You guys are great! I am finished with the school year, so I should have more time to write now! Enjoy!

"Put your lips close to mine,
As long as they don't touch,
Out of focus, eye to eye,
'Til the gravity's too much.
And I'll do anything you say,
If you say it with your hands.
And I'd be smart to walk away,
But you're quicksand.

This slope is treacherous
This path is reckless
This slope is treacherous
And I, I, I like it"

September 12th, 2006

Joanna woke with a pounding headache. Or so she thought. After a few seconds of sitting in the dark bedroom, she realized her initial assumption had been incorrect. The howls of wolves were echoing in her head. Instincts she'd never known before filled in the blanks. Something was wrong. With Jacob.

She lunged across the bedroom and threw the door open. She needed to see what was wrong, but at least Charlie might check on her when he got up. He was going to be up for work early, and could help if she was in trouble. There wasn't time to make a better plan. Carlisle could chastise her later. The howls were joined by shrill yips, and Joanna settled back onto her bed. She closed her eyes, for all appearances trying to go to sleep again. Now that she knew him though, it was easy to let herself drift to Jacob's side.

He was in wolf form, blood matting in his gorgeous fur, surrounded by all of the wolves as he and Sam circled each other, growling. Joanna watched in horror as they jumped and collided in mid air. Sam yipped, staggering as he landed, apparently wounded by Jacob's teeth. She didn't care about him, keeping her eyes on Jacob to make sure he was okay. He had a bleeding gash on his leg, but seemed to be winning.

Jacob's gaze caught Joanna's stare. Just like the first time they'd met, Joanna sighed, an unknown weight lifting off her shoulders. Like Bella, he could see her. He was okay. Blue and shimmering brown locked together, only torn asunder when Sam took advantage of Jacob's distraction. Jacob struggled with him, tried to keep his eyes on Joanna, and she knew the moment the tide in their fight changed. Sam crushed one of Jacob's legs in his powerful jaws. The sound that was wrenched from Jacob's muzzle broke Joanna.

She moved forward, to where Sam was continuing to dominate the fight, and put her hands out. No one else could see her, no one knew what she was doing, no one but Jacob, who's eyes seemed to be begging her to leave. Joanna ignored him. Sam had no right to hurt Jacob. Somewhere in the last day, he'd become hers. Sam did not get to hurt him. Not if she could help it. Joanna focused on what she wanted, just as she'd done since she'd started exploring her power, and shoved Sam with all her strength. She was human, he was not, but, being unseen, she'd been able to wait until the right moment to try to push him off Jacob.

It worked. Sam stumbled.

Joanna stared at her hands in awe.

Jacob brought himself back to his feet, and put himself between them.

Joanna felt dizzy, ill even past the triumph of helping her wolf. She'd never been able to touch anything. "I'll be here soon." She said, hoping Jacob could hear her. Then she turned her attention to her body, on making the two parts whole again. It took longer than ever before.

Charlie was sitting on the bed beside her when she opened her eyes. His face was pale and tense, but automatically relaxed when he realized she was awake, "Hell, JoJo, thought you were dead for a second there. You looked a little blue."

Joanna shook her head, breathing hard, sucking in the oxygen her body had apparently forgotten it needed. "Sorry. Just a nightmare."

He did not look convinced.

Joanna glanced at her phone, and pretended to read, "I've got to go. Jacob needs...a hand with something."

"It's awfully early." Charlie commented with a frown, still sitting on the bed while she got up to pull a hoodie on over the tank she'd slept in, "You sure you feel okay?"

Joanna put on a sweet smile, hoping she was accurately concealing her worry, "Yeah, I'm fine! I'll go help him, maybe see Bells. You have anything you want me to tell her?"

His frown deepened, "She still not able to call?"

Joanna shook her head, "No, but...um...maybe in a couple days." He huffed, turning away when she swapped her shorts for jeans. Living in such a strange supernatural world with her past, social norms often were forgotten. Joanna hated when she lapsed in front of Charlie. He had not needed to see her in her lace panties, even if she was in a rush. Joanna cursed softly, "Sorry, Daddy. Modesty is not really my thing. I'm in a hurry. Forgot!"

"It's fine. I've changed your diapers." Charlie grumbled, giving her a tiny grin.

Joanna laughed, pulling her shoes back on, ignoring a droplet of dried blood on them, "True! You're going to Port Angeles today, right?"

He nodded, following her down the stairs, "Conference till five, then back here for a night shift."

"I'll see you for breakfast tomorrow then! We can meet at the diner." Joanna said, grabbing her keys before brushing a kiss to his cheek, "I'll call you. Bye, Daddy!"

"Bye, JoJo." He said, but he had the look on his face that told her he knew, deep down, that something was not okay.

Joanna drove as quickly as she could, glad her memory was good enough that she vaguely remembered how to get to the reservation. She drove through the town, ignoring the looks from the few residents stirring so early. The sun was barely beginning to come up after all.

It took a half hour from when she left the field for her to dress, shake off Charlie, and drive to where her brain told her Jacob was. The howls has stopped, but she still felt Jacob, like an invisible string now tied them together. Was that how he felt too? She parked the truck beside a red barn, and let the pull of her soul guide her into the forest where Jacob had to be.

