Starry's Corner: I just want to thank every one who reviewed last chapter. I'm glad to see the fic so well received, considering this is my first fanfiction for the Twilight verse! Please continue leaving behind your thoughts and comments about the current and upcoming chapters.
Full Chapter Title: Rule Two: Don't Phase When You Have a Secret to Keep
Rule Number Two: It should be common knowledge among those who phase that when you are in your wolf form your private thoughts cease to be your own. If you have any information that you would like to keep private, it'd be best to refrain from phasing.
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Jacob ran through the woods, putting as much distance between him and the Swan household as he possibly could. Hoping… no, praying that that damned blood-sucking leech wasn't invading the sanctity of his mind to find out why he had run away like he did.
He couldn't believe it. He couldn't even fathom it.
How is that even possible? He asked himself, not thinking as his body shifted into its wolf form. It'd only take mere moments before he realized his mistake, his pack already touching his mind. Greeting him, sifting through his thoughts as his own mind reached out to them.
You imprinted on who?!
Leah's voice rang out clearly in his mind, her loud boisterous voice filling his mind and overwhelming all others. Jacob cringed, momentarily considering running head long into a tree just to get her voice out of his head.
Now... that's harsh... Quil said, his mind touching Jacob's own, pushing Leah's delighted snickers away, Even when you considered what just happened. Does he know...?
Obviously not. Jacob's still alive, after all.
Jacob growled lowly in his throat, crossing over the treaty line into Quileute territory, Are you the only two that are phased? He asked, wondering because he couldn't feel anyone else's mind brushing against his own, at least not at that moment.
Leah's snort danced across his mind, Don't even tell me not to mention anything. Once my patrol shift is over, I'm singing like a bird. This is just too good not to tell. Sorry for you. She said.
Jacob ignored her blatantly as Quil's mind touched his own again, You should tell Sam. He wasn't phased at the time, but Embry was. He's heading to your house now. I'll meet you there too. He said before his thoughts disappeared completely from Jacob's mind, signaling that he had phased back into his human form.
D'aw! You can't wait to do the big reveal until after my shift is up? Leah pouted and Jacob could almost see the girl's face in his mind's eye.
Nope! 'Fraid I can't do that, Leah. Maybe next time. The younger teen countered, a smugness in his voice that flooded Leah's mind. He might've been forced out of his secret, but at least he still had a bit of his pride and dignity left that Leah couldn't completely rip to shreds.
xxx
There were clothes waiting for him on the back porch, probably left there for him by Quil or Embry because he knew his Dad was at Sue's today. Jacob phased back into a human in his backyard, running up to his porch to quickly dress before he continued on into his house, "Quil, Em?" He called out.
"Dude! It kinda defeats the whole purpose, don't you think?" Embry said, giving Quil a look as Jacob stepping into his living room, his eyes darting between the two that stood there, "We phase because of those leeches. Why in the hell would he imprint on one?!" He rounded on Jacob, "Are you sure you imprinted on him?"
"Can you make a mistake about that sort of thing?!" Jacob snapped back, glaring at his friend as he walked over to the couch and plopped down on top of it, "I imprinted on a fucking blood sucker!" What in the hell was he going to do! How was he going to tell Sam? Hell...how was he going to tell his Dad? Or Bella?
...or Edward. Did he even want to tell Edward in the first place?
"Hey, man, at least you imprinted on someone." Quil pointed out, only receiving a glare from both Jacob and Embry for his kindness. He blinked, holding up his hands in a defensive motion, "Hey, I'm trying to look on the bright side of things here."
Embry snorted, looking over at the other, "There's a bright side to imprinting on a leech?" He asked, arms folded over his chest before he shook his head, looking back at Jacob, "What are you going to do, man?"
Jacob Black could only shake his head, looking at his two friends, "I don't know..." He said honestly.
Jacob asked himself, for what had to have been the hundredth time since he had left La Push, just what in the hell he was thinking when he decided to drive to Bella's. At first, he had simply wanted to see Bella. At least, that's what he told his Father even though he was almost positive that she was still pissed off at him. But then his Father just had to go and mention that Charlie had been called in early, and it had ruined his plans to watch the game with the man. And when Charlie was at work, Jacob knew that Edward Cullen was with Bella.
Normally, that would've been enough to discourage him to go. But as he climbed into the driver's seat of the rabbit, he found that that just wasn't the case as he tried to convince himself that he was going to see Bella and not Edward. He had spent the better part of the drive trying to convince himself of this until he had finally gave up and silently admitted that some small (alright, alright, some huge) part of him wanted to see the vampire.
