Chapter 28

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I am soooooooo sorry that I haven't updated in forever!! I've been so busy with soccer and softball and track and school and my birthday and everything. Please forgive me!!

Anyway, I wrote a quick one-shot, You're Still the One that you can find on my page. Please try it and review it!!

This chapter is dedicated to Turnip, Sally/Antonio, Raccoon and Ricky/Richard. They got me Bella's Bracelet for my birthday! I love you guys sooo much.

Also, this is officially the LAST chapter. There will be an epilogue, but I'm predicting it will be hard to write, and might take a while to get out. Don't hate me!!

Also in I realize that a werewolf wouldn't really have lived this short, but isn't it something like he got to choose when he would start aging?? So with his imprint, he decided to age with her. Also, I'm not sure if it's good, it was really hard to write. So I'm trying to make it extra long for you guys, so please review! Also, Kevin might seem a little young in this, but he's really 17ish. He sometimes seems younger because he has no mother.

By the way, I listened to When I look to the Sky, by Train. It sorta fits, it you wanna listen to it.

Not Stephenie Meyer, she owns everything Twilight. I own nothing.

Previously;

I slowly walked to Jake's door and took a deep breath. Then I stepped inside his old room.

The first thing that I noticed that it wasn't his room anymore. Someone else had obviously lived here and had gotten around to changing it drastically. What had before been an obviously boyish room was now actually quite homey. His imprint, who I assumed had redecorated the room, had good taste.

The bed had changed too. But all this wasn't what had most dramatically changed. No, that was Jacob.

BPOV

He was sitting on the bed, facing me. Surprise was evident in his eyes; obviously Kevin had not warned him that I might have been coming. His eyes were faded a bit, like they had been around for far too long and had seen too many things, but they still held that spark that had been there since I met him.

His body had changed, but it definitely didn't look as old as I thought that it would be. I guess something in the werewolf gene stopped him from looking that old. He definitely wasn't as fit as he had been when he was sixteen, but for someone who was older than 100, he definitely wasn't looking too bad. His face was a different story. Although he didn't have too many wrinkles, he looked old.

It wasn't his physical appearance; it was the way the lines on his face lined up perfectly with each other. It was the far away, wistful look in his eyes as he thought back to unforgotten memories of the past. He looked like someone who really wanted a way out. He looked like someone who had seen too much in life an wanted it to end, already.

The sight of him looking so old seemed to soften my heart. Even though he was not looking much older, I could still see the echoes of his past in every line on his lined face. And when he smiled, ecstatic to see me, his smile mirrored the younger Jacob's one and for just one quick second, I actually saw the old Jacob, my best friend, sitting in front of me. But then the vision flashed away as quickly as it had come and the aged Jacob was in front of me again.

"Hey Jake," I whispered, afraid if I spoke any louder my voice would crack.

"How are you, Bella?" He spoke, just as softly as I had, but for a different reason. I feared that that was the loudest that he could talk.

"I've been okay. How have you been?" This was clearly the more important question, and he knew it. He looked down at his bedspread, never looking up. He took his time answering.

"I'm good. Everything's good." But I could see right through his lie. His eyes stayed on the bedspread, never coming up to meet mine, and his voice wavered the slightest bit. He had forgotten how well I knew him, I was sure that anyone else would not have been able to tell.

"Jake. It's me," I spoke seriously, the casual tone gone from it. I walked over to his bedside and sat on the edge, making sure not to rock the bed.

He looked up into my eyes and sighed. I could tell he wasn't going to try and lie anymore. "I just miss her so much."

I sighed, never breaking his gaze. I touched his arm. He flinched, either from the cold or because it was so long since someone had touched him, I couldn't tell.

"Jake. What happened between us? I never even knew her name. Why didn't you try and keep up with me? You know, writing to me and stuff? I don't know anything about your life. What happened between you guys?"

Anger rushed through me. I couldn't believe that we had once been best friends, and I didn't even know the name of his wife. I somehow felt this irrational feeling that I should have known everything about him.

He stared at me incredulously, his gaze hardening. "Well, Bells, you made it pretty hard to keep in touch." That was a good point. I looked down in embarrassment.

