The Fire of the Sun -- Chapter Seven
Title: The Fire of the Sun
Author: audreyii_fic
Fandom: Twilight (Team Jacob)
Rating: T
Characters: Full cast (Jacob/Bella, Sam/Emily)
Genre: Romance/Angst/Wolfpack!Humor
Warnings: Language, violence, and references to adult behavior. (Click here for more details.)
banner courtesy of untilwebleedoz
Summary:
Sequel to The Movement of the Earth. Bella finds the cost of joining the supernatural world may be higher than she can pay. ( Click here to start from the beginning.)
Chapter Seven:
young man, gonna make a stand / you beg, steal, you borrow
Ray LaMontagne, "Beg Steal or Borrow"
7. Treat People As People
I'm hungry.
Shut up.
(is this patrol over yet so sleepy dad's gonna be pissed)
No, really, I'm hungry. When does that stop?
It doesn't.
(kimkimkim wonder what she's doing)
You've got to be kidding. It never gets better? There's no food left in my house!
[the smell of blood and cool hands]
Go hunting. I tried eating a rabbit last night. Not too bad.
Raw? Ick!
Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.
(tired don't want to listen to this crap tired)
Yeah, but what about parasites and stuff? What if you have to be dewormed?
I'm not sure there's a vet anywhere that'll treat us.
Maybe the zoo?
There's a conversation I don't want to have.
[a black empty spot and a lot of rage]
Isn't Emily making meatloaf tomorrow?
Turkey or beef?
Dunno. Hope it's turkey.
Will you two can it? I'm starving too and you're making it worse!
People think in layers. Wolves do, anyway. The top layer is words and sentences and deliberate communication. Hi there! Open broadcasting.
The next layer is a more or less constant run of subconscious thoughts and fleeting distractions -- kind of like muttering under your breath. (so tired i want to go home) Emotions, too, when they're strong. Some are good at keeping it under wraps, but overheard by the others or not it's on constant stream in my head.
And underneath that is total disorganized confusion. Feelings. Images. Memories. [a crash to the floor] Blunt, messy stuff that sounds more like a heartbeat than anything else. Sometimes I catch it, sometimes I don't. No one else does.
I am Alpha of the Quileute Werewolves and it's my job to know what my Pack is thinking. All. The. Time.
Sam? Are we done yet?
Yeah, come on, none of those bloodsuckers are here tonight.
I want to go home. I'm dead on my feet.
[a black empty spot and a lot of rage]
Note to self: Something was up with Jacob. Again.
I sighed, which is a strange sensation through a muzzle. We're going to check the river one more time, then yes, we're done. There was a series of incoherent groans and grumbles, and I drew up on what I had inside. River. Now.
They obeyed automatically, and we ran west towards the river and the setting sun.
Everything is sharper as a wolf. You can see every individual pine needle, hear the breathing of a squirrel twenty yards away, taste ozone in the air from an approaching storm.
You can also smell vampires.
Yep. There's the river. (maybe could sneak into store and grab soup would anyone notice)
Still looks like a river to me. (kimkimkim is it too late to go see her)
Same river it was two hours ago. (it's okay paul you're doing good shutupshutupshutupdon't)
[a black empty spot and a lot of rage]
Thankfully, none of them could hear what I was thinking underneath it all -- which, at times like this, was usually something irritated. All right. Jared, wake up Embry and send him out. Quil, you get Seth and Leah, then stop by Emily's -- there's half a chicken in the fridge. Paul, wait for me by my house. Jacob, you direct the next shift.
No problem. (kimkimkim wonder if she's still awake)
Chicken! (leah's gonna bite my head off oh well i'll dodge so hungry)
Right. (shit what's this about)
[a black empty spot and--] Wait, what?
A major disadvantage of being a wolf is that you can't pinch the bridge of your nose. You're running the next shift, Jacob.
No, I can't-- (bellabellabella) --I've got to get back-- (bellabellabella) -- she needs me to...-- (bloodsucker all the time any time bellabellabella) --things are... I...-- [a black empty spot and a lot of rage]
This wasn't a discussion I was about to have in front of the Pack. Everyone else phase now and do what I told you to. Jacob, you stay right where you are.
No one was in my line of sight -- they didn't need to be -- but three voices instantly dropped out of my mind. Their feelings stayed, though; Quil's hunger, Paul's nervousness, Jared's longing for Kim. The last one raised a corresponding yearning in my bones.
Emily. I wanted Emily. Now.
No. Not now. But soon.
I found the reddish wolf about a hundred yards downstream, pacing restlessly by the edge of the water, which reflected the pink late evening clouds. Pretty. It would be nice to get to look at it once in awhile without scanning the opposite shore for leeches. Jacob, what the hell is going on?
[a black empty spot and a lot of rage]
Jacob. Tell me what's going on.
The wolf shuddered. (bellabellabella) [a black empty spot and a lot of rage] (bellabellabella)
Another thing you can't do as a wolf: frown. Even though all the human instincts are there making you try. What are you--
Oh.
There was only one thing that could supersede one of my directives so completely. Whatever was wrong, Jacob's imprint had ordered him not to share.
Always that girl.
Well, I hadn't seen Emily in eighteen hours and I wasn't feeling particularly sympathetic. You spent all morning with her, Jacob. Ignoring his call to come patrol, at that. Now you're running double. Live with it.
Jacob glared at me, the fur along his neck bristling. He was about as large as I was -- the only one who came close, at least. You don't understand (bellabellabella) I have to go back (kill him goddamn bloodsucker kill him) she needs me (bellabellabella) I have to go (tears splotchy white skin i'm sorry i'm sorry i'm--) [a black empty spot and a lot of rage] I have to--
Jacob's mind didn't make much sense these days; even I could barely follow what the hell he was thinking. It wasn't good for the Pack. It made everyone confused and nervous, not to mention how his constant craving for his imprint made Jared antsy for Kim and made me--
--emilyemilyemily--
--almost as bad.
And in spite of all that, he still wouldn't stop trying to control the imprint. Fight it. Rein it in. Even though he couldn't win.
Aggravating.
You are running patrol. The growl came out from between my bared teeth involuntarily. If you don't like obeying my orders, then you know what you have to do.
That brought the other wolf up short. For a moment his ears flatted against his head furiously, and I felt a powerful rush, a pull...
...but it faded away. Jacob looked down and snorted. Okay. When Embry and Seth and Leah get here I'll run. But you'll be back before midnight?
I shoved aside the disappointment. Yes. Midnight meant time to take care of a few things, eat, and get two hours of sleep -- three, if I was lucky. That ought to be enough.
And then I can go? Jacob persisted. (bellabellabella)
Yes.
A wave of relief.
I phased before Jacob could argue any further. My shorts fell free of their binding and sharp stabs lanced through my side as the scars from that red-headed leech coalesced back into their proper place and size. That, at least, was slowly getting better. The first time I'd phased after the injury my side had ripped open again and bled all over the damn place; now, after a lot of agonizing practice, my two bodies seemed to finally be communicating. There was still discomfort, but everything stayed closed.
Bloodsucking bitch. At least she'd burned.
Okay. Five hours.
I set a light jog towards my house; that is, what felt like a light jog. I'd never tracked it, but I was pretty sure I was going somewhere between twenty and thirty miles an hour. I had no idea at all what speed we traveled at while in wolf-form, aside from really damn fast. Faster than the bloodsuckers in open terrain -- some of them anyway -- but they were more agile, which made them hard to catch. It would be interesting to see how we compared when the time came to fight the Cullens.
When, not if.
The pine needles felt good under my bare feet as I ran; the cool spring breeze against my skin. I'd always loved the forest -- the land, our land -- but it was ten times better now. Now I was part of it. Along with the rest of my brothers... who I now knew more about than anyone should ever have known.
