Author's Notes: So thanks for all the replies. I tend to write lengthy chapters, so if there's a lag between posting times, that's why. I want everything I post to be absolutely perfect, which is impossible. The lengthiness is due to my inability to know when to shut up! Anyway, here's chapter two. Read, and if you'd like, leave a reply. I welcome them.

My opinion of Timeless changed that morning when all the reason for my former surliness was gone. Alaska wasn't hell. High school was going to be fine…better than fine, I was going to enjoy my time here. Jacob was here and he would be here with me everyday. The only lament I had was that I would only spend two years here, not four like most people.

In two years, I might be ready to leave. Not right now. Not even this Veronica girl could change my happy mood. In my third period English class—another class I had with Jacob—I forgot all about my hatred of the mayor's daughter. Mrs. Freeman grouped us in pairs according to where we were sitting, and of course I was with Jacob. She then had us come up with questions and interview each other. With the way Jacob joked around with me and treated me like I was his favorite person in the world, Veronica seemed like a non-entity to me.

"Are you a dog peron or a cat person?" he asked with a wide grin stretching almost to his ears.

I pursed my lips and pretended to seriously consider the question. "Cat person," I said at last. "Dogs…well, you can't get their smell out." He hit me playfully on the shoulder. I leaned in closer to him. "I like how you smell, though," I whispered so softly that no one could hear but him.

"It's my new cologne," he said. "Brand name's Wolf. This scent is called 'Musky.'"

"Try it again tomorrow," I said, making a show to sniff him. Other students turned around to look at us, but only for a moment. I would not have known if I was behaving in a way that was particularly odd.

Jacob knew, though he acted as if he didn't care. "The fragrance will last longer than that," he said. "Your turn to ask a question."

I glanced down at the piece of notebook paper on which I had scribbled a few words. "If you were an animal, what would you be? Outside the canidae family."

"Human," he said almost immediately.

How did I know he was going to say that? Jacob took an abnormal amount of pride in his humanity—in mine, as well. He valued my family as human, too, though it hadn't always been that way. I guess such thoughts made him feel like we weren't monsters. But I wasn't going to let him get away with that answer.

"The nature of the question excludes humans," I said.

"Humans are animals," he said.

"Well, sure, if you want to get technical about it." He was having way too much fun messing with me. "But I won't allow it. Now, give me a real answer."

He leaned back and looked at me thoughtfully. "Why don't you?" he said.

I blinked once or twice. "I asked the question."

"About me," he said. "You know me as well as anyone. I'm curious. What animal do you think I'd be?"

I couldn't believe he was turning this around on me. I, of course, would make him pay for this. I found myself yielding under his words, however. The answer was clear to me.

"A lion."

"A lion?" he repeated.

"Maybe I'll explain it some day," I said, poking him on the nose as I did. He glared at me, wanting to know more, but I wouldn't oblige him. Not this time. "But first…what animal do you think I'd be?"

He laughed as if the question were the easiest in the world. "A dolphin." I stayed silent, waiting for more. "Oh no. You don't get what you aren't willing to give."

I grunted, but I did not give in. It was fun to watch him sweat it out for a while. If I had to squirm to watch him do so, it would be well worth it. Plus, I thought he looked cute whenever he was left wanting.

Before Jacob could ask the next question, the classroom door opened and in trotted a smug-looking Veronica—apparently an office assistant during this period—to drop off a note to Mrs. Freeman. Her gaze immediately fell upon Jacob, but this time Jacob did not stare back. He acted as if he could not see her, and the only way I knew he had noticed her was that he put his arm around me possessively, squeezing my shoulder in order to make a statement: I belong to her.

A small gesture, yes, but one that I recognized for its true meaning. I shivered despite his warmth. Veronica trotted out the door, moving a bit quicker and stomping a bit louder than she had when she entered. I smiled, glad that Jacob had irked her.

We walked to lunch together after that class. The school was small enough to only have one lunch period, between third and fourth period, at eleven-twenty. There weren't many students in the halls, which were wide enough to be adequate for a large urban school. Finding my mom easy; she was putting her books up in her locker. When we approached her, I couldn't help but notice there was something odd—almost frantic—about the way she slammed her locker door.

"What's going on?" I asked, concern washing over me.

"Edward's upset about something," she said. The tone she used let me know that this something was serious, at least in my dad's view. Jacob grabbed my hand and squeezed. My mom looked at him. "He says we'll find out at lunch."

My face must have betrayed some bit of fear, because when my mom looked at me again, she smiled. "I'm sure it's nothing serious," she said. "He gets paranoid sometimes."

