Warning: Slight sexual scene! Look for bold "Warning" if you don't want to read!

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

Chapter Seventeen

Jake was waiting for me by the truck after school. As soon as that final bell rang, I was running to him. He smiled when he saw me coming at him full-tilt. He opened his arms and caught me as I crashed into him. I laughed as my feet left the pavement and he spun me around.

"Damn, I missed you," Jake sighed, holding me tighter.

"We talked all day," I reminded him.

"I think that made it worse. I've wanted to feel you all day," Jake groaned.

I laughed and pulled back for a kiss. His lips were firm against mine as he poured all he was into a single kiss, leaving me breathless when he pulled away.

"I love you," I murmured.

Jake smiled and kissed me again.

"I love you, too. Now, get in the truck. Sam wants to see us," Jake said.

"What now?" I complained.

"He wants to talk about what happened today," Jake explained, looking over at the Cullens.

I followed his gaze to see Edward and Alice watching me again. Edward looked like he was in pain, but Alice just looked sad. When Edward saw me looking at him, he moved to come forward. Alice stopped him with a hand on his arm at the same time Jake growled and pulled me behind him.

"Come on. Let's go see Sam," I urged, tugging at Jake's arm.

Jake reached behind us and opened the driver side door, his eyes never wavering from Edward. When the door was safely between us and the Cullens, Jake motioned for me to climb in. I slid over into the passenger seat with Jake right behind me. He slammed the door and started the truck, eager to get out of the parking lot.

He didn't relax until we were safely within the boundary line. Only then did he stop glancing in the mirror and release his death grip on the steering wheel. I reached over and took one of his hands in mine, hoping to calm him further. He flashed me a grin and squeezed my hand.

"Are you going to be this bad every time?" I asked softly.

"Probably," Jake admitted readily.

"Why?" I frowned.

"Because you're my imprint and they are my mortal enemies. You do the math," Jake sighed, leaning his head against the seat.

I bit my lip, but didn't respond. It bothered me a little that Jake was going to be strung out over Alice and Edward. Alice wasn't a threat in my book, but I doubted I could convince Jake of that. Edward was another story. After today, I wasn't sure if he was a threat or not. I wanted to believe he'd never hurt me, but I couldn't be sure.

My thoughts were cut short as Jake pulled into Sam's driveway. He killed the engine and took my hand.

"They know what happened today and they're not happy. Be prepared," Jake warned.

I nodded once, glancing at the front door.

Jake gave me a worried look before getting out of the truck. I followed after him and he took my hand again. He led the way to the door, his entire body tense. I couldn't understand why. This was our family after all.

Jake opened the door and pulled me inside. The pack had been arguing a moment before, but fell silent when we walked in.

"What's going on?" I asked in a sing-son voice.

As soon as I spoke, the tension in the room evaporated. Everyone settled down into their proper places. Emily came in from the kitchen at the silence and smiled when she saw me.

"Bella. How are you?" Emily asked, coming to give me a hug.

"I'm good. How are you?" I smiled, hugging her back.

"Much better now that you're here. I wish I had your ability to shut them up!" Emily clamed, throwing up her hands.

"Perks of being the Omega, I guess. Sorry I didn't get here sooner," I teased.

"At least you stopped them before they phased and ruined my furniture," Emily grinned, giving me a relieved look.

"Oh, come on, Em. I would've stopped it before it got that far," Sam frowned.

"Sure you would have," Emily agreed sarcastically, turning to go back into the kitchen.

"Alright, guys. What happened?" I asked, taking my seat by Jake.

"I called Carlisle today and talked to him about Edward," Sam started.

"He shouldn't have been anywhere near her!" Paul erupted, jumping to his feet again.

"Come on, Sam. Let's take him out!" Seth agreed.

"He's already broken our agreement!" Embry added.

At this point, they were all back on their feet, arguing over what to do about Edward. I watched as they yelled over top of each other, each trying to convince Sam to attack the Cullens and kill Edward.

"Sit down!" Sam commanded.

The all sank back into their seats, their arms trembling.

