Well…..I guess for starters….I'm not dead! Oh god, it's been nearly two whole months since I've last seen you guys and I'm REALLY sorry, like….VERY sorry. I told you guys that school was going to be big, and well….it's BIG. I won't go into all the specifics here because I don't want to up the word count on the intro, so just head over to my profile and you'll find some sort of explanation there.

Anyway, moving on, I suggest you go back and read the last couple of chapters just to refresh your memory on what's going on and what's happened to lead up to this point. You don't have to, but it'll probably help.

Last thing is a thank you to the amazing thirteen reviews for the last chapter and all the alerts and favorites added to the story. Hopefully people still care about this story so I can hear from all my old favorites and a number of new people.

Anyway, thanks for being extremely patient. I'll see you all at the bottom and enjoy the read.

Jacob POV

As I swiftly made my way through the surrounding forest I couldn't help but notice the familiar path Quil's scent was leading me down. My heart skipped as a beat as I made a turn and confirmed that Quil had to be heading towards Jack's place. "Calm down," Jared's voice rang out, "Quil wouldn't try anything."

"That's because Jack wouldn't let him," Paul said.

"Shut up," I said as I hurried along my path, growing closer and closer by the second.

"I'm sure there's a logical and good explanation as to why Quil went to see Jack…for like….the hundredth time," Seth said.

"Well whatever his explanation is, it better be good for taking off," Sam said.

"Then why does Jacob get to take off and leave batting practice?"said Paul, nicknaming our training like it was some sort of recreational activity.

"Because this is his imprint, I mean half-print to deal with," Sam growled, "Not Quil's, so if he'd like to get his ass back here, that would be appreciated."

"I'll pass on the message," I said as I made one last turn and phased back into my human form, quickly throwing on my shorts and a pair of shoes.

I took off at a light jog as the forest thinned and the ground became more level with each tree I passed by. I was about to make my way up the small hill behind Jack's home when I rammed into something that caused me to topple backwards. "Fuck," I groaned as I rubbed my head and opened my eyes.

I was less than pleasantly surprised as I found that the cause of my headache was none other than Quil. "Watch where you're going," Quil mumbled as he rubbed his head as well.

"Me?" I asked, "You're not even supposed to be here!"

"And you are?" he asked, his retort quick and sharp.

"When it's to find out what you're up to, yeah, I'm supposed to be here." I snapped back.

Quil let out a sigh as he stood up and offered his hand out to help me up. I was slightly surprised by the gesture but took his hand anyway and stood up next to him. "Do you really want to know why I came here?" Quil asked.

"Duh," I said, still slightly annoyed by the possibility of him doing something with Jack.

Quil paused for a second to look back up at Jack's house before turning back to me and beginning his small story, "When you left earlier and then Bella followed you I had a feeling you two were going to be talking about more than just some stupid thing like music or the movies…..so I acted on that feeling and decided to come see Jack."

Quil paused and took a few steps away from the base of the hill and I narrowed my eyes as I waited for him to continue. "I get that things are pretty much…..are over between Jack and me….and I thought it was time that I admitted that to not only him, but myself."

"But why?" I asked, trying not to sound snide, "I thought that bit was pretty much crystal clear."

"Well…..I guess…..I guess it just needed to be said between the two of us," Quil said, "And we couldn't just leave it at that….I wanted to let him know that just because we're no longer linked romantically that doesn't mean we're not still linked. We have a special bond that no one will be able to take away….we needed our bit of closure if we wanted to move on."

"Move on…." I mumbled lowly to myself.

"I don't know what the future will hold for Claire and me, but I do know what it holds for you and Jack…" Quil said suddenly, causing me to look up.

"What?" I asked.

"I don't know how long it'll take, I mean it could be a week….a month, maybe a year even, but I know you two are meant to be," Quil said, "I don't know how long it'll take to work past the half-print, but the two of you will see and find what you're looking for in each other, and only each other."

"Quil…." I managed to get out.

"I need to go," Quil said as he took off for the deeper part of the forest, "Sam is going to kill me! I'll tell him you'll be back later."

"Thanks…" I called, unsure of how to act towards Quil. I mean….were we suddenly on good terms again or something? No….that was too fast and way too easy….but I'd say we were definitely getting there.

