The Other Bella Swan

"Wait, we are forgetting something." I said once everyone agreed to the plan.

"What is it?" asked Esme gently.

"What is Jacob going to think?"

I didn't know what to say to him. I was lost at words for the first time, and now is when I needed them most. Surely Jacob would understand? It was the only way. I was sure of it.

The other night Jacob came over for dinner and to change my truck's tires. He was so happy to be with me after so long. I just missed him so much, that when I went to reveal Alice's plan and he smiled at me, my lips were shut together to return the smile. I just couldn't do it now; he was already through enough. So I planned to go over to his house tomorrow.

While he had worked on the truck (mostly Jacob, I really just watched) I joked about his change over just one month.

His hair was now shaggy, the back reaching to the nape of his neck and the rest just over his ears and hid his brilliant eyes. Facial hair grew a thin roughness around his jaw making him look older then even a guy my age. It rather scared me, because he didn't look the same as the Jacob I fell in love with. So I practically demanded him to shave and cut his hair to its shorter length. That was the Jake I knew.

He laughed before agreeing. He was so cheerful, with his bright teeth and spirited expression. He even tried to get me into finishing our last make out session, but no matter how tempted I was, I had felt it wasn't the right time. I was to worried about the upcoming battle. So I lied my best and said it wasn't going to happen unless he gets back to his original appearance.

The next morning was slow for me. I did my usual routine of taking a shower, making Charlie and me breakfast, and doing laundry. I had two weeks till I could take up work at Newton's, so my time was spent mostly thinking of the upcoming conflict between the army vampires and my family and friends. The more I thought about, the more I realized that in the end, it was between Victoria and me. Only one of us was going to walk away that day alive. The other would be killed on the spot. No matter how much faith I had for us, I still felt it was going to be me not walking away.

At three I had just dressed in jeans and a gray sweatshirt when my cell rang against my pocket. I flipped it open to read the caller ID and was surprised to see it read: JESSICA. My confusion now quickly switched to shock. Did she know about Embry? Hurriedly, I put the cell to my ear.

"Hello?" I answered calmly was possible.

"Bella! I need you! Please!" Jess's voice was cracked and high pitched on the other end. I felt my body grow cold.

"What is it? Jess, talk!"

"Embry! He—he—I don't know what he did exactly, but please come here, I really need you!" her words were rushed, but I could just make out the frantic message.

"I'm coming, I'll be at your house in five minutes!" I shouted back so she could hear me over her panting. I went for the door, but Jess's voice stopped me.

"No, Bella, I'm not home! I'm in La Push, at your boyfriend's!"

"What? Why are you there?" I asked as I grabbed my keys from the key rack.

"Just hurry here, please!" her voice broke into a sob of pain and fear so horrible that I ran from the house without locking the door. I jumped swiftly as possible for me into the truck and zoomed my way through the roads.

After the long ride, I came to Jacob's familiar red house, a pile of freshly chopped wood on the side. Parked in the driveway was Jess's Toyota that made me feel empty in my stomach. This was all still weird for me to have Jess involved with a member of the secret werewolf pack.

Hoping out of my truck and through the light rain, I ignored Billy's face in the window and marched to Jake's garage. When I appeared in the open doorway, my eyes widen at the sight before me. "Guys!" I groaned angrily, "What the hell did you do!"

Poor innocent Jess was curled in the back corner with her arms around herself. Her eyes switched from every guy in the room until they landed on mine. I stared at her for only a second before turning the three boys before me.

Jake was closest with a grim expression on his face. His arms were crossed over his body and he was leaning against a half built car that was probably a new project of his. Paul was kneeling near Jess, his one arm down to block her from escaping the corner, and his face tense. Embry, who was the only one not wearing a shirt, sat in a lawn chair a foot away from her, his eyes sadden and a frown embedded on his face.

"What?" asked Paul loudly and confused. "She was going to make a break from it!" I groaned and hurried to Jess, who welcomed me quickly. Her hands grabbed for me, trying to hide her face in my jacket. From just hugging her, she was shiver like a frighten puppy.

