As soon as I entered the reservation, I eased up on the gas, letting my truck catch its breath. The ominous rattling that had been protesting my speed stopped, and the silence left me feeling unsure of my plan. What was I doing here? It wasn't like Jacob was my best friend or anything. Was I coming here just to prove to myself that I could? Was I coming as an emissary from the vampire side of the line, or was I coming to apologize that, once again, I had screwed everything up? If it hadn't been for me, Jacob wouldn't have broken the treaty again, and he wouldn't be laying in bed right now, fearing for his humanity. And what was Edward going to say when I came back home?

The last question was the one that made me keep driving. I didn't want to add to Edward's troubles, but I also didn't want him to think that he had any right to pick and choose my friends. If I gave in on this one, who knows what rule he would come up with next? I knew that he was only trying to protect me, but I would be careful; if Jacob looked crazy like he had earlier today, then I would just run out of the house. It really wasn't that complicated.

I found Jacob's house easily and pulled up. It was raining now, and I stood shivering on the porch in my thin sweater, knocking over and over. I finally got my courage up, and creaked open the door, peeking inside.

Billy was in his wheelchair, wearing an innocent expression as he made his way slowly to the door.

"Sorry, Bella, I couldn't hear the door over the TV. What are you doing here?"

"I want to see Jacob."

"I don't think that's—"

"Dad, just let her come in here!" Jacob called from another part of the house. His voice sounded odd, and I ran past Billy into what must have been Jacob's room.

I hadn't been in here since I was a kid, and the Superman posters and figurines had been replaced by fighter pilot models, framed family photos, and a few things that looked Quileute in origin. Jacob was in his bed, looking exhausted and sweaty.

"You knew," he accused weakly.

Right down to business, then. I sat awkwardly on the foot of the bed, nodding as I sank onto the mattress. "I only found out about you guys—the wolves, I mean, a couple days ago."

"And the vampires?" he demanded.

I gave him half a smile, the best I could muster. "I have you to thank for knowing that. The beach, remember?"

He looked confused. "When did I… oh."

"Yeah."

"You've known what he was the whole time? Even at Prom?"

"Yep."

"That's disgusting, Bella! You're, like, food to him!"

I rolled my eyes. "You were also the one who told me they're not like other vampires, remember? None of them are like that. Listen, Jake, I'm sorry I couldn't say anything before. About you, I mean."

"I know," he said miserably. "Dad says it's 'better' that way. It's one of their traditions—keeping us in the dark as long as possible."

"So, um, how are you feeling? Now that it's been a few hours?"

"It's just like having the flu. Although Dad says my fever is coming down. He seems to think that my body wasn't really ready to do it, and that if I stay calm and rest a lot, I might be able to put it off for a while."

"And you want to? Put it off?"

He scooted up onto his elbows. "Of course I do! Would you want to turn into an animal?"

I just shook my head.

"Dad and Sam put me to bed as soon as we got home. It's like Sam is suddenly interested in being my big brother, or something. He just sat by me and talked for hours about what an honor it is, how amazing it is, our heritage, blah blah blah. How he'll introduce me to my 'brothers' when I'm feeling up to it. How I should feel privileged to be protecting the tribe. He doesn't want me to put it off."

"Wow. So he's the 'Alpha', right?"

"Yeah. He didn't want to talk about that part of it, though. He just said we'll work that part out later. He did say something about you, though."

"Uh oh."

"No, nothing bad. He just said that you should keep your distance for a while, that it's not safe for you to be around me. That I'm dangerous in the beginning."

"Oh. Well, that's nothing new. Edward thinks the same thing."

"I know. He told me, too. So, how'd you get past him?"

"Past him?"

He smiled conspiratorially. "Yeah, tonight. He couldn't have just let you come over here."

I was about to make some smart comment about how I don't let vampires run my life, but since Jacob was finally smiling, I decided to keep it light. "I snuck out while they were hunting," I said, leaning closer and wiggling my eyebrows.

