Hello!

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Here's Chapter 3.

Monday November 14, 2005

Bella rolled over, clicking the snooze button on her alarm, before rolling back to land on her back, to stare up at the ceiling.

After the revelations of last night, Bella hadn't slept much, and it wasn't for lack of trying.

Jake. Her Jake. Her sun. He was a werewolf. The weight of that revelation had really set in overnight as she lay thinking. Was he… were they the creature that had been killing people in the forest? She didn't want to believe it, didn't want to believe that her Jake was even capable, but she knew from experience that sometimes these supernatural monsters weren't good. But this was Jake. She was having trouble equating the two. She needed to talk to him. Figure out what exactly he was, and why they were doing what they were doing.

Running her hand over her face, she dragged herself into the bathroom to get ready. The movement made her stomach lurch, and she lost what was left in her stomach from dinner last night, thankfully making it to the toilet in time.

After getting ready, she found Charlie sat in the kitchen, catching up on the newspaper. Deciding to miss breakfast for now, Bella poured an orange choice and sat on the table by him.

"'Morning," Charlie acknowledged her. "Sleep well?"

"Kinda." Bella muttered and he huffed in response. He probably heard that she'd had a nightmare last night, but since she hadn't mentioned it, Bella figured he hadn't heard Jacob, which was a relief.

"Look, Bells," Charlie started. "About Jake."

Bella shook her head before he could continue. "It's fine, Dad."

"No, no." He said, putting the paper down. "I don't know what the real reason for Jake's behavior is but I know it's definitely not your fault. Don't let him make you think it is."

"I know." Bella whispered. Yesterday, she wouldn't have believed him. But now she knew (or at least, thought she knew) the truth, she knew it wasn't. It made sense that he'd push her away, but now she knew… maybe things could go back to how they were, to an extent. But she needed answers, too.

"Good." He gruffed. "I don't know what's gotten into Billy."

"He probably doesn't know what's going on with Jake either, Dad." Bella stated. Although, she did hold a level of disdain for Billy. She understood he had to cover, but she was angry that he'd tried to blame her for it, when he knew that it had nothing to do with her at all. His hatred for the Cullen's seemed to have naturally extended to her, too, even though she wasn't one of them.

Before her heart could squeeze painfully at the thought, she jumped up and grabbed her bag, saying goodbye to Charlie before getting in her truck and heading to school.

For a short while, she had forgotten about her other predicament, the reality of which came crashing down on her after Angela greeted her as she hopped out of her truck. She gave Bella a gentle smile and Bella almost wanted to turn, ignore her completely and pretend this wasn't her reality. But she also knew that it would probably feel good to tell someone.

"You okay?" Angela asked as Bella reached her and Bella nodded silently. "Do you want to talk? You don't have to, of course."

Bella smiled slightly at her kindness. If this had been Jess, or Lauren, they would've bullied her into telling them the results and then told everyone else in the school within the next minute. Knowing Angela wouldn't share the news, she found herself nodding. She did want to tell Angela. She trusted her, even though she still had no idea what she was going to do. Angela pointed out a quiet spot behind the cafeteria, and the two made their way over.

Instead of stalling, Bella just blurted it out. Unexpectedly to herself, too.

"I am, Ang." She said simply and Angela pulled her straight in for a hug. Bella sniffed as the tears came to her eyes and she silently cursed herself for crying, again. She wiped them away as Angela pulled back.

"Are you really okay?" Angela asked again and Bella shrugged.

"I don't know." She said honestly. "I'm still in shock, I think."

"I'm sure." Angela replied. "Have you told anyone?"

"No." She responded. It's not like she really could. She wasn't even sure Angela knowing was a good idea. Although, she figured people would probably realize eventually. If she was still in Forks by then. Leaving was still an option, an option she didn't want to dwell on too much, but she knew it was probably going to come to that.

"You have time to decide," Angela started, "If there's anything I can do, just let me know."

"I don't think I have much, honestly. It was the night before my birthday, so I'm around 2 months already. I don't know for sure, though. I don't know how this stuff works." Bella said quietly. She really didn't. She did search the internet, which was telling her she would be around 11 weeks now, so almost into her second trimester already. She had been shocked that she hadn't realized sooner what all the symptoms were, but she had other things on her mind, she supposed.

