Okay, as much as I didn't want to do this, I went ahead and posted the third chapter, because I didn't want to wait. However, here are some things you're going to need to know though. As of currently, this story is based two years after the whole Breaking Dawn incident. Nothing has changed except for Paul who never imprinted on Rachel, and never will. I got other plans for him; though not for Amber of course. She's got the whole Jacob thing going on so I doubt she'll try another guy when Embry comes around to save the day.

Also, the only other thing I changed was Embry's age. I know in the book he's around Bella's age, but in this story he's about Jacob's age. So besides that, just tack on two years to everybody's ages, and you'll be fine.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight whatsoever, or its original characters. The only thing that I own is my own invention of characters and their background. So please don't sue me Stephanie Meyer. I don't have any money anyway lol. :-)

Now on with the show!

+The Decision+

June 14th, 2008…Saturday

Amber's P.O.V

It had been just a week since I had awoken from my coma,

…and two weeks since the night of Jacob's death.

Staring out my window, I sat perched quietly on top of my bed. My knees were drawn up to my chest, and locked tightly in place by my arms. With my back against the headboard, I easily managed to lean my head against the wall for support.

I'd been in this same position all night. I had refused to leave the room, or even eat for that matter; not as if I would anyway. I hadn't had an appetite really since I heard news of Jacob's death.

After coming home yesterday, I had simply walked right up the stairs, and straight to this spot I sat in now.

Dried tears littered my cheeks, and my eyes were swollen and red. My hair stuck up in odd angles from my loosely made bun, as whatever makeup I'd worn the day before streaked in jagged lines along my face. Overall, I was a mess.

However, that was nothing compared to what I felt inside.

I couldn't help reflecting upon yesterday when I had visited Jacob's grave. It just kept playing over and over again like a broken record inside my mind. It mocked me; laughed at me as it dug deeper into my brain.

The day before…

Taylor, Hunter, and myself slowly made our way through the graveyard quietly. Each grave stone we passed seemed to drill another nail into my heart.

Jacob's was here.

He was among these others.

He shouldn't be with them.

He'd only been eighteen.

He'd been too young.

"We're here," Taylor said, speaking for the first time since we'd gotten into the car earlier this morning.

Shaking my head, I kept my eyes closed as I whispered brokenly to my friends, "I can't do it. Please, let's just leave! I can't do this."

Sighing sadly, Hunter took my hand in his as he replied, "You can too, Amber. You need to for that matter. You'll never get over this if you don't accept it first. I know it's hard. I know you loved him once, but you need to do this for yourself."

I continued shaking my head as I tried to back away, but Hunter kept a firm grip. Taylor, sensing Hunter's distress, also took my gloved and lacy hand; trying to reassure me.

"You need to say goodbye Amber. If you don't, then you'll just feel even worse than you do now," she whispered.

Taking a deep breath, I shook off their hands, and took a step forward. With my eyes still closed, I kept chanting encouraging words to myself. I knew it wouldn't really help, but it was worth a shot right?

Finally, after several long minutes of standing there like a stone statue, I opened my eyes; only to wish I never had. There, sat in black marble, was the proof that this was all real.

Jacob B. Evans

April 2nd, 1990 – May 24th, 2008

"The goodness within your heart will show

you the way to where you will forever belong."

This wasn't a dream.

This was real.

He was gone.

I fell to my knees, as tears poured anew from the corners of my eyes like an endless stream. Sobs raked my fragile frame as a pair of delicate, but strong arms wrapped around me immediately; their skin instantly coming into contact with mine.

…Sympathy… Sadness…Remorse…

Her feelings…they weren't mine.

No, mine were much worse.

…Anger… Regret… Despair… Agony…

"Why? This isn't fair! It was supposed to be ME," I cried out to no one in particular.

"Shhh, it's okay," came my best-friend's soft, melodic voice. However, her comfort was not helping. Instead, it only made it worse.

"He wasn't supposed to..."

"I know," Taylor cooed, as she tightened her arms around me even more.

"This is all my fault. I should have never screamed at him. I should have let him apologize…let him explain," I choked, as I brought one hand to my lips. The same lips he had once kissed so many times. "Oh God! Please forgive me Jake! I'm so sorry. So, so sorry. You can't be gone. WHY DID YOU GO!"

"Shhhh, it's going to be okay," Taylor whispered as her own voice cracked.

She didn't know him though, so why should she feel so sad? I mean… she hadn't even liked him! She had told me to stay away from him; that he was bad news. So honestly, she knew nothing of what pain his death had caused me.

"This isn't fair," I whispered, clutching the stem of the white rose tighter within my hand.

"No, it isn't," Hunter finally whispered, coming to sit by my side, "…but this isn't the end, Amber. It's only the beginning for him…even you."

Nodding, I crawled out of Tay's grasp, and made my way closer to his gravestone. Gently laying the rose in front of the black marble, I sniffed, "I guess I'll see you again, won't I? So maybe there really is no need for a goodbye." Pressing my lips to the tip of my fingers, I placed them upon the slab of stone. With one final longing gaze, I got to my feet, and walked past my friends. Without one look back, I went to wait for them in the car.

