(((Dedication: Dedicated to Stephanie Meyer. Eat more Cheetos, lady.

Summary:

Jacob imprints. Edward slips up. Maria returns. Bella snaps. The world is spinning much too fast for our favorite immortals to keep up with, and unfortunately for everyone, it may just be spinning to a stop...

Disclaimer: I own Edward. Yes, that's right, I do. (drags Edward off and is later sued) Okay, okay, fine... so I don't own Edward. I think you know what's mine and what's not. ...and, uh, Jacob's mine. (tries to drag Jacob off and is sued again) Okay, fine!

Info: romantic Twilight series; the timeline is a little skewed, but it generally takes place after "Eclipse"; two OCs are involved; Bella/Edward, Bella/Jacob, OC/Edward, OC/Jacob, Sam/Emily, Jared/Kim, Jasper/Alice, one-sided Jasper/Maria (she obviously likes him)

Warnings: strong language, adult themes, dirty humor, spoilers, and extreme Bella-bashing

Author notes: Three things. Firstly, this was a joint project--as I'm sure my longtime readers can tell, since it's not really my usual style. Second, I don't know exactly how old each of the Cullens are, so they're just old enough to fit (like having been around in the Titanic's time).

One last thing...

0_0 The Mary-Sueness. It burns!!!)))

Silence in the Night

By: EverAfter-Silence and Tjix

Chapter One: Accidents

He ran.

He ran to escape—to escape everything; the memories, the pain, the lingering love. He ran to escape them.

He ran to escape her.

He didn't think he would ever stop running.

Jacob Black, a werewolf of La Push, Washington, ran to escape everything that his life had thrown at him in the past year or so. The anguish in his soul was almost too much to bear. Even the exhilerating rush of wind blasting in his face could not drive the dizzyingly painful thoughts from his mind.

For half a day and an entire night, he had been running steadily, with nearly no change in either scenery or the smell that came with it. So when a new scent crept up on him, he pulled up short. He almost turned to steer clear of the confrontation he was sure would follow if he approached anyone, but a need for human contact ached inside of him. He was lonely. Reluctantly, he turned toward the scent.

Slinking through the trees, Jake slowed as he neared the clearing that was soaked in the smell. Worried about frightening whoever was in that clearing, he allowed his wolf form to melt away. He'd probably give them a heart-attack anyway, showing up naked in the middle of nowhere, but it wouldn't be as hostile a reaction, at least. Creeping closer, he peered through the trees to find the source of that delicious scent...

And he saw... her.

There and then, Jacob Black imprinted on a human girl.

She was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on. The terrible squeezing throb in his chest vanished. It wasn't healed; it was simply as though there had never been a wound in the first place.

She stood in the middle of the clearing, brandishing a slightly short, gently curved sword. As she moved slowly and carefully through the patterns of the exercise, her shoulder-length silken black hair flopped into her deep brown eyes. She impatiently brushed it back with a bronze-colored hand.

She was so small! Jake looked on in awe, his eyes traveling inadvertently over her tiny, pixie-like form. She was delicate and graceful, small-boned and lightning fast.

She was beautiful.

Nikita Shahar tucked another strand of ebony hair behind her ear, growling impatiently. She was considering just wrapping up today's exercise right then, but then she thought she saw someone—or something—in the trees.

Arcing her katana-sword up in a quick sweep to point it toward the motion, she called, "Who's there?"

Jacob peeked shyly around the tree, met her eyes, and could not respond. He felt ecstasy bubbling up from somewhere deep within him—some very instinctual part of him that he had only brushed on before.

Niki frowned at him. Was he what she thought he was? "You know," she called, "I've heard legends of the La Push werewolves, but I didn't believe them."

Do you now? he wondered. What gave me away? There were a few hints. The howling, the way he appeared from the trees, his obvious Indian heritage, and his lithe body, were some of them.

Suddenly, with no warning at all, Niki started to laugh. Jacob gave a start as her laughter pealed out, pure and clear as bells. The sound caused an odd, pleasurable squirm in the pit of his stomach.

"Do you need some clothes?" she demanded, still laughing.

"Uh..." His dark skin grew darker as a blush smoldered in his cheeks.

"Here." Sheathing her sword, she shrugged out of her jacket and tossed it to him. "It won't cover much on you, but..."

The tiny jacket didn't cover much, but he was happy for all the modesty it could lend him. "Thanks," he muttered, still blushing.

Her laughter fading into spiraling giggles, Niki asked, "Where you headed, werewolf?"

Jacob looked away, but he couldn't keep his eyes off of her face for long. "Nowhere in particular," he said softly.

