Psst...Psst!

Hello there. You thought this story was over, am I right? Well, I've decided to pull a Stephenie Meyer on all of you and put up a preview chapter for the upcoming New Moon: Reversed Roles. Hehe, I'm practically giddy with excitement :)

So, here it is: The ultimate Preview chapter, which for the record, is the longest chapter I've ever written for any of my fanfiction stories. Enjoy :)

~Geneth

Maybe it was because I had watched too much television the night before, or maybe it was because I was spending every breathing hour with my boyfriend but, for some reason, I was dreaming that I could see ghosts.

I was sitting on a plush white armchair, sitting directly across from my dead grandmother. She and I were both dressed in plain white gowns, facing each other with surprised expressions on our faces. Grandma hadn't changed since I last saw her nearly five years ago. Her long white hair, nearly blending in with her delicate dress, was up to her waist. She had refused to cut it and had forbidden me from cutting my own before she died. Her face was soft and papery, wrinkled with thousands of laugh lines and ceases in her skin.

I smiled at her, pleased to finally see her again, and she twisted her lips into a half-smile at the same time. I wanted to ask her something, something about where we were now and how had she been, and she opened her mouth as well. We both paused, embarrassed and waiting for the other to go first.

Suddenly, a soft playful growl sounded from beside me.

We both jumped in unison. The growl was familiar to me, one that I heard when he was in both human and wolf form. We turned to see a beautiful boy sauntering over to us, his glorious amber eyes full of life. Great, now I had to introduce my dead grandmother to my boyfriend, the love of my life and my guardian wolf.

Jacob, my Jacob.

He stopped next to me, resting his hand on the back of my chair. He cocked his head to the side, staring at me and then my grandmother in the mirror. And then, with no warning beforehand, Jacob shifted into a large russet-brown wolf, one that looked at the world through different eyes. Full of panic, I turned to my grandmother, and saw that on her face was a matching look of shock. Her brown eyes seemed to widen as she looked at me, with mixed emotions I couldn't read.

The wolf strolled up next to me, and sat obediently next to my leg. I raised my hand and stroked the fur on his back gently, the motion soothing me. I looked up to my grandmother, waiting to see her scared and possibly disgusted expression.

But her face surprised me. Instead of the feelings I thought I would see, her delicate features were twisted into a face of almost guilt. Her eyes pleaded with me to be silent about something I couldn't see. One of her arms was outstretched, and her hand was moving up and down over and over again, as if it was petting an invisible animal.

I blinked, suddenly seeing the strange metal frame surrounding us, the edge of it resting just a few feet away from me. I got to my feet, and my grandma mimicked my movements. We stepped towards each other in unison, step by step, until we were exactly five inches apart. Hesitantly, I raised my hand, as did she. Shaking, our hands touched and I was alarmed that her hand was cold, and felt like hard glass.

My body began to shake, and Jacob let out a whimper from the armchair behind me. Realization shot through my body like blood, and I looked my grandmother straight in the eye. Her eyes…they had always been a lighter shade of brown, not such a deep chocolate brown like…mine…

Suddenly, the mirror shattered, the other side giving way and glass flying in all directions. I shrieked and was thrown back, landing curled up in a fetal position with glass landing all over me. My body stung with the dozen crystals that dug into every inch of my skin.

Jacob walked towards me, back in human form somehow, absurdly handsome and forever eighteen. He stroked my cheek lightly, but suddenly, an equally beautiful girl with golden brown hair floated past us, her light purple eyes watching Jacob with lust in her eyes. Jacob glanced up at her, his eyes suddenly widening. He scrambled to his feet, running towards her and immediately linked his arm in hers. They started to walk away, looking like the perfect couple he and I could never be, when Jacob turned back and mouthed something inaudible with his perfect lips.

"Happy birthday."

