A/N: This is a project, co-written with Nicole. It's part of a series. We have written for a lot of the wolves, so let us know what you think, and who else you may want to see and we'll post them on up eventually. :)

NESSIE

It hurt. So bad. I felt like I was spiraling out of control, down and down, into a never ending black hole. I pulled my legs up to my chest as another sob escaped me. I felt my mother's cold hand on my back, trying to soothe me. But I didn't want it. It didn't help. My mind was all consumed with the fact that he didn't want me. "Don't," I whispered to her, moving my shoulder to shake her off. I felt so inadequate right now. He broke up with me. He told me he didn't love me. He told me he'd been cheating on me for the past month with the bleached blonde tramp Monica. I hated them both.

Though I suppose it wasn't completely fair to hate him for not loving me. I know that I said it to him. But I'm not sure that I ever truly felt it. And either way the pain of rejection stung. Like Mike had said, I'd always felt something for someone else. Someone that I was sure couldn't return those feelings. He'd watched me grow up. He cared for me when I was a baby. There's no way that he could be in love with me. The sobs subsided to silent tears as I thought about my Jacob. But like I said, he saw me as a child. He could never feel the same for me. And Mike didn't feel anything for me either. Would anyone ever love me?

My mom tried to get me to talk to her about it again and I shook my head. "I just want to be alone, right now."

Bella seemed upset with my answer, but she begrudgingly left me to my misery.

When it had been hours and nothing had changed, I hadn't even spoken to them what had happened, I felt the tension actually permeating the air, taking over the house. They were beyond worried, which was proven by the fact that my dad seemed to finally say. "Call Jacob."

Jacob, since his imprint on me had never needed an invitation to come over. He was always welcome because of the affection I held for him. But he had never actually been formally invited. And I couldn't say that I wasn't glad that he was coming. If I was going to talk to anyone, I wanted it to be him. He was like sunshine. He was warm. And caring. And comforting. I could trust him with anything, even the insecure ramblings of a dumped teenage girl. I felt like I could keep the pieces of me held together until he got here.

JACOB

Wiping the sweat off my brow, I stand back and look down at the engine. That should've done it. For some reason, I'd been feeling restless all day and had decided to tinker around in the garage to occupy myself, but somehow it wasn't working. My nerves were still on edge, I just couldn't place why. Just as I'm about to hop in and test my work, my ears pick up the sound of the phone ringing inside. Immediately I drop everything and rush in to pick it up.

It's Bella. My heart stops for a moment as the first thing that jumps into my mind is Nessie. At first I'm terrified that something had happened to her, that that was the reason why I'd been feeling so off all day. Why hadn't I picked up on my instinct instead of letting it wait?

So when Bella explains about the whole deal with Mike, I feel relief flooding over me. We can deal with that. The very next instant, though, the very same relief is replaced by anger towards that jerk, and pain on my Nessie's behalf. "Say no more, Bells, I'll be right over."

Within fifteen, I'm at their place and practically charging in to see her. It still feels awkward at times, being around the bloodsuckers, but with Nessie here that feeling's always overshadowed by the aura of ease and serenity that she casts over everyone. Right now, though, that aura is distorted and all I want to do is get to her as quickly as I can. "We didn't know what else to do-" Bella begins, but I raise a hand to stop her. "Thanks for calling me," I tell her sincerely. For an instant, we exchange a look of understanding. Then she nods and before I know it, I'm upstairs knocking on Nessie's door.

"Ness?" I call worriedly. "Nessie, it's me. Can I come in?"

NESSIE

It's him! He's here! He actually came! Of course he came I chastise myself for ever doubting it. But then again he is a grown man. He has more important things to worry about than the drama of a child. I know I'm his imprint. But sometimes I feel like one day he might wake up and realize that there's more important things in the world than me. I mean he can't have that much of a life outside of me. I see him practically everyday. He even has his patrols scheduled around the times that he can see me. But still one day something has to be more important than helping a half breed kind of teenager navigate life. But his mere presence has some of the tension leaving my body and has me feeling a bit better already.

