Alexei: I sent this off to my beta, but i couldnt wait! so... Apparently in the last chapter it said Voltaire instead of Volterra... I fully blame that on auto correct... Lol. If you didn't know, I've been writing this on my iPhone. However I will do my best to make sure there are no more mistakes from now on! Also, I feel like every other chapter Bree is upset about something. She IS a newborn, but I'm thinkin less of that. Oh! and this chapter is extra long to make up for my lack of updating before. Until next time, Enjoy the entry of Jacob!

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"Emmett, don't you have a room of your own?"

Emmett was lounging across my whole bed, watching some stupid football game on my new television. His dark curly hair was rubbing all over my pillow and his grimy (well, as grimy as a a nonsweating vampire's could be) hands were all over my universal remote, like he owned it. I owned it. Carlisle may have bought the tv, but I earned the money for the remote.

Now, normally Emmett's behavior wouldn't bother me to the point of violence, especially since he was just keeping me company, but Jasper had been projecting his mood again.

"Get out." I tried to make my voice sound like I wasn't about to punch Emmett in the face.
It didn't work. He could hear the miniscule hint of a violent intention that I had let slip from my nearly perfect facade and knew where I was going with this. He jumped onto the floor in a defensive position, his hands coming up in fists near his face. He looked like a boxer.

"Bring it, kid." He laughed a hearty Emmett-like laugh, not bothering to hold the pose. Instead he relaxed back onto the bed, his hands flopping back and weaving through his hair as a makeshift head rest. Obviously he wasn't as serious as I was, so he didn't think I was serious.
His eyes shifted back to the television.

I lunged.

His nose made a very satisfying crunching sound when my fist connected. He tried to grab me, but I danced out of the way before he could find a hold. Those lessons with Jasper definitely payed off.

"You broke my nose!" I was glad we weren't human. First of all, I probably would have broke my knuckles, and second, even if I did succeed in injuring him, it would've gotten blood all over my bedspread.

"You agitated a newborn" I stuck my tongue out at him childishly. Well, that certainly was out of character. I needed to escape the suffocating atmosphere of the house, specifically the suffocating atmosphere of Jasper. It was doing weird things to me.

Emmett grunted as his nose healed itself back into place, and then he settled back into my bed like he had been before the whole situation, like nothing had even happened. "You're fast, kid. I'll give you that." He turned his attention back to the fuzzy game once again. Obviously I hadn't done too much damage, whether physically or mentally, and everyone down stairs was probably to busy to notice what had happened anyway.

Since I wasn't distracted by Emmett anymore, I found myself tuning into the drama downstairs. I tried to listen to sounds other than the tense discussion; the squirrels on the ground, the wind in the trees, the cars on the road. It wasn't helping.

"Get out of my room," I grumbled again, knowing full well Emmett wouldn't listen to me. It wasn't like he couldn't hear me. He just didn't like to listen when it wasn't to his benefit. Selective hearing. I decided to follow my own advice instead of pushing the issue. I was too emotionally worn out to bother.

I wretched open my window, careful not to break the sill like I had done so many times before, I jumped out directly into the back yard so that I wouldn't have to see the rest of the family in such a stressful state. Jasper said it wasn't good for me to be around such turbulent emotions because I was so volatile and unpredictable. It wasn't necessarily the nicest way to put it, but I knew he was under a lot of stress, most of it not his own.

Emmett was actually using my room as an escape from the gloom. It was nice of him because not many people were around up here to keep me company anymore.

I ran out into the dense forest for some alone time, my arms crossed.

I wasn't sure what I expected when Bella came back, but it definitely was not this. The normally busy house was eerily silent virtually all of the time. If I didn't know better I'd say it was a big white crypt. Oh, the irony.

Edward was constantly in a half-crazed state, very different from the calm, collected man I had met before. He only ever stared at Bella, with an expression like someone had lit him on fire. He was unresponsive to anyone other than her: he never left her side.

Bella wasn't much better, though in a much different. She was showing the strain in a way that a vampire wasn't capable of. There were deep circles under her eyes, dark circles that jumped out because her face had become so haggard. Her skin was tight, like her cheekbones might break through it. A constant sheen of sweat covered her skin. She looked so fragile, even for a human.

