A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and added me to their favorite authors list. It really means a lot to me. So I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please read and review!

Disclaimer: I don't own twilight nor do I own the characters.

Jake grabbed two muffins as he passed the table and walked over to Bella. She looked relieved when Jake stood next to her. I watched the scene fold out in front of me. It was like I wasn't even there.

Jake muttered something that I couldn't quite catch and then Jared wailed, "Oh, man!" I turned around and saw Jared and Embry examining a faded pink line on Paul's forearm. Embry was grinning. "Fifteen dollars," he crowed at Jared. Behind me, I heard Bella whispering to Jake.

"Did you do that?" She asked.

"I barely touched him. He'll be perfect by sundown." Jake said.

"By sundown?"

"Wolf thing." Jake whispered. I pursed my lips in frustration. I was tempted to just turn around and stare them down. Emily gave me a strange look when she noticed I had stopped mixing the eggs and was staring mindlessly into space. "Hey guys." Sam's booming voice interrupted my thoughts. All the conversations going on in the small room stopped. "Jacob has information for us." He said. I took this as my excuse to look over at Jake and Bella. They were standing so close to each other. I winced and turned away. I focused on Sam and Emily. Emily was at the stove, scraping the egg mixture around a big skillet, but Sam still had one hand touching the small of her back, an unconscious gesture. "I know what the redhead wants." Jacob said. I caught my breath.

The vampire…?

I turned around focused on everyone else in the room. I probably looked so weird, turning around multiple times. "That's what I was trying to tell you before." Jake kicked the leg of the chair Paul had settled into.

"And?" Jared asked. Jake's face got serious. "She is trying to avenge her mate—only it wasn't the black-haired leech we killed. The Cullens got her mate last year, and she's after Bella now." He said.

The Cullens… I've heard that name before…Cullen…Cullen…Dr. Carlisle Cullen. He and his family are Vampires?…wow…

I felt faint. This was a lot to take in. I placed down the bowl of eggs and grabbed the counter for support. I noticed Jared, Embry, and Emily staring at Bella with open-mouthed surprise.

"She's just a girl." Embry protested.

"I didn't say it made sense. But that's why the bloodsucker's been trying to get past us. She's been heading for Forks." Jake said. They continued to stare at Bella, gaping, for a long moment. This made Bella look over to me. I caught her eye and we stared at each other for a long moment. Then she ducked her head. "Excellent," Jared finally said, a smile beginning to pull up the corners of his mouth. "We've got bait."

With stunning speed, Jake yanked a can opener from the counter and launched it at Jared's head. Jared's hand flicked up faster than I would have thought possible, and he snagged the tool just before it hit his face.

"Bella is not bait," Jake sneered. He sounded so protective that it hurt.

"You know what I mean," Jared said, unabashed.

"So we'll be changing our patterns," Sam said, ignoring their squabble. "We'll try leaving a few holes, and see if she falls for it. We'll have to split up, and I don't like that. But if she's really after Bella, she probably won't try to take advantage of our divided numbers."

Why are they going through so much trouble to protect her? When did she become so important?

"Quil's got to be close to joining us," Embry murmured. "Then we'll be able to split evenly." Everyone looked down. I glanced at Jake's face and noticed Bella looking at him also. He looked so hopeless. A sharp pain entered my chest and it threatened to make me collapse right then and there.

Is this the imprinting again?

I clutched the edge of the counter harder. "Well, we won't count on that," Sam said in a low voice, and then continued at his regular volume. "Paul, Jared, and Embry will take the outer perimeter, and Jacob and I will take the inner. We'll collapse in when we've got her trapped."

I noticed that Emily didn't particularly like that Sam would be in the smaller grouping. Her worry had me glancing over to Jake, worrying, too. It seemed that Bella was also worried. "Jacob thinks it would be best if you spent as much time as possible here in La Push. She won't know where to find you so easily, just in case." Sam said to Bella. I didn't fancy the fact that she would be here.

"What about Charlie?" She demanded. "March Madness is still going," Jake said. "I think Billy and Harry can manage to keep Charlie down here when he's not at work."

