Chapter Eleven:
Shit Hits the Fan
"Caroline!" Small hands starting banging on her head like a drum. "Car-o-line!" The young girl repeated. "Wake UP!"
Caroline covered her face with her hands as she was abruptly pulled from sleep. "Claire? What are you doing here?" She wrapped her arms around the little girl and pulled her to her chest so she would stop beating her. She opened her eyes and looked around. "Is your mom here?"
"Mom is with Emily and Auntie Jan and Auntie Sue. Quil is here," Claire pointed to Caroline's door, where the massive Quileute man was leaning on the frame.
He waved. "Morning, Care. We are here to kidnap you."
Claire giggled hysterically. "We're kidnapping you!"
"Oh?" Caroline said. "You're kidnapping me?" She looked down at the little girl in her arms. "Looks like I'm the one who has kidnapped you!" She flipped Claire over so that she was below her and started tickling her sides mercilessly. The young girl squealed for Quil underneath her. "Quil can't save you now!" Caroline laughed, tilting her head back as Claire grabbed for it with small hands.
Two large arms wrapped around Caroline's midsection and pulled her into the air before dropping her unceremoniously on the bed next to Claire.
"Sorry, Care. I gotta do whatever Claire says." Quil grinned down at her but didn't look sorry at all as he and her little niece starting tickling her until she was breathless.
"You're - on - my - shitlist!" She said through laughs, trying to glare at Quil through the tears in her eyes brought on by their tag team assault.
Claire's mouth dropped open and she stood on Caroline's bed and yelled dramatically. "That's a bad! Word!"
"That's right, and you aren't allowed to say it but I can!" She said. "And I'll say it again if I have to, traitor!"
Quil grabbed Claire off the bed and rested the seven year old on his hip in a motherly gesture. "But you won't be saying it again because we don't teach little kids bad words," he gave her a half-hearted glare. "Now get dressed, Talltree. We're going to the beach."
"The beach? It's not exactly beach weather," Caroline frowned. It was starting to warm up, but it was still relatively early spring.
"Any day it doesn't rain is beach weather, if you're brave enough," Quil argued.
"You think I'm chicken?" Caroline narrowed her eyes.
He grabbed Claire's hand and lead her to the door. "I didn't say anything! Now hurry up, we're burning daylight!"
"It's 11 AM!" Caroline called after him and he laughed before shutting the door. "Crazy ass mother fucker," she said to herself. She dressed quickly, putting on a thin sweatshirt, jean shorts and sandals. She put her swimsuit on underneath, in case the weather was nicer than she thought.
Quil drove them to First Beach and Caroline was pleased to see that Jared, Kim, Embry, Shawn, Brady, Colin and Seth were already there. She felt a pang of disappointment when she didn't see Jake but pushed it down.
To no surprise, all of the guys were shirtless. It was a rather beautiful, sunny day. The light breeze was cool on her legs, but not entirely unpleasant. Caroline sat down next to Kim and Shawn on their towels.
"Long time, no see," Shawn said. "We missed ya."
"It's been a wild week." Caroline laid back on the towel and covered her eyes from the sun. Wild wasn't exactly an appropriate word for all that had happened recently, but Caroline didn't know how else to describe the events of the week. Her sister had a miscarriage, she'd slept in the same bed with a man who used to irritate her endlessly, she'd almost kissed said man, and now she was reeling over her mother being in town.
"Have you seen your mom yet," Kim asked. Speak of the devil.
"Nope." She popped to P. She didn't even know her mom was coming until Claire had woken her up from her sleep and told her she was at Emily's house. She had hardly heard from her shared mother with Emily when her father had died. Not that she expected much. Her mother and her weren't on bad terms, but they were never especially close.
Caroline had lived with her dad her entire life and her presence around the Young household was always a little strained. Her existence put her mother's relationship with Emily's father in a weird place. They were able to work through it eventually, and Emily's dad was never cruel to her but they weren't best friends. Regardless, she would be lying if she said it hadn't stung when she heard their mother had rushed to Emily's side after the miscarriage, but not to hers when her father passed.
"Sounds like there is a lot to unpack there," Shawn said.
You have no idea. Caroline almost laughed. "I'm happy Emily has her mother during this time." She realized how negatively she said it too late, but if either girls noticed, they didn't say anything.
"Yo, Caroline! Come play!" Brady called from across the beach, football in hand. She grinned, glad for a distraction. She hadn't come to the beach to sulk.
"Which one are you, again?" She sat up and smirked at him, very aware of who he was. "Colin?"
The two boys looked at each other with matching devilish expressions and Caroline realized too late that she had made a perilous mistake. They dropped the football and took off in a sprint towards her.
