Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. I do NOT!!!

A/N: First of all, I'd like to say thank you to my anonymous reviewers for the last chapter Sass, and V. Thank you so much. V, your review was wonderful. Also, a special thank you to EVERYONE else who read and reviewed the last chapter. My reviewers are the absolute best. And of course, thanks again to my Beta Christine.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

A week had passed since my catastrophic birthday adventures. If it weren't for the shining moments spent with Jacob, I'd consider putting a moratorium on all future birthday festivities. Things started getting back to normal, except of course with Sam.

Jacob was having a hard time dealing with the loss of his mentor. He was convinced that they could work as two individual packs, together. Jacob did his best in trying to speak with Sam, but he wasn't having any luck. Sam was angry. More to the point, Sam was hurt. He felt as though Jacob had betrayed him. To Jacob's credit, he didn't give up. He called Sam every day and even stopped by his house at various times of day to try to speak with him in person. I hated that Jacob's wolf family was falling apart. I blamed myself for it and decided that it was within my ability to rectify the situation.

I fully embraced my role as "wolf-girl" and contacted Emily and Kim directly. Men could be stubborn and prideful, but if I could get through to their women, I knew I'd have a chance. I drove over to Sam and Emily's one day after work. I was able to explain Jacob's reasons for doing what he did and that he never had any intention of disrespecting Sam. Jacob merely did what he thought was right. A day later when Jacob tried calling Sam again, Sam finally answered. The future immediately looked brighter.

That same evening I was in my room going over college and scholarship applications when I heard a knock on my door.

"Come in."

Jacob walked in dressed in his usual cut-off sweats. I was surprised Charlie hadn't said anything about his lack of clothes, especially since he knew what was going on between us. I turned in my chair, away from my open lap-top and looked at the loving expression on his face. When his eyes locked on mine his mouth spread into a contagious smile. He walked up to me, bent down and kissed me on the lips. I closed my eyes, savoring the smoothness of his lips on mine. The kiss was more of a sweet hello, but it promised a passion that set my heart racing in anticipation.

"Hey Bells," he whispered seductively.

When I opened my eyes, Jacob was sitting on the end of my bed, chuckling at my reaction.

"Wow, it's nice to know I can leave you speechless with just one kiss."

I couldn't help but smile even though his trademark arrogance was slightly annoying. "You're impossible Jake. So, what's up? I thought you were working late tonight."

"I was, but I actually got the rest of the day off. I talked to Sam today."

"Really?" I had yet to tell him about my visit with Emily and Kim. It wasn't as though I was trying to hide it from him. I just wasn't sure how he would handle me interfering in "pack" business.

He eyed me as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. His ability to read me better than anyone I'd ever met was a bit unnerving.

He smiled knowingly at me and said, "Well, whatever you said to Emily must have done the trick."

"How did you know I talked to Emily?"

"You're my girl. I know you better than you think. Besides, it was just a matter of time before you started fighting my battles for me."

"Are you mad? I wasn't trying to step on your toes or anything. I just thought since Sam wouldn't even hear you out, maybe Emily would listen to me, you know, put in a good word for you. I…"

"Bells, honey, I'm not mad at all. I've been fighting for you since the beginning. It's kind of nice having you do the same for me."

He opened his arms to me, inviting me into his warm embrace. I stood up from my chair and walked over to him hugging him close. I stood between his open legs as he rested his head against my heart. We were silent for several minutes, enjoying our closeness. But, my curiosity about Jake's meeting with Sam got the best of me.

"So, what did Sam have to say?"

Jacob sighed as if I had broken a spell. "Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Come here, have a seat."

I sat on his lap, my arms draped around his neck. "Jake, is there something wrong?"

"No, Bells. There's nothing wrong. Sam and I got to talking about my plans with the Cullens. He wasn't happy about it, but I was able to convince him that the advantages we would gain from an alliance outweighed the negatives. He also agreed that we should remain two separate packs until he stops phasing."

"Wait, Sam's going to stop phasing?

"Well, not any time soon, but yeah. He's older than the rest of us. He and Emily want to have kids, and he doesn't want her to grow old by herself. Anyway, when he stops phasing, Jared, Paul, Colin and Brady will all join my pack."

