Wolf Senses - (4 Parts)

[Guest Sunsprite310]

Hi everyone! I've been a lurker on this forum for awhile and I've posted over at the other forum a bit. This story is one that I posted over there and I plan to put up a couple more over here. Basically in this story, before Jacob knows he's a werewolf his senses begin to sharpen, including his nose...enjoy!

Part 1

I woke up, as I did most mornings, to the sound of rain falling lightly outside. I peeked out through my blankets to see the gray, dreary sky through the yellowing curtains, thinking about what I would wear, something that would keep me warm and dry all day. I rolled lazily out of bed and walked towards the bathroom, pondering the pros and cons of my blue windbreaker jacket.

Even though spending my days in Forks meant being slightly damp almost constantly, I had it much easier these days. My own personal sun, Jacob Black, had brightened up my existence. Somehow, his presence kept away the clouds in my life, clouds that were always waiting close by to once again engulf me in depression and misery. Jacob protected me. He was my safe harbor, the one person I could count on to make me happy again. And it had certainly been awhile since I had been happy.

I waited for him on Saturday morning at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of cereal. Charlie was fishing, his usual weekend pastime, so I didn’t need to make up an excuse about what we were doing. We were planning on trying the motorcycles again, and this time I was determined not to fall. I was particularly eager because of the possibility of hearing his voice. I heard it clearly, and I knew I shouldn’t want this, because he didn’t want me. But I had to hear it--I had to know that he still existed in the world, because if he did not exist, then I could not.

I heard tires roll up the driveway and looked out to see Jacob in Billy’s truck. I waved out the window and he grinned broadly and waved back, turning off the engine and getting out. I opened the door.

“Hey Jake!” I smiled as he came up the steps.

“Heh—hey Bells—huh—hETchssshh!” Jacob sneezed, covering his mouth with an outstretched arm and bending over slightly at the waist. He sniffed and stood straight.

“Bless you!” I said. I was surprised, because in the time I had known Jacob, I realized now that I had never heard him sneeze. I looked at him closely and saw that his deep brown eyes were red-rimmed and watery, his nose pink and running. “Are you ok?”

“Sure, sure. I’m great. Ready to huh—head out—hitchssshh!” He sniffled again and rubbed his nose with the back of his hand. It seemed as though this sneezing had been going on for awhile.

“Yeah, I’m ready if you are. You sure you’re up to this, Jake?” I asked doubtfully. He looked tired, and the distracted, glazed over face of needing to sneeze seemed stuck on his face.

“Of course, I got the bikes all set in the truck. Let’s get go—huh—eh—going—ESHOOO!” This sneeze bent him double. I looked at him concernedly. He gave a liquid sniffle.

“I swear I’b ok,” he insisted, “subthig in the air has been baking be sdeeze all borning—huh—but I feel fide—hehIshoo!”

“Jake, you can barely get a sentence out without sneezing. Are you sure this is a good day to be teaching me how to ride a motorcycle? Why don’t we just hang out here today and we can ride the bikes next weekend? We both have homework anyway and—“

“Huchsshh! Ugh, Bella, do you have ady tissues? I deed to blow by dose…”

I went to the bathroom and grabbed the tissue box off the counter. Jacob went through three handfuls of tissues before he was ready to talk again.

“I swear Bella, I’m not sick. I just woke up this morning and started sneezing. It’s like the air felt different in my nose. This might sound weird but, until I got too stuffed up to smell anything, it felt like I could smell everything. Like the trees and the food in the house and the house itself. It was weird—and I knew what every scent was. But then, I don’t know, it was too much, too many new scents, and I just couldn’t stop sneezing. Still—eh—can’t—huh—in fact—HEHtchoo!”

Jacob’s explanation sounded faulty to me, but I didn’t really know how to argue. Was it possible that he had suddenly developed some kind of allergy? Or was he really sick and just trying not to let me know? At any rate, he was in no state to be riding a motorcycle.

