A/N: And another update! The muse has been extremely cooperative this week. Our story is starting to come together, and maybe a little less torture for our favorite couple after this. Or maybe not, who knows! Honestly, I was going a whole different direction when I started this story but the characters have taken their own path on several occasions. We'll see where it goes!

Song is Come A Little Closer by Dierks Bently, it really only fits with the last part but I didn't want to wait another chapter. Slight lemon at the end, you've been warned!

Come a Little Closer Part 1

The yard had dissolved into chaos, savage snarls and shouts making Seth's head ring as he heaved back, clenching his teeth. Even with every ounce of his enhanced strength, it was like pulling a mountain. He doubted Jacob even noticed, flailing wildly against his Pack as they struggled to restrain their Alpha. Over the maelstrom another scream sounded from the house, all the wolves whining as they flinched and Jacob let out a feral roar of rage as he managed to drag himself forward another step. Seth traded panicked glances with Embry, both of them barely keeping their grips on Jacob's arms as they hauled back with all their might. It had barely been five minutes since Bella's first scream of agony and they were already feeling their strength fading from trying to contain their Alpha. Jacob was beyond reason, not reacting in the slightest to their shouts, only Bella's cries got any reaction, each one seeming to give him a burst of strength in his frenzy to get to her.

Seth knew they weren't going to be able to keep this up much longer; they were all drained after the last few days. And even at his weakest, Jacob was stronger than any of them at their peak. As feral as Jacob was at the moment, Seth feared for Old Quil and Jen's lives, not sure the enraged Alpha would remember they were trying to save Bella. He was snapped out of his thoughts by a snarl as Jacob kicked out with his leg, sending Jared flying to crash through the wheelchair ramp and into the porch. Seth winced at the impact. "Jared is going to be pissed for days."

Turning he locked eyes with Embry again as Jacob dragged them all forward another few inches. "Hook his legs!"

Embry nodded, knowing their only hope at this point was to get Jacob off his feet. "Quil, Jared! Legs!"

Quil grunted from behind them, his arms wrapped around Jacob's waist in a futile attempt to anchor them back. Jared, standing from the wreckage of the porch and bleeding where the splintered wood has cut him, nodded with a furious look, dropping into a crouch. Seth grit his teeth, this was going to hurt wolf or no, and jerked his head. Charging forward, Jared aimed his shoulder at Jacob's legs, as he connected Seth and Embry each wrapped a leg around one of Jacob's and jerked as Quil suddenly threw his body forward into Jacob's back. The whole process knocked Jacob off balance and with his limbs semi-restrained was unable to catch himself, sending them all crashing forward into the ground.

Seth groaned, pain radiating from his left side, glancing at Jacob still thrashing against them. Blood was pouring from his nose, Seth faintly remembered hearing a crunch of cartilage when they hit, and grimaced in sympathy. Then again, they were all sporting some kind of injury from holding Jacob back so he supposed it was only fair. He was relieved to see Jared had somehow rolled out of the way and was now pinning Jacob's legs down, Quil at his waist, and Seth and Embry holding his shoulders. Jacob could do very little but buck against their weight, unable to get his limbs underneath him for leverage. "BELLA!"

Their Alpha's voice was hoarse with worry and rage, making them all flinch at the sound, and another scream sounded from the house. Seth let his head drop forward, still keeping his grip on Jacob's shoulder and arm, trying to catch his breath. "Black you owe us so big when this is over."

The other three gave grunts of agreement to Seth's muttered statement, and he prayed that Jacob wouldn't try to phase. They'd all be far too hurt to stop him at that point.

"What the hell are you doing?" Paul's voice sounded from across the yard and Seth looked up to give him a piece of his mind when he saw how heavily Paul was sagging against the tree. His pack brother was pale, an accomplishment with their skin tone, his face drawn and chest heaving as he panted for breath. "What's going on?"

"Dude, what happened?" Seth would have gone to help him sit down if Bella hadn't started screaming again, making Jacob start thrashing under them again. "Dammit Jake, hold still!"