I yanked myself upright, springing my body up from my bed. My heart was pounding louder and faster than a beating drum, and I could hear the blood rushing through my ears. My hand fluttered to my heart and I looked around anxiously. A dim light shone through the blinds of my windows, creating a dull glow that represented the sun of Forks, Washington. No fluffy white clouds, fancy golden frames, or plush recliners… Just a dream. Just a damn stupid dream…I told myself as I got slowly out of bed.

My alarm clocked buzzed quietly, and I hit the off button with a bit too much force. Next to the digital numbers was another group of flashing digits, this time announcing that today was September 13, otherwise known as my birthday. I dug my nails into the palms of my hands. I was now officially eighteen, the same age as my boyfriend and growing older by the minute.

Most people rejoiced when it was their birthday, excited about all the gifts they would get and the parties they would attend. I, however, started hating the coming of my birthday as soon as I met Jacob. I could feel it lurking behind me, the spirit of oldness creeping up behind me and slowly causing me to grow. Soon, in the stint of twelve months, I would be another year older.

Something Jacob would never be. That is, unless he found his perfect match.

His perfect match…We had spent most of the summer together, driving to Port Angeles occasionally with his pack and the wolf-girls, and I always kept him close, worried that we might bump into some busty blonde who would steal him away from me. Jacob responded to my new control over him with a simple shrug; he knew how much he meant to me and returned those feelings with emotions as passionate as my own.

I got ready for school in a daze, brushing my teeth and dressing in casual but heavy clothing. As I pulled on my faded pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, I examined my body for signs of aging or wrinkles that had so easily ceased my face in my dream. To my relief, I looked relatively the same as yesterday and the day before. It was just a dream, you dope, I reminded myself as I headed down the stairs and into the kitchen for breakfast.

Resting next to a bowl of cereal was my present from my parents. Charlie was already in his seat, and he looked up with mild excitement as I sat down and slowly unwrapped the package. A state-of-the-art digital camera and a whole USB drive to hold the pictures laid under the wrapping. I forced a smile at my father and thanked him, but Charlie just blushed and hid behind his newspaper. If I had been with my mother, she would've ordered me to try it out and do a bunch of things with it before she finally let it drop.

After I ate, I got into my like-new truck and drove gingerly to school. The image of Grandma's face kept appearing in my mind as I drove, and I nearly swerved out of my lane several times. I gripped the wheel with more force, turning on the radio and forcing myself to recognize the lyrics of each individual song. As I pulled into my usual parking spot and saw Jacob leaning against his glossy motorcycle, the feeling of dread that I had tried so hard to erase rushed back into me. Inhaling deeply, I turned off the engine of the car and slowly got out.

Jacob waved at me as I made my way towards him, and he straightened himself, brushing some dark hair out from in front of his liquid brown eyes. He was forever frozen in the picture of perfection while I was slowly turning into a withering old crone. And, in grease-stained jeans and a tightly fitting shirt, he looked more beautiful with every step I made towards him.

Waiting next to him was the rest of his pack, his almost family. Quil was sitting on his own bike with little Claire, his younger girlfriend, behind him. Claire had her arms around Quil's shoulders, and a pinch of jealousy crept up to my brain. She was already his perfect match and, in maybe two years, they would start aging at the same pace, probably dying together in their small but lovely home.

Also next to them were Seth, the miniature version of Jacob and the youngest wolf of the bunch, and Embry, Jacob's wingman and the biggest flirter of the school. The two boys had shared a bike on the way over, obviously saving gas. I scanned the parking lot for Leah, the only she-wolf of the Quileutes, and saw her pretending to read a magazine on a bench. As soon as I was within a few yards of the wolves, however, she got to her feet and stomped into the school. She was the only girl who hated me more than she hated life itself.

All of the boys were startling gorgeous, with smooth russet skin, dark eyes that glittered in the light, and glossy black hair that grew faster than an average human's. They all possessed the bodies of serious weight lifters, with hardened muscles and heights exceeding well over six feet. Leah was the female picture of perfection, with her cropped short dark hair and the kind of body you see on the cover of a magazine. Claire, who had no Quileute blood running through her veins, was a delicate darling, with light brown hair and a kind, heart-shaped face.

