"Alice saw you and called us begging me to come find you." He paused for another moment. "Bella, Alice saw you here in the meadow and..." he stopped again, hesitating, and the look in his eyes was hard to interpret. "She saw you levitating."

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters or anything having to do with it. I heart you Stephenie Meyer, YOU ROCK!

Author's note: This is a long chapter, 7 pages! Yay! Sorry if the style is a bit different, I'm still not sure about this chapter. I may end up rewriting it… but I'll post what I have. Also, a lot of people have added me to their subscriptions but didn't review- and though I am flattered it's just not fair. :( Please Review! I need to know what you think!

Edward and I sat in my truck, me driving and him in the passenger seat. We were silent, both of us wondering what was wrong with me. As morose as I was, I couldn't help but look up from the rainy highway and at Edward's profile. He was staring out the windshield and his features were twisted in thought. Above all, he was beautiful. I forced my eyes back to the pavement stretching ahead of me, watching the way the water splattered off the back tires of the next car. I had turned the radio off because sometimes the way the rain pounded on the old metal top of my truck could be so soothing. Nothing was as calming and at the same time depressing as driving on a rainy stretch of road, with nothing but the rain hitting the truck and an impossible mystery to distract me from the stretch of road under my gas pedal. This was something dear to me, my truck and all it represented, but today there was something else. Nervousness? Driving was making me uneasy, and though I had never minded the thought of leaving Forks for Alaska and a new eternity with Edward, something in me screamed at the thought of leaving these forests. Though I had lived in Arizona for years, something in me felt bound to these mossy trees, something in me told me that I was not complete unless I was here.

The thought was irritating and at the same time comforting. And I Bella, who could not go more than five minutes without Edward, realized that I needed to think.

"Edward?" I asked, without taking my eyes from the road.

"Yes love?" he replied, reaching over to rest his hand on my leg.

"Do you mind if I spend the afternoon at home with Charlie? I have some housework and things to do, and I promised Renee an email sometime last week, and poor Charlie hasn't had a real meal in days, and you know I think I should call Angela and catch up…"

In my peripheral I saw that Edward had turned his face to appraise me, and I turned to glance at him quickly. When we made eye contact I saw something in his face change for a split second and I knew he could see through my excuses; I knew that he recognized the frantic look in my eyes.

He took a deep breathe and said, "You just need some time to yourself?" He looked hurt; I could tell the idea was foreign to him; I could hardly stand it when he hunted, let alone ask him for time without him. "Just take the afternoon Bella, catch up on your to-do list… or just take some time and relax."
"Edward," I said, putting my right hand on top of where his rested on my leg, "it's not you I need time from; you can stay if you want."

"I think you need time to think." His topaz eyes were a shade darker than they should have been so soon after hunting. His entire face was cold, hurt, and distant.

I didn't mean to hurt him and seeing his face so hard hurt me as well. I only wanted time to think, to try to figure out who I could be, I wanted to put the pieces together.

The rest of the car ride passed in silence, and when I reached the house Charlie's cruiser was gone. I knew he was still at the station.

I turned to look at Edward but he was already out of the truck and about to open my door for me. In a split second he had opened the door, unbuckled my seatbelt, and taken me in his arms. He kissed me fiercely and my heart beat uncontrollably in my chest. He grinned at me. "I love having that effect on you."

"Well," I thought for a moment and came to a realization, "After what Carlisle told us earlier, I wouldn't be surprised if I have more of a..." I hesitated before continuing, "…physical reaction than other women."

He laughed. "Well I don't mind that part."

I was glad to see that for the moment the mood between us had lifted, but when we entered the house it was silent again.

Edward sat me down on my feet and looked at me sadly. "So…" he began, but I interrupted him by grinning. "Will you be back tonight?" I asked him.

He smiled, obviously relieved that I still wanted him to spend the night with me. "Of course," he replied, "I'll be waiting for you."

