Special thanks to DianaB17, the first person to add me to their favorite authors list. This oneshot was not suppose to be written until after I was done writing everything Equilibrium related, but I was needing a break from that story as I update it on average two or three times a week, so I decided to write something else instead of doing nothing. Now I am keeping my Jakeward skills polished and still getting my long needed break!

Jacob: Where am I? O.O

Me: You're in Hurricane. :D

Jacob: …I'm lost! D:

Me: Haha! No you're not! You're just in a oneshot! xD

Jacob: Where am I usually then? :o

Me: Equilibrium. :I

Jacob: Oh. ._.

Me: So this is sort of like vacation. .-.

Jacob: Like with a beach?

Me: -mumbling- Hopefully a nude only beach...

Jacob: What was that?

Me: Nothing! ;3

Okay, so this story is in a different reality than Equilibrium. Bella is (unfortunately) alive in this reality, while she is dead in Equilibrium. This doesn't take place at any precise time, but I'll guess that it would probably take place around late New Moon period. When you are done reading, please read the special announcement at the bottom.

-Edward's POV-

All of these long nights could get lonely, and this one had yet to start. It was about five in the afternoon, but it was already dark. Looking outside I saw a storm coming in. It looked like it would probably rain the whole night. When Carlisle first turned me, I would look forward to rain. The sound of the raindrops striking the many hard surfaces of the different houses that we lived in was to relaxing back then. Now, it was an annoyance that was hard to tune out.

I sighed out of boredom, not in the mood to compose anything. I chose to play a record. I picked one off of my shelf at random and began to play it. I didn't really even bother listening to it. Nights like this were so hard to stomach. I hated what I was at times like this. I looked back out at the storm, figuring that I could watch the lightning. Not amused, I sighed as a cloud lit up with a lightning bolt that never broke the bottom of the cloud.

I perked up when I heard a knock at my door. Anything thing that my family could possibly want would be more interesting that this any day.

"Hey, Ed," came Emmett as he stepped into my room, "What do you have planned for tonight?"

"The usual," I frowned.

"Sulking alone in the dark?" he smirked.

I nodded. I suppose that he wasn't wrong.

"We'll there's a hurricane," he motioned at the storm outside my window, "Wanna join me and Carlisle? We're going to make sure nobody drowns or anything."

"That sounds... noble," I remarked, "Sure."

Emmett smirked at me."We're gonna split up. That okay?"

I returned his smirk and got up off of my couch. "Sure." I crossed the room and headed towards to door. "You coming?"

The storm was bad so far, but nobody had been seriously hurt yet. We were about halfway to the eye of the storm. There was a pretty significant amount of structural damage to the town so far. The worst that I had seen so far was a car that had hydroplaned into a telephone pole. My hair was plastered to my forehead and my clothes clung awkwardly to my body. The rain was intense and it was getting worse. I was worried about this storm. Forks had seen its fair share of storms, but this one was something else.

I roamed the streets, looking for people that needed help. I couldn't be a super hero, but I could help.

"Young man!" Came a voice from behind me. I turned to look and saw an elderly woman. "You shouldn't be out in this weather. Come inside."

"No, thanks," I replied politely, "I'm just on my way home." A lie, but it worked.

The furrowed her wrinkled brow and hesitated, "Okay, but please go straight home. It's dangerous out here."

"Thanks. I will," I lied.

She nodded and went into a nearby building. It was a flower shop, but I knew that there were apartments on the second floor. She must live there.

My pocket began to vibrate. I pulled out my phone, which was wrapped in plastic. "Hello?" I answered, stepping into a nearby alleyway for cover from the relentless rain.

"Hey, Ed," came Alice's small voice.

"What can I help you with?"

She paused. "I think that there might be a hiker in trouble in the woods near where you live. I think that he's supposed to die, but maybe this call will be the change in the chain of events that kills him. If you hurry, you can probably save him," she paused again, "Or her."

"Sure thing," I answered with no emotion. I cared about human life, but when Alice saw someone dying, it was usually a done deal. "How did he die?"

"I don't know. I just get close to a certain tree and my vision," she took a breath, "It disappears, Edward."

"Okay," I replied, "I'm on it."

