The night was filled of explanations and punishments. The boys were under house arrest, and Leah's keys were confiscated. Fortunately, Harry nicked the caller ID machine, and neither adult could figure out where he hid it. The search went on 'till near midnight before they claimed defeat and went to bed.

Harry wasn't an early riser. Everyone in the house tip-toed across the boys' shared room if it was before noon out of fear of Harry's horrible temper. It was the one thing Billy was scared of facing, more than Rachel's mood swings and Rebecca's whining, or even Sirius' bouts of sugar.

Yet somehow, Jacob seemed to miss the memo.

Jacob woke up early that morning, a hop and a skip in his step, with the utmost determination to do something today.

He crossed the bedroom to Harry's bright blue coverlet, and jumped onto the bed. Harry gave a pitiful moan, throwing his bedside cup at Jake. The plastic cup bounced off the hard-headed boy's forehead harmlessly. Jake rocked the bed in hopes of waking Harry up. The older boy grumbled unintelligibly. His foot shot out and caught the Quileute around his ankle and tossed him to the ground. Jake was undeterred though. He jumped right back up and started shaking the lump in the mattress.

"Come on, Harry! Show me your hiding spot. I want to call the vamps!" Harry opened one eye. He swiveled his head slowly to gather Jacob's eager face, then slapped him across the face before dropping back to his pillow. "Jak's a 'tard.." he mumbled, pulling the covers over his head.

"Come on! HARRY!"

"Shaaadupp.."

"It's like...ten in the morning! PLEASE!"

"Three hours too bright," the asleep boy protested.

Jacob glanced at the covered window. "There's no sunlight.." He even looked through the shutters at the torrential monsoon-hurricane downpour. "It's raining anyways! How can you say it's bright?"

"You too loud, blockbrain."

"Harry!"

"Jaaakkii, shuddup." He rolled over onto his back and yanked his pillow over his head.

"Come onnnn Haarrwiiiee!" Jacob whined.

Harry's foot shot out and kicked the teenager in the stomach. "You talk 'nymore 'n its gonna be wh're da sun dun shine."

Jacob scooted ten feet away. "Aw, come on, please Harry! Tell me where it is."

"Broccoli."

"No, I don't want broccoli."

"Broc-co-li."

"I don't even like broccoli!"

Harry sighed. "It's in the stinkin' broccoli! Now, SHUT UP AND LET ME SLEEP!"

"Aye aye Captain!" Jacob scurried to the kitchen. He yanked the refrigerator door open and pulled the broccoli from the bottom drawer. He sniffed. Harry was the only one who liked broccoli; everyone else acted like they were allergic to it. Jake snatched the caller ID machine that was firmly buried in the small tree and threw the vegetable back into the fridge.

He jacked the cord into the wall and sat on the ground with the phone.

Ring, ring..ring...ring...

"Hello, Cullen residence."

Jacob squealed. The person on the other line dropped the phone. "Haha! I found the right phone number! I'm AWESOME!" He danced happily.

"Edward's stalker, are you still on the line?"

"Yes ma'am!"

"Great. Now, click the red button on your phone and leave us alone."

"Wait wait wait!" Jacob yelled into the phone. "Wait, I wanna talk to you guys again!"

Rosalie frowned darkly on the other side of the telephone. "Let me think about this....no."

"Aww, but why not?"

Rosalie threw the phone at Edward. "Take care of your fanboy," she snarled.

Edward looked up from his CD player. "Hello?"

"Canwelikemeetupwitheachother?"

"I'm afraid not," he declined. "We plan to furnish our home. Sorry."

"Oh, that's okay. We can help you pick stuff out!"

"I don't believe your taste would match ours.." I don't want to know what your house looks like on the inside...

"Oh, I don't pick things out--Harry says that red and purple don't match the zebra fan I wanted. I just test if they're sturdy!" Jake replied with a grin.

