A/N - First off, guys I'm so sorry that this is late. I said that I'd have it updated yesterday but I forgot that it was a holiday and I wasn't home most of the day. Secondly, I'm not entirely happy with how this chapter turned out. I had a good 90% of it done when I posted the last chapter. In the end, I had so many directions that I could go with it, and for the sake of plot and character development, this is what happened. It seems that I do my better work on lack of sleep...so maybe I should start staying up late in the night writing again. :) Either way, let me know what you think.

Thank you in advance for the reviews, favourites and follows! I love hearing my email chime with them. :) If I get a good number of reviews/favourites/follows, I'll update again by Friday. I'm excited for the next part...I promise that there will be a good amount of Jacob/Jo going on.

The moment that they walked out the door of the store, Jo nearly ran into Leah's back when the woman stopped abruptly in front of her. Before Jo could say a word, Leah spun around and grabbed her arm.

Leah was acting strange; that Jo knew. As for why, she had no clue. She had to admit that their previous conversation inside the store had gotten a bit personal, which considering it was with stone-faced Leah was odd in itself. Leah had become friendlier as they browsed the store and even went as far as to comment that their interactions made her feel like Jo was her sister.

That surprised Jo. Although Leah had no sisters, there were plenty of women her age on the reservation that Leah could have been close to. When Jo had dropped Emily's name, the friendly expression on Leah's face had hardened once again.

"Emily and I aren't exactly the best of friends," she had told her.

Jo didn't push any further and their conversations ended as such. Leah didn't even acknowledge Jo's presence with her in the store after that until they walked out and she quickly turned to her.

"Let's go get something to eat," Leah insisted, looking urgently at Jo. As great as it seemed to sound to Leah, Jo shook her head.

"I don't have any money on me," Jo told her.

It wasn't just that. Something just didn't seem right. Jo could sense it even as she had walked out of the store. Plus, the fact that Leah was suddenly extremely friendly to her again set off alarm bells in her head. Jo just didn't know why it was. Her eyes scanned the crowd of people, wondering what it was that made her skin crawl. She felt anxious and nervous all at once.

Leah quickly spoke up again to get her attention.

"It's my treat!"

Jo seemed to be able to see through her but couldn't understand what was going on or why Leah was suddenly behaving oddly.

When Jo's eyes finally settled on Jacob and then Seth, she paused, noting that it was the three ladies whom they were talking to that really caught her attention. They were beautiful. It was the dark haired one in the middle whom Jacob was speaking to who intrigued her the most for some reason. The blond one beside her never smiled, her hair swept behind her in the breeze reminiscent of that of a model on a runway. The shorter one with eccentric spiked hair smiled and said something to the brown haired woman beside her who seemed to stare at Jo before turning her attention back to Jacob.

Leah swore inwardly when she saw Jo's eyes fall on Jacob speaking to the Cullen's. She had tried to get Jo's attention away from them but unfortunately, it didn't work. She should have known that it wouldn't have worked. Leah could see how agitated Jacob was when they walked out of the store and oddly enough, she could see it reflected in Jo's eyes the moment she had turned to her. Even though Jo wasn't aware of the imprint, her body seemed to recognize Jacob's unease as he spoke to the Cullen's. Leah had never seen the same thing between the other imprints. This was entirely new. The wolf would sense the feelings within the imprint, not the other way around.

Curiously, Leah listened in to what they were talking about as it surely wasn't making Jacob relax.

"Is that her?" Leah heard Bella ask.

Leah saw Jacob nod silently before Bella glanced back at Jo for a moment before turning her attention back to him.

"She's pretty," she commented to him. "What is her name?"

"Jo Clearwater," Leah heard Jacob reply. She watched as the three female vampires looked to Seth who wore a huge smile on his face, knowing that they were trying to put pieces together.

"She's our cousin," Seth told them, answering their unspoken question.

Leah rolled her eyes, hearing her brother inform them of how she was related to them, along with a quick explanation of how she came to La Push. The vampires nodded as they remembered the late night call that Sam had made to Carlisle regarding a car accident just inside their borders.

