Woo! I apologize for the wait. Many thanks to my reviewers. Here's Chapter Three.

Chapter Three

Imprint

I didn't think Jacob would be able to fit into the tiny Geo, but he managed somehow. True, his knees were barely an inch below the steering wheel, but he got us home in one piece. It was raining as we pulled in the driveway, and by the time I reached the house, I was sneezing.

"Let me go ch-change, I'll be r-right back," I say, inviting, "Make yourself at home."

"All right." I can't understand the expression in his eyes as he looks around the small kitchen with the yellow paint on the cupboards faded and chipped, but I'm shivering too hard for it to be important now. I trudge up the stairs and begin stripping off the soaked layers as soon as I'm out of sight. In my room I change my underwear and put on a new pair of jeans and a sweatshirt before going back downstairs.

I find Jacob standing near the table, running his hands over the counter without even seeing it.

"Hey… Jake?"

He spins around so fast I want to stumble back a few steps, but I control the urge. The wildness in his eyes makes me less certain.

"Oh… sorry, Rose, I didn't see you there." He looks uncomfortable. Before he can ask if he can go, I leap in with an invitation.

"Do you want a drink or something before you go?" Then something hits me. "Oh no, you drove my car. How will you get back?"

He shrugs easily. "I can walk, no problem. I'll probably get there faster than if I drove anyway." I assume this to be some kind of Native American inside joke about running like the wind, so I let it go. "Do you have any soda?" he continues. "I need the sugar."

"Sure." I get him a Cola from the fridge and watch in disconcertion as he downs it in one gulp.

"Thanks. Well, I'd better get back before Billy wonders where I've gone. Charlie's already in the driveway." He gives a wave, and is out the door before I can open my mouth. Charlie walks in a few seconds later, bemused.

"Jake was here? How's he getting back? Is that his car?"

"No, it's mine. He said he could walk." I shrug. "He seemed like he meant it."

"Yeah, Jake's pretty intense for his age," Charlie agrees, his eyes slanting away from me. "That's your car then?" Not a very subtle subject change, Charlie.

"Yep. A 1998 Geo Prism." I shrug again. "It gets the job done. Runs smooth, too."

"That's good. Well, you can make something for your supper if you like. I just ate at Billy's." He then disappears to watch television. I opt to climb the stairs to my bedroom and get out the laptop. It's time to do some research on these Quileutes.

JACOB'S POV

I'm running as fast as I can away from that place. I can feel the nightmares building up in me already, ready to burst and burn their way through my veins as soon as I succumb to weariness. Only two miles from Charlie's house, they "appear" in my mind's ear, extra consciences feeding a constant stream of senses into my system. The world explodes as one by one they join my pace. First Embry, then Quil join me, flanking twenty yards behind. It's not long before the entire pack races behind me, silent but knowing, as we rush to the ocean.

I want to fling myself off the cliff as soon as I reach it, but Sam tackles me, rolling us both into the dirt. I control the urge to phase back and lay there in the dirt, sprawled in my human form. The others drop in the dust, making a loose semicircle around Sam and I. When we are all people again, Sam speaks.

"Who is she?"

"I don't care. I don't care. I have to leave again Sam, I –"

"NO!" he roars, and he's on me again before I can rise two feet. I fall back, snarling, but can only obey. The others watch me warily, waiting for me to bolt.

"She's a doll," Embry offers. A growl rips itself painfully from my chest.

"No. She is nothing. NOTHING!" This last agonized word breaks into a thunderous howl as I phase, leaping ineffectually in the air. The others close the circle, and Sam taps me lightly with a paw.

Calm down, Jacob. We need you here. This is Sam, ever the leader. The others add their assurances, and gradually my heartbeat slows. My phase into human form is echoed slowly by the rest, until there is dead silence on the cliffs.

"She is Bella's sister," I croak finally. I can see the others sharing looks from the corners of my eyes, but I ignore them. "She's so like her, but so different. Different enough… as soon as I saw her –"

"You imprinted," Seth finished for me gently. He flopped onto his back. "That sucks."

"Why do you have to leave?" Leah asks. She seems to have developed a crush on me, but I ignore the gentleness in her voice.

"There are lots of reasons. I don't want to hurt her, I don't want her to be like Bella –"

"You selfish bastard!" Embry laughs. "You don't want to get hurt again!"

I'm too tired to be angry. "Sure. Whatever. So I'm a wimp."

"No, you're cautious," Sam rumbles, "and that's a good thing. Think on this, though, Jake. Love requires self-sacrifice – on both sides. If you pursue this, you have to be willing to give up all of yourself for her. You have to accept that loving someone gives them the power to hurt you. So leave, if you must, until she goes back to Florida. Or stay, and see it through." He stands, and phases smoothly. The others get up one by one and follow him into the woods, until I'm left lying on the grass with a heart full of anguish and head full of messed-up thoughts.

Voila. Please review and tell me if this is worth writing! :) Just kidding, I'll write it anyway, I don't care what anyone else thinks. Rose is too much fun.

DR