A/N: Wow! I have to say the vitriol out there for Alice really surprised me. I was sure I was going to get horrible reviews for making her into a villain, but I was so wrong. Lotsa Jacob Black lovers out there! Yay-I'm in good company.

So for all of you who are worried that this is going to turn into a Bella/Edward story now, this chapter will answer your questions. Hope you like it! Anything you recognize isn't mine.

CHAPTER 10

And tomorrow came, along with the high water Jacob had predicted. It was pouring buckets, and I huddled inside my slicker, freezing in the Rabbit as he drove to the Cullen house. He noticed my shivering but didn't pull me close like he usually did. He was a little distant this afternoon, and I wasn't sure if it was because he was nervous with the pack patrolling the woods without him, or because he was worried about Edward and me meeting. Probably it was a little of both.

We rounded the final turn and I could see the hidden driveway up in the distance through the rain-streaked windshield. We were pretty sure Edward would be there, since the pack hadn't been able to locate his scent in the forest around my house. When they had found him yesterday, he had been prowling around Charlie's house waiting for me. They'd warned him away and told him in no uncertain terms that they wouldn't let me see him unless he stayed away from my house.

I couldn't keep from shaking as we turned into the familiar drive. I'd been there so often over the past summer, I could have found my way in my sleep. But I didn't like being here. It held too many reminders of Edward and his family to be comfortable.

Jacob kept a wary eye on me as I sat shivering in the passenger's seat. "You gonna be okay?" he asked, looking sideways at me as he navigated the gravel path.

"Think so," I chattered.

"You'd better know so," he said. I looked at him quickly, ready to snap, but the face that stared back at me stopped me in my tracks. The wolf was trying to get out. I was sure it was the proximity to the vampire that caused it, but I didn't want to be the one to push it.

"Then I know so," I said with more conviction.

"There you go," he said, the wolf retreating somewhat. I glowed under his praise.

The house was in view, and I sucked in my breath as if I'd been injured. He didn't even look at me, but his eyes darkened and his nostrils flared. His hands gripping the wheel turned white. I scrubbed my hands across my face. "Oh my God…" I moaned quietly.

"It's going to be okay, Bella," he said, and his confidence gave me a little strength. I was relieved that I'd insisted he come with me. There was no way I'd have been able to do this alone.

He stopped the car and looked at me. His hand left the wheel and covered mine, which was gripping my knee in a death hold. "I'm here, okay? I'm with you. You can do this," he told me.

"Okay. Thanks, Jake." I looked into his face, considering, then found the strength to ask him, "Can I have a kiss for luck?"

He hadn't kissed me since he'd left to see Edward the previous day, and that kiss had been a disaster. But his eyes softened, dazzling me, and he put one hand on the back of my head, pulling me close.

I was instantly transported to his world, the woodsy world of the werewolf. I could smell the aroma of autumn - leaves and smoke - as his tongue gently probed my mouth. His breath was sweet, like maple syrup, and it flowed over me like a sheet of silk. I sucked his tongue greedily, pulling it into my mouth and massaging it with my own tongue, rubbing back and forth like I couldn't get enough. Tears squeezed from the corners of my eyes as our breath mingled and reached a fever pitch. We were panting when he pulled away, and Jake's eyes were filled with joy.

"Fuck, Bells," he whispered. And then, to my right, I saw movement.

I turned as if a ghost had approached me. Edward stood next to the car, right there in the flesh. So close I could touch him.

Jake whipped the door open and with werewolf speed, was out of the car and standing next to Edward, staring down at him with daggers in his eyes. His chest heaved and his fists were clenched in rage. "I thought I said we'd come to you," he growled.

Edward acted like he didn't even know Jacob was there. "Bella," he said reverently.

I opened my door and emerged, reaching out for Jake. I needed him now. I needed his warmth and his strength. His hand was in mine immediately, and Edward looked at our joined hands as if he were looking upon a severed head. He reached for my other hand.

I pulled away instantly, the ice cold flesh making my skin crawl. The aroma of the vampire enveloped me, though, and I was suddenly under his spell. He reached out with the rejected hand and swept it across my jaw, as he'd done so many times before. A chill shivered from where he touched me directly to the center of my chest. The hole threatened to open again.