I hung up the phone and made my way to the woods. I had to run so slow to avoid being noticed if I was seen. Seeing someone dash down the streets would be suspicious, and my hearing wasn't at it's best right now. The loud drilling of the rain muffled many sounds that I would normally hear. Normally, I'd be able to hear everything going on in the surrounding buildings when standing in the streets.

The woods were a mess. The normal ground was soaked and swampy. I'm glad that I didn't have to worry about mosquitoes anymore, as there would soon be thousands breeding in the cesspool formerly known as the woods. At one point, I was knee deep in muddy, water. It was truly disgusting, and no human could have done it. If any human tried to make their way through this mud, they would likely get stuck. I imagine that's how the hiker would die if I didn't make it in time.

I tried to smell for him. I couldn't. I could still smell pretty well, but the overpowering smell of rain dulled my senses. This is the reason that I have grown to hate the rain. If it rained hard enough, I was reduced to a nearly human standard of senses. I absolutely hated that. All I could hear, smell, and see was the rain clouding my senses. It wasn't to be envied.

I waded my was easily through the thick mud and reached a tree that was sticking out of the water. I scaled the tree, hoping to get a better view of where this hiker may be. The bark was slick from the rain, but I dug my nails in to keep a firm grip. I noticed a faint smell from this height and immediately locked it in. It was familiar, which only really meant that it was someone from town. I could sense which direction it was coming from, but I could not pinpoint exactly where it was coming from.

I jumped down to a muddy area that wasn't submerged yet. The scent was strong here. I began to hear something.

A voice danced in my head. A panicked, scared voice. The voice must have been the fearful thoughts of the hiker. The thoughts were scattered, making almost no sense. I listened to it, trying to discover where it was coming from. The hiker was calming himself. I listened as he repeated that he would be fine. He was smart and chose high ground where it wouldn't flood. I could tell that he was under cover from the rain.

The panic began to subside, making was to an almost subliminal fear. Overhead, a bolt of lightning flashed, followed promptly by a loud clap of thunder. The hiker's level of fear and panic shot through the roof. I stumbled across a large tree with a huge hollowed out section. I could hear the hiker's heart beating rapidly. I could hear him breathing heavily. I could smell the fear rolling off of him.

I reached into the hole in the tree. "Please, come with me. You can't stay here."

The hiker didn't respond to me. I couldn't hear him breathing, but his heart was pounding violently against his chest. He was holding his breath. I looked in at him, and gasped. "What are you doing here?" I asked, seeing a soak Jacob, curled up in the back of the hole.

"What the fuck does it look like?" he spat back at me.

"Hey, now," I reasoned, "Calm down. I'm just here to help."

"I'm doing just fine without help from a leech like your," he crossed his arms and rested them on his knees, "So go away."

"I can't."

His eyes shot up and he glared venomously into mine. "Why the hell not?"

I sighed. Why couldn't I just leave him here? But I knew why. If I left him here alone, he might die. As much as I loathed him, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I let him die. His life still has value. Maybe. "I promised Alice that I'd help you." Technically, I wasn't lying.

He laughed coldly. "I thought that Alice couldn't see me."

"She thought that you were a hiker that was going to die," I inhaled, "Unless of course I saved you."

"Well I'm fine, so you can leave now." He broke eye contact.

I leaned further into the hole in the tree. "I can't leave you here alone. It's too dangerous," I closed my eyes, knowing that I would regret asking this. "Can I stay and make sure that you're okay."

There was a pause. I opened my eyes at looked at him. His brown eyes were staring into mine. "Why would you want to do that?"

"Because," I replied, "I promised Alice that I would."

He rolled his eyes and growled at me. "Just tell her that you did and go curl back up in your coffin or something."

I sighed. "Jacob, you know I can't do that."

"Why?" he grumbled.

"Jacob, please."

He remained silent for a long time. I thought that he was going to ignore me and wait for me to leave so I opened my mouth to tell him that there was no chance, but he cut me off. "Fine."

I gaped. "What?"

"You heard me," he snapped at me, "You can stay. But no talking."

I smiled as I crawled completely into the hole in the tree. The tree was slightly elevated, so the rain water rolled away from the hole in the tree rather than into it. I looked around it silently. I noticed that the inside was green still. The hole was fresh. I noticed claw marks. "Jacob?"

