A/N: Enjoy this chapter of nearly fifteen-hundred words.

And please take the time to review. Don't make me beg. ;)

Enjoy. :D

"He's such a cocky asshole!" Emmett exclaimed. His voice boomed throughout the garage where he was holding court with Edward and Jasper. "He's completely full of himself, and his bravado really is for the record books, gentlemen. What a freaking douche bag!"

Jasper and Edward just shook their heads and laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"He's you, but with a fur coat," Edward replied. He then exited the garage, taking with him the latest issue of Car & Driver magazine. Jasper remained in the garage with Emmett.

"I'm not really that bad, am I, Jazz?"

"Well…," Jasper began. Then he falsely coughed. "So, they paired me with that Paul guy, the jerk. He talks more than Alice, only he's a lot less polite, especially when I force some tranquility on him. It's the funniest thing I've ever seen, the way he just loses all his fight all of a sudden. Then, he gives me this go-to-Hell look that is completely priceless. I wish you could have been there to see it."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I'm glad you guys weren't there to see it," Embry muttered. At a few minutes before after one A.M., he was sitting at Jacob's kitchen table, a bag of frozen peas pressed to his slowly purpling, slightly swollen eye.

"Oh, man, I wish I could have been there," Quil replied. Jacob nodded his agreement then returned to his thoughts.

"It was completely uncalled for, man! I just gave her an innocent suggestion as to how we could better pass the time between runs, and she hauled off and knocked me one! It felt like my face was about to fall off."

"The vamps are strong, man. Duh. You should be lucky she only wanted to scare you a little and that she didn't hit you full-force. You wouldn't be sitting here right now if she had, I guarantee it," Quil said.

"I guess. Ooh! Maybe she spared me because secretly the idea intrigued her and she wants to keep me around for when she changes her mind!" Embry said. As the thought struck him, his face brightened considerably.

"Or maybe you're just a moron," Quil muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, man. Just talking to myself."

"Oh. So, how was your first day of patrol?"

"Boring as hell. Plus, I had to listen to Leah run her mouth all day. I almost feel bad for her, since nobody can stand her and all, but then she opens her mouth and something stupid comes out, so I lose all sympathy."

"That's why I don't even try to feel bad for her. She brings it on herself, really. Hey, Jake. What are you being so quiet for? How were your runs with Emmett?"

"Fine," Jacob replied. After hearing his friends say how similar he was to Emmett, Jacob was not about to admit that he thought Emmett was an asshole. He might as well just call himself one and save his breath. At least then he would not have to explain how he had felt the strange need to prove himself to the vampire. It was not as though he actually could explain it, anyway.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hopefully, you all are beginning to become accustomed to the patterns we are trying to create with our patrol. If you are not, do not let it worry you, for this is only day one," Carlisle said the next morning as he addressed the people in front of him, werewolves and vampires alike. "As far as personal issues, I am aware that there has been some friction between partners, Rosalie and Embry, for example. However, all of this tension and unease is a waste of time. We all have a common enemy here: the faction of vampires that are seeking to harm our friends and these towns that we each love and wish to protect. I understand that it may seem unreasonable to expect new friendships to blossom out of this situation, but I hope that you each can at least put your differences aside for the good of your town and the people living there."

A murmur of reluctant agreement traveled throughout the small crowd gathered in front of Carlisle, a crowd that was divided by an invisible line into two distinct parts: vampire and werewolf. Seth Clearwater was the only person brave enough to cross that line and he stood comfortably beside Esme, nearly touching her, as he clung to every word Carlisle spoke.

Carlisle stepped down from the small rock upon which he had been standing to signify that the meeting was over. The small group of people dissipated, some of the people heading up the small hill to his or her home to get some rest, others heading back to his or her station to keep watch, and still others getting ready for the next scheduled run along the border line.

Jacob lagged behind in the group, walking slowly and letting everyone pass him. He watched everyone walk away, laughing when he saw that Embry was hot on Rosalie's trial. He would not be surprised if Embry came back to La Push missing an appendage or two after his next shift. Jacob also noticed Paul and his partner Jasper arguing about something. Paul was dangerously close to Jasper's teeth and was yelling in his face. Suddenly, Paul's arms sagged to his sides and a serene smile found its way to his face. Then, an amused smile found its way to Jasper's granite-like features. Jacob guessed that Jasper's powers were as good as rumored. He would love to have power like that, especially when Paul was being an asshole, which, honestly, was pretty much all of the time.

Jacob gradually made his way up the small hill and found Emmett waiting for him at the top.

"It's about time," Emmett complained.

"Shut up. The next run isn't for ten more minutes," Jacob replied.

"Well, we could get a head start; let's show the others how it's done. A little overachievement never hurt anybody," Emmett countered.

"Fine. Let's go." Jacob began running towards the woods, only to be left in the dust by Emmett, who was, not surprisingly, showing off. Jacob ignored the vampire whose booming laugh could be heard from yards away.

Once in the cover of the trees, Jacob removed his cut-off denim shorts and phased. Phasing was something he could easily control now, after much practice. Jacob could smell Emmett and realized that the leech was waiting for him just around the bend. Jacob easily caught up, using his powerful legs to his advantage. Once Emmett was in view, leaning against a tree, Jacob slowed down slightly, pretending that he was preparing to come to a stop. Then, he suddenly began to run as fast as he possibly could, leaving Emmett behind him with a slightly shocked expression on his face. The shock soon turned to glee, though, as he took off behind Jacob, coming up behind more quickly than Jacob had anticipated. What had begun as a 'head start' on the run soon became a full-fledged race, all duties forgotten, as Jacob barked a laugh and picked his pace up another notch. He and Emmett had gotten an early start; they could double back through the forest as soon as their little race was over and do their job for real, no harm done.

"Come on, Fido," Emmett teased. He had broken even with Jacob and now the two were racing neck and neck, easily dodging both fallen trees and those still standing. Suddenly, Jacob realized that somehow they had gotten away from the border line and were now racing at a breakneck speed towards the edge of Lauderdale Point, a cliff that the wolf pack and other locals frequently jumped from. However, the cliff-diving was only from a lower overhanging. No one dared to jump from the top for fear of a broken neck, or worse. Jacob skidded to a stop just shy of the edge and barked a warning to Emmett, a warning that Emmett ignored. Still running as quickly as superhumanly possible, Emmett soared over the edge of the cliff and dove gracefully into the water below. It seemed an eternity before he broke the water's choleric surface. Jacob hastily phased into his human form and slid on his pants before peering over the edge into the water below. Emmett surfaced moments later, and gave a joyful shout at the top of his lungs.

"Woooo! I guess this means I win, huh?" he bellowed. Jacob sighed and waited for Emmett to climb back up into the forest so they could begin their first run. He had the feeling it was going to be a long day.