The men and Leah were all back in human form, which explained the quiet in her head. Some of them had put shorts on, but most were naked. She didn't spare them another glance. Jacob and Sam were seated on a log, talking. Both of them were grimacing in pain and their russet skin covered in bites and deep cuts. Joanna hissed in anger as she stomped into the clearing, fury making her blood pound through her veins. She didn't have space for fear. He had hurt Jacob, and Jacob was hers. She approached the alphas fearlessly.

Jacob looked towards her as soon as they all registered her arrival, but failed to come to his feet, one knee apparently struggling greatly to heal, "Jo?"

"Told you I'd be here soon." She whispered, striding up to him and looking him over. She cupped his face in her hands, "You win?"

He smiled at her, resisting the urge to nuzzle her hands in front of all the other men, "Sam and I have come to a new agreement."

Joanna shot a glare at the other alpha, but brushed her thumb gently over a split in Jacob's lip. He looked like girls who displeased their pimp. They usual didn't live though. Jacob was too pretty to look like this, and the thought of him being killed made her stomach roll. Joanna found a healing gash on his head, and knew if he'd been human, he'd be dead, "I don't like this."

"We've worked it out. Everything is fine." He smiled again, his lip protesting, and a drop of blood wrenched itself free before the skin healed back over. It was awful, but fascinating to watch.

Joanna stepped away from him, letting her hands fall to her side as she regarded Sam, sitting naked a few feet away. Edward had said something the night Renesmee had been born. None of these men would put a hand on her. A strange sense of power settled over her. She had never had more control than she had right now. It was borrowed power, safety due to Jacob's affection for her, but she did not care. She dropped her shoulders, and stared Sam down, "You will not lay a hand on him again."

Sam sneered at her, "What happened is Pack business. He needs to grow up. He'll heal. Leave. You're not welcome here."

Joanna stood over him, pleased to see one of his legs was still very obviously broken. "You know what they say, right? Bullies are often overcompensating." She dropped her eyes pointedly to his crotch. "Guess it's true."

Sam growled, body shaking.

"Jo!" Jacob yelled in warning, grabbing her elbow with the arm that wasn't broken.

She shrugged him off, "No, Jacob. He needs to understand you are mine."

Jacob let her go, and she could imagine his stunned expression. She wanted to turn around, but kept her eyes on Sam, "Go ahead, show your men you can't take a little sass from a puny human. That's a great way to get them to want to follow you."

Sam growled, "You're stupid to taunt a wolf."

Joanna shook her head, "No. You're stupid to be so small minded. My sister and niece are not a threat to your people. Me on the other hand, I can be very threatening." She launched one hand forward, grasping his exposed privates in her hand and twisting viciously before he could move. A human man would never be able to father children. He jerked forward and went completely still, gasping in pain, Joanna whispered into his ear, ignoring the men who had stepped in closer to protect their alpha, "You will not fight with Jacob again. He will still beat you, and you will lose the respect of your people."

Wisely, she let go before he had a chance to get his wits about him, and, wary of the story Bella had told her about Emily, returned to Jacob's side. "Come on, Jake. We need to get you cleaned up." Seth helped her maneuver Jacob to her truck, but kept his distance from her once Jacob was in the vehicle, gasping from the pain of unhealed bones moving from the movement. Seth gave her a small wave, but seemed eager to get back to his sister. She had no clue why.

Joanna drove in silence, calming herself down with deep breaths and recalling the anguished look that had been in Sam's face when she had twisted his testicles. How many times had she wanted to do that over her life? A lot. She'd been crazy to do it to a werewolf, but it went to prove that, at his core, he was a man. And most men were absolutely controlled by what hung between their legs. Sam would likely think twice before picking a bone with Jacob. Oh, but men didn't often like being undermined by women in front of their friends. Would Jacob feel that way? It had felt so good though.

Once off the reservation lands, Joanna put the truck in park and turned to Jacob, "I went too far, didn't I? That was bad."

He gave her a sweet, indulgent smile that instantly dispelled her nerves, "I mean, you're stunning when you're angry. Terrifying though. He could have killed you. You do something like that again, I'll have a heart attack."

Joanna eased closer to him, wary of his still odd looking arm. "I'll try, but Sam and I will never be friends. I don't like seeing you hurt."

"How did you even know?" Jacob asked, brushing hair out of her face with his good hand.

"I woke up with howls in my head. Think I've got a faulty connection to werewolf radio. I came to you and saw you fighting." Joanna told him.

Jacob narrowed his eyes at her, "You shoved Sam. Just what can you do?"

Joanna shrugged, "I don't know. That's the first time I've touched anyone. I was just really scared and angry. I needed to protect you. Was that against some Pack rules?"

He chuckled and gasped in pain at the same time. "Oh, maybe. We can keep it between us though, no one else even noticed he didn't just lose his balance. I kind of thought I was hallucinating." He held her hand and stared at her pale face, "I've never heard of an imprinting bond going both ways in any way. It's usually completely one sided."

