Chapter 2! So, for those of you who've made it this far, I commend you, I know I write too much :S Anyway, thank you so much for reading!

Leah

Damn Paul and his stupid imprint. We don't need another lovesick puppy around here. Ugh. First Sam, then Jared, then Jacob, and now Paul. Those idiots. I walk around my room, furious at life. Seth is still with the leeches and now I'm going to have Paul's thoughts of having sex with his imprint invade my mind. I don't need anymore nasty thoughts in my head.

So far the girls that the other pack members have imprinted on have been stupid and I have no interest in getting close to them. Somewhere, deep inside my heart, a small flame of hope that this girl could actually be my friend burns. But I quickly squash that hope. She's probably some ditzy girl that has a hot body. Paul has always been kind of a playboy.

I glance at the clock. One in the morning. A tap on my window interrupts my thoughts. I go over and open it. Collin smiles up at me.

"Why are you so happy?" I growl. Collin drops his smile and runs his hand through his short, cropped hair.

"Nice to see you too Leah. Sam wants everyone. It's urgent," Collin replies with a tired grin.

"What is it? Oh, hell no, is it about Paul imprinting?" I demand grumpily. Collin nods.

"Okay, gimme a sec," I walk back into my room and begin stripping. It doesn't even matter anymore. Once naked, I climb out the window and phase. Collin is a little embarrassed, but I know that he's already seen all of me. Heck, everyone in the pack has seen all of me. It's just a wonderful little gift that the fucking universe decided to give the Quileutes.

We run deep into the woods and meet with the rest of the pack. Our minds connecting, I see each and every one of their thoughts. Some I'd rather not see at all. But Sam quickly draws us to attention.

Listen everyone! Paul has imprinted.

Yea, no duh. I chime in.

Leah! Shut up! Jared growls.

Jared, go to hell! I snap back.

Both of you be quiet! Sam quiets us with an echoing snarl.

Yes Sam. We both respond.

Okay. So, there's a complication with the leeches. I'm not sure if leeches imprint, but somehow Jasper made a connection with the same girl. Sam grimly informs us.

That's ridiculous. How is that even possible? Embry asks, whimpering at the thought of a new war between the wolves and the vampires.

I'm not sure. But it's bad; I don't know how we're going to resolve this one. Sam shakes his head solemnly.

A new mind joins us.

Paul! Where have you been? Sam says harshly. But as soon as Paul thinks it, we all know.

You went to her house? And the leeches were there too? Sam growls in anger.

I had too. You of all people should know that. Replies Paul, testing Sam's patience as far as he can. I wince at the mention of Sam and his imprint, my cousin Emily.

Yea the stupid leeches were there. That blonde one was acting weird. Paul races toward us, talking to us through our minds.

We know. We think he's 'imprinted' in his own way on her. Quil tells him. We hear Paul give a howl of anger.

That leech won't lay a finger on her. I'll rip him to shreds. I won't let him touch her! Paul snarls as he gets closer to us.

Of course you won't. You big, brave puppy-dog. I sneer sarcastically at him.

Quit it Leah. With Jacob and Seth at the leeches-erm, I mean Cullens, we need everyone to cooperate. Says Sam. I nod and stay quiet.

Um, Sam? Collin asks hesitantly.

Yes, what? Responds Sam. He sounds tired.

They go to school together. I heard about a transfer student. I had no idea it was her though.

What? Who? Asks Sam, his head snapping to attention.

The leech and… and Paul's imprint. Replies Collin, cowering under Paul's ominous thoughts.

Paul's furious howl rips through the dark night.

Valerie

So tired. Sleep is all I can think about as I drive Trevor and I to school. I only got an hour of sleep last night. The noises and the memories of the giant wolf haunted me through the darkness. So, I basically feel like crap. And its Tuesday. Oh joy, another day of the week. Trevor is talkative as ever and I drown him out. We get to school and go to our separate classes. I can feel the bags under my eyes grow larger by the hour. Chemistry, English, Trigonometry, so boring! I'm so tired. By the time lunch comes I've almost fallen asleep in all of my classes.

