Eyes of Fire [Sam Uley]

TWENTY-FIVE|Decisions Abound

After Olivia had borrowed a garbage bag from Billy for Jacob's shredded clothes and his shoes, along with Paul's shorts, it was decided that Bella would go in the passenger seat, Carmen would meet them back at the house and Embry would drive the old and beat-up truck that Bella had.

"Jake should have warned us." Embry complained as they were throwing the ball of shredded stuff into the bag that Olivia was holding out to them. Olivia tied it off quickly and she put it into the back of the truck, shoving it quickly.

After Olivia had gotten into the back of the truck with help from Jared, since she hardly could hop at the moment, she was grateful for the help.

With Embry driving and Bella in the passenger seat, it left Jared and Olivia riding in the back of the truck with the garbage bag of shredded clothes and Sam's stuff.

"You already have some of Paul's extra clothes at the house?" Jared confirmed as Olivia nodded quickly at the words.

"Sam's pants and shoes will go on the front porch, Paul's stuff will be by the back door, I will have Jacob's set up in the front yard and Opal stashed hers in the treeline, so that she isn't seen." Olivia recited quickly off the top of her head and she was leaning against the side of the truck. "Hey?" She banged on the glass window and Embry opened it at the noises from her. "Hey, can this beat-up old vehicle possibly move any slower at all right now?" Olivia asked as a moment later, Bella was glaring at her. "What?" Olivia asked and Bella turned around to face forward again in a pouty sort of anger.

Embry shut the window again and Olivia was leaning back against the cab, as she was shaking her head. "Was it the fact that Jacob was protecting Bella that finally pushed him over the edge?" Olivia asked as Jared looked at her. "I mean Carmen almost had him back in control." Olivia said and Jared sighed.

"It doesn't matter, Olivia, because it definitely wasn't your fault today either way. Actually, it never is." Jared reminded her and Olivia sighed. "Hey, you have to listen to me at least once all right? I'm telling you Liv, that it wasn't at all your fault that Paul phased. Sam told us to protect you first by instinct, but... Sam, he didn't mean that it was your fault."

"Thanks Jared." Olivia murmured quietly and she was staring down at her hands in her lap, which were shaking and she was shuddering. "Goddamn hormones." She muttered and Jared shifted over to sit next to her and swiftly at the sight of her emotions getting the better of her, he moved his arms around her in a silent hug.

"Sorry I'm not Sam." Jared muttered and Olivia laughed hoarsely at the words as she accepted the offered hug as then, slowly her hands were stilling at the familiar hug.

"Thanks Jare." Olivia murmured quietly as she looked up, when Embry pulled into the driveway. "Now would you get off of me, so that I can cook for you hungry werewolves already?" Olivia asked as then, Jared's arms were opening and she was carefully getting out of the truck.

Olivia felt the baby kick and her eyes smiled, suddenly feeling better about what had happened as then, she was getting right to work on eggs and other food that she had already prepared.

Embry and Jared were stuffing themselves full of muffins, while Opal and Carmen who had both gotten back first, they were gorging themselves on specialty food that was made for them specifically.

Since Opal and Carmen were both already graduated due to skipping grades as kids for them both, they were the ones who ran the afternoon shifts through to the mornings.

It was a messy life for them, especially now with Opal being hit hard by these crippling visions at the rather most inconvenient of all times.

"Embry, don't eat them all." Olivia said and she shoved his shoulder hard as she went by and Embry very nearly face-planted into his fourth muffin.

"I'm so hungry though." Embry mumbled and a moment later he yelped in pain as her wooden spoon hit him on the head sharply and at the serious look on her face, he had swiftly stopped complaining.

"Where are my clothes Olivia?!" Paul hollered from the front porch and Olivia glanced out the window.

"Back porch!" She called back and a few minutes later, Paul came into the house and he was wearing a new pair of shorts and a pair of black shoes.

"Thank you for not hiding my clothes again." Sam said as Olivia was shaking her head as she put the eggs onto the table and Sam kissed the top of her head, before he was resting one of his hands on her stomach briefly.

"Where are my clothes?!" Jacob shouted from outside and Olivia groaned at the tone in his voice.

"Did you even look?!" Olivia hollered back and a moment later, Jacob was walking into the house with a new set of clothes on. "You have to look before you ask." She said as she was shaking her head.

"Jacob has information for us." Sam caught everybody's attention in the room easily in a second, with the utterance of the simple sentence.

"She's trying to avenge her mate-- but it wasn't the black-haired leech that we all killed. The Cullens got her mate last year, and she's after Bella now." Jacob explained and Olivia glanced over at Opal and everyone did the same thing.

"I can't have visions with everyone staring at me, people." Opal said as then suddenly, her eyes were clouding over and she doubled over in pain.

"Ope?" Olivia asked and uncertainty rang through her tone, as Carmen disappeared up the stairs and she came back with a sketchbook, multiple sketching pencils and a pencil box filled with pencil crayons.

As soon as Opal's eyes cleared, she was drawing quickly and her hands trembled as she tried to remember exactly what she had just seen.

There were wolves, a huge backdrop of a boulder. Opal was shaking her head as she continued to draw.

"What does it mean?" Sam asked and Opal was shaking her head, not knowing what it meant and she saw that her fingers were still trembling.

"I have no idea." Opal admitted and then suddenly, her eyes clouded over again and she shuddered.

Sam quickly moved in front of Olivia at the sight of the shuddering, as the others moved back and Bella was being protected by Jacob, instinctively moving to protect the other human in the room.

"Paul, Jared, Carmen and Embry will take the outer perimeter, and Jacob, Opal and I will take the inner. We'll collapse in when we've got her trapped." Sam explained and Olivia's grip tightened on his hand, not at all going unnoticed and he looked down at her.

After the brief strategic conversation was over, the wolves were devouring all of the food and Olivia looked at Opal, who was eating with the others but she looked all too exhausted. Her visions took a serious toll on her, they really did take one, as Olivia could see it all over her.

When everyone else had gone, it was Sam washing up as Olivia was sitting at the table and he sighed. "What's wrong? I can smell the anxiety on you." He said as he finished the dishes and he sat down at the table.

"Is it going to be like this when the baby is born, Sam?" Olivia asked and then, he was looking at her with confusion. "I feel like I never see you anymore. I wake up and you're gone, I'm going to sleep and you're not here..." He sighed at the words.

"Once it calms down..."

"I know that the tribe's protection now is above all else, your responsibility. But I need you too." Olivia murmured and Sam looked at her. "I can't raise a baby by myself, Sam, I can't do it. I... I need your help, Sam and it is hard to do that if you're not here." She said and he looked at her with pain in his eyes as she felt tears falling from her own.

"I'll be here, I promise." Sam said and he reached out a hand, resting it on top of hers and Olivia moved over and she sat on his knee, hugging him and she was continuing to shake. "I will be right here." He said softly and she buried her face into his chest.