Here's the next Chapter! Enjoy! I'm updating all of my stories today, just to get them on the same day. I might have to slow down a bit because I'm currently working on four stories and...well, it's getting confusing. Chow!

I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS

Chapter 9: Jacob Black

Jacob's POV

Paul was such an idiot sometimes. It's not such a good idea to eat all the eggs before Sam comes. Especially since it was Sam's fiancé who cooked the eggs.

Let's just say Paul was going to be running the rounds all night. The vampires never showed, so I had no idea what Sam was talking about. There was really no point to running the line.

So here I was, starving, walking along the edge of the cliffs and dropping rocks. I picked up a flat boulder in on hand and threw it. It sank with a shwonk! sound.

It was supposed to be about ten degrees outside, so I decided against a swim. I didn't feel like it.

I was just about to pick up another stone, this time smaller, when I smelled it. The sickly-sweet smell of a vampire that burned your nose. My limbs immediately started shaking, my head flying up and looking for it.

It took me a minute to spot it, because it was huddled over, probably hiding.

I snuck up behind it and was about to let my transformation take its course, when suddenly a choking sound came from it. It took me a minute to place the sound; she was crying.

My shaking stopped. I was shocked that a bloodsucker could cry. I stood like that for a minute, watching her rock back and forth and try to breath through the sobs. It looked so human.

All the vampires I had ever met and slain had been either extremely mad, or extremely calm, betraying no emotion. I had never met one that actually said anything, let alone cried.

I moved back a bit, not wanting to frighten her. "Are you all right?"

Her body froze, her sobs stopping for a minute. She looked up carefully, cautiously.

Her face was the same perfection of the rest of her race, but it was still twisted in pain. Her eyes were ruby red, but somehow they looked different than the other vampires'. The only difference I could note between her and a human besides this was the absence of tears. She took a deep breath to steady herself, a very human thing to do, and caught my scent.

Her nose wrinkled and she looked at me curiously, but she didn't stand.

It occurred to me that maybe she thought I was just a very quiet human that smelled bad, but not a danger. Which meant she wasn't one of the Cullens. She turned back to look at the cliff.

"You're not thinking about jumping, eh?" I asked, sitting down a few feet away.

She smiled a little bit, turning to face me again. "Yes, actually."

I frowned. Why would a bloodsucker jump off a cliff? For fun? "That's not such a good idea." I said looking over the edge beside me. It was about fifty feet down. She could handle it, I was sure, but I preferred to act human.

"Yeah. I know." She looked back toward the ocean, letting the sea air blow her long hair away from her face. She looked so sad; like she was trying to figure out a very difficult puzzle. "But I have to leave…"

"Why?" In spite of myself, I was curious about her. Right here, she didn't seem like a killer.

"Because if I stay I'll only hurt the ones I love." She said, her face contracting in pain again.

There were times when being human was appropriate; this wasn't one of them. "You don't want to kill them?" I asked, hating myself for asking.

She looked back at me, surprised. Then she just shook her head and turned back to the ocean. "Yes. I suppose I don't."

We sat in silence for a bit, contemplating each other's problems.

"I have to go." She said, standing. I got up with her, not sure what to say. Then she turned back to me, her expression sincere. "Thank you."

She held out her hand for a handshake. I smiled, a bit nervous at touching a vampire, but took it. It was cold and hard, perfectly smooth like marble, but gentle.

She turned back to the cliff and took a step forward, putting her on the very edge, then turned back to me. "What is your name?"

I smiled and said "Jacob Black." Her eyes flashed with recognition and surprise, but she covered it quickly.

"Thank you, Jacob Black." And with that she jumped, diving face forward towards the water. Then, with a splash, she was gone.

I stood there for a moment, memorizing this. I knew that I would never forget it as long as I lived.

To the east, Paul howled. I immediately changed and ran towards him. He was only instructed to howl if he needed back up. There were bloodsuckers on our land.

BPOV

I couldn't move. I couldn't force myself to take those last two steps away from Edward. Every atom of my existence longed to straiten and hurl myself back towards the Cullens. I knew they would understand; that they would protect me. That was the whole problem, though. I was dangerous to be near.

Another sob escaped my throat. I had to leave.

"Are you all right?" Someone said from about five feet to my right. I froze. No human could have snuck up on me, but the voice was too rough to be vampire. It sounded like a human.

