A/N: Ok you guys, next chapter's finally ready for you! I know it's been a while but...ah, I really have no legitimate excuses. Holidays, kids home from college, whatever. Anyway, I really hope you like this one. It was kind of hard to write and that's another excuse as to why it took so long. Thanks for the great reviews - keep em coming, because they make me wanna write, so the more reviews the quicker the next chapter will go up! And shouts out to my loyal Guests, A Rose's Blush, Valentine, and Tickle My Tweet - since I can't PM you I have to thank you here.

And of course I want to thank my pre-reader, Kissa_621. If you haven't already met her effing awesome Jake in Bet on Me, I highly recommend you do so IMMEDIATELY. Thanks for putting up with me, my friend.

Now, enjoy!

CHAPTER 21

Jacob didn't stir again for some time. He lay on the floor of Charlie's family room, taking up space, his body heat warming the room to a nearly unbearable temperature. I waited anxiously, watching as the laceration on his neck literally knit itself back together. Before an hour had passed, there was nothing left of the cut, not even a scar. The fur was already growing back.

Lee-hana kept an eye on the IV, adjusting it periodically. It went in slowly, and the constant drip drip drip was reassuring to me. I tried to imagine that each drop brought Jacob closer to consciousness, closer to when he could phase back and be my Jake again.

My mind intermittently strayed to the fight outside. I wondered what could possibly be taking so long. There were no more sounds from the woods; they'd stopped shortly after I'd arrived back at the house. I hoped they wouldn't have to eliminate Carlisle. I wanted passionately to see what was happening, but there was no way I'd leave my post, kneeling beside Jacob's hulking figure. I stroked the soft tan fur of his belly, trying to coax him out of his lifelessness with quiet words and ardent looks of adoration.

My legs were beginning to cramp up by the time I heard anything else from outside. Then it was nothing more than human footsteps, several sets, and subdued voices. The pack was no longer phased, and they were no longer angry. Now they sounded low-spirited and bleak.

Sam was the first one through the door, and he was instantly kneeling beside me, concern etched on his features. "How is he?" he asked quietly as the pack gathered in a semi-circle behind us.

"Better, I think," I answered, my voice hushed as well. "The cut is healed so he's not bleeding anymore. Carlisle started the IV and I think it's helping." I paused. "I wish he'd wake up, though."

Sam put a hand on Jacob's neck, right where the gash had been. "Everything's okay, Jacob," he said. "Bloodsucker's gone. The pack took him out."

Even though I'd known it was happening, the news still twisted in my chest. I closed my eyes in a silent prayer for Edward, Alice and Jasper and the ethereal second lives they'd led.

At Sam's words, Jacob suddenly began to stir. His paws twitched as if he were running, then his legs began to jerk. His ears flattened to his head and he whined anxiously.

It upset me to see that Sam's ten words had affected my wolf more than all my whisperings combined. But Jacob's job was to be the Alpha, and his number one priority was the pack and the tribe. I knew it was petty to be hurt by it, but that didn't make the pain any easier to take. Still, when he showed signs of coming back to life, I didn't hold back from leaning my mouth down to his ear and telling him how much I loved and needed him, and for him to please-please-please wake up.

Groggily, his eyes blinked open. The relief that flooded through me was like a warm tidal wave. It left me shaky and spent. Jacob's eyes, the eyes of the wolf, searched the room, flipping past every member of the pack until they finally rested on me. I saw them close as his giant throat worked in a gulp. He whined restlessly.

"Shhh," I whispered, gently stroking his neck. The pack continued to watch silently behind me, and Sam stayed where he was, kneeling by my side. "Everything is okay. You're fine, the pack is safe, Jasper's gone." He looked up at me, his eyes pleading. I smiled. "I'm fine too, Jacob. You stay down until you're awake," I said.

His eyes closed and he grunted a sigh as he visibly relaxed. The pack watched in surprise as Jake obeyed me without question. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw them looking at each other in disbelief. I sat back, taking his enormous paw in my hands as Sam told him what had transpired.