Paul was staring at the house, his face even paler, and Seth sighed. "We can't let him in the house."

Paul nodded, dragging his gaze away to watch Jacob for a moment before he sighed and limped forward, dropping to a knee next to him. "Hold still Black."

Jacob snarled at him, which Paul ignored and grasped Jacob's face, his thumbs on either side of his nose. With a quick snap, he reset the cartilage and Jacob howled angrily. "There, at least you'll look halfway decent. Jacob, look at me."

The Alpha snarled, making Paul roll his eyes, and grasp Jacob's chin in his hand as he forced Jacob to look at him. "Black, listen to me!"

Jacob paused in his struggles, eyes glowing gold as he stared at Paul, breathing harshly through his mouth as his nose knit itself back together. "I know you're worried about Bella. But you know the wolf is out of control right now. You need to pull him back; Bella needs you to be in control when she makes it through this. Somehow, that crazy old man and Jen are going to save her, I promise you. I will go sit with them, make sure she's okay, and I promise I won't let anything bad happen. Stay here with the others."

Paul waited, watching as Jacob took a shuddering breath, the glow in his eyes fading a bit, and slowly pushed himself to his feet. "I'll come get you when it's over."

Seth watched Paul limp back to the house, muttering curses as he struggled over the broken porch, and then he disappeared inside. Jacob was taking deep breaths, forehead pressed into the dirt as his shaking started to slow, and Seth breathed a sigh of relief that they hopefully wouldn't have to fight him again. Now all they could do was wait, Bella's screams sending shudders over all of them as they stayed with their Alpha, praying the girl they all cared for would somehow make it through.

Paul slowly made his way through the house, feeling the last bits of his energy fading as he made his way to Jacob's bedroom. He knew he was dangerously close to collapsing but he meant what he said to Jacob. He would make sure Bella pulled through this, he owed her that much if not more. He had to pause before entering, taking a fortifying breath as Bella's scream rang down the hall, sending a shiver over him. He didn't think he'd heard anything so agonizing, not even when Jacob's bones had to be rebroken by the leech doctor. He peered around the door, seeing Old Quil and Jen bent over Bella's convulsing figure on the bed, strain on both their faces as they tried to hold her still. "Let me."

Jen jumped at his voice, looking over her shoulder at him with a mix of exhaustion, worry and relief on her face, and he slumped into the chair next to the bed. Looking over the fragile girl, he felt his stomach twist in anger and nausea, if he ever saw Edward Cullen again he'd shred him apart bit by bit for putting such an innocent girl through this. Bella was pale, her skin burning with fever even as shivers wracked her body, face contorted in pain as raw screams escaped her throat. Old Quil and Jen were bent over her wrist where the scar was, the once healed skin now cut open, blood seeping from the wound.

"Is it working?" Jen turned to face him, he could see the exhaustion on her face and she shrugged helplessly.

"I don't know. I'm not sure what I'm doing, if I'm helping her or speeding up the venom's job and killing her. I have to draw the venom out little by little; it's hard when it's trying to feed off her blood."

Paul watched as she hovered her hand over the wound, palm glowing as she concentrated, and he saw the tiniest sliver of silver liquid seep out with the blood, Bella arching off the bed as she screamed again. He quickly pulled her down, thankful she was unconscious for this at least, and thought hard as he watched Old Quil snatch the silver thread with a pair of tweezers, dropping the venom into a small jar that they were using to contain it. There was barely anything in it and his heart clenched as he thought of having to watch this over and over. He didn't think there was anyway Bella could do this for hours, Jake certainly wouldn't be able to control himself that long, and his brow furrowed as he tried to come up with an idea.

"So…the venom is alive? Sort of. Meaning it can sense a threat?" He waited for Jen to nod, watching him curiously as she prepared to pull more of the poison from Bella's body. "So, let's give it something to fight."

Before either of them could protest, Paul snatched up a scalpel from the kit on the bed and grit his teeth as he slashed open his wrist.