"What did I say about talking?" He snapped at me.

Ignoring him, I asked, "Did you make this place yourself?"

He hesitated. "Yeah. Why?"

"The location is perfect," I pointed out, "You choose the best tree possible. It's elevated so the rain won't flood you out and it's big so that you won't cramp up. Good choice."

"Really?" he looked around the hole, admiring his claw marks proudly. I nodded and he continued. He laughed. "I just chose some random big tree. Didn't think of much else."

I laughed back at him, "Guess you're just a lucky guesser."

He smiled at me for a moment and quickly dropped his face into an emotionless mask.

I tried to read him, to see what he was thinking, but I found that I was unable to.

He grinned mischievously at me, "Trying to rut around in my mind?" he laughed, "Good luck with that one."

I was confused, "What did you do?"

"I blocked you."

My mouth gaped open. "People can do that?" This was news to me.

"Not everyone," he replied, "Just us shifters."

"What makes you special that only you can do it?"

He shrugged. "Minus the whole shifter thing, nothing really. Normal people could probably learn to do it too, but what reason would they have for doing it?"

"True," I agreed, "Please continue."

"Well when we phase, all of our thoughts are shared. Everyone can hear what the others are thinking, which is annoying, so we've learned to block others out of our minds. It's hard to do when I phase, but it seems to work wonders on you." He smiled mockingly.

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "How does it work?"

He grinned defiantly at me. "Trade secret."

I opened my mouth to say something, but as I did as bright light flooded the hole we were in. The light disappeared as quickly as it had come. I heard a faint whimper come from Jacob. I looked at him and saw a look of dread on his face.

"Jacob, are you-" I began to ask, but a loud clap of thunder cut me off, followed by a violent rumble.

When the thunder came, his body doubled over, curling up into a ball. His hands covered his ear desperately, his fingers stiffly curled in.

I crawled over to him as a low groan escaped his lips. I placed my hand on his shoulder and shook. "Jacob, are you okay."

His tightly closed eyes shot open and he looked at me. I could see the fear in his eyes.

"Jacob," I gaped, "Are you afraid of the storm?"

He sat up and wrapped his arms around his knees. "No, it's not that just..." His cheeks heated into a scarlet color. He was embarrassed to be seen like this by me, his enemy. "Forget it."

"Jacob," I began, "Why are you afraid of the lightning? It can't get us in here."

"I'm not afraid of it!" he snapped at me. 'It hurts my ears so much!'

"Oh," I replied, "Your hearing is really that sensitive?" I reached towards his ear, but my hand was quickly slapped away.

"I thought I told you to stay out of my head," he growled.

I crawled over next to him at sat. He shrunk away from me, but didn't move. "Is that why you're hiding?"

He said nothing. His silence answered my question.

"I didn't realize that you were this sensitive, Jacob. Is it like this every time thunder hits?"

He nodded, but hesitated to speak. "Every time."

"Why don't you just put in ear plugs?"

He laughed in defeat. "They don't work."

I drew in a breath. I wasn't fond of the shifter, but I didn't hate him. I could show some compassion. "If you want, we can have your room sound-proofed."

He clicked his tongue. "I don't need your fucking charity, Cullen," He sighed, "But thanks."

I chuckled at him. His thoughts were almost completely guarded, but some loose thoughts of embarrassment leaked out from his mental fortress. "Anytime."

We sat in silence for about ten minutes. Eventually, a quick flash of lightning flooded the hole we were in. His eyes shut and he latched onto my arm, his fingernails threatening to scratch my cold, marbled skin. His body radiated heat in slow, relaxing waves. I instinctively covered his ears with my hands. Thunder attacked his senses, causing him to cringe. I heard a faint moan escape his lips. I doubt that a normal human would have heard it.

His level of panic was less than it had been. Slowly, he opened his eyes. He pushed himself off of me. "Sorry!" he spat out.

I chuckled. "I may be dead, but I still have a heart," I replied, "You're obviously very bothered by the thunder."

He pouted, his rosy cheeks becoming a deep red. "Asshole."