"Happy birthday!" they chorused loudly as I approached them.

I hushed them quickly, waving my hands around in the air like a maniac. I looked around, seeing with relief that no one had heard them say those dreaded words.

Quil raised a heavy-set brow curiously, exchanging a look with Embry and Seth. Claire, however, hopped down from Quil's motorcycle and stood in front of him with mild enthusiasm in her eyes. She was normally a timid girl, but when a stimulating event, like say prom or my birthday, came up, she turned into a bubbly girl who refused to leave me alone.

"We bought you presents! Do you want to open them now or later?" she asked eagerly.

"Never," I muttered under my breath.

Jacob chuckled, pulling me towards his massive chest and nuzzling the back of my neck. I shivered from head to toe at the touch. "You're so ridiculous, Bella," he said, and his breath tickled my back.

"I guess she wants to open them later," Quil joked lightly, massaging Claire's shoulders. "Did you like the presents from your parents, Bells?"

I managed a smile at the nickname the other wolves had given me. "How did you…"

"There was a mild storm yesterday," Seth explained, appearing next to me and giving me a warm birthday hug. That explained a lot; the Quileutes had the uncanny ability to predict the future just by looking at clouds during a stormy night. The wolf-girls and I were in-training to learn how to read them; Emily and Claire were pros while Kim and I struggled with just looking at them.

"I don't understand," Embry exclaimed, putting his hands on his bony hips. "Most people like celebrating their birthdays and getting presents."

"I don't like getting older," I mumbled, leaning my head against Jacob's massive chest to hide my blush. Jacob stiffened for a moment at my words, and then wrapped his arms around me, sending my heart into overdrive.

"But you're the same age as Jacob," Claire pointed out lightly.

"That's for now. But what about next year, and the year after that?"

Silence answered me. The wolves looked down with matching troubled expressions. It had been settled by Jacob that I was never going to be one of them, a she-wolf like Leah. Not only had Jacob firmly said no to the idea, but the Quileute elders recently told all of the wolves to keep close eyes on me, in case I did something crazy.

"What time will you be at Emily's house?" Claire asked suddenly, smoothly changing the subject.

I bit my lip. "I didn't know I had plans at Emily's. Besides, I have to work today."

Embry laughed softly. "Bells, we didn't even go through the school day yet, and you're so sure you're going to get a lot of work."

"I am," I insisted, struggling hard to avoid talking about the dreaded birthday party the wolf-girls had planned for me. "I also have to study for my History final."

"Oh please," chuckled Quil. "You're smarter than all of us combined, and I breezed through that exam yesterday. It was so ridiculously easy. You don't need to study for it."

"It's my birthday, isn't it?"

"I'll get her to you after we both study," Jacob told them, covering my mouth with one large hand. "I'm going to do some back-up studying as well, so she'll be at the house by maybe seven-thirty."

"Mmph hmm hmmm mmph hmm!" I replied, tempted to bite Jacob's slender fingers to get him to release me. It would be like biting a pencil made of steel, and he probably wouldn't even feel it…

"See? Bella's l-o-v-e-s the idea," Seth teased.

"We'll have fun, Bella. You'll see," Claire grinned as the first bell rang out into the air. "Ooh, we better get to class." We all started towards separate buildings, Quil walking Claire to her freshman classes while Seth branched off to his junior classes. Jacob kept one of his arms wrapped around me, holding both my bag and his over his free shoulder, and we walked slowly with Embry to our first class in the senior building.

It was amazing how Jacob's charms affected the receptionist of the school; he had smothered her with his eyes to let her put most of the Quileutes and me in the same classes. The teachers we received were almost always annoyed with us, and sometimes chose to ignore us unless we participated. The students, however, seemed to edge away from us with every passing minute. The Welcoming Committee talked to me only occasionally, Angela doing it easily while Jessica and Mike barely spoke without their envious stares.

