Jacob's POV

I woke up to the glow of the morning sun. It was warm and pleasant. I smiled thinking how under normal circumstances I would have groaned and pulled the blankets up over my head, cursing the spirits for the sun they valued so much. But today was different. I had a lot on my mind, but I felt optimistic. I had not felt anything but sadness and despair in so long that this new feeling was taking a huge weight off my shoulders. I could breathe easier and see clearer.

I sat up and looked around me. Edward was not there. For the past two days, since I had woken up, Edward had always been there. But I shook off any fear or worries I had about his absence. He could not be expected to sit with me every minute of every day, especially since he had spent the last two weeks doing just that.

My visual sweep of the room stopped on a fresh set of clothes sitting at the end of the bed with a towel folded neatly beside them. A shower sounded wonderful and seeing as how I was in a coma for two weeks, I definitely needed one.

I got out of bed slowly, grabbing the clothes and towel, and headed toward the door. My legs were a little shaky. I had not done a lot of moving around in the last two days on Carlisle's orders so I was stiff and weak. Something I hoped would change soon.

The bathroom was the next door down and I stepped in and closed the door behind me. I turned the water on and allowed it to adjust while I removed my clothes and used the toilet. Stepping into the shower, I sagged in relief at the gentle patter of the water on my body. It was Heaven.

I stayed in there longer than I should have, just enjoying the feel of the water on my aching and almost unrecognizable body. Carlisle was not exaggerating when he said I had lost an extreme amount of weight. I almost did not want to look at myself out of disgust.

Dressing in clothes that were clearly brand new and a few sizes smaller than I used to wear, but fit extremely well, I headed out of the bathroom and into the hall. I did not really want to go back to the bedroom and lay back in bed with nothing to do but twiddle my thumbs so I followed the smell of food wafting toward me from somewhere downstairs.

I paid little attention to the rooms I walked through as I made my way to the source of the smell. I ended up in the kitchen where Esme was standing at the stove. "Good morning Jacob or what is left of it anyway." She greeted without even turning around. I quirked a small smile at her tiny jab at my sleeping in so late though I knew she did not mind. Using the door frame to support myself as I was feeling a little weak, I returned her good morning.

"Have a seat. I made you something to eat." She said turning around with a bowl in her hands. I sat in the seat closest to me while she took the one to my right, setting the bowl down in front of me. "It's only chicken noodle soup. Carlisle does not want you to overdo it with eating more than you can stomach. This is a little heartier than you've had in the past few days and I figured that if you handle it well, I will make you something more filling for supper."

I nodded saying, "Thank you."

"You look better." She observed.

"I feel better, but I still feel a little weak."

"Well, I'm sure that will pass." She stated. She was such a nice woman. Over the past two days, she would stop by Edward's room to see how I was doing and ask if I needed anything. My answers were always 'fine' and 'no thank you' but that never deterred her from asking again.

I took my second spoonful of soup and savored the flavor. "Where did you learn to cook?" I asked. "This is great."

"Oh I learned from all around. Some things I taught myself, some things I learned from women who lived in the neighborhoods we have lived in. It's one of my hobbies and it helps keep up appearances."

Esme was a beautiful woman, I noticed, but it was not vampire beauty, it was natural and she had this kind of quiet confidence that I admired. But what struck me the most was the way she looked at me. It was a look I had only ever been given by one other person.

"You remind me of my Mom." I blurted out. I had no intentions of making light conversation with her, but she was here and the quiet bothered me. "She used to make me chicken noodle soup when I wasn't feeling good and she would sit there and look at me the same way you are right now."

"Well, maybe it's a mother thing." She said with a smile. "Do you miss her?" She asked.

Her question caught me off guard, but I quickly answered, "Everyday. Even more when I'm going through really tough times."

"Like right now?" She ventured.

"Especially now." I sighed and set my spoon down. I had been thinking about my Mom a lot over the last few days and Esme seemed willing to listen so I voiced what had been going through my head. "I can't help but feel that if she had been here, none of this would have happened. I never would have kept it a secret from her. She would have encouraged me to tell Edward and maybe things would have gone differently."

I swallowed and sighed deeply. It felt good to voice my concerns out loud. "I had a dream about her. Sometime after I ran away." I looked at Esme and her kind, thoughtful face encouraged me to continue. "She told me I was somewhere between life and death and that I could choose which way to go. I wanted to go with her, but she told me that there was a reason to the imprint and I shouldn't fight it. She told me that I should at least try. She was right and I wish she had been there to tell me all of this at the beginning."

