Friday, June 8, 2012

6. I'm Edward Cullen

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners.  The original characters and plot are the property of the author.  The author is no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise.  No copyright infringement is intended.

Warnings: Rated Mature for language, gore and adult situations.  Readers under the age of 18 are discouraged from reading.

Summery:  Bella Swan, college student and native of Phoenix Arizona is ready to start her new life near her father in Forks.  Where will Sam Uley fit in?  Shifters, Imprints and Vampires.  Imprint Story.  Sam x Bella

Chapter Five
I’m Edward Cullen



[If you don't know who this is you have no business viewing this story]


It’s been five weeks since Jarred and Kim’s engagement party, the bonfire, my father’s and four weeks and six days since that fucked up anniversary party and the night I first kissed Sam Uley. 

Sam Uley.

Don’t even get me started on that man. 

I’ve never been around such a conundrum of a man before.  He burns with such passion that it’s evident in everything he does and yet he’s distant, detached and acts very frightened at times.  Whether it’s something silly; like taking the elementary school children on a nature walk or taking time out of his day for the younger boys that always seemed to be lagging around with his group of friends. 

Passion.  The man is fully of it and everyone around him can see it but him. 

Ironic no?

It’s in the very floorboards of this apartment, it breathes in the walls.  It’s in the eyes of his mother, a woman who did her best to raise him despite his absentee father.  It’s in a little bit of everything on the reservation.  Like a finger print.  It’s just… Sam.  It’s inspiring, really.  To watch him take a task as simple as weeding a garden for his mother and turn into such a display of raw beauty. 

Damn, that man has turned me into a poet. 

I guess I should listen to Plato, At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet.  Yes, it sounds just as sickening to me as it does to you, but some times I find I really can’t help myself. 

Moving on.

Things have settled really well for me in La Push.  All of Jake’s friends have been really good to me, helping me out with just about anything I need.  Since my landlord, who at the moment shall remain nameless, is pretty much letting me live her for peanuts I was able to get a vehicle pretty fast.  Funny enough, I bought my new ride from Billy, an old classic truck with a rebuilt engine worked on by my bestest idiot friend himself.  And Sam worked on that, too. 

Christ on a cracker, I have it bad.

My truck. 

Yes, Bella, back on track. 

My truck is a wonderful little piece of antique mechanics. It wouldn’t start until the sun rose and refused to budge over fifty-five MPH.  I shit you not.  My girl was a testy bitch, but it was either that or hoofing it.  So we had a definite hate/love relationship.

The apartment was now completely finished on my end, brand new backsplash in the kitchen and all.  I really thought I’d have to turn on the doe eyed look a little more for that, but my landlord agreed without a second blink. 

Classes have started and I now find myself drowning in pages of ugly yellow leaflets ranging from dissertations topics to Quileute folk lore.  Yeah, I dare someone to try and sit down in my living room.  Strangely enough, I hadn’t made any new friends off the reservation.  Weirder was that the college kids in Forks actually shied away from me.  I might not be the friendliest person in the whole world, especially in the mornings, but I was far from some kind of fucking leaper.  Back in Phoenix, I was actually kind of popular.  Or at least people talked to me.

I groaned aloud to myself, probably drawing in the attention of half the lecture hall as suddenly remembering I had to stop at the store on the way home for Allison.  Yeah, I have no feelings for Sam Uley what so ever, except the fact that I do and I spend much of my free waking hours with the man’s mother, much to his chagrin.

He keeps saying she’ll scare me away, but in reality he was doing a pretty good job of that himself. 

The morning after the party at Sam’s house, I woke up in his bed - not the way you think, perverts, his big ass was asleep on… so okay he was buck-ass naked at the end of the bed and I was topless but I swear nothing happened.  Except for the toe licking thing… oh, and Paul’s junk.  Yeah, my life is so normal. 

Mildly hung-over and starvin’ like Marvin.  He took me to breakfast at the dinner in Forks and to my great despair, Charlie was there with the whole fam-damn-ily.  He watched us like a hawk, or should I say he watched Sam like a hawk, weird expression tugging on his brows.  It was like he already knew… something and didn’t know how to process it yet.  Eventually I got so fed up with his staring I decided to be a real mature adult and started shooting spit-balls at Seth.  Charlie lasted a whole ten minutes through Seth’s whining before he stop up and made an ass of himself when he exclaimed to the entire diner “Bella, stop emasculating your Step-brother.”

Sam, Sue and Leah were laughing so hard I thought for sure someone was going to piss themselves. 

Since then, I’ve seen Sam many times, either at the house or in town.  I thought I was going crazy at first or I that I had turned into some kind of a subconscious stalker.  I mean the man showed up EVERYWHERE.  He moved my hall tree into the entryway for me my second day in town and he saw my tits again on the eighth.

Again, not what you’re thinking. 

No, I was fresh out of the shower, bopping around in the kitchen to the Killers - great band - and I’d had a few glasses of wine.  So when I heard a car door slam outside, I went to investigate via my living room window.  It took all of two seconds after Sam looked up from his truck window and motioned to me with his finger to turn around to realize I was topless.  Yeah, that wasn’t embarrassing at all. 

I guess it shouldn’t have been.  It’s not like he hasn’t seen ‘em before. 

Jesus, Bella, just stop!

We even tried to go out once.  It was never said to be a date, even though it really felt like we were on one, or at least it did to me. 

You know the drill; sweaty palms, racing pulse and I spending more than thirty minutes getting ready. 

That to me Ladies and Gentleman, is a date. 

We never did get around to the date part of it though, as soon as we arrived at the restaurant in Port Angeles, he got some mysterious phone call and ended up speeding us back to the reservation.  That was the first time I saw Sam Uley look scared.  What about, I didn’t ask. 