"Well, I'll tell you what. Before you head off to nowhere, how about you head off to my house for some clothes." She shook her head. "It's hard to go anywhere, even nowhere, with no clothes."

He hesitated, then nodded. He would do anything if it meant a little more time with her. "Yeah. Yeah, that would be great."

Black eyes flickered in the newly unfolding light. Hunters moved on silent feet through the mountains; not bears or lions—no, these hunters were much more intelligent and much more deadly.

Vampires hunted in these mountains.

One of them, slinking like a panther between the gray boulders, lifted his head—bronze hair glimmering in the faint light—and sniffed the air. An enticing scent rode the eastward wind. A slow grin spread over the hunter's face, and then he was gone, flashing over the rocks in pursuit of the scent. The others had smelled it, too, but they would never keep up with him. He was the fastest.

Soon he had his quarry in site. Ah, but her scent was so tempting! His eyes glowed black as he crouched in wait for her.

Gracie O'Connor, glossy copper curls tucked into the back of her shirt, smoky green eyes focused, searched carefully for a handhold. Her fair, strong hand locked into the stone face and she pulled herself up. She crawled up onto the top of the ridge and clambered to her feet, brushing the dirt from her Levi Strauss hiking jeans.

She wasn't expecting to be tackled. It felt as though a wall of stone came crashing out of nowhere, slamming her to the ground. When her head stopped spinning and her eyes cleared, she gasped. Leaning over her, only a few inches from her face, was the most beautiful—and the most frightening—pair of eyes she had ever seen.

"Edward—wait!" Carlisle called. "Rein yourself in! Don't do anything you'll regret!" He, Jasper, and Emmett had reached the area, but had frozen a few yards away. If any of them tried to move in, Edward would bite her before anything could be done. Jasper shuddered, turning away. He could smell the blood from Gracie's many small cuts and it was drawing him back into his hunting frame of mind.

"Edward, don't," Carlisle warned.

Edward snarled at him, then leaned down over Gracie.

Uh-oh...

The last thing she felt before the burning started was his soft, cold lips against her throat.

Carlisle reached Edward while he was distracted. Latching both hands onto the back of Edward's shirt, he hauled him off. Edward twisted and snapped at him, but Carlisle very calmly set him on his feet and shoved him into Emmett's waiting bear hug.

"C'mon, Jasper," Emmett told the blonde. He stalked off, Edward still struggling in his hold.

Carlisle looked down at Gracie with pity. Her throat was bleeding profusely, and she writhed on the ground in agony. Even if he could suck the poison out—which he doubted—she would bleed to death if returned to human. The only way to save her was to let the venom run its course.

With a sigh, Carlisle scooped her up and started back toward the mansion.

"So, what's your name?" Niki's voice was muffled since she was up to her eyeballs in her father's clothes at the moment, searching for something that had a prayer of fitting her new friend.

"Jacob," he told her, watching in amusement as she tossed a button-up shirt at him. "You?"

"Niki."

"What's that short for?"

"Nikita. But I really wish you would call me Niki." She tossed him a pair of jeans. "Here. Those are too big for Dane. And..." She tossed him a pair of boxers. "You'll have to make do with those."

"Thanks," he told her. In just a few seconds, he was dressed. "So, who's Dane? Your brother?"

"My dad, but I don't call him that. It seems too much like a respectful, affectionate title, when I have neither respect nor affection for Dane. My brother's name was Nathan. He's dead."

"Oh," Jacob said softly. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too." Niki emerged from the closet. "He was the only one of us who was ever halfway sane. He got caught in the middle of a gang fight one day and they shot him."

Jacob winced at the clipped unhappiness in her voice. "I'm sorry about that."

"He's not. He always said he'd rather be dead than live the way we did. 'I'd rather be stuck in Hell itself than in this sorry excuse for a hellhole!' he always told me."

Grimacing, Jacob cast about for a subject change. "So, where is your dad—Dane—now?"

"Oh, probably out partying somewhere. That's what he usually does around this time. It's what he does most of the time, in fact. He's usually drunk when he comes home, so he never notices if I stay out late. That's good. It makes things easier."

Jacob scowled at the thought of Nikita coming home late at night to a drunk father who didn't care about her. "Why do you stay?"

She gave him a blank look. "Where else could I go?"

"Well, actually..." he hesitated a moment, then continued, "I was kind of thinking you could come back to La Push with me. Meet the pack, you know." Now that he was over Bella, he wasn't afraid to face them.

An incredulous grin lit her face. "There are more of you? Werewolves, I mean?"

He shrugged, pleased that she was pleased by the idea. "Yeah. So, how about it?"

"I just met you," she said, but with no real disagreement in her voice.

