Pain was all Bella felt as she lay on her bed, her head resting on her arm as she tried to wrap her head around everything that had happened in the last few days. She had been enjoying being back with Jacob, hanging out with him. Spending time with her best friend was slowly healing the hole in her heart, at least when they were together. When she was by herself it seemed to reopen again. But now that Jake had seemingly went AWOL, the hurt was just consuming her. It had been bad enough when the pain was caused by E-by him. But now it was doubled because Jake didn't want to be her friend anymore. She had the worst luck in the world.

She had just begun to doze off when a sound of a stone against her window work her, she jumped and glanced to the window. Her worst fear coming to the front of her mind, was it Victoria? Had she finally managed to track her down and come to exact her revenge for her fallen mate? Another stone bounced of the window and Bella frowned, if it was Victoria surely she would have been able to find a far more easier path to her.

Deciding to try and be brave for once, Bella approached the window with an air of caution, she opened it slowly and then leaned her head outside. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw it was only Jake, but then the hurt and anger rushed back to her as she glared at her friend.

"Jacob? You scared me" Bella sighed

Jake gave her a crooked smile, "Back up, I'm coming up"

Bella done as he said and stepped back into her room, she watched as he effortlessly scaled the side of her house and jumped in through the window. Jake gave her another smile, this one more tortured, as he stepped towards her. Bella shook her head and outstretched her hand to stop him from coming any closer. She avoided his gaze as she leaned against her bed.

Jacob sighed, "Look, Bella. I'm sorry" He tried to step forward again but the look on her face stopped him in his tracks.

"For what?"

Jake sighed, of course she was going to ask questions. "I wish I could explain but I literally can't"

Bella pursed his lips, unsure if she should believe him or not. Jake's eyes glanced behind her, his eyes narrowing in on the dream catcher he made her, it was hanging directly above her bed and for a moment it brought a genuine smile to his face.

"Have you ever had a secret you couldn't tell anyone? One that wasn't yours to share? Because that's what it's like for me, but worse" Jake sighed, wishing he could come out and tell her everything, but thanks to Sam's gag order it would make things difficult. "You have no idea how tight I'm bound"

Bella sighed, she didn't know if it was the look on his face or how torn he sounded but she gave in. "I hate this" she admitted. "I hate what they've done to you" Her arms dropped down to her sides, and Jake took that as a sign that he would be forgiven. He glanced down and saw the crescent moon scar on her wrist, he felt bile rise in his throat and it took everything to keep his anger at bay, but he couldn't help but lash out a little bit.

"The killer part is that you already know!"

Bella winced at the anger in his tone, vivid memories of when Edward was disappointed or annoyed at her flashed through her mind and her arms automatically wrapped themselves around her middle, squeezing tightly, something that Jake didn't miss.

He was softer with her this time, "Bella, do you remember when we walked on the beach at La Push?" His next words wanting so badly to come out, but they couldn't.

Bella frowned momentarily, it seemed like a life time ago that they had walked on the beach and Jake had told her some of the Quiluete legends. She tried to remember what they were exactly, but of course the only one she could remember was the legend about the cold ones. She nodded slightly anyway, "The stories? The story about...the cold ones"

Jake gritted his teeth, his hands clenching into his fists and he didn't try to hide the disappointment in his face that it was that story she remembered. "I guess I understand why it would be that story you remembered"

"Come on, there has to be something that you could do"

Jake chuckled darkly, "No, I'm in this for life"

Of course he was, Bella thought. Why did it have to be her that all of this bizarre nonsense kept happening to? She was fed up with the secrets, for once in her life she just wished she could be a normal teenage girl, enjoying her high school experience and being excited for prom. But no, she had to be the weird one that all of this insane stuff happened too. She was fed up with it all, she just wanted to get away. Then it came to her. "Why don't we go away for a while? She suggested. "We could just leave. You and me"

Those words were not something Jake had been expecting her to say, "You'd do that?"

Bella could see the hope in his eyes, she felt the guilt pooling in her stomach because she knew the way Jake felt about her, she knew his love for her was more than just friendship and it killed her that she couldn't be more for him, but she was his friend and only his friend. But yet, here she was ready to be selfish and give the poor boy a sliver of hope only for it to be dashed again. "I'd do it for you"

As tempted as he was by that offer, and the spirits knew he was tempted, it wasn't something he could accept. He had waited so long for her to say something like that, and a flicker of hope was ignited him, but it was almost instantly put out when he came back to reality. "Sorry Bells, but this isn't something I can run away from. Believe me, if I could I would run away with you in a heartbeat. But I can't" He sighed, glancing at the clock on the wall and cursing himself for running late for his patrol. "Listen, I have to go. Sam and the guys will be wonder where I am"

And once again there was the inevitable disappointment Bella had learned to accept, no matter who it was in her life, they would always let her down. Except Charlie, he had been a rock through this whole thing and through everything she had put him through. Jake could see the cogs turning in her head, his heart breaking as he saw the sadness in her eyes and it caused him pain to know that he had hurt her even more than she was already hurting. "Come here" He enveloped her into a tight embrace, hugging her tightly and willing her to remember.

"Please Bella, try to remember" He whispered. "It would be so much easier if you knew"

"I'll try Jake"

With those last three words, Jake took that as a promise from her and with one last look at her, he turned his back and went to the window. Bella watched in surprise as he easily leapt through the window and landed on the grass with ease before taking off into the night. She didn't know what was happening or what Jake was going through, but she was determined to find out especially if it meant getting her friend back.