p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I woke abruptly to the very unnatural feel of cold lips on my face blowing air into me. My eyes snapped open and white hands threw themselves around my neck. "Bella!" a beautiful voice gasped- my blurry vision locked onto Edward who was hovering over me worriedly./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"My delayed reaction to what I had heard right before swooning immediately activated. Jacob. Jacob was alive. Was Jacob alive or was it just my imagination? emI love you too, Bella! You're not going to die./em I was sure that I heard it. I was sure it was Jacob./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Jacob?" I snapped at Edward, his facial expression drooped a little bit. "He's taking care of-" a small growl escaped him, "Victoria." Suddenly the expression on his face changed from sorrow to anger./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Why are you always thinking about Jacob? You are emmine!/em I had you emfirst!'/em he snarled. "You. Are. Mine." He repeated. Then he leaned./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Furiously he grabbed the sides of my face and smashed his icy lips against mine. His mouth moved heatedly against mine despite the fact that I was trying to shove him away from me. He was too persistent and much stronger than I was when I was in my human form. He leaned forward, even more, pressing all his weight against me./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Why was he doing this? What had gotten into Edward? I shoved harder but he still wouldn't move one inch. His lips began to trail down my mouth…down my neck…lower and lower. His hand groped my inner thigh./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Suddenly all his weight was gone. Jacob's huge frame guarded me. He threw his arms out protectively, his teeth bared and snarls ripping from his throat./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Step aside, wolf!" Edward called angrily. "She was mine first!" He charged at Jacob who turned to me and pushed me away as hard as he could- sending me hurdling over the edge of the cliff. My body smashed into the water cracking my back. Automatically I opened my mouth to scream sending saltwater flooding down my throat./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Immediately Jacob was in the icy water with me dragging me back to shore. I wriggled on the sand trying to cough up all of the water but it sent a flurry of sharp stabs of pain up and down my back. Jacob helped me lean forward to clear my mouth./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Bella! Bella, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! Are you ok? Are you hurting?" he yelled frantically. I shook my head and tried to get up to prove that I was all right. The second I was on my feet I collapsed again my hands clutching my back. Jacob looked about to beat himself up. "Really, Bella, there are no words for what I'm feeling. I'm so impossibly sorry! What can I do?"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""I just want to go home," I whispered ashamed of myself that I couldn't even walk. "When I get my hands on that disgusting, filthy, evil little beast I'm gonna kill him!" Jacob growled almost inaudibly. My eyebrows knit together./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Please. No." I whispered, "He…he…" I failed to think of an excuse for what he had done. For some reason I just couldn't be angry at Edward- maybe it was shame or embarrassment or just worry for Jacob but there wasn't room for anger in me./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Jacob's face pouted but he kept silent I looked away from him, scared to look into his eyes. Desperate for something to do I tried to stand again to the severe protest of my back. Jacob put a hand on my chest trying to make me lie down instead of standing up. "No.," he said firmly./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Jacob placed one hand carefully on the back of my neck and another on my lower back then lifted me very slowly. "If you're hurting you have to tell me- I'll find a way to carry you so it's not painful." He murmured gently./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I sighed, unable to stop thinking about Edward. About what would have happened if Jacob hadn't saved me from him. I didn't want to think about it but all of the different possibilities ran through my head too strong to be stopped. "Are we going home?" I asked a little bit louder, trying to change the subject when I realized that we were actually moving./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Yea." He replied letting out a yawn that should have belonged to a bear./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""You're tired." I accused./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Yea…" I smiled a little bit./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""So what happened exactly?" I asked looking into his eyes. "When you fell. How did you get back and how did you know where I was?" all the questions that had plagued me were all coming back up to the surface now./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Well," he looked off into the distance at something that would hurt my back if I tried to see it too. "When I fell off the cliff all I was afraid of was that Victoria would be done with me and go back after you- or that you would go looking for her, which ended up happening. It felt like I had drowned but I was still conscious. I was drowning in everything. The water, the pack's thoughts, and mostly what you were feeling. I can feel what you were feeling and I have no idea how everyone else was still standing after feeling that." He looked down at me again. "I knew that if I died then you would try to kill yourself too and I knew that I didn't want that to happen./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""There was nothing I could do, however, to stop sinking I was paddling as hard as I could but I couldn't make it to the surface. Suddenly, right when I was about to pass I hit the shore. It was weird- I thought that I had been in one spot but apparently I was moving towards shore without even knowing it. I knew that I had to get to you but I was so tired and I was afraid that if you were in the middle of something and I passed out it would take a lot longer for me to wake up from passing then for me to wake up from sleep. Get it?" he asked taking his second breath for the whole monologue./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I nodded a laugh bubbled up at my lips but I held it in. "Go on- how did you find me?"