"Oh Jake, that's wonderful. So, Sam's willing to work with the Cullens?"

"Well, yes, but we still need to figure out how these two packs are going to work together seamlessly. And, well, that's why I came to talk to you."

"Why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to like what you're about to say?"

"It's not bad. There's no need to freak out or anything. Sam thinks that we all need to get away together and, I don't know, do some male bonding or whatever. I know it sounds lame, but it's sort of a tribal tradition. And, with the way things have been strained recently, I think it's a good way to get focused again. Mainly, we need to learn how to communicate now that we have two Alphas. Nothing like this has happened before. It's going to take some time and practice to figure things out."

I smiled at him. His words may have said that he thought the whole exercise in male bonding was lame, but his eyes told a different story. He looked genuinely excited to have the opportunity to bridge the divide that had grown between the two packs. It was a chance to get his family back together and I was happy for him.

"Jake that's a great idea. So, when are you leaving?"

"Tonight," he whispered.

"Tonight?!!! Well, that's sudden. How long will you be gone?"

His mouth twisted into a tight grimace when he said, "Two weeks."

Two Weeks? Just the idea of it felt like an eternity. I couldn't help but feel sad.

His hands immediately caressed my face and he kissed me sweetly. "Oh Bells, I don't have to go. It's no big deal, really. Please don't be sad."

"Jake, don't be ridiculous. I was being selfish for a second there, but now I'm done. It's just two weeks. This is important for you and Sam, and both of your packs. I think it's just what you all need and I'm sorry for making you feel guilty about doing your duty, even if only for a moment."

I hugged him to me tightly and he returned the embrace fervently. I would miss this closeness. But, more importantly, I'd miss the feel of his skin, his piney, earthy scent. I was being a bit dramatic though. I still had my leftover abandonment issues from Edward, but I knew I was a lot smarter since then. I trusted Jacob completely. There was no worry that he wouldn't come back to me after those two weeks were up. And, if I didn't have to worry about that, then there was no reason for him not to go.

I pulled back from our embrace, smiling brightly at his beautiful face. "I love you Jake. I'll miss you."

He leaned in and planted a chaste kiss on my lips. "You know, we've never been apart this long since we've been together. Maybe the time away might spice things up a bit."

I arched my eyebrow and glared at him. He fumbled for words trying to correct his mistake.

"I mean…well it's not like we need to spice things…I mean you're incredible…that's to say I love everything we do…I didn't mean that we needed to do anything…How about I just shut up now?"

I couldn't help but smirk when I replied, "Sounds like a plan Jake."

He kissed my hand and gave me a sheepish look. I rolled my eyes at him. "I guess I do kind of agree with you, not about the spice, of course. But, I think time apart will be good for us, both of us. I'll miss you, terribly. But, at least I have your homecoming to look forward to."

He kissed me passionately, knowing full well that he was forgiven.

Jake and the rest of the wolves left that night. According to Jake, they were leaving Brady and Leah behind to protect the reservation. They wouldn't have phones or any other means of communication with the outside world for the entire two weeks. I was assured that if there was an emergency that Brady and Leah could phase to alert them and they'd be home immediately. It was bad enough that I wouldn't see Jake for two weeks, but it was a whole other matter entirely knowing I wouldn't even be able to talk to him. But, the distance was well worth it knowing that he was doing something that could potentially benefit his tribe and subsequently our future.

Luckily, I was kept relatively busy that first week Jacob was away. Between my job at Newton's and my internship in Port Angeles, I hardly had time to think about how much I missed him.

When Charlie wasn't working double shifts, we spent our evenings talking over dinner. He started to talk about Sue Clearwater a lot which made me think that a romance was in bloom between them. I was happy to see that after all these years alone, he was finally thinking about making himself happy.

Before the first week was up, I had made plans to meet up with Leah for dinner in Port Angeles. It was a Friday night and I didn't have to work at Newton's that day. I spent my entire day at the publishing house waiting for six o'clock to come so that I could meet Leah at a Chinese restaurant around the corner from work.

