Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the twilight series, this story may contain exact excerpts from the twilight books or movies which I also do not own.

Chapter 1

Jacob (in wolf form)

I just kept running. What else could I do? I felt like my heart had been torn away from my chest. Bella's words kept flashing through my mind.

"I love you Jake…please don't make me chose…because it will be him." And Cullen standing there so smug he had won. I snarled…the very thought of him made the hair on my back stand on end.

"How could she do this to me," I thought to myself, "after all that we had been through."

I remembered years ago when we were just kids, before she left Forks with her mother.

Flashback

It was just after Charlie and Renee's divorce. My father had stopped by to say goodbye. Even though he was Charlie's friend he was fond of Renee and was sorry to see her go. I remembered seeing Bella sitting on the stoop staring out into nothing as we pulled into the drive way. She looked so sad that it made me want to cry. Bella and I were best friends then. She was nine years old and I was eight. As soon as my father put the truck in park I had jumped from the passenger side, headed over to Bella and sat down beside her.

"Hey Bella," my dad said, "is your mom still inside?" Bella looked up at him and nodded. My father smiled at her apologetically.

"Hey don't worry kid…everything will be okay." He headed into the house. Bella rolled her eyes after he disappeared in the door frame.

"Why does everyone keep saying that," she mumbled almost to herself, "it's kind of annoying." I shrugged.

"I guess they feel bad," I replied, "I guess they just want you to be okay."

"Okay," she sighed, "how is anything supposed to be okay." She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms tightly around them making herself look so small.

"It's not fair," she said suddenly, "I feel like I am being punished."

"For what," I asked grinning slightly. She shrugged.

"I don't know," she replied. She was staring at the ground. She had not looked up since I sat down. I could see her eyes watering up and I knew she was fighting herself to keep from crying. That was just Bella, always putting on a brave face when she was hurting most. I had memorized the expression. She had displayed it after the many arguments that Charlie and Renee had. Her parents fighting tore her apart inside but she never cried. I reached over to her and placed my arm around her shoulder.

"It's okay," I said. She shot me a look of anger.

"I'm sorry," I replied taking my arm back quickly, "I didn't know what else to say." She nodded letting me know it was okay. I glanced back into the doorway.

"You know they won't be done here for a while," I said glancing at her from the corner of my eye, "Why don't we go for a walk or something?" She didn't answer me. I stood up and turned to her.

"Come on," I said stretching my hand out before her. She looked at me and smiled slightly almost as if she were fighting herself not to smile.

"Please," I continued. She put her hand in mine and I pulled her upwards.

"Where do you want to go," she asked.

"I don't know," I shrugged, "how about the playground?" She shrugged back.

"Okay." She turned back to the front door of her house and opened it slightly.

"Mom…Dad…I'm going to the playground with Jake," she yelled into the house. She didn't wait for an answer. She grabbed my hand and we headed down the road. We didn't talk. I didn't mind the silence. I didn't know what to say to her without sounding like everyone else. She seemed to hate it when people apologized for her parent's divorce. As if what they said made a difference anyway, as if any of it could ever make things okay for her. I shoved my hands in my pockets and looked over at her. She seemed to be thinking deeply about something. I turned my attention back to the road ahead. I hadn't really thought about what was going to happen after the divorce. I didn't really think about how Bella's life was going to change. As we walked toward the playground, like we had so many times before, I began to realize that it might be the last time that we would ever hang out. I frowned at that thought.

Charlie and my father had been friends since they were teenagers. They grew up together. It seemed like the natural order of things that their children would become friends and grow up together. But now that Renee was leaving and taking Bells with her all of that was going to change.

We arrived at the playground and headed over toward the swings. One of our favorite things to do was to have contests to see who could swing the highest. I took a swing and Bella took the one next to me. We didn't swing though we just sat there. I was dragging my toes in the dirt. I was pretty short then and my toes just barely reached the ground. I was wringing my hands on the chains. Bella just stared ahead.

"It's not fair," Bella broke the silence, "I don't want to move." I glanced over at her. I could see her eyes watering up again. This time I could feel mine watering up too.

"I like it here," Bella continued, "I won't have any friends in Arizona." I reached out, took her hand in mine and squeezed it tightly. She looked up at me.

"I don't want you to move either," I replied softly, "you are my best friend." Bella squeezed my hand back and gazed at me sadly.

"Come here," I said as I jumped down from the swing. I grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her in my direction. I walked over to a nearby evergreen tree. She looked at me curiously as we stood in front of the old tree. I smiled slightly and pulled my pocket knife out of my back pocket.

