This is an alternate version to what happened in New Moon, and slightly changed. There will be more chapters, and I'll have em up as soon as I can, I'm also working on two other Fics: Firefly Catching Days for Twilight J&B Pairing, and Simple Reunion for The Hunger Games K&P Pairing.

In this one, Harry dies a few weeks before Bella cliff dives, though it's assumed and there's no mention of it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Any characters or concepts that you recognize belong to Stephanie Meyer. Excerpts from New Moon are in italics and I do not claim S. Meyer's work as my own. No copyright infringements were intended.

I stood with my eyes closed tightly. My toes caressed the edge of the cliff and the wind whipped my hair in all different directions. Goose bumps raised on my skin as the chill blew through me, right down to my bones, but I didn't shiver. I enjoyed the feeling. I felt alive. I lifted my arms out in front of me, swung them back and then put them up right over my head, ready to jump. And that was when I heard the voice. It startled me into taking a step backwards, away from the edge. Because this voice was different, and when I looked, it wasn't Edward standing there. This person was the exact opposite. He was over a foot taller than me, with deep set onyx eyes, full soft pink lips slightly puckered in a very familiar way, hard muscles flexed beneath beautiful flawless russet colored skin, and he looked like he should be twenty five instead of just sixteen. He was beautiful, to say the least. My Jacob.

"Bells, don't do this," he pleaded with me, eyes troubled, "Don't be stupid. Look out there; don't you see a hurricane is brewing. The currents are probably crazy. Do you want to drown?" He was getting angry, now. "Don't leave me now, Bells, I don't think I can live without ya. And think about Charlie, and Renee, Angela for God's sake."

My throat tightened at his words. He was right. I was being stupid. Even without werewolf powers I could see the storm forming above my head, and feel the change of pressure in the air. This would be a big one. I backed away from the cliff and vision-Jacob relaxed, nodding encouragingly.

"That's right, honey, stay with me now. Go back to the house and warm up," he coaxed, smiling widely at me. How could I ever think of doing this? Of taking myself away from my best friend, my family, my friends? This wasn't me. I wasn't suicidal. But this would definitely be suicide if I went through with it.

I grabbed the jacket I'd thrown off in my haste to be stupid and shoved my arms into the sleeves. I hacked and fell and tripped my way back through the forest until I came to my truck, jumping in and letting it roar to life. Tears were streaming down my face as I made the trip back down the cliff, back to First Beach. The severity of my actions was starting to hit me hard. But it wasn't the fact that I could have died that had me crying; it was the possibility of hurting Jacob, my Jacob. Because I knew that it would hurt him if I'd died. I made a promise to myself then to do everything in my power not to do or say anything that could hurt him.

I parked in front of Billy's house before making the short trip to the beach. I was too keyed up to be trapped inside. My feet caused a racket as I made my way across the rocks to my favorite spot. I settled myself on the driftwood tree, leaning my back against the mangled roots. I tugged my jacket tighter around me in a useless attempt to hold onto the little warmth I possessed. It was harder now, to be warm; spending so much time so close to Jacob made it next to impossible to be warm without him. I let my eyes close and listened to the sound of the waves against the shore, letting it calm my nerves as I drifted off to sleep.

The sound of rocks clanking together woke me from my slumber and I sat up quickly, looking around. Jacob was jogging towards me, barefooted and barechested, wearing only his cut offs. The severity of what I almost did struck me again, hard, and I found myself on my feet, sprinting towards him. He grinned wildly at me and I returned it happily as I jumped into his surprised arms. I wrapped my legs around his waist and hugged him tightly, unwilling or unable to let go.

"Jacob," I breathed in relief, my hands going into his short raven hair.

"It's nice to see you, too, Bells," he chuckled, pulling me back to look at me. His hands held onto my thighs, supporting my weight easily. I played with the short hairs at the nape of his neck and just looked at him, finally appreciating his presence fully.

"I was worried about you," I stated looking into his warm eyes and unwilling to explain the real reason behind my jumping straight into his arms, "Billy told me there was a fresh trail…did you catch her?"

