Hey, guys. Sorry it took so long to update. This chapter was really hard on me. Even though it's short, it's kind of intense. And it kind of comes out of nowhere so you'll be siding with Jacob on this one. I know I was. But in a way Nessie also makes some sense, and I could see the situation from her POV as well. So please don't knock her too hard. And it made me cry, so some of you saps may want some tissues.

Don't own :(

Please Enjoy!

ShelbyPOV

Seth had been gone for hours. What the hell was he doing? After I tucked my phone back into my pocket, I went for the kitchen. Man, I was starving even though I'd eaten a few hours ago. And I had this craving for fish. Which stopped me in my tracks. Fish? Even though my brain thought it was disgusting, my stomach rumbled for me to hurry my ass up.

I opened the freezer, hoping that any meat we had would be in there. Of course, they may not have any fish because Nessie, Jake, and Seth never ate the stuff. We all stuck to the red meat. I was about to give up the hunt when I moved a package of hamburger. Aha!

But when I straightened up and closed the door, I jumped about two feet into the air. Putting a hand on my chest, I struggled to swallow my heart.

"Geez, Esme. I didn't see or hear you. You scared the crap out of me."

Her smile was gentle. "Sorry, sweetie." She reached for the package in my hand. "Here, let me fix this up for you."

I couldn't help but smile back and give in. She just had this way about her that made you want to give in just to see her smile.

"Thanks, Esme."

And there it was. That smile that said she was happy to help someone she cared about. She took the package from me and popped it into the microwave to defrost a little.

"How would you like it fixed?"

"Um…Well, I don't normally eat fish so I don't know," I admitted.

"Oh, right." A thoughtful look crossed her delicate features. "How about I just make it the way I do for Caden? That's how you ate it last time."

I nodded. "I think that would be best since we know I like it that way."

She smiled again and patted my hand. "Now, go meet your wolf at the door. I think I hear him coming up the drive."

I headed for the door but turned back. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do to help?"

A wooden spoon appeared at my face. "Go. I've got everything covered here."

Sighing in defeat, I said," Thank you, Esme. You're too good to us."

"Absolutely not. Anything for my grandchildren."

Well, that made me pause in the doorway again. I glanced back at her as she started moving around the kitchen, humming and smiling to herself. She hadn't said it to get a reaction out of me. She'd said it like it was the most natural thing in the world, as if I was truly her granddaughter.

Before I could help it, I burst into tears. But I wasn't so far gone emotionally to know that the whole house had frozen. And then the door swung open and shut.

"Shelby?" Seth's voice called out.

I couldn't answer him I was crying so hard.

His voice got closer as he walked down the hall. "Hey, why is everybody so-,"

He didn't finish as he stepped in front of me in the kitchen doorway. His eyes went wide as they swept over my body, no doubt checking me for injury. Apparently he didn't believe that his eyes were telling him that I was fine because he came forward and ran his hands over me.

"Shelby? Hey, what's wrong? Are you ok?"

I tried to nod and shake my head at the same time. It didn't work. Before Seth picked me up like I was a child, I felt a gentle hand stroke my hair. After a moment, Seth pulled me close to his chest and turned for the stairs.

"I'm going to take her up. Will you let me know when the food is ready?"

"Of course."

In what seemed like no time, Seth was laying me down on the bed, pulling the blankets over me, and then laying down beside me. His thumbs pressed into my cheeks, rubbing away the tears.

When I stopped the stupid hiccupping, he pressed his lips gently to mine. "Baby, please tell me what that was about. I'm about to lose it over here."

I laughed through my tears. "She called me her granddaughter," I whispered.

"What?"

Wiping the rest of my tears away, I took a deep breath. "Esme-she called me her granddaughter. Seth, I've never had a family before. And now, all of a sudden, I do. All this caring, emotional crap is making me emotional."

He chuckled and pulled me against him. "That's the point, Shelbs. Families love and take care of each other." He tucked his face into my neck. "God, you scared me. I thought something had happened before we even found out."