He showed up the next day, of course, flowers in hand and apologizing like he had just condemned my first born to death.  Call me stupid, but I found his apology so damn sweet that I kissed him and boy did he kiss me back. 

Then, the bastard bolted. 

I still see him, my landlord, as I refer to him now-a-days.  Sam was only for lustful dreams and cursing his name.  I see him almost every day, usually just a glimpse.  But today I’d actually spoken with him.  It was a strange and awkward meeting. 

Late for class, I raced about my bedroom, stubbing toes and cursing everything to the fiery pits of Hades, frantically trying to find car keys. 

They had to be around here somewhere.

A knock sounded…


A throat clearing beside me drew my attention to the fact that I was in class and that I was daydreaming about Sam again.  Can I say frustrating much.  The lecture was about to start and I was still in la-la land when a cool tingle shot up my back like icy fingers and then it did it again. 

Confused and curious now, I lifted my head from my notes, straining against the hood that was still pulled up around my cold face and cast an eye about the room and there it was.  Two men, two of the most beautiful men I’d ever seen took the final two chairs beside me.  Now, when I say beautiful men, I don’t mean like Sam’s kind of beauty.  Sam was rugged, a man’s man and oozed raw sex appeal.  These men where pretty.  Perfect faces, with perfect hair and perfect clothes. 

As they sat I couldn’t stop myself from staring.  There was something… off, about both of them.  They looked decidedly pale to me but that might just be because I spent more than ninety percent of my time in a place where everyone was at least four shades darker than me.  But then again, these guys were paler than even I. 

They were both of average height, maybe a bit taller than the usual but both were fit and lean.  One was gorgeously blonde and while blondes aren’t usually my thing, or at lest lately they weren’t, I couldn’t help but appraise the merchandise. 

God, he was good looking. 

The other had the funniest color hair I’d ever come across.  It was the color of a used penny, not quite copper anymore and still not quite brown but it still gleamed in the light like it was shiny and new.  As if reading my mind, Penny boys head snapped up and I was met with solid yellow eyes.  Not gold or honey like Sam’s, these were solid yellow and his blonde friend had an exact matching set.  Weird.  He smiled at me and hesitantly, I smiled back. 

Reaching across the desk, copper penny stuck out a pale hand and exclaimed.  “I’m Edward Cullen.” 

Seeing as this was the first person in Forks who’s tried to make friends with me, I lowered the hood of my sweatshirt and smiled.  “Bella Swan.” 

It was like a chain of reaction after that.  As soon as my hood went down, those icy cold fingers dancing down my spine were back with a vengeance.  Edward pulled his hand back like he were burned and promptly covered his mouth like he might throw up.  His blonde companion leaned over whispering something in his ear too low for me to hear.  Edward nodded, jumped up and ran from the room, leaving behind this semesters syllabus.

Poor guy, I thought, there was a nasty bug going around campus and I guess of all people, he caught it.  I still thought it was strange that he didn’t make that face until I lowered my hood but then again, I know I’ve experienced projectile vomit while watching Gerard Butler in nothing but a skirt, so I didn’t think it was me. 

Blondie got up a second later, talking into his phone furiously as he passed me and went in the opposite direction of his friend. 

I really don’t have a reason behind what I did next.  I felt pity for the poor model like man and didn’t want him to fail this class because he’d either partied to hard the night before or he really genuinely was sick.  Either way, I place my own packet of paperwork in my bag, grabbed his off the desk and shot out the door in his direction.  I found his a little ways down the hall, butt pressed into the wall, head between his knees and breathing deeply. 

Guess he really did get sick.

“Um… excuse me. Edward, right?”  His head snapped up with the first um and looked at me like I was crazy.  “Uh, yeah, you forgot this when you left.  I’ve never taken anything with Professor Jordus before but… well, I heard he’s kind of an asshole.”  I finished lamely, shifting from foot to foot as I held out the thick bindings of paper. 

Edward cocked his head a little and gave me a tightlipped smile.  “Thank you.”  He replied tightly, holding out his hands to receive said papers. 

Papers were transferring hands and all was well until I felt a sting and I hissed.  “Ouch.”  I whined, pulling my index finger back to observe the damage.  Sure enough a bright bead of blood drew the surface of my finger.  “Paper cut.”

It had always been fascinating to me how Newtown’s relativity law applied to everyday life.  For every action there is always a reaction.  Yeah, I never thought a single tiny paper cut would flip my world upside down forever.

The next few seconds were a blur, or at least it happened so fast I wasn’t even sure what happened.  One second I was standing in front of Edward and then my back felt a surge of pain when I met the brick wall behind me.  Edward had his forearm braced across my collar bone and he was snapping and snarling just inches from my face.

My heart was thudding loudly in my chest as tears streamed from my eyes.  “Please?”  I begged, more scared than I’d ever been.  I felt like I couldn’t breathe, like I was being crushed against the stone wall.  I could literally hear the bones in my vertebra popping from the force but Edward didn’t stop. 

It seemed like he was struggling with something, not that I fucking gave a shit anymore.  His eyes jerked up to mine and I gasped when I realized they were black, there was no more pretty cat like yellow visible, only ink.  A growl, inhuman and terrifying ripped from his throat as he screamed at me to “stay away from me”.

Yeah, really not having a problem with that, buddy.

I felt something warm rushing down my leg and somewhere in the back of my mind, I realized I had just pissed my pants but I still couldn’t tear my eyes from his terrifying face.  His body was like rock hard marble and I could feel the coolness of his skin seeping through my thick shirt. 

