I'm so sorry! Ugh ugh ugh! Sorry sorry. Some distracting stuff went down and then KA-POW!! Suddenly it was 2010... I think I got stuck in a time warp or something... Anyways, I'm so sorry for not updating for so long!

Thank you to all the people who reviewed my earlier chapters and a special thanks to jacobblackismineduh for getting me back here and writing! I'll try to right more, I won't feel satisfied with not updating after this chapter. I was in a rush and I want to get some more info out there so I'll see what I can do about updating! Don't give up on me please!! 3

By the way, I own no one (.) - no, wait! I totally own Cory! Ahahahaaa...

"You're his imprint?"

I leaned forward, lowering my voice to a whisper.

"I know about everything. The pack, the Cullens, werewolves, vampires, all that. I've never known anything different so it's way normal for me," I grinned reassuringly at them.

They stayed silent, mouths still open. I took the opportunity to shovel more food into my mouth. There was some food I didn't recognize, some sort of mush that tasted like potatoes and some sour red berry sauce. Meh, it tasted good. At this point I'd probably eat anything. Anyone would after Nutri-Grain bars for a week.

"How? If it isn't too hard could you tell us everything?" Emily suddenly asked, her voice quiet.

I swallowed my food and set down my fork, trying to think where to start.

"Well-"

"Cory! This is where you disappeared to," Jake came into the kitchen, a gaggle of people on his tail. Aha, tail…

"Hey, Jake. I met Emily and Kim," I beamed up at him. His eyes softened as he took in my grin. He must have been just as nervous as I was about how they'd react to me. "I was just telling about why I live with you."

Jake glanced at the two women, his expression suddenly wary. I looked at them too. Emily was smiling at him, her eyes misty.

"Welcome home Jake," she said, reaching up to pull him into a fierce hug. I felt a pang of guilt, they had missed him so much.

"Thanks Emily," he murmured into her hair. I smiled gently remembering that Jake didn't have a mother anymore either. Emily was probably as close to one as he had.

"Yes Jake. Welcome home," Kim stated from her seat. She was glaring at Jake, her lips pursed.

"Hi Kim," Jake said, confused. She tilted her head and continued to glower at him.

"So," she growled. "What's this?" She pointed at me. I took one look at Jake's face before jumping up and pushing my hands against his chest.

"What do you mean 'what's this?'" He exploded, shaking in agitation. Alarmed I moved closer to him.

"Yes, what's this," Kim confirmed, also standing up, hands on her hips. I was a little impressed by her guts, not everyone could face a shaking werewolf so calmly, even I was a little nervous when Jake began shaking. "Apparently, you've been raising this girl by yourself for the last sixteen years!"

"What's going on in here?" A man came into the kitchen at unbelievable speed. Jared, I assumed. "Kim-"

"Hold it Jared, I want to hear this."

I shut my eyes and pressed my face into Jake's chest, gripping his shirt tightly and listening to his racing heart. His shaking faded as his heartbeat slowed back down to normal speed.

"I couldn't just leave her there," I heard him whisper hoarsely. I cringed at the pain I heard in his voice. "She would have died. I – I couldn't… I couldn't leave her there."

His hands wrapped around me and he squeezed me gently. I sagged in his arms, suddenly feeling exhausted.

"Jake, I'm tired," I mumbled into his chest.

"Can we talk about this tomorrow?" Jake asked the group standing in the kitchen. "We've been travelling all day."

"Of course." I recognized the controlled tone of Sam's voice instantly. "We'll sort everything out tomorrow. Do you have a place to sleep tonight?"

"Well, I was actually thinking of checking in with my dad, but… he's not here," Jake said, sounding puzzled.

"Sue drove him into Forks tonight, to visit Charlie," Sam answered slowly. I felt Jake tense for a moment before Sam continued. "Do you want to go over and wait for him? You probably should, he'd be furious if he didn't see you tonight. Both of you."

I brought my head of Jake's chest and gave Sam the best smile I could muster. He looked a little shocked but smiled tentatively back.

"Alright, we'll go over there now," Jake said, finally sounding like his old self again. "I hope he hasn't changed the lock since I left of we'll be locked out," he joked. There were chuckles around the kitchen.

