Chapter 6: D.I.D.: Damsel in Distress

I gaped down at the foaming waters below, my mouth opening and closing much like a goldfish's. I could only stare helplessly down into the slate colored waters.

Suddenly, the other shirtless boys were around me, all looking down into the waters.

"Kinda a shaky dismount, doncha' think?" one of the massive boys commented absently as he brushed past me. He was easily two heads taller than my self, and about three times my size in sheer muscles alone.

It struck me then that all of these boys were ripped! Muscles, muscles, all around and not an exit in sight. Every where I looked there were pecs, triceps, or biceps.

The smallest of the boys nodded, "Yeah, not his best jump." he agreed as if it were nothing that someone had jumped off a cliff into the ocean.

"'scuse me." another boy said from behind me, wanting to get through.

It was all that I could do not to rip out my hair. "I-is he okay?" I managed to spit out after taking a second for my voice to return to me.

The tallest boy stared down at me, grinning a smart ass grin, "Yeah. He's fine." he laughed as if this was all some great joke. Then he must've noticed my dazed expression as he suddenly took a good look at me. "Are you okay?" he asked, turning to me.

I nodded feebly as I grabbed my cane and attempted to make my way down the steep-ish incline down towards the beach. I had to see that boy again. This urge blew right past a mere want, and began an actual need. It was like a mantra in my head, growing with every slip and slide down the incline.

I barely registered the comments I left in my wake.

"Did you see that girl? She looked like she'd seen a ghost or something.." the small boy's voice muttered

"She looks like she's gonna fall." the tall one said and I heard someone following me down the slope.

Too late, as my foot came down on a particularly slippery rock and true to my self, I let out a strangled squawk as I began to fall.

Well, that was as far as I got.

I was suddenly scooped up into a pair of incredibly wet, but insanely warm arms.

Now, I'm no feather weight here and I've never been carried like this, so this was a very new sensation for me, thus I screamed and clung on to the first thing I could grab.

Which happened to be a warm, thick neck.

Now somewhere along the line, I'd closed my eyes in anticipation for the fall, so now I had no freaking idea who's neck I currently had my face buried into.

Sheer mortification rolled off me in waves.

This had to be the worst moment in my life.

I reluctantly opened my eyes to be face to face with a pair of very familiar eyes. They were still deep and dark and beautiful. Even more so close up.

But they were much too close.

I let out a nervous giggle, despite my self. "Hi." I giggled, half deliriously happy for some strange reason, half in shock, half embarrassed at the first half.. Wait, that was too many halves…

Laughter rumbled deeply all around me as the boy with beautiful eyes chuckled him self, "Hi your self." he laughed, just as deliriously happy sounding as I was.

I don't know how long we stood there, with me in this completely perfect stranger's big strong and wet arms, but suddenly I became aware of the rest of the world. And the other people in it. Who were staring. At us.

I looked around nervously at the growing number of people who were staring at us.

The boys from the cliff were all gathered on the slope, and every one of them was grinning for some strange reason.

I spied Daisuke and Miyuki up the beach a ways, my container of soup in their hands, they had them mouths open in shock.

Dave and Brooke were watching us near Daisuke and Miyuki, holding hands I might add. But no less shocked.

And then there were the people I didn't know. Who were very near by, playing in the surf. Well, they had been, I gathered, until they'd seen my daring damsel in distress routine.

"Um.. I think you can put me down now.." I said, flushing tomato red as I unlatched my self from this stranger's neck, despite every fiber of my being screaming in protest.

It was like I belonged there, in this guys' arms.

Almost reluctantly, the boy set me down gently on the rocks.

"T-thank you.. For catching me.." I stuttered awkwardly as I proceeded to memorize the stitching on my shoes, despite the fact that I had to now fight off a large shiver. The world seemed too cold now, now that I was out of this boys impossibly warm embrace.

What the heck was going on with me? I was never this sappy or shy!

But I had never been picked up like that before though, either..

Laughter rumbled again from the boy's oh-so-very-bare chest. "It was my pleasure." he chuckled.

He still had his hands on my sides, positively burning through the thick gage of my sweater and thin tee.

And as strange as it sounds, I felt a bit better knowing that they were there.

"My name's Embry Call. What's yours?" the boy asked, moving one of his burning hands to lift my chin, as if this were some romantic scene in an anime or something.

My heart all but burst from my chest at the sensation of his skin touching mine as I was forced to look up from my shoes into the most handsome face I had ever laid eyes on.

