A/N: Thanks you guys for the reviews. I really appreciate the feedback. I'm trying to write as much as possible but this semester at school has me slammed. I spent my weekend doing 8 hours of homework, no lie. I just need to learn how to balance everything again. I also finished re-reading the twilight series for the second time to try to pull out some more useful stuff. Well, enjoy the latest chapter and send a review. They help and make me want to write more and faster too. Thanks and proceed to the reading, finally.

Wolves

The next week went by so slowly as I wondered if Jacob would ever call. I went crazy checking my phone every 5 minutes thinking that it was vibrating. It was as if I was in a state of shock for an entire week. For God sakes Emmett beat me in a race. I knew how much faster I was then him but he beat me by a long shot. Everything in town reminded me of him. Even the light post that had once held his picture saying that he was missing. Those kinds of things kept me distracted all week. It had been almost 7 days since I had seen Sue at Carlisle's office and I was wondering if she had seen Jacob. La Push wasn't that big, she would've had to run into him somewhere. Or Seth would have told him or Leah. Well, not so much Leah. It had been 3 weeks since I hunted. It was starting to take over my body. I felt weak and not so much like myself. I couldn't have caught my prey if my life depended on it. Even as I got dressed at the cottage for a Cullen night out, it seemed like it was pointless. We were going a few towns over to a local miniature golf course. The weather was clear again this night. It had been clear for the past week also, not to mock my mood at all. I wanted it to rain I missed the rain. I normally loved the sun but lately it was just getting on my nerves. Then I got dragged along on this family adventure for absolutely no reason at all but to get out of the house. Leave it to the Cullens to pick the most absurd activity for vampires to participate in. We split up into 3 different teams. Edward, Renesmee and I were one team, Carlisle, Alice and Jasper another, and Rosalie, Emmett and Esme were the last. It seemed too convenient that there were 9 of us.

If it had been any other time this would actual amuse me. Emmett trying to restrain his power from not hitting the ball into the next town or bending the putter in half when he got frustrated. It put a smile on my face. Edward stood next to me. He had been so worried about me all week and his face showed it. He looked drowned out, like there wasn't much left of him either. He thought that I had finally gotten over Jacob and he was happy about that but now it seemed like he was fighting for my affection again, against somebody that didn't even exist.

Renesmee, however, seemed happy to be out of the house again. Alice had been teaching her all week how to drive more carefully. It was probably a good thing that she was driving because I wouldn't have been able to concentrate long enough to drive anywhere. She was doing well at miniature golf at least. She was beating Edward and I by at 5 strokes apiece. We continued to play for another hour or so. It was actually a complicated course. Emmett eventually hit the ball so hard that it smashed a windshield. However, prepared for his over powering behavior, Rosalie had snagged an extra ball and placed it by his feet. He put his arm around her and smiled. I had so many problems and everybody else was just going about life as usual.

I tried not paying attention to the other people around me. I noticed a couple, probably on a first date, with the man trying to help the woman putt. However, I also noticed that she was doing well enough on her own, only pretending that she didn't know how to play to get close to him. The smells around me didn't bother me so much so I just tried to tone out my senses. However, when I took a deep breath before taking a swing, I caught a scent that I noticed all to well. It had been a while since I smelled it and it was still potent. I swung and missed the ball falling to my backside. Edward rushed to my side and helped me up.

"Bella, love, are you alright?"

I didn't answer him but rather I looked around to see if I could tract my sense of smell. I looked around quickly, probably quicker than I should and then I saw a man 3 holes behind us. He was very tall, almost 7 feet with dark hair that went down just past his shoulders. It was a familiar scene that I had seen so many times before. It took a minute for it to register and I think Edward was getting worried.

"Babe its Jake."

"I know," I managed to stutter out. "What should I do?"

"You should go over there and talk to him."

"Did you know that he was going to be here?"

"Sort of. He called me a few days ago and asked where we could all meet up and I remember Carlisle talking about coming here so this is where we are."

"Alright. So I'm going over there."

Before I could get up the courage to go speak to Jacob, Renesmee was already over by his side. She jumped around him, hugging him tightly. Jacob sighed deeply and smiled, returning his arms around her.

"I missed you Jake."

"Missed you too Nessie. You are so…"

"Grown up?"

"That's one way of putting it."

"It's so good to see you."

