Ok, so the change in POV was received positively so I'm going to go ahead and give you another chapter with skipping POV. It's because well, T is conked out and in the meantime people are running some tempers. Might as well have you know what happens while T sleeps away. :D

Reviewers:

inuyashademons14: I'm glad you like Bella in this story. :D Hope you like this chapter!

M: Lol, so would I, but T is a lot tougher than that. Yeah, like I said, Edward's not gonna show up that easily. What a jerk! I know.

Kat Smith: Ok, luv, wish Bullet a happy birthday for me! Also, this chapter is like a present to him. I'll try getting one to Silver. *kisses*

On with the chapter, folk!

Jacob Black had felt a lot of things in his 18 years worth of life.

Happiness, Anger, Sadness, Hurt and of course the Pain of his first transformation and the confusion that followed.

He thought he had a pretty good hold of that part of his hormonal life.

Right about now, though, he wasn't so sure. Sitting in the small metallic chair next to his best friend, gripping the hand she'd reached across for him, he held his face in his free hand, staring idly at the pelting rain outside.

It seemed the nature was mimicking her. If he'd had that thought six months ago, he'd have asked to be smacked.

Now…he just sighed, returning his gaze to the sleeping girl on the bed.

Her breathing was slow, but it was visible, her chest rising and falling and the beep of her cardiac machine echoing in his ear. He could smell the sickly sweet stench of the blood sucker girl in the opposite chair which had faded by now and he could inhale the air without wrinkling his nose or ignoring the dog like urge to sniff at Tulika.

He was sure he would be smacked for that.

Even if he couldn't label any particular emotion right now; he was an expert at one of them; exhaustion.

He was tired out of his mind.

Unable to help himself, he folded his arms over her small hand and rested his head on them, his eyes closing.

Alice Cullen was seething.

She didn't normally do that. For everyone she was the level-headed, sweet Cullen girl with next to no flaws. Of course to her family she could be loud, obnoxious or even downright bratty but this time she'd dropped the act.

Her golden eyes, flecked with her human amber coloring flashed as she sat outside, beside the human Stephen, who looked extremely uncomfortable.

She knew he didn't feel nearly as at ease like Tulika did. He held on though, for her, for himself, even if his loyalty had been in question when he'd first started to hang around Tulika.

She smirked lightly at the subtle but noticeable streak of envy her brother had had when he began to contemplate her friendship with the human.

He'd proven himself only a friend though but still Alice couldn't help feel he knew Tulika better than her brother, herself or even the Shifter who sat with her inside now.

She wondered why Charlie had allowed that.

"She's been hanging around the reservation a lot. Charlie's not an idiot, you know."

Stephen quirked his lip wryly when the stunning vampire turned to look at him, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"You're…kind of projecting. I'm not Jasper but I'm not an idiot either." He shrugged.

Alice returned the shrug, looking over to the Chief and his daughter talking quietly near the coffee machines. "Did he ever ask about Edward?" she asked.

His frown returned. He didn't have anything against the man but it didn't take a genius to see that he had hurt Tulika, even if she pretended she was fine. He'd seen her empty an entire canister of chocolate ice cream. That was a feat in its own right.

"He asked Bella. She told him the truth."

"So, he knows they're fighting?" She turned her eyes back on him.

He returned the look with some reluctance.

"Are you sure they're still just fighting, Alice?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"It's been what…something like a month," he mumbled, unsure how to proceed.

She didn't answer.

"Do you know what happened to her today?" she asked instead.

"She didn't say. I think it's related to what happened to me today though."

She kept staring at him, prodding him to continue.

"Well," he stuttered, flustered from the unflinching gaze of the youngest Cullen Female. "She has a crash and at the exact same time someone barges into my house? Whoever hurt her must've made sure we couldn't reach her even if she was near La Push, and whoever got to me must've thought that even if you all got to her in time, I would've been an easy target. If I was gone, Tulika would've tried to get to me. If she got taken, I would've gone after her." He shrugged. "It's how we function." He finished, unable to help himself from feeling a little lame.

"That's quite a theory." She said.

He finally let out a snort.

"I spent six months with her, Alice. Trust me; I picked up a lot of things from her." He said, a smirk blooming as he tilted his head to look through the dark window of her hospital room.

His smirk slowly faded as he stood up from his seat, going to his girlfriend.

"Hey," she sighed, leaning once again on that damn shoulder.

He pressed his cheek against her hair, looking at her father. "Sir, I think you and Bella should head home; Alice, Jacob and I will stay back." he said.

"No, I want to stay with her." Bella said immediately.

"B, calm down, I'm with her. Besides, both of you look dead on your feet. You can't help her if you collapse and need to be admitted yourselves." He said reasonably.

"That's really kind of you; Stephen but Bella and I need to stay here. She's our girl, after all." Charlie said, taking a large gulp of coffee before cutting his daughter a look. "Although, if you want to take Bella home…"

"Dad, don't," She cut him off immediately.

Charlie and Stephen both sighed.

"Jacob." The word was a hoarse whisper.

Jacob stirred before slipping back into oblivion, unknowing that the voice was not in his dreams.

"Jake, wake up." He grunted first before opening one bleary and red streaked eye.

He rubbed the eye, wincing at the fluff in them from the hospital blankets as he straightened, his neck cracking from the strain of having to support his head.

Tulika watched him with barely focused eyes, her hair tangled on the pillows, her hand still encased in his.

"Good evening." She gave a lopsided look before tilting her head slightly, "You look tired." She continued, making him snort.