I walked into the restaurant and broke into a wide smile. Leah was wearing tight dark jeans that accentuated her model-like figure. Her shortly-cropped hair was styled in a funky, sleek do which brought out her beautiful cheekbones. She wore a skin-tight v-neck red sweater and high heeled boots that made her look like an Amazon. I looked down at my flats and business attire and laughed at how plain I looked compared to her. I couldn't help but think that Sam was a fool to let her go. Emily was beautiful and sweet, but Leah was stunning and fierce. She reminded me so much of Rosalie. If Rosalie was a golden goddess, then Leah was a moon goddess. Only her pain and anger ever marred her beauty.

I walked up to her table and sat down. "Wow, Leah, you look freaking incredible. I wish you would have told me this was a 'dress up to make men drool' kind of date. I feel grossly inadequate at the moment."

"Oh please Bella, men stare at you all the time. Besides, you have a man. Dress up for him. I figured tonight, fuck it. I don't have a man, no obligations, and damn it I need to feel like a girl for once. I spend most of my days wearing dingy sun dresses to make phasing easier. More often than not I spend hours with leaves and twigs in my hair because the only man in my life is my kid brother who 'doesn't notice those things.' So, I think I'm entitled to look like a girl for once. Why, do you think it's too much?"

"Are you kidding me? Leah, you look gorgeous. There isn't a man in this place who isn't watching you, wishing you'd give them the time of day."

"Good. Now, let's eat. I'm starving."

I was amazed at how much Leah could eat. She ordered almost as much food as Jacob normally did. We got to talking about what she had been up to the past week without the pack. We also joked about the possibility of our parents getting together and us becoming step-sisters.

"Hey Leah, earlier you said you don't have any obligations. What did you mean by that?"

"Hmm, you caught that did you?"

"Well, I was sitting right here when you said it."

"Ooh, and she's funny too!"

"Come on Leah. What's up?"

She bit her lip as if she didn't know how to say what she was thinking. She took a deep breath and blurted out, "I'm leaving Jacob's pack."

She looked into my eyes, bracing herself for my reaction. I was confused. I thought she wanted to get away from Sam. I thought she and Jacob were better friends now.

"Leah, I don't understand. Does that mean you're going back to Sam's?"

"Oh God no! I mean, I'm leaving the pack. I'm going to stop phasing."

My mouth opened in shock.

"Oh, don't freak out on me Bella. I'll stay with it until we deal with the Volturi. My gut tells me we'll be seeing them sooner rather than later. Once that's over, and if I survive, well then it'll be time for me to move on."

I finally found my voice and put my hand on her arm. My touch startled her, but she relaxed and looked at me. "Leah don't talk that way. Of course you're going to survive. You just…"

"Bella, look, I'm being realistic. Anyway, that's not the point. The point is, if I want the life I dreamed about, the career, the husband, the kids; then I'm going to have to stop phasing. Much like the world in general, being a wolf is a lot harder on me then it is for the guys. They can all still have kids and phase. I can't. I want my life back. But, more importantly, I want a new start."

"I don't know what to say, other than you know Jake and I will support you."

"Thanks Bella. Now, let's get out of here before someone calls the schmaltz police! I don't know if they can handle all of this sappiness."

We both erupted into fits of laughter and made our way back out onto the street.

"Hey Leah, before you go, do you want to come with me to the bookstore? I need some new reading material to keep me occupied at night. I've just about re-read everything I own."

"A book, Bella? Are you sure you don't want something more enter-active?" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Don't you mean inter…oh…OH…God Leah you're gross!"

She laughed heartily. "What? Look, unfortunately I've been subjected to replays of your," she paused searching for the right words, "active sex-life."

I blushed crimson. I knew the pack would have seen everything Jake and I had done through the pack mind. But, at least they all had the decency to not bring up what they saw to my face. My embarrassment didn't deter Leah.

"I've got to say Bella, it's pretty hot stuff. Honestly, I didn't think you had it in you."

"Um, thanks?"

"I'm just sayin, I know what it's like to miss out on that kind of lovin. I know that I'd need something other than a book to occupy my time."

I stared at her, wide-eyed and speechless for several moments before saying, "Wow, you really do need a man."

She laughed and replied, "I know, right?"

We started walking towards the bookstore. Since my first, fateful excursion into Port Angeles, a national bookstore chain set up shop in the town center. That was good for many reasons. First, it meant I didn't have to drive to Seattle anymore to get a decent selection. But, most importantly, it meant I didn't have to traipse around the dark streets at night looking for a small shop. My personal safety was an added perk and I took full advantage of that whenever I could.

