A/N: I just want to say thank you to everyone who has been favoriting/following/ and especially reviewing this story. Your support means so much to me. So as a little thank you, this chapter is again breaking the record for the longest I have ever written. Enjoy!

EPOV

Jasper launched himself across the room, landing in the doorway just in front of Jacob. He closed his eyes and threw all his energy into sending peace into the space in front of him. It wasn't enough, though, and in one last effort, he reached out and laid his hands directly on Jacob's shoulders, trying again. Jacob didn't even notice Jasper's touch; he stared back him with unseeing eyes, shivering as he tried in vain to hold himself together.

"Jazz, no!" Alice shrieked. She tried to run forward, but Rosalie grabbed one of her arms. I can't see! I can't see anything! Edward, get him back!

I hesitated briefly, hoping against hope that Jasper would still be able to stop the transformation. For one horrible moment, he and Jacob were a mirror image of each other, locked in an emotional tug-of-war. Jasper began trembling too, as he struggled to absorb wave after wave of Jacob's supernatural rage. Emmett and I slowly crept toward the two of them, positioning ourselves on either side of the doorway, ready to pull Jasper back if the worst should happen. Carlisle had taken my position in front of Esme. We all held our breath, waiting.

Finally, Jasper let out a gasp and released Jacob, who groaned and collapsed to his knees, coughing. When he stood back up, his eyes were wide and his rational thought began to return as he stared at Jasper. That dude flew like twenty feet over here! And what was he doing to me? What just happened? I think I'm gonna be sick…

He turned away from the house, leaning over the porch railing to vomit.

"Lovely," growled Rosalie.

Esme flew into the kitchen, returning with a dishtowel. Carlisle took it from her and walked out the front door to help Jacob. "Thank you, Jasper. Well done, very well done," he whispered as he walked past his son. But as he looked into Jasper's eyes, he froze.

There was a new danger now. Jasper was staring out the front door at Jacob, his eyes black with rage. He had never taken this much anger from anyone before, and it had combined with his own instinctual hatred. He was tensing to spring at Jacob, this time in attack mode.

"Emmett, please take Jasper out immediately," Carlisle ordered, and he quickly stepped out the door, closing it behind him.

"It's okay, bro. It's over, calm down," Emmett said as he hauled our brother out of the room. Alice followed them and Rosalie walked over to stand beside Esme and I.

"Is Jacob all right?" Esme asked.

"He's fine, for now," I sighed. "His body wasn't ready for the transformation. I don't think he could get angry now if he wanted to."

"Then what was he doing here?" Rosalie asked angrily. "Doesn't he understand how this treaty thing works?"

"He doesn't know anything. He doesn't even know that the werewolves are real," I reminded her.

"Well, that's just terrific. And now he's seen Jasper in action, too. This has been the week from hell!" She stalked out of the room, going to check on Jasper and Emmett.

I opened the front door, to find Jacob sitting down on the porch, covered in sweat and wiping his face with the towel. Carlisle looked up at me from where he knelt. I'm going to call Billy. Jacob should be fine for now. He's exhausted. But try to keep him calm, anyway. Don't antagonize him. He stood and walked past me back into the house.

I stepped out onto the porch and sat down across from Jacob, who was eyeing me fearfully. "Esme, would you bring Jacob something cold to drink?" She nodded and disappeared.

"Are you all right?" I asked.

"What are you people?" he asked shakily. "What did you do to me?"

"We didn't do anything," I answered carefully. I wasn't sure how much I was permitted to say. Carlisle hadn't had more than a few seconds out here with him, and I knew he hadn't told him anything.

"The blonde guy did. He did something to me. I felt it!"

"Jasper helped you. If he hadn't intervened, things would have been much worse. It was your own nature that was causing you to lose control."

Jacob laid his hand on his forehead, wincing. "I don't feel right."

"I know. You'll feel better in a bit, though."

Carlisle stepped back out onto the porch. "Jacob, your father is coming to get you. I told him that you aren't feeling well. I just want you to stay still and relax until then, all right?"

"How's he coming to get me? I took his car."

"He's having a friend drive him." Edward, Billy is very upset about this. He asked if he could bring Sam Uley with him. I agreed.

"The Alpha," I whispered in disgust.

"What Alpha?" Jacob asked, and I frowned. I didn't think he'd be able to hear that.

Carlisle frowned, as well. His hearing is already above the human level. Even if he doesn't phase today, it may not be far off.

"What Alpha?" Jacob asked again, frantically. "Like a wolf?"

"Jacob, please, calm down and we'll explain everything when your father gets here," Carlisle said quietly.

"No! Everyone is telling me to calm down today, and it's starting to freak me out! How did the blonde guy run so fast? Why do I feel sick all of a sudden? Why am I so hot?"

"You're turning into a werewolf," I blurted out.

Carlisle turned to me in shock. "Edward!"

"What's the point of waiting? Billy will explain it soon, and if we don't start giving him some answers, he's going to lose control again. Look at his hands."

Jacob was staring at me in horror, and his hands were trembling slightly. He started hyperventilating, and Carlisle instructed him to take long, slow breaths. He clenched his hands and the trembling ceased.

"Werewolves aren't real," Jacob whispered, staring at his hands in confusion. "It just a legend." This isn't real. This can't happen.

"I'm sorry, Jacob, but the legends are true," Carlisle said gently. "The werewolf gene runs in your family, and it looks like your body is preparing to make the transition."

"But if that legend is true, then…" Suddenly his eyes popped open even wider, and he scrambled away from us, backing up against the porch railing.

"Yes, that part is true as well. We are vampires," Carlisle sighed. "But it's also true that we do not harm humans. We're not going to hurt you."

Jacob turned to me. "Bella," he murmured, picturing me with fangs. She has no idea! I've got to warn her…

"Bella knows," I said simply. "She knows everything."

Jacob's mind was spinning. She knows, and she's still with him? He's going to kill her! He's already hurt her at least once. I wonder if he was trying to eat her or something.

I bit my tongue, resisting the urge to answer his mental accusation. It wasn't necessary to tell Jacob Black all of our secrets.

"Listen, Jacob. Now that you know what we are, I'm going to explain about Bella's injuries, all right?"

He nodded quickly.

"Our skin is very different from human skin. It's a lot like stone, or marble; it can grow hot or cold, depending on the environment, and it reflects the light. Bella and I were spending some time outside the other day, and it was very sunny. She fell asleep next to me for several hours, and my skin heated up and gave her a burn, much like a sunburn. It was unintentional, and she's going to be fine."

As if in answer to Jacob's doubt, the clouds parted briefly, and my skin glittered in response. Carlisle drew in a sharp breath, but he didn't move to hide his own skin. What would be the point?

Jacob just stared at me. He really ISN'T human. That's disgusting! How can Bella even stand to look at him?

I looked down at my glistening fingers in disgust. How, indeed?

"Listen, Jacob," I sighed. "I realize that you came here because Bella is your friend and you care about her. I won't pretend that I like you, but I do understand that you were trying to look out for her. I… appreciate it." The words tasted wrong on my tongue. As soon as we got Jacob out of here safely, I hoped that I would never have to encounter him again.

"However," I continued, "now that you know what your true nature is, I'm sure you can understand the need for caution. You're going to phase eventually, and-"

"Phase? What's a phase?" he asked suspiciously.

"Phasing is when you fully transform into a wolf… a very large wolf. Someday, you'll learn to control your phasing, but in the beginning it will largely be triggered by emotions, just as it was today."

Carlisle laid his hand on my arm. He needs to hear this from his father, Edward. It's not our place.

"I don't see why we can't tell him whatever we want," I argued. "This is the second time he's broken the treaty, after all. We didn't ask him to come here and phase right on our porch."

Jacob's face darkened. "Yeah… about that. I'm sorry, I guess. About the treaty thing, I mean. I didn't really think it was a big deal. It just seemed like one of those tradition things."

I nodded gracefully. "Of course, we understand. But now that you know, we expect you to follow the treaty in the future. There are distinct borderlines drawn, and your father will surely give you a tour. Now, as I was saying before, you're going to phase eventually. When it does happen, the transmutation is quite violent, and anyone standing near you would be severely injured or even killed. This is why I want you to stay away from Bella in the future."