"Bella!" she cried and I felt tears on my neck and through my hair. Embry turned his head away, ashamed.

"Shhh, you're ok, it's ok," I assured her in a whisper. She only tugged on me harder to be protected by me from the guys. I gazed up at them, but mostly Jacob.

"What happened?" I demanded. Jacob sighed, as if he was trying to find the right words, however Paul beat him to the line.

"What happen? Your advice, that's what! Embry phased right in front of her! What the hell now, huh?" he spat out the last word viciously and glared at Embry.

"I wanted her to know," was all he whispered. Under his hidden face.

"Oh, she knows! And now she is going to run screaming bloody murder and ruin everything! What the hell, man? Why did you tell her?" Paul sprung up from his spot and his muscles flexed.

"She is his imprint, Paul, she can know!" yelled Jacob back at Paul. He stepped closer with his torso directed at him. "She would find out anyway!"

"Don't say that word…" sobbed Jessica. She was able to sneak her face out from under my hair.

"What, have a problem with it?" questioned Paul with fury in his eyes. "Im—print. There you go! And you know what? GET USE TO IT!"

"Don't, Paul," whispered Embry. I tensed when I saw his body shake slightly.

"Don't? What can she do, huh? She can't run away, cause I would catch her. She can't try to call because I would break the phone in half. She can't fight me, because I can and will if have to, force her to stay!"

"Leave her be! She is just scared!" hollered Embry as he whipped his head up at Paul.

"What about us, Em? Ever think of that? Don't you think we were all scared when we exploded into raging wolves? Hell, I probably peed my pants!"

"I said shut it!" yelled Embry louder as he hurried to his feet.

"Make me, lover boy!" boomed Paul. Both shook violently and lunged at each other. Their bodies were a blur as their skin dissolved to gray.

"NO!" ordered Jacob over their growls. His hands shot forward, shoving each blurred figure apart. His face was hard and demanding, teeth showing like a wild animal. Jess screamed under my shield body, trying to slide her feet and arms behind me and covering her face in the wall.

I didn't know what to do, because I was useless with the guys. So instead, I turned my back to them and spread my arms over Jess.

"Shhh…" I hissed over the noise. "Shhh…" I didn't understand why I was trying to comfort her. I didn't know if two wolves were going to burst in the garage or if they would slice me to pieces. I was just as horrified as Jess.

But the scuffing stopped to be replaced with panting. I sneaked a peek over my shoulder to spy Embry and Paul still in their on skins shakily lightly. Jake's hands were pressed against each one's chest, his own figure between them. From on the floor, they all looked just as dangerous and large as themselves as wolves.

"NOT HERE! GOT IT? PAUL, GET LOST! EMBRY, RELAX!" Jacob's commands rang in my ears and I wondered how he sounded so much like the leader of the pack.

Paul's fists were still clenched, but he ran from the small garage and into the harder pouring rain. Embry breathed deeply before walking quickly to the lawn chair and settling back down.

I released Jess and turned my eyes to dear Jacob. "Jake…she needs me to talk to her. Without the…distractions." He nodded and placed a hand on Embry.

Embry's eyes were clouded as he stood once again. Before following Jake outside, he gazed deeply down at Jessica. She glanced up at him with tears running down her face and her eyes terrified by his. Painfully, Embry left with Jake nodding at me.

"Good luck, Bells," he whispered before disappearing.

I sighed to relax myself and slid a little away from Jess to look at her. She was still shaking, but her body was less tense with only me there.

"What are they, Bella? I don't get it," she muttered with chattering teeth.

"They are…protectors." I said as simply as possible. I was sure being loose would help calm her down. But it really didn't.

"That's crap, Bella," she snapped but also said frightened.

"Jess, what did Embry exactly do? Please tell me," I said sympathetically. She only stared at the open door behind me, probably waiting for a wolf to appear.

"Jess, please. I can't help you unless you tell me," I urged her. Finally, she locked eye contact with me.

