Chapter 16 - Jared

A/N: Two chapters in one day! What-What! Just kidding. Anyway, there's some information in 2 author's notes at the end of the chapter, let me know what you think…either in a review or a PM. Thanks.

When Leah had asked to talk to Bella alone, I was concerned. It wasn't a secret that Leah had been miserable since she'd phased. We assumed that it was a mixture between being around Sam and Emily and her Dad dying. So when Bella and Leah started down the beach, Jacob walked over and sat beside me. "What's up with that?" He asked me.

I shrugged. "No clue. Leah doesn't really talk to anyone so why Bella? Why now?" I asked.

Jacob sighed. "When we were kids, Bella, Leah, Rachel, Rebecca and I were usually glued at the hip. Leah and Bella especially. They were best friends. Then we found out that Charlie and Renee were getting divorced and she was taking Bella with her. None of us were happy about it, most of all Bella and Leah. Leah got mad and quit talking to Bella before they left. When Bella moved back, it was like old times in a way. Leah felt bad but at the same time she was dealing with the aftermath of Sam...she didn't want to bring Bella into that. If anyone can get Leah back to the girl I grew up with...its Bella." Jacob said. I just nodded.

Bella was one of a kind. I had known that the day I met her when she slapped Paul. About ten minutes later, they came back. They were both smiling. Bella sat back beside me and I threw my arm around her shoulders. "Everything okay?" I asked.

She looked up at me and smiled. "Everything is perfect." She said.

About an hour later, we saw someone walking down the beach. That wasn't the surprising part. The surprising part was when Bella and Leah jumped up and ran over to the person. This got everyone's attention. Jacob went over and joined them and was the first to speak. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Finished at school. Thought I'd come home for a while." The girl said. Must be one of Jacob's sisters.

"Jared! Come here!" Bella called. I stood up and made my way over to them. Bella wrapped an arm around my waist. "Rach, this is Jared. Jared, this is Jake's sister Rachel." She told me.

"Nice to meet you." I said.

We led Rachel over to the group and started introducing her to everyone. It wasn't until we introduced her to Paul that everything went to hell. Paul and Rachel were locked into each other's eyes. Jacob was screaming at Paul. Bella was trying to calm Jacob down. Leah was laughing. Sam and I just stood there shaking our heads. "What just happened?" Rachel asked.

We knew that Bella was the most calm and logical out of everyone, including Sam. So when Bella looked at Sam and they had a silent conversation, I knew what was going on. It surprised me though when he nodded. "Rach, come here." Bella said, grabbing her hand and leading her to sit by the fire. "Do you remember the legends that we were all told growing up?" Bella asked her.

Rachel nodded. "Yeah...something about Spirit warriors and being descended from wolves." Rachel said.

Bella nodded. "Yeah. Well, it's all true. All of the guys here...except your Dad and Old Quil are wolves. They protect the tribe from our enemies." Bella told her. I wondered if Bella was going to tell her who our enemies were.

Rachel started laughing until she realized that no one else was. "Wait...you guys are serious?" She asked.

Everyone nodded. "But there's more." Bella said.

"What else could there be?" Rachel asked.

"Do you remember the legend that your Mom used to tell us about?" Bella asked her.

This piqued my interest. Sarah Black had talked about the legends to them as kids? "The one about soulmates?" Rachel asked.

Bella nodded. "Yes. It's called imprinting." Bella told her. She pointed to Emily. "That's Emily. She's Sam's imprint. And I'm Jared's. And your Paul's." Bella said the last part hesitantly.

"You're kidding, right?" Rachel asked. Everyone shook their heads. "Wow. Um... I need some time to think about this." Rachel said.

Everyone nodded. "Just one last thing. Don't be surprised if you see a giant wolf outside your window tonight." Bella told her. Rachel looked confused. "When Jared imprinted on me, separation became an issue, but then again I live in Forks. Paul's wolf is gonna have a hard time being away from you for more than a couple hours. If you talk to Paul, try not to say anything hurtful. We don't know what the outcome could be. And if you have questions tomorrow, feel free to ask me or Emily. We'll happily answer them." Bella told her.