“Still, I think we should postpone today’s lesson. If you’re allergic to something outside…”

“I don’t even know if it’s something outside. Come on, Bella, we don’t want to lose a whole day of practice. And you need all the prahh—eh—practice you can geh—Etchsshh!”

I really didn’t want to lose a whole day of practicing, and I was desperate to hear that velvet soft voice.

“Ok Jake, but if you crash and die from a sneezing attack, don’t blame me.”

“Awesome! Let’s rock.”

We walked out to Jacob’s truck, and I saw the motorcycles secured in the back, mine red and his black. The rain was still lightly drizzling, but it wouldn’t be too bad on the wooded path we usually rode. I zipped up my jacket and climbed into the passenger seat as Jacob started the truck, sniffling and wiping his nose on his sleeve. He breathed with his mouth open, his eyes still watery and glazed over as if the need to sneeze was still tickling his nose.

“Are you sure you can drive?” I asked. The way his nose seemed to be distracting him made it unlikely that he would be paying very much attention to the road.

“No problem. Plus, even while sneezing I’m still a better driver than you,” he teased. But it was still probably true. There was only one other person I trusted more behind the wheel than Jacob.

“You’re not sneezing now though. Is it gone?”

He sniffled again. “Nope. My nose still itches like crazy. But it’s not as bad out here. In your house I could smell the bloodsu--“

He broke off suddenly. I could feel the blood drain from my face and my whole body stiffened. I could feel the faint throbbing of the hole as it threatened to tear open. I clutched my stomach tightly and breathed deeply, trying to hold myself together. I thought of Jacob in the driver’s seat next to me, my Jacob, there to protect me from myself. I thought of the motorcycles tied down in the back, waiting to be ridden. It’s okay, I told myself. You’ll be fine.

“I’m suhh—sorry Bell—uh—Uhshcchhh!” Jacob sniffled wetly. He looked utterly apologetic, like he wished he hadn’t said anything, but knew he shouldn’t press the matter. “Anyway, it’s better outside, for the most part. The rain actually smells nice, and I think it helps. It’s just a good thing there’s no sun today.”

“What? Why?” Usually the kids in school lived for Forks’ rare sunny days.

“The sun makes me sneeze,” Jacob said.

“You’re allergic to the sun?” I giggled.

“No, not like that, goofball. Sometimes when I walk out in the sun I sneeze. Or if I have a sneeze stuck and it won’t come out I can look at the sun and it usually works. It’s just a reflex.”

We continued driving and Jacob didn’t sneeze again, just sniffed frequently. I was really looking forward to getting back on the bike. I felt like I was really getting the hang of it—I only crashed about twice per lesson now. And the way I saw it, the better I got the more dangerous things I could do, and the better chance I would have of hearing the voice I longed for.

We drove up to the dirt path through the woods to our usual spot. Jacob and I got out of the truck and Jacob went around to the back and started unloading the bikes. As he started lifting down the black one, I saw that distracted look come over his face. I knew he was about to sneeze, but the bike was only halfway to the ground and I wasn’t strong enough to take it from him.

“Heh…hutchsshh! Hetchoo! Eh…etCHsshh!”

He hadn’t shifted the bike and instead had to sneeze freely off to the side. Sniffling wetly, he lowered the motorcycle tiredly.

“Bless you! Jake, you could have hurt yourself!”

“Damn, I thought they were finally going away. And don’t worry, I’m strong, I wouldn’t have hurt myself.”

He got the other bike down out of the bed of the truck and then wiped his sleeve across his nose, sniffling yet again.

“Ugh, stupid nose. This sucks.” He was clearly frustrated.

“Have you tried taking any medicine?” I asked. If he really was allergic to something then maybe some antihistamines would help.

“Yeah. This morning when I couldn’t stop sneezing I went to Billy to ask if we still had any of Rachel’s allergy meds but he didn’t answer me. All he did was get on the phone with Harry Clearwater. I found the medicine myself but it didn’t help.”

