Hi, so I know you all want to strangle me for not updating. I'm sorry, I do have legit reasons, but I know you don't care. Well this chapter is the longest i've ever written, so I hope that makes up for it a teensy bit. I'm starting to pick up the plot a tad.

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer=fantabulous. It's hers.

Lyrics from The Call by Regina Spektor, my new favorite song from Narnia! I had this song on repeat while writing. It's amazing.

Oh and go visit me on ! I need love there too! And besides, there is tons of amazing Twilight fanfics there.

Review me, loves!

"It started out as a feeling
Which then grew into a hope
Which then turned into a quiet thought
Which then turned into a quiet word

And then that word grew louder and louder
Til it was a battle cry

I'll come back
When you call me
No need to say goodbye"

After spending several happy hours with the Cullen's, I knew I had to get home so that I could take care of Charlie. I had neglected my duties the past day or so and it was time to get back to reality. Charlie didn't even know that Edward was back. I wasn't sure that I should tell him just yet. He needed to recover a bit more first.

I had Edward drive me home in the late afternoon. We rode back, for the most part, in a comfortable silence. He held my hand in one of his and used the other to drive. I just stared at him, memorizing his perfect face. He caught me looking.

"What is it?" he asked.

I blushed and he gently squeezed my hand.

"I missed you," I said softly. "I still can't believe you're here. I don't know if I can trust it."

He turned to look at me. His eyes were sad and intense as they bore into mine.

"Bella, I can understand that. I wouldn't trust me either. I betrayed you. It's wholly unforgivable and I'll never be able to make up for it, I know. But I promise you, I'm not going anywhere. Not unless you want me to."

I shook my head violently. "I don't want you to go anywhere. It just feels like you could leave. I feel that there is nothing that could make you stay again. What do I have that could make you want to stay?"

His eyes searched mine. "Bella, I love you. You are my life. Your hold on me is unbreakable and it always has been. I will not leave you again; I would not be able to bear it. What can I do to convince you?" His gaze was steady and I was drowning in his beauty.

I shrugged very slightly. "Only time I guess. I still can't convince myself that you're really here."

Only now did I notice that the car had come to a stop. We had made it back to my house in no time. Typical vampire.

He took my face in both of his ice cold hands and smiled.

"I think I can help you with that one."

I tilted my face upward eagerly and he closed the distance between our lips. His moved over mine gently, making me shiver. I almost forgot to be still and leaned into the kiss. I thought he would pull away, but Edward reacted unexpectedly, taking my enthusiasm in stride and putting himself a bit more into the kiss. Then I felt his tongue trace the outside of my lips. I couldn't remember him ever taking such a risk with me. My hands moved onto his chest, and he tightened his hold on me.

Then Edward froze. What had I done wrong?

"Sorry," I whispered, figuring it was my fault.

"You are not to blame," he said. A scowl came across his perfect features.

"What is it then?" I asked him.

"Not what. Who. It's Jacob," he said, a mixture of emotions coloring his voice.

I cringed. I had tried to block Jacob and the scary knowledge I had recently acquired from my mind. It was pointless to now.

Edward disengaged himself from my arms and opened the car door. Before I could blink, he was around my side and helping me out of the car. Then he swept me off my feet and carried me through the front door and onto the couch.

"I can walk, you know," I said as I gave him a look.

He smiled my favorite crooked smile.

"I know that. But I wanted to make easier on you. The more you rest, the better."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, but I'm not fragile. I can still walk."

"To me, you are very fragile," he said seriously.

Before I could get another word in, his head jerked up toward the window, as if someone was calling his name.

After a moment, he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Look," he said, "Jacob wants to talk to you in private. I really don't want to leave you, but I don't think I can stand being in the same room with him. And besides, I need to hunt. It's a bit difficult since it's been so long since I've been with you. And I regret that." He looked at me with sympathy in his eyes. I'd forgotten how hard it was for him. I didn't want him to leave me, but I knew it was necessary.

"You won't be gone too long, right? And you'll come back to me?" I was too insecure in myself not to ask.

He was beside me so quickly he blurred. He took me into his arms and held me against him. I rested my head on his marble chest and inhaled his delicious scent.

"Of course I will come back. I told you, I'm never leaving and I meant it. I'll be back before you know it."