"You should see a doctor, it'll probably help to know more," Angela suggested and Bella just nodded, knowing she couldn't do that. That worried her. She knew she wasn't aborting the pregnancy, she didn't want to do that, and also wasn't sure it was even possible, but how was she supposed to know what to do? Would she end up giving birth alone somewhere, cold and scared? Pushing the thoughts from her head completely for now at least, she let Angela pull her in for another brief hug before they both made their way into school.

The school day was long, and tiresome. She had thrown up a few times, mostly at lunch after Lauren decided to eat tuna, again. Bella had realized by now that fish appeared to be a trigger, which made cooking difficult since Charlie had been fishing so much recently.

Once the final school bell rang, Bella's shoulders relaxed and she felt the relief of a long school day ending, but then the tension in her body returned when she made her way to her car, remembering her plan for the night. She had to go to La Push, and tell Jacob she knew. If Jacob had been telling the truth last night, telling him meant things could return to some kind of normalcy. She'd have Jacob back in her life, at least. And she really needed him right now. She'd never felt more scared and alone.

As she pulled up to the Black's house, she saw Jake's rabbit parked in the driveway. So he was probably home, thankfully. Billy answered the door before she even managed to knock.

"Hi, Bella." He said shortly.

"Where is he?" She asked, not offering a greeting. She hadn't forgotten what he had said to Charlie. "I need to talk to him."

Billy sighed. "He's at the beach."

Opting not to respond, Bella got back into her truck and drove down to La Push beach. She couldn't see him when she arrived, but instead of driving back, she sat on the driftwood tree stranded on the sand, where Jacob and her had begun their first conversation all those months ago.

She watched the water, as the sky turned gray, wrapping her arms across her stomach absentmindedly. She noted internally that this was new, since she usually wrapped her arms around her chest subconsciously to protect herself. She didn't dwell on the meaning, and didn't have time to.

"Bella?" Jake said from behind her, making her jump slightly. Turning, in the darkness she could see his silhouette but not his face, and the image made her a little nervous.

"Jake?"

He stepped forward, his silhouette turned into a clear image and he sat next to her on the tree.

"I guess you, ah, figured it out? I knew you could." He said.

"Yeah, I remember the story now." She whispered in response. The silence fell between them, slightly awkward. "You.. er."

He must've read something in her expression, because he was suddenly on his feet, and his voice defensive.

"You should've just called." He said, kicking rocks underneath his feet as he spoke.

"I wanted to talk to you, face-to-face." She answered. Doing this over the phone would be ridiculous.

"Yeah." He snorted. "This is much better."

Bella shook her head, trying to make her expression as neutral as possible.

"I just want to warn you-" Bella started but Jake cut her off.

"About the hunters? Yeah, we already know about them. They're not a problem."

"How?" Bella frowned. "They have guns, Jake."

"We can take care of ourselves, Bella." He smirked. "They're more at risk than we are, out there."

"Jake!" Bella gasped. "You know these people! Charlie is out there. What if-"

"What if, what?" Jake hissed. "What more can we do, Bella?"

Bella shook her head slightly, looking across the water again. Right now, he was human. Was this some kind of 'full moon only' thing? If he stayed human, he wouldn't have to do those things, right?

"Well, couldn't you try to… not be a wolf?" She questioned and regretted it immediately when he responded, throwing his hand in the air, almost growling as he spoke.

"You don't think I've tried!?" He yelled. "And that won't help anything."

"I don't see why not." Bella said, avoiding his gaze. He got close to her again, sitting next to her on the tree.

"You know the thing that gets me angry," He started. "Really angry?"

Bella sighed and turned to him, but his harsh expression made her flinch instantly.

"That." He continued. "You're such a hypocrite! You're terrified? Of me?"

"How does that make me a hypocrite?"

"Apparently I'm not the right kind of monster for you!" He said, looking at her in fury. "Sorry I can't be a bloodsucker, since they're so great."

His body was shaking, and Bella could see him taking deep breaths, like he was trying to calm himself down. His hands shook as he ran them through his short hair. Suddenly Bella felt incredibly angry too. She didn't understand what he was trying to say, and she didn't feel it fair that he was comparing them to the Cullens, who had never hurt anyone in Forks.

"Yeah, you're not." She shouted back. "I don't care what you are. It's what you do." She shouted, exasperated.

"What's that supposed to even mean?"

"You kill people, Jake." She stated. "Is that even necessary? The… Cullens never did that. I don't understand why you do."

He frowned and pulled back from Bella abruptly, his eyes wide in what seemed like confusion, to Bella. His shaking hands were in fists, like he was trying to stop them from moving.

