A/N - Thank you to all those who are willing to come along for another ride with this sequel to 'Shelter in the Storm'. It will pick up approximately 5 to 5.5 years after the conclusion of 'Shelter in the Storm'.

All disclaimers apply...the only characters belonging to myself are the ones outside of the Twilight franchise.

Flesh & Blood

by Riemayu

His paws pounded hard and quick against the wet earth, kicking up mud in their wake as flames licked at him while he ran. The entire forest was engulfed within the fire and despite the thick smoke that surrounded him, he could still smell the vampires in the woods. His heart pounded in his ears, urging him to move faster that he ever had. Jacob hadn't felt fear like this in years. Waking up in the night to hear his son screaming from his bed, only to burst into the room to find it empty and the overpowering stench of a vampire left behind, caused Jacob to instantly lose the incredible control that he had over his wolf. It had been years since he had phased. Knowing that his oldest son was in the company of their natural enemy brought the anger of his inner wolf instantly back to the surface and to the point where he willed it to once again take over.

The attack against them had been a surprise, yet they were always aware that something like this could happen. The entire pack knew that the Volturi were not only aware of their existence, but also that the Alpha's infant son that Aro had seen years prior could potentially carry the same gene to one day shape shift. But after years of nothing, the Volturi suddenly chose now to attack. It angered the alpha wolf within him to no end that they had been so foolish to think that the Volturi would have given up. The Cullen's had assured them that they would alert them should there ever be a concern that the Volturi would be coming.

And there was no warning.

The pack would burn the Volturi for stepping back onto their land and taking a child. In a strange twist, the same creatures that could be destroyed by fire had engulfed the entire reservation in flames to further cover their tracks and ease their escape with Jacob's son, Nate.

Jacob wasn't surprised to find his wife, Jo suddenly racing through the trees before she came up beside him, flanking him to his right as he had taught her how years prior. Her own anger, fear and frustration coursed through their mental connection as much as it flooded his own mind.

'We'll find him,' she thought, yet he knew that she was telling herself as much as she was attempting to alleviate his fears. 'They couldn't have gotten too far. The stench is still too strong.'

Upon hearing a howl to the west, he turned his head and came to a stop. He saw nothing but flames quickly climbing up the tall trees around them.

'What's wrong? We have to keep going!' Jo shouted at him in her mind, as she continued to pace anxiously.

'That's Quil,' he thought, recognizing the howl yet he was concerned as to why he was unable to hear him in his head as he should have. Surprisingly, Jo didn't seem to be at all concerned.

Soon, a chorus of unearthly howls seemed to echo around him. His keen ear could identify each and every one for whom they belonged to...Leah, Jared, Paul, Sam, Embry, Quil, Brady, Collin...and yet, their mental presence was silent in his mind. A deep fear and near panic welled up within the human part of him as he stood within the burning forest.

The pack was gone.

Confused and afraid, Jacob turned to Jo, surprised to find that she had disappeared not only from his vision but from his mind as well. Just as he quickly looked around for her, a sharp scream sliced through the night.

"DADDY! HELP ME!"

The frantic screams of his daughter caused his wolf to whine before turning his nose to the air, searching desperately for her scent that he'd recognize anywhere amongst the dense forest, smoke or no smoke.

Nothing.

A snarl ripped through his throat. Not only was his pack destroyed, and Nate was swept out from underneath his nose as he slept but they also took his little Sarah as well.

When he suddenly caught a certain pungeant aroma in the air, he turned to see a man standing in the distance; a red cloak concealing his identity as he stood among the fire like a demon out of hell itself. Jacob didn't need to see his eyes to know that he wasn't even a man. He was evil incarnate;the Volturi.

A growl erupted from within the wolf as he snarled, but he was quickly taken aback when he saw his seven year old son appear in the darkness and move to stand beside the faceless vampire.

Nate didn't look up. The bangs of his dark, unruly hair fell over his eyes like a curtain as he kept his gaze on the ground, the heavy oppression clearly evident in his stance. Nate looked up at his father when the vampire standing behind him suddenly placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Dad, you weren't ready. You could have saved us all, but you're too late."

Confusion and pain swept over Jacob as he heard his son utter the words while the cloaked vampire pulled back the hood, revealing a face that Jacob prayed he'd never encounter again.

