A/N: Look a new chapter! Sorry it's taken so long. :( Who knew college would be so freaking busy? Not me, obviously. We just started classes, and we also have a dance competition between the dorms that we've been practicing a few hours a night for. And people run up and down the hallways during the wee hours and make me want to go attack someone. Lack of sleep is not fun. DX RAWR! Anywho.

Here are some thanks I didn't give out last time because I was pressed for time!

Alice Morgan Cullen: Thanks so much for having your friends read my story! I really appreciate it!

MySoCalledGothSide: I make myself hungry writing this stuff. Especially now that I'm in college and have no delicious home cooked meals. T_T I miss my mommy. T_T

There were a few more, but I've forgotten them. DX To everyone else, thank you sooooo much for sticking with me! I'm doing my best to update as soon as possible, I promise! Please forgive me for being late all the time!

As it is 11:09 and my roommate gets up freakishly early, it is not time for bed. Goodnight my dears! Please review if you feel like it! Give me some hope in this bleak, penniless existence!

Chapter 18

Something icy was tugging me away from the warmth of Jake's arms, something cold and hard and utterly foreign. I couldn't see in the darkness, but I knew I was being kidnapped.

"Jake!" I screamed, flailing uselessly. He didn't move, and I could still hear his gentle snoring. A low, tinkling laugh rang through the air and I automatically knew it was Bella.

"He can't hear you. I've shielded us off from him. You're mine now," she said gleefully as we suddenly were transported outside. She flung me on the ground and I winced as my wrist cracked painfully beneath me. I ignored it and rolled over, kicking out as hard as I could. Bella merely laughed as pain shot up my leg from having connected with her stone hard body.

"What, scared are we? There's no reason to be scared, I just want to talk to you," she giggled. I groped for a rock and flung it at her face. She caught it in mid-air, her gleaming white teeth glittering dangerously in the moonlight.

"Careful, girl."

She was suddenly right next to me, an evil smirk on her inhumanly beautiful face.

"Why don't we take a little walk and…chat?"

I didn't like the sound of that. Try as I might, I couldn't break free of her steel handed grasp, and was drug helplessly along into the forest. I tripped quite a few times, but she didn't stop, merely dragging me along like I was some kind of rag doll. She suddenly paused a few hundred feet into the woods and dropped me. My entire body was covered in dirt and scratches from being pulled along the ground, and when I looked around Bella was no longer there.

Heart pounding, I stood up and took a step backwards, only to be knocked flat on my face by a white blur. I spit out dead leaves and dirt and sat up again, glaring at the trees around me. Each cast a skeletal shadow on the ground that clawed at me with long, emaciated fingers.

"What do you want," I said to no one in particular. I hissed as something smacked the back of my head, making black dots dance in front of my eyes. I bit back the tears and forced my head up, willing the dizziness to go away.

"Is that all you have Bella? Using your super vampire strength to pick on a human? I guess you're not really that strong after all. I'm sure you would think twice about doing that to Edward or Jake. They'd kill you," I muttered, eyes flickering back and forth. Her cackling voice surrounded me and the hair on the back of my next stood up. Jake, I need you, I called out in my head, trying to project my need to Jake.

"Jacob is a weakling. He wouldn't dare hurt me. He loves me," she hissed. I pang of jealousy ripped through my heart but I ignored it, remembering that I was his imprint.

"Edward would," I answered. The wind around me quieted for a moment, as if Bella had stopped in her tracks. I took the opportunity to tease her some more (smart, right? Teasing a vampire…) and tried to call for Jake again. "You know, that blood sucker you actually abandoned Jake for, to become something he hates. And you call yourself a friend," I hissed.

She growled somewhere to my right and suddenly I was on back. She leaned her snarling face inches from mine and said, "Don't you insult him."

I shrugged, willing my heart to calm down. Feeling a little arrogant, I continued with my I'm-totally-not-scared charade and smirked.

"Why not? You insult Jake all the time, I think I have the right to make fun of him a little, ri—"

My head snapped so hard to the right I thought it was going to fall off. My vision was spotty and my jaw ached horrendously. I blinked a few times and tried to talk but it hurt to move my mouth. My tongue tasted wet and metallic, and something warm trickled down the side of my face. Bella hissed and inhaled deeply, and I watched out of the corner of my eye as her irises turned a deep, bloody crimson. My heart thumped loudly in my chest as her face neared the delicate skin on my neck.