It had been hard to let him go. Then again I'm still letting him go; only now it was going to be easier that I had my proof. Seeing his grave had confirmed that this was indeed not some horrible fantasy, and that it truly was happening.

"Knock, knock," came a voice from my doorway.

Turning my eyes to the other side of the room, I found Taylor and Hunter crowded underneath the arch.

"Hey," I half-croaked.

"Hey, are ya doing any better? You're mom said ya haven't been down since we dropped you off last night," Taylor asked coming to take a seat beside me, while my cousin opted for the chair at my computer desk.

"Maybe. It still hurts to know he's gone, ya know? I mean… I know he's gone now; it's just getting over it. Every where I look I find a reminder of him," I spoke quietly, as I watched Hunter pick up the baseball on my desk, and began tossing it into the air.

"Well, you and he did tend to spend a lot of time in here," Hunter commented, obnoxiously. Glaring at my cousin, Taylor grabbed the ball before he could, and then threw it at that one special place he cherished the most between his legs. The same place he swore he was blessed, and to bad for him that she had a pretty good aim too.

"OWWW FUCK! You evil witch," Hunter hissed in pain, as he bent over holding his family jewels.

Hunter was Pat's son. He had inherited almost nothing from her. I mean, what with his close cropped, dark-brown hair, and chestnut colored eyes. He must have gotten all of his traits from his father; whoever that had been? Still though, you could see the resemblance just slightly in both of their face shapes, and it helped that he had her really pale skin too. If he didn't have these traits, then I would have seriously started doubting that he was my Aunt's child. I just wish we knew who his father was.

Pat has had a very notorious past for being the family partier long before I came along. She would get so wasted sometimes she'd go into black-outs. Sadly enough for her, one of those black-outs had resulted in her pregnancy with Hunter. According to her story, she had never truly found out who the real father was, and I honestly think she doesn't really care. She was all the parent Hunter ever needed anyway. Kind of like my mother was to me.

My father had been MIA since the divorce. I knew he was still alive, because I'd seen him out in the grocery store, or driving around the town with my new 'step-mommy.' It's just that we never really talk. Why might you ask? Well it might have something to do with the fact I had never forgiven him for beating on my mother in his once drunken rages, or him cheating on her in his pot induced forgetfulness for that matter. It might also be because I punched him in the nose that first weekend he had with me. Ever since then we haven't really spoken one full sentence to each other. The only time I really heard from him was when the weekly child support came in, or the yearly 'Bribery Gift' as my mother has always called it. She thinks he's trying to make up for the time lost with me by buying my forgiveness. To bad for him it doesn't work. I mean, it didn't work with the first two gifts… a stereo, and a T.V... or the last two… a motorcycle, and a car. I don't think my father will ever get it. Nice, shinny, new objects just don't help you weasel your way into my heart like love, truth, and fidelity does.

"You should watch what you say, Hunter. One of these days that mouth is going to get you into a lot more pain than you're already in," Tay warned with a sneer. It was obvious how much the two disliked each other. However, I use to think it was because they secretly 'liked' one another, but after Tay 'accidentally' came close to running him over…well…let's just say my view changed pretty drastically. My only guess to this whole dilemma now was because they felt threatened when one of the other was around. Threatened that the other would distract me from their attentions, and eventually I would stop speaking with him or her.

To bad for them that I cared too much about either one of them to ever think of doing that.

"Yeah, whatever! My teachers told me one of these days this mouth is going to take me places, thank you very much," Hunter replied proudly.

Taylor snorted, before replying, "Yeah, its going take you right to a porno."

"Better not let his girlfriend here ya say that. Emma will have a hissy fit," I chuckled for probably the first time this whole week. The two stared at me in awe for a moment before joining in.

"Yeah, Emma would castrate him if he ever thought of doing something like that. Speaking of Emma though," Taylor said with a mischievous smile, "Has she told you she's staying the summer in Port Angeles, Washington? I guess there won't be any midnight rendezvous for you two anymore, huh?"

Sneering, Hunter replied, "We're happily virgins, thank you."

"In your dreams," Tay laughed.

"Well, she is, and she thinks I am. How about we leave it at that," Hunter scoffed, as he went to throwing the ball back into the air.

"Oh, did I tell you that I'm moving…"

"…to Forks, Washington. Yes you did, Tay. It's going to be awful without you. How are you ever going to survive up there the whole summer without anyone?"

Taylor had been planning this move for months. She had complained about this tiny town we had to call a hell hole since I met her. She said her only way out was to find a far away college, and move there. The best place she could come up with though was a town on the other side of the country. Even then she would only be attending a community college for a year, before probably moving back. Alyssa, a sort of ex-best-friend of mine, would be the one to move there permanently with her friend Sebastian. Sadly though for Tay, Lyssa and Seb wouldn't be there until a week before the classes start. Tay was going to have to live there all on her lonesome for the whole summer.

"I don't know, but I'll figure it out," she shrugged.

"I'm guessing your mom already found a place while she's been up there, right," I asked. Taylor's mom had gone ahead to Forks so that she could scout out a place for them to rent. Plus, she was taking a vacation with her husband as well, so it worked out for both mother and daughter.

