Hi again folkes! Update time! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, every single one means a lot to me! And thanks to my wonderful beta A.J Scarlet!

I hope you like it!

Chapter 11

Sound was the first thing that came back to her. At first it was just the blood rushing through her head, reminding her of the ocean. Then came the voices, but she couldn't make them out. It kind of sounded like she was underwater.

Then came the pain. Only it was a dull throb by now, which she felt immensely grateful for. The whole right side of her body hurt, centring around her hip mostly, but at least it felt whole.

The voices became louder, but not less scrambled. She could make out some words, like "broken" and "worry," even a single "calm down."

Someone took her hand and pressed her knuckles to a pair of lips, and she knew Jacob was at her side. It eased her mind a bit and she gave waking up an honest try.

Groaning, she tried opening her eyes, but a bright light was readily waiting for her, blinding her and she had to shut them tight. At least she could groan.

The voices became clearer after that and she heard her name being called gently several times.

"Talae? Come on baby, wake up," followed by long, warm kisses to her knuckles.

"Turn the damn light off," she managed to rasp out, her throat in desperate need of moisture.

"You're awake! Oh thank god," Jacob breathed and she felt him put down his head next to her waist, on whatever bed she was laying in. She smiled weakly, lifting her hand to stroke his hair, digging her fingers into his soft locks.

Hearing a light-switch being flicked she tried opening her eyes again. It was still a little too bright, but she managed. Blinking harshly a few times, her eyelids settled for being half open for now.

"I feel like shit," she groaned. She kept petting Jacob and she could have sworn she heard him purr.

"Well, your ribs, lung and kidney should be okay now, but I'm afraid your pelvis is going to take a few hours," Carlisle stepped up to the right side of the bed with a slight smile.

"Oh, just tha- wait... what happened to my pelvis?" she winced. She knew for a fact that a person kind of needed their pelvis for walking, sitting, anything really. And she was kind of wanting to get out of the bed soon. As in within five minutes.

"Talae, you were hit with a rock of at least a 100 pounds, going at least 40 miles an hour. Your entire right hip was shattered and your lung was punctured. I managed to set the biggest pieces of bone in your hip in place and take out the insignificant ones, as we've seen proof that you have the ability to regenerate bone, and your ribs have been set and your lung is fine now. But the hip is still going to take a while. Oh, and you're going to have some new scars."

Her right hand immediately flew for her hip and the other wrapped around her ribcage, and that was when she noticed she was in nothing but undies and the tank-top she'd worn under her clothes earlier. Thank god for quilts.

"Do not fret, I am a complete professional", he chuckled when he saw her blush and draw the quilt up over her torso and crossing her arms over her chest. "Do you want me to call your parents?" he asked, clasping his hands behind his back.

"My parents? What time is it anyway? And where am I?" she suddenly had a lot of questions.

Jacob finally lifted his head, "It's nearly midnight and you're at the Cullen's."

A slight panic gripped her, "They don't know where I am... damnit. Where's my phone?"

Reaching for a metallic lump on the end-table next to the bed, he dangled the remains of her meager cell phone in front of her, "Ruined. Along with your jeans, shirt and rain jacket."

She lifted her head and gave Carlisle a pleading, puppy-eyed look. He laughed quietly under his breath before answering her unasked question, "Alright, I will go call them, but as your doctor, I will have to insist that you must stay overnight. I will not risk moving you now."

"Thank you," she breathed in relief. He smiled one last time before exiting the room.

As soon as the door slid close Jacob's lips was on hers in desperate need. His hands were cupping the back of her head, tangling in her hair as he hovered over her, as gentle as it was urgent. Her hands wrapped around his wrists to support the upwards angle of her head, and as surprised as she was, she was eager to respond.

"I was so worried about you," he whispered when they finally pulled apart, resting his forehead against hers, a frustrated frown on his face.

She smiled awkwardly and moved her hand to caress his jaw. He leaned into her touch with closed eyes, his breath still irregular.

