"Battle Scars"

Chapter 8: A Bonding Hike

A/N #1: HEY GUYS! I'm back from my cruise and it was fantastic! I had a lot of fun yet I still missed you guys! Anyways, I just want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH to all the additional alerts, reviews and hits I received for this story. It truly means the world to me so thank you!

A/N #2: Alright so a common question in the reviews for the previous chapter was who Bella was going to be paired up with and to tell you the truth, when I first came up with this idea, I had no intention of pairing Bella up with anyone but I did know who I wanted her to be 'closer' to when it came to the Twilight characters. I won't say who Bella gets paired up with the end because that would just ruin the fun of finding out in the story ;D Enjoy! (I apologize in advance for run-on sentences, grammatical errors I might have missed, etc.)

Shout Out: I remember saying that I would give a shout out to the 100th Reviewer and it goes to NiteFang.

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or Twilight. They belong to their respective owners (I thank them for creating them in the first place).

Summary: Bella Winchester had accepted her destiny but when she looses what she cares about the most, will she fight back or is the pain too much for her to handle; pain that not even the Cullens could truly understand.

Angel Warriors: [this section will be updated as the story progresses as you learn more about it]

- Winchesters' destiny…Bella mentioned a coming war

- Winchesters received their shared powers on Bella's 13th birthday while they got their individual powers on their 18th birthday

- All three Winchesters' tattoo, that wrap around their right arm just below the shoulder (picture on photobucket account, link on profile and on LiveJournal Master List), appeared on Bella's 18th birthday – tattoo symbolizes the connection between the siblings

- Powers are stronger when they are together

Powers (so far discovered in the story):

Dean – Pyrokinesis (manipulate fire like X-Men's Pyro)

Sam – Empathy (feeling other's emotions), Telekinesis

Bella – Cryokinesis (freeze things like X-Men's Iceman)

Shared/Together – Telepathy, Compulsion, Mental Shield, Enhanced Hearing and Sight

*W*I*N*C*H*E*S*T*E*R*

Bella's POV:

[September 10, 2008]

The ride was silent between me and Jacob but I didn't mind as I took in the beauty that zoomed passed me. Seeing the nature around me blew my breath away. There weren't many places that preserved the beauty that's found in nature as it's usually destroyed to create more industrial buildings and to be surrounded by it now...it was just a beautiful sight.

At some point during our ride, Jacob ended up parking his motorcycle on the edge right when the forest started. He dismounted the bike before he offered his hand out to me. I looked at him curiously and when he wouldn't tell me anything, I sighed before I took his hand as I dismounted the bike as well.

Jacob led the way through the forest, to where I wasn't sure but my curiosity was getting the best of me. Along the way, we mainly had small talk as he asked how my stay was in Forks, my favorites, little quirks about me and I returned the favor to him but I always got the feeling that he was holding something back. I couldn't really blame him since I was doing the same thing but I got the feeling that he knew my secret like I knew his.

Before I could think about it even further, Jacob pushed a few branches out of the way to reveal the beautiful scenery before us as we appeared to have ended up at the edge of the cliff. My breath hitched at the magnificent sight. As I moved out of the forest, I could see the waves below crashing against the cliff walls, the trees swaying in the light breeze and the birds flying freely over the water.

"Oh wow." I mumbled under my breath as I took my surroundings in. There weren't many places like this left in America.

"Like it?" He questioned as he stepped up to stand right beside me.

"It's beautiful Jake." I whispered but I knew he could detect the awe in my voice at the sight.

"Yeah it is." He replied back but when I turned to look at him, he wasn't looking at the ocean view but he was looking at me. I couldn't help but get sucked into his gaze and I couldn't help but think how beautiful he looked. I didn't snap out of it until Jacob cleared his throat a little nervously and I couldn't really blame him…I had no idea what just happened between us either. "This is where some of us come for cliff-diving. Usually they jump from the lower ledge while the more experienced jumpers go off of here." He explained as he pointed out to the ledge further down from where we were before he gestured to our spot.

I gave him my arched eyebrow look when he mentioned experience levels. "And let me guess, you're the more experienced jumper."

He shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner but I could see that he was trying to suppress his smirk from making an appearance. "It kind of helps if you're stronger than the rest." He stated and by the look in his eyes, I knew that he knew that I knew about his secret...if that made any sense.

We stood there, side by side, in silence as he looked out towards the water. Many options were going through my head until I decided on the one that my gut was telling me to take.

"What's it like?" I whispered to him as I kept my gaze on the glimmering water.

"What's what like?" He questioned as if he too was caught up in his own thoughts. Normally I would peek into his mind to figure out what he was thinking about but for some reason, it didn't feel right doing it to Jacob…which was an odd feeling for me.

"What's it like being a shifter?" I whispered loud enough for him to hear and the question itself caused Jacob to whip his head around to look at him. My gaze was still on the water but I could tell that he was surprised that I had asked the question out of the blue.

"Well what's it like to being an Angel Warrior?" He countered back in a whisper like I had which caused me to give the same reaction he had; my head snapped up to look at him with wide eyes as I shushed him to keep quiet. I was always paranoid that someone might hear the term. I continued to move my head from side to side as I searched to make sure that we were alone which caused my companion to snicker. I instantly gave him a heated glare, prompting him to hold his hands out as if he was surrendering to me. "My dad told me about the prophecy. He's gonna bring it up at the bonfire later too." He explained with a shrug and I could tell that he didn't see what was so wrong in mentioning the title out here in the open.

I groaned as I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Sam won't be pleased about that."

I could feel his eyes watching me as I tried to calm down. "Your brother right?" He questioned softly as I could hear his feet shuffling in his spot.

I nodded as I dropped my hand down to my side. "Yeah."

Jacob tilted his head to the side as he stepped closer to me. "Why would he be upset? You guys came looking for us, right?" I could tell by his tone that he genuinely wanted to know which made it all the more harder to refuse because I wasn't sure how much I should reveal to him.

I sighed as I placed my hands into the back pockets of my jeans. "It's not that, it's just…for our whole lives since we've learned about the prophecy, only three people outside the family know who we really are and now a whole tribe is going to know…" I trailed off before I turned to look at Jacob who stood there with a look on his face that was unfamiliar to me until he gave me a curt nod for me to continue. I exhaled deeply before I did. "And I don't know, I guess we were so focused on helping Dean that we didn't think about exposing ourselves to so many people." I finished before I looked away from him as I felt a lone tear wanting to fall after mentioning to some extent how far we would go for Dean.

I could feel Jacob getting closer before I felt his hand on my shoulder, turning me around slowly so that I was facing him. "Only the pack and the Tribe Elders on the Council will know about the prophecy, I promise." He said softly as he lifted my chin up so that I'd look him in the eyes and I couldn't deny that those words, his words, were enough to convince me even though I just met him.

I nodded my head as I gave him a small smile. "Alright."

He smiled back at me before he lowered his hand as he gestured towards the forest. "C'mon then." He stated before he started heading into the forest. I hesitated as I looked back towards the water and I could see that the sun was slowly setting. I sighed. Time to head back, I thought as I turned back to follow Jacob into the forest.

*W*I*N*C*H*E*S*T*E*R*

"I just don't get it."Jacob questioned ten minutes into our trek back to his motorcycle.

I turned my gaze to the side as we were walking side by side through the forest. "Don't get what?"

Jacob shrugged his shoulders. "I don't get why you won't tell anyone else, won't that help you out…having more people on your side?" He asked as he turned his quizzical gaze onto me.

I arched an eyebrow at him. "Why don't you tell others?" I countered with a smirk on my face because I could already tell that he didn't like it when I deflected his questions.

"Hey you can't answer my question with another question!" He protested but I could see the twinkle in his eyes that told me that he wasn't that mad at me.

I giggled a bit. "You did it first!" I replied back, reminding him when he pulled the same stunt earlier when I first asked him how it was being a shifter.

He cocked his head to the side before he shook his head out of amusement. "Touché." He stated before he ducked under a few branches due to his height. "We don't want the rest of the tribe knowing about the dangers that are really out there otherwise they would be constantly worrying." I nodded my head in agreement as his reasons made sense. "Your turn." He stated as he chanced a glance at me.

