A/N: THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT! It's been wonderful to receive your reviews and PMs.

I'm sorry if this chapter is confusing to some. It's hard to get back into the writing groove after being away for so long. So, please enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters-they belong to Stephenie Meyer. I do, however, own this storyline…Kinda

Chapter 13-A Dustland Fairytale

BPOV

I moaned again, gently rubbing my temples with the tips of my fingers. A piercing pain shot through my head, and my eyes felt swollen. The lights were dimmed, almost off, but what was still shining in the room was hard to look at. I flinched away when the door opened and I barely watched as a tall figure stood in the frame.

"Bella?" a husky voice called out-there was a desperate, nearly manic tone to it.

"Jacob?" I questioned back, wincing as he slammed the door and rushed to the bed.

"Bella, you alright?" he asked while examining my face carefully.

I nodded slowly, confused by his obvious relief. His muscles unclenched and he sagged back into the red armchair.

I opened my mouth and forced a gravelly, unfamiliar sound to come from my throat. He and I both winced as it pierced the air. "Jacob, don't take this the wrong way…But why are you here?"

He smiled and laughed tersely.

"Well, I, uh," he sat up, suddenly rigid, and determinedly nodded his head, "I need to talk to you."

I waited, watching him as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Just spit it out, Jake," I said good-naturedly, coughing the vibrations irritated my raw throat. He smiled once more before diving in.

"You gotta stay away from the Cullens."

I waited, letting the silence ring throughout the room. Was he serious? Did he know what they truly were?

"What're you talking about, Jake?" I asked, hoping that the right amount of innocence was injected into my tone.

"They-they're not good for you, Bells. You could get hurt, or worse…" he trailed off suddenly, looking between me and the door.

"'Or worse' what, Jake?" I blurted out, "What's gonna happen?"

He continued to stare at the door, rubbing his knuckles against his cotton pants. "Just trust me Bella, please?" He didn't seem confident that I would follow his advice.

My breathing sounded loud as it filled the room. I sighed heavily. "I can't stay away from hi-them." I quickly corrected myself. I didn't know if it was safe for Jacob to see how infatuated I was with Edward. He gave me a curious glance, but continued on, seemingly unfazed by my words.

"Have you ever heard my tribe's legends?" His voice was manic again, a brighter quality spilling from his throat.

I shook my head gently, observing his suddenly shaky movements.

"Well, there are the stories about the cold ones." He highly stressed the words, staring at me intently as he said it.

"The cold ones?" I asked, trying to appease his odd demeanor.

"Yes," he said, his voice clipped and hurried, "There are stories of the cold ones as old as my tribe, and some much more recent. According to legend, my own great-grandfather knew some of them. He was one who made the treaty that kept them off our land." He stopped watching me intently.

"Your great-grandfather?" I encouraged. He was acting strange, his voice slow and emphatic, like he was watching me absorb each word that came from his mouth.

"He was a tribal elder, like my father. You see, the cold ones are the natural enemies of the wolf-well, not the wolf, really, but the wolves that turn into men. It's one of the oldest legends of my tribe-our people can become wolves. You would call us werewolves." His eyes widened for a brief second, watching me with panicked observance before he continued on. It was so quick, that I questioned it even occurring.

"So you see, the cold ones are traditionally our enemies. But this pack that came to our territory during my great-grandfather's time was different. They didn't hunt the way others of our kind did-they weren't supposed to be dangerous to the tribe. So my great-grandfather made a truce with them. If they would promise to stay off of our lands, we wouldn't expose them to the humans."

He paused again, staring at me with a blank face. I was starting to piece together the hints and the story, but I still couldn't understand why Jacob would know about the Cullens.

"If they weren't dangerous, then why…?" I struggled to show him that I was having trouble understanding his point. If he saw that, then he might believe that I was clueless.

He sighed heavily before continuing. "There's always a risk for humans to be around the cold ones, even if they're civilized like this clan was. You never know when they might get too hungry to resist.

"But they claimed that they didn't hunt humans. They supposedly were somehow able on prey on animals instead."

I worked up my courage to ask the one question I knew he was waiting for. "So how does this fit in with the Cullens? Are they like the cold ones your great-grandfather met?"

I couldn't look at him as he answered. "No. They're the same ones." His voice was low and menacing.

"So, what are they?" I finally asked, looking into his dark eyes, "What are the cold ones?"

He smiled darkly. "Vampires."

I nodded slowly, trying to hide the shock from my expression. Edward and I had never really said the word since that initial day. It was jarring now to hear it said so casually, as an accusation, in this everyday hospital. I just couldn't get used to the connection between the gorgeous family and the dark word.

"What are you trying to tell me, Jake?" I hoped he wouldn't see through my innocent act.

His fingers twitched. "Just try and put it together, Bella."

My brows furrowed. Why wouldn't he just tell me?

"Are you saying that the Cullens are vampires?" I scoffed. My voice was weak in attempted disbelief. "I can't believe that, Jake. It's just stories…But do you believe it?" I flinched as the words slipped from my mouth. I hadn't meant to phrase my question out loud. I wanted to know, for sure, if Jake believed these supposed myths.

His eyes narrowed as he caught the false note in my words. He didn't answer, though, as he watched me. He simply stared, clenching his fists and relaxing them over and over against his sides.

"Bella," he said, his voice rough, breaking my name into two distinct syllables, "stories become myths and legends 'cause they're based in fact. Just…Just think, please."

I carefully arranged my expression into what I hoped was one of skepticism. "They're just stupid legends, Jake," I scoffed, crossing my arms and looking at the floor. "And besides," I let my voice reach a caustic edge, "if Edward were a vampire, don't you think he would've been discovered a while ago. You know, the whole 'blood sucking' thing probably wouldn't work to well in a hospital full of defenseless people."

I kept staring at the floor, it was easier than watching his furious expression.

Silence enveloped the room, and I finally looked up to see Jake shaking crazily at the foot of my bed.

"Jake?" I question in a small voice, worried by his expression. "Jacob? I'm sorry, I don't…I didn't mean to offend you. I just-"

He cut me off.

"It's fine."

"Jake, I'm-"

"Save your apologies for someone who cares."

The loud slam of the door echoed throughout the room along with the tingling crash of metal.

I stared through the empty frame, watching as Edward appeared, a huge grin on his face.

"I think you may want to cross acting off of your list of possible career choices," he murmured, taking my hand in his.

His attempt at humor couldn't sway me from my worry, though.

"I really upset him, didn't I?"

His grin turned down into a grimace.

"It's fine, Bella. Don't worry about him. His pride was wounded, but that's all. He will, assuredly, come back soon."

Even with his comforting words spoken with his comforting voice, I couldn't quell my anguish. I had hurt him. Even though it was just his pride, as Edward said, I had caused him to feel pain. My sun was dimmer because of me. I felt wrong, like I was hurting too, because he had been affected by my stupidity.

A black bag appeared upon my lap, shaking me from my thoughts.

"Come on, now," Edward said, grinning once more, "You should begin getting ready. Alice is expecting us soon."

A/N: Again, thanks for reading. The next update might be next Friday, but my accident did make it hard to type. I'm sorry if it is longer than before, but I'm writing! Rest assured! Please REVIEW!