Hmm. This was making Jake’s explanation from earlier seem even more likely. But how does a person just wake up one morning with super smelling abilities? It didn’t make sense. But whatever the reason, I felt bad for Jake as a fit of four sneezes overtook him in the middle of tying back his long black hair.

“HEHtisshh! Atchsshh! Huh…h’chsshh! H’etchoo!”

Jake sighed and wiped his nose again. I went back to the truck and dug around in my purse for a small pack of tissues, which I handed to him with a concerned look.

“Thadks,” he said, congestion heavy in his voice. He blew his nose, but when he looked up he was grinning.

“Ready to fly?” he asked. I looked doubtfully at the bikes, but I was always ready now. The only thing that kept me trying this, falling and bruising and scraping myself week after week, was him. I took a deep breath and blew it out, taking my helmet and walking confidently towards my motorcycle.

“Ready,” I said, my voice only slightly shaking.

“Good, because we’re gonna try another gear today…Ahtchsshh!”

“Jake, maybe this isn’t such a good idea…” I began.

“No! It’s fine. I’m sure once we start moving it will stop. And if it doesn’t, I can handle it. Now, do you remember how to start it?”

I revved up the bike, thinking nervously about what would happen if my teacher crashed into a tree because he couldn’t see where he was going.

[Cerulean Flower]

What a wonderful Twilight fic! Your writing style is very good. I was drawn into the story from the start. I only got through the first book of the Twilight series because I couldn't stand the author's writing style. So that means your writing style is great! And I'm not going to complain about Jacob sneezes. Yum-mmy! Welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing!

[Weirdo Girl]

i love this! i love twilight so much and can't wait for the other stories!

[Guest Sunsprite310]

Part 2 ----I probably should have mentioned, this fic contains SPOILERS for New Moon.

“Brake?”

“Yep.”

“Clutch?”

“Mhm.”

“Gas?”

“You got it, Bella. You’re really getting the hang of it. Okay, now I want you to start the bike and take it in second gear all the way to that tree down there, then brake and wait for me. Ok?”

I gulped involuntarily. We had been practicing for a couple of weeks but I still shook like a leaf whenever it was time to actually start moving, both out of nervousness and anticipation. Falling had become almost no big deal by now, but it still hurt and I still preferred not to do it. But even the bruised arm or the mild concussion I had sustained last weekend were well worth the price of hearing Edward’s voice.

I revved the engine more confidently than I actually felt. Jacob grinned and got on his own bike, sniffling profusely as he put on his helmet. He gave me the thumb’s up, the signal that I should start going, but after I nodded I saw his head bob, sure he had sneezed but unable to see it through the helmet or hear it over the noise of the motorcycle.

Just then, as I was about to slowly urge the bike forward, I heard Edward’s voice, clear as if he were standing beside me whispering in my ear.

“Stop this immediately, Bella.”

I smiled, relieved. I sighed contentedly and revved the engine again to show that I seriously intended to go through with it.

“This is dangerous and foolish. He’s going to hurt himself. Stop this nonsense and get off of the bike.”

He’s going to hurt himself? Was my delusion-Edward concerned about Jacob’s safety? Even as I looked back at him his helmeted head bobbed again. But this was intriguing. I eased the bike forward a few feet and listened happily to the snarling in my head.

“Bella, you are being ridiculous. You would knowingly jeopardize your friend’s safety? This is too risky.”

Having gotten over the initial pleasure of hearing that velvet soft, I stopped to consider what he was actually saying. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that Jacob really wasn’t up to riding today. But as much as my logic knew this, as much as I knew I was putting him in danger by changing gears and cruising steadily down the path, I wanted my Edward fix, even if it meant nothing more than the exquisite growl sounding in my ears.

“Bella, stop this. Do you want to be responsible for Jacob injuring himself? Do you want that to be your fault? Stop the bike. Do it now.”

As he said it, I pictured Jacob losing focus for an instant and hitting a tree root or rock, careening into a tree or skidding, landing with the motorcycle on top of him. Reluctantly, unwillingly, I slowed the bike and then finally stopped it. Behind me, I heard Jacob do the same. He got off and came around to where I stood next to my motorcycle.

