It's Our Last Chance to Feel Again

JACOB

Everything around me was an unimportant blur. All I kept my gaze on was the woods, with the tall green trees I hoped would provide me with some comfort.

As my strides grew faster and longer, my shivers became uncontrollable. And with every step I took, my anger bubbled, trying it's best to surface, to turn me into the beast I was doomed to be.

It took all I had, every single strand of self-control to keep myself human and to be honest, I don't see why I bothered. I should just give up on the deluded hope that Katherine would finally realise she was the one I imprinted on.

Damn her slow mind.

Once my foot came into contact with the moist soil and the dead leaves on the ground, I turned to take one last look at the house I had just left before running further into the woods, my clothes being shed at the same time.

In all of it's clichéd glory, the woods was the place I considered home. I didn't need to fear the looks I'd receive, or to constantly keep in mind the normal human's pace. I was free; free to let those shivers consume me, and free to watch as I slowly gained consciousness of the other two wolves patrolling La Push.

Jake, you okay man?

Oh yeah, fucking peachy, Jared. Just fucking peachy. I thought, while running through the woods.

Was Katherine really that stupid? I mean, what other imprint could I possibly have? Leah? Yeah. Right.

Wasn't it obvious how I was always so sickeningly sweet? This whole imprint shit isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Not when your imprint is Katherine fucking Hithe. I swear, that person up there who decides what happens to everyone has an issue against me. It was a vicious cycle with Katherine. Everytime things started looking up, they always crashed back down. Always.

Or maybe it was just my life, and everyone that got involved in it just got dragged down along with me.

Well, someone's a bundle of joy today. Leah's voice irritated me. It was nothing personal against her, it was just her voice. The annoying high pitch, the rough edge her voice lacked- Stupid girl voices.

Girls suck.

Very mature, Jake, Leah thought, with a roll of her eyes.

I growled, Can't the both of you just stay out of my head?.

It's not my fault you decided to phase. You should've learned by now, Jake. The moment you phase, everyone knows.

My run came to a screeching halt. When Jared needs it, his brains never function. And whenever I want him to spout something that doesn't ever make sense, he actually teaches me things. Shows how much my life went according to how I wanted it to.

Grumbling, I thought hard and soon found myself with opposable thumbs once again. Pulling on my sweats, I strolled out of the woods, away from the place Katherine had first caught sight of me. Maybe that had been a sign all along; that fear-stricken face was clearly an indication that Katherine and I were clearly wrong for each other.

So then why on earth would fate pair me up with someone like her? Ah fuck it. Who the hell cares, anyway?

"Jake?"

"Kat?" I turned immediately, looking for the girl I couldn't help but love.

"Uh, no. Bella," The female voice spoke up, and it was then I realised why it had been so familiar.

"Bella! Geez, it's been long," I offered a half-hearted smile. What was with today and bringing back all the failures of my non-existant love life?

"Nice to see I'm welcomed," She joked, but my smile didn't move. It stayed exactly the same; no wider, no smaller.

When she realised I wasn't going to say anything, a frown formed on her face, "Is something wrong?"

Everything was wrong, I wanted to tell her. First she had to crush my heart, then she had to rub it in my face that she was with that stupid vampire, and of course I had to imprint on a girl who's so frustratingly slow.

"Yeah. No, everything's fine."

Her frown deepened. "What?"

"I meant that there's nothing wrong. Everything's great. Just wonderful," And to top off my very convincing response, I bared my teeth at her in what I hoped looked more like a smile than some freak showing off his teeth.

"Very assuring. Jake, come on. You're my best friend. I think I'd know when something's wrong," She gently replied, putting enough emphasis on 'best friend' to get me to back off.

Funny how less than a month ago, I'd have wasted no time in trying to persuade her that I was the one for her, and here I was now, not even affected in the least by the two words that would normally have crushed me.

Best friend. They told each other everything, right?

"I imprinted, Bella," I interrupted my thoughts before I could convince myself to keep that fact to myself.

Bella's face was emotionless for a while as her brain took it's time in understanding what I had just said, before it turned into one of exasperation. "Jacob. I love Edward, okay? Nothing you tell me is going to change how much I love him, so could you please just accept the fact that I'm marrying him?"

Maybe it was my fault that Katherine didn't understand that I had imprinted on her. Even Bella seemed to think that I still loved her. Or maybe girls were just slow. Or was it all just a pretense? To fake not understanding just so guys would have a hard time. Maybe that was nature's way of payback.

Well, if that was the case, I think I've had enough payback for a lifetime.

"Uh, Bella, I'm serious. I imprinted on someone," I repeated, my voice as straight and as strong as it could possibly be.

