A/N - First and foremost, thank you for the reviews and kind words.

To the one guest reviewer who kept themselves anonymous to say that this story is sounding like another one found on here, let me assure you that despite your suspicions, it isn't. To insinuate that I'm blatantly plagiarizing someone else's work is a bit insulting. There are SOOO many stories that I have read with a similar initial storylines(ie. taking a Twilight story and twisting it around) and each turn out completely different. And this is one of them. I can guarantee that my ideas are my own and while the basis of this has probably been seen elsewhere, it wont be the same. I have never copied someone else work as I'd never want that to happen to myself.

Now that that is out of the way, I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

The next morning, Bella woke up, feeling as though the past 36 hours had been a dream; the movies, the rainstorm, the kiss, the car, laying on the bathroom floor, hearing Jacob's voice again, everything...the memories flew through her mind and as horrible as a few of those 36 hours had been, her time with Jacob trumped it all. She still couldn't believe something had happened between herself and Jacob, but by taking a quick glance in her mirror, the slowly fading mark on her shoulder was her only physical proof that something had happened.

Her mind instantly went to Jacob, wondering how he was. His voice had sounded so tortured when she had spoken to him last night. It pulled painfully at her heart to hear him in such pain. Bella could only hope that he was doing better this morning. She understood Jacob not wanting to expose her to whatever virus he had but Bella chuckled to herself, knowing that despite that concern, there was no doubt that he would have shared it with her regardless. She considered going out to La Push, if only to bring something for Billy to eat while he cared for Jacob.

At the thought of food, her stomach growled and, Bella soon found herself in the kitchen. Charlie had already gone to work, a small scribbled note tacked to the cork board beside the phone telling her that he may be working late again and that he'd call to let her know.

Not certain how much her stomach could take, Bella decided toast was safe and put two pieces of bread in the toaster just as she heard a knock on the front door.

A smile instantly came to her face as she envisioned Jacob standing on her porch. Although he wasn't well last night, Bella knew from her experience that a full twelve hours of rest could have changed that.

As she walked to the front door, it was obvious by the shadow cast over the glass that the guest was a good two feet shorter than Jacob and was much more petite. When Bella opened the door, she gasped, shock evident on her face as her eyes took in the girl in front of her.

"Alice?!"

The small pixie stared at Bella, completely dumbfounded to see her standing in front of her before she suddenly wrapped her arms around her neck, much to Bella's surprise. The feeling of cold marble hit Bella's skin and she sucked in a breath. As soon as she did, Alice let go, apologizing. She winced momentarily at the unusual smell she found coming off of Bella. Still, Bella simply looked at her, still in shock.

"What...what are you doing here?"

"I came to check on you," she quickly replied. "Can you explain to me how you're still alive!?"

Bella looked at Alice's face, the amber eyes searching Bella to make sense of what she had seen in her vision.

"What do you mean? Besides spending the day in bed with the stomach flu yesterday, I've been perfectly fine."

Alice ran her hands through her short hair, trying to connect the dots and figure out why her vision of Bella had been so wrong.

"This doesn't make any sense. I saw a vision of you standing on the top of a cliff and then...nothing. I thought you had jumped."

"I was on a cliff two days ago, but I was fine. I was with Jacob."

"Jacob, who?"

"Jacob Black," Bella responded with a smile. "He's...a close friend of mine. He lives over in La Push."

It began to be clear to Alice what had happened while she had been gone. The strange scent she detected when she hugged her, Bella's future disappearing - it was because of Jacob - it had to be. If he was from La Push, she wagered that he was one of those werewolves. Alice recognized the scent on Bella as similar to that of the big black wolf that they had encountered around the perimeter of their land before they had left. If Bella was close enough to Jacob Black that his scent covered her, Alice knew it wasn't good. She knew that associating with them was dangerous and could certainly cause alarm for Bella's future suddenly disappearing.

Unfortunately, Bella wouldn't be aware of the danger she was in when she'd been with Jacob, nor could Alice explain it to her. The treaty prevented her from saying anything and Alice wasn't about to start anything when she was alone near La Push. Either way, she knew she had to convince Bella to stay away from Jacob Black.

"You can't see him anymore," Alice declared with finality.

Bella snorted. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean, you're not safe with him."