I felt tears in my eyes. I had never missed my mother more than now and all I wanted was for her to tell me everything was going to be alright and maybe even give me a slap on the shoulder for thinking that running away would solve my problems.

Esme's hand on my shoulder brought my eyes to hers. They were warm and understanding and I was glad to be sitting here talking to her. "I believe everything happens for a reason. I think that what you did and how you came to be here was the best way to bring you and Edward together." I started to say something, but she continued. "I know you aren't together yet, but when you are it will be one of the strongest, most loving relationships I have ever seen. You know why?" I shook my head. "Because the two of you will have worked so hard and sacrificed so much for it."

"I wish I had your optimism." Ever since I woke up in Edward's bed with him sitting next to me, I was determined not to get my hopes up about our future so that when he turned me away, it would not hurt as much.

"Let things run their course. The one pointer I have for you is do not push Edward into anything. I doubt you would anyway, but just in case you thought about it. He is struggling with this too. You should work these things out together, on equal ground."

I nodded and went back to eating my soup. "Where is Edward, anyway?" I had been wondering since I got up this morning, but I knew he would be back eventually. I was not worried.

"He went hunting with Alice and Jasper. He wanted me to tell you that he will be back by four and, of course, you can do almost anything you like. There is a TV in the next room." She suggested.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, while I finished my soup. I had not had a lot, but I was full and seconds were not even an option. As I turned down Esme's offer with a 'no, thank you' I told her, "I'd like to go for a walk."

"Okay, would you like company?" Her question, I knew, was not about keeping an eye on me. She asked in case I wanted to talk or just did not want to be alone.

"No, thank you. I'd rather go think about things." I said.

"She nodded. "I understand, but remember you've been sick, so don't over exert yourself."

"I won't." I told her as I stood to leave.

"When do you think you will be back?" She asked. I liked that she just assumed I was coming back. I, myself, had never even thought about going anywhere else.

"I'll be back by four." She nodded and watched me leave the room. She did not follow me as I made my way to the front door, outside, and into the woods. The air was chilly, even for me, but it felt good with the sun shining down on me.

I walked at an easy pace, in no hurry to get anywhere and not wanting to make myself tired or ill. I wandered along to nowhere in particular, wondering about the things that have happened since I imprinted on Edward and what things meant for my future.

What bothered me the most was that everyone had been treating me special since I woke up, like I was the victim in this whole thing. But I was not a victim, I had brought all of this upon myself. Keeping secrets, fighting the imprint, and running away. I had made some bad decisions and worst of all, was that the decisions I made did not only affect me. I had hurt my Dad, the pack, Bella, and Edward all in an attempt to protect them.

I continued walking through the woods berating myself for everything until I came across a small pond I would recognize anywhere. I was at the pond I had dubbed 'Swan Lake' It was just as beautiful as it always was.

I sat on the bank, dipping my feet in the water and laying back on the grass. I closed my eyes. I had not realized I had walked so far. I knew the Cullen's house was pretty far from here especially since I was now on Quileute land. But I was glad to be somewhere familiar.

I sighed deeply, feeling the exhaustion from my walk for the first time. I hoped I would not feel this way much longer. Phasing was even out of the question right now and it was making me feel anxious and uncomfortable. I do not know how long I lay there on the bank with my feet in the water, but I fell asleep.

I was woken some time later by a smell I knew almost immediately and I felt someone watching me. I sat up looking around and saw Edward emerge from the trees to my right. His face and posture relaxed when he saw me and he gave me a gentle upward turn of his lips. Sitting down beside me, he looked out over the pond.

He did not say anything to me and I said nothing to him for a long time. Eventually, I could not take it anymore and I spoke, "I love this place. I come here whenever I need to get away and think or just be alone. I found it shortly after my Mom died. I was upset so I ran away into the forest where I've always felt most comfortable. I walked and walked. I was only ten. And I eventually ended up here. I sat here and cried. I got angry and threw rocks into the water and at the trees, and I screamed and yelled until I was so tired I lay down on the bank and fell asleep. I woke up just before night fell and went home. It made me feel so much better, so I started coming out here whenever I needed to get away. I didn't even realize I was making my way here when I left your house."

"You've been dealing with a lot. Of course, you would want some time to yourself. I'm sorry I interrupted." He made no move to leave but I continued quickly just in case.

"No, it's ok. Thinking is what got me into this mess." I was quiet for a few moments. I guessed now was as good a time as any to talk about this.