"Who are they?" Jo suddenly asked her cousin, causing her to break her concentration in hearing the conversation happening a hundred yards away.

Leah almost groaned out her reply as she crossed her arms in front of her. "The Cullen's."

"Cullen's? As in Dr. Cullen?"

Leah nodded. "They're kind of adopted into his family."

Jo took a step forward, intending to walk up to Jacob when Leah suddenly grabbed her arm, holding her back.

"What are you doing?"

"You won't want to go over there," Leah replied softly.

"Why not?"

"Just trust me on this. You should stay away from them, especially Bella."

"Bella?" Jo asked, almost choking the name out. All thoughts of reasons as to why Leah didn't think she should be going over to the Cullen's vanished with one name.

At that same moment, Jacob looked over his shoulder to where Jo stood by Leah. Ashamed that she'd been caught staring, Jo quickly looked away. Seth watched and smiled weakly at his sister before turning back to the Cullen's.

It now made sense to Jo as to why he was over there.

"The same Bella whom Jacob was in love with and who ended up breaking his heart?"

Leah sighed. "The very one."

In her mind, Jo always expected this Bella to appear to be heinous and ugly as the woman who would have destroyed Jacob's heart when she left him to go back to the man who initially abandoned her in the first place. Except, this Bella was beautiful. Her brown hair was full of volume and her face was flawless. From what Jo could tell in just her expression as she spoke with Jacob, she cared for him. Although she couldn't see his face, Jo assumed that he was smiling at her.

"How can he still be in love with her?" Jo asked softly.

Leah quickly looked at Jo, surprised that Jo had said that all the while keeping her eyes on Jacob and Seth. "How do you know that?"

With a sigh, Jo shrugged and gestured towards the group. "It's obvious. The woman hurt him in the worst way possible and he's over there talking to her like they're best friends. Why else would he be there?"

Leah looked back at where Jacob and Seth were speaking with the Cullen's and attuned her ear to hear the conversation.

"If she is your imprint, you need to tell her everything," Bella urged Jacob, as he shook his head.

"Jo's not planning on staying around here for too much longer," he told her. "She's not even looking for a relationship right now. I wont manipulate her into staying. It's likely to backfire on me and she'll be sure to run."

Bella's face fell. "Where does that leave you?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. This is all my fault. I'm afraid that my initial decision to fight this may have severely strained the imprint. The first few days of an imprint is so crucial and I've missed that window because I was acting like a jack ass."

There was a pause as Bella appeared to be considering something.

"Well, maybe I can talk to her," Bella suggested, brightly. "Tell her what a great guy you are."

Before the words even made sense in her head, Leah could hear a growl errupt involuntarily from the back of Jacob's throat. Seth put his hand on Jacob's shoulder, looking at him in shock. He knew that he was already feeling threatened by having Bella so close to Jo, Seth never thought he'd go as far as to growl at her.

"Jake," Seth warned, surprised to find his friend growling.

"Don't worry," Alice chimed in, with a smile at Seth. "It's a natural response for a dog to be protective of his mate. After all, she is the future mother of his children. It makes sense that he'd be aggressive against one of us getting close enough to talk to her."

Bella didn't seem to care about what Alice had said. She shook her head.

"Jake, I wouldn't hurt you like that. She smells too much like you guys anyways," Bella assured him, reaching out to him and putting a hand on his arm. "Besides, I wouldn't think of breaking the treaty."

"Technically, the treaty was broken the moment that Edward put his teeth in you," Jacob sneered at her. "But, that's besides the point."

Leah smiled at Jacob's off handed and true statement. Beside her, Jo scoffed.

"This is so stupid! How can he talk to her after what she did to him?" Jo asked, sounding offended and bitter. For a moment, Leah wondered if it was Jo experiencing Jacob's anger through the imprint or if it was the other way around. The pair were both extremely tense.

Leah shrugged. She always wondered the same thing. "Damned if I know!"