Jared: Simple. Not stupid, but not complicated. Loving Kim. Defending Jacob ("C'mon, Sam, if Kim was around bloodsuckers ever day I'd be losing my mind too"). Doesn't think too far in the future. By far the happiest.
Quil: Worrying about falling short of his family's expectations. Worrying about his future role in the tribe as Old Quil's grandson. Worrying about dropping out of school. Jokes constantly but just worrying in general.
Embry: Enjoying new found confidence in the body and mindset of being a wolf. Getting far more tail than he's admitting. Spends nights studying his face in the mirror and trying to figure out who he most resembles: me, Quil, or Jacob.
Jacob: Pain in the ass. A good kid with a million problems that aren't entirely his fault, but a pain in the ass nonetheless.
Seth: Mentally disorganized because of not getting any guidance during his first phasing. Convinced he killed his father. Way too young for any of this.
Leah: Mentally disorganized because of not getting any guidance during her first phasing. Convinced she killed her father. Thinks Seth is way too young for any of this. Best not to contemplate the rest of it.
Paul: Having problems with control. Getting far less tail than he's admitting. Distracted by thoughts of a girl he by definition can't have. Sitting on my front stoop.
"I need to know if this is going to be a problem, Paul," I said as I walked into the yard. A quick glance to the side confirmed that the Ford was still under a tarp in the carport. My mother hadn't gone anywhere since I'd left. "Because I won't allow--"
"It's not an issue."
"You know that there's no--"
"I said it's not an issue." Paul's face was dark but his voice was calm; to his credit, he was trying to keep a leash on his frustration. It hit me anyway. I could feel how he thought about cool hands on the back of his neck, same as he had been earlier. "I understand. I get it. It's not a problem."
I didn't believe him, but there wasn't much I could do about it right this minute. "Okay then. Don't let Jacob find out."
"Right," he said shortly, standing up. "Was that it?"
I nodded. "Yeah, we're done. Find some dinner. Get some sleep. Be ready to run again at six AM."
Paul nodded, then took off on his own speedy jog towards his home.
Bella fucking Swan.
Emily. Emily. Emily.
No. Other things first.
I glanced at the carport again.
Right.
"Do you even live here anymore?" The voice came as soon as the screen door closed on squeaky hinges. I could try and fix it again, but I'd never really had the knack for handyman work. Not good when it's just you. "Or have you moved in with that homewrecker completely?"
'That homewrecker.' My mother hadn't even liked Leah.
"Where's the mail?" I asked instead of replying.
Mom looked away from some reality television show with dramatic lighting. "It's in the kitchen. The same place it always is."
"Is it sorted?"
"Am I your secretary now?" Her eyes narrowed. "You're not even wearing any clothes, Samuel Uley. Running around in the woods with those kids, playing games. Building tree forts or something. Not telling your own mother where you are or when you're coming home."
"Is there anything in the fridge?" Quil had probably finished my chicken by now.
"You don't show up for three days and I'm supposed to have dinner sitting on the table for you?"
I guessed that was a no, but I checked anyway. Expired milk, a bag of Yukon potatoes, and a half-empty container of grated parmesan cheese. "What have you been eating?"
"And you're so concerned about me all of the sudden?"
I grabbed the container of parmesan and ate a handful. Not too bad. There weren't any dirty dishes, but the sink had a weird smell anyway. I grabbed the jug of bleach from under the cabinet and poured a little down the drain. Then I picked up the enormous pile of mail and started leafing through it.
Trash. Trash. Trash.
Electric bill. Overdue. I pulled it out and tossed it on the table.
Trash. Trash.
"Are you staying here tonight?"
"No."
Phone bill. Paid last month. Ignore.
Trash. Trash.
Hospital bill of Emily's. Couldn't pay last month. Still can't pay now.
Trash. Trash. Trash.
Credit card number one. Maxed and way overdue. Tossed on the table.
Trash.
Credit card number two. Maxed but only a little overdue. Ignore.
Water bill. Ridiculously astronomical. Ignore.
Trash. Trash.
Credit card number three... credit card number three?
"Mom?" I said slowly, opening the envelope. "When did you get a Visa?"
"Do I have to report all my finances to you?"
Dear Mrs. Uley, this is our third attempt to contact you... I glanced down at the total. Ignore.
"Are you even going to talk to me, or am I just running a bed and breakfast for you now?"
I got the checkbook out of the cookie jar and paid the bills that needed to be paid. Then I balanced the totals and figured out what was left. The loan I'd taken -- meant for U-Dub -- was completely gone. The savings from three years of working at the general store was still there, but not for much longer. At least there was no mortgage to worry about.
I sighed and called into the living room, "Did you fill out that application I brought you?"
"You know that I can't work because of my back. How about you? Are you planning to pull your weight around here any time soon?"
I stuck stamps on the bills, pitched the rest of the mail, and emptied the trash. The bag rattled with bottles. "I'll see you later, Mom."
"Right. Fine. You just go to that Young girl. No reason to worry about me. Your father didn't either."
I let the screen door slam behind me as I stepped out into the yard. I tossed the trash bag into the metal bin by the road, then closed my eyes and curled my toes into the soil.
Okay.
Now.
I took off through the woods again, this time at a dead run instead of a light jog. Still couldn't be sure, but I was probably clocking somewhere around fifty miles an hour. Before the injury I would have changed and made the earth disappear under my claws, but phasing was still too painful to do any more than strictly necessary.
It got easier to breathe the closer I came. The frustration with Jacob, the worry about Paul, the anger at the dead red-head all faded with each step. The weight I carried seemed manageable. The problems I faced seemed survivable. And most importantly, it felt there was a purpose behind all of this insanity. There was something worth protecting. Something worth fighting for.
Someone.
The light was on in the little gray house. The early spring daffodils had faded in the coffee can garden and been replaced by bright marigolds. Something smelled good. Something baking.
The front door opened before I could step onto the porch, and everything that hurt inside me fell away.
Emily.
"Quil came by and ate your chicken," she remarked, leaning against the door frame. Her amazing face -- even the scars couldn't touch her beauty -- was slightly reproachful.
I nodded. "He was hungry."
"I had to come up with something else for dinner."
"I'm sorry about that."
"You should be." She stepped out of the doorway, her bare feet patting against the wooden planks. "And you're filthy."
"Yeah."
"You're going to get dirt all over my kitchen."
"Probably."
Her fingers drummed lightly against the railing. "Come here."
I walked forward on instinct, not even having to think, just ceding to her order naturally. I let myself shut down and the burden of control lifted from my shoulders as I did; for now, for right this minute, while she was the imprint and I was her wolf and that was all we were, I wouldn't have to make any of the decisions. I belonged to Emily and she would make the calls.
I stood in front of the steps. Emily looked down serenely, taller than me by a few inches thanks to the added height of the porch. Her smell, her warmth... she was the only thing in the world that felt warm to me anymore. Emily was warmth. Emily was everything.
She smiled, the left side of her mouth curving upwards, her full lips parting...
...and she upended a watering can over my head.
"There," she teased as I sputtered, cold water running down my naked back. Her smile widened, showing white, even teeth. "You're a little cleaner, now. Maybe I'll even let you inside."
She squealed as I grabbed her around the waist and lifted her right off the porch, spinning her around and soaking her shirt. "Sam! You're getting me wet!"
"You dumped water on me!" I retorted, grinning as I felt her grab onto my shoulders. Emily was tall and solidly-built but she weighed nothing in my arms. "What's that about, huh?"
"I'm trying to clean you off, you mutt!" Her laughter echoed in my ears; her long legs wrapped around my waist and an entirely different kind of pleasure shot through me. "Next time I'll turn on the hose!"
"Then I'll leave puddles all over your kitchen--"
"I'll make you mop!"
"I'll order one of the Pack to do it."
"That's an abuse of power."