"Bella and Leah figured it out. Your imprint remembered that this leech was affected by moods the same as he could control them, so she somehow got Seth and Leah to phase and piss each other off." He grinned, looking behind him at Leah and Seth. "Come to think of it, that probably wasn't so hard. Anyway, as soon as they started to get mad, the vamp got mad and that made us get mad. It worked in our favor, because we were finally able to rally and start fighting like we meant it. Paul got in a couple of good swipes before we treed the son of a bitch and then the leader showed up."

The pack glanced around at each other nervously. Something was upsetting them. I hoped it wasn't that they'd had to take out Carlisle. I didn't know if I'd be able to hold it together if I knew the benevolent vampire was no more.

"The doc wanted us to let the blond male go, Jake, but we couldn't." Jacob started whimpering plaintively, distressed. "I know, man, I know. We had to go against him. We took the chance that it might start the war. But, Jake, there's a lot fewer of them now, and a lot more of us. I think if it did come down to war, we'd be able to take them. Anyway, I don't think it'll come to that."

Jacob made an obvious effort to relax. He could probably feel the tension in the room. There seemed to be mixed feelings about the outcome of the evening's activities. Jake opened his eyes and looked worriedly at Sam, seemingly questioning him.

"Carlisle is on his way back to the east coast," Sam told him, as if in answer to his query. I sighed in relief that the patriarch of the Cullen family still existed. Jake, too, seemed to soften. It must have been a load off his mind. He really didn't want to be the Alpha that started the vampire war. Sam continued haltingly. "Jacob, he left something for you. He feels really bad that the bloodsuckers in his coven caused us such trouble. He wants to make it up to the pack, and the tribe."

I wondered what Carlisle could possibly give to Jacob that would mean anything to him or assist the pack in any way. Sam reached into the pocket of his grungy shorts and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He held it up for Jake to see. It was a check.

"He wants you to be the first to use it. He'd like to establish a scholarship fund for the reservation. He said he wants you, as the Alpha, to decide how to distribute it. I told him we'd probably discuss it with the elders and the council, but that we were grateful for the gift."

Jacob's chin lifted and his eyes looked more alert than they had since he'd first opened them. As I watched in wonder, he shimmered back to his human form and reached down for the shorts tied to his ankle. I averted my eyes, suddenly shy, as he quickly pulled them on. He sat up so that his back was leaning against the sofa behind him. A tiny pink line marred his neck where the laceration had been. The IV catheter lay on the floor, drooling onto the rug. I clamped it off before it did any real damage. Jake reached out and took the check, staring at it in disbelief.

"This can't be real," he said quietly. "It's got to be fake." Jacob's eyebrows met as he shook his head.

"I don't think so, Jake," Sam said. "After all that, you think the vamp would give us a fake check?"

"But…" He looked up at Sam, his eyes narrowing in confusion. "This is impossible. A half-million dollars?"

I gasped aloud, making half the pack jump. "Sorry," I squeaked.

"Who has that much money in a checking account?" Jake asked, looking up at the pack.

They laughed, the tension suddenly evaporating. "Who has that much money anywhere?" asked Seth with a grin.

"Right!" Jake agreed, still confused and becoming angry. "And seriously? Do we want to take this from him? Does this mean we owe him something?"

I felt a surge of pride for Jacob. Even though there was probably no money in the Black household to send him to college, he didn't want to take money from a sworn enemy with some sort of unknown commitment attached to it. But Sam shook his head.

"It's because he owes us something," Sam said. "I felt the same way you did at first. I wanted to take it and shove it right up his lily-white, bloodsucking… " Sam glanced at me, then continued. "But he literally begged us to take it. He really feels bad about what those fuckers did to Bella and how they caused us all to phase and basically give our entire lives over to protecting the tribe. He figures if the vamps are gone, we won't need to be nearby and some of us can get off the rez and get an education, then come back and help the tribe. I think he wants to call it even. The endowment makes up for the…disturbance his coven caused. I don't think we should make this decision, Jacob. I think this is something that needs to go before the council."

Paul had been shifting from foot to foot the entire time Sam was talking. Now he couldn't hold it in any longer. "You gotta be fucking kidding me!" he exploded. Leah rolled her eyes.

"Paul!" Sam said darkly.