Jacob looked about the same except is face was just a little bit more chiseled. I approached him cautiously. I didn't feel the way that I expected to feel. I wanted to be excited to finally see him but I was more worried than anything. Worried that he wouldn't forgive me, worried that he wouldn't care about me at all and worried, more so than anything, that he would hate me. He said hello to the rest of the family, with Renesmee still attached to him. Leah was with him. She was very relaxed and didn't seem to mind the fact that we were vampires. She came up to me before I had a chance to say hi to Jacob.

"Can we talk?" Her voice was calm and steady.

"Sure."

I looked at Edward and he nodded towards me. Leah and I walked in silence to the parking lot so that we could have a little bit of privacy. I was anxious to know how she had been and what she needed to tell me.

"It's good to see you Leah," I said when we got to the parking lot. I hopped up on Edward's new car. "Congratulations on the engagement."

"Thank you."

"I know that you don't like me and all but I really am happy that you and Jake are getting married. Actually if he was going to get married to anybody I'm glad that it is you."

"Bella I just want you to know that I have no hard feelings towards you. I've realized that the way that I have acted towards you was wrong and if I was in your position, especially with Nessie and all of that, I would have done the same thing. I just wanted to apologize for the way that I have treated you in the past and I hope that we can get past that. I want Jake to be happy and you make him happy so I can deal with that."

"I can feel where you are coming from. I feel bad for Edward at those times too. The kind of friendship that Jacob and I have is kind of hard to explain."

"I understand that. I've been taking a lot of yoga and meditation classes in the past few years."

"That's great."

"Yeah it really seems to be helping me with my anger and my phasing."

"So I always just wanted to say that I'm sorry too. I know that it must have been hard for you to have to be around Jacob after I left."

"Yeah it was annoying at first but now I understand. I'm glad that he came to his senses and we are now better than ever."

"That is so great for you guys."

"How are you and Edward been doing?"

"Good. I managed to actually graduate from college."

"That's cool. So how long are you guys staying."

"Not too long, till the end of the summer, then we are moving back east."

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah but it's time for all of us to start over again. Plus, we are having a little bit of an issue across seas."

"Those massacres in Italy aren't human are they?"

"No. Remember when Renesmee was first born and the vampires came to take her away from us."

"Yes."

"Well they have gone insane and now it may be our problem to stop them."

"If you need help Bella we will be there. We will help protect your family."

"You don't have to do that."

"But I want to. Jacob would want to also. Will you be around for the wedding?"

"We will still be in town."

"Would you like to come? I'm sure that Jake would love for you to be there."

"I would love to."

"You are all welcome to come. The Cullens are like a second family to Jake."

"Then we will all be there."

"Could I ask you a favor, if you don't mind."

"Sure."

"Well, I have my bridesmaids Bella, but I was wondering if you would like to be one? Jake has so many groomsmen that I can't keep up. I only have a few friends."

"Sure I would love to. Just tell me when and where."

"Cool, thank you. How many more groomsmen does he have?"

"Well there is Quil, Embry, Sam, Seth, Brady, Collin, Jared and Paul so there are 8 groomsmen."

"And the bridesmaids?"

"Well now there are you, Emily, Claire, Kim, Rachel and Rebecca. But I have a feeling that Jake is gonna ask Edward to be a groomsman too."

"I'm sure that Renesmee wouldn't mind being there for you. Alice and Rosalie would probably be willing to also. Alice loves any excuse to dress up. That way it can be even at least."

"That would be a great idea. I'm going to go ask them. Thank you for helping me out."

"Not a problem and thank you for forgiving me."

"You can't help who you fall in love with, vampire or not. I understand that now."

She gave me a hug and walked away. "I'll grab Jake for you," she said turning her head. I was still trying to process the talk that Leah and I had when Jake came over to me. It was awkward to finally see him, with us standing alone.

"Hey Bella," he said coming over to the car. He came over to me and wrapped me up into a hug, lifting me off of the car. I hugged him back and smiled with relief. It was like I was home again, in his burning arms, right were I should be.

"Hey Jake, I've missed you."

"I missed you too."

"Congrats on the getting married thing."

"Thanks, I'm really happy."

"Are you?" I was trying to search for the feeling that was in his eyes. He was so hard to read because I wasn't used to him being in my life.

"Yeah I am."

"How did all of that come about?" I was naturally curious about how they had gotten to that point.

"Well we had been talking, while you were still pregnant, about how once you imprint on somebody you can really get over that person. Well, I had imprinted on Renesmee because I figured that I would be in her life forever. When you guys left, I was devastated. It was hard to let you go and Leah was always there, talking to me. We hadn't been close until we broke away from Sam's pack. But she has a great mind. Sometimes I just get lost in it. Then one day she imprinted on me. It was something that I never felt before and we just got so lost in each other. We went out east for a while. She went to Holyoke Community College for education and I went for criminal justice. It's in Western Massachusetts. There are a lot of woods out there and it was nice to be away from here. We just got back a few months ago, in May."