"No, it's a perk of management." I hiked her a little higher and buried my face in the crook of her neck, rubbing my nose along the gentle slope of her shoulder. Emily always smelled so damn good. A little different today. "What are you cooking?"
"I found some spaghetti in the back of the pantry. And there's garlic bread in the oven." That would explain the scent. Only she could make garlic sexy. She shimmied in my arms and I set her down on the ground reluctantly. "Come on, it's ready." She took my hand and pulled me into the house; gentle, soft comfort flowed through my body as she did.
Emily.
***
By eleven-thirty I knew I should be getting out of bed, but Emily's light breathing and steady heartbeat made it hard to pull myself from her sleeping embrace. I tried -- I did -- but when I shifted she made a quiet murmuring noise and rubbed her cheek against my chest and my will collapsed. And I was still tired.
Okay. Five more minutes. Five minutes that I shouldn't take, but I wouldn't be getting a lot more opportunities like this in the near future so I needed to relish the time I had left.
Since Bella Swan would be moving in in a matter of days.
Ugh.
I tilted my face up to the thin window that let moonlight into the loft and cast shadows into the corners and tried to remind myself why this was an acceptable arrangement.
First: Jacob's constant anxiety would ebb somewhat with his imprint on the reservation.
Second: Having what the Cullens were after would be tactically advantageous when the time came to kill them.
Third: Emily was ecstatic.
The last was what had won me over in the end. Emily loved having Bella around during the time we'd been hunting the red-headed leech. She'd had someone to talk to and share with -- another woman, not a mouthy teenage boy. And an imprint at that. Someone who understood how things were. She'd been more upbeat than I'd seen her in months.
So when Jacob showed up at the door half-way towards a nervous breakdown and shouting that the Cullens were refusing to leave and were trying to brainwash Bella and could she stay here after graduation, Emily had beamed and started cleaning out dresser drawers for her new roommate's clothes.
Bella moving into this house made Emily happy. So I could live with it. For now. At least until I could sit down with Billy Black and shake him until he agreed that the proper place for his son's imprint was in his house, not my fiancee's. The forced empathy I had with the Pack members was bad enough without Jacob getting Bella naked forty feet from where I was getting Emily naked.
Bella fucking Swan.
I had nothing against her personally; I could respect a girl who punched me in the face, and she had killed the leech. But she was also a walking plague of complications. She was the one the bloodsuckers all wanted. She was the one about to upend the last place in the world that didn't weigh me down. She was the one that had stood between Jacob and I from the moment he first phased.
With my other brothers it had been relatively easy -- talking them through the process, developing a rapport, sliding into the necessary Pack relationship that would allow us all to function in our roles as Protectors -- but Jacob was impossible from the start. He fought me with everything he had: first to see Bella, then once he'd imprinted, to not see Bella. He didn't want to run patrol because of Bella. He didn't want to keep our secrets because of Bella. He didn't want to accept the imprint because of Bella. He didn't want to be Alpha because of Bella. He didn't even want to be a wolf because of Bella.
Everything always came back to her.
Why they couldn't be more like Jared and Kim was beyond me. Jared and Kim were fine.
Emily said that being in love before the imprint meant Jacob and Bella had a harder time accepting their roles. Which was ridiculous. Jacob had no excuse for being miserable. He should have been happy to imprint on the girl he already loved. Jacob ought to have been on bended knee to the spirits thanking them hourly for not making him explain to Bella how she wasn't his soul mate.
But that wasn't something I wanted to think about.
Okay, I really had to get going. At least I'd gotten two hours of sleep. That was good for something. Two hours of sleep with Emily was about as restful as four hours of sleep without her. I wasn't bouncing with energy and excitement, but I could do what I needed to do.
I gently slid out from under Emily's weight and sat up on the edge of the mattress. I had twenty minutes to get to the others and relieve Jacob of his run. I could leave him out there a little longer, just because... but I'd promised he could go back to Bella at midnight. And he was genuinely upset about something. Something beyond his usual pain in the ass issues.
Note to self: Find some way to circumvent an imprint order with an Alpha order.
"Sam?"
I looked down; Emily blinked sleepily at me. "Hey, sweetheart," I whispered. "Go back to sleep."
"You have to leave already?"
The sadness in her voice caused a blunt pain in my chest. Kind of like someone poking a finger at a bruise. "Yeah. I'm sorry."
"S'okay." As I stretched my arms she squirmed sideways in bed, curling herself into the spot where I'd been laying. "Gonna be back for lunch though, right?"
"Maybe. Why?"
That woke Emily properly. Her eyes opened wide, then narrowed. "Matthew and Abbie are coming. With Claire. Remember?"
"Oh. Right." I managed not to groan. "Sweetheart, I really don't think they're going to want to see me." Emily's brother was still close to Leah. I was not high on his list of favorite people.
"We're getting married." Emily's voice held that soft firmness she could do so well, like a silk glove over an iron gauntlet. "I'm not ashamed of you and Matt will have to get used to it. Besides, Abbie's starting to come around. We're going to look at some flower girl dress patterns for Claire."
I smiled at the thought of the wedding. "Will she be able to walk down the isle and stuff?"
"Sam, she's two. She'll be three by October. Yes, she can walk twenty feet."
"If you say so." I knew absolutely nothing about children.
Emily reached out to rub her hand along my bare back. I leaned into her touch. "It'll be fine, Sam, really. You don't have to be nervous."
"I'm not nervous," I protested. "I just don't want things to be awkward." Matthew was a sanctimonious jackass. His wife -- who was entirely too nice for him, even if she was a bit of a birdbrain -- tempered him somewhat, but his opinions on Emily's 'immoral' ways did not endear him to me in the slightest. If he said something rude to my fiancee over the course of this visit he and I were going to have words. Or I was going to lose another pair of shoes running into the forest to phase.
"It'll be fine," she repeated. "Please. I'd like it if you were there. Just for fifteen minutes. You have to eat anyway."
She wasn't ordering me, just asking. "I'll do my best," I said.
"Okay." Then she smiled. "Just remember to pick up a shirt first, all right?"
"I'll do my best with that, too." Matthew had a beer gut. I wouldn't mind showing up shirtless. Just to make a point.
Emily was quiet for a long moment, then said softly, "Do you think Claire will be afraid?"
"Of what?"
"You know." Emily looked down and turned her head, hiding her right cheek against the pillow. "I haven't seen her in a long time, she was still mostly a baby... what if she's afraid of me?"
The bruise in my chest caved in, collapsing into something raw and rotting--
--blood everywhere, all over the floor, no screams just gurgles and crunching bone--
--no. Not now.
I took Emily's hand. The scarred one. "No one could be afraid of you," I told her.
She shook her head, but her lips quirked. "You're biased."
"That doesn't mean I'm wrong." I leaned down to kiss her temple. She had the smoothest skin in the world. "Don't worry. Claire will love you."
"I hope so," she said distantly. "It's... important."
Her sudden discomfort prickled my skin. What was that about? "Why does--"
[blond hair blurred feet touched earth snarls barks trespassertrespasser sam!]
I clenched my teeth against the growl in my throat.
Jacob.
"Sam?"
I managed to get out "Gotta go" before I literally jumped from the loft and pelted out the door, not bothering with clothes. My body exploded into fur and claws -- fire in my side as the scar reformed -- almost before I was off the porch.
A cacophony awaited me.
Where did she go?
Ahead. Leah, follow the river. Embry, along the cliff. Seth, stay with me.
Seth [toddler in a crib] stay behind (not hurt) Jacob (he shouldn't be here)--
Leah, shut up!
There she is, on the left!
I closed my eyes as I ran -- dodging trees by instinct alone -- and felt my brothers' senses. A pale blur in the distance. A disgusting smell. The wrongness of those feet touching the earth.
Vampire.
I'm here. I'm coming. I ignored the sensation of their relief and concentrated on the others: Quil, Paul, Jared, all asleep. Wake up.
