Voting in the Twi-Fi Awards is officially over, but I received notice that Golden Moon has been nominated in the category of best non-canon pairing at the Cullen Clan Awards. You can submit nominations for the Cullen Clan Awards through May 13 and voting is open until June 1. If you'd like to nominate a fan-fic for the awards or vote, you can find the link to Cullen Clan Awards in my profile.

My eternal thanks to IdreamofEddy, Calliope Jones, and mmsimpy09, who calmed me down enough so I could post this chapter – LOL! I was really nervous about this one!

You know the drill. All the Twilight characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.

And then, just like that, they were gone. The rest of us looked around in confusion. No one could make sense of what had just happened. I realized I was shaking. I looked at Quil and saw that he was just as disturbed as I was. Off in the distance in the forest, we heard the howl of a wolf.

Chapter 37: My Kind of Rain

Quil looked at me uncertainly, then slowly stood up. "I guess I'd better follow them," he said, "see what's wrong with Jake." In his eyes I saw fear.

"He was burning up all day," I pointed out. "Maybe it's the flu? I wish he had let us take him home earlier. He must have been really suffering to snap like that."

"Yeah, I've never seen him so out of control," Quil agreed. "It must have been the fever . . . Anyway, it was nice meeting you. Hope we get to hang out together again some time. See you later, Bella."

"See you, Quil."

I watched him walk away towards Jake's house. I waited until he completely disappeared before turning to Mike.

"What the hell, Mike? These guys are my friends. Could you be any more rude?"

Mike had the grace to look embarrassed.

"I'm really sorry, Bella. I was just so . . ." he sat down beside me, clearly frustrated. "Look, maybe I don't have the right to ask, but is there something going on between you and Jake or Quil?"

"What?" I asked incredulously, "No! I told you, Jake and I are just friends. And I only met Quil today. How can you even ask me that?"

"Well, you and I are just friends, but it's no secret I'd like us to be more. . ."

"Mike," I interrupted with a sigh.

"Hold on," he said, "just let me finish. I know you said you weren't ready and I told you I was willing to wait. And I meant that. But from where I'm standing it looks like I'm not the only guy waiting. And it's not like I shouldn't expect that, you know? And it's not like I'm afraid of the competition. But I need to know if I am competing. So you tell me. Is Jake my rival?"

Poor Mike. He was asking the right question, but about the wrong person. What was I supposed to tell him? Should I lie and say that Jake is a rival? I didn't think that would be fair to Jake. But if I told him the truth he'd be under the impression that there was no rival, which was clearly false as well. And there was no way at all to tell him about Jasper. I really didn't know what to do. I shivered, suddenly noticing the absence of the two incredibly warm Quileute boys who had flanked me all evening and kept me sheltered from the chill.

"Hey, you're cold!" Mike exclaimed. He shrugged off his jacket and threw it over my shoulders. Then he started looking around for the blankets I had set aside earlier and, finding them, took them out of the plastic. He wrapped one blanket around me before wrapping himself up in another. "Better?"

I nodded, staring into the dancing flames of the bonfire to avoid looking at him.

"So, will I get an answer to my question?"

I hated when he was like this, pressing and pushing me out of my comfort zone. Forcing me to answer the really tough questions. I just wanted Mike my friend, not Mike the would-be boyfriend. This was so hard, but I knew what I needed to do.

"Jake is not your rival," I answered slowly, "but I've been thinking about our conversation. You know, in the parking lot of your parents' store? I think I made a mistake, Mike, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to mislead you. Everything I told you that night was true. But as I think about it now, I don't think you and I could ever work that way. The way you want us to be? The picket fence and rose garden, I just don't see it. And I'm really sorry for anything I did that caused you to feel the way you do. I never meant to hurt you." I still hadn't looked at him, which made me feel like a coward.

"Whoa . . . Wow . . . Um . . . Okay. . . So I guess that's that. . . Thanks for being honest, I think."