"Come on, I'll escort you two – just in case your keys don't work," Sam laughed. He put a hand on Jake's shoulder and began to steer him out, me attached firmly to Jake's front.

I looked back at Emily and Kim, smiling. "Good-bye. Thank you for the food, it was delicious!"

Emily smiled back, but her expression was worried. Kim still stood there, hands on hips, Jared whispering comfortingly in her ear. I gave her a little wave and her eyes relaxed a little.

"Come on Cor," Jake said, moving his hand to the side of my neck to keep me next to him.

We passed through the living room again, everyone still staring. I blushed and looked firmly at my feet. Somehow I managed to walk through without bumping into anyone, which probably had something to do with Jake's firm grip.

"See you later," a voice called suddenly as we got to the front door. I glanced up to see the guy that had lead me in waving. He wiggled his eyebrows at me and I laughed quietly. Jake shot him a gratefully look before the door shut behind us.

The air had cooled down enormously since we had arrived but I barely felt it. My personal heater was close enough for comfort. Sam took his hand off Jake's shoulder and took lead, hands in pockets, looking kind of sheepish.

"Sorry about that, Kim's a little… feisty when she's pregnant."

"She's pregnant?" I asked, surprised. I hadn't noticed.

"Yeah, her third. She's got two sons, eleven and nine. We were surprised when she told us about this one," Sam chuckled.

"How about you and Emily?" Asked Jake, his voice subdued.

"We have four, one fifteen, thirteen, nine, and eight. My eldest is already in the pack."

"Already? So… the leeches are still around?" Jake asked, a growl soft in his voice. "What about…"

"Jake," Sam warned. I drew closer to Jake, a chill creeping down my spine. I knew who he was about to ask about. I had heard the story. When I was little it gave me nightmares. The horror story about his best friend who fell in love with one of the blood-drinkers.

Isabella Swan.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow," Sam said in a firm tone, ending that conversation topic. We stopped in front of a dark house. "Here you go Jake. Billy hasn't actually changed the lock so you should be able to get in. I'll just warn you though, Rachel's been staying with Billy for a little while so don't be surprised when her and Paul come in during the night."

"Paul?" Jake yelped. "What? No way. No."

Sam boomed with laughter. "You missed a lot Jake. You're an uncle now."

I looked up at Jake and giggled at his open-mouthed expression.

"Shut up Cory," he growled. "You know Paul, would you want to be an uncle to his kids?"

I considered it for a minute, imagining Jake panicking as his dark-haired nephew suddenly burst into a giant wolf and exploded into laughter.

"You're so screwed!"

"I know! Damn. This is going to be hard. You'll help right Cory? You're good with kids," Jake wheedled, tickling me. I laughed and shook my head.

"No way, you're on your own dude!"

"Alright then, good night you two," Sam said, watching us with an amused expression. "I'll talk to you tomorrow… And so will Paul."

I started laughing again as Sam walked off. Jake glared at his retreating back.

"At least I don't have to listen to you anymore!" Jake yelled. Sam made a rude gesture with his fingers that I didn't think a father should make without turning around. "Stupid Alpha," Jake muttered under his breath.

"Come on Jakey, you'll be less grumpy after a good night's sleep," I soothed through a pouty lips. He just bent down and blew in my ear. "Ugh! Jake! Stop!"

"Sure, sure," he laughed and began to walk towards the dark house in front of us. I skipped to keep up with him.

"Where's the key Cory?" he asked.

I grabbed the chain around my neck and pulled out the stubby house key on the end. I looped it off my head and handed it to him. "Here ya go."

He thanked me and shoved it in the lock. I squinted at the outside of the house as he fiddled with the door, which appeared to be a bit sticky. I couldn't really make anything out but Jake hadn't said anything so I assumed it hadn't changed since he'd been away.

"There we go, come in Cor," he said, creaking the door open. I followed him silently. He flicked a switch and I blinked in the light that came on.