"What are you doing?!" Jen shrieked at him, scrambling for a towel, and he grabbed her arm to stop her.

"I didn't hit any major arteries, calm down. If it senses my blood, maybe it won't hold on to Bella's and be easier to draw out. You're running out of energy and Bella can't do this for hours either. We can at least try it." He could see she was angry, mostly that he was right, but didn't argue as he placed his bleeding arm next to Bella's, handing the scalpel to Old Quil. "If it starts healing too fast, you'll have to cut it open again."

The Elder nodded, and Paul grasped Jen's hand for a moment before laying his arm across Bella's chest to hold her still and pressing his wound against hers.

Bella was burning. Burning and freezing. She wasn't sure how that was possible, although she was more concerned with getting it to stop. Time didn't exist here, just the excruciating pain, and she'd given up trying to keep track. The pain had been constant for a long while; she had actually started to grow slightly numb to it, which was a relief, when it had flared blindingly hot and cold suddenly. She was left gasping for breath, curled into a ball as she waited for it to stop. Her throat was raw from screaming, she was trying to call for Jake but wasn't sure she'd actually been able to form words. She knew she was unconscious, the last thing she remembered was being in the kitchen cooking and then she'd been here, trapped in her head. There finally seemed to be a lull in the spikes and she gathered what little strength she had and pushed herself up, breath caught in her throat when she looked around.

Instead of the dark, formless place she'd been trapped in, she was now in a ballet studio. The ballet studio in Phoenix. She couldn't help the whimper that escaped her throat, especially when she saw a familiar figure standing in the shadows. "James."

He ignored her, red eyes locked on the door in front of them, and she watched as it swung open to reveal herself. She was shocked at how much younger she looked, it had barely been two years since this memory, and how innocent and naïve she looked. She watched numbly as the memory played out, the crack of her leg breaking making her flinch, and she fought the urge to cover her ears against her screams. James raised her wrist to his nose, inhaling her scent with a growl, and she braced herself for the scream she knew was coming.

"Well well, what do we have here?"

James' voice made her eyes pop open, he was no longer staring at the memory version of her that was crumpled on the floor, instead his red eyes were locked on hers as he stalked towards her. Her heart pounded in her chest, panic rising in her throat. She was too afraid to move, frozen in place and watching as James stopped in front of her with a predatory look on his face. "Seems you survived this night, even if I didn't. Well, most of me didn't. Just enough venom left in that bite mark to hold onto and wait."

Her eyes widened, clasping her wrist and she felt the warm liquid seeping out of it. James watched hungrily as she backed away frantically, unable to stop the blood flowing between her fingers. He stalked after her, red eyes gleaming madly as she hit the wall behind her. "Thanks to the DNA from your dog's bite, I got stronger, started feeding on little bits of your blood until I was strong enough to overpower you. Now it's just up to me to decide if I should kill you…or change you."

Bella's stomach dropped to her knees, bile rising in her throat as she pressed against the wall. James laughed at her fear, moving suddenly in a blur so he had her pinned as he raised her bleeding wrist to his nose, teeth gleaming as he prepared to bite, when the window behind them burst into pieces as a grey wolf charged through it.

James glared over his shoulder, the grey wolf snarling viciously as it foamed at the mouth, snapping its jaws at the vampire. "Looks like I have a snag in my plans, I'll take care of the mutt and then we'll continue our conversation."

He dropped her to the ground, turning with snarl and launched himself without warning at the wolf, sending them rolling across the floor in a mass of growls and hisses. Bella watched with a mixture of relief and confusion, she was grateful that Paul was here to help but confused how he was there at all. She pushed herself into a sitting position, watching wide-eyed as the two continued to fight, and wished there was something she could do to help. Paul managed to get the upper hand on the vampire, flinging him out the broken window into darkness and rushed to her side. When she blinked he was suddenly human, cut offs on thankfully, and she grasped his hand tightly. "Paul! What the hell is going on? How are you even here?"

