Heyo! I decided to edit and change a few things about this chapter so that it would make a bit more sense for future chapters. You guys should probably reread this chapter!

I'm sorry for the slow updates! I promise to work on the next chapter this week. I love you all and your reviews keep me going!

I do not own the lyrics in this chapter. Lauren O'Connell does and I'm very jealous. Also, prepare for extreme use of language in this chapter and some wolf/vampire confrontation.

The day was overcast, as usual, with the occasional peek of sun through the clouds. Dad had taken off for the weekend with Deputy Mark to fish and Bella had left shortly before him with the Cullen boy. Apparently, they were still together, which only confused me even more. After spending the most part of the day writing essays for online classes, I had finally decided to take a break and relax on the back steps with my guitar and a notepad of song lyrics.

I was determined to finish the song I had started writing the day Bella and I had gone hiking.

I strummed the strings gently, reveling in the sound as my eyes closed and I hummed a random tune that I'd created in my head, harmonizing with the chord.

Plucking the strings, I changed chords and hummed along, writing out a tune in my head.

"Sometimes I get anxious being here," I sang softly as a chord rang out before I began strumming in a pattern, coming up with a tune as I went.

"Checking lists and putting things in gear."

My eyes opened as my voice carried in the wind that whipped around my face. It was chilly for a June afternoon, but that was how Washington weather could be. Unpredictable.

"I'm aware that paper cuts cut clean."

I stared out over the vibrant green forest as the words fell from my tongue easily.

"But one wound closes, there's another and my fingers bleed and drip recurring themes."

A streak of white amongst the trees caught my attention, stopping me mid strum as rustling in the trees beyond the backyard reached my ears.

Something was out there.

I held the guitar by the neck, prepared to use it as a weapon if necessary, and stood, listening. My eyes scanned the tree line, searching for any signs of life.

The hair on the back of my neck stood up as the feeling of being watched washed over me, sending chills down my spine and making me feel as if I were standing in the center of a horror movie.

"Who's out there?!" I shouted, summoning up every ounce of courage I had so that I could face whoever — or whatever — was out there.

No answer. Another streak of white.

"Quil, so help me God if that's you, I'll stab you in the freaking balls!" I clenched my free hand into a fist as anger coursed through my veins alongside fear. This wasn't funny. This wasn't funny at all.

I was already terrified that the redhead was coming after us. This little stunt wasn't helping whatsoever.

The yard was silent as I descended the steps and stood in the grass. The feeling of something not right was churning in my gut, screaming at me to turn around and run.

A twig snapped and I held the guitar higher, prepared to knock whoever it was out. A figure appeared from behind a tree and I gulped roughly at the sight.

His pale skin shimmered barely in the streaks of sunlight peeking through the clouds, his dark hair falling in curls over his forehead. He was large — like a human form of a bear, only he wasn't a human at all.

He was a vampire.

And I was alone.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I snapped, trying to come off as much tougher than I felt. My heart was hammering against my chest — no doubt noticeable to the inhuman creature a couple of yards away from me.

He grinned. "So, you're Bella's baby sis?"

I blanched. He knew who I was? I mentally made a note to fuss at Bella for spreading the knowledge of my existence among the vampire kind. I didn't need strange bloodsucking creatures showing up looking for me.

I opened my mouth to make a sarcastic retort when a gruff voice from behind me rang out over the yard.

"Hey! Leech! Get the fuck away from her!"

I looked over my shoulder to see Paul, of all people, speed walking from the side of the house, a sneer on his face as his body trembled. He was fully clothed — which was completely unusual for the pack these days — and had a sweater in one hand hanging by his side. It was one that I had let Emily borrow a few nights before when Sam's mother had visited. Emily must have sent Paul to return it.

Thank God for Emily's timing and borrowed clothing.

Paul reached my side and roughly grabbed my waist with one arm, shoving me slightly behind his shivering form as he faced off with the smirking vampire. Any other day, I would have snapped at the wolfboy for manhandling me. Today, I was too glad for his presence to even care.

