Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer. I do not own Twilight.

Chapter Two

When I woke up Jacob was gone, but my bed was still warm. I heard voices coming from downstairs and the infectious laughter that I would recognize in a crowded room.

I jumped out of bed, eager to see him and have the promised talk. I looked down and smiled to see I was still wearing his shirt. I knew Charlie wouldn't like me walking down in just Jake's shirt, though. I searched my room for a pair of flannel pajama pants and pulled on the first pair I could find. I hurried into the bathroom to brush my teeth and hair and to use to toilet. Checking my face in the mirror one last time, I rushed out of the bathroom and down the stairs.

Charlie and Jake were sitting in the living room, watching sports. They both looked up when I walked in.

"Bella? What the hell happened to you?" Charlie asked, jumping up from his chair.

"What?" I asked, shocked as he took hold of my head.

"You have a bruise. Right here," Charlie said, touching my cheek gently.

Laurent.

"Oh, um, you know me. I fell out of bed last night, hit my cheek on the night table," I explained, brushing it off.

Charlie frowned, but seemed to accept that excuse.

"Um, you guys hungry? I can cook up some breakfast," I offered.

"Sure, Bells," Charlie sighed, moving back to his chair.

I chanced a glance over at Jake. He was watching me intently.

I bit my lip nervously before heading into the kitchen. I started cooking up the works for the two hungry men, listening to the TV in the other room.

Once everything was ready, I called in Charlie and Jake.

"Smells good, Bells," Charlie hummed, piling food on his plate before heading back to the game.

"Enjoy," I grinned, taking my seat at the kitchen table.

I waited, expecting Jake to follow him into the living room. Instead, he settled down beside me, his plate full.

"This looks really good, Bells," Jake said, smiling at me.

"I hope it tastes good," I replied, returning his smile.

We ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes. I kept stealing glances over at him and I was pleasantly surprised to find him watching me more often than not.

"So, you wanna tell me what happened last night?" I asked casually.

"Actually, I think you should tell me what happened. Why the hell were you out in the middle of the night with a vampire?" Jake hissed, obviously angry.

My fork clattered onto the plate. I was in shock.

"How- how do you know about…?"

Jake sighed heavily and set his fork down before rubbing his hand over his face. He looked at me, exasperated.

"We need to talk," he said.

"Yeah, no kidding," I huffed, still in shock.

"Let's take a walk," Jake suggested, standing up.

"In this?" I asked, looking at my clothes.

Jake smiled my smile.

"Why not? I like seeing you in my clothes," he admitted.

I returned his smile hesitantly.

"I'm sure, but my neighbors probably don't. Give me ten minutes," I said, standing up as well.

He nodded shortly.

I spun around and hurried up the stairs, tripping only once. I grabbed the first outfit my hands landed on, which ended up being jeans and a t-shirt, pulling a hoodie on overtop. I shoved my feet into my shoes and hurriedly pulled my hair up into a ponytail. When I came back down the stairs, Jake was standing at the bottom.

Which turned out to be a good thing since I stumbled over my own feet half way and flew down the rest. Jake was right there and I fell straight into his arms.

"Careful there, Bells," Jake chuckled, setting me down on my feet.

"Sorry," I mumbled, blushing furiously.

He chuckled again, taking my hand.

"Hey, Charlie? You mind if I steal Bella here for a little while?" Jake asked, looking at me.

"Sure," Charlie agreed.

Jake grinned, pulling me towards the front door. He led me outside and down the stairs. I was a little surprised when he walked over to my truck and opened the door. He helped me in behind the wheel before moving around to the passenger seat.

"Where we headed?" I asked, starting the truck with a roar.

"La Push. It'll be… easier to explain there," Jake sighed, running his fingers through his short hair.

I nodded and backed out of the driveway. We drove in silence for a few minutes before I decided to broach the subject again.

"You gonna tell me what happened now?" I asked.

He sighed heavily and moved around in his seat. I kept my eyes on the road, worried about crashing.

"Alright, obviously you know about vampires. How?" I tried to start up the conversation.

"You remember the story I told you? At First Beach? Shortly after you came back?" Jake asked quietly.

"Sure," I agreed.

And I did. A little. Mostly, I was just interested in learning about them.

"Yeah, but you only remember part of it."

It wasn't a question, so I didn't bother answering.