"Oh no! No! No, no, no, no, nooo!" Caroline had jumped up and scrambled down the beach, nearly tripping over the uneven sand, but she barely got anywhere before she was hoisted over Colin's shoulder.
"What's my name?" He asked, shaking her rather roughly to get her in a more comfortable position. He started walking her towards the ocean, Brady besides him cackling.
"Brady," she said incorrectly, calling their bluff. But each step towards the water made her think she had placed the wrong bet. She was still in all of her clothes.
"Try again," he said, picking up his pace. The boys on the beach had started yelling and catcalling but she couldn't pay attention as the crashing waves drew nearer and nearer.
Brady wiggled her sandals off her feet. "Won't want these on when you go in," he said. "They'll be heavy."
She tried to kick at him but missed. "You wouldn't dare."
"Would we?" Colin looked at the other boy. She couldn't see his face, but should could see Brady's and she knew her fate was sealed.
"I think we would," Colin poked her in the ribs and she flinched away from him, nearly jostling herself out of his grasp. They were now knee deep in the water. Before she tried to escape him, but now she held on for dear life.
Across the beach she heard a chant start, "throw her! Throw her! Throw her!" The breeze picked up splashes of water and they littered her face. The sun may be shining, but the ocean was most certainly cold.
"If you do this, I will make sure the two of you wish you were never bo-" Caroline's threat was cut off as she was pulled off of Colin's shoulder and into his arms for a few moments before he threw her into the ocean as far as he could.
Caroline sputtered and coughed as she surfaced. "I'm going to KILL YOU!" She screamed and started running slowly through the water, the waves making it difficult for her to move and her sweat clothes holding her back. The boys were halfway across the beach by the time she was out of the water. She grabbed the football and threw it as hard as she could.
She laughed maniacally as she watched it hit an unsuspecting Colin in the back of the head. The girls cheered from the towels as she walked over. She stripped out of her soaking sweatshirt and shivered in her t-shirt and shorts as she stood over them. It was a good day to sit on the beach, but not a very good day to swim at it.
"That was an amazing throw," Kim applauded.
Caroline plopped down on the edge of their towels so she didn't get too much space wet. "Honestly, I don't know how I did it. That was probably the most impressive thing I've ever done and it won't happen again."
"You've peaked," Shawn laughed, pulling a towel out of her bag and tossing it to her. "Here, take off your clothes so they can dry quicker."
"Are you trying to get me naked?" Caroline asked with a wink, laughing at Kim's face as the other girl flushed pink.
Shawn just laughed. "Do you flirt with everyone?"
"Yes." She nodded and the girls all giggled. She got up and stripped slowly, making direct eye contact with Kim until the girl hid her face under her hands. Caroline was glad she had the foresight to bring a swimsuit, she didn't think she was brave enough to strip down to her underwear in front of an audience.
She wrapped the towel around herself and turned to face the boys who had resumed their game of football. She didn't miss Colin and Brady's wide eyed expressions and she smirked. She skipped over to some nearby rocks and placed her clothes out on them to dry, already feeling the heat of the sun warming her skin.
"That was quite the show," Leah said from off to her right.
Caroline jumped and turned to see her cousin, Paul and Jake walking out of the forest towards her. "Did you like what you saw?" She winked and earned a harsh laugh from the older girl.
"You're such a freak, Care." She and Paul walked past her to claim some spots on the towels, leaving her alone with Jake.
He was smiling but there was something hungry in his expression. Her earlier bravado faltered as she recalled the last time they were alone together. When he almost kissed her they were both fully clothed. Now she was soaking wet in a towel and he was only wearing a pair of shorts that hung dangerously low on his hips. She was suddenly glad for the audience.
"Decided to take a swim?" He asked with an amused tone.
"Colin and Brady thought I was looking a little too warm so they decided to cool me down."
Jake laughed. "Want me to beat them up for you?"
She shrugged but she wasn't turned off by the idea. "I already hit Colin in the head with a football, so if you felt so inclined, you could rough up Brady a little bit." She adjusted the towel, pulling it in a little tighter as she tried to cover her nervous fidgeting and shivering.
He frowned, concern painted his features. "Are you cold?" He stepped towards her before she could answer and tucked her into the side of his body. She immediately sagged into him, his warmth was inviting.
"You sure you aren't sick?" She was only part joking.
"Nah, but you will be if you keep shivering there by yourself." He had a point. She let him lead her to the towels. He sat down with his legs spread apart and pulled her in between them, so her back rested on his chest.
Caroline was very aware of her state of undress compared to the women around her and couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious.