"Did you hear me, motherfucker?! Or is there blood in your goddamn ears?" Paul growled. I flinched at the rage radiating off of his form. Of all of the pack, Paul was the least in control of his wolf and the most standoffish. Other than the day he nearly attacked me and the occasional day at Emily's, we never really spent time around each other. It was odd to see him so vehement on protecting me.

Then again, I was an imprint and a girlfriend to a pack member. According to Emily, I qualified as part of the gang now.

The vampire grinned slyly at Paul. "I heard you loud and clear," he said smoothly. "You may want to relax before you turn furry on your girlfriend, though."

I narrowed my eyes at the vampire, prepared to correct him, but Paul spoke before I could. "Why the fuck are you here?" he hissed, not even bothering with the 'girlfriend' term. It wasn't the vampire's business who I was, anyway. As long as he knew I was involved with the pack, maybe he would leave.

Leaves rustled and another vampire appeared. This one was thinner, more lean-built and an inch or two shorter. His wavy blonde hair fell just past his jaw line, framing his pale face and highlighting the golden eyes that flitted over the scene before him.

"You must be one of Uley's pack," the blonde said, his voice holding a southern lilt to it that I recognized from my time spent in the south in school. I wondered if it was something he picked up from his years of being a vampire or from before the change.

The dark haired leech smirked. "You're a little far over the line, aren't you, pup?"

Paul tensed, his arms shaking wildly by his sides. "You're a little far from your fucking hunting ground, aren't you, leech?" he spit, sarcasm dripping from his tone like venom.

The vampire's smirk turned into a full-blown grin as the blonde sighed, shooting his friend an exasperated look before gazing intensely at Paul. "Relax," he murmured. "The girl is too close."

A wave of calm washed over me, slowing my heart the intense look on the blonde's face as he stared us down, I knew that it had to be one of the mental abilities that Bella had spoken of before. Much like Edward could read minds, the others had gifts of their own. I shivered behind Paul as his body stopped shaking and his shoulders slumped slightly.

And then, he realized what was happening.

Paul stood straighter with a low rumble in his chest. "Your goddamn mind tricks won't work on me, motherfucker. Now answer the fucking question or leave."

The dark haired vampire snickered at Paul's reaction while the blonde stared at him incredulously before nodding.

"A stranger of our kind was here last night. It came from the south, entered Bella's room while she was away, and left in a getaway car a few miles from here. We came to track it, but it's long gone. No trace," the blonde explained.

I bit my lip to hold back a gasp at the information. A vampire had been in our house? While we were sleeping? I had no idea. It had been close enough to smell me and I'd had no idea.

The dark haired vampire must have noticed my shocked facial expression, because he quickly showed pity towards me. "You don't have to worry, Lenora. We're going to be watching over you all now. Nothing is getting past us again."

His words weren't as comforting as he'd probably hoped. I didn't want more vampires watching me. I wanted them all to go away.

"You've done enough," Paul snapped. "We take care of our own. Nori and Charlie will be fucking fine without your help, bloodsucker."

The dark haired vampire rolled his eyes while the blonde took a step forward. Paul growled loudly, making the vampire freeze where he was.

"Look, we'd like to discuss all of this with your Alpha. Perhaps come up with a more in-depth plan of protection for the entire Swan family between both sides, considering Bella is more involved with our family and Lenora-"

"Nori," I amended harshly, tired of hearing my awful first name used by people who shouldn't even know it.

The blonde smirked lightly with a nod. "Nori," he corrected, "is more involved with your pack."

Paul seemed to contemplate this for a moment before he grumbled, "Talk this over with your precious Bella. She can arrange a meeting with Jacob or Sam. I don't want anything to do with this shit."

The vampires nodded.

"It was nice meeting you, Nori," the dark haired vampire grinned. He reminded me of Embry with his constant grins. It unnerved me.

Paul growled, warning the vampire.

In a blink, the two were gone and Paul and I were alone in the backyard. I let out a breath I had been holding and nearly cried out as the reality of the situation hit me like a ton of bricks.

Dad could have died last night. I could have died. We weren't even safe anymore in our own house.

Paul ran a frustrated hand through his choppy hair and turned to face me.