Alice spoke the words slowly, as though saying them that way would cause Bella to suddenly agree with her. Bella chuckled incredulously.

"I beg to differ. He makes me feel very safe."

Alice sighed. "Well, what about Edward? I thought you were in love with him."

"Edward left me broken and lost in the middle of the woods," Bella quickly stated, hearing the sound of her toast popping up. She turned and went back to the kitchen to get it. Alice followed after her. "Although it took me some time, it made me reconsider my feelings when it comes to Edward."

"You don't mean that," Alice pleaded to her as she watched Bella take her toast out of the toaster. "I saw your future. I've seen you and him together."

"I thought you said my future disappeared."

"It did, for some reason...that I can't explain. But I have a feeling it has something to do with Jacob Black. That's why it's really important that you don't go near him."

While Bella simply smiled at Alice's accusation and shook her head, Alice was all the more insistent.

"Bella, I'm serious."

"So am I," she said, turning in the kitchen as her frustration for Alice's accusations against Jacob grew. "Jacob Black is very special to me. I'm not going to stay away from him just becasue you tell me to. He's my best friend and I'm in love with him."

Alice shook her head in disbelief at what had happened in the few months that her family had been away. She had told Edward that it was a bad idea when he told the family that it would be best for Bella if they'd leave. Of all the things she anticipated happening, this wasn't one of them.

This was worse.

"You don't mean that. Bella, you can't. Edward...Edward didn't want to leave you."

Bella sighed, and clenched her fists at her side.

"In his case, actions certainly speaks louder than words," Bella said, before she continued. "Did you know what he told me?! Do you!? He said that I wasn't good for him; that he didn't love me."

"Well, he lied," alice admitted. "He's been sulking somewhere in South America because he can't handle being near you and not being able to see you. He still cares about you. He loved you enough to leave you to live your own life but he didn't want you to purposely put yourself in danger."

Bella sighed.

"I'm not putting myself in fucking danger!" She exclaimed, her frustration at Alice's insistence finally causing her to explode. "Now, if you want to visit you can stay, but if you're only here to convince me to stay away from Jacob Black, then you can get the hell out."

Alice simply stared at Bella, not only shocked at her outburst but also her use of language. To Alice, it was obvious that Bella's proximity to the wolves was affecting her behaviour. She was irrational and no longer willing to listen to reason. If she was to get Bella to stay away from Jacob Black, she'd have to think differently.

With a sigh, Alice turned to head to the front door, all the more surprised when Bella didn't try to stop her from leaving. A lot had changed.

"Edward still loves you," Alice said, stopping at the door and looking back at Bella in the kitchen. "If I had called him to tell him that you had died, he would have gone to the Volturi to ask to die as well. He still loves you, Bella, regardless of what you may think."

"Well, he has sure has a strange way of showing it."

A small, sad smile pulled at Alice's lips.

"Perhaps," she added before leaving the house.

Bella stood and stared at the closed front door for a few seconds, taking in all that Alice had told her. Bella was angry; not just angry, she was pissed.

How dare Alice come in here and try to convince me that Jacob wasn't safe? I was willing to live with a fucking family of vampires!

She knew that if she ever saw any of them again, it would be too soon.

Outside, Alice climbed into Carlisle's Mercedes and sighed, before backing onto the road and driving away from Bella's house. Her eye darted over to the centre console as she debated whether or not to make the phone call. It had been obvious that Bella wasn't going to listen to her warnings about Jacob Black. She knew that Edward would want to know that she was putting herself in danger. Making the decision, she pressed the button on the console and waited.

"I thought I told you not to call unless it's an emergency."

Edward's voice was soft and it was obvious that he was distant.

"It is, somewhat," she told him. "It's about Bella."

Edward paused, his voice hitching at the sound of her name being spoken aloud. He had not heard or spoken her name since he had left Forks all those months ago.

"What's wrong? Is she okay?"

"For now. But her future has disappeared," Alice replied, watching the road ahead of her as she headed through Forks towards their old home. "I'm going to stick around Forks for a bit just to make sure she's all right."

"Her future is gone? And she's alive? How?"

Alice sighed, not wanting to tell Edward what she had discovered.

"She's been associating herself with people from La Push. I think one of them is a wolf."

"Jacob Black," Edward said solemnly, already knowing who Bella would be hanging around. And it made sense, considering his heritage.