"Now, you will all be silent while I discuss this with Bella. If you can't be quiet, you will leave," Sam glared.

The wolves settled down, clearly unhappy. Sam looked hard at all of them before turning his attention back to me.

"As I was saying, Carlisle is concerned about Edward's ability to stay away from you. After what happened today, I can't blame him. He thinks the best way to head off any… accidents is for you to visit with them, alone, and explain the changes that have happened. He hopes Edward will be able to accept it easier if you told him directly without any of us around," Sam informed me.

Jake was tense beside me and I knew he was struggling against Sam's command. His grip on my hand was almost painful it was so tight. I glanced over at him to see his face hard and angry. He was grinding his teeth together so hard I was worried he was going to do permanent damage.

"I told him I didn't like the idea of you going alone. He seems to think we are controlling you and insists you come alone. I told him I would discuss it with you and the pack. However, after what happened today, I-"

"I'll go," I interrupted.

All eyes snapped to me. Jake let out a silent growl and started shaking. He released my hand and stood up. Still trembling, he walked out the door. I watched him sadly, but didn't stop him.

"Bella, I don' think that's a good idea," Sam frowned.

"I do. Look, Sam, it makes sense. They want the chance to talk to me without you guys there. They probably think I'm afraid of you guys or something and that's why I'm with the pack. The only things they know are the things I told them in front of you. They probably think I was compelled to say that. In any case, they deserve the chance to talk to me alone. They were my family at one point," I explained.

"Your loyalty is to the pack now, Bella, and I don't think-"

I jumped to my feet, cutting off his sentence.

"Sam Uley! Don't you dare try and tell me that I'm betraying this pack! I would never! You will notice I used the past tense when talking about them as my family. This is my family now! I know that. When, not if, I go see them, I will not divulge pack knowledge. The thought of you even thinking me capable of doing such a thing is… is…. outrageous!" I yelled.

Sam looked at me in shock, as did the rest of the pack. Slowly, Sam stood up, giving me a concerned look.

"Bella, I don't think you'd betray the pack. That wasn't what I was going to say. My only concern is for your safety. True, you could call on the pack strength, but you couldn't take on seven vampires at once. None of us could. I don't want you going there alone," Sam clarified.

I looked up at him, determined to go to the Cullens now more than ever. They needed to understand that the Cullens were not the enemy if there was ever going to be peace between them.

"I have to go, Sam," I stated.

Sam frowned and crossed his arms, his expression hard. I imitated his stance and glared at him. Neither one of us was going to back down.

"You know what? Fine. I won't go see them," I gave in.

Sam looked surprised and then suspicious.

"Really?" Sam asked, eyes narrowed at me.

"Yep. Promise. I won't go to the Cullen's house," I assured him.

Sam watched me for a long time to see if he could tell if I was telling the truth or not. Slowly, he nodded.

"Alright. Good. I'll call Carlisle back and tell him the news," Sam said, turning to the kitchen.

I smiled, looking around at the rest of the pack.

"Some one mind going and telling Jake what happened?" I asked.

Seth stood up and walked out the door, giving me a smile as he walked past.

"Tell him I'm headed home for the night," I called as the door shut behind him.

The rest of the pack watched as I walked out of the house. They all knew something was up with me. They just didn't know what.

I was planning on keeping my promise. I wouldn't go to the Cullen's house.

But that didn't mean I couldn't meet up with them somewhere else.

Warning! Sexual scene coming up!

I woke up to a scratching coming from my window. It took a moment for the noise to sink in and then I was bounding off the bed. I raced to the window and flung it open, moving to let Jake swing through. As soon as his feet landed on my floor, I threw myself against him.

"I missed you," I mumbled against his chest.

"I missed you, too. I'm sorry I left like that. I just can't imagine letting you go there, let alone by yourself," Jake groaned, burying his face in my hair.

"Jake," I sighed as his lips started searching for mine.

His arms branded around me, lifting me up so I could wrap my legs around his waist. His lips fastened on mine, hungrily taking everything I had to offer. One hand was fisted in my hair while the other was grasping my hip to keep me from falling. His thumb was rubbing against my bare thigh, stirring up goose bumps.