I stroked his nape and shoulders, steadily calming down. It was as if he were my worry stone.

"I'd have called you the moment I felt anything. You know that."

There was a pause and then he nodded. "Yeah, I know."

Those large hands stroked up my sides, petting me. "I just need you to be ok. Do you understand that?"

"Of course, Seth." My lips pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "I need you to be ok, too."

Silence followed as we both thought about whatever was running through our minds. And after a while of just stroking each other, we fell asleep.

Seth was the best blanket ever.

JPOV

Leila had just gone down for the count for the night, but Nessie and I stayed in the living room just in case. She leaned against my side and watched the fire. I knew she was exhausted. Leila always wanted to be with her and Nessie couldn't say no. I was pretty worn out myself.

But something was off with Nessie. It was the way she held herself. The tension in her body sang against my side. Usually when she was tense I could stroke it out of her by playing my hand softly over her back, but it wasn't working this time. And usually by now she'd have looked up at me with a smile and kissed me. Not now. The fire utterly absorbed her attention.

Opening my trap to ask her what was wrong, she blinked and asked me a question that punched all the air out of my lungs.

"Jacob, why do you love me?" Her tone told me that she was dead serious about the answer and wasn't just fishing for compliments. And she didn't look at me, just stared into the fire.

Temporarily stunned into silence, I cleared my throat and shifted on the couch. My first impulse was to tell her all the glorious things about her, but after a second thought, I found that the question actually bothered me.

I frowned. "What brought that on?"

She inhaled deeply and then let it out slowly. But didn't answer me.

"Nessie?" I was bothered enough to be perilously close to ordering her in my Alpha voice.

Her eyes stayed on the fire and her jaw hardened. "I was thinking about our earlier argument."

Funny, I hadn't thought of it as an argument. More of her putting me in my place.

"And? What about it?"

"You imprinted on me…involuntarily. You hated me before and just after I was born. If you hadn't imprinted and my mother still survived, you'd still hate me, right? That's what logic tells me."

My tone got hard. "So you're saying that I actually am undeserving just because I had my eyes opened by an involuntary force?"

"That's not what I'm saying at all. I'm wondering how much of our love is actually you loving me or the imprint telling you that you love me." She finally looked at me and her eyes were unbearably sad. "I know I love you, and I know why. But was it really me who calmed you down? Or a force of nature that gave you no choice?"

All I could do was stare at her. Actually, I was probably glaring. My hands flexed into tense fists. "Are you telling me that you think I don't love you?"

"I know that part of you does, but that's the imprint part. The rest I'm not so convinced about."

"And why's that?" I asked between my teeth.

She pushed away from me and wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees, eyes still glued to the fire. It didn't look like she was going to answer me because she stayed silent, her eyes telling me that she'd talked herself into some bullshit lie.

I had to get away from her before I gripped her by the arms and made her look at me. So I jumped up off the couch and paced, my hands rubbing through my hair.

"I don't understand where all this shit came from, Nessie. You were fine earlier and at dinner. What happened between then and now?"

Again she stayed quiet, but I could see it in her face that she had an answer. She just didn't want to say it.

"Dammit, Nessie, answer the fucking question."

Those eyes snapped to me. There was anger there now, but the sadness overrode it. I was so tempted to let go of the anger and run to her. Instead we just glared at each other.

"Fine," she snapped. "If we'd met the way Shelby and Seth had we'd have already made love." Those angry brown eyes moved back to the fire. "Instead, you're so careful, trying not to 'spook' me." She choked out a laugh that sounded like broken glass. "Come on, Jake. If we'd met now, with me grown and telling you that I was twenty, we'd be dancing between the sheets, but no, you're so caught up in your damn head, thinking that I'm still a little girl. Or am I really that distasteful to you? Do suddenly remember that you're supposed to hate me for almost taking away the woman you loved? Or that I actually took her from you by being born and forcing my dad's hand to change her?"

My eyes practically fell out of my face. "Are you kidding?! This is about sex?" That was the only topic I was touching on. I couldn't get near the whole Bella subject right now.