I realized that I was now alone and that I had two options; go back to the pack and work some more on preparing for the newborn army, or take the opportunity that Quil gave me to go and see Jack. My heart won out over my head and I decided to climb to the summit of the hill to see Jack, I mean, I was already here anyway, might as well try and spend some time with him.

When I reached the top I was on edge as I heard the sound of shattering of glass and a door slam. I raced around to the front of the house to find Jack walking down the front steps, running a hand through his short, kept hair. "Hey!" I called out, jogging over to him.

Jack's head turned to face me and my heart warmed slightly just from the small smile he gave me. "Hey," he replied.

"You alright?" I asked, "I heard something break."

"Oh…that was just David," Jack said, "It's always David."

All I could do was frown, not knowing exactly how to respond to him. "So what brings you here Jacob?" Jack asked, "Quil was here as well, but he left just a few minutes ago."

"Yeah…we sort of bumped into each other," I responded, "But anyway, I guess I just came to see you, but it looks like you're heading out."

I couldn't help but grin internally as Jack blushed a bit and swayed a bit from side to side. "Well, I was just going to head down to first beach," he said, "You know, just for a walk to clear my head and stuff, you can join me if you want."

"I'd like that," I said as we started walking, "But can we stop at my place on the way? I kind of want to put some clothes on."

"Right," Jack said as we veered slightly to the right and continued to walk.

I had my hands in my jacket pockets as our shoes made a slight squishing sound while we walked along the damp shore of the beach, the cool wind whipping us with its soft touch every now and again as the crashing waves rolled in from the Pacific. Jack and I had been out here walking the length of the coast for a good hour now and I'm sure Sam was freaking out by now. I'm sure there was going to be hell to pay when I went back, but this time with Jack was worth it.

My whole world lit up as Jack laughed at something I said and I realized I was more like an overgrown dog than I originally thought; living off of any sort of attention he gave me, and looking for any way possible to earn some sort of praise from him, be it in the form of a laugh, smile or other display of affection, I craved it…no…needed it.

I don't think I could describe how much I wanted to reach out and hold his hand as we walked, but I knew that would not only be completely unexpected, but completely unexplainable…well at the moment. I'd reveal to him that he was my half-print, but I wanted to try and win him over without that piece of knowledge first.

As we continued walking we came across a portion of the beach that was breath taking. The sun was shining (one of the seldom occasions it did) and reflecting off the water and shore creating a glossy and shiny picture before us, one that reminded me of Jack's smile. God I was a sap.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Jack asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"There's not enough places like this in the world," Jack said.

"And you'd know how?" I asked playfully

"Shut up," he said with a laugh before shivering.

"You cold?" I asked, trying to be all nonchalant but my voice cracking and blush kind of ruining the suave attitude I was trying to project, instead my concern and worry shining through.

"A bit," Jack said as I looked him over, taking in his shorts, and thin t-shirt.

Without even asking if he wanted it, I unzipped my jacket and placed it over his shoulders, crossing my arms and waiting for his reaction. "Oh….Jake…that's alright," he said, blushing even more.

"Take it," I said, "I've got my own personal heating system, I'll be fine."

"But….isn't….isn't it a bit weird?" Jack asked.

"Why?" I asked, "All I'm doing is helping a friend, and I want you to be warm, so you can either wear my jacket or I can hug you until you're not cold only more," I finished, deciding to be daring.

Jack gave me a slightly coy grin before sliding the jacket on completely and walking in the opposite direction towards home. I was almost giddy as he hugged the jacket tight around his frame and nearly did a back flip as he seemed to burrow into it. I knew I was pathetic and this entire thing with giving him the jacket was completely corny, but I didn't care, Jack being happy and secure made me happy and secure, and that's all that I wanted, to be happy together.

We talked a lot more on the journey back to the start of our walk and I felt this bond between us strengthening, and when we reached the starting point about another hour later I was disheartened that he'd be going home and leaving me behind…..yep….a little lapdog…..well…an overgrown lapdog.

I was shaken from my thoughts as Jack started climbing the small rock base back to the top only to lose his footing and begin to fall a few feet. I quickly moved into action and before he hit the ground he fell into my arms, safe and secure.

