I was dreaming again. I had to be dreaming, because I was on fire, or I was in fire. The air was thick, blazing hot and dancing with embers. The ground was burning coals. My throat burned when I inhaled, and the sound of the flames roared in my ears. I was in a furnace, panic rose in my chest as I realised I was going to burn alive. There was a figure in the distance, through the smoke. I moved to stumble towards it, pleading with it to save me, when arms wrapped around me, holding me back. I screamed, plumes of smoke bellowing from my lungs as I exhaled. Struggling against the arms, I begged for my life, but nothing came from my mouth but smoke and the crackle of flames. The arms around me held tighter, they burned, I could feel my skin peeling off beneath them, the flesh searing. I thrashed about, weeping, when a voice whispered in my ear. "Its ok baby, I'm here."

Breathing a sigh of relief, a puff of ashes coursing from my throat, my fear melted away. It was Jacob's heat. I was being purged by fire, I was going to be new, whole again.

My eyes flew open as I started awake, wrenching my arms out from Jake's vice-like grip, I stared at my skin. Almost as pale as normal, although a bit pink where Jake's arm had been resting on it, my skin was fine, intact, no searing. I sighed, nestling back into Jake's arms. What a freaky dream. Like Shadrach and the others in the bible story. Was it blasphemous to have bible dreams? Was it a sin to have Jake as my own personal angel, saving me from the flames? Or was it Jake who was the fire?

I groaned as I shifted beneath his heavy arms. He was snoring in my ear. Sun was blazing through the window onto my face. Suddenly irritated, I pushed his arm off me and slid out from beneath the sheet. It was so hot! Sweat made the fabric cling to my legs, my hair was sticking to my face and neck. I needed a shower, and a glass of water. My entire body ached, my head and injured hand were thumping in unison. Hopefully there was a nice pack of painkillers somewhere.

I left Jake sleeping, lord knows he needed as much rest as he could possibly get at the moment. As soon as I got out of bed, he stretched out across it, his feet still dangling off the end. God, my head was so fuzzy I could barely think, but there he was, frighteningly clear and bright against a hazy backdrop. Long and lean, his skin almost glowing. So beautiful I wanted to reach out and touch him, make sure he was real.

I mentally shook myself, Let the poor guy sleep, and left the room, shutting the door softly behind me. The light coming through into the living room was even brighter than in Jake's room. I squinted as I plonked down next to Charlie on the sofa. "Morning." I groaned. "Do you know if there's any painkillers around here? My hand's killing me."

"Somewhere around here, you have a whole chemist in a bag. I might appropriate one of them actually, my head is trying to detach itself from my neck." Charlie's eyes were closed, his hand clutched around a glass of water. I laughed as I scanned my eyes around the small room for a prescription bag.

"I don't think so. Not only does the town sheriff get smashed, but then steals his daughters prescription? Bad look, Swan, baaaad look." Spying the bag, half under a discarded Jacket on the floor, I moved over to grab it, my brain thumping as I leaned forward. We sat in silence for a few minutes as I read the labels on the various bottles. "So, I should take one of these," I shook a jar in Charlie's ashen face "then wait twenty minutes, eat something, and take one of these." I shook another jar.

Charlie straightened up as I pried the glass of water from his hand. "Bella. About last night…" I raised my undamaged hand.

"Dad, please. We didn't do anything. We're… taking things slow?" I blushed, dropping my gaze to my lap at the memory of how it felt to be pressed up against Jake the previous night. Charlie just made a strangled kind of groan, useless at father-daughter talks at the best of times, hung-over, he was a mess.

"Just… don't lead him on." He choked out eventually. "I don't mean you should… I mean… don't…" He floundered, suddenly flustered.

Surprising myself, I laughed. "Charlie? I think Jake and I… well… we're going to, like, go out, and stuff…" I fumbled, completely humiliated, but somehow happy. "But it's so soon… you know… He understands, I think, and he was a perfect gentleman last night…" I stopped, unsure of what to say.

Charlie just shook his head. "No grandbabies." He growled, then stood up. "I have to get to the office. You hang out in the rez this morning, ok? If you feel well enough, there'll be a massive clean-up mission this morning." He eyed me, frowning. "But you might want to find a more suitable pair of shorts." I blushed again, pulling the legs of my short shorts further down my thigh. "Keep that hand up, too." Charlie's voice softened, and his hand reached out to tousle my hair.