"Kill people?" He questioned.

"... yeah." Bella said. "What did you think I meant?"

"I thought you meant your disgust for wolves." He said, staring at Bella in disbelief.

"What? I don't care that you're a wolf." She scoffed. "It just upsets me that you hurt people. They're innocent people, Jake. I can't ignore that and look the other way like it's not happening. I hear it every day from Charlie. I-"

"So let me get this straight." He interrupted. "You hate me because I'm a murderer?"

"I don't hate you for it." Bella replied. "But yeah."

He laughed now, and Bella looked at him in confusion. She didn't find any part of this amusing. She voiced as much and Jacob laughed harder, pulling her into a hug, confusing her even further.

"So you really don't care that I am a werewolf?" He questioned happily.

"No." She gasped, pushing him away and gasping in the air, since he'd cut it off in his bear tight embrace.

"Well, I'm no killer, Bella." He smiled and took both her hands in his.

"Really?" Bella said, relief pulsing through her as she processed.

"Of course not."

Smiling in huge relief, Bella hugged him, standing on her toes to reach her arms around his neck.

"I understand why you thought what you did." He said, pulling away after stroking her hair. "But we're not, Bella."

"I believe you. I'm sorry I called you a murderer, though." She replied and he smiled in response.

"We're protectors, Bella." He started. "We're trying to do our job. That's what we're doing out there, protecting people from…"

"From what?" Bella asked. "What's out there?"

Was there another supernatural creature that Bella had yet to discover? The anxiety started rising in her stomach. Charlie was out there.

"You know. Bloodsuckers."

Bella stared at him blankly before she understood, then when reality set in, the blood drained from her face.

"There's vampires out there?" She questioned. "Who?"

"We don't know them." He said, looking out into the water. "We haven't seen them. But they're around, they're what's doing the killing. They aren't one of them, if that's what you're thinking."

"I wasn't." Bella replied honestly. "They wouldn't do that."

Jacob looked at her and resisted the urge to scoff at her comment, he didn't exactly think the same.

"I'm glad you know now." He said, smiling. "Even though it's still not the safest thing for you."

Bella tilted her head. "What do you mean? You said things would be okay if I figured it out, instead."

"There's more than one reason I wasn't supposed to tell you, Bella." He said, looking down at the rocks on the sand. "I couldn't tell you our secret, but it's also not safe. If I get too mad, you could get hurt."

"Like when you were shaking, earlier?" She questioned, remembering how his body had shook as they spoke.

"Yes." He responded. "I messed up then. I should have a better hold of myself. I kept telling myself I couldn't get mad at you but I was scared… scared of losing you."

"What would happen?" She questioned. "If you got too mad?"

"I'd turn into a wolf." He explained. "You could get hurt."

"So… you don't need a full moon?"

Jake laughed briefly and rolled his eyes. "No, we don't." He smiled at her then his expression turned more serious again as he looked into her eyes. "Look, we're going to take care of the situation with the… vampires. And we're keeping a close eye on Charlie and his team, all the time. We won't let anything happen to him."

Bella smiled back. She still felt sick, and didn't know if it was the remaining nerves and angst or if it was still morning sickness. She wondered why they called it morning sickness. It was hardly just a morning event for her.

"You're good with weird." Jacob said suddenly and it caught Bella of guard, the laugh escaping her loudly.

"Hah." She snorted. "I guess so. You're not the only monster I've met."

However, the reality of vampires being in Forks, vampires killing in Forks, was crashing down on Bella. She didn't think she'd know who it was. It felt like there was so much about their world that Edward had hidden from her, suddenly. The only other vampires she'd met had been the nomads. And James was gone. Laurent hadn't been an issue. Victoria… Bella didn't remember much of her. Just that her eyes had felt like daggers as they'd left the baseball field. But she hadn't felt particularly threatened by her, just James. But she wondered if maybe she did have something to do with it.

"I was wondering if… if they ever mentioned any other vampires?" He asked. "We have no idea what we're dealing with. And it doesn't feel like it's a coincidence that vampires show up here twice."

Bella resisted the urge to smirk, she was beginning to wonder if he could read her mind.

"I dunno." Bella said. "They didn't really share much."

"Mmm." Jacob thought.

"It's not them." Bella defended and Jake nodded, agreeing, since he knew it wasn't. "There was… I did meet others. One of them, he tried to kill me."