Tears glittered in her eyes while her jaw clenched and unclenched. "No, that's not what this is about. That was an example. And let me continue with it because it makes my point. We get all hot and heavy with you losing yourself to the sensations, and then out of nowhere you stop, cover me up, and run for the bathroom. Like you're ashamed that you want me so you have to go get rid of your erection so that I don't see it."

Now she was angry. She'd worked herself up nice and tight. It was there in her body as she stood up from the couch. Her back was straight, shoulders square, and fists clenched at her sides.

And so help me, but the next words out of her mouth actually made her point achingly clear. Wrong, but clear.

"You can't make love to me because you don't love me! That's the only thing I can come up with." The tears fell down her face and she swiped at them angrily. "Every single fucking time we get anywhere in bed, you apologize. And I thought it was to me, but was it really to you? To yourself? Are you apologizing to yourself because you can't stop yourself with the imprint pulling you to me?"

For once in my life, I was utterly speechless. Not even a curse came to my mind. My jaw unhinged, leaving my mouth hanging slightly open. Looking like a fish out of water as I tried to close it, she took my silence as her answer. Turning on her socked heel, she went for the stairs that led to the bedroom.

After about five minutes of listening to the house around me, my body got tired of standing still even though my brain still wasn't working right. My feet carried me to the head of the stairs. I could hear her moving around down there, getting dressed for bed, brushing her teeth, and slipping between the sheets.

And all of a sudden, my brain turned back on. What the fuck just happened?! Clearly my brain and I had the same thought. And with that thought came a boatload of anger. I could see where she was coming from, but I hadn't in a million years thought that it would come. This was ridiculous. The imprinting crap was supposed to be behind us now, not coming up to bite me in the ass…again.

Hauling my ass down the steps, I went to the closet, grabbed some sweats, a pillow off the bed, and another blanket out of the closet all while keeping my eyes off her.

"Where are you going?" she asked quietly from the bed.

Holding back a snarky comment by the skin of my teeth, I gritted them and said, "Sleeping upstairs. Need anything, scream."

As I headed for the stairs, my eyes betrayed me and slid over to her. As soon as I did, she looked down, and I realized that she was playing with the ring on her finger. The ring that I'd put there when I'd asked her to marry me back in December. Clearly, she was rethinking her answer.

And didn't that just gripe my ass. Growling deep in my chest, I ripped my eyes away from her and took the stairs three at a time. I never thought that I'd need to be away from her. But if I stayed in that bed with her, something was going to come out of my mouth that I'd regret.

Once I reached the top of the stairs, I lost steam. I just stood there, staring around at all the shadows of memories that danced around me. Memories and dreams. An ache in my chest had me rubbing the spot over my heart. Anger bubbled up in my stomach. I'd felt this type of anger before back when the whole love triangle with me, Bella, and Edward was spinning around. But now only one face popped up in my head.

Clenching my jaw hard to keep from screaming my confusion, I threw the blanket and pillow onto the couch. If I went to the top floor, I'd probably wake up Leila with my snoring. If I slept at all. After I quickly changed into the sweats and stripped my shirt off, I flung myself on top of the blanket, put a hand behind my head, and stared at the fire.

Where had all that come from with her? What had I said earlier? Going back into my head through our earlier conversation where she backed me up into my place, I sifted through what there could be for her to throw this crap around. And unfortunately, I was pretty sure that I found the trigger.

Trying to be everything I was before? God…damn, what the hell was wrong with me? I'd practically told her that I had changed, and not for the best, since before her mother. The other Jacob. The innocent Jacob. The sixteen year old Jacob in love with the seventeen year old Bella. Rubbing my face hard with my hands, I wanted to scream. But I didn't. Instead, I looked down at my chest and the mark that she'd left over my heart. Which was currently crumbling as it broke.

She'd said that she loved me and she knew why. How the hell could I possible prove to her that I loved her beyond the imprint? That it wasn't just some force of nature pull that I couldn't fight?