Rachel nodded before she stood up and started making her way to Billy's house. We all looked at Paul and he looked dejected. Bella looked at me and I knew what she wanted to do, so I nodded to her. Bella walked over to him and pulled him into a hug. "What do I do?" Paul asked Bella.

"Right now...try to give her some space. If you need to be close, try to stick to the woods. You don't wanna freak her out." Bella told him.

He nodded. "I think I'm gonna go for a run." Paul said.

"You want company?" Sam asked him.

He shook his head. "No. I need to be alone and...think." Paul said before he took off to the woods.

Bella looked at Sam before she turned and looked at Billy. "I have a bad feeling about this." She told him.

"We'll just have to see." Billy said. "Jake take me home. I need to talk to your sister." Billy told Jacob.

"I think we should all call it a night. It's been...eventful." Sam said.

"I agree." I said.

Bella and Emily cleaned up the tables before Embry and Quil folded them up and put them in the back of Sam's truck. When they were done, I grabbed Bella's hand and we started walking toward my house. When we got in front of it, I looked down at her. "Are you staying the night?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah but we forgot something." She said.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"My bag is in my truck." She said.

I nodded. "You go inside and I'll run over to Sam's and grab your bag out of your truck." I said and she kissed my cheek as she walked up the porch steps and into my house.

I quickly ran over to Sam's and grabbed her bag out of the cab. When I closed the door to her truck, Sam stepped outside. "Everything okay?" He asked me.

I nodded. "Yeah. Bella forgot her bag." I told him.

He nodded. "Be ready in case I need you to help with Paul." He said. I nodded before I took off running back to my house. I didn't want to be away from Bella any longer than necessary.

When I walked into my house Bella was sitting on the couch. I sat her bag by the stairs and walked over to her. I sat on the coffee table across from her. "Bella...you okay?" I asked. I could feel sadness coming from her. She looked up at me and I could see where she'd been crying. "What happened? You were fine when I left."

She wiped the tears from her face. "I'm sorry. I started thinking about Paul and Rachel. Jared, I can't shake this feeling that I've been having since she headed to Billy's. I have this feeling that she's gonna try and reject him." She told me.

I reached out and grabbed her hand. "Sam or Emily must be having the same feeling. Cause when I went to get your bag, Sam told me to be ready in case he needed help with Paul." I told her.

She nodded. "What'll happen if she rejects the imprint?" She asked me.

I shook my head. "I don't know." I told her honestly. She nodded. I lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. "Why don't you go upstairs and take a shower or a bath. Just relax. Then we can watch a movie before we go to bed." I said.

"That sounds perfect." Bella said. She stood up from the couch and walked over to the stairs. She grabbed her bag before heading up the stairs to relax.

I couldn't help but share the same worry that Bella and Sam had. The only problem was that we didn't know what would happen to a wolf that had been rejected by his imprint. Might need to have a conversation with Old Quil. On the other hand, I could feel that things were changing between me and Bella. But what were they changing to?

A/N: Okay so... I was reading through the reviews that you guys have been leaving and I want to address a couple of things. Nothing bad I promise. First of all, I know that you guys are wanting some Jared/Bella action and I promise that it's coming but it's still gonna be a few chapters away. Told you guys this is not gonna be a fast paced story. Second, Old Quil is gonna be the only one on the Rez that Bella's related to and it's only by marriage. I mean I guess technically she and Quil would be cousins but even then they'd be distant cousins...Sorry I started going down a rabbit hole. Third, a lot of people have been asking how Bella got free of Edward's dazzling. Officially I don't know. My theory though is that when she jumped off the cliff, it essentially woke her up. I've seen this theory as well in some other fanfics but also when she talked to Jake in Chapter 1 and she realized that she really didn't want to become a vampire she cleared her mind of the thoughts that Edward had been putting there. I really appreciate that you guys read this story and leave me reviews. Not only to I love to read them, but I also take your thoughts and opinions into account when I write these chapters.

A/N2: Do you guys wanna see more of the Cullen's? Maybe not in Forks, but maybe like check in chapters? Or a phone call with Bella or the other Cullen's? Let me know. Also, there is gonna be more drama coming. FYI.