The Twilight Walker

Disclaimer: I don't own either series, I'm just having some fun.

Ch. 2: New Dawn, New Life

JPOV (Jesse)

When Bella had come out of the bathroom, I immediately noticed how beautiful she was. Her alabaster skin, dark brown hair, chocolate colored eyes and soft kissable lips rang all my bells. It'd been only a few months since I stopped pretending to date my friend Gabriel and came out of the closet. It surprised me how well my dad had taken it. Mercy shrugged it off as if it was no big deal. The kids at school were a pain but after the last incident, they knew I wouldn't put up with their crap. Having a dad that was the local Alpha werewolf hadn't hurt either.

I listened when she told her story and had gotten pissed off like everyone else. It didn't matter if her ex was a vampire or not, he was a total douche bag for doing what he did. I might have to do a little online searching to find his sorry ass, or at least his family, then I'd pass that info on to her grandpa. Bella'd been wiped out by the time she finished her story so Dad asked me to show her to one of the guest rooms. The poor thing had practically passed out as soon as she crawled into the bed. I shut the door softly behind me then rejoined the others in the living room.

The adults had agreed that Bella should stay in the Tri-Cities with us and I barely contained my excitement. It was so cool that the other girl was just a year older than me; we were going to be good friends. According to Dad, she'd even be enrolled at Finley High with me. Thankfully, I'd skipped a year, so the two of us were in the same grade. I knew some strings would be pulled and Bella would share my schedule. Luckily, the school year had barely started and there wouldn't be much for the brunette to catch up on.

An hour after Angus had gone to bed, I was helping Mercy wash the glasses that everyone'd used. When the full moon fell on a weekend, the Pack stayed here for the whole time. Usually there were barbeques and other activities planned out to fill in the time. I'd just dried the last glass and was putting it up when we all heard Bella start sobbing. We ran to the guest room and found the slightly older teen was having a nightmare. Mercy tried to wake her up but nothing worked.

Instinctively, I crawled under the covers with Bella. No sooner than my arms closed around her, the sobbing and pained talking stopped. The other girl let out a sigh then relaxed into me. I knew that if the two of us were going to be friends, then I needed to tell her I was a lesbian. I wasn't going to lie to her; no healthy relationship could start off on lies. It felt so natural to have a girl wrapped in my embrace. Mercy kissed us each on the forehead then left quietly.

As I fell asleep, I felt the need to keep Bella safe. To let her know she was cared for and loved. I promised myself that after I told about my orientation, I wouldn't pursue her. If she came to me, all bets were off. There was little doubt in my mind I was better for her than anyone else.

BPOV

I so tired last night that I passed out as soon as I was in bed. At one point, I'd started to have a nightmare but then I felt completely at ease. The smell of home cooking is what woke me up then I became aware of the slender arms wrapped around me and the female body pressed into me. Electricity flowed between us where the skin of her arm touched the naked skin of my belly. It should've felt awkward but instead it felt normal.

I snuggled deeper into the other girl and felt her hard nipples press into my back. Without meaning to, I let out a low moan. Why the hell did I do that, I thought. If I was completely honest, it felt good. Soft lips brushed the nape of my neck, which was followed by a giggle.

"Wake up silly or we'll miss Mercy's breakfast," a girlish voice sang.

I rolled over and came face to face with the girl from last night. Her short blonde hair was mussed but her blue eyes shown with merriment. The pixie-like features of her face reminded me so much of Alice. Almost as though I were on autopilot, I leaned forward then gave her a friendly kiss on the lips. My ex-best friend and I used to do that all the time. The blonde's eyes lit up with amusement and she pulled me out of bed. My stomach had started to growl so I let her lead me to the food.

My cousin, Mercy, had a large spread of food set out. It was enough to feed a small army, as the house was currently full of werewolves and their mates that wasn't far from the truth. I loaded up a plate with chocolate chip pancakes and sausage then grabbed a glass of milk to wash it down with. While I ate, I was formally introduced to the Pack and Jesse, my sleeping companion.

Everyone asked questions about my story, which I answered as truthfully as possible. It surprised me that I didn't feel pain whenever I talked about Edward. The hole in my chest throbbed and hurt whenever I spoke about the other Cullen's, especially Alice. It hadn't escaped my notice that they were being careful with the questions they asked, for that I was grateful.

"Before your grandfather left this morning, he wanted me to ask how you got a Mark of Safe Passage," Adam asked, his tone was casual but his eye watched my face intently.

My heart rate increased and I visibly paled. I started to shake uncontrollably as images of blood and death flashed through my mind. I'd done everything in my power to suppress these memories but now they wouldn't be ignored. It took me a few minutes to regain enough composure to choke out a half response.

"Compensation for services rendered by my mom to the Phoenix Pack," I replied, finally.