"Are you okay?" he asked gruffly, his eyes roaming over my body as if looking for signs of injury. He saw the guitar still in my one hand, held in a white-knuckled grip, and snorted.

I nodded. "I'm fine," I murmured, even though I was far from it.

Paul must have been damn good at reading people, because he raised a brow and motioned towards the house. We walked up the steps, him opening the door and ushering me inside as he glanced around the yard once more and shut the door behind himself.

"Call your sister. Tell her to get up with Jake and-"

I was already shaking my head. "She doesn't have a cell phone," I murmured, still clutching the guitar and standing awkwardly behind the couch.

Paul shoved his hands into the pockets of his cut offs, his fists shaking slightly. If a vampire had been in the house, it probably still smelled. It wasn't helping his wolf.

I laid the guitar on the couch and grabbed a bottle of Febreeze from the shelf by the door and began spraying the room wildly.

"Nori, what . . . what the . . . fuck," Paul sputtered as he waved his arms in front of his face to disperse the strong scent.

I continued spraying, rushing into the kitchen to spray down the room and grab another bottle of Febreeze for the upstairs.

"The leech smell. It's probably everywhere," I said, knowing he'd hear me even from the living room.

"Nori." Paul's arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me away from the stairs as he said, "Dammit, stop. Stop!"

He snatched the can from my hand and threw it across the room. It left a dent in the wall by the back door.

"If you cover the scent, the pack won't be able to track it."

I stared up at him in confusion as he dropped his arm. "But the Cullens already-"

"Fuck them," Paul said with a harsh laugh. "I don't trust their shit. We're going to track this thing and burn it before-" He stopped short, his eyes burning into mine before he shook his head and turned away.

Paul Lahote was a confusing individual. I had noticed that over the course of the past few months I'd spent with the pack and the little bits and pieces I knew of him from before the pack days. His father was an abusive meth addict who was still hanging around the rez and his mother had disappeared when he was a kid. They found her remains a few years later in the woods and determined she'd been killed by wild animals. It was a bizarre story that everyone seemed to question, yet nobody ever dug deeper into the evidence. No wonder the vampires got under Paul's skin so much. He'd already had a shitty childhood and lost his mother to who knows who or what. For a hardass, he still cared about human life. I understood that.

I also knew how it felt to be pitied, and I knew how much one could hate that feeling. Paul seemed like the type to hate it as much as I did.

I headed into the kitchen again and opened the fridge, pulling out a beer and a can of Pepsi. Dad wouldn't miss his drink since an entire shelf was dedicated to his alcohol. Paul was peeking through the blinds of the window next to the back door when I reentered the room.

"Catch." I tossed the can of beer across the couch to his massive form. Paul turned just in time to snag the can mid-air and eye it.

He sent me a crooked grin. "Thanks," he muttered, cracking the top and chugging it down before wiping his mouth with the back of his right hand and crushing the can with his left.

I did the same, crushing the can of Pepsi I held to match his beer can.

Paul snorted. "You're pretty cool — for a girl."

I rolled my eyes and held out my hand, catching the can he tossed me with ease. "I'm cooler than you, and that's all that matters," I retorted over my shoulder as I disappeared into the kitchen to toss the cans and grab two more.

"So, are you going to give me my sweater, or . . .?" I asked with a laugh as I handed Paul his beer and motioned to the sweater that was now draped over his shoulder. He glanced down at it and scowled before ripping it off and tossing at me.

"Who the fuck wears sweaters in June, anyway?" he grumbled as he sprawled out on the couch.

"Who the fuck asked for your opinion, bruh?" I teased, earning an eye roll from the wolfboy. "Sweaters are life. Don't judge." I said as I took over Dad's recliner and cracked open the can in my hand.

Paul looked slyly over at me. "Chug war?"

I grinned mischievously and nodded. "Hell yeah."

We tipped our drinks back and chugged, stopping only when they were empty. The bubbles burned and made my eyes water as I choked down the drink as fast as possible, ignoring the need to burp as the caffeinated liquid slid down my throat.