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Well by the time I had woken up and phased you had morphed back to human to talk to Victoria, I asked everyone there where you were and they told me where you were because they were going there too. We ran together and I guess when you morphed back to wolf you were blocking out everyone's thoughts because I kept telling you that I was coming but you couldn't hear. When I got to the cliff I didn't see you were being choked so I started the fire and by the time that I was ready to throw all the pieces in I noticed that you were about to pass out and you kept thinking that you were going to die and you were apologizing for something that wasn't your fault. I pulled the arm off you and was throwing all the leftovers into the fire. That's when Cullen got here and I told him to start CPR./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""I guess you woke up and when I was done with the bloodsucker I looked over to you and he was overpowering you and kissing you madly and…touching you…" he trailed off. "You know the rest- and don't I have great timing?" he asked. I tilted my head to one side in confusion./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""You're home silly!" I looked up at my house. It was Jacob's house but it was my house too. Victoria was gone, the potential danger was gone, and with Jacob back it really felt like home again./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Jacob?" I asked, "Do you want to know a secret?"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Sure." He replied looking into my eyes./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""emI love you."/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"He chuckled a little bit. "Do you want to know my secret?" he growled seductively./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""What?" I asked, my eyes narrowing./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""I love you too."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"In that instant, I realized the truth in his statement. No matter what peril or dangerous feat lied before us Jacob was, and always would be, mine emforever./em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"My delayed reaction to what I had heard right before swooning immediately activated. Jacob. Jacob was alive. Was Jacob alive or was it just my imagination? emI love you too, Bella! You're not going to die./em I was sure that I heard it. I was sure it was Jacob./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Jacob?" I snapped at Edward, his facial expression drooped a little bit. "He's taking care of-" a small growl escaped him, "Victoria." Suddenly the expression on his face changed from sorrow to anger./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Why are you always thinking about Jacob? You are emmine!/em I had you emfirst!'/em he snarled. "You. Are. Mine." He repeated. Then he leaned./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Furiously he grabbed the sides of my face and smashed his icy lips against mine. His mouth moved heatedly against mine despite the fact that I was trying to shove him away from me. He was too persistent and much stronger than I was when I was in my human form. He leaned forward, even more, pressing all his weight against me./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Why was he doing this? What had gotten into Edward? I shoved harder but he still wouldn't move one inch. His lips began to trail down my mouth…down my neck…lower and lower. His hand groped my inner thigh./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Suddenly all his weight was gone. Jacob's huge frame guarded me. He threw his arms out protectively, his teeth bared and snarls ripping from his throat./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Step aside, wolf!" Edward called angrily. "She was mine first!" He charged at Jacob who turned to me and pushed me away as hard as he could- sending me hurdling over the edge of the cliff. My body smashed into the water cracking my back. Automatically I opened my mouth to scream sending saltwater flooding down my throat./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Immediately Jacob was in the icy water with me dragging me back to shore. I wriggled on the sand trying to cough up all of the water but it sent a flurry of sharp stabs of pain up and down my back. Jacob helped me lean forward to clear my mouth./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Bella! Bella, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! Are you ok? Are you hurting?" he yelled frantically. I shook my head and tried to get up to prove that I was all right. The second I was on my feet I collapsed again my hands clutching my back. Jacob looked about to beat himself up. "Really, Bella, there are no words for what I'm feeling. I'm so impossibly sorry! What can I do?"