Sending orders to unphased Pack members was hard -- I braced myself against a flash of headache and nausea -- but I could do it. I faintly felt them responding to my command.
Can you see her?
Up ahead, idiot, use your eyes.
One of that coven?
Can't tell.
(reeking bloodsuckers hate them tear them apart)
Sam, what do we do?
They were maybe four miles west. I dug my claws into the ground and put on an extra burst of speed. Keep up. Listen to Jacob.
Three wordless acknowledgements and one (no no don't want it no don't know what to do)--
Just until I get there. I wouldn't make him take charge right now. Not the time.
Then more voices:
What the hell is going on?
Man, I just fell asleep.
(kimkimkim tired wanna go back to bed)
In a moment the image of the leech came from Jacob's mind -- white clothes, short hair, off the ground, leaping from tree to tree in the moonlight -- and words disappeared from the Pack mind as everyone broke into a dead run.
Okay. The bloodsucker was ahead. The effect of watching through several eyes at once -- Jacob's, Embry's, Leah's -- was dizzying, but I could organize the images, and when I sorted them in my head they were sorted for everyone else too, and then I knew where she was, just a little ahead just--
--down the ridge, along the river.
The wind whipped through my fur as I ran. I felt myself pass Embry, leapt off the rock ledge, landed twenty feet below, in cold water past my paws--
--there was the leech. Eighty feet ahead. Pale clothes. Pale hair. Pale skin. Bare feet in the riverside mud. On our land.
The fur bristled along my spine, and I flattened my ears, growling. Not far beyond her was Jacob, teeth bared.
She was pinned between us.
Now.
My brother and I sprinted forward, dirt and water flying--
--and the bitch jumped right across the river, up thirty feet into a spruce.
By the time we'd skidded to a halt, she'd vanished.
My blood filled with fury and frustration, and damned if I knew who it belonged to. A hoarse bark overhead; a slim gray wolf looked down at us from the edge of the ridge. Leah. Nice job, guys.
She got away?
Damn it!
Who was that?
One of the Cullens. Gotta be.
Didn't look like it.
Don't they have a blond?
Maybe?
[a black empty spot and a lot of rage] (kill her kill herkillherkillher) Jacob crouched to try to jump the river--
--and I bit him on the scruff of the neck and threw him backward before he could. The action loosened my teeth. No.
Frustration boiling higher and hotter -- Jacob's. He snarled at me as he righted himself, covered in mud. I can get her!
She's in their territory now. The treaty--
The hell with the treaty! (bellabellabella)
Not yet. Everyone was watching us, looking down from the ledge. Their uncertainty was a tangible thing. Not yet, Jacob.
We would fight the vampire coven. There was no doubt in my mind about that. We would fight them, and we would kill them. But I'd given them six weeks -- I'd given them my word -- so six weeks they would have.
And there was something strange about this. I'd smelled that insulting letter their leader had sent. It didn't smell like the thing we'd just seen. Whatever this was, it wasn't the Cullens. They hadn't broken the treaty. So we wouldn't either. Not yet.
Which meant we weren't going to give chase.
Do you hear me, Jacob?
The red wolf bristled... then his tail drooped. Wordless, sullen submission rolled from his body.
It was good that he obeyed, but as always, I had to suppress my disappointment with his deference. Good.
What now?
Yeah, what do we do?
I snorted, trying to sort the next steps in my mind. Entrance, exit, course... Jared, Paul, and Leah watch the river in case she returns. Embry, Quil, go east, find out where she came on the land. Jacob and I will track her path and see what we can learn.
What about me?
I glanced in the direction of the small, sandy-furred wolf. Go home, Seth, you've got school in the morning.
But I--
No. Go home.
The wolf let out a whine, but turned tail and ran off through the trees.
Silent approval from Leah. Sending Seth away was the only thing I could do that Leah approved of.
All right. Get going, all of you.
***
By sunrise we'd learned a few things.
One: the leech had come onto our land across a valley with a huge gulf. That meant she could jump well.
Two: She'd managed to get deep -- nearly to the general store -- before Jacob and the others had caught up with her. That meant she was clever.
Three: Her path out of La Push was random and uncertain. That meant she didn't know the area.
None of this pointed to the Cullens, but Jacob wasn't listening. They've got a blond. The one everyone thinks is hot. It could be her.
It's not. Jared, Quil, and Paul had gone home, since they'd essentially run two shifts in a row; Leah and Embry were closer to rested and still able to do their jobs. But Jacob wasn't holding up well. His control was together on the surface -- but everything underneath was wordless fury and fear and craving and exhaustion. Jacob, go home and sleep.
No. (bellabellabella) I'm fine.
Embry tried to help. Get some rest, man. We're not going to learn anything else right now.
Leah was less helpful. You're driving me crazy, asshole. Beat it.
I can handle it--
I was drained from issuing orders all night -- it had taken most of the little bit of energy I'd gained with Emily -- but I didn't have a lot of choice. The Pack mind needed to be clear. Jacob, go home and--
No, wait, let me go talk to the leeches.
I paused in my tracks. Ferns tickled at my legs. Excuse me?
Let me go (see bella want to see bella is she okay) to the high school. They'll be there soon. I'll talk to them. See what they have to say about all this.
If you--
It's not like the bloodsuckers [a black empty spot and a lot of rage] are gonna send us another note, right? Let's find out what they know.
It's not a bad idea.
If it gets Jake out of our hair, then whatever.
Fur.
What?
You said "out of our hair." You mean out of our fur.
Shut up.
(bellabellabella)--
I wanted to see Emily, I wanted--
--no. Shit. Jacob's emotions were bleeding into everything. I stopped in a clearing. Leah and Embry, keep going. Jacob, come over here. Now.
I felt Embry and Leah continue east; a moment later Jacob appeared through the trees. I phased, refusing to wince at the pain; Jacob did the same. "You want to go to the bloodsuckers."
He nodded.
Advantages: Find out if the Cullens knew anything. Keep Jacob busy and out of everyone's heads.
Disadvantages: I was missing something and I didn't know what; making decisions without all the information leads to trouble. Also Jacob plus Cullens equals potential disaster.
"Please, Sam." Jacob's voice cracked. "Please let me go."
He wouldn't be so desperate if he didn't fight the imprint. Why did he have to do this to himself? He needed her, she needed him, it didn't have to be like this, I hadn't go through what I'd gone through just to watch my brother ignore everything I had to teach him--
"I know I'm making things worse, so I'll clear out. I'll bring back information. I promise. Just let me go."
Damn it.
I met Jacob's eyes and pulled deep. "You will not phase. See Bella. Find out what the Cullens know. Say whatever you have to say. But you will not phase while you are off our lands."
I managed not to stagger under the sharp pain in my head. Barely. That was huge order.
Jacob looked down at the ground and dug his toes into the leaves. "You could just ask me not to, you know," he muttered sullenly. "We could talk like people."
"We're not people. And I can't risk you falling apart in the middle of Forks. So no phasing." I pointed south, towards Jacob's house. "Wake up Quil and send him back out. Then go. You have two hours."
He ran.
I waited until he was out of sight before phasing with a wince and rejoining Leah and Embry for the rest of the patrol.
***
Chapter Eight: Build Relationships
Sanity Update: This chapter came kicking and screaming. Gale Hawthorne is demanding my attention, but he needs to shut up and wait his damn turn. Even if I think he and his totalitarian class-warring dystopia would be less sad than Sam Uley. This is going to be a rough ride. At least he's pithier than Bella. And just for the record, Pack mind is exhausting to write.
