Author's note: Chapter 30-say what?! When I began this story, I never expected it to be this long, so thanks to every single one of you, who have faved, followed, reviewed or all three! I'm amazed so many people like this so much, as writing is still pretty new for me, but, I enjoy doing it so much that I can't describe how happy it makes me to know so many people out there love it.

Anyway, that's enough babble from me-here's the latest update for you all to read and (fingers crossed) enjoy. :)

Chapter thirty

I was beyond exhausted. The effort required to open my eyes that morning had been comparable to the energy an athlete needed to compete in a triathlon. At times, it was enough to make me almost regret my decision the night before. However, the throbbing that erupted between my legs whenever I walked was enough to remind me why it was so worth it. I may have been tired, but it was for a damn good reason and, even in the midst of such unknown danger, the smile just refused to be banished from my lips.

"You'll have crow's feet to match a woman my age, if you don't stop smiling, Isabella."

I looked over my shoulder at Esme, who followed her remark with a cheeky wink and it only served to widen the grin on my face, as well as bring a flush of colour to my cheeks. I was sitting on a stool by the seldom used breakfast counter in the kitchen, drinking the remainder of my coffee, as I waited for Alice to tell me she was ready to go.

Carlisle had only left a few minutes ago for work and I was counting down the hours, minutes and seconds until I could see him again. With any luck, the hospital wouldn't ask him to stay on any longer than seven, so we would have most of the evening together and, even though it would be spent going through the mountain of issues we had to discuss, I was still relishing the prospect of spending time with him.

Esme leaned back, her elbows resting beside me on the counter, as she also waited for Alice. Today was her first day of work at Port Angeles High School and she looked understatedly sophisticated, wearing a simple white blouse and black trousers that fitted her enviable figure like a second skin. Coupled with her heart-shaped face and billows of soft, caramel hair, she resembled an ingénue of the silent-movie era and I could predict her math class quickly becoming very popular with her male pupils. I was left wondering, yet again, why she hadn't managed to find a mate for herself, as I couldn't imagine even other vampires finding it easy to resist her natural charms.

"All set for today?" I asked her. Although she had the experience few could match, it had been a while since she last taught a class and, through her dazzling smile, I could detect a hint of apprehension, hiding behind the excitement.

"I believe so," she replied. "I'm not sure I will actually do any teaching today, as the current teacher has just under a month left. I believe I'm going to play the role of assistant, to help introduce me to the class, before I take over. Fingers crossed I don't screw it up," she joked, overlapping the middle finger of her left hand with the forefinger.

"I'm sure you'll be fine," I reassured, believing my own words one hundred percent.

"Then I shall endeavour to be worthy of your faith," she stated, dramatically.

I chuckled. "Will you be able to have lunch with me and Alice?"

"I have no idea what my hours are, so will have to let you know," she explained, before moving over to the other end of the counter and picking up her handbag.

Alice entered the kitchen moments later, car keys in hand and the handle of a large handbag resting in the crook of her arm.

"Ready?" she checked, gracing the pair of us with a brilliant smile.

In some ways, it felt as though the events of the past week hadn't happened, as there was no palpable feeling of anxiety in the air. However, I could see in the corners of Esme's smile and the glimmer of Alice's large eyes that they were definitely still troubled. I tried really hard not to comment on it or ask about their plans, as, if this was their way of coping, I didn't want to do anything to aggravate their worries. Unfortunately, my own trepidation lacked a certain empathy for others.

"Alice," I began, a little unsure about bringing the topic up. "I don't want to bring the mood down or anything, but, are...are you sure it's safe for us all to...y'know...go to work and everything?"

The petite creature looked at me, carefully studying my face, before answering. "It's alright," she insisted, squeezing my arm and offering a gentle smile of reassurance. "I'm keeping my closest eye on everyone and, to be honest, we're probably safest in Port Angeles, surrounded by people. Even if the Volturi did come, they wouldn't dare do anything to cause a scene."

Her words both reassured, yet terrified me, but, I tried my best to paint an expression of belief onto my face. Esme came up from behind and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"Isabella, we all promise to do everything we possibly can to ensure your safety."

"I know," I said, hugging her waist in return. "I guess I'm just being what Carlisle would call a worrywart."

"Oh no," declared Alice, wagging her finger disapprovingly. "If you're going to start talking like him, then you two are no longer allowed to see each other."

"Alice Brandon," interjected Esme. "The day you can chastise others about archaic speech is the day you stop committing the crime, yourself. I'm pretty sure I heard you tell Jasper he was talking pure applesauce yesterday."