“What’s up? You ok? Why’d you st…stuhh…h’tchsshh! stop?”

I sighed.

“That’s why, Jake. This is too dangerous today. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“You think a couple of sneezes are gonna make me fall? I could ride this thing with my eyes closed.”

And his eyes were almost closed. They were watering so much he almost looked like he was crying, his nose was stuffed and pink where he had been rubbing it, and he was still breathing with his mouth open.

“There’s nothing wrong with taking the weekend off from this. Give yourself a chance to adjust…” I knew I was conceiting to his theory from earlier about why he was sneezing so much, but at this point I would do anything to keep him off the bike. “Why don’t we just go back to my house and do homework?”

“I think that’s too dangerous. I might stick a pencil in my eye.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Jake, come on. I’m just worried about you.”

“You don’t need to worry about me, Bella. I’m perfectly fi-hitchusshh!”

“If you say so. But seriously, let’s just try again next weekend when you’ll be more up to it. Please? Just humor me.”

He seemed to think about it, rubbing his nose absently with his hand.

“Fine, I’ll humor you. But just because you’re my best friend. And we can’t go to your house, it’s where I was sneezing the worst. We’ll go to my house.”

I didn’t care where we went, as long as I was still with Jacob. I had heard what I had needed to hear, although it hadn’t been quite what I had been expecting, it was good enough for now.

He refused to let me drive, which made me nervous, but my fears were unfounded. Jacob, thankfully, didn’t sneeze on the way to his house, but as soon as he stepped out of the truck he let loose.

“H’etchsshh! Hitchssh! Eh…huh…hutchoo!”

“Bless you.”

“Ugh, thanks. It’s the air off the ocean, I can tell.”

Jacob seemed to know exactly what was making him sneeze each time. It seemed like even through his stuffed nose he could still pick out the distinctions of certain scents. But how was that possible? How could it be that he had just woken up this morning being able to smell absolutely everything around him?

We headed inside. When we reached the living room, I noticed that Jacob’s recent growth spurt was even more pronounced in the small, cramped room. He looked like if he laid down on the couch his legs would hang over the edge.

Billy wheeled into the room at that moment.

“Hi, Bella. How are you?”

“I’m fine, Billy, how are—“

“H’ngxt!”

Jacob had stifled the sneeze into his sleeve and it had sounded like doing so had required a lot of effort.

“Sorry,” he sniffed. I stared at Billy. He was watching Jacob run a fist under his nose with an almost amused expression.

“Still at it, huh? That’s too bad…” But he didn’t look like he thought it was too bad at all. He wheeled away towards the kitchen and I thought I heard him dialing the phone.

Jacob sighed.

“He’s talking to Harry Clearwater again.”

“How do you know?”

“I can hear him.” That was strange. All I could hear were Billy’s low mutterings from the kitchen, but I couldn’t discern any words.

“Well what is he saying?”

“They’re talking about me. Talking about how I can’t stop sneezing. Apparently the same thing happened to Embry a few weeks ago…heh…huh…h’ncxt!”

“Why are you doing that?” I asked. He hadn’t been stifling his sneezes when it had been just the two of us. What was wrong now that we were in his house?

“My dad. He gets this weird look on his face whenever I sneeze. It’s like…I don’t know. Like it’s making him happy. Like it’s something he’s been w—waiting…for…h’tchngt!”

Something he had been waiting for? Was Jacob developing allergies something that Billy was expecting? And what was that he had said about Embry having the same symptoms just a few weeks before? Was it really, as Jacob had said, just something (or many things apparently) in the air? Or was this a real illness? I thought about it.

Jacob said he felt like he could smell everything. He could also hear Billy’s conversation with Harry even though I couldn’t. From the way it looked, Jacob suddenly had super senses. I paled as I thought about the only people I knew with similar abilities. I had no idea what was going on here, but what I could conclude was that Billy did know. Something was affecting the Quileute boys.