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""I just want to go home," I whispered ashamed of myself that I couldn't even walk. "When I get my hands on that disgusting, filthy, evil little beast I'm gonna kill him!" Jacob growled almost inaudibly. My eyebrows knit together./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Please. No." I whispered, "He…he…" I failed to think of an excuse for what he had done. For some reason I just couldn't be angry at Edward- maybe it was shame or embarrassment or just worry for Jacob but there wasn't room for anger in me./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Jacob's face pouted but he kept silent I looked away from him, scared to look into his eyes. Desperate for something to do I tried to stand again to the severe protest of my back. Jacob put a hand on my chest trying to make me lie down instead of standing up. "No.," he said firmly./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"Jacob placed one hand carefully on the back of my neck and another on my lower back then lifted me very slowly. "If you're hurting you have to tell me- I'll find a way to carry you so it's not painful." He murmured gently./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I sighed, unable to stop thinking about Edward. About what would have happened if Jacob hadn't saved me from him. I didn't want to think about it but all of the different possibilities ran through my head too strong to be stopped. "Are we going home?" I asked a little bit louder, trying to change the subject when I realized that we were actually moving./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Yea." He replied letting out a yawn that should have belonged to a bear./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""You're tired." I accused./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Yea…" I smiled a little bit./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""So what happened exactly?" I asked looking into his eyes. "When you fell. How did you get back and how did you know where I was?" all the questions that had plagued me were all coming back up to the surface now./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Well," he looked off into the distance at something that would hurt my back if I tried to see it too. "When I fell off the cliff all I was afraid of was that Victoria would be done with me and go back after you- or that you would go looking for her, which ended up happening. It felt like I had drowned but I was still conscious. I was drowning in everything. The water, the pack's thoughts, and mostly what you were feeling. I can feel what you were feeling and I have no idea how everyone else was still standing after feeling that." He looked down at me again. "I knew that if I died then you would try to kill yourself too and I knew that I didn't want that to happen./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""There was nothing I could do, however, to stop sinking I was paddling as hard as I could but I couldn't make it to the surface. Suddenly, right when I was about to pass I hit the shore. It was weird- I thought that I had been in one spot but apparently I was moving towards shore without even knowing it. I knew that I had to get to you but I was so tired and I was afraid that if you were in the middle of something and I passed out it would take a lot longer for me to wake up from passing then for me to wake up from sleep. Get it?" he asked taking his second breath for the whole monologue./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"I nodded a laugh bubbled up at my lips but I held it in. "Go on- how did you find me?"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Well by the time I had woken up and phased you had morphed back to human to talk to Victoria, I asked everyone there where you were and they told me where you were because they were going there too. We ran together and I guess when you morphed back to wolf you were blocking out everyone's thoughts because I kept telling you that I was coming but you couldn't hear. When I got to the cliff I didn't see you were being choked so I started the fire and by the time that I was ready to throw all the pieces in I noticed that you were about to pass out and you kept thinking that you were going to die and you were apologizing for something that wasn't your fault. I pulled the arm off you and was throwing all the leftovers into the fire. That's when Cullen got here and I told him to start CPR./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""I guess you woke up and when I was done with the bloodsucker I looked over to you and he was overpowering you and kissing you madly and…touching you…" he trailed off. "You know the rest- and don't I have great timing?" he asked. I tilted my head to one side in confusion./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""You're home silly!" I looked up at my house. It was Jacob's house but it was my house too. Victoria was gone, the potential danger was gone, and with Jacob back it really felt like home again./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Jacob?" I asked, "Do you want to know a secret?"/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""Sure." He replied looking into my eyes./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""emI love you."/em/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"He chuckled a little bit. "Do you want to know my secret?" he growled seductively./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""What?" I asked, my eyes narrowing./p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;""I love you too."/p
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;"In that instant, I realized the truth in his statement. No matter what peril or dangerous feat lied before us Jacob was, and always would be, mine emforever./em/p