Intensification


Ten perfectly manicured fingers resided atop of ten perfectly manicured toes that were shielded slightly by smoky grey colored translucent hose.

"Is this what you want, baby?" A feminine voice teased its onlooker.

With a slight wiggle, the fingers stretched outwards then began a slow trail across the bridges of the arched feet. The movement was hypnotic like a snake watching its captor entice its body to move with a musical instrument.

The fingers hesitated briefly as they rounded a set of kneecaps and with a flare, those fingers darted out to pull apart the hosed legs before resuming their upward course, the path now of the inner thighs.

The vision flashed then jumped as those red tainted nails rubbed suggestively across a pair of laced panties, slowing in movement to tease the flesh beneath.

"Like this baby?"

The hand slipped beneath edge of the garment, hints of the red nails still visible as they flashed past tiny opening the lace of the fabric created.

"Fuck yeah, baby! Just like that!" A roughened male voice sounded…

"Good damn it, Paul! Knock that shit off!" Jake screamed in his mind as Paul assaulted him with his fantasy.

Paul's mind froze, relaxing when he realized that he was no longer phased alone for the moment. Cruelty quickly took over.

"What's the matter, puppy?" Paul mocked back, catching glimpses of Jake's internal pained expression of Bella being hurt when he explained that she wasn't playing the star role in a certain wolf's fantasies. "Are you upset that I'm not giving you a peep show guest staring your crush?"

"I could care less if you really need to think of other women; whatever the fuck it takes to save Bella from knowing what an impossible bastard you are. But I know you, Lahote. Soon enough your sick and twisted fuck-fests will need to become a reality and I don't want to even fucking think that I stood by and was somehow part of knowing just exactly what you had planned for her."

"Get over it, Black. No way in hell could your little bird be half of the woman of my Kylie." Tired of the other wolf's high and mighty beliefs, Paul tried to return to his dreams.

"Your Kylie is nothing but a nightmare now, Paul," Jake yammered away, unconcerned for Paul's wishes. "You can see her and might even be able to hold a conversation with her, but what do you think will happen when she wants more than just talking from you?

"And you can't even let me have that, can you Black? I don't want that despicable piece of white trash and you and the rest of the fucking pack keep shoving her innocence in my face!"

"Because she is an innocent!" Jake exclaimed, taken back by Paul's unfound hatred. "She doesn't even know what's happened and you acting the way you are wont make you any more redeemable in her eyes."

"Who fucking asked her?" Paul snarled rising to stand. He approached Jake tauntingly, throwing his accusations like a weapon. "Who asked her to judge my quality of life; to decide if it's worthy enough of her approval?"

Jake refused to be bullied. "Nobody! But if you think this is hard for you, imagine what it's going to be like for her?"

"I've already fucking told you! She doesn't need to know a god damn thing," Paul demanded.

Both wolves stood nose to nose, lost amongst the emotions being projected, studied and cast aside as acceptance was futile. Paul turned away first.

"Just leave it the fuck alone, Black!" He called out, intent on dealing with this his own way.

"I can't do that, Paul," Jake answered mournfully. "And neither can you."

Sighing, Paul dropped his head, not in defeat to Jacob's suggestion, but in his failure to convince Black to understand.

"The sooner you accept this and try to make it work-" Jake began only to be cut off.

"Don't. I've already warned you once, Black. You and the pack keep pushing me and I can guaran-fucking-tee it won't just be you who is sorry."

"And that right there is why I hate you so damn much, Paul. You're such a fucking asshole that you think Bella alone has made it her life goal to fuck up Paul Lahote's life. You think she spent night after night praying to the heavens that you'd magically fall in love with her? She doesn't even know you exist outside of the fact that you're some obnoxious dick who, when she's seen you on the rare occasion, can do nothing but scowl and glare at her."

"You're forgetting one thing though, Black: If Bella "leech lover" Swan didn't exist, I wouldn't fucking be in this predicament. My soul mate, if any, would've been some other chick whom I could possibly tolerate for longer than thirty seconds," Paul explained slowly, gaining perverse self-satisfaction from Jacob's look of equal parts, horror, loathing and disgust.