Aro.

A smile appeared on the vampire's face.

"You have nothing! You're alone! Your pack; your tribe; your family are gone. Your children belong to me, mighty Alpha. Everything they are and will be; forever will belong to the Volturi."

"Jake!"

The wolf whined.

Jo's familiar voice echoed in the dense forest as Aro smiled maliciously back at him and the flames licked at his heels.

"Jake! Wake up!"

The sharp voice calling to him shattered the images that surrounded him. Jacob startled, and pushed himself up slightly as his eyes suddenly opened, taking in the dim room around him. He was no longer in the woods. And he knew instantly that he was in human form. Jacob was certain that he could still feel the heat of the fire, as though it had been burning right beside him. It took him a moment to realize that he had been sleeping on his couch and it was all one horrible dream.

The silence of his home along with the toys and books that littered the living room floor and the basket of folded baby clothes in the laundry basket at his feet reassured him. The television was on, playing a recap of the 11 o'clock news, casting a soft glow in the room.

Jo smiled sympathetically at him as Jacob ran his hands over his face, trying to erase the images that he had seen in his mind. She reached for the remote beside him and turned off the television, enveloping them both in the darkness of the night.

"What time is it?"

"Just past 2 in the morning," she told him. "I just finished nursing Liam. He's back asleep and in bed, which is where you should be."

Jacob nodded in agreement and pushed himself up to stand. Jo reached out to him as she watched his face. Even in the darkness, her keen eyes could read his expression. Jacob looked exhausted and something seemed to be troubling him.

"Did the elders meeting run late?"

"Yeah," Jacob replied softly. "We went over by an hour or so."

Billy had been grooming Jacob for the past few years to eventually take over his position as an elder within the tribe. Billy wasn't intending to relinquish his position until he passed away, and quipped often that he was determined to live until he was at least 100. With his determination, no one doubted that the unofficial chief would hit that milestone. But still, Old Quil had thought it best to start the next generation sooner than later, especially given Harry Clearwater's unprecedented death nearly 8 years earlier. Due to this, Jacob wasn't the only one who was now required to attend these meetings. Quil had come with his grandfather and Seth came along with his Mom to represent the Clearwater family.

"What happened? You look like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders."

Jacob chuckled, recalling how he had told his Dad, the elders, Quil and Seth that Jo would know something is wrong the moment she saw him despite how much he'd try to hide it. It was not just the imprint but the fact that she was his wife and sometimes knew him better than he did himself. Still, at the meeting, he was told that until the situation could be ratified, that no one within the tribe, beyond the few pack members who were still shape shifting and the eldership, was to know what they had discussed that night - what Quil, Brady and Collin had discovered earlier that night once again.

The scent of an unknown vampire on Quilleute land.

"Nothing big," he replied. "Quil and Seth went off topic a few times, like usual, and I was wide awake when I came home. I thought a little TV would help me to relax a bit."

In fact, he had turned on the TV in concern that perhaps the nomad vampire was leaving his or her footprint on the area in the way of deaths. Either than a string of robberies in Port Angeles, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Jacob had eventually fallen asleep while listening to the weather reports. He had no idea how tired and stressed he really was until he had sat down.

Jo smirked. "Looks like it did more than that. That must have been quite a dream."

Jacob took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her knuckles.

"More like a nightmare," he told her. "I appreciate you saving me and waking me up from it."

Jo smiled weakly before bringing her other hand up to Jacob's face, her eyes scrutinizing his own. She could see it in his face. Something wasn't right and he seemed determined to avoid talking about it.

"But something is still bothering you."

Jacob smiled and shook his head, as he went ahead and changed the subject. "The only thing that is wrong right now is that I'm keeping you up. And I thought Liam was finally sleeping through the night. This is the third night now that he's been doing this."

Jo decided to drop the matter and sighed deeply before she shrugged.

"He's four months old. He must be going through a growth spurt. All he's been doing lately is nursing and sleeping on me. It feels like he's been attached to my boobs all day lately."

Jacob chuckled at her words as he tugged on Jo's hand, leading her down the hallway. It wasn't until he heard a sound coming from a closed door that he stopped. It wasn't anything that caused his inner wolf to become concerned, but still it wasn't a sound that he liked. He looked to Jo.