"Of course," I call to him, my voice still full of tears. I don't want to seem so silly in front of him. Crying over a boy I'm not sure I even loved. But I can't stop myself. It still hurts too much. I wipe at my eyes all the same and try to look more composed though I can't seem to see fit to pull myself even into a sitting position. I'm still lying on my side. And as he pushes the door open I avoid his eyes slightly.

"Thanks," I say to him, "For being here." I want to make sure that he knows how much his support truly means to me. His support is what makes me who I am. Without him I wouldn't be half as strong or brave as I am. My life wouldn't be rich. When he's in it, I feel like I could have anything I ever wanted. Like I could accomplish anything. Like I could even fly. I loved him.

I gestured for him to join me. I wanted him to wrap me in his arms. I wanted him to hold me. And then I could tell him about all the horrible things that had happened today.

JACOB

I'm relieved to hear her voice. At least she's talking - that's a good sign. When I open the door, I feel my heart constrict at the sight of her curled up on the bed, her beautiful eyes looking puffy, her smooth cheeks streaked with tears. She thanks me but all I can do is shake my head. Where else would I be when I live and breathe for her? "You know I'll always be here."

It does of course make me glad to know that she wants me by her side. Ordinarily, it would sting just a little because I know that she wants me here as her best friend and nothing more. But right now I'm not feeling that. I'm just happy that she trusts me and that she knows she can rely on me to be there for her no matter what. In two long strides, I'm at the bed looking down at her. She seems to be avoiding my gaze somewhat, but not in a manner that says she wants me to go away. Carefully, I sit down beside her before gently pulling her up against me. Then, leaning back against the headboard, I tighten my hold on her and plant a kiss on her temple.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask tentatively while stroking her hair. I want to know exactly what happened, but I also know that she's hurting and that this must be hard for her. There have never been secrets between us, but I've always left it up to her to open up to me at her own pace, and that still applies. As long as she knows I'll always listen.

NESSIE

"You know I'll always be here." His words wash over me. And they are spoken with such sincerity and care that I can't doubt their truth. Jacob will always be here. He was there to dry my tears when I realized Barbie's hair wouldn't grow back after I cut it. He was there to dry my tears when I got my first injury while tree climbing. And I wanted to pretend that I knew that he would be drying my tears for years to come. Maybe at our wedding. But I didn't need to get ahead of myself. He didn't even harbor those feelings for me.

He moved over to me and scooped me up into his arms, pulling me into his arms and I pressed as close to him as I could. His arms held me tightly, wrapping me in warmth. I felt safe. When I was in Jake's arms, nothing could hurt me. I breathed deeply taking in his scent. It was a mix of the salt water and surf of the beach and the woods that he spent so much time running through. Two of the best smells in the world. I lay there in silence for a long time, even after he asked me if I wanted to talk about it.

When I felt like I had been put at as much ease as I would obtain right now, I nodded against his chest, not pulling away from him, allowing myself to imagine that his hold on me meant more than it did. What to say first? "Today was awful," I murmured into his chest, not worrying about his being able to hear me, I knew his wolf ears would pick it all up. "Mike broke up with me," I told him, though I was sure that he already knew that. "He said..." I trailed off, lacking the ability to say the rest of it. I took a deep breath. I had to be strong. "He said..." I tried again and hated myself for not having the words. Now Jake would think I was in love with Mike. And I wasn't really. Not the same way that I loved Jake.

I reached up and touched his cheek, allowing him to simply see it coming from me, using my vampire ability.

It was sunny outside, at school. It was lunch time and Mike and I were sitting on a picnic table together. I leaned up to kiss him and while he let me, that's exactly what it felt like, like he was letting me. And when I pulled away with questioning eyes, he let out a sigh, giving a glance in the opposite direction.

"Ren, we need to talk." I'd always hated this nickname, but I had never wanted to share my family's, more importantly, Jacob's nickname, for me, with him.

"What's up?" I asked, not ever expecting what came next.

"I've been thinking about this for a while," he started and glanced away again. I followed his gaze. My eyes fell on Monica. What did she have to do with this? "I just didn't know how to say it. I didn't want to hurt you." he paused. "I guess there's no good time and no good way." And then he was completely blunt, as if I had no feelings. "I don't think we should be together anymore. I'm in love with someone else. And it's amazing. You pale in comparison to her."

