Part Two:

Juliet's Vexation

Chapter Nineteen The Sea's Call

"Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast"- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, 2.3

Dark, slimy things always scared me. My mother used to tell me how afraid I was of the sea when I was a child. The weeds growing just beneath surface seemed out to get me. The water was like glass, somehow allowing one to see into their reflection and view theirs faults. I grew up hating the wet, cold beaches that were spread around La Push, and it was only until just recently that I actually took a liking to them.

They showed me things, those wet puddles, that I couldn't see otherwise. The water told a story, and I would listen as best I could and try to decipher it. It was all ludicrous, seeing me out there by the sea. But...well, because of the recently past events it seemed to be the only place I was accepted.

Leah wouldn't talk to me at all. She felt betrayed, as did most of the others, and steered clear of me. It was like some invisible line had been drawn between our pack. Jacob was, surprisingly, almost always by my side. He seemed to be the one who actually understood my feelings. Seth was the other who stayed with me, though not as frequently as Jake. It was us three against the rest.

Sam, being both my brother and the Alpha male, didn't have much of a choice and tended to go between parties to act as a middleman. It didn't seem to help much though: the Quileutes were known for being very, very stubborn. Singularly, it made no difference.

The reason for this madness was simple. They were sore that I had fallen in love with a leech, and to be honest, I was as well. It wasn't something that could be helped or controlled. There were romance between Quileutes, of course, like the imprinted ones between Sam and Emily, or Paul and Rachel.

But, I reminded myself, they were part of the family already. They weren't bloodsuckers like the Cullen's. They weren't outsiders.

My fingers lifted a few droplets of the water, sinking into the sand and bringing back granules of tiny, minute pebbles. A soft sigh escaped my lips and passed between blowing locks of hair as they tumbled caressingly into my face. I had always taken advantage of this place: this nature. But no more would I hunt the essence of my existence. No more would I hate myself for something I had no control over. Jasper Hale was, undeniably, the very best thing that had ever happened to me and nothing the others said would change that.

I wished I could see him, and slipped the tips of my toes into the water from my perch on a jagged rock. I wished I could leave this place and go see him: apologize for leaving so quickly and explain the reason for my flight. But he probably already knew anyway, and Sam wouldn't let me out of the Quileute territory since I had admitted my apparently satanic sin.

It had been so long, and still, all was not forgiven. If I had been on the other side of the line, things would have been different. The Cullen's had a knack for the saying 'live and let live' which us Quileutes differed greatly from.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" a furious Leah yelled, storming into the room. Her face had been twisted down in the most ferocious scowl I had ever seen.

I'd quickly moved my gaze to the floor and closed my eyes tightly, burying my face in my hands. I felt so very small, sitting there with all my burly friends sending disapproving faces at me.

It was silent for a few moments until Paul, eyes never leaving my face, finally spoke up, "Evony has...created an interesting situation for us."

Leah had already knew that much, it seemed, and as she walked over to me with that unreadable look in her eyes, I'd lost it, "I didn't mean to, I swear! It just happened!"

But it was all for nothing: my friend's palm connected with my cheek before I could get anymore words out, and I held back a gasp and a choked sob.

"That was for betraying us," she spat, eyes narrowed in fury as her hand fisted, and I could tell she wanted to hit me again.

But Sam would have none of that: he grabbed her wrist and sighed, "Leah..."

"Didn't you hear?" she'd yelled, voice getting louder and louder with each passing second, "SHE'S IN LOVE WITH A VAMPIRE!"

I cringed and bit my lip, looking down at my hands which were clasped in my lap.

"I'm sorry," I had slowly whispered, not knowing what on earth to do say or do as Leah glared at me. She seemed to be the only one who was taking this so badly.

"YOU'RE A TRAITOR! A BLOODSUCKING TRAITOR!"