"Now, if you could go and fuck off, I'd like to get back to my Kylie planning."


A week passed before Jacob could no longer take Paul's caustic attitude and derision towards his best friend. Ignoring any and everything Paul felt towards the subject, Jacob asked Sam to relinquish his stance on allowing him to see Bella. He argued that he was more fit to retain his temper and Paul was never going to do the honest thing and tell Bella what he was or what had transpired between the two.

With a promise to Sam, that Jacob would only discuss his own wolfness, Jacob made the trip to Bella's house, hoping she would be happy to see him and happy to finally have the chance to tell her what was going on.

"Jacob?" Bella questioned, as she opened the door mid-morning Saturday. Eyes wide in disbelief, she took in Jacob's appearance, surprised at how well he looked despite Billy's constant reminder that Jake was ill.

"Yeah, Bells, it's me. Are you happy to see me?"

"Oh my gosh, Jake!" Past transgressions forgotten, Bella released the door knob to throw herself into the startled embrace of her best friend.

Jacob, excited by her happiness, enveloped her warmly, picking her up in a full hug. "Hey, honey. God, I've missed you." In a moment of pity, Jake silently mourned for his chance to be with Bella, but quickly brushed it aside, knowing that at least now, she would be near.

"Jake, where have you been? I've been calling and Billy said you were sick and no one heard from you and Charlie said I needed to just wait and I was worried and couldn't just let it go and then…" trailing off from her rambling explanation, Bella stopped herself from saying what had happened in the meadow.

How, in her anger at loneliness to Jacob's disappearance, she had gone out to find some sense of fulfillment. There would never be closure with Edward, but with the meadow she could at least pretend it hadn't been an empty love.

Jacob saw the pain, misery and worthlessness Bella was feeling. It nearly killed him. "And then what, Bella?" He whispered.

She searched his soul-filled eyes that had always been a sign of welcome. Despite his recent absence he had somehow aged… looked wiser…he looked like he had been given a death sentence.

Bella couldn't bring herself to say anything else that might disrupt their happy reunion. "Nothing, Jake. It was nothing."

"I saw you," Jake murmured as he watched Bella's small smile begin to flitter away.

"Saw me? Saw me where? I haven't seen you at all until just now." Taking a step back, Bella took in his healthy complexion. This was not the physique of a boy who had been bed-ridden for so many weeks.

"What really happened?" She asked. "Where have you been and why have you been avoiding me?"

The sharp inhalation of breath Jake took hurt. It shouldn't have; there was nothing wrong with him physically, but the pain washed over him just the same.

"I saw you, Bella. You were talking as if he was still here; as if you were still somehow a part of his life and he hadn't just used you and left you for dead in the middle of the forest."

"You couldn't…" Bella faltered as Jake's expression changed. Somehow, he knew.

"What are you talking about?" She finally asked, her world of elegantly styled walls of denial slowly tumbling down around her.

"Last weekend, in a meadow. I saw you talking to one of those…monsters!" Jake yelled before quickly pulling in his rage. His next sentence was much softer despite the hurt laced into the meaning. "Like he was your next-door neighbor or something."

"You weren't…you don't know what you're talking about. I don't know what you're talking about." Dumbly, Bella kept shaking her head. If she refused to believe Jake then he might believe that he was wrong.

She had to protect him!

Jake reached out to cup her cheeks. "Yes, you do know. I saw everything…how it reached out to touch you." His fingers began to stroke her cheeks willing for her to understand.

"You would have let it kill you," he accused, watching as Bella stopped her denial at not knowing what he was talking about. Her head fell downwards in defeat.

"You don't understand what they are, Jacob. You don't know how fast they can be. There wasn't anything I could have done. If it wasn't for the…" pausing, she looked into Jacob's knowing eyes.

