Disclaimer:- All of the Twilight characters obviously belong to Stephanie Meyer and I am merely borrowing them for the duration of the story. Any extras I introduce are all mine.

The story is written from Jacob's point of view throughout unless otherwise stated and is more closely related to Twilight events than any of my recent works, although there are also some very big differences! For instance, Edward and the Cullens never left Forks and broke Bella's heart, Bella didn't fix bikes with Jake to cheer herself up or perform crazy stunts to conjure up Edward and Edward never went to the Volturi with the intention of dying either. Some scenes you'll recognise, some you certainly won't. Hope you enjoy :o)

"UNITED WE FALL" WON 9TH PLACE IN THE TOP 10 FAVOURITE FICS COMPLETED IN JANUARY 2013 ON TWIFANFICTIONRECS.

CHAPTER ONE

'I am a freak. How could this happen to me? Isn't it bad enough that I have to be a shifter, intended to protect the tribe from vampires? My whole life has turned into a fairy story.'

It had all begun to happen a couple months after my sixteenth birthday. Prior to that I had to watch one of my best friends pull away from me for no apparent reason other than that he would rather spend time with Sam Uley and his sidekicks. Now suddenly I was one of them, without any choice in the matter and I understood at last what had happened to Embry. It was my destiny, thanks to my great grandfather, the last great Alpha and I was forced to follow in his footsteps. The only thing I had been able to refuse was the Alpha role and I happily left that to Sam. I didn't want the responsibility of leading the pack on top of everything else. Quil, Leah and Seth had all followed suit shortly after and the pack was eight strong.

I could have gotten used to the fact that I frequently turned into a russet coloured wolf the size of a horse and ran around at night with the rest of the pack, patrolling the area for vampires and sleeping away half the day in my bunk. But the Imprinting part? That made me want to run away and never come back. When Sam first talked to me about it, I had some hope. I'd been crazy in love with Bella Swan for months, despite her morbid fascination with Edward Cullen, who had turned out to be a vampire - one the wolves can't touch because of a treaty between the Cullens and the pack. With my new found status as a wolf I had convinced myself that it would only be a matter of time before I Imprinted on her and the pull of it would make her turn her back on him and fall into my arms. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

It happened out on the road that led to the cliffs. I had been waiting for Edward to bring her to me so she could spend the day under my protection. With the threat of unknown vampires she was better off with me while Edward and the others searched for the enemy and hunted. Even though I was in effect helping Edward in order to keep her safe, it didn't stop the pair of us hating each other. I hated him because Bella wanted him and he hated me because I wanted Bella and did my best to annoy him at every opportunity. Now was no exception. I purposefully wore only my cut-offs, omitting my usual t-shirt in order to show off as much of my body as possible. I'm not a vain guy, but I can't deny the facts. I am a hell of a lot fitter than Edward and knowing Bella was going to spend hours in my company, with me half-naked, would get under his skin. I couldn't help myself and I leaned against the Rabbit with my arms folded, biceps bulging, sucking my breath in to make my prominent abs even more obvious, my pants hanging low on my hips as his Volvo pulled up a few yards away.

Bella and Edward both got out of the vehicle and he glared daggers at me immediately, muttering something to Bella about me not owning a shirt. I snorted quietly and brought to mind a picture of Bella in the car with me, unable to keep her eyes off of my chest, perhaps feeling cold in the chilly weather and snuggling close to me to get warm, her hand tracing the shape of my pecs. Her touch would make me hard and maybe if I was lucky her hand might slide lower and rest on my stomach, mere inches from my cock. Edward could read minds and I bit my lip to stop myself laughing aloud as he clenched his fists and audibly ground his teeth together.

My eyes were mostly on Bella and suddenly I was determined that it would happen right then with him having to watch; I would Imprint on her and she would fall into my arms and tell him to go back to hell where he came from. I fixed my eyes on hers and willed it to happen as she walked towards me, even though Sam had told me more than once that fate chose a wolf's mate for it and that longing for it was a waste of time. Of course it didn't work then the same way it hadn't worked any of the other times I tried, perhaps because I was struggling to keep my mind closed off so that Edward wouldn't catch my thoughts this time. I kept my disappointment in check with difficulty and wound him up further by calling her 'beautiful' and pulling her in for a hug, crushing her against my naked torso. I smirked at him over her shoulder and lifted my eyes to his face, amused by his anguished expression. He hated seeing Bella close to me and when I met his eyes they rapidly turned from gold to black...and sucked me in.

