Moonlight in Forks

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

A/N-thank you so much to everyone who responded to my question. Your feed back and encouragement was awesome! ;)

Waiting

Saturday rolled around faster than Bella had anticipated. She had been trying not to think about it, to put it at the back of her mind. Surprisingly, with Jacob with her, she managed to do just that. But no longer. The fateful day had dawned. There was no going back now.

Being scared was a tough, tough emotion. It was normal and natural, an appropriate response to a situation that feels threatening. She'd be more concerned if she wasn't.

Bella had spent the night in Jacob's arms. She had slept, curled against him, her head pillowed on his chest. She mumbled often in her sleep, distressed, living her fears through her dreams. Jacob would move, half asleep, gently stroking her brow to remove the worry lines, she soon settled back down again.

Golden threads of morning light filtering through the window made Jacob wake with a start. He glanced down at Bella, still fast asleep, wrapped securely against him. He smiled and breathed deeply. He could get used to this, waking up beside her. She was so soft, so delicate. Her skin, pale and translucent, seemed to glow in the morning light. Her hair made a satin pillow of burnished gold.

She was beautiful. And she was his.

As Jacob watched, Bella stirred beside him. She breathed deeply, and rubbed her cheek against his chest before fully opening her eyes.

"Hey, sleepy." He greeted her softly.

"You are here." Bella's hands slid up the muscular planes of his chest, gliding up his neck until they reached his face. "I had a bad dream."

"I know." Jacob stroked her hair back from her face. "Its going to be okay, honey. I promise."

A lone tear, shining like a luminescent pearl, slid down her cheek. "Oh, damn." She chided herself irritably. "I promised myself I wouldn't do this."

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Jacob cupped her cheek, bringing her mouth down to his so he could kiss her. It was a soft kiss, gentle, a promise of more to come. "Trust me." He said when the kiss was over. "This is what I'm made for."

And she did. She did trust him. There was something in the way he spoke, so confident and self-assured, that banished the worst of her worries. He was so in control, a far cry from the way he had been when he had first phased.

Now, hours later, he had gone to join his pack. Bella was left alone in the house- Billy was off fishing with Charlie miles away, Leah and Seth were in the woods not far from the house, standing guard- and now her anxiety was beginning to build again.

Bella reminded herself just what they were capable of. They were wolves, not just ordinary wolves, they were humungous, the size of horses. They ran with a speed only matched by the vampires-and there was so many more of them now. They were experienced and they were deadly.

As the time slowly dragged by, Bella continued to reason with herself, in order to stay calm. She wouldn't panic. No, they were all out there, risking their lives to keep hers safe. There would be no freaking out.

Often, Bella strayed to the front door, peering out up at the soft filtered clouds coating the sky, fighting with herself not to rush toward the encroaching trees of the forest, pleading with Seth and Leah for some news. But she stayed where she was, knowing that she couldn't afford to distract the siblings from their duty with her hysterical questions.

So, she would close the door again, determined to hold herself together for Jacob's sake. To show him she could be brave enough to let him get on with what he needed to do, without having to worry about her.

Bella thought about the Cullens, too, and how they were faring. Just because she had broken up with Edward, that didn't mean she still didn't care about them. She hoped that Alice had made good on her promise to speak to Carlisle about Edward. The last thing the coven needed was for him to go off and do something reckless to prove himself or something.

Bella continued to wait, the ticking of the old clock that had once been a gift given to Billy from Sarah, driving her around the bend. It was like it was mocking her, dragging out each individual seconds to send her over the edge.

Bella thought about Jacob, about the way he had kissed her so hard before he left, that he had left her lips bruised. She didn't care about that. She had kissed him back just as hard, clinging to him tightly, not wanting to ever let go. She relished the pain, feeling the imprint of that kiss still lingering.

As more time went on, Bella couldn't bear to stay inside any longer. The sun had reached the zenith in the sky. As she stepped out onto the front porch, the midday light brought a brighter palette to the view, turning the immediate landscape into a perfect photograph, the nearby woods crowning the land with protective grace.