Jake's head turned quickly to her face, his expression shock.

"He didn't. Obviously." Bella said quickly. "He wasn't good, they killed him. Edward killed him."

The hole in her chest burned more as she spoke.

"So it's not him." Jacob finalized, putting his hand on Bella's back and rubbing, to attempt to comfort her, but also to calm himself down.

"No," Bella started. "But… he wasn't alone. He was with two others. Laurent, who I doubt is causing trouble here. He helped us. But James's mate… I guess out of the two she's the most likely. But I doubt it."

"Doesn't sound completely unlikely." Jacob said, thoughtfully. "What else can you tell me about her?"

"Not much." Bella started. "I don't know why she'd come back here. It probably isn't her."

Jacob pursed his lips, not as convinced as Bella. A vampire possibly looking for revenge? That was the most likely lead they'd had in a few weeks. It may be nothing, but it may be something.

"Is that why the cullen's left? Because someone tried to kill you?" Jacob asked thoughtfully.

"No," Bella whispered and Jacob didn't press. He knew how much it hurt her, and he didn't want to hurt her anymore than he already had. He wanted to press for more information, but the minimal information she'd already provided was enough for now.

He stood suddenly, pulling Bella to her feet.

"I know you don't think it's her, but this feels like important information," He started. "I need to tell the others. Just in case it is her."

"Okay." Bella said, unsure.

"It's the only lead we've had, Bella." He explained. "If there's a chance it's relevant…"

Bella nodded and he pulled her back towards her truck.

"Where are we going?" Bella asked.

"Erm, I'm not sure yet." He said. "I'll have to call a meeting, just wait her for a sec."

Bella nodded and watched as he disappeared into the forest on the other side of the lot. A minute later, he returned, jogging back to the truck.

"Sorry." He said and turned on the engine, the loud roar making Bella jump.

"Where did you go?" Bella frowned.

"It's kinda weird." He admitted and Bella tilted her head slightly, motioning for him to continue. They had established she was good with weird. "When we're wolves, we can hear each other."

"You can hear their thoughts?" Bella asked, frowning.

"Yes, and they can hear me."

"Oh." She responded. "So you just turned into a wolf, to talk to Sam?"

"Yeah," He nodded, and Bella realized he seemed embarrassed. "I thought that would bother you."

"No," Bella said, turning back to look out of the windshield as he drove the truck from the lot. "You're not the only person I've met who could do that."

"Really? You mean your bloodsuckers?"

"I wish you wouldn't call them that."

"Okay, the Cullens?" He laughed.

"Not all of them," Bella said, pulling one arm around her torso. "Just Edward."

"I thought it was a myth that some vampires had extra stuff." He responded, surprised.

"I'm starting to think most myths are based on some kind of truth." Bella muttered, mostly to herself but Jacob heard and laughed loudly.

"You're probably right," He laughed.

"Do they know you're bringing me?"

Jacob faltered as he turned the wheel, driving the truck towards the place where they'd once ridden their bikes together.

"No," He said shortly. "I kept it short so they wouldn't know I was with you. Sam wouldn't have let me bring you."

"Oh." She responded. "They're going to be angry I'm with you, right? Maybe I shouldn't."

"No, I'm making the call." He said. "They can be angry at me. But you know a lot that can help us. Like we had no idea vampires actually did have extra gifts."

"I suppose." Bella said quietly. She wasn't sure how useful she could be when speaking about them made her want to curl up and cry.

He stopped the truck then, parking up on the side of the dirt road.

"You're still pretty unhappy, aren't you?" He questioned and Bella resisted the urge to flinch. She was. But more than unhappy she was terrified, terrified of what this all meant, and terrified of the pregnancy that he still remained unaware of. She supposed he would have to tell him eventually, but she was afraid that she'd lose him over it. Not trusting her voice then, she nodded.

"Did you ever think that maybe you'd be better off?"

Bella flinched. "No."

"'Cause he wasn't the best-"

"Jake," Bella interrupted. "Can we please not talk about this?"

"Okay." He said, looking out towards the road. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Bella sighed. "It would be nice to finally be able to talk to someone about it, if I could"

Bella wished she could. She wanted to share the burden. Jake nodded sadly in response. They sat in silence for the next few moments until Jacob straighted up and opened the door of the cab.

"They're here, lets go."

Bella hesitated.

"Are you sure?" she asked as she opened the door slowly. "Maybe I shouldn't be here."