"Wait," Sam said, holding one hand up. His glance flickered to Emily, then to my bandaged shoulder, and then back to Bella. "That's what Jacob thinks is best, but you need to decide for yourself. You should weigh the risks of both options very seriously. You saw how easily things can get dangerous here, how quickly they get out of hand. If you choose to stay with us, I can't make any guarantees about your safety." Sam said. I looked at my bandage shoulder, remembering what Leah had done to me this morning. I winced as I remembered the feeling of her teeth digging into me.

"I won't hurt her." Jake mumbled, looking down. Sam acted as if he hadn't heard him speak. "If there was anywhere else you felt safe…"

Bella bit her lip. "I don't want to lead Victoria anywhere else," She whispered after a moment.

Sam nodded. "That's true. It's better to have her here, where we can end this."

I lifted my head. "So, you're just going to put Jake into danger?" Someone said and then I realized it was me. Those words had just come out of my mouth. Bella flinched at the hostility in my voice. By the look one her face, I knew that she knew I was right. She was the one putting all of them into danger. And frankly, I wasn't going to have it.

"Ellie, I'll be fine." Jake said walking over to me. He stood behind me and wrapped his warm arms around my neck. He leaned in and I could feel his breath on my ear; it sent shudders through out my body.

I crossed my arms around my chest. I wasn't going to give in that easily. I was angry that he would risk his own life to save her. Well, jealous would be a better word. He obviously loved Bella. Why else would he go through so much trouble to protect her? "You'll get hurt." I said. Even though I was angry with him, I still cared. It would kill me if he died. And it would be Bella's fault.

Jake unwrapped his arms around my neck, grabbed my hand, and turned me around to face him. I knew I would melt if I looked into his eyes, so I avoided his glance. My charade didn't last for long, because he took his hand under my chin and made me look at him. "Ellie, please, I'm doing this to protect you too. That leech almost killed you today and I don't think she's happy that you got away. I don't think Bella's the only one she wants now. She wants you too. And I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I love you, Ellie." Before I could say anything, Jake began to bend his face toward me.

I was frozen

"Jake—." I was cut off by his lips meeting mine, softly at first, and then he pulled back. It was as if he was waiting for permission whether to keep going or not. I quickly closed the space between us without thinking. The taste of his lips was intoxicating. I wrapped my arms around his neck and his hands reached down to my waist. My hand trailed up his neck to his hair. I grabbed his hair and deepened the kiss. Any doubts of his feelings for me were washed away at that moment.

(Bella's POV)

I watched as Jacob wrapped his arms around that girl, Ellie, and kissed her. My Jacob was kissing another girl. I felt an odd feeling growing on me. Overwhelming me. I couldn't tell what it was. I felt empty, like I didn't have anything to hang on to anymore. I had lost Edward and now Jacob? No, I wouldn't let that happen. I would keep Jacob. My Jacob.

(Ellie's POV)

I pulled away from him and looked into his dark twinkling eyes. "You'll be careful, right?" I asked, an audible lump in my throat. The boys burst into loud hoots of amusement. I jumped. I had forgotten they were there. I could feel my pale cheeks flushing a bright red. Everyone was laughing at me—except Emily. She met my eyes. Her face was alive with a concern even more fiercer than mine.

"Food's ready." She announced then, and the strategic conversation was history. The guys hurried to surround the table—which looked tiny and in danger of being crushed by them—and devoured the buffet-sized pan of Eggs Emily placed in their midst in record time. She leaned against the counter and watched them with affectionate eyes. This was her family. Our family.

I caught Bella's eye. She looked somewhat hurt. I didn't know what Jake meant to her or what she meant to him. They were close, that was obvious, but how close? I shook my head and tried not to think about it. I watched as the boys finished devouring the food.

Then the boys left for their patrol. Please be safe Jake…

A/N: I hope you like it. Please let me know if Bella was a little OOC in this chapter. Anyway, please review. And once again thanks to all my faithful readers. BYE! Don't forget to review!