Disclaimer: Original characters and part of the plot belong to Stephanie Meyer

Chapter 16 – An Unlikely Alliance

Bella POV

I read the letter twice more as a pit of dread formed in my stomach. Immediately, along with it, anger flowed through my veins. How did she dare threaten my family and friend?! A low rumble sounded in my chest. I somehow stopped it from becoming a full-fledged growl. My body desperately tried to get into a defensive crouch in response to the threat, but I took a couple of deep breaths to restrain it. Calm. Being calm was important.

"Are you okay?"

I jumped at Jacob's voice. I had been so invested in trying to process this threat that I hadn't even noticed him approach. I swiftly turned around while simultaneously hiding the letter under my shirt. "Yeah, I'm fine," I couldn't have even convinced myself to believe that lie.

"You sure?" he asked. His voice was appropriately doubtful.

"I'm fine, I said," I said, my anger leaked into my voice in the form of frustration. "Wanna help?"

"If you're fine with it," he carefully said. "What are you making?"

"Creamed spinach and pan-seared salmon for lunch," I whispered in a low voice with a conspiratorial smile on face. "I secretly bought the ingredients last week. Don't you dare leak this to anyone," I warned him.

"I'll carry it to the grave, Scout's honour." His face was so serious that I burst out laughing, my earlier fury subsiding. Jake really was my sun.

"Have you ever seasoned some salmon? Properly?" I asked him.

"I watched Dad do it once, but no. Not on my own."

"Alright, season the salmon," I said. I directed him on how to season the salmon (Billy and Charlie had brought it the last time they went fishing) while I got started on the creamed spinach, all the while wondering whether I should tell Jacob about the letter or not.

If I didn't tell him about the letter, I would be risking my mother and stepfather's lives, my friends' lives. Victoria had = slipped past the wolves once. There was no saying she won't be able to do it again, now that she knew how to. Despite my need to sustain myself with blood, I was pretty sure I wasn't strong enough to punch a hole through a tree. Really, I wasn't capable to protect my loved ones myself, yet it was me who put them danger time and again. Oh, the irony of it!

On the flipside, telling him about the letter would mean telling him about the James incident, inevitably bringing him up in the conversation, possibly even making him lose his temper. And once he knows, the pack (it's pack, right? Wolves live in packs!) would know as well. But there was no point in rejecting the fact that the wolves were indeed more capable of protect Renée and Phil, and the others, much better than I ever could.

I indeed had to tell Jacob about the letter.

I contemplated on when to tell him. Whenever I did, no matter the time, I was reasonably sure his reaction won't be pleasant. Telling him right now, or even before lunch, might cause a reaction which would raise questions in my mother's mind (she was too inquisitive for her own good, a trait which I inherited from her). Perhaps, after lunch, if I could get him alone in the woods, it would be safer to tell. I was sure he wouldn't refuse an offer for a walk with me.

So, with that in mind, I pasted a bright smile on my face and continued cooking and directing Jacob. By half-past noon, lunch was complete, and we returned back to the living room to join the conversation till lunch time.

"What's the topic?" I asked while discreetly sitting right next to Christmas tree, leaning against my mother's knee. Her hand automatically drifted to caress my hair as she spoke.

"Phil and Billy are debating whether baseballers should be allowed to wear helmet during practice matches," she said in an amused tone.

"Well, I do suppose they must. It's safer, after all. Prevents the players from getting hurt and knocked out of the real matches," I whispered to her in a low voice, not wanting to end their "'debate;.

"That's what Phil says," she said. I could hear the smile in her voice. Her love for her new husband was evident. "Billy is inclined to disagree."

I chuckled at the men's antics as Jacob joined his father's side. A comfortable silence settled between the two of us as we watched them.

I used this opportunity to check whether Victoria had entered the living room. If she did, she would have had to either use the window or come through the front door. But I knew she didn't do either as there was no lingering scent of her near the tree itself. I shifted imperceptibly towards the tree and drew another deep breath to check for any other unknown scent where the letter was kept. None.

"I am going to the bathroom," I said to Renée as I stood up.

