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

Chapter Twenty-Two

I collapsed to the ground, panting heavily as Edward looked down on me with concern. Kate trotted over and frowned at me, huffing in indignation.

"Get up, Bella. We've got to keep working," Kate insisted.

"Just… give me… a minute… Kate," I panted, struggling to gain control of my breathing.

"She's worked hard enough for now, Kate. She deserves a break," Edward vouched.

"No, Edward. If she's going to gain control over her shield, I have to push her," Kate claimed.

"She's not a vampire, Kate! She doesn't have an unlimited amount of energy. She needs rest!" Edward practically shouted.

"Hey! If you two are going to start tearing each other apart, do it somewhere away from my girlfriend," Jake warned, coming into my view.

He was glaring at Edward and Kate as he pushed them away from my prone body. He glanced down at me with concern before dropping to sit beside me. He grabbed my hand and rubbed circles across my knuckles.

"Are you alright?" Jake asked softly.

"Never better," I murmured, closing my eyes.

Jake chuckled and brushed his lips across my forehead.

"Stubborn girl," Jake whispered.

I grinned and squeezed his hand. He chuckled again and I felt his lips on my nose this time.

"Lower," I ordered, my eyes still closed.

I felt his grin as he kissed my chin.

"Higher," I grumbled.

Jake laughed and placed his lips on mine, finally. I sighed into the kiss, my free hand moving to fist in his hair. He moaned softly, deepening the kiss. His tongue stroked mine, tasting and torturing. I shifted beneath him, struggling to get closer.

"Don't make me get the hose, Bella!"

Jake broke away from me to growl at Leah who was laughing along with Sam. I joined them as Jake glared at the pair sitting with the rest of the pack closer to the house.

"Are you ready, Bella?" Edward asked, coming back into my view.

"Sure," I sighed, struggling to get to my feet.

We'd already been working together for about two hours now. So far, I hadn't managed to project my shield onto Edward, though I was trying. I didn't like seeing him in pain, even if he was a complete jerk yesterday.

Kate walked up to us, frowning. She was looking between Edward and I intently. I waited for her to take up her stance again, but she just stood there.

"Are we going to do this or what?" I asked, wanting to get it over with.

Kate was looking at Edward, that frown still on her face. Edward was watching her curiously.

"It's not working with Edward. You're not connected to him strongly enough. We need someone else," Kate decided.

Instantly, I was on high alert. My jaw clenched and my eyes narrowed as Kate's eyes drifted to the wolves behind me. I felt my hand ball into fists as I took a step closer.

"No."

The single word was ripped from the throat and came out in as a low warning. Kate wouldn't touch any of my wolves. I wouldn't put them through that kind of pain.

"We don't have time to do this slowly, Bella. Now, which one?" Kate asked, tapping her chin with her finger.

I growled at her and moved to attack, but Edward restrained me with a hand on my arm.

"Bella. You'll only hurt yourself," Edward said softly.

"Oh, really? I wasn't the one hurting last night," I reminded him icily.

He winced and let go of my arm. I turned back to Kate and she was smiling at something behind me. I turned and followed her gaze.

"NO!" I snapped, turning back on her.

She was looking at Seth and Seth was smiling back at her. I heard him jump up to his feet and come to stand beside me. With a hand, I shoved him behind my body and started backing up. Kate followed, grinning all the while.

"Stay away, Kate," I warned.

"No," Kate replied simply.

"I mean it, Kate. It wouldn't be that hard to gain access to the pack strength and rip you apart," I informed her.

Kate just continued smiling and following Seth and I as I backed us around the yard. The rest of the pack was on high alert, watching us closely. Leah was trembling as Kate stalked her little brother.

"Bella, it won't be so bad. Just a little buzz, right?" Seth encouraged.

I heard a ferocious snarl echo off the trees and realized it was my own. I blinked and looked around in shock. Kate used my moment of distraction to her advantage and touched Seth.

Seth jerked and screamed, falling to the ground. Panic attacked me and I knelt beside him, trying to push my shield over him. He continued screaming and writhing on the ground while Kate just smiled.

"Protect him, Bella. He can only take it for so much longer. Eventually his brain will shut down on him and he'll die. Focus, Bella. Project your shield," Kate instructed.

I growled at her and suddenly felt a strong power surge rush through me. I could feel my shield as it contracted and expanded. Testing it, I flung it over Seth, amazed when he stopped screaming. He looked up at me with a small smile, panting softly.

"Thanks, Bells," Seth gasped.