I stood on my tip-toes, puckered up waiting for a kiss. He laughed at my face and reached down to kiss my forehead first, then he kissed my nose, and finally he gently kissed my now unpuckered lips. We paused for a moment, the kiss lingering, our lips pressed perfectly together, and I couldn't help but lean in to him. He smelled wonderful, like very subtle and sweet cologne, and his touch was electric. I wove my hands around his body, feeling the way it melted into mine, relishing in his sharp intake of breathe. I was reacting as usual, though my senses were very aware of his movements and of the way his hands traveled from my waist to my back and lost themselves in my hair. I was breathing rather heavily, all from a simple kiss, and he pulled away sighing.

"Bella." I looked at him questioningly, understanding why he always pulled away and wishing at the same time that he wouldn't. He merely shook his head sadly and repeated my name one more time. "I love you" he said, and I repeated it quietly back to him. With one last look into my eyes he turned and ran out the still open door and into the rain. I watched his white body moving away from me at an inhuman pace until he was gone.

I knew that I definitely was not going to do be doing housework this afternoon; I had several other things on my agenda. First thing first, I was freezing. The morning had begun warm, but as the afternoon wore on the air had cooled with the onslaught of rain. I made my way up to my room and stepped out of my shorts. For a moment my heart skipped a beat when I wondered if Edward was going to follow me all day and make sure I didn't get into trouble. Of course he would, and for a moment I cursed my self for not closing the curtains before pulling off my shorts. Then I grinned deviously as I imagined Edward being caught off guard by me suddenly pulling them off. I stood in my panties and sighed. The extra-sexual awareness was going to take some getting used to.

I went to my closet and reached inside for a pair of jeans. As I put them on they seemed short… and tight in odd places. I walked to the bathroom and sighed, and I growled as I looked in the full body mirror. My very favorite pair of jeans was at least three or four inches too short. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?" I yelled at the mirror. "UUURRRGH" I growled, as I turned to look at my behind. Yes, indeed, the jeans were a little fuller than before. My butt was looking quite round and a little more plump. "Well Jeez!" I said, and pulled off the jeans. What a pain in the butt, then I giggled. No pun intended.

I walked back to my room in my panties, dismayed, trailing my outgrown jeans on the floor. I considered for a moment, and walked right back to the bathroom with a pair of jeans that had been too long before.

I was going to merely put the jeans on, but instead I pulled every bit of clothing off my body and stared hard into the mirror. I was searching for any other changes, and for several minutes I stared at my face.

I knew this face well, and upon close examination I noticed that my eyelashes were a bit longer and fuller. I noticed that my lips seemed a tad more plump and my cheeks a tiny bit more rosy. My hair was glossy and not quite as frizzy as usual. It lay perfectly around my shoulders. I followed my gracefully curving neck and my eyes stopped on my breasts. I hadn't really looked at them in a while, but they seemed much fuller and larger.

I took a step away from the mirror, alarmed and overwhelmed. I looked like a completely different person! It was me, Bella, with much longer, shapely legs, newly developed hips, a round butt, real breasts...! Part of me was excited, part of me filled with terror. Beautiful Edward… was I finally beautiful enough for him? I thought for a moment and wondered why he hadn't noticed. I hadn't even noticed. I stared in the mirror, and realized that in just the few minutes I had been standing here, my breasts looked fuller even still.

In the course of just a few hours my body had undergone a complete metamorphosis, for reasons nobody really understood.

I growled one last time into the mirror. Did I need this? No. All I wanted was Edward, not a perfect body or face. This was all too much. I knew though, deep inside, that a part of me was truly happy. I felt beautiful and finally deserving of Edward's attention.

Sighing again, I put my panties and jeans back on, and walked shirtless back to my room. Apparently I was going to need a new bra, because even the sports bra I had been wearing was now looking uncomfortably too small. I cringed a little at the thought of not wearing one, but given the situation I didn't really have a choice. I finally decided on a dark blue t-shirt. I put it on and stared into the mirror, hoping it wasn't obvious. For a minute I was confused, but really, apparently they didn't need any support. Whatever I was becoming, if it involved never having to wear a bra again I wasn't complaining.

I put my wallet and cell phone in my jeans pocket and grabbed a jacket on the way out just in case it got any colder. I was warmer in my jeans and T-shirt than the shorts anyway.

I got in my truck and tried to collect myself for a minute.