He had spent the entire week trying to fight against the natural urges of the imprint to see the one he had imprinted upon. He had tried his best to ignore it. Even after he had told Sam and he had said it couldn't be ignored. Even after he had told his Father and Billy Black grudgingly accepted the mortifying fact that his son had imprinted on their mortal enemy.
He had even fought to maintain control of the urges to seek out Edward when his friends and fellow pack mates teased and goaded him about who he had imprinted on. The only ones who didn't tease him were the ones who had already imprinted. They understood the randomness of the situation at hand. They understood that Jacob had had no control over who it had happened to.
Because, really, why in the hell would he willingly imprint on a damned leech?
He stared at the Swan's front door and he knew he was there. He could smell him. But, surprisingly, the smell he was met with wasn't the same acrid smell that burned his nostrils that he normally associated with vampires. No. The smell was sweet. And, alluring. Completely intoxicating. It sent his heart into a wild beating frenzy that had almost made him turn around, but before he could, the front door opened and he was met with Bella's stern glare.
"Just what do you think you're doing here, Jacob?" The brunette asked, her eyes narrowed dangerously as she looked him over. Luckily, her voice was enough to snap him out of his thoughts (those thoughts he immediately pushed away and he thought about something else so he wouldn't be found out) . His eyes sought her's out and he cringed at the obvious anger still behind them.
"Hey, Bella..." He greeted lamely, offering the girl a small sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his neck, "How's your hand?" Jacob asked, nodding to the still slightly swollen appendage that was wrapped up snug in an Ace bandage.
She held her hand up, surveying it, "Still swollen...obviously..." Bella replied before it dropped to her side again, "I bruised my knuckles...Charlie made me see Dr. Cullen." She explained, scuffing her shoe against the wood floor of her living room before she sighed heavily, crossing her arms over her front.
Jacob felt bad. He really did, even though it wasn't necessarily his fault that Bella punched him when she knew she shouldn't. He hadn't meant for her to get hurt, especially since the punch hadn't done any damage to him, "I'm sorry." He said, watching as the girl nodded slowly. He gave a soft sigh, "You gonna invite me in?" He asked after a moment.
Her eyes widened and Jacob had to bite back a chuckle when she looked over her shoulder, obviously at her blood sucker of a boyfriend, "Um...I don't think that's such a good idea..." Bella replied, turning back to the younger teen, "Edward's here."
"He knows that already!" Edward's voice called from the living room, and Jacob fought to maintain control over his thoughts and emotions so he wouldn't betray his own secret, "Right, Jake?"
He tensed at the nickname, the nickname only his friends used. But, it sounded so right falling from Edward's lips, "You're kind of hard to miss." Jacob replied, glaring past Bella's shoulder at the dark haired vampire sitting on her sofa, "I could smell you from the car."
Bella gave a heavy sigh as she stepped away from the door, allowing Jacob to pass, "Now, if you're going to visit, Jacob, you have to be nice to Edward." She said, giving the younger a meaningful look before she looked over at her boyfriend, "And, you have to be nice too."
The vampire snorted, rolling his eyes, "No promises if he starts anything," Edward huffed, clearly not happy to see that Bella had allowed Jacob into the house, and the younger werewolf tried to hide how much that bothered him.
Bella just gave another heavy sigh, brushing her hand through her hair as she slowly shook her head at her boyfriend's action. Still, the grudgingly acceptance was better than nothing at all, "C'mon, Jake, I was just making lunch." She said, waving for the younger to follow her into the kitchen, "You're probably starving."
"You know me too well, Bells." Jacob replied, a small smile on his face as he followed the elder girl into her kitchen, conscious of the vampire's glare directed towards him as he passed by.
They were only in the kitchen for a few moments before Bella rounded on Jacob, her eyes blazing as she hissed, "Why are you really here?" She demanded to know, not giving the younger a moment to answer before she continued, "Checking up on me? Making sure I'm still human?" She spat before turning, stomping to the fridge, throwing open the door, "Well, I'll have you know that Edward refuses to turn me." She said with a soft snort, her displeasure obvious.
"That's good." Jacob said with a soft sigh of relief though that had not been his initial reasoning for coming over (as far as he was concerned, his initial reasoning was still up in the air). He may have imprinted, but Bella was still a good friend. Better than most. He definitely didn't want to see her turn into a stinking vampire whether he had imprinted on one or not.
