Disclaimer: We do not own Twilight!

Hey! So we really don't feel like writing in conversations today. Sorry. And we want to apologize for how late this is, but the good news is that we should be pretty free from now on. Also we want to thank everyone who reviewed, MintCcIceCream, Jacob Did Not Imprint, iRedeem, SlowTheRain, and Only4Miken. You guys rock! Oh, and to all those who celebrate it, Merry Christmas!, and to those who don't, Happy Holidays!

Enjoy :)


Jamie's Point of View

The last week of school, as always, dragged. Jacob and I studied for exams together after school. I learned that Jacob wasn't the brightest kid when it came to academics; when I tried to explain things to him, we got nowhere.

"Oh well, I'm not going to college, anyway," Jacob shrugged his shoulders.

I looked up from the calculus work I was showing him, "What?"

"I said that I wasn't going to college."

"Why the hell not?" I demanded, appalled.

"Well I'm not smart enough, obviously, and I have my hands full with…other things," Jacob drawled, nonchalant.

"You're smart enough. If you would just pay attention in school, Jacob…" I trailed off, my thoughts traveling in a different direction, "anyway, how else are you going to support yourself?" I asked Jacob, concerned.

"Jamie, calm down, I have it covered," Jacob smiled, "Please don't worry about me."

I sighed, but let the conversation drop.

When we weren't studying I was hanging out with Jacob's friends at the Uley's house. I grew to love the way they would fill the room with laughter and would tease everyone, including myself. I also discovered that Quil was actually quite nice, actually calmer then the others, while Collin, Brady, Leah, Embry, and sometimes Paul and Seth, were prone to fits of temper, where they would shake all over and run out of the house at a warning glance from Jacob or Sam. I also became friends with Nadia, Emily, and Kim. They were all great people. Kim was fun and smart, easy to be around. Emily was a very warm and motherly person. When I asked Jacob about the scars on Emily's face he had winced and told me that she had been mauled by a bear. Nadia was very, not shy exactly, but reserved, and she couldn't stand violence. Kim said she had had a bad childhood. I also got to know Claire a little more. I adored her long, nonsensical fairy tales and the changes of tone and the gesticulations that went along with them. And of course, she would have her four-year old temper tantrums where, even if her mom Kristen was there, Quil was the only one who could calm her down. Quil would just stare into her pretty brown eyes and hold her tenderly and little Claire's screams would gradually turn into tiny sniffles and sobs. It was times like these that I found the bond between Quil and Claire unnerving, causing me to think back to the episode at Jacob's house.

Getting to know everyone allowed me to finally understand why Sam had called Jacob and his friends a family, they seemed to fit together like a puzzle in a way that could have only been predestined. After watching them all together I longed to be part of the family as well. Sometimes, though, I would reconsider these fantasies. A vast secret lurked behind all the pleasant banter and friendships—and it scared me. I finally had a serious discussion about it with Jacob on Thursday.

Claire was about to leave for her grandmother's house for two weeks (Quil had managed to have Claire stay with Emily and Sam for part of the time her parents were on vacation) and Quil was spending her last few hours in Washington with her. Jacob, Collin, Brady and I were there. When the doorbell rang, Quil froze with dread. Collin sighed. "Well I hate to do this to you man, but…" He rose and opened the door. "Hey Kristen." Kristen looked almost exactly like Emily, as they were sisters. When you looked at her you could almost imagine how Emily looked before the bear attack.

"Good luck," Collin warned her, rolling his eyes. Kristen closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths preparing herself for Quil's wrath I was sure.

"C'mon Claire, time to go hon," Kristen announced warily.

Claire looked up from the doll she was playing with, with an expression that could only mean that she was about to throw a fit. She ran over to Quil and latched onto him, crying.

"No!" Claire whined. "I won't! I want to stay with Quil!! Go away!" Kristen winced. I wondered how it would feel to have a daughter who loved a boy more than it's mother at the age of four. Quil's eyes were emotionless.

"Claire," Kristen cautioned, "We have to go now." She approached the devastated toddler and began to pry her off Quil.

"No! No! NO!" Her legs kicked out at her mom. "Quil, don't let me go!!!"

"Claire do you want me to take away movie privileges in the car?" She tugged at Claire but found that Quil was clinging to her. "Quil, you're going to have to let go."

