I do not own twilight or the characters, I am simply just playing with them :)

Chapter One - Prologue

Today Bella woke up with determination on her mind. Determination of confronting her best friend who has been avoiding her, and getting his father to lie to Bella saying he has mono. At first she felt bad for him, and actually believed he may have had it, after feeling how hot he became before he ran out of the movies after getting angry with Mike Newton. But now? She has a feeling in her gut that it was all lies after dad came home from a fishing trip with Billy and Harry, telling her that Jake has been better for a few days… So why have they been continuing lying to her?

With a frown on her face, she got up, grabbed a quick shower and changed into dark blue skinny jeans, a fitted tank and a baggy hoodie, not just any hoodie though... Jakes hoodie. After she went downstairs, she was greeted by silence. So Charlie must still be asleep. Bella looked at the clock and realised it's only 6.15am! So with that thought, Bella wanted to show Charlie that she's happy and coming out of her funk, she's decided to make him a nice hearty breakfast.

Losing herself in cooking, Bella ended up making pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs, sausages, hash browns and toast. Didn't realise that she made so much being in her little world, until Charlie enters the kitchen.

"Morning Bells, smells delicious" He said, when he looked round her shoulder, he was quite surprised with just the sheer amount she has made. "What has got you making so much food? Should I be expecting someone for breakfast as well?" Charlie asked, his voice still full of sleep.

"Hey dad, na, I just wanted to make you a hearty breakfast and I kind of got a bit carried away. Sleep well?" Bella replied with a half-smile, not looking at him. She really didn't want him to pick up that she is feeling a little anxious.

Charlie looked at Bella a little confused at her diversion of conversation, and didn't get side tracked on the fact that he knew something was up with Bells. "Yeah thanks, so what's brought all this on then? Should I be worried?"

Bella's eyes shot up. She knew she has been sussed out. "Well, I've decided I'm not going to be sitting around anymore waiting for any kind of tid bits of news I can get. I'm going to Jakes and see if he's ok for myself. After all, apparently he's still got mono according to Billy. And I know that isn't the case after you slipped to me that he's been fine the last few days. I need to know why he's abandoning me too" Bella explained, maybe a little whiny towards the end, but she didn't care. Her lower lip trembled and her eyes went a bit hazy as they started to threaten with tears. She missed her best friend, her world. In fact, her sun and she was adamant she wasn't going to let him walk out of her life just like Edward did.

"Bells, are you sure that's what you want to do?" feeling worried that she won't like what she will see. "Maybe Jake has his reasons for blowing you off for now?" Charlie said, rubbing his face as if he's trying to scrub away his tiredness. He knows something has been a bit off but all Billy kept saying is that it's a tribal secret and he cannot be told about it and just to trust him. I didn't push him any further as I knew my best friend was a superstitious old fool, and very stubborn at the best of times.

"Dad, Is there something you want to tell me?" she looked at him, eyebrow arched. Heart beginning to pound at the thought that even her dad is against her.

"No. No Bells, calm down. All I'm worried about is how you'll be when you see him. Jake's not exactly, err, himself right now… Hell, I don't even recognise who he is at the moment. I just want you to remember that right now, he's still not himself. Whatever illness he has gone through has took him through the ringer. Just be warned kiddo. I am only thinking about you here. After what you went through with Edwin-" Charlie waved his hands in front of him, pleading innocent. Bella realised that he really is telling the truth and cut him off mid sentence.

"Ok dad, I just need to see for myself what is going on, and how he can just forget me like he has. I will face whatever he has to throw at me. I just want to see for my own eyes. If he doesn't want to be my friend anymore, he should tell me himself. And his name is Edward, not Edwin." Feeling a bit of resolve on that answer, she decided to finish dishing up breakfast, and placing it on the kitchen table. "Now can we eat? I don't want this to go to waste."

Charlie chuckled, "Sure, I'm excited to tuck in, but I still think there might be a bit of waste with the amount you have cooked up for us" He smiled with a glint in his eye. He loves his daughter and wished he was in her life more when she was growing up. He's just so worried that Jake is going to break Bells further if he pushes her away. I don't think she could take much more. All because of that stuck up, brown nosing, idiot boy Edwin... Or was it Erwin? Either way, that Cullen boy has a lot to answer for.

Bella laughed a little herself and shrugged at Charlie's response and started to eat. No more conversation was made while they had breakfast. They ate in comfortable silence.

Once they had finished breakfast, Charlie left for work and Bella has just finished cleaning up the dishes. She went to the front door, grabbed her coat and keys and left. Locking up behind her, she started walking to the truck, when she felt as if something was watching her. Stopping and looking around to see nothing, she carried on walking to her beast, feeling a little uneasy. "Stop acting a fool, thinking the worst just because I'm nervous" she said out loud shaking her head.

