Chapter 29:

Jacob POV:

Shit! We lost the trail right before the Canadian Border. Jared had stayed on the trail when he sent Seth to get me and Sam. Damnit! The first time the pack comes to me, and I'm not there! We followed it to him, and he filled us in. He never caught sight of the bloodsucker, but the stink was pretty strong. At least it was only one. And it was a scent we had never had here before. That made me feel a little better. I hoped it was a stray newborn or a nomad and not someone looking for Bella.

The three of us nosed around a little more on the way back, making sure we hadn't missed anything. Sam had told the others to stay closer to home looking for any other trails. We were to all meet up at Sam's.

Sam and I "talked" as we traveled about who it could be. We knew they didn't usually travel alone. Except Victoria and Laurent had both made individual trips here. That's what worried me. I decided we should talk to Carlisle about this and see what he knew. Sam agreed.

Sam and I ran back to the hill to pick up my things. Embry and Quil had met up with us right before we got to the hill. The stink hit me as soon as I stopped. Same scent! We split up and looked around. No one was there now. I sniffed around. Sam came up behind me and I could hear him say, "Man, that stink! Did you see anyone?"

"No, but it's the same scent. How on earth could it have doubled back and got here before we did?" We both sniffed around and tried to find the trail. I asked Embry and Quil if they had seen anything.

Embry said he and Quil would take the trail from here and see what they could find. They took off back down the trail.

"I need to get our stuff and the truck is down at the bottom of the hill," I told Sam.

"I'm going to nose around here to see if I can find anything," Sam said then he left.

Damnit! This fucking leech was making us look like idiots! It had us running all over and finding nothing. I phased back then walked into the small clearing to grab my shorts and pull them on. I untied my shoes from the back pack and then put them on. Then I scooped up the blanket and shook it out and folded it. I looked around to make sure I had everything then I threw the back pack on my back, picked up the blanket and ran down the hill, back to the truck. I opened the door and threw the stuff inside, just as Sam came jogging up.

"I told Jared and Paul to stay out and patrol along with Embry and Quil. I have no idea where the hell Leah is," he added angrily. "She's been off the rez a lot lately with that guy . . . Ivan, or whatever the hell his name is."

"Evan," I corrected.

"Like that matters" he grumbled as we jumped into the truck to head back to his house to meet up with the pack.

"Jealous or just pissed?" I asked him.

"Jealous? Why the hell would I be jealous? That was over a long time ago," he insisted.

"Yeah, I know. But we all know you still care about her."

He sighed as he stared out the window. "Yeah, I do. I wish I didn't."

Bella must have heard me pull up. She had come out the door and was running for the truck. I got out and caught her as she ran to me. "Jake! Oh my God, I'm so glad you're alright," she mumbled into my chest.

I pulled back and said with a smile, "Well, thank you for that welcome, but I'm fine, Bella. Jared followed the trail to Canada then lost it. He and Paul and Quil and Embry are still out in case this thing comes back." I didn't tell her about the visit to the hill where we had been. I didn't want to upset her. I slammed the truck door shut and put my arm around her to walk to the house. Sam had already gotten out and was inside.

"Jake! Wait," Bella said as she stopped me with a hand on my chest. "You picked up our things, up on the hill, didn't you?"

"Yeah," I told her. "The blanket and back pack are in the truck."

She looked up at me said, "Did you find the ultrasound picture? Was it on the ground?"

I frowned as I thought, "Did I see it?" Then I shook my head and asked, "Why would it be there? I thought it was hanging on the fridge at home."

She looked at me rather sheepishly and admitted that she had taken to carrying it around with her. "I know it's stupid. I stuck it in my pocket when we were leaving the kitchen, and I had it out looking at it when we were laying on the blanket right before you jumped up. I don't have it now, so I figured I dropped it there. I have to find it. It's the only one we have."

I put my hands on her shoulders. "Bells, calm down. We'll find it. Did you happen to put it in the back pack, maybe?"

"I don't know," she said dejectedly.

"Come on, let's look real quick," I said as I led her back to the truck. I opened the door and took out the pack and handed it to her. She unzipped it and frantically began taking out all of the trash and piling it on the truck seat. She stopped when it was empty and no picture.

"Bells, honey, don't get upset. I'm sure you can call the hospital and get another picture." I wrapped my arms around her and she laid her head against me.

"It's my fault for carrying it around with me." She looked up at me and said, "I'm such an idiot."

I smiled at her and said, "Well, good. Because I remember someone calling me an idiot not so long ago, so I guess we're just meant to be together." I leaned down and kissed her.