The boy, no, he looked too old to be called just a boy, this young man had slightly shaggy black hair that was slicked back from his dip in the sea, beautifully deep and sparkling brown eyes, a sharp nose, and a wide set mouth, all set off by the deepest brick red skin that made the guy seem to glow, even in the opaque light of the sunless sky.

I stared up at him for a moment, speechless. Then I managed to spit out "Kate. Katelyn Bennett." breathlessly.

My poor heart almost gave out when this boy, Embry, smiled down at me, lighting up his entire face, and all of the Pacific Northwest along with it, I think.

"Nice to meet you Kate Bennett." he breathed, almost as breathless and awestruck as I was.

"Um.. Kate?" a far off sounding voice called to me. I had to tear my eyes away from this stunning creature before me to look at the hesitant face of Miyuki, now standing a couple of feet away from us. "You gonna come eat?" she asked awkwardly, jabbing her thumb in the direction of the others.

Oh. Right. Food.

Food was good. And I needed it. But that meant I'd have to leave Embry. Which was very bad.

I looked back up to Embry's suddenly saddened face, as if he were mirroring my own inner turmoil, "I'll be just a second." I told him with a smile.

I limped my way towards the group, a hesitant smile on my face.. "Do you guys mind if Embry joins us for lunch?" I asked weakly, not sure how my request would be received.

Everyone looked at each other, but no one really had an objection. We had brought enough food to feed us twice over.

I practically skipped back to where Embry was waiting, now surrounded by his group of.. Well.. They looked similar enough to be brothers. All shirtless, toned, and red skinned. And all talking to Embry quite excitedly.

A thought then struck me. It would be rude to invite just Embry and not his brothers…

I really hoped there would be enough food.

I approached the group hesitantly, as the conversation died down. I smiled sheepishly, "Um.. I know this might sound really random, but, ah, would you guys like to join us for lunch?" I asked, gesturing to where my group was setting out food on the sand.

The really tall boy looked at his friends and they all nodded. "Sure, that would be great." he said with a winning smile.

I couldn't think of anything else to say, so I just nodded and gestured for them to go first.

All of the boys went on ahead, but Embry hung back to walk with me. "That was really nice of you." he said smiling gently down at me.

I could only beam back. "It was a part of my secret agenda to get to know you better." I joked lightly, inwardly fighting the urge to reach out and take Embry's hand with my own.

It was as if we were opposite ends of a magnet, bound and determined to somehow be drawn together.

But it was so forward! I had just met this guy and I already wanted to hold his hand.. Or kiss him senseless…

Oh god, how I wanted to kiss him.

I had to really fight my self not to do so right then and there, so I shoved my hands into my jean pockets roughly, incase my urge got the best of me.

Little did I realize, that Embry was fighting the same inner battle I was and had done the same exact thing.

Soon we were all sitting on the massive wool blanket Dave had brought for us to eat on. With Embry sitting next to me on my left, and Daisuke on my right, with Brooke on the other side of him, Dave next, then Miyuki next to the really tall red-skinned boy.

"So.. Um… I'm Kate Bennett, and these are my friends, Daisuke Sato, Brooke Mathers, Dave Simon , and Daisuke's sister, Miyuki Sato." I introduced everyone, gesturing to everyone in turn. Everyone smiled hesitantly at the shirtless newcomers, except Daisuke, who wasn't far from drooling all over him self.

"I'm Embry Call and these are my friends, Jacob Black, Quil Ateara, and I have no idea who these two are…" Embry said jokingly, grinning at the two other buff boys.

"Haha, you're hilarious." the smaller of the two muttered sarcastically, pouring him self some of my soup.

"Don't mind Paul, he just gets grumpy when he doesn't get his nap." the taller boy teased, elbowing the boy called Paul lightly, which earned him a half-hearted glare.

He flashed an easy smile at me and offered me his large hand. "I'm Jared, by the way."

I shook it gently, absently noting that his hand was absurdly warm as well. "Nice to meet you." I greeted with a similar smile. "So.. Uh… Dig in, I guess." I said feebly as everyone reached for a different item of food.

I reached for the container of soup in front of the boy named Paul, when my hand brushed Embry's as he reached for it as well.

I swear, sparks flew as our hands touched. I recoiled instantly, "A-after you." I offered weakly, motioning for him to go first.

Embry flushed for some reason, "Thanks." he muttered quietly as he took the container and poured him self soup.

I eagerly watched his expression as he took his first spoonful of soup. I felt like a goddamned new bride, having her husband eat her food for the first time.

My heart sank as Embry's dark eyes widened lightly, until he muttered "This is great soup," as his eyes instantly sought out mine, "Where'd you get this stuff?" he asked eagerly, taking another spoonful.

