Disclaimer: Everything in the Twilight universe belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

Canon sample story for the Twilight Anniversary Challenge.

Challenge entries are being accepted until November 30 for the Twilight Anniversary Challenge sponsored by me, edward-bella-harry-ginny and Justine Lark!

www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/~twilightanniversarychallenge (or check my profile for a link)

Voting for the challenge begins Dec. 1.

AN: This story came about from various things swirling in my head over The Cold War and Acts of Aggression. I won't say that this is in the same universe as those two stories, but it might be. Some of it is prompted by discussions I've had with PaperArtist.

As always, mega thanks to edward-bella-harry-ginny for beta-ing and generally supporting my difficult ways. She also writes new lines for me when I get stuck on a point I can't get across.

Justine Lark made some important suggestions for the direction of this story, and I have to repeatedly thank her for her insight!! Thank you! Thank you!

Living with Uncle Seth in La Push, Will feels he never fits in. When two visitors come to town to celebrate the Bicentennial of the Golden Wolf, everything Will believed about his life is changed. Canon sample for the Twilight Anniversary Challenge.

The Year of the Golden Wolf

Will kicked the dirt next to the road as he walked home from school. He had a new ten-page paper to compose after his third fight of the year. This fight hadn't even had a chance to get physical, which was why he had a paper to write instead of another suspension. He realized he was walking slower and slower. He frowned and shifted his tattered backpack from his left shoulder to his right, pulling up his heavy raincoat and exposing his blue flannel shirt in the process. He shifted his clothes back. The mid-December afternoon was cold, gray and misting. Uncle Seth was waiting at the house, and he knew what had happened. Will had sat stoically in the principal's office while the call had been made. He kicked the dirt again and cursed his dad for marrying outside the nations and then dying when he was just a baby, leaving Will alone to defend himself against taunts about his pale skin and his lack of parents. He immediately felt bad. Uncle Seth had assured him many times that his father and mother had been deeply in love.

Will reluctantly opened the door to the sculpted plastic house.

"I'm home, Uncle Seth."

"Back here, Will," called a warm baritone from the study.

Will dragged himself slowly toward the study. Uncle Seth's punishments always fit the crime, and were always delivered with pithy wisdom. He was just as good at meting out justice in the community; Dr. Seth Black sat on the Council of Elders for the Quileute tribe. He, like Will's parents, had been born away from the reservation. After going to college and earning a Ph.D. in history and a J.D., he had one day determined the end of a climb through academia led to emptiness. Uncle Seth had then reconnected with the Quileutes and worked as an advocate for the tribe.

Entering the study, Will stood just in the door. Uncle Seth faced the large window, away from Will. His fingers were steepled, his computer open. The window could double as a large monitor, but it was currently set to let in the pale natural light from outside. The ocean was visible in the distance, a streak of darker gray set against the gray and whites of the sky.

"What was it this time?" asked Uncle Seth. He sounded tired, and Will immediately felt bad for constantly causing trouble. Uncle Seth wasn't even really his uncle. Will's real family had lived away from the reservation for at least two generations, but when he was orphaned by a traffic accident, the request was to return the child to the Quileutes. In his late forties at the time, Seth Black had agreed to adopt the baby. He had refused to be "Dad" to the child, preferring that Will to remember his own parents as "Mom" and "Dad." When younger, Will remembered being proud every time strangers complimented his uncle on his "son"; everyone said they could see the family resemblance. In recent years, however, it angered him that everyone mistook their relationship. He knew that Uncle Seth loved him and that he loved his uncle, but Will wanted their true relationship to be clear.

"Same old thing," answered Will curtly.

"They didn't suspend you, though?"

"No. Teachers got to us before anyone could throw a punch. I have to write a ten-page paper on the bicentennial." It was more words than he had spoken at home in several days. Will felt his uncle deserved more than his usual grunts after the interruption in his day from the principal.

Uncle Seth barked a laugh. "Well, after listening to my stories, you have enough information to write at least twice that."

It was very true. Will probably had every Quileute legend memorized, and the Year of the Golden Wolf was no different. Except, Uncle Seth said everyone remembered the story wrong, and it should really be the Golden Year of the Wolf. The story was fantastical at best, a story of how in 2006 nearly every young man of the tribe, and even some women, transformed into wolves to save the tribe from destruction. In any case, the Bicentennial celebration was in two weeks, the same day as his sixteenth birthday, the last day of the year.

