[A/N: This may seem weird. But writing about someone being crazy makes the writer feel crazy. It's true. Google it. Anyway, you know I don't own so don't hate!]

How to live with Werewolves.

Rule Number Eight:

Don't get too comfortable. Those teeth were made to break bones.

Last Time:

"Don't hurt him!" I cry, and then I'm being torn out of the way.

"Jake!" I scream.

"Jesus Christ, Bella! Stop moving!" someone says and I blink back tears as my ears pop once more and Paul explodes, his clothes being tossed up in the air into little itty bitty pieces.

The two wolves snap at each other, growling and snarling.

"STOP!" a loud voice booms.

~!~

Sam and Emily.

Embry, Quil, Jared and Seth were still unclear at this point.

But the last two names I wrote out seemed like a puzzle being put together. Made to fit.

Jacob and Bella.

Maybe I was losing my mind. I had the symptoms? Screaming, seeing things, hearing voices. Severe case of schizophrenia. I think so.

I watched the birds outside perch on branches, eat, then take off into flight, going great distances with a full stomach and a destination on their mind. I wish I could do that. Just go, no questions. No judgement.

I was maybe deluding myself into thinking that was possible. I was tied to this place as much as I was tied to Jacob. No matter how frayed the lines were, or how messed up I truly believed I was, all of me knew that I would be here for him.

Not just for the imprint. But for the fact that he kept me here, together, whole. Everything. I would never be able to repay him.

That hurt.

And I guess I was just not ready for this whole thing. He needed someone to be there when he came home, bloodied and bruised, with a hot meal and careful fingers for wounds ready for him. I could do that-it wasn't a chore, really, it was more of a privilege.

But I wouldn't be able to do it now. No, I was too far gone to be ready.

I trailed my fingers over the back of the couch as the morning sunlight streamed in, lighting the room in an orange hue. I smelt coffee brewing, and got up, making myself a glass. I sat at the table, read the headlines. Another hiker went missing.

As I heard Charlie waking up I pulled out the pots and pants, lit the stove and prepared a big breakfast. It was a little early for him to be awake-It was his day off, but I supposed he had a late one last night-and I threw out old pizza boxes and the milk that had gone off.

I was turning the pieces of bacon over when he came in, yawning widely.

"Morning kiddo."

"Hey, dad." I said and stirred the peppered cheese eggs.

He inhaled deeply.

"Ah, love the smell of cholesterol in the morning," he said cheekily.

"Eat a piece of fruit, first," I told him, pointing an oily spatula at him. He held his arms up as if I'd had him at gunpoint and he delicately nibbled at an apple.

"Now, I've torn off all the fat and I'm going to let the oil soak into the paper towels…" I trailed off when the phone rang.

"Hello? Oh hey-…" Charlie falls silent for a moment.

"No, I didn't get any news.. What's going on?" he asks. I look up from the bacon when Charlie's eyes widen and he sounds short of breath.

"No, that's… No, you don't have to. I am so sorry, Billy…. No, I'll be fine… alright…" his voice breaks and I nearly drop the pan.

"Dad?" I ask as he puts the phone back into the cradle with a wince.

His eyes are filled with tears.

"Daddy?" I ask again, voice small, stepping toward him.

"Harry Clearwater's passed away…" he says seriously, and his voice breaks again. I reach forward and wrap my arms around him, pull him close as he tries not to cry.

"Oh, dad…." I whisper softly, and rub his back as he finally lets go and cries hot tears onto my shoulder.

The bacon burns in the background, but neither of us care. Appetite for food is gone and instead is replaced with grief. He sobs onto my shoulder and I find tears of my own trailing down my cheeks.

"It's going to be okay…" I croon and he cries harder.

For the first time, I realize I may be losing my mind and have an imprint to take care of, but here was my dad, crying. He'd never cried in front of me before. Except when I threatened to leave, just like mom did.

But like all things in this universe, he bled, and he was hurting.

I held him tighter as we both cried for the loss of Harry.

For the amount of time I had known Harry, he was a decent human being. With his loss I felt like I should have been close enough, and then thought of his children. Poor Leah. Poor Seth. Poor Sue.

I made a big batch of mars cheesecake, stuck it in the fridge to settle and went to work.

Mike grinned at me behind the desk as I signed in.

"Hey! Are you okay?" His cheery greeting was cut short as he took in my face. I nodded numbly.

"A friend passed away today," I said and he came around to my side, hugging me close. He smelt like shoe polish and baby powder, but I held onto him tightly.

"I'm so sorry," he said and patted my back. I nodded.

"We're all hurting right now." I said with a small laugh and stepped out of his embrace, wishing it were someone else.

With that said, I busied myself with prices and tags, with boxes that needed opening and new products that needed stacking. Mike offered to help, but I wanted to do this on my own, keep myself busy. I was in that much of a hurry to do my jobs that I knocked over a new dishwashing bottle, spilling it all over the floor. I slipped, landed on my behind with a thumb and felt another load of tears coming on.

The bell chimed and a deep voice asked Mike something I didn't catch. When the bell didn't chime again, I looked up to find Paul, Embry and Sam standing there, staring at me on the floor. The green dishwashing liquid seeped into the denim of my jeans and I must have looked an absolute mess.

"Here." Paul said, and reached out to me. I grabbed his hand and tried to stand on shaky legs, nearly succeeded and then fell again, the slippery grasp Paul had on me disappearing. I hit the floor again and they all stared at me, shocked. Just like a kid who had been embarrassed and tormented by his class for doing something stupid, I did what that kid would do.

I cried.

Incoherent mumbles that I knew they would catch poured from my mouth like a torrent and I cried for everyone. For Sam, Emily. Seth and Leah. Sue. Charlie. For Harry.

Everyone.

