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Emily and I worked on getting dinner together for the boys. She kept telling me that they would be back in a bit, around the same time that they always were. Emily talked about everything possible; telling me all about what her life was like before and after Sam entered it. She said that imprinting changed her life for the better, for the both of them.

"It's wonderful," she said putting the sandwiches together. "It's so nice to finally have another girl to talk to. I'm usually here alone cooking throughout the day."

There was a long pause before she continued again.

"I can't imagine life without Sam. I'm sure it's the same for you—not wanting to be without Jacob. You'll never have to worry about anything ever again. I remember how miserable it was for Jacob when he first turned. He didn't smile anymore. He would stare off into space, no doubt thinking about you. It was hard to watch him. He always looked so…so sad and angry. Today was the first time in awhile that I've seen him so happy, the Jacob I know."

Emily always knew what to say. She wasn't that much older than me, only nineteen with an upcoming birthday. I found that I really liked her. I knew that we would become good friends over the years to come.

"He's loved you for a long time," Emily mentioned. "I saw the way he looked at you today. Sam's told me that…" she trailed off, twisting her head towards me. "This may be a bit of a shock but they hear each other when they're in their wolf form."

My eyebrows moved up to the space of my forehead. "Oh, wow, that's…interesting?" I couldn't find the right word to use. It was a shock but nothing I couldn't handle.

Emily laughed at my reaction. "Alright, back to what I was saying. They hear each other, in their heads, right? Well, Sam tells me that Jacob really loved you. He said it was like nothing he had ever seen before. Seeing and feeling what Jacob was. The gradual love that was building for you."

I leaned over the counter and rested my cheek onto my palm. "I wish he was here," I sighed.

"I know how you feel."

"So Jake told me that you and Sam are getting married," I recalled. "You're both so young. Why rush?"

Emily shrugged. "Why not? We'll be together for as long as we live already so we decided to go ahead and do it. I don't think it matters whether we get married now or in five years."

"You have a point," I agreed. "When's the wedding?"

"We haven't decided on a date yet. Sam is always out with the boys and we haven't had enough time to sit down and talk about it. And with all the stress with the vampire in town…"

"Maybe sometime in the spring or summer," I suggested. "If I were you I'd go with spring. Supposedly it's the best time to get married, or at least that's what I read in a magazine when my mom was getting remarried. I guess it's because the weather starts to get nice or something. I really don't know."

We both giggled. "Spring," she contemplated. "That's soon." She looked like she was actually thinking about it.

"What about…May?"

Emily closed her eyes. I thought she might be imagining her wedding. "May," she repeated in a sweet tone. "May is a pretty nice month here. Not too much rain, nice weather and clearer skies."

"The sooner the better," I offered.

I wanted Jacob back. The absence of him was weighing down on me. I worried, probably more than I should have. With every passing moment, I worried more. Victoria was on the loose and having Jacob out there waiting to kill her was a frightening thought. Victoria would kill anyone in her path, especially someone that meant so much to me.

Time seemed to drag on forever. It was just Emily and me in the house. We sat down on her couch with mugs of tea and resumed talking about her wedding. She was grateful that she could finally talk about it with someone else and plan it out. We spent hours talking until Jacob walked through the door.

"Jacob!" I set my mug down on the table and ran over to him, throwing my arms around him. He picked me up into a hug.

I felt Jacob smile into my long hair. "I missed you," he whispered in a low and quite voice. He set me back down onto the ground. "What have you two been doing all this time?"

"Talking," I replied vaguely. "What happened?"

"Well I told them and they were cool with it. You know, happy for me." He smiled, causing me to smile back. "We ran into the bloodsucker though. That's why we took so long."

I waited with intense eyes. "And?"

"We chased her up to the Canada border. I don't think she'll be back anytime soon," he explained.

At least she's gone for now, I decided.

"Come on." Jacob took my hand. "Let's get you home."

The drive home was quiet and calming. Jacob was driving my truck back as I clung onto his arm. Both of my hands were wrapped around him, safe and securely. I closed my eyelids and soaked up the warmth that Jacob was giving off.

"I guess having a body temperature of a hundred and eight degrees is a good thing," Jacob said when we pulled into my driveway.

"It's a very good thing. It must be nice to never get cold."

He pressed his cheek onto the top of my head. "It's nice to be able to warm you."

I turned my head towards him, moving my face up to meet his. I extended my neck out and brushed over his lips, into a kiss. Jacob grabbed a hold of my waist and kissed me back. His lips moved passionately against mine. This was all so new to me that I didn't know what to do or if I was doing it right.

The porch light turned on and made up both pull apart. Charlie opened the door and stared out at us. He must have heard the roar of my truck.

Jacob opened the door to my truck and grabbed a hold of my waist, helping me down. "Don't worry," he told me in a low voice so that Charlie wouldn't hear. "We'll be out here tonight."

Jacob and I walked up the concrete steps. "Hello, Chief," he greeted Charlie.

