Sorry, guys, this is out a bit later than I wanted/expected due to being sick a lot lately, but...it's finally done and being posted! Not the longest chapter, again, but it needed to end there. I hope you enjoy it, and that it was worth the wait. As always, thank you to everyone who's stuck with this story, and especially to those who have reviewed!

Feenrai is the lovely beta for this story. A big thank you to her for getting this beta'd so quickly!

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

Previously:

That's why, when I heard a loud, resounding knock at the door, I jumped and let out a startled yelp. In the eerily quiet house, the sound seemed to be magnified, so even when the door was knocked on a second time about five seconds later, I still jumped.

Knowing Edward had finally followed me, at least having given me a few minutes to myself, I slowly got up off the floor, wiped the tears off my cheeks, and yanked the door open.

"I told you not to follo-"

Only it wasn't Edward at the door.

It was Jacob.

Chapter 22

For the second time today, everything froze. I couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't blink. My wide eyes simply stared at the large, bronze form in front of me. The very last person I had ever wanted to see.

It was him. It was Jacob.

I choked on air as I gasped, realizing that not only was Jacob here - here - in my house...but I was alone. Alone.

My hand flew up to my throat, as I felt it begin to close and my vision to swim.

I was stupid. So, so, so stupid! I told Edward...I told him not to follow me... He wasn't going to come, and Jacob was still standing in the doorway, with a large grin on his face, his presence essentially blocking me in. I was trapped. And as I already knew from before, I wasn't strong enough to fight Jacob off...

A sob tore through my throat, of its own volition. It took me a moment to realize that the noise had even come from me.

I was coherent enough to notice that Jacob's smile faltered, and confusion settled over his features.

"Geez, Bells. What's with you? You look like you're scared as hell right now," he muttered, his eyebrows still furrowed in confusion, and if I didn't know better, I would also think concern.

Hearing his voice, especially so close to me, sent a chill down my spine, which caused my body to continue to shake with tremors.

He walked through the doorway and quickly closed the door behind him. He attempted to take a step towards me, but I stepped back, trying to keep as much distance between us as I could.

He looked at me sharply, his eyes now narrowed. He kept his eyes on me as he took another step towards me, causing me to step back. What I didn't expect, however, was for him to quickly take another large step towards me, causing me to practically jump back.

"What the hell, Bella?"

"Wh-what are you do-doing here, Jacob?" I nearly choked on his name, as I fought to get the words out.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm here to see you." The last word of his sentence was punctuated by yet another step in my direction, with a look of determination on his face.

My panic only increased when I felt my back hit the wall. I whimpered, not able to hold it back. I frantically looked around, searching for a way to escape, or to at least get help. I saw nothing.

Jacob stepped closer to me still, and I immediately pushed myself as far into the wall as I could, while beginning to shake violently. "Please don't," I whispered.

At the sound of my plea, he quickly took a step back, while staring at me.

"What the hell has gotten into you, Bella? You really think I would hurt you?" he asked, incredulous. "You're being just as weird as Charlie, and I think he's even gotten to my dad lately." He shook his head harshly, purely out of aggravation. "As if I would ever hurt you," he muttered.

I didn't allow myself to focus on, or consider what he had just said. I was too pre-occupied trying to control my breathing and avoid screaming.

Despite the mass quantities of fear still coursing through me, along with my shallow breathing, I couldn't help but spit the words out. They were quiet, but firm.

"You already did."

His face scrunched up, seemingly confused, or at least...pretending to be confused. I was not sure who he thought he was fooling. We both knew the truth.

After shaking his head softly, his arm stretched out, his hand seeking mine. But the moment his pinky finger even so much as brushed against my hand, I flinched back, and ended up hitting both my head and arm against the wall, due to the force of my reaction.

"Don't touch me," I breathed. I wanted it to come out louder - stronger - but it didn't. I couldn't. I could barely even breathe, let alone keep my body from shaking so badly. I wanted out of here, and I wanted Edward, but Jacob's lumbering form still blocked any route towards the door.