That was the moment that it finally clicked. Usually, Jacob was always so guarded. I had never seen him so reliant on me. I had never thought of myself as the type to be needed, but I must have been. I loved having him need me there. Has he always needed me there? Does this happen every time it storms? Every time rolls of thunder escape the sky? And he needed someone to help him. And tonight, I could help him. And I would. I would protect him from this unseen enemy, if only for tonight.

As if on cue, another flash of lightning bleached the scenery, dramatically shadowing Jacob's face. His face, so full of pain. His face was riddled with the pain of knowing what would come soon. I knew then that this fear indeed shackled him every single time a storm rolled through.

He pulled into himself, squeezing his eyes tightly shut. Without thinking, I reached out to him. I grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him towards me. I pulled him into my chest, covering his ears with my hands. And he didn't fight it. It may have been that he was paralyzed by his fear, or that he was desperate for a way out, but he didn't fight me one bit.

As the thunder rumbled, he tucked head head into my chest. His scent was so... earthy. It was strange to me. Last I had checked, he smelled like a filthy, wet stray. Was this just a fluke? I leaned down into his hair as took in a deep breath through my nose. It was no fluke. He indeed smelled better.

"Edward?" he croaked from beneath me.

"Yes?" I asked, pulling my face away from his hair.

"What are you..." he swallowed, "What are you doing?"

"Oh, sorry," I gently began to push him up, "You seemed scared, so I thought-"

"Not that, Edward," he ignored my gentle push, "Did you just... smell me?"

I laughed awkwardly, scratching at the nape of my neck. I could lie my way out, but honesty was worth a shot. "You didn't smell like a stray dog for a moment there and I wanted to check to see if it was a fluke or not." I could hear his embarrassed, yet curious thoughts rolling in his heads before he even said anything. "And no, it wasn't a fluke. You smell kinda like... a grassy field after it rains."

"Oh." 'In my fucking head again, leech? Asshole.'

I laughed. "Sorry. Couldn't help it." I began to gently roll him off of me. I almost had him rested against the side of our little hole in the tree when bright lightning cracked across the sky.

He grabbed a fistful of my shirt and pulled himself back to me. 'Please don't go.'

My mouth gaped opened slightly. I was taken aback by his behavior. He always seemed so independent. I instinctively covered his ears again. His hands were balled into fists, tucked into his own chest. He seemed to be embarrassed about his needy thoughts having leaked. I chose to be merciful and said nothing.

The thunder erupted, louder this time. He yelped at the sound. I could hear the pain in his mind. His ears were so sensitive, that this was causing him actual physical pain. In his mind, he compared into to having a railroad spike hammered into you brain. I felt for him. He thanked me in his mind, though he meant to keep it to himself. He was grateful for this. I was helping him. I was happy that I could help, which was weird considering the nature of our relationship, but I also felt bad about it. I could help him tonight, but what about the next time? Or the time after that?

"Edward?" his breath came out in shaken, ragged waves. It was odd how much I enjoyed the feel of his warm breath rolling over the cold skin of my neck, "Thank you."

If I could have blushed, I may have. What was I to think? "You... You're welcome." I managed to pull the corners of my mouth into a smile. I tried to read his thoughts, but the fortress around his mind was stronger than ever. "Anytime."

He laughed. "You know that's not true," he exhaled, "I'm on my own after this and you know it."

I sighed. He was probably right, but maybe we could work something out. It was worth a shot. "If you want, I could drive over when it storms."

He lifted his head off of me and cocked an eyebrow. "Don't you have better things to do than worry about me?"

I laughed. That was Jacob for you. Sarcastic to the end. "I've been alive for over one hundred years, most of them without sleeping at all. I seriously have nothing better to do."

"Damn! You're so old," He laughed. "But you know you can't cross the border." He pushed off of me, leaning against the side of the hole. "But you really surprised me there."

"What do you mean?" I said as I leaned back.

"You're supposed to hate me, and yet you're offering to help me. I just don't get it, Edward," he smiled and shook his head, "You know that I wouldn't do it for you."

I smiled. "I know," I paused, "Do you want to meet me at the border? I can take you to my house during storms or even rent an apartment near the border."