As the day droned on, I thought of things I could tell them to get out of having to go. I could fall down the school stairs, something I nearly did on a daily basis, but Jacob would drag me there anyways. Any injury I would receive, Jacob would respond affectionately with me resulting ether against his chest or over his shoulder. There was no way out of this.

Teachers offered me small gifts because of my special day, mostly pathetic pencils with "Happy Birthday" scribbled on them or balloons to tie to my backpack, and I stubbornly refused all of them. It made me feel guilty that I was accepting all of these gifts, and by the gleams in the Quileutes eyes, my gifts from them were going to be more extravagant and with lots of bows and ribbons.

Growing up with a part-time teacher for a mother and a small town police chief for a father, I knew that money was tight and I didn't try to spent a lot. Most of the money I managed to make went straight to the bank, where it rested with a healthy growing percent of interest every month.

Jacob wasn't exactly a millionaire ether, but he still loved to spend lots of money on me. He didn't understand why I got embarrassed if he bought me a new necklace from Olympia or a dozen bouquets of flowers to decorate the small house I shared with Charlie. The other Quileutes showered their loved ones with thousands upon thousands of shiny objects, and it seemed like I was the only one who tried to give it back.

We went to our next classes, and I saw that Quileutes were showing signs of forgetting my birthday. I started slowly to relax, allowing Jacob to wrap his arm around my waist as we walked and letting him sneak kisses to my cheek and forehead when the teachers weren't looking. By the time lunch arrived, I was red from Jacob's warm touch but happy in a way.

Our new table was a long, wooden one reserved especially for seniors in the corner of the room. Down the middle of the table was an invisible line that separated us from the Welcoming Committee. On the stormy days when the Quileutes didn't go to school, conversation from their side of the table would branch out to reach Claire and I. The Welcoming Committee liked Claire, her soft manner and the way she helped them with the new senior Anatomy class, even though she was only a freshman. This was partly because Claire was a remedy genius behind the face.

As we ate, the boys clearing the plates before Claire and I could even take three bites, the main conversation was not of my surprise party but of the upcoming football game the boys were participating in against a neighboring tribe. The boys were serious athletes, and anyone who looked them in the eye knew that. Claire chatted cheerfully about an upcoming shopping trip with Emily to Seattle, and invited me along. I forced a smile, but secretly hoped Kim didn't want to go.

The easy-going Kim still went to a private school a few miles away from Forks High, and I rarely saw her, now that Jared had gone to Canada. She still came to visit Emily and the rest of the wolves, but something was missing from her. I think it was true happiness. Jacob had told me once that when the imprinted ones were separated, it was like a piece of themselves was missing. Kim was missing the piece of her life that was Jared, and it showed in the ways she spoke and acted.

The afternoon passed quickly after lunch and, after making sure Embry was going to safely drive his motorcycle back, Jacob walked me to my truck. He held the passenger door open for me, and I glared at him with my arms crossed against my chest.

"Hey, I can't even drive on my birthday? You must really love my truck."

"I thought you wanted us to forget it was your birthday," Jacob teased, placing his hands on his hips and mimicking me with a faux sour expression.

"Well then, if it's not my birthday, then I don't have to go to Emily's in fear tonight," I retorted.

He rolled his eyes and lunged forward, startling me. He scooped me up as if I was a child, arms under my knees and behind my neck. Despite my protests, he held the door open and sat me in the passenger's seat, holding me down with his right arm while he buckled me in. The wicked glint in his eyes only made him more attractive, and my attempts to escape were half-hearted.

After he closed the door and started to walk around the front of my truck, I quickly unbuckled my seatbelt and scrambled to sit in the driver's seat. Jacob opened the door and raised an eyebrow at me.

"You know," he said with a smirk, "I will still drive with you there." He climbed into the car, lifting me up with one arm and slipping into the seat. Gently, he placed me back onto his lap, triumphant.

"You're going to drive like this? You'll get a ticket," I commented as he started the engine.

"So? It's your car," he said, his smirk widening.