"It's Nate again," she said softly with a sigh. "His allergies were acting up tonight and he's been coughing a lot since he's gone to bed."

Jo reached to open the door.

"He's probably going to be needing his medication again."

Jacob quickly and gently pulled her hand from the door knob.

"You head on to bed," he told her softly with a smile. "I'll check on him."

The nightmare still weighed heavily on his mind and not only did Jacob need to see with his own eyes that his children were safe, but his wolf, whom he hadn't shape shifted into for years still insisted on it.

"Jake, you're working in a few hours."

"And you have been up with Liam in the night for the past few days," Jacob argued, pulling her hand and ultimately Jo, closer to him. "I'll give Nate his meds and I assure you that I'll go right to bed afterwards."

Jo snickered, her face inches from Jacob's and saw his smirk. "I'll be holding you to that, Mr. Black."

Jacob watched Jo as she walked quietly back down the hallway towards their bedroom before he opened the door in front of him. He could smell the familiar scent before he even had the door fully open. It instantly relaxed his inner wolf. His kids were there and they were alone.

The room had a light glow coming from the nightlight in the corner. Within the small room among the dolls, stuffed animals, books and lego were two beds. His two eldest children, who had reluctantly agreed to share a room for the time being until they were certain that Liam could sleep through the night, occupied them.

Jacob snorted when he caught a glimpse of his four year old daughter Sarah, sleeping on her back with both her arms and legs sprawled out across the sheets and over the stuffed animals that she insisted on sleeping with. Her dark wavy hair sprawled unceremoniously across her pillow. Jacob looked at her face, seeing how she was not bothered one bit by the noise that her seven year old brother was making with his coughing. Jacob leaned over and kissed her cheek before covering her up and making his way over to Nate.

Nate had coughed a few times while he had been in the room, and Jacob couldn't help but wince. It had brought back the horrible memories of waking in the night when Nate was a toddler to hearing that seal-like croupy cough that was reminiscent of him choking. Every winter they had gone through it as they discovered that not only was he susceptible to seasonal allergies but he had inherited Jo's sensitivity to cinnamon among other items. They had to be careful with every new food they introduced, not sure whether it would result with another trip to the hospital or a shot with the Epi-pen. Over the years, Nate began to outgrow it, but his seasonal allergies hung on.

It was strange. Nate was the only one in the family to have allergies. Sarah hadn't shown any of the same indicators as Nate had. Being a nurse at one time, Sue suggested that it could have been due to him being born early, or it could just be how he is. In every other way, he was as healthy as anyone else. Still, it concerned Jacob.

He grabbed the small bottle from the top of the shelf where Jo kept Nate's medication for the night and shook it prior to sitting down on the bed beside his son. He reached forward and brushed his fingers over Nate's forehead before speaking his name softly.

Slowly, Nate opened his eyes, causing Jacob to smile. They looked so much like his own that he sometimes felt as though he was looking into a mirror.

"Hey pal," he whispered, before he held up the small bottle. "How are you feeling?"

Nate pushed himself up to sit in bed and sniffed deeply, indicting how his nose was stuffed.

"I can't breathe out my nose anymore," he said groggily, before Jacob put a finger to his lips, reminding Nate to keep his voice down in order to not wake his sister.

"I heard you coughing."

Nate nodded as Jacob passed him a small spoonful of the medication. Nate opened his mouth and swallowed it before Jacob brushed his hand through Nate's unruly hair, pushing the curls away from his eyes. It seemed to sit haphazardly on his head. His hair was no where being straight as most Quilleute's hair was. It was another thing that Nate had inherited from Jo and made their son even more unique.

"Okay, go back to sleep," Jacob told him, as Nate scooched down and laid back on his pillow.

Jacob was about to get up when Nate spoke again.

"Can you stay with me?"

Jacob smirked and ran his hand through Nate's hair once again.

"Close your eyes," Jacob whispered. "I'll rub your head for a bit."

A smile appeared on Nate's face before he turned onto his side and pulled his navy blue blanket up beneath his chin. He quickly settled and closed his eyes while Jacob ran his hand gently through Nate's hair, rubbing his fingers against his scalp. Jacob watched, seeing how Nate slept with his mouth open in order to breathe easier.

