Chapter 2

Jacob watched and listened as Alice contacted Edward. He was on his way back from South America it seemed, and would be on the next plane. Alice continued to comfort Bella, whispering in her ear. Jacob was getting frustrated.

"I was perfectly fine taking care of her, before you showed up." Jacob emphasized.

"I'm sure you were very comforting, pup, but she needs her own kind to take care of her now. Edward will be here in a few hours, and you will not be needed anymore."

Jacob started to shake with anger. "What's that supposed to mean? I'm the one that brought her here, and helped her! I have every right to be here. I'm her friend."

"That may change once she is one of us, completely. She'll be your enemy after all, right? Your little pack will not approve."

"They already think I'm the most stubborn one of them."

Just then the doorbell rang.

"Speak of the pack." Alice chimed.

Jacob went to the door, and standing before him was Sam flanked by Paul, Embry, and Jared.

"Sam." Jacob greeted him.

"We were worried about you. You're father sent us to check on you."

"Right. Well, you see I'm in one piece. She hasn't turned quite yet, but the other blood-suckers are coming back to retrieve her."

"There is one here now." Sam smelled the air.

"The small dark haired girl vamp is here. Alice. She is comforting Bella. Edward is on his way."

"So you're going to stick around and watch her change, or what?" Sam asked.

"I was thinking about it."

"Jake, why? Her boyfriend is coming back to take care of her. You are not needed."

"I need to be here for her."

"Are you turning your back on the pack, Jake?" Sam asked concerned.

"No. I just need to be here for Bella. As long as it takes."

"You realize we may have to kill her and the Cullens."

"Why? They had nothing to do with her being bit. That vamp in the meadow wasn't part of their coven. He did not know of the treaty."

"We may have to have a meeting with the elders on the council. This is different circumstances beyond our control. The Cullens may have to re-negotiate. They may have to leave with Bella. We can't be responsible for her reckless behavior as a new vampire."

"What are you trying to say, Sam? You'll kill her if she gets out of control? I won't let you." Jacob moved closer to Sam, fists clenched tight at his sides. His eyes grew darker as his brows furled inward, teeth bared. He started to shake with anger. A low growl rumbled deep from his chest. Sam and the others backed up slowly.

"Settle down, Jake. We haven't decided anything yet. We won't take action without you knowing." Sam's voice lowered more soothing yet commanding.

"You promise?" Jacob asked.

"Yes. We promise."

"Okay. I'll let you know her progress as soon as I can."

"Yes, please do. And let us know when Dr. Cullen comes back."

"I will."

The pack slowly back up and turned off the front porch to leave. Jacob watched them leave before closing the door. He went back to Bella's room to check on her. He saw Alice holding her hand and humming to her. Jacob looked solemn, and kneeled next to Alice on the floor next to the bed. He looked Alice in the face, tears seemed to come into his eyes.

"She doesn't have much longer, does she?" Alice looked back at Jacob, seeing his concern.

"No, only a few more hours. Edward will be here just in time."

"What will she be like?" Jacob asked concerned.

"Like a feral cat. Wild, scared, hungry."

"Hungry for human blood."

"Yes, Jake. Human blood. But we will do our best to transition her into our vegetarian lifestyle."

"Will she know who we are?"

"Yes, she will remember her human life. But she will be different."

"She won't be my Bella anymore." Jacob seemed sad.

"I'm not sure what you mean, but she will be a newborn vampire. A killer."

"What I mean, is, she will not have the same personality and heart and essence she had before."

"I suppose not at first. She will remember her past, and it may take her a few months or years to control the hunger enough where she can live in human society, but she will be more wary, and more aloof it may seem."

"Can she hear us now?"

"Yes, she can hear everything in this room. She just can't respond. She is in a neutral state. She is coping with the pain, and far better than I expected."

"Can I have a few minutes alone with her?"

"Um. I don't know. She is very close."

"Please, Alice? This may be the last chance I get to be alone with her as a human. She may not even want me around afterwards." Jacob pleaded with his eyes.

Alice caved. "I suppose it is okay. I will be in the kitchen."

Alice left the room, shutting the door behind her. As soon as she left, Jacob took Bella's hand, held it between his, and he kissed it. Tears welled in his eyes. He leaned into her face and kissed her gently on the cheek. He talked softly in her ear.

