I was sitting in the lounge room on the soft cream sofa, gazing at the carpet, tapping my foot against the floor, waiting for Jacob to come back home. I could just tell that there was something wrong. He had been gone for hours and it was now nine o'clock at night and it was still raining out! What sane human would be outside in this weather, in the middle of the night? And why wasn't Emily worried? It seemed to her that it was a typical everyday thing. What was with these people around here? Couldn't they see this wasn't normal?

I sighed once more, getting more and more annoyed by the second, and then I heard the door go. I looked up and around the corner of the wall, to see Jacob in the other room. I smiled wide and basically ran on one leg out there to him. I couldn't believe how my mood had changed so quickly with just the sight of him coming into my view.

"Hey Jacob," I shouted, wrapping my arms around his neck tightly.

"Hey Jade," he chuckled a little breathlessly.

I noticed how he only hugged me back with one arm. It was out of the ordinary for him to hug me like he had. Usually it was a huge bear hug that I couldn't get out of – not that I minded not been able to get away from him . . . or breath.

I stepped back, looking at him closer and noticed how he was resting his left arm against his chest. I gasped when I realized that he had been hurt. I could see it in his eyes. He was in pain. "What happened?" I murmured, holding his left hand softly in mind as I looked his arm over. Thankfully I couldn't see any cuts or gashes. I looked up to him, waiting for an answer when he didn't give one to me straight away.

"It's just a sprain Jade, nothing to worry."

Emily walked into the room from kitchen after cooking dinner and like me, she also picked up that he had been hurt and ran over to his side. "What on earth happened to you Jacob?" she asked, looking up to him frantic. He didn't answer her, but they were both staring each other in the eyes, like they were talking without words. After a minute, I thought I saw Emily nod once slightly, and their gaze broke.

"I'm just happy that you're okay," she murmured and hugged him.

I pouted and let out a huff, feeling like they were both ignoring that I was standing between the two of them. Jacob looked at me and snickered after hearing my incredibly loud huff after Emily had went back into the kitchen.

I rolled my eyes at him, shaking my head and trying not to laugh at him. It was impossible to be serious around him. He smiled, you smiled. He laughed, you laughed. His happiness and emotions were incredibly catchy to those who were around him. I knew that he easily made my day by just been around and making me laugh when I didn't feel like laughing at all. He was like a sun warming the icy cold day, making the whole day bearable.

Emily came back a few minutes later with a bandage and both Jacob and I looked at each other in confusion. He jumped back swiftly as she tried to wrap it around his arm, starting at his hand. "Em I don't need that, seriously," he mumbled as she kept trying, but he was just too tall for her.

I had to say that it was rather funny watching her jump up and down trying to reach his hand that was above his head. She finally gave up and let out a sigh, shaking her head and rolling her eyes at his stubbornness. "You will be wanting it later Jacob, I promise you that."

"Pretty sure that I won't Em, but thanks," he winked and watched as she walked back into the kitchen.

What was that all about? The winking, the eye contact . . . was there something between them that I hadn't picked up on until now? Things didn't seem right, or maybe I was just jealous without knowing it. Whatever it was, I knew it was immature.

He looked back to me suddenly, flashing me a short seconded crooked smile. I felt like fainting whenever he did that to me. There was just something about that sweet crooked smile that always caught my full attention.

"And what happened to your wrist?" he murmured, stepping over to my side and leaning against his knee on the floor, and taking my hand now softly into his, looking it over carefully.

I looked up to him confused and then down to his hands. "Nothing has happened to it. Its better, good as knew even." I played with my wrist, bending and shaking it. I was very surprised at how fast it had healed and at how fast my leg was also healing. It had only been three weeks and I had broken bones. It seemed weird to me. I hadn't ever healed so fast before.

"That was what I was referring to," he smiled again. "I'm shocked to how fast you're healing," he murmured. "Anything you haven't told me about?" He smirked, teasing me.

I giggled, not able to hold back the redness coming into my cheeks. "Like what?" I murmured, teasing back.

He shrugged. "I don't know. That's why I'm asking."

I rolled my eyes as Emily called out to us both for dinner, just as I was about to ask him where he had been and what had taken him so long outside. And after dinner, I had forgotten all about asking him altogether.

It was still raining outside and there was lightning flashing everywhere, it was actually very eerie as there was also a very thick and unnatural fog hanging around outside when I had looked out my window before bed. It was really creepy me out. Something was telling me that there was something just not right about what was going on outside. It wasn't normal weather if you asked me, but I was new to the area, so what did I know?