"They'll cope." He smirked and Bella sighed, removing herself from the cab and moving to stand next to Jacob, watching as they came into view. Bella shuddered slightly and hid half behind Jacob, who took her hand in his, squeezing slightly. They came out of the forest, and Bella noticed how much they looked alike. They looked like brothers, moving in synch to stand on the other side of the road from her and Jacob. Their expressions were cautious, until they all laid eyes on Bella, close to Jacob's side, and they all turned furious.

"What have you done, Jacob?" Sam demanded but before Jacob could respond, another one of the boys, one Bella didn't recognize, pushed past him to move closer.

"What the hell are you thinking? Why can't you just follow the rules, Jacob!" He yelled. "We all did."

"She can help, Paul." Jacob said, his voice remaining steady despite his growing anger.

"She can help?" He said. "Help who? She'll help the leeches, sure. I'm really sure the leech lover really wants to help us."

"Don't talk about her like that." Jacob snarled and pulled Bella's hand, pulling her even more behind him. Bella remained relatively unphased. This had been what she expected.

"Relax, Paul." Sam stated. In response Paul glared strongly and harshly and Bella, making her shiver. Jacob moved in front of Bella then, blocking her from his view entirely. She couldn't see, anymore.

"Hah! Protect her, go on then!" She heard Paul shout and Jacob snarled and crouched slightly, opening her view to the scene.

Paul was shuddering, no, he was convulsing. He threw his head back, a growl releasing from his mouth and Bella gasped, realizing what was happening. Suddenly, he lurched forward, grey silvery fur exploding from his body, transforming into a shape somehow so much larger than the already large teenage boy. On all fours, crouched and ready to spring at his target. Which happened to be Bella.

Before she could process what was happening, Jacob left the space in front of her, running towards the wolf.

Suddenly, Jacob was also gone, exploding into a mass of russet fur into a beast even larger than the one that had appeared in Paul's place.

Suddenly, Bella couldn't make sense of anything. The beasts blurred together into a mass of grey and russet brown fur as they tumbled and snapped at each other.

"Jake!" Bella yelled, not sure whether he'd even hear her.

"Stay where you are," Sam spoke to her and she complied. She watched in shock and worry as she watched the two fight, snapping for each others throats. Bella was slightly comforted by the fact Jacob seemed to have the upper hand, being bigger than Paul in his wolf form.

"Take her to Emily's!" Sam yelled, chasing after the wolves who had now taken their battle into the forest, disappearing into the trees. The growling was almost silent now, as they had escaped far enough from the dirt road.

Bella was pulled from her shock by a laugh, and she turned to see Embry picking up remains of clothing from the road.

"I don't think Jacob can afford another pair, now." He laughed, picking up the remains of a converse sneaker. "There's really no use."

The other boy, Jared, Bella remembered, laughed too, before turning to Bella.

"You're not gonna puke or anything, are you?" He asked.

"I… don't think so?" She responded. Feeling unsure, because she has become good friends with vomiting in the past few weeks.

"Jake should've warned us. At least Paul would've had time to chill out." Embry said as he picked up the last of the clothing, walking over to where Bella and Jared stood.

"Well… wolf is out of the bag now, I guess." Jared replied and Bella felt the urge to roll her eyes.

"Aren't you worried about them, at all?" Bella asked, looking up at them and they looked at her blankly.

"Why?" Embry frowned.

"They could hurt each other!"

"Hah!" Jared guffawed. "I hope Paul gets a mouthful of him, teach him a lesson."

Bella blanched.

"Nah, did you see Jake?" Embry responded. "He's a natural. I doubt Paul will leave a mark."

Bella shook her head slightly, trying to comfort herself with their lack of concern but found herself glancing at the forest edge, waiting for them to return, hopefully unscathed.

"Lets go see Emily, then." Jared said. "You don't look good to drive."

Bella shrugged.

"I can drive us." Embry said and Bella nodded, throwing him the keys. They walked towards the truck, Embry opening the passenger side for Bella and Jared. Bella sat between the two, feeling slightly comforted by their warmth. Embry drove the truck back towards La Push.

"So how did Jake even get around it?" Embry asked.

"Around what?"

"He's not even supposed to be able to tell anyone what we are. So how did he manage it?"

"Oh," Bella responded. "He never did. I just guessed right."

"Huh." Jared said thoughtfully. "Never thought that would work."

"Where are we going?" Bella asked, changing the subject.