I get a plate of spaghetti and buy a coke, hoping to get my sugar-level up. I quickly give up eating. Being sleepy makes me feel kind of nauseous. Instead, I nurse my aching head and set it down on the cool, cafeteria table. I ignore the four other people at the end of the table. So far the only people who've I've actually talked to have been a couple of girls and some guys. I sigh against the table. I miss D.C. But it's okay. It's better here in Forks. I shouldn't be focusing on friends anyway. I need to support Trevor.

"You're doing a wonderful job of inspecting that tabletop," a smooth, silky voice cuts into my thoughts.

"Thank you. I do my best to make sure I inspect each of the tables. This one, as you can see, has needed even closer inspection-"

"Thus the head-on-the-table, right?" The voice laughs. It sounds like the sweetest music I've ever heard, but I'm too nervous to lift my head from the table.

"May I join you?" The voice inquires. Persistent.

"Um, sure," I reply shyly. I slowly lift my head from the table. Unfortunately, this isn't some romantic head lift and meet for the first time kind of thing, my forehead and cheek sticks to the plastic table and I have to pull my head up quickly. I gingerly pat my sore forehead and feel my cheeks growing red. I hear a chuckle from beside me.

My hair has fallen in front of my eyes and I peek through them. Sitting beside me is the blonde guy from yesterday. His eyes are an amber and golden shade and his blonde hair reflects the pale, almost nonexistent light coming through the cafeteria windows. He smiles a stunning smile and laughs again. I smile sheepishly.

"Hi."

"Hello. It's nice to finally see your face," the guy smiles another dazzling smile.

"Sorry about that," I cover my yawn with my hands. The guy looks at me worriedly.

"Are you ok?" he places his hand on my cheek. It's surprisingly cold, and I'm about to tell him that he's being a little forward, but the coolness of his hand feels great against my feverish skin. Missing my sleep really screws up my day. The guy's eyes widen and he removes his hand.

"You didn't even flinch," he remarks softly.

"I… I guess I didn't," I admit with a yawn. My eyes seem to want to close on their own.

"You look tired. You should go home," says the guy kindly.

"Skip on the second day of school? Tsk, tsk," I laugh, but it's a slurred, almost drunken sounding reply.

"Come on, you'll have plenty more days of school to make up for today," insists the guy. He takes my arm and leads me to the parking lot. I drag my bag along with me, hardly knowing what's happening. I get obediently into the passenger's side of the front, while the guy gets in front. I feel the car move beneath me, but I just close my eyes and let my exhaustion take over.

A bump and a muffled noise. I blink. I'm in my room. But I'm not standing or sitting. I look down and see strong, pale arms holding me. I look up. Amber and gold eyes meet mine. A small smile forms on the guy's face.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" I shake my head. The guy sets me gently on my bed and takes a step back. His eyes have grown a shade or two darker. Weird. But I'm too tired to think about it.

"Trevor," my voice is hoarse from sleep.

"Who?" The guy leans in. He is intoxicating. I blink again.

"My brother… I need… I need to get him from school," I struggle to get up.

"No!" The pale, cold guy pushes me back onto the bed. The breath is knocked from my chest and my bed creaks in protest. A mortified look comes over the guy.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" He pulls me into a hug. "It's okay," I say, my voice is muted by his shirt. He pulls away.

"I'll never hurt you. I'm sorry," he apologizes again. I nod and lay back on my bed. "I'll make sure your brother gets home from school," adds the guy with a smile. He gives me one last gorgeous smile and starts to leave.

"Wait," my voice is hoarse, but somehow he manages to hear me.

"Yes?"

"Who are you?" I hear a quiet laugh and the guy shifts by the door.

"Jasper, Jasper Cullen." I murmur something unintelligible even to me and drift off to sleep. The last thing I hear is Jasper's silky voice.

"Goodbye my dear Valerie."

Jasper

She smelled amazing. Enthralling. Her scent pulled me closer. Finally, I couldn't resist. I had to go talk to her during lunch. But, when I got into the cafeteria, the conversation hadn't gone exactly as I'd planned. I'd worked really hard to calm down and not get pulled in by her scent. It was like she was a clear pond of water on my desert island. The moment I saw her I felt something lift from within me. I felt awful about Alice. I'd loved her, as much as a vampire can love. But this girl, Valerie, I knew I needed her. What I felt for her was more than love. It was as if I'd die without her.