"And her name was Michelle." He said, choking on the name. I remembered what Edward had said once, (This is really from Eclipse so he wouldn't have said it, but just go with it. Also, I can't find the specific quote, but here's the gist of what I remember.) This imprinting compulsion is one of the strangest I've ever seen. It's very nearly as strong as the way I feel about you. I remembered how it felt when Edward had left, I still remembered the hole. And I knew that Edward was still alive. I couldn't even begin to imagine what I would have been like if I knew that he was dead. I shivered involuntarily at the thought.

My anger towards not knowing her name evaporated as I saw the empty look in Jacob's eyes. He blinked, three times and fast, as though trying to stop the tears from coming out.

He saw me watching and he said, "I'm sorry. I just miss her so much." He struggled to get himself under control as I looked at the lone picture on his dresser.

It was a family picture of the three of them. A small Kevin who looked to be about 6 was laughing hysterically, his mouth open, sitting on a checkered picnic blanket. Jacob was there as well, and he looked not at the camera, but at Michelle. The camera's angle captured the look of love and devotion on his face as he stared at her.

Michelle was very pretty, with brown skin a shade lighter then Jacob's. She had full lips that curved into a perfect double curve and striking brown eyes with exceptionally long lashes. She was staring, not at Jacob, but at Kevin, a look of wonder on her face. Wonder, mixed with love and something else I couldn't identify. Was it wistfulness, wanting to be that young and carefree again? Or was it something I could never, would never be able to identify, as I would never have a child of me own.

"You must have loved her a lot," I said quietly, thinking out loud.

For a minute, silence filled the room. "Yeah, I did." Jacob said. "I really did."

I threw my arms around his frail body and hugged him for a minute. After all this time, I somehow still felt in tune with him, like we were really on the same page. I could tell that this Michelle had been someone special. I could somehow see it in her face, although I had seen only one picture of her.

We sat in silence for a minute, me looking at the picture, and Jacob seemed to be thinking.

"It's all my fault." Jacob said abruptly.

"What?" I asked. What was he talking about?

"That Michelle died. It's my fault."

"What? No it isn't, Jake. I-"

"You don't even know what happened, Bella!" His voice rose in anger, mixing with the coarseness of his voice, making it sound strange. It sounded like he hadn't used his voice in a long time.

"Yeah, but Jake-" He cut me off again.

"Bella! Will you shut up and listen?" In spite of the situation, I felt myself holding back a smile. Now that sounded like the old Jake.

After he saw that I wasn't going to start talking again, he continued. "We got into a big fight." He paused, as though he was waiting for me to interrupt. When I didn't he continued talking, getting louder and louder as he spoke faster.

"We got into this big fight and it was basically about nothing. It wasn't a big deal or anything! She wanted to take Kevin to see her Mom and Dad. I just told her that she couldn't go, 'cuz I wasn't sure if those two bloodsuckers that had changed you were still there or not." I cringed at the memory. I could still remember Laurent and Victoria, their faces alive with malice creeping towards me, Victoria finally smiling once she thought I was done for.

"But she kept arguing. I guess she really wanted to go see her parents." Jacobs's eyes were far away now, looking deep into the past to things that I could not see. "I told her. I begged her to wait just a little while, until I could go with her. I couldn't go then, I had too many responsibilities with the pack."

"She didn't seem to realize how dangerous those two vampires were. She had never seen them in action, so she didn't fully understand what would really happen if they found her. She thought that I was just telling her she couldn't go to prove my power over her, me being a werewolf. Finally, it got to be too much for her." He looked back down at the blanket, trying to compose himself. His voice was beginning to crack.

"She left. While I was out doing things for the pack. She left, and she took little Kevin with her. I didn't—I couldn't have realized it yet!" His voice seemed to rise in pitch as he tried to convince me. But who was he trying to convince? Me or himself? "By the time I got back home it was too late. I ran out of the house at wolf speed.' He closed his eyes, and I knew he was remembering the scene as if it had happened yesterday. I could see it clearly as well, "By the time I got back home it was too late. I ran out of the house at wolf speed.' He closed his eyes, and I knew he was remembering the scene as if it had happened yesterday. I could see it clearly as well, wolf-Jacob, running, desperately trying to save the things dearest to him.