"I believe we can handle ourselves," Edward persisted. "Emmett enjoys testing the sturdiness of furniture anyways. Either way, it is a Saturday...why don't you all go out on some family outing?"

Jake shrugged. "Sirius doesn't like family stuff too much. He says he always ends up going to the hospital with something broken and he's tired of getting crutches." Jacob decided to omit that those events had been years ago, when his sisters were still here and experimenting with various sports.

Edward was at a loss. "Pleaaasee?"

He gave the phone to Alice, who had been sitting beside him on the couch in giggles.

She smiled cheerfully at him. "Hello, Jake? This is Alice speaking."

"Hi Alice!"

"We wanted to go shopping as a family. Is that alright with you?" She pulled the pity card. "Rosalie and Emmett always shop on their own, Edward doesn't like staying with us, and Esme always wants to go to the baby stores...we never really have some family time..."

"Oh. Okay. Maybe next time then?"

"We'll call you." Alice clicked the phone off.

"Which, I hope, we never will," Edward remarked.

At high noon, Harry woke up on his regular schedule. He yawned and made his way down to the kitchen. Jacob sat at the kitchen table, pushing long-since soaked cereal around his bowl. Harry glanced at his partner in crime as he grabbed a yogurt from the fridge and took his place across from him.

"Exactly how long have you had that cereal?"

"Ten thirty-nine and fifty-six seconds in the morning," he replied promptly.

"Why?"

Jacob's sulk darkened. "The Cullens are going furniture shopping."

Harry stuck the spoonful of key lime yogurt into his mouth. "What does that have to do with cereal?"

"They wouldn't let us go," Jacob whined. Harry translated: Jacob was sulking like a baby and refused to eat his cereal. Like a baby.

"So?"

"Aw, you can't tell me you're not curious about them!"

Harry swirled his yogurt. "I'm sure you're more than curious enough for the both of us," he yawned. "And anyways. I'm sure they want some time away from us."

"But why?! They can have all the alone time they want later, but I'm only alive for so long!" Jake continued, swinging his spoon around and leaving splatters of milk across the table. "They've got forever and a year to have alone time. They've only got, like, a century with us."

Harry sighed. Jacob wasn't going to get off his tangent anytime soon. "Later, do you want to grab our bikes and go over to Seth's?"

"We're grounded," Jacob replied sourly.

"I'm sure they'll unground us the instant Billy hears your whining," Harry muttered.

"What was that?" Jake took a bite of his cereal and frowned.

"Nothing." Harry dropped the empty yogurt cup in the trash. "I'm going to ask Dad anyways."

"Mhms." Jacob shoved another bite of soggy cereal into his mouth before he could regret it.

Harry wandered into the living room. Sirius took one look and snorted at Harry's drawstring pajamas covered in rubber ducks. Harry gave a pointed glance towards his godfather's Snoopy pajamas before turning to Billy. "Can we go to Seth's?"

"You're grounded."

"Jacob's whining that the vamps rejected him," Harry replied. "I am not above giving the boy a microphone, hooking it up to the surround sound, and making you listen to him for three hours."

Billy winced. "Sirius-"

"Let me get my jacket." The man replied.

Remus gave a great big sigh. Even though it was summertime (he even checked his calendar), it only went to about the twenties Celsius (which was apparently actually the seventies in Fahrenheit?). He thought it was insane as he curled his heavy coat around his shoulders. If he ever vacationed, he was going to Spain. It was warm in Spain. Remus was comforted by the idea of long siestas and good food in the distant future.

His breaths came out in ghostly whispers. He'd gone across most of the state, choosing to "sweep" from the most southward city to the northernmost cities. It seemed rather simple, but he had underestimated how hard it was to find two people in such a large state. It was an awful lot of land and forest to cover for one itty bitty werewolf.

He started his journey five years ago.