Jacob's eyes were clouded with some unknown emotion, and he snaked his arms around Leah's and began tugging her toward the door. She'd struggled and didn't stop the stream of vocal impurities. I felt weak sobs erupt from my dry throat and my body shook as I strained to keep my tears in. It would never happen, and I knew it: Jasper would never accept my feelings and the mere fact that this had begun was completely and utterly ridiculous. We were sworn enemies and nothing was going to change that. Not even a silly love affair on the side.

"We can't choose who we fall in love with," Seth said, and I appreciated that he was taking my side, even if just a little.

"Seth is right," Paul said, watching as Jacob finally struggled Leah out the room and closed the door. Loud shouts of annoyance could be heard from the female as Jake led her farther and farther away. As her yells diminished, I only felt more pain.

I shook my head, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand to stop those dreaded tears. I was fully aware that everyone had now turned to look at me, "It doesn't even matter, does it? I mean, it will never happen," my voice broke, and I realized they knew just how much I wanted it to happen. I wasn't sure when I had fallen for Jasper Hale, but there must have been something he had done to make me feel this way, and I almost hated him for it.

"...No," Jared agreed, speaking for the first time. His voice was grave and straightforward.

I looked away and sighed, lips barely moving as I whispered, "Then why are we even discussing it?"

It was silent for a few moments and Sam had sighed heavily, standing up and walking toward me. He'd put his hand on top of my head and crouched down before me. It made me realize just how tall he was: even with my sitting up on the couch and him kneeling, his head was still towering above me.

He had sent me a crooked smile, as a way of apologizing, and murmured, "I know this is hard. Just stay away from Leah for a few days and let her cool down."

After all was said my brother departed from the room and strode purposefully in the direction Jacob had pulled the female wolf.

But, as it turned out, it had not taken Leah a few days to 'cool down'. Two weeks had passed without any kind word or look from my friend. I was beginning to realize that maybe, Leah truly hated me, and that thought alone made my heart ache ever more.

"Stop beating yourself up, kid," Seth's voice came from behind, and I glanced over my shoulder to see him walking up.

I rolled my eyes in amusement, "How many times are you gonna use that line?"

He shrugged, seating himself onto the ground and throwing his head back. There was no sun today, as was typical in Forks, and only clouds and droplets of rain could be seen from the sky. Still, Seth didn't need the sun to brighten his day, because to me, he was like a sun himself. My own personal sun, and I laughed.

"Ya know," I started, brushing my hair back as it invaded my face yet again, "I don't think I care about what the others think."

Seth glanced at me before closing his eyes and making a noise, "Evey, I think you should value your life a little more. After all," he added, smirk now playing at his mouth, "We could totally beat you up."

I arched a brow, "'We' as in...?"

He grinned wolfishly, "Jacob and I."

I scoffed, pushing him playfully, "As if."

Seth opened his eyes, forming an alarmed look that very nearly made me gag, "You don't think I could beat your ass?"

I smirked smugly and replied, "Nope."

Wolf as he was, Seth just had to make himself known and immediately jumped toward me. I twisted away and whined, "I'm not in the mood, Seth!"

He frowned at me, "Fine, fine. I'll leave you to your depression and go pick a fight with Jake."

I grumbled to myself as he left and mumbled, "I'm not depressed."

But he was already too far away to hear and I decided to just bid my time as it came. After all, they couldn't keep me from seeing Jasper, because eventually, something would happen and what would they do then? I smirked at the thought and splashed the water with my hand, disrupting the tranquil surface. Sam couldn't keep me hidden away forever, regardless of what he wished.

*Page Break*

It was nearly dark out by the time I had walked homed. I rarely used any other means of transportation these days. I enjoyed indulging in the nature that so vividly surrounded me, without the blemishes of any form of motor. My eyes searched the house I had grown up in and, running a hand through my hair, I stepped onto the porch and tiredly took a seat on the step. I sighed and stretched my legs wide in their jeans, throwing my chin upon my hand with uncaring force.

It was not a full moon, but the crescent shape in the sky certainly hinted that it would be so in mere days. It was beautiful, and seemed to hang there in the sky as though by some magical force. The stars that dotted the blackness were like dashes upon a dark canvas, illuminated only by the grace of the brush.

