Disc: I own nothing of Twilight

Darkness swirled around me and I heard voices coming from far away. They became clearer and louder as the blackness cleared my mind. I struggled to open my eyes when the memories came back to me. Jacob wasn't human. His kind kills people I loved.The whole conversation replayed in my head and I groaned softly at the weight of what had happened crashed down on me.

"Bells!" I heard, as someone gently shook me.

"Come on Bells, please wake up" the voice pleaded with me as I felt someone stroking my head.

"She's coming to" replied a different voice.

I opened my eyes and saw Jacob leaning over me, his eyes full of fear and pain. I glanced around, noticing I was in Billy's house, on his couch, as Jacob, Billy and Sam watched me. I flinched away from Jacob's touch, just wanting to get away, far away.

"Jake, Billy and I are going to go sit in the kitchen. You and Bella have some things that need sorting out." Sam stated, looking sadly between Jacob and me. Jacob let out a slow, pained sigh and nodded his head. After they left the room, Jacob looked back at me and I averted my eyes. I didn't know how I felt, because I was a total wreck on the inside. I felt as if my whole world had careened out of control and I was scared.

"Bells, please look at me" he plead, his voice quiet yet strained. I looked into his eyes and my heart broke at all the pain I saw.

"Are you ok?" he asked. I nodded my head, unable to find my voice just yet. My throat felt parched, but Jacob seemed to know this and handed me a glass of water. I drank it down quickly and handed the glass back to him.

"I'm so sorry Bella. I shouldn't have told you. I just don't want to keep any secrets from you. I wanted you to know the WHOLE me, because I care about you so much."

"Jake…." I began, but he held his finger to my lips, silencing me.

"Bells, I need to tell you all of this so you can understand. I need you to know everything, but I am so scared of losing you. I love you Bells. I have loved you since we were kids, but I didn't know how to tell you. I know we only saw each other a couple times a year, but it gave me something to look forward to. Then when I found out you were moving here, I was so excited. I could finally tell you how I felt and hope that you could return the feelings someday."

"When I found out you were dating Edward, my heart broke, so I settled for being your friend. Then I went through the change, becoming a werewolf, and I found out what Edward and his family were. I was terrified, knowing you could be killed at any minute, and I couldn't do anything about it. The treaty kept me from killing them, so I had to sit there and hope that you would come to your senses and realize the danger you were in. I had no idea how much you loved him until Sam found you in the woods that day. I was so relieved that you were alive, but I didn't know how dead you were on the inside until I came and saw you."

"I was there Bells. I came by a couple times, but you just laid there, staring into space, so lost and hurting. I felt myself getting angry at what he had done to your soul, and I found myself struggling not to phase. I wasn't fully in control of myself, being a young werewolf, so I went to Sam and he began helping me."

"I had to stay away from you, Bells, even though I was dying not being near you in case you snapped out of it. I couldn't risk letting the rage I had towards the Cullens make me phase around you and possibly kill you. Sam made that mistake once, and he still lives with the pain of what he accidentally did to Emily."

"I have full control now, Bells, so please know that I would never, ever hurt you. When I get angry, I shake a bit because it is hard keeping the wolf in me restrained, but I can control it." he finished, looking imploringly at me.

"Are you…human?" I choked out.

"Yes, Bells, I am human. My heart beats, I have a soul, and my blood is as red as yours. I'm just enhanced by genetics that have been passed down in my family for generations. We are one with the spirit of the Great Wolf, and the duty to protect has become ours now." he answered, looking hopefully at me.

"What, besides turning into a huge wolf, are your enhancements?" I asked.

"Well, we have a high metabolism, hence the reason we eat so much, but we heal extremely fast too. Our bodies also run hotter than regular humans, but Im not sure why. Our bodies are strong, our hearing is amazing, and we can telepathically communicate with each other when we are phased."

"Oh" was the only thing I could say because I was trying to understand everything. I couldn't believe he was in love with me, that he was a werewolf, and that he killed vampires. I didn't know how I felt. I just wanted to go home and sleep. My head hurt from everything and I couldn't form coherent thoughts.

"Jacob, will you please take me home?" I asked him. My truck was here but I didn't trust myself in driving right now. I could come back and get it tomorrow.

"Sure Bells" he sighed, looking like he was ready to cry. I took his hand in mine and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Give me some time to take it all in, ok Jake? I just need time" I asked him. I didn't want to see him hurting like this, but I didn't have the full emotional strength to reassure him. He smiled at me and stood up, never letting go of my hand. When I went to stand, a wave of dizziness hit me and I sat back down abruptly. Jacob surprised me by picking me up and holding me close as he carried me out to my truck.

"Wait, Jake….how are you going to get home? Take me home in your car and I can just get my truck tomorrow." I said. He lightly chuckled and looked down at me.

"Silly Bella, I'm going to run home. I can make it back to La Push faster when I'm in wolf form." he smiled my smile and I found myself slightly smiling back.

The ride to Forks was quiet, as each of us were lost in our own thoughts about what transpired tonight. I knew I loved Jacob, but not the same way he loved me. I knew he could protect me, and I knew he would always be my friend. I also knew that wouldn't hurt me, and that was important to me. I was so confused, and I really needed to process through the jumbled mess in my head. Ugh, why does everything have to be so complicated?

Jacob pulled my truck into the driveway and shut it off. He got out and came around to my side, lifting me into his arms once again. He carried me all the way up to my room and laid me gently down on the bed. He got my pajamas for me, then sat down next to me.

"You going to be ok?" he whispered.

"Yeah. I just need to sort my head out." I answered.

"OK." he said, standing up quickly. He leaned down and kissed my forehead, running his fingers through my hair.

"Goodnight Bells" he said, walking backwards to the door, never once breaking eye contact.

"Nite Jake" I murmured.

He closed the door behind him and was gone. I quickly got into my pajamas and crawled into bed, sleep already beginning to claim me. Could I learn to love Jacob the same way he loves me? Probably, if my heart would let me. I finally gave in and let sleep claim me, making all the pain and confusion go away.