Taking a deep breath, Jo had to do something. She was angry and jealous and she knew it. Although she had no reason to feel that way, she couldn't help it. When she saw Bella touch Jacob's bare arm, she felt a spasm go through her back. It repulsed her and Jo had no idea why. As though she was restless and couldn't stand still any longer, Jo backed up and turned to walk down the boardwalk away from where Jacob and Seth were speaking with the Cullen's. She could sense Leah walking quickly beside her. She finally stopped when she stood in front of a closed store front with a large notice board in the window, filled with various want ads, items for sale and most importantly to Jo, job postings for the general area.

"What are you looking for?"

"I'll know it when I see it," Jo replied harshly, as Leah turned and leaned against the window, keeping a close eye on where her brother and Jacob were speaking to the Cullen's. A few times, she saw Jacob glance back at them, ensuring that Jo was still in sight. Leah couldn't help but shake her head at the ridiculousness of it all.

Leah was standing right beside Jo and she could feel the anger and tension radiating off of her cousin. It was obvious by the way Jacob was rocking slightly as he spoke with the Cullen's and his increased heartbeat that Jacob was feeling the emotions that Jo was emitting through the imprint, yet he was being an asshole and not responding to it the way an imprint should.

She knew that Jo was right when she said that a part of Jacob still cared deeply for Bella. Just as Leah was about to go over there and drag him and her brother away from the bloodsuckers, she watched as Jacob suddenly turned, his eyes quickly narrowing in on Jo, as though she was a source of air for him. The moment that Leah saw Jacob spot Jo standing with her back towards him, she instantly heard his heart beat relax. Jacob quickly made his way over to her, Seth following behind him, calling his name. Bella, Alice and Rosalie stood in confusion as it was obvious to Leah that he left in mid-conversation.

As he made his way through the crowd, Jo stood in front of the window reading the ads in front of her as she made a decision. When she would think back later, Jo would realize that the decision was based primarily on her jealousy of Bella. Not only of her beauty but the fact that she knew somehow that Jacob still had feelings for Bella. It had angered her. Even as she tried to rationalize that anger, she decided that there was no way she was going to leave La Push now. Yet as her eyes scanned the job ads, she suddenly realized that Jacob had asked her out less than an hour earlier and she had turned him down. Jo could have pounded her head against a brick wall at how stupid she was being. She had been a coward and now she was allowing her jealousy of a woman who obviously was still good friends with Jacob to make her life decisions.

I'm actually considering staying here. I must be turning into a crazy person!

"Jo?"

His voice spoke to her from where he stood behind her. Somehow, she knew that he was there before he even spoke. It was enough to calm the storm within her and she relaxed. Jo could see his reflection in the window as she stared past it.

"Are you all right?"

Jo turned. The look on Jacob's face was full of concern and it had been something she had never seen on him before. All thoughts as to why she was upset seemed to disappear. To think about in her mind, it sounded so silly; so immature. He had the right to speak to whomever he pleased. It wasn't as though her and Jacob were anything but friends. But still the thought of Bella and Jacob caused a momentary ache to spread through her chest once more.

Finally, she nodded.

"I'm fine," she replied.

Jacob had to admit that he felt better too, as though his proximity to her was like a healing balm for the pain he had felt as he spoke with Bella. Even though he knew that they were still there and he could feel Bella's eyes on his back, he couldn't pull himself away from Jo. He had felt that pain rush through his chest and in the short time of their imprint, he recognized it as not his own, but one they now shared.

Jacob smiled at her. "Are you sure? You look a bit pissed off."

Jacob's smile was contagious and not only that, his comment caused a smile to come to her face. Jo shook her head.

"Naw, I'm good."

"You probably just need something to eat," Seth suggested. "You haven't lived until you have tried one of the hotdogs here."

Jacob nodded in agreement. "They are pretty good."

When Seth moved off towards the vendor's to get some food and Leah disappeared to get something for herself, Jo turned to Jacob.

"You can go get one for yourself if you'd like," she said. "I'm fine here on my own."

Jacob smiled meekly. "Actually, I don't mind keeping you company."