He shook his head sadly. "Almost…we had her cornered, nearly caught her, but she took to the water. Leeches have their advantage on us there, not having to breathe and all. That's why I came looking for you; we were scared she would try to double back swimming," he explained, rubbing his eyes with one hand and covering a yawn, then looked at me with another of his grins, "I should tell Billy to tell you that more often if it means getting greeted like this."

I rolled my eyes and smacked his arm as he laughed and he set me on my feet. I shuddered at the thought of Victoria still hunting and drew Jacob's arm around me, glad for his presence yet again. How could I ever think of taking myself away from him? We were still a hundred yards from his house when the sky finally opened up and dumped buckets upon buckets of rain on us. I let out a frustrated groan as the cold water penetrated my clothes, soaking me through within seconds. Jacob was trying to hurry me along but I wouldn't have it. If I tried to hurry I'd end up tripping and falling into a puddle of mud. No thank you; I didn't need to be cold, wet, and muddy.

"What's the point, Jake? We're already soaking," I asked, pulling him back to my measly human pace. I pushed back the wet strands of hair clinging to my face and he just stared down at me with this look on his face. "What?" I demanded.

"You're sort of beautiful," he grins, squeezing my hand and I let out a laugh.

"Oh, now who hit their head?" I ask, rolling my eyes at the line he stole from me.

Finally we stumbled through the back door, dripping wet. I waited outside his bedroom door as he came back to me with soft grey sweat pants and a large navy blue sweatshirt that said Property of La Push High School Athletics Department with the profile of a Native American in the middle. I said my thanks and almost ran to the bathroom, pulling off article after article of freezing wet clothing before I hopped in the shower and turned the water as hot as it would get. I stood under the spray from the shower head and let the steaming water wash over my body gratefully, loosening my tight muscles and allowing me to relax. I washed my hair quickly, allowing the scent of red raspberries and Brazilian silk to calm me. Gotta love Herbal Essences. I finished washing and turned off the faucets, grabbing at my towel that hung on the wall beside the tub. I spend way too much time here, I thought to myself as I realized my constant presence here actually warranted the need for a usual bath towel and my own shampoo and conditioner. Didn't wanna be smelling like the boys, though, now did I?

My bra and underwear were still wet and after staring at them for a moment, I just pulled on the sweatshirt and pants Jake had given me. I pulled the drawstring on the pants as tight as it would go and then hid the strings inside. I hung my wet clothes over the side of the tub to dry before leaving the bathroom, then checked his room first and when I came up empty I headed straight to the kitchen where I found him by the microwave.

I tip toed silently up behind him, stopping maybe six inches from his back and was about to scare him when he said, "I know you're there, Bells."

I sighed loudly. "Stupid werewolf, way to take all the fun out of it," I muttered in annoyance and he laughed loudly, "What's cookin' good lookin'?" I asked, peering over his bare shoulder as he hadn't bothered to put on a shirt.

"Fried chicken and mashed potatoes, I'm just warming them up," he answered, turning his head to look at me with a smile which I returned easily. Everything was easy with Jake.

~J&B~J&B~J&B~J&B~J&B~J&B~J&B~J&B~J&B~J&B~

I sat in the corner of the couch in Jake's living room with his head in my lap. Soft snores met my ears and I gazed down at his sleeping form, my fingers threading through the short black hair on the back of his neck. Was this really so bad? No, not at all.

Instead of moving, I thought about Juliet.

I wondered what she would have done if Romeo had left her, not because he was banished, but because he lost interest. What if Rosalind had given him the time of day, and he'd changed his mind? What if, instead of marrying Juliet, he'd just disappeared?

I thought I knew how Juliet would feel.

She wouldn't go back to her old life, not really. She wouldn't ever have moved on, I was sure of that. Even if she'd lived until she was old and gray, every time she closed her eyes, it would have been Romeo's face she saw behind her lids. She would have accepted that, eventually.

I wondered if she would have married Paris in the end, just to please her parents, to keep the peace. No, probably not, I decided. But then, the story didn't say much about Paris. He was just a stick figure - a place holder, a threat, a deadline to force her hand.

What if there were more to Paris?

What if Paris had been Juliet's friend? Her very best friend? What if he was the only one she could confide in about the whole devastating thing with Romeo? The one person who really understood her and made her feel halfway human again? What if he was patient and kind? What if he took care of her? What if Juliet knew she couldn't survive this without him? What if he really loved her, and wanted her to be happy?