A lazy hour floated past. I showered, sneaking quietly back into Jake's room to steal another T shirt and a pair of shorts. I looked ridiculous, like a clown, with the massive clothes swamping me, but at least they were clean. I finger brushed my teeth, and made myself some toast. I was dozing in the sunlight, painkillers making my head all light, when there was a knock at the door.

"You know you're supposed to have that arm in a sling, don't you?" Emily bustled in, a plastic bag dangling from her wrist. "Have you eaten?"

I nodded lazily and turned to drop back down on the sofa. "Yeah, made myself some one-handed toast." Closing my eyes, I let my head sink into the cushion. "Jake's asleep." I called as I heard Emily's footsteps move towards the hallway. I felt the sofa shift slightly and heard the rustle of the fabric as she sat on the armrest at my feet.

"C'mon. I have to take you to the doctor, get your dressings changed." I opened my eyes to look at her.

"I hadn't thought of that." I admitted. "How often do I have to get that done?"

She shrugged. "They might be able to tell you that today, it depends on how well it heals." She leaned over to put a hand on my knee. "We're all so sorry that you were put in that position. Quil is beside himself. I hope you can forgive us!" Her large dark eyes were full of regret, pleading with me. I sighed wearily.

"There's nothing to be sorry for, really. I'm just glad he's ok, that he didn't rampage through town or anything!" I thought for a second. "Is he okay?"

Emily laughed, her good eye crinkling at the corner. "Quil is fan-tas-tic. Apart from worrying about you, he's on cloud nine. Being the big bad wolf is totally his thing." Her mouth spread in a wide, lop-sided grin. She held the plastic bag out to me. "These should fit you well enough. We can swing past your place if you want, but we need to go if we're going to keep your doctors appointment."

We passed Newton's on the way to the hospital. I groaned as I caught a glimpse of Mike through the big glass doors. "Can we stop here on the way back?" I asked, realizing that I probably wouldn't have a job by the end of the day. "I should probably tell them that I can't come into work." I shifted my hand in the sling that Emily had made me wear. She 'tutted' in sympathy, eyeballing my swaddled arm.

"At least Jake will be happy you aren't spending so much time around Mike." She smiled, moving her eyes back to the road. She laughed as I snarled in a combination of frustration and disgust. "He calls Mike The Marshmallow." I laughed at that. Poor Mike, it wasn't his fault that he got the stomach flu.

"I don't understand why Jake would ever get worked up about him anyway. He knows that I have no interest in Mike whatsoever." I sighed, frustrated that Mike of all people seemed to effect jealous reactions from the men in my life.

Emily's chuckle was soft, understanding. "Men are territorial at the best of times. I remember when Sam and I first got together, if a man looked at me, he would either be proud, almost smug, or he would fly into a jealous rage. That 'mine' thing that men do is even worse with them, with all that wolfy instinct." She slumped in her seat, her fingers fleeting up to the ruined side of her face. "Now though, Sam's just riddled with guilt, when the only looks I get are of horror, or pity." I stared at her, the meaning of her words not sinking straight away.

I stammered. "Aren't – aren't you afraid of him? After – well, you know…" I could feel the blush rising to my cheeks, I hoped Emily wouldn't be offended by my personal, and tactless question.

I needn't have been worried, Emily's smile seemed to radiate peace and contentment. "Has Jake told you about imprinting yet?" I shook my head. "It's like, a calling. The first time Sam saw me, after he turned, something happened to him. He describes it like having all of the ties in his life cut, and attached to me. I just knew that it was love at first sight." She turned into the hospital parking lot. "Yell out if you see a space – We hadn't seen each other in a few years, and he had been dating my cousin, Leah, for a couple of years too." Her smile faltered at that admission. "But it was inevitable, we are meant to be together. It's a wonderful feeling, knowing that there is no one better for you in the entire world, complete security, that he will never be unfaithful to me, that he will always have my best interests at heart... A mangled face is a small price to pay for true love and happiness."

My drug addled brain took a second to catch up. "So it's a wolf thing?" Emily replied in the affirmative as she pulled into a parking spot, pulling the key from the ignition as she turned to face me. "And Leah? Is that, Leah Clearwater?"

She dropped her gaze from my face. "She hates me now. We were like sisters when we were little, and then I stole the love of her life. I wish I could explain everything to her, but I can't. It kills me." She grimaced, fervent pain shining in her eyes. "I keep wishing one of the boys will imprint on her, so that she can be told everything, so that she can be happy again." She opened her door and slid out of her seat, she was leaning on the roof of the car by the time I was out. "I shouldn't hope like that, imprinting is supposed to be very rare." She smiled at me, composed again. "You ready?"