Tears started falling down my face as I hugged him to me. I tried to sooth him and ease some of the pain and he allowed me to. I heard a shriek and looked up to see Leah barreling to us. She threw herself to the ground beside Seth and pulled him into a hug.

"Idiot. Foolish. Could've been killed," Leah scolded, crying softly.

Seth hugged her and patted her back, whispering in her ear.

I looked up at Kate to give them privacy. She was grinning down at me, obviously proud.

"Ready to try again?" Kate asked.

I bared my teeth at her, but nodded.

"Edward," I gritted.

"Fine," Kate sighed.

Edward came over and stood beside me. He reached out to touch me, but I shook my head. He frowned at me, but didn't push it.

"I want to see if I can do it without touching you," I explained.

Kate rubbed her hands together before touching Edward. His eyes closed and he started trembling for a moment or two until my shield reached him. Then, he opened his eyes and smiled at me.

Kate was grimacing in concentration as she upped the dosage of shock. Edward actually laughed as she growled.

"I can't feel a thing, Kate," Edward teased.

Kate dropped her arms, huffing slightly. She regained her composure and smiled at me.

"Well done, Bella," Kate congratulated.

"Thanks. Are we done now?" I pleaded.

I felt exhaustion creeping up on me and just wanted to sit down for a few hours. Maybe take a nap.

"I suppose. For today. Tomorrow we'll work on it more. See how many people you can protect," Kate agreed.

I nodded and flopped onto the ground, closing my eyes against the grey sky. I heard and felt Jake come up beside me. His arms reached down and pulled me up against his chest, cradling me.

"Come on, honey. Carlisle will want to run some tests. Then, I'm taking you home and you're going to bed," Jake instructed.

I murmured my consent and snuggled into his chest. His arms tightened around me and he kissed the top of my head.

"I love you," Jake whispered.

"Love you," I mumbled back.

I heard the back door open and close as Jake carried me through the house and into Carlisle's study. I opened my eyes to see Carlisle leaning over a pile of papers with Eleazar, Zafrina, and Siobhan. They all looked up when Jake carried me in.

"I'm afraid will have to put off this discussion until a later date. I believe it's time for me to run a few tests on Bella, here," Carlisle smiled, moving around his desk.

The three other vampires nodded and walked out of the room. Jake turned his back on them, placing himself between us. I reached up and stroked his face, trying to relax him. He grinned down at me and kissed my hand.

"I'm fine, honey. You're just too tired to defend yourself," Jake explained softly.

I sighed and nodded my head, exhaustion creeping up on me.

"Don't fall asleep yet, Bells. Carlisle needs you awake for these tests," Jake murmured into my ear.

"Bring her over here, Jacob. I want to draw some blood first," Carlisle said, patting a leather chaise lounge chair.

Jake walked over and laid me down on the psychiatrist-look-alike chair. He knelt beside me, taking one of my hands in his own. I giggled quietly as Carlisle came around and took hold of my other arm.

"Well, you see, Doctor, it all started when I was about five. Daddy wouldn't let me have a pony for my birthday," I teased.

Carlisle and Jake both started laughing, momentarily distracted from the seriousness of the situation. I smiled up at them, relaxing against the cool leather.

"Alright, Miss Bella. I'm going to take some blood, so you might want to look away," Carlisle suggested.

I turned my head to look at Jake, humming under my breath. He smiled at me and rubbed his hand up and down my arm. I winced as I felt the small bite of the needle in my arm. Jake groaned and buried his head in the palm of my hand. I stroked the side of his face as he kissed the inside of my wrist.

"Done," Carlisle called.

I looked down at my arm and giggled at the florescent blue band-aid.

"It's a little flashy, but it's all I had," Carlisle told me.

"It's fine, Carlisle. I actually love it," I admitted.

Carlisle smiled as he put my blood into a machine. It started whirling and making all kinds of noises. He went over to his computer and started punching in numbers.

I turned my head to look at Jake who was watching Carlisle with a frown on his face. I squeezed his hand and his attention shifted to me.

"You okay?" I asked.

Jake smiled at me and bent down to kiss my forehead.

"I'm fine, honey," Jake whispered.

"Don't lie to me, Jake," I scolded.

Jake chuckled softly and rubbed his nose against mine. The loving gesture, normally reserved for his wolf form, brought tears to my eyes.

"I am fine. Just worried about you," Jake admitted.

"Well, don't be. It's not like we're going to find out I have some incurable disease or anything. It's just a simple test," I assured him.