As a side note, a year ago this week I came out of fic retirement to start writing Postcards. After three multi-chapters, ten one-shots, and thirty-one drabbles... I still have no idea what the fuck I was thinking. But I have to say -- having weighed all the positives and negatives -- I'm still glad to be here :-)
Author: audreyii_fic
Fandom: Twilight (Team Jacob)
Rating: T
Characters: Full cast (Jacob/Bella, Sam/Emily)
Genre: Romance/Angst/Wolfpack!Humor
Warnings: Language, violence, and references to adult behavior. (Click here for more details.)
banner courtesy of untilwebleedoz
Summary:
Sequel to The Movement of the Earth. Bella finds the cost of joining the supernatural world may be higher than she can pay. ( Click here to start from the beginning.)
Chapter Seven:
young man, gonna make a stand / you beg, steal, you borrow
Ray LaMontagne, "Beg Steal or Borrow"
7. Treat People As People
I'm hungry.
Shut up.
(is this patrol over yet so sleepy dad's gonna be pissed)
No, really, I'm hungry. When does that stop?
It doesn't.
(kimkimkim wonder what she's doing)
You've got to be kidding. It never gets better? There's no food left in my house!
[the smell of blood and cool hands]
Go hunting. I tried eating a rabbit last night. Not too bad.
Raw? Ick!
Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.
(tired don't want to listen to this crap tired)
Yeah, but what about parasites and stuff? What if you have to be dewormed?
I'm not sure there's a vet anywhere that'll treat us.
Maybe the zoo?
There's a conversation I don't want to have.
[a black empty spot and a lot of rage]
Isn't Emily making meatloaf tomorrow?
Turkey or beef?
Dunno. Hope it's turkey.
Will you two can it? I'm starving too and you're making it worse!
People think in layers. Wolves do, anyway. The top layer is words and sentences and deliberate communication. Hi there! Open broadcasting.
The next layer is a more or less constant run of subconscious thoughts and fleeting distractions -- kind of like muttering under your breath. (so tired i want to go home) Emotions, too, when they're strong. Some are good at keeping it under wraps, but overheard by the others or not it's on constant stream in my head.
And underneath that is total disorganized confusion. Feelings. Images. Memories. [a crash to the floor] Blunt, messy stuff that sounds more like a heartbeat than anything else. Sometimes I catch it, sometimes I don't. No one else does.
I am Alpha of the Quileute Werewolves and it's my job to know what my Pack is thinking. All. The. Time.
Sam? Are we done yet?
Yeah, come on, none of those bloodsuckers are here tonight.
I want to go home. I'm dead on my feet.
[a black empty spot and a lot of rage]
Note to self: Something was up with Jacob. Again.
I sighed, which is a strange sensation through a muzzle. We're going to check the river one more time, then yes, we're done. There was a series of incoherent groans and grumbles, and I drew up on what I had inside. River. Now.
They obeyed automatically, and we ran west towards the river and the setting sun.
Everything is sharper as a wolf. You can see every individual pine needle, hear the breathing of a squirrel twenty yards away, taste ozone in the air from an approaching storm.
You can also smell vampires.
Yep. There's the river. (maybe could sneak into store and grab soup would anyone notice)
Still looks like a river to me. (kimkimkim is it too late to go see her)
Same river it was two hours ago. (it's okay paul you're doing good shutupshutupshutupdon't)
[a black empty spot and a lot of rage]
Thankfully, none of them could hear what I was thinking underneath it all -- which, at times like this, was usually something irritated. All right. Jared, wake up Embry and send him out. Quil, you get Seth and Leah, then stop by Emily's -- there's half a chicken in the fridge. Paul, wait for me by my house. Jacob, you direct the next shift.
No problem. (kimkimkim wonder if she's still awake)
Chicken! (leah's gonna bite my head off oh well i'll dodge so hungry)
Right. (shit what's this about)
[a black empty spot and--] Wait, what?
A major disadvantage of being a wolf is that you can't pinch the bridge of your nose. You're running the next shift, Jacob.
No, I can't-- (bellabellabella) --I've got to get back-- (bellabellabella) -- she needs me to...-- (bloodsucker all the time any time bellabellabella) --things are... I...-- [a black empty spot and a lot of rage]
This wasn't a discussion I was about to have in front of the Pack. Everyone else phase now and do what I told you to. Jacob, you stay right where you are.
No one was in my line of sight -- they didn't need to be -- but three voices instantly dropped out of my mind. Their feelings stayed, though; Quil's hunger, Paul's nervousness, Jared's longing for Kim. The last one raised a corresponding yearning in my bones.
Emily. I wanted Emily. Now.
No. Not now. But soon.
I found the reddish wolf about a hundred yards downstream, pacing restlessly by the edge of the water, which reflected the pink late evening clouds. Pretty. It would be nice to get to look at it once in awhile without scanning the opposite shore for leeches. Jacob, what the hell is going on?
[a black empty spot and a lot of rage]
Jacob. Tell me what's going on.
The wolf shuddered. (bellabellabella) [a black empty spot and a lot of rage] (bellabellabella)
Another thing you can't do as a wolf: frown. Even though all the human instincts are there making you try. What are you--
Oh.
There was only one thing that could supersede one of my directives so completely. Whatever was wrong, Jacob's imprint had ordered him not to share.
Always that girl.
Well, I hadn't seen Emily in eighteen hours and I wasn't feeling particularly sympathetic. You spent all morning with her, Jacob. Ignoring his call to come patrol, at that. Now you're running double. Live with it.
Jacob glared at me, the fur along his neck bristling. He was about as large as I was -- the only one who came close, at least. You don't understand (bellabellabella) I have to go back (kill him goddamn bloodsucker kill him) she needs me (bellabellabella) I have to go (tears splotchy white skin i'm sorry i'm sorry i'm--) [a black empty spot and a lot of rage] I have to--
Jacob's mind didn't make much sense these days; even I could barely follow what the hell he was thinking. It wasn't good for the Pack. It made everyone confused and nervous, not to mention how his constant craving for his imprint made Jared antsy for Kim and made me--
--emilyemilyemily--
--almost as bad.
And in spite of all that, he still wouldn't stop trying to control the imprint. Fight it. Rein it in. Even though he couldn't win.
Aggravating.
You are running patrol. The growl came out from between my bared teeth involuntarily. If you don't like obeying my orders, then you know what you have to do.
That brought the other wolf up short. For a moment his ears flatted against his head furiously, and I felt a powerful rush, a pull...
...but it faded away. Jacob looked down and snorted. Okay. When Embry and Seth and Leah get here I'll run. But you'll be back before midnight?
I shoved aside the disappointment. Yes. Midnight meant time to take care of a few things, eat, and get two hours of sleep -- three, if I was lucky. That ought to be enough.
And then I can go? Jacob persisted. (bellabellabella)
Yes.
A wave of relief.
I phased before Jacob could argue any further. My shorts fell free of their binding and sharp stabs lanced through my side as the scars from that red-headed leech coalesced back into their proper place and size. That, at least, was slowly getting better. The first time I'd phased after the injury my side had ripped open again and bled all over the damn place; now, after a lot of agonizing practice, my two bodies seemed to finally be communicating. There was still discomfort, but everything stayed closed.
Bloodsucking bitch. At least she'd burned.
Okay. Five hours.
I set a light jog towards my house; that is, what felt like a light jog. I'd never tracked it, but I was pretty sure I was going somewhere between twenty and thirty miles an hour. I had no idea at all what speed we traveled at while in wolf-form, aside from really damn fast. Faster than the bloodsuckers in open terrain -- some of them anyway -- but they were more agile, which made them hard to catch. It would be interesting to see how we compared when the time came to fight the Cullens.
When, not if.
The pine needles felt good under my bare feet as I ran; the cool spring breeze against my skin. I'd always loved the forest -- the land, our land -- but it was ten times better now. Now I was part of it. Along with the rest of my brothers... who I now knew more about than anyone should ever have known.