Hearing something hit my window, I awoke gasping at around four in the morning. I clutched my sheets tightly in my hand, too scared to get up and look what it was. I started to shack as I head a scratching at my window. I wanted to shout for Jacob, his safety and warmth, but then I thought that he would think I was stupid if I was so scared of just a little sound. It even sounded stupid to me. I started to pant breathlessly with fear. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears as the scratching got louder and louder. I thought the window was about to break with the force of the scratching. Whatever was scratching the window, sounded strong. My mind was set on the sound been Dan at my window, but that had to be near impossible, didn't it?

"Jacob," I murmured, scared and wishing that he was awake to comfort me.

"Yes Jade?" I heard a voice murmured back. I jumped at the sudden sound of the familiar voice and looked over my shoulder, seeing Jacob leaning against the frame of my door, looking at me. I wondered how long he had been standing there for.

I couldn't help but sob when I saw him. I couldn't hide my fear around him, it was impossible, no matter how much I tried . . . he just brought it out in me, any emotion I was feeling, he brought it out.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" he murmured, coming over to my side and sitting behind me, wrapping his arms around my frame, pulling me close to him. His presences alone calmed me, but his hold was what made me feel safe again.

I leant into his hold on me, hiding my face in his soft black shirt as I kept sobbing, not been able to help it. He held me tightly against him, letting me know he was there for me. After a few minutes, he took my chin in his hand and made me look up to him.

"Now, what's wrong?" he murmured, looking me in the eye, wanting a truthful answer from me.

I shook my head, closing my eyes and looking away from him. I was feeling even stupider now. The sound had stopped since he had come into my room. Maybe I was just going crazy now with want of his presences and comfort? Whatever it was, I was now feeling really stupid and crazy. I was sure that he would think I was been stupid and crazy if I told him. After all, he is a guy and in my experiences, guys don't understand girls, at least, that was how it had been with my father.

"It's stupid Jacob, really. It was nothing."

He sighed, knowing that I was as stubborn as him. "If it was nothing, why were you crying?"

I shook my head, refusing to tell him. I didn't want to lose my first friend in Forks, because of some stupid fear I had. But somehow, I felt like he would understand. Either way, I wasn't going to risk it. It wasn't worth losing Jacob over, nothing was.

"I wasn't crying and you will only laugh and think I'm stupid if I told you. It's not worth it Jacob, really, just leave it alone."

I hadn't ever been one for showing my feelings, nor telling people what I was feeling, what I was excited or scared about and I guess now that I had someone that asked all those and wanted to listen, I didn't know how to say it out loud nor did I know how they would react to what I would tell them. I had always been the tough girl back in Alice Springs, wanting to be the loner like I was basically forced to be like that, because of where we lived.

He sighed again, keeping me close to him and going quiet for a while. I thought that he had finally gotten the idea that I just wanted to keep it to myself, but he hadn't.

"Jade, I am here for you, you know that. So tell me what you're scared of. I won't laugh or think your stupid Jade, because I'm pretty sure I know what is going on."

I looked up to him, wondering what he was thinking, but his eyes were unreadable for the first time since we had met. I sighed, giving in to him. "Before you came in, there was a scratching sound outside my window. I don't know what it was . . . but I don't think that it was the tree branch . . . I think it was . . ." I trailed off, bitting down hard on my lower lip, not sure wither I should finish my sentence or not. My arms wrapped around him, my face hiding in his shirt for a second. I could feel his eyes on me and then his hand slowly brushed down the side of my face. I leant into his soft touch, feeling slightly better.

"You think it was Dan, don't you?" he asked huskily. I looked up to him, shocked that he did understand, like he said he would. I nodded and then gripped his shirt tight in my hand, suddenly remembering more about what had happened that day. The things he said made me confused, and made me wonder if it had all just been a really scary dream, but I knew that it wasn't a dream, otherwise I wouldn't still have Jacob here with me, and that I was grateful for, even with all the fear I had, if he came hand in hand with the fear, I'd take it any day.

"What do you remember of Dan?" He held me tighter as he mentioned Dan's name and laid back against my bed, still not loosening his grip on me. I got the feeling that there was something he knew about Dan that he hadn't told me.

"Just about everything, everything but how he found me . . . and then the things he said, t-t-they-" he cut me off soon as I started to stutter.

"They didn't sound human."

I looked up to him again and he was staring at the ceiling. It had been like he just read my mind. Those were the exact words I was going to say. How was it that he knew me so well for the short time we had known each other for? "How can that be? I don't understand. The things he said sound like they are from a movie, a book, or a dream. It doesn't feel real to me, none of it does, but the fear, it's surreal. I'm so confused Jacob. What he said sounded like he was some crazy person talking, like he believed that he was something like a demon. I feel like I'm crazy and that I heard none of it right or something."