"I don't think I can," Quil whispered.

"Quil let go please," Kristen begged.

"I think this is a bad idea Kristen," Quil's voice was dangerous.

"Are you saying that I don't know what's best for my child," Kristen questioned angrily.

"Maybe I am," Quil snapped.

"Quil," Kristen reasoned, teeth gritted, "I am being very open in letting you hang around my daughter especially since you have that—that condition. I mean what good mother wouldn't be worried when they discovered that their child has some weird bond with a—." Jacob cleared his throat loudly muffling her words. Kristen glanced at me with a guilty expression on her face. What the hell? Bond? "You have, in a sense, stolen one of my daughters away from me. And I can not deny that you love her more than yourself and I believe that you are a mature, responsible man and I like you Quil. But, please, let me have my daughter for two weeks."

Quil was conflicted. You could see it in his tense hands and furrowed brow. The way he looked upon Claire as if it almost hurt. Eventually though, he pulled Claire close and murmured, "Love ya Claire Bear. I'll call you tomorrow." He thrust Claire into her mom's arms and looked down. Claire let out an ear-splitting scream. Quil couldn't seem to watch them leave, even though Claire was hanging onto the edge of the door begging him to not let her go. You could hear Claire wailing Quil's name till they drove off. I really didn't envy Kristen. The room was unbearably silent. We were all staring Quil. He was shaking violently, tormented by Claire's absence. Jacob caught me from behind and pulled me into his warm body. Collin and Brady moved towards Quil warily and touched his arms.

"C'mon buddy let's go," Brady soothed.

"It's gonna be alright," Collin pulled him out the door with the help of Brady.

When we were finally alone Jacob sighed wearily. "Man, that's rough." I turned to face him, placing my hands on his broad chest.

"Yeah it is," I agreed, my voice lacking the right emotions.

"What?"

"I don't think you should be the one asking the questions, Jacob Black." Jacob sighed wearily and tried to sweep me up into his arms. I resisted, glaring at him. "Nice try, but a measly hug won't distract me. What was Kristen talking about?"

"Nothing," Jacob said quickly. I pushed away from him and crossed my hands over my chest.

"Of course. It's nothing. Why didn't I guess that?" My voice, dripping with sarcasm, grew angry, "That's all it ever is Jacob!"

"Jamie, please calm down. It's nothing to get worked up—"

"No. Don't ever say it's 'nothing' again. I'm not stupid. I know there's something going on. When you say that, you're lying to me, Jake." I dug my finger into his chest. "I want to know what's going on. And I want to know now."

Jacob wouldn't meet my eyes. "You're not ready."

I gave him a disbelieving look. "Like I've never heard that one before! Way to go, Jake!" I threw up my hands in frustration.

"It's complicated. If I tell you…it's just…" he looked away. "You won' t like me anymore."

"What?" Not like him? Was he out of his mind? I wrapped my arms around his waist. "Don't be stupid, Jake. Nothing could make me not like you."

"I wouldn't be so sure," he mumbled guiltily.

"Jacob," I murmured, "don't think that." I shook my head. It couldn't be that bad, whatever his secret was. I just couldn't understand why he wouldn't tell me. I was about to say something to argue my point, but he put his hand over my mouth and smiled.

"Later," he promised leaning towards me. I assumed that he meant telling me the secret. I turned my head so that his lips met my cheek. He frowned.

"When?" I asked stubbornly. He groaned.

"Tomorrow," he held my face in his hands, forcing my eyes to meet his. I couldn't get enough air.

"Promise?"

"Promise." And then his lips met mine. Everything burst into flames, destroying all thoughts of caution. I was consumed by heat, by Jacob. This was so unlike our first kiss, which had been so sweet and pure. This…this was uncontrollable. Nothing was enough. My hands latched into his hair, pulling myself closer to him. He tasted so good. His burning, calloused hands were roaming across my waist and thighs, sometimes slipping under the hem of my shirt and touching the sensitive skin of my abdomen. A strange, warm feeling settled deep in my stomach. I didn't want anything more than Jacob in that moment. My heart was pounding frantically against the inside of my chest as my legs latched around his muscular torso, throwing myself even more into the kiss. He bit my bottom lip gently, causing me to moan into his mouth. Mark and I had never had a make-out session that felt this intense before, and we had been together for two years. It was too much. Too much for week one. I tried to pull away but my body resisted my resolve. I couldn't bring myself to stop. One of my hands left his hair and traveled down his solid chest. Too much.

