Don't say goodbye

Cause I don't wanna hear those words tonight

Because maybe it's not the end for you and I

And although we knew this time would come for me and you

Don't say anything tonight if you're going to say goodbye

"Say Goodbye"

-Skillet

Chapter 4:

Damn, and I thought I was in pain

It was Seth's voice that made me pop open my eyes. He must have seen what was going on from the inside and had come out to help. He was trying desperately to shake Jacob off of Bella. Edward was crouched and ready to attack if Jacob didn't do as he was told.

"Back away," Seth urged. That was my brother, always playing the peacemaker. "You'll hurt her." Seth begged Jacob to release his hold, and his anger, so no one would get hurt.

Edward snarled at Jacob and that seemed to break his trance. He loosened his grip on Bella, but his shaking continued. Edward zipped Bella away from Jacob and stood in front of her protectively. I snorted. Edward had nothing to worry about. Like Jacob would hurt Bella on purpose?

Jacob was staring angrily at Edward. Well, Jacob might not hurt Bella, but he looked like he was about ready to pounce on Edward. The pack noticed his building rage.

Damn, he's gonna kill him, Embry gawked.

Aw man, I always miss all the fun. Paul was upset that he was so far away.

Sam leaped forward, into the middle of the tense atmosphere.

I got your back. Quil followed.

Even the appearance of his brothers wasn't enough to deter Jacob. Seth was still desperately trying to pull him away. I could hear him grinding his teeth together. He was on the verge of losing control.

Do not do this. Sam ordered with a hushed growl. Jacob didn't take his eyes off of Edward. He was so enraged that he didn't hear Sam growling.

C'mon man, walk away before you do something you'll regret, Quil looked into Jacob's eyes and whined.

Tell him to get in a few good licks for me. Paul again. He was easily the most aggressive of our pack. He had the worst control of his temper. He had definitely cooled it down after he imprinted on Jacob's sister, but he was still pretty violent.

I continued to watch curiously from the shadows as Seth tried to pull Jacob away from Edward. I saw Seth manage to inch him backwards. It was a good thing, too. He was about to rip into Edward. I smiled to myself. That would have been satisfying to see. Vampire had it coming. Jacob confirmed what I knew he was thinking when he threatened to kill the leech.

Edward had a "bring it on" look as he continued to hiss at Jacob. Part of me was begging for Jacob to let him have it. The other part of me was concerned that Jake might get hurt.

Jacob, stop this right now! Sam shouted with a growl, and then a warning snap.

Edward urged Seth to take a step back and get out of the way. Was the vampire actually trying to protect my brother? Or was he just trying to take Jacob down before Jacob took him down? Whatever the reason, I got the distinct feeling that Edward didn't want Seth hurt. Weird.

My brother couldn't seem to get a handle on Jacob, so Sam leaned against him and started forcefully shoving him towards the trees. With Seth yanking and Sam pushing, Jacob finally started moving away from Edward and Bella.

A few minutes later, Sam had Jacob completely under control. I heard Seth trying to calm him down. Sam did the same.

Quil looked up at Bella and Edward. Bella gave him a sympathetic sigh,

"I am so sorry," she squeaked out.

It's too late for that. Quil grumbled to himself. He glanced at Edward. Sam has him under control. He let Edward know that the treaty would not be broken. Not tonight at least. Edward could forget about the fight and go back to his precious wedding.

Quil raced after the others.

I watched as Bella cried. She moaned to Edward about what an idiot she was. No argument here. God, she was such a crybaby. Everything in her life, she had chosen to be that way. She had no right to complain.

Now that Seth was back with the pack, I knew I could leave this foul place. My mom would be safe with Charlie and Billy. Maybe Billy would even get wind of what had happened and would convince my mother to leave early.

I kicked up the dirt and followed the boys.

I felt Jacob phase. He was still angry, trying to explain his actions to Sam. Sam wasn't listening.

You shouldn't have gone. It's that simple, he growled. I knew this was going to happen. You let your anger get the better of you again, Jacob.

It was too bad that Sam hadn't let Jacob maim the vampire to pieces. That's what we were made for. Besides, it serves the bloodsucker right for pulling Bella away from him. I still couldn't see what Jake saw in Bella anyway. She was a whiny little thing.

That fucking leech…he's going to… Jacob couldn't even say what had gotten him so upset. We had all heard it. The honeymoon crap. He'll kill her!

It's Bella's choice.

Jacob shook his head. It's one thing for her to become a vampire. But for him to try… He still couldn't finish. Then she WILL be dead. Really dead.

As soon as he changes her, she'll be as good as dead in your eyes anyway. You said exactly that tonight!

I didn't mean that. Jacob apparently still thought that there was a shot that he and Bella could be in each others lives after her transformation.

We all watched as they sparred back and forth for nearly an hour. It was the same argument over and over again. I wondered why Sam didn't just use his command to shut Jacob up.

Then I realized that Sam wasn't Jacob's Alpha tonight; he was his friend. He knew Jacob had to get his pain out somehow. Sam had always been the kind to be the punching bag for the people he loved. No one knew that better than I did. We had had our share of quarrels. He always let me get the last word, because he knew it made me feel a little better.