"I'm so happy for you Jake, you are doing so well. You went to college."

"So did you miss Ivy League. You got your degree I hear, 2nd in your class. Now that is an accomplishment there."

"Still you did something that I never thought you would. I'm very proud of you."

"I'm proud of you too. Nessie has gotten so big."

"Yeah she has, looks about my age now which is scary. I knew it was coming but it still freaks me out when she drives."

"I can't believe that she is driving. It's insanity. Makes me feel old."

"Tell me about it. You don't look like you aged at all."

"No, not really."

"So are you still a werewolf/shape-shifter?"

"Yeah we all are."

"And the packs?"

"All together, for the most part. Leah and I mostly stay to ourselves though. It's been really hard for Seth though, having to hear our thoughts about each other."

"Ah, poor kid."

"Yeah I do feel bad for him. So, how was living in New Hampshire? What was the house like?"

"It was an old Victorian house up in the woods, of course, where else? Umm, I would go to classes during the day and when I couldn't go to class because of the weather I would do them online. Edward took mostly night classes but a few days as well. I feel bad for Nessie though. We kept her locked up in the house a lot, which I hated but it was for her own safety. However, that also helped her develop some skills. Which, now that I think of it is why she probably won today. She can control objects with her mind."

"That girl is absolutely amazing. I just can't believe how mature she is."

"I think that's because of how often she was left alone. I still feel absolutely horrible about that. I just didn't know what else to do. Nobody could see her with her accelerated aging."

"I understand why you needed to do it. Anyways, did you say yes to Leah?"

"Of course I did. You were there for me on my wedding day and it only seems fit that I am there for you in some way."

"I appreciate it Bella thanks."

"You're welcome. Did you ask Edward?"

"How did you know?"

"Leah and I had a conversation. I mentioned asking Nessie, Rosalie and Alice also so that the numbers could be even. You've got the original pack as your groomsmen. How funny is that?"

"Pretty funny. Also the fact that you only had one bridesmaid and we are going to have 9 now."

"That's a little ridiculous."

"Yeah I know but I didn't want anybody to be left out. I didn't want a war to happen."

I flinched at the word war. It was like I would never be able to escape it. The thought of war on the horizon scared me.

"What's going on Bella? Is there going to be a war?"

"Well possibly. The Volturi are going crazy in Italy and if it doesn't stop then we are going to have to stop them."

"Only you guys? The Cullens? It's a suicide mission."

"We are trying to find recruits. Jasper and I were practicing the other day outside of Seattle when two young vampires came out of the woods. They looked to be about Carlisle's age. Victoria transformed them during that newborn war but they escaped from her. One has pyrokinesis and the other can steal other vampire's powers to use it against them. It is absolutely amazing. They have agreed to fight with us if we teach them the way of our vegetarian lifestyle."

"Seems like a good enough deal. If you are looking for recruits I am more than willing to help you out. Anytime, anywhere."

"It will probably be out in New York, that's our new residence. And I really appreciate that Jake. Leah already agreed to it so either way you were going to be stuck."

"Well I should have expected that."

"So what else is going on with the pack? How are Sam and Emily?"

"They are doing great actually. Emily found out yesterday that she was pregnant."

"Oh my God, that is absolutely amazing. I can't believe it."

"Me either. It bothered Leah a little bit but now she is all too happy for them. She doesn't hold a grudge against them anymore. I love that."

"And you don't hold a grudge against Edward and I anymore," I asked unknowingly. I was hoping that he said no but a part of me thought that it still bothered him.

"I just need to ask you one question."

"Ask then."

"Why did you leave?"

"I left because I felt like the worst person in the world that I couldn't save my father. I needed to get away. I couldn't drive by the house everyday and think about everything that I had lost. I needed to let go of my human life. I felt horrible leaving you, I thought about you all the time. It's just that I needed to get away from here, from this town. I needed to move on from my father's death. Now that I am back, it is still hard but it's not as impossible as it was before. I'm so sorry for leaving Jake and not saying goodbye. I didn't want to leave you, I didn't."

"In a way I'm glad that you did because Leah and I really found each other. It really hurt when you left but it was something that was bound to happen eventually. I thought about trying to find you so many times, it wouldn't be hard. I knew that you and Edward were at Dartmouth, not too far away from me, but I just didn't have the courage to go up there and do it. I didn't know how you felt about me."