I pulled my hand away from Jacob's face. He didn't need to know the rest of it. I had first said I loved him, things could be different. I could be different. And then he had mentioned that he thought I'd always loved someone else. And I didn't want Jacob to know that, even less that it was true. I couldn't take the you're like a little sister to me conversation that I was pretty sure would ensue.

Tears were in my eyes. He had said I wasn't good enough. That I paled in comparison. I snuggled deeper into Jake. "What did I do wrong?" I mused quietly to myself.

"Can I ask you a silly question?" I said to him. I didn't think it was silly, but I knew that the second he answered me, I would. He would answer in such a definitive way, a way that would make it impossible to argue with his answer. But I really wanted to know the answer.

JACOB

Resting my chin on the top of her head, I let her lie there in silence, pressed against me until she's ready to speak. The whole time, I listen to the rhythmic sound of her breathing, in and out, in and out... the beating of her heart inside her chest, the only heart that beats in this household, the one heart that has the ability to capture mine. It was always her, from the beginning, even though it was not always in the same way. When she was younger, if I had ever thought about her this way, I would've went to Bella myself and asked Bella to tear me to shreds. No, it wasn't like that.

Not before. But even now, I still don't know how to feel about it. After all, technically I'm from her mother's generation. What if I'm not just Jake the best friend, but Jake the big brother, or even worse, Uncle Jake? As much as I struggle to fight against my feelings for her, I just don't want to turn her away from me. I would rather deny my heart forever than lose my Nessie. I know it's selfish, but I couldn't live with that.

Finally, she pulls me out of my thoughts by starting to tell me about what happened, but she can't bring herself to say it all. So instead she settles for the way that's always seemed to work best for her. As her fingers touch my cheek, I see it all being played out. I can't help a slight pang of jealousy as she kisses Mike, but I push it aside in an instant, taking in the rest. Mike saying that they need to talk, taking her completely by surprise... and then, without the slightest bit of consideration, telling her that he's in love with someone else. I see the blonde girl that she shows me and I can't for the life of me see how Nessie could ever pale in comparison to her, or to anyone for that matter.

Once she draws her hand away, I look down at her and see the tears brimming in those soft, warm eyes that I love so much. "What did I do wrong?" she asks quietly, her voice soft and timid. If I could have my way I would break Mike's neck right now. But as much as he deserves a beating, Nessie needs me more. Gently, I tilt her chin up so that she's looking at me and seeing the intensity in my eyes. "Listen, you did nothing wrong, you hear me? That jerk wouldn't know a good thing if it hit him in the face."

"Can I ask you a silly question?" she asks.

"You can ask me anything," I reply with a smile, reaching down and using my thumbs to brush the tears off her cheeks.

NESSIE

He waits patiently for me to speak and stays just as quiet and still when I try to communicate to him the best I can what's going on. I wait for some sort of reaction from him and I get it when I ask what I did wrong. It's then that I feel his hands on my face, his rough skin against mine. I want to close my eyes and pretend like maybe he might kiss me after holding me, touching me so intimately, but I can't tear my eyes from his. They're so intense. And hold so many emotions. I can't even decipher them all.

He tells me that I didn't do anything wrong. Basically telling me that Mike is stupid and wouldn't know when he had a good thing in front of him. And maybe he's right. But it doesn't make the rejection sting less. And maybe Jake's just saying this because it's in the male family member handbook. Hell and the best friend handbook. But I know that the people downstairs and the rest of dad's family would say the same thing. So would most of the pack. But the way he says the words so passionately, it makes them hard to ignore.

"It's not even that I really loved him, but..." I don't know what to say, "He was cruel. And so dismissive..." words seem to fail me again. But there's no way to convey this without speech. I just don't know the right words to use.

"I wonder what Monica has," I bite off hostily. At the concern on his face I give a small laugh. "Don't worry Jake. I know she's not actually better than me. I just don't get it." But truth is, I know one thing that Monica probably does with Mike that I had always refused to do. She's done it with half the student body, so why not my ex-boyfriend. Though he hadn't been my ex the whole time that they'd been seeing each other.

