Chapter 15

The door into the kitchen closed behind Paul as Emily was pouring a cup of tea from the small pot. Bella took a moment to examine her surroundings, last night they were in Emily's amazing kitchen and its large open plan dining area. It was the best place for pack gatherings, there was plenty of space for all the boys. Bella also had kitchen envy with its large windows and huge stove.

With the warming and comforting smell of tea and muffins swirling around the cosy living room, Bella looked around, she was taking in the pictures on the walls and all of Emily's knickknacks. There were several family photographs arranged into a sun-like shape on the wall. There were shots of the pack, people Bella presumed were parents and other relatives, or friends. Among the photos, Bella saw some stunning paintings of beaches. She couldn't tell if they were any of the beaches nearby, but regardless, the pictures were gorgeous. There were dozens of intricately carved wooden figurines dotted around the room of deer and wolves.

They were sitting on a massive faded red sofa with plush cushions and a wood burning stove in the corner. Bella took a deep breath, savouring the beautiful room.

"Ok Vampire girl, time to spill your secrets." Emily interrupted her observation with a stern tone. Bella rolled her eyes as Emily waggled her eyebrows diabolically over a steaming cup of time. They maintained their stare-off silently until Bella snorted.

"What would you like to know, wolf girl?" She asked while reaching for a muffin.

Emily smirked before her expression became thoughtful. "I don't know… I was expecting you to be more resistant to this interrogation. I'll think of some good questions."

"This feels like the weirdest job interview ever."

"Well I do need a kitchen assistant…" They chuckled to each other.

"Lucky for you, I do love cooking." Bella answered as the laughs died down.

"Excellent. Do you have anything you want to ask me about wolves or imprinting?" Emily offered kindly.

"I don't know. It's all so new and crazy. What has imprint life been like for you?" Bella's question was asked shyly, she didn't want to intrude but she was curious. Paul explained the situation between him and Bella quite well, she thought. She just wasn't sure what to expect in the future.

Emily took a gentle breath in and out as she placed her cup on the coffee table. Bella watched Emily as her eyes cloud over and she absently stroked her scarred hand. Together they sat quietly, neither rushing. They were simply waiting for Emily to feel ready to talk.

"It's amazing now, but it didn't start out that well. Sam phased over three years ago, but before that he was in love with my cousin." Emily sighed heavily. "Our whole family was sure they would get married. Then, the Cullen's arrived in Forks and triggered his change." Emily paused to gather her thoughts while Bella looked down guiltily at her hands. She began to tug at a loose bit of her nailbed. Bella knew that it wasn't her fault the Cullens came to Forks, but she still felt responsible for them staying in town. Emily reached for her cup to take a sip before continuing. Her voice was almost inaudible. Bella leaned slightly closer to hear her.

"He was the first wolf, totally alone and terrified. It took him weeks to shift back into a man. While he was enduring that, Leah was distraught. She would shift, metaphorically," Emily added with irony twisting her soft voice, "between a jealous rage thinking he had run away with another woman, to depression and fear that he was dead in a ditch somewhere. His mother lives on the other side of the Rez, Leah practically moved in while Sam was missing. When he did come home, his mom figured out he had shifted."

"How?" Bella interrupted, unable to help herself. Emily met her wide eyes with a tired smile. She patted Bella's leg as she answered.

"She pieced it together, like you did. She's Quileute so she knew all about the legends and believed them all too. When she noticed the tribe's reaction to Forks' newest doctor and her son's disappearance… Well, it all made sense. Sam began to distance himself from Leah and she asked me to help her move her stuff out of Sam and his mom's place."

Unknown to the girls, the Pack had left the kitchen to give them some privacy and were continuing their meeting in Emily's yard. The story of their imprint left still left Sam with an overpowering sense of guilt and grief.

"I needed to get away from my own rez. I had fallen for someone from Port Angeles but he was…" Emily paused and looked at the small wood burner stove in the corner, but she didn't really see it. Apart from with Sam, she wasn't ready to share this much yet with anyone. Without revealing too much, Emily struggled to describe her relationship with Conner. Bella froze, she didn't know what to say but she couldn't move or look away. Emily glanced up with a rueful smile.

"He was less than kind to me. We'll leave it at that. Anyway, I was coming to La Push anyway when Leah needed my help. She thought that by giving Sam space, he would come back to her."

Bella reached over to Emily and gently rested a hand over Emily's clenching ones. Emily squeezed it gratefully.

"I was at Sam's mom's house and we got on amazingly well from the start, I think that Leah had started to annoy her, especially when she would accuse Sam of running off to meet another woman. Sam came into the kitchen when I was taping a box of Leah's stuff. One look and that was it for him."

Emily could remember the way he had frozen in the doorway, naked from the waist up. He was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Remnants of guilt flared up, choking Emily.

Bella opened her mouth to speak when Emily looked up and held up a pleading hand. She had to get the whole story out.

"I tried to reject him, for Leah's benefit but after escaping my relationship with Conner, I was terrified of my own shadow. I was dealing with it slowly and healing, but I guess the Great Spirit decided I needed a protector and Sam needed someone who was more equipped to care for him. He broke things off with Leah once and for all before trying to pursue me. I would get so angry at him for being so thoughtless." Emily shook her head. "One day I was down at the beach, hiding from him and Leah, when he appeared. Long story short, we fought and he phased too close. That's how I got these." She pointed at her scars.

