Silent Love

Two weeks later

Mandy was stunned at how easy things had worked out. Her parents took a two week long vacation till Hawaii to talk and get on the same page again. It had taken her father quite a few days to persuade her mother to go.

It left Mandy in charge of Amelia, but Amelia was happy these days. She went to school without any protest and went around the house humming songs. Leigh went back to Hoquiam for work in the weekdays – she worked as a model to pay for law school - but stayed with Mandy and Amelia in the weekends. They had girls’ nights in and watched movies together and at the same time caught up with each other’s lives.

Amelia and Mandy agreed that she was a great human being and they were happy to have her.

~~~

It was in the middle of the day a Friday. Mandy sat in her music room writing down new songs she’d had in her mind for a time. Leigh had just arrived from Hoquiam and was working on dinner while Amelia would arrive home from school anytime now.

A knock on the front door brought Mandy from her musical bubble, but she heard Leigh get it so she went back into her mode.
“Mandy, here are two half naked boys at the door for you!” she called upstairs for her.

Mandy want downstairs and saw Quil and Embry in the front room and smiled.
“Hey boys,” she smiled and hugged them both. Leigh stood against the door frame into the kitchen with raised eyebrows. “Oh, long story short; this is my sister Hayleigh,” Mandy said and motioned towards her. “Leigh, these are Embry and Quil; they live on the rez.”

They both acknowledged her, but went straight to business.
“We need to talk to you,” Embry said and crossed his arms.
“Yeah, it’s about Jake,” Quil said.
Mandy sighed. “Let’s go upstairs.”

“Will you stay for dinner? I’m making lasagna,” Leigh asked them with a smile.
“No, they won’t,” Mandy said and they both frowned.

“Jacob is really depressed without you, Amanda,” Quil said after she’d closed the door to the soundproof music room.
“And I’m really depressed without him,” she said and sat down on the piano stool.
“Then why don’t you two go and make up and we all will be happy. He’s really bringing us down,” Embry grinned at her.
She rolled her eyes at them. “Ask him to shut up.

“It’s not that easy. When we are in our wolf form we have connected minds,” He explained to her.
Mandy stuck her fingers into her ears and hummed loudly. “Don’t wanna know!” she sang.

Embry grabbed her hands and made her listen. “This isn’t some joke, Amanda, Jacob is really miserable without you. You are his imprint; his reason for living. Being without you is for him like being without a heart. He really needs you.”
“I explained to him why,” she said as her eyes filled.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Quil said and pulled her into his arms; he hated seeing women cry.
Feeling the familiarity of the warm arms only made her cry harder.
“You see?” Embry said to her. “You are falling apart without him as well. He explained for us your reason; but they are a load of crap. You don’t have anything to fear, Mandy. We’ll start wearing shirts if that helps.”

She giggled and wiped her cheeks. “Maybe it would. And maybe I should know a little bit about this wolf thing.”
“Jacob should tell you,” Quil said.
“That makes it to real,” she shook her head.

Embry smiled and took her hand. “What do you want to know?”
“How many of you are there?”
“The number varies, but right now,” Quil counted on his hands. “We’re ten that phases regularly.”
“And who phased first? I mean of the three of you.”
“I phased first,” Embry said, clearly being proud of himself. “Jacob next, but it was postponed because he was so happy for being friends with Bella. And Quil lastly; probably ‘cause he hit puberty so late.”

Quil’s fist hit Embry’s face as fast as a stroke of lightening. “Shut up idiot!”
Embry didn’t even flinch by the punch, he only laughed loudly.
“Have anyone of you… imprinted?”
“I have, but not thick head over there.” Quil said and grinned.
“Maybe so, but you imprinted on a two year old!”

“What?” Mandy gasped. “That’s sick Quil!”
He rolled his eyes. “It’s not like I’m in love with her. Imprinting can be so much. Right now it feels like I’m her big brother and I will protect her from any danger that threatens her. But maybe it changes in the future when she is older.”
“But then you’ll be really old in comparison.”

Embry shook his head. “We won’t age as long as we keep phasing.”
She fell silent as he mouth formed an ‘o’.
“Maybe it’s enough for one time now?” Embry asked her.
She nodded. “Yeah. And you can tell Jacob to… come after dark. I’ll leave my window open.”

“No hanky panky,” Quil said and wiggled his eyebrows.
She hit his shoulder with her fist, but cursed under her breath when pain shot through her knuckles.
They both laughed loudly of her.

“Leave now before I set the hounds on you,” she hissed at them.
“Give in a chance,” Embry said and kissed the top of her head.
Quil did the same and they walked out the door.
“And put some damned shirts on!” She yelled after them and closed the door.

~~~

Exited butterflies attacked her stomach as she lay in bed that night with her window open, raindrops were reaching the floor and the curtains were swaying. She yawned and was just about to fall asleep when she felt someone warm and wet at the same time crawl under the covers with her.

Warmth spread through her heart and she could see what Embry meant when he said she was Jacob’s heart. He was hers as well.

“Jakey,” she murmured. “You came in with the rain.”
“My heart beats for you,” Was all he said, kissed her lips softly and held her in his arms as they both fell asleep.