He shook his head, glancing between her and the window as he checked her over. "No time to explain Bella. Listen, you have to fight. There's venom in your system, it's killing you. Jen is trying to pull it out but it's taking longer than we thought and we're running out of time."

She opened her mouth to say something but Paul cut her off. "Later, focus right now. Jen said you might have powers, you need to find them and use them."

A savage hiss sounded before she could reply and Paul turned with a snarl, crouching protectively in front of her as James leapt through the window. In another blink, Paul's wolf had taken his place and she watched as he and James leapt at each other, snarling as they tumbled across the floor. She looked down at her hands, frustrated as she tried in vain to summon some sort of power like Jen did. A yelp made her flinch, looking up she saw Paul limping with his front paw tucked under him, trying to keep James in his sights as the vicious vampire circled him. Her heart leapt into her throat, worry and panic causing her to nearly hyperventilate, and she saw James chuckle as he surveyed the wolf. "You're too weak. If you don't pull out now, you'll die just like her."

Paul whined, his gaze darting to Bella's, and she glared at him. "Paul, get out of here!"

He growled, frustration clear as he debated, and she could see him weakening as the seconds ticked by. "Paul! Go! Please."

He hesitated and she growled as she felt a wave of something rise inside her. "I said…go!" Her hands flew out in front of her, a whirlwind suddenly appearing in the studio and knocked James aside, herding Paul towards the shattered window. He gave her one last look and jumped through, vanishing into the darkness and leaving Bella staring at her hands in a daze. James stalked out of the shadows, his face twisted in rage and disbelief, and she found herself pinned to the wall with his hand at her throat as he snarled, "That isn't possible. What are you?"

She tried to push him off, vaguely aware he was cutting off her air, and he inhaled her scent from her neck as he ignored her efforts. "Human. But something else…now I'm really not sure if I should kill you or turn you. What an interesting dilemma."

She gasped for breath, eyes locked with the taunting blood red ones that perused her face, and she felt that familiar helpless feeling wash over her.

"You aren't helpless."

She wasn't sure to be relieved or annoyed that her inner voice picked now of all time to show up. A flash of white fur caught her eye and she strained to see in the dark corner, James temporarily forgotten as she gaped at the sight before her. A magnificent white wolf, nearly as large as Jacob's, stood watching her, familiar chocolate brown eyes locking with hers. James didn't react, even when the wolf growled low in its chest at him, and Bella felt it rise in hers at the same time. He gave her a peculiar look, his hand loosening for a moment as he glanced around them and then shrugged and tightened his grip again as he inhaled at her neck. She looked at the wolf; eyes begging it to rescue her, and it looked at her steadily.

"You saved yourself before; you need to do it again."

She glared at it, puzzled at the statement, but knew she didn't have time to question it as black spots appeared in her vision. She was running out of air and she desperately dug deep within herself, trying to find that same power that had caused the whirlwind. A small piece rose up and she yanked on it as she shoved against James' chest. A wave of energy blasted him back, a loud crack ringing in her ears, snarling angrily as he flew across the room, and Bella took the chance to gasp air into her starved lungs, leaning a hand on the wall for support. The wolf watched impassively, although she swore she saw a glint of pride in its eyes, and they both turned to watch James rise to his feet, his teeth bared angrily as he stalked towards her. She was surprised to see a huge gash in his chest, leaking venom that shone in the dim lights, looking back up as he spat, "Witch! Whatever you are, you can't stop me. Eventually, you'll run out of energy and then I'll take great pleasure in killing you, slowly."

She knew he was right, already feeling her energy fading as she leaned against the wall, but she felt just enough for one more blast. It would have to count, and as she watched the ever so slowly healing gash on his marble chest she felt a small smile cross her lips. James paused, watching her suspiciously, and she concentrated on the ebbing power, willing it to help her. "I'm glad this happened, because now…now I get to watch you burn."