It was scary.

And it wasn't even the worst part.

Her body was swollen, her torso ballooning out in a strange, sick way. The rest of her seemed

thinner, like the bulge had grown out of what it sucked from her.
I shook my head. I didn't want to see it again. I didn't want to think about it. Her distorted body, the bones jabbing against the skin of her face. I shuddered.

I sat on the forest floor, ignoring the sounds of the quieting nature that surrounded me. I wasn't scared of her, really. I was more scared for her. She was getting worse everyday. When Edward had first expressed his opposition to the child she carried, I was truly shocked; however, seeing her now, even as an unsettling guilt wormed its way into my conscience, I couldn't help but agree with him. I truly liked Bella, I even felt connected to her, despite my limited-to-nonexistent contact with her. I didn't want to lose that already thin thread of friendship.

I sighed and jumped up, not quite ready but knowing I should probably head back to the house now. Enough time had passed in my absence and everyone had enough to worry about as it was without me going off and disappearing suddenly: if they even noticed I was gone.

I loped across the river, skidding to a stop at the tree line. I saw Edward exit the house with a stranger.

The stranger was the tallest person I had ever seen, aside from Fred. He was extremely handsome for a human, with raven-black hair, russet skin and deep-set twinkling dark brown eyes. He was muscular, almost as big as Emmett, but he was obviously human. He looked like one of the natives from the reservation Jasper had told me about. He had explained that we were not to cross the boundary of their land because their ancestors had made a treaty with Carlisle to keep peace. He promised before to show me where the boundary was, but that was before Bella came home. He was nicer when other people weren't around.

This stranger, who I assumed was from the reservation I had never been to, nor was ever allowed to go to, looked familiar, but I couldn't place him in my mind otherwise.

"I'm not ready for you to kill me yet, Jacob Black." Edward whispered to the human as he paced quickly away from the house. "You'll have to have a little patience."

Jacob? The boy I had seen from the missing poster?

I recognized him now, but that left the unanswered question as to what he was doing here. Did he know our secret like Bella did?

"Patience isn't my specialty," he growled under his breath, and I was taken aback. He sounded like he would attack at any moment. If he knew we were vampires, wouldn't he know that would be useless?

Edward continued walking, maybe a couple hundred yards down the drive way from the house, with Jacob right on his heels. I flitted behind them, keeping hidden in the trees and making not a sound, though I was sure Edward knew I was there. I was curious as to why he hadn't shoo'd me away yet. It seemed like a private conversation. I knew that of course, but I also got the feeling that I would better know what was going on if I listened. I was still frustrated from being left out of the loop. I was sure I had proven myself to be trustworthy to this family, the family I was but wasn't a part of, so I didn't understand why I was still treated like I wasn't to be trusted. I was still an outsider.

Without warning, Edward stopped and pivoted to face the native.

His expression froze me.

For a moment I was reminded that I was still just a kid; just a child, because I knew I would have to live a lot more, suffer a lot more, to ever understand the searing agony in this man's eyes. He carried the face of a man who was burning at the stake.

"It's killing her, right?" Jacob asked. So he knew about Bella's situation as well. He must seen her while he was in the house "She's dying."

I felt a chill run through me.

"Bree." I gasped, turning to find Jasper a couple feet from me. So that was why Edward didn't bother. He knew Jasper was coming to fetch me. "This is not our conversation to overhear." I nodded, looking back at the two before following Jasper, who had started back for the house. I met him on the front porch. He stopped and was staring into the forest. His expression was as hard as rock. No, it was as hard as our skin.

It seemed like I hadn't seen him for days, which was a long time after the two weeks we were never apart. I missed the constant contact. Emmett wasn't quite the same. Jasper spent all of his time near Alice now, who spent all of her time with Bella, who I wasn't allowed to be around for extended periods of time. She may have looked horrid, but she still smelled good, and she was too precious to risk.

"He loves her, doesn't he?" I asked, refurring to warmer of the two down the drive.

Jasper nodded, his golden waves shifting. "We all do."

"But he loves her in a different way than you, or Alice, or Carlisle. He loves her like Edward does. I can see it." I could. He was surrounded with the same misty quality when he talked about Bella that Edward had. Not as thick or as potent, but it was there none the less.

