1. Shadowlight

"Jacob!" When nothing but a distant echo was her response, Bella's fingers tightly latched onto the window frame. "I'm calling for you!" Her voice was carried by the wind and slowly faded into the forest's trees. This became a habit, Bella would shout out for Jacob and nothing but a winter breeze wafted back against her face. Two bitter months had passed before any word of Jacob's safety was confirmed.

His ears twitched up, "I'm calling for you…" Jacob howled at the sound of her voice, falling into a lazy tread down the hill. The twinkle of snow irritated Jacob, bringing him to shake off what looked like doggy dandruff against the thickness of his fur. His whip of a tail whacked the ground with excitement, despite being tired he ran to her. Jacob was on the verge of collapsing before he phased into a human. Being furless felt new to his flesh and the tenderness of his human bones creaked back to work.

"I'm coming," Jacob murmured, feeling his limp muscles breathe in the movements of life. After much effort, he managed to lift himself up the tree rooted in front of Bella's window. Jacob looked down, seeing that everything was safely concealed under a thin layer of denim, and slid into her room.

"You're here." She muttered, flickering on the nightlight and bounding off her bed.

Bathed in the light of the moon Jacob looked like a true warrior, bulkier and fresh to Bella's eyes. His wavy hair hung long and untamed about his shoulders, the color once clear, had been washed from his face

"Oh my God!" She gasped; supporting his tall body above her shoulder before he stumbled to the floor. Jacob looked up at her with eyes that had witnessed too much. "Oh my God!" She repeated, tucking the loose strands of hair behind his ears. Jacob quivered in exhaustion, attempting to carry himself strong for Bella.

"Did you miss me?" He asked, opening up his arms for Bella's embrace. She fit into him gently but Jacob was still sore. "Easy." He said, shifting his weight to lie across the bed.

"You're safe, you're here." Bella nestled her face into the hollow of his throat and blew a sigh of relief. Jacob brought a thumb to brush the tears of joy off her face then gave Bella's hand a little squeeze. "I missed you so much," she hiccupped.

"I missed you, too." Jacob sighed, sinking down into the comforter.

"Here, merry charismas." Bella unclasped the leather strap loosely hugging her throat and tied it around Jacob's. He looked down to find an aquamarine gem adorning his neck and he fiddled with its copper rim. "That's supposed to bring good luck." She told him, lacing her fingers through his. "I kept it close since you left."

"I never took you as the superstitious type." Jacob knit a hand through her perfectly straight hair and watched the reddish brown color thread through his fingers. "I didn't get you anything. I thought of you on New Year's Eve, though and Charismas, too."

"Nothing matters anymore, Jake. You're back." She traced a lazy circle around the gem and lightly pillowed her head by his shoulder. "It was the worst two months of my life," she remembered the cold era of when Edward left and cringed. "Did you catch the vampires?" She asked, "was it Victoria?"

"No, these leeches are cunning. They are foreign, oddly all the way from maybe the French Alps. Sam thinks they're gone…" Jacob trailed off.

"But you …?" Bella didn't really know what to ask.

"I still think some thing's lingering near. But don't worry, Bella. I'll keep you safe." His finger tips combed through the widow's peak of her hairline and he smiled softly. "You're so beautiful," Jacob marveled, pulling her closer to him.

Bella's cheeks were touched by a brush of color and his thoughts wondered.

How could Edward leave such a delicate thing behind? That bastard of a bloodsucker boiled Jacob's stomach in anger. "Jake." If Edward ever came back he would twist each of his limbs right off. "Jake." Jacob loathed him more than anything in the world. "Jacob!" Bella called, finally grabbing his attention.

"Huh?" He asked, mentally slapping himself for allowing his train of thought to think back on the vampire he liked to call it.

"Why would French vampires come to Forks?" She whispered, dreading any sort of answer.

Jacob's clenched fist was stuffed into his pockets and he shrugged easily, "I don't know, Bella. And I don't want to find out either, whatever's crawling around in their brains should stay right where it is. They are gone now, all's good." He said, stroking a comforting hand over her back.

"But you said…" She trailed off, feeling the lock of his arms tighten. "Yeah, you're right they're gone."

Sighing stressfully, he sensed the jagged shape of Bella's spine caress his finger tips. "You've shed a few pounds," he said as though it was a bad thing.

"What's wrong with dieting?" She asked, averting her gaze, which did nothing to conceal her lie.

"Dieting? Sweetie you're perfectly fine…" His hand lightly brushed the sink of her cheeks. "Why did you stop eating?"

"How could I, when you were out there?" Bella captured his fingers in hers, letting Jacob's hot impression seep through the pores of her face.

"Let's for get about everything that happened, okay. It's a new year." He smiled, planting a cluster of kisses across the span of her forehead. "And I still haven't kissed you yet." Jacob said, using his fingers to prop up her head.

"Its way passed midnight," she teased, bringing Jacob to furrow his brows passed the tangle of bangs. "And I…" Jacob's lips crushed into hers before she could utter another word and slowly Bella began melting under the heat.

"Good night, Bella." Jacob said, suffering from a complete over dosage of drowsiness.

"Sleep tight, Jake." Bella answered, slipping off her first sweater layer prior to draining it in perspiration.

"I love you!" they chuckled, speaking those words in time.

Although dreaming of a perfect tomorrow Jacob held onto Bella as though she was the favorite teddy to his inner child. And she mimicked his actions, allowing them to doze off in harmony…