I do not own any of the recognizable characters presented in this story. No copyright infringement is intended. All other characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.

25. DISCOVERY

The sound of Jacob's cell phone ringing startled me awake. I heard Jacob's chuckle huskily when my body twitched awake at the sudden noise.

He rubbed my back with his big hand, smiling warmly. "It's just my phone. No need for a heart attack."

"Yeah, yeah. Why don't you just answer it?" I snuggled back into his arms, resting my head on his chest.

Jacob reached over and grabbed his phone off of the nightstand, checking to see who would be calling in the middle of the night. "Rachel? What does she want so late?" He flipped open the phone and answered. "Hello? Well don't you sound eerily chipper for one in the morning. That's right it is only ten over there. Ok, what's the big news?"

I heard Jacob's breath hitch, followed by silence. I lifted my head to look at him and his eyes were fixed on the moon, shining brightly through the window. "What's going on, Jake?"

"Hang on, Rach." He pulled the phone away from his head, turning his head to face me. "I'll tell you later. I'm gonna go talk to her outside so you can fall back asleep. Ok?" Jacob kissed my briefly before getting up, pulling on a pair of shorts and heading out to the porch.

The bed was depressingly empty without Jacob in it with me. I hadn't slept alone since I left Jacob all those months ago. I grabbed his pillow and curled up to it, clutching it to me. His scent was still there, the pillow still warm. I closed my eyes and slowly drifted back to sleep.

I woke with a sudden realization that it was painfully cold. Cold was a sensation I rarely felt since I met Jacob. I lifted my head from the pillows, glancing around the room. Jacob was no where to be found. The bed was still empty, his pillow no longer holding his heat.

I shivered slightly and wrapped my arms around myself, rubbing my arms trying to warm up. I looked over at the clock who's face read '2:58'. Jacob had been gone for almost two hours.

I got out of bed, putting on my robe as I walked over to the door leading to the porch. Stepping outside, I didn't see Jacob out there at all. I walked over to the railing and looked around, my human eyesight fairing poorly in comparison to how well Jacob can see in the dark.

I managed to find him sitting at the end of the dock, staring out onto the water. I walked down the little pathway that lead to the dock. As I got closer, I expected him to turn around. But he didn't.

I walked all the way down the dock to Jacob, sitting down next to him. He continued to stare out at the lake. I reached over and held his hand.

He turned to me, his expression unreadable. "Hey."

"You ok?" I stared into his dark eyes, concerned as to why he was just sitting out here all alone.

A small smile crossed his lips. "Yeah, I guess." He turned back to stare at the water.

"What did Rachel want to talk about.?"

Jacob inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. His eyebrows furrowed in thought. "She uhh… Well she's pregnant."

My eyes widened in shock. "She is?"

"Yep."

"How?"

Jacob chuckled slightly. "Well, when a man and a woman have unprotected sex…"

"Oh ha ha." I rolled my eyes at him.

We were both silent for a while, Jacob's expression remained unreadable. A neutral expression that gave nothing away.

"So… Paul's the father?"

His expression finally changed to one I could understand. But I wished it hadn't. Jacob's face became terribly saddened and angry.

"Oh sorry! I know you're still upset about them being together in the first-"

"No." He interrupted me. "That's not what's eating me."

"Than what is?" I cool air blew between us that made me shiver.

He wrapped and arm around me, pulling me tight against him. "It's… I… can't… I don't…"

I turned my head to look up into his eyes. "What's wrong, Jacob?"

Jacob stared intently into my eyes, a horrid sadness was all I saw. He just shook his head.

"Tell me." I hated seeing him so torn up. I had seen him upset in this way before. Only once when… It hit me then. My jaw dropped, my eyes widened, I just stared at him in shock.

He looked away form me disgusted with himself.

"Jacob… You can talk to me…" I placed my hand on the side of his face.

Jacob inhaled deeply again, swallowed hard, and turned to me with a smile on his face. "You know, it is just because of Paul. It's bad enough that Rachel has to date someone, but did it really have to be someone from the pack?"

I was confused. And I didn't believe him at all. There was an underlying problem. And I thought I knew what it was. But I played along. If he wants to talk to me about it he will. "And it had to be the horndog of the pack too, huh?" I laughed.

"Oh come on, Terry!" Jacob pretended to throw up. "I don't want to be forced to think about that!"

There was only one other time I had seen that particular sadness on Jacob's face. One. It was before we drove back from the hospital in the middle of the night… One month after Jacob graduated… When Emily had her baby…