"You know him?"

"We made the treaty with his great-grandfather and Bella was friends with him when we were living in Forks."

"Well, right now they may be more than just friends. She said that she's in love with him. I tried to convince her to stay away from him and that he's not safe, but she wont listen to me. Edward, you have to come back and convince her."

Edward paused, letting the news sink in; letting the implications of what he knew could happen when he decided to leave her. He wanted her to live her own human life; get married, have children... He simply never considered how he'd feel to find out that Bella had truly moved on and loved someone who wasn't him.

"She loves him?" He asked painfully.

"So she claims but she doesn't know his true nature," Alice told him. "Her feelings could easily change if she found out the truth about him. But right now she isn't aware of the danger that she is being around him and if her future has disappeared, she's not going to be alive for long. You have to help me.

"I promised her that I wouldn't interfere with her life."

"But this is life and death we're talking about," Alice pleaded, argumentatively before she sighed.

"I know that you still love her."

"I do," Edward admitted. "But I don't know how I'd be able to convince her to stay away from Jacob Black."

"She'll listen to you," Alice encouraged. "I know she will."

~3 days Later~

Billy and Harry Clearwater sat on the porch, watching and waiting as they stared out at the dark forest. Sam had said that he'd be by around nine at night and true to the man's word, he arrived, walking out of the woods behind Billy's house and into the light illuminating from the porch.

Sam appeared as haggard as Billy felt, obviously not having slept much after having to deal with Jacob's delayed phasing. They had been anticipating it for weeks and for all Billy knew, he would have phased long ago if it weren't for Bella. She seemed to somehow keep him in a good mood. But it was obvious that even she couldn't keep his destiny at bay forever. To see his son practically stumble into the house, his muscles trembling before he pushed his way past his wheel chair to throw up in the bathroom scared the living daylights out of Billy.

He had quickly called Sam and the words fell out of his mouth before the younger man even said hello.

"It's happening, Sam," he had said and that's all he had to say.

Sam had dropped everything and ran out of his house, fearful for Billy's safety while he quickly alerted the other three in the pack of an impending new member. It was always a solemn feeling that was shared among them when they realized another young man's fate was forever tied to the mythos of the Quileute's. His life would never be his own.

Billy had tried his best to reassure Jacob, mentioning Bella's name in hopes of warding off his phasing, which ironically brought a smile to Jacob's face despite the intense pain he was enduring.

"She loves me, Dad," Billy remembered Jacob had said, his expression lighting up joyfully before his face creased in pain once again. "She told me and she kissed me."

When Sam had quickly raced in the house, Jacob snarled at the sudden invasion, his expression of happiness instantly vanishing. While Jacob had fought Sam as he literally dragged him out of his house, Billy could do nothing more than apologize to his son and assure him that he'd be all right. That was two nights ago.

So much had happened since then. Bella's phone call asking about whether Jacob had gotten home occured just moments after Sam had pulled Jacob out of his house and he hadn't seen his son since then.

Harry had come over to offer Billy some support and to give him an outlet if he had wanted to talk. Not to his surprise, Billy hadn't said much. His mind was completely fixed on Jacob's well being and now that Sam had finally come by the house, Billy was eager to know how Jacob was doing since he had been dragged out of his house.

As he approached, Sam could see the concern and worry etched in his elder's face.

"How is he, Sam?"

Sam forced a smile on his face before he sighed. "He finally phased last night. I've never seen someone fight it so much." He paused. "I had to force it because I was afraid that his body couldn't take much more strain."

Harry was surprised. It was the first time he had heard of such a thing.

"You forced it? How?"

Sam looked at the ground, not wanting to meet Billy's eyes. It wasn't his proudest moment knowing that the words he had said to Billy's son just to cause him to end his physical pain. Paul had graciously volunteered to put some salt in Jacob's proverbial wounds but Sam insisted that as Alpha, it was his job. It really wasn't all that hard. They had all overheard Bella's phone call to Jacob just prior and knew exactly what would set him off.

"I made him so angry to the extent that he couldn't calm himself down," Sam told them, not willing to go into the details of how he used Bella's past to emotionally manipulate Billy's son in order to cause him to phase.

"But he's okay?" Billy asked, his eyes weary.