"A slip of the tongue," Alice insisted airily, waving a dismissive hand in the air. "And we have jobs to get to."

Throwing another wink my way, Esme followed her to the door and I trailed behind in third place, surprised when something very familiar caught my eye. It was resting on the floor beneath the coat rack and I inched closer, before picking it up and frowning in confusion. How had my bag got here? I unzipped it and peeked inside, to find all my necessary belongings present and felt a brush of air against the back of my neck, which signalled Alice's hasty approach.

"You're welcome," she said, before recommencing her journey towards the front door.

"Did you break into my house?" I asked in disbelief, arching an eyebrow.

"I didn't think you would be too opposed to a little breaking and entering," she answered over her shoulder. "As long as I provided you with the items necessary for you to carry out your day."

I couldn't help but laugh and shake my head, as we headed for Alice's canary coloured vehicle, which was already parked outside. When had she done that? Esme was already stood beside the front passenger door and the moment the light flashed on the car keys, signalling that the doors were unlocked, she clasped the handle and called out shotgun. I laughed again, loving the occasional moments of immaturity the usually unerringly demure Esme Platt displayed. I seated myself in the back seat and, once we were all settled and buckled, let Esme pull down her sun visor, before poking my tongue out for her to see in the mirror. She responded with a superior flick of the hair, before pushing the visor back up and the car's engine purred into life.

"Immaturity does not become you, Isabella," she remarked.

"Nor you, Ms Platt," I countered.

"I am merely getting into the mindset of my students," she said. "You, however, have no such excuse."

I poked my tongue out a second time, a gesture she quickly returned, before the Porsche began to make its way out of the driveway.

000

My shift passed far too slowly and I blamed Carlisle for that. How dare he be such wonderful company that every moment apart from him became a seemingly unending torture? Esme had been unable to have lunch with Alice and I, but, Jasper was there to take her place. It was the first time I'd seen him since the altercation with Edward and his posture was slightly stiffer than usual, his eyes flying to the diner door every time someone entered. He was acting like a security guard and, when he decided to sit on one of the benches near the bookstore, I realised it be exactly what he was.

Very eventually, the end of my shift came and I threw a goodbye to Jerry over my shoulder, as I fled Thunderbird and Whale, to catch my ride home with Alice. Esme was relegated to the back seat this time, as Jasper had claimed shotgun by already being sat in the front seat. The journey home was filled with Esme's account of her first day of work and I listened, happy to see the enthusiasm light up her face, as we returned to Forks.

I had at least an hour left before Carlisle finished his shift and Jasper was to continue his guard duties, but, before we could exit the vehicle, he told all of us to stay where we were.

"What is it?" Esme asked, peering out her window.

"Someone's waiting outside Bella's house," Jasper explained, in a deep, cautious drawl.

"Vampire or human?" Alice queried.

I couldn't quite hear his reply, but, it soundly faintly like he said 'neither'. I knew that couldn't be right because, unless there was some other breed of supernatural creature that turned out not to be the myth I'd always believed, there was nothing else the visitor could be.

Glancing through the windshield, my eyes zeroed in on the figure leaning against a motorbike and the mode of transportation betrayed the stranger's identity immediately. Even without the bike, the owner was unmistakable and I felt my pulse quicken, as I wondered why Jacob Black was here.

"It's alright," I said, grasping the car's door handle. "It's Jacob."

Esme laid a gentle hand on my arm, halting my progress. "Are you sure?" she asked. "Didn't you two have a fight last time you saw one another?"

"Yeah," I replied. "But, we've had fights before and he's not going to hit me or anything. At worst, we'll end up figuratively ripping each other's heads off."

Her eyes met Jasper's in the rear view mirror and I could sense she was asking for his opinion on the matter. He was silent for a moment and, outside, Jacob's impatience was becoming visible.

"Park round the corner," Jasper instructed Alice. "I'll stay here with Bella. Our presence here has wound him up enough already, but, he might relax a little with just one of us around."

I wasn't sure that would be an altogether good idea, but, knew there was no way any of them would leave me completely out of their sight, so, I nodded my reluctant approval when he looked over his shoulder at me, to ask my permission.

I climbed out the car first, with Jasper a very close second and heard the screech of tyres on asphalt, as the yellow Porsche made its exit. Jacob had taken a couple of steps away from his motorbike and I noticed his fists clench when he saw who was behind me. The tension building in the air was almost enough to make me choke, tempting me to tell one of the two men to leave and I didn't care who. I'd had enough antagonism to last a lifetime.