Finally, Uncle Seth swiveled his chair around and looked at Will. It was a piercing look, one which he had been getting more and more often. When asked, his uncle would only shrug and say that Will was growing so fast, it was hard to recognize him from one moment to the next. He'd actually grown nearly a foot since his fifteenth birthday, and he felt awkward with his new height and heft. The new clumsiness was another source of taunting at school, and he couldn't seem to stop himself from fighting back.

Will shifted from one foot to the other. "Can I go to my room now?"

"May you."

"May I go to my room now?"

"Make sure you start that paper. I'd like to read it when you're done."

Will frowned as he headed back to his room. Uncle Seth would be far more critical of his writing than his teacher.

Telling the story of the Golden Wolf (or Golden Year of the Wolf) was harder than Will imagined. To be a proper story, the origins of the Quileutes and their long association with wolves was necessary. Dictating to his computer, Will kept having to back up as he found different pieces of legends which needed to be worked into his story. In the end, he had nearly twelve pages, single-spaced, with emphasis on three great figures from the Quileute Legends: Kaheleha, the great Spirit Warrior, Taha Aki, the first Spirit Warrior to join with the spirit of a wolf, and Jacob, the Golden Wolf. He thought about sending it at once to his English teacher and the principal, but remembered that Uncle Seth wanted to read it first. Standing, Will realized he had been sitting at his desk and dictating for almost two hours. He stretched and yawned, and flopped onto his bed.

Will was vaguely aware that his sleep was restless, tossing and turning. He found himself standing in woods, but not the ones he recognized from the land around the reservation. The trees here were different, and the ground seemed drier and less green. He walked in confusion through the strange trees. There were no ferns. Distant voices caught his attention, and he tried to walk in their direction. He reached a clearing, and found himself staring at a pack of four wolves, illuminated by the light of a full moon which hung just above the trees. Three of the wolves were reclined on the ground, the fourth was on his haunches in the front. All four were motionless, but had their eyes trained directly on him. Knowing he was dreaming, he could not find it in himself to be afraid.

"A Spirit Walker!" Will could not tell which of the wolves spoke, for none of their mouths moved. Yet, somehow he was certain it was a wolf speaking.

"What is your name, young one?" This time, Will was certain that the large reddish wolf in front was speaking. Perhaps it was the set of the ears, or the way the other wolves turned slightly to him.

"Will. My name is Will Black." His voice sounded like a faint whisper to his ears.

Immediately, all the wolves raised their heads to the sky and howled, a chilling sound that heralded the beginning of something new.

Will sat up abruptly in his bed, drenched in sweat. His head pounded as he turned to look at the clock. It was five in the morning. The dream was already fading a little, and he was amused at how his paper and memories of the old legends had spawned the vivid dream.

Later that day at school, Will made it through the first three periods under the radar, so to speak. In fourth period, his arch-nemesis Jason managed to give him a hard punch to the shoulder. He wanted to punch back, but Uncle Seth had given him a long lecture at breakfast. He sat at the back of the geometry class, fuming.

"You know, you're the biggest guy at school now," said Robyn softly. "You don't have to take their impertinence."

"Impertinence? What century are you living in?" asked Will, still angry at Jason.

"Sorry. I was just…never mind." Robyn shifted in her seat so that she was turned slightly away. Will cursed under his breath (way under his breath; Uncle Seth did not tolerate vulgar words). He actually liked Robyn since she was rarely mean to anyone. He just felt so awkward talking with her.

He decided to use his words, as Uncle Seth had the annoying habit of telling him. He opened the notepad on his desktop computer and scribbled quickly before the teacher came into the room and engaged the instructional software.

"Sorry. Just mad at Jason. Don't be angry. Please." He sent a copy of the note to her desktop, being careful not to use the very embarrassing "Send to All" button, which for some reason was larger and more prominent. The message wasn't long, but working in the words "sorry" and "please" made it sufficient, he hoped.

Robyn never turned to look at him, but at the beginning of his next class, he had a message from her that said "Ok."

Two days later, on Thursday night, Will sat at the dining table across from his uncle, eating the meatloaf and peas left by the lady who cleaned and cooked. They were by no means rich, but Uncle Seth was worse than hopeless in the kitchen. The dining area was silent except for quiet chewing and the clinking of flatware against the ceramic dishes.

"We're having visitors come for the Bicentennial," announced Uncle Seth in between bites of dinner.