Then he pulled himself from my arms and stood up. He slipped his arms out of his leather jacket and then draped it over my shoulders. It was cold, but it carried his scent. I inhaled deeply and became lightheaded from its sweetness. I saw him smile at that.

"I love you," he said as he leaned down and kissed me softly. Then he was gone.

I closed my eyes and tried not to panic. I hugged my stomach tightly, but I still started to hyperventilate. All the nightmares were coming back, no matter what I tried to tell myself. He had only been gone for two seconds and I was already panicking.

As the tears poured down my face I whispered, "He's coming back, he's coming back. Bella, pull yourself together, this isn't the same. He loves you, he said he loves you."

I grabbed the jacket and took a deep breathe, burying my face into the soft leather. I knew this was an irrational reaction, but I couldn't control myself. Deep down, I knew it was too good to be true that Edward had come back into my life.

A knock on the door brought me back to reality. I quickly wiped my tears on his jacket and made myself calm down. With a shaky breath, I pushed myself up off the couch and waddled to the door. With one last deep breath, I gathered myself and pulled the door open to find Jacob waiting for me. His face quickly changed from menacing to happy as soon as he saw me.

"Bells!" he said as he engulfed me in his massive arms.

"Ugh, Jake, you're kinda crushing me."

"Oops, sorry Bells. I'm just glad that you're okay, but boy do you reek," he said as he released me.

I was puzzled. "Of course I'm okay Jake. Why wouldn't I be?"

Angry Jacob returned with that. His face went from smiling to scowling so quickly.

"What did I say?" I asked.

He crossed his arms over his chest. "It's because of him. Well, all of them really. Can I just come in? I'll explain."

I stepped aside to let him in. "Yeah, you do kinda owe me an explanation for what happened at the beach. And what do you mean, I reek? I'm not dirty or anything."

He snorted. "You smell like them, Bella. Their sickeningly sweet scent is all over you."

I sniffed my hair. I didn't smell anything out of the ordinary.

Jacob walked over to the couch and sat down and I followed suit. I waited while he had his head in his hands.

After a moment he sighed and looked up at me. I noticed the circles under his eyes that hadn't been there before.

"I'm sorry Bella; I'm just stressed out and frustrated. I don't mean to take it out on you. And I know I owe you an explanation. You had everything thrown at you and that was my fault."

I took one of his large hands into both of mine and squeezed it gently.

"It's not your fault, Jake. But I would like to understand what's going on."

He nodded and let his gaze fall to our hands.

"Well it goes like this, Bells. I'm a werewolf and so are the guys in my tribe. Sam is our leader, the Alpha male. It's been passed down through our blood from our ancestors, so it's not like I had a choice. Oh and it's not the full moon kind of deal. We can change whenever. And our job is to protect humans from the bloodsuckers. It's the reason we exist. We hunt them down and kill them, except for the Cullens. We have a treaty with them. As long as we stay on our own sides, and they don't bite anyone, we remain somewhat peaceful. "

"Oh," I said quietly. His earlier words made sense now. He hated vampires.

"Yeah," he said. "There's also this thing called an imprint. It's what happens when we see the one we are meant to be with for the first time. They become the most important thing in our world. Emily is Sam's imprint, for example. It's an unmovable kind of love. We don't exactly know why it happens, but it does."

"Have you imprinted on anyone yet?"

"No, I haven't. But there's only one person I ever see."

I fidgeted nervously. I had a feeling as to where this was going and I wasn't sure I wanted it to go there. He was sitting close enough to me that our legs were slightly touching. I could feel heat radiating from his body, and it made me warm, both inside and out. I liked being with Jake and he made me feel safe. I could breathe with him. But I didn't like him quite like that. Maybe if Edward hadn't come back there could have been something, but we were already past that, and I couldn't live without Edward.

I saw him sigh. "Bella, are you seriously going to let this bloodsucker back into your life?"

That was a slap in the face. "I already have Jacob. I love him and I can't live without him."

"C'mon Bella, be serious. You have a kid on the way and he left you all those years ago! He hurt you so badly, yet you welcome him back with open arms. Really, it just doesn't make sense. And he's a freaking vampire! That's not normal!"