I went over what we knew in my head. I could levitate, my body was changing and maturing, I was secreting extra hormones, I didn't have a normal sense of fear, I recently discovered a musical talent (new or merely unexplored I still didn't know), and my body temperature was on the fritz. What I couldn't understand was why I felt different. I went over my emotions from the past few days, trying to decipher any changes. The only thing I could find was a fondness for the forest that I had never realized before, and I couldn't quite figure out if I could attribute this sudden fondness to the realization that Edward and I would indeed be leaving Forks soon, possibly for good, or to the very recent changes in me. Everything was still very unclear.

I decided to consult the only person I knew, the person who knew the most folklore of anyone around here, the person who knew the forest better than anybody ever would, the person who I still couldn't truly bear to face: Jacob Black.

Jacob. My Jacob. I envisioned his smile, his tall muscular frame, his shaggy dark hair. I played his voice over and over in my head. I wasn't sure if I could stand to do this yet. The guilt overwhelmed me. I wasn't sure if I could stand to do this to Jacob. Hadn't I promised myself to leave him alone? To let him have a chance to forget me, instead of being so selfish and playing with his heart, and whether I planned to hurt him or whether my motives for remaining friends was pure, I knew I couldn't have both. I could never have Jacob Black and Edward Cullen both, not even if Jacob was just my friend. I knew who I had to choose, who I couldn't live without, but still, the decision to push Jacob out of my life hadn't been easy. Keeping Jacob in my life had only hurt him, and would going to him now be selfish? Yes, I knew it would be. But Charlie had asked me to call him… Is that because Jacob asked about me?

I was frustrated with myself because I couldn't decide what to do. Was it best to go to Jacob because I needed his help? It wasn't like me to be so impulsive, so indecisive… but I knew Jacob was the best shot at being able to figure out what was going on. So feeling very unlike myself, I started my truck and began the drive to La Push, trying hard not to think about what I was doing.

The drive was miserable, but the moment I parked in front of Jacob's small house I felt better. Everything here was the same and it was comforting. I was nervous, more nervous than ever before. There wasn't even a way to be sure right away whether Jacob was here, seeing as he didn't really need his Rabbit to get around any more. I took a deep breathe and made my way to the door. I knocked and stood there for several seconds, getting more and more hopeful that Jacob wasn't home so that I wouldn't have to face him. I was a chicken and I was angry at myself, but even more so I was angry at myself for doing this to Edward. I kept thinking of him, probably sitting at the treaty line waiting for my truck to re-enter his territory and wondering why I was going back on my promise. The bad part was that I knew Edward would never be bitter. He would never begrudge me this, and I almost wanted him to.

The seconds ticked by in silence and finally I began to breathe again as I spun on my heels and began towards my truck. That was when I saw him. He came around the corner of the garage and stopped dead to stare at me.

"Bella?" he asked, unbelieving. "Bella!" He repeated, the genuine smile that I loved on his face. "What are you doing here? I… I never thought. Did Charlie make you come?" He slowly stopped and looked at me accusingly. "You didn't have to come here, you know. If you were happy."

"Jake," I paused, my voice cracking slightly. I took in the way his brow was furrowed, his face frustrated, his broad shoulders hunched forward ever so slightly as he peered down at me. "I… I need your help."

The mask that I hated had started to take over, but he abandoned it and all I saw was my Jake. The concern in his eyes caught me off-guard. "Whatever you need, Bells, you know you came to the right place."

I sighed in relief. "You're not mad at me?"

He reached out and pulled me into a bear hug. At first my body tightened, but after a moment I melted into the hug, forgetting how warm Jacob's body was. It felt… different, and I knew that my body heat was probably rising as his hot skin touched me, and the feeling was like being dunked in a hot tub. My entire body relaxed.

"Jeez Bells, you're freezing."

"It's cold out here."

He pulled away and looked at me for a minute. "You know I couldn't stay mad for long. I'm dealing with things… and if loving you means just helping you when you need it, well then you know you will always be able to come to me. I mean…"

"What?" I asked.

He sighed. "Are you still… planning on… you know?"

"Marrying him?" We both cringed a little.

"Yeah… and the rest."