"Emily's house. She's Sam's fiancee. They'll meet us there after they've dressed and chilled out a little." Jared replied.

Embry drove down the highway for a few minutes before turning off onto a dirt road, at the end of which was a small house, painted yellow with a blue door. It looked inviting, welcoming. The cheerful appearance almost made Bella want to smile, despite the current situation.

Embry opened the truck door and smiled, inhaling. "Emily's cooking!"

Jared jumped out then and headed for the door, opening it and walking in like they owned the place themselves. Bella followed more hesitantly, feeling like an uninvited guest, but entered the house behind them anyway. The interior of the home was just as cheerful as the outside, yellow walls covered in nicknacks and ornaments, some recognizable as Quileute symbols from tales she'd heard over the years from Charlie, and Billy when she was a kid.

Moving her eyes from the decor in the room, which was mostly kitchen, she laid her eyes on the woman in the room who was placing a basket of muffins on to the kitchen table, laughing slightly as Jared and Embry both pounced on them, grabbing one in each hand.

As Emily stood straight, Bella noticed the right side of her face was scarred from top to bottom, three thick lines that had long healed, but still very vivid. She moved her eyes to the left side of her face, feeling like she was staring too long.

"Oh," Emily said suddenly, surprised. "Who is this?"

"Bella Swan," Embry replied, shrugging, his mouth full of muffin.

"Ah," Emily smiled. "Of course, Jacob found a way around. So, you're the vampire girl."

"I guess so?" Bella questioned and Emily laughed and gestured to the spare seat at the kitchen table. Bella relaxed slightly and took a seat. "So you're the wolf girl?"

"You could say so." Emily saugh, laughing again.

Bella sat back and nibbled at the muffin that Emily had offered her, watching as they fell into banter like a family. While Bella was usually uncomfortable around new people, she found Emily's kitchen comforting.

Emily was mixing eggs at the counter and Bella walked up to her, and asked if she could help with cooking at all.

"Oh, no dear." She responded. "You're the guest, you sit."

Bella smiled and took a seat again on the chair closest to her.

"I imagine today was a shock, for you?" Emily questioned and Bella shrugged.

"A little." Bella replied. "But not really. I just hope they aren't hurt."

"Oh, Paul has a quick temper, unfortunately." She tutted, and rolled her right arm sleeve up as she continued to stir and Bella noticed the scars from her face extended down her arm. She wondered how she got them, but then remembered what Jake had said. Being around wolves did have risks, this must be one of them. "They'll be fine, I promise."

Bella smiled and sighed softly. She noticed it was five fifty, meaning Charlie would be home from work soon. Pulling out her phone she dropped him a text, telling him simply that she was with Jake, and she was okay, that they both were. She told him to order pizza for dinner, she didn't know if she'd be back any time soon.

"So you and Sam are engaged?" Bella asked, wanting to turn the conversation away from her.

"Yes," Emily smiled. "As of a few weeks ago!"

"Congratulations." Bella said, her heart twinging slightly. Marriage wasn't something she desired, but she could tell how much Emily loved Sam by the way her eyes lit up, and she envied that she had that.

"Thank you," Emily said, turning slightly after finishing mixing the eggs. "I've always wanted a family, I hope in a few years we'll have our own children running around this home. I enjoy my work, but I want to be a stay at home mom."

Bella was about to ask what her job was, when the front door opened and Sam stepped through.

"Emily." He said simply and there was so much love in his voice that Bella felt embarrassed and felt like she was intruding on their moment. She watched as he walked up to her, pulling her into his arms naturally and kissed her cheek before planting his lips on hers.

"Ugh." Jared complained. "I'm eating, please."

Sam chuckled and pulled away.

Bella felt sick again. Whether it was the muffin on an empty stomach, the hole in her chest burning once again, or more pregnancy nausea, she didn't know. But she wanted to disappear, and suddenly felt the urge to go home.

Thankfully then, Jacob and Paul came through the door and Bella watched in surprise as they walked into the room, laughing. THey both appeared to be in one piece, and Bella felt the tension in her shoulders release.

"Hey, Bella." He said and pulled her in for a quick embrace. "You good?"

Bella nodded quickly, offering him a small smile. "I'm fine."

He smiled apologetically, he hadn't meant for their meeting to go that way, at all. Reminding himself why he was here, he turned to the rest of the pack.

"So, back to the reason I called y'all here."

They all turned to look at him, waiting.