She smiled. That's what I was waiting for.

"Come on, we better get inside." I slammed the truck door and we went into the house.

"What took you so long? I mean, seriously, do you guys have to take a kiss break like every 30 seconds or what?" Embry started in as soon as we walked in the door. He and Quil had just gotten there and reported to Sam that the trail went cold.

"Look, Embry, I don't need your shit right now, OK?" I shot over at him. Then instantly, I felt like a jerk. I looked at him and said, "Em, I'm . . . "

He held us his hand, "No worries, dude. You're right. I'll shut up." Then he smiled at me.

I looked around and everyone had stopped talking. Wow, this isn't awkward at all. "OK, did anyone else find a trail? Or anything that would tell us who this is and what the fuck they are doing on our land?" I asked.

Sam told everyone about Jared running the trail to the Canadian border, then losing the scent. He added that we nosed around on the way back and found nothing new. Paul and Jared had gone east of the trail and found nothing. Same with Quil and Embry to the west.

"We followed the trail from the hill. It led to the old trail and followed it to the border, then disappeared again. Man, I really wanted to find something to put my teeth into!" Embry added.

"OK," said Sam. "Looks like our leech is from the north."

I heard Bella's intake of air. I looked over at her and could see she was thinking about something. "Bella?"

She glanced over at me, but kept thinking. I looked up at Sam and said, "Maybe you could talk about dividing up and setting up a new patrol schedule. I think we need to step up and patrol 4 at a time, 24/7 for awhile, don't you?" He nodded. He could see that I needed to talk to Bella.

Just then, Leah walked in. "Nice of you to finally show up," Sam said snidely. "Sit down and try to follow along."

I almost said something as I could see the anger in both of them, but I quickly decided to stay out of it. Instead, I took Bella's elbow and walked her out of the kitchen and out onto the porch. "OK. What's up? What are you thinking?"

"Denali. There is another vampire family in Denali. But they are friends with the Cullens . . . they are also 'vegetarians.' But Laurent spent some time there with them before he came back for . . . "

"You. Yeah, I remember that dude." My first vampire kill. You always remember that first one.

She nodded. "Well, remember when we needed help with the newborns, the Denali clan would not come because of Irina's relationship with Laurent? Maybe she is looking for me?"

I smiled. "Don't they always come here looking for you? You're like a leech magnet, Bells."

"Thanks, Jake. That makes me feel SO much better." She turned and walked to the end of the porch and sat down on the swing. (Yes, Sam had to go out and buy Emily a swing after she sat on ours.)

I walked over and sat down beside her. "I'm sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood a little." I put my arm around her. "Look, Bella, Sam and I already talked about going to see Carlisle and asking him what he thinks. Will you set that up for us? Some neutral spot?"

She nodded. "Yeah, sure. I think that's the right thing to do."

I stood up and held out my hand. She took it and came back inside with me. We walked over to Sam and I told him what I asked Bella to do. He agreed. "How soon do you think you can arrange that, Bella?"

"I have Carlisle's number in my cell phone. I'll call him right now," she told him. She took her phone out of her pocket and walked outside to make the call where it wasn't quite as noisy.

"What was she thinking? Did she tell you?" Sam asked me.

"There's another bunch of leeches that live in Denali, up in Alaska. That's where Edward went after he . . . you know. Anyway, they are like the Cullens, you know, they don't feed on humans. But, Bella remembered that this Laurent, the one we killed that had Bella cornered in the woods alone?" He nodded. "He had spent time there before he came here for Bella," I shared with him.

"Maybe someone left cause it wasn't to their taste?" Sam asked.

"Or someone else is looking for Bella," I answered wearily.

Bella POV:

Carlisle agreed to see us right away. He was as curious as we were about what was going on. He said that he would call Tanya in Denali and ask her a few questions, then get right back to me.

I walked back into the house to report to Jake. "Thanks. Sam is out back – he started a fire so we can cook hot dogs. I'll go and tell him."

Emily was putting food out in the kitchen. All these wolves in one place, they were bound to get hungry sooner or later. I walked over to her and asked what I could do to help. She smiled, and handed me a huge tray with five packages of hot dogs, buns, ketchup and mustard. I took it and headed down the hall to go out the back door. Everyone had made their way out already. Rachel had just gotten here, and she and Paul were making out, as usual. Jake had noticed and was standing with Quil, glaring at them. Seth had Lily on his lap and was playing patty-cake. Embry was on the phone, I guessed talking to a girl by the way he was pouring it on pretty thick and saying, "baby," a lot. I had a feeling this little get together was messing with his dating schedule.