And…what if she loved Paris? Not like Romeo. But enough that she wanted him to be happy, too?

Jacob's slow, deep breathing was the only sound in the room - like a lullaby hummed to a child, like the whisper of a rocking chair, like the ticking of an old clock when you had nowhere you needed to go…It was the sound of comfort.

I sighed as I thought about it. It wasn't that I loved Jacob less, just differently. Edward had been like a drug to me, and I was feeling the after effects of withdrawal that, bit by bit, were beginning to fade. But Jacob was my sun, my air, my brightness on all those rainy days, the only thing I had to hold on to anymore. Edward was overly protective, overbearingly so. I'd always considered it flattering, that he cared so much about me he just wanted to make sure I was safe. But now looking back on our relationship, I realized that it wasn't healthy. Not at all. Jacob was protective of me, yes, but he let me make my own mistakes. He fixed up metal death traps for us and showed me how to ride them. He let me crash the first time and held my hand while the doctor fixed me up. He let me trip over things in his garage and caught me when I did. I loved Jacob immensely. He had stitched my heart back up after Edward had torn it apart and thrown it back at my feet. I never realized that I had already given it to Jacob. And even more shocking was that I hadn't realized he still held it.

Jacob awoke with a start, sitting up quickly and looking around in confusion. He glanced back at me and the expression on his face was too cute not to smile at. "How long was I out?" he asked, looking at the TV and back.

"Oh, I don't know, a couple Emerils, maybe. I wasn't keeping track," I answered, watching the man in question stir around some sautéed onions in a pan on the television.

"Shit, I'm sorry, Bells," he replied, "I actually wanted to spend some time with you today."

"It's fine, Jake, I'm glad you got some sleep. You don't seem to get enough these days," I assured him, tugging on his arm so he'd lie back down.

He shook his head and wiped his eyes before he got to his feet and looked back at me. "How bout we take a walk? We can go down to the general store and grab some sodas to take back to the garage," he offered, smiling my Jacob smile, his face completely free of Sam's mask.

I broke out in an answering grin and stood up too, slipping my hand into his larger one. "Sounds good," I accepted, then looked down at my clothes, "You think people will start to talk?" I glanced up at him from under my lashes and wiggled my eyebrows suggestively.

He laughed loudly, throwing his head back and letting the sound fill the whole house. "I hope so," he said, "Come on."

I stuck my feet into my snow boots and tucked the ends of Jacob's sweatpants inside before we walked out the door together, hand in hand. I walked closely beside him, absorbing a lot of his heat gratefully.

"You're so warm," I sighed happily, holding his right hand tightly with both of mine.

"Here," he laughed, pulling his arm away to put it on my shoulders and pulling me closer against his bare chest.

My right hand went up to hold the hand he had on my shoulder, pulling it down closer around me. A shudder traveled down my spine in grateful thanks for the extra warmth. "Thanks," I breathed, putting my left arm around his waist. I considered putting it in his back pocket before deciding that would only further the talk that would surely blossom out of our trip to the small general store.

Just as I had expected several heads did a double take as Jake and I walked through the doors to look over my attire. I felt a deep red creep up my neck and settle in my cheeks at the thoughts and assumptions that were surely going through their minds. I tucked myself closer to him and hid my face, feeling their eyes on us. I heard the rumble in his chest that meant he was snickering and I dug my elbow into his ribs.

"Ow, what was that for?" he hissed, rubbing his hand over the sore spot even though we both knew that it didn't really hurt him. I appreciated that he pretended, though.

"Don't laugh, they're staring. Everyone's going to assume things," I hissed back, my cheeks going scarlet again.

"Awe, c'mon, it's funny," he pressed, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, let's just get the sodas and get out of here," I insisted, peeking out to look at the shelves.

Jacob pulled two cans of Dr. Pepper off one of the shelves and we went to the cash register. The girl behind the counter was glaring daggers at me as she rang up the cans and I assumed she was one of Jake's classmates.

"Hey, Aiyana," Jacob greeted in his usual manner.