Jacob's eyes flashed. "Hold on!" he growled, sitting up straighter. "You can't possibly think that I would hurt her!"

"We know you wouldn't intentionally," put in Carlisle. "But the phasing is difficult to control in the beginning. You might not have time to back away from her. In fact, you might not even be able to think clearly enough to do so."

Jacob shuddered, remembering how his body had felt when he almost phased earlier. He knew that he had temporarily lost his reason, and it frightened him. "But now that I know not to get mad, I'll be able to stop it next time, right?"

"You can try," Carlisle answered. "But your body won't be able to hold back much longer, now that it's gotten so close. The genetic drive is simply too powerful. The rage that you felt today was because of the gene."

"And the blonde guy? What did he have to do with it?"

I looked at Carlisle, who nodded to me reluctantly. He already knows that Jasper is unusual. Keep it vague, though.

"Jasper is able to affect the emotions of those around him," I explained. "We know from experience that the phasing is usually preceded by feelings of intense anger, and Jasper was able to bring yours down enough to halt the transformation."

"Can you all do that?" he asked in wonder.

"No. Jasper has an unusual empathic talent."

"Okay, then what's your 'talent'? Sparkling?"

I smiled. "Not every vampire has an extra talent. It's quite rare, in fact." I hoped that he wouldn't follow this line of questioning any further. I had no problem with lying right to his face, but Carlisle might let his scruples get in the way. We needed to change the subject.

"So, you understand the danger now," I said quickly. "And you understand why I don't want you anywhere near Bella."

"No, I don't understand! You stay away from her!" he said stubbornly. "I might have some kind of animal gene, but at least I'm not a freaking vampire! You're the dangerous one! I can't believe my dad has been telling the truth about you guys! No wonder he doesn't let anyone go the hospital." He turned angrily on Carlisle. "Is that why you work there? So you can pilfer blood when no one's looking?"

"Jacob," I said patiently. "Look at your hands."

He lifted his hands up in front his face, and he grimaced when he saw them trembling again. He breathed in and out deeply, forcing them to relax.

"As we explained before," Carlisle said quietly, "We don't drink human blood. It's true that most vampires do, and we believe that is the reason that some in your tribe carry the werewolf gene; you're meant to protect your people from vampires. But our family is different. We have sworn to only consume the blood of animals because we feel that it's the right thing to do. We also do it because we enjoy living among humans, living with what normalcy we can."

"Then your family and my tribe aren't really enemies?"

At that moment I noticed my name being mentioned in someone's thoughts, about a mile away. I recognized the gravelly mental voice of Billy Black, and a new mind I had never heard before was picturing Carlisle. It must be Sam Uley, driving Billy to our house, and from the growing volume of their thoughts, I could tell they were almost at the entrance to our driveway.

"They're here," I muttered. "Your father and his… friend. They're driving in a truck."

"Where? I don't hear anything," Jacob said, looking around.

Carlisle smiled. "Our hearing is far beyond that of a human's. You'll probably hear the engine in a moment."

Jacob nodded, but I sighed as I listened to the conversation going on in the approaching truck.

"I think we need to tell Jacob everything," Sam was saying to Billy.

"No! I want to wait. If we tell him too much, he may be eager to begin phasing, and I want him to have a normal life for as long as possible."

"I understand where you're coming from," Sam said impatiently. "But with all those leeches crawling around, the pack needs all the help it can get. You know we've been hoping this would happen soon."

"Yes, but not this soon," Billy moaned. "He was just starting to get his grades up."

"The safety of the tribe is more important than school," Sam said firmly.

They pulled into view, and both Billy and Sam frowned when they saw Carlisle and I sitting on the porch beside Jacob. The rest of our family, having heard the engine, crowded around the front door inside the house. Jasper was under control again, but he growled quietly in response to the disgust and anger emanating from the truck.

"To answer your question, Jacob," I said coldly, "Our species have been enemies since the dawn of time. We are designed to hate and kill one another; there's no denying the instincts that drive us to attack. But that doesn't mean we can't be civil. We are all sworn to uphold the treaty. You have nothing to fear from us."

"Let's stay seated," Carlisle whispered as the truck rolled to a stop in front of us. "We don't want to appear hostile."