Even myself.

I cursed whatever higher power existed and barely registered to someone picking me up, standing in the slippery liquid like it didn't matter. I supposed it didn't as I whimpered into a warm chest.

"I'm taking her home…" Jacobs voice rumbled and I gripped onto him with trembling fingers.

"We'll follow."

I closed my eyes tightly, the feel of the dishwashing liquid on me growing sticky and messy. Like my life.

"Bella, honey, can you stand?"

I blinked my eyes open and found myself in Jacobs bathroom. I nodded, rising to my feet and wincing as my tailbone cried in agony. I pressed myself against the bathroom wall and Jacob carefully peeled off my jacket, shoes and socks as I stood in the tub, smelling like lemons and lime. He peeled off my jeans next, and I blushed furiously as he acted like it was a normal thing to do.

"I've got some spare shirts and slacks you can wear." he said, without meeting my eyes. He turned on the shower, waited until it was warm and then said if I needed anything else, he'd be there.

He'd always be there.

I scrubbed at my body until I was sure I was pink and smelled of Jacobs soap. I ran his conditioner through my hair, pulling my fingers through the knots as I kicked my soaked underwear, bra and t-shirt away.

What a mess I had become.

I was still wondering about a lot of things. Like where Jacob had gone last night.

And why I was still a mess. He had spent so long fixing me.

Was I doomed to be a piece of scrap metal at the end of all of this?

I shrugged the cold feeling away, turned the shower off and stepped into the clothes he had laid out for me. My underwear was still wet so I clenched it until the drops of water grew less and hung it on the rail as well as the soaked bra.

When I stepped out, I felt naked. And I was, partially.

Jacob was waiting for me in his room. I sat on the corner of his bed as he lay on it, feet dangling over the edge, eyes on the ceiling.

"Where did you go last night?" I asked quietly, fingers trailing over the material of his pants. They were warm, and had smudges of oil here and there. He shifted, sitting next to me, his shoulder touching mine. He pauses, thinking of something and then sighs.

"Into the forest… When we phase, Bella, we're dangerous. The scars on Emily's face… Was because of Sam." he murmured.

"He was alone when he first phased. No one to tell him it was okay or that what was going on was part of him. He knew in a way, and that calmed him enough so that when he phased back, he was able to take Emily to the hospital. She was standing too close when he lost it. She was demanding to know why he hurt Leah, why she wanted him all of a sudden… And then he just exploded."

A cold breeze swept into the room. I shivered.

He took it the wrong way.

"You don't have to love me, you know…" he said, his voice hoarse.

I looked up, met his gaze.

"You can choose to be my friend. If it's what you really want, I can wait… It hurts to be away, but I can do it." he said and his tone changed to one of anger and tinged with sadness.

I shook my head.

"Never." I said and then I kissed him. I was used to being on the receiving end of things, so when I put my lips to his, it was new to me. I lead it this time. His hands automatically went to any part of me he could touch and he twisted so he was facing me, pulling me back with him as my tongue licked his bottom lip.

The hole in my heart filled with joy, and I wanted to laugh.

The misery of everything, Harry's death, the Cullen's leaving, me being half dead disappeared from my mind when he pulled me closer, his lips moving against mine. It was beyond amazing, what he did to me, what I felt. I knew that this was where I belonged, with him.

I didn't want to go away.

"I love you" I whispered, the emotions inside me making the words seem too small. But they were enough because he sighed a shaky one and hugged me to his chest, grinning like a man who had won the lottery.

"Say it again…" he whispered.

I looked up into his eyes and he stared right back.

"Jacob Ephraim Black, I love you." I stated, the words rolling off my tongue with ease. He kissed my eyelids, my cheeks, my nose and my lips lastly before he whispered "I love you, Bells."

His head fell back and I lay, curled, on his body as we both just breathed.

"Finally…" he muttered and I smiled.

"God, you reek…" Jacob winced at Paul lay sprawled on the floor, Embry's legs dangling over the arms of the couch. Sam stood in the doorway, looking out over the forest, I guessed.

Paul grinned toothily. Jacob didn't make eye contact with him. I supposed the two were still fighting.

"At least I got a bite in." he stated, proudly.

Embry choked out a laugh.

"Dude, you got her hair. That doesn't count."

I looked between them, still mystified about what they were on about. As if answering my question, Paul reached into his pocket, a sandwich bag dangling from his fingertips.

"God, you keeping that thing is creepy."

"At least we'll get her now that we got her scent."

"As if you could miss it…" Embry snapped, eyes on the TV, but every now and then he would look at the plastic bag with a grimace. I noticed there was something in it. Stepping closer, I realized it was hair.

Bright red hair.

Something inside me snapped. Eyes kept on the brilliant shade of red locks. A handful of it.

"Victoria…" I whispered.

You know what time it is…

[Review Rant!]

Bripearl - I was thinking the same thing. Eventually, though.

I'mAMusicGirl - Don't know yet. Still plotting.

VampireLover010 - Ha! Shall work on longer chapters and more off-with-the-shirt Jacob time!

Preetoaka Raven Potter Weasley - I totally agree. Who could hate Bella? Such a sweet thing. And I'm glad you liked the Paul imprint part. Had many ways to go about it…

readeatsleep - Sorry about all the screaming and such. Was tired of writing it. But you know, I figured she already lost part of her mind with everything going to hell and back. But no worries, thanks for reviewing.

leah1398 - Tadaaaah.

jwstahle - As said above. Tadaaaah!

jharv241 - I thought it was funny, too. Thanks!

sonyabrady1971 - You guessed right mah dear!

[End Rant]

Also! Wanted to add that it may take me a little while to update again. Just whipped this up while timing wasn't hectic. But don't go throwing yourself on the nearest couch-I'll be back in no time!