I took a deep breath before I spoke; knowing already that it would be a mouthful. "We want others to believe that the prophecy was just a myth, a legend that never came true." I could feel his confused gaze directed at me so I slightly turned my head so that I could look him in the eye as I continued. "That way, no one comes looking for us to either kill us or to exploit us. This way we can do what we were destined to do but we do it in the shadows and if anyone learned about our secret, usually it's the thing we're hunting, they are dead by the time we are through with them." I ended in a whispered tone that was loud enough for the shifter beside me to hear.

I waited patiently for a response since Jacob had a pensive look on his face. "So if I wasn't meant to protect the tribe, you'd kill me?" He slowly questioned as if he was picking his words carefully.

I sighed as I stuffed my hands into my leather jacket's pockets. "We hunt evil Jake, so yeah if you were hurting innocents then I would be going after you. Any hunter would be going after you if they caught wind of what you and the pack are. Some don't care whether you're good or evil…if you're not human, they'll shoot to kill." I bluntly told him, hoping he'd get the message that he'd really needed to keep his supernatural existence a secret.

"And that applies to all supernatural creatures?"He asked after a few moments of silence between us.

I nodded my head. "Yes."

I could feel a tug on my elbow before I stopped in my tracks to face him. "Including our enemies?" He questioned with a look in his eyes that seemed…hopeful. Does he wish to have allies when it comes to eliminating his enemies so that his pack brothers won't always be in danger?

"You mean these Cold Ones that I've read about?" I questioned, earning a nod from him as my answer. I nodded in return. "Then yes, including them."

Jacob's eyes widened at the confirmation and I could only tilt my head out of confusion as I watched him run his fingers through his hair in a frustrated manner. "But how? If you aren't a part of the pack, those leeches are impossible to destroy." He stated moments later after he seemed to have collected his thoughts.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Sam always finds a way, he's probably asking your dad about them now." I easily explained since my brother has been at the Black's house all day apparently…without me.

Jacob sighed. "I hope so." He stated before he resumed our trek back to the main road.

I stared at the spot he was standing moments ago before I looked at his retreating form that was quickly disappearing in the darkening forest. Something wasn't right. I had to break out into a mini jog just to catch up with Jacob as his long legs had taken him far in just a few steps.

"What's wrong?" I questioned once I got back to his side.

"What do you mean?" He asked while avoiding my eyes and I could already tell that he was holding something back from me which was evident in his tense form.

I pulled on his elbow to stop him from moving as I forced him to look at me. "I don't need my brother to know that something is bothering you Jake, so spill."

Jacob sighed. "There's a family of Cold Ones living in Forks but because of a stupid treaty my ancestor made with them, we can't attack them unless they break it." He hesitantly explained to me and my eyes widened at the thought. Vampires in Forks?

"Cold Ones in Forks?" I voiced my thoughts as I tried to figure out who he was talking about while berating myself for not knowing about it before this moment.

"Yeah." I heard him say but it didn't matter as I felt my eyes dilate as realization dawned on me.

Pale skin…golden eyes…skin as cold as ice…their mere presence puts me on edge…

"They wouldn't happen to be the Cullens would they?" I questioned him after I remembered every suspicious moment I had with a Cullen since the moment I met them on Monday. I could see Jacob's eyes widen, probably from the fact that I identified his enemies so quickly, before he nodded his head as his answer. I nodded my head too before he gave me a questioning look and for some reason, I knew what he was referring to. "They go to the high school so I've run into a few of them."

He growled. "And you haven't killed them yet?" He said through gritted teeth and I knew that he was furious just by the evident shaking of his hands.

I rolled my eyes as I grabbed one of his shaking hands. "You just said so yourself it would be impossible for a non-shifter to kill them, so how could I?" I countered but what astounded me more was that my touch seemed to have a calming affect on him. What the hell was going on between us?

Jacob took a few calming breaths before he spoke. "Well since you're…you, I thought that was an exception."

I chuckled at the thought. "I hope it is but Jake, before I came here, I didn't know that your type of werewolf or the Cullens' type of vampire existed. I've only dealt with the other types before." I explained causing Jacob to give me a slack-jaw expression. When he didn't make a move to speak, I moved my hand to close his jaw for him which seemed to snap him back to reality.