She nodded and I exited the living room, walking the rest of the way as swiftly as possible without arousing anyone's suspicion. I pulled out the letter from my shirt and sniffed it deeply. It was the same piney cinnamon scent of Victoria. How was it possible for her to keep the letter, hide it, under the Christmas tree without leaving any residual scent?

Victoria had always seemed like a force of nature to me – like a hurricane moving towards the coast in a straight line – unavoidable, implacable, but predictable. Maybe it was wrong to limit her that way. She had to be capable of adaptation.

The only way in which she wouldn't need to enter the house yet manage to deliver the letter inside, right under my nose, would be if she had a "friend" with a gift. One that could either hide her scent. If that were the case, then it was easier to explain how she evaded the wolves' grasps every time. Yet, it also meant that she deliberately left her scent that day and on the letter to threaten me.

Thinking about the potential vampire she could have as an ally with that particular gift also raised questions about whether she had made friends with more than one vampire. It seemed utterly impossible if you took into consideration the nature of nomadic vampires, as I knew, but Victoria was a force to be reckoned with. If you did look deep into her personality, it would fit her self-preserving and tenacious nature perfectly.

I dearly wanted to rip her from limb to limb for threatening my family's life. With my new strength and speed, I had a slight inkling that I now might be of more help than before, at least in luring her for an ambush till the wolves caught up with her.

But, it also meant, that I would have tell the Quileutes about my change. I was reasonably sure it would provoke quite a few wolves, not to mention the humans.

I tucked away the letter back under my shirt and, finally, reaching a decision, I sighed deeply and slowly went downstairs to serve lunch. I tried to uplift my spirits by convincing myself that Renée, Phil and my friends would be safe, but the daunting task of telling the wolves made a pit of dread form in my stomach.

I started serving lunch as I called out, "Lunch's ready!"

I used my ultra-hearing to track their movements, trying to make my new senses as easy to use as possible. I heard Renée, Phil and Jacob get up from the couch, and Jacob wheel Billy into the kitchen as Renée and Phil preceded from them.

Renée sniffed the sweet and spicy smell of the spinach and salmon deeply, and asked in an excited voice, "What's for lunch? It smells delicious!"

"That's a surprise, and thank you," I said as I gave her a half-smile, half-smirk from over my shoulder. Jacob shared my amusement at my mother's childlike excitement as he settled Billy's wheelchair into the dining table. He came beside me and pulled out the dishes one-by-one and helped me fill them up.

Renée asked from behind us, "How does he get to know, and we don't?"

I laughed lightly at the petulance in her voice and said, "Because you'll enjoy the dish much more if you didn't than if you knew what it was."

Having poured the creamed spinach and piled the salmons into and onto the bowls and dishes, respectively, we turned and served them to each of the hungry humans one-by-one. I noticed Jacob had piled much more than into his than anyone else and muttered, "Boys," under my breath with a smile. He gave me an impish grin.

Their reaction made me glow as Jake and I sat down.

"I swear Bells, yo'r cook'ng 's da'n amazing," Jacob said through a mouthful of salmon.

I let out a laugh and started eating my own dish. It tasted little more than tree bark and mud to me, but I kept a smile on my face, even moaning a couple of times. It was painful and downright disgusting. Only the crispy smell of the spices stopped me from throwing it all up after completing my portion, even though it was the smallest out of everyone's.

After completing our lunch, Renée and Jake helped me with the dishes. Once we were done, Renée went back, leaving me and Jacob alone in the kitchen.

"Wanna go for a walk?" I suggested. I might have been just a little more suggestive than necessary.

His heartbeat spiked, and he swallowed and said "Yeah, sure."

I immediately regretted my method of persuasion, but led him through the backdoor into the snowy woods as if I hadn't noticed his reaction.

Jacob walked beside me as we strolled through the woods. We walked together until we reached the upturned log I had found all those months ago. I lengthened my stride a bit and then turned around to face. "Jacob, we need to talk," I said.

He heard the seriousness in my voice and replied, "Uh, sure."

I sat down on the snow-covered log and patted the place beside me. He took the hint and sat down as well. I turned slightly to face him.