I let Bella go quickly, focusing my mind on her and her alone as I turned away abruptly and opened the car door for her. I pictured myself taking her to the council meeting that night, sitting close together by the bonfire, my arm around her, listening to Dad talk, maybe giving her a kiss now and then. Edward seethed, threw himself into the Volvo and tore away with a screech of tyres and I allowed myself a tiny amount of relief. He didn't know. I ran around to the other side of the car, slid in and started the engine. As I began to drive my thoughts came at me with full force.

'I Imprinted on Edward Cullen! How can that possibly be good for anyone? For me...for him...for the pack. Why in hell would a wolf Imprint on a vampire? They don't need protection or support; they certainly don't need...love. Fuck. Don't even think that. Don't think about it at all. I can't ever let anyone find out. The pack would laugh their asses off or shun me, the Cullens would be horrified and Bella...shit, the utter devotion I felt for her has already started fading. Was that the point? Did this happen so I would get over her because I have no hope in her loving me the same way? But how does that benefit Cullen? He won't want this any more than I do. How in the hell could my stupid brainless wolf consider a male vampire a suitable mate? Jesus Christ!'

"Jacob! Look out!"

Bella's voice startled me out of my panicked thoughts and I slammed my foot onto the brake, wrenching the wheel over to the right and narrowly missing the oncoming and loudly honking sixteen-wheeler. I had drifted over the centre line of the road and almost wiped us out. Now my heart banged erratically against my ribs and I halted on the shoulder, wiping my sweaty palms on my pants. I could have killed us both. All I could think at that moment was that if only I had been on my own, it would probably be better for everyone if I just let the truck take me out.

"Jake, what is wrong with you?" Bella cried, touching my shoulder and shaking me.

"Sorry...um...I got distracted for a minute."

"Distracted? What are you thinking about? Do you want me to drive?"

"No, it's fine...I'm fine. Sorry." I pulled myself together and told myself not to think about it...him.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." I mentally shook myself and shifted the car into gear again. I was intending to take Bella back to my place for a while so I could fit some new parts I had bought for the Rabbit while she kept me company. I had planned to order a pizza and talk to her, make her laugh, try to get closer to her, maybe make a move at long last. I glanced sideways at her as I drove - her long dark hair framing her face, big eyes watching the road, teeth biting her lower lip in that cute way she had. She was beautiful, sweet, the love of my life. I still wanted her. I wanted her in my arms, kissing me, loving me...no I didn't.

I realised with a shock that the way I had felt about her was already changing to the platonic feelings of a friend and I was at a loss as to how to deal with what had just happened. How in the hell could I go through the rest of my life keeping my mind closed off to the pack every time we phased? They would be horrified if I let them find out and it was only a mercy that the pack mind wasn't active when we were in human form. As it was, I would still have to keep myself from thinking about it when I was anywhere near Edward. He would just love that. After the months I had spent tormenting him with my closeness to Bella, amusing myself by purposefully thinking inappropriate things about her in his presence, I knew he would just love to get his own back by rubbing my nose well and truly into this sickening twist of fate. As for the Imprint itself and what it meant - I resolved not to even consider that, for my own sanity as much as anything else.

As planned, I spent the whole day with Bella. I worked on the car while she chatted and passed me tools. She talked about school and Charlie and the imminent threat of vampires rather than harping on about Edward, much to my relief and it helped to keep my mind off things at least a little. However, I was relieved when darkness fell and the time came for me to take Bella to the council meeting. It was the first for Quil and the Clearwaters and we all sat around the bonfire listening to Dad recite the story I had heard myself a few weeks back, of our ancestors and how the treaty was originally formed with the Cullens, or 'cold ones' as they were known then.

'I wonder what Edward's doing?' I imagined him racing through the forest in pursuit of some sort of prey; perhaps an elk...or a mountain lion...or a person. I shuddered. No, maybe not that, the Cullens were 'vegetarians'. His golden eyes came to mind, filled with anger as usual.

"Stop it," I muttered under my breath.

"Did you say something?" Bella whispered.

"No."

I forced myself to concentrate on the story again, but suddenly it seemed impossible to shut him out of my mind completely and I recalled what Sam had told me about Imprinting. A wolf who had Imprinted, as Sam and Jared both had now, would find that their mission in life became making their Imprint happy, supporting them, protecting them, making sure they appealed to that person in every way. When they were separated from their Imprint for any length of time, they would begin to feel physical pain.

"Fuck," I muttered. How the hell was I going to get around that?

"Jake, what's wrong with you?" Bella whispered again.

"Nothing," I hissed.

"Jacob, I know you've heard this story before, but Bella and the three newest pack members haven't, so please have the courtesy to stay silent and not spoil it for them," Dad said firmly.

"I'm sorry, Dad."