"There are other vampires and werewolves out there?" He questioned worriedly and I kind of felt bad for dropping that bomb on him now.

I sighed. "Yeah but they are easier for humans to kill." I reassured him.

"How?"

I smirked. "Silver bullet to the heart for a werewolf and one bite will infect you, so you gotta watch out for their teeth on the night of a full moon since they don't physically transform into a wolf like you guys." I summarized the basics to him when it came to the traditional werewolves that movies and stories were usually based off of.

He nodded his head as if he was absorbing all the information in as best as he could. "Okay and vampires?"

"Beheading them and then ripping them apart will kill them…fire also helps. Dead man's blood paralyzes them, sunlight weakens them, and you're infected once a vampire's blood enters your system." I explained as I ticked each point off my hand, one by one.

His brow furrowed out of confusion. "So they could feed without killing?"

I gave him a sheepish smile before I starting walking again, he didn't hesitate to join me as I continued the conversation. "Yeah, a vampire's bite isn't what turns their victims, it's the blood." I could see him nod out of the corner of my eye so I didn't hesitate in continuing. "Plus you won't know if they're a vampire unless they are about to feed because only then do their fangs come out as a second pair of teeth. Other than that, they look completely human."

Jacob groaned as he ran his fingers through his short hair once again. "Oh that's gotta be tough to nail them then."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Once you get the hang of it, it's not so hard." I nonchalantly stated with a wave of my hand in a dismissive manner before I shoved it back into my pocket. "So tell me about the Cullens."

I didn't miss the growl he made when I mentioned their names but he didn't hesitate to talk about them. "They moved back here three years ago, their presence is what triggered the transformations." He stated in a disgusted tone and I couldn't really blame him…he is what he is because of their mere presence. I knew that wasn't completely true since it's in his blood to be a shifter but then again his father, Billy Black, wasn't a shifter. I should probably bring that up later.

"I read something like that." I added in as I remembered reading that only in the presence of danger would the spirit warrior be called upon…or something like that.

Jacob nodded his head to signify that he heard me before he continued. "Yeah so the leader of their coven is a doctor at the hospital."

"A vampire is a doctor?" I said in disbelief. How's that possible?

Jacob gave a humorless laugh and I really couldn't blame him as he helped me through the darkening forest even though I could still see perfectly. "Yup. He's the one that made the treaty with my ancestor, claiming that they only drink from the blood of animals. It's why my ancestor even agreed to the treaty." He spat out angrily but I could feel my face scrunch up out of confusion. What treaty?

"What's the treaty exactly?" I questioned as I looked to the side to catch his gaze.

"If their coven stays off of Quileute soil and not bite a human, we don't attack them or expose them to the humans." He told me as he held eye contact with me.

I mulled the thought over in my mind before I said anything. "Sounds…fair."

Jacob shrugged. "I guess but as long as they are here, the more of us undergo the transformation because their existence poses as a threat to us." He argued just when we reached the edge of the forest as I could see the road and his motorcycle parked just where we left it.

"I see." I stated as I followed him towards his bike.

Jacob quickly mounted his bike and started the ignition before he turned to me. "Hop on." He stated as he offered his hand once again. "It's about time we head back for the bonfire." He explained as I turned to look up at the sky to see the mixed colors that signify that the sun was in the middle of setting. I quickly took Jacob's hand and mounted the bike before he took off down the road in the way we came. My arms instantly wove around his torso as I held on for dear life as I concluded that it would be completely dark by the time we reached Jacob's house…the perfect setting and time for a bonfire to take place.

*W*I*N*C*H*E*S*T*E*R*

A/N #3: Something's brewing between Bella and Jacob! =D Bella got confirmation about the Cullens! What do you think she's gonna do about it now? Let me know in a review! =D

A/N #4: Alright so since I wrote this up before my cruise, I wasn't able to write anything during my cruise so the next chapter might take a bit longer than usual in the past few months. Just a little heads up but while you wait, please don't hesitate to check out my other stories!

Originally Published: August 12, 2011