I noticed how his breath had become deep and shaky. I looked to his face and his eyes were squeezed tight like his hands. Now I was even more confused. What was wrong with him? I didn't say another word then and he seemed to calm down. He looked to me once his breath had gone back to normal. He held me tighter yet again.

"You're not crazy Jade and sadly . . . neither is he." His voice was turning faint, like what he was telling me was hard for him to say. I didn't understand why it was so hard for him to speak, to say what was happening. "The things he said weren't human," he paused, sitting up and sat on the side of my bed, his back to me. I felt cold now that his warmth was away from me. His words slowly sank into my head, again I felt like this was all a dream. He wasn't making any sense at all to me. He didn't speak for what felt to me like hours, but it hadn't even been a minute. "Because he isn't human and . . ." he paused again, taking a deep breath, what was he trying to tell me? "Neither am I."

He turned around to me, looking me in the eyes for my expression and thoughts to what he had just said and wanting truthful answer his eyes were asking me. If he and Dan weren't human, what were they? I quickly came to the decision that it didn't matter what Jacob was, I trusted him, with everything, including my life. He had saved me more than just once. There was no reason for me not to trust him with everything I had.

"If you're not human . . . then-"

"I'm a werewolf," he sighed, watching me carefully.

I couldn't really get the idea of him been a werewolf. I didn't know wither to picture him half wolf and half man like the movies or what, but then the picture of the russet wolf and the grey wolf saving me from Dan came into my mind. I looked up to Jacob, shocked. He had been one of those wolves. He had saved my life again, and I didn't even know it! His coat was russet, I could tell. Somehow, I knew.

"Are you okay?" he murmured, still watching me carefully.

I didn't answer right away and he took it as an answer that wasn't there.

"I'll leave you to think." He went to get up, but I caught his wrist in my hand, stopping him. He looked back to me as I smiled to him. I didn't care what he was, he was still my friend.

"I don't care what you are Jacob, because I know who you are."

He smiled back at me, sitting down on the side of my bed, holding my hand in his. "Really?" he murmured, looking into my eyes again.

"Really," I nodded and smiled back again. He brought me into a tight hug. I didn't get why he was so glad that I didn't care what he was. Why should I care what he was after all the times he had saved my life? He meant everything to me!

I noticed when he hugged me now, that he was hugging me with both of his arms, unlike earlier tonight. I pulled away and looked down to his left arm and then up to him. "It's healed. How is that?"

He snickered, running his hand over his arm. "We are fast healers. That's why you healed faster."

I looked to him even more confused now than before. I wasn't a werewolf. I tilted my head to the side, my eyes questioning him as I tried to think clearly.

He laughed again. "I've been healing you. Just by touch, I can heal you."

I could feel my eyes widen greatly. I didn't understand how that could be, that seemed so-so supernatural which was what he was. Nothing was impossible to Jacob . . . or Dan. Suddenly the thoughts and memories with Dan entered my mind again. I had almost forgotten that he even existed. Jacob saw the fear come back in my face. I felt all my blood drain away from my face.

He held me again in his arms, keeping me close to him. I tried over and over to speak and ask him what Dan really was, but the words wouldn't come to me. After about ten minutes, I finally found the words. "What is Dan?" I muttered, not able to speak very loud at all, but still, Jacob was able to hear me.

"He's a vampire Jade."

I gulped at the word. I had a vampire after me? I was dead, I knew it! I hid my face into Jacob's chest, breathing deeply, trying to get control of myself, but it was impossible. I was even more scared now than before. We had to get out of Forks, both of us, Jacob and me.

"He is not coming anywhere near you Jade. Do you hear me?" I did hear him and I also heard a dominant tone to his voice now, it was more like an order than anything else. It felt like an order too. Some of the fear had disappeared.

"You can't guarantee that Jacob," I mumbled into his chest.

"Yes I can." I looked up to him, surprised, my eyes once again questioning him on what he meant and said. "I was made to kill vampires Jade. I can and will protect you from him."

I couldn't believe what he was telling me. Part of me was relieved and the other part was scared, for him. I didn't want Jacob anywhere near Dan, let alone protecting me from him. No, I couldn't have him getting anywhere near Dan. He meant too much to me, for him to be hurt on the behalf of my safety. "I don't want you to Jacob. I don't want you anywhere near him." I looked up to him, looking him in the eyes this time, making it clear on my order. I didn't want him out of my sight. If he was going to protect me, he could protect me by been around. That was all I wanted from him.

"Jade," he murmured, almost silently. "I want to do this for you. You don't know how much you mean to me. . . I am in love with you…"