“Jacob, what’s going on? Why can you all of a sudden smell everything and hear people’s conversations and—“

“H’nxcht! I don’t know, Bella, seriously. Billy’s acting weird about it but I honestly have no clue what’s happening. But I do know that I’m getting really…huh-h’etchsshh! Really sick of it.”

He hadn’t stifled the last sneeze. He must have been tired of holding them back. He was sniffling and rubbing his nose, his eyes still watering with allergic tears. He looked pretty miserable.

“Jake, why don’t we sit down and watch a movie or something. Give you a chance to relax.”

He said he wasn’t sick, but I knew he was tired nonetheless. I was glad we hadn’t continued with the motorcycles or who knows what might have happened.

“M’kay, but only for a few minutes. I wanted to tune up your bike, maybe try and modify one or two things before we try again. We should head out to the garage in a bit and see if I have the right tools…hutchisshh!”

“Bless you. And we will. But let’s just take a break first.”

“You’re really stubborn, you know that? I don’t know how you always get me to do things I don’t want to do.”

“Oh, I’m stubborn? Who’s the one who wanted to keep riding his motorcycle even though he was having a sneezing attack?”

“Sure, sure. A few stray sneezes are considered an ‘attack.’ I wasn’t having a sneezing attack, my nose is just being very temperamental today, that’s all.” He seemed to be trying to convince himself that that really was all. “I could have ridden circles around you and you know it, itchy nose or not.” As he said it, he rubbed his nose and I smiled, handing him the pack of tissues from my bag.

We sat down on the couch and within minutes Jacob was snoring. His head was resting on his own shoulder but after awhile he shifted so he could lie down, which landed his head in my lap. I looked at his tired eyes closed in sleep, his face looking peaceful and untroubled. I stroked his long black hair away from his eyes, noticing that his skin felt a little warmer than it should have under my hand. This confused me a little. Allergies didn’t give you a fever. I had no idea what was wrong with Jacob, but it didn’t matter. He was asleep now and I was here for him, just as he had been there for me for so many weeks. When he woke up, whether he was sick or not, I would be here to take care of him.

[Cerulean Flower]

I was hoping there would be more! Nice job. I can't wait to read more.

[White Rose]

Awww

This is too cute

Hope u continue

[Guest Secrets]

This. Is. Great! I've been waiting for another good twilight fic for who knows how long! AND you're quick to update, which I also love!!! Perfect writing style too!

[obsessed]

Hm, while I'm not a huge fan of Jake fics, I do love this one. And how you completely redid the transformation.

Perhaps afterwards, you would bless us with some Edward sneezes? Somehow? xD

[Weirdo Girl]

I'm absolutely loving this. Can't wait for more.

[Dye]

Why, hello there, sensitive wolf nose.

What a pleasure it is to see you in Jacob.

Really.

...

-reads again-

I can't get enough of this!

[Sneesee]

Loved it the first time I read it, and now I got to thoroughly enjoy it a second time! Love how well you write Bella and Jacob together. And adore this scenario!

[Guest Sunsprite310]

Thanks for reading and commenting, everyone! Here's the next part. Hope you enjoy it!

Jacob woke up a few hours later. I had watched a couple of episodes of some lame sitcom with the volume turned almost all the way up to drown out his snoring, and Billy had peeked in every half hour or so to see whether he was still sleeping.

“Bella?” he said, slightly disoriented. He raised his head off my lap and sat up, rubbing his nose.

“How are you feeling?”

He sniffled. “Hot.”

Curiously, I put my hand against his forehead.

“Holy crow, Jake, you’re burning up! Do you feel sick?”

“Actually, no. I mean, my nose still itches but other than that I feel great…Billy’s coming,” he added.

I assumed he could hear Billy’s chair rolling in from the other room and a few moments later Billy came around the corner.

“You feeling ok, kid? You’ve been asleep for awhile.”

“I feel fine, Dad. I’m just…heh’tchuuhh!”

Billy got that amused smirk on his face again. That made me kind of mad. Something was clearly wrong with Jacob beyond just having a sneezy day. I had felt him myself and he was definitely hotter than he should have been.