As soon as the last drop hit my tongue, I crunched the can and looked over at Paul who had crunched his can half a second after me.

I laughed loudly. "Ha! Winner!"

Paul gaped, looking between our cans in surprise before he scowled. "Dammit," he grumbled, tossing his can onto the table and leaning back with a huff.

I couldn't keep the smug grin off of my face. As strange as it was, hanging out with Paul was rather fun.

But, I knew that he was here for an ulterior motive, and it needed to be discussed.

"Should we call Sam?" I asked softly before letting out a belch and playing with the crunched can in my hands. I wasn't afraid to be myself around anyone, even attractive werewolves.

Paul belched and pounded his chest lightly as he shrugged. "I'd rather not have the bossman on my ass for this. The leeches can take it up with him." He stood up from the couch and stretched. "I am taking you to Jake's, though."

I blanched at him as he walked out of the room and into the kitchen. "Why?!" Of all places, why there?

Jumping to my feet, I followed after him. He had tossed his can into the trash and was leaning against the counter, arms crossed over his broad chest. "There's no way in hell I'm leaving you here alone and I'm not about to spend the night in this fucking leech infested place."

I rolled my eyes and tossed my own can away. "You can take me to Embry's, then," I said as I rushed up the stairs to grab a few things for my overnight trip. I could sense Paul shadowing me, even though he didn't make a sound.

I grabbed an army backpack from my dad's days in the reserves from my closet and began tossing random necessities inside. Paul leaned against the doorframe, watching as I grabbed clothes from the chest of drawers and stuffed them into the bag.

I hoisted the bag onto my shoulder and turned to the massive boy standing in my doorway. "Okay, let's go."

Paul nodded and led the way down the stairs and out to his car. It was a rusted bucket of bolts, with duct tape holding plastic over one backseat window and a dent in the door underneath. I ignored the obvious signs of damage and hopped into the passenger seat. I wasn't one to complain or judge.

Paul started the car after a few cranks and headed off to La Push in silence.

I used the time to contemplate what had happened that afternoon. If a strange vampire had arrived in Bella's room the night before while Dad and I had been asleep — a vampire that not even the Cullens knew — then, the likelihood of us dying could have very easily been high. The vampire could have stood over my bed as I slept, pondering whether or not it should make me its midnight snack.

I shuddered as the images bombarded me.

How would I be able to stay in Forks now without fearing for my life? For Dad's life? I would have to get a job soon so I could pay Quil or Embry to play watchdog.

I blinked, coming out of my reverie as Paul stopped the car in a muddy yard. Jacob's yard.

"I thought I said Embry's."

Paul rolled his eyes and opened the car door. "Look, I'm not getting into your love triangle bullshit, but you're safer at Jake's than anywhere else. You're his imprint." He shrugged and grabbed the bag from between my feet. "Plus, Embry is on patrol tonight."

I followed reluctantly as Paul walked straight into the Blacks' house without knocking, calling out Jacob's name as soon as we crossed the threshold. Jacob appeared from the short hallway that led to the three small bedrooms — one of which was still uninhabitable, thanks to Paul and Jacob's fight months ago.

Jacob had obviously been asleep, what with his shaggy hair sticking up in places and the red tinge to one cheek where he had smushed it against the pillow. He yawned as his eyes found me. He blinked and quickly closed his mouth in confusion.

"What's going on?" he questioned, his eyes returning to Paul as he straightened his posture, as if stating his dominance.

Paul tossed the army bag at Jacob, who caught it expertly with one hand and glanced at it. "Your girl here is gonna need to stay with you tonight. I just saved her ass from the Cullens, and apparently they weren't the only ones snooping around the Swan place."

I rolled my eyes but said nothing. As tough as I liked to try to be, I was still scared to death and Paul really had saved my life — that is, if the Cullens had planned to do anything to me. I still didn't trust them one hundred percent. I didn't know any of them, sans Edward.

Jacob's face turned dark as his hands shook lightly. "What?!" he growled, turning a questioning gaze to me.

I didn't know if he was angry that I was staying, angry that a strange vampire was at my house, or angry that Paul was the one saving me from the Cullens. I kept my mouth shut and looked away.