Growling, I got up off the couch and went to the stairs, telling myself that whether or not she wanted me, she did need me. If only to keep her nightmares of my death away.

If she'd even still have them.

RPOV

I was surprised to wake up warm in the morning. And not screaming from a nightmare. But I guess my fight Jacob had knocked some things into prospective. I hadn't meant to go off the way I had. That thought had been running through my head ever since he'd said what he had, that he should have been trying to be everything he'd been before. What the hell did that mean? Had that meant that he was putting on a front? That I'd grown up with a stranger and I really didn't know him?

But God my chest ached from the way I'd left him. He'd looked so stricken and lost. Especially since it had just come out of me from out of nowhere. At first it hadn't even processed, but as I'd sat down with him for lunch with Leila in my arms, it had started to tick. And eventually it had festered until my skin itched and pieces had started falling into place. But even if it wasn't true, it was still a valid argument. How did I know that he really loved me? He'd hated me before.

Rolling over onto my back, I covered my eyes with my hands and groaned. But a thump to my left had me jumping out of my skin. Opening my eyes, I saw Jacob's pillow next to my head.

"Sorry," he said in a dead voice. "Just putting up the stuff since we're heading out today." When he turned away, I saw the unmistakable sheen in his eyes.

"Jacob-,"

He held up a hand. "Nope. Don't. You made yourself perfectly clear last night."

Without another word, he started going around the room, collecting clothes and other items to go back in our bags. And he was meticulous about separating our things. That made tears spring up in my eyes. Usually we just threw all our crap together and separated it later.

He threw my bag onto the bed. "Here. Get what you need so I can pack it up."

His words were short and clipped. He wouldn't look at me. With shaking hands, I rifled through the bag, taking out clean clothes. Quickly, I ducked into the bathroom and changed. When I came out, he held his hand out for my sleep clothes, his eyes still on the floor, or staring into nothing. As soon as they touched his fingers, he gripped them, folded them, and laid them gently in the bag.

Not one more word was said as he moved around me, picking up things and stuffing them in pockets. And I stood perfectly still. Feeling utterly lost, I scrambled upstairs to be away from him. As I'd told him last night, I loved him. But he'd pretty much told me that he wasn't the person he used to be. So was I in love with a stranger? And that was why I couldn't be around him. I didn't know the answer, and he dead voice and shimmering eyes made me want to get on my knees and beg for forgiveness. But I couldn't do that. I needed to process my thoughts and situations. Was it fair of me to have dumped that on him? Absolutely not. But did the ring on my left hand now weigh a thousand pounds? That would be a loud hell yes.

So I found myself standing in the kitchen, staring at the running dishwasher, the clean counters, and everything in its place. Jacob had had breakfast and cleaned up. My eyes watered again. Dammit.

From upstairs, a familiar cry rang down. Needing something to do and to get further away from Jacob, I ran up the stairs and went to Leila. I went through our normal morning routine, but I wasn't expecting a warm bottle on the kitchen counter when I went down.

"Thank you, Jacob," I whispered.

As I reached for the bottle, his hand came out of nowhere and gripped my fingers in his heavy palm. His thumb stroked his mother's ring. Daring a look at his face, I wasn't sure if I was relieved or scared that the tears were gone.

And then he started to pull the ring off my finger. "Jacob-," I started in alarm, but he shook his head.

"You were rethinking the answer you gave me." He pulled the ring off and stared at it. It was tiny in his large palm. And then his eyes met mine. "Somehow, I'm going to make you sure about me." He shook his head. "I don't know how, but I will. The gift of words never was a talent of mine. And honestly, I can see your points." Those dark eyes hardened. "Even if they are wrong."

My breath caught as he tucked the ring into his pocket.

"I'll just hold on to that until I can get shit figured out. And I won't hold you to your answer."

My eyes stayed on his pocket where my ring was. "Jacob, I want that back. Right now."

