She Really Did Love Him
Author's note: Charlie knows about the were-wolves and vampires. Bella realises she loves Jacob, and Billy tells Charlie that even though he won't admit it, Jacob has imprinted on Bella.
Discliamer: I don't own Twilight, or any of the characters in this story.
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Bella stopped to listen on her way down the stairs when she heard Billy and Charlie speaking in hushed voices.
"Are you sure, Bill?" Charlie whispered.
"Yeah, Jacob's imprinted on Bella. There's no denying it. And he's crazier about Bella than Sam ever was about Emily. I think it's because he was in love with her even before he changed," Billy whispered back.
Bella gasped softly. Jacob had imprinted on her?Why hadn't he told her?
Charlie seemed to echo her thoughts. "Why hasn't he said anything?" he asked.
"Because, he knows that Bella's still waiting for that Edward fellow to come back. She's ga ga for him, and Jake doesn't want to hurt her by telling her how much pain she's causing him without knowing it," Billy said quietly.
Bella made her way silently back up to her room, she'd heard enough. She fell onto her bed and felt tears stinging at her eyes. She welcomed them. She hadn't cried once since Edward left, so they were a sweet release. As she cried she realised that she truely did love Jacob. She'd started falling in love with him the very first time she'd driven down to La Push to visit him. She cried even harded when she realised that as she'd fallen for him, she'd finally let Edward go. Jake was wrong, she wasn't waiting for her vampire anymore, she knew he was never coming back, and she accepted it. It no longer hurt to remember their time together. She would never be able to forget him, she still loved him too much, but she was ready to move on. And Jake was the only guy she'd ever want to move on with.
"Bella, are you ready to head to La Push for the bonfire?" Charlie called up.
"I'll be down in a minute!" she called back, scrambling to get up from her bed. She rushed to wash her face and put on a bit of makeup before leaving.
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Half an hour later she pulled up in front of Jacob's garage. She shivered a bit when she got out, she'd left her jacket at home so she'd have an excuse to get close to him tonight. "Hey Jake, are you in there?" she called.
"Bella? You're late, " Jake said with a laugh as he came outside.
"Yeah, sorry. I had some thinking to do. But, everything's okay now," she told him.
"Thinking about what?" Jake asked.
"I was thinking about Edward," she said calmly. "He's never coming back you know, so the pack doesn't need to worry. The Cullens are gone for good. Well, at least as long as anyone alive in Forks today will live."
"Are you okay?" Jacob asked.
"Yeah, that's what I needed to think about. I was really shocked to realise that I'm going to be just fine. I know that I'll never see Edward again, and it doesn't hurt anymore, thanks to you." Bella said with a soft smile.
"Me? what did I do?" he asked.
"You were there for me. You never expected more from me than what I was willing to give, which at first wasn't much. You made the hurt go away, you've been my own personal sun," she said, still smiling up at him.
Jacob beamed at her, smiling her smile. Oh, how she loved that smile. So, she decided to tell him. "I love that smile," she said softly.
"Huh?" Jacob said, taken aback. She was never so forward with her feelings.
"I love that smile. That smile you smile when you're genuinely happy. And I hate that forced smile you show me when you're upset. Like when you wouldn't tell me that you were a were-wolf," she said, reaching up to brush a few strands of his hair from his face. He'd started to let it grow out again, after she'd casually mentioned that she liked it better that way. It was now almost down to his shoulders.
"Oh," he said, blushing. "Well, if you keep giving me compliments like that, you'll see it a lot more often."
The wind blew through the trees, and Bella shivered slightly. "Are you cold? Where's your jacket?" he asked.
"Oh, I must've forgotten it at home," she said, prentending to be shocked.
"Do you want me to run and get it for you?" he asked.
"No, no, it's alright. There'll be the bonfire to keep me warm. And if that's not enough, I always have you," she told him, a blush creeping up her cheeks.
Jacob noticed the blush but decided not to mention it. His heart was beating at an abnormal rate, and it surged with hope that she might finally be feeling something for him. "Yeah, of course, you'll always have me," he managed to say in a reasonably steady voice.
