Chapter 2:

Jacob POV:

Bella finally gave into the exhaustion she felt and fell asleep curled into my side. As I watched her sleep, I mentally kicked myself for pushing her like that. I just hated that she let him play her like he did. But I had to learn to keep my mouth shut. It didn't help my cause to constantly whine about it. I needed to grow up and handle Bella like a man, not a kid. This wasn't some schoolboy crush I felt for this girl. I loved her and I knew I wanted a lifetime with her. I hoped that kiss I just gave her was proof to her of just that.

Finally I laid my head back into the pillows and let sleep wash over me again.

When I woke up, she was gone.

An incredible feeling of loneliness swept over me . . . the same feeling I always had when Bella wasn't with me. I struggled to sit up and put my legs over the side of the bed. I still felt a little woozy, but I couldn't stand being in bed any longer. I grabbed the chair by the bed with my good arm and pushed myself to a semi-standing position. My leg was in some sort of brace that was attached with Velcro, so I tried to take a step. Fuck, that hurt! I was a little shaky, but somehow I managed to make it to the door.

"Whoa, where do you think you're going, Mister?" I looked up to see Bella standing there, hands on her hips, dressed in one of my t-shirts and an old pair of my basketball shorts, her wet hair clinging to her shoulders. She scowled at me and ordered me, "Back to bed!"

The sight of Bella dressed in my clothes took my breath away for a second. They were huge on her, but somehow she still managed to make it look sexy. I quickly felt a stirring from below and decided maybe I should lay back down before I made a fool of myself.

"Don't stand there gawking at me! Back to bed!" Bella made her way toward me.

So what did I do? I whined like a little kid. "Aw, come on. I can't take laying there anymore!"

Her face softened as she rolled her eyes and then laughed at me. "OK, come on big boy. We'll go out to the living room." She came to my side and put my good arm over her shoulder to help me walk. That made me laugh. Little tiny Bella helping me walk? I was afraid if I fell on her, I would crush her.

I told her that, and she just snorted. "Why is it that everyone thinks I'm so fragile?"

"Oh, I don't know, Bells. Maybe it's the two file drawers they have on you at the ER?"

"Funny, Jake. Real funny!" She walked me to the couch and I ended up falling over on top of her.

"Ow! Geez, maybe you could crush me!" she squeaked out as she pathetically pushed against my huge body.

I sat up and pulled her over to me and planted a big wet kiss on her cheek. "Sorry," I said giving her a big, cheesy smile.

She shoved me away and handed me the remote control. "Here, watch some TV. I'm going to throw the laundry in the dryer." She got up and walked past me to the laundry room. I was really enjoying this domestic bliss. I decided maybe it was worth getting my ass kicked by a fucking leech.

"Where is everyone?" I shouted to her.

"I found a note on the table that Sue Clearwater stopped by to take Billy grocery shopping," she shouted back.

All alone with Bella, I thought. I stretched and laid back into the couch. Life was good.

She soon walked back into the room and sat down beside me. "I hope you don't mind me borrowing your clothes," she said with a shy smile.

Are you kidding? I could feel the hormonal teenage werewolf coming out in me. "Sure, sure," I answered, trying to sound cool about it.

"I couldn't take the thought of putting my dirty clothes back on after my shower, so I threw them in the washer with yours. I'll change back when they're dry."

Hmmm . . . Bella changing her clothes . . .

She looked at the TV. "What are you watching?" When I didn't answer, she looked over at me. "Jake? Hello?" Bella waved her hand in front of my face.

"Mmm, what?" Get your mind out of the gutter, Jake. I realized she had just asked me some sort of question. "I'm good."

She chuckled at that. Must not have been the right answer. "You OK? Do you need anything?" Bella asked.

Just you. "Nope. Just take a break and sit here with me." I reached down and took her hand to entwine her fingers with mine. We both just stared at the screen at some game show that neither of us obviously had any interest in. After awhile, I glanced over and could see that something was bothering Bella. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she was busily chewing on her thumbnail, something she only did when she was upset.

"Are you OK, Bells?"

She closed her eyes and pulled in a very ragged breath. I could see she was trying very hard to push something out of her mind. "Yes, I'm fine," she answered.

"Yeah, that was real convincing. Come on, Bella, talk to me."

She shook her head and looked away. "I can't, Jake."

I gently took her face in my hands and made her look at me. "Bella, please? What happened yesterday? Embry and Quil tried to fill me in this morning, but I want to hear it from you. This is your best friend, Jake asking. Talk to me."

Bella POV:

As Jake sat there patiently waiting for me to tell him what was bothering me, I thought: What did he want to hear? About the images that I couldn't get out of my head of the horrible violence I had witnessed? The fear I felt that all of the people I cared most about could have been killed? The guilt that I felt knowing that it was all my fault? How I panicked when I thought I might lose him? How I knew now how much I loved him and couldn't live without him? And yet, I didn't think I could live without Edward either?

He put his arm around me and pulled me close. "Bella, it's OK. Just please talk to me," he whispered.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm my nerves. "I don't know how to start." I played with the wolf charm on the bracelet that Jake had given me. "It was like one of my nightmares. Victoria and Riley, that's the guy that was with her, found us. They followed Edward's scent . . . Seth went after Riley and Victoria . . . " my voice was shaking as I spoke, "Victoria knew that she was alone against Edward. They fought . . . and it was like it was in slow motion or something . . . and then Seth was hurt and Victoria had Edward and so I did the only thing I could think of. I quickly picked up a rock and cut my arm, like the Third Wife in the legend your dad told us." I heard his quick intake of air as he grabbed my arm and pushed up my sleeve to see where Carlisle had wrapped a bandage around it. "It's fine, don't worry," I told him. "Carlisle took care of it."