"You've known your dad for the past—how old are you? fifteen?" She nodded. "—fifteen years, but that doesn't mean he's better than me," Jacob pointed out. "Besides, if you can use that—" he pointed to the katana at her hip, "—I can't really be much of a threat, can I?"

Niki frowned, thinking, Well, yeah, he can—if he really is a werewolf, anyway. But aloud she said, "No, I guess not."

"So, let's go, then."

"What happened?" Esme asked fretfully, following as Carlisle carried the writhing Gracie into the basement.

"We were hunting, and she was hiking," Carlisle told her grimly, laying Gracie on a couch. "Edward caught her scent and went crazy. We almost didn't pull him off in time."

"Is he alright?" she asked worriedly.

"He's pretty upset. He feels terribly guilty."

Esme sighed and went back upstairs, probably to speak with Edward. Carlisle frowned down at Gracie, who was curled up into a fetal position, whimpering. He sighed and smoothed her coppery hair. "Poor girl," he murmured. "This is going to cost her everything."

Edward ghosted down the stairs to crouch beside him, staring anxiously down at Gracie's face, contorted in pain. "How is she?"

"As well as can be expected." Carlisle was watching the younger vampire's face twisting with guilt. "Don't feel responsible, Edward. None of us could have predicted what would happen."

"But I was the only one who attacked!" Edward cried, agonized. "I was the only one who lost control!"

Carlisle put a hand on his shoulder. "That's only because you're the fastest of us, Edward," he said softly. "The rest of us had time to pull ourselves out of the hunting stage. You didn't. And you were the most thirsty of us, as well. Lately you haven't been hunting enough."

Edward looked away guiltily. "I've been spending time with Bella..."

"I understand that you want to spend time with her, but not hunting often enough is dangerous," Carlisle reprimanded. "To your health and hers."

"I know," Edward muttered. An odd look crossed his face. "It was the strangest thing, really. If she had been any other human, and I was in my hunting phase, I would have looked at her as just another animal. But she was so much... more... than that. I wanted her. I wanted her so much. More than I've ever wanted anyone except..." he trailed off.

"Bella?" Carlisle prompted after a moment.

"Yes." Edward frowned. "I don't understand. Bella's blood sings to me. I almost feel like this one's blood does the same."

"Hmm," Carlisle mused. "Is it possible, then, that more than one person's blood can sing to one of us? That is unheard of. If it's possible, it would be a one-in-three-billion chance..."

Esme drifted down the stairs. "How is she?" she asked.

Carlisle sighed. "It's difficult to tell, at this point," he told her. "She may or may not live. All we can do is wait."

Edward looked down at the girl's fair face, thinking miserably, I don't even know her name. I just ruined her life—took everything away from her—and I don't even know her name.

Tromping through the woods, Jacob and Niki had nothing to do except talk. He was telling her everything about being a werewolf while she slashed through the underbrush with her katana.

"Imprinting," Jacob was explaining, "is what happens when a werewolf finds his or her soul mate. All I have to do is see her, and I know that we fit like puzzle pieces. We were made for each other."

"Sounds sappy," Niki remarked.

"Yeah. I know." He looked at her shyly.

Catching the look, she gave a start. "Is that what happened? I mean, when you saw me? Did you imprint on me?"

"Yeah."

"Oh." A red tint came to her bronze cheeks. "Does that last forever?"

"Yup."

Strangely, the thought of being with Jacob forever didn't bother her in the slightest. In fact, she rather liked it. No more Dane! Staying with a hot werewolf forever! And she did mean hot, literally. He was, what, one hundred eight, one hundred nine degrees? A werewolf thing, he had told her.

"So, how old are you, anyway, Jake?"

"In age? Or physically?" He grinned at her. "I'm sixteen, but when I hit werewolf maturity, my body took it all the way to twenty-five."

"Oh. Heh. So, when are we going to get back to the pack in La Push?"

"Well, I was in wolf form on the run here. In one night I ran about three days' walk for a human."

She sighed. "Well, we can stop at Forks on the way, I guess. And any other small-town pit stop we can find."

For three days, Jacob and Nikita walked. For three days, Edward kept watch over Gracie. For three days, Bella steamed and cried over not having Jacob or Edward.

Sam, lounging in a wicker chair on Billy Black's porch, looked up, suddenly alert. "Jacob's coming back," he said in wonder.

Leah's head jerked up. "What?!" she demanded.

Jacob and Niki emerged from the trees. Jacob, in his excitement, was pulling Niki along by her elbow. She could have broken his wrist in one swift movement, but she chose to allow it. Let him have his moment. He was happy.

"Jake!" Quil and Embry were on their feet first.

Jacob, already walking fast, started to run.

"Ow—Jake—elbow!" Niki gasped.

