Title: Unlikely Allies
Genre: Drama? I hate choosing genres- it is what it is.
Rating: T
Pairing: Bella/Seth
Words: 2,998
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

AN: This is kind of an extra gift for my two winning bidders in the Tricky Raven silent auction- GeezerWench and Aurelaille. Rickie gave me a couple of prompts and requested that I not kill Jasper (psh, like I do that a lot or something…), and Aurelie wanted a younger wolf- so here's two more ;)
Nobody asked for slash so I threw that in for me- in a way that I think is unexpected. We'll see. Nothing graphic whatsoever though, since these boys are all young 'uns. ;)

~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~

Unlikely Allies

The pack descended into chaos as they argued back and forth about how to best handle the situation. The death toll in Seattle was growing higher by the day, and it seemed like a fresh leech crossed into their territory just as often. Sam was at his wits' end trying to contain the damages wrought by these soulless demons, and his Pack wasn't offering any good suggestions.

Off to the side, being ignored as usual, Bella perched on her wolf's lap, combing her slender fingers through his silky hair as he followed the debate with bright, intelligent eyes. The older boys around him cut him off each time he tried to speak, but he simply waited for the next opportunity with patience that belied his age.

"I still think we should go down there and kill the fuckers! We can track them in the city just as well as we can here, and that way we can keep 'em off our land!" Paul was the loudest, of course, standing near Sam and gesturing wildly to emphasize his point.

"Sure, Paul," Jacob scoffed, finally pulling his eyes away from his perceived rival—the one who had stolen his Bells. "I'm sure no one would notice the giant wolves roaming the streets of Seattle. Great plan, really."

Jared and Sam stepped between the two when Paul lunged toward the young alpha-in-training. Leah started to add her caustic commentary, but Embry pulled her attention back to him with a strong hand on her upper thigh and a soft kiss to her lips. Sam noticed and donned to the same glare that Jake was using earlier. Quil was finishing off the last of the pie, oblivious to the scuffle. Strategy was never Quil's strong suit.

At the next lull in the conversation, Seth tried once more to interject. "Um, guys? I have an idea that might work. Bells and I were talking and–"

"Look, pup, nobody wants to know what you and Bells were talking about. The leech lover going all Mrs. Robinson on you is not exactly what we all need in our heads. Her dad's the chief of police for fucks sake."

Even Embry couldn't hold Leah back after Paul's snide remark to her little brother, especially when the whole room could smell the salt of Bella's tears and see the humiliated flush to her cheeks. Seth's face was instantly transformed from calm and jovial to rabid protector. Nobody insulted his mate.

"ENOUGH!" Sam's alpha order silenced the room—or at least the wolves. Bella had no such restrictions on her, though.

"Come on, Seth. Let's go." She quietly coaxed her wolf to let her up from his lap, though he kept his hand locked firmly with her smaller one. "It's clear we aren't needed here."

Sam's eyes narrowed as the young wolf stood and wrapped his arm around his imprint, turning to lead her from the room. His blatant disregard rubbed Sam's wolf the wrong way. "Seth, we aren't finished here. You need to stay."

Seth didn't even turn to look at his alpha, the man he'd once thought would be his brother-in-law. That former respect had been transferred to Embry—someone both wolf and man admired. His steps stopped automatically at the subtle order, but he kept his eyes away in his own form of subversion.

Bella stepped into his view and pulled his gaze down to the center of his world. She loved using their imprint to annoy Sam whenever she got the chance. "Seth," she purred quietly, making him shift in discomfort as her words moved straight to his groin. "We're leaving."

As soon as she freed him, he scooped her into his arms and strode quickly away from the pack, not stopping once until he was safely in his bedroom with the door closed tightly behind him. He set his little mate down gently on the bed, then began to pace back and forth in the tight space.

Bella watched his agitation with concern, but gave him the space he needed to gain control. Without the constant focus on sex that the other imprints had, she and Seth had built a strong emotional bond between them. They understood each other better than they understood themselves.

"It's getting worse, isn't it?" she asked quietly when he paused his pacing to stare out the window. "You almost threw off that order without my help."

Seth's wolf had been struggling since he imprinted—and before that even. Everyone thought it was Sam's history with Leah that caused problems with the Clearwater siblings and their alpha. But Seth's wolf had never felt the need to submit to Sam Uley. Bella had her own theory.

While most of the pack and the elders scorned Bella for her history with the Cullens, Old Quil welcomed her sharp mind and curiosity about the tribe's legends. She spent hours searching through old documents, and discussing theories about the current pack. One such conversation was centered around the issue of bloodlines.

Ephraim Black's pack had only three members—himself, Quil Ateara II, and Levi Uley. All the current pack members had to be descended from these three lines, but the Clearwater siblings actually had family ties to all three—including the alpha line. That alpha blood made their wolves more dominant, even if Seth didn't show that side of him in his everyday life.