I hung my head and squeezed my eyes shut. An image of Edward immediately invaded my mind, glowering at me. His face was almost as pale as the white shirt he was wearing, golden eyes flashing, his ridiculous hair all over the place. I opened my eyes again and tried to force him out of my thoughts, but he wouldn't go. My mind continued to wander as Dad went on with the story.

The Imprintee usually felt the pull of it - Emily and Kim both did. Did that mean Edward would feel it too? Even if I kept it from him, would he guess? If he was receptive to it, what then? The thought of him getting anywhere near me repulsed me. In effect he was dead - cold, hard flesh with no heartbeat. I Imprinted on a corpse...a male corpse. My gorge threatened to rise and I swallowed hard. Why would fate do that to me? I wasn't interested in guys, not even a little bit. In all honesty, I'd only just started paying attention to girls when Bella came back to Forks and she was the only one I had ever imagined kissing and making love to. Now thinking about her in that way was like fantasising about Rebecca or Rachel. I clenched my teeth and gulped again.

'Why did this have to happen to me?'

The rest of the evening passed slowly and I was glad when the meeting came to an end. I wanted nothing more than to be alone, but I still had to drive Bella back to her house in Forks where Edward would be waiting to keep watch through the night. We travelled mostly in silence now, Bella tired and yawning after the long day and me tense at the prospect of seeing Edward again, even if it was only for a few seconds before I took off. I would be able to suppress the thoughts I didn't want him to pick up on as I had earlier, but what worried me more was the fact that my heartrate was speeding up as I got closer to where he was. I hated the position I was in and I had no idea how I was going to deal with it for...the rest of my life, I supposed. It wasn't like I could even talk to Dad or Sam about it and get their advice. I could imagine the conversation.

"Hey, Sam, I Imprinted on Edward Cullen."

"What the fuck? Jacob, you freak!"

"What can I do about it?"

"Nothing. You're stuck with him."

Well, perhaps it wouldn't go quite like that - Sam was pretty sympathetic when he needed to be - but I didn't want him knowing about this. Once he knew, the rest of the pack would, and then Emily and Kim, Dad, Sue, Old Quil, and on and on until everyone on the Res knew that the great grandson of Ephraim Black was eternally bound to a bloodsucker. No way was I going to talk about it.

I turned the Rabbit onto Bella's street and approached her house, my mind already fixed on what happened at the council meeting. Edward stepped out from behind a tree as I parked and my rapid pulse made it difficult to draw even breaths. I forced myself not to look at him and leaned across Bella to open the door for her, pausing there with my arm practically resting on her breasts for a moment before I pulled back and waited for her to exit the car.

"Thanks, Jake, I'll see you tomorrow," she said and closed the door.

In a few more seconds I was driving back the way I had come. That hadn't been so bad after all and I relaxed slightly. It seemed I was pretty good at keeping thoughts hidden and so long as I could keep it up when I was with the pack and phased, maybe it would be ok. Who was I kidding? He was my Imprint. It had only been twelve hours, but if Sam and Jared were anything to go by, I would be longing to see him by morning and that I didn't even want to contemplate.

I slept fitfully that night and woke at dawn. As I lay there in the semi-darkness, my eyes still closed, my first thought was of Edward. Usually it was of Bella, or food, or Bella, but today Edward was all I could think about and I groaned aloud, burying my face under the pillow. Shit, it did really happen. He was my Imprint and I wanted to see him. I wanted to see him and hang out with him, like we were friends; I wanted to make him like me; I wanted to stop with the thoughts about Bella that I knew upset him so much. I saw it differently now - that anguished look on his face every time I pictured myself with my tongue in Bella's mouth and my hands under her shirt wasn't only rage, it was hurt and perhaps fear that one day she might want me instead of him.

"Oh, fuck," I moaned, folding my arms over the top of the pillow and pressing it onto my face. If I changed the way I behaved he would know something was going on and I would be in danger of letting my real thoughts out, which meant all I could do was continue to think about Bella in the same way when he was near enough to read my mind. I had to consciously hurt my own Imprint to ensure that no one discovered my secret, when really what I wanted to do was tell him I wouldn't try to take her away from him if she was what made him happy.

As for me - what would make me happy? There was no prospect of me being with Bella now, even if she did want me. Would the Imprint make me want Edward the way it had made Sam want Emily, leaving Leah for her even though he hated himself for it? The idea of me wanting to be with a guy was bad enough, but a leech - it didn't bear thinking about and for the first time I really couldn't see any point to my existence. Whatever happened to me, there was no chance of there being a satisfactory outcome. Fate had screwed me over and there wasn't a damned thing I could do about it.