Jared: Simple. Not stupid, but not complicated. Loving Kim. Defending Jacob ("C'mon, Sam, if Kim was around bloodsuckers ever day I'd be losing my mind too"). Doesn't think too far in the future. By far the happiest.
Quil: Worrying about falling short of his family's expectations. Worrying about his future role in the tribe as Old Quil's grandson. Worrying about dropping out of school. Jokes constantly but just worrying in general.
Embry: Enjoying new found confidence in the body and mindset of being a wolf. Getting far more tail than he's admitting. Spends nights studying his face in the mirror and trying to figure out who he most resembles: me, Quil, or Jacob.
Jacob: Pain in the ass. A good kid with a million problems that aren't entirely his fault, but a pain in the ass nonetheless.
Seth: Mentally disorganized because of not getting any guidance during his first phasing. Convinced he killed his father. Way too young for any of this.
Leah: Mentally disorganized because of not getting any guidance during her first phasing. Convinced she killed her father. Thinks Seth is way too young for any of this. Best not to contemplate the rest of it.
Paul: Having problems with control. Getting far less tail than he's admitting. Distracted by thoughts of a girl he by definition can't have. Sitting on my front stoop.
"I need to know if this is going to be a problem, Paul," I said as I walked into the yard. A quick glance to the side confirmed that the Ford was still under a tarp in the carport. My mother hadn't gone anywhere since I'd left. "Because I won't allow--"
"It's not an issue."
"You know that there's no--"
"I said it's not an issue." Paul's face was dark but his voice was calm; to his credit, he was trying to keep a leash on his frustration. It hit me anyway. I could feel how he thought about cool hands on the back of his neck, same as he had been earlier. "I understand. I get it. It's not a problem."
I didn't believe him, but there wasn't much I could do about it right this minute. "Okay then. Don't let Jacob find out."
"Right," he said shortly, standing up. "Was that it?"
I nodded. "Yeah, we're done. Find some dinner. Get some sleep. Be ready to run again at six AM."
Paul nodded, then took off on his own speedy jog towards his home.
Bella fucking Swan.
Emily. Emily. Emily.
No. Other things first.
I glanced at the carport again.
Right.
"Do you even live here anymore?" The voice came as soon as the screen door closed on squeaky hinges. I could try and fix it again, but I'd never really had the knack for handyman work. Not good when it's just you. "Or have you moved in with that homewrecker completely?"
'That homewrecker.' My mother hadn't even liked Leah.
"Where's the mail?" I asked instead of replying.
Mom looked away from some reality television show with dramatic lighting. "It's in the kitchen. The same place it always is."
"Is it sorted?"
"Am I your secretary now?" Her eyes narrowed. "You're not even wearing any clothes, Samuel Uley. Running around in the woods with those kids, playing games. Building tree forts or something. Not telling your own mother where you are or when you're coming home."
"Is there anything in the fridge?" Quil had probably finished my chicken by now.
"You don't show up for three days and I'm supposed to have dinner sitting on the table for you?"
I guessed that was a no, but I checked anyway. Expired milk, a bag of Yukon potatoes, and a half-empty container of grated parmesan cheese. "What have you been eating?"
"And you're so concerned about me all of the sudden?"
I grabbed the container of parmesan and ate a handful. Not too bad. There weren't any dirty dishes, but the sink had a weird smell anyway. I grabbed the jug of bleach from under the cabinet and poured a little down the drain. Then I picked up the enormous pile of mail and started leafing through it.
Trash. Trash. Trash.
Electric bill. Overdue. I pulled it out and tossed it on the table.
Trash. Trash.
"Are you staying here tonight?"
"No."
Phone bill. Paid last month. Ignore.
Trash. Trash.
Hospital bill of Emily's. Couldn't pay last month. Still can't pay now.
Trash. Trash. Trash.
Credit card number one. Maxed and way overdue. Tossed on the table.
Trash.
Credit card number two. Maxed but only a little overdue. Ignore.
Water bill. Ridiculously astronomical. Ignore.
Trash. Trash.
Credit card number three... credit card number three?
"Mom?" I said slowly, opening the envelope. "When did you get a Visa?"
"Do I have to report all my finances to you?"
Dear Mrs. Uley, this is our third attempt to contact you... I glanced down at the total. Ignore.
"Are you even going to talk to me, or am I just running a bed and breakfast for you now?"
I got the checkbook out of the cookie jar and paid the bills that needed to be paid. Then I balanced the totals and figured out what was left. The loan I'd taken -- meant for U-Dub -- was completely gone. The savings from three years of working at the general store was still there, but not for much longer. At least there was no mortgage to worry about.
I sighed and called into the living room, "Did you fill out that application I brought you?"
"You know that I can't work because of my back. How about you? Are you planning to pull your weight around here any time soon?"
I stuck stamps on the bills, pitched the rest of the mail, and emptied the trash. The bag rattled with bottles. "I'll see you later, Mom."
"Right. Fine. You just go to that Young girl. No reason to worry about me. Your father didn't either."
I let the screen door slam behind me as I stepped out into the yard. I tossed the trash bag into the metal bin by the road, then closed my eyes and curled my toes into the soil.
Okay.
Now.
I took off through the woods again, this time at a dead run instead of a light jog. Still couldn't be sure, but I was probably clocking somewhere around fifty miles an hour. Before the injury I would have changed and made the earth disappear under my claws, but phasing was still too painful to do any more than strictly necessary.
It got easier to breathe the closer I came. The frustration with Jacob, the worry about Paul, the anger at the dead red-head all faded with each step. The weight I carried seemed manageable. The problems I faced seemed survivable. And most importantly, it felt there was a purpose behind all of this insanity. There was something worth protecting. Something worth fighting for.
Someone.
The light was on in the little gray house. The early spring daffodils had faded in the coffee can garden and been replaced by bright marigolds. Something smelled good. Something baking.
The front door opened before I could step onto the porch, and everything that hurt inside me fell away.
Emily.
"Quil came by and ate your chicken," she remarked, leaning against the door frame. Her amazing face -- even the scars couldn't touch her beauty -- was slightly reproachful.
I nodded. "He was hungry."
"I had to come up with something else for dinner."
"I'm sorry about that."
"You should be." She stepped out of the doorway, her bare feet patting against the wooden planks. "And you're filthy."
"Yeah."
"You're going to get dirt all over my kitchen."
"Probably."
Her fingers drummed lightly against the railing. "Come here."
I walked forward on instinct, not even having to think, just ceding to her order naturally. I let myself shut down and the burden of control lifted from my shoulders as I did; for now, for right this minute, while she was the imprint and I was her wolf and that was all we were, I wouldn't have to make any of the decisions. I belonged to Emily and she would make the calls.
I stood in front of the steps. Emily looked down serenely, taller than me by a few inches thanks to the added height of the porch. Her smell, her warmth... she was the only thing in the world that felt warm to me anymore. Emily was warmth. Emily was everything.
She smiled, the left side of her mouth curving upwards, her full lips parting...
...and she upended a watering can over my head.
"There," she teased as I sputtered, cold water running down my naked back. Her smile widened, showing white, even teeth. "You're a little cleaner, now. Maybe I'll even let you inside."
She squealed as I grabbed her around the waist and lifted her right off the porch, spinning her around and soaking her shirt. "Sam! You're getting me wet!"
"You dumped water on me!" I retorted, grinning as I felt her grab onto my shoulders. Emily was tall and solidly-built but she weighed nothing in my arms. "What's that about, huh?"
"I'm trying to clean you off, you mutt!" Her laughter echoed in my ears; her long legs wrapped around my waist and an entirely different kind of pleasure shot through me. "Next time I'll turn on the hose!"
"Then I'll leave puddles all over your kitchen--"
"I'll make you mop!"
"I'll order one of the Pack to do it."
"That's an abuse of power."