"Hi, Jacob," she gushed, a huge smile gracing her beautiful face, "You haven't been at school lately. Everyone's missed you."

"Oh, yeah…thanks," he frowned, unwilling to elaborate, then another smile appeared, "This is Bella, Bella Swan." The way he said my name sent butterflies swirling in my stomach that I hadn't felt in a really long time.

I gave a little wave. "Hey," I smiled hesitantly.

"Hi." Her earlier smile turned tight and frosty when she looked at me, then instantly warmed when she looked back at Jacob. The fact that it bothered me so much surprised me and I tightened my grip around his waist. "That'll be $1.78, would you like a bag?" she asked in a honey sweet voice that made me narrow my eyes.

"Yes, please," Jacob said politely, digging in his left pocket, then, to my dismay, pulled his arm from my shoulders to check the right. He came away with two ones and handed them to her. It was her turn to narrow her eyes as he put his arm back around me and pulled me closer again. I smiled smugly at her and I thought I saw her press her lips tighter together like she was trying to keep herself from sticking her tongue out at me.

"Thanks have a great day, Jacob," she grinned, tucking her long glossy black curls behind her ear.

"Thanks, you too," he called over his shoulder as we left.

We spent half the trip home in a comfortable silence. That's how our relationship was. Easy. We didn't need to talk constantly and fill in the awkwardness with even more awkward chatter. We were both happy to just be together, and it was even better if we were holding hands or if he had his arm around me.

"So was it just me, or was she acting weirdly?" he finally asked.

"Who?"

"Aiyana, she was acting weird, she's usually so nice," he replied, and I looked up to check if he was joking. He wasn't. His brows were furrowed together and it looked like he was honestly trying to figure it out.

I rolled my eyes. "Boys are so dense," I muttered, then raised my voice, "Let me spell it out for you, Jacob. She. Likes. You."

His eyes widened slightly. "You think?" he wondered aloud.

"Duh!" It almost looked like he liked the fact, and grudgingly I added, "You should ask her out." Please say no, please say no, please say no.

"Nah, she's not my type," he replied, dismissing the idea.

"You mean absolutely gorgeous?" I snorted, "I mean, c'mon, Jake, you're too young to have a type."

When he didn't respond I looked up at him questioningly, "What?"

"Nothing," he answered quickly.

"Come on; tell me," I persisted, "I'll tickle you if you don't."

"I'm not ticklish, Bella," he snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, is that a challenge?"

I raised my eyebrows before moving my fingers to his sides and tickling them. His resolve broke easily and he flinched trying to escape me.

"I knew it! I knew you were ticklish, Jacob Black!" I yelled in triumph, chasing after him.

He raised his hands and held me away. "Okay, okay, I'm ticklish. I admit it. Are you happy?" he asked, keeping me from getting any closer.

"Nope, not until you answer me," I pushed, still struggling to move out of his grasp to tickle him some more, wiggling my fingers menacingly.

His shoulders slumped a little a few minutes later when he realized I wasn't going to give up and his arms dropped to his sides as he took a step back. He stared me straight in the eye as he said, "You're my type, Bella."

My heart skipped a beat and the butterflies in my stomach gave a nervous kind of flutter. But I couldn't find anything to say. So I just let the corners of my mouth tug up slightly and I threw my arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. When his came around my shoulders and he rested his cheek on the top of my head, I stated simply, "Okay."

"Okay? You're not mad?" I asked nervously.

"I'm not mad," I agreed.

He hmphed gruffly and squeezed me tighter. "I won't push you, Bells, you know that. I'll wait as long as you need, until you're ready," he whispered heavily.

I nodded against his chest. "I know," I whispered back.

We stayed that way, standing in the middle of the street with our arms around each other until we heard the honking of a car and someone yelling at us to "Move it!" We both jumped at the sudden noise and bolted to the side of the road. One look at each other and we broke up in fits of laughter, clinging to each other while we shook uncontrollably. It felt good to laugh like this. I could feel it deep in my chest, in my soul. It made my bones feel stronger and my heart beat faster. It felt good to be with Jacob. When we were finished laughing I just stood there and stared up at him with this tiny smile on my face.

After a moment he looked around, behind him, and wiped his hands on his cheeks. "What? Do I have something on my face?" he asked.