"Bella, it's so amazing to see you," breathed Edward. "You're so incredibly beautiful. My memory doesn't do you justice."

I could hear Jacob's breathing beside me, frantic breathing through his nose, quickened and angry. I had to be truthful; Edward looked beautiful, as he always did. He looked haunted, as Alice had said, his eyes hollow and black. He wore the same clothes he'd worn the day he'd left me. They were dirty and torn now, and he looked so far from the Edward I'd known eight months ago that I almost didn't recognize him. But he was still Edward, and my heart pounded in my chest as I gazed at his ethereal beauty.

Jacob was staring at me out of the corner of his eye, a look on his face I'd never seen. He wasn't angry, but he was extremely intense. His right hand still held mine and the other was balled into a fist under his right bicep, his forearm across his chest. I knew he was trying with all he was worth not to phase.

I bit my lip as I looked at Jake. We had to get out of here. I turned to Edward. "What did you want to talk to me about, Edward?"

"Ahh," he sighed, and his breath washed over me again, bringing back the memory of his love, how safe I'd felt in it, how complete. "To hear you say my name again is heaven."

I was abruptly pulled out of my reverie with his words. Damn it! How did he bewilder my mind so completely? I knew what I wanted - to leave with Jacob – but Edward was confusing me, making me second guess myself. I gritted my teeth. I would leave with Jacob, and I wouldn't do anything I'd regret. The heat from Jacob's hand flowed into me, centering in my heart. I took courage from it.

"What did you want to talk to me about? You see me; you see that I'm okay. I moved on." I was careful not to say his name.

Edward looked up at Jacob, avoiding the question again. "Must you stand so close?" Edward asked testily. "The odor is nearly overwhelming."

Jake's expression didn't change, but his eyebrows twitched. What was Edward talking about? What odor? To me, Jacob smelled amazing, leaves and smoke and syrup. It made me think again of fall. "He smells incredible," I said in defense of Jacob. Edward stared at me in surprise.

"If you think a wet mongrel smells 'incredible,' you may not be as okay as you think," Edward told me, with a quick lift of his lips in a semblance of the crooked smile I'd dreamt of so many times. I nearly melted again, but I caught myself before I could. Jake! My mind screamed to me. It's Jake you want!

"Let's not compare stinks, leech," growled Jacob. "You're pretty pungent yourself. And I'd rather smell like a dog than a rotting corpse."

Ah, so they didn't smell very good to one another. That made sense, actually. If they were mortal enemies, they should have some natural aversion to each other. An unbearable stench was necessary. Funny how neither fragrance offended me.

"You're not answering me," I said to Edward, squeezing Jake's hand in the process. "Tell me why you needed to see me."

"I had to see that you were okay," Edward replied in a pleading tone, his dark, eternal eyes turning to me. "I knew you'd been…catatonic for a time, and I needed to be sure you had recovered. I tried to get Alice to see you, but something is wrong with her visions of you. She can only see flashes of you now, once in awhile, like when you're sleeping or at school. Nothing of the real parts of your life."

Why would that be? I wondered. But just as quickly, I shrugged it off. "I was…in a bad way for awhile after you left," I told him. "But then I started hanging out with Jacob. And now I'm with him." I said it as I looked at Edward significantly. "We're together now. So I've moved on." I felt the need to repeat the fact that I'd moved on. He didn't seem to be getting it. He sighed, his breath enveloping me once again and sending me into…

No. I pulled control from my core. It was getting easier, resisting his treacherous weapons that he'd explained to me so carefully in the forest early in our relationship.

"But when I first left, Bella," he said, caressing my name on his lips. "You were quite devastated, weren't you?" He sounded apologetic, rueful even. He was sorry he'd left.

I nodded, unwilling to speak about the unspeakable. That time was not something I cared to remember, especially now, with Jacob standing sturdily by my side. Suddenly, Edward flinched visibly, his eyes closing in what looked like pain.

"Edward?" I said, one hand going to his arm in concern. "Are you okay?"

Edward looked at Jacob, naked pleading in his hollow black eyes. "Stop," he begged.

I turned to Jake. "What are you doing?" I asked him, but his face hadn't changed, except for the confused look in his eyes.

"Nothing," he said, the growl nearly absent as he addressed me, his voice innocent.