"Man, I don't know what the fuck is going on, but Bella is going to call you or Sam and make plans on protecting the Swans. I swear, leeches are coming out of the goddamn woodwork when it comes to this family."

I snorted. "Ain't that the damn truth," I muttered, earning a smirk from Paul and a grimace from Jacob.

Paul glanced between Jacob and I before taking a step back towards the front door. "I've got patrol, so I'm gone. Later, Jake."

He turned to walk out the door, but I stopped him with a hand on his bicep as he moved past me.

"Thanks, dude. You know . . ." I murmured, trying not to make it awkward for him or mushy. I just wanted him to understand how much I appreciated his help and that I really was thankful.

Paul nodded, his face blank but his eyes softer than they usually were around people. I took that as a sign of acceptance by him as he continued out the door, leaving me alone with Jacob.

We stood in silence for a moment before Jacob sighed and ran a hand down his face tiredly.

"Well, shit."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

After explaining in detail what exactly had happened that afternoon, Jacob had to step outside to take deep breaths and cool off before he phased as the reality of the situation set in - something was looking for Bella, and very nearly could have had me for an appetizer. I didn't blame Jacob for being so out of sorts now. The girl he loved and the girl he was bound to had both been in danger. Anyone in his position would be freaking out.

While he was outside, I squandered up some boxed macaroni and cheese. It was after seven o'clock and my stomach was screaming at me to feed it. The cheesy dish was on plates and ready to be eaten by the time Jacob walked back inside with leaves in his hair and his hands still slightly shaking.

I laughed at the sight and handed him a plate before picking out three leaves from his head and tossing them in the trash. He pressed his lips together to hide his grin and brushed a hand over his head to be rid of the rest of the debris.

With our plates and bottles of water in hand, we lounged on the couch in front of reruns of The Andy Griffith Show and chowed down in silence.

The thing about silence with Jacob, though, was how comfortable it was. I never felt the need to fill it with small talk or rambling like I did with everyone else. My anxiety levels would rise with every minute of quiet as I searched for words or wondered if the other person felt awkward. Even with my close friends and Embry, I couldn't feel completely at ease in silence.

But with Jacob, I did.

I scraped my plate clean and laid it on the coffee table as I curled back on the couch, my legs tucked underneath me and my head resting on the cushions behind it. It had been a long day and I was more than ready for it to be over.

Jacob seemed to have the same sentiment, because he grabbed up the plates with his still shaking hands and left them in the sink before he disappeared down the hallway, returning a few minutes later with a stack of old quilts and two pillows under his arms.

He tossed a pillow to me and motioned for me to move out of the way. I stood and watched him tuck a thick quilt around the cushions of the couch with his jittery hands and remove the throw pillows and plush cushions from the back, leaving more room to sleep. He laid a thinner quilt over the top to wrap up in and straightened with a nod.

"You can take the couch," he said quietly as he turned and began laying another quilt on the floor. I sat down on the couch, still clutching the pillow he'd thrown to me as I stared at him curiously.

"What are you doing?"

He didn't look at me as he responded. "You don't think I'm leaving you alone all night after what happened, do you?"

I didn't say a word as he grabbed the remote from the coffee table and laid down, his back to me as he watched television.

I was speechless. I knew Jacob was my friend now, and after our game of twenty questions, I knew him better than I ever had before. But seeing him willingly sleep on the floor to watch over me through the night was by far the kindest gesture I had ever gotten from him and I wanted nothing more than to hug him.

I didn't, though. I wasn't sure if we were that close yet.

The army bag I had brought was sitting by the end of the couch, so I snatched it up and headed for the single bathroom in the hallway to change into pajamas and take care of my nightly routine.

After washing my face and switching out my skinny jeans and cotton t-shirt for pajama shorts and one of Embry's large t-shirts that I'd stolen two years ago when Quil had "accidentally" attacked me with mustard and ketchup, coating my clothes and hair in the sauces as I'd walked into Embry's house one afternoon — needless to say, Quil ended up on the floor writhing in pain from his nether region and I stole clothes from my best friend — I found myself staring in the mirror.

