A/N: In a bit of a confusing situation, I ended up with two betas for this story, which actually turned out nicely. I want to thank Taybee and xxTunstall Chickxx very much for beta-ing for me. I truly appreciate it. You both rock :)

And as always, I want to thank Jennalynne who never fails to motivate and push me (even when I groan and whine and complain, etc :D) And I want the thank the Duchessina, who is always there for me, and will read anything I've written (even if she herself has not read the orginal book or seen the movie). Oh yes, and willywonka5 (if you're even reading this) I want to thank you as well. You also add humor to situations (especially in your reviews :D)

Anyway, the prologue is very short. I'm sorry about that. And what's written in the prologue may seem to contradict what's written in my summary, but I can assure you all your confusion will be cleared up by chapter one.

Prologue—Bad Dreams

Jacob

Her hot breath beat rhythmically against the base of my neck at a slow and even pace. Her long bronze curls spilled out across my face, smelling faintly of strawberries. She fit so perfectly in the curve of my chest, curled up like a tight ball, rising and falling with each breath I took.

I took her small hand gently in mine; almost at once, the images of her dreams filled my mind. They were more coherent than they had been when she was first born. Instead of only swirling colors and sporadic images of people, they were more like quickly changing scenes. First, it was her father teaching her to play the piano, then, her mother reading Shakespeare to her. But the scene quickly changed to a bright sunny meadow. I could not see her in her own dream, but I could hear her bell-like laughter ringing through the air.

"Jacob!" she called into the surrounding forest.

Even in her dreams, I loved to hear her say my name. I beamed with pride as the dream continued.

There was a rustling in the nearby underbrush, but in the shadows of the foliage, nothing could be seen.

"Jacob!" she called again. I could feel her excitement building. Any moment, I expected a large russet wolf to jump out from the surrounding forest and rush to the little girl.

A moment later, a figure appeared, but it wasn't the wolf that I had been expecting. It was a tall, dark figure clad in a black, billowy cloak. His skin was as thin as a layer of onion skin, and it sparkled faintly in the overhead sun. His eyes, blood red and filmed over, started menacingly at my Nessie, boring into her skin.

"We've come back for you," he hissed, reaching out for her. As soon as he said the words, a band of cloaked figures identical to himself began to float from all angles of the wood, circling in around Nessie, gathering so close that only the ebony of their cloaks could be seen.

She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Instead, it caught in her chest as the cloaked figure's hand closed around her throat.

"Ness! Nessie! Wake up!" I shook her awake before the rest of the dream could ensue.

Her eyelids fluttered open, and I could see her lashes were edged in tears. Her bottom lip trembled as she fought the urge to cry.

"Oh, Jacob!" She threw her small arms around my neck. I could feel her hot tears spill down my skin. "You saw it all, didn't you?"

"Yes," I whispered, stroking her hair, trying to console her. "Is that what you fear? That they will come back for you?" It pained me to know that this small child carried such a burden. I wanted to do everything in my power to let her know she would be all right, to let her know that I would make everything okay. I pulled her closer to me. "They're not coming back. We won, Ness. And if they did, I would single-handedly slaughter every last one of them."

This seemed to please her. She reached out to show me an image of a russet wolf sitting on top of a pile of pale, severed limps. I shuddered, wrapping my arms securely around her.

"My Jacob," she murmured, pulling her arms tightly around my neck. I loved it when she said those words. I was hers and only hers. And then she added, so quietly that I could barely hear, "I will love you forever."

A/N: The title is subject to change. I will let you know before hand when I plan to change it. If you have any suggestions as to what I should call it, please let me know.