claudia | embry call

twenty-two : the battle

"They'll be coming out of the woods there." Alice pointed ahead. "If you're behind us right there, you should get a good view, and know when to jump in." Claudia nodded once, and Alice reached over, her fingers scratching the top of Claudia's head. "You'll do great, I believe in you." Alice whispered smiling. She flitted off into the clearing and Claudia turned around, heading up to stand on a small hill, where she could see the other side of the clearing through the trees. She heard something to her right so she looked, not surprised to see Embry trotting up next to her. He stood next to her, still largely oversized compared to her, and looked out at the clearing for a few moments before looking at her.

Embry's head leaned over, brushing against hers lightly, though the sounds of branches snapping and hissing set them on alert. A few seconds later, the newborns began to pour out of the trees. The Cullen's led the first charge, according to Jasper's plan, and then it was the wolves turn. In sync, despite not being able to communicate, Embry and Claudia took off for the clearing. Claudia split off, diving and taking a newborn off Rosalie's back, just to have Emmett come and crush it's head with his foot. Claudia didn't waste time, running off to take down two more. Just as she was about to make a jump for another, she felt a weight slam against her back. She could feel the newborn bite her, though she knew it wouldn't do anything. She trashed and trashed, but it's hold was strong, until Jasper threw it off of her and one of the wolves caught it. Claudia took down her last one with Rosalie's help, and a second of pause told them that the fighting was over.

"Gather the pieces, pile them here!" Jasper called, him and Emmett already having started a pile. "We need to burn them quickly, before they can reform." Everyone got to work, and in a few minutes, the large fire was roaring and purple smoke was steadily streaming into the air. Claudia ducked back into the trees to phase, and when she came back out, Edward and Bella were finally arriving.

"You did so good." Rosalie smiled, pulling Claudia into her side. Before Claudia could respond, they heard a loud growl. Looking over, they watched Leah charge at a stray newborn.

"Leah, don't!" Edward yelled, but she didn't listen. The newborn quickly got the upper hand on her and had her around the neck, but Jacob jumped over and tackled it off of her. Jake and the newborn wrestled, and the newborn was able to crack some of Jake's bones before Sam and Jared jumped in to take it down. Edward and Carlisle were the first at his sides, Carlisle quickly examining Jake.

"The bones on the right half of his body are shattered." Carlisle spoke, Jake writhing in pain in the grass.

"Jacob, you idiot, I had it!" Leah yelled as the pack, all now phased, rushed over.

"Leah!" Sam warned before kneeling down next to Jake.

"I need to set his bones before the accelerated healing kicks in." Carlisle explained. "It's already starting.

"We need to get him out of here." Edward said. "We're not gonna want a fight with the Volturi."

"We'll take him back to Billy's." Sam spoke up.

"I'll be there as soon as I can." Carlisle nodded. Carlisle and Edward moved away, and the boys picked Jake up. "Claudia." Claudia's eyes finally moved from Jake to look at Carlisle. "Go with them. We can't know how the Volturi will react to you, and we can't risk your life." Claudia nodded, looking back at Rosalie and Alice before following after the pack.

———————

It didn't take long to get back to Billy's, but the wait for Carlisle was hard. Claudia had been too nervous to get near the house, so Quil and Embry sat with her in the treeline, watching the house. Sam sat inside with Billy while they waited, and the others sat outside the front door. After about half an hour, Carlisle finally showed up, with Edward at his side. After talking to them, Sam came out.

"Go home, all of you." He ordered. "Jake's gonna be fine, but...his bones are gonna have to be rebroken. Go home, get rest, you all deserve it." No one looked crazy about splitting up, so the majority decided to return to Emily's, while Leah stormed off.

"Go, we gotta talk." Embry mumbled to Quil. Claudia was watching the house, so she didn't see Quil glance back at her, but he hurried off to join the others. "Come on."

———————

"I shoulda known you'd bring me here." Claudia chuckled as they entered the meadow, their meadow.

"Well hey, where else is there?" He joked, and she couldn't help but chuckle. "You...you did great today. Seriously, everyone's really impressed. Even Leah-though she didn't want to admit it. And you...you look beautiful as a wolf, I mean really the only other one of us to have a solid fur color is Sam but I thought that was just because he was an alpha but I guess not. An-and not to say that you're not beautiful not as a wolf because you totally are and I-"

"Embry..." She sighed.

"N-No I get it." He kept going. "You just wanna go back to being friends so no more calling you beautiful, I got it, but here's the thing-"

"Wait, what?" She interrupted, but this time he stopped talking. "Embry, did you really think I wanted to...break up with you? Or not get back together with you? Or whatever? Really?"

"Well...yeah." He shrugged.

"Well, you're an idiot." She snorted. "Embry, I...I love you. I always have, always will. Me not...not wanting to talk to you yet wasn't because I loved you any less or didn't want to be with you anymore. I...I just..." She sighed, running a hand over her face. "I couldn't accept that you could still love me after I turned."

"Are you kidding?" He scoffed lightly, stepping closer. They were a foot apart, and Claudia could feel the heat radiating from his body. "I wouldn't care what you were, Claudia. I'd even still date you if you were, like...a ghost or something." She laughed lightly. "I love you, no matter what. And I want to stay with you, forever. However long forever is, I don't care. I just want it to be with you."

"Embry..." She breathed, reaching a hand out but hesitating. "Are you sure? Because I...I'm not...normal. I'll never be normal. I...I killed someone. Can you live with that? Can you live with me, knowing that? Knowing that I could do it again?"

"If I wanted anything normal in my life, do you really think I would've chosen you, Quil and Jake as my best friends?" He joked lightly, taking a step closer. His hand raised, feeling near like an open flame against her face as he cupped it gently. "You are what I want, Claudia. Every single part of you." She smiled lightly, looking up at him. "Can you live with the fact that I'll never care about anything, as long as I have you?"

"I think I can." She whispered, nodding lightly. She moved closer, her chest now brushing against his torso. "Can you?"

"I'll manage." He chuckled, dipping his head down. Their lips finally connected, and while her first kiss was more than she could've ever imagined it to be-she never thought it would take her dying and half coming back to life for it to finally happen.