"The part you don't remember is about the Protectors," Jake continued.

"What's a protector?" I asked.

"I am. You saw last night. I was a wolf. A freaking huge wolf. We protect humans from vampires. We're their mortal enemies," Jake explained.

I let that sink in for a minute, watching the road disappear under my truck.

"So, I'm not crazy? The wolf really was you?" I asked.

"Yes."

"What about Sam? Is he a wolf?" I asked, frowning in thought.

"Yes. He's the alpha," Jake answered.

"Who else is a wolf?" I asked, pulling into his driveway.

"Sam, Paul, Jared, Embry, me, and Quil will probably be joining us soon," Jake sighed.

I looked over at him, shocked.

"Quil?" I squeaked.

Jake smiled at me sadly.

I slumped in my seat, completely frazzled.

"I know this is a lot to take in, Bella, but there's still more," Jake warned.

I groaned softly and closed my eyes.

"It can wait," Jake whispered.

I held up one finger.

"Just… give me a minute," I requested.

I took a few deep breaths and tried to calm my racing nerves. After a few minutes, I felt like I could take whatever else Jake had to say.

"Alright. Give it to me," I said, looking at him.

Jake took a deep breath and looked out the front window.

"It's called imprinting. After we phase for the first time, we start looking for our other half. When we see her for the first time, an instant bond is developed. The best way I can describe it to you is 'love at first sight'. The entire world ceases to exist and the only thing that matters is her. Nothing else is more important. We become whatever our imprint needs. We're their perfect mate. And they are ours," Jake explained.

I looked at him, my eyes wide. He was staring out the front window again, as if oblivious to the fact that I was there. I knew that wasn't true, though. Jake and I were so attuned to each other, we would know the other in a pitch black room.

"So, have you imprinted?" I asked.

It suddenly hit me that we had been apart for two weeks. He could've seen any number of girls on the reservation in that time.

"No. And I never will," Jake growled, glaring out the window.

A breath escaped my body that I hadn't realized I'd been holding. I was a little disappointed that he hadn't imprinted on me, but I shoved down that traitorous feeling and only allowed myself to feel relief. Nothing else mattered as long as Jake was still my Jacob.

Jake was watching me, obviously worried I was going to freak out and run away from him. I gave him a sad smile and crawled over to sit in his lap. His arms instantly wrapped around my waist, holding me close. My arms wound around his neck, pulling his head to my shoulder.

"It's okay, Jake. I understand. I'm not going to push you away," I promised.

His grip on me was tight, but I didn't mind. He was shaking uncontrollably, having trouble with his emotions.

"I'm here, Jake. I'm not going anywhere," I continued.

Gradually, his shaking calmed down along with his breathing. He lifted his head to look at me and I was frozen again, for an entirely different reason. His eyes flickered from mine to my lips and back again.

Slowly, he brought his hand up to brush some hair out of my face. My eyes closed involuntarily and I leaned into his warmth. I turned my head and kissed him palm, lingering longer than necessary.

I heard him take in a breath and opened my eyes. He was breathing heavily and his eyes were smoldering.

I moved closer until our lips were almost touching. Jake was just watching me, his breathing uneven. My eyes flickered to his lips and he let out a moan.

Before I knew it, his warm lips were on mine. It wasn't what I had been expecting, Instead of completely consuming me, he barely touched his lips to my own. One of his hands moved to cradle the back of my head, pressing our lips harder together. It was nice and sweet and incredibly romantic.

And I felt the hole in my chest ripple a little as I noticed the different temperature from the lips I had been craving for months.

With that thought, I ended the kiss, but neither of us moved away. He rested his forehead against mine and simply breathed, his eyes staring intently onto mine. I waited, expecting the pain to increase, but with Jake's arms around me, the hole stayed relatively closed.

I smiled a little in relief.

"So, you're okay with this?" Jake asked slowly.

"With what exactly?" I asked with a laugh.

"Me. Being a werewolf," Jake elaborated.

"Is that what you are? Hmm. Well, I suppose I have to be," I shrugged, smiling.

"No, Bells. You don't have to be. You can choose. I didn't get a choice. I want you to have one," Jake insisted.

I rolled my eyes at him, trying to fight back the moisture that had decided to leak into them.

"Jake, don't be stupid. If you haven't figured out by now that I need you, you are even dumber than I thought," I teased.