She turned the key in the ignition and the beast started, roaring to life and back fired which made Bella jump. Putting the truck into drive, she started on her journey to see her best friend.

Bella has just pulled up to the road that leads to the Blacks residence. Now she was feeling nervous. Feeling a little queasy, palms clammy and getting a little fidgety. She saw the little red house in front of her. She pulled up and switched the engine off. Bella instinctively wrapped her arms around her stomach as if she trying to hold herself together. "Get to grips with yourself Bella" she thought.

Normally when she comes to this house, Jacob usually comes running out of the garage with a great big sunny grin on his face in greeting to her arrival, whether its rain or shine. But today, nothing. The weather is cold and miserable, just how Bella is feeling right now. She unclipped her seat belt and opened the door to the truck, hesitating for a moment. Bella got out and slammed her truck door shut as she started walking to the Blacks front door, slipping on the wet mud underneath her feet and landing on her butt. "Owww" with a scowl on her face like the ground did this to her on purpose.

Bella just sat there, feeling a little sorry for herself when the memory of her and Jacob making mud pies when they were little kids popped into mind. How easy it was being just kids with no worries in the world. With that memory etched into her mind, she got up. Tried to brush herself down but in reality just smearing the mud all down her jeans.

Remembering how long she and Jake have been friends for gave her a new resolve to be a little bit stronger, she will take what Jacob has to throw at her, to show she is worth his friendship still. She knows she's been a crap friend to him, but now it's her turn to show how much she cares in return.

Practically marching up to the front door, she knocked quite loudly. Waiting a few beats and knocked again. Nothing. No answer. No noise. No nothing! Bella feeling a bit disheartened, debated with herself whether she should just go when she spotted something in the corner of her eye. Is she imagining things? She saw a tall, tanned, well built, strong man coming out of the forest line with just some cut offs? Does he not feel the cold? She blinked a few time wondering if her mind was playing tricks or not. Nope. She's definitely seeing it alright.

The man was making a beeline for her and she weren't sure whether to stay put or to run to her truck and not to look back. She chose to stick around, she refused to feel scared over some stranger just walking to her in the rain with barely anything on, his muscles rippling with every move, looking handsome as ever. 'Wait, did I actually just think that', she wondered to herself.

The mysterious man just walked up to her, he wouldn't even look at her, he just blurted out "Jacob is not here. He doesn't want to see you. Go home." sternly. It's like he's having a battle to himself, with a scowl on his face. Bella can see him visibly shaking slightly. She vaguely remembers seeing this guy before, but where?

"Who are you, and where is Jacob?" She retorted quite firmly. She actually surprised herself with how confident she came across. She didn't feel intimidated at the least. She knows she probably should, but doesn't. She oddly found herself slightly attracted to him and felt quite safe.

"It's none of your business, now leave. You don't belong here." He replied cryptically. Still trying to keep himself together. Seeing this chick just winds him up. How could she be in love with a leech? Doesn't she realise what he had done to her all this time? Maybe she's a nice girl, but quite frankly, she ran with them. How can I even be friends with someone that thought running with leeches was ok?

Bella pushed him as she walked passed him. He didn't move an inch but it took him out of his thoughts. He was like stone, and really hot to touch, just like Jacob was before he left the movies. With that thought she kept walking to her truck.

She yelled out "I will be back to see Jacob" and turned around after making that remark, to see that he was gone. In a mere moment, it was like he was a figment of her imagination. "Something strange is going on" she mumbled to herself as she got into her truck. With that she started her truck and started her drive home. Just as she pulled away from the Black's house, she heard a howl quite close by, then another 2 howls responding to the first howl coming from little bit further away. From there, She remembered Jacob telling her some old legends about the Cold Ones before, but she can't remember what the rest was about as her interest was only about the Cullens. Bella decided that she will be doing some research when she got home about the Quileute tribe.

On the way home, she couldn't shift that reoccurring feeling that she's being watched. But this time, she didn't feel fear…

Little did Bella know, there is someone watching her. With every move she makes, every conversation she has, every time she has a nightmare, cries, and laughs. She's always being watched. Ever since that night the leech abandoned her. She has gained a protector that she doesn't know about. One day she'll find out but until then, he shall remain in the shadows of the forest unseen…

A.N- And that's a wrap. Please let me know what you think. Does anyone know who this mystery man is? Who do you want it to be? What do you think is going to happen?

There will be times I will write in 3rd person, most mostly I will write in POV's to really get inside their heads.

Thanks for reading!