"Oh. Sorry." He released her and cupped her elbow more gently. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she grumbled. "Go see your friends."

He obeyed eagerly, flickering through the grass and screeching to a halt on the porch. There was a pause.

"Glad to see you came back," Sam said calmly.

Leah walked up to Jacob and punched him in the arm. "That's for leaving," she told him.

"Who's the ten-year-old?" Paul muttered.

Niki, walking slowly, had just arrived at the porch in time to hear his comment. She glared at him. "I'm fifteen," she snapped. "My mother was addicted to crack when I was born, okay? I'm a crack baby. I'm tiny. So what?"

Jacob, hearing the conversation, gently slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him in a protective gesture. She was so busy glaring at Paul that she almost didn't notice the motion. Sam, Jared, and Quil all instantly recognized the sparkle in his eye from their own experiences. Exchanging glances, the three wordlessly agreed to speak to Jacob privately later.

"Oh, stop that," Leah said sharply. "All of you. What's your name?" she demanded of Niki.

"Nikita Shahar," Niki announced, for once employing her regal full name. Then, deflating, "But I like to be called Niki for short."

"Well, Niki," Leah said, "I'd like to get to know you, then. I'm guessing Jacob already told you about...?" She trailed off, looking a question at Jacob.

"About you guys being werewolves?" Niki completed. "Yeah, he told me."

"Good. If you're going to become one of the Wolf Girls, I want you to meet Emily." Leah took firm hold of Niki's arm and started dragging her off. Niki looked at Jacob in confusion, but he nodded in approval. With a shrug, Niki followed Leah.

"I'm going with them," Paul said, already starting off. "That girl needs to be figured out."

"Me, too," Embry added, following.

This was the perfect chance for Sam, Quil, and Jared to talk to Jacob privately. They closed in on him.

"You imprinted, didn't you?" Jared asked.

Jacob blushed. "Yeah," he muttered.

"Why didn't you tell us before now? In wolf form?" Quil demanded.

"I wanted to tell you in person." Jacob frowned. "I can count the things I know about her on one hand, though."

"It doesn't seem to matter, does it?" Sam commented dryly. "Not when you've imprinted. It doesn't matter that you know nothing about her. It doesn't even matter that you were in love with someone else..." He trailed off, staring after Leah.

Jacob had a brief, guilty image of Bella. But she didn't want you anyway, said his cold voice of reason. Even so, he decided, she needed to know that he was back. And he should tell her about Niki.

Just a few minutes later, he was on the phone with Bella's father, Charlie. "I'm sorry Jake, but Bella isn't home," Charlie told him. "Can I take a message?"

Jacob thought about that. "Sure. Can you tell her that I'm back, and I imprinted? She'll understand."

"Yeah, sure, Jake."

"Thanks, Charlie." Jacob hung up.

About half an hour later, Bella stomped in the door. "Dad?" she yelled. "What do you want for dinner?"

"Anything's good, Bells. Hey, Jake called earlier."

Bella froze. "Jake?" she repeated. "As in, Jacob Black?"

"Yeah. He said to tell you he was back, and he printed something, I think."

Bella was suddenly in the doorway of the living room, her face white. "Jacob said he imprinted?"

"Yeah, that was it. Bella, honey, is everything okay?"

"Fine, Dad." She turned away. "Just fine."

Edward took the stairs to the basement two at a time. His ears rang with Gracie's agonized screams.

Carlisle looked up as he approached. "Is Bella out of the house?" he yelled over the screaming.

"Yes, I sent her home," Edward yelled back. "Is it almost over?"

"Almost, but when she wakes up, she's going to be thirsty. Has Emmett come back yet?"

"No, but he's only a few minutes away. He's got two young bucks. That should calm her down for a while."

Abruptly, the screaming stopped. Edward and Carlisle both looked at Gracie as she fell limp.

"Edward, go get Jasper," Carlisle said calmly, but with a note of urgency in his voice. "She's about to wake up and I want him in here when she does."

Edward vanished. Carlisle chewed his lip, considering whether to stay and risk the girl hurting him or leave and risk her hurting herself.

Gracie's eyelids flickered and she moaned. Then her eyes flashed open.

They were black.

Jasper flew down the stairs and skidded to a halt in front of the couch. He took a deep breath, and suddenly the air around him seemed filled with a sea of calm.

Gracie seemed unaffected, however. Her breath came hard and fast, her eyes opening wide. Her skin was white. Sitting up slowly, she looked around.

"Oh," she whispered, then, more frightened, "Oh!"

Emmett came pounding down the steps, two antlered deer slung over his shoulders. "Here," he panted, dropping them. He looked at Jasper. "Can you convince her to eat that and not us?"

