A/N: I'm back! Sorry guys, the beginning of my summer was slammed and my muse apparently went on vacation without me. Nothing helped to bring it back until now. Glad everyone is still enjoying this! More drama ahead!

Chapter 10

Jacob stared unblinking at Bella for a long moment, too stunned to respond as her dark eyes watched him nervously. Shaking himself slightly he took a deep breath, trying to keep calm, and eased closer to her. "Bella…why are you asking about vampires?"

His voice was shaking ever so slightly, as was his hand that he placed over hers, feeling how cold she was as his fingers wrapped them. Her large eyes were locked on him, fear and trepidation in her gaze and she swallowed hard. "I'm in trouble Jacob. I don't know what to do and I can't tell anyone."

Jacob watched her eyes dart to her phone as it started to ring again, the scent of her fear spiking in the room and making him growl in response. Picking up her cell he looked at the screen to see 'BLOCKED NUMBER' flashing insistently, making him grit his teeth as he hit the call button.

"Who is this?!" His Alpha timber rolled through him, his arms trembling as he tried to keep himself in check. There was silence over the line, not even the sound of breathing, and then a click as the caller hung up. Glaring at the phone Jacob took a deep breath, reining in the wolf before he turned to Bella. She stared up at him from the couch, he could hear her heart racing in her chest, and she whispered, "Please help me Jacob."

Seth leaned his chin on the headrest of the exam chair, his eyes glued to the screen as an idiotic grin covered his face. The picture on the screen was fuzzy black and grey but there was no mistaking the tiny shape in the middle.

"Seth, you still there?" Amber's soft voice brought him back to earth and he tilted his head to grin at her. She rolled her eyes, a gentle smile on her face as she followed his gaze to the screen. "Seeing that…it's starting to feel real…I mean if the morning sickness and general horribleness of the last few weeks wasn't enough of a sign."

Seth whined slightly, low enough the ultrasound technician couldn't hear, and nudged his nose against Amber's neck. She shushed him, patting his hand as she shook her head at his behavior. "Calm down, I told you it's normal."

Huffing slightly he breathed in her scent before pulling back to look at the screen again, gripping Amber's hand tightly.

Jacob breathed deeply, gripping the railing beneath his hands so tightly it creaked several times. He was on Bella's balcony, trying to calm himself down so he didn't phase in the middle of the city, again, and expose them all. It was surprisingly difficult, he hadn't struggled this much since he first phased, even that seemed easier by comparison. Bella had disappeared into her room after her confession, in tears and what he assumed was the verge of a panic attack. He wanted to comfort her, to calm her down and assure her he would help her and protect her, but first he had to get himself under control. He knew if he didn't show her he was calm and level headed he could lose her forever, something neither he nor his wolf even wanted to think about. Blowing out a lungful of air he forced his shoulders to relax, loosening his grip on the railing before he left indents in it, and ducked back inside. He stopped in front of the bedroom door, hesitating before he knocked gently and pushed it open. "Bells?"

Her room was dark, not that it bothered him, and he spotted her on the edge of the bed, her arms wrapped around her middle as she took shaky breaths. Moving to kneel in front of her he placed his hands on her legs and peered through the curtain of hair. "Bells, it's okay."

She sobbed softly, making his wolf whine in his chest, and he scooped her into his arms and pressed her to his chest as he did his best to soothe her. He felt her stiffen at first, making him worry that he had crossed a line, but she quickly relaxed, moving her arm to cling to his shoulder. Eventually she calmed, pulling away with a reddened face as she whispered, "Sorry. I didn't mean-"

Jake shook his head, daring to cup her face in his hand as he tilted her head up to meet his eyes. "Don't Bells. It's okay. Sorry I freaked out a little, it's the wolf he-" He cut himself off, not wanting to scare her with the intensity his wolf felt, and smiled softly at her. "I'm ok now. Now you can tell me everything. I promise I won't get that upset."

He saw her swallow, fear still in her gaze, and she sighed, "Okay Jake."

