Bella.

I took a shaky breath, and ignored the fact that all three vampire's eyes were on me, their eyes searching for a solution. Esme had backed away from the door, glancing nervously back at me. I sighed. I knew the voice fairly well, it belonged to the boy that once held the title of my best friend. It was Jacob. His tone was harsh and loud, and the knocking quickly shifted into demanding pounds that made the house shake and rattle.

"Bella, please-" Esme began, her voice timid. I stood, and nodded. I crossed the room as she stepped back, allowing me space enough to move in front of her. My hand was trembling as I turned the doorknob, and yanked open the wooden door. Jacob stood on the other side, his hair in a frizzy disarray and his eyes wild. His hand immediately reached out and seized my shoulder, gripping it tightly. Though the pressure he applied didn't hurt, Jasper and Rosalie were on each side of me in an instant, hissing loudly.

"Remove your hand, mutt. Or I will gladly do it for you," Rosalie snapped viciously. Jacob ignored her, his dark eyes burning into mine. I gulped, and couldn't help but feel the fear work through my body. Not for myself, though. If Jacob was angry enough, he could phase, and I didn't want him to harm a hair on Rosalie, Jasper or Esme's head. I opened my mouth to speak, but Jacob growled and pushed me back. Jasper jumped forward, but luckily, I was fast enough to shove him back.

"What is the meaning of this, Jacob?"

"I don't know which one of your leech family is involved, but I swear I will rip every single one of you into pieces," he promised, his face relaxing as an aura of darkness surrounded him. I gasped loudly, recoiling as if he had just smacked me in the face. I growled at him, moving closer.

"You will not touch my family. What is going on? Why the hell are you here, threatening us?" I spat. It was hard to detain the disgust that mocked my voice, but I didn't mind. Jacob shook his head, and stray black hairs flew around his tan face in fury.

"Charlie- you remember him, right? He's only your father, the man who took you in and took care of you for years- is in the hospital. Bruises in the shapes of fingers were found on his ribs, which are broken. He's so messed up, Bella. It was a vampire that I had to fight off. Your father was attacked by one of your kind."

I felt my jaw open, and my eyes widen, but I couldn't control my reaction. Charlie was in the hospital. With broken ribs. He was attacked. By vampires. The endless stream of painless thoughts flew through my head, and I sunk to my knees in realization. I took a big gasp, before emitting what was the vampire equivalent to a sob. Esme dropped to my side, her arm draping across my shoulder as she pulled me closer.

"Why do you think it was any of us? There are more vampires than just us, you know!" Jasper bellowed. Jacob snickered, and shrugged. I snapped my head up towards him, surprised by the deep flow of anger that I suddenly felt. I shook my head.

"I think you should leave, Jacob. How can you stand there and accuse my family of this? I know who did this, and it certainly wasn't any of us. I don't understand how you can feel so completely different for me now. Just because my heart ceases to beat, doesn't mean I'm a heartless monster. I'm still Bella. And to me, you're still Jake. You're still my best friend. I can't comprehend how you could have so much hatred and mistrust for me. And I can't comprehend why I care so damn much. You mean a lot to me, Jacob. But the death threats have got to stop."

He was silent throughout my rant, but I took pleasure in knowing that I had rendered him speechless. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it after a few seconds. The anger and fury was still there, as it should be. Charlie was in the hospital. Inside, I was a mess as well. But I noticed it was no longer directed at me. He sighed heavily, and ran a large calloused hand over his face.

"Bella, it's just that-"

"We'll be gone by the end of the month. Just thought I'd let you know so you can begin organizing your celebration for our departure," I added, lifting my chin defiantly. He sighed again, and opened his mouth to retaliate. I was going to allow him to, when the ring tone of Jasper's phone began to fill the room. I gasped, and before Jasper could even move his fingers, I snatched it out of his pocket.

"Hello?" I answered breathlessly, my fingers twitching in anticipation.

"Bella? Why are you answering Jasper's phone?" Alice's voice inquired. I sighed.

"Doesn't matter. How's Charlie? Did you find out anything? Did you-"

"Bella, shut up! Now if you'll stay quiet, I will explain. Apparently, the vampire, who is indeed a part of Victoria's band of newborns, went after Charlie. When he tried to run, the vampire grabbed him around the torso, and cracked a few ribs. Jacob's scent is so strong here. That must've been why I couldn't see the rest of the vision. But Jacob must've stopped him, and brought him to the hospital. Carlisle has already left to go check things out. But the outlook is quite good. He'll recover quickly," she explained quickly.

