Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight, I just enjoy borrowing her characters for a while.

AN: Thank you to everyone who is reading. I'm so grateful that anyone is still reading after so long and it's exciting that new readers are finding the story too. I'm very committed to making sure this story is finished with no more long breaks. Thank you again.

No Beta still. I'm sorry for any mistakes.

Last paragraph of previous chapter:

I could feel the power of the mating bond, bright and vibrant, pulsing between us as we made our pledges. No ceremony was needed. No rings. No witnesses. The only things that mattered were our promises to each other. We clashed together, unable to contain the force that was throbbing between us. We ripped at each other's clothes. Every touch of our skin was like fire. It burned like venom but was deliciously addictive. It could never be enough but it was everything at once.

Joys and Fears

I could have continued forever. I wish we had more than hours. I wanted us to consume each other like this for days, or weeks, or years. Forever. There was such joy but it was underpinned by fear. We had so little time and tomorrow it could all be over. The desire to protect her was overwhelming but I knew that sacrificing myself for her was pointless. We were bound together so tightly now that if I was hurt, it would hurt her too and if I was killed…I couldn't even bear to think of her being destroyed that way. Survival after your mate was killed was hideous torture that stretched on for eternity. So the only choice was to face the danger together. Even if the wolves or Victoria were somehow able to kill us, they could never separate us. We would be together in this life and together in whatever came after it.

xWx

Our clothes were ruined and the sight of Bella's bare skin through the ripped fabric was mesmerising and distracting as we ran. I would've given her my clothes, but they were in an even worse state. It was a dilemma. We would have to somehow find new clothes without attracting attention to ourselves. It might be a good idea to get a map too. We were headed in the general direction of Forks but it was highly likely that Bella wouldn't know the best and most efficient rural route to take.

As I was contemplating how we were going to procure fresh clothes and maybe a map, I sensed pursuit and whirled to face the wolves that were chasing us down, growling warningly and sinking into a low crouch. The lead wolf slowed as it got closer, dropping the bundle it had been carrying in its mouth before backing away into the woods.

I approached whatever it was cautiously, glancing down for the merest fraction of a second before doing a double take. It was clothes. I swiped them up and handed the smaller clothes to Bella. We had been moving in unison and we dressed at speed. Jacob emerged from the trees in his human form, his hands held up in a gesture of peace.

"I knew you wouldn't listen to me," he said calmly.

"I have to go back, Jake. Now that I know, it's not even a choice." Bella told him, her voice filled with entreaty but underpinned with steel.

"I know Bells. I do understand," Jacob told her with a strained smile, "It was such a shock to see you. Overwhelming. Too much to take in. The instinct to protect you hasn't dimmed even a little. It's so dangerous for you in Forks. But I know you. I know who you are. Of course I'd never be able to talk you out of going back there. I've been in contact with Sam. He's agreed to a meeting. I had to lay it on pretty thick but he feels almost as guilty as I do."

"You have nothing to feel guilty about," Bella told him, all hostility gone now that she knew he didn't intend to try and stop her returning to her father. "You all risked your lives for me every day. You did everything you could to keep me safe."

"Wasn't enough though, was it?" I could almost feel his remembered despair. "You were in our territory, under our protection and that leech out manoeuvred us. We let you down badly Bella."

"No Jake! I've never thought that. You are completely blameless." There could be no doubt that Bella truly believed that.

"Right, Bella…" Jacob huffed in frustration, "I really need you to get a hold of your need to absolve us. It's really the only leverage you could ever have with Sam. When we meet with him you're going to need to resist telling him he has nothing to feel guilty about!"

"I'm not going to manipulate him Jake," Bella said, a mix of sorrow and irritation.

"Bella. You don't get it. If you can't get Sam on side, you will be at war with his pack. Do you really want to put my pack in the middle of that?" Jacob was clearly a master manipulator and felt absolutely no remorse about it.

"No, I'd never want that," Bella said sadly.

"Great, because I have been doing everything I can think of to get a chance of this working. I've convinced Sam to consider a new treaty with you. He is not intending to make it anywhere near as favourable as the previous one but I was thinking that if you tell him you are still allied with the Cullens, you might be able to apply the terms of their treaty to you."