"Wha- did one of those leeches mess with your head or something, Bella?" he demanded. "You're not making any sense. How did I hurt you? You're acting all scare- wait, did that blood sucker do something to hurt you? Are you hurt?" he asked, his voice rising. It sounded like a combination of anger and panic.

I was having a hard enough time sorting out my thoughts, and this game he seemed to be playing was causing my head to ache even more. I didn't understand what he was doing. Was he honestly going to pretend it never happened? And if so, why was he here? To do it again?

As so many questions swirled through my mind, I suddenly became aware of the fact that my face was wet. I had apparently been crying, to the point that the salty liquid was dripping off of my jaw, and beginning to seep into the front of my shirt.

"God, you're shaking," he commented, as he came closer towards me, his arms outstretched as though he were about to try and embrace me.

"Don't touch me!" I screamed, with my eyes clamped shut. I could feel fresh, hot tears beginning to slip down.

He stepped back, as though he had been scalded by flames. It was ironic, really, considering that due to his nearness, his body heat was making me feel as though my skin was on fire. I wish I were in the shower, and able to scrub it away. To scrub my skin until the feeling was gone - or, at least until my skin was raw. I had already learned by now that the dirty feeling seemed to be permanently embedded in my skin - no soap or loofah could rid me of it. At times, even my own body heat would make my skin crawl, when it would rise in temperature. It would remind me of him. Of his horrible searing heat.

"You're really starting to scare me here, Bells." His voice cut through my thoughts. "Did Cullen do something to you? Or one of the others?" he demanded yet again.

I felt a small surge of anger rush through me. How dare he ask if the Cullens had hurt me!

"They," I put emphasis on the word, "did not hurt me. They would never do anything to hurt me, unlike you." Venom had leaked into my voice, venom that I didn't know I was capable of conjuring right now.

His eyes narrowed, and his posture stiffened. He seemed to think for a moment. "You think I hurt you, Bells? I've barely seen you in weeks! Not since we made love... Oh crap, is that how I hurt you? Because I haven't called or been around since then?" he asked, his voice softening momentarily. "The reason I didn't come by was because one of them has always been around, and I wanted to get to talk to you - alone. I knew they would be mad that you and I had been together."

Without my consent, my jaw dropped, and I suddenly found my voice. Could he be serious?

"You - you staying away...that didn't hurt me, that was a blessing! You want to know how you hurt me?" a bitter laugh escaped me, containing absolutely no humor.

As I replayed his words of his feigned innocence in my head, an intense, strong surge of anger shot through me.

"YOU RAPED ME!"

I froze as the words left my mouth, and Jacob seemed to be immobilized as well. Everything seemed to go eerily quiet. The only thing I could hear was the deafening sound of my own blood rushing through my ears, and my own harsh breathing as my chest heaved.

I wanted to squeeze my eyes shut, to block out what was probably coming - more rage and aggression, like that night - but I knew that, if he was going to do anything, I wanted to be aware of it. I wanted to fight back. I didn't want to black out. Not like...not like last time.

The rage, however, didn't come. Instead, his mouth opened and closed a few times, with no sound coming out.

"Ho- wha- I..." he stammered when he finally found his voice. His eyes flared in anger, and he stared directly at me. "What?" he nearly shouted, causing me to jump, and cower further into the wall, but then as he saw my reaction, his demeanor changed as he finally spoke. He seemed to curl in on himself, while a deep sadness set into his features. "You...you think I...raped you?" he seemed to have difficulty getting the words out.

To his benefit, he did appear to be shocked. He was a better actor than I thought.

I chose to remain quiet, not even willing to dignify his obvious question with an answer. Instead, I focused on the whooshing sound within my ears, and my own laboured breathing.

"You - you believe all that crap? I know the cops questioned me, when I saw you that day, outside the station... But you know the truth, Bella. I thought - I thought Cullen, that he pushed you to make those claims because he found out we slept together and he was angry, or that maybe - maybe Charlie found out somehow and filed the report because he misunderstood what really happened, and was just trying to be...protective." His voice wasn't harsh, nor was it completely soft. Mostly, it was confused.