There was no need. Gracie inhaled the intoxicating scent of fresh, warm blood. Her head spun and she swung off the couch, stumbling past Jasper, and fell to her knees beside the deer.

"Carlisle!" Esme called from upstairs. "Come here a moment, will you?"

His eyes flickering from Gracie to the stairs and back to Gracie, Carlisle called back, "Yes, I'll be up in a moment." Looking worriedly at Emmett and Jasper, he asked, "Will you two keep an eye on her? Jasper should be able to calm her down a little after she feeds."

The two boys nodded, and Carlisle ran back up the stairs. Jasper stared off into space while Emmett turned back toward the girl. Her eyes were slowly lightening in color from glittering black to deep, blood red.

Suddenly she crawled away and sat down cross-legged a few feet away from the drained bucks, eyes wide. Emmett took a cautious step toward her, but Jasper walked past him. He crouched by the girl.

"What's your name?" he asked gently.

She looked up at him with stricken crimson eyes. "Gracie," she whispered. "Gracie O'Connor."

"Gracie," he repeated. "My name is Jasper. This is my brother, Emmett." He gestured to Emmett, who came to kneel besides him.

"Hey, Copper-curls," Emmett said with his usual lopsided grin.

"How are you feeling?" Jasper asked Gracie, his voice still gentle.

Her breathing was quick and shallow. She gulped. "Awful. I feel sick and—and—" She looked nauseous. "I—I sucked the blood out of those deer!" Her eyes went even wider and she started to hyperventilate. "What is happening to me?"

Jasper concentrated, and a sense of peace flowed through the air around him. Gracie, however, was not calmed. If anything, she looked worse, since no one had answered her.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she whispered, "Please tell me what happened."

"Usually I would say you wouldn't believe it," Emmett said dryly, "but at this point, you don't really have any choice."

Jasper sighed. "You're a vampire, Gracie," he told her. "I'm sorry."

Gracie's eyes flew open. She looked sick. "Is this some kind of prank?"

"No prank," Emmett told her. "We were out hunting. Our brother found you hiking and he kind of... lost control."

Yes, she remembered that. The last thing she had seen before that burning agony was a beautiful, angelic boy's face. He looked about seventeen, maybe eighteen; bronze-haired, black-eyed, and pale as a ghost, he had glared down at her before leaning down to bite her throat.

"I can't be a vampire," Gracie whispered.

"It's not so bad. Really," Emmett consoled.

"But..." Her eyes filled with tears. "I don't want to kill people."

"You don't have to," Jasper informed her.

Before she could ask how that was possible, the door at the top of the stairs opened and shut. Edward appeared at Jasper's side.

Without taking his eyes off of Gracie, Edward said, "Emmett, Rosalie is looking for you. I think she wants you to help her with the car."

After Emmett had vanished back up the steps, Edward looked at Gracie anxiously. "Listen," he said in a low voice, "I'm really sorry. I don't know what came over me. I haven't lost control like that for a long, long time. I am so sorry. I know I've just taken your whole life from you, and if you can't forgive me, I understand. I do. It was a stupid mistake, and I'm really sorry..."

Gracie quietly rose and walked toward him. Stopping in front of him, she reached up to fist one hand on his sleeve and stare soulfully up into his topaz eyes with her garnet ones. He sensed that he could not make her let go if he tried—as a newborn, she was much stronger than he.

"I forgive you," she whispered. "Don't feel guilty. It was an accident." Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. "It wasn't really your fault."

Jasper closed his eyes, the sight of her tears tearing into him. Reaching out blindly, he touched her back with his fingertips, trying to give her some level of comfort. She lifted her free hand and latched onto his shirtsleeve, as well. Somehow she trusted them, vampires though they might be. She was being forced to begin a new, frightening life, and having these two to guide her somehow made the horizon seem a little less dark.

"There's only one problem," she mentioned, glancing at Jasper, who had opened his eyes again. "Whose blood do I drink, if not humans'?"

"My family and I drink blood from animals," he explained gently. "Not every vampire chooses our way of life, but those that do tend to get along better with humans."

Gracie chuckled. "I can understand that." She released both of their sleeves, locking her hands behind her.

Edward heard Jasper thinking, How strange that a newborn is so reasonable and in control. I had expected her to be snapping her teeth at us right now.

There was another strange thing about Gracie, Edward realized. He couldn't hear her thoughts. In a low, curious murmur—so fast and quiet that Gracie probably couldn't catch it—Edward asked Jasper, "Can you calm her?"

"I've been trying," Jasper replied. "She's not responding."

Edward paused for a moment, head cocked, eyes glazed. Then he shook his head. "Alice is yelling at me from upstairs," he told Jasper. "I'll be right back." He vanished up the stairs.