The smile he gave me nearly knocked me over. It was pure sunshine and I held my breath looking at him. I had never seen anything so beautiful.

"Come on. We should probably go talk to the pack. I haven't spoken with them since last night. Sam's probably worried," Jake explained, opening the door and stepping down.

He settled me on my feet before taking my hand and pulling me down the road.

"The pack is the other wolves, right?" I asked, trying to make sense of everything.

"Yeah."

I bit my lip, nervous about meeting these boys/men that turned into gigantic wolves at will.

"You should know, Emily, Sam's imprint, has a scar. She was too close to Sam when he phased and, well, it didn't turn out too good. Just, try not to stare, okay? Sam gets upset," Jake murmured, staring at his feet.

"Sure, Jake," I agreed, trying to make him feel better.

We walked in silence for a while longer, me looking at Jake, Jake looking at where we were going. I was still struggling to understand all that he'd told me. I wondered when I would stop learning about mythical creatures that weren't so mythical.

"We're here," Jake said, turning into a driveway.

The little house looked like most of the houses on the reservation. It was a small two story cottage, painted grey. The front porch was covered and had a railing going around. There were a few chairs placed outside, looking out over the front yard. There was a flower box on the window that sprouted beautiful flowers I couldn't identify. It was a cute little house, nestled in the woods.

I couldn't help but smile as Jake led me up the front steps. He didn't even bother to knock, just walked right in.

The cozy feel of the open living room instantly made me feel at home. It was extremely similar to Jake's house and I knew I'd have no problem getting comfy on the couch. The easy feeling faded when I looked up and saw four angry men glaring at me.

I felt my eyes go wide and moved so that Jake was between me and the others. Jake gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Hey, guys," Jake greeted them lightly.

"What are you doing, Jacob?" Sam asked, his voice low.

"What was I supposed to do, Sam? She saw me phase," Jake answered, losing his easy tone.

"You shouldn't have done that," Sam continued.

"She knew it was me already," Jake argued.

"She did not! All she saw was a wolf that wasn't attacking her," Sam argued.

Jake growled, leaning forward in a protective crouch, his body trembling.

"Jake," I whimpered, placing my free hand on his back.

He froze under my hand, but didn't stand up.

"Oh, really! You should all be ashamed of yourselves, scaring this poor girl!" A young woman scolded, coming into the room.

I looked over to see a pretty Quileute woman. Her hair hung freely down her back, stopping at her waist. Her brown eyes were lighter than any I'd ever seen on the reservation. She was stunning.

It wasn't until she turned to face us that I saw the scars on her face. I stiffened slightly, but remembered what Jake had said earlier and forced myself to relax.

This was obviously Emily.

"You must be Bella Swan. I'm Emily Young. Welcome," she smiled, coming closer to me.

Jake stood up as she came close and pulled me towards her. Emily braced me briefly.

"Well, Jacob told us you were beautiful, but you are truly stunning," Emily praised, causing me to blush furiously.

"Thank you. It's a pleasure to meet you," I mumbled, returning her smile.

"Why don't you and I head into the kitchen for a bit and let these boys straighten things out," Emily suggested, pulling me away.

I glanced back at Jake, a little worried to be without him. He gave me a reassuring smile and nodded once.

Emily pulled me into the kitchen and insisted I sit at the table. She flittered around, pulling mugs out of the cabinets and grabbing the coffee pot off the burner.

"Do you drink coffee, Bella?" she asked, pouring a cup.

"Oh, um, yes," I answered.

She smiled, pouring some into the second cup. She brought both over to the table before turning to get sugar and cream. She settled into the seat beside me, fixing her coffee.

"So, tell me. How'd Jacob spring it on you?" Emily asked.

"Sorry?" I asked, unsure of what she was talking about.

"The whole wolf thing," Emily chuckled, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Oh. Well, he actually… phased? Is that the word?" I asked, unsure.

Emily nodded, smiling.

"Okay, well. He phased last night in front of me. I thought I was hallucinating. I mean, one minute there's a huge wolf in my arms, the next, I'm hugging Jake!" I laughed nervously.

Emily laughed with me, grinning widely.

"So, when I woke up this morning, Jake offered to explain everything. He just… came right out and said it," I shrugged, holding my cup up and inhaling deeply.