"He does."

"Who is he, Jasper?" My mouth set in a line. I was sure Jasper could read what I was really asking him. I wanted to know what was actually going on. I wanted to know what he and everyone else felt the need to hide from me, despite the fact that they all guaranteed I was as much a part of this coven as any of them. I'd spent the last couple days couped up in my room because I wasn't allowed to be apart of them and I was sick of it. Everyone was kind to me, for the most part, but it was the kindness that you showed a homeless person on the street. Give them a couple dollars and never see them again, except in this case they were stuck with the homeless person. Hypocrites.

"He's a human from the reservation. That's it." Of course that's all it was. That's all it ever was.

Jasper sidestepped. I had thrown one of the deck chairs that graced the front porch for decoration at his head. "Don't lie to me!" I yelled. "There's more to it then that! I know there is! And you know I know there is!" He didn't respond.

I laughed, a desperate sound of anxiety bubbling up my esophagus and spilling through my lips. This stupid man just had to continue drawing out these stupid kinds of reactions in me. It was like before I had met him I had a better sense of self preservation. I hid and tried to not draw any attention to myself. I avoided conflict like the plague. Jasper himself was the one who told me if I stepped outside the line he wouldn't hesitate to kill me. You would think that I'd tread more lightly near him, but no, I reasoned. Where was the action to back up that threat now? All my powers of common sense flew out the window when he was near.

"Why won't you just tell me the truth?" I asked, throwing my hands up in frustration.
He didn't even look at me as he answered. "You don't need nor do you deserve to know the truth at this point in time."

Why didn't he just rip my head off? It would have hurt less.

I didn't deserve to know the truth. I didn't deserve to hope anything would ever change about that. I didn't deserve to be apart of the family. Right, Jasper?

I ran. He didn't follow me; probably didn't even watch me go. He had family to worry about.
I raced across the lush green terrain of the forest, I didn't know where I was going to go but I just wanted to get away. Several trees were lost to the world in my fit of anger, and I lost track of time. The sky was darkening by the time I fully came to. The clouds covered the sunset completely, and I gladly slipped through the lengthening shadows it created. I avoided the roads as I ran to keep from drawing unwanted attention. Being distraught didn't necessarily make me dumb. At least it didn't when Jasper wasn't around.

I stopped as I reached set of cliffs at the waters edge. I hadn't been here before and it was nice to see some new scenery. The ocean sounded far far away, farther than it appeared to be at least, and the wind blew strongly, whipping my hair across my face. I almost debated jumping into the choppy night waters, just because I could, but instead I sat on the ground and stared up at the sky. I had never been good at swimming and I was sure I'd just sink to the bottom now.

The sun had finally settled behind the blanket of never ending water, and as the wind died down it felt oddly peaceful. I was calming down and thought that Perhaps I had just needed to get away for a while. Being couped up so long does tend to make a person, whether they be human or not, a bit stir-crazy. The clouds had yet to clear up so I couldn't get a good view of the stars that I knew were hiding up there, but the shapes that the evaporated water in the sky took were plenty appealing to look at, and unlike the stars, they were constantly changing so they would never get old. I shifted from leaning on my elbows to full out sprawling on my back.

"Bit cloudy for stargazing."

I was on my feet again in an instant, whipping around to see the intruder. I was too relaxed, I'll admit, to have gotten to the point where I didn't notice an intruder. It hadn't helped that I was upwind either. Scent was not on my side in this situation. The one who had snuck up on me was a male not much older than myself. He almost looked like a younger version of Jacob, but where Jacob could almost be considered a man, he was a boy. A boy with a pulse. Oh crap.

"Stay away," I sputtered, taking several steps back. I was already close enough to the cliffs edge before. I was teetering now.

He completely ignored my warning, well, request really. Instead, he walked foreword, nearly matching my pace and taking back the distance I'd added between me and him. "You won't hurt me," he stated cheerily. What? Was he insane? Of course I would. He was human. I was a vampire. Hurt was bound to happen at some point or another.