I had to look at him. It wasn't fair for me to do this and not suffer. I turned to face him, but he wasn't looking at me. Instead, he too was gazing intently into the fire. I thought I saw something glisten in his eye. Oh God, did I actually make him cry?

Suddenly he leaned back to lie on the blanket, looking up at the sky. I tilted my head up. It was a pretty sky full of shining stars. A perfect evening to lie back and star gaze with someone you love. But, of course, the man I loved was not star-gazing tonight. Instead, he was hunting a dangerous predator, all to protect me.

I shook my head to try to erase the disturbing images, which would only make this evening more painful. I needed to pay more attention to Mike, who was clearly hurt by what I'd said earlier.

"Are you okay?" It was such a lame question.

"Yeah," he said, his voice surprisingly clear and strong. I'm not sure why I expected him to be choked up. "Just going over everything, figuring out how I screwed up. I pushed too hard, right?"

"That's part of it," I allowed.

"Well, that sucks. I'm sorry."

"That's not the only thing, though. It's really more about me."

He laughed. "Am I about to get the 'it's not you it's me' speech?"

"I guess," I laughed a little as well at the cliché, "but in this case it really is me. I wish I could like you that way. Believe me, it would make my life a lot less complicated. You're a great guy. Any girl would be lucky to have you."

"Any girl except you. And there's the rub, 'cause you're the only girl I'm interested in being had by."

"Mike," my voice was a plea.

"Hey," he sat up and reached for my hand. I had to fight the impulse to yank it away.

"I'm not trying to make you feel bad. I told you it would be all right if you didn't feel the way I did and I meant it. We can still be friends. At least, I hope we'll still be friends."

"Yeah? It won't be weird for you?"

He shrugged. "I'm sure it will be, at first, but I'll get over it. You know me, I don't dwell." He smiled a wide smile to prove his point.

"Okay, then. Let's try it. Just no more pushing for more, right?"

"Right. I can accept defeat gracefully. Honest."

I smiled. "Based on how you're acting right now, I have no choice but to believe you."

"Good. It's settled, then. Now, how about some s'mores?"

We stayed on the beach for a couple more hours, making s'mores and watching more karaoke performances. It was a lot of fun, almost enough to make me forget what was going on outside the reservation. Almost.

Eventually we ran out of wood and the fire started to die down. The boys packed up the coolers, grills and tents and carried everything back to the cars. I took a moment to find a private spot so I could call Jasper. The call went directly to voice mail. What did that mean? I reasoned that he must have purposely changed the setting, which must have meant that he was close to catching Laurent. Or maybe he caught him already and just forgot to turn the phone back on? That seemed implausible – Jasper wouldn't forget. In any case, I took some comfort in the thought that if there was still something to worry about, he would have taken my call, so that he could intercept Mike and me at the border. Still, no matter how reasonable that sounded, I couldn't quite suppress a feeling of profound fear and dread.

Driving back from First Beach, the road was illuminated by the lights of Mike's Suburban and a yellowish light coming from a gorgeous full moon. I stared out the window as we drove, hoping for a glimpse of a running figure, even thought I knew Jasper was much too good at this to allow himself to be seen.

"Did you have a good time tonight, Bella?" Mike asked.

I wondered if the lack of conversation was making him nervous.

"Uh huh," I answered. "It was great."

"I'm sorry about the thing with Jake. I hope he gets better soon."

His voice was perfectly neutral, sincere, with no undertones of jealousy or resentment. I looked over at him and found nothing in his face but genuine concern.

"Hopefully it's just a bug. He's a healthy boy so, with luck, he'll get over it quickly."

"Healthy," Mike chortled, "that's an interesting way to put it. All those Quileute boys looked pretty healthy. What the heck are they feeding them on that reservation?"

I laughed too. "Maybe it's something in the water."

"So Bella, I meant to tell you earlier, that Karaoke performance you, Angela and Jessica put on . . ." he didn't get to finish his sentence, because suddenly there was a loud bang and the car was out of control.

