"Into this night I wander,

"It's morning that I dread

Another day of knowing of

The path I fear to tread

Oh, into the sea of waking dreams

I follow without pride

Nothing stands between us here

And I won't be denied."

-S. McLachlan, Possession

The Trouble with Werewolves

The sound of Edward and Jasper's bodies crashing together during their play battle sounded all through the house, then Edward came back into the room, a great grin on his face and a more peaceful set to his body.

He came and sat next to me on the bed. I was reading Wuthering Heights again, and he plucked it out of my hands. "I think you've read enough of this one Bella. Why not try a nice Austen novel, or perhaps something more contemporary. Choose anything, but you're restricted from Bronte for awhile." I laughed, and allowed that.

"Too much Bronte makes Bella a dull girl, eh?" I said.

He scoffed, "No! It makes Bella a little too lively when she's dreaming!" I laughed at this; my dreams had given me trouble lately. Nothing I couldn't handle, but when my imagination was affected, I could go to some very wild places, and experience very wild events as well.

"Well, you're usually the star of my dreams Edward, I'm sure changing my reading habits won't change that." I said resignedly.

"Oh no, all it takes to change your dreams is a little confusion." He looked at me through his eyebrows.

I leaned forward against him, "Well, you could distract me from reading for quite some time, if you were only willing. I said teasingly.

He raised an eyebrow at me, "Willing isn't the problem. Able is another matter entirely. I'm in no hurry to put you in that kind of danger, Bella. Trust me, there are moments when I'm inexcusably close to forgetting my caution. It isn't rejection, its love that stops me, love that keeps me wanting to preserve you."

I caught on to his last words, "If you really want to preserve me, change me." He glared at me.

I laughed, "Well, lets not talk about that tonight, shall we? I think there are plenty of other things we can concentrate on. In fact, what happened at the hospital anyway? What was it that Carlisle needed your help with?" the change in Edward's look and the way he held himself was telling. He was suddenly completely serious.

"Carlisle wanted the use of my special power for a patient who is in a coma." He was tense suddenly; in the way I associated with times when he was trying to protect me.

"Is it someone I know?" I asked, cautiously. I didn't think he'd tell me, but it was worth a try.

He looked at me strangely, and then looked down.

"It IS!" I responded, "Who is it Edward? What happened?"

His brow furrowed, and he continued to look down, "It's Jessica Stanley."

I gasped, "Jessica's in a coma? Why?" I hadn't seen her since our wedding. What could have happened? I got up and walked to the closet to get myself a sweater.

Edward watched me for a moment, a look of consternation on his face, "Bella, what are you doing?"

I looked up from my zipper, "I want to go see Jessica." Of course, I thought.

"I don't think that's wise just now, Bella. Wait, at least until tomorrow. She's not alone. Esme and Carlisle are still with her, and of course Jessica's family are all there."

"Edward, Jessica Stanley is one of my few, very good human friends, she's in the hospital, I want to go in and visit her."

"I don't think you should see her yet. She was attacked by a wild animal."

"Oh my God! Poor Jessica, is she bad? You said she's in a coma, is her condition really bad?" judging by the look on his face I wasn't going to like his answer.

"Carlisle says there really isn't anything further they can do for her. It's just a matter of waiting to see whether she'll wake up or not."

I was stunned, Jessica, poor little, young, and ridiculous Jessica. "Where was she, how'd she get attacked?"

"She went camping with Mike Newton." He said curtly.

I had to know more, "What about Mike, is he okay?"

Edward shook his head; a slight relaxing of his brows told me Mike was fine. "Mike got hurt when he tried to fight the wolf off of Jessica, but he was only bitten, and thrown." As an afterthought he said, "Mike's injuries are going to be more internal."

He was oddly short with his answer, and was still tense. There was still something he wanted to keep from me, and I wasn't having it. Jessica was a friend after all. "What aren't you telling me, Edward? Why did Carlisle need to you to hear her thoughts?"

"Because she wasn't just attacked Bella, that came first, and it was brutal, but that was only half of the horror it. She was also raped."

I gasped again. But how! How could that have happened? I thought to myself. Edward continued,"Carlisle had a suspicion about how something horrendous like that might have happened. He brought me down to confirm it, which I have." He looked at me, sadly.

"…And? Tell me, please." I begged him.

"Jessica was attacked by a wolf…then she was raped." He looked at me with deep concern, something about this was related to me, or Edward wouldn't be so reserved.

I shook my head slowly back and forth. My brain refusing to comprehend what he was saying.

"Edward, who would do such a thing. Who would come upon someone in that condition and then rape them?" I said, astonished.

"Bella," he looked at me as though I was missing the point. "The attack and the rape were done by the same person. It was Jacob Black.