-Edward-

I reach the edge of the forest just outside of Forks when I smell the hikers. The scent of their blood draws me near to the perfect opportunity. Two hikers lay at the bottom of a ravine, seemingly slipped. One's neck is broken at a strange angle, and the other lay perfectly still, his right leg twisted almost completely to the left. I smile at the perfect opportunity. I stare at the healing gash in my arm, as the teeth marks start to heal. He had gotten me good, and I ever do wish to repay the favor. Stupid mutt, thinking that he could have what is mine. I saw his thoughts, what he was thinking about her. It disgusts me. I jump to the bottom of the ravine, and the hiker's eyes open slightly.

"Hello! Please help me, please." His voice is dry and his eyes are telling me that he is going to die soon anyway. Pitty. I do prefer the hunt of the kill, but this will have to suffice. I grab him and as he gets ready to scream, I bleed him dry. I stand and head back into the woods, knowing that I will have to find something else to tide me over. I know just what I want, I tasted her blood for the first time. If that dog hadn't gotten in the way, then I would have gotten what I wanted. God her blood was so good. I have never tasted anything sweeter. I get hungry just thinking about it. I need more, I need her.

I wander the forest, trying to come up with a plan as to how I will be able to make it onto the Quileute lands to get to Bella. Even though I know that's nearly impossible without help. I don't have any. My family turned their back on me when Alice saw what my plan was after I killed that first person in Italy. I knew that my path differed from there's and there was no turning back now, I knew that they wouldn't get in my way. They didn't have the backbone to be able to destroy me. Carlisle doesn't agree with me, but he could never be able to bring himself to destroy one of his kids, no matter what wrong they have committed. Alice isn't malicious. Jasper might be my only worry, he has the experience and he's always been unpredictable. Emmet and Rosalie are untellable. As far as I am concerned, there will be nothing in my way but a few mangy wolves. I shiver as the thought of Bella mingling with...their kind goes through my head. I can't believe that I leave for seven months now and the first thing that she does is run off with those things. It seems that I am going to have to spend eternity making her realize her mistake.

I turn and catch a faint smell of another vampire and fresh blood. Turning I see Victoria, the beautiful redhead standing behind me. She isn't a Bella, but she definitely is somebody that I could have fun within the meantime.

"What are you doing here? Still planning on killing me?" I spread my arms wide in an invitation, I am older than her and far faster, and stronger. All that she has to do is take a hit.

"I had a different plan in mind. It seems as though you're different from the last time that I saw you." Her red eyes look me up and down. Her lips curl into a smile. "I saw your little...scrap with the wolves yesterday. It seems like we have the same thing in mind. Except, I was going to kill your mate. You know, for revenge. But, when I was watching her I found out that you weren't there anymore and that kind of took the fun out of punishing her if you weren't going to be there for the aftermath. Then I found out that she's been rolling around with the wolf and well, that one seems like more fun to kill her in front of."

My lips curl up into a smile as I realize that my enemy might become an ally. "Actually, I have a plan."

-Jacob-

I listen to her breathing as she sleeps beside me. I wonder what she's thinking, now that she knows. I feel like I've been holding onto that forever. I knew the first time that I saw her back in Forks. As soon as our eyes met I felt like the entire world stopped. It's been two days and I'm almost fully healed. Sam is going to have to reset one rib today and I should be good to go by tomorrow. Even if I'm not, I have to be. I have to protect her. I have to learn how to fight somebody like him, somebody who can read your mind and anticipate your next move. He has an advantage in that department. I smile at the memory of my teeth sinking into his marble flesh. I glance over at Bella, as she flips around in her sleep and faces me. I move the hair from her face, wincing as my arm still aches slightly. I touch the bandage poking from around the side of her neck that I can see and my hands start to shake. How can he say that he loves her? He has turned into everything that he said that he would never be. Now he wants to turn her into a monster like him? To spend 'eternity' with her? Never. She deserves for her beautiful brown hair to turn grey, for her to have kids if she wants, and to be in love. Whether it's with me or not, I just want her to be happy. She deserves to smile, to live whatever life she chooses for herself. I want that for her.

Her eyes crinkle and as she stretches they open to meet mine. Her brown eyes are hooded with sleep still. "Hey, beautiful." I smile at her, as her lips slowly spread into a grin.

"Goodmorning yourself. How are you feeling?" She reaches her hand out and sets it on my chest, running her fingers over my ribcage.

"Most of them have reset, but Sam is going to have to come over and reset one or two I think. Other than that, I am good to go." I grab her hand and bring her knuckles up slowly to kiss them. Her soft skin brushes against my lips and I remember our kiss. After two days ago, it feels like a dream.

"Jake?" Her voice is soft like a whisper as she looks at me.

"Yeah?"

"I don't know who he is now. I thought it would be easier knowing that he was okay, that it wouldn't hurt as bad. Knowing this...knowing this is what he is, I can't stop thinking about the fact that I don't know him anymore. The Edward that I knew, would never become this monster, he never wanted me to become like him. I can't believe that I almost did. It makes me...sick."