"Liar!" spat Edward, a hiss bursting from his throat as I recalled Alice's warning that he was prone to rages. His eyes closed again, pain etched in his features.

I looked up at Jake again, only this time his face had changed. One black brow raised, one side of his mouth drew up in a sardonic, amused grin. He huffed once through his nose, a humorless laugh. "That's pretty funny," he commented, his voice as arrogant and nasty as I'd ever heard it.

"What, Jake? What is it?" I asked frantically.

"Your ex doesn't like how you looked the night Sam found you," he informed me, his grin wide now as he shifted his gaze to me. "Shit, that mind-reading thing is true, huh?"

Edward's eyes opened with a growl, and he lunged for Jake. But Jake was faster. "Don't go there, bloodsucker," he warned. "You don't want to push me today."

"Do not speak to Bella in that manner, dog!" Edward snarled. "She deserves better!"

Jacob's eyes narrowed slightly as he turned his head to look at Edward out of the corner of his eyes. "Really?" he asked, a grin playing at the corner of his mouth, his brows raised. "You sure about that?" He smiled for real now, a vicious grin, watching Edward carefully. Edward flinched, dropping to his knees. Jacob laughed out loud, cruel and fierce.

"He doesn't like the way you looked when you first came to see me either, Bells," he informed me. But I couldn't share in Jacob's evil glee. I didn't want pain for Edward. I just wanted him to go away.

"Jake, stop," I said quietly.

Abruptly, Edward pulled himself together and stood before me once again, the pain in his features absent. Jacob let go of my hand and pointed a finger into Edward's chest. "You're damn right she deserves better, parasite. Better than you. You see what you did to her? That's on you, vamp, not me. She's better now than she ever was with you. She's with me now, get it? You can go. You saw what you needed to see."

Edward had recovered, so I knew Jacob was no longer thinking of things that disturbed him. "What I need is for Bella to tell me herself," he said, dignified.

"She already told you," Jake snarled.

"I did," I told Edward, avoiding his name again. "I told you twice."

"But Bella, we were so much to each other," he pleaded. I felt myself being pulled toward him again. That look in his eyes was truly irresistible. I swallowed once, anxious. He was drawing me in…

Jacob hadn't reached for me again after he'd let go of me, and Edward grabbed both of my hands in his. The iciness of his fingers seemed to fade as I looked into his face, full of longing and love. His lips quivered, coming closer…and I felt my head fall back in surrender as he covered my mouth with his.

And suddenly, without warning, a snarl like I'd never heard from Edward ripped out of him. His frozen mouth latched onto my neck, and I felt his teeth slice into me.

In the same instant, shocked as I was, I was aware of Jake exploding beside me and the russet wolf was there, leaping sideways in front of me and knocking Edward away. I stepped back, cowering, my hand going to my neck in complete disbelief. Edward Cullen had bitten me!

The roar that came from the wolf was deafening, and suddenly there were five – no, six – no, seven wolves surrounding Edward and me. I reached behind me for the car door handle, pulled it, and hastily backed inside, closing it securely behind me. I watched, terrified, as Edward lowered himself into a hunting crouch.

My hand stayed plastered to my jugular as my mind screamed, He bit me! He BIT me! My breathing quickened until I was sobbing brokenly, though no tears came. I was going to turn now, now when I no longer wanted it. The irony was lost on me as I broke down convulsively. I'd never be able to be with Jacob. The tears finally flowed as I lamented the loss of the wolf, the boy, the man I'd come to love so completely.

Outside the car, the growls and snarling continued, but I couldn't watch. They had to kill him now. He'd bitten me; he'd totally broken the Treaty. I didn't want to see it, I didn't want to hear it. I covered my ears with my palms and continued to cry bitter tears. They might as well kill me, too. I'd be one of the enemy soon. I was beyond inconsolable.

Abruptly, I realized something. There was no burning sensation at the site of the wound. No intractable pain at all. There was nothing. I didn't feel the fire I'd felt with James. There was no river of agonizing torture coursing through my veins. What had happened? Why didn't I feel anything? Wasn't the venom doing its job? The venom…the venom!