"Well, let's go, there's a bonfire waiting on us!" she exclimed, sprinting off, knowing that Jacob would be there to catch her when she inevitably tripped.
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The rest of the night was spent lounging by a warm fire, eating marshmellows and listening to stories about the Quillette were-wolves. As the night started to wane, and morning approached, the crowd around the fire began to disperse. Charlie had left long before midnight, as he had to work in the morning. He'd told Billy as he left that if by the time the festivities were over, Bella was too tired to drive home, she could stay over. Billy had agreed that it was for the best, and so Bella lay content in Jacobs arms, not worried about getting home. She dozed lightly, only half listening to the stories she'd already heard a dozen times, but would never tire of. They were a part of Jacob's history, and so she loved them, as she loved him.
Suddenly she felt herself being lifted in strong arms. "Hmm, Jacob?" she mumbled. "What are you doing?"
"You fell asleep, everyone else is leaving, so I thought I'd carry you home," he said softly.
"Not home," she murrmered. "You're house, Charlie said I could stay." It was almost a whine.
"That's what I meant by home," he said, with a breathy laugh.
"Okay," she mumbled, snuggling closer to his warm chest.
"Cold?" he asked.
"No, comfy. You smell so good," she said, half asleep. His heart leapt at her words, and he held her tighter.
He didn't speak again until they made it to his house. "You can have my bed, I'll take the couch," he told her, as he lay her down.
She clung to his neck and wouldn't let go. "Stay?" she entreated, her lips brushing over his shoulder.
"Of course," he said. He kicked off his boots and slipped her sneakers off, before pulling the blanket over both of them and settling her more comfortably in his arms.
"Night Jake," she said through a yawn.
"Goodnight Bella," he whispered, kissing the top of her head. She sighed and snuggled closer to him. They both drifted off, content to be in one another's arms.
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Bella knew she was dreaming when she saw Edward.
"Hello Bella, do you remember me? You loved me once, I think. I'm sorry I left you, I miss you so. Would you still have me if I returned?" he asked her.
"No Edward, you left, and you're not coming back. I know that now, and I'm okay. I have Jacob, and I love him. He loves me too, we'll be happy together. I used to wish you'd never left, I still do sometimes. But I've finally let you go. Now, all I can say is, I wish you wouldn't come back. If you do, I'd have to choose between the two of you, and I wouldn't be able to. You made the choice for me when you left. I'll always love you Edward, but now I think it's time you let me go," she said.
"I'll always love you Bella, until the end of my existance, goodbye," edward said, his voice heavy with sorrow.
"Good bye, Edward," she said, her voice catching. He would always have a place in her heart.
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Jacob was pulled from his slumber when he heard Bella's voice. Once he'd fully awakened, it took him a moment to remember that Bella talked in her sleep
"Edward, you left," she mumbled, and his heart constricted painfully. Dreaming of Edward, just when he'd thought she might have feelings for him.
" 'M okay, have Jacob, love him," she mumbled, and he felt his heart lift slightly. 'Was she saying she loved him?' he thought.
"It's time to let me go," she whispered. "Goodbye, Edward."
"Bella, Bella wake up," Jacob said softly, sheking her lightly. She woke sowly and gave him a questioning look. "You were talikng in your sleep," he muttered at her look.
Her eyes widened and she flushed deeply. "W-what did I say?" she whispered.
"You were talking about me, and Cullen," he told her. "I, uh-" it was his turn to blush. "For a second there I thought I heard you say you loved me."
Her features relaxed when she heard him say that. She'd thought for sure he'd been about to say she'd somehow confessed her undying love to Edward, which couldn't be further from the truth. "I did, well, I did in my dream. I told Edward not to come back. That I was happy, and in love. Then I said goodbye," she told him.
Jacob smiled beautifully at her, and her heart melted. They came together for a sweet kiss, and as they fell back into slumber, al, she could think of was how the legends were right. The woman who was imprinted upon did always fall for her wolf-man. Even if said woman had previously head over feet in love with a vampire. Once a were-wolf set his heart on a person, they'd be his one day. And she was happy with that truth, becuse she really did love him.