After fighting with Sam and releasing some of his anger, Jacob began to think more clearly. The first thing that came to his mind was making things right with Bella.

I have to go back. I have to talk to her. Explain. Maybe I can change her mind.

You've tried that before, haven't you? I asked. Unsuccessfully, I might add.

You will hold your tongue, Leah. You aren't helping matters, Sam hissed.

Why the hell was he snapping at me? I wasn't trying to be hateful. I was just trying to remind Jacob that he had done all that he could to keep Bella from throwing her life away. There was nothing more he could do. I thought maybe if he could see that, he might not hurt so much.

Jacob shot me a sad glance. Thanks, he managed to sigh.

It must have caused you some physical pain to say that, I laughed. It couldn't have been easy for him to be nice to me when he was so worked up. We rarely shared "touching" moments.

Sam tried to push Jacob to forget about what had transpired. What's done is done. Now why don't you just go home and get some rest?

I can't leave things this way. I have to see her again before… Jacob trailed off.

It's too late. I saw Sam lower his head and look at the ground.

No, Jacob disagreed. No, it isn't.

He crouched down, ready to leap forward and race back to the same girl who never listened to a word he said.

Sam stopped him not with a command, but with a realistic admission. They're gone, Jacob. They've left for the airport.

How did Sam know their itinerary? And better yet, why was he sharing this with Jacob? The ending did not bode well for poor Jake. No matter how hard he tried, he got his heart stepped on every time.

I saw the anguish on his face. He let out a pained grunt and I swear I saw tears filling his gigantic, soft eyes. He raced forward.

Embry and Quil started to chase after him. They didn't want him to disappear on them again.

Sam immediately stopped them, Let him go.

At first I thought maybe he was running away again, but then I saw through his eyes what he was running towards. He raced down the highway, tracking Edward's car at speeds that I didn't even think were possible.

I whimpered. I was used to pain, but this was almost unbearable. The heartbreak he was experiencing now was nothing like anything I had ever felt from him before. Days like today were why being a wolf just flat out sucked.

Jake, you know you won't catch them, Seth said softly.

Jacob ignored him and pushed forward harder. His heart was beating wildly in his chest. The entire pack could see the ground flying by beneath his feet.

He's gonna run himself to death, Sam. Seth was concerned.

Trust me, running isn't going to be the thing that kills him. I knew that his pain would inevitably be the thing that swallowed him whole.

My dad had once told me that our greatest weakness as humans was our inability to see the way others treat us. It's impossible to push the people who hurt us out of our lives, because we don't always see that they aren't good for us. Friends often observe our blind love for someone who clearly does not reciprocate the feelings. They try to warn us, but we don't listen. I didn't. Jacob wasn't going to either.

The thoughts that were going through his mind were the complete opposite of what I was feeling. All he could think about was losing Bella. He loved her. I, on the other hand, hated her. I hated her for filling him with such pain. I hated her for breaking his heart. I hated that no matter how hard he fought, he would never be her first choice. But I really hated the fact that I could see these things and Jacob couldn't. He would see it one day. It takes some people longer than others. It hadn't taken me long to open my eyes about Sam. And it hurt all over again when I finally decided to accept the truth. I was so unhappy that Jacob was going to have to go through that as well.

Geeze, this sucks. Quil couldn't stand the angst anymore. He quickly ran off and phased. No doubt he was going to see Claire. For a minute, I envied the fact that he had someone that he cared so immensely about.

Sam looked at the rest of us. You are all free to go home if you'd like.

Embry shook his head. He wasn't going to abandon Jacob. Seth and I looked at one another. Silently, we decided to stay as well.

Paul, I think you can finish the run by yourself tonight. I'll be running as well, Sam said. Collin, Brady. Go home and rest up. A few minutes later I felt the two newest members of our pack phase out.

I knew that in his own way, Sam was trying to protect the younger boys from feeling Jacob's pain. He gave Seth, Embry, and I a slight nod as he took off into the woods.

How long do you think he'll go? Seth was curious as to how far Jacob would chase Bella and Edward.

He can't run forever. Embry shrugged.

I don't know. He's done pretty well these past few months. I knew nothing would stop him from taking off once he realized that Bella was gone.

He won't run away again. Embry argued with me. Right, Jacob?

No response. He was too busy with his nose to the ground to hear anything we were saying. He hadn't been paying attention to us since Seth and Sam had dragged him away from the wedding.

The anger that he had felt had never completely gone away. And now it was rising its way to the surface again. We could all feel that he was about ready to explode. The last conversation he'd had with Bella replayed in his head.

Finally, he let all of his thoughts go.

You told me tonight wasn't the night I was going to lose you, Bella! You can't leave it like this! We promised each other…

He started to slow his pace. He was giving up. His run turned into a trot and then into a walk, until he came to a complete stop on the side of the road. He sat down and sighed. His thoughts were completely silent for a moment.

The woods around us were eerily quiet. I looked at Seth and Embry. They both had the same sadness in their eyes.

The silence was completely shattered as a loud scream filled the air. Miles down the road, Jacob let out a piercing, deafening howl.

I quickly phased back and went home. That was all the pain I could take for one night.