Then all the pressure was gone and I fell heavily to the floor.  I don’t think I laid there very long before I looked up and saw that Edward was gone as well.  With tears pouring down my face, I heft myself onto my shaking legs and ran.  I didn’t stop until I reached the inside of my truck.  Still panting and sore, I didn’t even removing my shoulder bag as I shoved my keys into the ignition and roared out of the parking lot, driving blindly through my tears until I reached the road that would lead me to La Push.

~ Sam ~


Sam's Cabin


Even with Jared, Paul and Jacob laughing in the seat behind me I still couldn’t get my mind off Tink this morning and the feeling of her lips against my skin that I was so sure I’d never feel again.

I had just stopped by to pick up her rent check.  With my wolfy senses I could tell she was home, there was music playing in her bedroom above and I could hear her light footfalls and I laughed to myself, imagining her dancing. 

Checking the letter box by the front door and finding it empty, I contemplated whether or not to just come back another day or if I should just man the fuck up and knock on the door. 

Call me a pussy but I was still slightly afraid she’d be mad at me. 

After all, I did run out on her without explanation right after she kissed me, and oh what a kiss.  It was soft and sweet but entirely naughty.  It was lips, teeth and tongue but no where near the force I desired.  I wanted to bruise that beautiful pink mouth.  I wanted to lick my way into the precious pout, fuck it and mark it as my own but Jacob it seemed, had a very different idea.  His howl went up into the night air like the fucking bat signal and it was a distress call.

Fucking leeches. 

Apparently, there were three new scents in the area and those bastards had been  ripping people apart left and right all the way from Forks to Tacoma.  For some reason, we couldn’t catch them… or at least, not all of them.  We had cornered and killed the dark skinned one but the blonde and his fire-crotch must have some kind of a gift for evasion.  We just couldn’t corner them.

The chase had been going on for weeks now.  That fucking red-head would tease our borders, taunting us and effectively fucking up our love-lives and then disappears without a trace. 

I should have told her something, made up some stupid excuse but really if I had just told her the fucking truth she’d already know where I was running off to at all hours of the night and she’d be marked and naked in my bed when I returned. 

Her father had already given his permission. Well… after he threatened to kill me.  But still I had his permission to court his daughter, my mate.  Even my own mother loved her and spent a lot of her free time in either Tink’s loft or I’d find Tink at my mothers; always in the kitchen. 

After giving myself a mighty man pep talk, I knocked.  A muffled “Who is it?” came from up the stairs and I bellowed back my name.

She told me it was open and I could already tell Tink was in a rush upstairs.  She was grumbling to herself, cursing and spluttering as she thudded around.  “You can come up!”  She wailed which was followed by another string of impressive cursing. 

I nearly fell over laughing when I found her hopping around on one foot in her bedroom.  She had a sweatshirt halfway pulled over her head while she struggled with her other hand to pull on a boot.  “I’m so fucking late!”  she told me, practically yelling through her panic.

“Uh… yeah, your check wasn’t outside but I can come by and pick up later or you-”

“Shit!”  she swore as she hobbled over to the bed and started rummaging through her bag.  “It’s all filled out, I just spaced the putting it outside part.” 

Yanking the slip of paper out of her bag with a triumphant “Ah ha” she all but shoved it into my hands.  “Sorry Sam, I’m really late for class.  I gotta go.”  She told me as she finally pulled her other arm through the sleeve. 

She looked at me, blushing slightly before she popped up onto her toes and kissed me on the corner of my mouth and started tromping down the stairs.  I followed her like a lost puppy to the door.  “Can we talk later?”  She asked.

I was so stunned, I could only nod like an idiot but even still she smiled at me. 

She fucking smiled.  At me!

Get a hold of yourself! 

“There’s some muffins for the guy on the counter…”  she called over her shoulder.

Too bad she didn’t make me any-

“And I made you some Snicker Doodles too…  You can let yourself out right?” 

She never even gave me a chance to answer before she was out the door and I heard her truck fire up.  I stood there like an idiot holding my cheek in the spot she had kissed me until I couldn’t hear the loud engine of her monstrosity anymore. 

“Hey,”  Embry shouted.  “Isn’t that Bella’s truck.” 

My head snapped up at the name and zeroed in on the rusted out orange truck sitting on the side of 110.  The engine was cut, I could tell that much as I pulled up and I could also tell that Tink was in it. 

But something was wrong. 

I could feel it in my fucking bones. 

Jerking my wheel to the left, I pulled a jerky U-turn and pulled up behind Bella.  She was sitting in the cab of the truck, looking straight ahead through the glass. 

What the hell was wrong with her?

With a rapidly beating heart, I exited the truck, not even bothering to shut my door and jogged to Tink’s window.  Even through the foggy glass I could tell she was as pale as I’d ever seen her and she was shaking. 

Lightly rapping on the glass with my knuckles, I called her name.  When she didn’t respond, I tried the door handle.  It gave a heavy groan as I forced the lock and immediately I was jerking my head back into the wind for fresh air.  The stale air inside the cab was thick was the salt of her tears and the stink of ammonia.  Urine?  Even with the loud screeching metal of her door Bella still wouldn’t acknowledge me, it was like she didn’t even hear me.  “Tink?”  I called out again.

Slowly, her head turned.  Her eyes were wide with fright and her bottom lip was trembling.  “I pissed myself.”  She squeaked. 

Behind me I could hear Em and Jake laughing.  While in any other situation I would have been laughing right along with them, something was disturbing about her face.  She looked so fucking terrified.  I threw out a hand to the laughing pups behind me and in my Alpha tenor I barked.  “Shut up!  Something’s wrong.” 

Jake slung himself out of the truck and jogged to my side, the others following along after him.  Taking a calming breath so I wouldn’t rip Jacob apart for coming to close to Bella while she was scared. I growled as that first lung full of oxygen hit my lungs. 