She had said so much, too much! Now both of their lives would be forfeit for no one was to know about vampires. Telling him had been purely accidental and both of them would have to pay the price for her rambling words.

"If it wasn't for the wolves?" Jake asked, confused at the mesh of emotions flashing in her eyes. She tensed at the word 'wolves' and he wondered if she somehow already knew about them. It was too late to go back now, though.

"I know, Bella, because I was there and I was one of them," Jake replied in a coaxing tone. He wanted her to feel comfortable talking to him about this as it was no longer a secret to be kept. Numbly, he told her about his heritage, about what he had become and how he knew about the things she was trying to keep from him.

"And the vamp….Laurent?" Bella asked, changing her description mid-sentence in case Jake was somehow bluffing about his knowledge. "Did you scare him away?"

"We killed him."

Neither said anything for a long while, caught up in self-incriminations, guilt and sorrow.

Bella wanted to believe her best friend; he had never lied to her knowingly. The doubts were many, though. She knew how expertly and efficiently a vampire killed. That some type of creature could take one out was a lie. Edward himself had said that vampires were on top of the food chain; an entity graced with immunity from harm except from each other.

Studying her face, Jake waited for her fall out. This beautiful woman was now and would forever be a part of his life even if he wasn't the one to have her. By tomorrow, she would know everything and no longer be able to hide or deny events.

Happiness in knowing she would always be human tasted bittersweet to Jacob Black in that moment.

"We're still friends, right?" He finally asked.

Bella had long stopped thinking of anything but her friend. Out of everything and everyone, he would always be the structure of support she could count on.

"Of course, Jacob. I'll always be your friend. I love you." Standing up on her toes, Bella reached out to give him another warm, comforting hug which he easily reciprocated, holding her longer than he normally would.

"I know you do, honey. I love you too which is why I have to ask a favor of you." All of Jacob's confidence seemed to evaporate at his request.

"Ok?" Bella half asked, half agreed.

"I need you to come to La Push tonight. There are a few more things that I need to tell you, but others have to be present."

"Like what? What needs to be said the company of others that can't be said here, just between us?"

"If I could tell you, I would. But I made a promise, and even with the threat of death, I can't break it." The words nearly choked Jake and Bella placed a comforting hand on his forearm.

"Hey…hey, Jake, it's okay. If it means this much to you, I'll go. Charlie will be ecstatic to know I'm going out for the night. You want me to pick you up?"

The feeling of compassion from another human, eased Jake's inner turmoil; not reminding, but enforcing his thoughts that Bella was the most important thing right now.

His smile was small, but genuine. "No, that's okay. Just park at the beach entrance; I'll meet you there at eight."


Now that Jacob had left, Bella was left to her own thoughts and concerns. She had never seen Jacob looked this scared and the unknown source of the fear ate at her. He had said it wasn't directly about him, but his unease lead her to believe that whatever she was about to find it, it was going to hurt.

When the time approached, she got in her truck to make the well-known drive, once again left to ponder. What if he had to tell her she wasn't allowed to see him anymore? That her fraternization with his enemy was grounds for permanent banishment from la Push?

Her fears subsided after reaching the beach. A large fire was blazing with a dozen or so people scattered around. Putting on a happy face, she cautiously approached, looking for a familiar face, not knowing that Jacob was trailing silently behind her.

"Hey Bells," he whispered when she stopped short of the gathering.

"Jake! I didn't hear you. Is this where we're supposed to meet?"

"For now. In a little bit we'll go someplace else to talk." Gently grasping her arm, Jake led her towards the others already here.

"Jake," Bella whispered, her uncertainty evident. "I don't recognize any of these people. What is this?"

"Just a small gathering of some of the families from La Push." Pointing towards a towering figure a few yards away, Jake spoke. "You remember, Embry? And further past him is Quil."

The two boys Bella had remembered from Jake's garage were nothing like they had been. If Jake hadn't said so, Bella would've never recognized their identities.

