Whoo! Okay, I know the last one was a short chapter, but hey, aren't Stephanie Meyer's opening chapters a tease too? I'm just trying to play the part. Alright. This one I promise to make a little longer and little less teary. For awhile things will be really sad though; I gotta warn you.

Disclaimer applied in Epilogue


-Chapter One

The sky was dark and grey, darker and greyer than usual, in Forks. The windowed pane on my bedroom shook with the coming storm, and I faintly wondered if the Cullen's were playing baseball. If I closed my eyes and focused, I could swear to heard the strengthy 'crack' of Emmett's hit, picture Edward's gazelle like speed, racing for the ball. I felt moisture on my cheeks and wondered if my room was leaking in rain, and realized I was crying.

Crying.

I couldn't help it. I missed them. My feeling for Edward would still always be there, but someone else had captured the flame he had kindled. I had wanted to become a part of that family, so desperately. I still wanted to be considered one of them, not sitting here alone. I would want to be in that clearing, watching them, just like the first time. Maybe I would be able to keep score with Esme this time.

Lightning hit outside the house, and the thunder shook my room, making me jump. Was I really that skiddish?

"Bella?" Charlie.

"Yeah Charlie?" My voice was weak. I flinched at it.

"Are you okay? This storm could get pretty bad?"

"I'm fine Charlie. I'll come downstairs to the cellar with you if it gets too bad…"

"..Alright Bells. Are you, ya know, sure you're okay?" I could almost hear the flee mixed in with the question. He was far too happy me and Edward were… apart.

"…" I hesitated. Was I okay?

"Yes."

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The storm was a bad one. In the middle of the night, I woke up when a tree slammed to the ground in the howling wind outside my bedroom window. I ran downstairs, trying to put on the lights, but they were apparently knocked out. Charlie and I spent the rest of the night sleeping on uncomfortable futons in the storm cellar. I couldn't sleep, just stayed awake listening to the storm. There was a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

And the next morning I knew why.

--x--x--x--

"Morning Charlie." I said as he yawned, stumbling into the front door. Charlie was useless without his coffee. I shoved the mug across the countertop towards him, and he gratefully cradled it, nursing the bitter liquid. I sat there for awhile, biting my lower lip before Charlie finally woke up.

"Uh, Charlie?"

"Mmm?"

"I was thinking, I might go over to Jacob's today… to see how they held out in the storm." He brightened considerably.

"Good idea Bell. I'll probably have to go into the station today anyway. We always getting flooded with calls after the power goes out. People think the police can do anything about it." Charlie grumbled, moving up the stairs, most likely to put on his uniform.

While he was gone I made my escape. I yelled up 'Bye', but the sound of running water told me Charlie was humming to himself in the shower and wouldn't hear me. My old truck roared to life, and I flinched at the sudden sound. Since Italy, I'd ridden only in the Cullen's soundless cars. I shook the sleep away from my eyes, and then peered into the mirror to asses the dark-circles under my eyes.

It didn't take too long to arrive at La Push, most of the time I was blearily focusing on the road. Cutting my truck's engine, I hopped out, eyes widening. It seems La Push got hit hard; the trees were down all over the place, and a huge limb had smashed into the top of Jacob's workshop. My eyes widened, and I hoped his car and our motorcycles were safe. I turned back to the house, to see wood for two of the front windows, and duck-tape holding it up. La Push was really hit hard.

A crunch and muffled curse from behind me sent me twirling around, coming face-to-face with Quil and Embry, each who was carrying a rather large armful of broken branches. Ember was bending over, grabbing at his toe, which I assumed he stubbed on the tree limb in front of him. Quil looked startled to see me at all, and I wondered if he thought I was a vampire because of my eyes.

"Bella?" Embry finally said when he stood back up, and another crack from behind them made me lean to look. Jacob was coming out of the forest, muttering to himself as he did.

"Honestly you two. Lazy. We haven't even gotten to the Beach and you want a brea-" he stopped, finally looking from Embry up to me. "Break." Jacob finished, jaw hanging slack. Was there something odd about me?

"Bella?" he said, just like Embry.

"HI Jacob. Uh, maybe this is a bad time?"

"Wha? No! No, really! I'm glad you came by! I, uh, just thought you'd be… other places." I furrowed by brow. What was he talking about.

"Other places? Jake, where else would I be today? At home? We didn't get hit as hard there." The three wolves looked at each other, then back to me.

"Bells, have you really not heard?"

"Okay, you're starting to scare me now. Heard what Jake?"

"…" he paused, unsure. "Bella… last night, you know the storms?" I nodded. "Well, all of Forks got hit pretty hard with the winds and stuff. But, it was really bad, I mean, over by… Ugh, how do I put this? …Bella, last night lightning… it stuck the bloo-- The Cullen's house."