"Shit!" Mike was using both of his hands to keep the car on the road. He had the presence of mind not to slam on the brakes. Instead he eased off the gas pedal to allow the car to decelerate naturally as he concentrated on steering. Once he regained control he started braking gently, eventually pulling the car onto the shoulder and stopping.

He let out a loud breath that he must have been holding the whole time. I saw beads of sweat on his forehead.

"I think we blew a tire," he said. "Are you okay?"

I was a little shook up, but probably not as much as I should have been. After a week of stressing out about Laurent, a mere tire blow-out seemed relatively harmless.

"I'm fine," I said, "great driving!"

He flashed me a smile. "Thanks. I've got to go assess the situation. I might have to change the tire, but at least the spare is good. I just checked it a week ago."

He hopped out and I followed. We saw the problem was with the rear passenger tire. Mike cursed and started taking out the coolers and equipment from the back of the Suburban so he could reach the spare and jack.

"There's a flashlight in the glove compartment," he said. "Do you mind holding it for me?"

I got the flashlight and trained it on him and the wheel as he worked to lift the SUV. He worked as quickly as possible to unbolt and take off the flat tire, replacing it with the spare. He made sure to tighten the bolts, placing his body weight on the wrench. I had to admit, I was impressed at the ease and confidence with which he handled the emergency.

Mike was about to pack up the jack and the flat when I started feeling very uneasy. There was no noise or anything else to make me feel that way, yet through some sixth sense I knew we were no longer alone. I whirled around to illuminate the forest. When the light found its target I gasped, this time with real horror. The figure coming out of the shadows towards us was Laurent. The light from the flashlight caused him to pause.

"Hello, Bella," he said pleasantly, "Long time, no see."

"Hi, Laurent," I stammered. "It has been a long time. What brings you to Forks?" It was an inane thing to say, since I already knew exactly why he was back, but nothing else came to mind. Laurent laughed and his eyes sparkled. I noticed they still held a tint of gold, though they were quite dark, nearly black.

"It's so lovely around here, I thought I'd do some hiking. And, of course, I was hoping to run into you. Now that I have, I find myself surprisingly thirsty."

I watched him take a deep breath and shivered where I stood. Blood froze in my veins. This was exactly what Jasper didn't want – a surprise confrontation with Laurent in the woods. We thought First Beach would be safe, but no one could have predicted the tire blow-out.

I felt Mike come up on my side. He had heard my exchange with Laurent.

"We have some water and soda in the coolers," he offered, helpful yet uneasy, as if he sensed there was more to the conversation than the spoken words.

My breath caught. This was terrible. It was bad enough that I might die tonight, but why did Mike have to be with me? And where was Jasper? Did my message about coming back from First Beach not reach him in time? Or was he somewhere out there hurt from a run-in with Laurent? Or, even worse . . .

I didn't have a chance to finish my thought because Laurent smiled, his teeth flashing in the light, and took a step towards us.

"Thank you for the offer," he said, "But I'm in the mood for another beverage. Something a bit more potent, more satisfying."

"I don't think you'll find what you're looking for here, Laurent." The steely voice came from my right. I turned to see Jasper emerging from the forest. "Hello, Bella," he said to me, his eyes fixed on the other vampire.

"Jasper!" I gasped with relief. He was all right. And he was here to protect us.

Mike shifted beside me, placing his body between me and the other two men in a protective gesture. "Hey, Jasper," he said, his voice strained. "What are you doing back in town?"

"Mike." Jasper acknowledged him, but did not take his eyes off Laurent. "Just visiting. My friend and I were in the mood for some camping and hiking. Isn't that right, Laurent?"

My flashlight was still on Laurent and I turned to see him swallow. I shuddered, knowing he was swallowing venom that had pooled in his mouth in anticipation of killing me and Mike. He was clearly uncomfortable, but he stood his ground, sizing up his opponent.

I looked back to Jasper in time to see him very calmly pulling out the tails of his black western style shirt and undoing the buttons. The shirt fell open, revealing the multitude of crescent shaped scars that covered his chest. They were difficult for me to see, and had I not heard Jasper's story I might have missed them altogether, but I knew that they were much more prominent to Laurent's vampire eyes, and that the purpose for the display was to send him a message, to let him know about Jasper's warrior past.