"Visitors? What does that mean?" Several anxious scenarios flitted through Will's mind, all of them involving various women coming to join Uncle Seth and disrupt their lives.

"Those are people who come to visit."

"You know what I meant," mumbled Will.

"Words, Will. Ask what you mean." Uncle Seth peered at him over the rim of his glass before taking a sip of beer.

"Who are these visitors and how many are there?"

"Just two. They're friends of mine from Maine. Jack and Renee."

"Are they married?"

"Yes." Uncle Seth smiled a little. "Definitely married."

"When do they get here?"

"Tomorrow night. You'll need to straighten your room and clear the excess junk from the bathroom." And that was the end of their discussion.

The next evening, the visitors arrived just before dinner. Will found that Jack was a huge Native American and his wife Renee was a stunning redhead with long curls and brown eyes. They were younger than Uncle Seth, and more fun-loving. If Will was surprised by the hug Jack gave his uncle, he was stunned by the hug Renee gave Uncle Seth. She grasped his hand for a long time with a smile while Uncle Seth smiled back. Both Jack and Renee tried to draw Will out, but he found himself intimidated by Jack's size and matching personality and by Renee's beauty.

He excused himself after dinner, citing a need to work on homework, and after struggling with geometry for an hour, Will drifted off to sleep on his bed, book on his chest.

He could hear voices in his dream, and he lay quietly, listening to the strange discussion.

"Dad, are you sure none of them have been here?" Will wondered who he was listening to.

"Very sure." In his dream-like state, Will realized the two voices were so similar as to be nearly indistinguishable. Jack and Uncle Seth had nearly the same voice.

"How do you think this happened?" Will thought this was his uncle speaking.

"We don't understand it. If I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't believe it now." So this was Jack.

"Grandfather and Carlisle have always said they couldn't predict how things would turn out. I'm the best example of that." The words didn't make sense to Will, but this was his uncle again?

"Perhaps a blood test would provide answers." This voice was different, and female. It was Renee. "Perhaps it's time to tell him the truth," said Renee. "It's been so long."

"After the celebration." This was Uncle Seth. He sighed deeply. "And you know why it was necessary."

In the morning, Will reflected on his bizarre dream. It was unsurprising that he dreamed of the visitors. They were so different from anyone he'd met before. He realized he'd probably be spending the day with them since he was now on winter break. It was still a week and two days until the celebration, and he wondered how Uncle Seth would keep them occupied for so long when there was so little to do in the immediate area.

Will got out of bed, and winced when his feet hit the very cold floor. He put on slippers and padded out to the kitchen. There was a note on the counter telling him to stay out of trouble. Apparently, Uncle Seth had taken Jack and Renee to Seattle for the day. Will spent the day reading on his computer, and he didn't see them until dinner.

The next morning, he discovered they had gone to meet the Council of Elders. Apparently, Jack represented another tribe and it was common courtesy to meet with the council. Will felt his reading was all caught up, and spent the day playing games on his computer and again didn't see any of them until dinner.

On the third day, Will was very surprised when he entered the kitchen to find everyone about to eat breakfast.

"Pancakes are my specialty," said Jack with a big smile. "Renee has always loved syrup."

"Syrup has 100% of my daily allowance of sugar," responded Renee, pouring a liberal helping of syrup over her bacon.

Uncle Seth was reading the news on his phone, but he smiled as if there was a very funny joke and rolled his eyes. Will almost dropped the piece of bacon he was about to eat. He had never seen Uncle Seth so relaxed.

"Will, I told Jack and Renee that you would take them for a hike in the woods."

"Today? The weather isn't very good."

"It looks like it will clear up to me," said Renee. She looked really happy, and Will couldn't imagine disappointing her.

"You could take them on the path that goes by the cliffs," commented Uncle Seth, still concentrating on the news.

An hour later, a bundled-up Will led Jack and Renee for a tour of the cliffs that overlooked the ocean. The path would pass through the forest before returning to the highway near his home. Renee had packed sandwiches, and Jack carried the pack.

"I don't know if I've ever met anyone as tall as you are," Will told Jack shyly. He understood how to behave around teachers and the Council of Elders and parents, but he was confused about how to treat someone who seemed much younger than all those and yet was clearly an adult.

"You could be this tall yourself one day. Seth tells me you've popped up nearly a foot this year." Jack put his hand on his own head and waved it out into the air over Will's head. "You're only about 4 or 5 inches shorter than I am."