I just shook my head. "Nope," I replied, not saying anything else.

"Then what? What is it?" he pushed.

I laughed lightly, looking at the ground before I looked back up at him. "I just like being with you," I stated honestly.

A huge Jacob grin lit up his face and his deep brown eyes sparked with something I couldn't define, some emotion there that I couldn't put my finger on. "I like being with you, too, Bells," he answered happily, taking my hand with his free one, "C'mon, let's go home."

Home. It was home; his home, my home. It didn't matter. Wherever Jacob was, that was my home. As long as I was with him I could be in Alaska and I wouldn't care.

We got to his house a few minutes later and he opened the door of the Rabbit for me. I sat down and stretched my legs out in front of me while he handed me a soda out of the brown paper bag. "You know, I might keep these pants, they're awful comfy," I mused, waiting for the Dr. Pepper to fizz down before I opened it.

He laughed while he leaned on the workbench across from me. "Go for it, they look better on you than on me," he grinned, popping open his soda. When it didn't fizz all over the place I opened mine too and took a sip. Mmm.

We spent the rest of the afternoon in the garage. I handed Jacob tools - which I'd memorized the names for almost all of - and he worked on the engine. It was fascinating watching his big hands work so delicately, combing over the smallest little parts and details.

"What are you doing for spring break?" I asked curiously, handing him a stud mount valve spring compressor.

"Uh, running patrols, working on the rabbit," he answered with a shrug, "Why?"

"Uhm, well, I got two tickets to Jacksonville for my birthday to see my mom. I dunno if Sam would let you off for a week, but if you wanted to come…" I trailed off, my cheeks tinged in pink as I tucked my hair behind my ear and stared at a speck of dust on the car.

He pulled his head out from under the hood and I glanced up to see a huge grin on his face. "That's fantastic!" he exclaimed with excitement, "I'll talk to Sam and my dad. I don't care if I have to pull double shifts all this week. Damn, I've never even been out of Washington!"

I looked at him in shock. "You haven't?" I asked, eyes wide.

He shook his head. "Nope, never."

"Well, good, you'll like Jacksonville, lots of sun, warm beaches with water that's actually under forty degrees," I joked, grinning back.

"Sounds amazing, I might not wanna come back," he laughed, going back to work in the car.

We chatted easily after that and if Jacob noticed my preoccupation he didn't say anything. I wondered if I'd made the right decision to invite him. Of course, I couldn't picture anyone else going with me and I would love that extra time with him, away from our responsibilities and the pack. He could just relax like any normal kid on spring break. We could wake up late and eat junk food and lounge on the beach all day. But did I want to take him to the beach on spring break? There were guaranteed to be hundreds of gorgeous tanned girls with perfect bodies everywhere, wearing teeny swimsuits that hardly covered anything. I'd wanted to hide Jacob away from Aiyana today and slap her just for wanting him. How was I gonna deal with hundreds of girls hitting on him? And then a bigger thought struck me cold: What if he imprinted?

"Bells…Bella…Hellooo, earth to Bella, can you read me?" Jacob shook my knee and I came back to reality.

"Huh?" I mumbled, blinking and meeting his eyes.

"I said Jacksonville sounds like a ton of fun," he repeated, furrowing his eyebrows, "You alright? You look a little sick…"

"No, no I'm fine, I was just thinking, that's all," I assure him with a smile.

"Okay, well anyways."

We worked on the car until I noticed the sun was starting to set already. I checked the clock and my eyebrows shot up. "Shoot!" I exclaimed, getting to my feet and looking around for my keys.

"What's wrong? What're you looking for?" Jacob asked, getting to his feet too in response to my alarm.

"My keys, I've gotta get home and fix dinner for Charlie!" I explained, finding my keys wedged in the front seat of the rabbit.

"Oh shit, okay, I'll drive you," he offered, holding out his hand for the keys.

He opened the passenger's side door for me and I slid onto the cold leather seat while he went around to the other side. The engine started with an angry roar and Jacob backed out onto the road while I cranked up the heat. I shivered in my seat until he looked over at me with a roll of his eyes and pulled me across the seat to his side. He put his long hot arm around my shoulders and I leaned my head against his chest comfortably, staring at the hole in my dashboard.