Paul nodded in agreement, his mouth too full of soup to actually speak.

I allowed my self a grin as I puffed out my chest slightly, not so secretly overjoyed that both Embry and Paul liked my cooking so much. "I brought it." I said coyly, avoiding the direct answer entirely.

Jake dipped some of his sandwich into Paul's soup bowl, despite the smaller boy's protest, and inhaled the bite with the broth on it. "Hey, that is good." he muttered, wiping a dribble of broth off his chin. "What's in it?" he asked, reaching across the blanket to grab the container for himself.

"Onions, garlic, celery, carrots, chicken, chicken broth, some frozen veggies, a cup or so of wild rice, and a crap load of ginger." I supplied, counting off on my fingers.

Embry stared at me, "You made this?" he asked incredulously.

I chuckled knowingly, "It's actually a really simple recipe." I said with a grin.

"Because that's like the only thing she knows how to cook." Brooke muttered quietly with a smile.

I glared half heartedly at my blond friend as I flicked an errant chip at her, "Spoil all my fun, whydontcha." I muttered, sticking out my tongue.

"That's what I'm here for." Brooke muttered mock haughtily, with a pompous flip of her hair, our former spat fully forgotten, it seemed.

And I did take notice of how close both Dave and her were sitting. Had they finally gotten together? I'd have to ask for details later. As well as serve Miyuki as a means of venting later, too… She must've been heartbroken.

"Oh, to be a killjoy?" I asked sweetly, pushing such thoughts away for now, pouring my self a large bowl of my soup. "And I can make other things, I just like soup the best." I said defensively as I tore a chunk off of the French bread and dipped it in my bowl.

Brooke raised a skeptical eyebrow at me, "Oh? What else can you make?" she challenged good naturedly.

I set down my soup and bread to count on my fingers again, "Zuppa Toscana, spaghetti, chicken scampi, broccoli beef, hung bao, baked hung bao, chicken enchiladas, Spanish rice, pancakes, and French toast, scrambled eggs, and a particularly good recipe for refried beans I learned from my sister." I listed off rapidly.

"If you can make all that, why don't you ever bring it for lunch?" Dave asked, his brow puckered in confusion.

"I already said I liked soup the best." I said with a shrug as my friends stared at me in disbelief.

"So.. You guys are from La Push, huh?" Miyuki asked before she took a delicate bite of her massive portion of one of the subs. A girl after my own stomach.

Jacob smiled as he took a sip of soda and nodded.

Daisuke finally managed to pick his jaw from off of the ground and practically gasped out "Are you all brothers?", as he barely went through the motions of pouring himself some soda, but he was so enraptured by the La Push boys and their half-nakedness that he would've made his cup overflow if I didn't quickly pull the bottle up.

He finally looked down at his overly filled cup and then at me. "Arigato.." he muttered sheepishly, his face turning a dark red.

I grinned at him knowingly, suppressing a laugh.

Jacob smiled softly along with the rest of the boys, "No. Not exactly." he muttered slowly, as if he was choosing his words carefully. "We're just real good friends." he continued with an almost wry smile that was echoed by all the other boys.

Daisuke and I glanced at each other briefly, both thinking the same thing at the same time:

'Is 'real good friends' code for gay lovers? Was this a huge 5-some orgy group?'

I glanced back at Embry's sweet face and silently hoped I was way off, while Daisuke was practically bouncing in his seat.

Just then, sparks once again ignited on my skin as Embry touched me lightly on the hand. "Do you wanna take a walk with me?" he asked quietly, as everyone lapsed back into conversation and eating.

My heart thudded loudly in my ears as I nodded mutely.

Embry got up, and still holding my hand, helped me to my feet.

"We're gonna go for a walk. We'll be back in a bit." I announced to everyone, feeling a bit foolish. It seemed the polite thing to do though.

Daisuke's dark eyes flashed to mine and he grinned wryly, as if to say, 'You bad, bad girl.'

And for some reason, the rest of the La Push boys had that same expression, though it was directed at Embry instead of me.

Without another word, both Embry and I started off down the beach.

"So… Um.. What college do you go to?" I asked suddenly as we toed the line between the surf and dry sand.

Embry stopped suddenly, giving me a puzzled look. "Huh?" he asked, clueless.

I frowned. "You don't go to college?" I asked confusedly.

A look of dawning realization passed over Embry's sharp features, "Oh, you thought.. Do I really look that old?" he asked, laughing for some reason.

I was terribly confused. "You aren't a college student?" I asked, tucking my hair behind my ear.