"It's been weird," admitted Will. He had never mentioned this to his uncle; they had never shared feelings about things. "I used to be short, but now I'm towering over everyone. I don't know what to do with my arms and legs sometimes."

"I grew quickly, too," confessed Jack. "It was a difficult time for me. Girls were part of the problem."

Will cast his eyes around desperately and saw that Renee was quite a bit ahead of them on the trail. "I don't know what to say to her."

"So there is one?" asked Jack, giving him an easy punch on the arm.

"Ow!"

"Hey, I didn't hit you hard," said Jack, looking a bit worried.

"No, it's okay. I just got hit there this week by a guy at school. It left a bruise."

"The bruise is still there?" Jack looked suddenly more focused.

"Yeah, it smarts, too. Thanks for that," said Will, rubbing his upper arm.

"So, this girl, what's her name?" wheedled Jack.

"Uh, Robyn. She sits with me in geometry."

"Have you called her over break yet?" asked Jack. "You've had a lot of alone time."

"Should I? I don't know what I'd say." Will was partly mortified that he was having this discussion with anyone but relieved that Jack had initiated it. It was easier to answer questions than it was to bring up the topic.

"You could ask her to come over to dinner."

"I don't know. I don't know what Uncle Seth would think."

"He would be fine. Trust me."

"I don't know. He's really formal. He intimidates the other kids at school. I don't usually bring people home."

At this, Jack clucked his tongue and "hmmed."

They walked in silence for a moment, and then Jack urged him to catch up to Renee. "We don't know what trouble she can get into in the woods," Jack told him with a wink.

They ate the lunch in a biting wind as they sat on rocks above the cliffs. The ocean had a good bit of chop, and Will worried about Renee, but she didn't looked fazed by the cold. His own nose was slightly numb, but the chance to sit with Jack and Renee and watch them just be was amazing. He could tell they loved each other and enjoyed every minute of their time together. They were also very eager to talk to him, to ask him questions, and to hear his opinions on anything.

"So you like to write?" asked Renee. "My mom loves writing and literature. She is a fiend for eighteenth century British novels.

Will wrinkled his nose. "You mean like Wuthering Heights?"

"Yes, she adores that book. I take it you're not so fond?" giggled Renee.

"I thought it was boring. All these people who couldn't come out and say what they meant. I didn't like any of them, and I wasn't sure why I should care whether they were happy or unhappy."

At this, Renee burst into peals of laughter.

"What?" Will was a little miffed at being laughed at.

"That's a lot like what my Dad says about it. I think he would love to have you on his side in the argument."

"I'm on his side. I think they're all boring, too," injected Jack.

"Yes, but he's not interested in having you on his side." Renee pushed Jack, and he slipped off the rock he was on, landing unceremoniously on his butt.

"Oh no, you didn't!" growled Jack.

"Jack! We have company!" Renee was shrieking with mock fear as Jack stalked her around a boulder. Will could see they were just happy to be together, and he was suddenly sad and happy at the same time. He'd never met anyone quite like them, and he suddenly knew that he wanted what they had.

He had vivid dreams for the rest of the week, sometimes he found himself walking alone in the woods, sometimes along the cliffs, other times he quietly listened to the strange conversations Uncle Seth had with the visitors. The similarities between these dreams and the one from the first night began to make Will nervous. The night after his walk with Jack and Renee, the conversation was particularly cryptic.

"He's not warm, not like the others have been." It was Renee's voice.

"Why would he be?" Uncle Seth said it as though it was obvious. Will didn't think it could be any more confusing.

"He's had the growth spurt already. He said he still had a bruise, too." Will wouldn't have expected the concern in Jack's voice over a measly little bruise, but it was there, nonetheless.

"Maybe he's just naturally tall. Or he may not be ready yet." Uncle Seth was defensive. About what, Will wasn't sure. This dream was just growing stranger and stranger by the minute. It seemed Uncle Seth had opened the floodgates with that remark.

"Will doesn't have friends over to the house, Seth." This was Jack speaking, and his tone was one of censure. Will wondered how the young man could have the courage to speak to his uncle that way.

"No, he's never asked to have anyone over." Uncle Seth's tone was defensive and did not show his usual confidence.

"He doesn't think you would like it," said Jack, still critical. "You're too much like your grandfather, too serious about your responsibilities."

"Jake. We said we wouldn't interfere," said Renee. Will wondered how she could mistake her own husband's name.