I could tell that she was trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince me. The three of us walked into the cafeteria, to where Edward was already seated. We took places at his table. Mom was right. He was deeply upset. He was holding up his head with his hand as if he were about to collapse. When I sat down, he looked up, and nothing could have prepared me for the agony in his eyes. He stared directly at me, unblinking, as he spoke. "I am so sorry," he said.

Jacob gripped my hand again, tightly, though careful not to cause me pain. "What?" he asked Edward, his voice sharp and authoritative, almost angry.

My dad didn't say anything, but his eyes shifted, and his stare locked onto something that was behind us. Jacob and I looked around to see what had captured Edward's attention. It didn't take long to realize what it was.

There, entering the cafeteria, was a man who appeared to be around twenty. He looked like a vampire, with his pale skin and dark, almost black, eyes. His dirty blonde hair was combed neatly and parted to the side. He was tall and skinny and unrealistically beautiful.

He certainly was not human, but I could smell the blood running through his veins.

It took me a moment to recognize him. This man was like me—half-vampire, half-human. He had saved my life years ago, when I was only months old, just by existing. And now he was here and his eyes were focused on us. He did not look dangerous, but there was concern printed on his face.

Nahuel.

I froze in place as the beautiful figure walked toward us. Rosalie and Emmett, Alice and Jasper, sat down at the table, all looking at him, staring because they knew instictively that something was not right. There were only a few reasons I could imagine for Nahuel to come here, and judging from my dad's reaction, the actual reason had to be the worst I could think of.

He had come to give us a warning.

A warning about what, I didn't know, but I could guess. The Volturi were coming was the foremost in my mind.

My father snarled as soon as that thought had come.

Nahuel took the empty seat by Jacob. We all turned toward him, waiting for him to speak. He breathed in deeply, as if he were dreading what he had to say. "You are in danger," he said, his eyes on me. I knew he wasn't talking to the rest of my family…this was a direct statement to me. Jacob's grip on my hand tightened. I was quiet, waiting for him to continue. "Aro paid a visit to my father shortly after our last encounter. The two of them came to an agreement in order to save my father from a death sentence."

I now looked at my father, who knew what Nahuel was about to say. Edward's jaw was tight and fury was painted in the thin lines of his lips. "Joham agreed to spy on us," he said, disgust evident in his voice. "The Volturi wanted to know if Ness was safe." I knew he wasn't talking about my safety, and the safety of everyone around me, the safety of the supernatural world I was a part of.

"But I am safe," I argued. "He would have had no information to bring them."

"No," Nahuel agreed. "Not if he told the truth. But what did my father have to gain by the truth? If he came back to the Volturi and told them that they were wrong in their suspicions, that there was no further reason to follow your family, Caius would have had him killed right then and there. It was in his best interest to lie."

I swallowed. I heard a hiss from my mother, and a low growl rumbling in Jacob's throat. My heart pounded as I understood what Nahuel was saying. "What did he tell them?" I asked, though I awaited his answer with dread.

"He told Aro that the Cullens were having trouble…controlling your appetite," Nahuel said. I could feel my heart slowing down as he continued. "He, uh, blamed you for the murders in upstate New Hampshire last year."

I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. We all knew about the murder spree going on last year, and we were even planning to investigate when it started to get out of hand, knowing that it wasn't anything human committing the crimes. And then the murders stopped. There was nothing to investigate, not a trace of evidence to find the vampire or vampires responsible. We had moved on and prayed that it was over.

My dad spoke. "He was the one who killed them. Joham." Another growl emanated from Jacob. This time, it escaped his mouth, but it was low enough that no one outside of our table could hear.

"He convinced Aro that you had moved to Alaska so that you would have fewer interactions with humans," Nahuel said. "Aro then convened with Marcus and Caius, and they decided…that you had to die."

"Only they didn't want to get their hands dirty," Edward interrupted again.

Jacob spoke at last. "They sent Joham to hunt down Ness," he said, understanding what Nahuel was warning us about. Nahuel nodded. "Is he here now? In Timeless?"

"He's in Alaska," Nahuel said. "He doesn't know what town you're in yet."

My brain was starting to suffer from information overload. This was all too much. Joham was coming to kill me. And yet I knew he stood not a chance at succeeding. Surely the Volturi knew that, as well. To get to me, Joham would have to get past eight vampires and a werewolf—three if Seth and Leah made it here before him.