"Can we talk?" Jacob asked, getting straight to business, without as much as a half-hearted pleasantry. His eyes narrowed at Jasper. "Alone."

"I'm going wherever Bella goes," Jasper announced coolly.

"Got yourself a little guard dog, I see," Jacob remarked with a sneer.

"You'd know more about that than anyone," the southern vampire retorted, although his voice remained calm and collected.

I wasn't in the mood to play piggy in the middle to any arguments, so held my hands up. "Jacob, if you want to talk, just do it. Whether Jasper's here or not won't matter."

The man mountain crossed his arms defiantly and I could tell he wasn't going to relent. I rolled my eyes with a sigh and let my arms fall to my sides in defeat, the palms slapping against my thighs as they did so. I turned to look at Jasper.

"Are you okay with five minutes?" I asked, giving him an apologetic look.

Jasper took a moment to assess the situation, his own butterscotch gaze narrowing, as it came into contact with Jake. Slowly, he nodded. "Holler if you need me," he said.

I whispered my thanks and watched as he walked away, rounding the corner of the street so he was no longer in sight. My face whipped back round to the irritating boy ahead, who had allowed a small degree of smugness to creep into his expression. I wasn't having any of that.

"What the Hell do you want, you almighty pain in the ass?" I near enough hurled the question at him, rather than asked.

"What I'd really like is to say "I told you so"," he replied with equal ferocity. "But, think the circumstances speak for themselves."

"So, you've come to gloat, is that it?" I didn't have time for his crap, there were far more important things to deal with.

"No, I came to try and work out what's wrong with your brain," he said, taking a step closer. "And to hear from you exactly what's going on."

"Don't you already know? Carlisle spoke to Sam yesterday."

"Oh, we have the Leech's side of the story," Jacob explained and anger flared inside me at the insulting sobriquet. "But, I wanna hear it from you. Their dead faces are hard to read, but, with yours, it's easy to know if you're lying."

"Why would Carlisle be lying?"

Jacob shrugged. "There are a million reasons, given that we're not exactly on the best of terms. If he's told the truth, fair enough, but, I won't know for sure until I get the whole story from you."

"Well, what did he say?" I asked.

"Nope, you're not covering for him this time. You go first and I'll tell you if your stories match."

I couldn't believe this. He was standing there, acting like a goddamn cop, treating me and Carlisle like the criminals, when we'd done nothing wrong. Why couldn't he do something useful, like, I don't know, keep an eye out for creepy vampires that were planning to kill us? Wasn't that his job, after all? I was tempted to be stubborn and tell Jacob to simply fuck off. He was the one who'd dropped me in the first place, so why should I give him anything? However, I knew Jake's obstinacy could easily match-and, sometimes, outdo-mine, so, in the end, decided to give him what he wanted.

"To cut a long story short," I began. "An old friend of the coven has come to investigate the Seattle Ripper murders, but, along the way, realised that I'm aware of the existence of vampires. Basically, he's not happy and Carlisle's expecting him to make an issue out of it, so, he's asking you guys for help should things get bad. Does that fit with what the-" I made quotation marks with my fingers. "-leech told you?"

"Pretty much," he confirmed, although I could tell it annoyed him slightly.

A moment of silence hung between us, but, it was quickly broken.

"Well, that clears up one thing," Jacob murmured. "But, it only makes your brain's dysfunction ten times worse."

"Gee, and I was here thinking you might actually enjoy being right, for once," I replied, tartly.

"So, you admit it?" The surprise on his face was genuine and the ground separating us became a step shorter again.

I let out another sigh. I really was far too exhausted for this conversation. "Sure, why not?"

"Let me get this straight," he said, taking a third advancing step. "Are you admitting I was right about your life being in danger around them?"

"I'm sure a lawyer will gladly put it in writing for you," I offered, my words loaded with so much sarcasm, that it was a wonder they managed to leave my tongue.

A flare of sudden rage lit up Jacob's eyes, then and a furious scowl buckled his brow.

"Then why the fuck are you still with them?" he roared, perplexity and exasperation swimming in his eyes and across his face.

"Because it's not their fault," I shot back, knowing it would never suffice as an explanation, but, also knowing I couldn't even begin to explain my relationship with Carlisle to him.

"Of course it is!" he cried, the space quickly evaporating between us. "They know the rules and the consequences of breaking them-"

"They didn't tell me," I interrupted, standing my ground, even though a part of me wanted to shrink away from his gigantic form. "I found myself after Carlisle saved my life, a little fact you keep ignoring!" I was sure that argument would work in my favour. However, Jacob was determined to fight against it.