Despite having more than an hour to think, I was at a loss at how to begin. I drew in a sharp breath and let it out slowly. "I… I received a letter with my pile of presents this morning," I said, as I pulled it out from my shirt. "Here, take a look."

He took the letter from me and unfolded it. As he read further, I saw fury unfold in his face and shifted slightly away from him. By the end of it, he was shaking. Not a good sign.

He gave back the letter to me and said (or rather, growled out), fury, hatred and determination equally dominant in his voice, "We'll catch her before she can even touch them!"

I smiled slightly at that. "Thank you. That's what I wanted to know. Whether I could expect your help to protect my family and friends, when needed."

He lifted his face and turned it towards me. "Protecting humans from bloodsuckers. That's our duty, Bells," he said. His eyes were blazing with an emotion I couldn't quite place.

I winced slightly at his use of the term "bloodsucker". I was sure that the pack had worse terms for vampires than this, but it still hurt. And it made me even more apprehensive about telling Jacob about what I was to become, about what I was becoming.

"Who is the leader of your pack, Jacob? Assuming you all call yourselves a pack, right?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah. Sam's the alpha," he replied back.

"Hmm… Then… Would you be inclined to let Sam know of this problem?" I asked, my voice again turning back to the calm seriousness.

"I will. But there's one problem, Bella. It wouldn't be possible for us to protect your mother and stepfather if they go back to Florida. We can't go so far from the rez, you see. The peninsula's our limit."

"Oh, right…" I said as my voice took a worried turn. I hadn't thought about it. Of course, the wolves would have a limit till which they could go in order to keep in contact with La Push. I rested my face in my hands and said, "So, that means that Renée and Phil need to stay in Forks?"

"That would be the best option, but I can ask Sam to cover till Olympia and Seattle if they would like to stay there."

I straightened up and looked at him again, trying to pull up a smile which ended as a grimace. "Guess it's time to pull my act together and pretend to be a needy girl who can't cope with her father's death, huh?"

His face took a thoughtful expression. "Not a bad idea, I suppose," he conceded. "As long as you convince them and lie your way through it. Billy won't be fooled so I'll inform him beforehand. I think both of us will be enough to deflect any "uncomfortable" questions, if you will."

I now wondered whether to at all tell Jake about my ongoing change. He might have a temper burst, change into a wolf… Would Sam be a better option? He did seem calmer and much more in control than the other wolves the last time I saw him. If I sent a message through Jacob, would he be willing to leave Emily and his mother for a couple of hours and talk to me.

I gave Jake a half-smirk before moving onto a lighter topic. "You'll be having dinner here, I suppose?" I ask.

"Uhm, no. Got patrol duty today. We should be getting along, I think," he said as he looked up at the sky as it had started to darken.

I took out my cell phone and checked the time. It was time for sunset. Time for twilight.

As we simultaneously stood up and started walking back together, I asked, "Could you brief Sam about the matter we spoke about? And pass on a note from me to him? I need to inform him a couple of other things personally."

His eyes narrowed at the word 'personally', but he replied, "Sure, sure."

"C'mon, we're here."

We entered through the backdoor and found the three adults conversing in the living room.

"Oh, Jake. Good that you're back," Billy said, quickly turning the focus of the conversation to us. "We should be getting back, I think?"

"Yeah, Dad. Just hold on a minute. Bella needs to give me something," Jacob replied.

I nodded and motioned him to follow me upstairs. He waited at the door of my bedroom as I pulled out a notebook and scrawled a message for Sam.

Sam—
 Jacob might have already informed you what he and I talked about, but a small brief, just in case – Victoria, the redhead, is out to torture and kill me, and intends to do so by first taking down my mother, stepfather and friends.
 There is something else that I need to talk to you about personally. Something which is related to this matter but still off-topic. I would be grateful if you could meet me under my room tonight at 11 in human form.

Thanks
Bella

I tore the page out and quickly folded it, and handed it to Jacob. "Here."

He took it, looked at it once, and then pocketed it and nodded.

"C'mon," I muttered as I dragged him down. "Billy will be wondering why it's taking so long for you to come down."

He gave an amused smile and joined Billy.