Joanna scowled at his still bleeding wounds, and put the truck back into gear, easing back onto the highway, leaving her hand in his the whole time, "Thought you were supposed to heal fast."

"We fought hard. I won though." Was his explanation. Silence followed, and when she dared to glance at him, Jacob was fast asleep.

When she parked in front of her house, Joanna woke him with a kiss. He'd just looked too cute not to. "Come on, you need a shower."

He was obviously exhausted, and let her lead him into the house and managed to get up the stairs before something in his leg gave out. Luckily, Joanna managed to plop him onto the closed toilet. "You need to stop being so stubborn and let me help you." Joanna scolded, turning the shower on and closing the door.

"I've got it." Jacob told her, but failed again to get his body to cooperate.

Joanna put her hands on her hips, "Jacob, you can barely stand. I don't think you can really handle cracking your head open right now."

"I'll heal." He said, but then seemed to start thinking. "You're going to help me shower?"

Joanna nodded, pulling out a pair of towels and a small stack of worn wash cloths, "You are covered in dirt and blood, and I think some of those wounds need some attention even if you will heal soon." She grabbed a new bar of soap too, "I'm not Carlisle, but I've nursed my share of beatings before. Mine and other girls." She hummed once, "Never done dog bites though. I'm sure I can figure it out. Not like you're going to get rabies. It should be fine!"

She pulled her hoodie off and Jacob's mouth went completely dry. There was no way he would argue with her. He wanted her hands on him, badly. In any way she was willing. "O-okay."

Joanna smirked at how his eyes lingered on her body. The tank top she'd worn to bed didn't leave much to the imagination, and her jeans were form fitting. She realized smugly that she liked the way he looked at her. After unhooking the shower head from its holder and letting it dangle, water spraying against the shower wall, she held a hand out to Jacob, "Come on, handsome. Water's warm now." She paused, "Is water ever warm enough for you?"

"It'll be fine." Jacob rushed, and when she helped him ease into the shower, they both quickly realized he was not going to make it standing. He leaned against the wall and slid into the tub while Joanna ran downstairs to grab a pitcher. Joanna started with his bum knee, directing the water to that leg and probing with gentle fingers once it was cleaned off. She was meticulous, cleaning all the grime off of him, and it was the most intimate moment he'd experience in his short life. He found himself drifting off to sleep again, more relaxed than he'd ever been.

Joanna woke him with another kiss, "Sleepy head, sit up. I need to wash your hair."

Jacob followed her directions, and realized he'd never before known how good it felt to have someone else wash his hair for him. He'd had haircuts before, of course, but Joanna's nimble fingers were completely different. The erection in his soggy shorts had never happened with any barber. Shit. She had a history, he'd been told by his father to go easy and Billy had even warned him he'd probably have to console himself in the future. Joanna did not want this. It would not endear him to her. He needed to get rid of it.

Joanna poured water over his head, one hand over his eyes to keep the water out. She sat back when she was done, her tank top damp and sticking to her breasts. The peaked nipples visible through that damned shirt did not help him at all. She smiled, pleased with herself. "There. Only thing left is..." Her eyes drifted pointedly to his pants. There was no way she didn't notice his erection. She was going to hate him.

His face flushed and he stared up at the tiled ceiling, "I am so sorry."

Joanna made him look at her, and shocked him with her words, "Hey, no. It's natural." She bit her lip, "And, I don't mind it. I still think you're too good for me, but...I like you. I wouldn't keep kissing you otherwise. In my head, you're mine already." She smirked, "Glad your little head agrees."

They both laughed at her joke, the tension in Jacob's body easing. "I think I can stand now."

Joanna nodded in understanding, "I'll get the first aid kit from the kitchen. Meet me in my room and we can nurse the worst of those wounds of yours."

He managed to not fall over, and peeled off his wet denim shorts without cracking his head against the tile like she'd been afraid of. Fortunately, the struggle with his sopping wet shorts put the kibosh on his erection. Still, he had to focus on not getting another as he sat on the bed, a towel wrapped around his waist, waiting on her to join him. On a bed. Whilst he was essentially naked. He was doomed. It seemed like she was coming around faster than his dad had warned, but he would push her away again by being a horny teen-aged boy. Damn.

He jumped when she opened the door.

Joanna had changed clothes, he noted, wearing a dry T-shirt and cotton shorts when she came back into the bedroom with the first aid kit in her hands, "Sorry, I called to check in on Bella and Renesmee. Nothing new, baby's just getting bigger every hour. Edward is apparently about to crawl out of his skin. He's really a…" She stopped mid ramble, eyes looking him up and down, "Shit." She pinched her eyes closed, but he could smell how her scent had changed. He'd done that. She really liked the way he looked on her bed, just as much as he liked being there. He'd never been so happy for his dad to be wrong about anything.

Chapter lyrics from 'Treacherous' by Taylor Swift.

Uh...the next chapter is 95% Jo and Jacob in bed, 5% drama. You guys aren't interested in that at all, are you? ;)

Let me know what you think! And anything you'd like to see with these two crazy kids!
-Jenn