This chapter would have been up earlier if not for a sinus infection and viruses of the purely technical kind. Thanks to everyone for reviews, alerts, and reading (: Things are getting intense now. Enjoy!

JPoV

Bella cried in my arms the entire car ride. The waves of guilt for leaving her parents had set in. I fell asleep eventually, but I don't think she did. Mom sent her resentful glares every few minutes. I sent reproachful looks back. I knew Mom wrongfully blamed Bella for this whole thing which wasn't appeasing Bella's own guilt and my attempts to dismiss it.

When I woke up, dawn was rising somewhere in California. I watched the scenery with curiosity. I had never been to California before. It was too sunny for my family.

We were in Phoenix soon. Jasper's speed had drastically shortened the time it took to get from Washington to Arizona. There were a lot of golf courses and palm trees here. Every house we passed had a blue pool in the backyard. Beyond the city were rocky hills covered in dry shrubs. The sun was shining. I squinted. It was never this bright in Forks.

Jasper asked Bella for directions. She answered without hesitation. This used to be her home. Quickly, Bella was asleep again, murmuring softly. Edward had mentioned her talking in her sleep a lot. When the car stopped, she was barely awake again.

I helped her through the lobby of the hotel we checked into. She was dragging her feet a lot. While Jasper got us a room, I set Bella down on the couch in the lobby.

"C'mon, Bella, a few more minutes than you can sleep all you want," I said. I patted her cheek lightly.

Bella's eyes opened slightly. "Mmmm," was the sound she made.

I laughed. "Don't make me carry you."

I ended up doing so. It wasn't too hard. I was stronger than the average freshmen thanks to intense football training, and she was very light.

We were in a suite with two bedrooms. I laid Bella in her bed and left to sleep in my room. After a few hours of dreamless sleep, Aunt Alice woke me up when the clock said eleven. I didn't have a window in here as a reference point, but my aunt was wearing the same clothes as she was earlier today so I presumed it was nighttime.

"What's wrong?" I asked drowsily.

"Bella's talking in her sleep. She's very distressed. Do you know how to make her stop?"

Mom came in the door and hissed lowly. "He doesn't have to do anything for her. We don't owe that menace anything."

I knew this talk was inevitable. "Mom, Edward loves her, and she's one of my best friends."

"If it wasn't for her, we could focus all our energy on protecting you. I don't understand why we needed to bring her along and double the threat."

"What if James found her? Do you really want to see Edward be miserable for the rest of his life?" Alice asked.

"No," Mom admitted, "But I don't want my son slaughtered either."

"I'll be fine, Mom. Edward and Dad have everything under control. Have some faith."

"What if coming here was a mistake? What if he figures her plan out? What if she leads him here?"

"Mom, that won't happen. Please don't blame Bella. . She's not the murderer."

Mom opened her mouth and closed it. This was as close to an agreement we were going to get.

I hugged her in thanks. She returned with a hard-skinned hug and a cold kiss on the cheek. The touches felt normal, familiar. I preferred my chilly, stone mother to any warm, soft one.

"You're getting so big," Mom commented. She was looking up at me, "Well over six feet."

"Still skinny though," Aunt Alice teased.

I shrugged. People were always talking about my height lately. I was the tallest kid in my grade and catching up to Kyle Vernon, the tallest in sophomore year.

I went into Bella's room. She was talking loudly and stirring in her sleep. I kneeled next to her bed.

"Charlie...I'm sorry...Edward, don't...Not Jacob," she mumbled. I was surprised to hear my name mixed in with her mumbling.

"Shhh, you're okay, Bella," I soothed. I said it like how mothers sing nursery rhymes to their kids.

"Don't do it...not worth it...hunter," she mumbled. She sounded truly scared. I climbed into bed and pulled her into my chest. Her talking stopped. I yawned and rested my head on the headboard.

BPoV

When I woke up, I did not recognize the room I was in.

I did recognize the arms I was in.

I did not understand why Jacob Cullen was in bed with me.

I looked around at my surroundings. The walls were beige and decorated with drab watercolors. The red sheets on my bed matched the curtains on the wall. The bright, lit bedside lamp was connected to the end table. The clock on it said three-o'clock. I was definitely in a hotel room.

I freed my arm from under Jacob's dark-skinned hold and shook his shoulder. Jacob's eyes opened and his face turned sheepish. He removed his arms and got out of the bed.

"I'm s-sorry," Jacob stammered, "Y-you were talking in your sleep, and it made you stop."

"Oh, um okay," I said. I was truly thankful he would come in to comfort me, but my mind was too groggy to put that into words.

"Um, I'm gonna go now," Jake said.

I nodded. "Okay." The embarrassed teenager fled.

I climbed out of bed, walked over to the window, and parted the curtains. It was still dark out. Even in the middle of the night, Phoenix's freeways had cars driving up and down them.

Esme's clothes were still on me. They were too big and uncomfortable. I found my duffle bag on the chair in the corner. I put on my favorite banded sweats and a t-shirt.

Jacob came in with two aluminum tins. "Are you still tired? It's early. You might want to sleep more."

I shook my head.

"Okay," Jacob said, "I heated up some food for you. You gotta be hungry."

