Do Not Own Twilight.

A/N: The Intro took place 2 weeks after Jake left. Hopefully there is no confusion, but if there is send me a PM.

" See the safety of the life you have built

Everything where it belongs

Feel the hollowness inside your heart

And it's right where it belongs... "

- Trent Reznor

Chapter 1 - Day 1 - Unexpected Crushing Hurt

-Bella-

Jacob is gone.

Leaving me abandoned once again.

It shouldn't surprise me, but the hurt that came with Jacob's absence is all consuming, more so than the pain I felt before.

I wasn't good enough for him when I was whole. Why did I even try to entertain the idea that the shattered remnants of who I am now would be enough for Jake?

Charlie said a day without him won't kill me, Billy said he's sick and having company around for now isn't wise.

They are both lying.

I don't know why or how, but I can feel that he left. Its as if the farther away he's getting, the more my lungs tighten in a vise grip. I want to breathe; it doesn't seem like I can. The suffocating black hole in my heart is back, only far worse. Ed – his voice disappeared. I wanted to let it go.

After I came home last night from my "friend" date with Jake, his words replayed in my mind while I lay in bed; he was honest and sincere about his feelings. He knows I care for him, more so than I thought I did. I could love him; a part of me already did...

Thinking about his breathtaking smile brought a warm feeling around my heart, the beautiful color of his skin, the dexterity and softness of his hands, his all consuming, loving hugs; everything about him felt like home.

I wanted to see how we could be together. Jacob said he would never hurt me like he did.

My decision came too little too late.

Now, he's gone. The voice I both cherished and loathed has quieted as well. And the hole is bigger, deteriorating the battered thing in my chest that shouldn't even be considered a heart anymore.

I grip the full Aspirin bottle tightly. Would this be such a bad way to die?

I'm too much of a chicken-shit to jump off this cliff. So many things could go wrong and I might end up paralyzed for the rest of my life. Anything requiring watching myself bleed is out of the question. I would end up panicking and calling for help.

The fatigue that has been building for long suddenly overwhelms me; a sigh escapes my lips. I just want to sleep. I haven't truly slept in so long.

A melodic laugh cracks through my thoughts, "This was far too easy."

I recognized who it was immediately. Someone who I thought was long gone, a voice I could never forget. Victoria. Maybe this is another figment of my imagination, a different illusion since his is no longer present. Slowly rising up, I turn, facing the direction in which the musical voice is coming from. She's there - not a hallucination, but physically ten feet away from me. Fiery hair blowing in the wind, crouched in the feline manner that is hers alone and her grotesquely beautiful face tilted up inhaling with her mouth open.

Her ravenous onyx eyes meet mine, "Your scent is still unbelievably exquisite dear Isabella. I can hear the succulent nectar coursing through your veins. Draining every drop from body will be a positively delectable experience." - her features change, becoming more monstrous; her menacing smile sends chills throughout my body - "I've saved my hunger just for you, for this very moment."

My knees buckled under the startling relief spreading through me at those words; she is doing me a favor. No more deciding how to end this desolate, meaningless half-life. A breeze slips by carrying with it the salty smell of the ocean and everything that reminds me of Jacob and La Push; I greedily fill my lungs once more and close my eyes.

Jake.

A horrific shriek suddenly pierces my ears; my hands automatically rise up shielding them from the sickening, high-pitched noise. I force my eyes open and attempt to absorb the scene taking place in front of me...

Victoria on fire, held off the ground, her throat gripped tightly by a massive Native American man. Her blazing body contorting, twisting trying in vain to free itself; her long fingernails clawing, tearing at the arm holding her prisoner.

I can't move. I want to run, but every muscle in my body is frozen in place.

The bright flames caress her torso, continuing to incinerate her glimmering pale skin. The man releases her from his grasp once her wailing ceased, his chest heaving violently, the flesh on the hand that was holding Victoria's neck is burned; his forearm is dripping deep crimson blood. An involuntary gasp from me breaks the silence. He looks in my direction, his eyes are a luminous yellow color. Whatever he is, it isn't human. He can't be, not after killing Victoria and surviving the wounds he obtained.

The man strides over to where I am, picks me up, sniffs my hair, and walks back into the forest.

-Paul-

Stupid, selfish fucking leech-loving bitch. For whatever reason, she attracts those damn things like flies on rotten food. Thankfully the redhead was distracted, taunting the leech-lover. There was no possible way I could have phased without drawing her attention, then she would have escaped again. Our scent is nowhere near as potent to those things in human form as it is in wolf form.

The lighter Sam ordered us to keep in our pocket at all times really came in handy; one of his smarter ideas. It hurt like a motherfucker when my hand was burning, and when she was taking chunks out of my arm, but all that pain was worth it. Killing this leech brought a stronger peaceful feeling within.

Strange.

All the injuries are already healing. Little leech-lover is holding onto my neck like her pathetic life depends on it... Huh. I guess it does in a way. I wasn't really focused on her when I picked her up. Truthfully, I don't know what the hell happened. The wolf took over, and I wasn't even phased. That's never happened to me before; I'm not even sure how it's possible. The protective side of him amplified toward her; he was incensed at the bloodsucker being so close to her. He's never reacted to anyone in the way he did with her. The wildflower and strawberry scent coming from her feels like it's forcing itself to etch into my brain.