Everything froze for me, and I could feel my body shut down. I have been scared before, with Embry and Quill and Jacob all starring at me, but this just blew that all out of the window. I didn't feel my knees fall out from under me, or feel the air squeak out of my chest in something that sounded like a, "What?". I couldn't feel Jacob's hands as he grabbed onto my shoulders, and I didn't even remember when I blacked out.

--x--x--x--

"…Yeah Charlie. I think it just, er, upset her. And you did say she didn't get much sleep last night…… No, she's only been out for about an hour. I just decided to let her sleep…… She's in Billy's room. He's out on the porch trying to fix the windows… Oh, you didn't here? Yea, we got his pretty hard, with all the trees that are dead down here…. No, really, we're fine. Sam and the gang are down here helping, we'll manage. Alright Charlie. Oh, hold on. I think she'd waking up… Yea, alright Sheriff... I'm just kiddin' Charlie….. Yea, we'll keep her until you get back from the station. Alright, I'll call you if anything else happens. Right. Bye." I heard a phone being clicked off, and wished to sink back into blackness. I needed more sleep, desperately.

"Bella?"

"Hmmrm." A chuckle.

"Bells? Come'on, you've been asleep for nearly an hour and a half. You're starting to worry me. What time did you get to bed?" I opened one brown eye sleepily.

"I didn't. The tree fell out back, and I stayed up with the storm." I replied groggily. Another chuckle.

"Too bad you don't sleep like me. I didn't wake up until a tree smashed through my window." That got me up. I bolted upright and smacked right into Jacob's head, both of us groaning. I recovered first.

"What?! Jacob, a tree smashed through your window?! And you didn't tell me?!"

"Whoa there Bella! You just got here, and I was still cleaning up! You fainted after I told you about the Cullen's place!" I pale even more, if that was possible. Jacob frowned, black eyes studying me.

"How come you didn't know? Didn't the lee-- er, Edward, tell you?"

"…Edward… hasn't talked to me in nearly 3 weeks." Jacob's eyes went wide, and he gave an experimental sniff. By the way his nose didn't wrinkle and his eyes got even wider, I guessed I no longer smelt like Edward.

"What? Really? He just, left?"

"No. He just.. he left… after… Argh! It's hard to explain, okay Jacob? And it would take a while." He leapt across my lap, settling down on the futon to my right.

"I have time."

"Aren't you suppose to be helping?"

"Quil and Embry need to work out more. Besides, they already have had two breaks, and I haven't even had one. Well, unless you count hovering over you two minutes every time I came back to the house a break."

"..Fine." I sighed, rolled my shoulders, wondering where to begin. I decided to start from where I'd last seen him. Speaking of that incident, I was surprised he was acting so cool, so child-like. Almost like the old Jacob. I wondered if the shock of me coming to La Push without Edward, and not smelling like Edward, shook him back to his old self and let him forget the incident. I rather hoped it had. Clean slates were always good to start out with.

"Well, when I… left." I glanced to Jacob to measure his reaction. I saw his eyes glint dangerously, but he didn't move from his crossed-leg position a bit. He was practiced. "Alice told me what had happened. She's seen me jumping off a cliff, but couldn't see anything involving were-wolves, so she didn't see you rescue me. She told Rosalie, who mistakenly led Edward to believe I was dead. That person you answer and told Charlie that he was at the funeral was Edward, thinking it was my funeral.

"So, Edward thought I was dead, and tried to kill him by revealing vampires' existence in the middle of Italy. He hoped to get on the bad side of a group of very powerful vampires called the Volturi, but I managed to catch him…" I wisely decided to skip the whole meeting with the Volturi and Alice's promise of my Changing.

"We came back, and you can guess everything and more happened with Charlie. Edward… asked me some stuff, and…" I trailed off, not wanting to finish. I felt the tears sting at my eyes and starred at the floor, feeling Jacob's gaze on my face like hot water.

"You don't love him anymore." He said softly, and I broke down sobbing. Jacob came closer, the couch dipping and her hugged me softly, whispering words of comfort as I cried into his shirt.


I'm sorry for the short chapter guys ..;; This is more of an introduction to what's going to happen. Lil' fluff for you all thrown in there. It's roughly 2 a.m right now, so I'm sorry if this seems OC from my usual style. Thought it would be nice for you all to get a Epilogue then a chapter. Chapter 2 will most likely be up either tomorrow or Sunday.

Remember, if you like it, review! If Isee people reading it and not reviewing, I think that they don't like my writing or the fic. Even a simple 'I can't wait!' works for me 3 Lemme see who's reading!

Xx Rinn