A/N: I'm back! Thanks for the lovely reviews. I'm loving the feedback, good or bad. Sorry about the delay (I have a feeling you're gonna be hearing that a lot.) I promise to try to get new chapters out asap. And about the canon thing, My story will most likely have most of the major plot points from Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse (Not exactly in that order). So sometimes, it might seem like a lot of canon, but I promise I'll try to stay away from that as much as possible. I promise it will be different! And I do have something up my sleeve, I'm just afraid you aren't gonna like it… :/

I'm going to start giving an excerpt from every chapter at the beginning or end of each chapter. So here's the excerpt from chapter 13:

"I took a second to think about it...to think about the sheer intensity of our relationship. It felt like so different than a typical high school romance…like so much more. I couldn't define it, but I knew it was something greater than love. It was like our whole existence was for each other. He had already said he couldn't live without me, and I was starting to believe I couldn't live without him either. He meant everything to me."

Chapter 13: Sunny Prelude

Book 2

Everything went back to normal in the weeks that followed the incident, even though I was pretty pissed that I missed my first prom. My school days were filled with me being wheeled around in a wheelchair by Angela and Jasper. While I was at home, I was either accompanied by Jasper or Steven (neither of which liked to leave me anywhere alone for more than five minutes).

Physical therapy with Carlisle was hell, and I dreaded every painful moment of it. But thanks to Carlisle, I had a faster recovery than any average human could ever wish for, and by the middle of the summer I was back to full health.

I was so happy when I could finally move around without the help of others. I celebrated by driving Jasper to Port Angeles for dinner at La Bella Italia just like our first date. I was glad for our date because I felt to me like Jasper and I needed something special and unexpected. After the 'incident', he became so distant…but after the date everything went back to normal…

Or so I thought…that summer…things only got weirder…

"Hey Devin, I'm gonna go down to the reservation and do some fishing with Billy," Steven yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

"Can I come?" I yelled, desperate for an escape. Today was one of those rare, once-in-a-lifetime days where it's actually sunny in Forks, Washington. And since my vampire boyfriend didn't want me to spend my whole day inside with him, he decided to go hunt with the rest of his family. Therefore, I had nothing better to do. So why not go visit Jacob, and Embry, and that other kid whose name I don't remember?

I grabbed my jacket and ran down the stairs.

"Are you sure you want to come fishing with us?" Steven asked.

"Of course not, dad, I'm just gonna hang out in La Push for a little while." I reassured him.

"Oh, okay." He replied. How could he even think that I'd ever go fishing with him and Billy? I'd never be that bored.

We made it to La Push, and surprisingly, Billy didn't give me the death-glare I was expecting. He actually seemed…excited?...to see me? To him, I guess it seemed that any attempt at hanging out with anyone in La Push was better than being around the Cullens.

Billy told me that I could find Jacob out back, working on his car. Then I remembered. All the Quileute boys were obsessed with cars.

I went around to the back to see a shabby old garage, composed of two sheds that had been stuck together with the middle walls knocked out of both. Inside the shed was a shirtless Jacob, leaning over the inner workings of a small red car.

"Hey Jacob!" I yelled. He jumped and hit his head on the hood of the car.

"OUCH!" he screeched, his voice cracking.

"Oops…" I muttered.

"Where'd you come from?!" he yelled.

"Billy and Steven are going fishing, and I decided to come along." I explained.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that…" he said with a slight frown.

"Nice car you got there," I said, attempting at small talk.

"Yep," he replied shortly.

"What kind is it?" I asked.

"A 1986 Volkswagen Rabbit."

"Nice." I said, having no clue whether that was actually nice or not. Jacob didn't say anything, so I continued.

"Where are your friends?" I asked.

He lifted his gaze from the car and gave me a weird look.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Who said anything was wrong?" he said sullenly.

"Your face did, now what's wrong?" I insisted.

"I don't know…" he started. "Things have been weird between us…"

"Is it because of…?"

"No, it's not even that. We got over that. It's just that…" he paused. "Embry's been acting weird lately. I'm worried about him."

"why? What's going on?"