We speeded out of the lot, and raced along the road, driving quickly towards Charlie's house. I felt glad that the windows of my truck were somewhat tinted, fooling most of the drivers who stopped next to us during a traffic light. One elderly woman looked at us, rubbed her eyes with both hands, and stared up at us again. Before she could gasp, Jacob hit the gas petal and we speeded ahead just half a second after the light turned green.

Finally, we paused and Jacob swerved the car into the driveway of Charlie's house, killing the engine and putting the car in Park in the same motion. We sat in the car in silence for a moment, but then Jacob gently tilted my head up with his left hand, lifting and turning my face to meet his. We stared into each other's eyes for the longest minute ever before Jacob moved his hand, lightly stroking the edge of my face with his incredibly talented fingers.

"I don't see why you don't like your birthday," he said slowly in a conversational tone. "I'm lucky if I even get to celebrate my nineteenth one anytime soon."

"I-I-I…" I stuttered nervously, my heart thudding loudly simply by his gentle touch. "I'm a…I a…Wha'?"

"I completely and utterly understand," Jacob murmured sarcastically, placing his finger on my lips. And then, with a tender and caressing touch, he leaned in to close the distance between our lips.

Warmth flooded my mouth, causing my cheeks to heat quickly. I kissed him back eagerly, my teeth nearly crashing into his by the sudden movement. His tongue traced the outline of my upper lip, and I shivered with delight. We held the position for a wonderful eternity, before I finally couldn't breathe and pulled away, panting and sweating quickly.

"Hmm, consider that your first birthday gift," he said with a simper, opening the door with one hand and lifting me over his shoulder with the other. After scooping up our bags from the trunk, Jacob carried me inside, rummaging in my jacket pocket and taking my key. His fingers brushed my waist and thigh, and I let out a squeal, accidentally kicking the door open. He raised an eyebrow at me and entered the house, closing the door behind us.

"So, studying in the living room?"

"Hmm mmh," I replied.

"Okie dokie." He walked us to the living room, dropping our bags next to the coffee table and plopping me down on the couch. I bounced up and down from the high drop, and I leaned up to get to my feet.

"You want something to eat?"

"Sure. I'll have a large popcorn and a super-size Coke."

I returned with a tray with two tall glasses of soda and a bowl full of popcorn. To my surprise, I found Jacob sprawled out on the carpet, a book propped in front of him, and his English and History notes neatly stacked next to him. I swallowed hard, setting the tray down before I dropped it. Jacob looked like a model posing for Vogue magazine; all he needed now was a photographer going, "Work it! Work it!" and he'd be ready to go.

"So, French Revolution, huh?" His eyes flickered up to me, and I bobbed my head up and down.

"Yep. That's what we're supposed to study…" I sank to the ground, and he pulled himself halfway up, motioning me to curl up next to him. I happily obliged, snuggling against his chest and warming from head to toe.

As we studied together, munching on popcorn and sipping soda every now and then, I couldn't focus on my notes or the textbook; all I could feel was Jacob's touch, and all I could hear was Jacob's velvety, husky voice as it slowly read each word from the book. If he did a recording of the entire textbook, I would play it over and over again, just to hear his voice run over each word with such fluency.

"Ah, de Conseil des Cinq-Cents et Conseil des Anciens," Jacob read off his notes, saying the words as if he had spoken French all of his life.

"Oui, oui, mousier," I replied in my less that fabulous accent. I turned to Jacob, expecting him to guffaw at my mispronunciation but found him staring at his book with a curious expression on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing, Bella…It's just that the Counsiel is reminding me of the Témiscamingues."

"The who? Tee-mis-cam-en-goose?"

"Almost got it," he said with a smile, adjusting his position so that he could wrap his arms around my entire body while he leaned on his back. "The Témiscamingues are like the big tribal council for werewolves, meaning they manage all of the major wolf problems and whatever may come their way."

"Do they live in Canada too, like the Kitcisakiiks?"