The bookstore was relatively empty. Leah went to browse through the magazines while I moved to the literature section. I turned the corner around an aisle, tripped, and found myself sprawled in the lap of a complete stranger.

"Oh my God…oh God…I'm so sorry. I'm such a klutz. Are you okay?" I moved quickly trying to get out of the stranger's lap when he laughed.

"Wow, if you wanted to meet me you could have just struck up a conversation. A beautiful girl like you shouldn't fear rejection. I would have talked to you in a heartbeat. Of course, this is nice too."

I sat up quickly, my legs and feet tucked under my butt. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. He smirked at my discomfort.

"I'm Jack by the way. I figure since we're so intimately acquainted we should at least introduce ourselves." He extended his hand towards mine. I reached for it saying, "I'm Bella. Nice to meet you…"

Before I could finish my sentence I felt a strong grip pulling on my waistband and hauling me up to a standing position. Leah pushed me behind her protectively while she grabbed Jack's wrist and pulled. His eyes were filled with a mixture of shock, awe, and a little bit of …lust? He grabbed a hold of his captive wrist in her hand and quickly got to his feet. Leah let go of his arm and lashed out at him.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing? You have no right to touch her."

I tried to tell Leah that it was all a misunderstanding, that it was my fault for falling on him, and that apart from being flirtatious, Jack had done nothing wrong. But, Leah told me to be quiet and set her deadly glare on poor, unsuspecting Jack. Surprisingly, he didn't look intimidated by Leah. Rather, he had a stupid grin on his face and he looked like he was having a great time.

"Wow, that's a strong grip you have there, a…sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Jack, sorry about this. This is my friend Leah." I glared at her before continuing. "She doesn't get out much and sometimes she acts like she was raised by a bunch of wolves. She means well though. Leah," I turned to address her. "This is Jack."

He extended his hand and Leah merely crossed her arms over her chest. Jack looked from Leah back to me and asked, "So, is there a reason for her being so over-protective of you Bella?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but Leah interrupted me. "She's spoken for loser. So stay the hell away."

His eyebrows raised at her tone when he replied, "Well, I'm not surprised. She is a beautiful girl." He winked at me making me blush, again. "What about you Leah? Is your hunky boyfriend going to come over and beat me up now for no reason?"

Leah rolled her eyes silently conveying that his charms were having no effect on her. She grabbed my arm, leading me out towards the exit saying, "Come on Bella. Let's get out of here."

I turned my head over my shoulder to mouth my silent apology as Leah led me away. Jack picked up his belongings and followed quickly after us.

"Wait Leah, maybe you might want to get coffee somewhere?"

Oh boy. Did this guy know that he was playing with fire? I thought he must have had a death wish. Leah turned quickly and got in his face. He didn't even flinch. He merely smiled a beautiful smile.

"Let me get this straight. First, you hit on my friend. Then, once you hear she's not available you hit on me? No thanks. I'm not too keen on being someone's second choice, especially not for a jerk like you."

"Whoa, I think we need to correct a few points there. First of all, the lovely and completely unavailable Bella fell into my lap while I was minding my own business. I wasn't hitting on her. I merely flirted with her because she blushed beautifully when I did. Secondly, you were never, could never be my second choice. I noticed you when you first walked in through the door. I was trying to pluck up enough courage to come over and talk to you. Though, perhaps if I would have started a street brawl with you I might have had more success. And for the record, I haven't even dated you yet, so how could you know I'm a jerk?"

I was mesmerized by the scene playing out before me. Leah was actually speechless. It was as if she had finally met her match. These two were sparring equals. I had a chance to really look at Jack while he argued with her. Leah was at least six feet tall, intimidating on a good day. But that night, dressed the way she was, she looked downright sinister. She was eye level with him, but she was wearing stiletto heels. He definitely wasn't as tall as My Jacob, but he was at least six feet four inches. He had short black hair, hazel eyes and slightly tanned skin. Based on his cheekbones and strong facial features, it was obvious that he had at least some Native American blood. He was rather attractive, but what stood out the most was his "devil may care" attitude. He was faced with the hurricane of anger that was Leah, and he didn't back down.