"It's still on if that's what you're asking." I answered, and the pain on his face was visible. "Oh." He said, "I was kind of hoping you changed your mind…"

I stared at his pained expression, wishing that things weren't so difficult, and hated myself for being here doing this to him.

"Oh." He said again. "Well I don't know about… about after. If I can handle that, I mean." He paused. "I still don't know about that."

"Seeing me changed?" I asked.

"Yeah." His voice cracked. "But maybe we can write letters?" He tried to smile.

"Maybe." I answered.

We stared at each other for a minute.

"You seem taller." He said. "Yeah," I replied, "That's part of what I need help with."

He laughed. "Well if you need me to make you shorter all I have is a saw, you'll have to consult Dr. Fang for the sterile solution. Mine may hurt." I laughed too.

"No, Jake," I was still laughing between words, "Can we go somewhere else to talk?" We were still standing rather awkwardly between his front door and my truck.

"Sure, where to?"

I thought for a moment. "Wanna just go on a walk?"

"Sure, sure," he said; all Jake; laid back like nothing ever happened between us.

We began walking, neither of us speaking for a moment. The wind was picking up; it was always windier here closer to the ocean. I could smell the salt water from down at the beach. I peered over at Jacob. He appeared sweaty and was rubbing one arm with the other, staring at me.

"Bella," he said, "You look different… and you smell different."

I grimaced; I had been hoping he wouldn't be able to smell the difference. I should have known though, his werewolf senses were nearly as strong as a vampire's.

"Oh?" I asked.

"Yeah, sweeter. And… sort of… I don't know. But you smell…" he gulped, "nice."

I giggled a little, remembering Carlisle's speech about my pheromones, before I realized I was upwind from Jacob. I quickly began to walk on his other side and he seemed better. "Thanks," he said.

I tried to focus on walking for a minute, but we were on a path in the forest now and the roots sticking out of the ground were a challenge for me. Or so they should have been… And that's when I realized I hadn't fallen down yet that day. Could it be? My clumsiness disappearing?

I knew the joy was showing on my face, and when I looked up at Jacob excitedly I noticed he wasn't next to me anymore. He had fallen back about a foot and was staring pointedly at my behind.

"Jake!" I exclaimed loudly. He looked up suddenly with a face like a guilty puppy. "Uh sorry Bells," he said roughly, "you just look really different."

"Ugh!" I cried, and reached to punch him in the arm. He just laughed and dodged me. "Jake, you're acting like a hormonal teenager."

"Bells, I am a hormonal teenager!" We both laughed as I chided him. "I can't believe you!" He laughed some more and I knew I was blushing. It was like old times, like old times with a bit more sexual tension. I was worried that knowing we loved each other would make hanging out as friends difficult; however, things weren't all that awkward. Things had always been easy between Jake and me. "I can't believe you," he answered pointedly, looking straight at my chest. "Oh JEEZ Jake!"

"Okay, okay sorry Bells, I won't stare at the beautiful woman walking next to me."

I knew that my face softened a bit because he took advantage of it by putting an arm around me. I sighed, wasn't he ever going to give in?

I knew though that my hormones were telling him I was interested and it angered me. I should be able to turn them off, shouldn't I?

I noticed, however, that his scent was also much different. It was stronger. It was… very strong. The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I was smelling Jacob's pheromones! I cringed and realized that now he was upwind from me. I knew that I could deal with it, and I tried to ignore the scent though I could feel my body responding to it. I found myself unwillingly edging closer to Jacob's body, and I was fighting the impulse to do more…

"Ugh!" I suddenly growled out loud and shook myself from the arm Jake had put around me. "Seriously Jake."

"What?" He smiled innocently, the cocky Jake that I didn't like.

I felt my eyes widen and I pouted my lip just the tiniest bit. "You're making this so hard on me Jake."

His face fell and I saw my old Jacob again. "Sorry, just friends, I know." He edged away from me a bit and though my body urged me to touch him and the very distant part of my soul was screaming at me, I knew that the distance was absolutely necessary.

He walked ahead of me a bit and I followed him, trying to put everything together in my mind.

Finally we reached the beach and moved toward the old log we sat on the first time he told me about the Cullens.

We sat, and thankfully the wind was blowing into our faces now, giving us nothing to smell but the clean ocean air.