He leaned back against the bed, keeping her pressed to his chest, and grinned slightly as she tucked her head under his chin. "So you've been stalked by this guy for the last few months…what makes you say he's a vampire?"

"He told me. I thought he was a nice guy, I met him at the club but he didn't hit on me like the normal guys. He asked me to coffee, middle of the day, public setting, like a real standup guy you know? Coffee turned into a couple more daytime dates, turned into dinner, turned into what I thought was a normal relationship." She paused and he felt her shudder slightly, prompting him to wrap her more tightly in his arms. "I always thought it was odd he could only do things during the day when it was raining but I just chalked it up to coincidence. But the more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Like the fact he never actually drank his coffee when we met up, how he always took his dinner home practically untouched, he'd disappear for days at a time…"

She paused and shook her head. "I feel so stupid. I've studied Native American legends; you'd think I'd be able to tell when someone is a freaking vampire."

Jacob couldn't help gently nudging her hair, breathing in her scent as he did so, and she giggled shakily before continuing. "I tried to end it since something just felt…off…but he wouldn't accept it. He started showing up at the show every night; I'd see him outside my apartment late, he calls all the time…" She swallowed hard. "I think he's been in my house Jake. I swear things move while I'm gone, even while I'm asleep…I feel like I'm being watched all the time."

She was shaking again and Jacob couldn't help the low growl in his chest, his arm trembling as he breathed deeply to stay calm. Bella pulled away enough to look at him, her dark eyes wet with unshed tears. "I didn't know what to do. It's not like I can call the cops. What am I supposed to say? 'Hi, my ex-boyfriend is stalking me. Oh yeah, he's also a vampire so call Van Helsing.'"

Jacob couldn't help chuckling at that, momentarily distracted as she smiled back, and he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Bells, I promise I'll do whatever it takes to protect you. Hunting vamps is nothing new to us; it's what we're made for. Have you thought about leaving Seattle, coming home? I want to protect you but we have our tribe to think about too, we can't leave them open to an attack by having the Pack split up."

Bella nodded, curling back against his chest so naturally it made his breath catch for a moment. "I have, but I didn't want to get Charlie involved. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to him because of me. I didn't think I could slip out of town without him catching me either. But maybe with you guys…"

Jacob dared to press a kiss to her hair, catching the small hitch in her breath as he did, and smiled slightly. "I promise Bells. We'll get you somewhere safe."

Sam hesitated, looking around before he tested the door to the club and breathed a sigh of relief when it swung open. He slipped inside, taking a moment to look around and make sure no one saw him, then headed for the showroom. As he approached he could hear the 'clink' of glass and he halted in the doorway to watch as the figure behind the bar moved around unloading bottles of alcohol gracefully. He didn't know what to do now that he was actually here, he hadn't thought beyond seeing if the club was even unlocked. As he stood in the shadows debating Leah suddenly jerked around and scowled in his direction. "I know you're there! The club is closed!"

He backed up a step, eyes widening when she reached down and pulled out a baseball bat, hefting it as she stepped around the bar with a glare. "Come out now!"

Blowing out a breath through his nose he raised his hands and slowly stepped into light. Leah strode towards him, still brandishing the bat, and started berating him. "This is not a strip club and you don't get to come in whenever you darn well please! I'm so sick of men like you, no respect-"

"Lee-lee." His voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper, and she froze several feet away.

"What…who…" Her gaze roamed his body and finally landed on his face and he saw her eyes widen in disbelief. "…Sam…?"

He gave her a weak smile, lowering his hands as he slowly stepped closer. She watched him, her eyes full of a maelstrom of emotions that he couldn't keep up with, and he stopped a few steps away. "Leah…"

She blinked, and before he could register the movement the bat collided with his jaw. He heard a very audible 'crack', whether from the splintering wood or his jaw he wasn't sure, and he flew backwards into the wall, his skull smacking into the concrete. He collapsed on the floor, blackness filling his vision, Leah's shocked face the last thing he saw before he passed out.

A/N: Lots going on! Hope you enjoyed it, leave me a review! Thanks for reading!