I breathed a sigh of relief, and after murmuring a quick goodbye, I snapped Jasper's phone shut and tossed it back to him. I turned to look at Jacob again, but it was like seeing it for the first time.

It wasn't until now that I noticed the scratches that aligned themselves across his face. A dark bruise was forming along the top of his forehead, clashing horribly against the dark tone of his skin. He was pretty roughed up, but he did it for Charlie. I bit my lip, and to add to the list of overwhelming emotions I was feeling- was guilt. I glanced up at Jasper who was staring at me curiously.

"Sorry, Jazz. I'm a mess," I muttered pathetically. He gave me a half-way grin, before turning serious again. His eyes were intense as they questioned me. I knew exactly what they were asking. What do we do about the dog?

Jacob had been surprisingly quiet for the few minutes. As a human, I remembered it took him a lot to close his mouth. I almost smiled, as memories of the chatter-boxed boy began to fill my head. If only existence could be that easy.

I stepped closer to Jacob, who raised an eyebrow in confusion. I was wary of my next action, wandering if it were a smart thing to do. But as I glanced at the dark crimson marks that covered his face, my decision was already made. I rushed forward, and locked my arms around his neck, squeezing him with little force so I wouldn't hurt him. He inhaled a sharp breath of surprise, but to my delight, didn't push me away.

"Thank you, Jake. Thank you so much," I mumbled into his shoulder. I knew that he was still confused. I pulled myself out of his arms. Extending my arm forward, I let my cold fingers brush against the contours of his cheeks. I let them run across every single cut and bruise, wishing that it had been me instead. As my thumb moved to his lips, I noticed that he was smiling softly. I grinned in response.

"Bella, I'm sorry for everything. I will try to keep a level-head about this," he spoke in a soft voice. I could tell there was something else that he wasn't telling me. I cocked my head in confusion, asking him with my facial expression to continue. His grin grew, and a soft chuckle escaped his lips.

"It's just - you smell. Really, really bad."

I couldn't help but laugh, nodding my head. "Ditto."

Ignoring my foul stench, he reached forward for me again. I felt comfortable in this familiar embrace. Jacob really was my best friend. I didn't care if I was a vampire, and he was a werewolf. I didn't care if we were supposed to hate each other. I didn't give a damn. This was where Jake and I stood. This was us. He would always be a part of my life, and I didn't care what vampire had a problem with it.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Okay, I lied. I care about that vampire.

I gave Jake another small smile, before backing away. I turned to look behind Jacob, where Edward and Alice stood. Alice brushed past him and moved to Jasper, giving him a small kiss, before turning to me again. Edward, however, remained on the porch behind Jacob. And if looks could kill, Jacob wouldn't have a head at the moment.

"I'll see you around, leech," he joked, before laughing at his own words. I grinned, and gave him a playful push out of the door. He stumbled down a few of the steps, and I winced. Oops. I listened as he mumbled something about my stupid freaky strength as his retreating figure disappeared through the green of the forest. I sighed, and my eyes shifted to Edward, who was glaring at me.

"Hi," I muttered pathetically. I closed the distance between us, wrapping my arms around his waist. He didn't respond. He left his arms hanging limp at his side, and his glare had moved down to the top of my head, which was the only part he could see of it at the moment. I inhaled his wonderful scent, bringing a smile upon my lips. Though patching some things up with Jacob was wonderful, his scent really was hard to endure. I was glad to have a distraction to my nostrils such as this. I pushed my face closer into Edward's side.

"I'm sorry."

Edward stiffened. One of his limp arms reached out and grasped the back of my head, cupping it there as his fingers moved expertly through my hair. I smiled again, and if it were possible, pushed myself even closer.

"What could you possibly be sorry for?"

"Um, well .. whatever I did to make you angry?" I guessed, though it sounded more like a question. His chest moved up and down as he laughed, and the sound vibrated through my entire body. I shuddered, but didn't release my lock on him.

"You're impossible, you silly girl," he said, giving me another chuckle. I looked up at him, frowning. He sighed. "I'm not angry at you. I'm just not very fond of you hugging a werewolf."

I nodded. Though I always believed his notions that the Quilete tribe was dangerous to me, I didn't argue. I had to fight it. The words were hanging on the very tip of my tongue, but I knew that if I allowed them to spill, I'd be in for a disastrous disagreement, and that was the last thing that I wanted at the moment. I wanted to declare my nature. I wanted to declare to him what I was, because for some reason, he didn't seem to understand. I was a vampire, for goodness sake. I was literally stronger than him. The over protectiveness was beginning to get frustrating.

"I'm fine. Hugging is harmless, you know?" I nudged him playfully, and he laughed. I smiled at the sound. It really was like music to my ears.