The house was small and seemed cramped with Jake standing next to me but I could tell that it was larger then any of the places we had stayed in before. The door opened directly into the kitchen. A bucket stood next to the door with a few fishing rods standing in it and the smell of seawater seemed to drift around the house. A vase of lilacs rested on a counter, put there by Rachel I assumed. Everything was tidy and clean.

"It feels like a home Jake," I whispered. He snuck a hand around my shoulder and squeezed my into a side hug.

"It is."

We exchanged a smile before he let me go. I wandered out of the kitchen, feeling at ease in the unfamiliar house. The small living room in the other room was just like the kitchen. Cramped, but cozy and organized.

"My room's upstairs Cory," Jake said, watching as looked around. I nodded and turned to go before something caught my eye.

"Look Jake," I said, awed. "It's you. As a little kid."

A whole row of pictures was lined up across the TV cabinet. Most of them were filled with dark-skinned youths, grinning cheekily at the camera. I saw dozens of Jake's, at various ages. Some with two older girls, his sisters, and some group shots with Jake usually near two other boys who looked to be the same age as him. And one picture with Jake looking nearly exactly like now, sitting with his arm around the shoulders of a pale girl with brown hair.

I stared at the girl. Her eyes were kind of red with dark shadows under them. Next to Jake's bright smile her own grin looked washed out and tired. She seemed too thin to be healthy. Jake's arm looked less casual and more like he was holding her together. A weird feeling settled in the pit of my stomach.

I turned away from the picture quickly, and tugged on Jake's arm before he got to that picture.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" I asked, yawning. He smiled tenderly down at me.

"It's time for bed Cory, let's go upstairs," he said, scooping my feet out from under me. I gasped, startled, my heart beating off rhythm as he carried me out of the room and up the stairs.

"You okay Cor?" He asked, listening to my heart, his head cocked. He leaned a little closer, some of his long hair brushing against my face. My heart jumped again.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You must have startled me," I said, also confused at the weird beat my heart was pumping out. I shrugged at him and snuggled closer in his arms, feeling the comfort of his warms arms.

"Alright," he said dubiously. He carried me through a dark hallway and into a room with the same earthy smell Jake had.

"This must be your room," I said, unable to see anything in the dark. "It smells like you."

"Dad's kept everything exactly like I left it," Jake snorted. "That must've bugged Rach."

He put me down carefully on the bed. I cuddled against the sheets that smelt like laundry detergent.

"We left the bags in the woods, right?" I asked. "Will they be okay?"

"They should be," Jake said. "Do you need anything from them?" He asked, sounding concerned. "I can go get them."

"Nah, it's fine. I don't mind sleeping in my clothes," I murmured, my eyes closing drowsily.

"Here," Jake tossed something soft onto my face. I sat up and held it out in front of me. It felt like a shirt. I smiled and began pulling off my own.

Jake coughed suddenly.

"What?" I asked, struggling to pull off my jeans while still sitting down. I heard movement as Jake walked to the far corner of the bedroom.

"Nothing," he answered, his voice muffled. It sounded like he had his hand over his face. I rolled my eyes, the mysteries of men.

"I'm just leaving my clothes on the floor, okay?" I said after I managed to get my pants off. The shirt was so big on my it went all the way down to my knees. It was more like a dress then a shirt.

"Yep," Jake laughed. "Feel free. It can't get any messier then it already is." I heard the rustle of fabric as he pulled off his own shirt.

"Fold that," I commanded sleepily, my eyes fluttering open and closed as I tried to speak without sleep slurring my words. "It's new."

He chuckled and made a great show of folding his shirt even though he knew I couldn't see it. Then he lay down on top of the quilt next to me.

I poked him with one finger and he retaliated before snaking one arm around my shoulders and pulling me closer.

"Love you Jake," I whispered. "You're my best friend." His lips touched my forehead softly.

"Love you too," he answered.

Then, almost instantly his breathing evened out. I rolled my eyes, stupid werewolf sleep magic.

I shut my own eyes and let sleep swamp my eyes. Before I was pulled under an image surfaced in my mind.

The pale girl from the photo smiled at me, her brown eyes bright. Then suddenly she blinked. When she opened her eyes again I felt my skin creep. Her eyes were bright red. The colour of blood. I heard Jake's voice in my mind.

"Bella."