"Yeah, understatement of the year," he grumbled, letting go of her hand to run both of his through his cropped black hair. He groaned when he caught sight of the clock.

"Man, I missed patrol. Sam's going to gut me." He moaned.

"Tell him you were patrolling the hospital." She said slyly and he grinned. God was she easy to be around.

Maybe that was why everyone loved her. You could just…be…with Tulika Mukherjee. Whether you were a vampire, shape shifter or plain human, she made you comfortable in your skin.

"You could've gone home." She said, her voice still straining.

"You were holding onto me like a teddy bear. Like one of those vine things you love in that wizard movie," he muttered. She rolled her eyes.

"Is Charlie around? I don't want to stay here anymore." She sighed, trying to shimmy up the bed.

"I'll go check. They're probably going to make you stay through the night though. So, don't whine," he warned her as he stood up.

She struck out her tongue at him before he shut the door.

Alice immediately shot to her feet when the wolf appeared from the room.

"Is she awake?" she asked.

Jacob gave her a single unimpressed look which made her bristle before he approached the Swans and Stephen.

They posed the same question.

"Yeah, um, she wants to go home." He said.

Of course she does, Alice thought eyeing the door before slinking to peer through the window hole.

Tulika was playing with the neckline of her gown, looking out the window while making weird faces, probably to get rid of some phantom pain or to make her voice box work properly.

"Alice…?" she turned to look at Charlie.

She knew that men had trouble keeping straight eye contact with her kind, unless they were comfortable enough or they'd gotten immune to it – like Tulika and Stephen had.

"Yes, Charlie," she reverted back to her nice girl image.

"I know this isn't the proper time to ask but I've already spoken to the other two about this." He cleared his throat, looking conflicted.

Alice waited patiently.

"Um, Did…Edward…oh god, Tulika's going to kill me if she finds out I brought this up with you." He looked over the petite vampire's head towards the girl in the hospital bed.

Something in that image must've strengthened his resolve because he looked back with almost hard eyes.

"Did Edward break up with Tulika?"

Alice's eyes dropped.

"No, Charlie,"

"Right, ok, if that's not the case; I'll be straight with you. Did Edward do anything to hurt Tulika?" He emphasized hurt with an inflection that made it clear he wasn't thinking of them just fighting.

Alice flashed her eyes at the Chief.

"Of course not, Charlie, they just had a fight. To be honest, it was a very stupid fight but then…" she sighed, "they can be stupid sometimes." She fiddled with a small silver ring, she'd gotten from Edward.

"So, it's both their faults?" Charlie asked, clearly not buying it.

"My brother was just jealous." She explained.

"Well, Alice," Charlie said in an 'I'm going to give you some wisdom' dad voice, "Jealousy is hardly the fault of both parties. Look, I'm glad you came to see her and I'm not saying you wouldn't be there for her but…how big can a 'stupid' fight be if he decided not even to show up at her bedside?" he backed up, leaving Alice to purse her lips as she moved out of his way so he could go inside.

He was right.

She turned away from the door, exchanging a harsh look with Jacob Black.

Stephen and Bella supported Tulika from Charlie's cruiser as Stephen's car was still at Bella's house and her truck was totaled. Stephen had whistled when he saw the wreckage of the truck, returned to the Chief's house after evidencing it.

"Man, you did do a number on the old monster." He couldn't help but say.

"Stephen, not the best time," Bella glared at him as their best friend threw him a sarcastic thumbs-up.

"Always ready to do the bizarre, you know." She said.

"Hush now, Stephen get the door," Bella said her voice authoritative.

Maybe Charlie's genes of being the boss had come into Bella somehow.

"Yes Boss," Stephen grinned and threw the door to Tulika's room open, hurrying to shut the window and turn the heater on.

Carlisle had taken him sideways to advise him to keep Tulika warm and if there were even half the signs of her coughing up water, to bring her straight back. To be honest, Steph could tell the good doctor wanted to chain her to the bed but Tulika remained her charming adamant self and deliberately pretended to be able to walk so she could go home.

Of course Charlie and Carlisle had to give in, but not before Stephen caught the flash of pain cross her face. He'd thrown her an unimpressed look but she'd thrown him a sleepy glare and he'd caught on.

She was going to grill him as soon as the pain medicine induced haze vanished from her system.

He did not look forward to that.

Going into the bathroom he returned with a glass of water as Bella put out the medicine.

"Two for now," she said, handing them over and Tulika swallowed them, "What about Jacob and Charlie?" she asked, falling back onto her pillows.

"Jacob went home. He wanted to stay but Charlie was having none of it, told him to be mindful of his own old man," Stephen said, leaning a hand on Bella's shoulder to take his weight.

There, let's see how long Bella likes that for…

"And…Alice," she said.

"Carlisle wanted her to stay with him." Bella said before looking at Stephen. "I'll stay with her. You can sleep in my room." She said.

"I'll be on the couch. I'll wait for Charlie." He leaned down to press a kiss to Bella's temple and then on Tulika's forehead which got batted away. He grimaced before exiting the room.

His feet had just reached the end of the stairs when his phone rang.

He pulled it out, staring with growing unease at the unknown number.

Short and Sweet, am I right?

Consider this a filler chapter but of course now is the point that I need to introduce the plot.

As in New Moon, it isn't much of a charge but it will add up in the next books, I promise.

Now, That I've told you more than you need to know, I'll shut up and bid you adieu.

PLEASE REVIEW!