Slowly, he had gotten into a pattern. First off, find a place to stay, then find food. Afterwards, it was a throw in the air. Either find a temporary job while he searched this area, or start calling in the phone book. He'd talked to a few of the locals about a decent motel and it was just a short walk from the bus stop. Teenagers walked up and down the streets, peering at the foreign man as he huddled in his coat with his raggedy trunk. Remus took no notice--what was a few little curious stares compared to hateful glares? The motel was a little rundown, but it was cheap and there was a small refrigerator, a shower, and a heater. He turned the heater on high and collapsed on the bed.

Was there even hope of him finding them? Ever?

He shook his head, flinging wet water droplets all over the bed comforter. "No. I will find them, and it's only a matter of time," he told himself. With firm resolve, he pushed his trunk against the wall, left the roomy comfort of the motel room and made his way back out onto the street. Food was next.

"How long did you get?" Seth asked, quickly placing a card down in their game of Egyptian Ratscrew. "Dad would've grounded us for a month, but Leah sweet-talked our way out of it. We've got a week."

Harry played a Jack. "We have a month and a half." Jacob played a five and Harry collected his large pile of cards. "Of course, with Jake's whining, I'm sure Billy can't take too much."

Seth lost the next hand to Jake, who cheered at his sudden recovery. "But hey, can you believe it? Vampires, in our neighborhood! It's going to be so fun!"

"Do you even know where they live?" Harry asked.

"Uh, somewhere in Forks, right?" Seth replied, slapping down a nine. "I mean, they can't go on Quileute lands or anything, so there's nowhere else really." He looked to the older boys.

"Yeah, that sounds right..." Jacob muttered darkly at he looked at his shrinking pile of cards and Seth's growing pile. "Do I just have bad luck or are you guys cheating?!"

"Jacob, you just choose the worst deck." Harry replied with a snort as he took Jacob's last cards. "Is Leah home?"

"Nah, she's with her boyfriend," Seth made a face. "Mom kicked them out hours ago when they kept trying to suck each other's faces off."

"Well, that sucks," Jacob whined, leaning back onto the carpet. "She could've driven us to Port Angeles again."

"The vamps went furniture shopping," Harry explained. "Jakey's whiny because they rejected him. Is Leah leaving for college anytime soon?"

Seth shrugged. "She hasn't really said anything about it." He abandoned the card game as the old grandfather clock rang. "You guys better leave soon. Mom's coming back from work early 'cause our cousins are visiting. I'm not supposed to have friends over when I'm grounded."

"May I apply for a job here?"

The shopkeeper murmured a denial before he was ushered out the door.

Remus walked out into the rainy street and forced himself to keep going. Maybe it wasn't the best time to ask for a job when he looked like a drowned rat, but he was running out of money. In a few more days, he would be out of his own hard-earned cash, saved after years of working odd jobs after graduating. Touching the small fortune the Potters had left him might become a necessity, no matter how much he denied it.

In two weeks of scouring for a British man with the last name of Black in northeast Washington, he'd had little success. Black was a common surname and it worked against him. He had started to call all Blacks through the phone book, but one particularly paranoid Black thought he was a stalker and he narrowly avoided harassment charges. Remus sighed, peering at his muddy shoes. Whichever pureblood lord he'd pissed off with connections to Lady Luck, he was sorry. They seemed to take no pity on him, as in the next second, he ran into a figure and both of them tumbled down.

He scrambled up and held out a hand to the other unfortunate person. "I'm terribly sorry!" He felt even worse when he saw the girl had designer, new-looking clothes that he'd just drowned in mud. "I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you alright?" The girl slapped his hand away and got up on her own, picking up her umbrella. "I'm fine, no thanks to you," she grumbled.

Remus blushed with embarrassment. "Again, I'm very sorry--is there anything I can do to--"

"Rosalie! Honey, are you alright?"

The woman named Rosalie yelled back. "I'm fine, Emmett!" She flicked the mud off her hands with a graceful gesture.

"I'm honestly sorry, Miss," Remus repeated. Rosalie glared again. "If there's two kinds of people I hate, it's people who could care less and people who can't make up their mind."

