I laughed once in disbelief. "Do you think Edward did? He didn't know what was happening to him any more than you did. He didn't exactly sign up for this."

Jacob was shaking his head back and forth with a small, quick movement.

"You know, Jacob, you're awfully self-righteous - considering that you're a werewolf and all."

"She has a point," Emmett laughed.

"But so does he," Edward said. "He might not be a normal human...and he definitely has supernatural abilities, but he is still mortal..."

"It's not the same," Jacob repeated, glowering at me.

"I don't see why not. You could be a bit more understanding about the Cullens. You have no idea how truly good they are - to the core, Jacob."

He frowned more deeply. "They shouldn't exist. Their existence goes against nature."

"He's still not really arguing his point very well," Jasper said. "Everything he says still applies to him as well."

I stared at him for a long moment with one eyebrow raised incredulously. It was a while before he noticed.

"What?"

"Speaking of unnatural . . . ," I hinted.

"Bella," he said, his voice slow and different. Aged. I realized that he sounded suddenly older than me - like a parent or a teacher. "What I am was born in me. It's a part of who I am, who my family is, who we all are as a tribe - it's the reason why we're still here.

"Besides that" - he looked down at me, his black eyes unreadable - "I am still human."

He picked up my hand and pressed it to his fever-warm chest. Through his t-shirt, I could feel the steady beating of his heart under my palm.

"Normal humans can't throw motorcycles around the way you can."

He smiled a faint, half-smile. "Normal humans run away from monsters, Bella.

"True. Bella isn't normal either," Edward smiled.

And I never claimed to be normal. Just human."

Staying angry with Jacob was too much work. I started to smile as I pulled my hand away from his chest.

"You look plenty human to me," I allowed. "At the moment."

"I feel human." He stared past me, his face far away. His lower lip trembled, and he bit down on it hard.

"Oh, Jake," I whispered, reaching for his hand.

This was why I was here. This was why I would take whatever reception waited for me when I got back. Because, underneath all the anger and the sarcasm, Jacob was in pain.

Edward frowned at that.

"She's trying to help him," Esme said.

"That doesn't mean I have to like this," Edward sighed.

Right now, it was very clear in his eyes. I didn't know how to help him, but I knew I had to try. It was more than that I owed him. It was because his pain hurt me, too. Jacob had become a part of me, and there was no changing that now.

"Or that," Edward groaned.

"That's the end of the chapter," Jasper said handing the book to Carlisle.

Chapter Five

Imprint

"Imprint," Carlisle read with a smile. "This sounds interesting."

"Are you okay, Jake? Charlie said you were having a hard time. . . . Isn't it getting any better?"

His warm hand curled around mine. "'S not so bad," he said, but he wouldn't meet my eyes.

He walked slowly back to the driftwood bench, staring at the rainbow-colored pebbles, and pulling me along at his side. I sat back down on our tree, but he sat on the wet, rocky ground rather than next to me. I wondered if it was so that he could hide his face more easily. He kept my hand.

I started babbling to fill the silence. "It's been so long since I was here. I've probably missed a ton of things. How are Sam and Emily? And Embry? Did Quil -?"

I broke off mid-sentence, remembering that Jacob's friend Quil had been a sensitive subject.

"Ah, Quil," Jacob sighed.

"It looks like there are six wolves now," Edward frowned.

"That's a rather large pack," Jasper frowned. "They are almost as many of them as there are of us... I don't like this."

"They won't do anything," Carlisle said, trying to alleviate Jasper's worry - as if it was that easy. "They are honor-bound to follow the treaty, but it is preeminent that we do not break an rules, because they will not hesitate to enforce them."

So then it must have happened - Quil must have joined the pack.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled.

To my surprise, Jacob snorted. "Don't say that to him."

"What do you mean?"

"Quil's not looking for pity. Just the opposite - he's jazzed. Totally thrilled."

"Well, that's good at least," Carlisle said, looking a little relieved to hear that.

This made no sense to me. All the other wolves had been so depressed at the idea of their friend sharing their fate. "Huh?"

Jacob tilted his head back to look at me. He smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Quil thinks it's the coolest thing that's ever happened to him. Part of it is finally knowing what's going on. And he's excited to have his friends back - to be part of the 'in crowd.'"

"I can understand that part. After his two best friends changed it must have been difficult for him to be alone," Carlisle said. "It would have been a relief to finally know why they did it, and that it had nothing to do with him."

Jacob snorted again. "Shouldn't be surprised, I guess. It's so Quil ."

"He likes it?"

"Honestly . . . most of them do," Jacob admitted slowly. "There are definitely good sides to this - the speed, the freedom, the strength . . . the sense of – of family . . . . Sam and I are the only ones who ever felt really bitter. And Sam got past that a long time ago. So I'm the crybaby now." Jacob laughed at himself.

There were so many things I wanted to know. "Why are you and Sam different? What happened to Sam anyway? What's his problem?" The questions tumbled out without room to answer them, and Jacob laughed again.

"That's a long story."

"I told you a long story. Besides, I'm not in any hurry to get back," I said, and then I grimaced as I thought of the trouble I would be in.

"It sounds like she's a misbehavingchild or something," Edward frowned, not liking how Bella was viewing him, but at the same time knowing that she was right. He was going to be mad about this.

He looked up at me swiftly, hearing the double edge in my words. "Will he be mad at you?"

"Yes," I admitted. "He really hates it when I do things he considers . . . risky."

"Like hanging out with werewolves."

"Yeah."

Jacob shrugged. "So don't go back. I'll sleep on the couch."

"Tough luck, pup... she wants to go back," Emmett smirked.

"That's a great idea," I grumbled. "Because then he would come looking for me."

Jacob stiffened, and then smiled bleakly. "Would he?"

"Yes, I would," Edward frowned. "If she was gone too long without me knowing if she was safe... I would go there."

"Then let's just hope that Alice didn't tell you that Bella went there," Jasper said.

Edward did looked worried about that. None of them wanted to start a war with the werewolves and something like this would.

"Don't worry, Edward," Carlisle soothed. "I know you wouldn't rush into their territory recklessly, even if you did know about this. I think you would give her some time. You know how she feels about them and you've read Jacob's mind - you know that he wouldn't hurt her on purpose..."

"That might buy them some time," Edward admitted. "But I'm nowhere near as understanding of the pup in this book as I am now, and I still don't like the idea of her being there."

"But how much of that is jealousy?" Emmett asked.

"I'm fine reading about it...because I know what's happening," Edward said, ignoring Emmett's question. "But just waiting for her to come back and having no idea when that would be...I really don't like that thought."

"Well, you can't just hold her close to you and never let her do anything," Rosalie scolded.

"I know," Edward sighed. "I'm just hoping that she doesn't start to like the wolves in our reality, so that this is never going to be a problem... I think I can stand it if she's going out with normal people."

"If he was afraid I was hurt or something - probably."

"My idea's sounding better all the time."

"Please, Jake. That really bugs me."

"What does?"

"That you two are so ready to kill each other!"

"I'm not ready to kill him," Edward said. "I really don't want to kill anyone anymore, knowing how it would affect her, and to kill the pup would be horrible...I'm sure she would hate me for that."

"But if it came to a fight?" Emmett smirked.

"Like I... er, my book self that is... said in the last book – I would try very hard not to do that," Edward quoted.