There was no mistaking it.  There was no masking it.  The underlying scent of bleach and sugar clung to her.

Vampire.

“Tink.”  I called again, this time louder.  “Bella!”

Her head whipped around, seeming to come alive all at once.  “Sam?”  She rasped as she flung herself into my arms.  As soon as her tiny body hit mine, I wrapped her up and she cried out. 

“Bella?”  I questioned.

Tears were streaming down her face, but her legs stayed locked around my waist.  “What is it, baby?”

She sniffled a little.  “My back.” 

I looked at her confused before asking if I could put her down to look.  She shook her head.  With a sigh, I motioned for Jacob to have a look. 

He did.  Gently he lifted her thick sweater from her body.  He dropped it instantly, his eyes wide as he backed away.  “Jesus!” 

“What? What is it?”  I asked, frantic and about to explode out of my skin. 

God, had she been bit?  She didn’t smell like she had.

Jake’s awe face was quickly replaced with one of pure rage.  “Jesus fucking Christ! Sam, her back-  Holy fuck!”  At this point it was pretty obvious that I wasn’t going to get much out of Jacob like this. 

“Calm down!”  I ordered.  “If you phase too close you could hurt her.”

Seth approached then, looking as timid as ever.  “Sam, would you mind?”  He asked, gesturing to Bella’s sweatshirt. 

I shook my head. 

“Bells.”  Seth crooned softly.  “Can you hold your arms up.  I need to get this sweater off.  Sam’s got you, he would never drop you.  You know that don’t you?”

She nodded, gripping me a little tighter before complying with Seth and lifting her arms over her head.  Seth had the sweater off within seconds and Seth much like Jacob, dropped it to the wet pavement before stepping back with wide eyes.  “Taha Aki.”  He whispered. 

I was almost afraid to look down myself but I knew I had too.

Peeking over her shoulder and seeing what had shocked everyone so bad made me wish I  hadn’t looked at all.  Her back was a solid fucking bruise.  “Bella, what the fuck happened to you?”  I asked, my voice trembling with the force of my body shaking.

Her arms were damn near choking me.  “There was a man… in class… he got sick.”  She started.

“A man?”  Embry asked.

Bella nodded.  “Yeah… he was different… cold but I felt bad when he got sick, so I brought him his syllabus and I cut my finger on the paper.  He… he… Oh, god.” 

Everyone of us were growling at this point and I prayed to my ancestors for help.  The last thing Bella would need right now was a giant Werewolf exploding out of her best friend’s skin. 

“It was a leech.”  I murmured. 

“Bells, what was the guys name.  Did he say anything to you?”  Jake asked.

Again, she nodded.  “He introduced himself.  Edward Cullen.  His skin was so cold, Jake.”

A fucking Cullen!

A million things were raging through my mind as I tried to stay collected enough to lead my pack, all the while trying hard not to phase and kill my imprint.  The first order of business had to be Bella.  I needed to get her to the Rez, I had to make her safe.  Then I’d deal with those fucking leeches. 

Nodding to myself, I started barking out orders.  “Jake, Paul, call Emily and Leah, have them meet us at my place.  Embry, drive Bella’s truck.  Seth you’re with me.  Jared, you and Paul are running back, if you’re followed… kill them.” 

As soon as I had myself and Bella secured in the passenger seat, I fished my phone from the inner console and dialed my mother. 

“Hey baby-boy, I thought you were heading to Port Angels?”  She answered brightly.

“Change of plans.”  I told her gruffly.  “Look, can you do me a favor?” 

“You know I will.  What’s wrong, Sam, you sound upset?”  Leave it to my mother to sniff me out without even having to see my face. 

“I’ll explain later.  I need you to call Billy Black and get me some clothes from Tink’s, make sure they’re loose and warm, pack enough for a couple of days.  If I need more after that, I can get them later myself.” 

“Sam, what’s going on?”  I could tell she was losing her patience.  I really didn’t have the time or the patience myself to deal with it, but this was my mother and I could tell she was just worried. 

Clearing my throat.  “Mom, I can’t explain right now.  Meet me at my house?” 

“Of course baby.  Is Bella okay?” 

I sure hoped she would be. 

~

Leah, Emily and my mother were all on my wrap around porch when Seth squealed into the drive.  My mother was completely frantic, Leah looked pissed as usual and Emily was calm and collected.  At least one of us was.

As soon as the truck was in park my mother was off the porch like a shot and opening my door.  Tears were already shining in her dark eyes.  “Oh god, Sam, her back.” 

I nodded, as I really couldn’t say much right now that wouldn’t come out snappy or a growl. 

“Leah, grab the hot water bottle from under the sink in the master bath.  Emily, will you start a warm shower for Bella, please?”  My mother barked, fully out panic mode quickly replaced by her over powering need to mother my mate. 

I wasn’t complaining a bit. 

Quickly, we ushered a rain-soaked and urine saturated Tink into my house and into the my bathroom.  “Alright, Tink, we gotta get you in the shower now, baby-girl.” I told her as I tried to set her down on the countertop.  Bella wasn’t having it.  At all. 

Her legs were like steel around my waist as her arms tightened around my neck.  She was shaking her head and sobbing all the harder.  “Shh,”  I soothed.  “I won’t leave if you don’t want me too, but baby, you have to let me get you undressed.” 

She nodded, obviously not ashamed for me to see her so vulnerable.  “Alright, baby.” 

Stripping her wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be after I told her I was staying with her, but getting that little ass in the shower proved difficult.  “Come baby, we gotta get you warm.”  I told her, trying to remain calm, though all I wanted to do was fucking take a big bite out of a sparkling Cullen ass, at this point I didn’t even care which one. 