Sam jumped out of the truck, and I flinched as the odor hit my nose. I hadn't smelled full werewolf in almost seventy years; I had forgotten how it affected me. My entire body tensed in preparation for the attack, and it took all my concentration to keep myself seated on the hot cement. Carlisle was struggling as well, and I glanced worriedly behind me, thankful for the small doorway blocking my family. They were all crowding closer, but nobody seemed like they were about to lose control. Emmett was fuming and his eyes were black, but I didn't think he was going to be a problem. No, my biggest worry was Jasper; he would be affected by everyone's rage, on top of his own. But he had his eyes closed in concentration, and was working to keep everyone calm, while battling his own desire to attack.

Through Jasper's gift, I could see that Sam himself was full of anger, but also fear. He had been hoping that we wouldn't all be at home, and his mind was racing with defense strategies should we decide to attack. He knew he couldn't fight off all seven of us, but he was resolved to defend Billy. He slowly got Billy's wheelchair and helped him into it, keeping his eyes on us the whole time. Look at them! It's practically an army! I knew there were seven, but seeing them all in one place… ugh! And the smell! His own muscles were twitching, and he was glad for the task for getting the wheelchair ready; it was helping to keep his hands busy.

"Thank you for coming," Carlisle said when he was able to speak again.

"Thank you for calling," Billy said gruffly as he wheeled up. "So, Jacob has a fever?"

I saw now that Carlisle hadn't told Billy how close Jacob had gotten to phasing, although he had made it clear that he was in transition. Billy had asked permission to bring the Alpha along with him, and Carlisle had eagerly agreed, hoping that I would be able to learn more about the current pack by reading Sam's mind.

"You don't need to pretend anymore," Jacob said angrily. "Although it would have been nice to know this was coming. I sure wouldn't have come here if I had known. Why, Dad? Why didn't you tell me about this?"

Billy looked at Carlisle in anger. "It wasn't your place to tell him anything!"

Carlisle held up his hands peaceably. "I agree. But Jacob sought us out, and he came very close to phasing. We had to give him some answers, or he would have gotten upset and lost control again."

"Maybe my son wouldn't have lost control if your son had stuck to his own kind!" Billy countered. "The last time I saw Jacob, he was storming out of the house, swearing to protect Bella from her evil, abusive boyfriend!"

"I didn't ask Jacob to come here," I said hotly, suppressing the growl threatening to tear out of my chest. "And I would never harm Bella. Perhaps if you had been more forthcoming, Jacob wouldn't have felt the need to break the treaty in order to protect her."

Jacob jumped to his feet. "I'm standing right here!" he yelled. "Talk to me if you've got something to say!"

Carlisle stood as well, but slowly, holding his hands away from his body to demonstrate his lack of aggression. I copied him, and we stepped down, along with Jacob, to the grass. Carlisle held his hand back toward the house, indicating that the others should stay inside. We all stood silently for a moment, breathing heavily. I could feel Jasper pumping calm over all of us, and it was finally starting to kick in.

Billy looked up at his son sadly. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you, Jacob. I wasn't allowed to tell you."

"Why not?" Jacob demanded. I was glad he had asked in front of us; I was curious about that particular rule myself.

"It's not that I didn't want to be honest with you. But since the change is triggered by intense emotion, our ancestors found that it was best to avoid telling the young men what was in store for them. When they knew ahead of time, the change always happened at a younger age. We hoped that if you remained unaware of your nature, and the danger the Cullens presented, that you'd be able to keep from phasing for at least another year. And it's not like I never told you about the wolves."

Jacob coughed out an incredulous laugh. "Right, in between stories about ghosts and goblins. Thanks, Dad. Does everyone back home know about this except me?"

"Only those of us in the pack, and the elders," Sam said. "And a very few family members." Jacob's eyes widened and he backed a step away from Sam.

"Wait. Did you… no way," he breathed, looking down at his father's withered legs.

"No, I never phased, although I passed the gene onto you," Billy said regretfully. "There were no vampires living nearby when I was a young man. Only the presence of their kind triggers the change in us."

Jacob turned on me. "So this is your fault? You made this happen to me?"

