-1"I envy light that wakes him,

And bells that boldly ring

To tell him it is noon abroad,—

Myself his noon could bring,

Yet interdict my blossom

And abrogate my bee,

Lest noon in everlasting night

Drop Gabriel and me."

Excerpt from "I envy seas whereon he rides" by Emily Dickinson

"Sam?" I called out telepathically, hoping he would be in his wolf form.

"Sorry, Jake," Embry replied, "Just Paul and I out doing some patrols."

"Think he took Emily into town, I dunno, they rushed us out of the house," Paul chimed in.

"Jacob?" Leah asked. "What's he doing here?"

"Calm down, Leah," I huffed.

"Yeah, Sam said he was coming, and that it was okay."

"Thanks, Paul, just let them ambush me at home."

I shook out my fur as I stood back up, and my hackles rose as he exited the sleek sedan. He wore dark jeans and a flannel shirt, and his hair stood in its normal quaff. God, could he be more pretentious? A laughed escaped his lips, and I saw his teeth barred slightly as he neared me. My lips twitched as I showed a few of my own fangs.

"Jacob," he nodded as he approached. "Thank you for seeing me."

"Yeah, what do you want?"

"I just wanted to say thank you," he replied. "For you and your pack's support the other day."

"We just wanted to protect our families," I interjected, thinking instantly of Bella. He nodded silently.

"All the same, thank you."

"Is that all you came to say? Hallmark makes a thousand cards that say the same thing."

"I also wanted to ask you to please visit Bella." His jaw clenched as he spoke the words. Good to know I still got under that skin.

"Don't give yourself too much credit," he rolled his eyes and scoffed loudly.

I smelt the chicken hit the grill as Billy lathered it with some barbeque sauce. Carlisle stood next to him, helping to load some of the poultry onto the racks. They appeared to be indifferent, but I knew they were listening closely. My nails dug a little bit into the ground as I shifted my weight on my paws.

"I can't visit Bella. I'm sorry to rain on your parade but I think it's best for all involved if I just stay away." Problem was, I wanted nothing more than to run back to her side.

"Well," Edward shrugged. "I tried. I wish you would reconsider, she really seems distant now that you are never around."

"It's not that I don't miss her just as much," I growled in frustration. "You just don't understand."

"Help me to."

"She chose you," My teeth barred ravenously. "You are the one she wants, not me, and that's fine. I just wish you two would leave me the hell alone. You've got the girl, what else could you want?"

I didn't wait for him to answer. Throwing myself into a full on run, I weaved into the trees and out of sight.

"Jake," Leah whispered. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just don't see where some people get their nerve."

I roamed aimlessly for hours, attempting to drown out the thoughts of Bella and Edward. Sadly, all that replaced them were the words of pity from the pack. The thought of food and the silence of the garage brought me back home.

"Your plate's in the oven," Leah called from the couch. Her and Billy were sharing a bowl of popcorn and watching a horror film.

"Thanks," I mumbled as I grabbed it and headed back outside. She was waiting for me, my Skyline, and I realized I was extremely happy for the task ahead.