Jacob glanced at Sarah across the room as she shifted on her own bed, unconsciously grabbing her stuffed pink bear Rosie and pulled it close to her chest.

He could feel the contentment of his wolf; his family was around him and safe. Despite the report that Quil had to brought to both Jacob as his Alpha and the elders of the tribe of the vampire that they had scented once again earlier that evening, his wolf was relatively at ease. This was where he was supposed to be; protecting what was most precious to him. He had confidence in Quil, Brady and Collin that they would be able to get the job done and protect the tribe by destroying the vampire that came onto their lands. After he had that lengthy discussion with the elders, they had all agreed that there was no need to interrupt the lives of the members of the pack whom had retired from active patrol to join in the search. They were going to be keeping this issue to themselves.

Looking down at Nate, it was obvious by his steady breathing and heartbeat that he had fallen back asleep. Jacob hoped that Nate's sleep would be more restful now.

A part of him desired to sleep on the floor to ensure that no one came into the room while they slept. As much as he tried to reassure himself that his dream was getting the best of him, his memories of images still worried him.

Jacob reluctantly walked out of the room and left the door open as he headed down the hallway. He sniffed the air for that nasty stench of a vampire. Jacob knew that Jo would sense it just as quickly as he would but still, it became an unconscious reaction. His wolf was just as on edge.

He paused when he came to Liam's closed door and listened, hearing the baby breathing rhythmically in his crib while he slept. A part of Jacob desired to take Liam into bed with him and hold him close. Instead, he turned to his bedroom and pushed the door open.

Aware that Jo had most likely fallen back asleep, Jacob quietly made his way into their room. In the darkness, he quickly pulled his shirt up and over his head and left it on the dresser before carefully unzipping his jeans. He slide them down, leaving only his boxers on.

He slipped under the sheets, wincing as the mattress complained loudly and shifted with his added weight. He didn't want to wake Jo. She laid with her back towards him. To anyone else, one would think that she had fallen asleep in the time that it took Jacob to get into bed, but he knew better. As he laid behind her, he could hear her heart beating and her breathing - both no where near the pace that it would be if she was asleep. A smirk came to his lips as he gently tucked himself in behind her.

"I assumed that you'd be asleep before I came into bed," he whispered, reaching his arm protectively overtop of her, before he leaned forward and took a deep intake of a breath at back of her neck. Her scent was soothing to both the man and the wolf. Memories of both his nightmare and the discussion regarding the vampire on their land still weighted heavily on him. For Jo, the sensation tickled and she scrunched her shoulders, proving to him that she was indeed awake.

Eventually, he heard her sigh in annoyance at his ministrations.

"I'm trying, Jacob."

"My sweet, sweet Josephine," he whispered huskily into her ear, before he pushed the collar of her shirt away from her neck. Jacob leaned in and kissed the back of her neck.

Jo giggled softly before stiffling a yawn.

"Go to sleep. You're going to be up for work in a few hours," she reminded him.

Jacob groaned, gently rubbing his nose against the back of her neck.

"I've missed you, Jo. I haven't seen you all day."

Even after being imprinted to Jacob for over seven years, the pull never diminished. It also didn't help that Jacob was working long hours at the shop while Jo juggled taking care of a four month old, their four year old daughter and getting Nate to and from school each day. From when they woke to until they went to sleep, they were moving. There were a few stollen kisses in the kitchen, most of which were spotted by either of the eldest children. The kids would express their disgust before Jacob would chase after them, resulting in fits of giggles and elated screams. Secretly, the children enjoyed seeing the loving exchange between their parents and would even sometimes push their way between them for the attention. So, to have time alone without a childish commentary or interruption was precious. Not only that, but Jo could feel her own imprint towards Jacob desire to fulfill the connection. It tugged at her from the inside out. There was no way that she would deny her imprint. Even as she rolled over and met his eyes, she could feel that connection being satisfied. She entangled her legs between Jacob's before resting her head against his outstretched arm.

For Jacob, it wasn't just the imprint that was being fulfilled. The fears of knowing that there had been a vampire on their land scared him more than he realized and having Jo within reach seemed to alleviate that stress for the wolf.