I shook my head to get my thoughts back on track. "Okay, so back to my silly question," I said, leaning into him, his hands that were gently brushing away my tears that showed no signs of relenting soon. "Do you think someone will ever love me like mom and dad love each other? Like that to die for kind of love? The they are my world and without them I'm nothing kind of love? The kind of guy who would never dare to even speculate if I paled in comparison to another girl?" My voice cracks slightly. My eyes plead with him to say yes. And I wished I had the guts to possibly change everything and kiss him right now. But I couldn't lose Mike and Jake in one day.

JACOB

I'm glad to hear that she never really loved him, and though she could easily be saying that just to convince herself, I do believe it's true. I think right now, it's her pride that's more damaged than her heart, and that can be easily fixed. More easily fixed than a broken heart any day. Still, that doesn't make what he did any less hurtful. She begins to speculate aloud, wondering what this other girl has that she doesn't. I'm about to tell her that she shouldn't feel inferior to anyone when, almost as if she's reading my mind, she brushes it off. It's fair enough to wonder why, but I guess the majority of teenage boys are like that. They hook up, they break up, they move on. It's probably nothing personal.

"Okay, so back to my silly question," she says before leaning in slightly. I hold her closer, listening intently, wondering what it is she's about to ask me. "Do you think someone will ever love me like mom and dad love each other?" That gives me a jolt. And then she goes on to list everything that my heart feels when I'm around her, and when I'm not around her. "Like that to die for kind of love? The they are my world and without them I'm nothing kind of love? The kind of guy who would never dare to even speculate if I paled in comparison to another girl?"

I feel like she's just punched me in the gut and it takes all my willpower to keep the pain from showing on my face. But on the inside the emotions are tearing through me relentlessly. Still, I force myself to pull myself together for her sake. As much as I wish I could tell her how I really feel, I refuse to risk having her hate me forever. So I paste a smile on my face. "That's four silly questions," I tell her, tweaking her nose playfully. "Of course you will, Ness. You just need to be patient, and the right person will come when the time is right, probably when you least expect it." Tenderly, I reach down to tuck a few loose curls behind her ear before repeating, "You will, Nessie. I'm sure you will."

And hell, it sure hurts to know that that right person will never be me. That I'll be the friend in the background, the person to turn to when things go wrong, but never the one. It hurt when it was Bella, but that's rainbows and sunshine compared to what it feels like now. But despite how much I ache inside, my feelings for Nessie run much deeper than that. I would willingly suffer through any amount of pain in exchange for her happiness. I wouldn't even think twice.

NESSIE

As he comforts me, I keep moving closer and closer to him, my arms wrapped around him too now. Holding on to the one person who always says the perfect things, who always knows what to do to make me feel better, who just makes me feel better by being there. Holding on for dear life to the one person who always thinks the best of me. My eyes are still locked on his from when he pulled my face up to look at him. And for a moment when I ask my questions it looks like something might not be right, something might be wrong with Jake. He couldn't seriously be hurting that much from just watching me hurt and doubt myself. But, it's possible that he does. That the imprint is at work there. And this thought brings me some comfort. I would hate to know that I had hurt him by some way that I could control. I would never intentionally hurt my Jake. It also makes me wonder if there's something wrong with our imprint, if our magic is broken. All the other imprints are couples...or like in the case of Claire and Quil, struggling with emotions. But Jake seems to always just see me as his little sister. Not as anything else at all. I've never seen him struggle with his feelings for me. Not once. Even the magic that should bring me a soul mate isn't working right. Nothing seems to be on my side. Nothing but Jake himself.

"That was four silly questions," he says before tweaking my nose. And I can't stop the small giggle that comes up. It's such a silly, cute thing to do. Another way that Jake is perfect. He can always make me smile and laugh, no matter what with small, sweet, sometimes corny gestures like that. I listen to every word he has to say, ending with. "You will, Nessie. I'm sure you will." And then he tucks some hair behind my ears. And my eyes close of their own accord, my lips parting slightly, as I imagine Jacob telling me the words I long to hear from him. That he loves me. And then he seals it with a kiss. Just as soon as I have the image in my head, I let my eyes open and I close my mouth swallowing dryly and licking my lips. The fulfillment I would feel in the moment that that happened would be more than I could think I could feel.