"We…need," I gasped around his lips, "I think…we need…to…stop." Jacob let out a frustrated growl, but moved his lips to my neck, right below my ear. I moaned again.

"Why?" he demanded, his voice husky with desire. I wavered. Maybe…no. This has gone too far.

"We're…getting carried…away," I panted. Jacob groaned, but loosened his grip on me so I could slide to the ground. I leaned my head against his chest breathing heavily. It took a second for me to speak. "Wow."

Jacob shook with silent laughter, "Is that all you can say?" I nodded. Just then, the door flew open. Embry and Seth burst in, snickering. I quickly pulled away from Jacob, and stood beside him, holding his hand. They eyed us and their laughter died down. Blushing furiously, I made an attempt to smooth my hair and pull down my shirt which had been pushed up, exposing my skin. One look at my frazzled expression caused Seth and Embry to fall down laughing. I scowled.

"We'll leave you two alone," Embry sniggered, winking at Jake and me. I dropped his hand, causing them to laugh even harder.

On their way out the door Seth called, "You two are almost as bad as Jared and Kim! If that's even possible!" The door slammed shut.

Jacob snarled. "Idiots!" he yelled, only succeeding in causing another round of laughter to float through an open window.

"Well that was absolutely mortifying," I muttered, clasping my fingers together. Jacob wrapped me into an embrace apologetically. I suddenly remembered our discussion a while ago. "I won't forget your promise tomorrow."

Jacob chuckled. "You aren't easily distracted are you?"

I rolled my eyes. "Nope."

That night I tossed and turned in bed, too excited for tomorrow to sleep. Or maybe apprehensive was a better word. Despite what I had said to Jacob about not caring about what his secret was, I did. Jacob thought that it was bad enough to make me not like him anymore and this set endless questions bouncing around my head.

When I finally did get to sleep I dreamed of the day Alex told me he was gay.


The next day I rushed through my last exam, even though going quickly wasn't going to change how long I would be in school. After I had checked over it a few times I found myself drifting off into a half-conscience state. I had only slept a few hours the night before.

"Jamie," someone shook my shoulders, "Wake up. The exam is over." I lifted my head.

"Huh?" I mumbled. It was Danielle. She sighed.

"You're probably keeping Jacob waiting. You told him to pick you up an hour ago."

I woke up at the sound of Jacob's name. "Jacob?" I rubbed my eyes and noticed that Danielle was staring anxiously at the door. "Go meet Tommy, Danielle. I'm awake." She nodded her head in thanks and hurried out the door.

I picked up my pencil, shoved it into my back pocket, and shrugged on my rain jacket. The classroom was already empty. It was the last day of school after all. I headed outside. My eyes immediately found Jacob. He was leaning on his Rabbit, letting the rain pelt his bare chest. My heart beat a little faster. He was watching the front of the school intently. When he saw me, running to avoid the downpour, his face broke into a wide grin. He opened the door for me as soon as I reached it. I jumped in quickly, slamming the door shut behind me. Jacob slipped in the other side, unaffected by the rain. "Hey Jake," I spoke quietly after he was on the road. He smiled at me.

"So how were exams?" I grimaced. Jacob had exempted all but two exams somehow.

"I fell asleep."

He laughed. "That bad, huh?"

"Shut up."

"Sorry," he beamed. "Wanna go over to Sam's?"

"Nope," I replied.

"Why?" He seemed confused.

"I have to get ready for a date tonight," I smiled, "Can't go looking like this." I gestured towards my jeans and a t-shirt outfit.

Jacob frowned. "What? You don't have to do anything. You're beautiful no matter what you wear." My throat swelled with emotion.

I couldn't speak for a second. "You're just saying that."

Jacob seemed offended. "No, Jamie. I'm telling the truth. You're the most beautiful girl I know." He smiled at me and I blushed.

"Well it doesn't matter, anyway. Getting ready is a part of the date."

