A/N: First off I am so sorry that it has been so long since I've updated! I feel terrible to have left so many people hanging and as an avid fanfic reader I know how frustrating it is to get into a story and then just have it abruptly stop. I end up rereading the fics whenever there is an update after a long hiatus and with some I don't mind...others I can almost cry.

To be honest, inspiration to write has been hard to come by. My childhood home was foreclosed on and I ended up living on the couches of different people, my aunt, my grandma and eventually one of my best friend's. I finally got my own place back in March, was settling in and then quit my job (which is stupid when you need to pay rent) due to a verbally abusive boss. Thankfully, it only took me about one week to find another, with better pay, benefits and totally awesome boss.

I can't promise regular updates, as I am also back in school and take extra hours here and there at an old job to make some more money. I have been inspired to write other stories, and might work on those here and there but I have decided not to post anything until I am at least 10 chapters in for any other works, just so I have some kind of fall back to spread things out if I'm falling behind on updates.

Both "active" stories I have now, Silent Scream and Trouble, are raw without editing and after rereading them, I realized that they need some serious editing. Therefore, due to lack of inspiration to continue these stories, I am officially putting them on hiatus while I rework them and try to get inspiration to further the storyline. When I start posting in these stories again, it will be because I've written at least 10 additional chapters to what I already have and that I have edited everything I have so far...So the next alert is something to look forward to.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters that Stephanie Meyer's created, I'm just messing around with them a bit.

Chapter Song: I'm in love with a Stripper by T-PAIN

Chapter 6: I'm just lookin' at you

We take Jake's Rabbit to what he calls the "pack house" and I sit in the passenger seat, clutching his hand and absolutely terrified.

"Relax, Ana, the pack already loves you," Jake says and slightly squeezes my hand in reassurance. He doesn't elaborate on why they do but I have a feeling it has something to do with Bella. Trying to take my mind off of the impending meeting, I ask Jake about the Rabbit and he spends the rest of the ride talking about all the work he did on it.

I feel myself relax more as he talks excitedly and I just sit in the passenger studying him. He is very animated when it comes to talking about all the work he did and he seems to really love this car. He constantly looks over at me, almost as if assuring himself that I'm ok and that I'm still here, despite the fact that we are still holding hands. A bit of sunlight filters through the trees and gives his skin this beautiful glow and I find myself getting lost in his eyes every time he looks at me.

Can I really just be friends with him?

All too quickly we pull up a dirt driveway leading to this beautiful lodge house. It's very quaint despite being rather large which I suppose it has to be kind of large if it's going to host so many huge shifters.

Jacob parks the car and looks over at me. "You'll be fine but…don't stare at Emily's face." Wait, who?

We get out of the car as people start piling out the door and they part to let through a short figure that is shoving everyone aside to get to us. "Anastasia!" the figure exclaims right before plowing into me and nearly knocking me over in a hug. I'm a bit surprised to see her but I return her hug. "Hey Em, how's it hanging?"

The majority of the pack, including Jacob, looks at us in shock while Sam stands back with a smug smile on his face. Obviously he knew that I already know Em. "Come inside, let me show you the house, I'll introduce you to the dogs later," she says teasingly before dragging me inside.

Jacob shoves off the guys who are crowding him, trying to find out how the hell I know Emily before he follows us in the tour of the place to be near me. The guys make their way to Sam which is the last thing I see as we turn the corner.

"So…..how do you know each other?" Jake asks from behind us, Emily still dragging me along excitedly. She's very strong for someone her size. Emily answers before I can.

"We met through Billy, Jake. I came by to bring him his medicine and pick up his grocery list but he told me that this very sweet girl had already brought him groceries the day before and was coming by to help out around the house. I made sure to come over the next time he mentioned she was going to be there and we became fast friends."

Emily continued to chatter and show me around the rest of the house with Jake following close behind. I haven't seen her this excited since we first met. I honestly didn't make the connection with her Sam and Jake's Alpha Sam. A little relieved that I at least know someone and that she likes me, I face the rest of the pack once the tour is over with my chin held high.

Jake steps up then to make the introductions. He holds my hand and announces "This is my imprint, Anastasia Martinez." I feel a blush creeping up my neck at the way he so proudly states my name but fight it down before it reaches my face. He then starts pointing out the guys one by one and they nod their head when he calls their name. You know, that little head nod people do sometimes instead of saying, "sup?"

