Embry sighed as he looked down at the beer in his hand and then around at the others scattered around Jared's living room. Even though they were still technically two packs, they had gotten into the habit of all hanging out together whenever they could. Though Embry had to admit he was slightly surprised to see Jacob there that night as he usually spent his off time at the Cullens and it wasn't like this was an official meeting or anything.
Perhaps Edward had kicked him out for not the first time. The vampire had a habit of doing that when he felt Jacob was distracting Nessie from her studies. Or just got annoyed with him.
Regardless, Jacob was here, joking around with Paul almost as though he hadn't wanted to rip his head off nearly every other day for a time six years ago. As soon as Jacob had imprinted on Renesmee, he had almost instantaneously gotten over his aversion to Paul imprinting on his older sister, Rachel. Embry wasn't sure where she was at the moment - usually she and Paul were next to inseparable - but had heard Jared mentioning something about a girls' night when he came in and figured she was out with Kim and some of the other imprintees.
At the thought of the others, Embry's thoughts immediately turned to Freja. Her eyes, the way her fingers flew across the keys, the soft waves in her hair that had fallen out of the bun. How her cheeks colored slightly when she looked at him.
He wondered who taught her to play the piano like that or if it was just something she had been born to do.
"Okay, so what's that goofy grin for?" Seth called out from across the room.
Embry looked over at him, eyes wide as he was forced out of his reverie. He hadn't meant to wander off into a daydream. And he hadn't told the others yet about the imprint. Since none of them had shifted in a while, only Quil was privy to his news, though he had tried to get a hold of Jacob last night and all day to tell him, but the idiot must have let his phone battery die again or had been too busy to answer.
Out of the corner of his eye, Embry could see Quil starting to grin. Sighing, he motioned towards his best friend, knowing it was going to come out sooner or later.
"Guess who imprinted," Quil shouted loudly.
Embry could feel his cheeks heat up as shouts and cheers went up around the room. Save Sam, who only watched him quietly, though he was smiling. And Jacob, who was scowling at him.
"Hold on, why am I just finding out? When did this happen?" Jacob shouted.
"Maybe if you weren't at the Cullens so much, you'd know," Quil shot back with a grin. Jacob's scowl darkened at the comment. "And he did try to call you, but you didn't answer your damn phone."
Jacob's eyes widened slightly as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked down at it in confusion.
"Yesterday," Embry said, getting back on track. "It was... out of nowhere."
"Okay, so who is she and more importantly, when do we get to meet her?" Paul asked, grinning.
"Good question," Embry muttered softly. Quil started laughing from next to him, obviously hearing him.
"Gotta track her down first," he replied brightly.
"Why does it sound wrong when you say it like that?" Embry asked, shooting him a look. "I'm not a stalker."
"Yea, well, you're also the idiot who only got a name," Quil retorted.
"Wait, she's not from around here?" Jared asked, sitting up. Embry shook his head.
"She was at the school yesterday - tuning the piano. Ran out of there before I could get anything but her name," Embry said. "I've never seen her before, so not sure if she's from the area."
"If we knew her name, maybe we could help you out," Paul said, grinning.
"Freja... Freja Larssen," Embry said. "She's... yea... She's got these eyes, like... they look like the ocean... And when she played the piano... I felt like I went somewhere else for a moment..."
There was a bit of silence and then the pack burst out into laughter, causing Embry to roll his eyes and try to ignore the blush that was coming over his face. He couldn't blame them, though, even to his own ears he had sounded like some sort of lovesick idiot. And he didn't even know anything about her yet.
"Someone's in love," Paul shouted as he waggled his eyebrows.
"I don't even know her," Embry shot back defensively. "Look... any of you heard about Larssens living nearby? Maybe Forks? Or... any of the other towns around here?"
The laughter and jesting died down as everyone sat and thought a few moments.
"What makes you think she's from around here if you've never seen her before?" Jared asked, leaning forward in his chair and resting his elbows on his knees. Embry shrugged.