As she made herself comfortable, she caught the smirk on Shawn's face and stuck her tongue out at her. She zoned out while everyone talked around her. She watched Claire splash Quil with water as he pretended to melt. Colin, Brady, Embry, Seth and Jared played football just beyond them. They really had impressive throwing arms, she thought. She wondered idly if Colin and Brady played football at school.
"See anything you like?" Shawn asked, pulling Caroline's eyes from the men on the beach.
She felt Jake fidget behind her. Good, make him sweat a bit. She nodded, trying her best to throw Shawn a look with what her friend's called her 'fuck me eyes'. "Yeah, I'm looking at her." She licked and then bit her lips obnoxiously as her friend arched an eyebrow at her.
Paul glared at her and she winked at him, eliciting a middle finger gestured her way from the large man.
"I don't think you're on Paul's good side," Jake warned, his lips brushed her ear and she shivered slightly. "Cold?" He teased.
"Actually, I'm getting kind of hot." She started to move away from him but his arms snaked around her with lightning reflexes and pulled her back into him and she let out a small squeak. Her heart hammered in her chest so loudly she thought everyone in La Push would be able to hear it, but no one was paying any attention to them. He rested his chin on her shoulder.
"Are you comfortable?" She asked with a short laugh. She sank back into him. The short moment she had pulled away had invited cold air to assault her back.
"Very." She felt him lean his head into hers so they were cheek to cheek. "Thanks for asking."
She rolled her eyes but couldn't keep the cheesy smile off her face. She was glad he wasn't looking at her, because she wasn't exactly being covert. "This is the part where you ask me if I'm comfortable."
He shook his head. "Nah, I know you're comfortable. I've been told I'm a good pillow."
She raised an eyebrow, feeling a flash of jealousy brew in the pit of her stomach. "From who?"
"Paul loves cuddling with me, don't you?" He called over to his friend, who was talking to his girlfriend softly. The usual bad attitude, scary man looked absolutely domestic as he ran his fingers through Shawn's hair.
"Don't bring me into your sick bedroom fantasy, Black," he said, not bothering to look their way. Shawn erupted in laughter.
The boys playing football came over then. "What'd we miss?" Embry threw himself down next to herself and Jake, kicking up sand as Kim squealed in protest.
"Jake was just telling me about all the cuddling he and Paul do together," Caroline announced and Jake groaned behind her. "It was rather graphic."
"Jake and Paul?" Embry gasped, staring between the two of them in a dramatic fashion that rivalled Caroline's own performances. "Behind my back?"
Jake shifted underneath her, nearly toppling them over, and punched the other boy in the arm as Jared threw a towel at Embry's head.
"You've been seeing Jake behind my back?" Jared pulled Kim into his lap and she happily snuggled up against him as he glared at Embry in mock shock and anger. "Are you seeing anyone without me, Kim?" He asked and she shook her head.
Caroline turned to face Jake, pulling herself away slightly so their faces weren't as close. "I feel like I've walked into a telenovela. Who's next in this ever growing love affair? Leah?"
The group laughed and Leah rolled her eyes. "They wish." She didn't say much, but Caroline noted sadly that while Emily and Sam weren't around she seemed more comfortable with everyone.
Seth sat down on the other side of her and Jake. "Can we not talk about my sister in that way?" He groaned dramatically which was interrupted by his growling stomach. "Are we ready to go back to our place? I am in need of subsistence."
"That was a big word," Leah stood up and stretched. Her long, toned legs caught the light and Caroline felt a little jealous of her cousin's physique. Being around all of these in shape bodybuilders took a toll on one's confidence. "But I'm ready to get going if everyone else is."
The group started standing, much to Claire's disappointment. Jake stood up and reached a hand down to help Caroline.
She walked over to the rock she had placed her clothes and started to change back, shivering as the wind caught her now that she wasn't shielded by a human space heater. Her jean shorts and sweatshirt were still a bit damp, but her t-shirt was almost completely dry. She slipped into her clothes while everyone beat the sand out of the towels before packing them up.
Jake slipped her arm over her shoulders and she found herself automatically leaning into him. Touching him was like a reflex. She was beginning to realize she felt drawn to him despite their otherwise awful first meeting. It was like gravity.
He placed his lips at the top of her head and she couldn't help but smile. Caroline realized that no one had said anything about their rather intimate seating arrangement or his gentle touches. They almost expected it. "Ready to go?" He said.
"How did you get here?" Caroline said. She had assumed she would ride back with Quil and Claire.
"I know." The knowing smile on his face told her what she had already suspected, that he had undoubtedly orchestrated the kidnapping. "Quil gave me his keys. He and Claire riding with Paul, Shawn and Seth."
"So you didn't take your bike?" She tilted her head up to look at him and narrowed her eyes.
