[A/N: As said in first chapter, I do not own Twilight. Said all the need-to-know stuff in the first chapter, too. Don't forget to review!]

How to live with Werewolves.

Rule Number Two:

If said provoked animal goes away, do not chase it.

Last time: "Promise you won't run away. No matter what happens."

"I promise Jake."

"Close your eyes, Bella."

For a while, all I can hear is the sound of silence. And then the sound of fabric tearing. And feel the earth shift beneath me when something hit's the ground.

I open my eyes.

And nearly scream.

At first, all I can think is Jake's gone, Jake's gone, Jake's gone. I stare at the beast before me, eyes wide.

Then I think it ate Jake, it ate Jake, it ate Jake.

But the beast is beautiful. Russet brown, tall and proud, and the eyes remind me of a certain someone. I can't move, physically, but in my mind, I'm petting the horse-sized wolf with eager hands. I can't find the will to scream, can't find it to move, so I'm basically as useless as a cup of Jello.

The beast is staring at me. I stay rooted to the spot.

It dips its head, whines and walks towards me, slowly, a step at a time.

I'm not afraid. I wish I could be. But I can't feel anything, can only stare at this beautiful wolf before me. It comes closer, and I find myself smiling at it. It looks as if it's smiling back and I think

Animals can't smile, right?

But this one certainly is. It's tail, which is twice as big as my forearm, wags to and fro and I find myself grinning stupidly.

It comes within three feet of me and stops. I stare into its eyes and they stare back at me while part of me is screaming "Where's Jake!"

But I feel like he's here with me. As I reach up, again the whole brain not comprehending what my body is doing, I feel it's breath against my fingers, warm and inviting.

As I'm about to let it lick my hand a snarl sounds from behind me, and hot breath slants across the expanse of pale flesh at the base of my spine, to of my neck. I feel myself stiffen as the wolf in front suddenly growls. I find myself turning, ever so slowly to face a grey haired beast, who seems much more intimidating then the other black haired one beside it. Or was it mean? Either way. I'm caught between three big beasts and one of them does not play nice.

And then, before I can do or say or move, I see stars dotting in and out of my vision as the world tilts on it's axis. Then I fall flat on my back and everything disappears with a curtain of black silk.

I wake up and blink, rubbing my eyes as I try to gather coherent thoughts together. I sit up with a start and whisper "Jacob…."

I rush downstairs, still in the same clothes as yesterday and dial in his number on the phone. After the third ring it picks up.

"Yello'?" a familiar voice asks cheerily.

"Quil? What-Never mind. Is Jacob there?" I ask, but the dial tone rings in my ear. I stare at the phone incredulously. I call back.

"The person you are trying to call is unavailable—

I hang up with a frown. What the crow?

I try again. Same thing.

Trying not to yank my hair out, I go upstairs and take a long hot shower, trying to remember everything. The wolves. That low growling. Then it goes dark and everything else is gone.

Closing my eyes, I think slowly, trying to remember each of Jacobs words as the hot water travels down my body, slowly but steadily undoing knots in my back I didn't know I had. All of it falls away when there's a knock on my door, just as I'm wrapping a towel around myself.

Crap.

I fling the door open and manage not to slip down the stairs and break anything. I open the door and it isn't Jacob Black standing there, but rather Sam Uley and his partner in crime-Paul.

I don't immediately like their sudden show up and they seem to finally realize that once their eyes actually meet mine. My hair drips onto my shoulder and I glare.

"Can I help you?" I ask.

Sam's low rumble of a chuckle sounds out and he says "We'll come back later."

"Right" I say and slam the door. And slide the lock in place. "Although I'd prefer it if you didn't…" I add under my breath. I go back upstairs and prepare for the day, wearing a hoodie over my grey singlet and flared jeans with fuzzy boots. I go downstairs to make myself some lunch when I call Jacob back.

It answers after the second ring, this time. It's Billy.

"Hey, Billy." I say as calmly as possible.

"Is Jacob there?"

"He doesn't want you, Leech-lover!" a voice calls out and I stop. Female. Someone laughs. It sounds like Jacob laughing. Bill shouts at someone.

"Bella?"

I can hear his voice from far away as I start hyperventilating. Yes. Definitely hyperventilating.

"Bella, are you okay—

The phone slips from my hand, rebounds off the wall and the sound echoes inside my head. I feel myself shaking, and slide to the floor, holding my chest. The gaping hole splits wide open as a fresh pain slaps over it with a flourish.

Stop that! a voice sounding very much like Jacobs says in my head. I laugh hysterically through baited breath and realize I now have Jacobs voice in my head. Well, slap on a Mentally Challenged sticker on me and send me away, I thought as the world spun.

Might as well throw a Damaged Goods sticker on me as well,.

I heard a distant knocking sound. I ignored it, trying to swipe the sound away with limp hands.

Stay awake, Bella. Goddammit, stay awake. Breathe.

But I don't want to. The dark entity rushing to greet me looks inviting. I try really hard to keep my eyelids open. The knocking sounds louder. I didn't think I was dying. Sleeping, yes. Or maybe fainting. Again, the knocking kept me from going into a deep slumber.

