A/N: I am very proud to announce the start of this story! On The Border is a tale of comfort, communication, and destiny, and I really hope y'all enjoy it. This is not my first story, but it is my first multi-chapter, and it will be the first one for me to have written all the way through. My last fic was Glee (I deleted it), and while I might return to other fandoms, I'm deeply interested in Twilight at the moment, so that will probably be a majority of the fics I post (though, as my pen name indicates, I am a very fickle man haha).

I'll be publishing a new chapter every week, maybe even more frequently, so please, read, favorite, and review. Enjoy it too, that'd be icing on the cake. ;)

-MoMP

WARNING: Contains some harsh language, innuendo, and angst. Homosexual romance with sexual scenes in later chapters, so if you gon' hate, I ain't gon' appreciate. ;) I don't own Twilight, obviously.

Chapter 1

Jacob Black sprinted through the dark forest, his giant tongue lolling to the side. His paws connected with rich earth and transferred sheer power to each of his four legs, propelling him forward like a rocket slicing its way through a verdant universe. This was his first time on patrol, and even though he outwardly voiced his apathy for the old wives' tales that were ingrained into the minds of all Quileute younglings, subconsciously he couldn't wait to fulfill his role as protector of his people, the shield of his homeland.

Sure, Sam had given him the graveyard shift, and since the part of the forest he had been sent to was always deserted and isolated, he was pretty sure that nothing interesting would happen. But the feeling of importance and purpose still overwhelmed him, and made his legs push even harder toward his destination.

As the wind raced over his face and made his chocolate brown fur ripple like ocean waves, he couldn't help but think about whether he would ever get used to shifting. This was one of the first times he had stayed in wolf form for longer than an hour. After the Cullens had chased James down and killed him, along with his red-headed mate, Sam had seen little reason to ramp up security. Unlike most of the pack, Sam actually trusted the vegetarian leeches, and thus had taught the new wolves only the most basic rules and techniques.

Jacob's pace slowed, wincing at the thought of James and Victoria.

Bella.

It always hurt to think about his best friend. The Cullens had killed the trackers, but had been too late to save Bella. According to Carlisle, she had just enough strength to give Edward the choice: he could alleviate her suffering by drinking the rest of her blood, or he could change her into a vampire. Allegedly, with her blessing, he chose the first option. At the meeting the Cullens had met with the pack to tell them the horrible news, and Edward had looked hollow, empty. The only time he spoke was when he mumbled, "She said that she'd see me in heaven." Jacob felt a slight twinge of pity, and immediately crushed it. He wanted to kill that disgusting creep. How dare he take Bella away from everyone she loved? From Charlie, from Renée... from Jacob.

He growled with bitter hatred as his gait slowed further; he saw that his destination was close. His heart ached at the loss of his best friend, a friend that he hardly got to know before their time was abruptly cut short.

XXXX

Bells had spent most of her time with the vampires, but there was one day when she had snuck out to La Push without telling them. This had been about a week before Jacob came down with "wolf fever," and they had spent the entire day sharing jokes, hopes, fears, dreams. Bella told him that she thought she loved Edward, despite what she knew he was.

At the time, Jake had scowled, not knowing that his tribe's strange fireside tales were completely true. He had no doubt that the Cullens were vampires; Carlisle and his father had met to discuss the treaty before, and the whole tribe could see that they weren't human. But since no threat had arisen, the wolf gene had stayed dormant, and most assumed that aspect of the legend to be fiction.

Though he understood the danger behind any relationship she maintained with Edward (what with him probably wanting to eat her), Jacob had nodded and said that no matter who she settled down with, he would always be her friend. He may not like it, but he'd be there for her nonetheless.

They had sprawled on the beach, looking up at the grey sky and continuing to talk about anything and everything. Finally, Bella asked, "Jake, do you love me?"

He was stumped by this question, because the answer was so complex. He loved Bella, absolutely. But did he love her in the romantic, "partner" sense, or in just a loyal, friendly sense? He simply didn't know for sure, so he said, "Yes, but it's complicated. I'll love you however you want me to love you." She had laid her head on his shoulder, and they had embraced for a long while until it finally came time for her to leave.