"Nice! Wait, how come the fortune teller didn't catch you? And how come Edward didn't just see the plan in your head?"

I hesitated. I had already goofed once on the cover stories today, and I didn't want to again. "What are you talking about?" I asked slowly.

He scooted up higher in the bed. "Don't play stupid, Bella. They told us everything. That was part of the new treaty."

"Okay, now I really don't understand what you're talking about. What new treaty?"

"Oh, so your bloodsucker didn't tell you about that? Figures."

I narrowed my eyes. "Don't call him that, Jacob."

He rolled his eyes. "Sorry, I forgot which side you were on."

"I'm not on anyone's side," I said hotly. "Well… I guess I am, in a way. But my point is, why do there have to be sides at all? Why can't they all just leave each other alone?"

"That's what I said! Even your bl—I mean, Edward, said he wished it could be that way. But Sam says it's just the way we are. He said I'll understand as soon as I start phasing. Ugh." He flopped backwards onto the pillows in disgust.

"You didn't answer my question. What's this about a new treaty?"

"Okay, so Sam's all upset because the vampires are the ones triggering us, right? Follow me?"

I nodded.

"Anyway, he and the head vampire—the doctor—they got into an big argument today about Sam wanting them all to leave, so that they'll stop triggering new werewolves. He wanted them to leave right away, and the vampires didn't want to leave at all. So they compromised—we let them stay until next June, in return for them telling us all about their superpowers. You know, the little fortune teller, and the mood ring guy, and the Hulk guy, and Edward poking around in all our minds. Talk about creepy. How do you stand that? Him knowing what you're thinking all the time?"

"He can't read my mind. I have some sort of glitch."

He grinned. "Nice. Anyway, so that was the new treaty—they have to leave in June, and never come back."

I frowned. Why hadn't Edward told me about this?

"Your turn," Jacob said, crossing his arms on top of the covers.

"What?"

"You didn't answer my question yet. How did you sneak out today? Couldn't the fortune teller just stop you ahead of time?"

"Well, it was a last minute decision. And besides, you know she can't see me when I'm on the reservation."

He uncrossed his arms slowly. "I know that," he said in an odd voice. "But I still don't understand why that is."

"Because she can't see the wolves, or the future of anyone near them. Didn't—" I clamped my mouth shut. Did I just screw up again? "You didn't know, did you? You tricked me!" I grabbed one his extra pillows and threw it at his face.

Jacob grinned, batting the pillow away. "Don't worry, I won't tell Sam. It'll be nice having a secret from them for once. They deserve it."

The phone rang then, and Jacob scowled. "That had better not be Sam again. He's been checking on me all night."

"Bella!" Billy called from the living room. "The phone is for you!" I could tell from the disgust in his voice who it was.

I moaned, letting my head fall into my hands. Did he really have to call here? Jacob picked up the phone on his bedside table and tossed it to me.

"Hello?" I asked timidly.

"Bella." It was Edward, all right—and he wasn't happy.

"Um, hi. Back from hunting already?"

"We cut it short. Imagine my surprise when Alice informed me that you had disappeared."

"I know, I know you're mad—"

"It doesn't matter," he said coldly. "Just get out of there, please. Now."

Jacob held his hand out for the phone, but I shook my head, turning away from him. "Listen," I hissed into the phone. "It's fine. Jacob isn't angry, or furry or anything. In fact, he's lying down."

"Why? Does he have a fever?"

"Well, yes, but—"

"That's even worse! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"Can we talk about this later?" I growled.

"I'm coming to get you."

"You can't! The treaty—"

"Treaty," he scoffed. "As if that mattered." I could hear Carlisle talking rapidly in the background.

"No! I'm leaving soon, all right? I'm on my way to the grocery store."

There was a pause. "Fine. I'll meet you there in ten minutes. Ten." He hung up and I groaned again as I handed the phone back to Jacob.

"Busted, huh?" he sighed as he put it back on the table.

I flopped sideways, crashing onto the bed. "He's not always like that, you know. Just about werewolves."

"Right. Keep telling yourself that."