"No, it's a perk of management." I hiked her a little higher and buried my face in the crook of her neck, rubbing my nose along the gentle slope of her shoulder. Emily always smelled so damn good. A little different today. "What are you cooking?"
"I found some spaghetti in the back of the pantry. And there's garlic bread in the oven." That would explain the scent. Only she could make garlic sexy. She shimmied in my arms and I set her down on the ground reluctantly. "Come on, it's ready." She took my hand and pulled me into the house; gentle, soft comfort flowed through my body as she did.
Emily.
***
By eleven-thirty I knew I should be getting out of bed, but Emily's light breathing and steady heartbeat made it hard to pull myself from her sleeping embrace. I tried -- I did -- but when I shifted she made a quiet murmuring noise and rubbed her cheek against my chest and my will collapsed. And I was still tired.
Okay. Five more minutes. Five minutes that I shouldn't take, but I wouldn't be getting a lot more opportunities like this in the near future so I needed to relish the time I had left.
Since Bella Swan would be moving in in a matter of days.
Ugh.
I tilted my face up to the thin window that let moonlight into the loft and cast shadows into the corners and tried to remind myself why this was an acceptable arrangement.
First: Jacob's constant anxiety would ebb somewhat with his imprint on the reservation.
Second: Having what the Cullens were after would be tactically advantageous when the time came to kill them.
Third: Emily was ecstatic.
The last was what had won me over in the end. Emily loved having Bella around during the time we'd been hunting the red-headed leech. She'd had someone to talk to and share with -- another woman, not a mouthy teenage boy. And an imprint at that. Someone who understood how things were. She'd been more upbeat than I'd seen her in months.
So when Jacob showed up at the door half-way towards a nervous breakdown and shouting that the Cullens were refusing to leave and were trying to brainwash Bella and could she stay here after graduation, Emily had beamed and started cleaning out dresser drawers for her new roommate's clothes.
Bella moving into this house made Emily happy. So I could live with it. For now. At least until I could sit down with Billy Black and shake him until he agreed that the proper place for his son's imprint was in his house, not my fiancee's. The forced empathy I had with the Pack members was bad enough without Jacob getting Bella naked forty feet from where I was getting Emily naked.
Bella fucking Swan.
I had nothing against her personally; I could respect a girl who punched me in the face, and she had killed the leech. But she was also a walking plague of complications. She was the one the bloodsuckers all wanted. She was the one about to upend the last place in the world that didn't weigh me down. She was the one that had stood between Jacob and I from the moment he first phased.
With my other brothers it had been relatively easy -- talking them through the process, developing a rapport, sliding into the necessary Pack relationship that would allow us all to function in our roles as Protectors -- but Jacob was impossible from the start. He fought me with everything he had: first to see Bella, then once he'd imprinted, to not see Bella. He didn't want to run patrol because of Bella. He didn't want to keep our secrets because of Bella. He didn't want to accept the imprint because of Bella. He didn't want to be Alpha because of Bella. He didn't even want to be a wolf because of Bella.
Everything always came back to her.
Why they couldn't be more like Jared and Kim was beyond me. Jared and Kim were fine.
Emily said that being in love before the imprint meant Jacob and Bella had a harder time accepting their roles. Which was ridiculous. Jacob had no excuse for being miserable. He should have been happy to imprint on the girl he already loved. Jacob ought to have been on bended knee to the spirits thanking them hourly for not making him explain to Bella how she wasn't his soul mate.
But that wasn't something I wanted to think about.
Okay, I really had to get going. At least I'd gotten two hours of sleep. That was good for something. Two hours of sleep with Emily was about as restful as four hours of sleep without her. I wasn't bouncing with energy and excitement, but I could do what I needed to do.
I gently slid out from under Emily's weight and sat up on the edge of the mattress. I had twenty minutes to get to the others and relieve Jacob of his run. I could leave him out there a little longer, just because... but I'd promised he could go back to Bella at midnight. And he was genuinely upset about something. Something beyond his usual pain in the ass issues.
Note to self: Find some way to circumvent an imprint order with an Alpha order.
"Sam?"
I looked down; Emily blinked sleepily at me. "Hey, sweetheart," I whispered. "Go back to sleep."
"You have to leave already?"
The sadness in her voice caused a blunt pain in my chest. Kind of like someone poking a finger at a bruise. "Yeah. I'm sorry."
"S'okay." As I stretched my arms she squirmed sideways in bed, curling herself into the spot where I'd been laying. "Gonna be back for lunch though, right?"
"Maybe. Why?"
That woke Emily properly. Her eyes opened wide, then narrowed. "Matthew and Abbie are coming. With Claire. Remember?"
"Oh. Right." I managed not to groan. "Sweetheart, I really don't think they're going to want to see me." Emily's brother was still close to Leah. I was not high on his list of favorite people.
"We're getting married." Emily's voice held that soft firmness she could do so well, like a silk glove over an iron gauntlet. "I'm not ashamed of you and Matt will have to get used to it. Besides, Abbie's starting to come around. We're going to look at some flower girl dress patterns for Claire."
I smiled at the thought of the wedding. "Will she be able to walk down the isle and stuff?"
"Sam, she's two. She'll be three by October. Yes, she can walk twenty feet."
"If you say so." I knew absolutely nothing about children.
Emily reached out to rub her hand along my bare back. I leaned into her touch. "It'll be fine, Sam, really. You don't have to be nervous."
"I'm not nervous," I protested. "I just don't want things to be awkward." Matthew was a sanctimonious jackass. His wife -- who was entirely too nice for him, even if she was a bit of a birdbrain -- tempered him somewhat, but his opinions on Emily's 'immoral' ways did not endear him to me in the slightest. If he said something rude to my fiancee over the course of this visit he and I were going to have words. Or I was going to lose another pair of shoes running into the forest to phase.
"It'll be fine," she repeated. "Please. I'd like it if you were there. Just for fifteen minutes. You have to eat anyway."
She wasn't ordering me, just asking. "I'll do my best," I said.
"Okay." Then she smiled. "Just remember to pick up a shirt first, all right?"
"I'll do my best with that, too." Matthew had a beer gut. I wouldn't mind showing up shirtless. Just to make a point.
Emily was quiet for a long moment, then said softly, "Do you think Claire will be afraid?"
"Of what?"
"You know." Emily looked down and turned her head, hiding her right cheek against the pillow. "I haven't seen her in a long time, she was still mostly a baby... what if she's afraid of me?"
The bruise in my chest caved in, collapsing into something raw and rotting--
--blood everywhere, all over the floor, no screams just gurgles and crunching bone--
--no. Not now.
I took Emily's hand. The scarred one. "No one could be afraid of you," I told her.
She shook her head, but her lips quirked. "You're biased."
"That doesn't mean I'm wrong." I leaned down to kiss her temple. She had the smoothest skin in the world. "Don't worry. Claire will love you."
"I hope so," she said distantly. "It's... important."
Her sudden discomfort prickled my skin. What was that about? "Why does--"
[blond hair blurred feet touched earth snarls barks trespassertrespasser sam!]
I clenched my teeth against the growl in my throat.
Jacob.
"Sam?"
I managed to get out "Gotta go" before I literally jumped from the loft and pelted out the door, not bothering with clothes. My body exploded into fur and claws -- fire in my side as the scar reformed -- almost before I was off the porch.
A cacophony awaited me.
Where did she go?
Ahead. Leah, follow the river. Embry, along the cliff. Seth, stay with me.
Seth [toddler in a crib] stay behind (not hurt) Jacob (he shouldn't be here)--
Leah, shut up!
There she is, on the left!
I closed my eyes as I ran -- dodging trees by instinct alone -- and felt my brothers' senses. A pale blur in the distance. A disgusting smell. The wrongness of those feet touching the earth.
Vampire.
I'm here. I'm coming. I ignored the sensation of their relief and concentrated on the others: Quil, Paul, Jared, all asleep. Wake up.
