The Little's Swan {Complete + Edited}

'She Wants Me'

La Push- Cliffs

Bella paces by the cliff's edge, trying to come to grips with this new reality. Jacob keeps his distance, trying to control his anger.

"You just have to... stop." Bella reasons.

Jacob scoffs at this. "It's not a lifestyle choice. It's in my DNA."

"Killing is in your DNA?"

"Man, I thought maybe you wouldn't be such a hypocrite -- what, I'm not the right kind of monster for you to hang out with? Can't measure up to your bloodsucking friends --"

Bella starts to get angry as well. "Hey, they manage to survive without hurting innocent people." Jacob stops, a beat as his anger is replaced by confusion.

"Wait - innocent? So... you don't care that I morph into a giant dog. Just that I... kill people?"

Bella looks to him appalled. "'Just?' Those hikers' lives mean that little to you?" He bursts out laughing.

Bella is repelled, turns to go. "Oh my God. Why did I bring Athena?"

Jacob snaps back at Athena's name. "Bella, Bella wait..." He stops her. "We're not killing hikers. We're trying to protect them."

"From what?"

"The only thing we do kill: Vampires."

Bella is stunned, reels at this. "Vampires? Jake, no --"

Jacob steps back, bitter. "Don't worry, we can't touch your precious Cullens - unless they bite someone and violate the Treaty or do something to an imprint--"

"That's not what I -- you can't fight vampires. They're too dangerous."  Bella looks to him, intrigued when he mentions imprint but decides to bring it up on a later date.

Jacob scoffs. "Please. We took out that leech with the dreads easy enough."

Bella looks to him, shocked. "You... killed Laurent?"

Jacob glares. "He didn't seem like a friend. Especially the way he looked at Athena."

Bella shakes her head, trying to back track. "No, God no. But... how?"

He shrugs. "It's what we do, why we exist. A few 'lucky guys' in the tribe have the gene. If a bloodsucker moves to town, our DNA kicks in, we reach the right age and the fever hits --"

Bella looks to him in realization. "Mono."

"Next thing I know, they're telling me, this is your life now. That future you saw for yourself? Gone." But instead of desolation filling him, warmth does. If this not had happened, he wouldn't really care so much about Athena. Might have been too focus on trying to get Bella to go out him. Bella doesn't realise this, thinking he didn't like this life.

"It's bad, huh?"

"It's alright but I just hate feeling... out of control. But I'm going alright." He mumbles the next part. "Especially when I have Athena now."