Had Jacob phased so quickly that Edward hadn't the opportunity to inject the venom into the bite? I was under the impression that venom always coated his teeth, and I'd never really thought about it until now - but if that were the case, wouldn't I have been exposed every time he'd kissed me? But I hadn't been, or I'd be a vampire by now. No, there must be something that had to occur to actually make the venom begin to flow. Had Jake stopped that process?

If that were the case, he'd saved my life yet again. That was three times now in less than a week. Even Edward didn't have that track record. I tried to stop crying, to really feel the bite. I wanted to be sure I wasn't fooling myself. I wanted to be sure there really was no pain at all.

I sat still, hiccupping from the tears and really concentrating on the bite. I was bleeding from the crescent shaped wound, but there truly was no pain. There was no venom in the bite, I was sure of it. Thanking heaven that Jacob's car was so old, I cranked the window down and shouted to the wolves.

"Jake! Sam! There's no venom in the bite! He didn't have time…"

I was cut off as I saw the giant red wolf's dripping jaws poised over Edward's neck. They had him down. They were about to finish him off.

The red wolf stopped in his actions, his eyes - Jacob's eyes - flicking to me for a split second. I thrust my bloody hand out for him to see. "There's no pain, Jake! No burning! He didn't have time to inject the venom. You don't have to kill him!"

The deep gray wolf huffed in disgust, his enormous paw holding Edward's chest down. Of course Paul wouldn't want to spare the vampire; it simply wasn't in the nature of the violent wolf. But a wolf I surmised was Leah, a pearl gray, smaller and leaner wolf, pushed through the crowd to the enormous black wolf, Sam, who was overseeing the entire attack. She looked at him tensely, and his gaze shifted to the wolves immediately surrounding Edward's supine form.

"Kill me!" Edward pleaded. "Just kill me! I can't live without her." Edward's eyes shifted to mine. "I'm intensely sorry, Bella," he choked brokenly. "I thought I could control the bloodlust, but it's been so long since I've fed…I…" He was cut off by a snarl from the dark gray wolf.

The wolves were backing off as a group now, and it was obvious that Paul was furious. Though Edward had bitten me, he hadn't killed or changed me, and evidently that was reason enough for Sam to spare his life. Paul wasn't happy with the turn of events and he was letting it be known loudly. A harsh bark from Sam silenced him.

But the wolves weren't finished. They continued to pace in circles around Edward. Sam backed into the woods and returned almost immediately wearing dirty shorts that I now noticed were tied to all their ankles. I remembered Jacob pointing out the cord he used to tie his shorts to his leg and I saw the little rolls tied to each of the werewolves' rear paws, now that I was looking for them. Even Jacob had one, and he'd exploded out of his clothes when Edward had bitten me. The only explanation was that Jake had taken every precaution, tying shorts to his ankle just in case he'd had to phase fast. Sam stood before Edward, who continued to lie supine on the grass looking completely miserable.

"Cullen, according to the terms of the Treaty, you should be eliminated. You bit a human. But because she is not experiencing the venom symptoms, we have made the choice to let you go. You, however, have no choice in this matter. You must go, and you must not return. We will know if you come back, and at that time you will be dealt with accordingly. We cannot risk that you may return and lose control in this way again. By rights we should eliminate you. But we have a long-standing relationship with your coven and especially with your creator. We choose to honor that relationship and allow you to continue to live. You have until midnight to leave the Washington area. We prefer that you reside out of the country from now on, and we don't mean Canada; I'm talking about another continent. We would like you to exile yourself to Europe. This should not be difficult for you in the grand scheme of things; your family has plenty of money, and ties all over the world. You will send word when you have arrived in your new home, informing the tribe of your whereabouts." Sam was dignified, despite his shabby clothing, as he announced this treatise.

Edward stood slowly. "I don't want to live," he said, defeated. "If I can't have Bella, I would rather be dead."

"I'm sorry, we cannot perform that service for you without harming the relationship we have with the rest of your coven. If you wish death, I advise you to find someone else to deliver it. You will be out of Washington State by midnight and we must receive word that you are in Europe by the end of the week, is that clearly understood?"

Edward nodded, his eyes fixed on the ground in front of him. "Can I speak with Bella privately?" he asked.