"Thank you for having us," said Billy is his deep voice.

I leaned down to give him a hug. "Don't thank us. You're family, after all," I said with a warm smile. He returned one of his own.

I proceeded to hug Jacob while Phil shook Billy's hand and Renée gave him a hug. "Stay safe," I murmured, now completely aware of how Victoria has been evading the wolves.

"Sure, sure. You know I do, Bells," said Jacob and gave me a cocky smile.

"Idiot," I said as I punched him playfully in the shoulder. "Don't be reckless."

"Aye, aye, Captain!" said he in a serious tone and mock saluted me.

Jake wheeled Billy out of the house. Phil went to see them off while Renée and I returned back to the kitchen.

"So… Jacob likes you, doesn't he?" asked Renée as I moved to start preparing dinner.

"Uh huh," I replied, distracted. I was wondering whether I should try to search out the Cullens' location and enlist their help.

"Do you like him?" she asked.

"Nuh uh," I replied. "He's just a friend. More of a brother, I daresay."

It was clear that Edward (I was still having trouble speaking his name aloud in my mind) was not with them for the forest I had seen in my dream looked more of a tropical kind that the temperate or coniferous forests of North America, unless they had decided to settle somewhere in Africa or the Amazon, which I highly doubted . And I wasn't even sure if they all were together or had separated.

"He likes you more than a friend, Bella," said Renée, concern leaking into her voice.

"He does, doesn't he?" I muttered to myself quietly. "I know that, Mom," I spoke aloud for her to hear.

"You should turn him down before he decides to confront you about his feelings. Don't lead him on, Bella."

"I am not leading him on," I protested. "Both he and I know that I only think of him as a brother and that, even if I did like him more than that, I am not ready for a relationship yet. Either way, why am I discussing this with you?" I looked up and asked.

"Because I wanted you to know and I am bored," said Renée, laughing.

"I get it you're bored, but can we discuss something else other than boys?" I asked with irritation.

"Alright, alright!" said she, raising her hands in surrender. "So, Bella, I was wondering… It is almost time for Phil's school to reopen. We will have to return in a week," she said in a casual tone but I could detect an underlying worry.

I stiffened in response but kept working. I had not expected this coming right now.

"Would you like to come to Jacksonville with us? I am not forcing you because, legally, you're an adult, but I don't think it would be wise for you to stay here after what happened in the past few months." Concern and worry were the primary emotions evident in her voice. How could I respond negatively to those?

"Mom," I began slowly in a measured tone. "Ever since I have come here, Forks has become my home. And I don't think I would be as comfortable in Florida as I was in Arizona, anymore. I love the rainy weather, now, Mom. I love this town and I don't want to leave it."

It was indeed true that Forks had truly become my home, especially since I had met the Cullens. Since I had fallen in love with him (cue, the pain).

Renée sighed deeply and her voice was sharp as she said the next few words. "Then what do you want to do? Live here alone?"

"Actually… I was hoping you two would stay with me for a couple of months till I get over it," I answered slowly.

"And Phil's job?"

"Perhaps he could get a coaching job at Forks High?" I suggested meekly.

"Okay, I'll talk with him," said she. Conflict was raging across her face. "I just don't want you to stay all alone here."

"Thank you, Mom," I said gratefully and quickly hugged her.

Dinner was splendid. Well, as splendid as any family dinner of three could be.

We talked and laughed and joked about inconsequential things, all Phil's doing. He was trying his best to stop me from sinking into grief. And I was incredibly thankful to him for that.

And now, here I was, lying in my room and waiting for a certain wolf to come.

Two minutes after eleven, I heard the light thudding of an animal's feet along with an accompanying heart. It swiftly approached my house and stopped just at the edge of the woods. Sam.

I slowly sat up and walked to the window. There was some rustling in the woods and Sam stepped out of it as a human. Of course, I didn't see any of this. Go, vampire hearing!

Before he could climb up, I spoke out loud as if he were standing right next to me. "I've heard you. I'm coming down." Then, with a practiced move, I climbed onto the window ledge, leaped to the tree in front of said window and slid down smoothly. It was if I had done this hundreds of times instead of only one night.