Edward must have read my mind because he asked, "Why did you keep it a secret?" Such a simple question with such a complicated answer. I was not sure I could explain it properly. "Try." He prompted me.

I sighed heavily. "It was so unexpected and, honestly, unwanted. Not because of who you are or even because you're a guy but simply because you're a vampire. We are supposed to be enemies and here I am imprinting on you. And to top it all, you are my best friend's fiancé. The last thing I wanted to do was tear you apart."

All of my thoughts just spilled out, I did not even try to stop them. I wanted to make him understand why I did what I did. He sat quietly next to me while I thought of what to say next. "All I really wanted was for you to be happy and I decided that leaving you alone to live your life with Bella was the best way to do that."

That was the best explanation I could come up with. There was no better way to describe the thoughts I had roaming around in my head. "That's all I still want; for you to happy and I know that Bella is the best one to do that." I never looked at him, afraid that the look on his face would cause me more pain than I had felt so far.

"Bella and I are no longer together." He said quietly. My head snapped up and I looked at him in a state of shock. My expression must have been questioning because he chose to explain then. "I cannot deny that my feelings for you started before I ever learned about the imprint. I just did not understand them at the time. Maybe I was ignoring them. I could not marry Bella knowing that my heart was no longer one hundred percent with her." He sighed. "So when she came to see you, I told her everything." I searched his face for signs of regret or anger, but it was expressionless.

"She must hate me." I said more to myself than to Edward.

"No I doubt that. I explained that I had developed feelings for you and she knows you could not control the imprint. Look what happened when you tried."

I looked over the water wondering if I had lost my best friend. It hurt almost more than anything else to think that she hated me for stealing her boyfriend away. I had loved Bella before the imprint and even though I no longer felt that way for her, her absence from my life would be agonizing.

"Jacob…kiss me." I froze. I thought maybe I was hearing things. He turned toward me, his left leg bent in front of him. "I have so many conflicting feelings going on and I'm sure you do too. I think a kiss would help sort them out. I believe your feelings for someone can be explained with a kiss."

I looked at him, searching his face for any hint that he was playing some cruel joke on me. I understood what he was trying to say, he believed that when you kiss someone and there is some kind of spark, a connection, it would be a sign that you fit well with that person, that the kiss was about more than physical attraction.

In the instant it took me to register that, I also chose not to think too long and hard about it. I leaned in, resting my hand on his thigh near his knee for support. Our lips touched and I inhaled sharply at the icy touch, but I did not flinch or move away. There was a tingly feeling that spread from my lips to my eyes, which I closed. It stretched back to my brain, down my neck, chest, and arms all the way to my toes. I found it amazing and wanted to stay like that forever.

If Edward's theory was right, this kiss proved how much I wanted to be with him and as his hands came up to rest on my arms, I wondered what he was feeling until his grip tightened and he pulled me a little closer. I touched his lips with my tongue and he opened his mouth slightly. My tongue darted in, searching for his. Edward's mouth was as cold as the rest of him and as our tongues touched and mingled together, I might have whimpered a little, but I did not care. This kiss was the best thing to happen to me in a very long time.

After about a minute, I had to break our contact because I could not breathe anymore and I felt like I might pass out from the lack of oxygen. My body was still so very weak from being sick and I was starting to feel it. I leaned my head against Edward's chest and kept my eyes closed breathing in Edward's scent which was a damp earthy smell that reminded me so much of the forest.

"Jacob…" Edward sighed as he wrapped his arms around me and brought one of his hands up to thread through my hair. I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew, I was no longer on the ground. I felt two bands of something very cold and hard. One was behind my knees and the other across my back. I opened my eyes and found myself being carried through the woods by Edward. I struggled weakly to get away.

"Put me down." I protested.

"No. You are very weak and tired. Carlisle would kill me if you came back practically dead on your feet."

'I think I can walk.' I thought at him because there was really no need for me to speak aloud. But as I mentally protested some more, my eyes grew heavy and I was having a hard time keeping them open. As I relaxed and let the darkness overtake me, I heard myself whisper, "I think I love you, Ed…"

o0o0o0o0o0o

I think all I have left is an Epilogue. I had plans to make it longer but I feel that it would start to drag. The Epilogue will be pretty long because I want to show how Edward and Jacob's relationship grows.

Also, I think Jacob is a little submissive in this story and that's not really what I wanted, but that's what happened. In the sequel he will be more assertive.

Please review and let me know what you thought and if there is anything you want to see at the end or something that needs explained, let me know!