing for his truck, desperate to get her into his home where he could get her warm.

Her body trembled as she cuddled close to him in an effort to get warm. He cranked the heat up to high, and she sighed as the warm air hit her face. Embry wrapped a large blanket around her before starting the truck. He then wrapped an arm around her waist under the blanket, knowing that his 108-degree temperature would start to warm up her core faster than anything else he could do. She shivered, but clutched his arm where it lay against her stomach.

Embry was careful as he drove, but he still hurried to get her home where she could dry her hair and get fully warm. Thanks to a first aid class he'd taken, he knew that they'd have to warm her core before her extremities, and that a warm bath was out of the question for now.

Gravel scattered under his tires as he pulled into the driveway and parked the truck. Opening the door, he turned and reached for her, scooping her and the blanket into his arms and carrying her into his house. He carried her all the way to the bathroom so she could use her hair dryer before turning up the thermostat.

She sighed in relief as the warmth from the heater began circulating through the house. She let the blanket fall as she began drying her hair, the added warmth flowing straight to her toes. When she finished, she walked into the bedroom to pull on a pair of her favorite sweatpants and warm socks, along with Embry's oversized college sweatshirt.

Feeling warmer, but still shivering, she padded into the kitchen. Embry met her there with a smile and helped her sit at the table, wrapping her in another blanket before handing her a cup of hot chocolate. Warmth filled her that had nothing to do with the temperature, and she smiled as she thanked him.

"I'm sorry," Embry said after a pause.

"For what," she asked, though she knew perfectly well what he was talking about. He would need to say it to get it out in the open so they could discuss it.

"For letting you get so cold."

She laughed gently. "Embry, you can't wrap me in cotton wool and put me on a shelf. It was an accident, and even if you'd been standing closer, I probably would have still gone in the water."

"But…"

She shook her head, interrupting him. "No. Don't apologize. Embry, you did everything right. You have taken care of me."

She drained the last of her hot chocolate before standing to rinse her cup in the sink. She felt Embry walk up behind her and his chest pressed to her back as his arms came around her to rinse his own cup. She shivered again, from heat this time rather than cold, and Embry buried his face in her neck before wrapping his arms around her waist, gently kissing her neck. She moved her hands to entwine with the ones on her stomach, and leaned back into him. Sighing, she closed her eyes. She loved standing like this with him, wrapped in his arms, his scent, his warmth, and knowing that she was cherished. But she really was very tired. She let him take a bit more of her weight, and he must have noticed what she was doing, because he soon lifted her gently into his arms and carried her to their bedroom.

She smiled as he laid her on the bed before covering her with the blankets. He turned to retrieve a couple more to pile on the bed before joining her under the covers. She turned to cuddle into him and his arms pulled her closer as his head rested on the pillow above hers.

"I'm a lot warmer now," she said reassuringly.

Embry nodded. "That's good. I'm glad."

"Don't feel bad, okay?"

He nodded. "That's starting to lessen. As long as you're all right."

"Of course I am," she said. "I've got you to take care of me."

She lifted her face to look into his eyes. He smiled softly and kissed her tenderly.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too," she assured her husband as she snuggled back into him.

As the two drifted off to sleep, both knew that this was only the first of many trials they would face in their newlywed life, but hopefully the rest wouldn't be quite as dramatic as this.