"Well, thanks, Bells. Now I have that thought in my head," Jake frowned.

"Get it out," I ordered, smacking his head.

"Ouch!" Jake complained, rubbing the spot I hit.

"Want me to kiss it better?" I offered sweetly.

Jake grinned and gave me the back of his head. I brought it to my lips briefly.

"There. All better," I cooed.

Carlisle coughed behind me and I turned to see his shoulders shaking from silent laughter.

"You can laugh out loud, Carlisle," I told him.

Carlisle looked over his shoulder at us and shook his head, smiling all the while.

"How long until the tests are done?" Jake asked, back in serious mode.

"A few hours at the least. I have multiple tests running at once, so it might take a few days at the most," Carlisle answered.

"What do we do in the mean time?" I asked.

"Today, nothing. You're too tired. Tomorrow, I'll tell Kate not to work you so hard. Then, I'll work with you to see how far you've developed physically and mentally," Carlisle explained.

"So I can go home?" I asked hopefully.

"Of course," Carlisle agreed, giving me a fond smile.

"Finally," I breathed, closing my eyes.

"Thanks for the help, Doc," Jake murmured, lifting me into his arms easily.

I snuggled against his chest, absorbing the warmth of his skin as he carried me out of Carlisle's office and downstairs.

"How'd it go? What'd Carlisle say?" Sam asked.

"He just took some blood. We won't get the results back for a few hours at the least," Jake answered, still walking.

"Is Bella okay?" Seth asked.

"Sure, kid. Just tired," Jake chuckled.

"Take her on home, then. We're going to stay and work with Jasper some more. You stay with her tonight. We'll see you tomorrow," Sam ordered.

"Thanks, Sam," Jake said, carrying me outside.

I heard the sound of a car door opening and felt Jake place me inside of said car. As soon as I felt him slide in beside me, I laid my head on his shoulder and fell asleep.

Jake's POV

I carried my Bella into the house and past a worried Charlie. As soon as I had placed her in the car, she'd been out. I was more than a little worried that she was pushing herself too hard. The dark circles under her eyes were a sign of how little sleep she'd been getting.

She sighed when I placed her on the bed and turned away from me. Her arm flung out to the other side of the bed. My side of the bed. I couldn't help the smug smile that crept onto my face as she searched for me in her sleep. Grabbing the pillow I usually used, I moved it into her arms. She wrapped herself around it, smiling softly.

I brushed a few strands of hair out of her face before walking back downstairs to Charlie.

"What happened to her?" Charlie asked, looking up from the TV.

"She's just tired. She was working with her powers and it wasn't easy," I told him, plopping down on the couch.

"I don't like her spending time with them, Jake," Charlie frowned.

"Don't worry, Chief. She's as safe as can be with me and the pack there to protect her," I assured him.

Charlie harrumphed at me, but didn't argue. He knew the depth of my commitment to keeping Bella safe. He shifted slightly in his chair, turning his attention back to the TV.

"What did she do?" Charlie asked after a few moments silence.

"She projects a shield that prevents mental attacks," I answered.

Charlie's gaze snapped to me and I heard his neck pop at the sudden movement. I chuckled to myself and grinned at him.

"What the hell does that mean?" Charlie scowled.

"There's this vampire, Kate, who can shock people. Or, she makes you think you're getting shocked. Any way, it hurts. Bella's shield protects herself and anyone touching or around her from it. Tomorrow we'll see if she can expand it," I explained.

Charlie's eyes were as wide as I'd ever seen them. He obviously was surprised by his daughter's abilities. He slowly turned back to the TV, his eyes still wide.

"You alright, there, Chief?" I asked, trying hard not to laugh.

"Sure, kid," Charlie grunted.

It was quiet again as we watched TV and I listened to the sound of Bella breathing upstairs. The pre-game show went off to be replaced by the actual baseball game and Charlie was enraptured in the sport.

"I'm coming tomorrow. I want to make sure they're treating her right," Charlie suddenly declared.

"What?"

I wasn't sure I'd heard him right. Did he really want to go to a house full of vampires just to see his daughter being put through exhausting tests?

"You heard me. And I wasn't asking permission, either. If I'm not there, neither is Bella," Charlie glared.

I was still in shock. Did the whole Swam family have this lack of self preservation or what? Damn it all. What the hell what I supposed to do now?

"I'll call Sam and Carlisle," I mumbled, standing up.

I walked to the kitchen, picked up the phone, and dialed the leech's number. One of them answered on the second ring.

"Cullen residence," A male voice answered.