"I love you, Jacob."

"I love you too, Bella."

XXXX

Jacob was walking now, blinking back tears from his large canine eyes at the painful recollection. He gnashed his teeth and looked around before letting out a small whimper. He was grateful that nobody else in the pack was in wolf form at the moment, which delayed the relentless verbal abuse he'd probably endure for crying. He knew that the pack used insults and jokes to lighten the mood and make each other feel better, but sometimes he wished that he had a lockbox in which to keep some of his thoughts. It sucked not having anything completely to yourself.

He reached the small clearing that was to be his post for the next few hours. Starting tonight, Sam had ordered a one night practice patrol of the territory: partially to give the new wolves some experience, and partially to keep an eye out for the chance (however slim) of any of James' friends showing up to exact revenge. Carlisle had taken well to the idea, citing the welfare of the people of Forks and the importance of being prepared. He had set up identical patrol stations on the leech side of the border, and Sam informed everyone that they would meet their new "bloodsucker buddy" at their post, one at a time. Since this was the best line of defense in an emergency, Sam ordered that they all take this seriously. If anything suspicious occurred, or any rogue vampire were to appear, this patrol would go into effect nightly, and he wanted to make sure everyone knew the drill.

No one was really looking forward to it, but at the same time everyone was fascinated: they'd never spent any significant amount of time with the bloodsuckers, and wanted to see what they were like (albeit mostly for the sake of finding different ways to kill one). Jake had the third shift, and based on the broken dialogue in his head hours ago, he knew that Paul had partnered with Carlisle, and Embry was teamed up with Alice. He saw no reason to speculate about whom he might be paired with, but Quil and Paul were taking bets on it. Whoever it was, he was putting his money on the odds that he would hate it regardless.

Jacob looked at the moon, seeing how much time had elapsed. He seemed to be on time. He sat and waited, his ears perked up and his face tilted upwards. A rabbit scurried by, returning to its warren for the night. A breeze picked up, rustling the green leaves and brushing the pine needles together. The summer air was humid, but not very warm; it smelled like morning dew and soft moss. Jacob closed his eyes and let the breeze cool his russet-brown coat. His heightened senses were, in his opinion, the best part about shape-shifting. They made it more fun to run, track, climb, howl, and hunt. They made Jacob forget about his sad, lonely, vulnerable life for a while and let him focus on small things, things he used to enjoy noticing when he was a little kid.

A powerful scent wafted through the air, and Jacob's nose wrinkled at the unfamiliar stench. A twig snapped, and some tall grass rustled against the flow of the wind.

Jacob was instantly alert and on edge. He stood, fur on end and teeth bared. He barked menacingly, which he hoped would be understood as "Show yourself!"

"Hello, Jacob. I'm right here." Edward's voice was calm and deep, reverberating throughout the calm summer atmosphere. He stepped out from behind a large, bushy clump of grass not twenty yards away.

While his physical demeanor relaxed slightly, Jacob's mind turned dark, malice clouding his thoughts. Who paired me with you? What makes anyone believe that you'll genuinely protect anything?

The animosity in Jacob's inner voice made Edward cringe a little, but he answered. "Jacob, I'm sorry. I have to apologize to everyone I know on a daily basis, and I mean it every time. Please understand that she wanted me t—"

Jacob growled loudly. She NEVER would have chosen death! She wouldn't have done that to everyone she cared about! Don't EVER speak to me about what she wanted! You don't know, and never will! You couldn't read her thoughts, so don't pretend like you could. You killed her, and ruined everyone's lives! I lov—... Bel—... you—...

Jacob wanted to say more. A lot more. He wanted to shout how much he hated Edward, how much he wanted to rip his disgusting motherfucking head right off his shoulders, but his voice faltered. His growls had turned into whimpers, and he turned away and shook his head, tears flowing freely. Jacob thought about how embarrassing it was that he couldn't even keep it together while screaming at his mortal enemy.

"I'm not your mortal enemy, Jacob."