"You've got my keys, remember?" She didn't remember. Caroline looked back down. She needed to find those or he was going to kill her.
He walked over to the passenger side door of Quil's sedan and opened it for her. He bowed deeply. "After you, darling."
"Why thank you, dearest," she said in what could only be described as the worst british accent to ever find itself coming from someone's mouth.
She and Jake sang poorly to classic rock radio the entire drive to the Clearwater house. He pretended to miss the turn every time a song Caroline liked come on the radio, which was often, not that either of them seemed to mind.
Jake started singing along to a guitar solo and Caroline took the time to study him. She was beginning to learn that he was somewhat reserved. Mostly mature, and clearly the 'leader of the pack.' Sometimes he seemed tired, like when he came out of the forest today with Paul and Leah, as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. But right now, in the car with her, singing wordless chatter over an electric guitar, he didn't have a care in the world.
She wanted to hold onto the moment forever, to commit the vision of his impish grin and concentrated eyes into her memory. The solo ended and Jake caught her eye. By the amused smile on his face, she could tell he was pleased to have her undivided attention.
They were almost twenty minutes late when they finally arrived at the Clearwater house. Everyone but Sam and Emily were in attendance. She almost felt guilty for having fun without them. As if sensing her change in mood, Jake bumped into her slightly. She looked up at him and his easy smile and understanding eyes were enough to pull her out of her funk, even if just for a little while.
Life moved on. They couldn't feel guilty to grabbing it by the horns.
Jake went to the kitchen to grab them each a plate of pizza, cheese for her and the works for him, as she plopped down on the couch between Seth and Brady.
"Hello, dear cousin o' mine," the taller boy said. "I am glad to see you finally made it."
She rolled her eyes at him. "Jake was preoccupied with his air guitar performance that he kept looping us around the area."
Seth leaned over her and winked at Brady. "Air guitar performance? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?"
Before she could defend her honor, someone shoved both of their heads down from behind. "Ooops, sorry," Leah said, not a hint of remorse in her voice as she sauntered away from them and plopped down in an unoccupied armchair. For some reason, Caroline had a feeling that was Leah's unassigned seat.
Jake come up then and handed her a plate with five pieces of cheese pizza on it. "Woe, I don't need that many!"
He nodded, a knowing smile on his face. "I'll eat what you don't finish." Seeing the piles of pizza on the other boy's plates, she had a feeling he was using her as an excuse to not take an entire pizza in one go. She was an accomplice.
He sat on the couch across from her and a small part of her was disappointed she hadn't found a spot for the two of them.
Colin plopped down on the arm rest, pushing Brady into her slightly. "Caroline, you spot thief!" He whined.
She looked between the boys on either side of her. "I'm sorry. Were you saving this seat?"
"Yeah," Brady said innocently, batting his eyelashes at her obnoxiously. "For you."
She pinched his cheek lovingly and pursed her lips. "Aw, so kind! Thank you!"
Leah put a movie on and at some point during the trailers, Colin had wedged his way onto the couch, squishing Caroline so she was shoulder to shoulder with Seth and Brady. The other couches were just as crowded, something she had begun to expect given all of their massive sizes. Only Leah sat comfortably on an armchair by herself.
The audience was hardly quiet, most talked over the movie. Only Shawn and Paul seemed to stay low, something she noticed they did often. Paul was completely enthralled with her. She supposed Jared was with Kim, too. And vice versa in both cases. She made a mental note to ask the two of them how they met. Colin, Brady and Embry threw popcorn at each other and tried to toss some in Claire's mouth until Leah snapped at them that she would make them eat a bag of kernels for every speck of popcorn she found on the ground.
Caroline caught Jake's eyes from across the coffee table and held her three remaining slices of pizza out to him in question, although she knew he would want them. She let out a short laugh as he face lit up and she slid them towards him before turning her attention back to the movie.
She found herself glancing back to him throughout the movie and her cheeks lit up whenever she caught him doing the same. An amused smile rested on his lips the entirety of the film, telling her he knew their little game of stolen glances was more than coincidence.
It was gravity, she was sure of it.
After the movie, Quil offered to take her to Sam and Emily's since he was dropping Claire off there but she shook her head. She wasn't super keen on the idea of opening the can of worms that was her mother and hers relationship since her father's passing. She didn't want to dig up that grave when Emily needed her mom more than Caroline needed answers.
Shawn and Kim took it upon themselves then to invite themselves over to Charlie Swan's house for a good old fashioned girl's night. Leah was invited but she turned it down, she had to patrol that night. The wording didn't slip past Caroline, but the way everyone flinched kept her from bringing it up.
That night the girls squeezed themselves on Caroline's queen sized mattress. Neither of them had asked about her mother, and she was grateful. If she was being entirely honest, she didn't really know how she felt about it.