Jacob scowled but turned into my neighborhood. When he parked in front of my house I said, "Speaking of our date, where are we going?"

"You'll find out," he smiled. I gave him a frustrated look. He chuckled and leaned over to give me a small kiss. I reddened. That was new. "Wear something warm," he advised as I got out of his car, "I'll be here at a quarter before seven. Bye Jamie."

"Bye." I waved to him as he pulled out of the drive way. I walked into my house a huge grin on my face. I had a date with Jacob tonight. Someone cleared their throat. I froze. Dad. He was sitting on the couch with today's newspaper folded beside him. He had a stern expression on his face. Uh-oh. "Hey Dad, why are you home this early?" I played dumb.

He ignored me. "Well, look at who actually decided to come home before curfew?"

So that's what this is about. "C'mon Dad, I only missed curfew once this week," I argued.

"Jamie you've barely made it home in time all week."

"Sorry Dad, it's just that—"

"Mom says you've been hanging out with a guy lately." I flinched.

"Um yeah, Jacob Black."

My dad's eyes narrowed. "I've heard about that kid…He's part of the La Push gang."

What? I held back a laugh. "Gang? Jacob's not part of a gang, he just has a bunch of friends is all."

"Humph."

"Dad, Jacob is a nice guy."

"Are you two dating?"

"What? Where did that come from?" He looked at me pointedly. I sighed. "We've been together since last week. I'm going on a date with him tonight so I might break curfew."

He muttered something that sounded like, 'well at least she's dating,' and then said, "I want to meet him."

"Sure Dad. Jacob would love to meet you."

"Good." He picked up his newspaper and began to read. I let out a gust of air. The worst was over. I turned to go to my bedroom. "Jamie?" What now?

"Yes Dad?"

"Is this Jacob kid why you've been so happy lately?" I blinked in shock. Had my parents actually noticed the dark ages of my life? They had seemed so oblivious…

I struggled to answer. "Yes," I murmured, blushing slightly, "Jacob, he…he makes me very happy."

My dad nodded. "Well then, I hope for your sake that he's a good kid."

"He is Dad," I assured him, "I like him a lot." Maybe even love, my mind added. I clenched my fist nervously; where had that come from? I retreated quickly to my room. I grabbed my phone off my desk and called Jacob.

"Hullo?" Jacob husky voice brought a smile to my face.

"Hi, it's me."

"Jamie," Jacob answered happily, "Do you want me to pick you up now?"

I almost wanted to say yes. It was ridiculous, but I already missed him. Instead, I laughed. "No, but you can pick me up fifteen minutes early, my dad wants to meet you. You don't mind, do you?" I asked worriedly.

"'Course not. I want to meet your family."

"Yeah my parents both getting to know you will make life easier," I admitted.

"Do they know who I am?"

"Uh yeah. My dad was upset at first. He said you were in a gang," I laughed again. Suddenly, there was a bang and many voices, muffled by the phone.

"Hey, Jamie, I have to go," Jacob said quickly.

"Oh, okay," my voice rang with disappointment. A little chuckle left Jacob's mouth.

"See you at six thirty Jamie. Bye."

"Bye…"

I shut the phone and fell onto my bed, feeling restless. I stared at my cream colored walls for about ten seconds then wished I was standing up again. I groaned in frustration and got out of bed. I glanced at my clock, it was 3:30. Too early to start getting ready. I groaned again. Maybe I should have went over to Jacob's for a little while. I rubbed my temples miserably. When had I ever been this excited to see someone? Stupid, idiotic, overgrown, insanely amazing boy. I kicked my bed and then winced at the pain that shot up my leg. What did I usually do at home, anyway? Oh yeah, homework. Great.

I thought about what I used to do at home back in Florida and my eyes automatically wandered over to my violin case. I smiled. It had been too long. I laid my case on my bed and opened it slowly. I ran my hand over the shiny, mahogany wood of my violin. I had been playing this violin since the 6th grade and it still looked good as new. I had rarely ever played at home since I had moved, only to play the music in orchestra, which I found easy enough. I ran over to my desk and picked out some of the music I had been learning back when I used to take lessons. I placed it on a stand in the corner and then went over and lifted my violin and bow gently out of its case. I placed it under my chin and ran my bow over a string, playing a single long note. I closed my eyes reveling in the beauty of the violin. It had been a while since I had actually listened to its sound. I flipped through my music and found Preludia, Partitia number three by Bach. I turned through the piece, letting myself remember the fast paced song. It had been one of my favorites last year. Training my eyes on the first page, I began to play. I loved the feel of my fingers pressing into the strings and the way the bow seemed to be an extension of my hand. I felt like my soul was flying. Why had I waited so long to do this? It felt almost as good as being around Jacob. I played the last note feeling utterly fulfilled.