"No, Sam! Shit, take money from those cocksucking leeches? Typical rich guy, thinks that he can hand us a couple of bucks and everything will be okay. I say we follow him and rip his motherfucking head off. Then we find the rest of his perfect little family and off them too!"

"It's not a 'couple of bucks' Paul," Leah said. "It's enough that all of us could probably go to school. And if we can go, then we can help the tribe, and maybe our kids can go and we can turn the rez into a really awesome place instead of the crap heap it is now."

The pack began to argue. Most of them seemed to be on the same side as Leah and Sam, but Paul and Embry were loudly disagreeing. I didn't know which side to take. On one hand it seemed to be nothing but a very generous gift. On the other, it was almost ominous in its feeling of obligation.

Finally, Paul seemed to capitulate. He sighed heavily. "Still don't like it," he mumbled. "But if it has to come from anyone, I guess I'm glad it's that one."

Jake seemed exhausted. "I don't have the energy to argue with you guys. We'll take it up with the council. Call a meeting for tomorrow." He scrubbed his hand over his face with a deep sigh. "What time is it?"

"Just after eleven," Sam answered.

Jacob looked at me. "What about Charlie?" he asked.

"With Sue," I told him.

"Okay." He looked to Sam again. "And you say the doctor is on his way back to the east coast?" he asked.

"That's right," Sam answered.

"Then we're good for now. We can bust up this little party. I'll stay here with Bella since you're back in town, Sam. And just in case any more Cullens show up." He looked around at his pack members. "Keep your phones on," he said shortly, dismissing them.

The pack trooped out the door, their mood a far cry from the celebratory one the night they'd killed Victoria. This time they were much more subdued. I think it was because of the fact that even though Carlisle was definitely a vampire, his humanity was still very obvious. To most of them, he was still a person, and hurting him by eliminating Jasper in light of Carlisle's blatant fondness for the violent leech was difficult for all of them to take. The graciousness with which Carlisle had accepted their verdict didn't make it any easier. I got the impression they would have preferred it if Carlisle had become angry and brutal himself. His quiet acceptance of the decision followed by the overly-generous gift made them all feel worse. Lee-hana, who had been silent throughout the exchange, gave Jake a few words of advice about his recovery, and then she left as well.

When everyone was gone, Jake slowly got to his feet. "I don't like the bloodsucker money, Bells," he said, as if we were continuing a conversation. "I don't want to owe them."

"Jake, you don't know Carlisle. You saw the pack just now. Even Paul was swayed. They should be hooting and hollering like they did after Victoria, but they feel terrible for killing Jasper, only because it hurt Carlisle. Believe me, Carlisle is different."

"All of those fuckin' parasites are unnatural, inhuman creatures," Jake argued.

I set my lips in a hard line. "Not Carlisle," I said, shaking my head. "You don't know him like I do, Jake."

"No. I don't want to, either," he said, as if that ended the conversation. But I wasn't finished.

I told him about Carlisle's youth in London, his distress at finding out what he was after he was turned. I explained that he had never killed a human and had only bitten Edward, Esme, Rosalie and Emmett in order to rescue them from human death. "Have you ever heard of the stregoni benefici?" I asked him, referring to the so-called beneficent wizard, or the vampire Carlisle had been when he was with the Volturi, whom he'd left simply because of their thirst for human blood. "That's Carlisle."

"If I know anything, Bells, I know vampires. Yeah, I've heard of the stregoni benefici. It's a myth."

I laughed out loud, slightly hysterical. "A myth, Jacob? They're all myths! You're a myth!"

This seemed to make him think, and he was quiet for a minute. "I guess I never really had any contact with this Carlisle leech. You really believe he's, like, good?"

"To the bone, Jake. He's one of the kindest people I've ever come across, human, vampire, or werewolf."

Jake nodded, then shrugged. "I guess I'll take your word for it, but I still want to talk about this money with the council before I set up any scholarship fund. Though I have to say, it would be incredible to be able to go to college." A small smile touched his lips at the very idea.

"You're too smart not to go," I told him, wrapping my arms around his waist and resting my head on his chest. "I want that for you so much."

"It would mean that we'd be apart, Bells," he said, stroking my hair.

