Chapter 4
Why Did I Ever Come Back?

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay.

(Jacob's PoV)

The morning after I lost Bella forever, I woke up on the couch in my living room. I had no idea how I ended up there. In fact I didn't remember much from last night. The last thing I remembered was being pulled away from Bella...

And I think I was extremely angry with her.

I tried to remember more, but nothing was coming to my mind, so I thought back to what I could remembered. I came back home to.... to what? Crash Bella's wedding and make one last attempt to get her to see my side? I only seemed to make it worse, like I always did. Even when the Cullens temporarily left Forks, I thought I would have my chance, but I screwed that up as well.

Heh, that's me: Jacob Black – Professional Screw-Up.

I came home to do one thing and I failed. Did that mean I would be leaving my home once again? I didn't know. But if there was a way to win back Bella Swan (I so wasn't used to referring to her as Mrs. Cullen yet), I'd have to find it... to at least try. Even then, that seemed like it was going to fail. Bella and her new husband were on their honeymoon. She'd probably come back looking like one of them.... a bloodsucker.

My mind suddenly seemed to be on a roller coaster. If Cullen did turn Bella, even with her permission, it would still break the treaty between them and the Quileutes. He would have bitten a human.... harmed them.... which meant the treaty would be broken. I was practically salivating at that point. I could finally have my revenge.

But at what cost? Bella would become one of them. Which meant that we'd have to destroy her too. That sent a bad taste to my mouth. To kill the one person I loved more than anyone else? Could I do it? Could I bear it enough to go through with it?

Behind me, the door to my father's bedroom opened, and it tore me away from my thoughts, I stood up, ready for anything. Had I already talked to my father last night? Did he know I was home? Why couldn't I remember anything?

I stood up as my father wheeled into the room. He looked shocked at the sight of me.

"Jacob!" he exclaimed.

He wheeled over to me, and I thought he was going to knock me down. He stopped near me and hugged me round the middle – his traditional hug toward me.

"When did you get home?!" he asked, "Where have you been? Do you realize how --"

"Yes, Dad," I said, rolling my eyes, "Seth kept in contact with me, so I know how worried you've been."

"When did you get home?" Billy asked me again.

"Last night," I said.

"Why didn't you call me or something?" Billy asked, "To think about it, why did you never call me at all in the past two weeks?"

"Because I wanted to be alone, Dad!" I said, "I didn't want any contact --"

"And yet you kept in contact with Seth?" Billy interrupted. "Yeah, Jake, I know about that. He kept me updated."

"It's different when we're wolves!" I said, annoyed.

My father may not have been able to phase, but I thought he'd at least know enough to understand.

"And if Seth updated you about me," I continued, "Then why are you complaining to me about no contact?"

"I would have liked to hear from you, Jake," Billy said, "You're my son. I was worried to death!"

"Well, I'm back," I said, "You don't have to worry."

I didn't mention how long I might be back.

"Did you get back in time for Bella's wedding?" Billy asked.

"I was there," I admitted.

Barely.

"You didn't come talk to me?" Billy asked, "You've been back for that long and I just found out?"

"Yeah," I said.

"Where have you been?" Billy asked, "I-I mean since you got back."

I shrugged. "Here on the couch," I said, hoping he would accept that.

He didn't.

"Before that, Jake," Billy said.

I sighed. What could I say? That I didn't remember? Well, I couldn't.... and I was going to have to figure it out soon.

"Er.... out," I said.

"Out?" Billy asked. "Like two weeks ago, you said you were going out and didn't come back until now?"

"Whatever," I said. "I'm going out again. And don't worry.... this time.... I'll be back."

Before I could get to the door, it opened. To my surprise, my sister, Rachel, walked in.

"Little brother!" she said, when she saw me.

She walked over to me, and grasped me in a hug. Her head barely reached my chest.

"You seem surprised to see me," she said.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, "And where do you get off calling me little? You're tiny compared to me!"