He reached forward and brushed her hair back away from her face.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?"

Jo rolled her eyes before she felt herself being squeezed closer to him.

"Once or twice," she teased, indulging him, as she put her hands against his chest that was pressed into her.

"In that case," he began, as he closed in to pepper her face with kisses. "Mrs. Black, you. Are. The. Most. Beautiful. Woman. That. I've. Ever. Seen."

He paused between each word to kiss her cheek, nose, forehead, ears, neck and finally her lips. Jo giggled at the tickling sensation that it left on her skin as he moved. Jacob found his way back to her neck, once again deeply inhaling the scent of her skin and hair, finding that it calmed his still frayed nerves as memories from his dream came to him. Echoes of hearing Nate screaming for help was almost too real. But simply touching Jo, being so close to her and realizing that this was his reality and not the beginning of another nightmare calmed the wolf within. With her, the problems of the world faded away and for a moment he could imagine that they didn't live in such a scary, and crazy world. She was the balm to his anxiety. He found that he couldn't stop breathing in her scent.

"And you gave me three children," he spoke huskily into her ear. "All of which are as beautiful as you."

A soft murr followed by a deeper growl suddenly vibrated within his chest and escaped his lips before he kissed her neck once again.

The sound surprised Jo, having not heard it in nearly five years. Since he had decided to stop phasing just prior to Sarah's birth, just like Jo, he had kept a tight reign on his inner wolf in order to grow old alongside their family. They were both intune with what their inner wolves desired but never allowed them anywhere near the surface, especially when they were in the company of their children.

But something just wasn't right. This was more than just wanting to be close to her. Jo knew that something was disturbing not only Jacob, the man, but his wolf as well. He was so close to the surface as she looked at his eyes, seeing the familiar yellowing of his cornea's.

"Jacob," Jo breathed, combing her fingers through his short hair, gaining his attention.

He blinked as he looked up at her and his chocolate brown eyes were back.

"What?" He asked cheekily. "I can't be proud that my children look like their mother?"

Jo sighed, shaking her head. "That's not it. Something's bothering you."

He knew exactly what she was sensing - his anxiety over the vampire on Quilleute lands. Still, Jacob smirked and shook his head.

"Nothing's bothering me, Jo. I need you," he said, nuzzling her neck. For a moment, he kissed her skin and licked it before he added. "We need you."

Again, Jo sighed.

"See, that's just it," she told him, fighting her own desire to give into him physically. But she couldn't knowing that for some unknown reason his wolf was manifesting.

"What is it?"

"Your wolf."

"My wolf needs you as much as I do."

"Why?"

Jacob chuckled.

"Because he's a part of me? Jo, what's with the twenty questions?"

"Jake, you know that I can sense more than what you're telling me," she told him, taking his face between her hands to look into his eyes. "Your wolf is right there, closer than he has been in years and I can see him in your eyes."

Jacob smirked, taking her hands in his own.

"Jo, you know how I can get when things get physical between us..."

Jo shook her head.

"This is more than just sex right now that's causing your wolf to manifest," she argued, nearly interrupting him. Jacob rolled his eyes. "We've had sex countless times...hell, we managed somehow to conceive Liam without seeing a glimpse of your furry hide. So you can't tell me that this is about things getting physical."

She paused, pushing herself up to sit while Jacob rolled onto his back and put his arm over his eyes. Jacob could hear the unasked question and answered her.

"There is nothing wrong," he growled out each word.

"You do know that I can tell when you're lying to me."

Jacob didn't reply.

In return, Jo huffed and turned before laying back down in bed, her back towards him.

Feeling the stress and anxiety within him nearly caused Jacob to run from the room and out of the house just so that he could run off some of the pent up energy and frustration that his wolf was emitting within him. A big part of him would be reluctant to leave the house. Instead, Jacob clenched his fists, determined not to succumb to phasing in order to deal with it. After all, he had made a promise to Jo years ago and he wasn't going to break it now.

Instead, he opened his eyes and glanced over at Jo. She laid with her back facing towards him. There was no way he was going to tell her that there had been a vampire frequenting their land lately. That was the last thing that she needed to know, yet Jacob knew that she was aware that something was bothering him.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" He asked softly.