"Okay, this is going to sound like I'm some crazy conspiracy theorist, but here goes: Okay, do you remember Sam from when we were down at the beach?" he asked.

I vaguely remembered him as that older guy who had said that the Cullens weren't allowed on the reservation. "Yeah, I think so."

"Well he stopped hanging out with anyone on the reservation not too long ago, then, he got 'sick' and disappeared for a while. When we saw him again, he still wouldn't hang out with anyone on the rez."

"You don't think he was really sick?" I asked.

"I don't know. It's weird because the same thing happened to two other guys. They both got sick and then cut their hair really short like his, and now they're both hanging out with Sam every second of the day. I'm scared because I think the same thing might be happening to Embry…"

"what about your other friend..umm"

"Quil? He thinks I'm paranoid."

"Oh…"

"You believe me don't you?" he asked.

"…I don't know…" I said truthfully. It did sound like a stretch.

He sighed.

"How about if we go and visit Embry?"

"Sure, whatever." He said, walking towards his small little house. "Just let me grab a shirt and I'll meet you around the front."

I walked around to the front of his hut-like home and waited in the shade of a tree.

It wasn't long before Jacob came striding out the front door. Even though he was a year younger than me, he was already taller than me.

"Let's go," he said sternly.

I followed silently as he led down the dirt roads of La Push, towards wherever it was that Embry lived.

Embry's house was the same old small wooden house with narrow windows like Jacob's. We walked up the three little stairs and Jacob knocked hard on the wooden door. A slender woman with long black hair came to the door. She had the same copper skin that all the Quileutes shared, and her eyes were a deep shade of brown.

"I'm sorry Jacob, Embry's not feeling well." She said wearily.

"I know, we came to see him." He told her.

She then turned her attention to me.

"Hi, I'm Devin Michaels, my dad is—"

"Officer Michaels," she finished. "Nice to meet you, but Embry is in no condition for visitors. What if he's contagious?"

"We'll take our chances," Jacob said, flashing a smile.

She frowned a little, and then sighed. "Fine…"

She stepped aside, and I followed Jacob into the house.

Though the house was small, Ms. Call had done a very nice job of making it feel warm and inviting. Jacob led the way to Embry's room, and didn't knock as he pushed open the door.

Sleeping, curled up on his side in a too small bed, was Embry. He groaned at the sound of the disturbance, and rolled onto his back.

"Embry?" I said softly.

Another groan.

Jacob sighed. "Hey Embry! Wake up!" he yelled.

"Huh? What?!" Embry said, waking with a start.

"You've got visitors bonehead, wake up." Jacob said.

"Go away, I'm sick." He muttered before placing a pillow over his messy head.

"Why do you think we're here?"

"Who's 'we'?" he mumbled from under the pillow.

"Me and Devin."

"Hi Embry." I added.

"Oh," he said, removing his head from beneath the pillow. "Hey Devin," he said, trying to smooth out his hair a little.

"How ya feelin?" I asked conversationally.

"Terrible," he replied. "I hurt from my scalp to my toenails."

"That must suck," Jacob replied.

"Yeah. It does." He said, glaring at Jacob. "I also have been throwing up my guts a lot, my throat's sore, and I think I have a fever."

I started across the room.

"Stay back! I might be contagious!" he yelled.

"Calm down, I'm just trying to see if you have a fever," I told him.

I reached over the bed and laid the back of my hand across his forehead. I immediately withdrew my hand. His skin was scorching!

"Whoa!" I shouted.

"Is it that bad?" he moaned.

"Yes! I'm surprised you're alive right now!" I replied.

"Any idea what it is?" Jacob asked.

"No idea. Mom thinks it's mono," he said, his voice raspy.

"Isn't that the kissing disease?" I asked, not realizing the awkwardness of what I'd just said…

Luckily, there was a knock on the door, and Ms. Call peered into the room.

"Jacob, Devin, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Someone else is here to see Embry." She said to us.

"Who?" Jacob asked. She didn't answer; she just left the room quietly.

"Bye Embry, hope you feel better." I said, turning towards the door.

"See ya Embry," Jacob said reluctantly. He didn't seem happy with being forced to leave without it being his idea.