Sam nodded. "We finally got him back on two legs a few hours ago. He's still angry about it all, but he'll be okay."

Okay.

Sam knew that in itself was a lie. None of them would ever be okay. Knowing that you had the power to turn into a monster that could kill vampire was never okay. For Sam, it helped that he had Emily; she kept him grounded and reminded him that he was still a gentle man who was loved and could love. Jared had also found that same thing within a young girl he knew at school named Kim, but as for Embry, Paul and Jacob, they were just surviving, living a life, day to day that they'd replay over and over for the rest of their lives. They would lie and tell people that they were fine, but they all knew that deep down, the life-long responsibility would take a toll on them emotionally . Thankfully, the small pack had each other. Although they'd never verbally express their concerns and worries, they all shared the same thoughts; the same fears - Being alone and rejected for who they really were.

A weak smile graced Billy's face, as he seemed to know that Sam wasn't being as candid as he hoped. But this was something for him to hold onto.

His son was alive.

"Thanks, Sam."

Sam paused, considering whether it was best to inform Jacob's father of something that he had seen in his mind. It had been agreed upon once Paul had phased that thoughts that were shared within the pack stayed within the pack. While Sam, Paul, Jared and Embry were on their way to being able to control the images and thoughts that they shared with each other, Jacob's mind was still an open book. They had all seen his affection for Bella and witnessed uncensored images from his mind and their past conversations, so Sam was aware of how deep Jacob's relationship went with Bella; a little more than he cared to know.

"Before he phased, Jacob talked to Bella on the phone..."

"What? Are you sure that was a good idea?" Harry quickly interjected. "He could have said something."

"I was right there," Sam said, a bitter slap within his words. "And considering Jacob was in a lot of pain and his life was about to change, I allowed it."

Sam looked to Billy, his eyes softening.

"Jake was and is really...really concerned about Bella," he told him before he sighed. "We had detected a Cullen near our land and Jared followed it up towards Bella's house before it disappeared back down the road towards their old place."

"They're back?" Billy asked, the colour draining from his face knowing ultimately it could lead to a lot more wolves phasing.

"It was only one and it's staying away from our land," Sam replied. "But I've had to order Jacob to stay on the reservation and not to run to Forks to check on Bella himself. Right now, he's still volatile and I'm not going to allow him to be near her or anyone for the next few days."

Billy knew that Sam's mind went back to Emily, and her scars. As much as Billy was eager to see Jacob, he knew that the Sam wasn't going to allow what happened to Emily to happen to anyone else.

"I think if you could check to ensure that Bella is okay, Jake would appreciate it."

"I can do that," Harry suddenly admitted softly to Sam. "Charlie and I are going fishing in the morning. I'll call you to let you know."

While Billy thanked Harry, Sam nodded. He was about to turn to leave but stopped short.

"You'd be proud of him, Billy," Sam said. "He's been the fastest one to get back onto two legs yet."

"It must be the Alpha within him," Harry stated softly, while Sam nodded thoughtfully.

"He's agreed to train beside me until the time that he's ready to take the position. It'll take some time, but he'll get it soon enough. He's a natural."

While Sam walked back towards the treeline, Billy was certain that he saw movement behind it. Knowing that Jacob could quite possibly be hidden within the shadows, he smiled weakly.

"I am proud of you, Jacob," he said softly. "I love you, my boy."

Sam seemed to glance back over his shoulder before he darted into the woods, almost giving Billy the assurance that his son had heard the words he had spoken softly. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough.

True to his word, Harry had gotten back to Sam. He had not only seen Bella but had talked to her. She had made no mention to the Cullen's having visited her house but had only spoken about her concern for Jacob. Harry had done his best to assure her that it was just mono. He saw her face contort with the explanation.

"That doesn't make sense," Bella had told him, obviously familiar with the symptoms of mono, much to Harry's displeasure. He had only come to ensure that she was fine, not discuss Jacob's presumed condition that Billy had been telling people he had.

"Maybe we should get you tested then, Bells," Charlie teased her with a wink, knowing full well that mono could be transmitted by way of kissing.

Bella blushed before Charlie began talking to Harry about whether or not he was all packed up and ready to leave to go fishing. While Harry left the house under the presumption to check the truck to ensure everything was there, he quicky called Emily and relayed the message that Sam would have been waiting for. Later that evening, the news finally got back to Jacob.

