Midnight Rounds

Disclaimer: Characters and events from the Twilight Saga are owned and copyrighted by Stephanie Meyer. The following stories that I create involve these characters, therefore I am claiming entitlement for the published material. Please enjoy and comment.

Warnings: Minor graphic violence.

Chapter X: Truth Lies in Love

I dropped myself straight into the forest, running straight for the stream that led me to the once-claimed grounds of the Olympic coven. From there I traveled further through the small dirt path before noticing a stench.

Unfortunately the stink didn't prove to come from a vampire. No. It was the scent of a familiar, burnt ash with a strong after-smell of mahogany.

It caused me to stop in my tracks, and I waited for I had the chance to phase back to react.

"These head games." I shouted under my breath that smoked up into the cold atmosphere.

" They will not work on me. "

"Emily." I mouthed soon after, my breathing barely managing to calm down from the sudden revert into human.

Then a voice dipped down behind me. I felt fingers on my arm.

"Sam."

I closed my eyes and grated my teeth together to suppress the rumble of anger that wanted to explode immediately.

"I know what you did to Jacob!" I yelled, yanking my arm forward before looking behind me to see the female that once held my selfish reminder of uncontrolled anger.

"You aren't Emily...You're the Cold One!"

The woman who appeared to be Emily looked at me and stood still. That's when I noticed another presence behind me. From there I snapped and swung my arm back to retaliate against the unknown force.

"Close." the voice replied smoothly. I looked back at Emily and noticed Bella.

Really, what appeared to be Bella. I wasn't foolish enough to deter myself from losing at these mind games.

I growled and rushed forward to grab onto the girl, but suddenly I felt a sting to my leg before getting launched into a tree, knocking the breath completely out of me.

Emily's body loomed in front of me and smiled.

"Sam...Don't fool around too much."

I glared at whatever stood in front of me. "Don't even say my name." I warned, before I felt her rush over to me, using Bella to stomp into my side as I screamed.

"I figured you had more refrain, Sam Uley!" she grinned, pushing down even harder before dissipating behind Emily.

"It seems Bella was sadly...mistaken?" I heard the trees begin to rattle.

"I have at last come to reclaim my revenge and ultimately I sought to begin with a descendant of this filthy tribe."

She raised her right hand that she was keeping hidden beside her-it looked rotted and barely appropriate against Bella Swan's pale white arm.

"As you can see" the Cold One continued.

"I have claimed my treasure kept hidden from me...the hand of my mate! The same hand that will deliver it's glorious vengeance."

I yelled out in pain, trying my best to move away from her gaze but I felt bones begin to shatter from my side as the healing slowly began to try and work itself into effectiveness.

It appears she noticed this, telling from that hideous smile, as she parted that rotten palm to her mouth and her eyes turned an eery gold. A green aura lifted behind her and out from the ground came two bodies...unidentifiable until they began to grotesquely re-figure themselves.

My stomach twisted into knots, watching them form in front of me.

"You are familiar with the two, Sam Uley! Leah Clearwater and Allison, your mother I believe?"

I felt heavy as my head fell closer to the ground. Trying my best to not look, I pictured Jacob and wished it all away but instantly I met with the tree behind me, Leah looking still into my eyes before reaching for my side and digging her fingers into my skin.

"Ack!" I hissed at the intensity of her fingers pushing into me, the pain nearly indescribable while I attempted to pull her away by pressing my right hand against her neck.

"D-Don't do this.." I whimpered.

"You deserve everything coming to you Sam." Leah whispered back, pushing back against my hand to my neck as her mouth opened wide.

I closed my eyes one last time before being thrown down to the forest clearing.

I gasped out and instantly felt the presence of Seth after shape shifting, sprinting in front of me before rapidly biting down onto the arm of Leah, throwing her aside as her expression became lifeless.

"Seth!" I yelled, trying my best to rush to him before the Cold One reached him first.

But it was too late.

Everything inside me began to become hollow as I saw the image of my mother rip into Seth's abdomen as he yelped in pain.

A rumble from a bush caught my attention for just a moment.

It was Jacob.

He screamed and ran over to Allison, clutching her by the chin before twisting and dismembering her entirely.

"I don't mind you taking my phasing..." he roared, rushing over to the body of Bella that seemed frozen in place.

"But the moment you touch my family I will murder you!"

He clutched Bella close and tore through her like rags. I suddenly felt an intense singe of heat rush through my insides before I caught eye of Jacob staring silently at me with his deep, dark eyes.

Everything went quiet.

I stared back at him and Seth that lie in-between us. I felt impractical and very frightened.

"Sam."

I sighed. "Yes, Jacob?"

" Wake up. "

"What?" I nearly mouthed out.

" Come on Sam. "

My head shot up, rubbing my head to ease the instant head rush that began to make it's way through my skull.

"There we go."

Suddenly I felt a hug. His arms, and that mouth pressed up against my neck.

"Have a nightmare?"

Groaning still, I looked around, realizing I was in bed. In my room.

" Yeah. " I sighed. "Either that or I'm dead."

That made Jake grin.

"Does that make me your angel?" he asked impishly.

I gave him a glance of sadness and pulled him back down into the bed before digging my nose into his chest.

"You are my angel, Jake" I answered almost immediately. "But..."

I pulled away from him and sighed.

"I'm not a fool." reaching for the Jacob in the imaginary vision before finding myself back in the forest with my side intact and Seth nowhere to be found.

I shook my head for a moment, dumbfounded at how easily this Lepira seemed to manipulate the mind,

"What's the matter, Lepira?" I teased at her. "Can't fool me it looks like!" I waited, hoping to hear something snap or that voice that tried to dig it's way under my skin.

But after that I felt, saw, and heard nothing.

Except for him.

"Is that you Jacob?" I asked, not looking behind me but feeling someone there that I could trust wouldn't cause me harm.

"Yeah, Sam." he spoke frankly, walking over to me before scoffing. "You waiting on another Jacob Black or what? I saw him grin, and I immediately grabbed him into me and sighed deeply.

"Smartass...I think you should be resting." I stared at his eyes that were in full exposure now that his hair was pulled back into that ponytail I enjoyed.

He shook his head and grumbled.

"I can't just sit back and let a monster rage out of it's cage." Jacob stroked his arm for a moment. Instinctively I touched it-he felt completely...human.

"Is it really true?" I questioned him without sounding too occupied with the silly phasing rather than his health.

"Trust me..I nearly gave my dad a heart attack." he sighed.

"Nothing happened that time, so I guess it is true."

I grinned and leaned into him before smirking.

"Not once did you complain about my lack of shorts this time." I chuckled. Jacob only gawked for a minute and reached for the shorts tied behind his ankle.

" Whoa, Sam...Put on some briefs or something!" he teased and tossed me a pair of cargo shorts as if he knew what was going on.

I slid them on before clutching Jacob's arms from behind softly, dipping my nose into his hair.

"This doesn't change a thing."

"Hope not." Jacob whispered.

A/N: Next chapter will be the deciding factor. Please read on and review. Thank you for your continued support in reading this far. Minor note: This will *not* be my last Sam x Jacob pairing.