He cocked his head, confused, and she raised her palm to reveal the fireball she'd formed, launching it at his chest. She saw him glance down, his eyes widening as he saw the crack in his skin and the venom, but the moment had cost him and the fire hit him dead center. An inhuman scream made Bella clap her hands over her ears, watching as James fell to the ground writhing, a sense of relief washing over her as she watched her tormenter burn. It was over almost too soon for her taste, and almost immediately she felt stronger as the last of the venom burned away from her blood. A rustle next to her made her turn away from the ash pile, locking eyes with the white wolf as it watched her thoughtfully.

"You are much stronger than you think. And more than anyone knows. This is a good trait for an Alpha female, but a dangerous one as well."

Bella frowned, unsure what to make of the statement, and settled on the easiest first. "Alpha female? What do you mean? I'm not a shifter. Who are you?"

The wolf stared at her patiently, the familiar brown eyes gazing into hers looking so much like her own…and she felt her mouth drop open. "Wait…I am? Then you're…"

She could feel the start of her breathing hyperventilating and the wolf gently nudged her arm with its muzzle, trying to soothe her. "There is much you don't know and not enough time to tell you. You have to wake up before you're trapped here in the spirit world. Just know that you are far more powerful than even the Volturi or the Council knows. You mustn't let them find out until you are ready; you will be the tipping point of the supernatural war that is coming. You must learn to balance who you are."

Bella opened her mouth, questions spinning in her head and making her dizzy, but the wolf shook its head and nudged her towards the window that Paul had jumped through. "There's no time. You must go, Jacob needs you. Your Pack needs you. Now go."

She could feel the pull from beyond the window, her heartbeat picking up at the mention of Jacob. She couldn't imagine what he was going through, although she was confused why Paul had come to try and rescue her and not him, and she took several steps before turning back to the wolf. "Just tell me, will I shift now? With the vampire venom gone?"

The wolf gave what she guessed was the equivalent of a shrug. "I don't know. Only time will tell. Now go, before it's too late."

She nodded, the pull to get to Jacob making her stumble slightly as she crossed the floor, and she took a deep breath before jumping out of the window and into the darkness beyond.

Bella jackknifed on the bed, nearly head-butting whoever was bent over her, gasping as her heart pounded against her chest almost painfully. She couldn't see in the blinding light, her ears ringing with the different voices around her and she squeezed her eyes shut and clapped her hands over her ears. She could still hear the shouts as footsteps rushed next to the bed she was on, overlapping in a mix of excitement and worry, and she cracked open an eye to see what was going on. The overwhelm was forgotten as she saw Paul on the ground next to the bed, his normal russet skin an alarming shade of grey, sweat covering his body as his chest jerked in uneven breaths. Jen was kneeling above him, tears streaking her face as she begged him to wake up. Old Quil was standing near the door, watching with a troubled expression, his eyes meeting Bella's as she pulled her hands away from her ears.

"What happened?" Her voice was rough with disuse, sending her into a coughing fit, and he nodded to the glass of water on the bedside table which she drank greedily before repeating the question.

"He is dangerously weak, he gave most of his energy to save you and it may have been too much." The Elder looked at Paul sadly, gripping his walking stick tightly.

"Screw this." Bella pushed herself out of bed, wobbling slightly before sinking to her knees next to Jen, meeting her friend's panicked gaze. "Jen, he's not going anywhere. He's too stubborn to die."

She let out a choked laugh, making Bella smile for a moment, and she took in her friend's pale skin and the dark undereye circles. Knowing Jen didn't have enough energy to stand much less heal the shifter, Bella placed her hand on Paul's chest and closed her eyes, drawing on her slowly rising energy and shoving it into Paul's body. "C'mon stubborn ass, you don't get to save me and then die."

She could feel his heart beat start to slowly even out, thumping against her palm in a slow but steady rhythm, his gasping breaths beginning to deepen. She knew she couldn't give him too much, her own body still weak after the last few days, and she cut off the flow once she was sure he would keep breathing on his own. Leaning against the bed she sucked in a deep breath, opening her eyes to see Jen and Old Quil staring at her wide eyed. Before they could say anything pounding footsteps sounded from down the hall and Jacob skidded to a stop in the doorway, chest heaving as he swept his gaze over the room before resting on her. "Bells?"