"Well then, Leah would you like to have some coffee with me?"

She eyed him suspiciously. Then something seemed to change. It was almost like I was witnessing the melting of the ice around her heart.

"Fine, but don't expect me to stay long."

I rolled my eyes at her. Jack's face lit up and he turned to me. "Bella, would you like to join us?"

"Uh, no thank you. I really need to be getting home. It was nice meeting you Jack. Leah, try not to kill him and call me."

She nodded and walked towards the coffee shop on the second floor. He followed behind her confidently, like he had won a great prize. I hoped he knew what he was in for, because it looked like these two could really hit it off, despite themselves. God help

them.

I spent the second week of Jake's absence much like the first. I worked all day and spent most of my evenings catching up with Charlie or curling up with a book. On Thursday, I couldn't help but dread the following day. Friday I had neither my job nor my internship to occupy my time. Just when I was worrying about what to do with myself, my cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

Hey Bella.

I heard Alice's bubbly voice and couldn't help by smile.

"Hi Alice. What's up?"

Well, I see you don't have any plans for tomorrow. How about I take you shopping, you know, help you spend that gift certificate Emmett and Rosalie gave you?

The prospect of shopping with Alice was always daunting. But, I did have money to burn and time to kill. Plus, I really had missed spending one-on-one time with her.

You're going to say yes Bella. My call was just a formality.

"Alright, I'll go."

Great! I'll pick you up tomorrow at noon.

True to her word, Alice pulled up in her yellow Porsche at twelve o'clock exactly. She made quick work of the drive into Seattle and headed directly to the mall. We hit every store and I spent my entire gift certificate. Alice wouldn't let us leave until we splurged on a few items at Victoria's Secret. I was tempted to protest until I thought about my reunion with Jacob on Sunday. I was just two days from having him back. I ended up picking a few things I knew would drive him crazy.

We walked back to the car just as the sun was setting. We piled all of our shopping bags into the tiny car and headed back to Forks. It was nice spending time with Alice like that. It was exhausting, but there was never a dull moment. That's what I had always loved about her.

We flew down the highway talking and singing along to the radio when all of a sudden, Alice got a dazed look on her face and she immediately pulled over to the shoulder. I knew from experience that she was having a vision. And, from the look on her face, I got a terrible sense of foreboding.

"Alice, what is it? What did you see?"

She stared straight ahead, her eyes unfocused.

"No, it's too soon. It can't be. Why didn't I see it?"

"Alice?"

Before she could answer me her cell phone rang.

She spoke quickly into the phone. I could only hear her broken replies as the person on the other end spoke too quickly and quietly for me to hear. "Yes, I know…I just saw it now…No, I don't know why I didn't see it coming…We'll be there soon."

"Alice, please tell me what's going on. You're scaring me."

She peeled out and got back onto the highway. The anxiety was killing me.

She sighed deeply and took her eyes off the road to look at me. "Bella, it's the Volturi."

"Oh god Alice, they're coming?"

"No…"

"Then, I don't understand. Why are you so…"

"Bella, they're here."

My body went rigid and darkness threatened to take me over. Alice grabbed my hand and squeezed it firmly.

"Bella, please focus. That was Edward. He said that Jane and Alec just knocked on the door and said that they were there to monitor your progress. When she was here in June, I told her that a wedding date had been set. I'm sure she's following up on why it hasn't happened yet."

"But, why didn't you…"

"I don't know Bella," she growled in frustration. "I've been monitoring the Volturi non-stop since we got back from Italy. Any decision they've made I've been aware of it. But, I don't know what's going on. As far as I know, Aro hasn't decided to follow up on you just yet. That is…unless they've figured out a way to block my visions. But, that doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that they're already here. Bella, your survival depends on you pretending that you and Edward are still together."

"What?! I can't, no. What about Jacob?"

"Bella, I've seen that Jane and Alec only plan on staying until Sunday. You said yourself that Jacob won't be coming home until Sunday night…"

"I'm not going to keep this from him…"

"I'm not asking you to. But, you can't communicate with him and if you called Billy and so much as mention the Volturi, the wolves would be back so quickly that all hell would break lose. Then, the real power of the Volturi would be unleashed and it would destroy us all. You'll tell Jacob everything, once they're gone. They need to think that you're still with Edward. That's the only reason they've let you live this long as it is. If they found out you two had broken up, they'd kill you instantly, and anyone else who was trying to protect you. We need more time to figure out how to handle this. As long as you can keep up the charade for two days, we'll be in the clear…for now anyway."