"Was it a shock?" Emily asked.

"Not really. More of a relief. I'm just glad he's not going to push me away again," I admitted, staring down at my cup.

"It's really hard for them for the first few weeks after they change. Their control isn't good and sometimes they slip up. It was for your own good that Jake stayed away," Emily insisted.

"Didn't feel that way," I murmured, fighting back the empty feeling that was trying to swallow me up.

Emily's hand reached out and took hold of mine. We sat there for some time, talking about inconsequential things. She filled me in on some of the finer points of being around werewolves and I simply sat there, enjoying the tales she spun.

It was afternoon before Jake came into the kitchen.

"Bells, we better get you back to Charlie," Jake reminded me, smiling slightly.

"Right," I agreed, getting up with Emily.

I reached over and hugged the young woman, grateful for her kindness.

"You come back some time soon, alright? Jake, you make sure to bring her," Emily ordered, smiling all the while.

"Sure, sure," Jake grinned, taking my hand.

Emily smacked him lightly before moving to find Sam.

"You ready?" Jake asked, pulling me towards the front door.

"Sure, sure," I repeated, smiling brightly.

He just laughed and kissed the top of my head. It sent a thrill through me and I couldn't control the slight shudder. Jake waved to his pack mates as he pulled me outside and down the road again.

"So, what happened after Emily saved me?" I asked, giving his arm a little tug.

"Nothing really. They got into me about letting you in on the secret, but once I told them how you could help us, they were alright with it. Just, be careful around Paul. He's got a temper and has the biggest problem with me telling you," Jake cautioned.

"How can I help you?" I asked, confused.

"With the vampire thing. You've spent the most time with them," Jake answered, looking straight ahead.

I frowned slightly, but didn't argue. It was too painful a subject to dwell on. Especially since my vampire family was no more.

I swallowed past the lump in my throat and let go of Jake's hand to wrap my arms around myself, struggling with the memories that seemed determined to come up.

Jake stopped to turn and look at me curiously. I refused to meet his gaze, staring instead at his left cheek bone. Still, I didn't miss when his eyes softened in understanding. He reached out and pulled me to his chest, trying to calm me.

"I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to bring them up. I was talking about the red-haired female we've been chasing. She's been all over Forks and we don't know what she's here for," Jake whispered.

"S'okay," I mumbled, nuzzling into him as the pain lessened.

His words took a second to sink in. When they finally hit home in my brain, I froze.

Red-hair. Female. Vampire. In Forks.

Victoria.

"Oh, God!" I gasped, terror gripping me.

"Bella? What is it? What's wrong?" Jake asked frantically.

"Victoria," I managed to sputter out.

"Victoria? Who's Victoria? Talk to me, Bella!" Jake demanded roughly.

I shook my head, too caught up in my fear to speak.

Jake grabbed my arms, hauling me against him before swinging me up so I was cradled against his chest.

Then he was running.

I closed my eyes against the rushing wind and turned further into him. His grip tightened slightly securing me. He slowed to a brisk walk as we neared his house. Ignoring Billy's questioning look, Jake marched right into his room, slamming the door behind him. He dropped me unceremoniously onto his bed before kneeling in front of me.

I was hesitant to meet his gaze, instead staring at my hands on my thigh. Dark, russet hands covered mine, pulling them up along with my eyes.

I had expected him to be angry, but his eyes expressed only concern. For me.

"Jake," I whimpered, tears coming fast.

Without a word, he picked me up and took my place on the bed with me in his lap. We sat there, wrapped in each other's arms, taking comfort from the other.

"Tell me about Victoria, honey," Jake whispered after I was finally calm.

I took a deep breath before beginning.

"You know when I went to Phoenix? And everyone thought I'd fallen down a flight of stairs and through a window?" I asked.

Jake nodded once.

"Well, that wasn't exactly what happened. I went to Phoenix because James was after me. James was Victoria's mate. Anyway, I went to get away from him, but it didn't work. You see, James, Laurent, and Victoria came to the field you found me in last night while the C-Cullens were still here."

Jake's arms wrapped around me tighter, holding the hole in my chest closed. I took another breath and continued.

"James thought it would be fun to play cat and mouse with me as the mouse. The Cullens thought it would be best if I left town. A-Alice and Jasper took me to a hotel in Phoenix.