"I'm okay," she tried assuring him.

His eyes opened and looked right into hers, "But you weren't. You were bleeding and broken and then you passed out in my arms and I couldn't... I couldn't help you," his eyes were glazing over as he spoke, the memories fresh in his head and still haunting him. He lowered his head and took her hands in his.

"Hey, look at me, I'm okay," she forced him to look her in the eye, tipping his chin when she'd wrestled her hand free, "I'm alive, I'm okay."

He didn't say anything, but the desperate edge in his look faded somewhat. Instead he brought her hand up to his mouth and pressed her knuckles to his lips for a long time while she gently stroked through his hair with the other.

When she felt that he was stable enough, she shifted her body slightly, making him let go of her hand and sit down in the chair he'd previously occupied. She slid the tank-top up over her belly-button to examine the scars Carlisle had mentioned. The one on her hip was mostly healed, the edges around the metal staples that followed the whole of the slightly curved scar were the only places looking red and raw as the skin tried to heal around the metal. It was a few inches below her somewhat protruding hip bone. She didn't know why Carlisle had bothered 'clipping' her up, maybe it was just for good measure. Though it wasn't like she had anything against scars, they were just a part of who you were. Like freckles. Painfully attained freckles.

"It's not that bad," she shrugged her shoulders, fingering one of the metal staples carefully. She felt slightly like a piece of paper for a moment.

"It shouldn't be there at all," he sighed, playing absent-mindedly with the quilt as his gaze fell to where her fingers toyed around.

"Oh hush," she shushed and smiled at him, trying to ease the tension, "did you get them?"

His face fell again and he burrowed his face in equally part thigh and quilt, "Ngh, no." His voice was muffled and he sounded so miserable she almost whimpered.

"But... they were just two," she frowned, waiting patiently for an explanation.

He turned his head so his mouth was free to speak unhindered, "the female had some sort of camouflaging ability. One second they were in front of us, crystal clear, then she grabs the big one's hand and they're gone. Poof. Thin air. Then they turn up 400 yards ahead and suddenly they're at the cliffs and we lost them completely. I'm so sorry Tee."

The last part of his sentence muffled out as he turned his face back down, mumbling incoherently to himself.

"Jacob stop it, it's not your fault," she said firmly. She continued to stroke his hair, willing some of her apparent and surprising calm over on him. Why was he freaking out, she was the one with the new scars, and frequently broken bones. Well, one of us has to stay sane.

"Yes it is," he muttered, "I'm Alpha and I can't even my own imprint from getting hurt over and over."

She smacked the back of his head, making his head jerk up from its lying position, "Ow!"

"Now you listen to me Jacob Black," she raised a lecturing finger at him, "you are a strong and more than capable leader and no one has ever thought otherwise. Fighting leeches isn't easy work, and no one said it would be. If it was, we wouldn't be here. Yes, it comes with high risks. But we all know what we signed up for and getting hurt once in a while is inevitable. It comes with the territory. So don't you dare go blaming it all on yourself, taking a burden on your own shoulders that is all of ours to carry. Do you understand me?"

He looked defeated, being told off like that. But it set his mind at ease, if only a little. At least she wasn't blaming him.

"Yes ma'am," he ducked his head in submission.

"Good boy," she chuckled, scratching behind his ear. He snorted but didn't seem to mind otherwise.

"Did anyone else get hurt?" she asked, almost dreading the answer.

"Yeah. Nothing serious though. Hunter got his shoulder dislocated, and Embry broke a wrist. That's about it," he shrugged, hands back at playing with the quilt.

"Thank the gods," sighing, she settled back against the pillows she was propped up by, wiggling into a comfortable position. Finally having some sense of peace of mind, she took in her surroundings. It was a small-ish room, one she hadn't been in before. Probably a guest-room. A large window with red drapes occupied one wall, the deco elegant, but simple. She was lying in a queen sized bed with lots of fancy pillows at her back. A dresser stood besides the door, the bed sided by two twin end-tables and a large potted plant stood in a corner. That was about it. Nothing fancy compared to the rest of the house.