We drove in silence for several minutes. Alice suddenly reached for my charm bracelet that always adorned my wrist. "Here, I'll take this." With a quick flick of her wrist she removed the bracelet from my arm and shoved it into her purse. "I'm just paying attention to the details Bella. I'll give it back once their gone." The gravity of the situation was not lost on me.

I was frightened out of my mind. I felt bad that I would have to pretend that I was still in love with Edward knowing full well that he never stopped loving me. I didn't want to hurt anyone, but I knew that this was necessary to save us all. The Cullens and the wolves were not yet prepared to deal with an onslaught by the Volturi. They still needed time to train, plan, and strategize. If I wanted a long and happy life with Jacob, then it was my duty to buy us some time.

Before I knew it, Alice pulled up to their beautiful mansion. She sped to my door and helped me out taking my hand in hers reassuringly. We looked into each other's eyes as if to say, 'game faces on,' and walked in through the front door.

The Cullens were all in the living room standing around a petit and demonic looking Jane, while Alec lounged on the couch as if he couldn't be bothered to be social. Jane had an amused smirk on her face as if to say that she took great pleasure in being able to cause such tension and discomfort. My heart felt like it was literally beating out of my chest and I knew everyone in the room could hear it. Jane and Alec looked me up and down, sinister smiles on their faces.

"Ah, Bella's here. Wonderful. How are you?"

"Err…fine…thank you," I mumbled.

Alice dropped my hand after giving me another reassuring squeeze and moved to embrace Jasper like it was any other day. Before I had a chance to mourn the loss of her strong touch, Edward embraced me, kissing me softly on the lips. I gasped in surprise but kept my eyes closed hoping to make our reunion seem as normal as possible. It was difficult to feel his cold lips on mine when I so longed for another's.

"Love, I've missed you. Did you have a nice time with Alice?"

I was still in shock from Edward's kiss and soon realized that I was failing miserably in keeping up the act. I embraced him back, wrapping my arms around his waist and rested my head on his chest. I managed a warm smile.

"I missed you too Edward."

The resulting silence was deafening. I hoped that the awkwardness of the situation wasn't apparent to Jane and Alec.

"So, Jane," Alice said. "What brings you back to Forks? I must say I'm a little surprised. I mean, I didn't see you coming."

Jane giggled girlishly. Coming from anyone else it might have sounded sweet and endearing. Bur, hearing that innocent, child-like sound coming from a girl with blood-red eyes was downright unsettling.

"Oh Alice, we can't reveal all our secrets now, can we? Besides, you're all rather secretive yourselves. It's only fair."

I heard Edward's growl rumble from deep within his chest. He turned towards Jane, "We told you why Bella hasn't been changed yet. We're not keeping any secrets."

"Oh yes, why was that again? Something about her parents objecting to her marrying so young? I mean, come on, it's not like a wedding is necessary. She's your mate, take her. Besides, her parents are just two insignificant humans. Humans can be dealt with rather effectively, in my experience."

I clung to Edward desperately as I whimpered, "No."

Growls and hisses emanated from the rest of the family. Jane held her hands up in mock surrender laughing hysterically. "I was just kidding. I know how you are all concerned with maintaining the proper reputation around your precious humans. Besides, it doesn't really matter what I think about your reasons for delay. What matters is what Aro thinks."

The gravity of her words sank in and the room fell silent. Alec focused on his finger nails looking bored.

"Well, is someone going to show us to our rooms?"

Esme motioned to Jane and Alec. "Of course, please follow me. We have two guest bedrooms on the second floor equipped with comfy sofas and entertainment units. I'm sure you'll be comfortable there."

Edward whispered in my ear, "Come on Bella, I'll help you get your things out of Alice's car."

There was nothing we could do but try to act as though there was nothing wrong. Carlisle nodded sympathetically in my direction before he followed Esme up the stairs. Jasper sat on the couch with Alice comforting her. Her lack of foresight into Jane and Alec's arrival had visibly upset her. Emmett and Rosalie attempted reassuring smiles for my benefit as they went up to their own room.