I stepped away from the tree and came face-to-face with the Alpha of the Quileute wolf pack. With a height of 6'5", heavily tanned skin and deep brown eyes, he was quite intimidating in appearance. Add to that the fact that I had to crane my neck up to see his face properly and the nasty wet-dog smell whose intensity was increasing slightly every moment, it was undoubtedly expected from my vampire side to be screaming for me to run away from him.

But I held my ground and extended my hand. "Bella Swan, though I'm sure you know," I said in a polite voice. However much I was willing to work with him, it did not lessen the about-to-be-mortal-enemy factor one bit.

"Sam Uley. We've heard plenty about you, especially from Jacob," he said in the same polite voice but his lips curled up slightly as he said the second sentence.

"I don't doubt that at all. I would ask you to come up but you'll know the reason for me not doing so soon enough. But I do know of a small clearing with space for us to sit. I hope you received my note?" I asked as I led him to the same clearing I had taken Jacob to in the afternoon.

"Yes, I did. But would you mind explaining the little stunt you pulled upon my arrival?" he asked. His eyebrows wrinkled up in confusions and… I daresay, suspicion.

"You'll know everything in a moment," I said as we finally reached the clearing and told him to sit. I sat beside him, slightly apart, and turned toward him.

"Well… The reason I called you here to talk about this was because I don't expect Jacob to react well to the information I'm about to share with you. I hope yours will be more reasonable." I looked at him cautiously.

"Depends on what this 'information' is. But I can assure you that if I lose control, it won't be near you," said Sam, his voice reassuring. But the expression on his face had hardened minutely. He knew that whatever I wanted to say, if I couldn't say to Jacob, it wouldn't be pleasant.

I looked down at my lap and fidgeted with my hands. How to begin? How do you even tell a werewolf that a human was changing into a vampire and, that too, in an odd way. Perhaps starting with examples of inhumane gestures could get the ball rolling.

"You saw how I leaped out of my window and came down the tree. How I seemed to know of your arrival before you even announced it. None of those actions are humanely possible, Sam," I said as I looked up and stared right into his eyes.

He said nothing. I continued. "Remember that I fell down a flight of stairs in Phoenix and got injured? That really wasn't a fall. See this," I said, rolling up my sleeve slighting to show the crescent-shaped scar on the palm of my hand.

"One of the Cullens bit you?!" he exclaimed, his temper rising.

"NO. None of the Cullens bit me, Sam. They saved my life," I said as calmly as possible. He opened his mouth to protest but I cut him off. "I had gone with the Cullens to see them play a baseball match among themselves. We came across a coven of three vampires who had heard us. James, Laurent and Victoria." At his expression, I replied, "Yes, the very same Victoria. James was a tracker and had taken… shall we say, a liking to me. We quickly came to Forks to lay a false trap for him and protect Charlie. Two of the Cullens took me to Phoenix to stay under cover until James was destroyed. But he found my cell number and called me. He pretended that he had my mother and I had to go save her. I did not know it was just a trap that time. I went to the place where he told me to. He tortured me and bit me, but Edward sucked out the venom from my bloodstream. So I was not changed but the bite mark remained."

He appeared shell-shocked from my description about the incident about the incident, but he quickly recovered and asked, "So you remained human?"

"Yes, I did."

"But what does this have to do with your sudden strength?"

"Vampires and werewolves are the only mythical creatures I've come into contact with. I doubt that I'm one of you and no real werewolves have ever bitten me so that option is out of the window too. The only one left is vampire."

"You suspect you're a vampire?" He asked incredulously. "But you still have a beating heart, flowing blood!"

"Have you really smelled me, Sam? Just try once," I suggested with a wry smile.

He leaned down minutely and closed him eyes and took a deep breath. His nose wrinkled slightly and shock flashed across his face. "Vampire," he breathed. "But mixed with human."

I nodded and bit my lips. "What's your explanation behind this?" he demanded. "Are you some sort of hybrid?"