There was a knock at the door and in came Carlisle followed by Leah, who looked relieved when she saw the small smile on Talae's face, and Embry holding a glass of water in his hand.

"You! I swear, if you ever give me a scare like that again, I'm going to strangle you!" Leah strode to her other side before huffing and hugging her a bit forcefully.

"Calm down woman, I'm alive aren't I?" she grumbled, ducking her head when Leah sent her a glare.

"Your parents are on their way," Carlisle smiled, still standing in the doorway. Talae opened her mouth, but before she got a word out he spoke again, "and they are bringing a change of clothes for you."

She grinned appreciatively at him, "Thank you."

"You are welcome, call me if you need anything," he nodded with a smile and left the room once again, closing the door gently behind him.

"Here," Embry held out the glass in his hand as he went to stand by Leah.

"Oh just what I needed, thank you Embry," she smiled warmly at him, taking the glass in both hands and eagerly gulping the contents down. Her throat instantly felt so much better.

She reached out and squeezed his hand, trying to convey as much emotion as possible in the meager gesture. She was truly grateful that he'd found her, kept her safe and comforted her earlier.

He squeezed back, smiling at her with a single nod of his head, "You're welcome."

"What the hell happened?" Leah asked, crossing her arms and cocking her hip.

"I... give me a sec," Talae frowned, the events were a little blurry, "I was driving home from Sunday's. A deer ran in front of me and I almost crashed. When I'd gotten control over the bike back, well, that's kind of a blank spot. I remember waking up at the bottom of the tree and that it hurt all over. That's when they stepped out from the shadows. I think they thought I was just a normal human, maybe their dinner, at first. Then they caught my scent and... They said something about 'having found them' just after Embry showed up," she looked at Embry for confirmation.

He nodded, "I remember that too. It was weird. Kind of like those guys we chased down when Tee first joined. I think I saw that 'V' emblem on the girl."

An angry frown found its way to Jacob's face, "those guys are coming through here way too often for it to be coincidence."

Leah nodded in agreement, "something is definitely going on, and it ain't good."

"Sam and I talked with Carlisle after that one time, and he agrees that it was weird for them to be on this turf. But they hadn't contacted the Cullens, so it's got nothing to do with them," Jacob sighed frustrated.

"They've been after us both times," Talae pointed out, fiddling with her hands in her lap.

"Which is even more concerning," Jacob groaned, putting his head in his hands as his elbows rested on the bed.

"We'll just have to be careful and kill them off as they come along," Embry shrugged.

"Aren't they like the royal family of vamps?" Talae questioned as she slowly realized the consequences of Embry's proposal.

"Yeah, so?" he asked, shifting his weight to his other foot.

"So, I don't think they appreciate us killing their precious members. Worst case scenario, the whole coven shows up and obliterate us" Leah snapped, punching his shoulder, sending him stumbling.

"Ow. Right, that might be a problem" he rubbed the now sore spot and sent Leah a glare.

"Well, they'll just have to deal if they want to pick a fight" Jacob grumbled, "until we find a more permanent and safe solution."

"Agreed," Talae nodded, picking at her fingernails as Leah and Embry concurred.

"And you, you're not allowed to patrol alone anymore," Jacob eyed his imprint. It seemed he'd regained some confidence in the presence of his subordinates.

Her mouth flew open and her brow frowned in disbelief in a most shocked expression and he could tell this was going to be difficult, "what?"

Leah rolled her eyes as Embry snickered teasingly. With a single look and a jerk of his head, Jacob sent them both out of the room.

"Don't back down Tee," Leah smirked before she closed the door.

Talae crossed her arms tightly, looking more than moderately pissed, waiting for him to explain himself, or at least say something else stupid so she could blow up in his face.

"You heard me," he said calmly, leaning back in his seat, also crossing his arms.