He started walking me towards the bed, never taking his lips from mine. When his knees hit the edge, he tumbled down. I fell against the mattress with a soft thump, Jake settled over top of me.

His hands started moving over my body, reacquainting himself with all my curves and bumps. His fingers trailed across the bottom of my camisole before pulling the fabric up. I pulled away from his kiss with a gasp as his hot hands traveled up my torso.

"It's only fair, Bells," Jake grinned, pulling the top all the way off.

I heard it hit the floor, but paid no attention to it. Jake was looking down at me with such love and adoration in his eyes that it took my breath away. Slowly, his hands moved around my back, working at the clasp of my bra. His eyes never left mine, waiting for any sign of discomfort or fear. He didn't have to worry, though. He'd never made me feel that way.

The clasp came undone and he slowly pulled it off, tossing it to the floor with my camisole. He gasped as he looked down at me.

"What?" I asked, feeling a little self-conscious.

He looked up at me, completely awed. Slowly, he lowered his lips to mine and kissed me gently, sweetly.

"You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen," Jake whispered against my skin.

I sighed as his lips moved down to my throat and onto my chest. One of his hands came up to cup my breast and I arched into it. A soft moan came from me as his mouth traveled to settle over my nipple, sucking it into his mouth. My hands flew to his hair, gripping the short strands tightly. His tongue brushed across my skin, making me buck against him.

"God, Bells," Jake gasped, moving up to kiss me again.

I could feel just what this was doing to him. His hard length was pressed against my thigh. I moved against it, craving some sort of friction between my legs. He gasped and moved his hips against mine.

"Bella," Jake groaned.

His eyes were jammed shut, his entire face screwed up in concentration. He was panting softly as we moved against each other. He had stopped kissing me, but I craved his taste in my mouth.

Moving one of my hands behind his neck and pulled him down. His jaw clenched as my mouth made contact with his neck. I started out just placing open mouthed kissed against his skin, but still craved his taste. I fastened my mouth on his neck and licked the skin between my teeth.

Jake growled low in his throat and his arms tightened around me. I knew I was doing the right thing and moved down to his collar bone. I paid extra attention to the small v where his neck flowed into the rest of his body.

"Bells, please," Jake panted, one of his hands fisted in my hair, the other clenching the sheet.

"Please what?" I asked, my lips brushing against his skin.

"Stop torturing me," Jake begged.

"But I like torturing you," I pouted.

"Bella, we need to… stop," Jake groaned as I licked the length of his neck.

"Why?" I asked, nipping his shoulder.

"Because if we don't, I won't be able," Jake answered roughly.

"What if I don't want you to?" I asked suggestively.

Jake groaned and struggled to put some space between us.

"Ever if that was true and you were ready to go all the way, neither one of us has any sort of protection and I'm not taking that chance with you," Jake insisted.

I sighed and allowed him to roll off of me. He flopped down beside me, his arm flung over his eyes. I turned away him, thoroughly frustrated at being denied what I wanted again.

I felt him turn and move so he was spooning me, his arms going around my waist.

"Honey, you know I want you, right?" Jake asked softly, kissing my shoulder.

"No," I mumbled, burying my face into my pillow.

"I should think you can feel just how much I do," Jake chuckled.

He was right. I could feel his erection pressing against my butt. That didn't mean anything, though. He didn't want to go through with it. What did it matter if he was hard?

"Bella, I love you. So much that when I show you how much for the first time, I want to do it right. I want to know that you're just as ready for it as I am and I want to make sure that nothing happens as a result of it. Not because I don't want you to have my kids, but because neither one of us are ready for that," Jake vowed.

I shifted away from him, still a little upset.

"Honey," Jake whined, pulling me back against him.

"Jake, don't," I sniffed.

Jake was instantly up and leaning over me, his face shocked. He reached down to wipe away a tear that had escaped.

"Bella," Jake sighed, pulling me until I was on my back.

He looked down at me with love and agony in his eyes. I bit my lip as more tears escaped.

"How can I make this up to you?" Jake asked, shaking his head.