Hmm. I hadn't thought of that. But back to his question. I replied, "A hybrid for now, I guess. I suspect that when Edward sucked the venom out, some of it was still left. A very small amount, not enough to cause an immediate change. But perhaps it started replicating and increasing in volume until it was enough to start changing certain aspects of me to a more vampirish nature. And maybe it will continue to do so until I'm a full vampire."

"Examples?"

I picked up a small rock and held it in my palm. Showing it to him, I closed my palm and applied some pressure. Maybe, better to say, a lot of pressure. The rock gave in under my strength and crumbled. I opened my palm to show him the broken fragments of the, then, rock. "Incredible strength," I whispered. "And you also saw my increased speed and agility. Human Bella Swan, in all her life, was never graceful enough to not stumble on a flat surface, let alone a forest. And…" I trailed out, not completing the sentence. My eyes fell to the ground.

His face showed that he was slowly believing my theory. The possibility that I was turning into a vampire. He prompted, "And what?"

"And I hunted yesterday," I blurted out.

"You what?!" he said in a shocked and angry voice.

"No, no, don't worry," I hurried to reassure him. "It was a couple of elks."

"So you're following the Cullens' diet?" he asked, his tense posture relaxing ever so slightly.

I nodded. "Yes. I don't want to kill any humans," I said and looked up again. I continued, "It was necessary. I had first felt my thirst on smelling my father's blood. From his corpse. It was barely there, almost unnoticeable. I also detected Victoria's scent here. But last night… Last night, my mom got a paper cut. I almost lost all restraint then and there, and would probably have lost it entirely if it hadn't been my mother," I said. My voice was laced with self-loathing and I bent my head down in shame.

"So you hunted?"

I nodded.

"And why are you sharing this information with me? If I were you, I would have kept it a closely guarded secret until it was absolutely inevitable to do anything other than reveal it."

Trying to bring my emotions under control once again, I shook my head slightly and looked up. "I want to help. I want to help you kill my father's murderer. I want to help you killed the bitch who is threatening my family and friends," I said in a cold voice. My fury was hidden beneath it.

Sam understood my anger because I never used curse words. He concluded, "You want revenge."

"Yes."

"So what do you propose to do?"

I looked into his eyes and said, making my voice as calm as possible, "I'll give you my number. Any time you are hunting her or have caught her scent somewhere, let me know. I will go to help you all track her provided that one or two wolves keep a watch on Renée and Phil." That reminded me something "Oh, and that is a important point. We don't know when Victoria might decide to come and I am still incapable enough to defend myself again a full vampire, let alone protect my mother and step-father. If…" I trailed off, hoping he caught my meaning.

He nodded in understanding. "I'll arrange for a 24/7 watch."

I nodded in thanks.

Getting up, he asked, "So, are we done here?"

"I believe so," I said with a smile.

He extended his hand and asked with a friendly smiled, "Truce?"

I nodded and shook his hand. "Truce," I replied with the same smile.

"I'll arrange for you to be included in the treaty," he said.

"Thank you."

"And… Since you are so eager to get into this fight, might I suggest a book for you to improve your battle-skills and strategical thinking?"

"Sure," I said eagerly.

"The Art of War. By Sun Tzu. I have a copy of it at home. I'll bring it tomorrow, if possible."

"Thank you, Sam," I smiled. "And one word," my voice lowered slightly. "Please be careful with what you're letting Jake know. If you intend to share the entire thing then do it tactfully," I warned.

"I will. So, I'll be off now?"

I nodded. "Thank you again."

He gave a slight smile and disappeared behind the trees. I heard a small rustle and then fading footsteps.

I ran back home and leaped into my bedroom. Renée and Phil had discussed about the staying-in-Forks-issue while I was gone and were not falling asleep. Hoping to hear a positive verdict tomorrow, I lied in my bed and willed myself to fall asleep. It was quite an eventful Christmas.

A/N: Hello everyone. I just started posting the story again probably a month ago. And I'm badly in need of reviews since I have nobody to tell me whether this writing is alright or not. If you like the story, kindly let me know. It'll light up my day. And if you don't, please point out the mistakes and inconsistencies or anything else you feel would make this story better so that I can improve upon it. I love constructive criticism.

Thank you again for reading my story.

Love
~Supernatural159