Author's Note: Please no flaming or comments about how either team is better with Bella or how things are different in the book or movie (I read the book once ages ago and I know some things aren't quite right). All characters (with the exception of any OC's that may be introduced) belong to their respective owners, no infringement intended. Please read and review. It will help the creative process!

~Chapter 1~

Start the Machine

I left some words quite far from here to be a short reminder. I laid them out in stone in case they need to last forever. - Angels and Airwaves "Start the Machine"

Victoria was known to be a hoarder, she took who and what she wanted with no hesitation. It was a joy of being a vampire to her. She should've known better but when she saw the necklace, she had to have it. She should've been more worried about the coming war to get the horrible Cullen clan and their pet, Bella Swan, but it was too pretty to resist.

It was pretty but she didn't like wearing jewelry traditionally. She planned to hang it from her belt loop, it'd be pretty there.

The girl she took it from, dark haired and most likely pretty to humans with a small frame and stunning eyes. She smelled vampire on her, but really didn't care. She wanted the necklace.

She might make a good member to join the army but she looked a little like the Bella girl from behind. Victoria was quick, the girl had been walking to her car in a dark Seattle parking lot. One hand was on either side of her neck in a strange hug before the girl even knew she wasn't alone. She pulled her arms straight, snapping the girl's neck and she dropped to the ground. She reached down, pulling the necklace free of her neck with a snap. She didn't bother hiding it, there was nothing to indicate vampire. She secured the pendant and went back to her plotting of Bella's life or lack there of.

Edward had seen Alice's vision when she saw it. It meant nothing, it was an act of brutality by a brutal inhuman over a trinket. He knew as well as Alice did that the rich scent of another vampire meant that the girl was on borrowed time already, it was sad but inevitable.

By the time the army approached the meadow, he had completely pushed the thought from his head. Bella had agreed to marry him, but then had kissed Jacob. The battle had been intense and for the last few days Bella had been ignoring both him and Jacob. She kept her windows closed and the curtain's drawn and didn't take a call. Edward had considered just going in through the front door, but he decided to grant Bella the time and space she needed. It would play better for him. He just wished he knew what was going through her head, that he could see her turmoil and be able to help her through it.

It seemed though that Jacob felt the same. He sat in the woods in human form and watched the house, he was hiding from his wolf brothers by being in human form but he was as aware of Edward being there as Edward was aware of him.

Just stay out of my head Leech. Jacob warned him unnecessarily. It wasn't a voluntary choice, it happened and he mostly ignored it. Edward though pressed into his mind to find out what Jacob's motives were. He was worried about Bella, though relieved that Edward was there. It meant she wasn't dead and one of 'them'. She wasn't a vampire.

Edward took some solace in the fact that Jacob felt the same way he did but now that the battle was won, there was no need to press the friendship thing. He'd play nice for Bella but he couldn't wait until they were away from there, anywhere, with Jacob as a memory of a dear friend that was fading into the shadows of past tense.

He heard the howl and knew Jacob had as well. Jacob didn't want to leave, he didn't want Edward to get the upper hand but when Sam Uley's deep baritone called Jacob's name, he knew he had no choice. He was up to his feet and into the tree line as quickly as his legs could carry him. Edward didn't move though, he had no Alpha to command him. He could stay forever if he had to.

Jacob had been expecting an earful from Sam but all the wolves knew that he'd kissed Bella and there'd been something in her eyes. Sam gave his 'brother' a patient smile and squeezed his shoulder. "Head up to the meadow where we burned the bodies. They should be cool now. Embry, Jared, Seth, and I dug pits. Go help Quil, Leah, and Paul bury the remains."

Jake sighed and nodded. He wanted to stay but he wasn't going to challenge a simple order. The Cullens, nor their freaky cloaked red-eyed bloodsucker buddies had obviously not cared as much about the remains. They were mostly ash but jewelry or clothing remnants could be found littering the ground and it'd lead to questions they couldn't afford to deal with.

Jake shifted and kept quiet to the banter of Quil and Paul who were also heading to the meadow. Leah was already there. Quil's voice faded first as he shifted back to human form, Paul was quiet as he ran and then shifted as well. Jacob shifted back and changed. Everyone grew somber. Bloodsuckers or not they'd once been people and their lives had been ripped from them. It was tragic.