I nodded. I didn't feel like speaking. My throat was scratchy, but the food smelled delicious. There was a round table where Jacob and I ate our chicken parms. It felt odd being fully awake and eating a meal at three in the morning.

"This must be how vampires do it," Jake mumbled.

"Huh?" I asked. My voice was hoarse. Jacob held a finger up. He left for a moment then returned with a can of root beer for me.

"Doing day things at night," he explained, "I always wondered what that's like, never sleeping, never having asleep and awake to separate the days."

"Mmm," I agreed. My mouth was full of food. I chewed quickly and swallowed. "Have you ever thought about becoming one?"

Jake shrugged. "I guess, but I wouldn't for a while. I'm only fifteen. I might meet a human girl I want to spend just one lifetime with. It's not the blood thing that freaks me out…it just doesn't feel right."

"I think I know what you mean. You kind of-just-you have all the best qualities of a human. Sunny, strong, I don't know. You're just full of life." I closed my mouth before I could blurt out more and seem weirder than I already came off as. Jacob was already smiling strangely at me. I had a point though. Of all people, I couldn't imagine Jacob without the life pulsing through him or the red color beneath his russet cheeks. He was the most popular freshmen and managed that despite being part of the most scandalous family in town. My point is that he excelled amongst humans. Anywhere else, Jacob seemed out of place.

"Anyway," I said, trying to change the subject, "Don't you have a girlfriend?"

"Oh, yeah, Gwen. I should call her," Jake said. He looked out the window then went back to his chicken.

"What are you going to tell her?" I asked.

"My cover story is that my biological grandmother died, and my siblings are taking me here to grieve," he said, his mouth full of pasta.

"Oh," I said. The guilt was coming back, "I'm sorry for your loss. Are things going to be awful to explain?"

"Like I said, none of this is your fault. When your family's supernatural, you got to deal with these things. We move a lot; we take on new identities. We're pros at lying and cover stories."

"So you're positive we're all going back?"

"I told you. I've seen Edward fight, and my dad's stronger than normal vampires. They'll kill those vampires and we'll back home soon, laughing about how scared we were."

"You're very optimistic," I commented. Jacob shrugged. It was just a part of him, not something he had ever worked to develop.

I tried to keep the conversation going. When I closed my eyes, I thought of Jacob and Edward's danger, James' hungry look, and Charlie's worry. Jacob's optimism was keeping me from tears.

"So how does one make a vampire?" I asked casually. I might as well use this time to get answers from Jacob, the open book.

"Vampires are venomous because I guess the vampire creator thought incredible strength, speed, and sometimes superpowers weren't enough," Jacob snorted, "A vampire bites a human, and the blood mixes with the venom. If the vampire doesn't kill the human or the human isn't already dead, a few days later you got a newborn vampire."

"So what's the big deal?" I asked, "Why does Edward make the change sound so terrible?"

"Well, one, he's probably trying to scare you out of wanting to be one," Jacob said, "Two, while your body's changing, it's extremely painful. My mom told me a little about it. It feels like you're being burned alive. And newborns are completely out of control. They're never full of blood, never in control. A newborn would murder their best friend out of bloodlust." Jacob's usually bright eyes were serious and his tone grave.

"Oh," I said. I was shocked. Jacob's answer had made the vampire change less appealing yet...no pain could be worse than a world without Edward. If he could go through that and still be so good, I could too.

"Is there any news?" I asked, "Anything happen while I hibernated?"

"Um, no, nobody's called if that's what you mean," Jake said.

"Is that good?" I asked.

"Um, maybe. It means that we're in no immediate danger, but also that they haven't killed him yet. Jasper suggested that they're close, and they don't want the vampires to hear them," Jacob said.

I nodded.

"We're safe though, that's what matters," Jacob reminded me.

"What if James kills someone...Laurent said he was lethal," I said.

"James has never seen us before. He doesn't realize how powerful our coven is. James has my dad and a mind-reader against him. Plus, with us on the line, Dad and Edward have their A-game on. That's worth more than you'd think."

"What about that woman? Also, I can tell Carlisle and Esme aren't fighters," I said.

Jacob mouth pressed into a hard line. His eyes lost their confidence. "I'm worried about Gram and Grandpa too, but...it's still two against one. And they make a good team. I'm sure grandpa knows a few moves. He's pretty old."

"Do vampires get weaker over time?" I asked.

"Newborn vampires are stronger than normal vampires, but after a few decades, they go down to a normal strength and stay there. Their strength differs depending on size though, of course."

"What are they doing, you think?" I asked.

"Edward's leading James as far north as possible. Grandma and Grandpa are leading the woman west. If she turns around, they're going to go back and protect your dad. Alice thinks they're in Forks. Maybe they're looking for a trail to you. Don't worry. Esme won't let him get that far."

"When did my life get this crazy?" I wondered aloud. My only surprising factor in my life had been my mother, always producing a random new hobby or boyfriend. Now she was gone, so the universe had to make it up with vampire hunters. Edward Cullen had brought me more happiness than anything else ever had, but Lady Fate had a price. One I was willing to pay, waiting here in worry and agony. At least I had yummy Italian food and the personification of sunshine to keep me happy.

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