If she hadn't been recuperating she'd have tackled him to the ground right about now, "what the hell Jacob!"

"I'd hate to repeat myself," he said a little too calmly.

She yelled out in frustration and tried to keep from shaking too badly, "you can't do that! I'm as capable as anyone and you know it!"

"Then why do you keep getting hurt?" he barked back.

Giving him a truly evil stink-eye, she slowly leaned forward, hissing, "I've blacked out twice and broken wrists don't count." It was true, she'd broken a few bones over the months, and most were completely unpredictable outcomes of situations that weren't really her responsibility, or fault. And they'd heal within minutes without having to be set.

"You know damn well that if Embry had been even a mile more away he wouldn't have heard you scream and they would have killed you. I'm not risking that again," he spoke, calmly and with authority in that last bit, tilting his head slightly upwards in challenge.

"You don't know that," she spat, "besides, I'm fine now aren't I?"

He sighed angrily and started again, "I've made myself clear, you-"

"JACOB, I AM NOT WEAK!" she bellowed as her temper snapped completely, slamming her fist down on the end table next to her. It broke instantly, one leg splintering totally, sending a porcelain lamp and a vase of flowers crashing to the floor where they smash into hundreds of pieces, the sound ringing through the room in the silence followed by her outburst.

She panted heavily, her gaze piercing through him, staring at nothing in particular, the water from the vase trickled across the floor, flower petals everywhere. Her teeth were bared in a silent sneer, every muscle and nerve in her body was on high alert, her ears ringing. The fact that she was comfortable with being a shape-shifter, embracing the animal within her, caused her to be more in tune with her feral side in human form, making it unnecessary for her to phase out of anger. Luckily.

He looked at her wide-eyed, mouth slightly open and his eyebrows nearly reached his hairline, unable to come up with any words useful in this situation. When she had screamed at him her pupils had constricted drastically, her eyes gleaming with ferocity, and her canine had looked dangerously long and sharp, her hair already messy and wild. For a second he thought she was going to maul him like a wild creature. She had looked completely feral.

Some small part of him was extremely turned on.

As the silence prolonged, her breathing became slower, her eyes returned to their original shape and her lips slowly eased down over her exposed incisors.

She gasped quietly as her gaze refocused on him. For a moment she looked bewildered, then she remembered why she'd exploded on him and her glare returned.

"I am not weak," she growled, leaning back against the pillows and fisting the cool material of the quilt in her hands. She felt slightly bad about breaking the table and the vase and lamp; it had honestly been a complete accident, an irrational act fuelled by fury and ire. But she was fairly sure they wouldn't decorate a guestroom with priceless artifacts, and she would of course pay for it.

He felt totally deflated and couldn't remember what made his opinion the right one. He did, however, catch on to why she had erupted on him.

"No, you're not," he spoke softly, not ever wanting an earful like that again, "I know you're not weak."

"Then why do you treat me like I am?" she snapped through gritted teeth, "Have I not proved my value? Do you really think I'm so helpless?"

His eyebrow frowned in regret and he sighed, "No, I don't think you're helpless."

"Then what is it?" she was getting impatient really fast, she wanted a real answer and she wanted it now.

"Because..." he trailed off, not finding the right words.

"Because what Jacob?" her anger was rising again and he had to diffuse it fast if he wanted to avoid another shout-down.

"Because I would rather have all of my bones broken repeatedly, than see pain in your eyes ever again, okay!" he shouted, jolting up from the chair, tipping it backwards and sending it clunking to the floor, throwing his arms out in a surrendering gesture.

He stalked over to the window, huffing as he crossed his arms and stared out into the night.

"I don't want to lose you before I even get a chance to live with you," he murmured, rubbing his jaw.

The glare fell away from her face and the sheer tone of his voice tugged on her heartstrings. All the anger she'd harboured drained and she suddenly felt very rotten.

"What we do isn't risk free, I know that. I know people can and will get hurt. That's why I have to do everything in my power to keep you safe," he said softly, keeping his eyes on the scenery outside the window, unmoving.