The red wolf stood higher than Edward's head and his growl was terrifying. I had no intention of allowing it, even if Sam had agreed (though I was sure he wouldn't, given the current circumstances). "I think Jacob has answered your question," Sam intoned formally.

Edward turned to me as I sat in the car, the window half-down. "Bella, I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am. I completely lost control, and I will never forgive myself or forget this breach. I hope you will forgive me someday, but I intend to follow Sam's order and remove myself from your presence. Even if I'm someday forgiven, I will not tempt myself with the opportunity to repeat this reprehensible offense." He turned to the red wolf. "I am sorry to you as well, Jacob. Thank you for saving her from me."

He hung his head as he slowly made for the trees.

I watched him go with a combination of relief and sadness. I felt both reactions for the same reason: I was finally rid of his possession of me – I felt it; I knew it. As he left, I could feel the hold he had on my heart pulling slightly, like a thread, and then breaking completely. The feeling was gone; the feeling of frantic longing, of undiminished obsession. That part of my life was now over, and it was both a wistful feeling and a relieved feeling.

Jacob in wolf form watched as Edward disappeared into the trees. He looked toward Sam and seemed to want to say something. As I watched them, Jake shimmered back into his human form. He stood with his back to me, completely naked, quickly untying the shorts from his ankle with practiced movements while he spoke urgently to Sam. He pulled them on as I watched, my mouth hanging open.

"You're right," Sam said in a loud voice. "Paul and Jared! Follow him until he's out of Washington!"

Two wolves, one dark gray and the other brown, detached themselves from the pack and ambled into the woods, presumably to follow Edward out of the state.

I stared after them, still unrecovered from the shock of seeing Jacob phase from wolf to human and then stand there naked, completely natural and relaxed. It was incredible to see the reversal of the transformation. The act seemed so intimate, I felt as if I'd witnessed something almost sexual.

Jacob turned toward me and walked back to the car, his eyes on the ground. In my mind, I thought maybe he was embarrassed that he'd inadvertently appeared nude in front of me, but he seemed casual as he walked over. There was no embarrassment in his moves, but he still didn't look at me.

He got into the car and stared out the windshield as if he were afraid to meet my gaze. He asked, "Are you really okay?" I began to answer as he finally turned his dark eyes to me.

His unsettling gasp stilled the words in my throat.

"Holy shit," he whispered. I stared at him, watching a red flush creep up his face from his bare chest. His lips fell open and his eyes stared at me, his pupils dilating so there was almost no iris left surrounding them.

"Jake?" I managed, my hand going to his arm in concern.

"Bella," he breathed tenderly. His hand went to my neck and he touched it gingerly. "Are you sure this is okay?"

"It's okay, Jake, I promise. I've been bitten before; you know that. I'd feel it right away if he'd been able to get any venom into me. Are…are you okay?"

"More okay than I've ever been as long as you're okay," he said, gazing into my eyes adoringly.

I watched him warily. He was looking at me like he'd never seen me before. As I sat looking back at him, I started to feel the thread that had just broken between Edward and me coming back.

"Jacob, he's coming back," I said urgently.

"Who?" asked Jacob, his face suddenly confused.

"Edward!" I said.

"He's not coming back, Bells. Jared and Paul are following him. Embry is in communication with them; he would tell us if he was coming back."

"I can feel him!" I explained, my hand going to my chest in an unconscious gesture. It was getting stronger. It was more like a rope now than a thread. Or a cable. Or…a chain…

I looked out the car window, agitated, staring into the forest, trying to watch for his return. I couldn't see anything but I knew that didn't mean much. My weak human eyes missed things all the time. "Jacob, can you see him? Ask Embry if he's here!"

"Bella, he's not here. He's on his way to Europe. Listen to me, Bells. I have to tell you something."

I couldn't pay any attention to Jacob when I was panicking about Edward. Why wasn't he as freaked out about this as I was? I was finally rid of Edward, and now the hold he'd had on me, the hold I'd thought was broken, was suddenly growing stronger and stronger…

Jacob watched me carefully. He put a finger under my chin and made me look at him, then took both my hands in his. His hands were hotter than I'd ever felt them, and their temperature caused me to abruptly become completely absorbed in what Jacob was saying. I stared into his eyes, unblinking, as he looked back at me.

"Bella, do you know what imprinting is?" he asked.

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