Jacob was content to just be in her presence, feeling that tranquil peace through the imprint. Knowing that their time together was short and that he felt better when she was nearby, he kept close to her throughout that afternoon. Jacob realized that he was probably driving Leah nuts, but he didn't care. All the painful memories of Bella seemed to fade the longer he spent time with Jo. It wasn't until he was driving her home in the Rabbit following Leah's shocking suggestion that Jo ride back with him, that Jacob could really relax. He would glance over at her as she looked out the open window, moving her hand through the wind that whipped past the small red Volkswagen. She seemed at home and comfortable in his presence, even when they didn't say anything to each other. He smiled as she caught his eye while he drove down the winding road.

When they made it back to La Push, it was early evening. Old Quil's car was gone, indicating that the meeting had been over long ago. His father's pick up was gone as well, but Sue was outside sitting under the covered porch.

"Thanks for the ride," Jo said to Jacob as she undid her seatbelt.

Jacob nodded and smiled. "No problem." He paused for a moment and glanced up at Sue through the windshield before looking at Jo. "I know that you're planning on leaving soon, but will I see you again this week?"

Jo pushed open the door. "Dr. Cullen wants me to start working my lower muscles to regain strength in them. I'm hoping to get some walks and jogs in this week. If you want to join me, I can make my way past your place and see if you're around."

Jacob smiled. "I'd like that."

With a smile, Jo climbed out of the car and made her way up the steps and onto the porch. She turned and waved as Jacob reversed the Rabbit back onto the road to head home. As she approached Sue on the porch, she smiled.

"Where are Leah and Seth?"

"They should be here anytime," she replied. "They were behind us most of the time."

Sue smiled and patted the seat beside her, inviting Jo to sit down. She glanced down at her niece's leg to see the skin without stitches for the first time before looking up as Jacob's car disappeared down the road.

"So, Jacob Black drove you home?"

Jo nodded. "He seems nice. He surprised us in Port Angeles today."

Sue smiled, beaming at her niece's happy expression on her face. "You look like you had a good time."

"I did," Jo said with a nod, and it even surprised her to admit that. She purposely didn't want to mention seeing the Cullen's. It wasn't a highlight of the trip to Port Angeles. "It was nice to get away."

"That's good," Sue stated, before pushing herself up to stand.

"I should get supper started if Seth is on his way home," she began, with a chuckle. "Knowing him, he'll be hungry."

Except Jo quickly stood up and insisted that Sue relax and that she'd take care of it. After some pursuation, Sue relented and sat back down as Jo went into the house just as the pick up truck pulled into the driveway. Seth climbed out of the car, eager to show his Mom the surf board that he had purchased. Leah smiled at her before walking into the house. As Seth spoke to her about the surf board, she heard the sound of the radio playing from inside the house along with the clattering of pots and pans. Seth rested the surf board against the house before he went inside, following the claim that he smelled something good. Sue sat back down and had to laugh when she heard not only Leah's voice but also Jo's as the two young ladies shouted at the guy to get out of the kitchen. As much as she enjoyed listening to the peaceful sound of the wind blowing through the trees around the property, there was something special about hearing the laughter of not only her children, but also her niece as they enjoyed each other's company. It was a nice sound to hear, especially after a relatively difficult elders meeting. They had a few decisions to make regarding how much of this untold story they were going to reveal and to whom. Knowing that it was probably important for Sam Uley to be aware of it, they also knew that whatever information they gave would trickle down to Jacob Black.

When Billy and Old Quil left, Sue was emotionally tired. She presumed that she wasn't the only one who was feeling the effects of hearing the untold story for the first time. It had been a lot to digest. Being that Billy's father had been a part of the secret that he hadn't known about rocked the usually strong man. Not only that but it indirectly affected his son's imprint. She remembered her first thoughts following Old Quil stating that Michael Clearwater, Harry's brother and Jo's father, had been one of the first shape shifters since the time of Ephraim Black. It was complete disbelief. Billy had similar thoughts.

"How is that even possible!?" Billy had said, still not believing what Old Quil had said. "We would have heard about it from someone who had been there or had seen it. I'm sure there would have been more Quilleute's phasing if Michael had."