Just a few moments later he was back, with a puzzled look on his face. "Alice can't see her," he said simply, and Jasper's eyes widened with comprehension.

So, Gracie was immune to the gifts, too.

It was a little past twilight. The bonfire roared and those of the council—and the pack—talked and laughed. Niki, having been invited by Jacob, sat on a white driftwood tree near the fire, her legs swinging back and forth since her feet couldn't reach the ground. Jacob sat at her feet, facing the fire. For the past half hour or so, he had been bombarding her with questions about her life, interested in every miniscule detail.

"So, tell me about your life. The whole story." He leaned back against her legs and she smoothed his hair.

"Well, I was an accident, as so many babies are," she began. "One party with alcohol, one night of unprotected sex... BAM! Nine months later, there I was. My mom, Lisa, was on every drug known to man when I was born, so I came as a crack baby. That's why I'm so tiny." She gestured to herself. "I didn't know Dane, back then. My mom hadn't seen him since that one night. So she tried to raise me, on every drug known to man, with only my older brother Nathan to help. When I was three and a half, he went out and got himself shot in some gang fight. He died at nineteen. My mom tried to take care of me—she did a crappy job, but at least she tried, which Dane doesn't. Anyway, when I was five, she went and dumped me on his doorstep, then went off and killed herself."

She fell silent. Jacob, wincing at the horror of the story, reached up to pat her on the knee. Slightly mollified, she continued.

"Dane only took me in because the law said he had to. He taught me what I had to know to live and then gave up on me. He started disappearing for hours, sometimes days, at a time. A lot of the time he came back bad drunk and started throwing things and cursing. Of course, I wasn't stupid. I knew he'd probably throw me around if he caught me while he was in a state like that. Not too long ago, he got into trouble with some local authorities and decided to move out of state, dragging me along with him." She shrugged. "That's how I ended up here."

"Oh." He thought it would be prudent to change the subject from her family. "How did you learn to use a sword?"

She laughed. "Now, this is an interesting story. No one ever believes it. I met a foreign exchange student in elementary school. We were both seven, but his parents were martial artists and he had been training in ninjutsu for his whole life. He offered to teach me. All throughout elementary, then junior high, he taught me. Then, of course, we moved here."

"Where do you go to school?"

"Online. With my life, it wouldn't exactly be easy to go to school everyday."

"You have a tattoo on your shoulder—I saw it while we were walking back to La Push. Where did you get it?"

She laughed again. "Busted. You mean this one, right?" Since she was wearing a tank top, she twisted a little to show off her tattoo. It was an intricately done wolf, howling at the moon. "I went and had it done right before we moved. Ironic, isn't it? That I would get a wolf tattoo before going and learning about all of—this." She made a sweeping gesture that encompassed the fire and everyone around it.

"Very," he agreed, then fell silent.

She smiled. "What, no more questions?"

"I just want to look at you for a minute."

Oh, the way he was looking at her! Like a caveman looks at fire. Like he'd had his eyes closed for his entire life, and suddenly she came along and opened them. Like she was the most beautiful creature in existence. Like all he wanted from life was to follow her smallest movements and watch every expression that crossed her face.

Niki, so unused to attention—much less affection, and much less adoration—was touched by his tender devotion. She slid off the driftwood tree into the sand next to him.

Cautiously, hesitantly, Jacob wrapped his arm around her. Without a thought, she leaned into him, turning her face to snuggle into his warm chest.

"So," she began. "Emily's and Kim's lives as the girlfriends of werewolves, as Wolf Girls... they're not so bad, huh?"

Jacob shrugged. "I guess not.

Casually, Niki commented, "I wouldn't mind that life."

Pulling her closer, he whispered, "Really?"

"Really." Well, why not? she thought. He was in love with me at first sight. I'm allowed to be in love with him three days after we meet. Having made her decision, she reached her arms around his neck, pulled herself up, and kissed him softly on the lips.

Stunned, Jacob didn't react. Niki pulled away, arms still around his neck, and smiled. "Sorry, was that sudden?"

He blinked once, then gave her his crooked grin. "Would you mind doing it again?"

Happy to comply, Niki leaned up again. This time Jacob swept her up and captured her mouth in a hot kiss. She sighed in delight, tightening her arms around him.

At last he released her. They both felt dizzy and lightheaded. "Well, I was going to invite you to stay at my house," he gasped, "but I think I'd be too tempted."

"Oh, please, let me tempt you." She leaned up again.

"Niki, please," he whispered. "Trust me. Since I became a werewolf I've had a lot less... restraint... than normal."