That seemed to do the trick because Bella's aggravated face soon turned to one of excitement and relief. At least I made one person happy.

"On who? Oh Jake, this is wonderful! You'll have someone, and I won't need to..." She cut herself off with a shake of her head before repeating, "This is wonderful!"

I raised my eyebrow, and took it upon myself to finish her unfinished sentence, "You won't need to take any of my crap anymore?"

"Not exactly," She smiled, "I have a feeling you'll still put me through some uh, crap. I just won't need to be in the middle of Edward and your bitter exchanges anymore."

I rolled my eyes and replied, my voice betraying a little happiness, "Bella, you aren't the reason we hate each other, you're just another factor. Our hatr- dislike for each other goes way back in history. You should know that."

Bella's smile widened at the change in my choice of word. "I know, I know. Vampires killing innocents. The Cold..."

Her smile was gone, and her eyes were distant. I swerved around to get a look at what she was looking at, but stopped short when I saw Katherine's face in a window, watching me. Why on earth did she have to be so beautiful? Sure, her hair stuck up in every direction, probably from all the tossing and turning, and her eyes were bloodshot. But her skin, the smooth skin that was pale in comparison to my dark skin, and those green eyes that always pierced through my brown ones. They added onto her unexplainable beauty.

Sighing, I turned back around to face Bella. Of course Katherine was beautiful, and completely out of my league.

There's something I never thought I'd say.

"Bella? Bella, you haven't got around to saying how those bloodsuckers are heartless monsters," I joked, in as much of an attempt to rid myself of thoughts of Katherine as to bring Bella back to reality.

"Jake, I completely forgot why I was here," She moaned, hitting herself in the forehead with her left hand.

"Thank you for letting me know that you actually wanted to be around me," I retorted. Yet I didn't feel the ache in my heart I know I would have, had this happened weeks before. I actually felt... Nothing. Was this what getting closure felt like? Because it sure as hell felt good.

"Right, because I'm likely to pay a social visit right after this," She scowled, bringing up her braced right arm to show me what she meant.

I winced slightly, trying to cover up the cocky smile that threatened to creep up on my face. I really was indestructible.

She sighed. "Jake, look, I know you've imprinted on someone else, and I'm really happy for you. But Edward kind of wants a word with you."

"What? Why? Man, is that bloodsucker really that worried? Just go back and tell him that I've given up already. Although I don't blame him. I would've been pretty concerned too, if my opponent had been me," I smirked, unable to control the cockiness bubbling inside of me.

Bella rolled her eyes, "Whatever, Jake. It has nothing to do with me. Wait no, it's got a little to do with me, but not in the sense where he's worried about me choosing you, because well, that's no longer valid, is it?"

"Would you mind making sense?" I asked, my eyes narrowed.

"I've figured it out, Jake. All those happenings. The thief in my room, those newborns, Laurent," She explained, too slow for my liking.

"What does this mean?" I pressed, wanting to know. No way would I let a filthy bloodsucker kill on our turf.

"It's Victoria. She's behind all this. Edward thinks it's just a possibility, but I'm sure of it," She replied firmly, standing her ground.

"When did you figure this out?" I asked, probably a little more calmly than I should have.

"Last night, after the graduation party." Her eyes were wide, and she sounded too shocked for my liking.

"Ah shit! I'm so sorry, I completely forgot about that."

She shrugged in response and lifted her right hand once again, "I don't think Edward would've liked it much if you had been there, imprint or no imprint. But Jacob, that's not the point. Don't you get it? Victoria is back."

"While I understand that you'd completely underestimate the bloodsucker's ability to finish her off, I don't think she's going to be able to survive the pack, Bella. One vampire against a whole pack? Yeah, it's highly likely Victoria's going to come out of it alive," I retorted, insulted that Bella actually felt the need to feel worried. Yeah, I may not be completely in love with her, but she was still, as she put it, my best friend. Wasn't looking out for each other what best friends did?

"It's not just Victoria that's in it. She's uh, she's recruited some people. Well a whole lot of people, actually," She started nervously, continuing only after I had pressed her, "She's got a whole army of newborns after me. And they're coming here. Edward's at the boundary line with Alice. They're-"

At that second, I heard no more for I had already taken off, back into the forest for a shortcut, and to make sure that I could phase without being seen.

"Oh, great, Jacob. Just leave me here!"

I barely heard Bella's angry yell for at that moment, all I could see in my mind was a bunch of filthy leeches making their way over and Katherine's terrified face from the day at the woods.

There was no way those damn things were coming near Katherine. Not if I could help it.