Steamin' at the Seams

"I'll meet you there," Sam says. Jacob nods and Sam jogs into the woods.

Jacob leads me to the motorcycle and silently hands me the helmet. He looks angry.

"Are you mad?" I ask, putting the helmet on.

He shrugs. "I just don't want to take you near them."

"I've seen them around town and stuff," I say. "It's not like it's the first time I'll have been around them."

"Still," Jacob says in a tone that signals the end of the conversation.

He gets onto the bike and I climb up behind him, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist as he kick-starts the engine. Weird as it may sound, Jacob seems to relax a little under my touch. And even though my organs function a little less every time I touch him, I feel good around Jacob. Safe. I feel like I can't get enough of him. Like he's a drug or something.

We make good time getting to the Cullens' house. Jacob parks in the driveway a few yards off the porch. Sam runs out of the surrounding woods as I stare at the house.

It's huge, old and majestic. White, with three stories and a grand porch. As beautiful as the house is, though, it looks sad. Like even though it's inhabited, it's yearning to be lived in.

"Ready to go in?" Jacob asks, wrapping his arm around my waist again.

I hug my torso as I say "Yeah, let's go."

The three of us walk up the stairs, Sam in the lead. The front door opens before he can knock. Dr. Carlisle Cullen is standing in the doorway, smiling warmly.

"Welcome. Come in," He says, stepping aside to let us in. Jacob hugs me closer as we enter the house.

The inside is decorated in soft shades of off-white. Edward, Bella, and Alice, all of whom I've met in town before, are sitting on the pure white couch, talking in hushed tones.

They stop talking when we walk in, and turn to look at us.

"Hi," Bella says.

"Hey Bella," Jacob says warmly. Bella looks a little confused, but then Edward whispers something in her ear and her face clears.

Why does that seem to be happening so much today?

"Shall we convene in the dining room?" Carlisle says.

We all walk into their gorgeous dining room. In the center is a huge antique table. The rest of the Cullens are already in the room. I've never met them though, besides Esme.

There's a beautiful blonde, so pretty she makes me want to cry. She's standing with her arm around the waist of a huge boy who looks like a human epitome of a bear. Alice walks to stand with a boy who looks very wary of us. She stands on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear, and he relaxes slightly, watching me and Jacob closely.

Jesus, why do people keep doing that today!

Carlisle motions for us all to sit down. He sits at the head of the table, and Sam sits directly opposite from him. Jacob sits on his righthand side, and I sit down next to him. Esme sits on one side of Carlisle, and Edward takes the other side, with Bella next to him. The blonde and her huge male counterpart take the seats down from Bella, and Alice sits next to me with the wary male on her other side.

"Let's start with introductions," Carlisle says. "Lacey, I know you've met Edward, Bella, Alice, Esme, and myself. Now for the rest of my family. This is Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper." He motions to each as he says their name. "Rose, Em, Jazz, this is Lacey. She was almost attacked yesterday, correct?" He looks to Sam for confirmation.

Sam nods. "Yes, she was out in the woods and he appeared and was talking to her when we showed up."

"Lacey? Can we hear what happened from your point of view?" Carlisle asks.

I nod. "I was in the woods, running, and he stepped out in front of me. I ran into him and fell down. I got up and he asked if I was OK. He stepped towards me, and I stepped back. I said I was OK, and he asked if I was afraid of him. I asked if I should be. He said yes. Then the pack showed up, and he ran away." I shudder at the memory.

"What were you running from?" Emmett asks.

"Personal conflict," I answer. Jacob frowns.

"After he ran, I assume you chased him?" Carlisle asks, directing the question to Sam.

Sam nods. "Yes. We followed it for about half a mile before Jacob took it down. We destroyed and burned it. I sent Jacob, Quil, and Embry back to check on Lacey, but she had already gone. We found her back at Emily's house, and told her everything."

"Alright," Carlisle says. "I hadn't heard that anyone we know as going to be passing through the area, so I guess it was a drifter. We'll watch out and tell you if we find any other nomads in the woods."

"We will do the same," Sam says. The two leaders stand simultaneously, and everyone else rises as well.

"Lacey? Can I talk to you?" Bella asks hesitantly.

I glance over at Sam, who nods. I look back at Bella, smiling. "Sure."

She leads the way into the kitchen and leans on the counter. "Are you OK? You seem a little upset, and not just by what happened."

I sigh, letting thoughts of my wound and Jacob and imprinting flood my mind. Before I know what's happening, I've burst into tears.

Bella looks alarmed at first, but then wraps her arm around my shoulders. Esme appears out of nowhere and soothingly says "There, there. What's wrong?"

I get my tears under control and whisper "I just like Jacob a lot, and I know he's imprinted on somebody, and the idea of him being with someone else is killing me. I feel like there's a hole in my chest; like there's acid eating away at my insides."

"Don't worry," Bella says, rubbing my back. Her voice is empathetic. "I've felt exactly the same way before. Everything will turn out alright."

"But how do I know that?" I sob.

Bella shrugs, smiling helplessly. "I just know. You just have to trust me.

I nod, sighing. "OK."

Esme produces a damp washcloth and wipes the tears off my face. "Alright, let's get you looking pretty for going back in there."

Once I'm properly composed, Esme, Bella, and I go out to the living room. Sam is waiting by the door.

"You ready?"

I nod. "Yeah, let's go." I turn to Esme and Bella. "Thanks."

Esme smiles a motherly smile and Bella says "No problem. Just remember: trust me."

I nod and follow Sam out the door. Jacob is leaning against his bike in the driveway. Sam jogs into the woods and Jacob watches me with a worried look on his face.

"Are you OK?" He asks when I've reached him and the bike.

"Yeah, I’m fine," I say. I pointedly take the helmet from the back of the bike and put it on.

He sighs. I can't tell if he believes me or not. He throws one leg over the bike and I climb up behind him, wrapping my arms tightly around him as he blazes down the twisty driveway.

I can't believe I just blurted out a bit of my personal life to two (almost) complete strangers. It’s such a random thing to do! They didn't take it bad, though. I guess that's a good thing.

Jacob parks the bike in my driveway. I blink, confused. I didn't know we were coming back to my house. I shrug it off and get off the bike, pulling off the helmet and running my fingers through my hair to fix the messy.

Jacob doesn't say anything as we walk into the house and down to my room. When we're sitting on the couch, though, he opens up.

"What did Bella want to talk to you about?"

I shrug. "She thought I looked a little upset. I told her it was just everything that happened yesterday."

"Are you sure you're not upset?" He asks, looking concerned.

I nod, putting a convincing expression on. "I'm fine. I promise."

What a little liar.