“No…no…”  She cried, shaking her head and hauling her gloriously naked ass back up into my arms. 

It became apparent after a few minutes that she wasn’t getting into that shower unless I went with her.  Apparently mom agreed with me. 

“Samuel Adam Uley, get your ass into that shower with your girl before I come in there and shove your naked ass in there myself!”  Mom hollered through the door. 

Alrighty then.

Although I sure as hell didn’t mind getting buff around my imprint, and my mother obviously didn’t mind either, I wasn’t so sure how Bella would handle my junk being all up close and personal after such a traumatic day.

Ask her fuck-nut. 

“Tink, do you want me to stay with you… in the shower, I mean?”  I asked, taking her face in both palms, fuck I had to be sure about this, I didn’t need to freak her out anymore than she was already.

She nodded quickly.  “Don’t leave me!”  She squeaked. 

Alright, Sam, you can do this.  It’s only your imprint, buck ass naked in the shower.  You can do this. 

“Alright, baby-girl, let me take off my shorts, okay?”  She nodded again.

I can do this!  I can do this!  I can do this! 

Here goes nothing…

5. Drunken Officers and Randy Pack Mates

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners.  The original characters and plot are the property of the author.  The author is no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise.  No copyright infringement is intended.

Warnings: Rated Mature for language, gore and adult situations.  Readers under the age of 18 are discouraged from reading.

Summery:  Bella Swan, college student and native of Phoenix Arizona is ready to start her new life near her father in Forks.  Where will Sam Uley fit in?  Shifters, Imprints and Vampires.  Imprint Story.  Sam x Bella

Charlie and Sue's

Chapter Five
Drunken Officer’s and Randy Pack Mates

It didn’t take long to distinguish Hank Williams Jr. blaring from my father’s ancient CD player as soon as Sam pulled up to the small two story blue house.

“Holy shit,”  I declared.  “He’s already drunk!”

Sam gave me that look, you know the one; his brow was furrowed and his eyes squinted in concentration.  It was that, “How the fuck do you know?” look.

“What this world needs is a few more rednecks… people with the nerve to take a stand.   What this world needs is a little more respect… for the Lord and the law and the working man…”

“Oh yeah,”  I giggled.  “He’s definitely drunk.” 

Sam grinned, handing me the pie carrier as he reached behind the seat and grab the color he brought just for me.  What can I say, I like my Red Bull cold. 

“Listen…”  I told him.

“What this world needs is a few more rednecks…”  Charlie bellowed from somewhere in the house, I could practically see him shimmying around Sue’s special nacho dip, some kind of hard alcohol in his hand, dodging empty cans of Vitamin R.   “We could use a little more peace and satisfaction…”

I laughed harder.  “Do you doubt me?” 

Sam was already doubled over laughing, holding his mouth and trying his best not to snort like a pig.  “See,”  I told him, laughing harder myself.  “I’m not you’re not the only one with embarrassing genes.” 

As I’m telling him this, the song changes and Charlie staggers onto his front porch; White Russian in hand and his officers ball-cap sitting askew on his head and he’s bellowing into the crisp afternoon air like a cat on a hot tin roof to Jerry Reeds finest.

“East bound and down, loaded up and truckin’ a’we gonna do what they say can’t be done. We got a long way to go, and a short time to get there, I’m east bound just watch ol’Bandit run!”

“Dear god, make it go away.”  I groan, leaning into Sam’s side to hide my blushing face.  I mean, c’mon dad… you couldn’t have at least waited till I was shit-faced.

Sam must have found the whole thing terribly funny, cause he’s still hunched over laughing so hard he’s not even making noise anymore.  He’s stuck in one of those painful belly laughs, you know the one; where you can’t even suck in enough oxygen to make it audible. 

“What the hell is going on out-”  Jacob asks from behind me, but cuts himself off cause he already figured it out.  I turn around just in time to see Sam fall to the dirt and for Jake to let out his own bark of a laugh as Charlie continues to screech on, oblivious to the fact that he’s making a complete ass of himself and we’re all laughing at him.

Keep your foot hard on the peddle,
son never mind them breaks,
let it all hang out ‘cause we’ve got a run to make.

The boys are thirsty in Atlanta
and there’s beer in Texarkana,
and we’ll bring it back no matter what it takes!

“White Russians?”  Jake asks nonchalantly.

“Yep,”  I reply with a shrug of the shoulder. 

So, instead of trying to bypass my completely tanked father and end up flat on my ass when he tries to dance with me, I popped out one of the lawn chairs that had been discarded when Sam turned into the dirt-eating, howler monkey on the ground and grabbed two beers and my fifth of rye whiskey from the cooler. 

“Shot?”  I offer.  Jake looks up at me and nods like a bobble head. 

Yeah, this shit is quite terrifying. 

But just as I took a long pull from my beer thinking that nothing could be worse than my drunk ass dad badly slurring along with ‘Cletus Snow’, Billy rolls out the door with a six pack of Rainier across his lap and looking just as twisted as Charlie.

Oh, good lord…  And together they sing:

“East bound and down, loaded up and truckin’ a’we gonna do what they say can’t be done. We got a long way to go, and a short time to get there, I’m east bound just watch ol’Bandit run!”

This time it’s Jake’s turn to groan, and I couldn’t really blame him, especially as seeing his sister Rachel, Sue, Leah, Seth, Paul, Emily and Kim all happened to pull up at the same moment. 

Yeah, this ought to be interesting. 

“Charlie!”  Sue scolds, “What on earth!”  Yep, somebody’s in trouble…

Sam, who had finally gotten a hold of himself when Sue tongue lashing came into play, rises to his feet, brushing the dust of his thighs and calves…  Oh holy bat-shit… those legs! 