"Assumed she must be if she was at the school tuning the piano," he replied. "Or maybe even Port Angeles. Quil and I looked up some music shops there that I'm thinking about checking out this weekend."
Though he grimaced slightly at the suggestion. Even though he was desperate to know more about Freja, to see her again, it felt strange to be literally tracking her down like that. Surely someone had heard about her. Or maybe he would randomly run into her again.
"Music shop?" Seth said, now perking up slightly. "Isn't there one in Forks?"
Embry swiveled his head over to stare at Seth. He hadn't known about a shop in Forks. They hadn't found one in their internet search, but wasn't completely surprised. A lot of the old stores and such in the area were still making the transition into the digital age.
"Yea, I think there is. Didn't your sister get her guitar from there?" Paul asked, looking over at Jared.
"She did. Said it's owned by this older couple, though I don't know if she mentioned their name or anything. But I do remember her saying something about how they do repairs and piano tuning, too," he said, seeming surprised at how much he remembered. Embry was too. "Maybe that's it? Would make sense that the school would use a tuner closer to the reservation than Port Angeles."
Embry couldn't help but feel lighter. Finally, he had a good lead even if it was still a bit of a long shot. He had absolutely no solid proof that Freja worked there. Whatever. He could still check it out. Though now he needed an excuse to go to the shop other than finding Freja.
"If she's from Forks, you think any of the Cullens would know her?" Paul asked, looking over at Jacob.
Embry's eyebrows rose. Of course. Why hadn't he thought of that? He now wished he had tried harder to get in contact with Jacob last night. If he had picked up his phone while he was at the Cullens, perhaps he could have gotten all this information from a more direct source. He looked towards Jacob eagerly.
Jacob thought a moment and then shrugged.
"I don't know," he finally said, looking over at Embry. "But it wouldn't hurt to ask. I can do it when I see them next."
"You mean tomorrow?" Paul asked, chuckling as he elbowed him. Jacob, in turn, punched him in the arm.
"I don't go there every day," he retorted.
"What's the name of the shop?" Embry asked, looking at Jared and cutting off whatever tussle the two were likely about to get into.
"Something Call... Ah, Siren's Call," he said after thinking it over. "Got a bunch of mermaid shit decorating it. Can't miss it. It's in the middle of town."
"Maybe you can go check it out during lunch tomorrow," Quil suggested, shoving Embry slightly.
"Yea, maybe... couldn't hurt," he admitted as equal parts excitement and fear welled up in him. There was a chance he could see Freja again tomorrow. Or the chance that she might turn him away.
"So... besides amazing eyes and super piano skills, anything else about her that you can tell us?" Jared asked, grinning at him.
"I mean... like I said, didn't really get a chance to talk to her," Embry admitted. "She got out of there really quickly... like she was scared or something."
He furrowed his brow, the thought recurring that she might be terrified of him. What if she ultimately rejected him?
A deep pain filled his chest. They hadn't had an imprintee reject it so far, but there was a first for everything. What if he was the first?
"Would you relax," Quil said. "Just talk to her. She'll see how great a guy you are and everything will be okay."
"Yea... sure," Embry said, smiling slightly, though he couldn't help as the worry remained.
Conversation picked up around him as Embry got lost in his thoughts. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her face - eyes wide in shock with a hint of panic. He hadn't allowed himself to think about it too much, but he needed to face the truth. That perhaps she would reject him. Embry was willing and happy to be whatever she needed - if it was just a friend or big brother type, so be it. But the thought that she was afraid of him and would push him away was almost too much.
"You worried?"
Embry started slightly, seeing that Sam had moved over to stand next to him. The alpha then sat down, concern etched in his face.
"A bit," Embry confessed. "I mean... the look on her face yesterday... she was scared."
"Sure she was just in shock. She probably felt the imprint as well and didn't know what it was," Sam said reasonably.
"Maybe, but... she doesn't know anything about our world... what if it's too much for her?" Embry asked, looking over at him.
Sam looked away, seemingly deep in thought as he considered this.