"Yeah, he saved you, only to condemn you later by not leaving, as they should have."

"They didn't think anyone would find out. They didn't even know Edward was coming here until he actually arrived."

"No. But, there was always a risk. One they chose to ignore every time you went cavorting with Dr Fang and the Bloodsucker Gang."

"Okay," I held my hands up, having officially had enough. "I can't be bothered to keep arguing with you about this. What's happened has happened and this-" I waggled a finger back and forth between us. "-isn't going to change a thing."

I was ready to head back in the direction Jasper had gone, but, he sidestepped into my path. "You're still defending them, Bella!" Incredulity rang in his voice. "Even after everything they've done, you still can't bring yourself to feel even the slightest bit of resentment towards them?"

"They didn't plan this to happen," I reminded him.

"That doesn't matter!" he insisted. "And, it's not just you in danger, there's Charlie, too. Possibly even Renée. I just don't understand what it is about them that you can't let go."

What if I told you I was in love with one of them? I silently asked. Would you understand, then?

"Do you even care that an army of vampires could suck your dad dry at any moment?"

My own eyes blazed at his comment. It was my turn to get pissed. "Of course I do! I'm terrified about it, but, the Cullens are doing everything they can to avoid that. It's why Carlisle went to see you last night."

"Yeah," Jacob sniffed derisively, crossing his arms again. "Trying to wash his hands of the situation."

"No!" I was outraged that he would even suggest such a thing. "He's ensuring everyone is prepared. Would you rather he hadn't told you?"

"I'd rather him and his rancid clan hadn't set foot anywhere near this place and lost me one of my closest friends!"

"You did that, not them," I said, pointing a finger at his all-too-close chest. I wanted him to leave. His words about Charlie had cut far too close to the bone.

"No, I tried to warn you and you refused to listen. Even now, even after admitting I'm right, you're still ignoring me. Are you completely brain dead or just stubborn? Or, are you so under their sick, disgusting spell, that you can't see the truth that's hitting you in the face?"

"I'm not doing this, Jacob," I replied, trying again to walk away. He didn't sidestep me this time, but, decided to follow instead.

"And still she'd rather defend the ones causing the trouble, than face the "terrible" prospect of a life without Cullens in it."

That prospect immediately made my heart lurch and my step faltered. Jacob noticed and decided to comment.

"What's the matter?" he asked, sneering once again. "Upset at the thought of losing your dearly beloved vamps?" (He had no idea.) "Can't bear the thought of no longer being chauffeur driven to and from work every day?" (Asshole!) "Is the idea of socialising with the human race so depraved to you that you'd rather lay your life on the line, just to avoid it?"

The temperature of my blood was rapidly increasing and I knew it would reach boiling point very soon. Mr High and Mighty was still continuing his verbal barrage, as I reached the end of the driveway and I tried my very best to ignore it, but, it quickly got too much for me. Adding the stress of this conversation to that of everything I'd experienced in the last week was enough to almost cause a mental breakdown. I wanted him to shut up. I wanted to run away and never listen to him speak of the Cullens-of Carlisle-that way ever again. He didn't know what they were like. He had no idea of what Carlisle and I had. How could he? And I was in no position to tell him, because it certainly wouldn't help this situation. I wanted nothing more than to scream at the top of my voice the exact reason why I was unable to walk away from the Cullens and, as Jacob's assault wore on, I found it harder and harder to resist.

"I don't get it!" he continued. "What hold do those things have over you? Even if they were the loveliest people in the world, the moment they compromised the safety of my family, I'd be out of there faster than a bullet."

"They are lovely people," I tried to argue, but, Jacob was seriously losing his temper, now. When someone his size looked close to losing it, you'd have to be an idiot not to be scared and, despite his claims, I wasn't an idiot. Not in that sense anyway.

"They're not people, Bella! They exist to kill people-"

"You're wrong-"

"They hunt people, feed off people and, sometimes, even use them for sport, but, they are not people; they're monsters."

"No-"

"They are not like you; they don't live in the same world as you. Hell, they don't live at all!"

"Stop-"

"They will never be the bosom buddies you seem so desperate for them to be. Why can't you accept that? Why won't you take off those rose-tinted glasses and see them for what they truly are?"

I wanted the questions to stop. Why wouldn't he stop? Why did everything he said have to make so much sense? Not everything, I reasoned, he was wrong about the Cullens. They weren't monsters and never would be.