The really odd thing was the fact that Seth had no issue whatsoever in deferring to Embry. Seth was entirely comfortable submitting to his sister's imprint, leading Bella to privately question who Embry's assumed father actually was.

"Yeah, it just pisses me off the way they disrespect you! Sam didn't even tell Paul to apologize. He's such an ass."

As his head fell in defeat, Bella took her opportunity to stand and wrap her arms around her wolf. Seth sagged into her embrace, burying his face in her hair to take in her soothing scent. "I'm sorry I let him get to me today. I can usually ignore him, but it bothers me when they act like there's something wrong with our imprint."

She couldn't stop her tears that time, and he scooped her up and sat down with her safely on his lap. "We know what we have, and we know it's better than what they do," he reminded her, then nudged her chin up to smile mischievously. "But I still can't wait for my birthday…"

His antics had their desired effect, and she giggled as she slapped playfully at his shoulder. "Okay, cassanova, down boy."

They sat together quietly for a few minutes, just content to enjoy sharing the same space with one another. When Bella sensed that he was ready, she rested her head on his shoulder and stared up into his familiar brown eyes. "So what's the plan?"

Seth's eyes hardened with determination and he nodded to himself more than to her. "I'm going to go talk to Embry. It's time. You call him."

~oOo~

The pack was gathered on the same field where the Cullens had taken Bella to play baseball. It was technically outside their borders, but it wasn't like there were any vamps left to take an issue with it.

After speaking with Seth and Bella, Embry had proposed the location as an ideal place to lure the hostile vampires. It was far enough away from La Push that their families would be safely out of harms' way, and it was deep enough in the wilderness that sounds of the fight wouldn't reach human ears.

The group was agitated because Seth was late. Embry and Leah had just arrived, but neither of them had any idea when the younger wolf would show up.

"Okay, let's phase and work on some drills. Seth can run an extra patrol if he decides to show up." Just as Sam finished speaking, Seth's wolf trotted into the clearing with Bella sitting on his back. The rest of the pack watched as he lowered himself carefully to the ground, waiting patiently for his imprint to slide off before phasing back and quickly pulling on his shorts.

"Sorry we're late—we were waiting for our reinforcements," Seth said rather flippantly as Bella stood smugly by his side.

"Reinforcements? What the fuck are you talking about? Nobody said anything about reinforcements!" Paul spluttered angrily as he stalked toward the pair. Leah growled in warning when he got too close for her liking, but Bella held her hand up and took a step toward the angry wolf.

"Seth tried to tell you, but no one would listen to him. So now we'll just have to show you. Boys?" At her signal, two blond vampires dropped down from the tree where they had been perched, watching the proceedings with wry humor.

"Yes ma'am? Whitlock boys at your service." The shorter male removed a rather beat-up straw hat and gave an elaborate bow, while the other one stood there rolling his eyes.

The wolves in the pack with exception of Seth, Leah, and Embry all phased and turned toward the new arrivals, ready to pounce at their alpha's command. It was another command, however, that froze them in their tracks.

"Everyone, stop." Embry's voice rang out threw the clearing, binding everyone with a power they had never felt before. It was an ironclad shackle, nothing like the flimsy metal handcuff that Sam had wielded.

"Quite a welcome there, darlin—I'm guessin' you didn't tell them we were comin'?"

Bella scoffed and leaned against her mate, smiling at the only Cullen who had defied Edward and stayed in Forks to watch over her all these months. "Oh, you know how it is, Jasper. They look at me inviting you like I summoned a powerful demon or something," she told him with a playful wink.

The frozen wolves were even more shocked when Seth took a step closer to the vampire they now recognized as Jasper Hale, holding his fist out in greeting. "Hey, Major. Thanks for coming."

Embry simply nodded at the pair and then turned back to face the pack. "So now that you're all here, Seth would like to tell you what he's been trying to tell you for weeks. You dismissed him because of his age, or maybe the fact that his imprint used to date a leech—or is it simply because she's white? I know how some of you feel about outsiders, being only half-Quileute myself.

"Of course, I guess it's not as important how Quileute you are—what really matters is where you get those Quileute genes," Embry continued, speaking more at once than most of the pack had heard him say at all.

"See, for example, if your Quileute half comes from, say… the tribe's chief? Well apparently that makes those genes just a little more important." Embry stopped in front of Jake and looked his friend in the eye. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before, but we were right. You're my brother."

At some unspoken signal, Jacob melted back into his skin and hugged Embry fiercely, tears streaming down his cheek unapologetically. He felt like a weight had been lifted. He had never wanted to be alpha, but his dad and Sam kept pushing him to take over. It never had felt right, and now he knew why. Embry was three months older than Jake. He was the rightful alpha.

When the brothers separated, Jake took the shorts that Leah discreetly handed him, and turned to face the girl he'd loved all his life. With the shift in power, it felt like a veil had been lifted from his eyes and the jealousy he'd been bound by had disappeared. She was still his Bells, but in the way she'd always been—as his best friend, his sister.