The wolves did their part to orchestrate this stage as best as they could, strategically placing people around the fire where Jake sat with Bella. No one really spoke to her other than her best friend when he handed her a plate with food. His hand was constantly on her back and shoulder, Bella not realizing it was for equal parts of comfort and grounding.

Bella followed Jacob around like a shadow when he stood up to speak to others; observing his interactions with people she didn't know. Even when they found themselves in a semi-circle around Billy and Harry, Bella felt like she no longer knew these people. The occasional glance or observant stare lacked comfort.

Eventually the night grew longer, the fire brighter and the people more sparse.

"Isabella Swan," a deep voice greeted Bella as she and Jake made their way towards another bonfire, this one smaller and more secluded. Too dark to see clearly, she had to wait until she was only feet in front of the flame to see who had spoken. A tall Native American stood on the other side in relaxed fashion. To his left sat another man; Bella was sure she had seen him before, but couldn't recall a name to go with the face.

"Hello," was her squeaky response, Jacob nudging for her to have a seat. Slowly lowering onto the aged driftwood, the man who had greeted her sat as well; Jacob had positioned himself right next to Bella and away from the other two.

Jacob's presence suddenly didn't feel like it was enough to keep Bella comforted.


New Phase of Darkness


"My name is Sam Uley," the large figure announced, causing Bella to shiver. She knew who he was. He had found her in the forest a few months ago, but after that night, she hadn't thought anything about him. Pinching herself, Bella tried to focus on what the man was about to tell her.

"Jacob came to see you today and has reported that you now know our secret." At her nod, he spoke again. "We are forbidden to share our gift with outsiders; only those who become a wolf and their mates gain this knowledge."

Bella froze, her mid going into overdrive. Edward had explained the vampires had the same rules as well; if it were to become known that a human knew of them, death was the only solution. It had only been a week since she saw the wolves, perhaps they too had decided she was a liability that needed to be removed.

"However," Sam continued, unaware of Bella's concerns, "You are already acquainted with the Cold Ones and the knowledge of one more mythological creature cannot be a burden. We ask that you tell no one, not even your father. Our discovery would decimate the tribe and quite possibly humanity as well."

Sam paused while Bella struggled to keep up. When she finally nodded her understanding, he went on with his speech.

"There is much, much to explain in regards to our lineage, dating back to before time had a value to us. I would skip most of it for now as Billy Black usually tells the story well. However, there is an occurrence that has taken place and it is imperative that you be told now."

Closing his eyes for a moment of silent prayer and guidance, Sam willed for this evening to go well.

"A wolf's mate is called an imprint; it is a bond stronger than love and cherished more than life. There is no way to refute such a gift despite possible reluctance from either party." Sam cast his eyes to the other man before him, something akin to a warning flashing quickly before disappearing.

"We find ourselves in a quandary. Past imprintings have only hinted to taking place amongst our people or neighboring tribes, but Paul is your mate, Isabella. Through our Spirits, you have been destined to be with him and him with you."

Bella froze, right down to no longer breathing as she replayed what this man, Sam, had just told her. Her eyes focused on the other man who had to be Paul. Like the rest of the Quileute's, he was deeply tanned with black hair and built similar to Jake. All save for his eyes.

One summer, Renee had taken Bella on a crazy summer vacation to Kansas. For two weeks that had practically lived in their car as Renee stayed glued to a radio while pouring over a map in search of where possible tornados would hit. Three days before they were to leave, one of the most violent storms of the century had struck nearby.

It was hard to forget the event. Out of nowhere, the sun kissed sky had turned sinister. While not as black as night, there had been little natural light. Knitted tightly together, the clouds had resembled stones, deeply hued in the color of slate, and unforgiving with a promise of persecution.

Just like Paul's eyes.

"Is the squab speechless at finding out she has a betrothed?" Paul cut in, his voice as rough as his eyes were. "I can assure you, I am no more excited at the prospect than you are."

"You can't…I'm not even…I don't…," Bella struggled with what to say, her words rushed and garbled.

You can't have me!