"You paid attention!" he beamed, ruffling my hair teasingly. "And yes, they do live in Canada, Quebec to be exact. The only thing is the Kitcisakiiks live in Val d'Or and the Témiscamingues are in Norte Dame du Nord. In fact, do you remember the story of how Sam began to undergo transformation?"

I nodded. I could never forget that story, told as Jacob and I drove home together from Seattle. The sound of our voices in my truck, with the buzz of the silenced radio in the background, was a calm and soothing memory, and I often replayed Sam's story in my mind, trying to get a feeling of the emotions he felt.

"Well, before the elders confirmed that Sam was indeed a werewolf, they had to send him to the Témiscamingues to double-check. The Témiscamingues are a powerful people, ruling the entire werewolf population with an iron grip on everything done. Some wolves, after they feel they have endured enough, go there to seek retribution from the more than willing group of elders and wolves."

"Retribution? You mean…death?"

"In most cases, yes. Actually, if a wolf wants to die but won't go down without a fight, the elders hire wolf hunters or huntresses to finish the job quickly and efficiently."

A shiver went down my spine. "So it's possible that Syrah, Valeska, or Cain might've been hired to kill a wolf?"

Jacob shrugged. "Maybe. The elders tend to choose hunters that live close to their home base, so they don't have to go all the way down South just to find one. People don't bother the Témiscamingues with their troubles unless they truly have a death wish."

"Have you…" I hesitated, not knowing if I should ask my question. "Have you ever gone…?"

"I've considered it once," he admitted. "When I found you, beaten to death by the wrath of Syrah, and I was trying to fix you in that abandoned alley, the first thought that came to my head was, 'I want to join her.' Before Seth and the wolf-girls arrived to fix you, I already started planning how I would migrate to Canada and ask the elders to finish me off."

I pulled away from Jacob's embrace, staring at him with terror in my eyes. "Never go there, Jacob! Do you understand me? Never, ever, ever! Don't you ever let them take you away from earth, from me? Understand?" My last words broke off in a slight sob, and I collapsed on my knees, willing myself not to cry.

Slowly, as if he was trying not to startle me, Jacob sat up and crawled towards me. Once he was next to me, he gently placed his arm around me again and let me lay my head on his shoulder, my silent sobs shaking my body but not moving his. He kissed my head, stroking my hair while we rocked back and forth.

"You promise?" I asked in a small voice.

"I promise," he replied.

Suddenly, Jacob lightly adjusted my position, so that I sat cross-legged on the floor while he went down on his stomach to start cleaning up his notes. I blinked curiously at him, and he gestured towards the front door five seconds before Charlie opened it.

"Hey Jacob, Bella. I got food!" A large pizza box was in his hands, and he balanced it unsteadily with one hand as he hung up his jacket and gun belt. He peered at me. "Have you been crying, Bella?" He glared at Jacob accusingly.

I scrubbed my dry eyes, wiping my sad expression off my face and busying myself with tidying up my own pile of papers. "Oh, it's nothing. Just reading about Marie Antoinette gets me a bit emotional. Imagine, Dad; everyone in town rebelling against you and chopping your head off before you explain yourself."

"Thank you, Bella, for that lovely mental image," Charlie grunted sarcastically, shuddering as he disappeared into the kitchen.

Jacob chuckled, flipping his body to get to his feet. "Let's eat before you say something else discomforting," he teased, hoisting me up easily. The talk of our conversation on death seemed to be wiped clean, and I nodded, following him into the kitchen to eat.

As we sat together at the table, Jacob swallowing his three slices without even chewing, Charlie reminded me of a previous argument I had with the Quileutes. "So, you two have any plans for the evening?"

I opened my mouth to make up something, like how we were in desperate need of studying for History, but Jacob beat me to the punch. "Actually, do you mind if I take Bella to Emily's house? Claire's been planning a party for her for like weeks, and she would be disappointed if Bella didn't come."

"Sure, she can go. The game's on in a few minutes, so unless you want to listen to me ramble about the referee being wrong, you might want to go, Bella. By the way, when are Claire and Seth coming back up?" Charlie liked Seth, who was like the son he never had, but he loved Claire to a point where I felt like I was competing with her for his attention. She also always made her famous, homemade hot chocolate with extra cinnamon and nutmeg when she visited, and Charlie was badly addicted.