"We couldn't interfere until now. We only agreed to this arrangement to give him a choice. We gave up these years to make his life better. He was supposed to have a better childhood than the one we would give him."

"He knows I love him. He knows his people, and he has a choice. He never would have had a choice if he had stayed with you."

"You had a choice of how to live out your life," said Renee quietly.

"Only because I'm defective."

"No, you're the normal one. When this is over, will you come back to visit? Grandfather and grandmother have missed you. Mom and Dad have missed you. I've missed you."

"We write every week."

"It's not the same."

"If he chooses your way, then we will visit as often as we can."

Will desperately wanted to ask questions regarding these odd conversations, just one question to see if he was dreaming or hearing things which really happened. But in the end, he was too afraid of looking like an idiot in front of his uncle and, worse yet, Renee and Jack. He was slightly embarrassed about it, but he was beginning to worship Jack's easy confidence and relaxed nature. Uncle Seth inspired great respect in him, and he knew that Uncle Seth cared for him deeply, but there was something different with Jack.

The day of the Bicentennial was also New Year's Eve. The two celebrations were combined, and the festivities took place at the community center in La Push and the green space which was next to it. There was an all-day arts and crafts fair which included live music and performing dance groups from little kids to adults. No one was selling food because there was enough food being given away inside the community center to feed two Quileute tribes. The day was surprisingly sunny, but chilly.

Will was sipping hot chocolate and warming his hands on the cup when he spotted Robyn walking with her parents. He thought about slipping away to talk to her, but he realized he had no idea what to say.

"Isn't that Robyn Clearwater?" asked Uncle Seth.

"Um, yeah," Will replied.

Uncle Seth called to her parents, and the family came over to talk with him. Jack gave Will a not-so-subtle nudge.

"Hi, Robyn," Will said, realizing he would be an idiot not to at least try a conversation.

"Hi, Will. Happy Birthday." Robyn smiled at him, and he noticed for the first time that her eyes were so dark they were nearly black and they matched her long, straight hair.

"How did you know?"

"Your name? We've gone to school together since kindergarten," joked Robyn.

"No, that it's my birthday." Will rolled his eyes.

"Um, because we've known each other since kindergarten? Seriously, Will. There are like a hundred kids at our school and thirty in our grade." Robyn gave him a playful slap on the shoulder.

Will noticed Robyn was shivering a little, and he decided to try one of Jack's many suggestions: the sharing of food. "Do you want to go get a hot chocolate?"

"Okay. Let me tell my parents."

The two kids were waved off by their families, and Will ended up spending most of the afternoon with Robyn, drinking hot chocolate, wandering through displays, and just talking. It was one of the best days he'd had in a long time. He found himself imagining future days of going places with Robyn, spending time with her at school, and having her over to the house, and he realized he liked it.

At dinner, the two families separated, and Will spent the rest of the evening either grinning stupidly or getting teased by Jack. He could tell that Jack was happy for him, so the teasing didn't bother him as much as it ordinarily would have.

The night time activities included a bonfire and reciting of the old legends, and ended with fireworks and a countdown to the New Year.

When Will finally fell into bed, he was exhausted and didn't think he'd be able to dream.

To his surprise, he found himself walking along the edge of the woods near his home. He knew he was dreaming, and once again he heard voices. This time, he recognized the voice as Jack's and he chased after the voice.

What he found was not Jack, but the reddish wolf he had first dreamed about weeks earlier. This time, the wolf was alone, and seemed to be surprised at his appearance. Will didn't know how he recognized a surprised wolf, but perhaps it was a set to his ears.

"Walk with me, young one." The voice was Jack's.

"You're Jack." Again, Will's voice seemed hardly more than a whisper.

"Yes. And no. Can you follow me?"

"I think so."

"Let's run." Jack began to run, and somehow Will stayed with him, even as the trees began to blur from the speed of the progress.

"How far do we go?" asked Will.

"We meet others tonight near Seattle." Will was surprised at the distance, but when he thought about the speed, he decided it wasn't too far to run.

"When you say you aren't Jack, what do you mean?" asked Will. He was used to the speed now, and found that it was no more effort than sitting still.

"My real name is Jacob. Some in your tribe call me the Golden Wolf."

"You're not golden."

"No kidding. I'm not sure how that got started, but it really isn't possible to get them to stop now."

"I didn't think you were real. And shouldn't you be dead?"

"The legends are real. It seems more of the legends are real than even I suspected. I'm afraid you'll have to wait for the rest of the story."