Edward guided me out to Alice's Porsche. He gave me a look that said "don't speak, they can hear you." He took my left hand in his and faster than I could blink I saw his mother's diamond ring adorning my finger. Pain was etched all over his face. My heart broke for the pain this charade was causing him. He smiled bitterly at me and reached into his pocket pulling out a piece of paper. He handed it to me hastily. It read:

Please know that you can't speak freely when Jane and Alec are in the house. They're both doing a good job of blocking me from their minds, but I can tell they're suspicious that we're hiding something from them. They'll only be here for two days so we won't have to keep up this act for long.

I finished reading and nodded my understanding. He looked into the distance behind me and growled saying, "This is going to complicate things." I looked at him questioningly, but he simply took the piece of paper back and scribbled something else before handing it back to me.

Jane and Alec are going to pay special attention to this. We can't take the chance of using more notes or trying to signal in any way. Whatever's about to happen please remember to play the role of my loving fiancé. The Volturi are just waiting for a reason to bring us down. Just remember, this is going to be hard. Please be strong and follow my lead.

I finished reading and looked up at him, feeling more confused than I did before. What was he talking about? He reached into the car and grabbed all of our shopping bags and turned towards the house. I was about to follow him when I heard the familiar hum of an engine. Suddenly, Edward's second message made sense.

I turned around and saw Jacob's Rabbit pull up onto the driveway. Oh God, no! My heart lodged itself within my throat. My Jacob was home. I had missed him so much and I never needed him more than I did at that moment. But, it was the worst possible time for him to come home. He was early. He wasn't supposed to come home for two more days. I didn't have a chance to explain to him what was going on, and I knew that Jane and Alec's presence would prevent me from explaining then. With their eyes and ears on the scene, there was no way I could give Jake a secret message to explain. It was the worst possible scenario.

I stood frozen, waiting for the inevitable drama to unfold. Edward dropped the bags and walked up to me, his arm wrapped protectively around my waist. Jacob got out of the car followed closely by Quil and Embry. They looked tense but still wore bright smiles on their faces. Jacob eyed me, seeming to take me all in, and smiled his brilliant smile. He walked towards me and said, "Thank God you're here Bells. I was so worried. I checked with Charlie and he said you were with Alice. Brady did some patrols earlier and picked up the scent of two…"

I couldn't let him finish that sentence. He was about to alert Jane and Alec to the existence of a powerful wolf pack. I had to distract him before he inadvertently blew this whole thing.

"Jake, what are you doing here? You need to go home."

His brow furrowed in confusion. "Bells, I was just telling you. Brady smelled…"

My voice rose in desperation, which I tried to play off as anger. "Jake, you know what? I don't want to hear it. You're not welcome here. You need to leave."

He looked hurt and pain clouded his features. "Is this some kind of joke? Because, it's not funny. Now, I came here for you. I haven't seen you in two weeks. Come on, let's go." He walked up to me and reached for my hand. I wanted nothing more than to feel his warm touch on my skin, but I knew it was impossible. One touch from him and I'd melt into his arms, letting the charade fall apart. Tears formed in my eyes as I thought of what I would need to say to him to get him to leave without exposing himself or his pack to danger.

"Jake, I don't know why you can't get this through your hard head. I worked things out with Edward. I'm with him now. You need to get over me because it's not going to work. Anything that we had was just temporary…it was a huge mistake…it didn't mean anything to me."

His mouth opened in shock. It was as if I was witnessing the exact moment that his heart ripped in two. I brought my left hand up to my face to wipe the tears away from my eyes. Jacob grabbed my hand as his eyes narrowed angrily. I followed his gaze and knew that he was looking at the engagement ring he'd seen me wear in the past.

"What the fuck is going on? I'm gone for two weeks and you're back with the Hundred Year Old Virgin?" Edward growled and even I heard snickers coming from the house. I had to get Jacob to leave but he just kept shouting. "Have you been playing me this whole time, or did you just realize recently that I wasn't worth your time?"