A soft, airy breath escaped my mouth and I closed my eyes, thoughts immediately darting back to the Cullen who had captured my heart and soul. Blasphemy, I told myself, and the corners of my mouth tugged down in annoyance.

"...Eve?" a voice called, and I twisted around to view the summoner. My body immediately stiffened at the sight of my brother and I scowled at him before turning back. Ignorance was certainly not bliss, but I would rather push the limits as well as I could.

He heaved a great sigh and sat beside me, hands clasped together in a look of thought as he stared up at the same moon my own eyes were trained to.

"I...I never should have sent you in," he murmured, glancing at me lightly before moving his face respectfully away.

He was tense too, I noted, but it didn't help the situation much. I didn't feel like fighting: my anger had been washed away these past few weeks, and all I could feel now was regret. I wasn't sure if I was regretting the charms Jasper had undoubtedly cast upon me or Sam himself, for he was the cause of my acquaintance with him.

"...No, you shouldn't have," I whispered, lips barely moving.

No other words were spoken for a few minutes, and I found it slightly surprising that we were both quite relaxed and not in the least bit hostile. It was like older times, not so long ago, when none of this nonsense had taken place. We were, first and foremost, a family.

"I'm sorry," he croaked out, and I looked at him, watching as he ran a hand across his face. He'd always do that when he was feeling particularly guilty or...God forbid, secretive. I knew in that instant he was keeping something from me.

But I pushed the thought away and focused on the current words that were now issuing from his lips.

"You probably hate me. After all, I kept you away from him. I'm still keeping you away," he murmured, voice almost incoherent.

But I could not, for the life of me, find any reason to refuse his apology. He was my brother.

I gently placed my hand upon his shoulder and passed him a soft, reassuring smile. My voice, when next used, was slightly choppy with emotion, "I would have left anyway, you know. If I'd really wanted to see him I would have left, even if you ordered me not to. But I couldn't see him again. I can't," I corrected, realizing that Jasper was too far away right now. Or perhaps it was me, dwindling away from the Cullen's. It was what my brother wanted from the very beginning, after all. Part of me knew my words were stretching the truth. No wolf, however great, could disobey the Alpha. Sam had ordered me not to see him again and because of that, there was no plausible way I could.

Sam seemed to see right through my white lie, but allowed my words to cleanse him. In one quick movement, he grabbed my head and pushed me into his chest, fist nuzzling my hair and sending it in loops of disarray.

I squealed and struggled against him, but couldn't help the burst of mirth that flooded from my parted lips, "Sam!"

He grinned, "C'mon, let's head inside."

I laughed and followed him as he got up. Hand clutching mine gently, he pulled me to the door and nearly threw me in. A growl emitted from my mouth: so much for gentle, brotherly love.

He merely grinned. Stupid, filthy dog, I thought, and threw him an amused look as I ascended the stairs. It was only until I had reached my room and begun dressing into my nightclothes when I realized something startling.

I was being accepted into the pack again, and slowly but surely, the Cullen's would soon disappear into my subconscious thought. They would once again become my enemy.

Sorry if I just confused every single one of my readers! This is the exact same chapter except I switched it over to a new story layout, and this will be where the next part of the story will be featured.

Ahh! I'm so sorry for not updating (I think that was my longest disappearance...^^') School for me starts in about a week - ain't that terrible? Freakin school system, ruining my summer... :'(

It gets better, so worry not! Jasper appears in the next chapter...I think. No really, I'm almost 100% positive that he does. ;]

Oh and...hmm in my other fanfic about Near from Death Note, there is (GASP!) a Lemon! SO do tell me if any of you would like me to add one of those lovely scenes in the upcoming chapters! I won't if ya'll don't want me to, so message/review =D

So anyway, This is the second part of Romeo's Vice, and for those who didn't read the top title, it's called Juliet's Vexation! =D See the significant names, huh? Pretty awesome, huh? huh? haha so thanks for reading and please review~!