“Are you sure, Jake?” I asked as he ran his sleeve under his nose and sniffed.

“Yes, I’m sure. Everyone just stop worrying about me, I’m fine. Bella, let’s go out to the shed.”

I followed Jacob out to the makeshift garage, almost jogging to keep up with his long and angry strides. The rain had picked up and I ducked my head against the cold water running down my back and over my face. Jake was sniffling harshly, running his arm across his nose.

When we reached the shed Jacob threw open the door and plopped down in front of the Rabbit, the car he had been working on. He picked up a tool I couldn’t name and started adjusting something I had never seen.

“Jake?”

He sniffed.

“What?”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

Jacob sighed.

“No, Bella. I’m fine, I prohuhhmise…hitchsshh! Urrgh!”

He seemed to be getting more and more frustrated with himself. I watched as he wiped sweat off of his forehead and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. Then, suddenly, Jacob dropped the tool he had been holding and bent double, grunting in pain.

“Jake?” I launched myself at him, bending down next to him, my hands hovering over him, unsure of what to do. “Jake, what’s wrong, what happened? Jacob?”

His eyes were squeezed shut. One hand was at his head and the other was wrapped around his middle as he leaned forward.

“Are you gonna be sick? Do you want some fresh air? Jacob, say something!”

I was panicking now. Jacob seemed consumed by his pain, unable to hear or respond to me. I heard him exhale deeply and look up.

“That was intense,” he said, wiping more sweat from his face.

“What was that?” I was still worried, but the pain seemed to have passed for now.

“I don’t know. All of a sudden it was like every part of me was on fire. Like my entire body was cramping up at once.”

“Jake, that is not normal. Come on, we need to go inside, we have to tell Billy—“

“No. I don’t want to tell Billy. He’s keeping something from me. He knows what’s going on, I know he does, but he won’t tell me.”

I bit my lip. Something could be seriously wrong with Jacob and no one seemed to want to do anything about it. I heard his breath hitching.

“Huh…eh…h’tchssh! H’ngtch! Hushoo! God, it never stops—hnngh!”

He bent double again, eyes shut tight, teeth gritting together in pain. I put my arm around his massive shoulders.

“Jake, it’s okay, you’re okay, it’s going to be fine. Can you hear me, Jake? It’ll be over soon. Jake…”

He sat straight again, though with a little more effort.

“Maybe we should go inside,” he conceded. He leaned heavily on the side of the Rabbit as he stood up and unsteadily walked over to the shed door.

“Do you need help?” I asked, extending my arm to him.

He laughed, showing me the wide grin I loved.

“Bella, I would crush you.” But his smile faded away as he limped towards the house. Even struggling, he still made it there before me because his legs were so much longer. He went inside and flopped down on the couch with a moan.

“Are you ok?” Billy was in the doorway looking expectant and eager.

“Fine, Dad,” Jacob mumbled into a pillow. His body was tense. He sneezed, and it was muffled by the pillow. He didn’t even seem to care anymore.

“You sure?” Billy asked, “Nothing hurting? Cramping?”

I stared at Billy. He really did know what was going on. He could clearly see that Jacob was not alright. Why did he seem so gleeful?

I heard a groan from the couch and Jacob convulsed. I dropped to my knees beside the couch but I had no idea what to do to help him.

“Jake?” I whispered.

He looked at me, and his eyes were tortured.

“Everything hurts,” he rasped.

“Bella, I think you should head on home now.”

Billy had wheeled himself into the living room so that his chair was beside the couch. He was taking in Jacob’s hands that were clutching the pillow, his eyes that were scrunched shut with pain.

“No,” Jacob and I said at the same time, although his answer came out as more of a moan.

I wasn’t about to leave, not when it seemed like Jacob was seriously sick. I couldn’t leave him here to fend for himself while Billy was stuck in his chair. Plus there was that nagging suspicion about Billy knowing what this was that had me worried. No. I couldn’t leave Jacob like this.