"Bye Devin, Bye Jake."

On our way out, I saw three boys standing underneath a tree across the street from Embry's house.

"Ugh, Sam." Jacob said under his breath as we started walking away from the house.

What Jacob had said was true. Sam and those two other boys all looked the same. They all had short, almost buzz-cut hair, and they were all wearing plain white t-shirts with cutoff jeans and no shoes. If anything, I'd say they looked like a cult or something.

Then I saw Sam give Jacob the weirdest look. It was a smug look, a look that implied that he could read Jacob like a book, and could tell you anything you wanted to know about him.

I realized I was staring, when Sam and his friends crossed the street and disappeared behind Embry's front door.

"I knew it," Jacob said, and I realized I wasn't the only one staring. "Now do you believe me?"

"Yeah, something's definitely up…but it doesn't make sense. What does Embry being sick have to do with Sam and his friends?"

"That's what I want to know…" Jacob replied.

We walked back to Jacob's house in silence, and I told him to tell my dad that I got Jasper to pick me up, and that I'd be home for dinner. Then I got out my cell phone and called Jasper.

"You scared away our deer!" someone growled ferociously into the phone.

"Rosalie?"

"Hello? Devin? Is everything all right?"

"Jasper?"

"Sorry about that…" he said.

"Are you done yet?" I asked childishly.

"Not…particularly…" he said.

I sighed dramatically. "Okay…I'm just so bored…"

I could hear Alice and Rosalie arguing in the background.

"I don't know why you hate him so much"

"I don't hate the kid, he just has terrible timing!"

"It's not like he knew or anything."

"We're on a hunting trip, what are the odds we might actually be hunting."

"Oops," I said.

He laughed, "They'll be like that all evening."

"Sorry about that," I said. "I just miss you a lot."

"I miss you too, I'm just a little hungry, that's all." He said nonchalantly.

"Okay, I'll let you get back to hunting." I told him.

"I'm probably going to come home later today. After James, it kind of makes me nervous to be away from you for too long." He said. I got chills at the thought of James.

"Okay, I'm thinking of going to the beach."

"Which beach?" he asked nervously.

"The Quileute beach."

"Okay, I'll call you when I'm done and tell you where to meet me." Then I remembered that the Cullens weren't allowed on La Push because of some not-so-silly superstitions.

"Okay, see you then." I said.

"Bye"

"Bye." I closed the phone and started walking towards the beach.

I decided to take of my shoes and go sit on a driftwood 'bench' and stare at the waves. I loved how peaceful and calm it made me feel. As if I was one with nature. The clouds floated beautifully across the sky, ending on the side of the sky that held the sun. It was truly breathtaking. It reminded me of one of those cheap postcards you find in stores.

I sat there for a while, just staring into space, thinking. About love, about happiness, my future, everything. I was so deep in thought, that I didn't notice the sun start to set, and I didn't notice someone approaching me.

"I thought you said Cullen was coming to pick you up? Your dad went home already." I heard Jacob say from right beside me.

"Whoa! Where'd you come from?" I asked, startled out of my reverie.

"My house," he stated plainly.

"Oh," I said sarcastically. "well, Jasper," I didn't like him referring to Jasper as 'Cullen'," is on his way back from a hiking trip with his family right now, so yeah."

"Oh, that explains it." He said.

"So what brings you to the beach?" I asked.

"I don't know…"

"Still worried about Embry?" I asked.

"Yeah, kinda," he said distractedly.

"Sorry I made things awkward back there…"

"What?!" he asked, breaking away from his thoughts.

"Remember? Me mentioning…kissing?"

"Oh…that," he said with a frown.

"Yeah," I said, not knowing what else to say.

"I mean, I obviously don't care if he's gay. I'm hanging out with you aren't I?" this statement caught me off guard. I didn't know he knew I was gay… "I just don't want him to like me…I mean we're friends, and I'm not gay…I don't want him to get upset when I get a girlfriend because he has a crush on me..."

"I'm sure that now that he knows you aren't interested, he'll move on to someone else." I told him.

"I hope so…"

"Boys are—"my cell phone rang. Immediately I had it up to my ear.