"After, I got a call from James. He tricked me into coming to him by making me think he had my mom. He-he bit me."

Jake tensed and growled beneath me. I was too caught up in my own torture to realize.

"I was going to die, but they got there in time. Jasper and Emmett killed James while he sucked the venom out.

"Victoria wants a mate for a mate. They killed James, she kills me."

"What about the one from last night?" Jake asked softly.

"That was Laurent. He was going to take me to Victoria before you… showed up… Oh! Jake, what happened?" I asked frantically.

"Shh, honey. It's okay. We took care of him. He's not coming after you again," Jake whispered, kissing my temple.

I was unable to control my trembling as he murmured softly into my hair. The tears were literally streaming down my face at this point as I tried to hold on to my sanity. The hole was threatening to swallow me completely and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

"Did he take you to the clearing, Bella?" Jake pressed further.

I shook my head violently.

"No. I don't know how I got there. One minute, I'm dreaming about this awful battle between gold-eyed vampires and red-eyed vampires with a few wolves through in. The next thing I know, I'm standing in the middle of that field screaming for you."

I was so tired at this point. The tears continued to fall. I didn't even bother to try and stop them. All I wanted to do was sleep and forget about the pain.

I felt the blackness creeping up on me and welcomed unconsciousness.

I woke up feeling as though my head was stuffed full of cotton balls. My eyes felt puffy and my throat was raw.

I blinked open my eyes and saw that Jake was gone.

My first thought was that he wouldn't want me after hearing what James' did. My second was that the hole in my chest felt lighter. I could still feel it, but it wasn't pulsating like usual, constantly making it's presence known when Jake wasn't around to dull it.

Frowning slightly, I tried out their names.

"Jasper. Rosalie. Emmett. Carlisle. Esme. Alice. E-E-E."

Apparently, I wasn't ready to say his name yet, but it didn't hurt nearly as bad to think about the others as it once had. I smiled at the thought, flipping over and out of bed.

Which was not smart of me.

I landed in a heap on the floor, crying out as I fell. Pushing myself up off the floor, I heard pounding footsteps coming towards the door.

"Bella!" Jake called, slamming the door against the wall.

I jumped at his forcible entry, hitting my head on his bed frame.

"Ouch! Jake, what gives?" I grumbled, rubbing my sore head.

Chuckling, Jake sank down beside me. He took my head gently in his hands, sifting his fingers through my hair, looking for a bump.

"I think you'll live," Jake grinned.

I glared at him on principle.

"You had me worried there for a bit, Bells. I wasn't sure you were ever going to wake up," Jake teased.

I could hear the note of concern in his voice. He was trying to keep it light, but he couldn't fool me.

"Yeah, well, crying uncontrollably about you ex-vampire family to your werewolf best friend will do that to you. Oh, and don't forget, I now have some crazy vampire chick after me," I smirked.

Jake smiled, but it seemed a bit forced. I sighed, using his shoulder to pull myself up. He watched me warily as I stretched.

"How long was I out for?" I asked, glancing around for a clock.

"A few hours. It's not dinner time yet," Jake answered, standing up as well.

I puffed out a breath and looked up at him. He still had that look in his eye. It worried me to see him so upset.

"Let me get home, then, so I can get started. If I'm going to feed you, Billy, and Charlie, I need to get ready," I said, taking his hand.

There. Much better.

Jake smiled my smile and pulled me out of the room. He walked me out to my truck before pulling me into a hug.

"We'll be by soon," Jake promised.

"Okay," I mumbled.

I really didn't want to leave him. He helped keep the bad thoughts away. He kept my frozen heart warm.

"The sooner you leave, the sooner I can come see you," Jake chuckled.

"I'd rather you didn't have to," I pouted.

"I know," Jake sighed, tightening his grip and placing a kiss on my head.

I looked up at him, frowning slightly.

He placed his lips gently on mine, barely brushing against them. I shivered at the touch and felt myself leaning into him. He smiled gently, but pulled away.

"Love you, Bells. See you soon," Jake murmured.

"Bye, Jake," I sighed, climbing into my truck.

I waved once more before pulling out of his driveway.

Yay! Chapter two! Hope you guys enjoyed it!! Next chapter will be up early next week. We have a lot of snow coming; which means cancelled classes; which means more writing time for me!! See you guys soon!!