I shut my eyes and leaned back, stretching my long body out on the sand. I loved coming to La Push's beach in the hours before dawn. It gave me a place to relax, to gather my thoughts as I listened to the calming sound of the ocean. Much to my chagrin, tonight I found my mind returning to the one thing I'd so desperately hoped to avoid – Malorie.

Malorie was my girlfriend of eight years. Or at least she had been, until yesterday. I let out an anguished moan as I recalled her reason for ending our relationship. We were "at different places in our lives," she had told me. I choked back a sob and rubbed my eyes, trying to stop myself from overanalyzing where everything went wrong.

I heard footsteps behind me and my body stiffened. I knew it was one of my friends coming to check on me; the news of our breakup had no doubt spread around La Push by now. Damn Leah and her big mouth, I cursed silently. The footsteps stopped, and Quil plopped himself down beside me.

"Hey Jake," he murmured. I tilted my head in acknowledgment, but refrained from speaking. I didn't trust myself not to cry. "I heard what happened…I'm so sorry."


I nodded once, still not daring to look at my friend. I focused on the waves, watching them roll in and out in the fading moonlight. Quil sighed and followed my gaze. We sat in silence for several hours, both lost in our own thoughts. I was glad we weren't in wolf form; I didn't want to subject my friend to the pain I was feeling. As the sun slowly began to rise over the ocean, I turned to face him.
"Quil," I choked out, "Quil…I need to get Malorie back. Help me get her back!"

"Jake, I'm sorry buddy, I really am, but this is for the best. You guys were fighting far too much, and it's gotten to the point where it's too late to apologize." He put a hand on my shoulder, smiling sympathetically. "Your relationship ended for a reason, and you need to move on."

"I guess you're right." I sighed. "I just don't know how to start getting over her. She was my everything, you know?"


"Well," Quil winked at me, "how about we go find you a rebound girl?"


I stared at him, conflicted.

"Come on, Jake." He stood up, pointing towards the sun that was now turning the sky a brilliant shade of orange. The shadows on his face looked almost like tribal paint. "With the breaking dawn comes a new day. A new day means new opportunities, new ways to start over."


He was right, of course. He was always right. I stood up, determination running through me. "Okay. Let's go find some girls."


Quil punched the air in excitement, and we took off running.

~*~

We drove towards Port Angeles. There were plenty of schools to scout out, and there had to be at least ione/i girl who would capture my attention. I drove quickly, barely noticing as we passed through Beaver and Sappho. We ended up making the hour long trip in practically half the time; the roads were nearly deserted this time of morning. We parked outside one of the schools, Meyer Academy, and settled in to wait. It was the sort of private school that started ridiculously early, so all the students were already inside. A blonde girl, obviously tardy, sprinted by our car. Quil nudged me.
"What about her?"


"No. Not her."

I found myself growing more and more dispirited as we waited for the lunch bell to ring. It felt like an eternity passed before the doors burst open, and dozens of students dashed out of the dreary building and into the sunlight. We got out of the car and wandered over to loiter next to the fence.
There were several beautiful girls to admire.

"Mmm…" I moaned, licking my lips as I surveyed the ladies. "These apple pies look absolutely succulent."

"What color panties do you think they're wearing?" Quil asked. It was one of our favorite games. We were almost always right.

I pointed to the girls as I made my guesses. "Pink. White. White." My eyes landed on an overweight girl with thick glasses. "Ew. Grey and brown, probably."

"What about her?" Quil indicated a redhead wearing an indecently short skirt. "I'm thinking black. No bra."

And that was when I saw iher/i.

She stepped out onto the grass, laughing freely. Her brown hair glistened in the sun. The very sight of her made my heart sing with all the voices of the mountain.
Had I just…imprinted?

I whipped my head around to look at Quil, my excitement clearly written across my face. "It was like…it was like a thunderbolt ran through me!" I exclaimed.

"That's what it was like with Claire!" He shoved me. "What are you waiting for? Go get her."

I noticed several students looking at me nervously. I ignored them and waved to the girl. She eyed me cautiously, and I flashed my biggest smile at her. She smiled back and walked over to where I stood.


"Hello." That one word, coming from her kissable rosebud lips, made my heart skip a beat. It was like a choir of angels had descended from the heavens.

"Hi there. I'm Jacob," I said, trying to stay cool even though my heart felt like it was about to jump out of my chest. I stuck my hand out for her to shake. She giggled coyly, gracefully extending her hand out to me. Mid-motion, she seemed to realize that she was holding a lollipop. She giggled again, slowly and seductively inserting the lollipop into her mouth before grasping my large paw in her porcelain hand.

"My daddy told me not to talk to strangers," she said with a coy smile. "But I want to talk to you."

"Well, I'm glad you do. What's your name, my delicate flower?"

"Yvonne."

I smiled at her again. "That's a beautiful name. French, isn't it?" I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. "Yvonne, are you hungry? Do you want to ditch this place and go get something to eat?"

"Uh, well…" Her giggle sounded like windchimes. "I'm not supposed to miss school, but I guess it's okay if I'm with you." She looked up at me through her thick lashes and winked. It was obvious that she was playing the coquette.

I lifted her over the fence in one swift motion. Her dress rode up slightly, exposing her lime green panties and creamy, plump thighs. I had to look away quickly before I got too excited. Quil had disappeared, no doubt to give me some alone time with my new girl.

"Did it hurt?" I asked her gently as we walked towards my car.

"Did what hurt?"

"When you fell from Heaven."

She laughed, twirling a strand of chocolate hair around her finger and licking her lollipop. She seemed almost oblivious to the power she had over men.

We soon found ourselves at a nearby Denny's. I ordered bacon and hash browns while Yvonne ordered a bowl of cornflakes. Our food was brought to us in record time. We talked while we ate -- or at least, I tried to talk to her. She gave short answers to all my questions, giggling in the middle of each sentence. "Do you like your food?" I asked her, noticing how quickly she had devoured it. 


"Mm, I love cornflakes." She seductively licked her spoon. I felt a stirring in my loins at the sight of her little pink tongue flicking out to catch an errant drop of milk.

Her eyes suddenly lit up, focused on something behind me. "Daddy!"

I spun around quickly to look out the window, and my heart sank into my stomach. Stalking towards us, a furious expression on his face, was someone who looked very familiar. Behind him were several cop cars, their lights flashing blue and red. Shit, I thought, it figures her father would be fucking Chris Hansen himself! I panicked, bolting from the table and to the door.
I paused at the entrance, looking back on the angelic face of my delicate Yvonne. "I will love you forever," I told her. "Through hell or high water, I will find you again. I'm never gonna give you up. You are my life now." And with that, I fled.

"Get back here, you fucker!" Chris Hansen yelled as he chased after me. "As if you could outrun me! As if you could fight me off, you fucking pedophile!"


I couldn't help but laugh inwardly as I ran. Of course I could outrun him. Of course I could fight him off. As I ran for my life, Chris Hansen shrieking after me, I glanced over my shoulder at the beautiful little girl in the window.

Oh yes, I would be back to claim my prize.