In the past five months since I'd returned to Washington, I had changed. Not only emotionally and mentally, but physically. Dark circles were now under my eyes, making me seem tired and stressed. My pale skin seemed even more luminescent than usual, and my layered brown locks fell in drab chunks around my round, puffy face. I looked so sick.

I pulled my hair back from my face into a high ponytail so I wouldn't have to see the thin locks and turned away from the mirror. Seeing the dreary expression in my eyes and the sickly pallor to my skin only made me feel nauseous and angry with the Quileute legends - legends I'd loved before they became true.

The sound of water running and dishes clanking was heard from the kitchen as I returned to the couch and curled up against the arm, cuddling the pillow to my side while I watched episodes of The Golden Girls. Sophia was my role model, to be honest. Her quick wit and ability to speak her mind when nobody else wanted to was amazing and ballsy. I wanted to be that courageous.

Jacob entered the room and held a hand against the wall. "I'm turning the light out, okay?"

I nodded and he flipped the switch, leaving us in only the glow of the square television set. I pulled the quilt up to my shoulders and relaxed back onto the couch, my mind wondering if Embry had come across any vampire trails on patrol so far, or if Bella or the Cullens had called Sam to tell him of the strange visitor.

The house was eerily quiet, save for the soft sounds of The Golden Girls speaking as Jacob laid back down, and then I realized why.

"Where's your dad?" I asked. It wasn't like Billy to not come home by now unless he was on a fishing trip, and I knew that he wasn't with my dad and Deputy Mark.

Jacob looked up from his clenched, trembling hands. "Uh, he went to Seattle for the weekend. Rachel moved back to Washington."

If my jaw hadn't been attached to my skull, it would have fallen off at the news. After Sarah Black's death, the twins had acted out and sworn they'd never return to Washington.

Rebecca had dropped out of high school, married the first out of towner she came across, and left for Hawaii. Her family didn't know until she sent them a postcard, which was a pretty solid fuck you to her grieving father and younger brother.

Meanwhile, Rachel had stuck around just long enough to graduate before she took a scholarship for NYU and left in the middle of the night. She'd told her father that she was sick of living in this dump, and she'd never come back. Billy never asked her to. He understood her need to get away.

So, hearing that Rachel had stepped foot in the state once again of her own free will was a huge surprise.

"Yeah — wild, right?" Jacob mumbled as he leaned back, crossing his arms under his head so that he could stare up at the circulating ceiling fan.

I nodded and turned my attention back to the television. Blanche and Dorothy were picking on Rose once again, bringing laughs from the audience.

"Nori?"

My eyes darted back to Jacob at the sound of his whisper. "Mmhm?"

Jacob's face scrunched up, and it was then that I noticed that his head was vibrating. His hands were still shaking underneath his head.

"Can I—" He sat up, bringing his arms down so that he could stare down at his white-knuckled, shivering fists. "Can I touch you?"

I blinked before a laugh burst from my lungs. "You want to do what now?"

Jacob scowled and let out a heavy sigh. "Dammit, that's not what I meant. The wolf — it needs contact. It's driving me crazy," he admitted, his voice growing softer the more he spoke.

Even though I didn't understand, I knew that Jacob wouldn't ask if it wasn't necessary. He was too obsessed with my sister. Our friendship was strictly platonic.

I patted the empty space next to me. Jacob slowly stepped over the small coffee table and took a seat barely two inches away. Taking his shaking hand in mine, I nearly gasped out loud as sparks shot down my arm and into my stomach. Jacob and I rarely had skin-to-skin contact. I wondered if this would be normal should we make contact more often.

Jacob squeezed my hand in his as he began to relax back into the cushions. He had been so tense — it was obvious by the way his shoulders slumped and his facial muscles fell to show just how exhausted Jacob Black was.

It was then that I really saw Jacob. He looked so much older - as if the imprint and the phasing had aged him far beyond his sixteen years. Even farther than it had aged his brothers. He looked like a man barely hanging by a thread.

He looked like me.