Sending orders to unphased Pack members was hard -- I braced myself against a flash of headache and nausea -- but I could do it. I faintly felt them responding to my command.
Can you see her?
Up ahead, idiot, use your eyes.
One of that coven?
Can't tell.
(reeking bloodsuckers hate them tear them apart)
Sam, what do we do?
They were maybe four miles west. I dug my claws into the ground and put on an extra burst of speed. Keep up. Listen to Jacob.
Three wordless acknowledgements and one (no no don't want it no don't know what to do)--
Just until I get there. I wouldn't make him take charge right now. Not the time.
Then more voices:
What the hell is going on?
Man, I just fell asleep.
(kimkimkim tired wanna go back to bed)
In a moment the image of the leech came from Jacob's mind -- white clothes, short hair, off the ground, leaping from tree to tree in the moonlight -- and words disappeared from the Pack mind as everyone broke into a dead run.
Okay. The bloodsucker was ahead. The effect of watching through several eyes at once -- Jacob's, Embry's, Leah's -- was dizzying, but I could organize the images, and when I sorted them in my head they were sorted for everyone else too, and then I knew where she was, just a little ahead just--
--down the ridge, along the river.
The wind whipped through my fur as I ran. I felt myself pass Embry, leapt off the rock ledge, landed twenty feet below, in cold water past my paws--
--there was the leech. Eighty feet ahead. Pale clothes. Pale hair. Pale skin. Bare feet in the riverside mud. On our land.
The fur bristled along my spine, and I flattened my ears, growling. Not far beyond her was Jacob, teeth bared.
She was pinned between us.
Now.
My brother and I sprinted forward, dirt and water flying--
--and the bitch jumped right across the river, up thirty feet into a spruce.
By the time we'd skidded to a halt, she'd vanished.
My blood filled with fury and frustration, and damned if I knew who it belonged to. A hoarse bark overhead; a slim gray wolf looked down at us from the edge of the ridge. Leah. Nice job, guys.
She got away?
Damn it!
Who was that?
One of the Cullens. Gotta be.
Didn't look like it.
Don't they have a blond?
Maybe?
[a black empty spot and a lot of rage] (kill her kill herkillherkillher) Jacob crouched to try to jump the river--
--and I bit him on the scruff of the neck and threw him backward before he could. The action loosened my teeth. No.
Frustration boiling higher and hotter -- Jacob's. He snarled at me as he righted himself, covered in mud. I can get her!
She's in their territory now. The treaty--
The hell with the treaty! (bellabellabella)
Not yet. Everyone was watching us, looking down from the ledge. Their uncertainty was a tangible thing. Not yet, Jacob.
We would fight the vampire coven. There was no doubt in my mind about that. We would fight them, and we would kill them. But I'd given them six weeks -- I'd given them my word -- so six weeks they would have.
And there was something strange about this. I'd smelled that insulting letter their leader had sent. It didn't smell like the thing we'd just seen. Whatever this was, it wasn't the Cullens. They hadn't broken the treaty. So we wouldn't either. Not yet.
Which meant we weren't going to give chase.
Do you hear me, Jacob?
The red wolf bristled... then his tail drooped. Wordless, sullen submission rolled from his body.
It was good that he obeyed, but as always, I had to suppress my disappointment with his deference. Good.
What now?
Yeah, what do we do?
I snorted, trying to sort the next steps in my mind. Entrance, exit, course... Jared, Paul, and Leah watch the river in case she returns. Embry, Quil, go east, find out where she came on the land. Jacob and I will track her path and see what we can learn.
What about me?
I glanced in the direction of the small, sandy-furred wolf. Go home, Seth, you've got school in the morning.
But I--
No. Go home.
The wolf let out a whine, but turned tail and ran off through the trees.
Silent approval from Leah. Sending Seth away was the only thing I could do that Leah approved of.
All right. Get going, all of you.
***
By sunrise we'd learned a few things.
One: the leech had come onto our land across a valley with a huge gulf. That meant she could jump well.
Two: She'd managed to get deep -- nearly to the general store -- before Jacob and the others had caught up with her. That meant she was clever.
Three: Her path out of La Push was random and uncertain. That meant she didn't know the area.
None of this pointed to the Cullens, but Jacob wasn't listening. They've got a blond. The one everyone thinks is hot. It could be her.
It's not. Jared, Quil, and Paul had gone home, since they'd essentially run two shifts in a row; Leah and Embry were closer to rested and still able to do their jobs. But Jacob wasn't holding up well. His control was together on the surface -- but everything underneath was wordless fury and fear and craving and exhaustion. Jacob, go home and sleep.
No. (bellabellabella) I'm fine.
Embry tried to help. Get some rest, man. We're not going to learn anything else right now.
Leah was less helpful. You're driving me crazy, asshole. Beat it.
I can handle it--
I was drained from issuing orders all night -- it had taken most of the little bit of energy I'd gained with Emily -- but I didn't have a lot of choice. The Pack mind needed to be clear. Jacob, go home and--
No, wait, let me go talk to the leeches.
I paused in my tracks. Ferns tickled at my legs. Excuse me?
Let me go (see bella want to see bella is she okay) to the high school. They'll be there soon. I'll talk to them. See what they have to say about all this.
If you--
It's not like the bloodsuckers [a black empty spot and a lot of rage] are gonna send us another note, right? Let's find out what they know.
It's not a bad idea.
If it gets Jake out of our hair, then whatever.
Fur.
What?
You said "out of our hair." You mean out of our fur.
Shut up.
(bellabellabella)--
I wanted to see Emily, I wanted--
--no. Shit. Jacob's emotions were bleeding into everything. I stopped in a clearing. Leah and Embry, keep going. Jacob, come over here. Now.
I felt Embry and Leah continue east; a moment later Jacob appeared through the trees. I phased, refusing to wince at the pain; Jacob did the same. "You want to go to the bloodsuckers."
He nodded.
Advantages: Find out if the Cullens knew anything. Keep Jacob busy and out of everyone's heads.
Disadvantages: I was missing something and I didn't know what; making decisions without all the information leads to trouble. Also Jacob plus Cullens equals potential disaster.
"Please, Sam." Jacob's voice cracked. "Please let me go."
He wouldn't be so desperate if he didn't fight the imprint. Why did he have to do this to himself? He needed her, she needed him, it didn't have to be like this, I hadn't go through what I'd gone through just to watch my brother ignore everything I had to teach him--
"I know I'm making things worse, so I'll clear out. I'll bring back information. I promise. Just let me go."
Damn it.
I met Jacob's eyes and pulled deep. "You will not phase. See Bella. Find out what the Cullens know. Say whatever you have to say. But you will not phase while you are off our lands."
I managed not to stagger under the sharp pain in my head. Barely. That was huge order.
Jacob looked down at the ground and dug his toes into the leaves. "You could just ask me not to, you know," he muttered sullenly. "We could talk like people."
"We're not people. And I can't risk you falling apart in the middle of Forks. So no phasing." I pointed south, towards Jacob's house. "Wake up Quil and send him back out. Then go. You have two hours."
He ran.
I waited until he was out of sight before phasing with a wince and rejoining Leah and Embry for the rest of the patrol.
***
Chapter Eight: Build Relationships
Sanity Update: This chapter came kicking and screaming. Gale Hawthorne is demanding my attention, but he needs to shut up and wait his damn turn. Even if I think he and his totalitarian class-warring dystopia would be less sad than Sam Uley. This is going to be a rough ride. At least he's pithier than Bella. And just for the record, Pack mind is exhausting to write.
As a side note, a year ago this week I came out of fic retirement to start writing Postcards. After three multi-chapters, ten one-shots, and thirty-one drabbles... I still have no idea what the fuck I was thinking. But I have to say -- having weighed all the positives and negatives -- I'm still glad to be here :-)