"Soon I think," Jacob replied. "Seth's been meaning to get his throwing arm back in shape before the game we have with another tribe, and Claire's been meaning to test out a new mix of spices to go with her drink, so you can expect them sometime this week or next week."

Charlie clapped his hands delightfully, like a small child. "Okay then. See you later, Bella. Oh, wait; don't forget to take your camera with you!" He breezed back into the living room, returning with the small digital thing and leaving as quickly as he had came

Jacob smiled triumphantly and, to get him back, I snapped a candid photo of his beautiful face. He blinked his eyes rapidly, rubbing them theatrically from the flash, and got up to put his plate in the sink. When I finished, and washed all of the dishes with the speed of a snail, he finally took my hand and led me outside to my truck. He opened the passenger door for me, and I got in without complaining, sulking slightly that I still had to come.

We drove along, passing by the La Push beaches that glowed slightly from the disappearing sun and into the woods to the group of Quileute homes that sprouted out from nowhere. I snapped away, avoiding conversation with Jacob while I worked. As the car drove down the road, Jacob cleared his throat. "I thought you might want to know that everyone is going to be there. Everyone."

It took me a moment to comprehend, and then I got it. "They're back from Canada?"

"Hmm hm," Jacob answered. The dread of seeing Paul, the angriest of the wolves, again made me uneasy, but it would be good to see Sam and Jared again. Maybe I could finally see the old Kim back. "Um, and Sam ordered Leah as Alpha to come too." He glanced at me from the corner of his eye.

I groaned, naturally. "She's going to make the party a living hell."

He patted my hand, steering the car into a parking spot directly in front of Emily quaint little home. "Don't worry," he said reassuringly. "She's on her best behavior, as is Paul."

I could see lights coming from the backyard of the house, and they got brighter as I climbed out of my truck with my camera. I let out a sigh, and Jacob smiled, wrapping his arm around my waist and leading me to the side of the house. Scattered flower petals led the way to the large backyard, and I gasped at the sights I absorbed.

Without decorations, Emily's backyard had only two trees on opposite sides of a largely fenced-in garden. However, Claire had strung dozens of multicolored paper lanterns –all smartly shaped like the outline of a wolf– across the trees and tied several balloons to the branches. A large table was set up in one corner, and it was piled with dozens of wrapped boxes, while on another table sat a elaborately decorated cake that smelled amazing, even from a few yards away. Emily's own recipe, I supposed.

The Quileutes were scattered around the yard, and they didn't see us at first. I took a picture of the backyard with my wide lens, and the wolves immediately craned their necks up at the noise of my camera clicking away, spotting Jacob and me at the side of the gate. Loudly, so that perhaps the people a few houses over could hear them, they let out a chorus of "Happy birthday!" I smiled, crushing myself next to Jacob and wondering if it would be okay for me to hide behind his massive frame.

Hugging me to his side, Jacob led me to a patio chair that was set up next to the back door. He sat down, pulling me onto his knee, as Claire made a few motions with her hands. The Quileutes understood, all of them going to the table loaded with gifts to fetch their presents. One by one, they stood in a line that looked more like a squiggly, and Claire pulled Seth, Embry, and Quil forward towards me.

"We saw this and immediately thought of you," Claire said sweetly, handing me a square shaped box wrapped with delicate brown foil paper.

"We had nothing to do with it!" Embry added with a smile, leaning down to give me a warm hug. Seth and Quil gave me a hug as well, and Seth tapped the box gently with his pointer finger.

"Open it up," he said encouragingly, and I obliged, ripping the paper off and gasping for the second time that night.