Her mother wasn't there when her father died, and hadn't been since. Now she was comforting her legitimate child through a hard part of her life, but the wounds weren't fresh anymore. Emily had always been their mom's favored child, but Emily had always made Caroline feel welcome and loved like a mother would and she didn't feel like she was really missing out.
"Now I have a burning question," Caroline admitted. "And this goes for both of you. What is the story with you and Paul? And you and Jared?"
Kim blushed furiously and Caroline turned to her. "Okay, you first. That reaction tells me it's juicy."
"Not really," she bit her lip. "I just had a massive crush on him forever but he never paid attention to me. And then, one day he did. And we've been together ever since."
"That's it?" Caroline asked. "I don't know what I was expecting, but not that I guess."
"I don't know what to say," Kim shrugged. "I sat next to him in class for years, and then he left school for a couple of weeks and he came back and saw me, really saw me for the first time and... bam."
She wasn't surprised when she really thought about it. Jared was a sap. Kim was shy. Who was she to argue the logic behind love and first sight? They were clearly happy with each other.
She turned to Shawn. "Alright, you next. How did you tame the beast?"
The older girl laughed. "I'm afraid it's not super interesting either. Paul was a prick when I first met him, he ignored me almost entirely for a minute and I finally went up to him and asked what the hell his deal was."
"And?"
"Well, we fucked." Caroline burst out into laughter and Kim flushed. "We fucked a lot of times actually. And then we found out we loved each other. There's just a pull, you know?"
Kim nodded enthusiastically, sitting up from her spot on the bed. "Like gravity!"
Caroline shook her head. "The two of you are saps. Even Paul." She couldn't help but soak what they had said though. Gravity. She had thought that a couple of times that day.
Shawn shrugged. "And Jake is a sap for you."
She saw it coming and pursed her lips but she didn't respond.
The older girl continued. "He wasn't nice to you at first -"
Caroline snorted. That was an understatement.
"But it seems like you two are quite comfortable now. You don't have to tell us anything you don't want to, but you'd sure be cooler if you did." Shawn winked at her.
She ran a hand through her hair. "I don't have anything to spill right now. I don't," she added when she saw their raised eyebrows. "I don't know what's going on. With me and Jake or with anything, honestly. I'm kind of riding by the seat of my pants."
"But wouldn't you rather be in his pants?" Kim's soft spoken voice took both girls by surprise and they turned on her in shock. Immediately the girl in question dove under the blanket and hid and the girls followed shortly behind her.
Shawn and Kim drove Caroline to La Push the next morning and she helped - mostly watched - Jake work on her car. The way he worked was almost hypnotizing. Caroline had never thought that watching a man work on a beat up, second hand SUV could be so sexy.
It was easy for time to pass quickly when she was with him. He played off of all of her jokes and was always laughing at her puns.
They both had grease under their nails and on their clothes by the time it was dark. She went to the back to get him a second spotlight but instead of joining him again, after she set it up she just leaned against it and watched the light catch the muscles under his skin. She wondered, not for the first time, what it would be like to be pinned under those arms.
"Caroline?"
She shook her head. Her face flushed when she noticed him staring at her.
"I was asking how you were doing back there but it seems like you might be a little tired. Maybe it's time we call it a night? We can stop by and pick up some midnight snacks on the way home." His tone was teasing but his eyes were dark.
She licked her lips, her eyes leveled on his and her lips twitched slightly. She didn't know what she was doing, but her mind was clouded with want. "Is that what the kids are calling it these days?"
He was across the room in an instant. He lifted her and her legs wrapped around him on reflex. Jake's hands supported her thighs and he rested her ass on the hood of her SUV. She hadn't even noticed him close it, the room was a little dizzy as she reoriented herself. He was fast.
His eyes were hungry and they never left hers. Caroline gazed deep into them, challenging him to close the distance between them.
Her stomach erupted in butterflies when he leaned in, stopping a breath away from her lips and whispered, "can I?"
She smiled in spite of herself and looked at him through her eyelashes. "Please."
His lips were as hot as the rest of him, causing a fire to burn across her face in a delicious way. He bit her bottom lip and pulled her towards him until her chest rested against his. He was rough and gentle, nipping at her one second and then dragging his tongue against her lips the next. His hands roamed her thighs, up her waist, slid underneath her shirt and around her back and gripped her tight as her own hands curled into his hair, both pulling each other closer.
Caroline was panting when he pulled away from her lips and made his way down her neck, sucking and pulling on the skin. She ground her hips against his and he groaned into her hair.
"Caroline," he breathed. He rested his forehead on hers. "I'm having a hard time acting like a gentleman. That," he pitched his hips forward slightly to meet hers and she moaned. "Is not making it easy."