"No, I'd go to Peninsula in Port Angeles for junior college until you graduate, and then we can go away together," I told him, proud that I'd figured it all out so neatly.

"You'd do that for me?" he asked. "I thought you wanted to go away to school right away."

"I'd be doing it for me, Jake. I can't move away from you now. The link…it'd kill me to be away."

He leaned back, causing me to take my head off his chest and look up at him. Staring directly into my eyes, he smiled and said, "Wow. You really do love me, don't you?"

The corners of my mouth lifted involuntarily as I shook my head, never breaking my gaze. "You don't get it, do you? You're my everything. I imprinted on you the same as you did on me. I love you more than my own life."

He bent down, his lips starting at my cheek and traveling over my face to my mouth. I closed my eyes, smiling, and returned the caress with leisurely passion. "God, baby, I love you so much," he breathed.

"Love you too," I said, my arms winding around his neck and pulling him close. "You're so amazing." I put my mouth to his ear. "I have to tell you, seeing you phase like that is one of the most beautiful, magical…"

"Bella, stop." He shook his head, pulling away. "You know how much I hate the whole wolf thing."

Oh, God! Was he still on that? I sighed theatrically. "Leave it alone, Jacob." I told him in exasperation. "I love the wolf! I love the imprint! If it wasn't for the wolf, we wouldn't be together, don't you see? We wouldn't have this awesome attachment…this freaky bond that won't let us separate. Isn't that unbelievable?" I was wearing a smile that would split my face in two.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked, smiling back.

"How cool this is!" I said.

He chuckled. "I always knew you were insane," he said, bending to kiss me again. I nibbled a line up to his ear again.

"And you interrupted me. I was telling you how incredible it is to see you phase. It's the most magical, phenomenal…sexy thing I've ever seen. Besides that time in the shower, I mean."

He turned a little pink at the mention of the shower, but he pulled back and the look on his face was so seductive, so alluring, I caught my breath and held it. "You think it's sexy?" he asked, his eyes hooded and his voice deep.

"So sexy," I said, drawing his face in so I could kiss him.

One hand left my waist to fist into my hair at the nape of my neck. He pulled my head back roughly, and aggressively covered my lips with his, his tongue insistently delving into my mouth. Suddenly everything was Jacob, everything I heard or felt or breathed or tasted. I sighed softly through my nose as I surrendered completely.

The hand on my hair tugged at it, an exquisite sensation that left me gasping with desire. Wait, we couldn't do this now! Jake had almost died tonight. Lee-hana had said he needed rest.

"Jake," I said against his lips.

He pulled away for one second, long enough to whisper, "Hush," and then went right back to doing what he was doing.

Who was I to complain?

He swept me up, fireman style, and carried me up the stairs as if I weighed no more than a feather. When we got to my room, he deposited me on the bed and lay down on top of me, his weight supported on one arm as his other hand remained fisted in my hair. I remembered when I used to be a kid and boys would pull my hair in school. This felt nothing like that. It was animalistic, rough, and sexy as anything.

I lay beneath him, gasping with pleasure, my heart hammering so hard I knew he could feel it. Slowly, his hand reached down to the hem of my shirt and began to raise it, inch by inch. I sucked my stomach in, hesitant and wary of what he had in mind. But he persisted, his hand reaching further up to my breast, under the elastic of my bra.

I squeezed my eyes shut tight as he touched my nipple, drawing a gasp from between my parted lips. He rolled it softly, slowly, between his fingers. Then he grasped it between thumb and forefinger and pinched…oh…hard and forceful. I felt a rush of wetness saturate my panties and I couldn't contain the moan that escaped from my throat.

"You'll do what I say, won't you?" he said, and it wasn't a question. I nodded, completely overcome. "Damn right you will," he growled, as if it were a given.

I raised my arms over my head as he removed my sweater. His slid it off slowly, savoring the moment. He reached behind me and with one quick movement of his fingers, expertly undid my bra, slipping it off as well. From the waist up, I was naked to his gaze.

He looked at me like he'd never seen me before, pleased and superior as he looked down at me. My nipples stood at attention, waiting patiently for the inspection to be over.