Niki smirked and kissed his lips again. "Okay, Jacob. Anything to protect your virtue. I'll stay with Emily. She invited me earlier."

Jacob sighed in relief and disappointment. "That's a good idea." Then, suddenly anxious, "But you don't mind if I patrol around her house? Someone might come looking for you."

Her smirk widened. "I don't know if that's wise. You can get in the window, can't you?"

Jacob blushed. "Niki!"

She laughed, her smirk softening into a genuine smile. "I won't mind, Jake." She snuggled into his chest again. Of course, she knew that if anyone came looking for her, they would be human—and she could handle humans. But she wanted Jacob close to her. She wanted to feel his presence. "Yeah... I'll stay with Emily."

It had been a week and a half since Edward had bitten Gracie. Every other day or so, Emmett brought her animals to feed on. Soon her eyes had gone from red to gold, showing that she was a "vegetarian" vampire. Jasper still came to visit regularly, and of course she saw Emmett every other day, but Gracie was beginning to long for Edward—she wanted to see his face again, hear his voice. She felt the bond she had with him—forged when his fangs had pierced her throat—pulling at her heart. She was pining after him.

She had asked about him, once. Emmett wouldn't tell her much, but he did hint that any romantic interest she took to him would be deflected. She understood from his comment that he was spoken for. Gracie muttered that she hoped Edward's girl took good care of him; then she stopped speaking of Edward altogether.

After asking Carlisle's advice, Jasper—still the newborn expert—decided to let Gracie out on parole for good behavior. He had never seen a newborn acting as reasonable and calm as she did during that first week. Most newborns would be bloodthirsty and trying to kill everything within twenty feet. On the other hand, Gracie's most prominent quality was her way of standing, so quiet, unnoticed, and observing everything that went on around her. It was like nothing Jasper had ever seen.

Jasper, of course, was going to escort her on her tour around the Cullens' land. Edward, still feeling responsible for everything to do with Gracie, insisted on accompanying them.

Meanwhile, Nikita had decided to take a walk. She walked around La Push for a while, then went farther, almost all the way to Forks.

Edward smelled it first, so much more accustomed to the scent at this point than any of the other vampires. He stopped, frowning.

Jasper stopped as well, and Gracie slowed when she saw the look on his face. "What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"I smell dog," Edward growled, eyes narrowing.

Jasper gave the air a sniff. "I smell it, too. But it also smells human. I think it's just a neutral from La Push."

Edward nodded. Gracie looked curiously from him to Jasper and back.

Jasper looked pointedly at Edward. Understanding, Edward picked out his thoughts; Let's just wait and see how she reacts.

Edward frowned, about to protest, but he pressed his lips together and said nothing. He didn't want Gracie getting anywhere near anything that might set her off, but he knew that Jasper was the expert in this case.

It wasn't long before they came upon the source of the scent. A tiny pixie of a girl, with black hair and toffee skin, a sword at her hip, was standing in the trees, apparently just enjoying the quiet.

Gracie, eager to see someone besides Jasper, Emmett, and Edward—the only people she had seen for the past week or so—raced ahead to stop directly in front of the stranger.

Niki blinked in surprise and looked the girl up and down. The redhead was ghost-pale, with amber eyes and perfect white teeth. Comparing her against the legends that Leah had been telling her over the past week, Niki asked, "You're a vampire, aren't you?"

Gracie shrugged. "Yeah, I think so. I only became one a couple of weeks ago. What are you? You smell like human, but something else, too."

Niki chuckled. "That's werewolf you smell. I'm human, I've just been hanging out with those smelly dogs down at La Push."

So that's what Edward and Jasper were talking about, Gracie thought. Remembering her escorts made her glance around for them; they were nowhere to be found. Turning her attention back to Niki, she smiled shyly. "Are they really smelly?"

Niki wrinkled her nose, saying, "Most of the time. But only the boys. Leah keeps pretty clean."

Gracie giggled softly.

"So, I'm Nikita," Niki introduced herself. "Call me Niki for short. What's your name?"

"Gracie," Gracie said shyly.

Edward, watching from the trees with Jasper, suddenly stiffened.

"What is it?" Jasper asked urgently.

"I don't know—its thoughts are—" His eyes suddenly widened. "It's after the human," he breathed. Starting forward from the trees, he called, "Gracie! There's something coming—"

With an earsplitting shriek, a creature suddenly burst from the trees. It more or less resembled a cockroach the size of a horse. Its mandibles snapped closed an inch from Niki.

"WHAT THE—" Before she could finish her thought, Niki was bowled over and slammed to the ground by Gracie.

"Get out of here," Gracie told her, golden eyes suddenly cold. "Fighting will be that much harder if I have to worry about not hurting you."