"Thank you, Jake," I said to him quietly leaning up to place a kiss on the corner of his mouth, the closest to a real kiss that I dared. And part of me hoped that he would assume I had missed his cheek. Because nobody wants their younger friend putting the moves on them.

JACOB

I watch as she closes her eyes, seeming almost far away for a moment. I try not to stare at her perfect lips, that soft shade of rose, parted just a little almost dreamily. When her eyelids lift again I blink and shift my gaze slightly, hoping she didn't notice. She whispers a soft 'thank you' before moving closer and planting a light kiss just at the corner of my mouth, enough to knock the breath out of my lungs for a split second. But of course, it was a friendly kiss. After all, she might as well have said it herself, it was a "Thank you, Jake" kiss.

"There's nothing to thank, silly," I tell her before bringing my thumb down to the corner of her lip and pushing it up slightly. "Now give me a smile." She does, but I won't settle for I'm-feeling-better - I want her spirits up in the clouds, soaring. I shake my head at her, a mock frown on my face. "No, that's not good enough, I want a big one." Then sneakily, I reach down and slip my fingers just under her blouse, tickling her belly. It was never inappropriate with us, I never went beyond being playful. I would never forgive myself if I did.

NESSIE

He tells me that there's nothing to thank. And I'm left feeling awe and wonder at how he seems to care about me so selflessly. He seems so willing to do anything to make me happy. If I were to say right now that the only way that I would ever be happy again was if he learned to eat fire. He'd risk life and limb to just that. But the thing is, I don't ever need him to do anything special to feel happy. I just need him. I just need him around. And sometimes I wonder if I don't do enough for him in this friendship, or in our pretend relationship that we have in my head. He seems to always be here for me. But I feel like sometimes I selfishly take a lot from him and don't offer as much in return. But then again he doesn't share most of his adult, hard to handle hardships with me. We're best friends. But he doesn't want to burden me, at least not while I'm only nine years old, with truly complicated things.

He pushes the corner of my lip up asking me to smile, and though I still hurt, I feel like maybe things will be okay. I turn up one side of my mouth in an attempt at a smile. In a smile that tells him I'm feeling better, but that I am not yet okay. But he won't settle for small victories and little smiles. He wants me to smile wide. He wants to know I'm happy. The imprint makes him always want to have me smiling bright. And I know that it hurts him to see me in pain so I give a less meager attempt at smiling. Apparently it still isn't up to standards.

I let out a small yelp of surprise as he flips me over onto my back. Then his fingers are under my shirt. His warm, calloused skin tickling me. I laugh, loudly, my smile stretching across my face. I began to try and get away. I looked up at him and my eyes met his. And then things felt different. We'd been this way hundreds of times, but now that I really saw him as Jacob, the boyfriend that I wanted, this seemed like an awkward moment. I was acutely aware of his hot skin against my cool skin. My breath caught in my chest a moment. And I couldn't resist. My hand reached up and wrapped around his neck, pulling myself up and him down at the same time until my lips met his. The kiss was slow and tentative. But I loved the feel of his warm lips against mine. And then before I could notice if he was kissing back or not I realized what I was doing. I used my vampire speed to jump out of bed and move to stand next to it, pulling away from him. I'd probably just ruined everything.

I felt so frazzled. I didn't know what to say. I felt the blush creep up my cheeks. I hated the fact that I could blush like a human. My parents didn't, you could never tell when they were embarrassed. I was jealous of that ability of theirs. But Jake and dad always said they loved my blush. Dad said it reminded him of mom when they first met. Apparently she was a klutzy blusher back in the day.

I didn't know what to say or where to start. "I'm sorry," I said, my anxiety showing in my tone, "I shouldn't have done that...there's no way..." I felt more tears in my eyes as I waited for Jake to freak out about what just happened.