Directly in the middle of a bed of tissue paper was a small cellular phone, small enough to fit perfectly in the palm of my hand. It was a rich chocolate color, and on the back of the phone was a black stencil of a wolf howling at the moon. To my surprise, it buzzed suddenly, playing the song that I shared with Jacob, our special song. I peeked at the screen and the phone's screen announced that JAKE was calling me. I grinned, turning to see Jacob shutting his own phone with a smirk.

"Thanks, you guys," I said, giving them all another hug. "I love it so much. I hope you didn't go through any trouble…"

"Nonsense," Quil said with a smile. "We just had to wrestle with an middle-aged lady for the last one. Hey, if you look carefully at the bottom of the phone, you can see where she clawed her nails into it."

Claire smacked his arm. "Why can't you just say, 'You're welcome' like a normal person?" she asked, her tone only half-heartedly scolding.

They went off to the side of the line, and Emily, Jared, Sam, and Kim stepped forward. Emily handed me a large box wrapped in flimsy green paper, hugging me and wishing me a happy birthday.

As I accepted hugs from Sam and Jared, I couldn't help but comment on how much older Jared looked. "Did you grow?" I asked curiously.

"Yep," Jared replied, the familiar jokester grin appearing on his face. "Aging has finally caught up with me. I've grown half-of-an-inch since yesterday, and I think I saw a gray hair when I was spiking it this morning."

Kim grinned, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I think you look rather dashing."

"Course you do; you're getting old too!" He leaned down, pretending to bite her nose.

I forced a smile at their words, opening the box to reveal a dark gray trench coat that was decorated with lace designs and a lots of buttons. I stroked the fabric, my mind blank of what I should say.

"It's from Canada," Sam explained with a half-smile on his face. "Well, actually, France. But it was transferred to Canada, and Emily made me take like ten pictures of it before she told me to buy it for you." He glanced at Emily with loving eyes, and she returned them with a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you so much, you guys," I said, getting up to hug all of them once more. "I absolutely love all of my presents…" I was suddenly cut off by a throat clearing. All of us turned to see Paul and Leah standing on the sidelines, Leah actually managing a small smile.

"We got you something too, Bella," she said quietly.

"Really?" Sam stared at them suspiciously, his black eyes narrowing as he glanced from face to face. Both of their faces were perfect masks of innocence, and I looked shyly at the statuesque Leah.

"You didn't have too…"

"Well, it is your birthday," Paul replied, his usual angry tone smooth at the surface. He nudged Leah, and she ran off to the gate, disappearing around the side of the house. "She's getting it," he explained, and I exchanged a look with Jacob. This wouldn't be good…

"Here it is," Leah announced, walking back into the yard with her arm intertwined with my present…An elderly looking man with dark hair and familiar amber eyes, dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt. The man looked around at us, unrecognizable. I blinked, confused.

"We found Jake's grandfather, and brought him here to give you his blessing!" Leah crowed with false cheerfulness. Paul matched her expression with a forced smile of his own.

Jacob's face was suddenly grave, angry touched with bitterness. "How could you…" I thought I heard him mumble towards Leah and Paul, and Jacob's grandfather finally saw his grandson, with his arm wrapped around my waist. Jacob's grandfather blinked in confusion, peering at me with wrinkled eyes. Suddenly, he gasped, pulling his arm away from Leah and, with a shaking finger, pointed at his grandson with accusation in his eyes. It became clear to me why he was pointing, and I shrunk behind Jacob, willingly letting him push me behind his back.

"Jacob Black!" he exclaimed, starting towards us with a mad expression on his face. "Why, boy? Why?"

"Grandpa, don't make a scene…" Jacob started to say, but his grandfather interrupted him again.

"How could you disobey the Quileute tradition, and date a girl who is not your imprinted!" The words stung me as he said them, and I resisted the urge to cry.

And, just like that, the party got so much worse.

Dun. Dun. DUN!

Hehe :) Just because it's a preview chapter, doesn't mean you can't click on that little button on the bottom and review :D

Love all of you guys :) See you in October! :P

~Geneth

PS This chapter has been beta-read by the wonderful sbsp92, my new beta-reader/contest winner who is truly an awesome person :)