I know this storyline has been completely overdone, but it was the scenario I couldn't get out of my head, and hopefully you'll enjoy my take on it.
There will be Edward to come, and hopefully some unexpected plot twists too (don't ask me too much about them, I haven't really figured it out myself yet). If you're a hardcore Edward fan though, this might not be for you. Enjoy, and review if you have the time :)

I smiled and raised my arms straight out, as if I were going to dive, lifting my face into the rain. But it was too ingrained from years of swimming at the public pool- feet first, first time. I leaned forward, crouching to get more spring…

And two strong arms grabbed me from behind, propelling me away from the edge of the cliff and back into the driving rain. More from the shock than my innate clumsiness, I ended up tripping over a rock and falling onto my butt, where I gazed up into the somewhat displeased face of Jacob.

"What the hell, Bella?! What happened to waiting for me? Are you trying to get yourself killed?" he exclaimed as he yanked me to my feet.

I shook my head numbly, finding it difficult to adjust to the transition from the gentle voice of my fantasy to the harsh anger of this reality.

I looked up again, and saw Jacob's face crumble.

"Unless… Bella… you weren't, were you? I thought… it was getting better… I thought… maybe… I helped… a little?"

The pain on his face was so potent that for a minute I was speechless. Then I was just plain horrified.

"No!" I exploded. "Jake, no. I could never do that to Charlie, or you for that matter. You should know that."

"So you were about to take a swan dive off a cliff top for what reason then, Bells?"

That stopped me in my tracks. Until this moment, Jacob had never before questioned the motives behind my sudden penchant for extreme sports.

I mumbled something about being sick of sitting on the beach, which seemed to satisfy him for the time being. At the very least, the suspicion left his face and he hugged me fiercely.

"Don't you EVER do that to me again, Isabella Swan. Do you have any idea how terrified I was when I looked up from the empty beach and saw you?"

"I'm sorry," I mumbled meekly, my voice muffled by his broad chest.

He led me slowly back to the truck, our progress impeded by the fact that I couldn't seem to release my grip from around his waist. The adrenaline that had been pumping through my body, preparing me for a dive into the waves, had by now utterly deserted me, and I felt completely drained.

Jake helped me into the passenger seat of the car, and drove quickly, stealing anxious glances at me whenever he got the chance. After a couple of minutes of this I began to get irritated.

"ENOUGH, Jake. I'm not about to open the truck door and jump out in an attempt to end my life, okay?"

"Sorry Bells, it's not that I'm worried about, I swear. I'm just trying to work out how to tell you something without upsetting you too much."

I unconsciously stiffened, a million horrible Victoria-related possibilities passing through my head immediately.

"Harry Clearwater had a heart attack today."

I gazed at him, utterly staggered.

"He's at the hospital now. Charlie's already there, with Sam and the others. Things aren't looking too great, but everyone's together and safe."

"I…uh…okay. We're going to the hospital now, right?"

"Not a chance. You look completely worn out. I'm taking you back to the house, you can crash there for a while."

"Jake! I'm fine! I should be with Charlie…" My voice trailed off, since the look on his face told me that pleading wasn't going to make one iota of difference. I noticed the dark circles under his eyes, even more prominent today than a mere few of days ago. This had the effect of silencing me completely, and we drew up to his house in unnatural quiet.

Once inside, Jake bundled me onto the couch before grabbing blankets and settling himself beside me. His eyes closed immediately while I flicked through the television channels, and I noted how peaceful he looked when he was sleeping. He reverted back into the Jacob who had begun to heal me, as opposed to the slightly more complex wolf-Jacob who was around these days. The sense of loss I felt over my best friend's simpler incarnation was startling, I had been so relieved when he finally let me in on his secret that I hadn't given it much thought before. When he slept, he seemed to let go of the weight he now carried around with him all day, and he relaxed back into the person I had come to think of as my own personal sun. I stroked a lock of hair away from his face as he snored softly, and lay down beside him to warm myself after the downpour on the cliff top.

I wished I could ease his pain, and somehow make the transition into what he had become easier. Such a feat seemed impossible though, when I could barely hold myself together. The thought jarred me though, as I noticed the parallels in our situations. Perhaps we were helping each other adjust to the undesired change of course our lives had taken. We would emerge from the wreckage of our shattered futures damaged, but I knew with a perfect clarity that I could make it through, as long as Jacob was there for me. It was with this thought and a small smile playing on my lips that I slipped into unconsciousness, my head against his still form.

Time passed. It must have.

The next thing I knew, I was being thrown backwards across the Blacks front room. I heard a frenzied cry of "BELLA, RUN!" and looked up, disoriented. My friend had disappeared, the now familiar form of a large wolf taking his place, facing…

My heart skipped a beat, as I took in the flaming orange hair, the animalistic snarl, the black eyes that burned with hunger as she glared past the wolf, never taking her eyes from me.

A guttural roar was building inside him, as he half turned towards me too. The black eyes of Jacob pierced into me, screaming at me to leave.

I half stumbled, half ran from the room, a cry escaping me as I heard the unmistakeable sound of marble crashing into the breakable form of my best friend.