"God, Bella, I can't believe you did that! Do you know . . . "

"How dangerous that was?" I finished for him. "Yes, I've already had the lecture, OK?"

He nodded. "Yeah, OK. Go on."

"Victoria smelled the blood and it distracted her enough that she let Edward go, and then he caught her and leaned in toward her throat. For a weird moment I thought he was kissing her, but then, her head separated from the rest of her body and rolled onto the ground." I stopped talking as I relived the horror of it. Jake squeezed me gently.

"It was so surreal. There was her head, just lying in the green grass with her red hair spread out around it. Seth came out of the woods with parts of Riley's body in his mouth then Edward . . . " my voice caught. "Edward began tearing Victoria's limbs from her body." My voice was really quiet now. Jake held on. "The look on his face, was so, so, . . . eerie . . . so calm. He was viciously tearing this body apart like he was doing an ordinary chore . . . like sorting laundry or something." I stopped and took a breath. "Then he told Seth to make sure they found all of the parts. They threw them in a pile and lit them on fire. The smell, oh God, the sweet, sickening smell," my voice trailed off. I took a deep breath to try and steady myself.

"I must have been in shock, I guess. I remember Edward coming up to me and telling me not to be afraid of him. That I was safe and he wouldn't hurt me. I must have nodded some agreement and we started walking away from the clearing. Then Seth let out this horrible howl and Edward stopped and listened. He said to Seth that it would be OK – then he sent him home." Should I tell him the rest? About the Volturi? About Jane? I can't. Not now.

I went on, "He didn't tell me until much later that you . . . that he had heard then you had been hurt." She closed her eyes again and took a breath. "When he finally did tell me, I fainted . . . yeah, I passed out," I added when I saw a small smirk play at his lips. "When I came to, Carlisle was talking to Edward about you. They both tried to assure me that you were going to be fine. Carlisle said that Sam was taking care of you and they were trying to get you to phase back so that your bones could be set properly. Carlisle said he was leaving to go and help."

"I got up and said I was going too – I had to see you. Edward started fussing over me like always, wanting me to lay down and rest, but I yelled at him to let me go. I told him that I had to see you for myself. I wanted to see you and know that you would be fine. He wasn't happy with me, but he let me go."

Another deep breath. "I took off in the truck and headed for La Push. All the way here I kept thinking, 'What if Jacob dies? What if Jacob dies?' I remembered the last time I saw you, before you left for the fight." I closed my eyes. Tears were falling faster now. "I thought of us kissing, really kissing, and the way it felt . . . suddenly seeing what kind of a life we could have . . . realizing how much I do love you . . . then knowing it was my fault that you were hurt!" I was crying so hard now I could barely speak. I looked up at him and finally got out, "I couldn't take it if anything ever happened to you," I finished with a sob.

Jacob pulled me to him and held me as I cried. "Bella, I'm right here," he said softly as he rubbed my back. "I'm OK."

Jacob POV:

I held her to me while the sobs wracked her body. I felt the rage building inside me for what she had been through. I wanted to scream at her that this was not her fault. It was that fucking bloodsucker! NONE of this would ever have happened if he would have left Bella alone in the first place. I wanted to rip him apart and to hell with our little truce. But I knew that was the last thing Bella needed right now. I took a few deep breaths and willed my body to calm down.

"It's OK, honey," I said as I held her tight. I dropped a kiss into her hair as she took a few breaths and her tears finally slowed to a stop. I put my hand under her chin and pulled her face up to meet mine. I looked into her eyes, and before I could think, I was kissing her. I ran my tongue lightly along her lips, and was amazed that she opened them to me. She ran her hands over my chest and around my back. I was surprised when she deepened the kiss and twisted her hands into my hair, not holding anything back this time. I let my hands travel slowly up her back, pushing her shirt up then . . . Shit! "Bella," I said against her lips as I pushed her away. "Bella! Dad's home."

Her eyes few open as she fumbled to pull her shirt down. She jumped off of the couch and mumbled something about having to use the bathroom as she ran from the room.

Bella POV:

I ran into the bathroom and shut and locked the door then leaned against it. What the hell I am doing? Why was I just making out with Jacob? Again? I'm engaged to Edward! I hung my head and let the guilt wash over me, rippling through me and filling me with so much confusion. I moved to the sink and turned on the cold water. After I splashed some on my face and toweled it off, I looked up at my reflection in the mirror. The face looking back at me was a mess . . . my eyes were red from crying and my pale skin was even paler if that was possible. What was I doing to everyone? To myself? I loved Edward, but now I was having these intense feelings for Jacob. I loved him, too, I knew that now. There was no fighting it. I loved him as much as Edward, if not more. If not more? Where had that come from?

I couldn't keep hurting everyone the way I was. I can't be engaged to Edward, and make out with Jacob. Didn't I still want to marry Edward? Didn't I still want to become a vampire? Why didn't I tell Jacob about the Volturi?

I shook my head. This will stop. I had already made my decision. I was going to marry Edward. That's what I wanted. Wasn't it?

I walked to the laundry room and pulled the clothes out of the dryer then went into Jacob's room to change. When I was dressed, I folded Jacob's clean clothes and put them in the dresser for him. Looking into the mirror over his dresser, I sighed and pulled my hair back into a messy bun then decided that I was ready to go back out and face everyone. Be strong for once, Bella.