"It could be something, could be nothing." He started. "But Bella knows of some vamps who were around, who aren't the Cullens."

They all glanced at Bella slightly who was looking down at the table silently.

"One of them… tried to hurt Bella." He snarled out. "The Cullens killed him. He had a mate."

"You think it's the mate?" Sam questioned, and Bella looked up at him.

"Bella isn't convinced." Jacob said. "And I'm not 100% sure, but it's the only lead we've had. I just don't know why she'd come back."

"It's something." Jared said, shrugging. "The prints we found were small. Could be a female's foot."

Bella looked up at him. They'd found tracks? Jacob hadn't told her this, she frowned and looked up at him and he shrugged, telling her it had slipped his mind.

"Like I said, I don't know if it is her. But the odds seem high to me." Jacob said, moving to sit next to Bella, grabbing a muffin from the basket.

"To me, too." Embry agreed and Bella frowned. She wasn't sure why she'd be back. Maybe she dropped in to find the Cullens? But why would she stay and murder people if they aren't here? She would've noticed quickly that they weren't.

"If anything else comes up, you'll let us know, right?" Sam said, looking between Bella and Jake. Bella frowned. What did he think would come up? She hadn't seen a vampire in months. Despite her confusion, she nodded.

"We'll find the blood sucker, Bella." Jared said, picking up another muffin. "Don't worry."

"Honestly Bella, maybe you should spend more time in La Push, from now on." Jacob said, frowning slightly. "If this vampire does know you… it might be safer."

"Okay, I guess." Bella replied. She didn't oppose spending more time here. She felt comfortable, and now things were back on track with Jake, she definitely felt happy here, as well as safe. "But what about Charlie?"

"We can increase the patrols in Forks, too. Have someone down there." Sam replied and Bella thanked him quietly.

"You'll all be careful though, right?" Bella questions and they laughed, minus Emily, who caught Bella's eye and offered her a sad smile.

The boys spent the next few hours reassuring Bella that they would be safe, and would be fine. She wasn't convinced, but their confidence was definitely comforting.

They ate dinner together, Bella being convinced to stay by Emily who was more than happy to accommodate. She wasn't too hungry, so picked at the meal a little before explaining to Emily she just felt a bit queasy, still. Emily smiled and nodded, taking the plate.

"I understand, don't worry." She said. "After the day you have had, I'm not surprised."

Bella smiled slightly, knowing the reason for her nausea wasn't what she thought. Excusing herself to the bathroom which Emily guided her too, she managed to make it there in time before what little she had ate made it's way from her stomach. Thankfully, she had mastered vomiting fairly quietly, and had hope that none of them had noticed. Even if they had, they would probably put it down to shock.

It was dark by the time Bella excused herself to go home, and Jake followed her to her truck, offering to drive her home, as he saw how tired she had become. They both stayed silent as he drove back along the highway towards Forks.

By the time they pulled up in front of her house, Bella had almost fallen asleep. Jake turned off the truck but didn't make any effort to move.

"I'm sorry about today." Jake started. "That's not how I wanted things to go."

"It's okay," Bella said, adjusting herself to sit up straight. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not." Jake said and Bella frowned. She was. At least about what happened today. "It made you sick."

Oh, so they had heard. Bella sighed.

"That wasn't because of that." She said, hoping he didn't press further.

"You sure?" He questioned, frowning. "'Cause I'll understand if it was."

"It wasn't." She said, "I promise."

"Okay." He responded. "You okay, though?"

Bella inhaled then let out a deep breath. "Yeah,"

He wasn't convinced, but wished her goodnight anyway, before leaving the truck cab and disappearing into the forest, leaving Bella alone. Although she suspected she wasn't really alone. She took a few deep breaths, the day wearing on her, before heading into the house.

"Bells?" Charlie yelled from the living room as she entered.

"Yeah, Dad." She responded, hanging up her jacket and walking through to him.

"So…" He started. "You and Jake are good again? I thought Jacob was part of a gang."

"We made up, yeah." She said, sitting next to him on the couch. "And it was a misunderstanding, I guess. I met Sam and Emily and you're right, they're good people."

"They are," He said, side eyeing Bella and her sudden change of heart, but he wasn't going to question it too much. Things are easier when she and Jacob are friends.