I kept myself in check all during the drive to her house. I tried not to think about how delicious she smelled. But when I lifted her from her seat and felt how delicate and beautiful she was, I nearly lost it. Edward had said that it wasn't a good idea to be close to her while I was so unstable. I couldn't do it. I needed to feel her in my arms. Her house was small, and it looked as if she was living there with her and her brother. I wonder where her parents are.

I ponder this as I run home. The sun has tried in vain to break through the clouds, but luckily it wasn't strong enough to reveal my skin. It would have scared her, if she saw my skin sparkle in the sunlight. I don't know what would've happened. How can I explain this to her? And then there's the wolf. Just thinking about him makes my anger rise up. That mongrel can't have her. I growl at the thought of him embracing her. I won't let him. She's mine.

Valerie

The sun had finally come out. Thank you! The week has gone by uneventfully. I saw the Cullens a couple of times, but it was like they disappeared as soon as the clouds left. It's Friday, and after some begging, I agree to go into town with Trevor. He was a little suspicious of my skipping school on Tuesday, but after I explained what happened, he just rolled his eyes at me. He had ended up getting a ride home from a friend.

School ends and Trevor and I get in our truck. We're going to meet some friends of Trevor's at a small café in the center of town. It's only four o'clock by the time we drop our bags off at home and drive into town, so we wander and explore the various shops and stores. I go into a bead store while Trevor crosses the street and looks at a tourist-y store. I watch as he chats with the girl at the counter. She giggles and flips her hair. I roll my eyes.

I walk through the stands of beads and jewelry. A lot of it is Native American stuff. My fingers graze against a leather bracelet. It's pretty. Metal beads twist around a leaf-like pattern. I try it on. It really is very nice. But I shouldn't waste money on things like a bracelet. I sigh sadly and put it back in its place.

"That bracelet looked nice," a low voice says. I whip around. A tall, bronze-skinned guy leans against the wall opposite of me. He's wearing shorts, a t-shirt, and sneakers that have seen better days. His hair is cropped short and I can't help but notice his muscles. He grins at me and I look away shyly.

"Why aren't you going to buy it?" He straightens up and strolls over to stand beside me. I gulp. There's something about him that just makes me want to close the space between us. But I can't. I don't even know who he is.

"I- I shouldn't waste money on something that I don't really need," I stammer, peeking at him through my hair. He smirks and examines the bracelet.

"Here, then I'll buy it for you," he grabs my wrist and slips the leather bracelet on. His hands are warm, really warm.

"Oh, no! I can't let you do that! It's fine, really," I am about to pull the bracelet off, when he snatches my hand away. His skin against mine feels like its on fire. I take a step back, not because I'm startled, but because I don't want him to have to pay for the bracelet.

My foot catches on one of the metal poles of a postcard rack. I feel myself falling backward. I see the metal of the card rack glint in the light and I feel a sting against my arm. But before I can hit the ground, fiery hands grab my arm. It all happens so fast that before I know it, I've landed on top of the guy and there are postcards scattered all around the floor. The store clerk grumbles angrily but turns back to another customer.

"I'm s-s-s-o sorry!" I stutter embarrassedly. I look up and see the guy wincing. Our bodies are on top of each other. I feel his breathing and feel the warmth of his skin. He sits up and I fall once again on the floor. I land hard on my thigh. Ouch. I glance at the guy. He's sitting in the middle of the floor laughing.

"Why are you laughing?" I demand, rubbing my sore thigh.

"You just looked so funny," the guy chokes in between his laughter. I glare at him. Jerk.

"Fine, well it was nice meeting you. I'm going now," I gather my pride and stand. A burning hand pulls me back down.

"Hey!" I fight to pull away from him.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have laughed," they guy stares earnestly at me. I'm kneeling next to him and we're just inches apart. My heart beats faster.

"It's okay, but I really do need to go." The guy reaches up and tucks a loose strand of hair back behind my ear, for some reason I'm not creeped out by this total stranger doing that to me. He gazes at me with a kindness that I've never seen before.

"Let me at least buy the bracelet for you," he chuckles.

"No, you shouldn't" I protest. The guy rolls his eyes and starts gathering the postcards from the floor.

"It was on my to-do list anyway. 'Buy a pretty girl a bracelet'. I can show you the list if you want," he jokes mildly.

"Yea right," I stare at him skeptically. He smirks at me and flips a postcard back on the rack.

