Full Summary:

What if the wolves of La Push didn't appreciate Bella's knowing about their secret? How would New Moon be different? When Jacob chooses Bella over his own pack, they tell him to leave. But where is a wolf to go with no pack and a scared human girl who seems to have a death wish? The south, of course. Another large wolf pack, almost as big as the La Push pack, resides in Alabama, one of the least active vampire states in America. Jacob hopes to join their ranks and prays that they will be accepting of Bella. All they have to go on is luck and that may not be enough. AU; OOC; OCs.

Southern Bound

Chapter One

Jacob's Point-of-View:

We had been on the road for too long, eaten too much fast food, had spent too many nights curled around each other in the back of the car, and hadn't had enough time to think about the world as we knew it. Bella was restless; she always wanted to know how much longer it would take to get to Alabama. When we crossed the line into Mississippi, I thought she would piss herself.

The windows were rolled down and the surprisingly chilly air flooded the car, making Bella's unwashed hair fly around like crazy. She was giggling like mad, trying to keep the strands under control. I loved how she didn't care that neither of us had showered in two days. I loved how she smiled when I rolled down the windows, because she liked to stick her hand out of hers and pretend she was free. Which really, we were.

It had been a week since the La Push wolves had deserted me. They had angrily told me to choose: love or pack. I immediately chose love, because in no world that I wanted to live in would there be no Bella. She was broken but healing and I knew there could be a chance that another wolf could imprint on her or she could find love with someone else, but that didn't matter to me yet. Take it as it comes.

"Jacob," she whined, throwing her head back against the head rest. I glanced over at her, wondering how she was surviving in that cramped passenger seat. Our suitcases were piled in the trunk because we'd been sleeping in the back seat for the last few days. She hadn't changed since the day before yesterday. She didn't smell, but I wasn't sure about myself. "How much longer?"

I looked for the nearest road sign, but the sides of the interstate were bare. I shrugged, glancing at her again, "Maybe a few more hours. Four, tops." She groaned and turned her head to look out the window.

The road would've been hard on both of us if Bella had been born a girly girl. She would've been whining every 50 miles about needing to piss or eat. But she was a trooper and knew what it meant to travel cross-country in a little car. She'd packed a cooler empty of ice with snacks and sodas, even throwing in a few bottles of vodka for the, quote, "crazy nights." She'd also learned how to piss in a cup, which, in an unorthodox way, was kinda hot.

Even so, neither of us could ignore that itching anxiety the closer we got to Alabama. We'd snapped at each other a dozen times across the past few states, sat in an uncomfortable angry silence for hours afterwards, then Bella would go to sleep and wake up in a better mood. I'd only let her drive a few times, even though I was tired down to my bones. I was used to staying up for what seemed like forever. Patrolling was exhausting and you had to sleep afterwards; driving for days was more like, 'don't fall asleep behind the wheel or you'll die and probably kill the family in the car beside you, too.' No pressure, right?

Finally, after I-lost-track-of-how-many-days, we passed the "Welcome to Alabama" sign. Bella hooted and turned up the radio louder than necessary, singing along with some ridiculous pop song that I knew she hated. We'd heard it seventeen times since we'd left. Seventeen times. Still, she danced in her seat, seat belt unbuckled, unwashed unkempt hair tangling around her face, and singing so awfully that I knew she was exhausted. Bella was a good singer. She only sang bad when she felt bad or she was tired.

I pulled off the highway toward a small town just inside of the state. By then, Bella was half asleep, only moving when the crick in her neck became uncomfortable again. We both had cricks and aches and pains that made us even more tired. We both wanted a bed to stretch out in, but we were money conscious fuckers and only splurged on motel rooms when absolutely necessary. This was one of those times.

I parked near the office of the motel, turned off the headlights, pulled the key out of the ignition, and got out of the car to coax Bella out of her seat. I ended up half dragging her out of the car and even then she was like dead weight. Sighing, I picked her up and she laid her head on my shoulder, delirious in her half-sleep.

On the way to the office, she kept asking where we were. I chuckled, telling her that we were finally in Alabama and that we were getting a motel room for the night. She would nod, doze off for a few moments, then wake back up and ask the same question. When I shouldered open the door, she finally seemed to be deeply asleep.

"One room for the night, just one bed," I said quietly to the clerk. He nodded, typing the request into the cash register, pulling a key out of a drawer, and handing it to me. He smiled at Bella and we nodded a silent goodnight to each other. He wasn't greasy-looking, which was good. Bella was always worried about the clerks coming in the room while we slept to fondle us.

I decided to leave the bags in the car, knowing that neither of us would shower or change before bed. Instead, I carried Bella up the stairs and to our room, walking into the dark, Pine Sol-scented space. Balancing her in one arm, I pulled the blankets away from the bed and turned the pillows over, laying her down.

I stood up, stretching my taut muscles and wondering what exactly to do. Bella and I had slept in the same bed before, but for some reason, I was having cold feet. Sighing, I pulled off my jeans and my shirt and crawled in bed next to her. She sighed in her sleep, turning over to wrap her arm around my waist and nuzzle her face into my neck. I wrapped my arms around her, kissing the top of her head before quickly falling asleep.

Author's Notice: I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter!