IT'S SO LONG. One chapter turned into two turned into four.

Warning: Some language and teenage loving (no home runs though)

Jacob POV

My aunt knew how to throw a party.

Our living room had been transformed into a swanky nightclub with colored, flashing lights and loud music pulsing in my ears. We had never done anything like this before. I had had one or two birthday parties where I actually invited friends. They had been really cool- superhero themed- but cool. Parties that had made me very popular on the playground before we eventually moved. I got to have them because my parents feared that if I didn't do normal human things like that, I would turn into a freak or something. Which still happened, pretty much, but good try, birthday parties. My "siblings" had never dabbled with the populace of their high schools though.

Aunt Alice was in her element, restocking food tables, chatting with the guests, and welcoming arrivals. Bella was…she wasn't a party girl, but she hadn't brought a book or hid or anything.

I knew something was wrong from my family's weird behavior, but everyone was avoiding my looks. I couldn't voice my questions because I was keeping Adrian by my side. Drunk seniors (someone always sneaks something in; we wouldn't let them drive though) were enough of a foe for me to feel the need to protect her.

My family's problems were bothering me, but I was ignoring those pestering thoughts to focus on the beautiful girl I was dancing very closely with. The music was loud, but I wished someone would turn it up so I could lean closer and closer to talk in her ear. Because when I did that, she would shudder and her body would lean into mine.

"Thank God I wore heels," she said over the music because she couldn't reach my ears, "Although they aren't making much of a difference."

I laughed and put my arm around her waist. I lifted her up and twirled her. At first she kicked her legs, but then she just let them rest, and put a tight arm around my neck. Like I'd ever drop her.

"Aww, how cute."

I smiled in the direction of the voice before I saw the speaker push through the crowded dance floor. She was here, but no way was…

I let out a short laugh and smiled mockingly at the very uncomfortable guy walking through my house like it was a warzone.

"Hey, Gwen," I said. I shifted from foot to foot, still holding Adrian. She tugged on my hair and patted my arm, but I pretended not to notice. Gwen was looking at us with amusement, her white hair glowing under the colored lights.

"Smells like goddamn leeches," Paul greeted me with a grumble the girls couldn't hear. I laughed, my chest rumbling against Adrian's.

"How the hell did you get him to come?" I asked Gwen equal parts humor and surprise. Paul was standing in front of me, tugging on the collar of a wrinkled button down. He looked sour as hell but he was here and sneaking an arm around Gwen's waist as dancing bodies pressed against us.

"I asked," Gwen said. I chuckled, seeing she was coming to realize her power as imprint. Not that she knew what that word meant. Paul somehow used my imprinting as a reason to stall telling Gwen The Truth.

"Hi, I'm Adrian," my girl introduced herself, looking down on Gwen from her perch.

"Gwen," she said with quirked lips, "And this extremely grouchy guy is my boyfriend, Paul."

Paul perked up some at the word boyfriend, "We've met. Do you remember me?"

"Some," Adrian said, "I imagine you remember the hotdog you were eating more than what I said to you."

"Don't take it personally. He's called me T-bone more than once," Gwen dead-panned. We all laughed.

"I didn't know you and Jacob were friends," Adrian said.

"We are best friends," Paul said, "Jake, I'm hurt. You don't talk about me?"

"Paul, if you were in my shoes, would you really tell a girl you knew you?"

Paul chuckled, "I guess not. But for future reference, I am Jacob's very best friend. Brother, some may say."

I chuckled. The wolf inside jokes were very funny when you're in on them.

"Hmm, Gwen, I think we have a lot of things to discuss then. Would you care for a snack?" Adrian said coyly.

"I'd like a snack!" Paul intervened.

"No, no. We need to have girl talk," Gwen said. Adrian slipped out of my arms, and the two left laughing evilly.

"They're plotting our demise," I muttered. Paul laughed but with a bit of an edge.

"Not to be rude, but I want to attack a lot of the hosts. Can't help it, instinct."

"I can't believe you came. Does Sam know you're here?"

"Nope. He'd tell me to man up and say no, but-"

"Say no more. Gwen has sinister powers of persuasion."

"Yeah. Jeez, how do you get used to that awful smell?" he said, his nose wrinkling in disgust, "I think I'm going to upchuck."

"It's either that or sleep outside. After a while, you don't even notice."

"My couch is always open if you ever do notice."

"Wow, how sweet, best friend."

"Shut up. I was only saying stuff."

"So there is another best friend? Who is this other man?" I asked with fake betrayal.

Paul chuckled, "Oh yeah. I'm so popular. I think Seth is my best friend, actually."

"He's too happy for you."

"True. Which one of these kids do you think is most likely to sneak some drinks in?"

"Try Newton. You've met him, the blonde sports store guy."

"I'll find him later. They're coming back."

"They look like they have a plan. Do you dance?"

"No, but I saw you do, Twinkle Toes," Paul said, "Maybe I'll find my rhythm if I don't kill any of your family."

"Good luck," I said. Then I went to my imprint and pulled her back into me. Gwen moved past us to Paul. The music was pulsing, and she was dancing so close to me. I leaned down to move a straightened lock of hair behind her ear , and she put her lips to my mouth. Her tongue met mine, and her mouth felt warm, even to me. I tasted her lipgloss- peach. She stood on the very tips of her high heels so she could wrap her arms around my neck and bring herself into me. Her fingers tugged and combed my hair. My one hand was under layer of hair, cradling her head with my giant hand. The other was moving from her waist south.

"Is there anywhere more…secluded?" she asks.

I smile and nod, taking her hand and taking her towards the stairs. She walked ahead of me and led me up which was incredibly sexy.

"Jacob!"

I turned to the distressed voice of my aunt. No one else had heard her over the music. I went on the stairs' landing and spotted her, Bella, and Edward huddled in the kitchen. She mouthed "family meeting," and her frightened face didn't make me doubt it is important.

I sigh. Maybe later.

"I need a minute," I tell Adrian. Her flirty smiles falls.

"My an-sister is calling me. Something's wrong," I said, "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," she says, clearly disappointed, "I'm going to find Gwen. Paul looks like he needs some fresh air."

"Probably right," I said, and I lean down to give her short, tender kiss. She smiles and pushes me away.

"Go. Help her get dip or something," she said. She headed back into the throng of people. I watched her head until it was next to Gwen's.

I walked over to Bella, Edward, and Alice feeling quite sour. "What's up?" I asked.

"We have a problem," Bella said.

"A threat to our existence problem," Edward said.

My attention was theirs. "What?"

"Well, I had a vampire visitor in my room a little while ago," Bella said. I opened my mouth and she cut me off by saying, "And I didn't tell you because you were being happy for the first time in months, and I didn't want to ruin that."

"You can always tell me anything," I said.

"I know. I chose not to," Bella said.

"We can focus on all the reasons I'm unhappy you made everyone keep this a secret from me later. What is threatening our existence?"

"My visitor is with those behind the Seattle murders."

"They're making an army," Aunt Alice said, "And they're coming here."

"An army? A legitimate army? Like Uncle Jasper?" Alice nodded. "What the hell do they want?"

"Bella. They had her shirt. Probably to get to the rest of us."

"Hey, hey, hey," Paul said, coming over and clapping a hand on my back. I see Newton delivered. Or he just liked making my family uncomfortable. They took tiny steps away from him.

"Not now, Paul," I snarled.

"Woah, what'd I walk into?"

I saw my family's disapproving eyes, but there were no secrets in the pack anyway. I kept it short though. "There's an army of newborn vampires coming to kill Bella. And us."

"Damn. Heavy. Why?"

I shrugged. "We're bigger than usual covens. Some may find that threatening."

My Uncle Jasper appeared at Alice's side, partitioning her from Paul. "I suggest we move upstairs so as not to be overheard."

"Good idea," I said. I followed them and turned to find Paul lumbering behind.

"You want to come?"

"No, not really. It's going to smell, and I'd really rather be with Gwen, but I feel like I should go. If there's really an army coming."

I smirked. "How responsible of you. Come on, man."

We went into my grandfather's study. The room was large, but the whole family was there. I smiled at Mom and Dad who I hadn't seen since earlier today. Grandpa, Jasper, and Alice stood together, talking quietly. Paul stayed in the doorway, and I pulled a chair closer to it.

"Ok, so we're outnumbered. What about the Denali's? This isn't asking too much," Dad said, continuing a conversation that had already started.

Grandpa bowed his head. "They agreed to help…if they would get permission to wipe out the wolves."

"What?" I exclaimed, "Why?"

"Irina wants to avenge Laurent," Grandpa said, "I didn't tell her your involvement. It would complicate things."

Now I felt really crappy. I didn't regret killing Laurent to do my job, but it was going to hurt my family.

"How many are coming?" I asked.

"Around twenty, but they fight and the numbers change."

"Okay, so with eight of us. Then we have the advantages of Edward mind-reading which will give us an edge," I said. I was trying to make this figure even, but still twenty. Alice wouldn't have her power either.

"Eight?" Mom asked skeptically.

"Like I'm really sitting out," I said, "You need all the help you can get."

"You know," Paul spoke up from behind me for the first time, "If twenty vampires are coming here, it's just as much the pack's job to get rid of them. We have more of us anyway. Two for each- that is if more leeches doesn't make any more kids phase before then."

"You don't know what you're up against," Uncle Jasper said, "They're far stronger than a normal vampire and completely out of control. They don't fight, they attack."

"You don't know what we can do. We're built to kill bloodsuckers. It'll be a fair fight."

I caught Mom's eye from across the room. She was giving Paul the Death Glare. If she had to choose between me fighting with them or with my brothers (and one sister), she'd pick the former.

The wheels in my head began turning. Ten or seven were weak against twenty…but seventeen on the other hand.

Edward and Alice looked at me and smiled.

"Brilliant," my aunt hissed.

"What?" Paul, Bella, and Mom asked simultaneously.

"I don't need to see. We'll win easily," Aunt Alice continued.

"What?" Paul asked again, louder. Like they couldn't hear him.

'We'll work together," I said turning to him, "It'll be easy."

Paul snorted, "Well this will be interesting."

"We'll have to teach you a few things about fighting them. Newborns are a completely different beast to fight," Uncle Jasper said, "Later tonight at the baseball field?"

"We should talk to Sam," Paul said. I nodded.

"Am I the only one who thinks this is a bad idea?" Bella burst.

"Pretty much," Dad said. Edward glared at him. He was trying to calm Bella down, but she wasn't having it. He moved to pet her hair, and she stepped away.

"They could get killed!" she said. I saw Mom bite her lip. Bella, stop talking. I am not going to miss this because you freaked my mother out.

"It'll be fine, Bella. A piece of cake," I said.

"Not just that. It's going to be fun as hell," Paul said, not smiling but baring his teeth. I laughed. He was right. My family never gets into any fights, and it never was like any one of them was going to spar with me for kicks. Since they came back, Dad and I had wrestled some, but he got frustrated because wrestling the wolf was "annoying." By which he meant hard which was the whole point.

"Finally! A real fight!" Dad exclaimed, "This battle will be so much better without Alice telling us we might die."

"Now I got a reason to party," Paul said, standing up straight, "Out, leeches." He ran down the stairs, whooping.

"He grows on you," I said dryly.

"I think you should find Adrian," Edward muttered, his eyes dark.

"Why?" I asked, a million different worries coming to mind.

"Just, go to her," he said. Then he smiled like my worry was a big joke. Haha, Edward. Ironic coming from you. He frowned, and I went out the door smirking.

I followed Paul's smell down the stairs and into the kitchen. I really didn't need heightened senses to solve that mystery. He looked at me with eyes full of worry and ran over.

"I went to find Gwen, and she won't talk to me," he said, "Her and Adrian looked at me like I had three heads and walked away!"

"Where are they now?" I asked, looking back and forth, terror gripping every part of me.

"I think on the porch," Paul said.

Edward appeared in front of the door as I walked towards it.

"I should tell you what's going on. I thought it would be funny for you to go in blind, but Bella disagreed."

"What?" I asked. Paul rushed up behind me.

"Paul, is it? Check your phone," Edward said.

"My phone?" Paul said. He took it out of his pocket and looked at it, "Oh, shit."

"What?" I asked. He showed me the screen. It said he was in the middle of a call with Gwen and had been for fifteen minutes.

"Do you think she heard what went on upstairs?" he asked.

I smacked him upside the head. "Yeah, possibly," I said sarcastically.

"They heard it. They don't know what to make of you talking about vampires and fights, and they aren't going to let it go. Good as time as any to tell them your furry little problem.

"Just…crap," I said. I pushed past Edward and headed out the door.

Hehe, I feel so evil with my cliffhangers. I am Moffat, hear me roar!

Please review , it saves lives. Have a lovely weekend.

PS: Ten points for your house if you spot the Harry Potter reference.