My eyes darted back to Laurent. He looked absolutely shocked, and I could tell he was intimidated. He took a step back to the edge of the forest.

"Why don't you give me a minute, Laurent? I'll just give Mike a hand and then we'll deal with your . . . thirst." Jasper's voice was low, menacing and commanding. I suddenly felt rooted to the spot, not able to move. I guessed that Jasper was manipulating all of our emotions to neutralize Laurent. He turned to look at Mike and me, though I knew he held Laurent in his peripheral vision.

"Is everything all right, Mike?" He asked, gesturing at the items on the ground.

Mike looked both flustered and annoyed.

"Yeah. I mean, we had a blow out, but I already changed the tire, so we're good."

"Let me help you clean up," Jasper said in a tone that discouraged dissent. He first checked to make sure the bolts on the spare tire were secure, then, quickly and effortlessly, threw the tools, old tire, coolers and grill in the back of the SUV and closed the door.

"You're all set," he said to Mike, "drive carefully." It was clear that this was a dismissal. Then he looked at me. "Bye, Bella," his expression was tense, but the tone of his voice was slightly softer.

"Bye, Jasper," my voice was so low it was nearly a whisper. Then Mike and I got into the Suburban and pulled away. We were both holding our breath, releasing the air only after a minute passed and Jasper and Laurent were no longer in sight.

"Wow," Mike said, "that was weird."

"Yeah," I agreed, "really weird." He'd probably die of shock if he knew exactly how weird and how close we both came to death tonight.

"It was strange to see Jasper again, and with that other dude. You seemed like you knew him?"

"I met him last year through the Cullens," I said. That was technically accurate.

"Man, I always thought Jasper was with Alice," Mike continued, "but now I'm not so sure. I mean, camping with that other dude, hiking in the middle of the night, and all that talk about quenching thirst as he practically undressed . . . You think they're together?" he laughed nervously, and I cringed. I could see how someone with no knowledge of the real situation could misinterpret what happened as some sort of lover's tryst between Jasper and Laurent. It sure was a much more reasonable sounding explanation than the truth.

"I don't think so," I said, knowing I had to refute Mike's inference on Jasper's behalf, "Jasper is definitely interested in women."

"Huh," Mike didn't sound convinced. "Maybe so, but he still seemed to be awfully friendly with that Laurent guy, not that there's anything wrong with that," he added quickly and laughed nervously again. "I suppose it's none of our business. Nice of him to help out, anyway."

"Mike, I'm sure there's nothing like that going on between Jasper and Laurent," I protested again, a bit more vehemently than I'd intended.

He looked over at me, surprised, and I realized that it must have seemed strange for me to argue with quite as much fervor.

"Not that I have a problem with that . . . lifestyle," I added, my voice calmer, "I just know that Jasper doesn't . . . What's the expression? Play on that team."

Mike shrugged and didn't say anything for a while.

"So, um, it sounded like it was just Jasper back in the area," he eventually said, but sounded tentative, like he wasn't sure this was a good topic for discussion either. I realized that he must have been thinking about Edward, probably wondering if seeing Jasper created problems for me, or if it maybe meant that the Cullens would be coming back to Forks.

"That's what he seemed to be saying," I confirmed carefully.

"Are you okay?" There was a lot of unspoken meaning behind the question and I knew he was asking as a concerned friend. I needed to put him at ease.

"Yeah," I said, looking over at him. "I'm fine. Really, really fine."

We were getting close to my house, pulling onto my street and then into my driveway. I hesitated a moment before opening the door.

"Thanks for today, Mike, for making everything so easy for me. I'm not sure I deserve your friendship, but I'm glad to have it."

"Don't be melodramatic, Bella. I'm not even sure you broke my heart – feels like you just roughed it up a little. Couple of days and I'll be as good as new," he sounded casual, but he was no longer looking at me. I decided that there was no point in saying anything more. I put my hand on top of his briefly, and then opened the door and jumped out.