His face was beat red and I'm sure mine was equally close as soon as I realized just how close our faces were. A few inches forward, that's all it'd take for our lips to touch, just a few microspopic, insignificant inches. I was going to go for it…wait…no….I shouldn't, but I should! Shit! What to do?

"Thanks," Jack said as he made to move out of my arms and begin climbing again.

"Careful," was all I could muster as I watched him ascend once more.

I climbed up after him and proceeded to walk him home as the sun set and the air chilled even more so than it already was. When we reached his home he looked less than eager to step inside, but was on his was after wishing me a curt goodnight. I sighed and turned still berating myself for passing up the opportunity to kiss Jack, but told myself I'd have other opportunities, opportunities that would also need for Jack to be a willing participant in the kiss, not taken off guard and forced to kiss me while in a compromising position.

I was nearly halfway home when Sam stepped out from behind a tree, arms crossed and a stern look on his face. "Jacob" he said.

"Sam," I said, knowing I had to explain myself, "I just thought I could spend some time with Jack today…I mean we have like three days until they get here….right?"

"Wrong," Sam said, causing my heart to skip a beat, "Walk with me," he said as he started walking in the direction of my house.

"So what's wrong?" I asked, stepping into stride next to him

"There's been a change in plans," Sam said, "You'd have known about this earlier if not for your disappearing act."

"Sorry," I said, lowering my head slightly, "So how have our plans changed?"

"It's not our plans that have been changed; it's the vampire and her army's." Sam said, "The Cullen that can see the future said that for some reason they aren't coming as soon as expected."

"Well that's good," I said, "Gives us more time to prepare."

"The same thing that leech is probably doing with her army. The more time she takes to get ready and train her forces the bigger threat it creates for us," Sam said as he took a large breath.

"So what does this mean for us?" I asked.

"It means we're going to have to put in some serious hours with the Cullens to prepare for the battle." Sam said, "I know that Jack is incredibly important to you, believe me, I know, but if we want to make sure that he's safe, along with everyone else, we have to make sure to be at the top of our game and leave no room for error, because if one thing goes wrong, it could mean the end for a lot of people, not just the Cullens and Bella."

I bit my lipped as we continued to walk and a silence clung to the ever chilling air. "Right," I managed to get out, my disappointment dripping in my tone.

"I'm sorry Jake," Sam said, patting me on the back as we came to a stop outside my house "But this is how it has to be, there are too many lives at stake."

"I know," I said as I walked up the ramp to the front door, "But that doesn't mean I'm not going to fit Jack into my life somehow," I mumbled to myself before stepping inside.

As I lay on my bed with my arms behind my head I couldn't help but think about Jack. It had been about two weeks since the news of the postponed attack and it had been a grueling and equally tiring time. Personal time was fleeting as we prepared and went over various scenarios for the future, but when I wasn't tied down to pack related business I was trying to fit in time with Jack.

I had only gotten lucky on seldom occasions considering he still had his friends in Lynn, and the other girls, but he'd still make time to spend with me and I was grateful that he had. Our time together usually consisted of watching TV, playing video games, or just walking with each other and I enjoyed each activity thoroughly, but what I enjoyed most had to be our talks.

We'd talk about anything and everything, our topics ranging from interests, school, goals, music, anything really, anything except Jack's home life. It was no secret to me that Jack was miserable at home and I often wished that there was just some way that I could comfort him, but I couldn't unless he was willing to open up about it first, so all I could do during our talks was try to project an opening, inviting and caring atmosphere as countless words were exchanged.

Aside from trying to be a source of comfort I was also an effective source for awkward moments. Well maybe that was a bit much, I mean after the little "falling into my arms" incident, we experienced a similar moment one night when he had come over to my house for the night. He had cooked dinner for us and we had finished and were eating desert on the couch (two separate flavors of ice cream) watching TV when he piped up about how appetizing my particular flavor looked.

"Want some?" I asked him.

"Um, sure," he had said, and before I even thought about what I was doing, I plopped my spoon into his mouth.

I couldn't believe what a dolt I was, but couldn't help but grow equally distracted and excited as I watched him suck slightly on the spoon to take in the frozen treat. He pulled away quickly after and issued me a small thanks as we stared at each other.