I played through the rest of my music, almost in a trance, until I heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. I swiveled around, hiding my violin behind my back guiltily. "Oh, it's just you, Dad." He stood at the door, smiling widely.

"I miss hearing that sound in the house," he said, looking reminiscent. "By the way, it's 6:00, so I'm guessing that you should start getting ready?"

My eyes widened in shock. I didn't plan to play for that long. "Are you fu…fricking kidding me?" Dad raised one eyebrow, but I couldn't care less. I dared a peeked at the clock to see if it was true. "Crap. Crap. Crap!" I rushed into the bathroom and grabbed the edge the counter to stop myself from falling. I groaned at my reflection in the mirror and grabbed my old wooden brush, yanking through the twisted knots and frizz that were embedded into my black hair. I didn't think I looked pretty, despite what Jake said, so I swept on blush, mascara, and lip gloss to make myself feel better. Since I was rushing, I forgot to put on my outfit first, or even choose what I was going to wear. I thrust open my closet doors and ruffled through my clothes, neatly hanging on hangers. "No…No…No…" I said under my breath. Finally, I settled on a simple black dress that reached my knees. I'd worn it to my father's company dinner I'd been forced to go to last year. I slid the cotton dress over my slender frame and then freed my hair so that it cascaded over my shoulders. I inspected myself in the mirror critically. I pursed my lips. I was acceptable. Just then, I heard the opening and closing of a door. Jacob! I grabbed a large jacket and ran into the foyer, the biggest smile on my face and bumped into…my mom.

"Excuse me?" My mother's voice was strangled.

"Mom?" I winced at the disappointment in my voice.

"Yes, who else were you expecting? And why are you all dressed up?" she demanded.

But before I could respond, the doorbell rang. I hurried past my mother, ignoring the questioning look on her face, and answered the door after taking a few deep breaths. "Jacob!" I cried happily. I flung myself into his arms.

He chuckled. "Hey Jamie," he murmured into my hair. I was engulfed in his warmth. I sighed happily. "I missed you."

I laughed. "Sadly, I did too."

"Jamie?" My mom's shrill voice pierced my eardrums. "Who is this boy?" I jumped away from Jacob. I had forgotten that she was there.

"Oh yeah… Mom this is Jacob Black, my, er, boyfriend." My mother's shocked face quickly turned rather sly.

"Oh really?" she asked, her eyes taking in Jacob's large form.

Jacob stuck out his hand politely. "Hello, Mrs. Strickland."

"Call me Amy." Hesitantly, my mother placed her hand in his. Immediately, my mother's hand jerked back. "Are you feeling okay dear? You seem feverish."

Jacob shifted uncomfortably. "No, I'm fine. I've always been like that…Genes." My dad appeared behind my mom. He cleared his throat loudly.

"So this must be Jacob," he said.

Jacob approached him and shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you, sir." My Dad nodded in response.

"So, where will you be going tonight?" He asked.

I tried to listen eagerly as Jacob whispered something unintelligible into my Dad's ear. Damn it. I officially hated surprises.

"Well that sounds good," Dad replied, grinning. I decided that this was enough conversation for tonight.

"Alright Jake," I interrupted. "Let's go to…wherever we're going. Bye Mom, bye Dad."

"Be back before 10:30," my mother warned.

"You watch out for her son, you hear?" Dad called on our way out.

"Don't worry, sir, I will. I swear I will." Jacob sounded more sincere than he needed to. Even my father seemed to believe his promise as I looked back at his face. We headed towards his Rabbit.

"And Jamie we just wanted to let you know that whatever you choose to do, we respect your decisions and we love you," my mom called. I froze. "And use protection!" I covered my face with my hands. This was mortifying. Absolutely mortifying. I would never be able to look into Jacob's face ever again.