He sighed. "Edward... Why would you do that?" He looked down at the ground. His voice was wierd. If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought that he was close to tears, but I knew better. There was no way that he would let me see him cry, especially after I had seen him scared. His thoughts were confused. It was a mixture or hating the fact that he was relying on me, shame for hating me when I was the kind of person who could show such kindness, and just plain confusion.

The lightning came again, thought it seemed to come in slow motion. Light creeped its way into the hole, softly shading the contours of Jacob's face. He calmly closed his eyes and dove at me. His arms wrapped around my torso and his head tucked into my chest again. I covered his ears like I had been doing. It came almost naturally. Thunder rolled into our hole, less violently than it had been.

It passed quickly, leaving him clinging needfully to me.

"Jacob?"

He remained silent, not moving for the longest time. I could hear the strong beating of his heart clearly. He gently wrapped an arm around my neck and buried his face into the nook of my neck as another flash of lightning lit up the night sky. The thunder crackled violently, but he didn't move. After I let my hands leave his ears, he pulled his head away from me.

I looked straight into his eyes, noticing a mysterious spark. The rim of his lids were red and shining. I could hear him swallow hard. I finally understood it. I let myself be driven purely by instinct as my hand worked it's way to the back of his neck, pulling him forward so that our forehead made contact. I waited a few moment to see if he would pull away from me, but he didn't. I tilted my head slightly and filled the almost non-existent gap between us.

The electricity was indescribable. As soon as our lips met, a shock of heat flooded into me. His warmth rushed into me like the raging waters of a broken dam. I ended the moment quickly, looking to see his reaction. His eyes were closed at first, but sensing my hesitation, they opened. His eyes sparkled delicately as they searched mine. He pulled the corners of his mouth into somewhat of a smirk. He closed his eyes and leaned back into me and made contact again, keeping the moment alive.

I pulled back for just a moment. "Jacob?"

He opened his eyes. "Hm?" he hummed.

"Do you love me?"

He smiled. "More than anything."

I froze. "Did you..."

"Yup," he grinned. He had imprinted on me!

I pushed my reasoning into the back of my mind. I forgot about everything. I forgot about my family that was probably trying to reach me, the storm that still raged outside, and even Bella. How could I worry about her anymore? She would always have a very special place in my heart and in the hearts of my family, but I just knew somehow that Jacob would make me so much happier. I could always protect Bella and be friends, God knows we get along, but... No. I wouldn't think of that right now. I didn't need to worry about breaking her heart, about the reactions of my family, or about any of the trouble that would come in the future. Right now, it was just me and him.

I think that I had always wanted this deep down, because it didn't weird me out at all. It actually felt so... natural. This was how it should be. He warmed my cold heart in a way that I had never experienced. He wasn't my damsel in distress and I wasn't his knight in shining armor. He was my Jacob and I was his Edward. The only thing more beautiful than how easily it all came was the pure simplicity of it. It felt like we had been like this for years.

He pulled away from me and sharply took in a breath. "Edward?"

"Yes, Jacob?"

"Do you promise to be there for when it storms?" he asked with a glistening gaze.

I smiled. He didn't know that half of it. "Jacob, I will be there for you when it storms and when the sun shines brightly. I'll be here for you for as long as you'll let me be."

He smiled at me brightly. He wrapped one hand around that back off my neck, sending a warm wave down my spine. He began to lean back and pulled me down onto him. "You promise?"

"I promise." I shifted my weight so that I wasn't digging into his side before closing the gap between us. I heard the thought cross his mind, but he didn't want to break our embrace to tell me. I broke it anyways. "You're right. The rain stopped."

"Is it over?" he asked me, expectantly.

I sighed. "I'm afraid not. We're just in the eye of the storm. It's only about halfway over."

"Oh," he looked off to the side at nothing in particular.

"But don't worry," I cupped his face with one hand and played with his hair with the other, "I'll be here with you the whole time."

He smiled, but it quickly dropped with a sigh. "What happens after the hurricane?"

"I... don't know." I admitted honestly. There was so much to figure out.

"That's what I was afraid of," he said with a hurt look on his face, "I don't think that I'll be able to do it, Edward."

"Do what?" I asked as I brushed a piece of dirt off of his forehead.

"I can't just go out there and go back to how things were." He reached up and held my face like I held his.