"What are you doing Jake," she asked me.

"You'll see," I replied. I opened the blade and carved a diagonal arrow into the bark of the evergreen. I turned to her and handed her the knife. She looked at me as if I had two heads.

"What do you want me to do," she asked.

"You carve an arrow," I chuckled, "carve an arrow crossing mine."

"Why," she asked. I rolled my eyes.

"Just do it," I replied impatiently. She furrowed her brow questioningly.

"Come on," I said, "I will tell you why after wards."

She turned to the tree and carved an arrow into the bark of the old tree.

"There," I said, "now we will be friends forever no matter what." She smiled slightly. I smiled back at her.

"The crossed arrows are a sign of friendship," I continued, "no matter how far apart we are you will always be my best friend and I will always be yours."

"You promise Jake," she asked.

"I promise," I replied.

"I promise too," she replied. Suddenly she leaned toward me and kissed me on the cheek.

End Flashback

We had made a promise to stay friends forever; that no matter what happened in our lives we would always have each other. I didn't know how that was possible now that she had chosen to be with Cullen, my mortal enemy. The thought of them together made me furious. I could feel a torrent of rage ripping through my body. I wanted to kill something. I wanted to kill Cullen. I growled furiously in frustration. I was bound by the treaty. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't touch a hair on the bloodsucker's head unless he broke the treaty. Sam the alpha made sure that everyone in the pack adhered to the treaty. It was more then that though. I had promised Bella that I would never hurt her. Killing Cullen would be breaking that promise. I knew that if I ever came after that filthy bloodsucker, she would never forgive me. I slowed my pace as my mind focused on her. I loved her, I knew it. There was nothing I could do to stop loving her. It tore my heart to shreds when she chose him over me. I stopped and sat down upon my haunches and howled painfully into the night sky.

Bella

I was quiet for the rest of the car ride. I sat back in the fake leather of the passenger side seat gazing out the opened window. I breathed in the sweet night air as the wind brushed past my face. It was a warm summer night and the breeze felt nice. I glanced over at Edward. He seemed focused on the road ahead. I turned back to the open window and gazed into the darkened woods.

"I should be happy," I kept thinking to myself, "I should be happy he came back." Edward had admitted that he lied, admitted that he still loved me. I should have been happy, but my mind kept drifting back to Jacob. I was eternally grateful in this moment that Edward could not read my mind. There was no telling what he would think or do if he knew what I was thinking. I thought back to the many months that Edward had been gone. I felt so alone and heartbroken. I didn't know how to exist without him. He was like a lifeline keeping me alive. Without him I felt dead inside. All I had wanted was to curl up into a ball and disappear. I had initially enlisted Jake's help to fix the motorcycles in an attempt to conjure up the ghost of Edward. I had taken risk after risk just to see his face but something unexpected had happened in the process. Jake and I had reconnected. I had begun to feel happy again. I began to feel healed. Every day I found myself looking forward to seeing Jacob's face more and more. Jake wanted me to choose. I knew that he did, but I didn't know how to do that. I loved Edward…but I loved Jake too. I didn't want to hurt either of them. If I chose Jake then Edward would leave. I knew he would.

The choice was impossible. Now that Jake was a werewolf, everything seemed impossible. I would have given everything to have them both with me and happy. I wanted to spend my life with Edward but still keep my best friend Jake. The two men I loved most were mortal enemies. No matter what I chose, one or the other would be hurt. As I sat contemplating my impossible decision, I suddenly heard a loud howl echoing through the trees. I turned my head quickly and scanned the forest, but I could see nothing. I sat back in the seat and turned to Edward. He glanced over at me with a strange expression displayed upon his face. It was as if he had just thought of something very troubling, or perhaps he had heard someone else's troubled thoughts.

"What," I asked curiously, "what's wrong?" He furrowed his brow and then turned back to the road.

"Nothing," he replied, "it's nothing."

"Is it Jake," I asked almost frantically, "was it him howling just now?" Edward turned to me again. He paused for a moment and then nodded slightly.

"What did you hear," I asked. Edward pulled off to the side of the road and brought the truck to a halt. He looked away from me.

"He wants to kill me," he replied. My heart froze suddenly. Had I hurt Jake so badly that he would murder Edward?

"But he won't…," Edward went on.

"Because of the treaty," I interrupted. Edward shook his head.

"Because of you," he replied.

"Me," I replied. Edward nodded. He looked away from me again.

"Is there something else," I questioned. Edward nodded.

"Sadness," he replied.

To be continued…..