"Hey, Jacob. I was starting to worry," he said, turning to me. He glanced down to the hand that was around my waist. His look was approving but guarded. If he only knew what was going on in his daughter's life.

Jacob sighed. "Okay, I'll see you later."

Before I could say or do anything, Jacob leaned over and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. I couldn't believe that he had just done this with Charlie only a few feet away. I was immediately embarrassed and uncomfortable with the wide eyes full of shock that were staring at me. Jacob took off down the steps and down the street, where I was sure that when he was out of sight he would go into the woods and phase.

Charlie and I stood there as I watched him leave. I twisted to him. The only reasonable thing I could think to say as, "Only a matter of time, right?"

"Well," Charlie started, overly happy with the news. "This is wonderful."

I nodded and skimmed by him to get into the warm house before the wind made me cold again. I still felt warm from Jacob and I wanted to keep it that way. "It is wonderful," I whispered to myself as I climbed the stairs and into the safety of my own bedroom.

I was so tired from the day's events that I changed clothes and got into bed, pulling the covers up and over my body. Getting to sleep was going to be a challenge. Even though I knew that I was safe, it didn't feel that way at all.

Halfway through the night I was still awake. It was late—my clock read two o'clock—and I desperately wanted sleep. My mind was still racing.

My window was open, something that I hadn't noticed before. My curtains blew in the wind, towards me. I flipped on the light to go close the window. I threw the covers back and slowly moved across the room, slightly blinded by the brightness. A low thud made my eyes fly open. I was relieved to see that it was Jacob.

"You scared me," I whispered, afraid that Charlie would wake up if I spoke to loud. "What are you doing?"

"I was right outside and saw your light turn on. I wanted to make sure that you were okay."

"I'm fine; I just didn't remember having my window open. It must have stayed like that since last night. Plus, I couldn't get to sleep." Jacob looked like he needed some much needed rest. "Can you stay with me tonight?"

He looked back out the window. I knew that I would have to convince him. "I don't think they will mind."

After some thought, he agreed. "Okay. Get in bed."

I moved back across the room and huddled underneath the covers. Jacob stayed on top since he would be burning if he got under the sheets. I picked my head up and rested it against Jacob's shoulder, turning into his neck. I kissed him lightly, putting my arm on his chest.

Jacob fell asleep first, within a matter of seconds. I felt guilty that he had to be out all day trying to find Victoria and then during the night he had to be out protecting me. I put the thought out of my head and shut my eyelids.

I was walking through the wood, stumbling and tripping over my own feet. There was an unknown shadow that was following me, making its presence known but not revealing itself. I twisted in all directions to see what way to go, my decision not known.

I was scared and alone. Something was following me, stalking me. They were playing cat and mouse with me, waiting for the exact moment to strike.

Victoria ascended from the sky, dropping down from the trees. Her red eyes were as wild as her hair and face. She stared me down with a wicked smile on her face that was made of pure evil. She raised her finger up to her lip and bit down on it, taunting me. She bared her teeth at me, ready to launch herself.

She got into position and pounced.

I gasped loudly and shot straight up in bed. I had woken up in a cold sweat. Sunlight poured through my window, comforting me. Vampires wouldn't dare show themselves in the sun. Today would be a day without worry.

I shook the nightmare off and quietly got out of bed. Jacob was still asleep and looking peaceful. It seemed like it would be a sin to wake him.

I tiptoed across the room to my closet, snatching out some clean clothes, and heading to the bathroom. I needed a shower to fully shake off the nightmare that I had.

When I stepped out of the shower, I grabbed my towel and slipped it around my body. The clothes that I had picked out were not matching so I figured that I would pick out different ones. I didn't know if Jacob was still asleep so I stepped lightly into my room. Jacob was up and sitting on my bed, facing me. "Hey," he said before glancing down my still wet body. I had nothing but a towel on.

"Hey, you're up." I went over to my closet and rummaged through the shirts and pants that hung on the hangers. I ended up choosing a long sleeve red top and gray pants to go with it. When I twisted back around, Jacob was standing before me. He was very close.

"I don't find it fair," he mumbled.

"What's not fair?" I was getting more nervous by the second with him being so close to my body.

He smirked. "You've seen me naked and yet, I haven't seen you."

I laughed out loud. "Hey, I didn't ask to see you naked, Jake. I guess you'll have to wait…" I teased.

"Do I have to?" he groaned.

I rolled my eyes, turning to the door so I could get changed in the bathroom. "Don't worry; I won't make you wait too long."

Once I was changed, I went downstairs where Jacob was. He was leaning against the wall that was close to the door. He was thoughtful and happy like always. He met my eyes when I hit the ground floor. "What do you want to do today?" he asked.

"I don't care. What do you want to do?"

"Well, we could go pick up Rebecca and Rachel at the airport," he suggested. I was thrilled at the idea.

"That's perfect."

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