Leah handed Jacob a bandana, he noticed the one around her neck and the ones that Paul and Quil were tying to their faces. He did the same. They were soaked in Cedar oil to help block out the scent of the dead vampires while the rag itself would help with the ash. "Thanks."

She didn't say anything as she slid hers back up and went back to work. They each chose something. Leah was taking the chunks of leftover wood from the piles which she used to create new fire for the things that might needed to be re-burned. Quil started to shovel the ash into the pits and Paul started to shovel the unburnable remains like metal and teeth and bones into deeper pits. Jacob started sorting. It was morbid work but if the fangs wouldn't then the Quileute would be forced to clean up their mess.

Jake's sweaty body was covered in ash and dirt within an hour. It was long, slow, work. Sam and the others had misjudged the piles and while Leah waited to burn clothes that were left she started digging other pits. There was no laughter or merriment. Jake knew that they felt like he did, like he was way too young for this kind of shit.

Jake was getting to the bottom of a burn pile usually where the most unburned stuff was. His eyes fell on a pendant. It was covered in a thick layer of ash but it stuck out to him. He bent down and picked it up. The others were too busy or too lost in their thoughts to notice. Jacob brushed his thumb over the pendant, brushing the ash away. It was beautiful. He slid it into his pocket, ignoring the thoughts that it was morbid to take it. He pulled a bit of leather out. It was a fragment of the jacket of that the red-headed bloodsucker that wanted Bella dead. He worked to try to remember her name, Victoria. He added the burn pile and he worked hard to sort through the last pile. He helped Quil and Paul bury the last of what was done and Leah insisted that they left, she'd handle the last bits. He saw tear streaks cutting through the ash on her face and he knew she needed to mourn this, to finish it her way.

Jake didn't argue. He pulled off his bandana and dropped it into the fire and just started walking towards a stream not far from the meadow. He didn't stay to watch the fire consume the cloth, he didn't stay to see echoes of his somber face on the faces of his friends. He didn't want to see the clean patch on their faces that was on his as well. He didn't bother stripping as he dove into the water. His jeans were covered in sweat and ash and this would help clean them too.

The water was cold, straight from a glacier. It helped shock his system back into feeling. He swam for a bit before he remembered the pendant. He pulled it out of his pocket and rinsed it in the water. He looked at it, it was quite mesmerizing as he watched it. The chain was broken at the end from being snapped off of something or likely someone. The frail band was also bent from being tied in a way that was unnatural for the grain of the band. There were a couple places where it looked like it was a little melted.

The chain didn't matter, it was the pendant. It was elegant. Smaller than he thought it looked before. He thought it'd be perfect for Bella on her charm bracelet. Just a small token that he'd stick with a note to tell her he missed her.

He pulled himself from the icy water and slid the pendant into his pocket. He made sure it was safe deep inside before he stripped and rolled up his pants and attached the pants to his leg and shifted.

Jacob went home, showered and wrote the note for Bella. It was sweet and simple.

I miss you Bella. Add this to your charm bracelet so you know I'm thinking of you.

- Your Jake

He changed into dry clothes and put the pendant and the note into an envelope. He wrote her name on it and hopped a motorcycle back to Bella's house.

Edward was still waiting when Jake got there. He took a breath to make sure he didn't have to breathe in too much of the wolf's scent. Then something hit him, Jacob's thoughts.

Edward was in front of Jacob in an instant. His eyes firmly on Jacob's. "What are you doing?"

Jealous much? Jake thought. "I'm here to give Bella a note and honestly, you can't stop me."

Edward ripped the note from Jacob's hand and ripped it in half, pulling the pendant out. "Where did you get this?"

Jacob growled, his body shuddering in anger. "None of your business, Leech."

"This isn't yours. Tell me where you got it."

Jacob grabbed Edward's hand surprisingly fast, trying to pry it free. "It's for Bella, not you."

His hand loosened and they both touched it at the same time. Each boy felt the same thing, a pull from deep within him that seemed to pull his stomach and insides towards the pendant. They both collapsed.