I'm not even Native American!

I don't love you; I love your enemy!

The words echoed in her mind, physical articulation of completing any of those thoughts, lost. Finally she threw out the only card she felt worth presenting. "I don't believe in marriage!"

"Relax, sweetheart. I have no intention of marrying you; hell, I don't even want to see you! But neither of us really has a choice in the matter, so we're stuck."

Sam hissed something, quick words that caused Paul to snap away and glare at him, the hatred intensifying in his stare.

"Jacob?" Bella croaked, looking for some type of help or support in this sea of misery. Her best friend nearly choked on his words.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. None of us have any type of choice in the matter. If we did, I would have picked you for myself, but an imprint doesn't work like that."

The cold dread of uncertainty settled harshly in the pit of her stomach. Jacob, with his tear-filled compassionate eyes trained at Bella, sucked out any chance of hope she may have had.

"I don't want him," Bella stated in a mechanical voice. "Him or anyone else."

Bella didn't know that a wolf's hearing was as proficient as a vampire's. When Paul spoke, it made her jump.

"Join the club, squab. I don't want you either, as I already said. Unfortunately we're both fucked into this shit filled life."

"Paul, that's enough! Once you both have realized the benefits, this will go much easier," Sam intoned, his belief in Imprinting held as a truth more solid than the earth itself. He, himself, had cast aside what he thought was love when Emily had appeared.

"But…but…Jake said imprinting wasn't completely binding; that I had a choice," Bella cried in dismay, her eyes searching each wolf present. "What are you saying?"

Paul had heard Jake tell Bella that line of shit while Sam had explained about the wolves. How there was always a choice. He wanted to smack the pup senseless for giving the girl any hope of turning away.

"No one ever has a choice, squab, neither do you," Paul stated in an equally dead tone.

He watched as Bella both digested and fought the condemning words and thoughts. A life sentence given without trial, without a jury and without having committed a fault to begin with.

"And the legends, the stories, were they all a lie?" She tried again, unable to accept that this was it.

"Really, Swan. I expected you to be smarter than that," came her mate's scathing reply, inflicting a circular flinch throughout the group. Paul's voice turned even more menacing.

"Don't you get it?" He hissed. "We're stuck with each other; more binding than a marriage, an imprint is the epitome of belonging. Love, magic, fairytales, soul mates, all of it tied up in one neat little package with a huge bow of shit to hold it all together."

"You can't force me to stay with you…I refuse," Bella answered back. Simple, irrefutable and so wrongly misbelievable, Paul almost smiled. Almost…

He gave in and barked out a short sound of humorless laughter. "Let me know how that works out for you. You can run, but you can't hide. Not from a werewolf and definitely not from your soul mate."

Bella lifted her chin In defiance. "I might be your soul mate, but you aren't mine."

"You sound sure of yourself," Paul remarked casually, the hint of a challenge this little squab had issued fueling his baser need to acknowledge it.

"I am. I can just tell Charlie I want to go live in Florida. Or in a few months when acceptance letters stat to come in, I can disappear into the life of a college student, never to return, no questions asked."

Jacob's hand, which had been slowly rubbing comforting circles on her back, ceased movement. Nobody ever walked away from their wolf. Bella's current attitude was similar to dangling a promise of food to a wild creature and then pulling it away before they could have it.

The hairs on the back of Paul's neck tingled. His squab wasn't grandstanding, she really thought she meant what she was saying and it pissed him off. He saw Jacob shift positions, ready to swing her out of the way should his wolf lunge. Sam too, had tensed himself. Whether to help protect the girl or tackle Paul, he didn't know, nor did he care.

"And tell me, that day we found you in the forest entertaining the bloodsucker, how did you feel? Was it easy, to go home and forget about what you'd seen? How after staring into the eyes of gray wolf, you just forgot about him."

"My feelings were normal and to be expected! It's not every day a girl comes across man-eating creatures that could have taken her life with one swipe."