But it wasn't over. He continued to survey my breasts, appraising them arrogantly. "Mmmm," he murmured as he began to unbutton my jeans. His eyes flicked to mine, and he held my stare as he drew the zipper down.

"Slide these off," he said, not looking away. It was an order, and I obeyed without question. I hooked my thumbs into the waistband and pushed them off my hips, revealing my little white cotton panties with the pink bow. I licked my lips, a little apprehensive even though he'd seen me like this before.

"Jake," I began, wanting to tell him that we shouldn't do this when he was still recovering.

"I think I told you to hush," he said shortly. With a deep breath, I did.

I was now under him in only my panties, and he was completely clothed. He slid down and his lips closed over one nipple as his hand went to the other breast. His teeth gripped the small nub, and the exquisite sensation caused me to squeal softly. As his teeth held my nipple captive, his tongue swept over the tip. Holy shit. If he kept this up, there was no way I'd be able to follow his order to hush.

His hot mouth moved away from my breast with a flick of his tongue, leaving the tip wet and erect. He slid a little further down so his chin was directly above my navel. What was he thinking? I looked down at him, my head on the pillow. He grinned. "I'm going down here now," he said, not a question in his tone. He was simply informing me, as the Alpha would do, of his intentions.

His face got closer to my core, but I was completely terrified that he'd put his mouth there. Everything went through my mind: the smell, the taste – everything. I was petrified. My hands covered myself, my thighs pressing together like steel.

"No," he said mildly. He looked into my eyes again, and his gaze held mine as he pried my thighs apart. "Put your hands to your sides."

As if they had a mind of their own, my hands moved away, my fists clenching next to my upper legs. It was an Alpha order, and I was compelled to obey. "Open your thighs, baby," he said. The double timbre coerced my acquiescence. I did exactly as I was told. My legs spread apart, his palms on my inner thighs blazing as he urged me to open them wider.

Tiny puffs of air escaped my lips as I panted in anxiety and submission. I was nervous and flustered as his mouth descended onto my center.

His lips pressed to my most sensitive point, which was still covered by my thin panties. Ohhh. My. God. I'd never felt anything so delicious as this feeling - this feeling of total surrender, this feeling of incomparable pleasure. His lips kissed over my center, the feeling so unbelievably divine that my hips thrust forward involuntarily. But I was still so apprehensive! Almost on their own volition, my hands suddenly flew to my mound, effectively blocking him out.

"No way," he breathed. His hands reached for mine, his fists encircling my wrists and pulling them down to my sides. "'Member? You'll do what I say."

It was not a question, it was a statement. I'd do what he said, no matter what. I nodded.

"I'm taking these off," he said, his fingers whispering under the elastic of my panties. He slid them off quickly, not giving me a moment to think. I was now bare beneath him, while he remained fully clothed.

"And now I'm going to go down there and make you feel better than you've ever felt," he said, his eyes smoldering.

His face dipped lower, and I knew it was pointless to try and stop him – he was the Alpha, and he was going to take what he wanted. My hands remained clutched at my sides and my thighs stayed spread, right where he'd left them. Without panties on, it felt almost swoon-worthy. I could feel his hot breath on my skin, searing heat that did nothing but remind me of my vulnerable position beneath him. His tongue went right to my nerve center and stroked maddeningly slowly, up and down its length. Then it went lower, exploring my depths, until his fingers took over.

His burning hot hand reached for my labia, stroking the swollen lips. Then two fingers slid in easily, the traitorous wetness encouraging him. His fingers worked in and out while his tongue swirled around the edges of the absolute center of my being, studiously avoiding it. I bucked my hips into his mouth, dying for contact.

"Ah ah ah," he said, as if scolding a naughty child. I wanted to scream - his mouth was no longer on me, and now I craved it. But he just continued his gentle reprimand. "Don't move, honey. You just stay still, okay? You got that?" He moved his face up, then delicately rubbed his chin over the place I'd wanted him to touch with his tongue, scraping his whiskers softly over the bundle of nerves. It was all I could do not to gasp in surprise. The feeling was so incredible – it wasn't painful exactly - it felt rough, almost like a punishment...only it felt too good to be that. I knew I wouldn't be able to take it for very long…but I didn't have to, because he lowered his mouth to my folds and licked the delectable agony away.

