Thank you to anyone reading/ reviewing :) I love to write, and hope you are enjoying my story. All credit goes to Stephanie Meyer. This will be a short chapter since it's not exactly clear what's going on with Jacob yet!

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It was dusk when mail finally reached Jacob's tent. He'd been relaxing for the better part of the day, finally having time to himself. The other soldiers that shared his tent were working, so it felt nice to have some down time, typically he'd be spending his free few hours at the gym, but he decided to be alone. The days were long, especially when he was pulling 12 hour shifts. His time overseas would be coming to an end soon, and he'd finally be able to go back to Forks, at least temporarily before having to go back to his original unit. Jacob laid comfortably in his bunk, smiling at the new picture of Bella he had received. His lips curved into a grin, seeing the girl he was falling in love with standing beside her father, in front of their prematurely decorated christmas tree. It was silly, but a sweet gesture that brought a smile to his face. Sitting up, he walked towards his locker and stuck the picture between the metal door and a magnet. Her letter still holding a slight aroma of her perfume, the sweet vanilla honey that made his whole body ache with desire to hold her close and inhale it himself.

Reading it over again, he folded it back up and back into his lock box. Keeping it safe from anyone reaching into his locker, these letters were the only thing keeping his spirits up, and he wasn't about to lose them. Jacob sighed, pushing the box back to the base of the locker.

I can't wait to see you, Jake. Just a few more months. We can do this. All my love, Bella.

His sigh turned into a slight smile, as he turned back to go towards his bed.

"Who's that, Sarge?" A chuckling voice started, as he took a step into the tent, deblousing his boots. A younger man than Jacob, lower in rank. His hair was cut into a similar style as Jake's, but he was far fairer than his bunk-neighbor. A blond coiffe neatly styled on top, and taken in and tapered on the sides. He and Jake were friendly, having spent the entire deployment so far next to each other.

Jacob laughed as he laid back in his bed comfortably. Watching the other man remove his top, and jump into his bed beside Jake's.

"Girl back home?" He asked, before reaching into his pocket, pulling a protein bar out and tossing it the bunk next to him.

"Yeah, a girl from my hometown. We started writing to each other when we got here." Jake caught the bar without even looking.

"Good looking out, man. I was starving." Jake ripped it open, scarfing the whole thing down. He was too tired, and comfortable to walk all the way across the base, in the sand, in the heat. He planned on sleeping the majority of the day, but got too excited when the picture of Bella came.

"I got a girl back home, too." The other soldier smiled, pulling out a picture of a girl from his high school. The man couldn't have been older than 17. Just got to his first unit, straight out of basic training, and deployed immediately.

"High school sweethearts." He continued, showing Jacob their prom picture.

"I wanna marry her." The man muttered softly.

"Damn, Private." Jacob was somewhat surprised. Marrying young in the military was typical, but he hadn't seen it yet firsthand.

"If I marry her, I can take her with me. We won't have to be separated once I come back. She's in Florida, and I'm stationed in Texas. It's hard going months without seeing each other." He was speaking from the heart, Jake could tell how much it was hurting him to be away from his girlfriend for so long. The deployment being 13 months, and who knows how long before that was the last time he had seen her?

The private's words were sinking into Jacob. He was right. Once deployment leave was over, he'd be going back to North Carolina, and Bella would still be in Washington. This hadn't crossed his mind yet. Would Bella be willing to uproot her life to be with him? This wasn't a conversation for a letter, which he knew would take weeks to send, and get back. He wasn't willing to leave the Army just yet...not while...they were still inhabiting Forks. It's what had made him join in the first place... to get away from all of it. If the legends had been true, he didn't want any part of it.

"Sergeant?" The man spoke up again, after Jacob hadn't said anything. Too deep in his own thoughts.

"Yeah, Joe?" He asked, bringing their work-relationship down to a first name basis.

"I wanna go home." He sighed, bringing a pillow to his chest. Letting his guard down for a moment, having a heart to heart with someone he'd only been acquainted with for a few months.

"Me too." Jacob took a deep breath, covering himself with the blanket.

The sun finally set, and Jacob had a handful of letters stamped and ready to go for Bella. He could finally sleep for the rest of the night. At least it was now a few days shy of Halloween, and he knew the amount of letters he would be writing would be coming to a close soon. He wouldn't have to fantasize about holding Bella, but actually get to feel her skin against his. He would no longer have to bring the letters close to his face to be able to breathe in her perfume, but experience it first hand. His thoughts were swimming with thoughts of Bella before his eyes started fluttering closed. Just as he drifted off, his tent door was unzipped, letting in all the brightness from the outside overhead lights.

"Sergeant Black." An unfamiliar voice started, walking towards Jacob's bunk.

He groaned, rubbing his eyes and sitting up. He was now adjusting to the sudden brightness within the tent, waking up everyone in the surrounding bunks.

"Yes?" He replied groggily, pulling a shirt over his head.

"You have a phone call."

Jacob blinked a few times, in shock. Who would be calling him? Who even had the number to contact him other than Billy, and the red cross? He quickly threw on a pair of loose shorts, and flip flops and darted towards the door. Panic stricken, he ran towards the only tent with a phone. His immediate thoughts were about his father, or Bella. What if something happened? Would he be able to leave? His heart in his mouth, and fear of whatever this emergency could be about, he started speaking slowly and shakily.

"Hello…?" He held the receiver close to his face, knowing the service was terrible, and the other line would most likely be staticky and hard to make out.

"Jacob, it's me."

In that moment, Jacob swallowed hard, he was light headed, with a massive pit in his stomach. This was the one thing he was most afraid of.