Her heart beat increased, the enormity of what had happened and what was yet to come, sending a tidal wave of emotions that activated a psychological response of fight or flight.

Bella would lose in either action but her mind had decided she was going to use both.

"That's not what you were thinking though, was it?" Paul asked, ignoring the signs her body gave off. "You weren't thinking that you were about to die, not after we stared at each other. I heard your heart, racing in fear and then it slowed to a pattern of excitement, but not before I could smell you."

Bella's blush was firmly bloomed before the words could even leave her mouth. "I was confused, scared! I can't control what I'm thinking, or what my body does when the adrenaline is coursing through me."

"Maybe not," Paul agreed without a care. "But what about afterwards? What about that night when you sat up till four a.m. in a confused daze, wondering where you had seen those eyes before and when you might see them again?"

"You spied on me?" Bella stuttered in outrage. "How dare you?"

Paul ignored her continuing with his observations. "That next week, before Jake told you what he was –what we all were—and you came to La Push again, demanding answers, the entire time there, you looked over your shoulder, thinking about those eyes and how they made you feel and when I finally let you catch my gaze and our eyes clicked. Your heart slowed the same way as in the field and your scent changed. Everybody knew it, including Jake."

Bella could no longer focus on what was being said. She grasped on to the one word, the only person who had ever acted selflessly on her behalf. She now had a target to direct her best friend's absence on.

"You tortured him, didn't you?"Bella screamed, standing up to point at the accuser. "You told him things about me so he wouldn't be my friend anymore. That's why it took so long for him to come talk to me, because you needed his support for me to listen to your filth."

Paul thought he could handle the words Bella spoke to him. As a human, screaming women in the middle of an immature tiff, were to be ignored until they shut up. Then he could kiss them senseless, ignite their passion and get what he wanted.

Paul, the human, could've done that, but Paul the wolf was to close to the surface. An imprint did not seek comfort from a different pack member and wolf was angry.

"I didn't have to tell him shit!" Paul yelled back. He didn't need to stand to make his point; his words alone caused the little squab to sit back down quickly. "Jake knew what was going on, along with everyone else. Sam could barely keep it together as an Alpha, what with little Jakey chomping at the bit. You can't dictate to an imprinted wolf about his imprint and regardless of what folklore states, I didn't want you."

Didn't?

He had spoken past tense and hope flared to life in Bella's young-girl heart. Through lowered lashes, she studied the man suddenly claiming to be her soul-mate. Paul could be charismatic when he wanted too; Bella had watched him interact with people from afar not realizing until today who he was.

Her own self-will faltered…maybe Edward had left because he knew that she wasn't meant to be his and belonged elsewhere? Had she deluded herself all along into thinking the vampire held an affection for her that was more than a passing fancy?

The icy wind from the ocean blew harshly against her back and causing her to shiver. Back in Phoenix, at the hospital after James's attack, Edward had held her hand. The love and determination he had shown in his eyes were all that she had needed. Hardening her heart, Bella knew that regardless of what the wolves told her, her life belonged with Edward.

The fire continued to crackle as the group sat quietly. Paul knew it was all bullshit, the connection he was supposed to have with Isabella. His body told him to love her, care for her and protect her above all, but his brain knew it was trap. Self-awareness could overcome even the invisible chains the others wolves laid down for towards an imprint.

Bella felt trapped and she shivered again. She didn't love Paul; she didn't even like him as a person. To be told that they were soul mates was a bad joke all around. But the look on Jake's face, the resolution emitting from Sam and the bitterness thrown off in waves from Paul, told Bella that this wasn't a mistake.

The tremors increased with her breathing. Edward, through all of his warnings and actions had loved Bella for herself, hadn't he? His confession of at first wanting to hurt her, kill her even, had been overcome by his desire to know her and love her. The vampire in him hadn't been forced to be with her, it had been his own choice. This, she would not dispute and clung to the non-existent hope that he would once again return and save her.