She looked at him through half-lidded eyes. There was no turning back now. Any lines she had drawn in the sand were washed away. "I didn't ask you to be a gentleman." His gaze bore into hers and she shivered.
As if someone flipped a switch, he snapped his head to door and he growled, but it wasn't directed at her. "Call Seth on that phone over there." He was rigid.
"Excuse me?" Caroline's earlier arousal was replaced almost instantaneously with equal parts anger and confusion.
"Please." He left no room for argument. She crossed her arms and hopped off of the hood of the SUV, ready to tell him off but he was bristling at the door. "You can't be here, Bella."
"Bella?" She took a step forward but he held out a hand, blocking her from moving forward. No one else was in the shop, so who was he talking to?
"The phone, please, Caroline."
She glared at the back of his head but grabbed the phone off the wall and dialed her cousin's phone number as Bella Swan opened the front door of the shop.
"We have a problem." The older brunette didn't even spare Caroline a glance as she spoke to Jake.
"No," his voice was deep and demanding, nothing even remotely similar to his earlier needy whispers in her ear. "You have a problem and you want my help. Caroline, will you please put the phone on speaker," he said as Seth picked up.
Good timing, she thought. Almost like he could hear the younger boy pick up.
"I'm not your enemy, Jake." The sadness in her voice sparked a pit of jealousy in the younger girl's stomach and she suddenly wished she wasn't in blast zone of whatever their romantic or not romantic past was as it met with her in the middle.
Through the speaker, Seth's voice was hard. "We're on our way." And the dial tone rang loudly before Caroline ended the call.
Bella's eyes found hers then and the animosity in them sent shivers down her spine. Jake side stepped so she was no longer in the other girl's line of sight. Bella laughed harshly. "Had to be her? It's almost like you did it on purpose."
Caroline felt sick. Had he picked her because she was living in Charlie's house? She didn't know Bella well enough that it could have possibly been seen as a betrayal to the other girl.
"Don't," Jake warned, the protective tone in his voice would have given her butterflies but it only twisted the knot in her gut.
"Jake -"
"Don't," he snarled and Caroline flinched.
Paul, Quil and Seth burst through the front door behind Bella then but she didn't pay them any mind, her eyes never leaving Jake.
"Quil," the strength in Jake's voice seemed to thunder in the small garage. "Please take Caroline home."
"Wait," she stepped forward. "What? I don't think so. What is-" She made to move around Jake but he turned around to face her, putting his massive frame between her and her kind-of-cousin again. She glared up at him and suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to cry and scream in no particular order. "You can't keep fucking doing this to me, Jacob."
He sighed. His jaw was still clenched and the anger was crystal clear on his face but she decided then and there that she didn't give a rat's ass about whatever gang drama he had with the Cullens. She didn't know what that meant as she admitted it to herself, but she didn't have time to analyze it. "I won't allow you to keeping leaving me out of the loop. Now tell me what's going on right now or don't fucking talk to me anymore." You can trust me.
She didn't think it would hurt as bad as it did when the sadness flickered across his face before being replaced with his anger. "Goodnight, Caroline."
Her eyes flickered across his face, willing him to change his mind, searching for a change of heart but Quil's hands were on her shoulders and started pulling her towards the door.
She shrugged him off roughly and marched out of the door, eyes straight ahead as she passed Seth and Bella. She fell asleep to the anguished howling of a lone wolf.
-.-.-
Caroline hadn't heard from Jacob in three days.
She was bluffing when she told him not to talk to her. She hadn't really expected him to move on so quickly. She caved and called the Black residence but never got anything more than the call-back message. When Billy finally answered he told her that Jake was sick and couldn't come to the phone. Shawn told her that he, Paul and some of the guys were on a fishing trip. Seth and Leah were MIA when she went to their house, and she didn't bother disturbing Emily and Sam - they were on complete radio silence and had bigger things to worry about. Quil was covering shifts at the Kwoli Bar but was in an ever present agitated and jumpy mood and never told her anything of substance.
By the end of the third day, when she crawled into bed and found a note on her bedside table.
I promise I will explain everything when I can. I trust you.
She crumpled up his stupid note and threw it into her stupid trashcan and buried herself under her stupid blanket so she could sleep and do something productive with the stupid amount of time she had during the day.
She knew from the moment she met him that Jacob Black was an asshole but she had thought maybe he had gotten over himself. She was weak when she had allowed him to comfort her. She slept in the same bed as him. Twice. Caroline was in a vulnerable head space, in fact she was still in a vulnerable head space, and he had taken advantage of that to try to get her to open up to him and once she did he left her in his driveway to go on a nature hike looking for wolves.