"We were unaware of this theory until recently," Carlisle said honestly. "If we had known the burden that we were bringing to your people, we never would have moved back to Forks."

I winced at the implication of his words. It was true—he would never have imposed this burden on the Quileutes had he known. We never would have moved back here, and I never would have met Bella. The thought of never having known her was strange, foreign. Loving her was the only reason I had ever existed! How strange to think that such a small thing could have changed the course of our lives. I felt a rush of relief that I hadn't had more opportunity to read the wolves' minds back in 1936. It would have been my fault if we had never moved back, trying to respect the tribe. My mind-reading would have separated Bella from me forever.

Sam's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, 'until recently'? Have you been spying on us?"

Carlisle's face gave nothing away, but his thoughts were racing in panic. I spoke up quickly. "Jacob told Bella about the werewolves… and about us. He didn't do it with any malice; he was sure that he was only repeating a ghost story. But he did tell her several traditions concerning the werewolves, and she told me about the theory that our presence was causing tribal members to phase. We weren't even sure the theory was valid until you confirmed it just now."

Jacob looked at me suspiciously. That's weird. I don't remember telling her that.

"Well, I suppose you could call it a theory. It was my father who made the connection," Billy admitted. "When he passed into his thirties without phasing, he noticed that there hadn't been any vampires in the area since your group left the first time. I noticed the same thing with myself, and now that you're back, our young men are phasing again. I'd say my father's theory has been confirmed."

"I agree," said Carlisle reluctantly.

"And we are honored for the ability to protect our people," said Sam proudly. "But the fact remains that your presence is causing the gene to awaken. And now you're causing yet another of our young men to phase. I won't say that Jacob isn't welcome in my pack, but I must ask that you remove yourselves from this region. There are too many of you, and there's no telling who is going to begin phasing next. I'm sure you can agree that more werewolves phasing isn't in anyone's best interest."

"Just a minute," I interrupted. "You're asking us to leave Forks just because Jacob is preparing to phase? This is our home!"

"You are wanderers," Sam said casually. "Surely one town is as good as another. I will uphold the treaty for now, but I am worried that if you stay much longer, other young men are going to begin phasing."

"I thought you said it was an honor," I said sarcastically.

"It is. But it is also a burden, and I wouldn't truly wish this life on anyone."

"I don't want it either!" Jacob moaned. "I just want to be a normal guy."

"I know," Billy said quietly. "I want that for you, too." He looked up at Carlisle. "How close did he come?"

"Seconds away," Carlisle admitted. Billy's face fell. He had been hoping that we were exaggerating when we said he had almost phased.

"It was awful," Jacob murmured, remembering. "I felt like I was about to explode. I could literally feel my bones starting to break."

Sam looked at him curiously. "And you were able to stop the transition? How?"

Jacob pointed back at Jasper. "That guy. He does some sort of mood control thing, and he calmed me down."

I sighed in exasperation. Of course it would have been too much to expect Jacob to keep his mouth shut.

Sam bent down to speak in Billy's ear for a moment. "Why didn't we know about this? We weren't aware that any of them had extra abilities."

Billy whispered back that Jasper hadn't been one of the group back in 1936. It was ridiculous that he bothered to whisper; we could have heard him from across the yard.

Sam straightened and glared at Carlisle. "What other abilities does your group possess?" he demanded.

I looked at Carlisle intently, silently begging him to lie. It was useless, of course. His morals were infuriating sometimes.

"I don't see the need to go into detail about my children's personal lives," he answered, and I rolled my eyes. He couldn't have piqued their interest more.

"We have a right to know these things," Sam said through his clenched teeth. His scent was growing more potent and his hands were beginning to tremble. Jacob noticed it too, and cursed under his breath.

"Let's all stay calm," I suggested loudly. Sam opened and closed his hands several times, stopping the transition.

"We have a right to know," he repeated in a calmer voice. "Treaty or not, your kind is still our enemy and we have a right to know what we're up against."

"It doesn't really matter, does it? You obviously don't want us here. Why not just run us out of town?" I challenged.

Sam grimaced. Don't I wish we could. Maybe, in a year, we'll have a couple more wolves and the numbers will be more even. "I am willing to compromise," he announced finally. "I will allow you to stay until the end of the summer if you tell me about all the extra abilities your group has."