"Bella, you can't blame yourself." I lift her chin up to meet my gaze. "You fell in love, there is nothing wrong with that. He isn't the same person that he was. As much as I hate him, he wouldn't have done what he did the other day to you. He hurt you because he loved you, now he is hurting you because he feels like you're only his to love." She nods her head and sucks in a breath.

"I want to learn to fight. I know that I am nothing compared to vampires, but I want to do something."

"I have a better idea. How about you let me do the fighting and you stay being the brains of the operation."

"Jake." She gets out of the bed and heads to the closet. Grabbing sweats, she starts to undress. I raise my eyebrows at her.

"Do you want me to turn around before you start getting naked?"

She throws a shirt at me as she stands there gloriously topless. Her breasts fitted perfectly in her bra, the black lace contrasting her pale skin. My mouth goes dry. Her eyes meet mine and she smiles. "You saw me in my underwear at the Lake remember, besides what's the difference between a swimsuit and underwear anyway?"She pulls one of my old blue flannels over her shoulders and slowly starts to button it.

"I guess that you have a point, but trust me, Bella. There's a lot of things." I lay my head back on the pillow and pretend to cover my eyes as she strips down to her underwear. God and they match. I stifle a groan. She shimmies into a pair of jeans. I watch her hop as she pulls them up over her waist. She turns towards the closet and I realize that those jeans fit beautifully. I turn and face the wall, throwing a pillow over my head. I groan in pain as I roll an unset rib.

"What are you doing?" Bella's laughter rings in my ear.

I turn and see her leaning over me, her hair draping over my head. She is inches away from me and I hear her draw a quick breath in. "I should probably get ahold of Sam." I clear my throat and go to sit up before I get an urge to kiss her again. Not after yesterday.

"If he is going to rebreak your rib I might wait outside. I can't take listening to you scream again..." She shudders. "That was almost as unbearable for me as it probably was for you."

I wince. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry." She stands up as we hear a faint knock on the door. "I'll go see if that's Sam."

I watch her walk away, her beautiful ass sculpted in the jeans she's wearing. I smile at her wearing my clothes and as she leaves the undeniable dread hits me. We can't stay like this, pretending like the other day didn't happen. Like she didn't almost die. I need to figure out what he said. I need to know more about what he's thinking. I need to come up with a plan. Sams heavy footsteps head towards me. "Let's get this over with." He nods and proceeds to rebreak my two ribs. I stifle my screams, biting into a pillow. I don't want Bella to hear this. She already heard enough, she's already dealing with enough. I pass out and wake up shortly after, still feeling sore. I don't know where Bella is, and I get up to start searching for her. I throw a pair of grey cargo pants on and realize that I am going to have to go on a store run soon if I don't want to be running around naked. I head in the direction of the beach, something tells me that's where she went. I scan the shore slightly frantic when I don't see her at first, wondering where it is that she could have gone. Then my eyes land on her. Sitting on our big piece of driftwood, her hair falling against her shoulders, a small blanket wrapped around her. A book open in her hands, I watch her for a moment. Her eyes scanning the pages, lips slightly parted as she mouths the words. I walk towards her slowly, enchanted. She turns and smiles at me, scooching over she pats the seat next to her and opens the blanket up, welcoming me in. And I don't hesitate.

-Bella-

He walks over and sits on our piece of wood. I like it here, this is the place where he first told me about the story of the pale faces and their wolf descendants. It seems like forever ago. I stare out at the ocean, wondering how things have changed so much. How I have changed so much. I realize that Graduation is closing in and I don't feel the same sense of dread that I used to about feeling older.

"What are you thinking about?" He asks as he wraps the blanket around me.

"I'm just thinking about how I'm not worried to grow old anymore. It doesn't scare me as much." He smiles a warm smile that lights up his eyes and looks out at the water.

"Good."

We sit like that for a while, listening to the crashing of the waves against the shore. Small talk was never really something that we did, but it's always been easy with Jake. I don't have to hide. I don't have to worry about accidentally getting hurt and whether or not the smell of my blood is going to affect him. I don't have to worry about him reading my mind, or forcing me into anything. I don't have to worry about Jake. It's easy. I feel lighter, I smile even though I didn't think that was possible anymore. I feel something when I'm with him, and it's so much different than what I felt with Edward. With Jake, it consumes me. It makes me feel like I'm on fire everywhere. I feel like I can live when I'm with him, instead of worrying about dying to be with him. I feel him staring at me and my cheeks flush.

"We need to talk about what happened the other day. What did he say to you?"