"Fine, then you have to make it up to me," he says stubbornly.

"No, I do not," I reply just as stubborn. Something flares in the guy's eyes but he quickly shakes his head and is back to normal.

"Okay, if you won't pay me back, then how about I just invite you to a bonfire," he grins down at me. I pause, postcards still in my hands.

"A bonfire?" I ask incredulously.

"Yep. It's on the La Push reservation. I want you to come," he looks at me pleadingly.

"I don't even know who you are," I reply hesitantly.

"Well, then, I'm Paul," he smiles and extends his hand toward me. I take it and we shake hands.

"I'm Valerie," I say.

"So now we know each other. Come to the bonfire," Paul insists. His hand still holds mine. I blush and realize that I really like holding his fiery hand.

"Val! Val! Where are yo-uuu?" Trevor bounds into the room. He stops when he sees me holding Paul's hand. I quickly pull away and put the last postcard back in its section.

"Um, Valerie, I just called Eliza and she said that we have to cancel tonight's plans. Mariah, Ben, and Wess are all sick! It's crazy," Trevor babbles on. Paul gets up and dusts off his pants.

"So, who's this?" Trevor eyes Paul warily. I snap back into focus.

"Trev, this is Paul. Paul, this is my brother Trevor," I quickly introduce them. They shake hands.

"So, your plans are cancelled? Great! You can both come then," says Paul. Trevor looks confused. "There's a bonfire tonight on the La Push reservation. It's at eight o'clock and you're both invited," clarifies Paul. Trevor nods and looks at me expectantly. I knew from the second Paul mentioned it; Trevor would want to go. I roll my eyes and sigh.

"Okay, we'll go," I give in. Paul grins and Trevor beams in excitement.

"I'll pick you two up at seven thirty," says Paul.

"Come on Trev, let's go," I grab his arm and start pulling him out the door.

"Bye!" Trevor waves to Paul, but he's already gone. Strange guy I think and shake my head.

Paul

Idiot! I'm a freaking idiot! First, I let her fall. She didn't seem to notice the scratch on her arm, but I should've protected her. Then, I dump her on the floor again. I've already hurt her twice. How much of an asshole can I be? I fume angrily at myself while I run back to La Push. It should've been different, but I was so caught up in her beauty that I couldn't think straight.

I'm supposed to take care of her. I shouldn't have let her fall. Ugh. Life sucks. I continue running until I get to Sam and Emily's. Emily has made a big batch of cookies and I race through the door. Grabbing four, I start eating.

"Geez, Paul, those cookies aren't going to run away on you. Slow down," laughs Embry.

"Shut it Embry," I growl and throw one of the cookies at his head. He easily swats it away.

"Guys! No food fights," Emily reprimands us. We look guiltily at her and I resume munching on the delicious chocolate chip cookies.

"So, what happened. Why are you so moody? Miss your daily facial scrub?" Jokes Jacob.

"Oh, I see you're back from the leech den. No wonder you smell so nasty," I reply with a grin.

"Oh my god just shut up!" Leah comes through the door.

"Nice to see you too sunshine," I smirk at her and she rolls her eyes at me.

"Paul, did you see her again?" Asks Sam.

"Yes. I couldn't help it." I say, not in the least bit guilty.

"I told you to not do anything. Not until we get this whole leech thing figured out," replies Sam sternly.

"There's nothing to figure out! I'm not going to let him touch her," I say, feeling my anger begin again.

"It's not that simple," adds Seth. Little Seth, he's grown so much. I feel a twinge of regret for what he's had to go through. But I quickly focus back on the topic at hand.

"Damn. It's like Jacob and Bella all over again!" Exclaims Jared, throwing his hands in the air. Jacob throws him a halfhearted glare.

"It won't have the same outcome," I growl through gritted teeth. "Not if I have anything to do about it."

"And what if she doesn't love you?" Jacob challenges. I see a slight look of pain at the memories. He's one to talk. He now has that freaky vampire-human thing to love.

"She has to."

"Or what?" Jacob pushes.

"Or I don't know if I can survive," I say grimly.

End of chapter 2! How did you like it? what should happen next? I'm planning on a few more encounters with Jasper and Paul, and then a surprise! *oooh surprises!* o.0

thank you for reading!