I'll be home for Christmas

Chapter 54

Chapter 54 - 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.

Josh panicked. Completely stunned by Sam's raw emotion, and the overflow of memories, he ran. His wolf ran for his imprint with utterly unerring accuracy.

Bella had been sitting with Charlie and Billy, having a hot drink in the tribal hall. They were discussing ammunition or fishing lures, she could never tell which and thought that she probably ought to do more fishing or shooting or something with her father when she got a really strong sense that something was wrong. She stood so abruptly that the chair fell over behind her. She blinked and stepped towards the door.

"Bells," Charlie chided, as he leaned over and straightened the chair for her.

She walked faster and then she was running for the door.

"What's going on?" Billy asked.

"No idea."

The men followed her.

Her phone started ringing but she ignored it. She stood there just staring into the forest. A black wolf pelted out of the forest and ran to her. It danced and skittered outside the hall; its ears flat on his head and its tail tucked along it's back leg.

"Josh?" she said to it.

"Is that Josh?" Charlie asked Billy.

"Yes and he's… threatened," Billy said, reading the wolf's body language. He phased instantly, but the black wolf ignored him and whimpered at the girl standing in front of it.

"Not by Bells," Charlie said, "She was here."

The animal looked panicked; its eyes darting around.

"No, Dad. I can help. He wants me." Bella reached a hand towards it so that it could scent her. She was not afraid. "Josh? Did you come looking for me?" She stepped closer to it and put her face in against his neck. "Here I am."

"Bells!" Charlie warned, but she had already climbed onto its back. He made a frustrated gesture, his hands raised over his head.

The wolf, with its rider, wheeled around and darted off into the forest.

Billy phased back and naked, started scrabbling through the remnants of his clothing.

"What the fuck, Billy?" Charlie asked.

"Phone. Where's my cell?"

"You couldn't talk to him? You know, head share thing?"

"No, something has seriously upset him. Ah!" He started dialing. "Why did Josh just kidnap Bella? Do you know? He's locked us out of his head."

'Jake' he mouthed at Charlie, to explain who he was calling. "No. She seemed to just go with him. Knew it was him. Climbed on his back and went. What happened?"

Billy asked a few more questions and then said, "Okay," and hung up. He looked at Charlie. "Sam's sobbing, Embry's upset, and Josh is here."

"Oh, crap." Charlie glanced the way the wolf had run. "Bells told me he was thinking of getting them to show him their memories. What could—"

And then they both realized at the same time. "Emily."

"Fuck," said Billy. He looked at his friend and they both looked the way the wolf had run. "We can't send anyone; he'll just block them."