I took a deep breath and held it before the light breeze could shift. I could see his blood pumping through the thick pulsing artery in his throat. It caused my own to burn with need. Was this some crazy test designed by nature? It wanted to see if I wouldn't murder this innocent kid? This kid who seemed completely ignorant of the danger I presented.

"My name is Seth, by the way. What's yours?" And I thought I had no sense of self preservation. He didn't even seem weary as he stuck out his hand to shake mine, which stayed by my side. I was proud of myself for holding off so long though. I'd have to thank Jasper later, when I wasn't pissed at him.

It's funny. I found myself answering the boy's question after a moments hesitation. "Bree... My name is Bree."

"Well, Bree," He paused to scratch his head with the hand he had held out. He figured out I wasn't about to shake it anytime soon and didn't push it. "you should probably go home now. You may be new, but even after making an exception this morning, Sam probably won't like you breaking the treaty by being on Quilliute land."

I would've laughed had I not been so scared of killing this boy. Like a mere human could stop me from sitting on the ground and watching the sky where ever I wanted to.

Instead, I found myself asking, "Who's Sam?" Oh, no. I was running low on air and the wind had shifted. I could feel the boy's heat which was killer enough; who knows what his scent would do to me.

"You don't know? He's the pack leader!"

"The pack?" In my confusion, I forgot about not breathing in, and the moment the boy's scent hit me I...

Well, honestly, I nearly threw up.

Alright, that wasn't true. I didn't have anything in my stomach to throw up.

I nearly dry heaved.

Instead, I just gagged.

"Ugh! You stink." He smelled like burnt blood, like his body temperature was too high and it all just boiled inside him. This, in itself wouldn't have been so bad had the stench of wet dog not overpowered it to the point that I almost wanted to jump into the water just so that the sheer strength of the stench wouldn't cling to me.

He just laughed, resting the back of his head in his linked fingers in what seemed to be a very cartoon like pose. "I get that reaction a lot from you guys."

"Wait," I looked around, careful that there was no one else listening. Like there would be other people around at this time of night, but you can never be too careful. "You know about us?"

"Well, duh. I'm one of the wolves," he paused, staring into space. "Though I guess we were never formally introduced."

Wolves?

I was going to kill Jasper. His threats and skill aside, I was going to kill him.

I found myself listening to Seth tell me about the wolves, and the treaty -all of it, not just the "don't go here" part- and Jacob and Bella, and the legends, and the stupid stupid battle and how Jacob had gotten injured, and the more I listened, the angrier I got. Seth was called away by some wolves howling, and told me to go before he phased, so that I would be off the land. I gladly listened. My anger and frustration from earlier had returned and I didn't want to hurt my new friend, though apparently he could hold his own. I would enjoy sparring with him when I was in more control and less uncharacteristically strong.

And not pissed.

Again.

Man, being a newborn sucked.

Pun intended.

I raced back through the forest, tracing the way I had come. The night life teeming withing didn't even have time to hide as I approached. I was eager to get back. So I could kill Jasper.
Rationally, I knew that this probably wasn't the best reason to be mad at the family (mostly Jasper) but the fact that they had kept such a... Well, a stupid secret from me was upsetting. I would have been more understanding if they had something crazy like, I don't know, a half human, half vampire baby. But no. They felt I didn't get to know about the friendly neighborhood watchdog? For what reason? So that I would accidentally wander into their land and get ripped to shreds? From what I understood, I was lucky it was Seth who found me. The other wolves weren't nearly as understanding.

I was going to kill Jasper.

The house was silent aside from Bella's even breathing. Of course she had fallen asleep. It was pretty late. Everyone else was quiet as well, but I knew they were there, and they knew I was coming, I'm sure.

I stomped up to the front door and stood there. There was no sound giving away the people hidden inside.

I growled in a low tone at the entryway. "Carlisle, I don't think you want me to break down the door."

The golden nob turned and the wooden slab slowly opened. I stomped through, ignoring Carlisle's attempt at calming me from where he stood; a safe distance away.

Jasper was waiting for me in the center of the living room. All of the furniture had been moved out of the way and stored, probably in a room where it wouldn't likely be destroyed in my horrible newborn rage.

Jasper stood with his arms crossed, but I didn't let that deceive me. "Problem, Bree?"

