Suggestion: Read it with the ½ width! It makes it more book like.

Chapter 11
Dream or Reality?

The next morning Isabella woke up anxious and frantic. She jumped out of bed and rushed into the living room the second she realized she was awake and not dreaming. All she came upon was Embry and Paul sleeping on the couches. With a quick glimpse around the outside of the house and into the hallway, she noted that Billy wasn't home. It was too late – around eight or nine in the morning, which Billy is usually up before – and if Billy wasn't close to the house, he was gone somewhere; probably with Bella's dad.

Isabella rushed to Jacob's room; he was what she wanted to see. She wanted to be reassured that he was there, alive. To her dismay, he wasn't there. His bed was messed up and lived in, but it was empty. Panic coursed through her veins.

Where was he?

Paul and Embry were still fast asleep when she stormed into the living room. "Paul; Embry, wake up!"

The two grunted at the sudden noise and turned over with their backs facing her. Frantically, she grabbed Embry and Paul's shoulders and pulled them onto the floor.

"What?" Paul all but hissed in annoyance as he rolled over on the floor and stared up at her.

"Where is he? He's not home!"

"Who?"

"Jake, Embry! Where's Jake?!"

"He's out patrolling," Embry mumbled, along with what sounded like 'now let me sleep, woman!'

"Why is he patrolling so early?" The warning signs in Isabella's head began to flash. Patrolling at nine in the morning was never a good sign.

"Last night," Paul stated grumpily. He was sitting up now, leaning his back against the chair and stifling yawns. "After you fell asleep we caught the scent of a few bloodsuckers. They were headed this way but something stopped them, but they were keeping as close as they could."

"Jake is out looking for vampires!"

The internal make-up of her mind was going crazy. Every warning sign she had in herself was flashing. Something told her Jacob could – and probably was – in danger.

"Relax. We have done this before."

"This is different, Paul! I need to see him; I need to make sure he's still alive!"

Isabella took advantage of the sleepiness the two wolves' felt and ran out of the house, letting the door swing shut behind her. Her eyes scanned the open area for any signs of Jacob and – when she couldn't hear him either – her panic was thrown into overdrive.

"Izzie, stop! Don't do anything stupid! Ah, come on Embry; wake up." Paul commanded her to stop as he tried to wake his friend, but Isabella ignored him. Her mind was focused on one thing and one thing only: she needed to confirm Jacob was still living, breathing, and not being mauled by a vampire.

A yawn from behind her stopped her eyes from darting back and forth. "Isabella." Embry had yawned; Paul had spoken. She'd gotten used to the commanding tone Paul often used with her.

"I need to find him and see him. With my own eyes."

"He'll be back soon, Izzie."

How can you be so sure, Embry? "How do you know?"

"He's Jake. He's too stubborn to let anything happen to him."

Embry's attempt at humor fell flat. "He could be hurt!"

Paul and Embry started off on a speech about Jacob being fine and perfectly alive, but Isabella was too distracted to listen or even catch bits; off near the cliff, she heard a sound. It wasn't that haunting song she'd heard from the girl – no, this wasn't her – the sound was short and quiet, almost silent. By chance, she'd caught it and before she, or the guys, knew it she was running toward the cliff with some hope that Jacob would appear there.

"Isabella!"

"Izzie!"

They were too far from her; she was nearly at the bottom of the cliff. Nothing phased her. She was so focused, so intent, on reaching the cliff as fast as she could that she couldn't hear the screams of the guys telling her to stop. She couldn't hear the rushing water as she neared the cliffs. She couldn't even hear her breathing as it came out in short, but sharp breaths.

Out of the corner of her eye, Isabella saw a blur approaching her; it was too quick for her to be able to react. Before she knew it, the shape had knocked her to the ground and knocked the air out of her. As she gasped for the air she had lost she struggled to see through her tears, to make out what had hit her. When finally she could breathe and her eyes cleared, she found herself face to face with a familiar rusty brown wolf.

Happiness and reassurance swept over her, and she latched her arms around the wolf's neck. "Jake" she sighed.

The wolf snarled angrily at her, taking it's head from her grasp and backing off of her.

"Jake?"

Growling, the wolf shot a glance toward the cliff.

"I wasn't going to jump," Isabella defended once she realized what he had been hinting at. "I was looking for you. I wanted – needed – to make sure you were alive!" The sincerity in her face confused Jacob.

With what Isabella took as a sigh, she watched as he headed back into the forest, returning a bit after with nothing but jeans on.

"Why wouldn't I be alive?"

"You were dead, Jake. Dead!" The hysterics she thought she'd gotten over when she saw him with her own eyes returned at the thought of her soul-mate dead. "All of you! All the wolves! And I saw them as they killed you." Tears forced their way out of her eyes and down her cheek. "I needed to know it wasn't real."

Jacob picked her up and held her to his chest, carrying her into the house where Embry and Paul were waiting; the others would join soon. "I'm here now, Izzie. I'm alive."

"It was too real to be a dream, Jake!"

Embry opened the door for them. He stared at his friend in concern as she balled her eyes out in Jacob's chest. "It was just a dream, Izzie," he tried to reassure her.

"I don't… Jake, don't go patrolling anymore."

"Izzie, I can't choose to not patrol."

"There are other wolves, Jake. I'll patrol for you."

"You're not a wolf Izzie." He was getting frustrated.

"I know; but I'm just as strong as you are. Even if I wasn't –"

"I don't care how strong you are," he butted in. "I'm not letting you go out there when there are four vampires around."

Four vampires? There were four vampires; the same amount of vampires she'd seen in her dreams. Could it be that her dream may have been just a dream, but the people in them weren't? Was Lucas a real vampire? Was he really out to get her?

"You can't go patrolling," she screamed. Tears fell down her face like a river.

"He'll be fine," Paul comforted her, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Isabella looked up at Jacob as he stared down at her with concern. "Those vampires want me Jake and I'm going to make sure they don't take you in the process."

Hey there! I finally got this chapter out. I've been having writer's block for this story for the past few days and I must have re-written this chapter two or three times. So it's pretty much this or nothing. I won't say that I love this chapter, but I don't hate it. Tell me what you think; is it too rushed, too short?

Sigh.

Anyway, leave me reviews! I love reading what you guys have to say and the answers to the questions I post. And, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all the reviews!

Questions for this chapter: Is it real or is Isabella imagining everything? What is Izzie going to do to make sure Jake's safe, if she does anything at all?