"I can fight," Niki protested.

"Get out of here!" Gracie's voice was a growl, and the look in her eyes was almost feral.

Obediently, Niki struggled to her feet and took off into the forest.

Gracie turned to face the hideous beast with a snarl. It started toward her.

She leapt for it.

Edward and Jasper look on in horror as the two wrestled, trying to gain ground. They wanted to join the fight but were wary of the confusion; they might end up hurting Gracie more than the monster. Gracie should have been able to take the creature by herself—as a newborn, her strength was greater than the sum of Edward's and Jasper's—but somehow, the fiend was able to hold its own against her. At last, she locked it against a tree and crushed it.

Edward started toward her, but she turned on him in fury, eyes blazing. He held up his hands and took a cautious step back. Then her eyes lost some of their fire.

"Edward?" she whispered, almost seeming to deflate. He started for her again, but she threw up her hands for him to wait. "Don't come close," she said harshly, shaking her head. "I—I think I might attack you." She turned away, trying to gather her bearings and cool the sudden bloodlust that had overtaken her.

At last she looked back at them, her face drawn and weary, her eyes frightened. "We should go back," she whispered. Jasper gently took her shoulder and steered her back toward the Cullen house.

Niki ran all the way back to La Push's border. Before she even realized he was there, Jacob had caught her up in his arms and kissed her roughly.

"I was worried about you!" he told her. "I came back from a run with the pack to find that you were out of my reach!"

"What—what are you talking about?" she gasped, her head still spinning from her fear and his kiss.

"We have a treaty with the Cullens. Didn't Leah already tell you about this?"

"Oh—yeah." The treaty said that Jacob couldn't cross the border into the Cullens' territory, which was where Niki had been.

"What happened?" Jacob asked, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear and frowning. "You look upset."

"While I was walking, I ran into some of the Cullens, and..."

His face darkened. "Did they say something to you?" he demanded, gritting his teeth.

"No, no! The Cullens weren't the problem. See, while I was talking to Gracie..."

"Gracie?" Jacob interrupted, confused. "None of the Cullens are named Gracie."

"That's what she said her name was."

"Describe her to me."

"Well, she had pale skin, gold eyes..."

"Very funny, Niki. What color was her hair?"

"Red," Niki answered, confused as to why it mattered.

Jacob shook his head in puzzlement. "None of the Cullen females have red hair. One is blonde, one has black hair, and one has brown hair."

"Well, maybe there's a new female," Niki said with a shrug.

He looked at her sharply. "You say that so easily—like it's no big deal." When she gave him an odd look, he sighed. "The treaty, Niki. The treaty, remember?"

Dazed and breathless, Niki racked her brain. What did the treaty say about new vampires?

Oh. Right. No biting.

Muttering a foul word under her breath, Niki shook her head. "Come on. We'll have to tell the others about this. Do you have your car?"

He nodded toward his Rabbit, stalling by the side of the road.

"Great," she said. "Let's go. I'll tell you what happened on the way."

"Carlisle?" Edward knocked softly on the study's door and opened it. "May I speak with you a moment?"

"Certainly, Edward. Come in."

Edward walked to his desk. "I need you to draw on your vast stores of learning," he said, only half jokingly.

Carlisle marked the page he was on and looked up at Edward, lacing his fingers together. "Yes, what is it?"

"I was wondering if you've ever heard of anything like this." Edward described the creature they had seen, and the way it withstood Gracie's incredible strength. He explained about the beast's single-minded intensity, its simple thought patterns, and its goal to catch Niki. The whole time, Carlisle listened in silence.

At last, Edward fell silent. Carlisle considered for a moment, then leaned back with a sigh. "I'll have to consult a few reference books, but I'm fairly sure of what you've described. It sounds like a demon to me."

"A demon?" Edward echoed, brows furrowed.

"That's what they call themselves, although they are not demons in the sense of fallen angels, or spiritual servants of the devil."

"But what is it? And why would it be after a human?"

"They are a race of shape shifting immortals that vary in strength. The weakest are stuck with one shape as soon as they choose it. The strongest can change form instantly, even constantly, if they so choose. As to your second question, the demons can be summoned and bound to the will of those that summon them. I don't know why someone would be after that particular human, but if someone had a mind to, they could bind a demon to go and get her." Carlisle frowned suddenly. "Did you say you saw this 'Niki' while walking with Gracie?"

"Yes," said Edward, not understanding his sudden change in tone.

"And Niki smelled like werewolf?"

"Yes..."

Carlisle breathed deeply. "Then she might tell the werewolves about Gracie."

Suddenly, Edward picked up on his train of thought. If it had been possible, he would have gone even paler.

"We broke the treaty," he whispered.