"Harmless? I beg to differ."

"What are you talking about? I'm perfectly fine! I had to watch myself so I wouldn't squeeze him too hard!" I exclaimed, and he chuckled at me. I was still confused. What harm could Jacob have possibly inflicted upon me? I looked down, re-assuring myself that all body parts were still in tact. Edward seemed to notice this, and laughed again, louder this time.

"He hasn't hurt you, it's just .." he began, and took a step away from me. My hands dropped to my side in deflation. I was frowning as I glared at him. "You really need to shower, love. It's hard to stand so close to you when you smell so horribly."

I grinned, feeling a huge weight lift off of my shoulder. He actually had me worried for a second. I crossed my arms over my chest, and feigned hurt. I made a small sound that resembled a hmph, and turned around.

"Nope. I think I'll walk around like this all day long!" I exclaimed loudly, and circled him. He was gazing at me, his eyes following as I walked in a circle. They were narrowing intensely with every step that I took. I could tell that all sense of playfulness had deteriorated. As I continued to rotate around him, he reached an arm out and grasped my hand, yanking me roughly toward his body. I hit his chest hard, but he didn't wince or grimace. His eyes were staring at me with such passion, that it surprised. Where had this come from?

"Do I have to force you upstairs and into the shower myself?" he whispered huskily. I gulped, every trace of confidence dissolving. I shook my head, not sure what to say. This was a side of Edward that was very intimidating. But it didn't falter his beauty in any way. Standing there, eyes locked to mine, nostrils flaring in what I guessed was a burning pain in response to my stench, was actually quite .. sexy.

The hand that grasped mine let go, but moved behind my waist, to the small of my back. He pushed me closer to him. That's when I felt it. The intense passion that he must've been feeling as well. I would've been panting if I were human. This spontaneous moment of lust was enough to knock any human out. His hands moved up my back, massaging my spine in such a way that I had to control my eyes from rolling back into my head. The hand eventually moved to my face, where he cradled it against his palm.

His face moved down, and I felt his hot breath against my lips. My own parted, knowing exactly what they wanted. He moved quickly to give me what I wanted, when the door burst open. Jasper stood, heaving quietly.

"Please, for the love of all that's holy- go somewhere else! Your emotions are ridiculous!" he shouted loudly. I looked down in embarrassment and shame. If I were human, I would've been blushing for sure. I let myself feel the guilt, hoping that Jasper would understand I was sorry. While I continued to stare at the floor, Edward just laughed. Jasper rolled his eyes.

"Well thank you, Bella, for feeling at least some remorse for almost making me go crazy!" he snapped, before turning on his heel and leaving the room. The outburst made me laugh again, as the image of Jasper trying to be angry and intimidating popped up into my head again. He really was horrible at it. I was vaguely aware of anything at the moment, but when Carlisle stepped through the open door, I gasped.

It was incredible how being with Edward made me forget about anything and everything. Just standing there with him in such close proximity was enough to make me forget that my father was laying in the hospital with broken ribs. Which happened to be caused by a vampire that is part of a band of newborns that are sought to kill me by their sadistic leader, Victoria. Wow, what a life.

"How is he?" I asked nervously. Carlisle smiled.

"He's already awake and impatient about getting home. He asked if I could bring him a portable television. There's a game on tonight that he doesn't want to miss," he explained. I cracked a smile, finally feeling lighter about the situation. Though it was more my fault that Charlie was in the hospital, I felt comfortable that Carlisle was going to be checking in on him. Even if I was a failure at keeping Charlie safe, I knew I had a family that could.

"Bella!" I heard Alice gasp loudly from the kitchen. I stood, rooted the spot. I could hear her quick footsteps against the linoleum as she darted her way into the room. She looked at Carlisle, and then Edward, before her eyes landed on me. She took a breath, before her eyes shifted to Carlisle. I turned to look at Edward, who had already left the room. Something was wrong.

"Call Tanya. Ask them to come. The newborns are growing in numbers, and we only have days."

There it was again. The fear. The ridiculous, pathetic, self-conscious and terrifying raw fear.

"We're going to need all the help we can get."

I'll admit, I'm not very fond of this chapter. I'm not sure why. But I've re-written it about three times, and finally, couldn't take it anymore. This was the end result, so I hope it's okay. Of course, it's going to get better. Tanya is coming! That makes great drama for me to write. Haha. :D Anyway, I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday! I sure did. I opened so many Twilight gifts, it was crazy. Not that I'm complaining, haha. And happy early New Years as well! Go out, party, have fun, whatever! Reviews make me smile, so please do so! :D