She spun in the puddle, spraying him with more water and stalked away. Remus frowned. "Yes, well, I care about whether or not you fell down, and I made up my mind to apologize. Sorry," he growled sarcastically.

He trudged along with his drenched newspaper to the next spot on the list.

"Rosalie, did you have to smite that man?" Alice asked once they were in the furniture shop. "He was honestly sorry about it and apologized."

"Well, did you see him?" Rosalie's nose wrinkled. "He was dressed in a ratty old trench coat, smelled horrendous, pushed me down, and got my clothes muddy! Do you have any idea how much this outfit cost me?!"

"I'm pretty sure I know, seeing as it's on my credit card bill," Carlisle replied. "Despite the collision, didn't you notice anything strange?"

"Like what? He smelled like drowned, purified rat water?" Rosalie rung out her long hair carelessly on the carpet. The dealer twitched but refused to comment.

Edward looked up from his reclining position on the couch. "No, like the fact he could actually push you down. Humans are weak. They can't match up to a vampire's strength, so why did you both fall down instead of just him?"

Esme tapped her chin in thought. "Now that you do mention it, I don't recall ever being pushed down by anyone but another vampire."

"He had a heartbeat though," Emmett recalled. "I remember hearing it racing and thinking that if it went any faster, I could have mistaken him for an over-sized rabbit."

Jasper shrugged. "Maybe he has some sort of heart disease?" He had nothing to really contribute; he had taken his time getting to the shop, savoring the smell of rain which diluted whatever smell of human there used to be.

Carlisle shrugged in response. "Perhaps he does, but I can't tell without examination. If he does, I should be seeing him in the hospital soon enough."

Maybe he should become a misanthrope and live in a cave. Remus had muddled his way across the town with no such luck. Maybe Port Angeles just happened to hate him on this rainy summer day. His stomach rumbled uncomfortably, reminding him of his distant breakfast. He ducked into a fast food place and rung out his jacket, creating a muddy puddle on the floor.

"Credit or cash?"

"Cash," Remus replied, pulling out his wallet. His fingers grabbed at nothing. "Nevermind, credit," he sighed.

Remus handed over his credit card. "Wow, cool card. Is this one part of a set or something?" The teenager remarked.

"Why would you ask?" Remus was desperate after so long--the card was part of a set. Sirius and James had insisted (more like threatened to shave him bald) when they were told you could customize credit cards, so the quartet had a holographic set of their animagi forms.

"Well, this guy came 'round with these two kids and had a really cool card, kinda like this one," he said. "Man, those kids were nuts; climbed on top of the jungle gym and nearly jumped right off. They was-"

"What was the man's name?"

The cashier leaned back. "Not supposed to tell anybody, it's policy. Sorry."

"Can you tell me what he looked like?"

"Er, short black hair. Tallish. I'd say at least 5'10''? Hyperactive parenting if I ever saw it."

"Is his name Sirius Black? I've been looking for him," Remus asked quickly. His hopes rose and shined like a beacon. Please, please, oh please tell me his name was Sirius Black!

"Policy," the teenager repeated. You stupid little kid! Why can't you just TELL ME! Moony roared in the back of his mind.

"You're not telling me any new information," Remus insisted. "I know him; he's my best friend from high school." The worker still looked unsure, "He told me to visit but gave me the wrong address and my cellphone short-circuited due to all the rain."

"Well, he lives somewhere in the Quileute reservation. I heard that--"

The boy blinked when the man was halfway out the door. "Thanks!"

"Hey, wait, you forgot your order!"

I'm really sorry that it's taken this long to update. Again, I could give you a list of excuses, but this one is on me. I wasn't really happy with how the story was going and kept trying to tweak it, and this chapter is...okay as an end result. Very little plot, seeing as my brain is still running on automatic. Review please, or yell at me if you'd like. Again, grammar mistakes, strange wording, point that out. :)