Will didn't know what that meant, but he accepted it.

"We're here now."

Will stopped and saw there were two other wolves, nearly as large as Jacob.

"He came with you," said one.

"Yes. I wasn't expecting this, but the agreement is fulfilled. He turned sixteen today. We should ask him now," pronounced Jacob.

"Seth will not like this."

"The agreement has been fulfilled." The statement had a strange tone to it, and the other two wolves made no more arguments.

"Will, your family line carries the transformation gene. You have werewolf blood running through your veins. You could be one of us."

"Me?" Will could only gape. This dream was becoming outrageous.

"Yes, Will. You have the choice to join us or continue your life as a normal human."

It was only a dream, but suddenly Will knew that this decision had only one answer. How could you face such a choice and pick ordinary?

Suddenly, another person arrived, a man with nearly white skin and wild reddish-brown hair, and Will could feel to the depths of his bones that he was not right; he was evil reborn. Everything in him screamed out to fight this new arrival. Will could not believe the wolves were not snarling at him.

"Will. Edward is our ally," Jacob chastised. Will thought he heard one of the other wolves murmur "grandfather," but he wasn't certain.

"Ally? After this long, I would think even you could call me a friend." Even his voice seemed wrong; it had an alien musicality to it. Will realized at that moment that Edward was the only one speaking out loud.

"What are you?" hissed Will.

"I represent the Cold Ones at this meeting," said Edward. "We are the ones that cause the transformation."

"I'm not changing," Will pointed out stubbornly.

"You're not really here; your mind or your spirit is here. Your body is still at home in La Push." Edward looked at him, his brow furrowed. "You are visible to me, but I'm not sure another human would see you at all. And I can hear you, but you aren't speaking out loud."

"Perhaps I'm a Spirit Warrior," suggested Will.

"It's a possibility," agreed Edward. "None of the other wolves has been able to walk about in spirit as you are now."

"If you agree, you could live with us in Maine for the rest of the year," inserted Jacob. "You would live with me and Renee. Well, her real name is Renesmee."

"He doesn't have to decide tonight, Jake. He should take his time, speak with Seth."

"I knew you would say that." Jacob sounded miffed, for a wolf.

"If you say 'no' tomorrow, you can still change your mind later," pointed out Edward. "There isn't a definite time limit on this."

"What would you like me to do?" Will asked Jacob. He was feeling very sleepy, and everything seemed like it was fading.

"I want for you what I've always wanted. I want you to have a choice, and I want you to be happy." The voice faded to a whisper as Will fell into a deeper sleep.

The next morning, Will woke to the sound of rain against the rounded roof. The house sounded quiet, and he assumed he'd been left alone again. The dream from last night came back to him, and he wondered if he'd eaten something bizarre at dinner to imagine Jack as the legendary Jacob, the Golden Wolf. Who wasn't even gold. Will snickered to himself. He liked to write, but he didn't think his imagination was that good.

When he headed for the kitchen to scrounge breakfast, he was very surprised to see Uncle Seth waiting at the dining room table.

"Good morning, Will. Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year, Uncle Seth."

"Jacob tells me you had an interesting night."

Will blinked. "What?"

"He said you went running with him." Uncle Seth appeared neither surprised nor alarmed by this revelation. "Edward shared that you probably thought it was all a dream. I was appointed to offer you this choice again, in the light of day."

"You knew about all this?" Will was dumbfounded for a moment, and then his anger began a slow burn.

"Why would you keep this a secret?"

Uncle Seth sighed. "The council has long had a policy that no one would learn the full truth about our werewolf heritage unless they sat on the council itself or had spontaneously transformed. They did grant an exception for you. If you were raised unaware of your family's situation, they would permit us to tell you about werewolves after your sixteenth birthday. Jacob always wanted you to have a choice."

Will tried to find something to be angry about in this policy. "Why is Jacob so interested in me?" demanded Will. "And how can he still be alive?"

"This will be the hardest for you to hear, and it was the hardest for me to keep a secret from you. You see, the werewolves don't age at all as long as they continue to transform. Generally, a werewolf will stop transforming by choice to continue aging with his family and friends. Jacob never chose to stop transforming or aging because his wife doesn't age either."

"Renee?"

"Yes, Renesmee." Uncle Seth paused, passing a hand over his face. His uncle rarely flinched from difficult topics, but he was as upset now as Will had ever seen him. "Over the years, they've had a few children, but being so long-lived, their children have been far apart in age."