Are they even legal in this state?

Is it fucked up that I want to molest those thighs? 

What the fuck is wrong with me?

It hasn’t even been two days around this man and already I wound up tighter than piano strings.  I’ve been with good looking men before, possibly even better looking than Sam, maybe.  But there was just something about him.  Hell, it was everything about him.  From his devastatingly bright smile that made the skin around his eyes crinkle, to the way his honey colored eyes came to life when I teased him, everything about him made me crazy.  Crazy in the sense that I wanted to jump on his dick and yell ye-haw. 

Something was definitely wrong with me.

“See mom, this is what happens when you marry a pale-face.”  Leah commented with a snort of her own.

With out really thinking about how the woman built like a brick-shithouse could probably re-arrange my face without so much as breaking a sweat, I swatted at her head.  “Hey!”

To my surprise and I’m guess Sam’s too, if his open mouth a wide eyes were anything to go by, she laughed and threw her hands up in mock surrender.  “Give it up, B… you Swan’s are fucking crazy.” 

Charlie stilled for a second, scratching his head.  “I resemble that.”  He slurred and then yelled.  “Hey Kevin!  Switch out the disk, will you?” 

I didn’t have a clue who this Kevin was but apparently everyone else did as they pulled off the best collectively unified groan I’d ever heard, shortly followed by Sue muttering.  “I’m going to kill that bastard.”  Oh yeah, daddy was in the dog house now.  

Charlie and Sue

The rest of the night went off without a hitch for the most part.  True to my previous thoughts, Sue did scold the shit out of Charlie for his behavior at such a public event.  I so badly wanted to call her on that, because I seem to remember when she was still married to Harry she went and got real shit-faced right before a council meeting.  A fucking council meeting.  Plus, I’ve heard all about Bingo Fridays. 

In the end she really didn’t give Charlie that hard of a time.  We did the dinner thing, which I might have almost been sick if I had actually tried to eat anything.  It really shouldn’t have been as big of a shock as it was, I had seen Sam eat after all, but he’s enormous.  But when all of them started shoveling, my insides turned a little and reminded me that indigestion was a terrible thing. 

A little while later we did the whole Cake and Presents thing, to which my beloved Quil took a wooden spoon to the head for buying Sue a pink, glittery vibrator.  I was sure the guy had a concussion after that, she did break the spoon over his mentally retarded, over sexed head.  But for the most part everything went down as it should.

Well… kind of, anyway.

I mean yeah, Collin did throw up in my pie carrier and Brady did grab my ass thinking I was someone named Amelia but for the greater part, it was a lot of fun.

Well, maybe not so fun for Brady… who was now sporting a broken nose.  I’m not really sure what he did to piss Sam off so much, but he was sure paying for it now. 

I was still kind of shocked at the way it went down.  Leah, Emily, Kim and myself were trading war stories over a second fifth of whiskey.  Some of the boys were milling around and throwing out crass comments here and there, when Sam stormed through the kitchen and slammed Brady into the refrigerator.  

The poor kid looked so damn terrified, I wasn’t really sure what to make of the situations.  He was trembling… well, both of them were and then out of no where Sam just knocks the shit out of him and drops him to the ground. 

Which is why I’m standing out side waiting for Sam to come back from his walk through the woods, a cool off walk is what Jacob called it. 

When he did break through the tree-line it was easy to tell he was drunk, very drunk, possibly drunker than he was the night before. 

“Bella…”  he slurred as he saddled up beside me on Charlie’s front step.  “What are you doing out here?” 

“Waiting for you,”  I replied in honesty.  “I was worried.  What the hell happened in there?”

The poor guy looked miserable.  Miserable and drunk. 

He sighed, running a hand through his dark hair sloppily before turning his bloodshot eyes on me.  “I honestly don’t know… he was touching you and…”

I cut him off there.  Standing up and grabbing his gianormous hand.  “Come on big guy. Let’s go hash this shit out.”

~ Sam ~

I felt like shit and I’m not even sure I know why.

If it had been Paul, Jared or even Mr. Sunshine Jacob Black; they would all have reacted the same way.  Bella Swan was an imprinted female.  One that had yet to be claimed formally and marked.  And it apparently turned me into a possessive,  club wielding neanderthal.   The club being my fist.

And it made me feel like shit.

Brady wasn’t a bad kid.  In fact he was one of the easier pack members to deal with most of the time, and yet I knocked him on his ass because of a measly ass-grab. 

Fuck!

He didn’t even realize it was Bella until I had pinned against the fucking fridge, all but ready to beat him to death with his own arms.  Why the fuck Embry thought it was even necessary to tell me is was beyond my comprehension. 

It was a stupid thing to do and if I had been any more inebriated than I already was, I might have accidentally killed him. 

So what did I do?

I ran. 

Like a little bitch… and not at all like the powerful male wolf I am. 

And I got drunk.  Fucking wasted really.

But I just felt… so fucking awful.  I had hit one of my pups.  One of my brothers who I’ve sworn to protect. 

And over what? 

A woman.

My woman.

My woman that had no clue that she was my woman. 

I think I’m starting to lose a grip on it all.  It should be easy; imprinting.  But it wasn’t, not for me.  I’m at war with myself and I honestly don’t think I’ve ever fought in a harsher battle.  Part of me, the strong instinctual part of me, wants nothing more than grab her by the hand, take her to my den and fuck her senseless.  I’d sort out the details later. 

But the human part of Sam Uley is desperate.  No, more than desperate to have her love me all on her own.  If that is even fucking possible. 

This is all new.  Exciting and scaring at the same time. 