"Why won't you see that, as long as you are near them, you are moving closer and closer to death? Why isn't that enough reason to leave? What importance to you do those leeches have that makes you willing to sacrifice your own father simply to hang around with them?"

Because I love him.

"How selfish can you be? How can you carry on, knowing that your actions are going to be the death of those you love?"

"Jake-" I gasped, feeling desperate. He didn't realise how deeply his words were cutting me, how hard it was to have my worst fears vocalised so brutally. Tears were starting to well in my eyes, as breathing became more difficult, yet, he continued relentlessly.

"Give me a reason, Bella," he demanded.

"Please-"

"Tell me why you won't leave."

I love him.

"Tell me, so I can get my head around it."

I love him.

"Tell me-"

"I LOVE HIM!"

The words were an agonised howl, as they left my trembling lips. I hadn't meant to release them, hadn't meant for that truth to be vocalised, but his torturous interrogation had snapped my composure. A couple of tears began to run down my cheeks and I fought so hard to keep from breaking down in front of him. Carlisle hadn't wanted the tribe to know about us, in case it influenced their decision and they refused to help, yet, it had only taken a couple of minutes for me to blow it.

The rich, copper skin of Jacob's face had paled several shades and his eyes were wide with shock. He didn't say anything, but his mouth hung open slightly and, had I not seen the expression on his face, the prolonged delay of his response would've made me wonder if he'd even heard me. I was ready to back away and run as fast as I could in the opposite direction, before he could say or do anything, but, Jacob's astonishment began to give way, as his mental functions returned. His mouth closed to form a tight line and his eyes narrowed, as the colour filtered back into his cheeks.

"Who?" he asked, his whisper a deep and dangerous warning of the wrath welling inside him.

I didn't understand the question, which forced him to elaborate.

"Who...are you...in love with?"

The words were forced out through clenched teeth and I didn't want to say. There was no telling what Jacob might do and I couldn't bear to put Carlisle in any more danger than he already was. The answer must have been written in my eyes, however, as Jacob's nostrils flared and I saw the fists clench at his sides, turning the knuckles of his hands a brilliant white.

"Carlisle Cullen?" he spat, his body shifting to move closer, before deciding to remain where he was, as if physically unable to bring himself to be near me. "I'd think it was a joke, if the very thought of that wasn't so repulsive!"

The unreserved revulsion thrown upon me by his eyes was startling. I swear even admitting to being a paedophile would have been better than the revelation I had given. As those dark eyes continued to bore into mine, I saw something I had never expected: he hated me. Gone was the opinion that I was simply an ignorant girl with little instinct for self preservation. Now, I was a traitor, who had willingly offered herself to his adversaries. There was no way I would be forgiven this time and, from now on, we were nothing more than enemies.

"I-I-" I didn't know what I was trying to say. I just wanted to say something, offer some kind of defence, but, my attempts were futile.

"You're sick!" he declared, his voice a whisper once more and, for a brief second, something about his face changed. It was gone as suddenly as it had appeared, which made me unsure I'd even seen anything. "You have become the lowest form of life, as far as I'm concerned. You might as well start digging your grave, because death is all you're gonna find on this road you're travelling. Even if he changed you, you'd become a vile, bloodthirsty monster, just like the rest of them and, if not, you'll be nothing more than a leech's whore."

His verbal abuse began to melt away my own shock, to be replaced by anger. How dare he speak to me that way? Who the fuck did he think he was to pass judgement on others? He didn't own me, or know anything about those 'monsters', so what gave him the right to call me a lower life form? Did he even know what it was like to love someone so much? Did he know how hard it was to consider the possibility of never being in the presence of someone who completed your life so perfectly?

Now that Jacob had begun to get lost in his tirade, he was able to move closer, pointing a finger in my face, as he berated me.

"And, you know what? I hope Edward finds you, all of you. I hope he finally makes you see the consequences of what you've done. Maybe then, you'll finally truly realise I was right. When your precious Carlisle is being ripped to shreds for what he's done, you'll finally see."

I wasn't sure what fuelled my next actions. Whether it be his harsh words about Carlisle, or the look of foul satisfaction on his face as he said them, something inside me in that moment snapped. I lifted my palm and swung it hard, allowing it collide sharply with Jacob Black's left cheek. His face must have been made of rock, as the force of my blow left my hand stinging, but, the surprise of it was enough to send him reeling. My breathing became laboured amidst my temper, but, when he looked back at me, the blood in my veins went cold.