"He's a good guy, Jacob, really. The best."

He frowned. "Yeah, I guess he's all right. He's actually the one who finally told me the truth. My dad was about to keep lying to me, but Edward had told me everything by the time he got there. And he was helping the head vamp try to keep it cool at the meeting. Anyway, he's right. You shouldn't be here."

"Not you, too!"

"No, seriously. Sam was telling me how he accidentally hurt his girlfriend once, because she was standing too close when he phased. She's scarred for life."

"Wow. That's awful."

"Yeah, Sam was really upset when he told me about it. That's why he thought you and I shouldn't see each other for a while. I guess he's right."

"Well, I'll call you a lot, okay?"

"Yeah."

I stood up and walked to the head of the bed, leaning down to hug him goodbye. At first, he leaned away, shaking his head. But I rolled my eyes and pulled him closer, squeezing his shoulders. "Sorry about all this," I muttered into his pillow.

"Me too," he said dejectedly. "You know what the worst part is? Now that I know more about him, I can't even hate him anymore. I mean, he might be a monster, but I'm one too, right? It's not like I could have been human for you, if you guys… you know."

I pulled away, frowning. Was this my fault? I had flirted with him that day at the beach, and he had been hinting every time we had met since then. "Jacob…" I sighed.

"No, I get it," he said gruffly. "I'm just not the right kind of monster for you."

"I've got to go," I mumbled, heading for the bedroom door before things got more awkward.

"Yeah, you wouldn't want to be one minute late. I'm surprised he doesn't keep you locked up in his crypt." His voice was getting louder now, and I spun around, facing him.

"Listen, Jacob. You need to stop trying to break us up, all right? I love him, human or not. We're going to be together forever, and I'm not going to change my mind. So please, just stop. It doesn't help."

"What do you mean, forever?" he asked slowly.

"I just mean that he's my soul mate," I explained, trying to stay calm. "It's not even a choice. We were meant for each other, and nothing is going to come between us, ever. So don't try."

He threw off the covers and stood, closing the distance between us. "Is that what he told you? That you had no choice?"

"I make my own choices, Jacob," I said quietly, taking a step backwards.

"And when they leave in June, what then? What did you mean by 'forever'?"

"We haven't… come to an agreement on that yet. Not that it's any of your business."

"So that's what he's planning? To turn you into one of them?" His eyes were wide now, and in the corner of my eye, I could see his hands trembling. I took another step backwards.

"That's what I want." Why was I telling him any of this?

"Right. Let's see, we've got a mind reader, a mood control guy, a psychic, and who knows what else. How do you know they're not just making you think that's what you want? Don't vampires do that hypnotic thing?"

"No, they don't. In fact, Edward wants me to stay human. I'm the one trying to convince him, all right?"

"Sure, Bella. That makes perfect sense," he said angrily. "Don't you see what they're doing to you? I bet he's lying about not being able to read your mind, too. If you would just—" He lifted up his hand in frustration, finally seeing the tremors. He groaned, clenching his fist and turning away from me. "Bella, I think you should leave now," he said to the far wall.

"Yeah, I think I should too," I said coldly. "Goodnight."

I stormed out of his room, slamming his door behind me. Billy was looking at me with a warning in his eyes. "Don't worry," I muttered as I marched past him. "I'll leave him alone now."

.

.

.

Edward was already standing in the parking lot by the time I pulled up. I glanced around, not finding his car. Had he run here? I turned off the engine but didn't get out yet. What were we going to say to each other? I blinked, and suddenly he wasn't standing in the parking lot anymore.

"Are you all right?" he said quietly from the seat beside me. I spun around to face him, and was met with his anguished frown. His hair was plastered to his forehead from the rain and his clothes were soaked. How long had he been waiting? The rain had stopped before I had even left Jacob's house.

"I'm fine. He was in control the whole time," I lied. Of course my treacherous heart was racing, and his eyes closed in exasperation.

"Why, Bella? After everything I told you? After I specifically said that I didn't want you there?"