Or whatever he and his gang member/groupies did in the forests of La Push. Not that she would know, as all of them refuse to tell her anything.
A small part in her brain whispered that she was only so angry because she had basically thrown herself at him like a common whore and then his ex-girlfriend/person showed up and demanded his attention - which he willing gave and dismissed her. In addition, her feelings were hurt after he ghosted her and had his friends - who she was beginning to call her friends - lie for him. She had only met him a month ago, discounting the time he put dirt in her hair - the little asshole - but she knew he and his lopsided smile had weaseled their way into her life because she had allowed herself to act on her small crush on him.
She now knew why they called it a crush. Because, like a landslide, it happens so quickly that you don't notice it until it's crushing you like a boulder on an ant.
And she was stupid enough to let it happen. Gravity her ass. He was a black hole.
Aunt Sue was just as jumpy and agitated as Quil was but she feigned innocence the entire time. She was always at Tribal Meetings and seemed on edge. Probably because everyone she knew was a part of a cult/gang and she had to cover it up for the other tribal elders. Well, Caroline wouldn't have any part in it.
She couldn't rely on other people for happiness, her father taught her that. Part of her argued that she was finding happiness in community, in breaking from the isolation she had allowed herself to fall into for an entire month after her father had passed. She didn't rely on Jake for happiness, but she did receive support and comfort for him and she only hurt now because he had denied it from her on a whim. The angrier part of Caroline shut that part off. What did that part of her know anyways? It had allowed her to get into this mess.
Not that she really knew what the mess fully entailed. She was convinced there was some gang activity going on, but that didn't explain the similarities in crime scenes with the ground being covered in claw marks that matched almost exactly the markings on Shawn and Paul's front yard. Maybe they were participating in dog fights?
Dog fights that included the use of people? No, she threw that idea away. There was no way that was happening, Emily would never - and neither would Aunt Sue - be a part of something like that.
She fell asleep that night more confused than ever.
On rare occasion were Sue, Charlie and Caroline are all home in the morning and awake at the same time so they could all eat breakfast together. Normally, Caroline liked these mornings, but today it was tense.
She made sure to address Charlie whenever she needed anything from the other side of the table and asked him questions about his work, much to the older man's discomfort. Charlie was pleased with their usual short conversations, this new talkative side of her did not suit his fancy.
Her answers to her aunt were clipped and Caroline could see it was starting to get on her nerves. She took her dishes and put them in the dishwasher. "I'm off. I will see you later." She announced, as she filled her water bottle.
"And where are you going?" Aunt Sue asked.
Caroline wanted nothing more than to brush her off with a simple 'out' but she wasn't willing to piss her aunt off completely, even if she was mad at her for lying. "Me and Charles are going on a hike in La Push. Ozette River Trail." She put on her backpack and grabbed the dog's leash off the entryway table.
"Number one, that trail is outside of La Push and number two, I don't think that's a good idea," Sue corrected swiftly. "Lots of animal activity. There are some trails in Forks you can take. I'll draw you up a map."
"That's okay, Aunt Sue," Caroline said, trying to appeal to her aunt's better nature by being polite a. "I have my bear spray and Charles. If I'm not back by 3 PM, send help." She winked at her aunt.
"That's not funny, Care," she heard Sue say as she shut the front door behind her, cutting off any further argument.
-.-.-
Caroline and Charles hopped out of the car after the drive to the trailhead. It was a bit of a ways out from Forks, almost two twice the amount of time to La Push from Charlie's house, but the roads were clear - they were always clear - so she was able to speed most of the way in Jake's truck.
She pulled out her map from Ranger Daniels of the location of the attack. She had wrapped all of the photographs and maps in plastic in case it rained but the sunny skies looked like they would hold for the day. She had seven miles of walking to do before she even got close to where the hiker was attacked, also offtrail. Adam Taylor was 35 years old, his cause of death was labeled as a stroke but his body was viciously mauled.
Caroline let Charles pull her down the trail, about a mile in it began to run parallel with the river and she found herself getting lost in the loud sounds of crashing water. The river was still pretty high and had exceeded its normal banks, pulling weaker trees into it. Forks was a logging dow, so any logs left by the river were floating down it now, making it impossible for rafters to go down it safely for the time being. Once the water lowered and the weather warmed up, Caroline would try to go.
Charles stopped suddenly and turned his head sharply to stare across the river. Caroline followed his gaze and laughed. A doe stared right back. "Come on, Charles," she pulled on his leash. The deer whipped around to look off into the forest for a split second before taking off down the river. Charles barked at her as she sprinted away from them and Caroline used the distraction to pull the mutt along.