The others seemed to recognize my reluctance to elaborate further so Adam let it drop. Mercy had finished her food then left; apparently she owned her own Garage and needed to work today. Adam told me that I was going to be living here and I would be enrolled in school on Monday morning. To say I was excited was and understatement. I glanced around the room and noticed that Jesse was just as thrilled with the news as I was.

Since I had no clothes, Jesse was taking me shopping along with Warren, Adam's Third in Command, and Kyle, his human mate. I borrowed an outfit from Jess for the trip. Unlike my previous outings with Alice (wince), Jesse was strictly a hit 'em and forget 'em kind of girl. She knew exactly what she wanted and didn't screw around. Inside of an hour, I had enough comfortable school clothes for a month as well as bedding and toiletries. It was lunchtime; Kyle decided we should stop at a Chinese place to eat.

The food was good and I learned a lot about Kyle and Warren. Jesse seemed to get more withdrawn as lunch progressed. Finally, she told me she was a lesbian. She was shocked when I told her I was cool with it then went on to explain how all my friends back in Phoenix had been gay. Hell, Renee and I even marched in the annual Pride parade. My three companions gave me a look like something just clicked for them and then everything was back to normal. Every now and then, they'd ask about what I used to do for fun back in Forks.

I explained how I used to hang out with Edward and his family. The marathon shopping trips with Alice and our sleepovers where the two of us would get in our pj's then cuddle in her king sized bed while we watched scary movies. Again they looked at me like something clicked but before I could ask, they changed the subject. Warren suggested we pick up some scary movies for tonight, so Kyle paid the check and we left for the video store.

At the video store, we picked up Paranormal Activity, Chopper Chicks in Zombie Town, Witchboard, both versions of the Wicker Man, and the Underworld trilogy. Warren mentioned that Ben, a British werewolf, and some of the other members of the Pack had brought movies to watch as well. Jesse was with Kyle in the check out line when the hair on the back of my neck rose. I felt like we were being watched. From the quick glance I shot at Warren, he felt it too.

After the movies were rented, the two of us ushered the others out to the car as quickly as possible. Warren and I were on high alert, two predators with the single-minded purpose of protecting the weakest of our group. The wind wasn't favoring us so neither of us could pick up a scent. We made it to the car without incident and without Jesse or Kyle finding out anything was wrong. Warren pulled out of the parking lot and I casually looked back. Just of an instant, I thought I saw red eyes and a flash of fur.

The rest of the day, I hung out with Jesse. She was like a cross between Rosalie and Alice, hyper with an attitude. It felt like we'd known each other for years and I actually looked forward to school on Monday. She caught me up on all the school gossip then helped me get settled into my new room. I now had the bedroom next to hers.

My new room was twice as big as my rooms in Forks and Phoenix combined. The bed was queen sized and all the furniture was darkly stained oak. It had an en suite and a walk in closet that Alice would've loved. God, I missed my best friend, but Jesse started to fill the hole she left behind nicely. The two of us skipped downstairs when Mercy came home because Adam was about to cook steaks on the grill in the backyard.

I helped Mercy make the salad then set out all the plates and utensils in sort of a buffet line outside while Jess made drinks. It wasn't long before we were eating and horsing around in the huge backyard. Dr. Samuel Cornick, Mercy's old roommate that still lived in her trailer on the adjoining property, joined us midway through the meal. I hadn't met him last night but he seemed nice; nice but intense, I kept catching staring at me. Jesse placed a comforting hand on my back and Mercy gave him a look when I started to get uneasy.

When I went to put my dishes in the sink, I felt someone behind me. I turned and Samuel was there. His gaze locked on my while his scent filled the room, musk and male. The power of his dominance swept out from him and crashed into me with the force of a hurricane. Even though I wasn't a werewolf the shear magnitude of it made my knees buckle. Suddenly I was in his arms and I never saw him move. I was surrounded by his scent and power, which made my mind fuzzy.

Samuel whispered words of endearment as he brought one of his hands up to stroke my cheek. I was lost in the sensations; his voice and body next to mine were my only anchor to reality. In my confused state, he attempted to guide me to the front door but our progress was halted when Jesse called my name. Something in my heart forced me to turn in her direction, then my head cleared but I was so tired I could barely stand upright; Samuel was on the other side of the room.

Adam and Mercy were in the kitchen, the told Jesse to help me get into my pajamas then down to the home theatre to watch movies. The blonde girl supported my weight and led me upstairs but not before I saw my cousin and her mate looking livid and Samuel looking ashamed. At some point, I needed to ask about that.

I spent the rest of the night curled up in Jesse's arms as we watched movies. One of her hands was tracing soothing circles on my back with her fingertips while she used the other to gently massage my scalp. It felt like the most natural thing in the world when I fell asleep in the other girl's embrace.