There’s never been an imprint like Tink before.  She white and light and absolutely fucking clueless as to what I really am.  There’s never been an imprint outside of La Push, well, excluding Emily.  But even then, she was at least aware of her imprint. Being Leah’s cousin meant that she had at least been around Paul every summer and most holidays since she was in diapers. 

But my imprint hasn’t even seen the shores of my homeland since she was a teenager.  Sure if she was Jacob’s imprint there wouldn’t have been a problem.  At least there was some kind of foundation for them to build on.  For me though, I was flying blind. 

I knew for a fact that she was drawn to me, it was one of those things that was hard not to notice.  A blind man would notice the charged energy in the air whenever she was close.  The way she would gravitate in my direction no matter where we were or what she was doing.  Hell, I was damn sure Charlie had noticed.  Sue had to elbow him, twice, for the nasty glares he sent me all through dinner.  The fact he was drunk didn’t help matters.  It was apparent to me and every other wolf at the table that he was two seconds from unlatching his teeth from his tongue and exposing me to his daughter in front of everyone.  Even I knew that wouldn’t have gone down well. 

For as free-spirited as Tink was, mostly due to her mother, I didn’t think drawing attention to the thirty some-odd people gathered in the Swan-Clearwater household would make her very happy.  Tink, as crazy as she was, was a fairly private person. 

God, what was I gonna do?

Should I just blurt it out.  “Hey baby, so I need to tell you something: You see, I’m a shape-shifter.  I turn into a gigantic-ass wolf whenever someone pisses me off.  Oh, and the squirrelly Indian gods dubbed you my mate, so bend over and lets make a litter.  Yeah, and before I forget, I fixin’ to fuck you like an animal and bite you because I’m a possessive caveman.”  

I’m sure she would just jump into my all-to willing arms and shout.  “Oh yes, Sam, fuck me like the randy beast you are.”

It sounded lame, even in my own head. 

Maybe getting drunk wasn’t as good of an idea as I previously thought?

In a sudden epiphany, I decided I would get her to at least date me before unleashing my secret upon her, but even then I wasn’t so sure I wanted to tell her about the imprint.  The thought of her choosing to be with me out of guilt was enough to make my stomach turn.

It was a disgusting thought, to tie that beautiful woman to me because she didn’t want me to suffer.  And that was exactly the kind of person Tink was.

She wasn’t a push-over by any means, but she had that kind of subtle selflessness about her that I knew, I fucking knew she would bind herself to my wolf out of sheer good heartedness.  I had no doubts.

With the constant mind-fucking circle-jerk of thoughts buzzing a mile a minute through my head, I almost missed the fact that she was waiting for me when I stumbled out of the woods behind the Swan-Clearwater residence. 

God she was beautiful.  

Even under the shallow tint of the overhead, porch lighting, I had never seen a more stunning vestige.  Yep, go ahead and snip them balls.  Maybe I’ll send them to a taxidermist for mounting.  That way Bella wouldn’t be lonely when she turns me away after finding out what a complete pussy I am.  That would count for something, right?

Like a wolf-imprint kill of honor.  The plague would read.  “Here stands the balls of Samuel Adams Uley: Pussy extraordinaire.

Getting drunk was definitely a bad idea. 

After patting my crotch to make sure that my balls hadn’t scampered off into the night, I sucked in a deep breath and pulled up my man-pants.  “Bella… What are you doing here?” 

My voice was noticeably shaky and my words were horribly slurred, but I at least managed to plant my big Indian ass onto the step next to her without falling on my face.  So points for that. 

“Waiting for you.”  She answered, a little breathless I might add and I couldn’t help but to feel smug knowing I caused the reaction.  Guilt, however, took the front seat soon after when she glared.  “What the hell happened in there?”

The way she was looking at me reminded me all to well of my crazy mother and of the ass-chewing I was bound to receive when Mrs. Fuller, A.K.A. Brady’s mother decided to out me at the next Bingo meet. 

Because honesty is the best policy and well, I couldn’t fucking lie to my imprint if it meant my life, I gave her the only answer I could.  “I honestly don’t know… he was touching you and…”  Yes Sam, because that didn’t sound chauvinistic or pathetic at all. 

Running my hand through the short hairs on my head, I groaned in frustration and went to try again. 

Tink surprised the hell out of me when she stood up, grabbing at my hand with delicate fingers.  “Come big guy,”  she said with a smile and a slight tug.  Poor girl couldn’t budge me if she tried.  “Let’s go hash this shit out.”

I panicked for a second, thinking that maybe she was gonna mediate a session between Brady and I, and that would have been fine by me.  If, and there’s a big fucking ‘If’ in there, we weren’t large drunken men, who had the tendency to turn all furry when pissed off. 

By time the panicked settle into a violent churning of my gut, we were already standing at Tink’s door and she was fumbling blinding in the dark for her key.  “No porch light?”  I asked suddenly, making her jump and lose all purchase on her house-keys. 

“No,”  she replied huffily as she bent to retrieve the oddly disgusting ornament on her key-ring.  The ugly little Dracula figurine with blinking eyes that hung from it was probably the only reason she found them to begin with.  It made me want to throw up. 

Fucking leeches.

Yeah, so I hate Bram Stoker, sue me.  It was his demented Irish-ass that led the populace to believe in the beauty of their species.  Even if he was responsible for making the vampire race marginally cooler.  I guarantee the bastard would shit himself stupid if he ever really saw one. 

Tink turned to me with a fully cocked brow, hand on her jutted hip.  “Have a problem with Count Chocula, Sam?”  She asked snidely, her eyes darting between me and the ugly little bloodsucker hanging from her doorknob. 

Shit!  I’m growling.  Not good, Sammy-boy.  Not good at all.