Embry grinned, "Nope." he said, apparently amused by my confusion, then a look of panic took over, "You aren't, are you?" he asked quickly, peering deep into my face, as if he could sense my age by something in my eyes.

This time I laughed, "Nope."

Embry sighed with relief, wiping a hand across his brow comically.

It was then we finally noticed that we were still holding hands from when Embry had helped me to my feet. We both looked down at our interlaced fingers, and back up at each other's suddenly flushed faces.

"Oh." I said faintly, but I didn't make any attempt to let go.

And strangely enough, neither did he.

It just felt too natural to be like this.

"It.. This feels right, doesn't it?" I asked quietly, holding up our hands slightly.

"Yeah. It does." Embry agreed, just as quietly as me. He looked so peaceful, gazing at our hands, that I had the urge to run my hand down his face.

But that would've been too much, too soon.

"It's strange. We just met, and yet…" I trailed off, blushing. It was just to corny to say!

Embry glanced down at me hopefully, "And yet..?" he prompted quietly, his face drawing closer with every second.

I looked up into his handsome face, staring deep into his dark eyes, feeling as if I was being swept away by their deep depths. His eyes seemed to call out silently to me, an irresistible beacon.

"I've never felt this way before, about anything." I whispered, despite my self, as I was now drowning in his eyes, his soft voice, his woodsy scent, his impossible warmth. It was all just too much for me.

"Kate.." he breathed, just he closed the minimal distance between us.

Not that I had much experience in the subject, but the kiss was perfect. It was soft, warm, and gentle.

Embry's lips gently caressed my own as I laid my hand on the side of his face and he wrapped me in a warm embrace.

Finally we broke away, breathless. I flushed a deep red as Embry continued to hold me tightly to him. Where he was still very shirtless and half-naked. But it was nice. Kind of scary. But nice. If that makes any sense.

Embry nuzzled the crook of my neck, causing a pleasant shiver to run down my spine as he spoke gently into my ear, "This is going to sound kinda out of order, but do you wanna go out with me tonight?" he laughed, ticking my ear and neck with his hot breath.

I laughed quietly, not quite believing that this was really happening to me. This had to be a ridiculously good dream I was having, there was no way this boy could actually be real. He was simply too good to be true.

But there he was, warm and real beneath my finger tips and against my neck. "I'd love to." I laughed, wrapping my arms around Embry's trunk like torso.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, wrapped up in each other's embrace, but somehow we found ourselves sitting on the sand, watching the waves roll on by, as we talked about everything and nothing at the same time.

It was a few hours later (I think), when Daisuke found us, laughing over a joke Embry had made, as I leaned on him for support, I was laughing so hard.

"Well well, don't you two look cozy." I heard my friend say amusedly.

I gasped a bit from lack of air from laughing so hard, "Hey, Dai." I called to him, breathlessly beaming.

Embry brushed my hair out of my face lovingly and Dai's eyebrows all but raised past his multi-colored hair line.

It was all that I could do not to burst out laughing at my friend's beyond shocked expression. "Is it time to go?" I asked disappointedly, as Embry got up and helped me to my feet.

"Uh.. Kinda. Embry's posse is getting kind of restless." Daisuke finally managed to spit out, finally able to tear his gaze away from Embry's hand, which was currently clasping mine.

"Oh." was all Embry said as he frowned and looked into the distance, then looked back down at me, displeasure coloring his features. "I guess I have to go now." he said, his tone almost a childish pout.

I laughed softly at his tone, even though I was just about as happy at him leaving as he was, "It's not like we won't see each other later." I laughed.

Embry's pout didn't even falter as he muttered "I guess so…" reluctantly, but then his vision was yanked back towards the direction the others were, as if someone had just called his name.

I followed his gaze, only to see the massive form of Jacob standing on top of a dune in the distance. Something in his mere stance commanded gentle authority.

"Guess you really do." I said quietly as I shifted my gaze from Jacob back to Embry's face as he nodded, as if he were silently telling Jake he was on his way, however reluctantly.

The genuine disappointment in Embry's eyes was touching as he looked back down at me, "I'll pick you up around seven, okay?" he asked softly as he stared deeply into my eyes, as if he were trying to engrave my every feature into his memory.

My heart swelled almost full enough to burst as I nodded with a smile.

With that, the beautiful boy leaned down to kiss me gently on the forehead, then took off at a swift half jog towards his friend, leaving me weak in the knees and with a goofy love-struck smile on my face, but not before looking back a couple of times at me.

Daisuke stared after Embry, before turning to me with a raised eyebrow.

"Damn, Onna, you know I was kidding about the whole wedding dress thing before, right?"