I moaned in frustration. My face clenched in pleasure, overcome with the forcefulness of his commands and his superior direction of my enjoyment. God! Was it even possible to feel this good? It seemed almost criminal, how amazing it felt. My mind was everywhere at once, from his fingers squeezing my nipples and massaging inside me to his tongue bringing me to heights heretofore unknown.

He moved his mouth away for just a second, whispering, "You ready, baby?" and then dove back in, his teeth catching my clit for only a moment, and then the hot tip of his tongue smoothed over it, and I was done. I was suddenly covered in chills, and I felt like I was falling, my body convulsing in abject bliss, pleasure beyond anything I could ever envision. The warmth and wetness of his mouth had just coaxed the most incredible orgasm of my existence out of me. Okay, maybe I didn't have much to compare it to, but still.

He kept his mouth right there, waiting patiently until I stopped quivering. I lay there, spent – but he wasn't finished. He stood up, licked his lips, and quickly pulled his shirt over his head. I took a moment in my post-orgasmic bliss to enjoy his amazing torso – like something out of Men's Health Magazine. Damn, he looked good.

But my thoughts were stolen a second later when his hands went to the buttons of his fly. He unbuttoned them swiftly, dropping his jeans to the floor without ceremony, watching me the whole time. A rakish grin split his face and he moved sinuously back to the bed, stalking me like I was his prey. I guess in a way, I was.

"You loved it, didn't you?" he asked. I wasn't sure if his edict still applied, so I just nodded dumbly, gulping the saliva that was suddenly pooled in my mouth. "I knew you would. Aren't you glad I made you…" He crawled up the bed until he was next to me, his lips at my ear. "Hush…and hold still?"

His voice was raspy, almost unbearably sexy, and I turned my head so we were facing each other, our mouths nearly touching. I could feel his breath on my lips, and I could smell myself on his breath. It wasn't disgusting, like I expected it to be. It was sensual and alluring. I pressed my lips to his and pushed my tongue into his mouth, tasting myself. It only spurred me on further. "Yes," I gasped around the kiss.

"Fuck, Bells. I love you so much," he breathed into my mouth.

As I continued kissing him, my hand drifting down to his erection which was now pulsing against my thigh. I wanted to make him feel as good as he'd made me feel. He moaned as I grasped the rock hard tool, thrusting into my grip.

I stroked him like I'd seen him stroke himself, thinking as I did of the seductive way he'd worked his hard-on when we were in the shower. I was so wet already that it wouldn't be noticeable, but I felt myself get wetter as I thought about it. I remembered being surprised at how rough he was with himself, so I was a little less gentle than I could have been. He didn't seem to mind, his hips ramming his member into my clenched hand faster and faster.

"Little tighter, honey," he panted. "Hold it a little tighter." Eager to please him, I squeezed him securely, adding my other hand for more force. "Thaaat's it," he sighed.

I continued kissing him and rubbing him, anxious to make him feel good. "Like this?" I asked.

"Fuck yeah," he exhaled. His eyes were closed, his teeth clenched, his brows drawn together tightly. He continued to buck his pelvis into my hands, the speed quickening and his breath catching in his throat.

I couldn't help myself; the words just came out. I whispered, "My God, Jake, you're so fucking hot!" and that was all it took. Suddenly the rod in my hand spat a stream of hot, white liquid across my naked thighs. Holy shit, it was so sexy! I'd been sure that the first time this happened, I'd be completely grossed out. And, okay, it had happened in the shower, but that time it all went right down the drain. Now it was right there, in my bed, cooling on my thighs, dripping onto my sheets. And I thought it was sensual, erotic. I loved it. I smeared it into my skin. It was part of him.

He watched me, fascinated that I wasn't repulsed or offended by it. I shot him a naughty smile as I brought my hand up to my mouth and licked, just once, the finger I'd used to touch his cum. He hadn't been grossed out by me, so why should I be grossed out by him? I wasn't. It came from him, so I wanted to taste it. And I was a little surprised to see that it didn't bother me at all.

"Damn, you're fucking gorgeous, Bells," he said huskily.

I smiled at him. "I love you, Jacob Black," I said.