"No way in hell Jake. I am not a Cullen! They are not my family," Bella hissed furiously and I felt such relief to hear Bella renounce the Cullens, despite what it might mean for a treaty with the wolves.

"Jacob, we will negotiate our own terms with your packs." I told him firmly.

"I hope you're right," Jacob said sceptically, "because we're meeting them soon. Follow us." He disappeared into the trees for a few moments before re-emerging in his wolf form. We followed the wolves through the forest. They were fast. Faster than us and very comfortable with the route and terrain.

Once we neared Forks, Jacob returned to his human form and walked with us, telling us that coming in running was a very bad idea and to please, please try not to antagonise the other wolves. He was sure they would be angry and defensive.

Jacob stopped suddenly. The spot was unremarkable but Jacob clearly thought we'd reached the meeting point and I could hear the thumping a multiple new heartbeats approaching.

Sam was in human form, flanked by his pack as wolves. He stared at us distrustfully, openly hostile to me but his attitude to Bella was harder to define and I knew Jacob was right. Sam felt guilty about what had happened to Bella. If he hadn't, it was likely we'd be fighting for our lives.

"Your eyes are red Bella," Sam accused. That wasn't quite true though. Her eyes were more of a burnt orange. I wondered if Sam didn't know the difference between the hue of Bella's eyes and that of a vampire that consumed human blood or if he was being deliberately confrontational.

"I've already told you why, Sam" Jacob said quickly.

"I'd rather hear it from Bella," Sam said stiffly.

"It's only because I'm a relatively new vampire, Sam. I have never tasted human blood and I intend to keep it that way. I'm still me, Sam."

"No Bella, you're a dangerous predator," Sam's voice was cold and unforgiving. "Even if I could believe you aren't inherently evil, I know that you will always be a danger to my people."

"I need to see Charlie, Sam" Bella matched her tone to his.

"It's not happening. He's under our protection." Sam told us resolutely.

"So was I!" Bella retorted.

Greif and guilt flashed across Sam's face. "I am sorry about what happened to you."

"If you're truly sorry, you'd let me see my Dad," Bella was trying to keep her voice persuasive but it waivered.

"It's not safe." Sam insisted.

"Sam…" Jacob interjected warningly.

"Actually, it is safe." I reiterated calmly. "Bella's control is extraordinary and I'm confident I would never accidently hurt a human."

Sam regarded us for a long moment, "I'd never just take your word for that." Another long silence and then "I have a test. If you pass it, we might be able negotiate a treaty. If you fail it, we will kill you both."

"No Sam!" Jacob growled.

"There is another choice," Sam addressed Jacob now, obviously betrayed and furious that Jacob was standing at our backs instead of alongside Sam's pack. "They can both walk away and stay away. Send Charlie a letter. Give him a call. I don't care as long as they never come back here." This was clearly the only option that was favourable to Sam.

I moved close to Bella, my lips at her ear, my words quieter than breathing. "It's your choice, Bella. I'm confident that I will pass any test they set and I know you can too but I still don't trust them. If they try to kill you, it will be war. Some of them will definitely die in it and we might too."

Bella was grim but determined. "I'm not going to leave them to Victoria and no matter how much some of them might hate us, I trust them not to betray us without cause."

I nodded in reply. I would trust Bella's judgement on this. She knew the wolves much better that I did.

"We will pass your test," I announced to Sam.

Tense minutes passed while we waited for whatever it was Sam was planning. I studied the wolves, memorising their differences so I could identify them in battle. Considering who seemed most hostile and contrastingly who seemed most sympathetic. Taking in who looked the most powerful and who had to more likely rely on speed or cunning. Bella might be confident they wouldn't double cross us, but I was confident they would regret it if they did.