"My Edward is none of your concern. As is my Jacob. I knew him before you did, before you were even thought of. I loved him before you, so don't act all high and mighty just because he imprinted on you," she hissed, nose pressed against my jugular.

"Mom?" a quiet voice asked.

Bella froze, her eyes widening as she looked to our left. She stood up quickly, backing away hesitantly.

"Bella? What are you doing here?" another more masculine voice asked. Bella's eyes flickered between the pair of voices and me, mouth slightly agape in shock. I blinked and suddenly a woman of about twenty was kneeling beside me, her long auburn curls tickling my face as she glanced over me.

"Mom, did you do this? The wolves are not going to be very happy," she said matter-of-factly. Leaves crunched underneath a pair of leather booted feet that walked into my view. A man kneeled beside the woman, his golden eyes dark and conflicted looking.

"She's Jacob's imprint," he said quietly. The woman beside him gasped in horror, covering her mouth with her hands. The man traced my forehead with icy fingers, sighing.

"Your name is Ina, am I correct?" he asked. I suddenly realized I was surrounded by vampires and nodded, tears finally trickling out of the corner of my eyes. My mouth still hung awkwardly open, but I could do nothing to shut it.

"Don't be afraid, okay? I hear Jacob coming. Bella, you'd better leave, he's frantic. Renesmee, escort your mother home and don't let her out of your sight," the man ordered.

"Edward," Bella said weakly, her face contorted in pain. The woman, Renesmee, nodded and took a firm hold of Bella's (her mother?) arm, and both were gone in a flash. Edward watched after them for a moment before taking my hand in his. I shivered uncontrollably, but his touch was slightly comforting. Obviously he wasn't going to hurt me, and somehow I felt a sense of calm reassuring emanating from him. I watched his face as he stared into the woods, his jaw clenched and his eyes blank. I wondered when Jake was going to arrive, and his eyes flashed down at me as he smiled slightly.

"He will be here in just a moment," he said quietly.

Sure enough, a loud, thunderous crashing noise was coming closer and closer. Edward gently released my hand and stood up, then was suddenly slammed into a nearby oak. I heard it crack and stared in amazement as it slowly fell over.

Jake was standing close to Edward with his arm pressed against Edward's neck, snarling and breathing heavily. Edward struggled to push him away but was no match. He glanced down at me, golden eyes pleading. I tried to move my mouth but it wasn't working, so I settled for whatever noise I could manage to make. Unfortunately, Jake didn't hear.

"What did you do to her? What did she do to her?" he snarled violently.

"I did nothing. Bella has been getting a little out of control lately," Edward rasped, his voice barely audible. Jake growled and slammed Edward back into the broken tree.

"Damn right, she has. Isn't it your job to watch her, leech?"

Edward closed his eyes, and by the way his fingers curled into the tree bark I knew he was in some serious pain. Jake suddenly pulled him up, holding him in the air by the throat.

"If you don't answer me, I swear I'll rip you apart right here and now," he bellowed. Edward flung his legs in the air uselessly, white fingers clawing at Jake's clamped hand. I tried to call out to him again but it still wasn't working. I felt my eyes burning with heat as a sickening crack rang through the air and Edward cried out. I screamed as his dismembered arm landed beside my head and flung myself back until I hit a tree, my bare feet digging into the mass of dead leaves that covered the ground. I felt the shattered bones in my face grind together, and black dots danced in front of my eyes as Edward was suddenly dropped to the ground. Jake was soon in front of me, warm hands stroking my face gently.

"Honey, I'm so sorry I let this happen to you I didn't know anything please forgive me!" he pleaded. His hands pressed against my face and I choked as blood started trickling down my throat. His eyes widened and he immediately let go, then swiftly put his arms under me and picked me up. I felt his body trembling horribly as he looked back at Edward's broken body lying on the ground.

"I'll deal with you later. Expect a visit from the wolf pack," he growled. Edward nodded to Jake, and I watched his over Jake's shoulder as I was swept away. Edward picked up his arm and waved it at me before staggering back into the dark forest.