"I need to speak with Sam," I said.

"Hold on one moment."

I waited a few minutes before I heard the phone being picked up again.

"Hello?" Sam asked gruffly.

"Sam, I'm at Bella's. Charlie wants to come to the practice tomorrow to make sure Bella isn't being hurt. He's said if he's not there, neither is she," I told him hurriedly.

Sam was quiet for about a minute before he answered.

"Alright. I'll inform Carlisle. It doesn't look like we have much of a choice."

"Thanks, Sam," I sighed, rubbing my face.

"Sure. I'll see you tomorrow and we'll discuss things," Sam decided.

The line went dead and I hung up the phone. Charlie was leaning against the doorway, watching me suspiciously.

"He's going to work something out with Carlisle. He said since you didn't leave us much of a choice…," I trailed off with a shrug.

"Smart man," Charlie grinned, walking back into the living room.

I heard a soft moan from upstairs and immediately headed in that direction. Charlie didn't bother looking up. I wasn't sure if he'd heard Bella or just assumed something was up. It didn't matter anyways. He never barred me from Bella's room.

When I walked in, she was tangled up in the sheets, frowning. As I walked closer, she flipped over, crying out.

"No… Jacob… stop… Take me… No!" Bella screamed, tossing around.

She was obviously having a nightmare. I didn't like seeing her in so much pain, even if it wasn't real.

"Shh, honey. I'm here," I whispered, lying down beside her.

She pressed herself against me, whimpering softly in her sleep. I wrapped my arms around her, attempting to give her some comfort. Gradually, her breathing evened out again and she slipped further into sleep.

I breathed a sigh of relief and kissed the top of her head.

"Jacob," Bella sighed.

I smiled as I watched her sleep. I wasn't sure what was going to happen in the future. I didn't know when the Volturi leeches would be arriving. I didn't know how long it would take before Bella was ready. I didn't know if I'd be able to let her fight. I didn't know a lot of things. All sorts of possibilities were running through my head, all at the same time.

There was nothing I wouldn't do for the girl lying in my arms. She was my everything and I'd never loved someone so much in my entire life.

Of course, I'd loved her before the imprint, but that was beside the point. The imprint simply reinforced what I already knew. Bella was the only girl for me.

I didn't want her to fight in this battle with the Volturi coming up. So many things could go wrong and she could get hurt. I wouldn't be able to bear it if anything happened to her. We were just getting started. She hadn't even graduated high school yet. There was so much more for us to do.

She sighed in her sleep and stroked my chest, sensing my distress, even in sleep. I held her tighter, letting her know I was fine. She smacked her lips and burrowed further under the covers.

I wondered about what would happen tomorrow. Charlie wasn't going to like some of the things Kate did to Bella. Hopefully Carlisle would be able to rein her in a little.

Today had been awful. I had been forced to sit still while Bella was put through the huge task of mastering her shield. I had tried to convince her to pull on the pack strength, but she was too stubborn and wanted to do it all on her own. She was worried about constantly relying on the pack strength. I didn't see the harm in her always being prepared.

A shudder worked through me as I remembered Seth's painful screams. Kate was a psycho bitch, but she knew how to get things done. Bella probably never would have projected her shield if Kate hadn't gone after Seth, the baby of the pack.

I snorted, knowing Seth would probably throw a fit at being referred to as the baby. If you messed with him, you messed with Leah. Hell, if you messed with him, you messed with Bella. That in itself was terrifying enough that no one ever messed with Seth.

Bella jerked at my snort and I instantly stilled, not wanting to wake her. She mumbled something unintelligible before drifting back to sleep.

I glanced over at the clock and noticed it was just after six o'clock.

Bella hadn't eaten since about twelve. I debated waking her. On one hand, she needed her sleep. On the other, she needed to eat.

Sighing, I gently shook her shoulders. She grumbled and swatted at me, rolling over.

"Bella, honey, wake up," I murmured.

"No," Bella moaned.

"Honey, it's six o'clock. You need to eat something," I persisted.

Bella whined and buried her head in the pillow. I couldn't help, but laugh at her. She peeked out and glared at me. I placed my hand on her back and slowly moved it down. Her eyes widened as I squeezed her tight, little ass.

"Jake," Bella hissed.

"What?" I hummed, leaning down to nibble on her ear.

"Charlie's downstairs," Bella huffed.

"So?" I asked, moving to her neck.

"So… we can't… umm… we… can't… oh," Bella breathed, flipping over.