"If I buy a new stereo for this thing would you put it in?" I queried a little while later, missing my radio for the first time in awhile.

"Uh, yea, of course, but I thought you didn't like music," his voice was confused.

"I don't…I didn't, I just…kind of miss it," I shrugged.

He nodded happily. "That's a good thing, Bells," he assured me with a smile, changing lanes.

We were quiet then; only the loud noise of the engine filled the cab and I listened to Jake's heart beat loud and even in my ear. It was nice like this. I liked the steady weight of his arm over my shoulder and the comfort I felt in it. He made me feel safe. And I knew that as long as he was around, I would be. He had better self control than anyone in the pack, except maybe Sam. I was never in danger of him phasing too near me because I knew that with the simple touch of my hand and sound of my voice I could calm him down faster than anything else. Because that was how it was supposed to be. Jake 'n' Bella, best friends, soul mates.

Jacob stopped in front of my dark house and cut the engine. The sudden silence was deafening and he threw his other arm around me, crushing me against his chest in a warm hug. I wrapped my arms around his torso and gripped him tightly back. This felt nice, like I was a whole person again. And when I'm with him, I actually am a whole person.

"Sorry. I know you don't feel exactly the way I do, Bells. I swear I don't mind. I'm just so happy when I'm with you that I could sing - and that's something no one wants to hear." He laughed his throaty laugh in my ear.

My breathing kicked up a notch.

Wouldn't Edward, indifferent as he might be, want me to be as happy as was possible under the circumstances? Wouldn't enough friendly emotion linger for him to want that much for me? I thought he would. He wouldn't begrudge me this: giving the love he didn't want to my friend Jacob. After all, it wasn't the same love at all; not less, just different, better.

Jake pressed his warm cheek against the top of my hair.

If I turned my face to the side - if I pressed my lips against his bare shoulder…I knew without a doubt exactly what would follow. It would be very easy. There would be no need for explanations tonight.

But could I do it? Could I betray my absent heart to save my pathetic life?

Butterflies assaulted my stomach as I thought about turning my head.

And then, as clearly as if I were in immediate danger, Edward's velvet voice whispered in my ear.

"Be happy," he told me.

I froze.

Jacob felt me stiffen and released me automatically, reaching for the door.

But I caught his arm and pulled it back around me. "What's the hurry?" I asked softly, hugging him tightly again.

He put his arms around me and we stayed that way for a little while longer. I wondered if I should turn my head. Edward wanted to be happy. His velvet voice told me that much, and I had this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach that I wouldn't hear it again, that it wasn't going to make anymore appearances. But somehow, I couldn't find it anywhere in me to be sad about it. In Jacob's arms, it was hard to be sad about anything. I felt a little piece of my heart click back into place and I smiled.

I took a steadying breath and turned my head slowly, pressing my lips to his shoulder firmly. He pulled away slightly, keeping his arms around me as he met my eyes. Slowly, ever so slowly, he bent his head towards mine, inching his lips closer. He finally stopped, less than an inch away, and with a deep breath I closed the gap. My eyes flew open at the contact then fluttered shut again. It was so surprising and not like anything I'd experienced. Edward's lips were cold and hard, mine always molding to their shape. But Jacob's lips were hot and soft, and we each gave way to each other's kiss, fusing into a new shape, rather than changing altogether. It was thrilling, exhilarating, beautiful. Jacob broke the kiss before pressing his lips back to mine once, twice, a third time.

Finally he pulled away with a smile that rivaled all his others, filling the cab of my truck with warmth that had everything to do with the boy giving it. "I've wanted to do that since the day you brought those motorcycles," he announced breathily.

I let out a small laugh as he rested his forehead on mine. "Want some dinner?" I asked, "I've gotta feed Charlie."

"Sure, sure," he agreed happily, opening the door and coming around quickly to help me out.

"Oh, shit," I grumbled as I looked down at what I was wearing.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"I left my clothes at your house." I frowned unhappily.

"Oh, no probs, I'll wash em and bring em back to you."

I shook my head. "Just keep em. I might need em one of these days." I slipped my hand in his as we headed towards the house.

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-Sarah Elizabeth