I looked up slowly, careful not to move too fast and scare whoever it was.

I looked up into a brown face of a Quileute. He was young, perhaps fifteen or sixteen, with cropped black hair. His eyes were a dark brown, and they were looking at me with a mixture of concern and nervousness.

I took a deep breath, ready to send him away, but then I smelled him.

My nose wrinkled automatically at the burning scent. It wasn't the regular burn, though. It hurt my nose, not my throat. I looked up at him curiously, but I didn't stand, not wanting to frighten him. He smelled horrible; not human then. Whatever he was, I didn't really care. I looked back towards the cliff near my feet.

"You're not thinking about jumping, eh?" He asked, smiling and sitting down a few feet away.

I smiled a little bit at his joking tone, it was oddly helpful. I turned to face him again. "Yes, actually." I tried to joke back, but it didn't really work.

He frowned, concerned. "That's not such a good idea." He said looking over the edge beside us and grimacing at the freezing water.

"Yeah. I know." I answered, looking back toward the horizon. "But I have to leave…" I trailed off. I did have to leave.

"Why?" He seemed genuinely curious.

"Because if I stay I'll only hurt the ones I love." I said, unable to control my face. Talking to him was so easy; like breathing.

"You don't want to kill them?" The question was so surprising, and so close, that I looked back at him, shocked. He kept his eyes on me warily; too warily. He knew what I was, I was sure, but he was still here. He was brave.

I just shook my head and turned back to the ocean, deciding to stay honest. "Yes. I suppose I don't." He probably thought it was because of my thirst that I was leaving, but I didn't care to add anything else.

We sat in silence for a bit, thinking. After a minute, I gathered my courage and stood. "I have to go."

He stood with me, but I could barely hear it. I turned back to him, and, knowing I couldn't smile, said as solemnly as I could, "Thank you." His presence had somehow helped to rally my defenses and my sense of right and wrong. I could leave; to protect Edward.

I held out my hand for a handshake, unsure how to thank him for what must seem like nothing. He smiled, looking a bit nervous, but took it. His hand was unnaturally warm, like an open flame to my frozen skin.

I turned back to the cliff and took a step forward, putting the tips of my toes on the very edge. Something about him was so familiar; like I knew him from somewhere. I turned back to him. "What is your name?"

He smiled and said "Jacob Black."

My eyes widened a bit in surprise. Jake. Billy Black's son. Charlie was Billy's best friend, making us practically family. No wonder he looked so familiar. Memories flashed before my eyes, making me want to reach out and give him a hug.

"Thank you, Jacob Black." I meant it. I hadn't realized just how much I wanted to talk to someone from my past; it was a strange relief.

I jumped before I lost my new courage, diving face first towards the water.

I slid into the water, barely making a splash, and sunk about fifteen feet down. I immediately exhaled all my air and used my newborn strength to propel me forward faster than any Olympic swimmer. I stayed about fifteen feet down, watching as I passed all kinds of life forms. There were fish, but they all swam away before I could get a good look at them, sensing a predator.

After about an hour, I resurfaced to look at where I was.

By my reckoning, I had traveled a little bit faster than the average speed boat, taking me into Alaska.

EPOV

We stood there, staring at the ground, until we heard a howl close by. A werewolf had found Bella's trail.

Then nothing mattered anymore. Not the treaty, or the fact that I could die before I got to see her face again, not even that she might already be dead. I shot over the line.

Carlisle and Emmett followed close behind, not saying anything. Jasper joined us after a minute, unhappy, but willing. Esmé, Rose, and Alice had decided to try to go around.

Within seconds we found the werewolf. He was fairly young, and obviously not very good at controlling himself.

Sweet! We got a new one! He thought.

Then four other consciousnesses joined the first. One was obviously the Alpha male; he ordered Paul to stay put. Another was apparently overjoyed to have something to do. The last was thinking about something else.

I gasped and caught the attention of Paul, who snapped around to face us, immediately yelling for help mentally. Emmett stepped forward, ready to kill him, but I put my arm against his chest, instead calling out to Paul.

"Wait! We're the Cullens; we're looking for one of our own. She's just joined us, so she doesn't know about the treaty. She had no knowledge of what she was doing. We're here to bring her back." Better not let on that I could here their thoughts.

Paul! I'll be there in a minute. Stay calm and be very careful. Embry – I need you to change so we can talk to them. Don't attack until I give the order. Sam, I assumed.