It was another one of those "moments" where I was tempted to close the small space between us and go for it, but it didn't just feel right, so I let it go and tried to play it off as I laughed at the cartoon antics in front of us.

I slapped a hand to my forehead as I mentally berated myself for being so stupid a second time and just wished that I could do something right, or at least something that wasn't utterly embarrassing. I was shaken from my thoughts as I heard a loud banging coming from down the hall and what I presumed was the front door.

"I'll get it," I called out, hoping my dad would let me get the door.

I stood from my bed and quickly made my way out of my room and to the front door, opening it only to come face to face (or rather face to shoulders) with a misty eyed looking Jack.

"Jack," I managed to breathe out in surprise.

"Can I come in?" he asked, voice broken, shifting back and forth.

"Of course," I said stepping aside, allowing him in, "Let's go to my room."

"Right," he said stepping back towards the familiar room, before following I made eye contact with my dad who was in the living room. He gave me a nod before I turned to follow Jack.

I entered the room and shut the door behind me and viewed him on the bed, hand over his eyes, trying to get a control on his breathing. "What happened?" I asked as a sat down next to him, and took in his attire, his pajamas, and figured he must have rushed right over.

"David," he said with a scoff, before a small, incredulous laugh, "It's always David."

"What did he do?" I asked, concern and a bit of rage flowing through me

"Just the usual, come home, get completely wasted before breaking a few things and passing out on the couch." Jack began, "I had come out of my room thinking it was safe to retrieve a bottle of water from the kitchen, but when I had closed the fridge he was there with an iron grip on my shoulder slamming me up against the cabinet, drunken fist raised in the air, ready to strike."

I placed a hand on the top of Jack's shirt and lowered it a bit to find the area around Jack's shoulder already starting to bruise. I immediately tensed and started to shake, until Jack placed a calming hand on my arm, "The scary thing though, was that I actually thought he was going to do it...that he was actually going to hit me….that was until he said I wasn't worth it…wasn't even worth a fist."

"Jack," I tried to say, but was cut off as he continued.

"It got me thinking….I mean about my future there," Jack said, "It's never going to stop…..he'll continue to drink and it'll get progressively worse and worse until one day he finally decides that I am worth it….or that he's drunk enough to forget to realize I'm not worth it in his warped reality."

I picked Jack up slightly and enveloped him in a loose hug and rested my head atop his as he burrowed into my chest. "I don't know how much more I can handle," Jack said, "I like to think I'm a strong person…but I just can't handle the constant badgering and fear….fear in the place that's supposed to be my home."

I hugged him close and rubbed his back and relished in his touch as he held onto me tightly. "You are strong," I said, "And just because one person gets to you doesn't mean otherwise…it just means your human…you're letting your heart dictate how you should feel…just like everyone should."

We sat like that for a while before I decided to break the silence, "So who else knows?" I asked.

"Just you," Jack said, "I came here first….I just feel safe with you…a safety that I don't get with anyone else."

My heart swelled at that and I ran my hands up and down his back. "Can I stay here tonight?" he asked, "Please?"

"Of course," I said, "There will always be a place for you in my home."

We held each other for a good ten minutes before we broke apart and looked into each other's eyes. My heart was beating so frantically I was sure Jack could hear it. I looked at his eyes and noted that they held such a warmth and desire and acting on instinct I slowly leaned forward and pressed my lips to his.

I ran my hand through his hair and he moaned softly, opening his mouth and allowing me access. As I explored and traced the insides of his mouth I lowered him against my bed, then flipping our positions so he was lying on top of me. My hands slid slowly down to his hips as he began to return the kiss, igniting an unknown fire in me.

When we broke apart for air no words were exchanged, just understanding glances. I went to the edge of my bed to switch off the light before returning to my spot and pulling Jack flush against me. "You'll be alright," I said, "I'll make sure of it."

"Jacob," Jack uttered before resting against me.

Sooo…..is this too fast for you? Is this a big fat FINALLY! Either way I wanted to do something big to make up for my long absence and make the first chapter back notable.

I know that some of you may not even care about this story anymore, but don't give up on me please!

I've been terrible about replying to reviews lately, but leave me a review and I promise I'll get back to you guys.

I hope to see you guys with another chapter soon, but if you want to know more read the update over at my profile and message me if you have any further questions.

Bye for now loves