Jacob stifled a laugh. "Aw mom," I groaned. I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me. I turned away from Jacob, my face redder than a tomato.

"Bye honey," my dad said, shutting the door.

"Oh my God," I said, "I wish you could die from embarrassment. Then I wouldn't be here right now." Jacob merely laughed. "S'not funny. That was terrible. I'm so sorry that they said that."

"It's fine Jamie," he said, "Your parents are just doing their jobs." He turned to face me before opening the car door. "You look absolutely amazing," he told me, and tenderly kissed my cheek. I blushed, forgetting about the incident with my parents, and slid into the passenger's seat.

"Will you tell me where we're going now?"

"Nope." He grinned.

"Please?"

He glanced at me, amused. "You'll find out soon enough."

I crossed my arms. "Fine," I huffed. A silence passed before I finally spoke up. "You're going to tell me the secret tonight, right?"

Jacob stiffened and kept his eyes on the road. "Yes," he replied impassively.

"It's about time," I said jokingly, trying to lighten the suddenly cold atmosphere. It didn't work. It was quiet the rest of the way to…well I wasn't really sure yet.


I gazed at the star-dotted sky. It was a beautiful night; uncharacteristically clear for La Push. Clear enough to see the Milky Way. Somewhere below me I could hear the crashing of waves hitting First Beach. Jacob had taken me to a cliff. Everything and everyone were below us. There was only Jacob and I, lying on a quilt, holding hands, and thinking. Serenity.

It was already around nine; Jacob had fixed a meal for us to eat (he ate three quarters of it himself, of course,) and we had joked and laughed, not really serious. Now, I felt as if this were the most serious thing in the world, a time for words with meaning, significance.

Still looking up at the stars I said, "I missed this, you know? The stars, I mean. I guess right before I left, you couldn't see the stars like this because of all the light pollution, but you could still see them almost every night. Here you only see them once a year." I turned on my side to face Jacob. I was surprised to find that he had been on his side the whole time, watching me instead of the stars. His eyes were unfathomable, nostalgic, like he was to be thinking of something from the past. I wondered if he was going to tell me the secret.

Finally, he opened his mouth to speak. I tensed, not exactly sure what he was going to say. "My friend almost died jumping off these cliffs."

I was startled by the bluntness in his tone. "That's terrible."

"She would have died if it hadn't been for me." She? Jealousy bloomed inside of me, slightly burning my insides. I looked away from Jacob's face quickly.

"Oh, that's good." Honestly, I didn't care why the hell she jumped, or the fact that she almost died. Who was this girl? How did she relate to Jacob? "Jake?" I asked hesitantly, "Did you like this girl?"

Jacob snorted. "I thought I loved her. I thought she was everything." Resentment almost choked me.

"What happened? Why didn't you stay together?" I managed to force out. I couldn't believe how hateful I felt towards this girl without even knowing her. I had been in relationships before; I couldn't be mad at Jacob for doing the same.

"Bella and I were never in a relationship," his voice was calm. It surprised me. You would think that he would sound bitter. "She loved someone else before me. Edward Cullen. And when he left her without warning she was a mess. Couldn't even eat at first. Eventually, though, she came to visit me. I was overjoyed. I dedicated myself to fixing her, helping her forget about him. And it was working. I made her happy. We were best friends. I wanted more, of course, and she knew it." Scratch hating Bella. I loathed her. "Still, that didn't stop her from flying over to…California to go help Edward when he needed it. And just like that they were back together."

"Wait," I interrupted him, "She ditched you for Edward even after he left her like that...and she just took him back with open arms? How did he accomplish that?"

Jacob smiled at me and grabbed my hand. I almost pulled away. "He didn't have to do anything. She just took him back."

"What a bitch. How could you have liked her?" I asked, irritated. Jacob ignored my question, smiling.