It was true. I was nearing seven feet, and Rachel was barely six feet, if that.

"Don't talk to your sister like that, Jake!" Billy scolded me.

"Well, if you were around more lately, Jake," Rachel said, answering one of my questions, "You'd know more. I graduated early from Washington State, so I came back to stay with you and Dad for a while. Where have you been anyway? Dad's been sick with worry! He's lucky I've been around."

"I can take care of myself!" Billy said.

"Daddy, I love you, but you're wrong," Rachel said. "If I didn't come back when I did, you'd still be in front of that television with the same clothes on."

I laughed. Billy scowled.

"If you've been back for a few days," I said to Rachel, "Then why haven't I seen you until now?"

"Oh, yeah," Rachel said, "I've been --"

Billy cleared his throat, and Rachel stopped abruptly. I raised my eyebrows. Something was definitely up.

"You've been where?" I asked Rachel.

"I.... spent the night at.... at Leah Clearwater's house," Rachel said, looking at our father instead of me, "Yeah! You remember how we used to be good friends. I've been getting to know her again. It's been so long!"

"Uh-huh," I said, skeptically.

"You know, Jake," Rachel said, "Leah's grown up to be quite the beautiful lady. I was quite surprised to find out she was single. It's awful what happened between her and Sam! And her father.... oh, I wish I could have been here for the funeral. But anyway, Jake, as I was saying. She's quite pretty nowadays."

"Then you date her," I joked.

Billy started to laugh, but stopped when Rachel narrowed her eyes at him.

"You don't have any interest in her?" she asked me.

"Don't make me vomit!" I snorted.

"Well, color me surprised," Rachel said, "I would have thought you'd have grabbed that one long ago."

"Excuse me?" I asked, "Okay, now I know something's up. First of all, if you talked to Leah, I'm sure she would have told you that she hates me. I annoy her at times. Second, she's three years older than me."

"You're a man, Jake," Rachel said, "You're supposed to like older women."

Billy laughed. This time it was I who narrowed my eyes at my father.

"It's obvious you've spent little time, if any, with Leah since you've been back," I said to my sister. "You're probably hiding something, but what do I care? Like I said before you intruded, I'm going out."

Rachel shrugged, but she looked relieved to be done with the conversation.

"Well be back for dinner, Jake," she said, "We're having steak."

"Sure, sure," I said.

"Still the same old Jacob," Rachel scoffed, as I walked out of the house.

"You know he's going to find out, Rachel," I heard my father say, "He's not oblivious."

"I know, Daddy," Rachel said, "But I won't be the one to tell him."

I scoffed loud enough for Rachel and my father to hear and walked away from the house. I really didn't care about whatever it was my sister was hiding. It was her problem, not mine. I had problems of my own anyway. Like finding out where I was after Bella's wedding and how I ended up on my couch.

As soon as I hit the treeline, I removed my clothes and phased. Even though I had just spent the last two weeks on four feet, it still felt great to phase again.

Well... good morning, sleeping beauty! Seth said.

Shut it, Seth. Where is everyone?

It's just me and Quil, running the perimeter. Sam's with Emily. Embry's off somewhere with Leah. And Paul is... well --

Wait a second. Hit the breaks, Seth. Embry and Leah?Seth said, laughing, Yeah, Embry asked Leah on a date a few days after you left, and they've hit it off quite nicely. We were all surprised.

You've been away too long, Jake.

Are you sure it isn't an Imprint thing?

Definitely not, Jake. It' isn't like... say for instance, Quil and Claire.

I heard that! Quil exclaimed.

Don't mind him, Seth said, Sam's put him on perimeter duty a lot these past few days. Emily says Claire's mother is starting to notice how much Quil's hanging around her. Sam told him to give it a rest.

Quil growled. I'd like to tell him to give it a rest with Emily and see how he likes it!

Anyway, if you have to know, Seth continued, I think Leah's just using Embry as a way of making her forget about Sam. Don't tell Embry I said that though. I've been doing my best not to even think about it around him.