"Well, he called me. So I came over. We were hanging out…then he took me on a hike. It was dark and it was far. I asked him where we were going. He said, 'just a little further'. So we came not far from here. And he looked at me…but differently. Like he was fighting something back. I asked what was wrong and he said he wanted to tell me about his strange behavior.

'What is it? Do you not want your mom to know you are dating a older girl?' he shook his head and said that it was completely different. That not even his mom knew about it.

'So, tell me,' I said and then he started to…he took his shorts off, Bella! And I didn't know what to really do! So I turned away and told him to put them back on. But he said,

'I have to show you what I am, what I became some time ago. Don't scream, please,' and then there was a tearing. I didn't know what to do. I kind of…I kind of thought he wanted to have sex and show me his… but then there was this monster! This gray humungous wolf! And I screamed! I tried to run, but then Jake was there and that other guy!… they nearly dragged me here! I don't know…I don't know…"

I gazed at her sadly. She found out the hard way, and worst, was already involved in a fight between the pack members. At least I knew about vampires before. Would I have been like her? But then again, I wasn't Jake's imprint. So would I have never saw Jacob again? It tried not to think of that.

"Jessica, Embry loves you. More then any guy will. He wanted you to know, to understand—"

"Understand? He is a werewolf, Bella! I can't believe it, but it's true! I am just freaking out!"

"Listen to me," I said sternly, "I fell in love with Jacob and he loved me. But this wolf thing, it didn't get between us. I understand that, and it isn't his fault."

"How were you so ok with it? Was that why you were like a zombie the first half of senior year? You found out?"

"No, I was depressed over Edward. I found weeks after I became close friends with Jake. But I guess you should know…Edward wasn't normal either. But he wasn't like the guys on the rez."

"What, is he a vampire?" she joked lightly. But when my face remained stiff her eyes grew. "Holy crap, he is!"

"Yeah, and it didn't work out, but still. Because of vampires, the guys have a job. They are what they are to protect us not harm us. Can't you see? Embry is only here to protect us!"

Jess's head shook sadly. After what seemed like forever, she spoke again, but her voice was cracked. "I can't handle this. This isn't for me. I'm sorry," she stood slowly to her feet and sniffed, "but Embry will have to leave me alone. I can't love him."

I wanted to yell at her, shake her like crazy, and even slap her across the face. She was going to leave poor Embry alone and heartbroken. How could she hurt him like this?

"Ok," was all I could respond. She hurried past me out to the house. I walked quickly after her.

Embry and Jake were standing near my truck, and both snapped their heads up to see us coming. Jess glanced at Embry, but then away quickly. She clumsily jumped into her car and started the engine. Jake came up with me to her window.

"I won't tell. But I can't come here. This isn't for me," she muttered without looking at us. Hurriedly she backed out of the driveway and to the road. Embry sprinted after her, till she zoomed away and left him standing near the road.

"Embry, I tried…" I said to him. I felt horrible. His soul mate was gone and it was my entire fault.

Embry turned to me, but his face was dead. "It wasn't you. I just wasn't for her. It's ok don't worry. I'll be fine." He dashed away from us, his tan body shimmering into gray as he disappeared across the road and into the woods.

"I tried, Jake…" I nearly cried. He wrapped me in a hug and sighed into my hair.

"No, it wasn't your fault. You can't do everything. You aren't god."

"But still, she hates him. And he loves her."

"Life isn't fair," he whispered to me and squeezed my shoulders.

"No, it sucks," I admitted.

"She'll come back, though." He said as rain soaked our clothes.

"What makes you say that?" I questioned him. I gazed up into his dark eyes.

"She is his imprint. He is her other half. That isn't possible to break. Just give it a few weeks."

"I don't know," I replied sadly. "She is tough to change her mind."

"Still, love concurs all." He said as he led me to the house.

"If so, then I hope you won't break up with me or phase into a wolf after I tell you this."

"And why is that?" he asked curiously. I blushed before saying honestly,

"Alice knows where I can hide during the battle."

Sorry it was rather short, but I was completely busy all week! I had a lot of homework and tryouts for the fall drama, but the next chapter will be big and leave you asking questions! Review!

Also, any hints as to what will happen during the battle?