"Yep, she called me today. I have to start packing my stuff starting tonight, and I'll leave a week from now. She says the place is nice, though. Supposedly it looks like some kind of English cottage according to her. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and its nestled back in the woods. Sounds like it's nice," she smiled, as she pulled out her phone. Scrolling through her pictures, she found what she was looking for before holding it up for me to see.

"Awe, it really is pretty," I replied, before handing her phone back to her.

"To bad I'm gonna be all alone for the next two months. If I was closer to Emma I would visit her, but I can barely speak a full sentence to her. She gets on my nerves," Tay sighed.

"Hey, no trash-talking my girlfriend, please," Hunter snapped. Taylor merely just stuck out her tongue before turning back to me.

"You sure you're going to be alright here without me? I mean, I know Hunter takes care of ya, but I know every once in a while you need a girl pal…"

"I guess so," I cut her off, before adding, "It won't be easy, but I'll be good. I mean, where else do I have to go? My dad's family doesn't have anything to do with me, and the only people on my mom's side that speak with me are Hunter, Pat, Butch, Gran, and Mom of course."

Nodding her head solemnly, Tay breathed, "Yeah, I guess so."

The room quieted after that. The only thing you could hear were the birds happily chirping outside my window, and Hunter continually tossing the baseball into the air. It was peaceful, though. I mean, it had been before they showed up, but now that they were there it seemed much more comforting. I didn't feel quite so alone. I felt…at peace.

"Hold on a second," Taylor suddenly spoke, as she snapped her fingers with a gleeful look lighting her eyes.

"What? What is it," Hunter asked, surprised to hear her speak. So surprised in fact that he forgot about the ball he'd thrown up into the air.

Thunk!

"Motherfu… DAMNIT! This friggin ball hates me. It's like it has it out for me, or something," Hunter insisted, as he rubbed the forming bump upon his head.

"I'm sure it didn't damage anything to vital. It's not like there was a brain in there to begin with," Taylor said, with a wave of her hand as she dismissed his pain.

"I do to got a brain!"

"Keep telling yourself that Mr. Scarecrow," Tay teased, before turning back to me, "Anyway, what I was going to say is, 'why don't you move in with me for the summer?' I mean, you need to get away from the reminders you're gonna find here. Plus it will be a change in scenery, and you'll still have me to hang out with…"

"What's wrong with me," Hunter asked beyond clueless.

"Everything apparently," Tay sighed, before going on, "You should do it, Amber. It would be good for you, and even though I'm sure I'll regret this later, you should come too, Hunter. Amber can look out for you, and you can be closer to Emma. No use putting you through more hell here without us."

"But I'd be in heaven here without you," Hunter pointed out, with a gleeful smile in Tay's direction, before adding, "However; it would be nice to see Emma this summer. No adults to stop us from sneaking off… (glare from me)… to see a wonderful movie (sheepish look from, Hunter). Whatcha say, Lynnie?"

"I say if you call me 'Lynnie' ever again, I'm going to beat you in the head with the metal baseball bat that goes to that ball," I hissed, sending a shiver of fear coursing down his spine. He knew I would too. I'd done it once before when he'd smashed his car into the back of mine. Thank God I'd finally traded that hunk of junk in for my 1999 Subaru Legacy. She is way better than that old piece of crap I had to call a jeep.

I know it sounds awful, but I'm also glad I hadn't been driving her that night of the accident. Mom's car had been the one to die a horrible death, and even though she didn't want to admit it, I knew she still wanted to wring my neck for its cruel and fateful demise. I'm just glad the settlement she got from the insurance company was big enough to get her a new car…and possibly save my life.

"So, what do you say, Amber? Come on, it'd be fun. Besides, they have a beach nearby in La Push. We could go there, and swim everyday," she smiled brightly.

"I don't know…"

"Come on, pleasssse, Amber," Tay said, finally giving me the puppy dog eyes with Hunter following her lead.

"I guess it couldn't be so bad. Fine, I'll think…"

"YES," they both squealed, before hugging me tightly. Choking from their tight embraces, I hissed out, "Don't…thank…me...yet!"

"Why," Taylor asked, pulling away to give me a stern glare, "Usually if you're saying, 'thinking,' that's normally a yes in disguise."

I rolled my eyes. 'Am I that obvious,' I wondered.

"I still have to convince my mother this is a good idea, and that also includes your mother as well, Hunter," I replied, before hearing a loud pitiful groan.

"Good, when do we start," Tay beamed.

"No, I don't think you get it, Tay," Hunter hissed, "Convincing them, is like trying to get near a black bear's cubs. There ain't no chance in hell."

"Oh," Tay exclaimed with a look of distraught lining her eyes.

"Yep, and I'm always the one he sends in to convince them," I sighed, before looking up and silently praying to Jake, 'Help convince God to give me the strength, my friend. I fear we may be meeting sooner rather than later after this.'

I hope you enjoyed the third chapter!

Here's some of the songs, I listened to while writing and revising this.

Down- by Jason Walker

In my Veins- by Andrew Belle

Before the Dawn- by Evanesence

Other than that, I have a nice day and PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!