I hissed. "I. Know. Everything." I crouched, gritting my teeth and flexing my fingers. Jasper may be skilled with newborns, but I still had an advantage.

He didn't directly address my revelation. Instead, he spoke to me in a monotone voice, saying, "I told you not to go on Quilliute land."

"UGH!" I lunged at him. I started for his right, then feinted to the left, then repeated the pattern, managing to tackle the offending man. I clawed and punch at him like I had when I found out he could read emotions. This time, however, he didn't lay dormant like he had before.

I delivered a right punch that, had I been more stable, I would have been proud of, and Jasper took a hold of my wrist and, using my momentum, flung me to the left. We rolled and I ended up pinned to the floor. Jasper, who hadn't let go of my right wrist, grabbed the left and pulled them across my torso, pinning them to the floor near my waist. It was rather uncomfortable because Jasper was straddling me to keep me down, and my embarrassment almost overpowered my anger.

Using the only part of my body that wasn't stuck, I threw my leg up and somehow managed to kick Jasper in the back of the head. He flinched forward and I bashed his forehead against mine and threw him off me. It hurt but it worked. I jumped up on my feet.

Huh, I didn't realize I was that flexible.

Suddenly Jasper was behind me, his arms locked across me. I struggled, but I couldn't get a grip on him because he had my arms pinned.

"You should realize," Oh! Too close to my ear! A shiver was sent down my spine. "I was trained to take down mindless newborns."

I growled. "You should realize," I stepped hard on his foot, feeling the satisfying crunch of his toes breaking. He let go in surprise, something that was uncharacteristic for him. Then again the stunt I pulled was uncharacteristic for a newborn.

I jumped away, facing him and finishing my sentence with a hiss. "I'm not a mindless newborn. I know exactly what I'm doing." I crouched, getting ready to attack again.

"Bree?" My head whipped to find Bella standing at the doorway using it to support herself with Rosalie close behind her, just in case. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." Jasper was on his feet, standing straight and looking cordial. I growled at him for answering a question clearly intended for me, too low for Bella to hear.

"You should go back to bed," I told her. "It's late and you're really weak right now."

"I'm an adult," she replied, raising an eyebrow. "I can handle myself."

"At least sit down," Rosalie chimed from behind her.

Bella rolled her eyes and I smiled slightly. "Fine, but I want to talk to Bree." Jasper took a step between us. "Rosalie will be with us. Go hunt Jasper."

"But-"

"You need to hunt." There was no room to argue in her tone, and I felt a strange pride grow in me for her. She would be a wonderful vampire.

Jasper left, sulking. Not externally, of course, but I could a twinge of it seep through his iron facade.

Bella retreated to the other room, and I followed hesitantly. Rosalie smiled at me in encouragement and I smiled back. I missed her. I could hear the whispers of the other family members around the house. They would be on guard, but it was a relief that no one objected to my being with Bella. I felt like it wasn't real.

Bella sat down on a couch, a couch that had previously been in the other room I might add, and patted the spot next to her. I was weary, so I sat on the armrest farthest from her. She sighed but seemed to understand.

"So tell me what really happened." She said this like she was my therapist. It was weird.
"What do you mean?" I didn't want to spill anything I wasn't supposed to, despite wanting to piss off Jasper. Anything to finish what I started. No, that wasn't true anymore. I vented on him and was calming down already. If I didn't know better, I'd say he was influencing my mood.
Bella gave me a cut-the-crap look, saying, "Even I heard you yell at him earlier on the porch."

"Oh..." I didn't think about the fact that the others could have probably heard me. "About that..." I paused, looking down. "I guess I just let my mood get the best of me on that. He was just- well, he was hiding something from me, and I knew it, and he knew I knew it, and it just made me so mad." I emphasized my point by mock strangling the air. "He goes from being sweet and understanding to cold and secretive and it drives me insane!"

It was actually really nice to talk. I didn't dare in my other coven and everyone here was always too busy. Of course it probably would have been better to do so before I blew up on Jasper, but he did deserve it. The jerk.

