I'll be home for Christmas

Chapter 20

Chapter 20 - I'll be home for Christmas

Disclaimer: the characters and all recognisable situations belong to Stephenie Meyer - this is a work of fan fiction, except for the legends and histories of the Quileute that, of course, belong to them. I pay my respects to their gods.

Thanks to BanSidhe [ruadh sidhe] and Feebes86 for betaing and pre-reading.

Bella and Josh were ensconced in their holiday cabin. Josh was sporting a new, short hair style and poring over charts of the gene tables and other volumes on wolf lore. Joy Ateara had delivered them along with the key to the cottage. Bella was trying to make notes for her speech to the assembled tribal members in the morning. She threw the notepad down in frustration and curled up in the bed, but she was a long way away from sleeping. Too many thoughts and fears swirling around in her brain.

She kept watching Josh move around as he picked up a book here and searched for a reference in another volume.

"Go to sleep," he said without looking at her.

"I can't. You?"

"Slept for a day. Too much to do, now."

"You should be outside with them."

"I'm not leaving you."

She blinked quickly and bit her lip. She felt like crying.

To try and convince Josh that she was going to sleep, she closed her eyes, but she gave up after a few minutes. With his new wolf senses, he would know that she was faking it. After some time, she finally said, "Josh, can I ask you something?"

"You sound serious."

"Yes."

"Okay then." He put down a book of old Quil's that he was reading and gave her his full attention. She loved the way he did that. He sat on the desk chair and leaned towards her, his forearms rested on his thighs.

"Did you ever meet a woman called Tiffany? Tiffany Call?"

He got a look on his face as if that wasn't what he expected her to say. "When? It's a common enough name."

"I suppose that it would have been… umm… let me see… he's Jake's age, so it would be about twenty one years ago. No, wait, plus nine months, so say twenty two years."

"Nine months?" He frowned at her. "What are you asking, Izzy?"

She huffed out a breath. "He's one of Jake's friends. Born in 1990. He's only half Quileute and the only reason he knows that his father is Quileute is because he's a wolf. He's in Jake's pack."

Josh blinked. "Right." A pause. "What's his name?"

"Embry."

He nodded. "Is his mother still alive?"

"Yes."

"Why can't she tell him who his father is? Are they not speaking?"

"Honestly, I don't know why but she never has. I assume they still live together. He didn't say differently."

Josh frowned. He looked down at the table and absent-mindedly picked up another book. "He's your friend, too. I spoke to him earlier in wolf form."

"He was on patrol. He is my friend. He is a really nice guy. One of those quiet guys who watches and always has the best solution. You know the type."

"Why do you think he is my son? You do think that, right?"

"I don't know if he is or he isn't… it's just…" She shrugged.