"Listen," I said with more courage than I felt. "It's not 1918 anymore, all right? You can't just make up rules for your girlfriend and expect her to follow them."

"This is a unique situation."

"What's not unique about any of this? Are you going to make a rule that I can't go back to school, just in case another van might come to finish the job?"

A small smile threatened to break through his stern expression. "Looks like Emmett is out twenty bucks," he murmured. "Jasper bet him that you wouldn't listen. No matter. I'll just have to keep a closer eye on you."

"Don't bother. Jacob agrees with you."

"Regarding what?"

"That he's too dangerous to be around right now. He practically kicked me out."

Edward leaned back in the passenger seat, looking thoughtful. "Well, that's… reasonable of him. Hmm. Maybe he isn't as brainless as I thought."

"Ugh! You two are impossible!" I threw open the door and headed for the store entrance.

Edward joined me and picked up one of the little hand-held shopping baskets. When we got inside, I pulled off my sweater, tying it around my waist. It was still damp and besides, it was warm inside the store. Edward stopped in his tracks, frozen, staring down at my arm.

"What?" I hissed. I hadn't bothered with the makeup today, and it wasn't like anyone in the grocery store was going to inspect my now-barely-visible burns. I followed his gaze downward and sighed in exasperation when I saw what he was staring at. Just below my elbow, there was a new handprint—a real bruise this time, no doubt courtesy of Jacob when he had stormed into my house this morning. It wasn't nearly as distinct as the one Edward had made; there were four purple spots and another one halfway around my arm where Jacob's thumb had been.

"Fantastic," I grumbled. "That's just great."

"I'm going to kill him," Edward breathed. He didn't even look angry. He could have been discussing the weather.

"Oh, please. It doesn't even hurt." I poked the bruise with my other hand, wincing at the pain that the slight pressure caused.

Edward caught up to me at human speed, cradling my arm in his hands gently. He laid his cold hand on the bruise to soothe the pain away as we walked. "And you still went to his house, after he did this to you?"

"It's not like he's the only one who left a handprint on me," I muttered. Edward released my arm and backed up a step, looking pained. "I didn't mean it like that," I said quickly. "It's just that you two are being so ridiculous. These kinds of things happen when a human fraternizes with immortals."

"I'll call Alice and ask her to get some more makeup ready," he said in a defeated voice.

I grabbed a head of lettuce and dropped it into the basket Edward was holding. "Great. I love makeup. And why didn't you tell me about the new treaty you guys formed today?"

He shrugged. "It was nothing, really. We couldn't have stayed in Forks much longer than that, anyway. Carlisle is already claiming thirty-two, and that's usually when his coworkers begin to wonder how he manages to keep looking so great."

I tossed in a bag of carrots and an onion. "Well, at least we'll be able to finish senior year."

Edward followed me quietly as I weaved in and out of the produce aisles. He looked as though he was trying to decide whether or not to say something.

I waited until the customer near us moved on, and then I turned back and buried my face in his shoulder. "Look, I'm not sorry that I went over there. But I am sorry that you were so worried." I pulled back, searching his face to see if I was forgiven. His eyes were darker than I had expected. "You didn't hunt," I said.

"Yes, I did."

"Oh. I guess you're still mad at me, then."

"Mad?" he asked in confusion. "I not mad at you. I'm mad at a bunch of dangerous, adolescent werewolves for even existing near you. I'm mad at Alice for not catching you sooner. I'm mad at myself for thinking that you would actually—"

"Stop right there," I growled, putting my hand on his mouth. "If you're going to be mad at anyone, be mad at me. I'm the one who snuck out."

"Bella," he sighed, his eyes lightening, "I can't be mad at you. I'm not sure it's even possible."

"You know, if you really want to keep me safe, you would just change me and get it over with," I said casually, leaving him behind as I headed for the pasta aisle.

I could feel his eyes on me as I continued shopping. No doubt he was coming up with his next argument, and I didn't feel up to hearing it. By the time I reached the dairy aisle, I had forgotten that I had said anything.