"Jake," I asked, "I need to know if there are any other creatures in your tribe's stories that you haven't told me about."

"What?" he asked, "Besides Werewolves and bloodsuckers?"

"Yes." I said. "Are there any others? Witches? Fairies? Mermaids?" He laughed and looked out over the ocean in thought. For several minutes he was silent and finally he said, "Yes, there is one I can think of, a female creature."

"What?" I asked excitedly.

"We call them the spirit women, though I know they were called Limoniads… I did a report on them once."

"Go on." I urged him.

"They're sort of like nymphs." My eyes widened but he continued. "They live in the forest clearings, I've never seen one but I've heard stories. Old Quil says they're rare though beautiful."

"Do you know any stories of them?" I asked him excitedly.

He thought for a moment and began to speak in a majestic voice. "There was a man, in the time of the spirit warriors. He was in his spirit form, watching the coast for enemy tribes. He drifted through the forest and came upon a clearing where a beautiful woman sang and bathed herself in a spring. She sang, and she heard his spirit approach. Her skin was white and she was unlike anything this warrior had ever seen. She begged his spirit to come back, and though she couldn't see him she knew he was there. He returned in his body though his brothers urged him not to go. She seduced him and made him fall in love with her, and he asked her to be his wife. She refused, saying that she could not leave the meadow. He tried to remain with her but the other spirit warriors brought him back. He could not live without her and he fell very ill. The women of the tribe tried to cure him but he fell more and more ill. He was the first of the spirit warriors to die a true death of body and spirit. His love for her killed his spirit." He concluded.

"Are there any others?" I asked.

"Just ones of different men coming across them in the forest, usually falling in love or else going insane over them."

"No… more personal stories? About a particular one?"

"No." He answered. "The only one I really remember is the one I told you."

"So you don't know how a woman… becomes one?"

He eyed me questioningly. "You think you're becoming one?" he asked, incredulously.

I took a deep breathe and looked in his eyes. "Jake, watch this."

I took a seat Indian style on the beach in front of him and tried hard to clear my mind. I imagined the meadow, the swaying of the trees, and the song Edward played on his piano. Suddenly I felt myself begin to rise off of the rocks and I opened my eyes. This time I stayed in the air long enough to see Jacob's expression before I fell back to the ground with a soft thud.

For almost a full second Jacob stared at me with his mouth open wide, and suddenly he jumped up and flew away from me. He stared at me, pointing. "Bella! WHA-WHAT!?"

I jumped to my feet and ran after him. "Jake, Jake, calm down!" I yelled, running to him. "I'm still me; I'm still Bella, Jeez!"

"But, you're… God Bella!"

"Jake," I teased, "I'm not God."

"Close enough." He said, "The spirit women are like goddesses, they protect the forests."

My eyes were wide, my mouth hanging open. "Why didn't you tell me this?"

"Well I didn't know it was this important! I thought you wanted to hear a story!"

"Tell me everything you know! NOW!" I said.

"They're like... they're beautiful, and they protect the forests, and they're fast, and they can fly, and… I mean... I'm no expert!"

"WAIT! Hold on a second! Fly? You mean that more than just float, I can fly?"

"Well, if the legends are true than yes, you can fly, if that's what you are I mean. Wait; hold on, what else is different besides your body and being able to float?"

I thought for a moment and explained to him the other things we'd noticed, even somewhat sheepishly about the sexual awareness. His eyes widened at first but soon he began to laugh. "I knew you weren't normal."

"Do you think this is what I am?"

"I think it's the best explanation you have so far."

Suddenly I was fearful. "Jake what does this mean?"

He thought for several seconds, looking into my eyes searchingly. "It means that I'm going to go insane for laying eyes on someone so beautiful…"

My eyes softened. "Ah Jake come on, you know that's not my fault."

He laughed but grew serious. "I don't think he can change you now Bella." He smiled and reached out to hug me but my heart dropped and I fell to my knees.

"What?" I asked, hoping I had heard wrong. Did this mean I could never become a vampire?

Author's note: Sorry about the cliffy but it's 3 a.m. and I worked a double today. I need to sleep. I promise I will write some more tomorrow okay? Love, Hill