Deep circles were underneath his drooping eyes while his dark skin seemed paler than normal. His cheeks had sunken in slightly, giving him a sickly look when one took the time to really look at him.

The only trace of the old Jacob was in the laugh lines around his mouth and the dark brown of his eyes.

"Just — just bear with me for a second," he murmured, turning to me to gaze into my eyes before running his eyes over my form along with his free hand.

I froze. "Jacob . . ." I trailed off, fear lacing my tone as images of past horrific events filled my head.

Jacob shook his head quickly. "I swear, I'm not — It's not like that. I just need—" He traced my outer thigh up to my hip bone, tickling my side gently as he made his way up to my shoulder and traced my collarbone to my chin. "I need to make sure you're okay." He smoothed the fallen tendrils from my ponytail back from my face and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as I bit my lip nearly hard enough to draw blood.

"Thanks," he breathed, withdrawing his hand and squeezing mine that he still held.

I nodded, but said nothing. I was trying to calm my racing nerves. I knew Jacob would never harm me in that sense, but the fear was still there.

"You're scared," he said matter-of-factly in a low voice, his eyes searching my face.

"I didn't know what you were trying to do," I admitted. "I don't have the best track record with that kind of stuff." I forced a chuckle that sounded more like I was choking and pulled my hand from his, wrapping my arms around my midsection and turning my gaze back to the television.

Jacob seemed to understand that I didn't want to talk about it, so he leaned back and kept his hands to himself.

He spoke after a moment of silence. "I'm sorry I scared you."

I nodded and gave him a small smile. "I know. I'm sorry I freaked out a little bit." He needed reassurance - I could feel it in my bones - so I reached out and took his hand in mine again, pulling it into my lap as I compared our hands out of boredom. His hand was nearly twice the size of mine, and much darker in color. A tiny mark of black between his thumb and forefinger caught my attention, and I pulled his hand closer to my face to see the tiny S scrawled on the web of flesh there.

"Is this a tattoo?" I asked incredulously, my eyes shooting up to his in surprise.

Jacob released his lip from where he had been chewing on it and gazed at his hand. "Yeah, Jared did it. He's a damn good artist." Jacob motioned to his shoulder, where the tribal tattoo that the entire pack had was present. "He did these for everyone, including himself."

My eyes were wide as I took the information in. I had assumed that the guys went to a tattoo parlor, like the one in downtown Forks, to have their ink done. It looked so professional and perfect.

"Do you have any other tattoos?" I questioned after a moment as I traced the tiny S with my forefinger.

Jacob smirked. "A couple dozen," he joked lightly, shrugging.

I rolled my eyes and stared at him pointedly, making him snort and pull up his cut offs to reveal a large piece on the top of his thigh that had to have taken hours to complete. The head and chest of a russet wolf were facing straight from his leg in a black circular frame. The chest of the wolf had a gaping hole where the heart should have been and its dark brown eyes were staring out intensely, as if trying to convey the amount of pain and sadness it felt at the loss of its inner pieces. The background behind the wolf was a mass of black and blue crosshatching that matched the gaping hole, as if seeing through the wolf's chest. The words Que Quowle were written in black cursive over the top in an arc, following the outer black line of the circle.

I traced the words, not caring that I was touching Jacob's thigh. I was mesmerized by the pure torment that radiated from the artwork. Jared had truly done a fantastic job in recreating the feelings deep in Jacob's soul.

"What does this mean?" I asked as I touched the wording.

Jacob stayed quiet for a moment until I pulled my hand back and looked up at him. He had a strange look on his face, as if he wasn't sure whether to tell me or not. He finally opened his mouth and murmured, "It means 'Stay with me forever.'" His eyes moved over the piece before he shoved the pants leg of his cut offs down over the tattoo, hiding it from our vision once again.

I wondered what it meant. Was it a tribute to Bella? His mother? Who else had he lost?