"Jake, you're my friend and I care about you. But, there's really nothing between us. I can't help the fantasies you've created in your mind, but I think you're delusional. I…love Edward, and only Edward. We're getting married after college. It's always been him. I'm sorry if I led you on."

My heart broke into a million pieces as I watched Jacob's beautiful face crumple in pain and disbelief. Only he could heal my pain and there I was inflicting pain onto him. I was in danger of collapsing under the pressure. Edward seemed to notice and strengthened his hold around my waist, kissing me on the top of my head. I closed my eyes because I couldn't bear to see how Jacob would react to our closeness.

Edward spoke calmly, but authoritatively. "Jacob, I think I've been more than patient with your interference in my relationship with Bella. I've put up with you because she cares about you, as a friend. But, that's as far as it goes. Now, if you care about her like you say you do, then you'll leave. She doesn't want you here."

I was a coward. I looked down at my feet, afraid to see the pain I was causing the man I loved. The fact that this ruse was temporary did nothing to change the fact that it was cruel and hurtful. In an instant, Jacob lunged at Edward, only to be held back by Quil and Embry, while Emmett and Jasper suddenly appeared at the bottom of the porch stairs to back up Edward.

Jacob screamed with rage, "What the fuck did you do to her? She would never say…"

Edward released me from his embrace, moving me behind him as he walked towards an enraged Jacob. Edward's voice was calm and calculated. "Look Jacob, we have guests and you're causing a scene. I suggest you let your friends take you home before my family has to escort you off the premises."

Jacob tore away from Quil and Embry. I feared he would phase and attack Edward exposing us all. I screamed in fear, but he pushed past Edward and threw himself at my feet instead. He knelt in front of me, his arms wrapped around my waist, tears spilling from his eyes. I was overwhelmed. This was where he belonged. His head rested against my chest and I feared that my bursting heart would betray me. He held me tight and looked up into my eyes tempting me to tell him everything I was holding back, for him, for us. My tears fell unabated down my face as I saw the spirit slowly crushed from his eyes.

"Bella, look me in the eye and tell me that you don't love me." He grabbed my hands and laced his fingers with mine. "Tell me that you don't melt when I touch you; that your heart doesn't beat for me. Tell me…"

I couldn't let him finish. I was falling apart fast. "Jake," I whimpered. "I…don't. Please let me go, you're scaring me. If you can't just be my friend, then I want you out of my life."

I pulled my fingers free from his hands and left him kneeling, broken on the ground as I walked into Edward's open arms. The pain was unbearable. I finally saw with my own eyes how I must have looked when Edward left me. I couldn't hold back the tears and I sobbed uncontrollably against Edward's chest. Jacob remained frozen in shock. His eyes were dazed and unfocused.

Quil and Embry walked up on either side of Jacob and lifted him up. I looked at them, pleading with my eyes for them to understand that this was all an act and necessary to save us all. Instead of understanding, I was met with fury and hatred. I questioned whether or not Jacob would ever forgive me. Was the damage done that night irrevocable?

There had to be a way to tell him that this was all an act. I knew it was dangerous, but I was desperate. I reached in my pocket for Edward's note. It didn't explain everything, but it would be enough for Jake to understand that I would never stop loving him. I crumpled the note and walked up to Quil, placing it in his hand saying, "Please, take care of him Quil."

He looked at the piece of paper in his hand for a second before throwing it down in disgust. "He doesn't need anything from you."

My hope vanished. Edward quickly retrieved the note and shoved it into his pocket looking at me disapprovingly. I knew I took a chance in exposing us all, but I just couldn't bear the pain I was causing Jacob. Edward sensed my despair and his cold arms embraced me again.

Jacob was guided into the backseat of his car while Quil kept an eye on him. Embry got behind the wheel and quickly peeled out, gravel spitting back onto our shins. I stood immobile, completely lost without my sunshine. I felt as though I had been thrown into perpetual night. Several minutes had passed when a heart-wrenching howl pierced the night. The howl was filled with so much pain and despair that it made my knees buckle. If it weren't for the fact that Edward was holding me up, I would have collapsed onto the ground.

Jane walked outside, her red eyes lit up in amusement. "Well, if this is how exciting Forks can get, I think we just may stay a while longer."

A/N: Ooooh, another cliffy…don't be too angry with me. Please review. I love hearing from each and every one of you.