Without a word she gently kicked the quilt away and pushed herself up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Her hip ached terribly and she sucked in a pained breath.

He turned when he heard her shuffling around, "Talae, don't..."

She didn't listen however, and he got the feeling he shouldn't push it.

Aware of the sharp, pointed pieces of broken glass and porcelain, she gracefully stepped around the mess she'd created and padded barefooted up behind him. He turned his head so he could see her out of the corner of his eye, but made no other movement. For a long moment she just stood there, still as a statue. With a soft sigh her head dropped, her forehead coming to rest in between his shoulder blades. Her eyes fluttered closed and she inhaled his scent deeply. Timidly, she brought her arms up and wrapped them around his midsection, pressing her body flush against his. He let her take her time, enjoying how she grasped him desperately after a while, clinging to the grey t-shirt he wore.

"I'm sorry," she whispered before burying her face in his back.

He took a hold of her wrist and pried them off of him. She let her arms fall limply to her sides as he turned around to face her. Grabbing her gently by her bare shoulders, he gazed into her eyes as she lifted her head to meet his. For the longest time they just stood and stared at each other.

Jacob tenderly drew her into his embrace, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and burying his face in her hair, breathing in her fragrance.

"No, I'm sorry," he murmured, his breath fanning her ear. Bracing her hands on his chest, she could feel the subtle muscle beneath and was suddenly very aware of how little clothing she was actually wearing.

Slowly she rubbed her hands in elusive circles and they both felt the change of atmosphere in the room. His breath became deep by her ear as she scrapped her blunt nails leisurely down his abs through the shirt. She bit her lower lip in excitement, loving how these small touches were enough to change his demeanour.

One of his hands travelled up her shoulder, immersing in her hair and cupping the back of her head as his mouth came dangerously close to her ear. She let out a strangled moan as he bit the helix of her ear gently, continuing down the side of her neck, planting sweet kisses and nibbling on her skin as he went toward the juncture of her neck and shoulder. She mewled and couldn't stop herself from digging her nails into his ribs as he planted a bite there, her knees going weak from pleasure.

"Ow, fuck," she groaned as her hip protested against the pressure she was laying on it. She tried shifting her weight to the other side, but it didn't help much.

Hot and bothered in these conditions was far from optimal and she bumped her head on his chest in a frustrated sigh.

He only chuckled and kissed the sweet spot below her ear, before leading her back to the bed and fluffing her pillows. Muttering a 'thank you' she got herself into bed with little to no help and settled back against the now puffy cushions.

Picking up the chair, he sat down and took her hand, caressing it with his thumb, "you win. You can patrol all you want."

She snorted unamused, "damn right I win. But, I do promise I'll be more careful, if you promise not to freak every time I almost die."

He pushed out a dry laugh, smirking at her, "whatever you say darling. And for the record, you're scary when you're mad."

"Hah! Hahaha-aow ow ow," she laughed until her hip complained, secretly cursing the stupid thing.

There was a knock on the door soon after, and Emmett's big head appeared, "Yo, so uhm, heard something breaking, figured you too were having a spat or some-."

She weakly threw a pillow at his face, but he easily avoided it and gave her big smirk instead, "Hah, miss!"

"Shut up, I'm impaired," she grumbled as he came into the room. He was holding a dustpan in one hand along with a trash bag, "Esme sent you to clean up, huh?"

"Yeah, well, try not to break anything else, 'cause I ain't cleaning it up," he rolled his eyes and began picking up pieces of broken glass and wood.

Talae shot Jacob a look. "What?" he asked, looking befuddled. She jerked her head towards the mess. He was about to argue, but she shot him an even meaner look and he gave up, bending down to help Emmett with a sigh.

With two men working, the mess was quickly dealt with and Emmett exited the room as fast as he came and Jacob sat back down, playing with her fingers.

And there it is! I almost have 2 full chapters ready to go! So, review a lot if you want them soon :) Ta-ta!