Here's chapter three. I'm not really pleased with it, but it'll do.
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Running, running. Swiftly, now. Avoid capture, I'm almost there. That tree in the distance signifies the end of their territory. What was that? A shadow trails at my heels, and then another, but I know I'm faster. It'd take a better ambush than that to catch me! I pass the invisible line and a victory howl erupts from my throat.
Take that, boys!
I continue on, but my shadows make no move to follow. They can't, after all, or they would risk Sam's wrath. I am allowed, though, because the Cullens once loved me, and I know that they wouldn't break the treaty over me no matter what I had become. Besides, it wasn't like they'd come back, at least not until Alice saw my death. They promised.
Dammit, Bella! Come back here! Paul was furious, as usual.
I suppose it was my fault, for stealing his food, but it was all in the name of good fun. A good distance away, I sat down to enjoy my spoils. It wasn't much, really, just a few hot dogs, but I had been goading him on, and we both enjoyed a good race. He could curse all he wanted, but he was just sore that I won again. Being small and fast had its benefits.
Hah! She got you good! Way to go, Bella! The other shadow chortled good naturedly. Jake always followed to help wind Paul up.
As expected, I could hear sounds of a scuffle, and polished off my stolen meal so I could break up the fight. As Paul gained the upper hand, I barreled into him and together Jake and I pinned him down. I bit his ear.
Do you give? I smirked as he growled profanities, but we let him up.
Well, now all the excitement is over, I'm going to go visit Charlie. Wanna come, Jake? Paul grumbled that I had been the one to cause the excitement, but Jake followed me as we took off to visit my dad.
Charlie. I'd missed him, and visited him when I could, but Jake and the others were closer than family. They were pack. He seemed pleased to see me better every time, but I knew he felt guilty that he hadn't been able to help more. Typical Charlie.
Ever since Jake had become one of us, the pain had lessened exponentially. He went everywhere with me, did everything with me, and was my best friend, but I knew he wanted more. He said he would wait for me, and I had my suspicions that he had imprinted on me, but I doubt I could ever love him like that. My heart was healing, but I would always, always never forget. I doubted I could move on, really. But I would see. And if I ever did move on, or if I could ever fall in love again, I knew it would be with him. Jacob Black. My own personal sun.
When we arrived at the house, I could tell Charlie wasn't there. But that wasn't what surprised me. I knew that car in the driveway! I knew that I was hoping against hope, but one of them could be here! My heart picked up, and my breathing grew quick. Before Jake could stop me, I phased and dressed, and rushed in through the door.
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The sickly sweet scent of chloroform and ice hit my nose and I almost gagged, but even that couldn't stop my cry of joy.
"Alice!" I gasped, and slammed into her ice cold body. I was surprised that I knocked her to the floor, but I supposed werewolves had to be stronger than the Cold Ones. We were their natural predators, after all. I could see her perplexity and her nose wrinkled at my own scent, but I couldn't help sobbing into her shoulder.
"You're here! Oh, Alice, I've missed you!" I sobbed. I guess I hadn't truly healed as much as I thought.
"B-Bella? What happened? You smell like wet dog! And your hair!" I laughed shakily. It was so Alice to first notice things like my now short hair.
She stepped back as she took in my appearance. Since my fur was too long, Emily cut my hair short, and at my request, in a similar style to Alice's own. I wore a long, loose, earth-brown dress with slits up the side to accommodate running in human form, and a drawstring at the waist to keep it in place. The drawstring both hid my unsupported chest and allowed the dress to be securely tied to my ankle when I was in wolf form. Like the others, I wore no shoes, and I was certain I had at least a few streaks of mud on my skin. I'd become a wild child.
I grinned sheepishly. "Well, I am a werewolf now. You don't smell so good yourself." She seemed startled, but not afraid. I was glad. It meant that she still accepted me despite the whole Capulet-Montague-like hatred between our kinds.
The door slammed, and we both jumped. I pushed her behind me protectively. I was well aware that Jake could and would tear her apart if he didn't listen to me.
"What the hell, Bella! There's a goddamn bloodsucker around here, and you rush in…" He caught sight of us and took in my stance.
"You're protecting it!?" He was shaking in fury, but I would not let him harm her.
"Alice is my friend! You'll have to kill me first before you touch her! Remember the treaty, Jake." I was ready to phase at any moment, but I knew he wouldn't even try to get past me, no matter how much he wanted her dead.
"Dammit, Bella! You know I'd never do anything to you." He took a deep breath and the shaking stopped.
"Bella? What's going on?" Alice touched my hand, and with a final warning glance at Jake, I turned to her with a grin.
"You'd better sit down. It's a long story."
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Though Jake made no further protest to Alice's presence, he stuck around to make sure she didn't try to eat me, or something. I rolled my eyes. As if Alice would ever think about hurting me! Even if in some alternate universe she might try, a vampire couldn't touch a werewolf, and she certainly couldn't maim me.
She was surprised by my lycanthropy, and what it meant, but she took it pretty well. When my tale concluded, she began hers. She told me how the others had left to visit the Denali for a while, and then how the couples had split up.
She said that… He… had told her not to look into my future, but just yesterday, which had been particularly bad for her, (All the malls were closed, Jasper who had thought she would be shopping had gone to see Carlisle and Esme without her, and it was extremely bright and sunny all day) she had broken the rules.
When looking into my future showed absolutely nothing, she feared that I had tripped and fallen and died somehow. So she came back to visit Charlie, and perhaps my grave, only to find he was not home. She had gotten the surprise of her… life, or whatever, when I came running into her reeking of dog.
I was annoyed that she had assumed that I had died in such a pathetic manner, but as I had been before my change, I could not deny that I was just clumsy enough for it to be possible. The not being able to see me surprised me, though. I supposed my gifts had enhanced when I had become a werewolf. Who knows?
All throughout our stories, I clung to her and smiled radiantly like never before. She seemed bemused that I would still love her and the other Cullens despite everything, and Jake seemed permanently livid.
After a while, as the sun set, Charlie came back and sent Jake home. He left reluctantly and I knew that Sam would hear about this. They'd better not make trouble for her! There was a short, awkward pause before Charlie asked the one question I had avoided during her whole visit.
"He… isn't here with you, is he?" He looked relieved when she shook her head. There was no need to clarify who 'He' was.
"Are you staying long?" Okay, make that two questions I wouldn't ask. I looked at her expectantly and tensed. She glanced at me.
"Maybe a day or two," she murmured. I squealed in joy. Charlie smiled at my expression, and I knew he was glad that I was happier than I had been in so long. He went up to bed to give us more time to chat, but as I helped her make up the couch where she would pretend to sleep, I couldn't help but feel
exhausted from the day. I yawned, and when we finished, she wordlessly let me cuddle with her. I fell asleep is her cool, stone arms.
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I woke up to Alice and Charlie talking in the kitchen. After listening for a moment, I knew he was telling her about how I'd been after they'd left. It wasn't pleasant. I pretended to still be asleep as he finished his breakfast and headed off to work before sitting up and looking at Alice in the doorway.
She grimaced at my troubled expression. I sighed.
"Oh, Alice… I-"
The phone rang.
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Alright! That's Chapter Three. I can't help but feel that it was too rushed, but I couldn't think of any good details to add. Even though I wrote this on the third, I waited a day for the poll. But no one voted… By the way, I'm not going to do the Volturi trip unless it's E/B. Actually, although I like Jacob more, I'm rooting for Edward in this story. (Aren't I writing it?) J/B seems like it'd be boring for this plotline. Either way, there'll be hints of the other pairing. We'll see how it goes. You have until next chapter to vote. Until then!
Lunar Incense