Old Quil nodded, knowing that he would have to go further into detail to explain the circumstances of the event and thus opening them to the possibilities of what could be out there.

"That probably would have been the case, except they weren't in La Push when it occurred. They were hunting in Northern Montana," Old Quil told them. "They were gone for three weeks and I remember the day they returned and Peter Clearwater and William Black explained what had happened. They were concerned for not only Michael but also for young Harry who didn't even talk about it nor did he leave the house for another two weeks after they returned. The kid had been scared stiff at what he had seen."

Sue's heart had gone out to her late husband who had to experience something so traumatizing as a young teenager and yet had the burden of keeping it silent for his entire life. But it still didn't make sense to her.

"They encountered a vampire while they were hunting, and only Michael suddenly phases?" Sue asked, glancing from Billy to Old Quil.

Old Quil shrugged. "They were just as confused why it didn't affect Harry. Perhaps he was too young or just the fact that he was just a carrier of the gene and never harnessed the magic as his older brother was capable of."

"But still, they were only gone for three weeks," Sue added. "From what I recall with the kids, the transformation took longer."

Old Quil nodded. "I don't recall the specifics. I do recall Peter saying that Michael had been unwell for most of the trip but had been relieved that his son was there at the time. He said they encountered, what William could only describe as a beast; a demon that could be considered nothing more than evil from the pits of hell itself. What was worse was that there were two of them."

"Two vampires," Billy said, shaking his head. "They wouldn't have had a chance if Michael hadn't phased."

Old Quil shook his head. "No, it wasn't vampires that had attacked them. It was something more hideous. There was a Cold One who had been in the area, causing Michael to transform. When the beasts attacked the hunting party, the vampire appeared and seemed only interested in chasing after the beast. Michael ran after the other one and destroyed it, only to return in hopes of tracking the second. But it never returned and neither did the vampire. The group returned to La Push a short time after that in fear that the monster or perhaps the vampire would return."

"Michael had nightmares for weeks following that trip until he decided one day that he had to leave La Push, afraid that the living demon would track him down and seek out his revenge on not only his family's but the entire tribe," Old Quil said. "When he left, Peter allowed the many rumours that had begun to circulate, until the memory of his eldest son disappeared with him. Only we knew the truth as to why he had disappeared."

After a brief pause of silence, Billy sighed and spoke softly. "That would explain why Mike was adamant about never returning. He convinced his wife and Jo that La Push was dangerous."

"And he was only doing that to keep both the tribe and his own family safe," Sue added, softly. "And no one here ever knew what he gave up."

With a deep sigh, Billy had looked up and glanced between Old Quil and Sue. "I don't know about you two, but I don't feel the circumstances of Mike's disappearance is something we should let the pack know about. It is good that we, as the elders are aware of, especially considering Jo's father was an active shape shifter."

He had looked to Sue for an agreement, considering it was her brother-in-law whom they were discussing.

"It's obvious that Jo has the potential to carry the gene as her father had and if she's going to phase anytime, I'd rather that the pack be aware of it," Sue said, looking from Old Quil to Billy. "It's good that she has Jacob and if anything were to happen, he'd know it first and would be able to help in ways that we couldn't. But as for the reason behind Michael's disappearance, I think that it's best that we keep that to ourselves."

The sound of the screen door protesting for more oil caught her attention and broke Sue's reverie. Sue turned to see Leah poke her head out.

"Mom, do you mind if we use...?"

It was obvious to her own daughter that something wasn't right as she paused mid-sentence.

"Are you all right?"

Sue put a smile on her face and stood up. "I was just doing some thinking. Do you need some help?"

Leah put her previous concern for her Mom out of her mind. "Besides keeping Seth out of the kitchen, we're doing fine. We were going to make a salad. I was wondering if we could use the leftover peppers."

Sue nodded. "Go ahead. And use up the mushrooms while you're at it."

She followed her daughter into the house, intent on getting her mind off the content of that meeting. The sound of laughter that greeted her upon entering worked wonders and soon it was all but forgotten.