My blood started to boil. "You are one to talk! You're not exactly normal either, Jake."

"Yeah, but at least I'm still human!" he almost shouted at me.

"And he didn't just leave me. He was protecting me! He said he loved me the whole time and that he never wanted to leave. I love him, Jacob, so of course I want him back."

He stood up and towered over me. "But what about your kid, Bells?! You can't raise a kid and be with a vampire!"

He had me there. I hadn't exactly thought that out all the way, but I was going to be flustered in front of him.

"You don't know that! My daughter will be fine no matter how I choose to raise her! Edward can be a part of her life if I want him to!"

Jacob's mouth fell open and his eyes softened.

"You're having a girl?"

I blushed and smiled. "Yes. I just found out."

He sat back down next to me and took my hands into his. Mine felt so small in his large, warm hands. He looked me directly into the eyes.

"That's great Bella, but what happens to her? You're going to let her grow up amidst vampires? You're going to let her be in danger her whole life? That's not healthy Bella. They're not human. It won't be good for her. You know that."

I sighed. Deep down I did know that, I just couldn't bring myself to admit it. It's just what Rosalie had asked me. Was I going to join the Cullens, or was I going to raise my baby, grow old and die? I pulled my hands away from Jake's and buried my face in them.

He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me closer. "Aw, Bells, I'm sorry. I don't want to make you upset. I just don't want to see you get hurt. I saw how you were before he came back and it wasn't pretty. You were a full out mess. He hurt you. And what about your little girl? She should come first now. You have to make the best choices for her."

I couldn't bring myself to admit that he was right, even though I knew he was. My baby had to be the most important thing now. Was I truly endangering her if I stayed with Edward? And what if I turned into a vampire? I would not be able to be near her for a long time as a newborn.

We sat in silence for a few moments. I was at a loss for words.

"Bella, I had a real reason for coming to see you. There's something important that you need to know. And so do your bloodsuckers."

"Can you not call them that Jake? They're so much more than that."

He snorted. "Fine, I'll try not to. But there is another bloodsucker, one who hunts humans."

I sat up and stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"Yeah, that's why I had to get you out of La Push so quickly last night. We were all so busy having that dinner party that we neglected our duties. She almost slipped through, but we drove her away. We're not sure what she wanted, but she was violent."

Another vampire? What could she possibly want? Did it have to do with the Cullens?

"What did she look like?"

He shrugged. "She wouldn't let us get very close. But her hair was easy to spot. It looked like it was on fire, a bright orange color."

"What?!" I started hyperventilating. That was one part of my past that I thought I'd never have to go back to.

Jacob look frightened. "Do you know her? What's wrong?"

"Yes I know her. She was James' mate and Edward killed James. Victoria must want revenge, even after all these years. But why would she go to La Push?"

Jacob just looked at me while the wheels in my head turned. Edward killed James, so shouldn't she want to kill Edward? But that was too simple, and Edward was too hard get, especially with his large family. But getting me, on the other hand, was easy since I was a fragile human. And how could she know that Edward had left me and only just returned? She didn't. So she was after me. Me.

I swallowed and said, "She's after me Jake. She wants to kill me to hurt Edward. It's what he did to her."

Jacob swiftly pulled me into his arms. "Bella, we won't ever let anything happen to you. You have no reason to worry. We'll kill her."

I did my best to believe him for the moment. I was very skeptical though. Victoria was dangerous, and I didn't want Jacob and the other wolves getting hurt. But I'm sure if I told him that he would just argue with me.

"What are you going to do?" I asked.

"Well we're already keeping a very tight patrol. She shouldn't be able to get through us. You know, you'd be very safe at La Push. We wouldn't let anything happen to you or Charlie."

"I know, but I can't do that to you guys. I don't want you getting hurt. And besides, I don't think Edward would like that. I'm safe with him too."

"Ha, we won't get hurt Bells. It's our job and it's what we're made for. You saw Quil, we're not exactly little. And our teeth are made for killing vampires. You have nothing to worry about. And who cares what he thinks? Your safety is what matters most. You are the most important, Bella."

"Jake…"

"No listen to me Bella." He kneeled in front me so that I had to look at him. "I will keep you safe. You are the world to me now. I would feel responsible if anything happened to you. And I think you deserve a normal, happy life that I could give you. Well, somewhat normal. He can't give you that no matter how hard he tries."