Sure, sure!

Ha! Seth laughed. It's great to have you back, man! Come run with us.

Sure, but only because I need to talk to you.

Something bothering you, Jake? Seth asked

I'll talk about it when I get closer.

I picked up my clothes. Yuck, I thought I would get used to the taste of fabric... I hadn't.

I then took off through the forest in the direction of Seth and Quil. It took less than ten minutes to hone in on Seth and Quil's position. I always shuddered at how easy it was for us to find our own pack. If we had ever separated because of a feud within the pack, it would be a dangerous thing.

What's up, Jake? Seth asked, as I found him and Quil.

He sounded so fearful, for some reason. Did he know what I was going to ask him?

Can we phase to talk about this? I asked.

I really didn't want anyone listening in to our conversation.

Sure, whatever. We need a break from our rounds anyway, Quil said.

Even though we had phased in front of each other plenty of times, we each decided to go behind one of the large oak trees.

I phased behind one of the larger trees and pulled my shorts on, and met up with Seth and Quil again.

"So what's the problem, Jake?" Quil asked.

"This is going to sound stupid," I said.

"We're used to it," Seth said.

I ignored that.

"I woke up on my couch today," I said, "And I have no idea how I got there."

Seth and Quil looked at each other, then at me.

"You don't remember anything from last night, bro?" Seth asked.

"Not after you pulled me away from Bella's wedding," I said, shaking my head.

"Well," Seth said, slowly, "You were pretty shook up when we pulled you away. Sam wanted us to calm you down, so Quil suggested we take you to the Wolves Den."

"The what?" I asked.

"A new bar just outside of La Push," Quil said, "It opened a couple days after you ran away. We're all allowed to go in, and they can't tell we're underage since we're so big."

I didn't need to add two and two. As soon as Quil mentioned the word 'bar', I knew what had happened.

"You... got me drunk?!" I asked.

"Whoa, we had nothing to do with it!" Seth said, laughing. "It was all you."

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"You must have been heartbroken last night, buddy," Quil said, "You drank quite a bit. We had to drag you home after a couple of hours. We didn't want to wake Billy up so we put you on the couch."

"I... do not... drink!" I exclaimed.

"That's obvious!" Quil said, laughing, "You're quite the softie! It only took you a few drinks."

"And that is saying something!" Seth said, "Sam said because our bodies are so hot all the time, we shouldn't get the big after effects of alcohol."

"You were always the abnormal one, Jake!" Quil said, still laughing.

I growled.

"All right, shut it," I said, "I don't need to know all of this."

I paused, looking for a change of subject.

"So what has happened since I've been gone?" I asked.

"The pack has a couple new wolves," Seth said.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah!" Quil said, "Sam thinks it has something to do with Bel – with the bloodsucker's wedding, I mean. Just the rumors of more vampires coming into the area is enough for a couple new recruits."

"So," I said to Seth, "What is this about your sister and Embry?"

"Oh, Embry didn't imprint if that's what you think," Seth said, "It's just a crush Embry's had on Leah for... well, forever!"

"He loves the older women!" Quil said.

"At first I thought Leah would have turned him down in a second," Seth said, "But I think she's using Embry to get over Sam. Trying to make Sam jealous or something. I don't know why. Sam's too busy planning his wedding to notice."

"Oh really?" I asked.

"Yeah," Seth said, "Sam and Emily have planned their wedding for next summer."

"How is the rest of the pack?" I asked. "Jared? Paul?"

At the mention of Paul, Seth and Quil exchanged glances.

"Uh-oh," I said, "What's up with Paul, now?"

"N-nothing!" Quil said, quickly.

"Now I know something is going on," I said, "Spit it out!"

"Paul's imprinted," Seth said.

I laughed. How bad could that be?

"Paul? Really?" I asked, "Who is the lucky woman?"

Seth and Quil exchanged another glance.