I just looked up at him, silent. He groaned and leaned down to kiss away a few more tears. He trailed kisses to my mouth and slipped his tongue inside. I responded instantly, moving my tongue in sync to his. My arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him closer.

"I can't make love to you yet. But I can do something else for you," Jake whispered as he broke the kiss.

I watched him as he rolled to lie beside me. His hands started trailing a path up and down my body, tracing designs and patterns on my skin. I closed my eyes as his fingers played with my breast, making me arch into them. His mouth came into play and he sucked the nipple into his mouth again, brushing his teeth over top the small bud.

"Jake," I breathed, grabbing his head to hold him in place.

His hand started trailing down to my shorts and he played with the elastic band holding them in place. Slowly, he started pulling them down my legs. Once he'd gotten them halfway down, I kicked them the rest of the way off. He grinned and moved his hand back up to the juncture of my thighs.

I whimpered as he cupped the most intimate place on my body in his hand. One of his fingers was moving against my swollen lips through the thin cotton of my panties, making them wet. I arched against his hand and moved with it, loving the friction he was creating.

"That's it, honey," Jake murmured, moving his lips away from my breast and to my lips.

He kissed me passionately while his hand continued moving against my now soaking panties. I could feel something building inside of me and raced towards it, feeling the coiling in my lower stomach. Just as I was about to reach it, Jake removed his hand and skimmed the edges of my underwear.

"Jake," I whined, trying to move his hand back.

"Shh. Just trust me, honey," Jake hushed, moving down my body.

He took my panties in his hands and pulled them down my legs. I was completely naked for him. He stared down at me with such love and lust that I couldn't feel embarrassed.

"Beautiful," Jake sighed, leaning down to kiss my inner thigh.

I watched as he slowly kissed and bit his way up my leg, stopping when he reached my wet heat. He inhaled and let out a soft growl before licking my tender sex.

"Jake!" I gasped, arching completely off the bed.

My eyes slammed shut as his hands held my hips in place and his tongue worked magic on my body. I could feel myself coming towards that place again and prayed he wouldn't stop this time. He brought his fingers to my opening and slipped one inside of me. I cried out as a pleasure so intense it was almost painful slammed into me. Jake continued working me until I was completely spent, lying limp on the bed.

He crawled up my body, a cheeky grin on his face. I looked up at him in complete awe.

"That… was…" I panted.

"I know," Jake grinned, kissing me.

I could taste myself on his lips and found it somewhat arousing.

"What about you?" I asked when he pulled away.

"I'll be fine, honey. That was all I needed to make me feel good," Jake assured me, kissing down my neck.

"But, Jake-" I frowned, moving towards him.

"Next time I'll let you take care of me, how bout that?" Jake offered.

I sighed, knowing he wouldn't let me touch him tonight. I would hold him to that promise though. Next time, I would watch him as he lost control. The thought alone was enough to make me wish that time was already here.

The next morning, Jake took me to school again. He pulled into my usual parking space and turned the truck off, scanning the parking lot for the Cullens. When he didn't see any sign of them, he opened his door and hopped out. I waited as he walked around the front to open my door for me.

"You going to be alright today?" I asked as I sank to the ground.

"No," Jake answered, pulling me into his arms.

He nuzzled into my hair, breathing heavily. I wrapped my arms around his waist, placing my head overtop of his heart.

"I'll be fine, Jake. You don't have to worry. If anything happens, Jared will be right outside," I soothed.

"I know. I just don't like the fact that I can't be here. If anything happens to you, Bella…" Jake trailed off, his voice rough with emotion.

"Hey, nothing is going to happen to me, alright? When you come get me at the end of the day, I'll be perfectly fine and in one piece. You don't have to worry about them," I said softly.

Jake didn't answer, just tightened his arms around me. I sighed, knowing nothing I said would make this easier for him.

"You'll stay connected with Jared," Jake asked, but it came out as more of a command.

"Of course," I assured him.

"I love you," Jake murmured, pulling away to look at me.

"I love you, too. Now, kiss me goodbye so I can get to class," I smiled, trying to lighten his mood.