Suddenly, the dreams of the past week came flooding back into Will's head. He looked at his uncle, and realized how similar he was in appearance to Jacob.

"He's your father," whispered Will in awe.

"Yes, Will. And yours as well."

With this startling announcement, Will shook his head. It was one thing to imagine yourself joining werewolves in a dream, and yet another to choose that life when you knew it was real. Even choosing to be a werewolf was as nothing compared to learning your father lived and had abandoned you. By choice. He shook his head again, denying that any of this could be true. He had to escape; he had to find space to think.

"Will! Come back!" Uncle Seth's voice faded into the distance as Will ran from the house and stumbled rapidly down the trail into the woods.

Will wasn't sure how far he had run. He had crossed from his usual trail to another as he sought solitude. Exhausted, he found a fallen tree trunk to sit on as his breathing slowed to normal. Everything Uncle Seth had told him was buzzing in his head like an angry swarm of bees. He grabbed his head and pushed hard with his palms, trying to calm his mind. Everything he had heard finally boiled down to one thought. My parents left me. After that thought went through his mind several times, he felt the tears start. Why?

"Seth told me you'd come out this way."

Will's head jerked up, and he saw Jacob leaning against a tree about 20 feet away.

"Why?" was the only word he could choke out. He scrubbed the tears of his face quickly, not wanting to look weak.

"Can I sit?" asked Jacob, motioning at the fallen tree.

"May you," mumbled Will automatically. He was shocked when Jacob burst into laughter.

"I'm sorry. You sound just like Seth when he was a kid. He takes after Ness's dad, and, well…never mind. We can talk about that later. There's so much I want to say to you, and so much I've wanted to say to you. Seth has updated us at least once a week, you know. Ness and I have wanted to see you every day since we made our decision to let you grow up in a normal environment."

"Why couldn't you visit? Why couldn't I know?"

"Do you know what triggers the initial werewolf transformation?"

"The legends say it's The Cold Ones. I think that's what they say in the legend of Taha Aki's death."

"I've heard it called the story of the Third Wife," commented Jacob. "But it is true. The Cold Ones cause the transformation. Our other sons transformed before they were ready. When we knew you carried the transformation gene, Seth urged us to let him adopt you, and our other sons Charlie and Tony agreed. They wanted you to have what they didn't have. A normal life, a human life. Your mother and I only wanted you to have a choice."

His mother. He couldn't think of that now. "I still don't understand why you couldn't keep me," Will said stiffly.

"Ness – your mother – her parents are Cold Ones, vampires. Your grandmother was human when Ness was born, so your mother is only half-vampire. Our other children are werewolves, as I am; none of us age. There have been difficulties for all our children in one way or another. Giving you up, even to Seth, was the hardest thing we've ever done. I know this is a lot to take in, but Edward was right. You don't have to decide today. We'll be here when you're ready."

Jacob put his hand on Will's shoulder, and he felt the offered warmth. A dad, a mom, a family, and a new life. Why wasn't he ready to say "yes"?

Jacob stood and left Will lost in thought. When the light began to fade, Will slowly returned home.

The house was dark, and Will had an uneasy feeling. He entered the house and called out. "Uncle Seth?"

"In here, Will." Uncle Seth sat at the dining room table, looking just as Will had left him that afternoon.

"Why are you in the dark?" asked Will as he flicked on the dining room light.

"Sorry, I suppose I was lost in thought." Uncle Seth blinked in the light. "I assume you'll be packing for Maine?"

Will sat at the table with his uncle. No, his brother. That was going to take a lot of adjustment. "I don't plan to leave right now. I think I need time to adjust to this. I'm not ready. I don't want to leave during the school year." Robyn's face flickered in his mind for a moment, and Will smiled to himself.

Will looked up at Seth, and saw the set of his shoulders relax. "I thought I was ready to let you go, but I'm happy you'll be staying." Seth did not look up from the table as he spoke. Neither of them were used to sharing feelings.

"I'm glad to stay, Seth."

"No more 'Uncle'?"

"No more 'Uncle,'" Will said with a small chuckle.

AN2: So, at least for now, Will is planning to stay human. As of this moment in time, he doesn't know that Edward and Bella are his grandparents. My discussions with Paper Artist were about the likely fertility status of Nessie, and what happens when two essentially immortal beings are capable of bearing children.

I can't wait to read your anniversary challenge entries! Check it out!