I was done listening to his rambling. I was done listening to his lies. And I was done letting him destroy me even more than he already has. He has taken almost everything from me...and I wasn't about to let him take what was left of my sanity, by listening to more of his false claims - his lies.

"You raped me," I spoke quietly, finding myself only able to repeat what I had said before. My voice still shook with nerves and fear, but I emphasized each word carefully, and slowly. I could feel a sob beginning to build in my chest, as I forced myself to admit the truth aloud again, to say what he had done to me.

"No..." he nearly whispered, while softly shaking his head, in apparent disbelief, as he took another small step back from me.

"Stop! Stop it! Stop lying!" my voice rose, despite the quiver to it still being present. As the words flew from my mouth, so did the sob that had been building within me. I could feel fresh tears stream down my cheeks, as my breathing became more harsh. I pressed myself further into the wall, fearing his reaction again.

He looked at me, his eyes large. After a silent moment, as he seemed to study me (causing my skin to crawl), Jacob's usually deep coloring suddenly vanished from his face, leaving him rather pale. His body had seemed frozen during the seconds it took for the color to fade, before he began staggering away from me. His feet clumsily propelled his stiff body backwards, until his back hit the wall opposite me, where he suddenly seemed to go limp, and his body slid down the wall, where he landed in a heap on the floor.

His knees were haphazardly pulled up, with his head in his hands. He was muttering something, but it was too quiet for me to hear. The most dominant sound I could hear was still my own harsh breaths and my muffled sobs.

I stayed pressed against the wall, too scared to try moving. As much as looking at Jacob caused my entire body to tremble, I also couldn't seem to stop looking at him-watching him-to be sure of what he was doing. The way he appeared now, sitting on the floor, with his head in his hands...it was a complete contrast to...then. To his rage, his violence.

I still didn't understand why he was pretending to be so shocked, when he already knew the truth. He was acting as though he honestly believed what he said, that he viewed that night as us 'making love'. Even thinking that way, phrasing it that way, caused bile to rise in my throat, making me gag.

I wanted out. Out of this house. Away from him. But I was essentially frozen in fear, my body completely unwilling to move. Another loud sob erupted, as I fought to stay upright as my legs began to shake more, threatening to give out from beneath me.

Jacob's words became intelligible within the otherwise empty room.

"I didn't - I just...no. Not possible. It's not possible," he exhaled a shaky breath, and began shaking his head, his hands still blocking his face. After a moment, his hands fell to his lap, and his eyes raised up to mine, causing me to flinch and look away. "Bella," he whispered. "I...I didn't. I couldn't... Do you - is that really how you think of what happened?" His voice was quiet, barely audible. In the brief second that I saw his eyes, they appeared sad, and pleading. I didn't know what to make of him.

"It is what happened," I whispered hoarsely.

I clenched my eyes shut. The more questions he asked, the more he spoke, and the more I saw him...the more memories it brought back. Memories of his hands on me. Of his lips on me. Of him inside of me. I shuddered, as a whimper escaped me as the memories continued to assault me.

I was still quietly sobbing, but was surprised when I heard a deeper, rougher, but equally quiet sound fill the room. After a moment, when I managed to open my eyes again, I noticed that Jacob seemed to be nearly curling himself into a ball, as he sat on the floor, pulling his legs tight to his chest, with his shoulders hunched right into his knees. His eyes, however, would shift from looking around the room, almost frantically, before focusing on me for a moment again. It was then that I noticed that his cheeks were wet, and his body was shaking. He was crying.

"I didn't...I didn't...oh, God. Bella..." He seemed to come undone. He quietly continued to cry, while studying me between bouts of scanning the room. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry," he began to chant the words, over and over.