It didn't work. He face darkened and I was hauled against his chest again. His entire body was trembling as he struggled with letting me go. I just waited for him to calm down, knowing it would be hard for him.

"I'll be here as soon as the last bell rings," Jake promised, forcing himself to let go of me.

I backed away and gave him the best smile I could. He swallowed and took a step forward, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. I leaned into his hand as his thumb rubbed against my cheek.

"Be safe," Jake whispered, leaning in to kiss me briefly.

"I will. And I'll see you at two thirty," I grinned.

"I'll be here," Jake agreed, trying to smile.

I kissed him one last time before turning and practically running into the school. If I didn't get away from him soon, I'd break down completely.

I made it to my locker before I allowed myself to feel the ache in my chest. It was so much worse when he was worried about me. I knew it was ten times more painful for him because he didn't know if I was safe or not. I leaned my head against my closed locker and focused on breathing, hoping to ease the ache above my heart.

"Hey, Bella! I saw Jake leaving the parking lot. Is he feeling okay?" Angela asked, coming to stand beside me.

"He's fine, Ang. He just doesn't like the fact that Edward's back and going to school with me," I explained, lifting my head to look at her.

It was true, I just didn't tell her exactly why Jake didn't like it.

"Oh! Yeah, that makes sense," Angela nodded.

I worked on opening my locker as she told me about her plans for the up coming weekend.

"So, Ben and I were planning on going to the movies again this weekend, just the two of us. We haven't spent much time alone together in a while and I miss him. The other day, he brought me a flower for no reason other than because he wanted to. Isn't that sweet? Normally, that only happens in the movies or books," Angela gushed.

I smiled and joined her in her excitement. Angela was the perfect best friend. She knew exactly when to be quiet and exactly when to talk. She knew when I needed to be left alone and when I needed a distraction. She was really a great best friend.

I walked with her towards my first class, talking all the while. We separated at the door and I waved, promising to catch up with her at lunch. As I settled in my seat, I searched for Jared. I found him and opened the connection between our minds.

Oh, great. History, Jared grumbled, settling down on the ground with a yawn.

I laughed to myself and started taking notes off the board.

At lunch time, I had a specific goal in mind. I walked into the cafeteria and glanced around at the students.

I had closed Jared out of my mind just five minutes ago, saying nothing would happen at lunch anyway. He's protested slightly, but agreed when I told him I'd be talking to Angela about her upcoming date with Ben. He wasn't really interested in "girl talk".

As I looked around the room, my eyes landed on exactly who I needed to speak to. I waited until her eyes connected with mine before glancing at the salad line. I looked back at her and she stood up, saying something to her companion before moving towards the line.

"Hi, Bella," Alice said cautiously.

"Alice," I nodded tersely.

"You wanted to talk to me about something?" Alice asked, her face falling.

"Saturday. Port Angeles Harbor," I answered cryptically.

It didn't matter. I knew she'd catch on to what I was saying.

"Your wolf will let you?" Alice frowned.

I didn't answer and she sighed.

"I miss you, Bella," Alice whispered before walking away.

I struggled against the tears that threatened to pour down my face. I missed her, too, but I couldn't do anything about it until I proved to her family that I wanted to be part of the pack and proved to the pack that her family wasn't a danger to me.

I was the only one who knew the two had to come together. The dream from Spring Break kept coming back to my thoughts. The red-eyed vampires fighting against the golden-eyed vampires and wolves. I knew exactly what the dream meant now that Carlisle had explained about the Volturi.

I had to bring my ex-family and my current family together if we were going to have any hope of defeating them.

So, what do you think? Now, I know a lot of you are probably outraged that Bella is going behind the pack's backs to see the Cullens, but she has to! She knows they need to work together and the only way she can see of getting them together is through her. And until they both realize the other isn't a threat, they can come together to fight against the Volturi! So, please, don't hurt me!!! There's always a reason!!!

Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed!! I'll see you next chapter!!

P.S. WE REACHED THREE HUNDRED REVIEWS!!! You guys get the Best Readers Ever Award!!