Curiosity gets the best of me and I chance a peek down at her - she's not half bad looking, smooth porcelain skin, petite frame, long chestnut hair, plump lips; Jake's memories really don't do her justice... but those dark circles under her eyes show she needs more sleep -

What the fuck? Where the hell is that coming from?

I shake those bizarre thoughts out of my head. She's the Cullen's leftovers, not some innocent girl. She used Jacob, that's why he's stayed wolf and ran away. Hell she's fucking suicidal; not defending herself or saying a damn thing to the abomination ready to kill her. All she did was slump down and wait for her end. The bottle of Aspirin left behind on the ground did not go unnoticed. It was an even bigger indicator as to why she was at the cliffs alone. I've seen the look in her eyes before. Someone wanting to end their life so badly they would do anything to make it happen.

It still doesn't make it any less unsettling, especially from someone as young as she is.

The damn wolf is stirring. He wants to sniff her again.

Not going to happen buddy. I'm taking her back to the chief's house and leaving.. I won't ever think about this shit again. None of the pack need to know I helped her, especially not Jake. Baby Alpha doesn't need any more baggage; he's already carrying around enough.

Being phased has been nothing short of a migraine since he went all wolf; an endless loop of "Bella" memories and fantasies. Some of those thoughts are disturbing even for me, and I've seen and done more than my fair share of fucked up shit. A couple of times I had to phase back human and continue my patrol that way. Not smart, but our strength is still equal to a vampire's, and surpasses theirs in wolf form. Being in his mind after a while turns out to be more than a lot of the pack can handle. Why would Jake think about this crazy chick so much? After all the grief she put him through and the past he saw with the Cullen's, there's no sensible reason as to why anyone who wasn't her family would put up with her.

So why do I feel this humming pull now that she's in my arms?

It's nothing. I saved her life and I've never interacted with people after helping them.

When we arrive at her truck I open the passenger door, maneuver her in the seat, and buckle her in. I walk around to the driver side, turn the ancient truck on, and haul ass to Forks. The faster we get there, the sooner I can rid myself of this girl.

This is too much fucking trouble for her. I should have just left once the redhead was a pile of ash, and let her do what she wanted instead of all this shit. No one is going to find out about this. I'll never hear the end of it, from Sam or the pack, and definitely not from baby Alpha. He'll want to know every single fucking detail and obsess even more than he already does about her.

Her smell is overpowering my senses in this cramped space. The stupid fucking wolf is begging for another sniff. Moron. I open the window, letting the fresh air circulate most of her scent outside.

Why the fuck is he acting like that?

It's just a girl, you'd think he'd never been around a girl before. I was so wrapped in my thoughts, I didn't notice when she shuffled in her seat scooting closer to me. When she leaned over and pressed her body against my side, it stirred up that goddamn humming pull again.

Her cool breath creates goose bumps on my arm, "Thank you."

Say something asshole, anything, pick a fucking topic... The chief's house comes into view. Thank God. I need to get the fuck away from whatever the hell this shit is. After parking her truck, I rip open the door and try to make a run for it. Her soft voice stops me from taking another step toward the tree line. I close my eyes, willing myself to not turn around and look at her face.

Her shoes loudly crunch the leaves on the ground, coming closer toward me. Her small fingers wrap around my hand.

"I wish I knew who you were. I can tell you don't want me to know. It's just... the way I was feeling when Victoria was going to kill me... isn't as painful now as it was on top of the cliff. It still hurts, but - I don't even know why I'm telling you this - not as unbearably as it did."

She starts to let go; I snatch her hand back and rub my thumb on the back of it, a stupid attempt to give her some kind of comfort. "As hard as you think life is, it isn't as bad as it could be. No one is worth ending your life over, especially not a dead thing. Think about your father, your mother, your friends; your death would hurt them all. Don't be selfish."

I want to stop. I want her to leave more than I need my next breath of air… I just can't release her.

"Why won't you look at me?"

Her question catches me off guard. There isn't a single response I can give her that makes sense.

"I doubt we will ever cross paths again. You don't have to hide from me. I just want to see your face one more time before you disappear too."

The wolf rouses, demanding that I comply with her request. After thinking for a brief moment I don't see any harm in it. Maybe then I can get out of this situation and get my happy ass back to the res.

I pry my hand out of hers and turn around; her eyes are cast down, staring intensely at the ground.

"Look up."

She wrings her fingers together, tips her head, and our eyes meet.

The humming feeling gets stronger; I can feel myself drowning in her milk chocolate orbs. Her heart is hammering away in her small chest. She exhales, reaches her fingers up to my cheek, lightly tracing my face as if she's memorizing every part. The wolf purrs in contentment at her feathery touch.

I snap myself out of her trance and run as fast as I can. Far away from her, from whatever just happened.

I need to go home. NOW.

Verse from Song: Right Where it Belongs

Artist: Nine Inch Nails

Album: With Teeth