I grinned as I pressed my lips against hers. She moaned softly, wrapping her arms around my neck and threading her fingers in my hair. My hand on her hip tightened and pulled her closer to my body.

"Jake," Bella gasped.

God, I loved hearing my name in her breathy voice. The things it did to my heart and… other places.

Bella arched into me and I couldn't help the groan that escaped when she pressed herself against my aching erection. She gasped again and moved against me.

"Bella," I pleaded.

"God, Jake. So good," Bella moaned.

I groaned again and pressed harder against her. She responded eagerly, moving with me. I knew I wouldn't be able to last long if we kept this up and I was not fond of the idea of being caught by Charlie.

"Bells, we gotta stop," I panted.

"No," Bella denied breathlessly.

Her lips attached to my neck, sucking greedily. I knew she'd likely leave a mark and the thought thrilled me. There was something incredibly sexy about having my girl mark me. I gritted my teeth as she actually bit down on my neck.

"Please, Bells."

I had no idea whether I was asking for her to stop or keep going. Everything about her drove me further into my lust filled haze. It was so different with Bella, though. True, the lust was strong, but, damn me to hell, if there wasn't just as much love.

"What do you want, Jake?" Bella asked.

I pulled back to look in her eyes. She was watching me, her eyes bright and full of innocent passion. I buried my head in her neck, my entire body tensed above her.

"We have to stop, honey. We can't do this here. Not with Charlie just downstairs. Our first time is going to be special, no matter how long I have to wait. I want it to be special for you," I insisted weakly.

"It will be special, Jake, cause it'll be with you," Bella whispered, kissing my cheek.

God, I felt ten kinds a jerk.

"Not tonight, honey. Soon, but not tonight," I gulped.

"Promise?" Bella sighed.

"Promise. I can't hold out much longer," I chuckled darkly.

Bella giggled and pushed on my shoulder. I groaned and fell onto the bed beside her, staring at the ceiling.

"Do you want some help with that?"

I glanced over at her and saw her staring at my crotch. I closed my eyes tightly and focused on breathing. It didn't help that her arousal saturated the air around me.

Damn it!

"I'm fine, honey. You go see to dinner. I'll be down in a second," I assured her tensely.

She smiled at me softly, leaning down for a quick kiss. She hopped off the bed before it could turn into something more and practically danced out of the room.

My ego swelled drastically, seeing that. I made her feel like that. I was the one who made her graceful in her bliss. That made it easier to let her go down the stairs to Charlie.

I rubbed my face with my hand and sighed. I glared at the bulge in my pants.

"Get a grip," I grumbled at it.

Knowing it wouldn't be going down any time soon, I shifted myself out of bed and went into the bathroom. There was no way I was facing Charlie with a raging hard on. He'd immediately know what had been going on in his daughter's room.

So, I locked the door behind me and leaned against the wall. One of Bella's towels was in here and I grabbed it. It smelled like her. I breathed it in as I unbuttoned and unzipped my shorts.

My hand went down to my swollen dick and started pumping. I imagined Bella from a few minutes ago, moaning and moving against me. I imagined it was her hand touching me. Better yet, I imagined her mouth wrapped around me, sucking me dry. Her hot, little tongue licking me from base to tip, paying special attention to the head.

My breathing was getting heavy as I felt myself close to release. Just a little longer.

Images flashed behind my eyelids. Bella lying naked beneath me. Bella pumping my cock. Bella screaming my name as I slid inside her tight heat.

I groaned as I shot my seed into her towel, panting heavily as I came down from the high only Bella could give me.

Well, Bella and my hand.

I chuckled darkly as I threw the towel under her bed, promising myself I would take care of it later. I walked down the stairs to see Bella standing at the stove with Charlie sitting at the table.

She looked up when I walked in and gave me a small smile. I returned it and walked over to her, kissing her briefly before going to sit with Charlie.

As we talked about the game that had been on earlier, I felt a sense of contentment. My girl was laughing and cooking for me and her dad; her dad was going on about the close game; and I was basking in the glow of love that encompassed the entire house.

The little pixie vampire was right. This was definitely worth fighting for and I'll be damned if I let the Volturi take it from me.

So, I got a lot of responses to Bella hitting Edward, which I find very funny. It was a last minute thing and I almost didn't put it in. Glad I did, though! I'm sorry you didn't get to see Edward's shock treatment. I promise, we're not done with it. There's still a whole week coming.

Alright, I have a conference this weekend, so I'm not sure how often I'll be able to write, but I'll try to write in-between sessions. See you guys next chapter!!