A/N: As always, a huge thankyou to JMeyer and her incomparable Project Team Beta.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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As usual, Jacob was waiting for me when I arrived home. He was sprawled across the couch with a can of soda in his hand. Quil was in the armchair, his eyes, like Jacob's, fixed on a generic action movie playing on the TV. I walked in just in time to see a presumably nameless minion dispatched by a carrot through the eye and groaned at the lame one-liner that followed. The boys grinned at me.

"Quality viewing, guys." I leaned against the door frame and used my best long-suffering wife tone.

"Claire made Quil watch Ice Castles again last night. I'm just helping him reclaim his masculinity."

Jacob's innocent expression made me laugh.

"Fair enough. But dinner won't make itself. You staying Quil?"

"Only if you don't mind. But don't worry about dinner - we didn't want to make you cook after your long drive so we've ordered pizza. How was your day?"

I answered the question I knew he was really asking.

"Claire had a ball. I'm sure she'll tell you all about it. I couldn't get her off the ice until they kicked us out! I think it exhausted her, though. She slept most of the way home." I hesitated, then added, "She even made a couple of friends. I think I'm going to have to take her back sometime."

"You don't have to do that..." His protestation was half-hearted. I knew he was thinking about how much Claire would love it.

"Don't worry - I want to. Turns out her teacher is a friend of mine."

Jacob looked up, surprised. "A friend? Someone from Phoenix?"

"Not exactly..." I leaned over the back of the couch and kissed his forehead. He sniffed, then stiffened and gave a low growl.

The next thing I knew both guys were on their feet filling the tiny room with their bulk, the gratuitous violence on the television forgotten. Jacob's face was filled with fury. Quil was at his shoulder, instinctively moving into attack formation, although I could see that he had not yet identified the threat.

"This friend..." Jacob twisted the word and spat it out "...did he touch you?"

I recoiled at the ugliness in his voice and felt my own hackles begin to rise.

"What if she did?" I knew what he had assumed, so I emphasised the feminine pronoun. "Who are you to say I can't hug my best friend?"

In my peripheral vision I saw Quil's eyes dart to my face, then back to Jacob's. His instincts seemed to be telling him to stay put, but I could tell he didn't want to stick around if there was going to be a marital spat. I ignored his discomfort, keeping my eyes on Jacob. As I refused to break his gaze, the fire faded from his eyes, replaced with a cold hardness.

"I am your husband and the Beta of this pack!" The words made me feel slightly sick. He had never tried to pull rank on me before. Quil's attention was riveted on Jacob now. "Your loyalties are to us now. The leeches have no claim on you, no right to approach you. You will have nothing more to do with them."

The words were an order, and I could tell he expected to be obeyed. I gaped, unable to believe what I was hearing. Was he seriously trying to tell me who I could and could not be friends with? I wasn't one of his precious pack - I was his wife for Pete's sake! Surely my happiness should mean more to him than some ridiculous vampire-werewolf feud.

Tears began to well up in my eyes, but I tried to blink them away, hating to show any weakness. I made my voice unnecessarily harsh in a desperate attempt to stop it from shaking.

"Yes, you are my husband - not my jailor! Who are you to try to control my life? I will be friends with whomever I please, and you can stick your ridiculous prejudice..."

Words failed me, and I turned and stalked out of the room before the traitorous tears could undermine me. I threw myself on my bed and buried my head in my pillow. A few angry sobs ripped from my chest, but to my surprise the tears that pricked my eyes refused to fall. The back door slammed, and I thought I heard the tell-tale ripping sound of someone phasing to wolf form.

How typical, I thought. Of course the first thing Jacob wants to do is tell the pack that the vampires are back! It doesn't matter how I feel...

I knew I was being unreasonable, but I didn't care. I was sick of always being reasonable, of always doing what was best for other people. For once I wanted someone to do something for me!

There was a creak as the bedroom door slowly opened, and Jacob padded softly into the room.

"Bella?" he said uncertainly. I kept my head buried in the pillow. I didn't want to see the expression on his face. He knew I couldn't bear to see him unhappy, but right now I didn't want to let him make me feel sorry for my outburst.

"I'm sorry, Bells. That was out of line." I wanted to agree with him, but said nothing. I could feel my hostility diminishing at his contrite tone, but any softening was dispelled by his next words.

"I need you to understand why you can't be friends with them." There was desperation in his voice. "It's not only that it's a betrayal of everything we stand for. You know you are more important to me than anything, and they are so..."

"If you say dangerous I'm going to scream!" I said through gritted teeth. "You know as well as I do that the Cullens would never attack me, or any other human. They've spent nearly a century proving that."

"I wasn't going to say that." He paused.

"Well?"

"It just that...they're not good for you, Bells. I've never seen someone as broken as you were when they left. I can't bear to see you like that again! You're finally happy, and I'm not going to let some filthy bloodsuckers spoil that! The way I feel about them is not just prejudice - I hate them for what they did to you. There is no way I'm letting them back in your life. "

His frankness undermined all my intentions to punish him for the way he had treated me earlier. I still bridled at his assumption that he was entitled to make decisions about my life, but part of me could see where he was coming from. I rolled over to look at him, then took a deep breath and tried to explain.

"I get that, Jake. I really do. But I need you to trust me. I'm not the same person I was six years ago. I am happy. I love you! But when I saw Alice today... I can't tell you how it made me feel. I missed her so much! I've never really had many girlfriends, but Alice understands me like nobody else. Please don't ask me to give that up. I promise I won't let myself get hurt."

I hated that I sounded so pathetic, but I knew Jake's imprinting would never allow him to deny me something I really needed. And I needed Alice. I hadn't realized how much until the moment Jacob told me I could never see her again. I could see the conflict in his eyes, as his love for me fought with his instinct to protect the pack. I tried again.

"I'm not asking you to let me bring her to the reservation. You'll never have to see her. But I need to you be okay with me spending time with her now and then - in Seattle, perhaps, or maybe Port Angeles."

He sighed. "I don't like it."

"I know you don't, but please trust me." I sat up and lifted a hand to his cheek, trying to both coax and reassure him.

"I do trust you. I just don't trust them." His eyes closed in anguish. I stroked his face, trying to erase the worry lines that had appeared on his broad forehead. He dropped his head to my shoulder and I lay back, cradling his head on my breast. I ran my fingers through his hair, willing him to relax. Eventually the tension began to drain from his body, and I knew the decision had been made. When he finally spoke, it was in a whisper.

"Okay, Bells. If this is what you need, I guess I'll have to cope with it. Just promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise. Thank you for understanding, Jake. I love you."

"I love you, too."

I kissed the top of his head, smiling into his hair. I had the funniest feeling that suddenly everything was right with the world.

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A/N: Well, there you go. What did you think of Jake's reaction? More vampire action coming up in Chapter 8...

Thanks for reading! Can't wait to hear what you think!

xx