Tuesday November 15, 2005

The next day, Bella felt even worse in the morning. Charlie had noticed, too, and convinced her to stay home from school. He left her in bed, as she struggled to stay awake. She didn't know why she was so tired. Was this normal? After waking up for the 5th time since waking up at her alarm at 6am, she rolled over and grabbed her phone. A quick google told her tiredness was very normal, especially in the first trimester. But her calculations told her she was almost out of her first trimester, so surely she should be feeling less tired by now? Not more?

She placed the phone back on the table with a groan, deciding getting up and moving around would do her better than staying in bed and dozing all day. She would've forced herself to school if Charlie hadn't caught throwing up earlier. He just figured she was still having symptoms from the flu and Bella silently thanked him for being oblivious.

Keeping herself busy, she decided to clean the kitchen, until the smell of the bleach she used to clean the sink made her feel even more nauseous. Giving in, she grabbed her English textbooks and opted to sit in the small backyard and study. She was ahead in most of her classes, given that she buried herself in any schoolwork as a distraction these days, but wanted to keep her mind busy.

It failed, and she found her mind wandering, finding her hands around her torso. Not to keep herself together, but as a comfort. She was really trying not to think too much about the growing baby inside her, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. The idea of being a Mom felt so foreign, but she knew she felt something for the baby already. It was confusing. She knew by now she didn't want to attempt an abortion, it didn't feel right. She felt protective. On top of everything else she was pretty terrified. She'd never even held a baby before, how could she birth and raise one? And the fact she was going to have to do it all alone worried her more than she cared to admit.

Telling Jacob was an option. But it almost felt like a betrayal, to tell him first. Which was also confusing for Bella. Edward didn't want her, or feel anything for her. But he was to be a father, and regardless of his feelings towards Bella, he deserved to know. She had tried to find him, find someone from the family but as expected any email bounced and all the google searches she'd done for any variation of their names had come up empty.

It really was like he'd never existed. Just like he'd promised.

Wiping the sudden tears away, Bella sighed. The baby was something to hold onto, that proved to her that he did exist, but she felt him slipping away.

It was that moment she made the decision to find the meadow. Her and Jacob had already made the map, the route set out clearly, so it wouldn't be hard for her to navigate alone. She felt tired, but not sick anymore. It was only 10am, Charlie was working a long shift so wouldn't be home until late at night, and he'd called her in sick at work again, so she had time and plenty of it. She packed a back with some snacks, should she need them, and water, and set off in her truck to find the beginning of the trial.

Walking through the forest was tiring, made longer by being alone since Jacob was better at navigating than she was. The beginning of the route felt familiar, the memories tugging at her brain no matter how much she tried to push them away to keep her concentration. But by now the unfamiliarity of the route had her feeling uneasy. She didn't recognize any of the trees around her, and her stomach and heart both hurt at the realization. She needed to see it today, no matter how much she knew it was going to hurt.

Frustrated with herself, she put the earbuds in her ears that she'd packed, and scrolled her phone, finding the audio book she'd found of a biology textbook. Something boring, factual, and not at risk of triggering a more painful attack on her body, like some fiction does now.

She didn't realize how much quicker she'd been moving, even though she still felt unsure of the route. That was until she came across an opening, so familiar it took her breath away. She didn't move through it straight away, taking a few seconds to look through the gap.

It was definitely the place, she noticed as she stepped through hesitantly. It looked similar, despite most of the flowers being gone since it was November. It also didn't look as inviting without the sun shining through the break in the trees, but it was definitely the same place.

With disappointment, she realized she hadn't found what she was searching for. She wasn't sure what that was, but the loss just felt somehow stronger. She dropped to her knees at the edge of the clearing, her arm across her torso.

She sat there for a while, trying to get herself together. She didn't see any use in going further, but she still had to make her way back to her truck. She'd taken a few hours to get here, so definitely had an even longer journey back now.

She kept her eyes towards the ground, looking at her shoes that were almost hidden in the overgrown grass, as she stood up, trying to avoid looking at the clearing for any longer than needed.

Turning slightly, she took one last look. At that moment, a figure appeared from the other side of the clearing. She felt a range of emotions as the figure stepped out properly, revealing their full form to her. Surprise, shock, fear, then finally, recognition.

Thanks for reading! I'm hoping the next chapter won't take me as long to write.

As you'll see I've changed the order a little of the events in the books. This was half unintentional since I forgot Bella went to the meadow before finding out about Jacob. But I still wanted this interaction to happen, so I've just flipped the events a little.

Next Chapter we'll definitely see things moving away from the source material even more. So I'm excited!