His eyes were two unfathomable pits of black and his teeth were bared in a grimace of fury. His left temple began to pulsate and, soon, his entire face was moving, like something was burrowing beneath the skin. His nostrils flared and closed, as jets of air were expelled through them and his chest swelled with the exertion of breathing so furiously. Quiet pops came from his body and his posture started to change, forcing his back to hunch over, as the breathing became heavier and a growl rumbled in his throat.

I ran, too terrified to feel the déjà vu of the moment.

"JASPER!" I screamed, moving as fast as my feet would carry me.

My honey-blonde saviour was there in an instant, before I could even reach the end of the street and he caught me, my hands flying out to clutch the coat fabric covering his forearms. His golden irises immediately flew to the convulsive figure of Jacob and he carefully manoeuvred me backwards.

"Stay behind me," he ordered.

I gladly complied, only breaking physical contact long enough to move my hands from his arms, to clasp his left bicep. Over his shoulder, I could see Jacob, who was starting to swell in size and the pulsating of his face had moved down to his neck. It was like watching Bruce Banner's transformation into the Hulk and I would never be able to watch those films again without reliving the abject horror of this moment. What was happening to him? What had my rash action provoked? When it became clear to Jasper that whatever change Jacob was going through wasn't likely to reverse, he started taking wary steps backwards, pushing me along with him, whilst never taking his eyes off of the trembling creature ahead.

"We need to get out of here," Jasper said and I couldn't have agreed more.

Just then, three figures came crashing through the trees and immediately rushed to encircle Jacob. Their race was immediately obvious and two of them each grabbed one of Jacob's arms, whilst the third, which I recognised as Sam Uley, strode towards us. Jasper straightened to his full six foot three inches and met the imperious gaze of the Quileute, whose height easily matched the vampire's, although his stature was far stockier.

"What the Hell happened?" Sam asked, halting a couple of feet from us.

"I was almost forced to break the treaty, to ensure Isabella's safety, that's what!" Jasper returned, with equal fervour.

As the two faced off, I saw the other tribe's people struggling to shunt Jacob towards the trees from which they had just emerged. They spoke to him, seeming to try and calm him down, but, so far, it didn't appear to be working. Slowly, but, surely, however, they were making their way further from the houses, although I wasn't anywhere close to being able to relax.

"What did you do?" Sam demanded, his accusatory glare directed at me.

My mouth opened in indignation and I prepared to defend myself, but, Jasper spoke before me.

"She didn't do a damn thing!" he explained, his ire releasing his full Texan twang. "Your boy came here and started hurlin' abuse at Bella and it's lucky for him you three arrived. An entire street almost got the show of a lifetime."

Sam's gaze swept across the row of houses on our left, before moving over his shoulder to fall on the three who were almost at the trees. After a long moment of scrutiny, his eyes turned back to us and some of the anger had dissipated, albeit only a minuscule amount.

"We didn't know he was coming here until his father told us," Sam explained. "We followed as soon as we heard."

The account was short and the Quileute seemed to deem that a reasonable explanation, but, I begged to differ.

"Seems to me," remarked Jasper. "That you need to keep a tighter leash on your mutts."

"What's happening to him?" I asked, interrupting the altercation.

"Nothing you need to worry about," came Sam's dismissive answer.

It pissed me off immensely. Again, I was being treated like the one who had done something wrong, for which I saw little justification. Jacob was the one who lost control, not me!

"Tell Carlisle," Sam continued, addressing Jasper, this time. "We will see him tonight. Same place."

"What time?" Jasper enquired.

"Whenever he gets there," Sam replied, his tone making it sound more like a threat than a request. "We'll be waiting."

With that, Sam Uley turned and jogged away, to help the other two escort Jacob into the trees, leaving me and my boggled mind alone with Jasper. There was no way to even begin turning what I'd seen into anything remotely rational. Jasper watched the quartet leave and waited a few minutes more, before finally relaxing his stance. His head turned to address me.

"You alright?" he asked and it took a moment for me to realise I had been spoken to. A chilly hand covering mine snapped me out of my reverie. "Bella?"

I let my eyes move away from the spot where the Quileutes had vanished and swivelled up to meet his.

"What...the fuck...was that?"

A/N: AAAAAAHHHH! Why is it that the chapters I have a plan for are always the hardest to write?! Anyway, it's done now and I can let the bald patches from where I've ripped my hair out re-grow. As always, I love your support and hope you all enjoyed. I'll see you all very soon.