"Oh, you be quiet." Bella snapped, snatching some lunch meat out of the fridge to make herself and Jacob some sandwiches, "I hear that enough from him, I don't need to hear it from you as well. And besides," She said, turning around to glare at the younger teen, "I'm still pissed at you! How could you do that to me?! I thought you were supposed to be my friend!" Turning back around, she started their sandwiches, obviously still fuming, "Wasn't it bad enough that Charlie had already grounded me?"
Jacob looked up at the girl, "I was protecting you!" He said insistently, figuring that he deserved a good tongue lashing, because what he had done was pretty low. But he did what he had to. He could only hope that with time she'd come to realize that he had had her best intentions at heart.
"Some protection." Bella snorted, throwing their sandwiches together before she pushed Jacob's down the counter to him, "Now I know who to call when I need more grounding." She said flatly before turning to face the younger boy, her eyes narrowed again, "But let me tell you something, Jacob Black," She started, wagging her finger in his face, "If you so much as breathe a word to Charlie about Edward being over here, you'll never have to worry about getting a girlfriend again. Am I clear?"
"Crystal." Jacob replied, having to choke back a snort at the warning because finding a girlfriend was the furthest thing from his mind at the moment, as much as he hated to admit it. He had been having trouble thinking of anything else but the vampire in the other room.
"What do you mean you don't have to worry about finding a girlfriend anymore?" His voice rang out in the room as he entered, confusion written across his features. For one terrifying moment, Jacob had thought that his secret was out, "You've got one already? Or..." Jacob let out a sigh of relief at the question. If Edward had to ask that, then no, he obviously didn't stray across a random thought of the imprint floating around through Jacob's head, "You're into guys, aren't you?"
Jacob's eyes widened comically, almost like a cartoon's as he choked on the bite he had just taken from his ham sandwich, "Edward!" Bella scolded, walking over to Jacob to pat him on the back, helping him to pass the food he was choking on, "Of course Jacob isn't into guys! He has a crush on me, remember?"
"That's not what he was just thinking!" Edward accused, defending himself to his girlfriend before he turned back to the shape-shifter, "Just answer the question." He demanded, glaring harshly at the younger teen, "And don't try to lie."
Tell the truth, obviously, wasn't an option. Nor was thinking it. So, he kept (tried to) his mind blissfully blank or when that failed, he thought about the lyrics to a song he heard while on the way over, "It's none of your business." Jacob replied simply.
"It's not?" Edward asked, a note of stunned disbelief in his face as a single eyebrow arched in irritation, "If you already have somebody, shouldn't you be with him...her...it?! ...whatever...instead of interfering with us?"
Jacob's cheeks were flushed in anger. But, he stayed silent for the time being. Willing himself to calm down because he couldn't phase now. It'd be too dangerous, "Stay out of it." He said slowly, the warning clear in his voice as his fists clenched.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Edward hissed, his eyes hard and his tone equally warning. He took one look at Jacob's clenched fists and met Jacob's eyes with a calculating look, "Shall we take this outside?"
"If you don't want me 'telling you what to do,' then stay out of my business!" The younger shot back, Bella finally stepping in between the two in order to try and defuse the situation. Neither male took no notice of her, "And no need, Cullen, wouldn't want to hurt Bella's feelings." He replied to the vampire's suggestion.
Edward had the indecency to snort at that, "As if!" He said, rolling his eyes and his arms folded across his chest, "A puppy like you would never be able to touch me."
"Don't call me that!" Jacob all but growled, his anger starting to get the better of him and Bella noticing.
"Look, if he phases in my house, you both are so dead!" Bella exclaimed, but once again neither one of them paid her any attention. They were both glaring at each other with such a deadly intensity.
"Don't call you what? Puppy?" Edward asked, his thin, pale lips curving into a sickly sweet grin, "I wouldn't refer to you as one, if you didn't insist on acting like one."
His voice was so sweet, so teasing, and so--Damnit!! he hated being called a puppy! And, what he hated even more was that burning look Edward scent him. That look of pure hatred. The feeling was mutual. Or at least it had been. Jacob really wasn't sure what his feelings were for Edward. One moment he wanted him dead, and then the next he was turning from Bella's house because he had suddenly felt such a strong desire for Edward.
"Was it something I said?" Edward asked, grinning as he looked down at his girlfriend, immediately cringing upon the glare that he met,
"That was uncalled for." She said flatly, watching as Jacob ran out of her house and got into his car before speeding away back to La Push.
