DISCLAIMER: I am not Stephanie Meyer. All characters, places, and names that are familiar are copyright to her.
Chapter 1: Watch out, the peices are sharp
If the silence in my head lasted, I would never go back. I wouldn't be the first one to chose this form over the other. Maybe, if I ran far enough away, I would never have to hear again. . .
I pushed my legs faster, letting Jacob Black disappear behind me.
--
I was tired of running. Running from them, from it, and from her.
Bella had chosen her future, and I wasn't in it. This I had realised. The pain in my chest, whenever I thought of her, had made me gasp at first, and I understood why she would hug herself after he left. But the pain now was just a dull ache. Like a bruise not quite formed yet. Just pulsing to the beat of my heart. I was scared though; the memories of her face were fading. Like a worn photograph looked at far too many times. . . Maybe I was finally getting over her, or maybe I was just forgetting her altogether. A spasm of panic went through me at the thought.
No, I couldn't forget her. But I had to get over her. She had chosen what she wanted to do, and I had to move on. I had thought about coming back, maybe date around a bit but every girl in La Push seemed. . . boring. Faceless. Every girl seemed faceless now. Sure, this one was pretty, that one was kinda cute. But nothing like how I felt with Bella.
Maybe I was meant to be brokenhearted forever. Maybe I hadn't imprinted on Bella like I had thought. Could you falsely imprint on someone like that? Or was it a no-fail sorta thing?
I squished my eyes closed as the late afternoon sun poked through the treetops, my bare chest absorbing the heat as I walked toward the ever so familiar house. Sam and Emily's place mocked me, looking joyful and inviting. He had told me to come back when I could, and I was. I had finally run long enough. My eyes flickered to the window, scowling at the closed curtain. I didn't want an audience, and I didn't know who might be there. I knocked anyway, averting my attention to watching the dark gray clouds slowly drift across the sky.
Of course it was going to rain, it always rains in Forks.
I felt the wetness hit my bare shoulder, and I went to knock again. Sure, I was kinda used to getting wet, but I didn't want to get wet right now, if that made any sense. It really didn't to me. Were they even home? Maybe there was a pack meeting I wasn't aware of. Had more nomad vampires come to Forks? No one answered. Had the Volturi come for Bella? If there was a pack meeting, at least Emily would answer.
I was back in the woods again within a moment, stripping my clothing off and tying it to the leather cord around my ankle. I ran as I phased, and the voices suddenly came back to me.
"How was Canada?" Leah's voice startled me. She wasn't far off, maybe a mile away. Sam had a ordered a pack meeting - about me. He had apparently had enough, and they were going to force me to come home now. Too late.
"Not nearly as exciting without you there, Le-Le." I heard her growl, and laughed. Oh, how easy it was to piss her off nowadays. Too easy since Sam broke her heart. The right words would make her phase, and she'd be pissed for hours. I stopped laughing, because it occurred to me that she could do the same thing now. We weren't far apart, me and Leah. Sam had broken her heart, and fell in love with another woman. Granted, on accident, and by no means did he want to. But still. And then there was me. Fell for a girl who was in love with a vampire, and then got my heart broken.
Sam's calm voice spoke up, making me cringe. "Welcome back, Jacob." I didn't understand how he could so calmly welcome me back like that. Like I'd done nothing but take a vacation. Apparently I was back 'in range' again, though. Wonderful.
My eyes darted around at everyone in the half circle. With me, of course, in the center. Leah came through the trees off to my right, panting heavily.
Sam was the one who spoke first. "One of our brothers has rejoined us after a long absence." He dipped his head towards me, and I knew I wasn't gonna be let off this easily. Of course, I didn't greatly expect to. Deserted my pack, leaving them one man down and vulnerable. "This, however, was not our main reason for this meeting tonight. In little under a month several vampires will be coming into Forks for the marriage between Edward Cullen and Isabella Swan. The people of Forks must be protected if any of them would. . . lose themselves. Cullen's or otherwise."