The rusty brown wolf turned to face the border. Edward was just standing there, his palms open, his eyes filled with deep hurt. He looked like a saint, a martyr that had died with pleas for mercy on his lips. This, of course, implied that Jacob was the heartless emperor, the unforgiving tyrant, and he would have none of that. It certainly wasn't his fault that Bella was gone.

Jacob glared. How dare you? Quit making excuses, and stay out of my damn brain. You're telling me that the leech who killed my best friend isn't my mortal enemy? Please, enlighten me.

Edward shook his head. His voice was strangled with sadness. "I had no choice, Jacob. I was given the option of destroying her body, or destroying her soul. Which did you prefer I take?"

That shut Jacob up. He pawed the ground restlessly, his claws churning up the black soil. Even in his mind, his low husky voice betrayed his feelings. I just want her back. I miss her.

"I know. I miss her as well." Edward sighed and sat down slowly, choosing a large boulder on which to perch. "I knew you two were pretty close; she talked about you all the time."

Jacob's heart leapt. She mentioned me? his inner voice said hesitantly. It warmed him to think that Bella had done something other than swoon when she had been with Edward.

Edward smirked, a kind of half smile. "Yeah, she always said that you were her greatest friend." He had a reminiscent look on his face, and his eyes were glazed over with a bitter-sweet memory.

Well, shit. Now he felt like absolute scum. Edward's open and gracious attitude made him realize how selfish and immature he had been. He had spent so much time in his own grief that he had failed to think about how much this fiasco might have hurt anyone else, especially Edward. Jacob was sure that, even if the vampire sitting in front of him was no longer a person, he had been human at one point, with thoughts and feelings. His heartbeat slowing down, he paced back and forth for a bit before shaking out his nerves, a wave of movement that undulated from head to toe and made his healthy coat shimmer in the moonlight. He finally sat on his haunches near a large rotted tree stump, and looked straight at Edward. The two now faced each other, an invisible but seemingly impenetrable barrier between them. The silence of the secluded clearing was a comfortable one, despite the sensitive nerves that had just been struck.

Jacob cocked his head to the side inquisitively. So if we're not mortal enemies, then what are we exactly?

Edward shrugged his shoulders. "It depends. What do you think?"

I don't know.

They spent the rest of their time in silence. Jacob continued pacing back and forth along the border, walking cautiously from one edge of the clearing to the other. He stayed alert, following the orders given to him by the Alpha. Edward appeared to do the same, remaining attentive and glancing this way and that. After a while, they realized that their time was up.

"Well, I suppose it's time we went back to our respective homes." Edward gestured to the woods behind him.

Jacob replied sheepishly, softly. Yeah. I'm glad nothing happened. I'll see you here if anything comes up, I guess?

Edward sighed, and appeared to collect his thoughts. Jacob had already turned away, and was walking back toward the forest when Edward called out.

"Hey, Jacob." Jacob turned to look back. "Would you like to meet me out here again tomorrow?"

Jacob furrowed his brow, puzzled. What for?

Edward shrugged. "I think it'd be a good idea, if only to familiarize ourselves with the patrol area. It's up to you, though." He raised his eyebrows. The ball was in Jacob's court.

He was torn. He did want to see Edward again, because it felt great to talk about Bella. It calmed him down. He didn't have anyone else to talk to about such a personal subject, and Edward seemed eager enough to listen. But he also wanted to lash out and hurt Edward, the very bloodsucker who took Bella away from him. His burning need to blame someone for his best friend's demise was almost all-consuming. He dug down deep, looking for an answer. Was he going to sweep his emotion under the rug and isolate himself from everyone, or was he going to let Edward share his burden? Which one would Bella have wanted me to choose? Somewhat begrudgingly, he knew which path he needed to take. He may not like Edward, but Bella certainly had, and that was enough to at least give him the time of day.

I'll see you at midnight. Here. If you're late, I'm leaving.

Edward smiled, a full grin this time. "Great. See you then, Jacob."

Jacob rolled his eyes as Edward turned and zoomed out of sight, leaving only slight footprints in the soil as proof that he was ever there. As he turned to start his own journey back home, he wondered: what the hell had just happened?