"I want a tattoo on my leg, too," I told him out of the blue, trying to take the focus off of his tattoo like he obviously wanted to. Jacob turned to look at me. I had planned out all of the tattoos I wanted to get in my lifetime. I just had to wait until I was eighteen, since my father would never give his permission. "I think I'll start with something small, though. You know, just to make sure I can handle the needle." I held up my left arm and touched the soft, inner skin below my armpit. "I want the outline of a triangle here. That way, when I get married one day, my husband can get a matching one that's filled in." I shrugged, expecting Jacob to laugh at that notion. "I just thought it would be a cool thing to share with that person and still be able to hide it for job aspects and whatnot."

I used to imagine Embry as that person to share the triangle with. Now, while I still wanted to imagine it as him, I wasn't so sure anymore.

I glanced up and found myself surprised at Jacob's understanding expression. "That sounds pretty awesome," he admitted softly. Our eyes locked for a full ten seconds, and for the first time, I noticed the tiny flecks of golden brown in Jacob's dark eyes. I blamed it on the television light that was reflecting off of us.

"We should probably get some sleep. Bella will probably call in the morning."

I nodded and pulled the quilt higher up over my shoulders as Jacob leaned forward to stand. Instead, he leaned back quickly and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to this chest in a bone-crushing hug. It took me a full two seconds before I reacted and wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him back. Waves of relief and calm washed over me, sending me into a state of euphoria in his arms. I would have to talk him into hugs more often, if this was the reaction I'd have. It would be like my own stress relief.

All too soon, Jacob leaned back and sent me a small smile. "Goodnight, Nori," he murmured, squeezing my hand once before he stood and made his way back to his bed on the floor.

I smiled over at him just before he turned the television off. "Goodnight, Jake."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Bella called early the next morning. I ignored the bile rising in my throat at the sight of Jacob's ecstatic face when he answered the phone.

I changed and readied myself for the day as Jacob talked to her and Edward, his voice changing from happy to annoyed as soon as they switched places. His voice carried over the tiny house as I braided my hair and washed my face before applying a layer of foundation to cover the redness from rosacea and slinging my bag over my shoulder. Jacob was leaning against the back of the couch, the landline in his hand as his free arm was wrapped around his middle, supporting the arm that held up the phone to his ear. His black hair was wet from his shower and falling into his eyes, curling around his ears and leaving tiny beads of water on his bare shoulders. Again, he was only in cut offs, which I had come to accept as being the normal attire for all of the wolves now.

"I'm going to get the scent of your visitor so we can track him if he comes back," he said into the phone, his face serious.

He was quiet for a moment before he laughed. "Oh, please, Bella." He hung up and moved to place the phone back on its cradle by the kitchen door. His eyes found me as he did so.

"You ready?"

I nodded and headed for the door without another word. I wasn't angry with him — I was moreso confused with my own internal feelings. While I knew I was in love with Embry, I wanted desperately to have a friendship with Jacob that would appease the imprint and make life easier on both of us. So far, it had worked to a certain extent. However, something inside me wanted more. I wanted hugs and laughter and normalcy. I wanted the friendship he had with Bella.

Jealousy was an ugly thing and I hated it with a passion.

Jacob followed me out to the Rabbit and quietly headed towards Forks. We didn't speak the entire way there, though it was obvious that Jacob wanted to say something. He would take a deep breath in, open his mouth, and then think better of it and shake his head. Each time, my heart rate would increase and then I'd stare out the window again, glancing over to him every now and then while waiting for him to eventually spit it out.

He didn't.

Instead, Jacob pulled up in front of Embry's and stopped by the curb. The tiny house — much like many of the houses on the reservation — had a porch full of junk and dangling wind chimes, while the yard contained three battered shells of cars covered in weeds. Embry's mother's actual working car was parked by the porch in the middle of the yard with no cares.

I reached for the handle, but paused as my fingers touched the cool metal. Turning to face Jacob, I caught his eye before speaking. "Thank you, Jacob. For everything."

Jacob gave a closed-mouth smile that seemed more like a grimace. He took my other hand in his and squeezed it.

"Call me if you need anything, Nori," he said softly. "It's what friends are for." His grin turned a little more genuine.

I smiled and nodded before climbing out of the car and heading towards the house.

The Rabbit stayed put until the door was safely closed behind me. And then, he headed to Bella.