I walked over to Sam and set the tray down on the picnic table. "Emily sent this out. Anything else you need?" I asked him.

"Don't think so, thanks, Bella," he said then he put another log onto the fire.

Just then, my phone vibrated in my pocket. He watched me take it out of my pocket and answer, "Hello?"

"Bella? This is Carlisle. I just talked to Tanya and she said she had no idea who it might be. She hasn't had any travelers come through for quite awhile. I would still like to meet with Sam and Jacob. Could they come to the clearing, tonight at, let's say, 7:00?"

"I'm sure that will be fine. Thanks, Carlisle. We'll see you then." I hung up.

Jake had noticed me on the phone and had come to stand beside me and Sam. I shared with them what Carlisle had told me. "He still would like to meet with you both though to talk about it. He said he would be in the clearing, at 7:00."

They both nodded. "Well, that gives us some time to eat," Sam said to us. "OK everyone, listen up," Sam yelled out. "Jake and I are meeting with Carlisle at 7:00 to ask him what he knows. That gives us some time to eat. So grab a stick and cook a hot dog."

I went back into the kitchen and helped Emily bring out more food: potato chips, potato salad, cookies, and apples. She was always ready for a crowd! We carried it out and set everything on the picnic table, along with paper plates. "Dig in everyone!" she shouted.

I was sitting with Seth and Leah while I ate. I asked Leah how things were going with her new man, Evan. She brought him to the wedding, but I didn't get much of a chance to talk to anyone that day. All I knew was that Embry met him at the beach one day while he was hanging with Quil and Claire. Evan is apparently a photographer and he was trying out some new camera equipment that day. Leah came along to pick up Claire, and Embry introduced them.

She smiled and said, "Things are good. I never thought about going out with someone like Evan, you know? He's so smart and so not like these animals. We talk about . . . books and movies and traveling to other countries. He's so interesting, and not to mention one hell of a good kisser. I just wish I could spend more time with him, you know? It will be harder now that we'll be patrolling 24/7."

"Yeah, I guess. Sorry about that," I said, the anger in me rising. "Once again, because of me, everyone I care about is in danger . . ."

"Bella! Are you fucking serious?" Seth interjected. "It's been too boring around here for too long. Everyone is psyched!" He looked over at Leah, "Well, almost everyone." She gave him a disgusted look, and he went on, "We finally get a chance to do what we were born to do – chase vampires! If anything, Bella, you're doing us a favor," he finished with a grin.

I smiled at Seth. "Is that the truth, or are you just trying to make me feel better?" I asked him.

"Both. C'mon Bella. It's cool, OK?" he said as he shoved half a hot dog in his mouth.

I laughed and tousled his hair. "Thanks, Seth."

Jake came over and plopped down beside me. "Hey," he said. He had a hot dog in his hand and he bit in half then said, "What's up?" he said with his mouth full.

Leah rolled her eyes and said, "Animals! God, I miss Evan." She got up and walked away.

"What? What did I do?" he said then he swallowed and shoved the rest of the hot dog in his mouth. He looked over at Seth who was cracking up.

I shook my head and laughed. "Gee, I wonder. She was talking to me about Evan. She said that she really likes him because he's so smart and he's not an animal like all of you."

"Oh. Well, too bad for her. He sounds boring to me," Jake said with a smile. "You gonna eat that?" he asked as he picked up the last bite of my hot dog.

I shook my head as he popped it into his mouth. He might be an animal, but he was my animal.

Jacob POV:

We walked into the clearing at seven on the dot. Carlisle was there, and so was the big one and the blonde guy who always looked like he was in pain. I had been afraid that Edward might show up, too, but there was no sign of him. Bella reminded me that they did have names: Emmett and Jasper. Yeah, whatever.

Sam, Bella and I walked up and greeted them. The big one, uh, Emmett, actually came over to Bella and lifted her up into a bear hug. "It's good to see you, Bella – you look good!" he told her as he set her back down. I scowled at him.

"Thanks, Emmett! You, too!" she laughed.

"Bella, you look well. How are you feeling?" Carlisle asked as he took Bella's hands.

She smiled and told him that she was doing really well. "I have an appointment with Dr. Bailey on Thursday," she told him.

"Good. I'm very glad to hear that." Then he turned to me. "So, tell me everything, from the beginning." Sam spoke up and told him the whole story from Jared and Seth discovering the scent, to running down the trial to the north, and no one finding anything else in any direction. I added how we picked up the scent again at the picnic site, but found a cold trail. Bella shot a look at me.

"Whoever this is, they are fast. Faster than anyone we've had here. They are making us look like fucking idiots," I finished.