I was lost, and entirely confused - unsure of what to make of what was going on. He seemed not to, or at least was pretending not to know what he had done...and now he was crying, and apologizing, as though he felt bad. As though he hadn't already known what he had done to me. But...that wasn't possible, was it? He had to know what he had done. He had to. He had to have known that he was doing..that...that he was...

All I knew was that I couldn't seem to get my mind or body to cooperate. I still couldn't get myself to move. I wasn't sure how long I stood there, sobbing, with my thoughts racing, trying to make sense of things, while I struggled to calm my accelerated breathing.

The entire time, Jacob didn't stop with his pained repetition of "I'm sorry", his voice filling the room and my ears, while I struggled to block it out. It only seemed to make me cry harder, and there was no way he could mean it...could he?

I wasn't able to fully think about that, because suddenly, Jacob sprung into motion. He jumped to his feet, causing me to scream and push further into the wall, to the point that I could feel bruises forming. He looked at me one more time with seemingly pained eyes, and whispered "I'm sorry..." one more time, before he ran out the door, slamming it behind him.

The noise, despite being expected, still caused me to jump, and had my chest heaving with gasping breaths. I couldn't seem to fight the panic that was erupting, even now that he was gone.

But I didn't have time to dwell on that for long, because a moment later, the front door swung open, hitting the wall with a loud crash, and causing me to scream.

Alice raced into the room, her eyes frantic, as she looked at me thoroughly, assessing me, before quickly scanning the room.

"Alice!" I breathed, both startled and relieved. I was safe. I was okay. Alice was here. Alice wouldn't let anything happen.

"Bella!" she sounded frantic when she turned back to me, and then stepped towards me. As she got closer, she began to step cautiously, as though unsure of how I would react to her. "Are you okay? Did he - did he hurt you?"

I noticed her gaze flickering back around the room every other second.

I shook my head quickly, still finding it hard to find my voice. I realized, however, when I shook my head, that I was still pressing myself against the wall, keeping every limb plastered to it. I couldn't find the courage to move away from the wall yet, even with Alice now here.

"He...left," I breathed, still trying to regulate my breathing. I just wanted her to stop worrying, to stop glancing around the room, seemingly in search of him.

The door was still wide open, so when a male form stormed into the house, quickly searching the kitchen and living room with a murderous expression, I shrieked, and felt myself panic. My vision went slightly blurry. It wasn't until he turned to me, having heard my scream, that I relaxed. It was Edward.

"Edward..." I breathed.

His expression lost its remaining rage, and his eyes seemed to soften and grow sad.

All I felt at that moment was relief. Pure relief and safety. Edward was here, and I was safe. He came to help me, to save me. He was here.

Edward stood near the wall Jacob had been sitting against. He was unmoving, as still as a statue, as he kept his unwavering gaze on me. His presence seemed to overwhelm my already frazzled emotions, and I couldn't help the fresh tears that wracked my body, as I slowly let myself slide away from the wall.

As soon as I took the first step away from the wall, I found myself running towards Edward, and wrapping my arms around him. I pressed myself as closely to him as I could, needing to feel him, to know that he was here, that he was real, and that I was safe.

It took me a moment, while I clung to Edward, basking in the comfort of his presence, that I realized something.

Edward was not returning the embrace.

Oh boy...so there you go, guys! New chapter, dealing with the whole Jacob confrontation. Worth the wait? Explain some things, or did it leave you with even more questions than answers?

Next chapter: What you've all been waiting for...Jacob's POV! Find out what he was thinking, and what he's been feeling. Was he faking his reaction in this chapter, or was he sincere? And find out why Jacob ran, why he raped Bella, and what he's going to do now after running off!
Not sure if it will be the next chapter, or the one after [depends on how long Jacob's POV is], where we find out why Edward isn't returning the embrace...and also get more details on what happened after Bella ran off, and why Alice and Edward weren't there sooner.

Let me know you guys are still interested in the story, and also tell me what you thought of the chapter...even if you again express that you'd like to throw things at me for ending it that way =b Or even just tell me your theories for why Edward isn't hugging her back. Leave a review and let me know!