"I suppose all you can do is take a day at a time. Let her set the pace," Sam said. "Get to know her first and let her get to know you." Embry nodded. "Not every imprint is easy..."
Embry looked over at his former alpha, remembering how dramatic his had been. It had caused a lot of grief in the pack for years and was the reason why Leah currently lived in another state. While she had long since gotten over it, things could still turn tense occasionally. At least this wasn't like that. He hoped.
"But you're a good man, Embry. I'm sure things will work out one way or another," Sam said, reaching over and squeezing his shoulder.
"Let's hope," Embry said with a sigh.
Freja leaned over, looking closely at the violin she was restringing under the lamp on the work desk. Her grandfather sat nearby, working on an old trumpet. Jazz music was playing in the background. A couple days later, Freja had calmed down slightly, though the worry that she had somehow hurt Embry was constantly buzzing in the back of her mind. That or she caught herself daydreaming about him, which wasn't any better. Fidgeting slightly, she sighed and tried to focus on the instrument. The owner was coming by later that afternoon to pick it up, so she seriously needed to get it finished.
"Stop worrying, Freja," her grandfather chided.
Freja huffed as she sat up, turning to look at him. Like Astrid, Oscar Larssen had a sort of ageless quality about him. His hair was silver and his face covered in a thick grey beard, but his eyes had a youthful twinkle to them.
"But you never know-"
"Your grandmother, bless her heart, is just overly cautious," Oscar said with a sigh as he turned back to the trumpet. "Truthfully, we don't know that you even can affect humans. You haven't so far."
"But The Change-"
"There's no need to worry yourself. He hasn't showed up and we haven't heard anything. It will be fine," Oscar said, cutting her off.
Freja frowned slightly as she watched him, wishing she could be as calm as he was about all of this.
Granted, he wasn't the one currently going through a life-altering change that could potentially kill him. As pure Havsfru, he and her grandmother and her mother hadn't had to go through the change at all. She couldn't help but find it slightly unfair. But then again, it wasn't their fault. Wasn't hers either, but that was neither here nor there.
She supposed she could blame her mother for falling in love with and then marrying a human, but Freja couldn't even do that. The heart wants what it wants.
"What if mine wants Embry?"
Freja jolted up at that thought, but then quickly shook her head as though she could literally shake it away. She did not just think that. Nor was she about to say anything to her grandparents about it. Her grandmother would put her in lockdown until her birthday faster than she could blink.
Sensing her turmoil, Oscar sat up, leaving the trumpet on his work desk and turning towards her. He stood and walked over, enveloping her in a warm hug.
"I know this is scary, but you are strong, mitt hjärta," he said. "You will survive this."
Freja swallowed the lump in her throat, attempting to swallow down her anxiety as well. But it had only grown stronger since her interaction with Embry.
"Thanks, Papa," she whispered.
He stood back and patted her cheek before going back to his work desk.
"Trust me, Freja. You will have a long many years working here at the shop with me and your grandmother," he said, smiling at her.
Freja nodded and returned to the violin, though her brow was furrowed.
So much of her time lately had been spent worrying about whether she would survive The Change, that she hadn't spared much thought for what came next. Did she truly want to stay here and work in the shop in Forks? While she would be able to leave Forks if she wanted, she knew that she would need to stay close to the ocean. All Havsfru needed to be near the sea. While as half, she could survive farther away from it, it would be uncomfortable.
But did that mean she wanted to stay?
What's more, if she survived, accepted her Havsfru side, what would that mean for Embry? Her mother had found a way to control herself enough that she had been with her father for years. So had her grandparents when they moved to the land. Granted that could be just because they had lived on land for so long. She'd never actually seen either use their true form and they didn't affect humans the way they had before.
Perhaps after she went through The Change, it might be possible to be around him without worrying that she'd hurt him. If Freja stayed in Forks, that is.
Wait, why was she thinking about being with Embry? She was supposed to be avoiding him. And despite all that, she still didn't know a damn thing about him. She shouldn't be so fixated on him at all.