There were several gasps behind me, and I clenched my teeth in anger. Sam hadn't mentioned anything about us leaving so soon! I shared his regret for the growing number of wolves, but this was ridiculous! Bella wouldn't finish high school for another year. No, this was unacceptable.

"Carlisle," I growled.

"That's not good enough," my father said firmly. "We want to stay. I am sorry about the wolves, but the damage is very likely done by now. I don't think our departure would change anything."

"I disagree!" said Sam angrily. "Jacob's transition only proves that you bloodsuckers are still infecting the area!"

"Let's discuss this rationally," said Carlisle, his patience wearing thin. "Billy, you are the acting chief. Perhaps you should call the tribal elders together and we could all meet to discuss this."

"I want you all to leave as well," Billy added. "But you're right, dissolving the treaty is not a call that Sam and I can make alone." As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he looked at the ground thoughtfully. We don't need the Cullens' agreement to dissolve the treaty. We won't have the numbers to attack them outright, but once I get the treaty lifted, the pack can start picking them off one by one, when they're alone or in pairs. And once Sam and I give them the proof that Jacob's been triggered, I know we can get Harry's vote. He won't want Seth to phase...

"No one said anything about dissolving the treaty," Carlisle said sharply.

Billy looked back up at him and smiled. "You're right. Perhaps we were too hasty. Let me take Jacob home so he can rest, and we'll contact you when we're ready to meet."

I had to force myself to stand still, instead of attacking Billy on the spot like I wanted to. He had no intention of calling us about anything. He intended to ask the council to unilaterally dissolve the treaty! I slowly reached behind Carlisle's back and tapped him on the shoulder three times. We had set this signal up many years ago; it was my way of telling him that I had heard something important in someone's thoughts, and that I needed to speak to him immediately. He nodded slightly.

"Of course," he said smoothly. "Just let me speak to my family for a moment. We may want to give you a statement to present to the council."

Billy shrugged, and Carlisle and I entered the house.

As soon as I had shut the door, Billy was whispering his plan to Sam. Sam didn't seem to like the dishonesty, but he was willing to ask the council's opinion.

"What is it, Edward?" Carlisle asked.

I quickly explained Billy's plan, and my siblings hissed in anger.

"I can't believe the council would go along with that," Esme said. "I thought the treaty was always based on a sense of honor."

"It may be. But the council is made up of parents. They may be motivated to protect their children from phasing, even if the action itself is dishonorable," I said miserably. "Of course, we can't respond to this threat without revealing how I learned of it."

"That might not be such a bad idea, Edward. What if we offer them a compromise?" Carlisle mused. "I could offer to pull us out at the end of your senior year, and in exchange for the time extension, we would disclose your and Alice's talents."

Everyone looked at me. Carlisle's had clearly devised this plan with Bella in mind, and we all knew it. I knew I should say something about how they didn't need to stay in Forks just because of me, but I didn't. I was simply too selfish. I nodded my agreement.

"I don't like it," Jasper said, looking down at Alice. "We're giving them too much for too little."

"Oh, what does it matter?" snapped Rosalie. "It's not like we're coming back here ever again. Say whatever will get their stink out of our yard."

"Before anyone refuses this plan, let me finish," Carlisle continued. "Giving a departure plan will appease the council, and there may be a strategic advantage to having them aware of our gifts."

I saw where his thoughts were going, and I grinned. "You're right. They'll fear not only our numbers, but also our talents. And this will make them less likely to try anything treacherous. We won't tell them about the holes in Alice's vision, of course."

Carlisle nodded. "Of course not. Is anyone vehemently opposed to this offer?"

He was met with silence, and he headed back out the door.

"We would like to suggest a different compromise," he announced when we had reassembled outside. "We understand your feelings about our presence in the region, and we wouldn't wish to place any further burden on the tribe. However, my two youngest are still in high school and would like to begin college at our next location. I propose that you allow us to stay–treaty intact—until they graduate. It's less than a year, and I truly doubt that it would make a difference as far as the creation of new werewolves is concerned."

"I thought you said this was a compromise," Sam said. "What are you offering in return for this?"