"This is fucking bull shit, Sam! You can't keep me away from her when there are fucking Cullen's around her!"

Jacob seethed as he paced within the safe confines of the forest. It had been a long twenty four hours since Jacob had finally phased back and he wasn't impressed with Sam's Alpha order to keep him away from Bella. Although he knew that Bella was fine, the wolf within wasn't pleased to know that Cullen's were near her and he wasn't able to protect her from them. Sam stood as rigid and strong as he has ever been, his arms crossed authoritatively in front of him. Jared and Embry stood around while Paul snickered, seeming to enjoy watching the newest member of the pack about to blow his top once again.

"Feels good to get angry at the bastard, doesn't it?" Paul egged Jacob on with a smirk.

"Paul, cut the shit!" Sam exclaimed warningly with a growl. "If you cause him to phase again, you get to take his patrol rotation and babysit him until he's back on two legs."

"Fuck," Paul mumbled, knowing Sam's threat was legit. The last thing he wanted was to experience Jacob's overwhelming thoughts of Bella once again, as hot as it was to see short glimpses of her naked body through Jacob's mind. But it began to seem like it would be inevitable as he watched Jacob's form vibrate while Sam turned back to the angry shape shifter.

"Jake, you know why," Sam told him, his voice calm. "It isn't safe for her to be around you right now."

"Just give it a few more days," Embry added, happy to have his friend back in his life despite the new realities of their world.

Sam sighed and nodded.

"I'll lift the order once I can see that you can control your temper and your phasing. I don't like doing this to you."

"Like hell you don't," Jacob said with a snarl. "I know you had been watching me for months, waiting for your chance to order me around like one of your faithful puppy dogs there."

Jacob gestured to where Paul, Jared and Embry stood. While Embry felt dejected at the insult, Paul growled and Jared bared his teeth at him in warning.

"Easy!" He shouted at the pair, before looking back at Jacob, having more confidence in Paul and Jared to control themselves than Jacob right now.

Sam turned to Jacob, seeing as he seethed at him, his chest heaving in anger.

"Is this about Bella or about me ordering you around."

"Maybe a little of both," Jacob admitted bitterly. It was strange having Sam order him around, even before he told him that although he wasn't the first to phase, he was still destined to become the leader of the pack. Something burned within him whenever Sam would order him.

"Alpha is your birthright," Sam told him, "and like I told you before, I'll give it to you once you're ready and as for controlling your anger to see Bella, just give it time. You'll see her again."

Jared snorted. "I'd be careful though and not get your hopes up. She isn't Quileute. I don't think you'll imprint, Jake."

Imprinting was still a very strange concept to all of them. While Jared and Sam had already experienced it and the others had seen through their minds the overwhelming emotions associated with it, they still weren't certain what was the purpose behind it. While Sam liked the fact that Emily seemed to keep him emotionally grounded in the human world, for Jared, it was simply a physical need to be connected to someone intimately to remind him of who he was. His imprint, Kim, was completley receptive to it, having already having a crush on him for months prior. The elders simply believed that due to the nature of the imprints both having Quileute genes, that the purpose was for procreating.

Because of Bella's lack of Quileute genes, it was obvious that it was unlikely that Jacob would be imprinting on her and they all knew it.

"I'll take my chances," Jacob snapped.

"With a fuckin' leech lover?" Paul exclaimed with a chuckle. "I wouldn't take my chances on her." He laughed before he added. "Hey Jake! How does it feel to know you fucked a bloodsuckers reject?"

That did it.

Jacob's skin exploded as bones shifted and fur covered his body.

"Dammit! Paul!" Jared shouted, just as Paul phased, eager to take on Jacob's wolf. Jacob was slightly larger than Paul due to his heritage but that simply caused Paul to want to challenge him all the more.

Paul snapped at Jacob's neck, as he quickly turned at him, going for his legs.

Sam sighed.

So much for controlling his temper, he thought before he phased to join the pair and to put an end to their argument.

Both Jared and Embry watched on. With a smirk, Embry elbowed Jared.

"I've got $10 that Jake get's two good bites on him before Sam breaks it up."

Despite knowing that Jacob was fast, and his anger was propelling him to severely injure Paul, Jared wasn't about to back down.

Jared smiled and nodded. "You're on."