"That's Quil, Embry, Paul, Jared, Seth and Sam. You'll meet Leah later, she's out on patrol right now."

"She doesn't look like a stripper to me!" Seth, I think his name was, shouts from his spot behind the rest of the guys. This time I can't fight the blush on my face as the rest of the guys laugh. Realizing that I'm still wearing my school "disguise," I take off my glasses and pull off the baggy sweatshirt to reveal a tight fitting Nirvana shirt underneath. I pull the hair tie out of my hair and allow the long waves to flow freely around me.

The guys and I laugh at the look of shock on Seth's face at the difference a few items can make and Jacob looks at me with that look he gets on his face sometimes. It's hard to describe but it's a look of such adoration that it takes my breath away every time I've seen it.

"Ok, now I see it," Seth says and the rest of the guys wolf whistle and Paul winks at me. I feel Jake stiffen up and a low growl from him silences the room. "Chill Jake, I was just messing around," Paul says with a grin but Jake's hand just squeezes mine harder and it starts to hurt.

"Jacob, relax ok? You're hurting your imprint," Embry says as he begins to walk over to us. Guess I couldn't hide the wince from his strength but the look of complete distress that comes over Jacob's face makes me wish Embry didn't say anything, even though Jake had immediately let go of my hand to give it relief. He starts to shake and then runs out of the house with the rest of the pack and I following him. I stop at the porch when I see Jake explode out of his clothes and transform into the biggest wolf I've ever seen. The reddish colored wolf doesn't do anything but pace and growl, every once in a while letting out a snarl.

Emily steps up next to me and places her hand on my shoulder. "Don't be afraid," she says softly. I look at her and for the first time realize exactly where those scars on her face came from. That was no bear attack. She looks over at Sam who is trying to talk Jacob into calming down and another wolf, this one grey with some black dashed through the fur on his back, but I don't even see a glimpse of fear on her face, just absolute love and devotion.

I don't see Embry anywhere and realize that the other wolf must be him. "I'm not afraid," I reply just as softly as she spoke and walk off the porch towards Jacob. The russet wolf freezes completely and everyone steps back except for Sam. "You might not want to get any closer," Sam warns me. Jake seems to nod his head in agreement, his growling not as fierce with me so close. Not taking my eyes off of Jacob I respond firmly and loud, "I'm not afraid."

Jake stands absolutely still as I get closer and when I look into his eyes any miniscule and lingering traces of fear completely disappear. His eyes are exactly the same. Our eyes are at the same level and as we continue to stare at each other I slowly place my hand on his head.

"You need to calm down, Jake. I am a stripper. I chose to become a stripper. Most men in the immediate area have probably seen me almost naked." At this Jake growls and I place my other hand on him and scratch him behind his ears. His growl turns into one of content and I laugh a little before continuing. "But...if I wasn't a stripper, I probably would have never looked you in the eye and you wouldn't have imprinted on me. I probably would have left Forks and you would still be pining over Bella, neither of us knowing that we were meant to be together."

Jacob transforms into a human again and immediately wraps me up into his arms. "Don't ever leave me," he breathed into my hair, clutching me tightly. "Never," I promised. Someone coughs a little and it's like we are brought back from the little world we had built for ourselves. Then I realize that Jacob is completely naked.

I push him off me and stammer, with both of our faces flushing, "P-put on some clothes," before I run into the house, leaving the laughter of the pack behind me.

Author's note: So, the fact that she is a stripper is going to bring a bit of….trouble to their relationship, probably. Last chapter was about Jake saying what she needed to hear and in this one she says all the right things to Jake. They are so friken cute together! Cough.

As for the chapter song, what can I say, the title of the song is appropriate and as far as any sexual feelings between them, yeah that's fairly appropriate as well ;)

Words cannot express how disappointed I am with myself in how long it took me to get this chapter out. Don't make any promises about release dates; lesson learned.

I was seriously stuck after the last chapter. I know exactly where this story is going and everyone's relationship with each other, events, etc., however, the path to get there is a bit obscure. I feel like this is a train that is off to a slow start but will hopefully pick up speed once I get it closer to where I want it to go.

Thank you so much for your kind reviews and pms, your alerts and your favorites. I did not expect this to be liked by so many people and I am seriously pushing myself to not let this go months without updates.

Thanks again for reading! This chapter has barely been edited so please, if you notice anything, don't be too harsh but feel free to point it out and I'll come back in and fix it up.