Unless…

Joham had three daughters with him that we knew about. If he had fathered others…well, the odds could change very quickly, especially if he had a son fighting with him. Males of my kind were venomous, females were not. Or, that was the theory. We didn't have enough subjects for it to be absolute fact. Nahuel was venomous, and he was strong enough to kill a vampire. If Joham had fathered another one—male or female—like him…I shuddered at the possibility.

Our table was quiet as we considered the story that he had come to bring us. We couldn't talk about our response now, not without Carlisle and Esme, but we couldn't very well go on talking about the weather. The result was almost complete silence for an endless moment. Around us, the noise and clammer of students eating, laughing, and talking played out as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on. I was sure that some were talking about us. I was also sure Veronica was somewhere in here, plotting a way to get Jacob to pay attention to her.

I wanted so badly to focus on that, and not on the scenarios playing out in my head. If Joham did have an army of his sons and daughters, if my family was unprepared for what was to come… Could we be certain to have no losses? And what if, somewhere in the battle, Jacob was bitten? I could not bear to think furher about that possibility.

My dad's voice was the first sound any of us made. "Thank you, Nahuel," he said.

Nahuel rose from the table; my father's gratitude was also permission for him to leave. "I'll be around if you need me," he said, and made his way out of the cafeteria. I noticed that almost every student in school had their eyes on him as he walked.

A fist slammed on the table, making me jump. Jacob's. If it was anyone else's, the table would split in two. Jacob had enough control to just crack the wood, but not destroy it. A quick look around the room let us know that I wasn't the only one who had been startled.

"Way to be discreet, Dog," Rosalie said. Her lips were peeled back, revealing her perfect white teeth. Jacob didn't reply, to my surprise.

Mom did. "Please, Rose, now isn't the time for snide comments." It was something I could imagine Esme saying. "We're all on the same team here."

My head couldn't stay in one place. I felt like the world was closing in around me, and I couldn't escape. I couldn't move, not even to breathe.

My family was in danger. Again. It was my fault. Again.

"No," my father said.

I knew he was talking to me, but my mind didn't register his word, so lost I was in my own thoughts. He was wrong, of course. It was my fault. Ever since I was born, I'd been putting their lives at risk. I was a monster.

"No!" My dad yelled the word now, and it brought my attention back to reality. He struggled for his breath. "Ness," he said, just as forcefully, but with a new softness in his voice. "Ness, you know that's not true." I could feel the warmth radiating from his love. I couldn't help but believe him, his feelings were so powerful. I knew that this was Jasper's doing, showing me what I could not be told of Edward's overpowing, protective love for me.

I wrapped myself in that warmth, certain of its truth. Nothing else, not even the future, was for sure. Only love was. That I had love…love that, maybe, I didn't deserve at times. Maybe love I didn't deserve at all. Nonetheless, this was mine. The love of a family, the love of a mother and father and a best friend who would do anything for me.

And if something felt this right, surely it couldn't die, right?

---

My family wouldn't let me go anywhere alone for the rest of the day. Jacob was in the rest of my classes. Edward and Emmett found excuses to pop in every single one of them, even though they weren't scheduled in them. Between classes, Jacob wouldn't leave my side. When I needed to go to the bathroom, Bella went with me even though she had no use for a restroom. I felt a deep-rooted anger at the Volturi; the situation was more than mildly uncomfortable.

Not that I didn't love them all, but who wants to be watched at every turn? I hoped I could get some more privacy once we all got home. I still needed to work all of this out in my mind.

I could not have been more happy when the bell rang at the end of my last class: American History II. As I left, I didn't even look to see if Jacob was following behind me, though I was sure that he was. I went straight to my locker and flung my books in my bookbag. When I finished, I slammed the locker shut a little harder than was necessary. It didn't shock me to see Jacob right there, standing beside me.

"Wanna talk?" he asked.

"Not really," I said. I recoiled at myself, hearing the teenage brattiness in my tone. "Sorry."

Jacob sighed. I knew that he wouldn't let go without a fight. He put his arm up to my locker to corner me. Though I did have an avenue of escape, I doubted very much that he'd let me take it if I tried. He was intent on having a conversation.

"Then listen," he said. There was an overbearing forcefulness exuding from his body, which was inches from mine. "I will not let him get close to you, Ness." The words were a whisper, but for all of their intensity, he could have shouted them.

For a few seconds, I had trouble meeting his eyes. Finally, I forced myself to. "Jake…"

"Shhh…" He put his free index finger to my lips. "No one will hurt you," he promised.

"I'm not worried about me." I tried to calm the shakiness out of my voice, but I failed miserably.