Still kneeling, I gripped Jacob’s arm and looked up at Billy.

“I’m fine here.”

“Jacob will be fine, Bella. It’s time for you to be heading out. He needs to rest.”

“He can rest, I’ll just be here if he needs anything. I can get around easier than you, let me stay and help.”

I was almost pleading now. Jacob looked so miserable that I couldn’t bear to leave him. I wanted to be sure he was being taken care of and since Billy was being decidedly unhelpful, the only way for me to do that was to stay right here.

Jacob took a shuddering gasp of air.

“H’itcchhsshh!

The sneeze looked like it had shot a jolt of pain raking through his body. He sniffled miserably and cringed tighter. I glared at Billy, feeling strangely protective.

“Another hour,” Billy said, frowning. Then he went into the kitchen to get on the phone again. Jacob perked up a little to listen.

“What are they saying?” I asked.

“Billy said ‘it’s happening’.”

“What’s happening? What does that mean?”

“I don’t know but I wish it would…stohop…hetchssh!”

“Bless you. Jake, I’m really worried.”

He winced again and inhaled sharply.

“Uurgh, I can’t take this anymore. It feels like I’m just going to explode.”

“Is there anything I can get you?” I felt helpless watching him suffer and not being able to do anything about it.

“Can you get me some water?” he asked, his voice strained.

“Of course. I’ll be right back,” I said, glad for something to do. I went into the kitchen where Billy was still on the phone. We eyed each other as I got a glass from the cabinet and filled it at the sink. I gave him one last look as I went back in to the living room. Jacob gulped down the entire glass in almost one swallow, so I went back to get him an entire jug of water. He drank all of it, wiping the sweat from his face with his shirt.

“Do you mind if I take my shirt off? It’s so hot…”

“No problem,” I said. He pulled off his shirt and used it to get the rest of the sweat off of his face, then laid back down on the couch.

Billy came back into the room then.

“How are you doing, kid?”

I waited for Jacob to give him the standard answer, to tell him that he was fine, but he didn’t say anything.

“Jake?” I said.

Jacob was sitting up now, and he was shaking, trembling from head to foot. His eyes weren’t focusing on Billy or me but were far away, transported, like he couldn’t see the living room or anything around him. The trembling began to increase. Standing next to him, I could feel the heat radiating off of his body.

“Bella, get out of here. Now,” Billy’s voice was low and cautious.

“No, something’s wrong with him, we have to call for help!” I yelled.

“Bella! Go! Get away from here as fast as you can!” Billy was the one yelling now. He didn’t look scared, just intense. This must have been it, the thing that all of the secrecy had been building up to, the thing that Billy had been waiting for, and I’d be damned if I was going to miss it. I was frozen in place, watching Jacob continue to shake.

And then he exploded.

[littlesneezer18]

OOOOO! Wonderful progression! Can't wait for more!

[Cerulean Flower]

Ooooh, I agree with littlesneezer18. This update is great. More please? ^^

[ArenGoLucky]

GAH! this is wonderful. i am riveted! keep it up...

[Weirdo Girl]

AHHHHH! you can't stop there!

love it...

Mod Note: Merged posts ~Mute

[peach2218]

so good!! Can't wait for the next part!!! AHHHH

[mysterysneezer]

i LOVE this story!!!!! you're such a great writer

you HAVE to continue this!!!! i just might die if you dont

Mod Note: Merged posts ~Mute

[Guest SwedishDoll1]

You are an amazing writer! I love Jacob so this is so great! I had to say I sneezed reading this lol!

[mysterysneezer]

PLEEEEEEAAAASEEEEEEEE CONTINUE!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'LL BE SAD IF YOU DON'T :'(

[Guest Sunsprite310]

Finally, another part to this story. Sorry, this one's short and there's no sneezing in it, it's definitely a transitional chapter, but I hope you like it anyway. I promise the next part is on it's way and I'll make up for the lack of sneezing. Enjoy!