"Oh, you can't hold this back from me!" I said, "I need to know. I'll find out either way. I just have to catch Paul thinking about it. Who is it?"

"What do you know about imprinting, Jake?" Quil asked.

"It exists so we can extend our line," I said, shrugging, "Of course I know that."

"Usually, when we imprint, it is someone immediately see, right?" Quil asked.

I nodded.

"And the reason he hasn't imprinted until recently is because didn't see the woman that was right for him," Quil said. "Right?"

"Yeah," I said, "So?"

"Jake," Seth said, "It's someone who moved to the reservation recently."

"Well... moved back, actually," Quil said.

There was only one girl I knew who fell in that category. No.... it couldn't be. There was no freaking way!

"Paul has imprinted on Rachel, Jake," Seth said.

My blood started to boil under my skin. No! That was crossing a line! No way would I let anyone near my sister! I felt the fabric of my jean shorts rip away from me as I phased and howled angrily.

"Looks like Paul's going to get it!" Quil said, laughing.

"Good!" Seth said, "He needs a good lashing!"

I started running off toward Paul's house.

"Jake!" Seth said, "Wait for us! I want to see this!"

Looks like he found out! Embry's voice called out in my head.

You actually told him, Seth? Leah said.

It was Quil's fault! Seth said.

Was not! Quil said, though he was still laughing.

Jacob!

Sam's voice tore through the others.

You know we can't choose who we've imprinted on. We have no control over it.

Yeah, you would know, wouldn't you?! Leah yelled.

Shut it, Leah. Sam growled.

I don't care! I said, Paul's crossed one too many lines!

Embry, your the closest! go make sure Paul knows Jacob is coming! Sam ordered.

Aww, I was hoping for a surprise attack. Quil said.

I ignored everyone and ran toward Paul's house. I knew Sam was right about imprinting, but I didn't care! I had to let out my rage on someone. I lost Bella forever and it seemed she was going to be a bloodsucker, and now Paul has imprinted on my sister?! This was just too much!

Ten minutes after I had found out, I was now on the edge of the forest behind Paul's house. I howled in challenge.

Bring it on, you son of a –

Hello to you too, Jake.

I growled. Paul walked around the side of his house. He was in his wolf form.

How could you?

I believe Sam has already told you I had no control over it.

I don't care. It's my sister!

I know. And I love her.

Wrong answer!

I charged at him, but suddenly, a surprising sight stopped me in my tracks. Rachel walked out the back door of the house. What was she doing here? She was supposed to be making dinner back at the house!

"Jacob Black, stop it!" she yelled.

Plot twist! Seth joked.

Where did she come from? Leah asked,

I brought her over. Sam said. I knew it was the only way to stop Jake.

You always have to get in the middle of things, don't you, Sam? Leah asked, You couldn't let Jake tear Paul a new one, could you?

I growled at Paul. I didn't care if my sister was near. I was going to show Paul he messed with the wrong wolf!

"Jacob, don't you dare!" Rachel said, "I'll – I'll tell Daddy!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Please, Jake," Rachel begged, "Let's talk about this like normal people."

It was a dilemma. I could just tear Paul apart like he deserved, and have my sister be mad at me for the rest of my life. Oh, how I wanted to. I sighed.

Paul?

Yes, Jake?

Would you like to come to dinner at my house? I asked. It looks like we have things to discuss.

Sounds like a good idea, Jake. I'll phase and get ready and bring your sister home.

I'm still going to beat you up over this. Just not in front of my sister.

Paul let out a barking laugh. I wouldn't have it any other way.

I turned tail and without another glance at Paul or my sister, I headed back to my house. I thought about running in a whole different direction entirely and just get out of town. But I couldn't, no matter how much I wanted to.

I sighed. Why did I ever come back?

Sorry for the long delay! Couldn't figure out what I wanted in this chapter at first!

Unfortunately, you'll have to wait for the results of what happened at the dinner. Next chapter is back to Isle Esme!

Hope you liked the chapter! Feedback would be awesome!