"You mean hating each other?" I chuckled softly, "I promise that that will never happen again unless it's what you want."

"Never?" He raised an eyebrow, "That's so absolute."

"Did you think that shifters were the only ones who mated for life?"

His face dropped into a sarcastic pout. "Are you trying to say that you can imprint too?" He rolled his eyes at the thought.

"Not exactly, but when we commit to someone, we will stay by their side until the end of time, given that they will let us. Without our mate, we can never be happy. Most vampires that lose their mates will kill themselves if their mate dies by a natural accident or suicide. Most vampires don't have to worry about natural causes, as most vampires are bound to other vampires, but if one loses his or her mate to natural causes, they have a very faint chance to survive."

"And if their mate commits suicide?" he asked, captivated.

"They will never be able to recover. They will follow in the footsteps of their mate, ending their own lives."

"Wait, how do you kill yourselves?" he asked, "I doubt you could hang yourself or anything."

"We go to the Volturi and have them destroy us. We could also cross onto your land and go on a rampage, but that would jeopardize our family."

"The Volturi?" He pursed his lips.

"They're basically the vampire police." He opened his mouth to ask another question, but I stopped him. "Jacob, why are you asking all of this now?"

"Because..." his eyes dropped again. I immediately regretted taking away this distraction. "I don't want to go on after this and watch you go straight back to..." his mouth opened to say her name, but he choked. I could tell that he felt like a traitor. He was with his best friend's boyfriend.

I ditched my grin and got very serious. He saw this and locked eyes with me. I wanted him to soak in everything that I was about to say. "Jacob, I will never be with Bella again. Not like that, anyways. Maybe when she get's over what's going to happen between us, I can be friends with her, but you are the only one that I will love."

Our moment was broken. It was shattered to pieces. My phone rang. The noise made me jump. I answered, finding Alice on the other line. I put her on speakerphone for Jacob's benefit.

"Edward!" she cried from the other end, "Why haven't you been picking up?" Worry laced her voice.

"I lost reception," I lied.

She sighed, forced to accept this excuse. "Did you get to the hiker in time?"

"Yes, I did."

"Great!" she chirped, "How is he?"

I smiled mischievously, "He's perfect."

There was a long silence. I heard her almost drop the phone. "...Edward? Who's there?"

I winked at Jacob. "It's Jake."

I knew that her eyes were wide and her mouth was gaping open. "Are you serious?"

I laughed. "Dead serious."

Jacob stuck his tongue out at my corny joke.

"Well... I guess if that makes you happy..." she started laughing hysterically on the other end of the phone, "Rose is going to destroy you!"

"Not if I let Jake destroy me first." I winked at Jacob, who grinned wildly at the hidden meaning it that. "Bye, Alice."

She said bye and ended the call.

I looked at Jacob with my serious face for about ten seconds before we both busted up into a fit of laughter. I was looking forward to this. I knew that the road ahead would be one of heartbreak, mostly on Bella's part, and conflict, but that wouldn't matter in the end. Once we got to the end, we could laugh like this everyday. We could do so much together. Our future would be amazing! And if Jacob kept phasing, he wouldn't age.

We could be together forever. The hurricane would be over soon, but as for us, there would be no end.

And isn't that how if should be? Just us?

Together forever.

I really hope you liked it! I had fun writing it. Please review if you liked it and make your way on over to read Equilibrium, my long story that I'm writing. I update pretty fast. True story!

Normally, this is the section where I abuse Jacob a little bit, but this space has greater needs today. One of our fellow writers who is also a close friend of mine has lost a dear friend. The details aren't important and I won't post them as I haven't asked her if I can do so and don't want her name out there specifically. It's not that I don't trust you, but there are other readers that I don't trust. I just don't want the twisted bastards among us sending her hate mail during this time. If you know who she is, please keep it to yourself unless she says otherwise.

We all have different religious views. If you're a Christian, please pray for her. If you're a Wiccan, please send her plenty of positive energy. If you're an Atheist, send her... positive thinking? I don't know. Please do whatever it is you do in your given religion when you want to help others.

Okay. Well I'm off to write the next chapter of Equilibrium, so be sure to review this and stay tuned. Thanks for reading!