Looking to her wolf, Jake held his hand out to the boy who seemed suddenly older, more mature than he had been. Seth cocked his head, searching the older boy's face for sincerity before giving him a beaming smile and pulling him in for a hug.

"Seth, I'm sorry, man," Jake apologized, scratching the back of his neck as he looked at the couple sheepishly. "I don't know what my problem was, but you've been real good for Bells. She always looks happy when she's with you."

Bella smiled and hugged Seth tighter, then frowned as she watched Jake's face change. He took a step closer to her and glanced over at the vampires with a look of doubt. "Are you sure this is a good idea, though? The leeches? I mean, look at all the bad stuff that happened to you after you met them."

Seth growl was echoed by Jasper's, but Bella was already shaking her head. "Jake, I've been hurt by the Pack, too," she told him, her eyes shimmering with tears as she glanced pointedly at the black and silver wolves glaring fiercely in their direction.

Jacob's eyes followed her gaze and he lifted his lip in a quiet snarl at their blatant hostility. He knew they somehow blamed Bella for their change, despite the fact that the Cullens had lived in Forks for more than two years before she arrived.

"Look, this is touching and all, but we have some rabid baby vamps to kill, don't we?" At Peter's words, the group came together in an uneasy truce, discussing the plan for taking out the redhead and the undead army that was apparently heading their way.

~oOo~

Seth was uneasy as the wolves took their places in hiding around the small meadow. His mate had already cut her hand and spread her very lifeblood around the wooded area in an attempt to draw the bloodthirsty savages into their trap.

If Seth was uneasy, Paul was downright unstable. "I don't like it," he growled, glaring fiercely at the sole human in their midst. "Why do they have to be here? Why can't they watch her back at the rez?"

Sam rolled his eyes and scoffed. "We've been over this, Paul. You know why she's here. If she's willing to act as bait who are we to stop her?"

Bella sneered at the former alpha, but her hand was gentle when she reached to scratch the ears of the youngest wolves. She leaned against Collin and gave Paul a meaningful look. "We'll be fine, Paul. All of us will be just fine," she promised, holding his eyes as she tried to communicate with him that she knew. For a brief second, Paul's mask slipped as he chanced a look at the small reddish-brown wolf, but then he shook his head and stalked off without another glance.

The fight was going well, although no one had spotted the main target yet. All the wolves and friendly vampires were engaged in individual fights, while Collin and Brady kept guard over Bella just out of the way.

There was no warning before Collin was suddenly picked up and thrown against a tree, phasing back to his human form as he lost consciousness. Brady let out a short howl as he put himself between his fallen brother and the angry bloodsucker who had attacked them.

Paul worked like a madman to dispatch three vamps before bolting across the meadow to help the younger wolves. He knew they never should have been left alone with that leech loving pale face.

"Victoria!" Bella's scream caught the attention of everyone in the field, and it was Seth's turn to panic when he saw the small knife clutched tightly in her fist. The rich scent of blood filled the air as Bella raked the knife across her palm, reopening her wound and pulling the leech away just as she was about to deliver the killing blow to the fallen wolf.

Brady leapt up and latched his jaws onto Victoria's neck, bringing the battle to a rather anticlimactic end with one swift bite. Paul dropped all pretenses as he phased back and pulled Collin into his arms, brushing the boy's hair back with an uncharacteristically tender gesture.

"Please be okay, please don't leave me. Please, Collin, please." He pleaded, his voice ragged and broken as he buried his face in the younger boy's neck. The pack watched in awe as his tears seemed to revive the young wolf, and they all let out a breath of relief as Collin began to stir.

Bella's attention was pulled away when Seth grabbed her hand and began to clean it with the first aid kit he'd insisted on bringing along. "I should punish you for that little stunt, my mate," he growled, his deep voice warming Bella deep inside. "We will discuss this later."

"Later?" she asked, arching her eyebrow as she pressed her body closer to his. "Later tonight? Or later, as in next week after your birthday?"

Seth covered her cocky grin with a deep kiss, relieved that this battle was over and they could finally begin moving forward together.

At the sound of a throat clearing, the couple broke apart reluctantly and turned to face a rather subdued Paul. He had his arm wrapped firmly around Collin's neck, something the boy had no issue with as he stared up at the man he'd silently hero-worshipped his whole life. The man who had somehow imprinted on the young the wolf and managed to keep it a secret from everyone—everyone except her.

"Um, I just wanted to thank you, Bella," he started, surprising them all with the use of her name. "You saved Collin, and I can't ever repay you for that."

Bella smiled at them both and shook her head. "There's nothing to repay. We're all pack here."

One by one, the wolves came forward to honor the girl they had previously outcast, and by the end of the day their pack was once again united. The vampires slipped off quietly, satisfied that the girl would be in good hands from then on.