Jake raced along through the forest at an alarming rate, mumbling incoherently under his breath. He glanced down at me often, his dark chocolate eyes tortured. Soon we broke out of the forest and raced along the pavement for a little while before we came upon a huge building. Jake almost ran into the automatic doors before they opened, and jittered impatiently until they opened. The smell of disinfectant hit me and I knew we were in a hospital. Jake raced into an adjoining waiting area, head whipping around frantically.

"Somebody help me!" he screamed.

There was a flurry of commotion as nurses wheeled a gurney into the waiting room. Jake set me down gently upon it and jogged beside the bed until there were too many nurses surrounding for him to follow any longer. He held out his hand to me, his face a mix of anguish and sadness, and I stared into his eyes until the double doors closed, separating us.

The next few hours were a blur.

I remember being wheeled into some kind of waiting room and then a guy coming in with some kind of medicine, but nothing after that.

I woke up in a dimly lit hospital room, wearing a blue gown and covered by a thin white sheet. I was freezing and my face hurt like something terrible.

"Ina?" a husky voice whispered. Warmth enclosed my right hand and I looked over to see Jathan sitting beside my bed, his eyes full of concern. "Dammit, girl, if you keep getting yourself into messes like this I'm going to go gray before I'm twenty-five!"

I tried to apologize but found that my mouth had been wired shut.

I looked over to see my mom sleeping in a chair at the end of my bed, but no Jake in sight. I stared at Jathan with the most meaningful look I could give and he sighed, patting my hand before getting up.

"I'll go get him. The nurses wouldn't let him in since he's not family," he explained, smirking a little. I resisted the urge to throw my pillow at him and waited impatiently until Jake came into the room. He was a mess, his hair sticking up everywhere and his body covered in cuts and bruises. He rushed over to my side and took my weirdly pale hand in his large, warm ones.

"Ina, honey?" he asked, his voice cracking a little in the middle. I used the little bit of strength I had to tug on his fingers, eyes pleading with him in need. He blinked a few times as the emotion hit him and nodded, ignoring the protests of my older brother as he gently climbed into bed beside me. His warmth was extremely welcome, his large body comforting even though the weight of him made the bed groan in protest beneath us. Jathan huffed in exasperation and mumbled something about Leah before walking out of the room, leaving Jake and I basically alone. My mom snored gently in the corner as Jake showered kisses upon my bandaged head, his big arms wrapping tightly around me.

"I'm so sorry," he mumbled, burying his face into my shoulder. I shrugged and patted his head, the wire from my IV waving around with the movement. "I'm a horrible imprint," he groaned. I shook my head furiously in disagreement and instantly regretted it as a wave of dizziness overtook me. I flopped back against the pillow and moaned. Jake pulled me against him and whispered quietly in my ear, running his fingers over my arm until I felt sleep pulling at me once more.

I was rudely awakened by a bright light flicking on and burning my retinas. I made disgruntled noises as I blinked my eyes open to see a man in a white coat standing beside my bed. He had a clip board in his hands and was glaring at Jake behind me.

"Family only is allowed in the room," he said through clenched teeth. Jake growled threateningly and I quickly grabbed the doctor's clipboard and scribbled something down. He read it, then looked at me warily with an arched eyebrow.

"He's your fiancé," he said in disbelief. I nodded and reached back to pat Jake's arm affectionately.

"Yeah, that's right," Jake answered, using his deep, super manly voice. The doctor rolled his eyes and sighed, then scribbled some notes down. He checked my temperature and asked about my level of pain before adjusting a machine. Jake grumbled until he finally left, and watched him walk out of the room. My mom was standing at the door with a confused look on her face, holding a Coke and a fudge round in her hands. She glanced over and smiled brightly, then took Jathan's previous seat beside my bed.

"You're awake!" she said cheerily. I reached for the tantalizing fudge round but she snatched it away and waggled a finger at me. "No solid food for a while, only liquids!" she chastised. I groaned and rolled over into Jake's chest, pretending to cry. She giggled and I heard the package open.

I refused to look at her for the rest of the day.