That head shake was irritating. "No. You aren't sure of me anymore. And I won't have my mother disrespected by putting that ring on the finger of a woman who can't decide if she loves me or not."

Horror came over my face. My God, he was right.

I thought he was going to touch me when he stepped in close, but all he did was reach for the bottle and prop it up against the blanket for Leila to drink.

When he walked away with anger written all over his body, I burst into silent tears and shoved my face into the blanket, the bottle propped against my temple.

The trip back to the house was a quiet one. Of course it was. We were both trapped in our heads. Back in the cabin, I'd vowed to myself that I wouldn't pull that crying stunt again. It would get me nowhere and I had too much thinking to do to get that caught up in emotions. Not to mention that I felt completely idiotic because when I'd finally lifted my head up from Leila's little body, Jacob had been standing in the doorway. A completely black sadness was buried in his eyes…along with the anger.

Thankfully, the big house was not currently inhabited by my dad. But Shelby and Seth were there. Jacob threw our bags in the foyer and met Seth.

"Hey, man. Where ya off to?" Jacob asked as they bumped fists.

Seth looked confused but said, "Patrol shift." He glanced at me. "We weren't expecting you back so early."

"Yeah, well, we decided to get Leila back to her mother," Jacob evaded smoothly.

My chest ached with how quickly and easily the lie came.

"Nessie, you ok?" Shelby whispered in my ear.

Absently, I nodded.

"Well, I think I'm gonna come with. You mind?" Jacob said. His voice had hardened after I'd nodded.

Seth shifted on his feet, clearly sensing that something was up. "Uh, Jake, I thought we talked about you taking a brea-,"

Jacob interrupted him. "That really wasn't a request. Whether I run with you or alone doesn't matter. I'm still running."

Seth's dark eyebrows skyrocketed into his hairline as Shelby slipped an arm around my waist. She sensed it, too.

"Ah, sure, Jake. Whatever floats your boat, I guess." Seth clapped Jake on the shoulder and led him out of the house.

Jacob glanced at me. There was a resolve there beside the anger and sadness. He was determined, but still very pissed off. Seth stole a look at Shelby and widened his eyes. I saw her nod. As soon as the door was closed behind the boys, Shelby turned on me.

"What the hell happened? You're supposed to come back relaxed and happy. Not looking like the two of you broke up."

I opened my mouth to answer her but figured she needed a visual first. So I held up my left hand, the hand that no longer had a ring on it.

She gasped a gripped my fingers. "What happened? Did you lose it? Tell me you lost it."

My head moved back and forth. "Jacob took it," I whispered. In my arms, Leila stretched, but I wasn't good to be around her right now. I held her out to Shelby. "Look, can you take care of her until Emily comes to get her? I don't want to be around her in this mood. Thanks." Not giving her the choice to say no, I pushed the baby into her arms, making sure she had her secure before I moved for the stairs.

"Yeah, I'll take care of her," Shelby's angry voice followed me like a sticky shadow, "But you're damn well going to stay down here and talk to me. What the fuck happened?"

I shook my head again. "No, Shelby. I'm really not going to talk about it." Stopping, I turned on the stairs. "Would you like to know why?" Again, I didn't give her time to answer. "It's because you're going to tell me I'm being stupid, that of course Jacob loves me, end of conversation. Well, it's not the end of the conversation. There's something about him that I need to know and until he can find the words to tell me, we're off." I closed my eyes against her hurt and confused eyes. "I really don't like yelling at you, so I'm going to go up to my room and try not to fall apart."

When I opened my eyes, she was crying. "If you need me, you know where I am."

"I'm sorry, Shelby. I love you like a sister. But sometimes things have to be done alone."

The tears ran faster. "No," she whispered. "They really don't."

Before I could give in, start weeping, and tell her everything, I raced up the stairs and slammed my door.

So I know a lot of you are mad at Nessie, but if you take Jake's POVs out of the story, I could totally see her point. And of course now there's a little aggression in Jacob. Some of his old anger coming through. Please review! They make my day awesome. Love you guys xoxoxoxoxo