When she didn't respond, Jacob sat up and glanced back at her.

"You aren't the only stubborn one in this family," he mumbled, running his hands over his face.

At the same time, his imprint demanded that he make her feel better. Jacob could only imagine the pull that Jo was feeling towards him as she laid with her back towards him.

Jo stared at the wall in their dark bedroom, sensing Jacob's every movement. Beneath her heard, her hands squeezed the pillow. She was determined not to be the one who gave in. Her heart was pounding and she was certain that Jacob could hear it.

"Jo, I don't want to go to sleep like this," he added softly, reaching out and touching her on the shoulder. He sighed. "Hell, I doubt that either of us will be able to sleep, and...you're right."

Still Jo didn't roll over.

"There is something bothering me," he told her. "But...I..uh, I didn't want to worry you. You've been busy preparing for Liam's party for the past few days and you've been up in the night with him. And you have the other kids to look after...this isn't a big deal."

Jo turned over in her spot and sat up in the bed beside him. She ran her fingers through her hair, but didn't look at Jacob beside her.

"Jake, I'm already worried because you're not wanting to tell me something that is obviously a big deal to you. I've ran every possible and impossible scenerio in my head over the past few minutes and you seriously don't want to know about the thoughts that I've considered."

Jacob looked down at his hands on the sheet covering their legs.

"It's the nightmare I had," he told her with a sigh, hoping that his explanation would suffice. "It was not only horrible and disturbing, it was eerily real."

Jo leaned in towards him, and rested her head against Jacob's bare shoulder. She reached forward with her hand and grabbed his own, entwining her fingers with his.

"What was it about?"

"A...uh...vampire," he began, "the Volturi namely, had come for Nate but they also had Sarah. I was alone and everything was destroyed around me...a fire had started within the woods, burning everything...our home, the entire reservation. The pack was gone..."

He paused, turning to look at Jo beside him. "You were gone...I...I have no idea where you went and the Volturi had the kids. I didn't want to tell you about the dream and have the details bother you as well."

Jo nodded, understanding the deep fears that had resided in both of them years ago when the Volturi had first come to La Push and Edward Cullen had spoken out about the interest that the vampire royalty had in Nate. It had been years since either of them had nightmares regarding the Volturi, but knowing that there hadn't been a vampire scented within 200 miles of La Push in the past four years had alleviated their fears. The Cullen's hadn't been in contact with them, as they said they would if need be, which simply confirmed that the Volturi were not pursuing their interest in Nate.

"I appreciate you thinking of me. But..what brought this on?"

Jacob shrugged, refusing to tell her the truth behind it.

"Quil had asked if it was all right to trade off either Collin or Brady on patrol tomorrow afternoon since he wanted to be able to come to Liam's tribal introduction ceremony at First Beach," Jacob told her. "He's going to have the two guys pull in the perimeter away from the old Cullen land for the day since they wanted to join in the fun for a few hours. We talked a bit about the Cullen's...I think that simply jogged some memories."

Jo nodded, accepting Jacob's explanation. And it was true, to an extent. But it was more of the reverse. Jacob wanted Quil to have the two guys extend the perimeter until the lone vampire was caught. The time that it was scented was as it came into Quilleute lands from the old Cullen land. But Jacob assumed his explanation would make more sense to Jo.

"Well," Jo said, kissing Jacob's shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere. Whether in human form or as a wolf, I'll always be at your side, Jake."

Jacob smirked. "I know. I just didn't want to worry you."

"Jake, it's just a dream," Jo said with a smile. "Your imagination was simply making something bigger than it really was. It's fine."

Jo grabbed Jacob by the shoulders, encouraging him to lay down. She tucked herself up beside him, her legs protectively overtop of his own and she rested her head on his shoulder. Jo placed her arm over Jacob's chest. Jacob ran his own hand through her hair, brushing it away from his face.

"Don't worry Jake," she said sleepily. "I'll chase away any vampires that come near us."

Jacob smirked, running his hand over Jo's head, hearing her breathing beginning to relax as she fell asleep.

"You and me both. I promise you."

A/N -

And...so it begins

Please let me know what you think. I'll try to update weekly...sooner if I get the interest.