Concentrate on that noise. Listen to it and stay awake.

I listen, and the knocking becomes louder.

I slowly rise to a stand, notice the chicken is burning and take it off the stove, calling out a "Just a second!" before I pick the phone up and put it back on its cradle. I turn towards the door and realize I moved too fast. With wobbly legs, I walk towards it and unlock the door and pull it open.

It's the neighbour, Milly, an old woman who used to be good friends with Renee.

"Hello, Bella." she says softly.

"Charlie just called to get me to check on you. You haven't been answering his phone calls." she says and then nods, not noticing my shaking.

"Alright, have a good day, dear." she says and then abruptly leaves.

I stare after her.

Then I call Charlie and tell him everything's fine, and that I forgot. He laughs and says he's been catching a lot of fish. I nod, close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose I feel myself relax.

"Have fun dad."

"Hey, Bella." he says, cautiously.

"Yes, dad?"

"How are you and Jacob doing?"

I feel my throat close up and choke out a "fine. Gotta go." and hang up.

That was it. I was tired of this. The confusion, the secrets. It had to end.

As I walked on unstable legs to the front door I stopped. Not today, I thought as I plopped down on the couch.

Tomorrow. Yes. I would confront him tomorrow.

Until then, I watched three episodes of True Blood and found myself wondering about stuff I hadn't when suddenly a voice echoed Leech-lover in my head.

What did that mean?

I changed the channel as Bill appeared and sighed, flicking across all of them until my stomach growled and I went back to making lunch. My appetite was not that high, but I needed something. And then, I took a not-very-much-needed nap.

It seemed all I had been doing lately was sleeping. But I fell into it hard.

And dreamed.

Voices carry across the wind, echoing softly in the wide open expanse of land before me. It's not my clearing, the one I know, but it's familiar. I thought I had dreamed it, maybe I had, but it was simple in it's own way, the forest curving into it making it look like a half moon. I smiled softly, the wind swaying gently this way and that.

I turned, feeling another presence and Jacob looked at me with a scowl of hate. I cowered under the glare.

"Jacob?" I ask softly. His grin is feral when he says;

"Not anymore"

And then he promptly jumps at me, turning into a wolf and his jaws close around my throat.

"Werewolf" I breathe, eyes snapping open.

For a while, it seems impossible but I don't see him, although I want to confront him. Badly. Part of me knows I shouldn't.

Part of me doesn't care.

It's been a week. No calls. Nothing. Sam hadn't returned, which I was grateful for.

I need to see him. Now.

So I find myself on that lonely road when I come across it. The recreational jumping. I see familiar faces, but Jacob stands proudest, smug and completely everything Sam is to me. Blinding hot white rage fills me, but I drive on. As I dare another glance, I notice some of them are looking my way. Faintly, I remember there being a part Jacob told me about, lower down. He'd pointed it out before, not too far ahead, but across from where their height was. I shrugged out of my hoodie, dumping both the boots and the jacket in the bed of my truck. Barefoot, walked to my destination, feeling eyes on me. They could watch all they wanted. I kept walking, though, and thought, why not do it now? Not for the attention—for the simple fact Jacob would confront me about it. I grinned, and in the dim part of my mind he growled.

Don't even think it.

"Too late," I said, giggling a little hysterically now as excitement flew fast through my veins, urging me forward.

"Bella?" Someone shouted, and I looked up. Across from me, on the other side, Embry called my name. I winced. He was one of them, too?

This was all the encouragement I needed.

"Bella! No!" Embry cried, and when I looked up again, Jacobs face turned into one of shock. One part of him was twisted towards me, the other half staying in place.

I grinned, waved once and gasped in a quick gust of air. Then I got a long run towards the edge of the cliff and promptly threw myself off it, screaming wildly on the way down. Just when I thought the fall was never going to end, I hit cold water.

Blinding cold water.

I reached the surface and gasped, laughing hysterically and managed not to choke on the salty water.

"BELLA, LOOK OUT!" a voice boomed and as I looked up, a wave, twice the size of me, came crashing down.

The force knocked the breath out of me and I watched as the air became blurred bubbles, spinning and twisting, floating to the surface. I kicked back up, only to gasp once and be knocked back down.

My legs kept kicking, and through the murky water I could see a figure.

The waves kept pushing me deeper and deeper.

I couldn't fight anymore. But the figure below me. His skin glittered, his eyes caught mine and he smiled, spreading his arms wide in an embrace. I slowly went to him, the fight in me going away until I could feel his icy skin seep into my very soul. I didn't mind. His arms wrapped around me, holding me to him.

I had missed him, I realized. Then I remembered something. Wasn't I supposed to be going somewhere?

Stay. the voice beckoned. One I knew, but couldn't place.

Looking into his eyes, which were so clear now, he smiled.

My breath left me. And then my chest was too tight. I struggled, trying to find it.

I inhaled salt water.

And the embrace grew strong, yanked me away.

I let it carry me and closed my eyes, the pain coming and going, as the tide forced me in a different direction.

I, Bella Marie Swan, was dying.