I shutter. "He was there waiting for me, he asked me where I had been. He started to walk closer to me and I realized when he turned around that he wasn't the same. His eyes weren't gold anymore, they were so red. I didn't answer him, told him to stay away from me and he got angry, he shoved the couch across the room." I gulp and pause before continuing, grabbing Jacob's hand to ground me. "He asked me if I remembered that I wanted forever, that he was ready to give me the immortality that I always asked him for. He cut along my throat and licked it. He was about to...bite me when you showed up." I watch Jacob shudder, his whole body shaking beside me. "Jake, you have to calm down. You can't phase with your ribs like that." I grab his face and turn it towards me, meeting his gaze. "Jacob. I'm here, I'm okay." His eyes look desperate as he stops shaking as much, his hands still quivering as he looks into my eyes.

"Bella..." He almost groans my name, as he stands and walks to the water's edge with his hands in his pockets. I watch him, confused as to why he moved away, why he sounded in so much pain. I stand and walk towards him, running my fingers along his arm. "I can't stand it. I can't stand that he hurt you and I couldn't do anything about it. I wanted to rip his head off, Bella. I was going to become just as much of a monster in front of you that he was."

"That's not possible, Jake. I know you." I place a hand on his chest, over his heart. "You would never hurt me. You were defending yourself." The image of Edward's head rolling towards me pangs into my chest. "I don't want to see either of you die, Jake." He pulls away and kicks a rock into the water.

"It's not that simple anymore, Bella." He turns to look at me. "Would you forgive me if I have to kill him? Because when it comes to you, I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Even if something I do makes you hate me forever." I stare at the ground, wringing my hands together. The thought of losing either of them hurts, I know deep down that Edward is in there, and knowing that he would be gone forever hurts worse than I could've imagined. But, the thought of losing Jacob almost brings me to my knees. "I thought so." He starts to walk away, his hands still in his pockets, I watch him for a moment, and for a second I don't know what to say.

"Jake!" I yell and suddenly, it just comes out. "Kiss me."

He stops in his tracks and turns towards me. "Bella, you have to understand that if I keep kissing you-I'm not going to want to stop. You said you didn't know what you wanted, I'm not going to force you." His words hit me like a ton of bricks as the realization sets in.

"Jacob. Kiss me." His eyes meet mine, and he cocks his head sideways to look at me. He opens his mouth to say something. His eyes meet mine and for a moment neither one of us say anything. He walks towards me slowly at first, and then he walks faster, almost as if he has to get to me before I change my mind. I realize that I don't want to. I don't want him to stop. He crashes into me, his lips meeting mine. He holds the back of my head steady as he kisses me, and I can't breathe. All of the air goes out of my lungs, and all that I can feel is him. All that I need, is him. I feel his warm body pressed against mine and he pulls me closer, his hand on the small of my back. I run my fingers through his hair, grabbing, trying to get him closer even though we're already pressed against each other. I realize that I feel like I'm a thousand degrees, like every inch of my skin is on fire and it's not because of Jacob. He pulls back, panting as a low growl rumbles from his throat.

"Bella," he sounds as if he is about to explode. "I told you that I won't stop."

"Then don't stop, Jake. I know what I want now. I want you." I say between my heavy breathing. As I say it, I know it's true, he's all that I want. He is everything that I ever needed and I didn't know. I was so blinded by Edward, by his words and the way he made me feel that I never let the real Jacob in, I never admitted to myself while I was lost in my grief that the one person who always was by my side, the one person who made me feel like I was human again was him. Jacob picks me up, his arms holding my legs around his waist. He kisses me passionately, in a way that I have ever been kissed before. I feel him growing against me, hard-pressed against the soft of my leg. He growls again, a low sultry growl that makes me stir. He lays me down gently on the sand, his hand behind my head, never taking his lips away from mine. He pulls back, his eyes scanning mine until he leans down and softly kisses the bandage on my neck, the soft spot of flesh behind my ear, trailing against my jaw, I moan. He growls softly in my ear in response. He lets out a sigh as he runs his fingers across my jaw.

"You're so damn beautiful." I smile up at him, my heart beating against my ribcage. My eyes start to water. "What's wrong?" His hands wipe away my tears, brushing against my cheek softly. "Bella, are you okay? Did I hurt you? Did I do something?" He starts to sit back, concern etching his face. He starts to scan my body, looking for something wrong. "I'm sorry, I didn't-I shouldn't have-." He runs his hands through his hair.

"Jake." I shake my head, pressing my palm to his cheek. "You didn't do anything wrong, I'm okay. I'm more than okay, actually." I stare up at him and my heart swells.

"Then what's wrong?" His eyes implore mine, searching for something.

"I-" I pause. The only other person to who I said this to was Edward. And I realized it, at this moment. Everything hit me. It's always been, Jacob. "I love you, Jake." I pause before looking up at him, my nerves electrocuting me, keeping me still. I realize that I'm not breathing as I watch him, waiting for something. Anything. I pull my legs to my chest as he stares at me. "I'm sorry." He starts shaking his head and I realize that he wasn't breathing.

"Bella," he says, pulling me into him, and as his lips met mine I realized that he was just as found as I am.