Bella didn't speak for a moment, just looked off into space. "I don't know what he was keeping

from you, though I can imagine it probably had something to do with my furry friends down on the reservation, but I feel like in his own way he felt he was protecting you." I almost interrupted her, but she held up her finger as a sign not to. "You may not understand it, I certainly don't, but Jasper spent his entire early life fighting to survive. He was raised different then anyone here and I know much of the time he feels out of place. I think he sees a bit of himself in you, and he doesn't want you to experience things like he did. Does that make any sense?"

"A bit, but mostly it sounded like mushy, hormonal pregnant woman babble." Eyeing Rosalie, I slid off the arm of the couch and settling onto the spot across from Bella, folding my knees up to my chin.

"True." She laughed, glowing despite her less-than-well appearance. "But I'm not saying to just lay back and let him be a jerk; he's too used to just feeling emotions, but not knowing the exact reasons and thoughts around them. He needs to know why you feel the way you do."

"Bella... That... Is very cliche..."

She laughed. "It is, isn't it?"

There was a pause and I smiled.

Suddenly, I heard the sounds of thumping in the forest, coming closer at an alarming rate. I was on my feet in an instant. "Rose, stay with Bella." I ran to the from of the house, joining the group of three people already gathered there; Edward, Emmett, and Jasper. They were snow white in the pale porch light. Two very large wolves burst through the tree line and I crouched in defense.

"Go, Bree." Jasper didn't look at me as he spoke under his breath.

I refused to answer him but didn't move from my spot. I was not going to be brushed off again.

"Jacob? Seth?" Edward asked. "What's going on?"

Wait, Seth? I studied the two wolves looking for a familiar face. The first was bigger, with russet fur and serious eyes. The second was smaller, like a Mexican wolf with his sandy fur. He looked at me and I immediately knew it was Seth. I didn't know how to react. I almost wanted to wave, but I wasn't sure how he could respond, so I just smiled.

"They want to kill Bella?" Edward snarled flatly.

Emmett and Jasper took his inflectionless question for a statement. They were right next to him in a flash, teeth exposed as they moved on the other two."

"Em, Jazz, not them! The others. The pack is coming." Emmett and Jasper rocked back on their heels; Emmett turned to Edward while Jasper kept his eyes locked on them.

"What's their problem?" Emmett demanded.

"The same one as mine," Edward hissed. "But they have their own plan to handle it. Get the others." There was a pause "Will you be in danger, Seth?"

I took a step foreword. "Danger?"

Edward looked back at me. "He's going to run the perimeter."

"I'll go with him." It slipped out of my mouth before I could hold it back. If there was a danger, I could handle it.

Seth whimpered, and Edward answered for him. "The others would be less likely to challange just him."

I nodded, looking down, but I was still worried.

Seth wheeled and darted into the darkness.

Edward stood facing Jacob in the dark meadow. I could hear Emmett whispering to Carlisle.

Jasper was watching the spot where Seth had vanished into the forest. I hesitantly walked up to his side.

"What's happening?" I asked specifically to Edward. Jasper tensed, knowing I didn't ask him on purpose.

Edward explained in clipped, emotionless sentences. "The pack thinks Bella's become a problem. They foresee potential danger from the... From what she's carrying. They feel it's their duty to remove that danger. Jacob and Seth disbanded from the pack to warn us. The rest are planning on attacking tonight"

Jasper hissed, leaning closer to me and taking up a protective stance. He exchanged a glance with Emmett, and then their eyes ranged across the trees.

"We should take up a defensive position," he said.

Edward nodded. "Let's go inside."

We backed into the house to wait. It was a long and anxious wait, only interrupted twice; the first time to help Bella back up to bed, and the second when a howl broke out in the air. It broke off mid yell, which scared me more.

"It's a false alarm," Edward explained. "Seth was just upset about something else, and he forgot we were listening for a signal. He's very young."

"Nice to have toddlers guarding the fort," Emmett grumbled.

"They've done us a great service tonight, Emmett," Carlisle said. "At great personal sacrifice."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just jealous. Wish I was out there."

"Seth doesn't think Sam will attack now," Edward said mechanically. "Not with us forewarned, and lacking two members of the pack."

"What does Jacob think?" Carlisle asked.

"He's not optimistic."

Oh... Well, we had two extra members on our team now and the future wasn't looking as bleak. Still bleak, but not as bad. I supposed all the was to do now was wait.