Not having the heart to tell her that a box of leech cereal would ever grace our table, I decided to play the drunk and stupid card.  “I really hate that cereal.” 

Well, it wasn’t a lie per-say.  I didn’t like chocolate cereal of any kind, but she didn’t have to know that. 

Fuck. I. Am. A. Moron.

Yes Sam, yes you are.

“Okay.”  She said, not sounding the least bit convinced by my explanation but allowed me into her inner sanctum of bubble-wrap and cardboard. 

See now, why I hate Bram Stoker.  The bastard has cursed me to a lifetime of growling at little kids on Halloween and snapping at key-chains.

“So,”  she said about ten minutes later, feet all propped up in my lap as she poured us both a glass of whiskey.  “Spill it, Uley.” 

It was hard to answer her properly.  Not because I didn’t have answers, believe me I had plenty I wanted to divulge but the hard truth of the matter was that all my blood had traveled southward for the foreseeable future. 

Why did she have to look so good?  She wasn’t even trying, that much was clear by the cut off sweats she had turned into shorts and the paint covered sweat-shirt she was wearing.  She wasn’t trying to be seductive or alluring, but all I saw was miles of creamy white legs and those goddamn wolf tracks. 

“Sam!” 

“Huh?”  My whole body jumped, damn near tossing Tink straight off the couch, but damn me if I hadn’t been paying attention. 

“Where the hell did you go?”  She asked looking at me like I had just sprouted another head from my ear.  “You went all quiet then started muttering about ‘smelling good’ and ‘wolf tracks’.” 

Ah, fuck me.

“Um… sorry, I    - just thinking.”  Yeah, that wasn’t lame at all.

Fuck, I was going to end up with the first imprint in history that sent her mate off to the maximum security nut-house. 

Tink just raised that defiant, perfectly manicured little brow which told me without a doubt that she didn’t for one second, buy the bullshit that just spewed from my mouth.  I couldn’t blame her, it sounded just as terrible to me. 

“Ugh… I just, he touched you!”  I blurted, fighting hard against the growl that vibrated through my whole body.  It was getting harder and harder to suppress the wolf gene around her and if I didn’t keep my wits I would end up on the ground, growling and licking her feet. 

Feeling rather ashamed of myself made it hard to lift my eyes to hers.  I expected her to be pissed.  To rage and wail at me for claiming her like some fucking mountain man. 

Just call me, Jeremiah Johnson. 

But Tink wasn’t pissed, hurt or indignant.  She looked totally fucking astonished, like she just couldn’t believe I had just said what I said.  It left a cold feeling of dread pooling at the bottom of my spine.  In that moment I would have rather had her hit me in the face with a crow bar.  Anything was better than this awkward silence. 

“You…”  she tried and stuttered, still staring at me with those dark Bambi eyes that were wide with shock.  “You hit Brady because you were jealous?”  She asked incredulously. 

“Yeah,”  I sighed because really what more could I say at this point.  I really didn’t feel that explaining the imprint while hopped up on Old Quil’s grain liquor was a good idea.  More than likely I’d end up going all alpha male and I never see her again.

It was quite again for a minute.  For a full fucking minute, you could hear a pin drop from across the rez, that was until it was interrupted by a sharp slap.  It didn’t hurt, hell, I barely felt it but that stink was in the sound.  That reverberating sound of flesh smacking against flesh nearly had my dick hard.  Yes, I know I’m fucked up.

My imprint had just smacked the shit out of me and I was so hard I was sure it would break off.  Fuck I could bend steel with that baby. 

“You’re an idiot!”  Tink wailed, throwing her hands up and stalking off to the kitchen. 

Yep, goodbye imprint. 

With my heart breaking in my chest, I stood and made for the door.  I was man enough to admit that my tail was firmly between my legs.  I knew I deserved the slap and I knew she would probably never speak to me again.

Would I still have hit Brady had I known her reaction?  Yes. 

It wouldn’t have done me any good to fight it.  It was an instinct.  Plain and simple.  I really didn’t have the urge to hit him until he was right in front of me.  My original plan was just to send him to bed.  Let him sleep off the booze.  I would never hit a pack mate like that maliciously but I still couldn’t deny that I hit him out of pure jealously.

It might have been her ass he grabbed, but half of that ass still belonged to me, if I had anything to say about it.  Which, as her imprint, I did. 

“Sit your ass down Uley.”  Tink commanded to my back. 

Without even a conscious thought, my feet moved.  Gravitating. 

She was my sun and I was the planet that revolved around her, seeking her warm rays to nurture my body. 

God, what a fucking sap!

When I was finally seated on the couch, Tink shocked me again.  She stood before, angry but not pissed. Using one, delectable little foot, she pinned my back against the warm leather of her couch and held me there. 

Did she not know what would happen if she got that foot any closer to my mouth?  For fucks sake the woman woke up, just this morning, with her toes hanging out of my mouth. 

“Here’s the deal,”  She said firmly, pushing with her foot hard to further her point.  Or maybe it was to make sure I was paying attention?  I didn’t really care.  She was touching me, of her own will.  I loved it and my wolf purred in contentment. 

“You,”  she spat, her finger just inches from my nose.  “Are a complete and total moron.  For someone as smart as you seemed to be, you sure act stupid.”

It was my turned to be confused.  I don’t know if it was the fog of having her so close or possibly the hallucination inducing alcohol that I had been drinking since my little spat earlier, but I just couldn’t figure out what the fuck she was trying to point out. 

She huffed, lowering her foot and, to my fucking elated surprise, straddled my lap.  “I like you Sam.  So don’t go beating up any other boys when all I want is a man.” 

Fuck me. 

Then she kissed me.