Bella wished she could see Leah or Seth, but they were well hidden within the trees. If she was finding the wait a strain, she wondered how they were coping. They would be able to see through their brothers' eyes, watching the fight happen in real time, like a virtual movie, but unable to join in.

Settling down on the old porch swing, Bella swung back and forth, listening to the creak of the ancient wood beneath her, the squeak as the rusting springs complained at the sudden movement.

Another hour passed…two…midday turned to afternoon. The shadows crept lower and lower. Grey clouds began to form in the sky. With building apprehension, Bella watched them swirling, feeling that if she only could reach high enough, she would be able to bring down a handful of that cosmic swirl, as if she could make a fabric from it that was ever-changing as the sky above was right now.

Her apprehension turned to dread, Bella peered into the gloom, a strange rustling coming from the trees attracting her attention. Then something stepped out of the shadows into the light-or rather someone.

Seth.

Bella shot off the porch swing and bolted toward him, stumbling over every uneven surface on the ground as she did so. She collided with Seth; rebounding off of him. She would have fallen onto the ground if he hadn't reached out and caught her. She stared up at him, completely breathless, waiting for him to speak.

"Careful there." Seth gripped her arms as he steadied her. "Jake will kill me if you so much as stub your toe."

"Please tell me what's happening, Seth. I need to know!" Bella begged. "You can hear them, right? You can see what's going? Is it over yet? Is Jake – "

Before Seth could respond, an eerie howl split the air, sending cold shivers down Bella's back. She looked up at Seth in alarm. Every muscle in his body was tensed and alert.

"Get inside the house. Lock the doors. Lock everything!" He yelled at her.

In the next second Seth was gone, flying across the yard, phasing as soon as he reached the forest. The only thing left behind were the pieces of his shorts fluttering in the air.

Just like an overloaded computer, Bella's brain went into panic mode. Her thoughts became scattered, normal functioning impossible. She stayed put, staring wildly at the spot where Seth had disappeared.

What was happening?

Who had howled?

Was it Leah?

Was it one of the others?

Was someone hurt?

Please, let it not be Jake! It can't be Jake?

Bella tried to filter through the haze of her panic. It was painful. It was scary. She must not fall apart now. She longed for Jacob's reassuring presence. He was so calm and stable. How often had he soothed her, made her feel relaxed and safe, through the toughest times, just by being there.

Time seemed to stop completely as Bella lowered herself to the ground, completely forgetting Seth's warning, she stayed in the open, an obvious target, for all eyes to see.

Just then two vampires edged slowly into view, eyes intent, missing nothing. The clouds parted, as if celebrating their arrival, sending down a shaft of light that made their skin glisten like diamonds in the sun.

Bella's heart stilled, so did her breath. She could barely look at the blonde boy-yes, he was just a boy, though he was tall and muscular, maybe her age when he was changed. His eyes-a more vivid red than she had ever seen before-strayed to hers.

Bella gazed at him for a few seconds, but not for long, because his companion pushed him to one side, taking his place.

Victoria, her orange hair brighter than Bella remembered, danced around her face like a living flame. There was no wind, but the fire made the red strands shimmer, as if they had a life of their own.

Victoria's eyes were black with thirst. She did not smile-like she always had in Bella's nightmares-her lips were pressed into a thin line. There was a striking quality to the way she held her coiled body, like a lioness waiting for an opening to spring. Her restless, wild gaze was trained on Bella.

Tension rolled off of her, nearly visible in the air. Bella could feel the desire, the all-consuming passion that held her in it grip. She was so close to what she wanted-the focus of her whole existence was crouched on the ground-pinned by her piercing gaze.

So intent was she, on her target, that Victoria seemed unaware of the trees parting behind her. The blonde boy, on the other hand, noticed. He shouted a warning-too late-because out bounded a lithe gray wolf, its sandy companion close by its side.

Then they attacked.

A/N-thanks for reading!