A young man approached the clearing carrying a bundle of cloth in both hands. His scent marked him human, even among the stench of the wolves. His heart raced and his eyes darted. He was clearly terrified, he must know what Bella and I were but he didn't hesitate. I had a lot of respect for this level of bravery but wasn't sure what to expect. If this was the test, it was nothing. Did the wolves truly believe vampires had so little control? The man stopped a few feet from us and then glanced at Sam who nodded. Suddenly the man threw his hands apart with a slicing sound that only made sense as the cloth dropped to the ground. In one hand he held a bloody knife, while bright red arterial blood pulsed out of the deep wound on the opposite wrist, flowing along his fingers and dripping to the ground. His gaze held mine. Defiant terror. He thought I would kill him. He was wrong about me and I really hoped Bella could resist too but the scent was strong and shocking. It punched down my throat, setting it blazing. For Bella, it must be truly agonising and I was furious but quashed my rage so I could stay focused.

I quirked an eye brow at Sam and then met the eyes of each of the wolves in turn. "I am in complete control of my thirst," I told them as I very slowly and deliberately stalked the few steps to close the distance between me and the bleeding man. The wolves growled low but I had already stopped and held out my hand. The young man was shaking and I wondered just how brave he could actually be. Would he run? Running, bleeding prey was surely the ultimate test. He steeled himself and put his bleeding wrist in my hands. The wolves were frozen. They must know that if they attacked at this point while I was so close to him, this human would die. They were risking his life for this test. I raised his wrist to my lips. No one even breathed, not the human, not the wolves and not Bella. So everyone heard when I took a long deep sniff of his blood flowing millimetres from my nose. Gently, I lowered our hands and then I carefully tore strips from my shirt and expertly dressed his wound with enough pressure to possibly save his life and also hoping it would give Bella some relief. I took the knife from him and threw it into the ground so that the bloody blade was buried to the hilt. Bella wasn't breathing but if she wanted to be able to talk, she would have to and I would spare her any pain I could. "He's nicked an artery," I told Sam. "He needs to go to the hospital soon or he could die." My words released something and one of the wolves took his human form and gathered the human into his arms, running with him, hopefully towards the nearest hospital.

I returned to Bella's side, standing close to her and crossed my arms, regarding Sam, Waiting. We had passed his test. Would he keep his word and negotiate with us now?

As I watched Sam, I saw something flicker behind his eyes. He was visibly conflicted. He glanced between Bella and me, trying to keep his face passive but I could almost sense the emotions swirling, dominated by regret and grief. As the silence stretched on, I started to wonder about his motivations for this test. It seemed to go against their own morals to endanger a human that way and they hadn't tried to stop me when I'd approached the bleeding man. I considered the possibility that Sam had been hoping we'd fail it. Willing to sacrifice that man so that it wouldn't start a war between Jacob's pack and his if they killed us. How could Jacob object if they killed me while I was attacking one of their protected humans? If Sam's pack had fought me, Bella would've immediately come to my aid. Did they know that? Maybe it was just me they were hoping to kill? I tried to tamp down on my fury. It was all speculation on my part, I had no way to know what they were thinking and it was irrelevant now. We had passed Sam's test. I tried to wait patiently for what he would do next.

We were all distracted by the distantly approaching commotion. Someone was slowly and clumsily storming through the woods, arguing in frustrated hisses with someone else who was responding in calm, pleading tones.

"You can't order me to stay away from my daughter! I will find her even if it takes me all night!" A man growled.

"It's not safe Charlie. We'll find a safe way, I promise. This isn't the way. She could kill you," another man pleaded.

"I don't care. I have to see her!"

"You might as well escort him here," Sam called into the trees, sounding resigned.

As the man who was unmistakably Bella's father eventually stepped out of the forest, he froze. His eyes drinking in Bella, trying to reconcile the changes that must be obvious.

"Isabella," he cried, rushing forwards despite the warning growls instantly issued by all the wolves. He tried to sweep her into his arms but she was far too immovable. Bella tried to move with him so he didn't hurt himself on her and the result was a clumsy embrace. I didn't want to intervene but the way Charlie held Bella was very dangerous. His neck was exposed to her nose and the scent of human blood still lingered perilously in the air despite my efforts to reduce it.

"Dad," Bella said, obviously fighting the urge to hold him tight with the need to protect him. Then she took a breath in order to say something more.

AN: Reviews are an amazing gift and I'm always grateful for them. I'd love to know what you think.