"But what if I don't want a normal life, Jacob? I want to be with him. Love is unconditional. And he can protect me too."

"But what if he hadn't come back?" I turned my head away and closed my eyes. I couldn't even imagine that. He was here and that's what mattered. But Jake grabbed my chin and made me look at him.

"Bella, we could have been together. We still can be. You never gave us a chance. I love you. Yes, I said I love you. And I know you feel it too."

I was slightly shocked. Jacob just said he loved me. Maybe if Edward hadn't come back. But he was back so it was too late.

"I…Jake, I don't know what to tell you. The fact is that Edward is back and I need him. I love him. I'm sorry, but I just don't see you that way. You're my best friend."

He moved his hand from my face. "That's what I thought. At least I gave it a shot. And I can always keep trying," he said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Jacob."

"S'okay, Bells. Don't worry bout me. We'll still protect you no matter what, she won't get past us."

He turned and walked toward the door. "I'll bring back Charlie for you in a few hours. He and Billy were content when I left them."

"Don't go yet Jake. I can make you dinner or something."

"Nah, thanks though. You're bloodsucker is waiting for me to leave now. I better get going."

Right before he turned away, I saw his face crumple. My heart lurched and I felt guilty for hurting him. As soon as he shut the door and left, I felt like such a bad person. I crossed my arms over my chest leaned over as far as I could. I couldn't stop the tears from sliding down my cheeks. Why did I deal with broken hearts all the time, first mine and now Jacob's? I couldn't do anything right it seemed.

I had my eyes closed when I felt a pair of cold arms encircle me and pull me close. Edward stroked my hair gently and let me cry.

"How much of that did you hear?" I asked.

"Just the last few minutes. And I heard about Victoria. I don't know why Alice didn't see her coming. But Bella, why are you crying? Do you really love him? It's okay if you do. I can understand."

I wiped away my tears and looked at him. "I love you Edward. Jacob is my best friend, but I don't have those feelings for him. I just hated breaking his heart. I know how it feels. But I love you, and I want nothing more than to be with you."

He smiled. "And I love you, my sweet, sweet Bella. You're not breaking his heart on purpose, sweetheart, and it certainly isn't your fault. No one can make you fall in love. I'm a very, very lucky man, especially to have the privilege of being back in your life. Thank you. I know I don't deserve it after I broke your heart."

"Yes, but you also fixed my heart. It is finally whole again. I'm the lucky one to have you come back to me."

His eyes became sad. "Yes and now you are in danger once again. It's entirely my fault."

I put my hand on the side of his face and ran my thumb over the purple circles under his eyes. "It was inevitable, Edward. I'm a danger magnet. And besides, without you, I wouldn't be alive either. I believe you have saved me on several occasions."

He leaned into my hand. "Yes but all those occasions were cause by me as well."

I shook my head. "The car accident wasn't your fault. That was my bad luck."

He chuckled. "I suppose it was. But that's only one exception."

"But I'm here, and I'm safe right now. I'm happy and healthy, and it's all because of you."

I decided to be brave and leaned up to kiss him on the lips. He was surprised for a fraction of a second and then responded enthusiastically with a gentle passion. One hand slid down my back and pulled me closer, while the other rested on my neck. Our lips moved together in a slow rhythm and made heat shoot down through my body. The baby began kicking as my heart rate sped up. I inched my body as close to his as I could with my rounded stomach. Both of my trembling hands clutched his shirt as his tongue traced my lips. I was still feeling bold as I tried to meet my tongue with his, but he knew what I was doing and pulled away from my lips. He began planting kisses along my jaw line and down my neck.

"Sorry Bella, you know I can't," he murmured between kisses. "It's not safe."

"I know, I know," I whispered. "I didn't forget. I just hoped."

"Mhmm…" he muttered.

"What are we going to do about Victoria?" I asked timidly.

He stiffened and leaned back from me. "Don't worry. I'll keep you safe. We're going to start tracking her. We won't let her near you, I promise. Just give us a bit of time."

I nodded and leaned back into his embrace. "As long as you stay with me, I feel safe."

He tightened his embrace. "I'll stay always."

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