We waited patiently for Sam to arrive, then for Embry to come. The last one to arrive was the one I most wanted to see.

He was a russet-brown color, very big, and worried. Instead of waiting for Embry to shift back, he did. Sam growled, but he stepped forward, saying, "I'm Jacob Black. I know who you're looking for; she's already gone." There were snarls of surprise from everyone except me.

I was watching Bella on the cliff through Jacob's eyes.

She had been the first vampire he had ever talked to instead of killing. He was surprised any of us could be gentle.

Without bothering to explain, I said, "Let me follow her. Please."

"Wait." Said Jacob, something else popping into his mind. Bella had recognized him. "She knew me; or at least my name. I'm wondering how."

Everyone looked at me for an explanation. I sighed. "Her father lives in town. You might have known her before she was changed, but I doubt it. Her name was Bella Swan."

There were growls of recognition from everyone. Even Carlisle. "Charlie Swan's daughter?!" Said Carlisle, shocked. Then everything clicked into place; Bella had been reported missing two and a half months ago.

Jacob recognized the name as well; his father's best friend was Charlie. Memories flashed through his mind.

Bella and him were beside the road outside his house. They were no more than six and they were making mud pies.

"Look, Jake!" said Bella, holding up a lump of mud with leaves and sticks stuck it, making it look like it was grimacing. "It's a smiley-face pancake!"

Bella was beside the fishing river, still six, holding up a fish about half her size. She was grimacing and holding it as far as possible from her body, waiting for her dad to take a picture. Charlie was fumbling with the camera and trying to find the on button. Everyone else had found this extremely amusing.

Pain shot through him at the memories, and how she was gone. Dead to him. "Bella?! You did that to Bella?!" He choked out, shocked. "She was just seventeen!"

He buried his face in his hands, remembering the last time he had seen Bella as a human. He had been eight and she had been ten. Then he remembered Charlie's last few visits. He had been so excited about Bella coming, then, when no one could find her, he had stopped coming after two more visits. Billy periodically went to visit, but he was still depressed.

"No." I answered his question. "We didn't. Bella was changed by someone else. And now she is in danger."

"What kind of danger?"

"The kind that requires the attention of some very powerful, very unpleasant characters." I said, grimacing.

"What did she do?" He asked, worried for the safety of the town.

"She was created." I growled. "She did nothing to deserve this. She has never killed a human in her life, and if you think she would willingly harm anyone, you didn't know her as well as you thought." I said, glaring at Jacob.

Then seven more minds came into my range. I hissed, turning and glaring back the way we came, as Aro, Jane, Alec, Felix, Demetri, and two other guards came through the woods.

Aro stopped as he spotted us and the rest of the guard halted in response. Their eyes darted between us and the werewolves. "Good afternoon, Carlisle." He said, deciding it best to greet the only person he knew.

"Good morning, Aro." Said Carlisle, stepping forward.

"It seems we've stumbled into a little meeting." Said Aro, he was trying to find a way around us to get to Bella. He was interested. "We'll just leave, then." He started to turn, hoping to get around them farther north.

"Don't bother, Aro." I spoke up, making him stop. He turned, an eyebrow raised. Interesting… "Oh, yes. You don't know me yet." I said, faking a smile. "I'm Edward, Carlisle's son."

Aro gave me a curious look. Carlisle made a companion instead, I see…

"Oh, yes." I answered the question in his head. "Carlisle made me. I can also tell you that going around will never work; Bella's already gone."

Aro took a step forward, now interested. "You seem to be.." he waited for me to finish.

"Well informed." I said, scowling at him. He raised his eyebrows. "I can read minds." I explained.

He grinned wide, instantly friendly. I rolled my eyes. I was so absorbed in Aro's mind, I didn't notice Alice until she was beside me. She appeared beside my elbow and pinched me, bring me back to the present.

It was snowing; Bella was standing in the middle of a small clearing, her face turned to the sky and letting the snow land on her face and outstretched hands. A small smile was on her angelic face for a minute. Her hands closed around the snowflakes and she looked down at them.

Without visual warning, she doubled over, gasping, and clutched her head, her beautiful face twisting in pain.

I gasped and looked at Alice, horror struck. She pointed north. I ran, not heeding any of my family's shouts, flying through the trees. I only barely noticed that Demetri and Jane were following.