"Bye, Mike. See you Monday," I said and headed to the front door.

"Bye, Bella." Mike didn't follow me to the door, but he stayed in the driveway until I was inside.

"How was the beach, Bells?" Charlie called out from the living room where, as usual, he was firmly planted in front of the television set. It was a wonder he didn't go blind.

"It was a lot of fun, actually. But I'm exhausted. I think I'm going to go to bed."

"OK," he said, unconcerned. I could only imagine what he would do if he knew the real reason I wanted to go to my room.

Upstairs I brushed my teeth and washed my face, but didn't change for bed. I was going crazy not knowing what was going on out there, hoping that Jasper would show up soon with an explanation. I paced my room in the darkness, my hands balled into fists, fingernails digging into my palms. I was absolutely terrified. I knew Jasper was well equipped for this fight, but I knew nothing about Laurent. He was twice as old as Jasper, so he'd had plenty of time to pick up fighting techniques. What if he was a better fighter than Jasper or even equally good? In Phoenix, Emmett and Alice helped bring down James. Here, Jasper was all alone.

My nails dug deeper into my palm, but I retracted them when I thought they might break the skin. Tonight, of all nights, I could not draw blood. I could not allow anything to keep Jasper away form me if he returned from the fight victorious.

I was still pacing when I heard Charlie making his way upstairs. I got into bed, pulling the quilt all the way over me so that it wouldn't be obvious that I was still fully dressed. The precaution turned out to be unnecessary. Charlie did not check up on me before retiring to his bedroom. I jumped out of bed again and resumed my vigil.

Jasper finally showed up an hour later, calling me first to alert me. I opened the window and backed up, waiting for him to come in, but he remained perched on the roof outside. From my position in the room I could see that his clothing was torn and mud-caked. His eyes, however, were a beautiful golden amber. He must have hunted on the way to my house, to ensure my safety.

"What happened, Jasper? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Bella," he said quietly. "I know you want to know what happened and I want to tell you everything, Darlin', but I shouldn't come into your room in this state. I need to clean up and change first, and I can't do that here. Would you be willing to come to my house with me? I'll make sure you're back well before Charlie wakes up in the morning."

I nodded. I desperately wanted to know what had taken place after Mike and I left, but his comfort was more important than my needs. I walked up to the window and took his hand as I climbed out onto the roof. He lifted me in his arms and jumped down gracefully. Once we were on the ground, he shifted me to his back, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck and positioning my legs over his hips, his arms twined beneath my knees to keep me secure. Then he started running.

I closed my eyes and clung to him, wind gusting past us at an alarming rate. In the distance I heard thunder. Jasper cursed and seemed to increase his speed. Suddenly the sky opened up and a torrential rain poured down on us. The shredded remnants of Jasper's shirt, instantly soaked, became fabric weapons, the wind whipping them mercilessly into my face. I moaned at a particularly hard slap. Hearing me, Jasper stopped abruptly in a small clearing we had just reached. Gently but quickly, he set me down and turned to look at me. With his right hand he traced a line on my cheek where the cloth had hit me.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," he said. He immediately shrugged out of his shirt and tossed it aside without a second glace. His pale naked chest glowed softly in the moonlight, rivulets of rain cascading down his hair and body. I stared at him in amazement. He was absolutely gorgeous, breathtakingly so. My own personal Ares. My eyes raked over his body, quickly at first, and then slowly, memorizing each detail of his muscular chest, his broad shoulders, his amazing defined stomach. My own stomach tightened into a knot and a tremor tore through my body as I evaluated his. Midway through my examination I noticed a more prominent crescent-shaped scar on his chest, then another on his left shoulder and another on his left forearm. They had been sealed with venom, but were clearly fresher than the rest of the scars covering his body.

"Jasper, you're hurt," I cried out in alarm.

"It's nothing, Bella," he said. "Nothing I'm not used to. They just burn a bit."