The world was not spinning, but she shook all the same, sitting around the warmth of the fire at the beach surrounded by people she had never feared, but respected. How could they ask this of her? To tell her she was to become one of them without a choice at all? Even the Cullens, despite their own misgivings, had given her a choice. Yet, here, on this cold beach, she no longer had any type of choice.

"I need to go," Bella cried out, standing up and forcing Jake's hand off of her.

"Bells…I know this is a shock but it's going to work out. I'll be there for you. You don't have to do go through this alone," Jake called out to the retreating figure. Despite her diminutive height and speed she quickly vanished behind the brush weed.

Sam stood up after a few minutes, looking at the two men. "Paul? Do you plan to go retrieve your imprint before she gets lost?"

"Nope," he answered, refusing to tense his body into movement. "She's on tribal land and if I recall, Jared has patrol tonight. She's safe from whatever might be out there to get her."

"She's not safe from herself," Jake spat out before turning to Sam. "Can I please go find her and make sure she's okay? None of us can hear her over the waves and I'm worried she might have tripped or twisted her ankle since she was running in the general direction of the cliff paths."

"Give me a break, Black," Paul huffed angrily, tired of fighting his wolf but refusing to give in. "We can't hear her breathing or her heartbeat, but if she fell and cried out, we'd be able to hear that."

"Not if she passed out and hit the ground before she could cry out."

"Then she should pay more attention to where she's going. I'm an imprinter not a fucking fairy god-mother. If she can't make it back to her truck without assistance then she shouldn't be wandering alone."

"And if one of us went with her, she wouldn't be alone," Jake yelled. Turning back to his Alpha he asked again," Can I please go and make sure she's okay?"

"You have to give her time, Jake," Sam answered, troubled at the turn of events. "We've just presented her with a shock; let her adjust on her own accord before smothering her."

The tension was too thick to allow everyone to remain at the bonfire. With a sigh, Sam began to bank the fire, using a damp limb to smother the logs before throwing sand. When the trail of smoke had completely faded and Paul had yet to move, Sam just sighed.

"Go ahead and get her, Jake. Take her home and then meet back at my place." He didn't even say anything to Paul as he started to walk away, knowing the arrogant man would eventually get up and join him.

With a kick of sand at Paul, Jake ran past Sam to find Bella. She'd be plenty pissed and probably crying but Jacob would deal with it. Once he cleared the weeds, his pace slowed in search of Bella.

As he walked along the cliffs, he could see her standing a hundred feet or so away, staring off into the sea looking lost and confused. Not wanting to startle her, he waited to call out her name until he was within arm's reach.

It was a decision he would live to regret for the rest of his life.


Furiously wiping away the traitorous tears, Bella wondered again for the millionth time how her life had gotten so far out of hand. From one unhealthy relationship to the next and she hadn't even sought them out!

If Jacob had said he was her imprint, Bella could've breathed easier. With Jake, everything was easier. He wasn't the type of guy to demand she do things she didn't want to and as long as she stayed relatively harm-free, she could easily live a double of life of pretend. Pretending to exist while mourning what she couldn't have.

Things had changed for the worse. After Sam explained how an imprint worked, Bella felt sick. If they were supposed to be right for each other—a guy who hated her on sight, and a girl who was equal parts terrified and disgusted with the guy—her life held no possibilities for happiness. Paul would not stand by and let his imprint crave for another man. Add to it that the man was actually a vampire and her life was doubly troubled from Paul.

Standing at the top of the same cliff she had seen the guys jumping from so many weeks ago, Bella stared down into the inky void. There wasn't any type of light, a new moon phase currently present and only the crushing waves discerned that she was overlooking the Pacific.

Despair was a feeling Bella had lived with for so long, but now it was more. Rather than the quiet whisperings longing and discontent, it screamed full-leveled.

People made rash decisions all of the time. The only reason most were considered rash was due to the ability to live with the consequences or for others to feel the need to condemn the choices they would not make for themselves. She no longer cared what other people thought or would think.

Without an utter of surprise, farewell or regret, Bella jumped into the void.