Carlisle took a deep breath. "Disclosure of our talents. Of course, I would need the assurance of the council that the treaty will remain intact before I do so."

Sam looked down to Billy, who nodded eagerly. He had felt guilty about his plan a few moments ago, and the prospect of learning about our abilities was too good to pass up. "I think we can speak for the council in this instance," he announced, looking up a Sam, who nodded his agreement.

"Very well. We will plan to leave Forks in June of next year," Carlisle agreed.

"Now, the abilities?" Billy asked eagerly.

Alice stepped down lightly, standing before Billy and Sam. "I have visions of the future," she said in a small voice.

I stepped forward, as well. "I can read minds."

Jacob snickered. "Right. And I can fly."

Jasper moved forward, but stayed on the porch. "You've already felt my gift in action," he said to Jacob. He looked over at Billy and Sam. "I can read, as well as influence, people's emotions."

"And it's debatable whether Emmett's enormous strength is a supernatural talent or not," Carlisle said finally. "But he is stronger than any other vampire I've encountered." I bit back a smile; Carlisle was stretching it now. But he hadn't lied, and whatever intimidated Sam and Billy was fine by me.

Sam and Billy just stared at us. "That's all very interesting," Sam finally choked out, "if it's true."

"Perhaps you'd like a little demonstration," I said coldly as I took a step toward him. "Right now you're thinking that if I get any closer to you, you're going to have to stand in the shower all night to get rid of the stench."

Sam's eyes widened and Jacob burst out laughing, along with Emmett.

I wasn't finished. I folded my arms, glaring down at Billy with the most menacing stare I could muster. "And a few moments ago, Billy was considering asking the council to unilaterally dissolve the treaty. He was thinking how nice it would be if the pack could start picking us off, one by one, with impunity. Shall I continue?"

Billy swallowed. "I think you've made your point," he said grudgingly. "It seems the situation is a bit more complicated than we thought."

"Yes, it is," Carlisle said sternly. "But we're willing to honor this new agreement, and you have my word that we will not return as long as your descendents endure in this region."

"That is acceptable," Sam said. "I think we'll take Jacob now. I'll begin his instruction."

Jacob stepped toward his father's car, looking back at me nervously. So, you can… hear me right now?

I nodded, and he grimaced. Then I guess you know what I think about all this treaty crap. Why are you guys so determined to hate each other? If you're not killing anybody, and we're not killing anybody, what's the problem?

"I wish it were that simple," I said quietly. He nodded sadly to me, and squared his shoulders. He stepped over to his father's side, pushing his wheelchair around to the passenger door of the Ford. Sam glanced around our family, then gave Carlisle a curt nod before getting back in the truck.

We watched them drive away in silence. Jacob looked back at us in the rear view mirror, thinking that we looked like a collection of statues posed around the door of our home.

"Well, I think that went well," Carlisle breathed as they disappeared around the curve.

"It went very well," I said. "Sam is under the impression that I can hear every mind on the reservation at this moment, and Billy is afraid that Jasper will manipulate the pack into killing each other."

"Cool. And I have supernatural strength now!" Emmett crowed as he uprooted an oak with one hand. He tossed it into the woods, whooping as he watched it crash through the trees.

"Emmett!" Esme scolded. "That tree was older than you!"

"Well, I'm not going to be the one to correct their mistakes," Carlisle said. "I'm just relieved they didn't ask for a demonstration of Alice's talent."

While everyone congratulated themselves, I gazed back toward our driveway, following Jacob's thoughts on the awkward drive home with his father. He was avoiding Billy's proud gaze, wishing that this had never happened to him. He was terrified at the thought of phasing, and was taken aback by my revelation of his father's treachery. But most of all, he was thinking about the enmity between his people and our family, and wondering why it had to exist at all. Even with all he had learned about me today, he still saw me as a regular teenage guy. He actually hated me less now that he knew the truth.

He would feel differently as soon as the gene was fully active, of course. He would be repulsed by my smell, and the genetic hatred of my kind would take control of his prejudices. He would participate in the pack mind, and begin patrolling with his brothers, sniffing along the borders of his land in an endless effort to protect his people from the blood drinkers.

It was a shame, really. In another world, one without monsters, we might have been friends.