The fur on his neck down to his rump stood on end and he kept his head low as he surveyed the area. "What has gotten into you?" she asked him. "You can't keep letting deer bother you like that or I'm going to have to find another mangy mutt to take with me."
Charles continued to act strange for the next couple of miles, his slower pace causing them to add extra time to her original ETA. She was starting to get annoyed with Charles went he suddenly pulled her towards the river.
"What the fuck!" She gasped. She barely managed to hold onto his leash as he barked viciously at something across the river. "Charles!" Caroline yanked hard on his leash. "Charles, knock it off!" The dog managed to drag her closer to the river and her sneakers started to slip on the river bank's mossy rocks. "Knock it off!" A howl pierced the air at the same time Caroline spotted a figure directly across the river from them. Charles started to lose it. She slipped on the rocks and scraped her knee. Fuck, that was going to leave a scar.
A bloodied figure stood by the river's edge. His arms were hanging limpy at his sides. Wait, no, only one arm. The other was in his hand.
"Ranger Daniels?" She gasped. Suddenly a second person appeared next to him, almost out of thin air. It looked like he was trying to pull Ranger Daniels to follow him. The howling drew closer. "Ranger Daniels!" Her heart raced, the wolves were on that side, they weren't safe!
His companion turned his head slowly to look at Caroline and her heart stopped.
From where she was she couldn't see him clearly but he bared his teeth to her. He crouched down and looked as though he was going to jump out at her.
Then three things happened at once.
Charles gave one last tug and ripped forward and out of her grasp.
Caroline slipped on the rocks and smashed the side of her head on the ground.
And she just barely saw as something erupted out of the trees and tore into the second man, Ranger Daniels nowhere in sight.
She rolled onto her back as her ears started to ring and her vision blurred. She heard a vicious snarl and Charles' barking turned into yelps. She turned her head and watched the rock Charles was perched on slip into the river, the people and the creature that attacked them were gone.
Another howl cut through the air but Caroline couldn't tear her eyes away from her dog as he was plunged into the river. Without a second thought, she drove in after him.
The cold immediately numbed her, the throbbing wound on her head combined with the ache of her body was a vicious combo. She tried to spot Charles over the crashing water but blood had started to drip into her eyes and her muscles started to seize up in the cold.
"Charles!" She called once she found her voice. She caught a glimpse of him ahead of her swimming towards a log that protruded out over the river. Good boy, she thought. Caroline started paddling towards him, her arms and legs stiff from the cold and exhaustion. She heard a chorus of howls over the river and her stomach clenched in fear.
They were getting closer. They had already gotten two people. They got Ranger Daniels. What was he doing there?
Caroline forced her limbs to cooperate and tried to concentrate on swimming but she was draining by the second and the reality of the situation gripped her mind. She couldn't think about it now. Her chest fought to expand so she could breathe properly. She cried out as her thigh hit an object sticking up somewhere below her and she swallowed a mouthful of water as the impact sent her head over heels and pulled her under.
It was almost peacefully quiet underneath the surface. She kept her eyes screwed shut and she curled herself into a ball as the current dragged her into rocks and trees. Her mind felt clear as she started to get light headed. She tried to take a breath and remembered where she was.
With all the strength she could muster, Caroline kicked herself up, up, up. She broke the surface and started coughing roughly. She opened her eyes just in time to see the log she saw Charles' swimming towards as it smacked her in the nose, her head snapping back with a sickening crack, and sent her back under.
Caroline grabbed at the branches desperately but couldn't get a hold on any of them. She broke the surface but as she tried to wipe her eyes, blood poured into them so she clenched them shut and paddled towards where she hoped was land.
She was taking quick, short breaths, her arms and legs felt like lead and blood flowed easily from her forehead and her nose. One injury blinding her, and the other slowly suffocating her.
Caroline cried out when she ran into another log. She grabbed a branch and barely managed to pull herself up to straddle it. She could hear Charles' barking loudly but she couldn't see him. She lay down on her stomach, unaware of if she was moving with the river or lodged on the bank somewhere. Her legs dangled in the water that threatened to pull her back in but she couldn't move anymore.
Her breathing slowed and her mind started to drift. She couldn't hear Charles anymore. She tasted iron on her tongue and she couldn't tell if the wet dripping off of her face was water or blood. Her head started to pound and her body began to shake. She was so cold.
She couldn't use her nose, and as she panted from her mouth she found she couldn't breathe from there either. The creature that had attacked Ranger Daniels and his companion flooded her mind and she started to hyperventilate. It was still out there and she tried to move but she became overwhelmed with pain. The sounds of the river seemed to take over her senses and couldn't concentrate.
Something warm brushed across her face and her last thought before going under that she hoped it was quick.