"I followed the scent but by the time I got there," He shook his head, tears pouring down his face; unable to hold them back anymore. I grabbed him arm, holding it tightly to let him know that I was here for him. "She was gone," His voice cracked, his words barely coherent under the rushing tears.

"If only I'd run a little faster, I could have gotten there in time. I could have saved her." He bit his lip, trying in vain to slow the tears. "But instead," his voice changed, turning bitter and there was hatred seeping into his words. "They bit her. And killed her."

"I was able to kill the boy bloodsucker, but the girl got away. I managed to save Kevin, but now Michelle's gone forever."

"Why didn't I take some time away from the pack, Bella? I could have gone to see her parents with her. It's all my fault. I killed Michelle." His entire gigantic body shook with the force of his tears.

And suddenly I knew that Jacob was wrong. He didn't kill Michelle. I did, if I wasn't even here, if I had never come to Forks, Laurent and Victoria would never have been here either. And Michelle would never have died. "I'm so sorry Jacob." I whispered, his pain becoming mine again.

His voice changed. His sobs stopped. His voice, which had been sad and remorseful, had changed to wistful. I looked up into his eyes, but they weren't focused on me, they were looking at something far away, something I couldn't and would never be able to see.

"Sometimes I think I should just end it all." He spoke, his lips curving upward into a smile. "So I can just see her again. Apologize to her. Talk to her. See her."

I shook him, angry at him for even considering that possibility. "No! You can't Jake!" I yelled, shaking his frail shoulders hard.

He looked surprised, as though he wasn't expecting that outburst. "You can't give up! Jake, Michelle's still with you. I'm sure that she forgives you. But you can't give up!"

He looked at me. "And why not?" He said softly.

My gaze shifted to the picture on the dresser. "Look at him."

He didn't look. "Look at Kevin," I encouraged. Sighing, he shifted slightly so that he could see the picture.

"So?"

"So?" I exploded. "He needs you, Jake. Have you even talked to him lately?" His guilty expression was the only answer that I needed.

"Every time I talk to him, he seems terrified." I said softly.

"He's scared, scared that you'll leave him. Do you see that boy in the picture?" I pointed again.

He nodded.

"He's the same boy, Jake, only a little older. He has no one. You're the only one that he has left. He hasn't imprinted on anyone, he has no one except the pack, who all have their own families to be with. He needs you, Jake."

He sighed. "I know."

"Promise me you'll fight.'

"Fight?"

"Fight to stay alive," I replied.

He sighed, staring back at me. "I'll fight."

"I just miss her so much," He admitted.

"I know, Jake." I tried to comfort him, rubbing comforting circles into his hand. "I know."

There was no more talking for a while, we both sat in silence. I lay down against him and I could hear his heartbeat, slow and even, steady and soft.

Soon he was snoring. That's my cue, I thought to myself. I hopped off of his bed, taking one last glance at Jake and at the picture. "Love you, Jake." I said so softly that he didn't have a hope of hearing.

His snores stuttered. "Love you, Bells." He said, exhaustion mumbling the words. I smiled, and exited the room. I walked back to the living room, where Kevin was waiting.

He was sitting on the old sofa, head in his hands. When I entered, he jumped to his feet. "How is he?" He asked.

"He's sleeping," I assured him.

He sighed in relief, and I could tell how much he relied on Jacob then. "Will you come back next week?" He asked.

I nodded. But—"Why?" I asked.

"He hasn't talked in a long time," he confessed. "I could hear the mumbled sounds of talking coming from in there. I missed him talking. If you come again, He'll talk some more."

I agreed, and we said out goodbyes. I rushed back outside, walking slowly back to the boundary lines.

I thought about all of the people who had died. Michelle. Jeremy. Victoria. Vicki. Charlie. Billy. Renee. Phil. Laurent. Some of them were good, others bad.

But then I thought about all the people who were still alive. And I smiled, because I knew that everything was going to be okay.

THE END!!

Sorry for the bad ending. Review! I tried to make it extra long, and the more reviews I get the better the epilogue will be!! Also please review my oneshot!

Thanks to everyone who read the whole story and reviewed. I love you all so much!!