He put a carton of eggs in the basket. "That's the last reason I would change you," he said with finality.

I paused, my hand still touching a package of bacon. He sounded as if he was actually considering doing it, for once. Should I say anything else, or let him keep thinking?

"Anyway, let's just enjoy the rest of the summer," he continued in an odd voice. "Time enough later to think about that."

"Sounds good to me." Just don't take too much time.

.

.

.

When I got back home, Charlie met me at the door, taking one of the grocery bags out of my arms. "Heard you took a little detour," he smirked.

I froze, waiting for him to continue. Jacob had been so mad when I had left, I wouldn't put it past him to call Charlie and do something stupid to get Edward back in trouble. What had he told him?

"Yeah," I said, forcing out a laugh. "When I called Jacob earlier, Billy said he wasn't feeling well and I wanted to go check on him."

"Well, that was really sweet of you. Billy called and said you stopped by. But he said you should stay away until Jacob's feeling better. Said it was some contagious fever thing."

"Oh," I said, sighing in relief. "Yeah, he looked awful. Don't worry, I'll stay away."

"He said Jacob wanted you to call him, too. Did you get the apple pies?"

"They're in the car."

Charlie headed out the door eagerly, and I eyed the phone with suspicion as I put the groceries away. As soon as I was alone upstairs, I dialed Jacob's number. I figured it was better to get this over with before Edward came in.

"Hello?"

"Hi."

"Bella! I'm so sorry about that stuff I said when you were leaving! I don't know what came over me!"

I sighed. "It's okay, Jake. And don't worry, I won't bother you again." I moved the phone away from my ear to turn it off, but I could hear Jake yelling even with the phone in my hands.

"Bella! No, don't… I don't want you to stay away. I mean, I do right now, but just until I get this under control, you know? My fever's almost gone now. Just give me a couple of days."

"I don't know. Maybe it's for the best." My window slid open and Edward climbed in silently. "I'll check on you tomorrow, all right?" Jacob, I mouthed to Edward, who frowned.

"Bella, I really didn't mean that stuff I said about Edward. Honest. I think he's okay. And I get that you guys are together. It's just that everyone over here has been pounding it into me that he's the enemy."

"I know, Jake, I know. It sucks."

"I mean, why do we even have to be enemies? Why do I have to be like this? I'm scared, Bella! I don't want this." It sounded like he was beginning to cry, and I looked up helplessly at Edward. "I don't want to lose you," Jacob continued in a clearer voice. "As a friend, I mean. Your auto repair skills are in sad need of improvement."

I laughed, glad to hear the old Jacob, even if it was just for a second. "You got it. When all this blows over, I'm there." I looked up at Edward again, silently challenging him. His face gave nothing away, though, and I sighed. "Feel better, Jake, okay? Just take it easy for now."

"Thanks. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay, bye." I hung up the phone, shaking my head. "Poor Jake. He just wants to be a regular kid."

"Yes, he actually wants to stay human. Imagine that."

"Hey, I thought we were going to enjoy the rest of the summer and think about that later," I teased.

"And we will," he said softly. He traced my face with his fingers, a sadness in his eyes. Then he smiled. "Why don't we do something with your friends from school tomorrow? You haven't seen them in a while."

"Group dating? I bet Charlie would love that."

"Yes, I was thinking that as well."

Later, as I was drifting off to sleep to the sound of Edward's soft singing, I realized that this was probably one of his attempts to make me realize how much I would be leaving behind if I were to lose my humanity. I was on to him, though. It wasn't going to work. And besides, it seemed like he was starting to waver.

A/N: I know Jacob may seem a little out of character at the end there, but let me explain. This is all happening to him at a younger age than it did in canon, and he and Bella really aren't best friends like they were in New Moon. And Edward hasn't left her, so there's really no reason for Jacob to get his hopes up about that like he did in the real story. At this point he really does see her as a friend, mostly, and that's why he's letting that go so easily.

So, who's ready for a little Mike Newton? One chapter left before things get tough... hang in there!