This was starting to get to ridiculous levels of annoying. Freja squeezed her eyes shut, feeling a headache coming on. This was all too confusing.
"I know this is difficult, Freja, but it will turn out alright," her grandfather said suddenly.
Opening her eyes, she turned to look at him, not quite believing him, but then realized he was talking about The Change - not Embry. Right, because there was no way he could know her current state of mind had everything to do with the young man from La Push. Suddenly, she wished more than anything that her mother was here. Out of anyone, Freja felt like she might understand the most what she was going through.
"I wish she was here," she said softly, meeting her grandfather's eyes. He smiled sadly, though continued to work on the trumpet.
"I do too," he replied. "She had this life... this spirit... even among our kind, it would light up the space around her." The violin now laid forgotten on the table as Freja swiveled around in her chair to face him fully. "And great strength. She needed it... to go through the trials she did."
"You mean with my dad?" Freja asked. Oscar nodded again.
"At first, your grandmother and I were against it. It was... unheard of. One of us being with a human. We thought it impossible, but... your mother and father found a way. Proved that love could conquer a great many things," Oscar said. "Until we lost them both..."
Freja frowned slightly. Her grandparents had never told her what exactly happened. Just that her father had died suddenly and then her mother shortly after. All she had were assumptions. Because every time she asked what happened both of her grandparents would shut down or change the subject. She wasn't a child anymore. Wasn't it time she knew the truth?
"She loved you so much, Freja," Oscar said, as though he sensed her thoughts. "And you are so much like her... the same spirit. The same strength. That is why I know you will survive this."
Freja sighed and looked down at the floor, her brow slightly furrowed. They always said that she had her mother's strength. But she always wondered about her mother's death. If it had been intentional. Freja shook her head, not wanting to go down that road again. Surely her parents had died in two separate, freak accidents. That had to be it.
"Did I tell you the time she snuck away to go to a human concert with your father?" Oscar asked. Freja perked up slightly.
She knew he was only telling her stories to try and cheer her up, but it always seemed to work even though she had heard all of them at least two times over now. But still, she propped her head on her hands, and listened, a soft smile appearing as he spoke. She heard the chime, signaling that someone had walked through the front door to the shop, but ignored it. Her grandmother was running the front today and if she needed them, she would come to the back.
Soon, Freja was laughing as her grandfather became much more animated in his tale, easily moving from story to story. But he abruptly stopped as her grandmother came into the back, huffing slightly with a pinched look on her face.
"Something wrong?" her grandfather asked. Freja turned to look at her, her eyebrows raised.
Astrid studied Freja a moment, then looked over to Oscar.
"Nothing. It's fine," she said, her annoyance clearing. "Just a customer who didn't know what he wanted. Now... it is nearly lunch..."
As her grandmother continued speaking, Freja looked towards the door, feeling something pull at her. She didn't move, unsure of what it was, but it didn't seem to fade or go away.
"I can go to the diner," Freja heard herself volunteer.
Her grandmother opened her mouth to no doubt tell her no for some reason, a stern look on her face, but her grandfather interrupted.
"Good! You remember what I always get, yes?" he asked. Freja looked at him and nodded.
She then reached down and grabbed her purse, leaving the workshop before her grandmother could stop her. In the front of the shop, she stopped for a moment, looking around the room. Something lingered in the air, but she couldn't quite figure out what it was. Whatever it was, it was now pulling her outside the shop. Walking out the front door, Freja stopped on the sidewalk and looked around. The feeling had begun to fade and she wasn't sure just which direction it was leading her in next. Taking a tentative step in one direction, she felt it completely slip away.
Frowning, Freja rolled her eyes and turned, now heading towards the diner. Whatever it was, it was gone, much like the feeling that day in the woods.
"And here I thought I'd get one day without weird supernatural shit," Freja muttered to herself before she snorted.
Right, like she would ever have a day without anything remotely supernatural happening. She was supernatural. Sighing, Freja redirected her thoughts, trying to decide on what to order before she got there.
The weird shit could wait.