I spent most of my time in the hospital sleeping, but when I wasn't asleep Jake was forcing straw-fulls of chicken broth or apple juice down my throat. We were woken up by Quil snapping pictures a few times, until Leah finally stole his camera away. The rest of the guys came to visit when they could, and Emily often dropped by with a few bowls of some sort of delicious soup that I eagerly slurped up.

I was allowed to go home after two days. I couldn't help but laugh as Jake blatantly refused to allow anyone but him to carry me out of the hospital, even though my legs weren't damaged. He received more than a few stares as we stalked out of the hospital.

Jake became extremely protective as the week wore on. He somehow managed to finagle my brother into letting him stay with me in my room, and even drove me back and forth from school (Embry was devastated…not). He fed me, tried to clothe and bathe me, and even sang me to sleep.

Not that I didn't mind the attention, but it was getting to be a little too much.

"JAKE!" I scribbled in big bold letters across the writing pad I had been given as a form of communication. I held it up in front of his face and scowled as he tried to wrangle me out of my pajamas. He look dumbfounded for a moment before he finally released the legs of my pants, then stood up and crossed his arms.

"What?" he asked.

"I can change myself. Only my jaw is broken," I wrote.

"Your wrist is hurt," he reasoned, cocking an eyebrow. I glanced at my bandaged wrist and moved it around with ease.

"It's just a sprain, nothing big. Chill, okay? You don't have to worry so much."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked a little put out, so I quickly tried to make him feel better.

"I know you're just trying to help, so thank you. I love you!" I wrote, putting a big heart at the end. He smiled and chuckled, then looked at me with a quirky grin.

"You're such a dork," he said, his eyes sparkling with laughter. He leaned in closer, his eyes closed in a half lidded smile as he placed a gentle kiss against my lips. I did my best to pucker my lips but it was a little hard. He pulled back and sighed, sticking his bottom lip out in a cute frown. I cocked an eyebrow at him in question and he frowned even deeper.

"I don't get to kiss you for real for at least six weeks!" he groaned. I smacked his arm and playfully scowled at him. He smiled and pulled me back against his chest as we fell to the bed. He sighed contentedly, leaning his head against mine. After a few moments he gently pulled me up to face him, wrapping an arm around my waist as he pressed me closer against him.

"Why are you such a troublemaker?" he chuckled, tracing my jaw line. I shrugged. He sighed and kissed my nose. "I know it's not your fault. I just don't get what Bella's deal is," he grumbled. I tensed at the mention of her name, my heart automatically pumping to full speed. He sensed the changed and shook his head at me, his eyebrows knitted together.

"Don't you be afraid of her. That's what she wants. If she ever gets close to you again, I'll rip her filthy head off her shoulders," he snarled. I shook my head at him. I wasn't too fond of Bella, but I didn't want Jake to become a murderer either. He frowned and rested his head against his arm, staring at me in thought. I tried to stare back but ended up blushing.

What?

You try staring a beautiful guy in the face for five minutes straight and tell me how it goes. Seriously. I'd like to know how you do it. Because I have a feeling I'll be staring this beautiful guy in the face for years and years to come. Crap, blushing more now.

He chuckled and skimmed his hand down my side, letting it come to rest on my hip. He squeezed gently as I hid my face in the crook of his neck.

"Let me ask again…do I make you nervous, Ina Call?" he whispered in a low voice. I attempted to shake my head but froze when I felt his warm fingers toying with the edge of my shirt. The breath hitched in my throat as he traced the small sliver of exposed skin at my hip. I quickly shook my head and pushed my hands firmly against him until I was an arm length away, then looked at him unsurely. He chuckled and wrapped his hands around my wrists, then brought them to his lips to kiss them. I scrambled for my writing pad and scribbled something down, then cocked an eyebrow at him. He gaped at first, but then burst out laughing.

"Yes, Ina, I am very sexually frustrated," he chuckled, waggling his eyebrows at me. I scribbled again and held up the pad for him to read. He laughed even more and buried his face in the pillow to hide the sound. "I am not a cheeky bastard!" he laughed in protest. I crossed my arms and glared at him. He glared right back.

Of course he won.

Cursed sexy eyes of his making me melt before I could win.