Tears sprang to her eyes, relief washing over her as she pushed herself shakily to her feet and rushed to his arms. Jacob pressed her against his chest, murmuring her name as he pressed kisses over her hair and face. She clung to him, barely hearing his instruction to the other Pack members to move Paul to the twin's room and to leave the house. She knew Jen would stay with Paul while he recovered, tucking her worry for her friend away for the time being as Jacob carried her into his room and shut the door once everyone had shuffled out. He sank down on the mattress, arms still locked around her, and she felt the hot drops of his tears on her hair. Twisting up to look at him she traced her thumb over the tears on his cheeks, his breath shuddering against her palm as he leaned into her touch. "Bella…"

She could hear the need in his voice, laced with fear at hurting her, and she turned to straddle his legs as she smoothed her palms over his jaw and into his hair. "Jacob…I'm okay. I'm not going anywhere. I promise. I won't leave you. I'll explain everything later but we need this right now. I need you."

Her last three words were spoken in a whisper, making Jacob groan as he crushed his lips to hers, wrapping an arm around her waist to press her against him. His other hand hovered at her side, hesitant, and she gripped his fingers and guided them to her waist, his heat searing her skin through the thin tank top she wore. He traced her hip, light touches that made her arch into him, begging silently for more, and he obliged by kneading the flesh in his hand. When Bella moaned at his touch he flipped them over, pressing her into the mattress as he gazed down at her. "Bells…I can't…"

He was trembling over her, his eyes glowing in the dim light as he panted. She combed her fingers through his hair, shushing him gently as she pressed her hand over his heart. "It's okay Jacob. I trust you. I'm yours."

Her whispered declaration snapped whatever control he had left and he pressed his body against hers as his lips claimed her own in a fiery kiss. Bella was lost in a burning haze of his hands and mouth over her body, her clothes and Jacob's cutoffs had disappeared somehow, and his hot skin covered her own as he groaned into her neck. She could feel the hesitation as he traced the edge of her mark, his harsh exhales over the sensitive skin making her shiver and she bared her neck to him with a moan. "Please…Jake…"

He growled at her submissive whimpers, tongue sweeping suddenly over her mark and making her cry out as fire bloomed in her belly, her fingernails digging into his back as he lowered his mouth to suck at the mark. White light exploded behind her eyes and she arched against him, a wordless moan escaping her lips as Jacob laved his tongue over the skin, his hands leaving hot trails on her body as he touched every inch he could reach. "Bella…need you…"

She nodded, the rasp of his voice sending a shiver down her back, and she watched as he lined himself up, glowing eyes locking with hers as he snapped his hips forward. She arched against him again with a cry, gripping his arms as he filled her, her eyes rolling back at the sensation. Jacob groaned above her, collapsing onto his forearms to keep from crushing her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist to draw him impossibly closer. They lay like that for a minute; the only sound in the room was their harsh pants and Jacob pressing open-mouthed kisses over her chest. He looked up to meet her gaze, his eyes no longer glowing fiercely as he laced their fingers together and pressed her hand into the pillow. "I love you Bella."

She traced his face with her free hand, watching as he leaned into her tender touch, knowing that his wolf had retreated and it was just her Jacob with her now. She knew his need outweighed the wolf's, while it was content she was safe and still bore their mark, Jacob needed to connect with her in every way possible to assure himself. She gripped his hand tightly, shifting her hips against his and both of them let out a low moan at the sensation. "Make love to me Jake. I need you."

He pressed his lips to hers, pulling her close as he proceeded to do exactly that.

A/N: Well, hope you all enjoyed that! Slowly expanding the lemons, not very good at writing them so please bear with me. What did you all think? Originally I had planned on just bringing the shifter element in, the whole Jen and Bella being a witch just sort of...happened. Should make things interesting after this. Next chapter we'll get some more of our favorite couple, some more Paul/Jen (which I think is becoming everyone's other favorite couple) and possibly some drama with a couple other characters. Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading, until next time!