"I was so…angry. I was hard to be around. All my friends couldn't understand why I couldn't get over her. Frankly, now I can't even understand why I couldn't. And then she started to visit me again. Of course I encouraged it, even though it would only make it worse for me in the end. I was convinced she loved me. I was right. One day, to stop me from doing something she thought was dangerous, she asked me to kiss her. So, naturally, I did." Involuntarily, my nails dug into Jacob's skin. He smiled apologetically at me but continued. "She found out that she loved me, but she still loved Edward more. That same day I found out that they were getting married and the next week I received a wedding invitation. I couldn't believe it. I ran far, far away. I went everywhere, trying to escape Bella. I wasted two whole years of my life. I was so stupid." Out of the blue, Mark's face popped in my head. Suddenly Jacob's story of hanging onto a lost cause didn't sound so out of the ordinary. Hadn't I done the same thing with Alex? Didn't I run away from having a real life after Mark?

"Oh Jacob," I said softly and reached out my other hand to caress his face.

He grinned at me. "It doesn't bother me anymore, I mean, I sometimes still miss her. But only as a friend. You know why?"

I frowned. "No."

"Because two months after I had returned from my vacation, I saw you, and suddenly Bella didn't matter anymore."

"Really?"

"Really," he said firmly. I don't think any girl had ever been more relieved than me in that moment, or happier for that matter. Jacob had gotten over that Bella idiot and liked me more than her. I felt like dancing with joy. Jacob wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close to him, meeting my lips with his. Somehow my hands were in his black, silky hair. I was filled with warmth. We kissed passionately, but kept it PG. I couldn't help but think that it couldn't get better than this. I pulled away, though, when I had to stifle a moan. I buried my head in his chest and exhaled wistfully, wishing that it would be okay to get carried away. Jacob let out a gust of air, obviously thinking the same thing. I turned over so that my back was pressed again Jacob's chest. His lips were in my hair and his warm russet arms were holding me close to his body. I felt like we were at the beach again, soul searching. It was heaven.

"Jamie?" Jacob murmured.

"Hmmm?" I sighed happily.

"I love you," he whispered.

I stiffened. My mind was reeling with the weight of his words; half of me was swooning, the other half screaming, "How could this happen so quickly?!"

Since my brain had descended into turmoil, my heart answered automatically. "I…I love you, too," I breathed. I went almost numb with shock at my words.

"Say it again." Jacob's voice was overcome emotion.

"I love you." A grin broke out on my face. I was…in love. I turned so I could face him again. "I love you, Jacob Black." wanted to say it a thousand times more. I wanted to stand up and look out to sea, screaming it for the whole world to hear. I faced Jacob. He seemed dazed at first, but after catching my eyes his expression turned triumphant. And then we were kissing, kissing like we had never kissed before. I was swept away by his heat. And this time we got a little carried away…well maybe a lot carried away. But I didn't give a damn because Jacob Black loved me and I loved him back. When we finally broke apart, Jacob was hovering over me, supporting himself on his elbows to keep himself from crushing me. I couldn't seem to find enough air. Jacob rolled back onto his back breathing heavily. And then I was staring up at the Milky Way again, thinking.

"Do you want to hear my secret now?" Jacob spoke up.

"Sure. Why not?" I responded cheerfully.

Jacob laughed. "I can't believe how—." Abruptly, Jacob stopped talking. And somehow he was standing. His nose was crinkled in disgust like he smelled something bad. "Oh shit. Shit. Shit. Shit!"

"What?" I sat up, looking around worriedly.

"Why did this have to happen now?" Jacob hissed, shaking all over.

"Jacob what is it?"

"Jamie, I want you to go to Sam's house."

"What? But Jacob…"

"Now!" He was furious, almost demented in his anger. "GO!" I stood up, tottering slightly, tears pouring down my face. No way was this happening. Not again. Pretending to stumble down the path obediently, I slipped behind a tree, out of Jake's sight. I peeked out from my hiding place. He was staring desperately where I had just left. He dropped his face into his hands.

"Jamie," he moaned lowly. The grief in his voice caused shivers to run down my spine. Maybe I should have left. I began to turn around to leave when there was a strong gust of wind over the cliff, whipping my hair around me. The blast of air seemed to have brought Jacob to focus. He threw off his shoes and began to tremble so violently that he was a blur. Suddenly, brownish red fur burst out of Jacob's figure, forming a shape many times larger than Jacob's original size. My body became limp and I fell to the ground, not able to make a noise. There in Jacob's place was a massive russet wolf.

Holy. Fucking. Shit.


So what do you think'll happen next? Any guesses?

Review!!!