"Bella, it's me Jake. I don't know if you can hear me or not. Alice says you can. I know you are in a lot of pain, but I'm here for you. I am always here for you." Jacob gulped down the lump in his throat. A tear rolled down his face. His voice wavered. "No matter what, Bella, I will always love you. Even if you don't want me around anymore and you can't stand the sight of me, I will love you. If and when he comes back to you and you choose him over me, I will still love you and will be your friend, forever. Please don't forget me, Bella. I promise I will be here. I promise."

Just then the door opened and Jacob was startled at first, and stood up quickly and backed away from the bed. Edward stood in the doorway staring down Jacob. His teeth were bared, and his eyes were pitch-black.

"What are you doing here, dog?" A growl erupted from his throat.

Jacob glared back at Edward and started to growl himself.

"I was taking care of her."

"You should have thought about that before she got bitten."

"I was not the one who left her alone unguarded. You should have known the others would come for her. I guess your infallible psychic vampire is a little faulty. You shouldn't have left her. She was a mess when you left. I tried to bring her out of her depression and be a friend to her, and then this happens."

"I only did what was best for her. I didn't want this for her. I wanted to keep her safe from our world. Now she will have to suffer with us. Hopefully I can alleviate some of that suffering for her by being here for her." Edward seemed suddenly solemn.

"If she will even want you. You left her, remember. You told her you didn't want her. How do you think she will feel when she sees you?"

"Are you trying to pick a fight with me, dog? I love her more than you know."

"Oh, really? You sure have a funny way of showing it." Jacob suddenly was in Edwards face.

Alice came in and stepped between them. "Enough. You two can settle this later. She can hear you two. And it is almost time."

Edward and Jacob moved to either side of the bed from Bella. They watched her intently, as her body stiffened, and her face became almost luminescent. Her body lurched forward from her middle, and her back arched sharply, and then she came to a rest. Her eyes popped open. She stared at the ceiling. Her eyes were bright red. Jacob was surprised at the color of her eyes. He backed up to the wall, and accidentally knocked a picture down, that crashed to the floor. Bella swiftly crouched on the bed, curled up against the headboard, from the sound that startled her. Her teeth bared and she hissed loudly at Jacob, but as soon as she saw Jacob, she eased up, and her eyes widened. She was surprised at her own reaction. "Jake?" She covered her mouth, surprised by her the sweet melodic voice that came from her lips.

"Bella? It's me. Jake. You don't have to be afraid of me. I'm your friend. Remember?" Jacob held his hand out to her, but Edward stepped in front of him and pushed his arm back. "No!" Edward growled at him.

Bella snapped her head to see Edward. She hissed again at his voice. She looked confused. "Edward?"

Edward looked to her and smiled reassuringly. "Yes, Bella, honey. It's me."

"Are you really here?"

"Yes. I am."

"I'm not dreaming, am I?"

"No. I'm really here."

Bella's head snapped back to Jacob. "What's going on, Jake? Why is Edward here?"

"Do you remember anything, Bella?" Jake asked.

Bella searched her memories, before the searing pain. "I saw Laurent in the field."

"Yes, and?"

"He attacked me didn't he?"

"Yes. He was going to kill you."

"But he didn't. There were these big animals, and they killed him. How is that possible?"

"Yes. They were wolves, Bella."

She looked surprised at Jacob, and tilted her head back and took a whiff. Her nose curled. "Jake, you're a wolf?"

"Um, yeah, but how?"

"She can smell you, Jake. Her instincts tell her so." Edward tried to explain.

Bella snapped her head to look at Edward. "Laurent bit me, didn't he?"

"Yes, Bella, honey."

"I'm like you, now?"

"Yes. How are you feeling?"

"Weird. Too much to take in. Confused. Bright. Clear. Noisy."

Edward chuckled slightly. He reached his hand to her. "You don't have to be afraid anymore." He reassured her. Bella stopped crouching and stepped off the bed, and grabbed Edward's hand. She was surprised at the temperature of it, as it wasn't ice cold anymore. She smiled slightly, and looked at Edward's face like it was the first time she saw him. She was mesmerized by his utter beauty. His eyes were not golden like she remembered. They were black. Bella touched his cheek and looked concerned. "You're thirsty. You haven't fed in a while."

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

Suddenly her thoughts swirled around in her head. "What about Charlie?"