I took a step towards him, reaching out to touch the scar on his chest. I heard his sharp intake of breath as my fingers made contact with his cool skin. I traced the contours of the scar gently. Then, without any thought or hesitancy, I took another step forward and covered the scar with my lips.

I heard a hiss escape his lips, but otherwise Jasper stood motionless before me. I reached for his left arm, lifted it to me and kissed the fresh scar there. Jasper closed his eyes and took a deep breath, remaining otherwise immobile. The rain pelted us mercilessly, but he seemed completely unaware.

I let go of his arm, shifted to my right and, standing on my tip toes, pressed my mouth to the scar on his shoulder, this time tracing the ridge of the scar with my tongue. There was still no reaction from Jasper. I lifted my lips and took a small step back. He opened his eyes, looked down at me and caught my face in his hands. For a brief moment he caressed my cheeks with his thumbs and then, with a muffled groan, his face descended and his lips covered mine in a fiery kiss. I stared into his rapidly darkening eyes as his lips, firm and insistent, frantically explored mine. My lips moved against his in response. I spread my hands over his chest, shifting them over the textured marble skin covering his taut muscles. He made a strained sound, a mixture of a purr and a growl.

The sensation of his lips conquering mine, possessing me completely, was overwhelming. I felt myself weakening and knew that my knees would soon buckle. I snaked my arms beneath his and wrapped them upward around his shoulders, as I molded my body closer to his. Then my knees gave way and I clung to him, desperate not to break the contact between us.

He moved his hands to my waist and lifted me still closer against him, his lips continuing their exploration, never leaving mine. Our eyes remained locked together, unblinking in spite of the rain. Then the pressure of his lips eased, and the kiss became less hurried and more sensual. I felt the cool smoothness of his mouth moving over mine, gently sucking my lower lip. My tongue darted out to trace his lips, tasting his spicy, exotic flavor. I breathed him in, and his amazing scent swirled inside my body, setting every nerve ending on fire. I closed my eyes and let out a soft moan as my desire for him took over all my senses. There was only one thing I wanted and needed, and that was for this perfect moment to never, ever end.

I was at once freely floating in an almost out-of-body experience and firmly anchored by the circle of his arms, the two sensations directly opposite to one another, yet in perfect harmony. And it all began and ended with his lips on mine, and the current of pure bliss flowing uninterrupted though our bodies and minds.

Suddenly I felt Jasper's head pull back, breaking the connection, and I shook my head in denial. I didn't want this sudden space between us.

"N-n-no," I said, my teeth chattering, "D-D-Don't stop!" I realized as I spoke that my whole body was wrecked with tremors and that my skin was covered with goose bumps caused by the combination of the cold rain and Jasper's skin. I didn't care. I tried to use my arms to pull myself to Jasper's lips again.

"Bella," his voice was low and husky, "Darlin', the last thing I want to do is stop, but you're freezing. We have to get you inside and warm you up before you get sick. Are you able to hold on?"

I nodded mutely, knowing he was right but unwilling to acknowledge it out loud. To my surprise, Jasper didn't shift me to his back. Instead, he wrapped my legs around his waist and moved my arms, one at a time, to form a circle around his neck, carefully cradling me to his chest. I buried my face between his shoulder and neck and nuzzled on his cool skin, exploring it with my mouth and tongue, as he ran the rest of the way to the Cullen house, holding me close to him like a priceless treasure.

The title of the chapter refers to a song by Tim McGraw called She's my Kind of Rain. (The link is in my profile) I love how well this song fits the end of this chapter. And I am a huge sucker for any song that features rain.

In fact, if you'd like to make me really happy, list some of your favorite songs featuring rain in your review for this chapter. Hopefully I'll find some great new songs that way. And just FYI, my two all time favorites are But Not Tonight by Depeche Mode (that song always makes me ridiculously happy) and Go Ahead and Rain, by J.D. Souther.

Okay, now for the chapter. Was it worth the wait? I hope so! I would hate to disappoint my loyal readers after 36 chapters. Leave a review and let me know, please! Like I said, I was really nervous about this one, so I can use the feedback. :-)