Seth whined, shifting on his feet and growling low. Ever since he and Cullen had fought together against Riley and Victoria, he'd been rather partial to him.
"Shut up, Seth." Jared and Leah spoke at the same time - Jared's tone exasperated, and Leah's annoyed. No doubt she'd been hearing all about Edward lately.
"Quiet, all of you. The vampires are supposed to be arriving early. We aren't sure how civilized these are. Keep a look out." His eyes traveled to my face, piercing me with his stare like he'd done only once before. "Dismissed." I, however, was not, not yet at least. I wandered closer, nudging Quil and Embry with my snout as I passed them. Their near identical grins made me chuckle. Wolves, loyal creatures not matter what you do. They all left, going their separate ways. Leah to her place, Seth following after her. Quil to see Claire no doubt. Embry, Jared, and Paul - well, I really wasn't sure what they did nowadays. I snapped out of my half-spaced zone to see Sam phase back - apparently the talk was going to be man-to-man, instead of wolf-to-wolf. I followed suit, yanking my shorts off my leg and pulling them on quickly.
"I understand why you left, Jacob, but this can't go unnoticed. Your fathers been worried about you, afraid you might do something drastic." He started walking, and I followed. I'd known my father would be worried, but I couldn't stay here. It was too much, seeing Bella, thinking of her, being where she was. "Sue's been helping him. Doing his shopping for him."
So the make-Jake-feel-bad talk was going well. "I couldn't. . . stay here. With her so close. You don't und-" I was trying to make it sound less pathetic. Boy falls for girl, girl falls for boy after boyfriend breaks her heart, boyfriend comes back, girl breaks boy's heart to pieces.
"I am one of the few people who will actually understand. You didn't understand what it was like when me and Leah. . ." He stopped and put his hand on my shoulder, looking me dead in the eye. "Your father needs you, Jake. And you have to be there for him. Broken heart or no." He smiled before breaking into a run, leaving me in the forest to think to myself.
I had to go back, I had to face him tonight. My legs carried me through the forest, like they'd been this way several times before. It felt good, being back in La Push. The familiar trees, scents, people. Unlike Canada, everything was foreign up there. People looked at me odd - of course, who wouldn't? The 6'7" teenager who looked 23 instead of 17 walking through a village in stolen clothes. Not odd at all. Here, that was normal. Seminormal at least for the ones in on the big secret of the Quilette boys (and girl). I'd have to start school again soon. Wonderful.
I was there already, far too engrossed in my own thoughts to notice the quickness of my walk. Sue's car was in the drive, and I wondered if Leah had come back here as well. Hopefully not. I knocked on my own door, how odd.
"Come in." His deep voice answered me, and I suddenly felt sick.
I twisted the knob and walked into the all too familiar kitchen of my childhood. He didn't look up, assuming I was Leah or Seth, I guess. If Sue really was over here a lot, I bet they would have been, too. He looked the same, frail in his wheelchair but still somehow strong and powerful. I swallowed, steadying myself for what was going to happen next.
"Dad?"
He looked at me, but it wasn't right. It looked like he was staring at a ghost, not sure if I was real or not. I ducked my head, and his fork clattered to the ground making a loud noise.
"Jacob. . . ?"
It felt stupid. All of it, my reasoning for leaving, completely idiotic as I faced my dad. I was all he had left now. Rach was gone, Becca was gone. He only had me, and I had let him down. My knees hit the hard floor underneath me, not being able to hold my weight any longer. I heard the squeak of his wheels as he rolled towards me, the weight and coldness of his hands as they were placed on my shoulders. My head fell into his lap and I broke down there. Like I was five years old again. . .
(Authors Note: The first three sentences are from Eclipse (Epilogue - Choice pg. 629). Used only so you know where this begins. Thanks for reading! And please review. :D)