He smiled, showing his perfect white teeth. "I'll be all right. Your parents, your family, they'll all be fine." The way he said it, I almost believed him.

"What if I…" I struggled for the next words, having forced them out of my head since lunch so my father wouldn't overhear. Defeated, I raised a hand up to his face, showing him the rest of my question, showing myself in the middle of the battle, defending my family and myself from this madman.

Jake's hand went up suddenly, slamming into the locker next to me and leaving a dent there. The point of that gesture wasn't to scare me with violence—I hardly flinched, having expected this reaction—but to physically trap me even further. I couldn't move. "No," he said simply, as if that was all there was to the discussion.

"It's me he wants, Jake," I argued. "If I—"

"No," he repeated.

I don't know why I kept trying. I knew I wasn't going to win this one. My hand was still caressing his jaw. I brought a new image to my mind, one of the most painful I could think of: a picture of me standing behind watching as my mother and my father were ripped to pieces. The statement was clear. I wasn't going to let them sacrifice their lives for me.

"Damn it, Ness," he growled. He was angry now, and I could feel the heat of his wrath unfold.

"Please," I whispered. I hadn't brought my hand down. Tears formed in my eyes, and I didn't stop them from falling.

Jacob took his right hand from the locker and brought it to his face, gently grabbing my wrist and pulling my hand down to his chest. Through his skin, I could feel his heart beat. The blood flowing through through my veins reacted and synced itself to his pulse perfectly. That was my body's natural rhythm.

"Don't you see?" he said. His plea was stronger than mine. "Don't you see why I can't let you do that? What if you got killed?" I shook my head, not comprehending. "The fight would be over then. We wouldn't have to defend ourselves anymore."

The way he spoke now was chilling. He let my wrist go, and my arm fell to the side. I saw anger in his eyes…not the anger he had just unleashed on me, but something much, much stronger. This was more than rage, more than even hatred. In the depths of those dark orbs, something much more dangerous lurked. Bloodlust.

He continued, the menace in his voice growing with each word. "The only reason I'm not hunting them all down right this second is the fact that I'm not going to leave you, Renesmee. But if you die—and you're not going to die unless you do something stupid—then I will spend my last moments making sure their last moments are filled with as much…pain as I can inflict."

I couldn't shy away from the absolute sincerity in the threat. Jacob didn't lie to me, and he wasn't lying now. And I had no trouble perceiving the message he was trying to send me. My last moments… Suicide by revenge. He had the courage, I was sure. I wasn't going to make the mistake of putting it past him.

"You can't," I said a little louder than I had intended. For the first time since our conversation started, we risked being overheard.

But all around us students just walked by, not even trying to listen—not that they'd be able to hear the rest of our conversation, even if they did try. Jacob and the rest of my family had years to practice being discreet.

"I can, and I will," Jacob assured me.

This was as low as he could have gone, threatening his own life in order to get me to do as he wished. I was beyond pleading and fear now, finally reaching anger. Irrational anger, I knew, because all he had really done was tell me the truth…a truth I would have eventually figured out on my own. At the moment, though, my sense of logic was distorted by the cruelty of that truth, that he could throw away the one thing I treasured most.

I shoved him by the chest, as hard as I knew how. He was stronger than me, but he was also unprepared for the sudden onslaught and flew back into the middle of the hall, nearly knocking over a freshman girl in the process. I wanted to scream at him, to cry, and then to run away, but found I could do none of those things. Jacob stared at me, shocked. He wasn't mad at me, and he wasn't pained that I had pushed him so hard—the only thing I read in his face was extreme surprise: a neutral emotion.

My parents arrived before either of us could say anything more. As I looked over at him, and I saw something in my dad's eyes that made me recoil. It wasn't anger, not exactly, but it was just as fierce and decisive. I'd seen that determination in his eyes before, but never, until now, had it been directed at me.

Mom went straight for Jacob. "What did you do to her?" she yelled, and I thought she could have hit him right there.

Edward answered. "He told her what she needed to hear, Bella," he said, his eyes still on me.

Now people were starting to gather around. They couldn't know what we were fighting about—we'd have Alice start the rumor mill in the morning to throw them off track—but it was still quite embarassing to be in the middle of this spectacle on the first day of school.

Bella eased up a little and backed away from Jacob. She exchanged a glance with Edward that told her everything she needed to know, and then turned straight to me. Right then, I understood that I didn't have a single ally in my suggestion. Not that I was going to go through with it now, anyway, not with what Jacob had said.

"I think," she said, "you'd better ride home with us, Nessie."