Part 7

I woke up in a daze, unable to see or hear anything properly. It was dark and my eyes were blurry, but I could see the shifting shadows of people standing nearby. The voices were hazy and hard to understand, and the words seemed to reach me slowly. I sat up and felt a wave of dizziness overtake me. I closed my eyes again and then opened them, blinking, trying to let my eyes adjust to the lack of light in the room. What had happened? Where was I?

“Bella. Good. You’re awake.”

Billy and Harry Clearwater came into my view just then. A light was flipped on and I could look around properly.

I was in the Blacks’ living room, on the couch. As I comprehended this the afternoon came flooding back to me and sent another wave of dizziness rushing over me. I gasped as I tried to remember the exact details. Jacob and I were going to go riding, but Jacob was sick, something was wrong with him and Billy wouldn’t get him help. And then he had started to shake…

It was hard to know what was real and what was a dream. I remembered dreaming strange things…Edward running through the forest, faster than humanly possible, running to find me, because I was lost in the deepest depths of the trees and it seemed like no one would ever find me again, and the only hope was the moon above me…and giant, massive shapes moving through the trees…and Jacob had—

But that was part of the dream too, it had to be. But then, where was Jacob?

“Where’s—“

“Do you remember what happened, Bella?” Billy asked, before I could get my question out.

“I…I’m not sure,” I said, becoming more confused by the minute.

“You passed out. Been out for about half an hour. Have you eaten enough today, or had enough to drink? Were you tired?”

“I—I don’t think so…I don’t know,” I answered, my mind still on the dream, trying to sort out the facts of what had really happened. The part where Jacob had—everything seemed so real—but it was impossible, I knew that, of course it could never happen.

“Billy, where’s Jacob? Is he okay?”

“He’s uh…He’s in his room, resting,” said Billy hesitantly.

“Can I go in and see him? I won’t wake him, it’s just, it seemed like something was seriously wrong before and I need to know he’s alright.”

“He’ll be fine, he was feeling much better after you fainted. He, uh, said he’d call you when he got the chance. Now, maybe you should be heading home, if you’re feeling ok. Don’t want to expose you anymore to whatever Jacob’s got.”

“Billy, you know what’s—“

“Harry will drive you.”

I knew that Billy had cut me off purposely, but I was too tired to argue. My brain was muddled and confused, still wrestling with the truth. I pictured my warm bed at home and thought that maybe I would be able to piece everything together better with a good night’s sleep.

“I have my truck here.”

“Harry said he’d drop it back to your place tomorrow, when Seth can go with him. Don’t want you driving after what just happened. Thanks for looking after Jake today. Bye, now.”

And he rolled away into the kitchen. I thought about Jacob, how Billy had been expecting all of his symptoms, how he hadn’t wanted to call a doctor or do anything, and I hoped that Jake really was sleeping it off in his room right now.

I thanked Harry for the ride and stumbled, exhausted, to the front door.

“Bells? That you?” Charlie called from the living room.

“It’s me, Dad.”

“I can usually hear that truck from a mile away. What happened?”

“Uhm…Harry Clearwater gave me a ride. I’m really tired and I didn’t feel up to driving.

“Oh, that was nice of him. But I would have thought Jacob would have wanted to have driven you.”

“Yeah, he would have, but he wasn’t feeling well tonight. Anyway, I’m gonna head to bed, I’ll see you in the morning. Night, Dad.”

“Night, Bells.”

The minute my head hit the pillow I was asleep, the same dark, massive shapes moving through my dreams.

***

For the weeks after the incident at the Blacks’ I waited impatiently for Jacob to call me. I needed my personal sun. Without Jacob around, I was afraid I was reverting back to the zombie I had been before. I called his house several times and each time Billy told me that he was feeling better and that he had gone out with friends. I couldn’t believe that Jacob would abandon me like this. I needed answers. I resolved that if Jacob hadn’t called me by the next day, I was going over there. I would stake out for him if that’s what it took.

[Weirdo Girl]

Love it!

Can't wait for the next part!

[musiclover90]

I love Twilight fics!