Unbelievably, the weeks flew by. We celebrated Jared's birthday and I was super excited that I could actually take small bites of cake. Turkey, however, was another story. Quil chewed up bits of meat and tried to get me to swallow them, but fortunately Jake cut in. He actually thought it was a good idea, and had to be swatted by Emily a few times before he finally gave up. The rest of Thanksgiving was spent huddled up around a bonfire as Sam told us ghost stories.

"And then the flashlight lit upon something pale sticking out of the ground. The policeman went over to investigate and found out that it was indeed the hand of Old Man Jenkins," he said in a low voice. Jared groaned and fell off the log he was sitting on while Kim held tightly to his hand.

"Wasn't that on an episode of Criminal Minds or something like that?" Embry asked thoughtfully. Sam looked alarmed for a moment but immediately covered it up by giving a loud boisterous laugh.

"Of course not! That story is one hundred percent oh-riginal, my boy," he said.

"Whatever. It's my turn now," Embry grinned. "Gather in close everyone."

We listened quietly as Embry related a tale of monsters and dead bodies in the forest.

"Jessie went back to the shack that Sarah disappeared at. It was a cold autumn night, just like tonight. The wind blew hard, shuddering through the branches and making the shadows dance on the ground."

At that moment, the wind blew hard, making the hood of my jacket fall off. The fire swayed violently, sparks flying everywhere. I shivered and Jake tucked me closer in to him.

"Scared?" he whispered in my ear. I shook my head, determined not to betray my silly emotions.

Embry's eyes glanced around and he smirked, making his voice low as he spoke again.

"Jessie had almost made it to the shack when he heard something run past him. He looked behind him, but nothing was there. He tried to shake it off and kept walking, but something ran in front of him too. He paused, looking around warily until his eyes landed on a white spot peeking out from behind a tree. He sighed in relief when a little girl stepped out. She was pale, her little pink dress dirty and torn.

She held out her hand to him and puckered her bottom lip out. Jessie looked around for whatever it was that was moving around, but the forest was silent, except for the clacking of the tree branches above him. He walked toward the little girl and hesitantly took her hand, which was inhumanly warm. Scalding even. Jessie jerked his hand back as the girl gave a wicked smile. Her face started melting, her body contorting as she turned into a huge, hairy—"

"Vampire," Seth interrupted.

"What? No, it was a—"

"No! There's a vampire coming stupid!" Seth hissed. The guys immediately jumped up and circled around Emily, Kim, and I. Paul ran out of Emily's house, towing May behind him. She looked around confusedly, but shrugged and came to stand beside me. The pack looked around, eyes searching the surrounding area for any sign of movement.

My heart pounded within the confines of my chest, trying to break through the layers of bone, muscle, and skin. Jake backed against me and reached for my hand, eyebrows furrowed together. His head snapped to the right and he growled, then breached the circle to wrap me tight against him. The guys circled in closer, their bodies trembling and heaving with each breath they took.

"It's that bitch," Paul snarled, baring his elongated teeth to the trees. There is only one woman that Paul will call a bitch to her face.

"Everyone stay in position until we knew where she is," Sam ordered. The guys nodded but Leah groaned in protest.

"Let me at her, I can take her," she hissed, pawing the ground with her bare feet.

I trembled along with Jake, but for a different reason. I thought about the day behind me, about Mom's famous pecan pie and Emily's delicious, pineapple smothered giant ham, Jake's laughter and the guys playing around with each other in the grass.

"Jake, I don't want you guys to get hurt," I sniffled. Jake's face slowly relaxed from its snarl and he looked down at me, his eyes dark and glittering in the firelight.

"We won't. This is our job," he reasoned. He tipped my face up and leaned down until I was inches from his face. "Believe in us. That's all we need," he breathed. I nodded, fingers clenching in his shirt as I buried my face into his chest.

A swift wind blew and I heard something circling around us at an extremely fast pace. It stopped suddenly, and I peeked out from the protection of Jake's large biceps. When the dust cleared, a pale face was standing stark against the darkness of the night.

"I want to talk to you, Jacob," Bella said calmly. Her eyes flickered toward me and she glared, her eyes swimming with crimson.

Not again, I thought miserably.