"And I didn't know until a week ago that you had gone to the house once a week to visit the family. I honestly did not know. They kept it a secret from me to protect me I guess. I didn't even really see them. Alice and Jasper had visited us a few times and Carlisle and Esme twice but other than that, I didn't have much contact with anybody."

"Bella it's absolutely fine. I believe that we can be friends but just not as intense as it was before. The Cullens are like a second family to me and I can't stay away for too long. You have to understand that now you are back, it can't be like it was before."

"I understand that. I don't think we could ever be as close as we were before but Jake, I would do anything to protect you. I want you to be in my life. I want you to be there for me like a brother. Somebody who will always be there for me."

"I think that would be the best thing. An extended family of sorts is fine for me."

"Good, we are in agreement then."

The rest of our group showed up a few minutes later. Leah was so nice to all of us even though at one point she thought of us as leeches, bloodsuckers. It was a great change of pace. I was happy with the arrangement that Jacob and I had come to and glad to have him back in my life. Edward came to my side while Nessie went to Jake. I was wondering how Leah was doing with Nessie being back in his life. It would have been intimidating to anybody.

Edward put his arm around me.

"Do you want to hunt now," he asked silently.

"Yeah but you don't need to do you?"

"No but Emmett does. Why don't you two go off tonight? Be back tomorrow or Monday, whatever. You should probably go off somewhere, just the two of you."

"What?" I was confused. Why did Edward want me to go off with Emmett? Was he trying to get rid of me or was Emmett going to teach me to fight. Either way I guessed it was good just to agree with him. "That's cool Edward, not an issue. Maybe we'll go up hiking or something."

"Sounds good to me."

He smiled and looked at Emmett. Edward nodded his head and it seemed like they had a plan for me. I was frightened in some ways. Not knowing what was coming was different for me. I had never been hunting with Emmett. We all said goodbye to each other and Emmett and I went our own way in his Jeep. We went northeast, trying to find a new place to hunt. I was in the mood for something different, instead of deer, elk, and the normal. I just wanted something else to crave my thirst.

"So what's going on Emmett," I asked. "Why are going by ourselves?"

"I actually needed to talk to you."

"About what?"

"Well Jasper was telling me how you helped out Alice and him. I was just wondering if maybe you would help me out with Rosalie."

I swallowed hard, like there was something stuck in it. I realized how much it burned now. My thirst was driving me. It was like nothing I had ever felt. I kept to a pretty normal routine in New Hampshire and coming back here just messed it all up.

"Tell you what, teach me to fight and I will help you."

"Ah, nothing for free. Maybe you should have studied psychology."

"Maybe next time."

"Yeah next time." He paused for a moment and I could tell that he was thinking hard. "Are you doing okay with the Volturi?"

"For the most part. We got the werewolves in on the fight tonight."

"Well look at you little miss recruiter."

"Thank you, thank you," I said imitating a bow. A smile crept across my face. I could always be myself and joke around with Emmett.

"So that's good. How are you feeling about Jake?"

"Good. He deserves to be happy and I don't want to keep him from that. I want him to have what I have. I know that I will spend the rest of eternity with Edward and with you guys. I'm glad that he has what I do. It doesn't make me feel so guilty."

"Why do you feel guilty? It's not your fault that you love Edward more than Jacob."

"I know but I just feel like I led him on. We always had a special relationship and I feel like I destroyed that when Edward and I got married and then my decision to become a vampire. If it wasn't for Nessie then he never would have been able to forgive me."

"Bells, that's not true. You and Jacob are meant to be best friends, family even."

"Yeah that's the decision that we came up with today. We are going to be brother and sister. We won't see each other as much as we used to but we will still see each other, which is the main thing."

"I'm glad that you two are doing good. The kid was getting on my last nerve when you left. He's lucky I didn't throw him through a window." He laughed through the rain on the windshield. "Actually, he may have been thinking I would do that. Glad I didn't."

Of course, now that I was happy, now that my life was getting back to normal it was raining again. Nature and me had never been in tune, even now when I went on hunting trips we didn't get along. I just couldn't see why the weather was always opposite of my mood.

"Emmett."

"Yeah."

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"Getting me out, taking me hunting, teaching me to fight."

"You're welcome. Thank you for helping me in advance."

"Not a problem, we will talk once I get some energy."

"No problem sis."

He looked over at me and smiled. I smiled back and leaned my head on his shoulder. It was so soft that it felt like a pillow. I closed my eyes just to think for a minute. I felt like I had fallen asleep but that, of course, could not be true.