"Jasper?" I asked, since I didn't look at the phone before I answered.

"Yeah, where are you?" he asked. I could hear the faint hum of a motor running in the background.

"Still on the beach, with Jacob." I told him.

"Okay, I can't come and get you, so you're going to have to meet me where La Push ends on the main road."

"How do I get there?" I asked.

"Just walk down the main road until you see my car." He told me.

"Kay, see you then," I said before closing the phone. "Wanna walk with me?" I asked Jacob.

"Sure," he said, getting to his feet. "Better than being alone."

While we walked, I got to know Jacob better. We talked about school, and his car, and he told me fun stories about him, Quil and Embry.

It was a fairly long walk, and I decided never to come to La Push again without my truck. It took a while, but eventually I saw Jasper's black car waiting on the side of the road. He was leaning against the driver's door, looking like the sexiest hiker I had ever seen in my life. He actually looked like he had been chasing a wild animal, but I knew no one but me would actually think that. He was wearing cargo shorts that were dirty and muddy in some places, and a jacket that was also slightly dirtied.

I gave Jasper a hug, told Jacob bye, and then got into the car.

"Have fun?" I asked as he turned around and started speeding towards Forks.

"Yeah, you sure look like you did."

"Oh, this?" he said, "This is from me beating Emmet at wrestling. We don't make a mess when we eat."

"Oh…there's so much stuff I still don't know about you…"

"All in good time," he said cheerfully. In fact he was so cheerful that I could feel it radiating into myself.

"So, you were so bored that you went to La Push?" he asked teasingly.

"Yeah, Steven was going fishing, and I decided to visit some friends." He said.

"Did you have fun?" he asked.

"It was okay," I told him. "I'm happy you're back though."

"Me too."

"Where are we going?" I asked, noticing the familiar streets of Forks.

"Your house," he told me.

I frowned. "Why?"

"I'm going to ask your dad if you can spend the night at our place."

"Why?" I asked again.

"It's a surprise." He said with a smirk.

I sighed. "Ugh, surprises…"

He laughed. "So you're game?" he asked.

"Have you been studying your 20th century slang?"

He glared at me playfully. "I've been around enough high school kids to know how to talk like one. Besides, every day I spend with you I get more and more like an average teenager."

"Well, yes, I guess I'm 'game'. But only because I want to know what this stupid surprise is."

When we got home, Jasper used his charm to convince Steven to let me stay over for something, but he wouldn't let me stay in the room and listen to him explain. Instead, he told me to go upstairs and pack some clothes.

When I came back down he told me that everything went well with Steven. I told my dad goodbye, then went out and put my stuff in the car.

When we got to the clearing in the woods that held the Cullen manor, I was astonished. Strung high in the sky, across the trees, were white paper lanterns, creating an ambient glow along with the setting sun.

"Wow…" I said. "Alice did this?"

"Of course. The whole family helped plan this." He said casually.

He held my hand and led me to the porch. He stopped at the door, and my heart was racing. Surprisingly, he didn't do anything to slow my system down.

"Devin," he said, gazing deeply into my eyes.

"Hm?" I said, feeling the intensity of his stare.

"You know I love you right?" he asked.

"Yeah, of course. Why?" I asked, my heart rate growing faster.

He ignored my question. "And you love me…right?"

"You ask me that like you don't know," I said.

"Devin, seriously." He said, still staring intently into my eyes.

I took a second to think about it...to think about the sheer intensity of our relationship. It felt like so different than a typical high school romance…like so much more. I couldn't define it, but I knew it was something greater than love. It was like our whole existence was for each other. He had already said he couldn't live without me, and I was starting to believe I couldn't live without him either. He meant everything to me.

"I do, of course I love you Jasper. You do know that right?" I asked.

He exhaled. "Just needed to make sure."

"Well, yes. I. Love. You. Jasper Hale."

He smirked, then leaned in and kissed me. And honestly, it was probably the best kiss I had ever had. It felt like…love.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Soooooo sorry about the wait, but do know that there will be more time in between posts, but hopefully never this long again.

Peace, Love, and Vampires

--Kevyncito