Bella slowly wrapped her arms around her, pulling her in for a hug. "My heart broke for all of you. But things are better now?" She pressed.

Emily returned the hug. "With me and Sam? Yeah. Things with us are wonderful. Leah is still devastated." She spoke into Bella's hair.

They sat quietly for a while like that, until the room got darker with the descending sun. Emily glanced at the clock and pulled away with a hiss that sounded "Shit."

Bella's eyes widened in confusion as Emily stood up, "It'll be feeding time at the zoo soon, would you help me feed the beasts?"

"Yes, boss!" Bella saluted at Emily before picking up the tray laden with their undrunk tea and several muffins. Emily led the way into the empty kitchen, explaining that the boys had gone for a run. They worked together harmoniously to make enough mac n cheese to satisfy six hungry wolves and two peckish imprints.

Brimming with excitement, Bella was almost dancing around the fabulous kitchen. She made up a bright selection of salad and placed it onto the dining table. Emily smiled indulgently at her from her position by the stove. She adored her kitchen too. She directed Bella to the cupboard with the crockery as the timer for the oven pinged.

"You mentioned someone else imprinted, before?" Bella asked as she laid plates around the long dining table.

"Yes, Jared's imprint is Kim. I hoped you might meet her today but she's coming down with that awful stomach flu that's making the rounds."

"Oh, poor girl! I hope she feels better soon."

"I'll pass that on." Emily grinned as the boys came bounding into the kitchen. They all eagerly sat at the table except for Sam, Paul and Jacob. Sam pulled Emily into a tender embrace, he had felt her sadness earlier and was comforting her. Paul gave Bella a peck on the cheek and a quick hug before sitting on the bench and claiming a scoop of gooey pasta. Bella tilted her head at the sight of the back of his head. She was confused, not quite understanding why he didn't drag her along to sit next to him, until she saw Jake nod towards the door, inviting her for a walk. On her way outside, Bella kissed the top of Paul's head and he smiled reassuringly up at her.

"Don't worry Bella, I'll save some for you!" Emily called as they left the kitchen. Bella laughed as she and Jake wandered over to the edge of the forest, they were just out of earshot of the house when Jake stopped.

Bella could see the lights of the house from where they stood, Jake leaned against a tree with his usual bright smile. He was maintaining a safe distance from Bella. She knew he was smiling, but she felt the nervous energy ripple from him. She wasn't used to his new haircut yet, but it mirrored everyone else's in the pack.

"So… I guess the wolf's out of the bag." Bella ventured. Jake laughed softly as he nodded, grateful that she could joke with him. She can't be too mad, he thought. Taking a deep breath Jake began to apologise.

"I'm sorry I had to avoid you like that honey. Sam is crazy protective when it comes to newbies and humans." Bella thought of Emily's scars and nodded sadly. They stood quietly for a minute, waiting for the familiarity between them to come back.

"Do you like it?" She asked bluntly.

"Well, it's hard, we have some intense responsibilities. I don't like how out of control I sometimes feel." Bella pressed her lips together, nodding sympathetically as Jake continued. "It's great having my friends back and knowing why they backed off. The wolf itself is cool. We can run crazy fast."

"What do you make of the whole imprint scene?"

Jake's smile faltered as he chose his words.

"I dunno… I get why the imprints happened as they did. I don't know if I will or want to." He sighed heavily.

"How do you feel about me and Paul?" Bella asked tentatively, she remembered his crush on her.

"I'd rather him than the leech." Jake winked. "I've seen stuff in the pack mind. I understand why he imprinted on you, the shit he's been through. No one can care for him as well as you will, Bells."

Bella knew this was Jacob telling her he was at peace with the changes between them. She knew she wanted Paul. Jake knew that too.

"I am a bit creeped out that you were with a leech though, honey." Jake's tone was disapproving.

"Yeah, I get that." Bella hoped he wouldn't push it further.

"But, we're okay?"

"Yeah, Jake. We're great." Bella grinned up at him.

"Awesome, now let's get back before all the food is gone." Jake was practically bouncing, he was so impatient to get back to the house. Bella had to laugh before they made their way back.

They entered the kitchen and true to her word, Emily made sure there was enough left for them. Bella slid into the seat next to Paul and leaned into his side. He wrapped his free arm around her and they shared a moment of unspoken communication. They were good and the pack was good.

"So, Bella… where are the apology cakes you owe us?" Quil demanded, disturbing the peaceful atmosphere.

She laughed and threw a tomato from the salad bowl at him.

A/N

Hello all!

A few things for this chapter. I had crazy writer's block for this, I'm so sorry that it's taken this long to hammer out this chapter. This is just a wee stepping stone for Bella into pack life, I need this chapter to help the rest of the story progress but it was so tempting to skip it…

I'm sorry if it's too dialoguey… I'll try to improve on it for the next chapter.

Also, sorry for the lack of Paul, I did miss him!

I played with Sam and Emily a bit, I like Emily and she wouldn't "steal" Sam without a good reason. When I finish this story, I might do a one-shot for them.

I also played with Jacob's reaction to the imprint. He's a kind character and I don't like the versions of him where he gets jealous and nasty. It doesn't suit him.

I hope you don't mind these little adjustments I made and I hope all is well wherever you are.