Carlisle was quiet for a moment, thinking. Then he spoke up and said, "Tanya was very quick to say that she had had no travelers through in quite awhile. I asked her about Irina. You may remember that Laurent and Irina were . . . involved. She assured me that Irina had not left Denali, and knowing how she feels about the werewolves, it would be unlikely should would come here. But I also know that Tanya would do anything to protect her sister. I would like to talk to Edward and see what his impression might be. He actually spent time with Irina when he stayed there recently."

My heart sunk. Exactly what I did NOT want to hear. When were these fucking leeches going to leave us alone? And now he wanted to bring Edward back into this! Bella reached over and took my hand and squeezed it.

"Jake? Jake!" Sam elbowed me.

"What? Sorry," I mumbled. "So, you think this may be another chick out for revenge for us killing her boyfriend?"

"That could be a possibility. Although I have known Irina for years, and it would certainly surprise me to think she would kill for Laurent. She has not been that type in the past," Carlisle said.

"Maybe she didn't have a reason in the past," Sam commented.

"Maybe," Carlisle said. "I will speak with Edward then I will call you," he said to Bella.

"Alright, thanks Carlisle," Bella answered. "Oh, Jasper? Will you please tell Alice to call me tomorrow? I need to go shopping for maternity clothes," she said with a small smile.

"Sure, Bella." Jasper smiled. "That will make her day."

"Let's go," I said as I took her arm and turned toward the woods. I had to get out of there. The stink was getting to me.

She turned and waved at Carlisle who had said good-bye.

"Jake! You're being rude," she scolded as we walked back into the woods. "What is your problem?"

I just kept walking, dragging her with me. Sam had phased and taken off for home. He knew better than to stick around with the mood I was in.

Bella shook herself from my grasp and yelled at me, "JACOB!"

I stopped and turned to look at her. "What is my problem? Are you fucking kidding me? We have yet another freak of nature bloodsucker chasing you down to kill you. Oh, I don't know, call me crazy, Bella, but that tends to piss me off! And then there's the fact that we have to rely on your fucking leech ex-boyfriend, who tried to KILL you once, to supply us with information that I am SURE he will want to deliver to YOU personally!" I ran my hands through my hair and turned and took a few steps to try to calm down.

"So that's what this is all about? Edward? Really, Jake? Are you still that threatened by him? Do you think that I am suddenly going to change my mind and run away with him? While I am carrying your baby? Are you that fucking insecure? Or do you still think that he is going to sink his teeth into my neck the first chance he gets? Is that it? God, Jake! How many times do I have to prove to you that YOU are the one I want! I CHOSE YOU! I LOVE YOU, JACOB BLACK! Do you hear me? I love YOU!"

"No, this is not ALL about him. I'm sorry if you don't get why I haven't gotten past the fact that he tried to fucking KILL you. And even though he is playing all 'nicey-nice' now and being such a 'gentleman,' I will NEVER totally trust him. OK? It's HIM I don't trust, NOT you. I trust YOU, Bella. I know that you love me. I know that you CHOSE to be with me because YOU LOVE ME. OK?" I yelled at her.

Bella was quiet, just standing there with her arms wrapped around her like she used to do way back when he left her. I shook my head and sighed as I walked over to her and put my hands on her shoulders. "Bella, I have too much to lose. I have you AND this baby to protect. I'm sorry if that makes me a little crazy."

She gave me a small smile. "I know. I get it." She sighed and laid her forehead against my chest for a moment then she looked back up at me. "Jake, I am so sorry. I don't know why this keeps happening. How many more vampires are out there plotting their revenge against me? I feel like it's never going to stop." She wrapped her arms around my waist and laid her head on my chest.

I put my arms around her and held her. "I know, Bella. I feel the same way." I just stood there and held her for awhile. Finally, I reached down and took her hand and we walked back to where we had left the truck.

As we were driving home, I said, "Sorry our picnic was ruined. It had a great start, though," I smiled at her.

She looked over at me and smiled. "Yeah, it did. So I take it that our visitor went to the picnic site and you just forgot to tell me about that?" she asked.

"I didn't forget. I just didn't want to worry you. We didn't find anything."

She was quiet for a few minutes then she said, "The picnic was a very romantic idea. But you know, you have set a very dangerous precedent. Now I am going to expect these romantic gestures from you on a regular basis."

"Shit. I screwed up, didn't I?" He said with a grin.

I scooted over to sit by him and put my head on his shoulder. "No, you didn't," I said quietly.

We drove the rest of the way in silence, both of us worried of what was to come.