Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Twilight series.

This story begins at the end of Eclipse. Bella is seeing the injured Jacob for the first time since the fight with Victoria and the newborns.

"Hi, Jake." I stood uncertainly in the doorway of his bedroom, my hand gripping the frame weakly. Relief flooded me now that I could actually see, with my own eyes, that he was alive and healing.

"Hey, Bells," Jake said softly. He was lying very still. An end table, covered in a pillow, was set at the foot of his bed. Without it, Jake's lower legs and feet would most certainly have dangled off the mattress. He crooked his finger at me. "Come here."

I made my way to him slowly. The regret and shame I'd felt after I kissed him yesterday was dissolving with each step. Edward was still there in my thoughts and heart, but I felt drawn to Jacob, as though there was a magnetic pull between us, reeling me in. By the time I reached his bed, Edward was pushed to the back of my mind. I started to lie down next to Jacob but paused when I remembered his injuries. "Which side hurts?"

"The other one. Here." Jake's long arm encircled my waist and drew me down next to him. I curled into his side and reached up to kiss him. I didn't even aim for his cheek. It was our kiss from the meadow all over again. My hand cradled his jaw and I opened my mouth to him, feeling his hot tongue gently sweep against mine. He winced suddenly and blew out a hiss, relaxing his hold on me.

"I'm sorry!" I whispered. "I forgot for a second there . . ."

His face, pale under its russet tone, slowly relaxed, and he glanced down at me, smiling. "Don't ever be sorry for kissing me," he said. "I'm not."

"How are you feeling?"

"Right now? Couldn't be better." He kissed my hair. His face scrunched up. "You stink."

"No, really," I insisted. "How are you? I know you're a fast healer, but that doesn't make you impervious to pain."

Jacob shrugged and winced again. "The vamp doctor gave me some pretty strong pain pills. I think he overestimated my size. This is the first time I've been semi-lucid all day."

"Well, I'd rather have you not lucid than in pain," I said, smiling.

Jacob gave me a squeeze. His eyes were warm, excited. "So . . . I guess it's over between you and the bloodsucker, right?"

I hesitated. "Uh, no. Actually, I'd thought it was over between you and me, until I saw you."

Jacob frowned. "But you kissed me."

"Yeah." I wasn't sure what to add to that. I felt a bit baffled.

"So where does that leave us?"

I thought for a moment. "I'm not sure, Jake. I love you both. I don't know what to do. I don't want to lose either one of you."

We sat in silence. Jake stared at the ceiling. I couldn't help snuggling closer to him. I wanted to kiss him again. "What are you thinking?" I asked him.

He exhaled loudly. "I don't know. My mind is kind of racing through my options right now."

I waited for him to continue, but he didn't. "And what are your options?"

He finally looked at me. "I can keep fighting for you, like I have been. But I'm not sure I'll ever be able to win you away from him, not completely. I can give you up, which seems like the safest thing to do. I don't want to have my heart mangled more than it has to be. You've broken my heart more than once already." He paused. I felt a lump forming in my throat. How ironic, if he ended up breaking up with me.

He continued, "Or I can wait."

I was stunned. "Wait? What do you mean? Go back to the way we were?"

"Well, that isn't what I was thinking, but is that what you want?"

"No!" I was surprised by my own vehemence. I pushed up on my elbow and grabbed his chin. We locked eyes for a second, and then we were kissing again. After being so careful with Edward, after holding back and ignoring my own passion for so long, I almost felt like I couldn't control myself with Jacob. If he hadn't been injured I'd probably have straddled him.

I opened my eyes a fraction and saw him wincing again. I released the death grip I had on his chin and eased back. "No, I don't want to go back to being just friends again."

"Good. Neither do I. And I don't want to lose you, so I was wondering . . . why can't you just date us both?"

"This is dating?" I teased. Jake smiled sheepishly. I thought of Edward. The term dating didn't exactly apply to us, either. "Do you mean, do what we always do and throw in the occasional kiss?"

"More than the occasional kiss, I hope. I could get used to this." Jacob leaned down and kissed me once. His nose wrinkled again. "The smell will take some getting used to. I guess he'd have to get used to it, though, too."

I thought of something. "Would you be okay with me kissing Edward? Won't you both get crazy jealous?"

"I don't like it," he admitted. "And I don't want to think about it. But I can deal with it, if he can."

I considered his idea. It sounded too good to be true, which, if I wanted to be brutally honest, it was. I knew I could never end things with Edward. But I wasn't ready to lose Jacob. He was my best friend. And I really liked kissing him.

"What would I say to Edward?" I whispered. I was staring into space, lost in my own thoughts.

"Tell him you need more time," Jacob said. I looked up at him doubtfully and he added defensively, "Why not? It's the truth!"

I sighed. "Okay, I'll think of something. I'd better go." I stood and leaned over to kiss him one more time. He drew me in close with his arm and kissed me deeply for a moment before letting me go.

"Call me later. Let me know how he reacts."

I nodded and left, mumbling a goodbye to Billy on my way out. He called out a cheerful, "See ya!"

I suspected he knew I'd been kissing his son.

I climbed into my truck and aimed it toward home. I didn't know exactly where the boundary line for La Push was, but I had a good idea. A few minutes after I crossed it, I realized I was hyperventilating. Black dots floated in my peripheral vision. I slowed and pulled off the road.

You're being ridiculous, I told myself. What are you afraid of? Edward might get angry, but he'd never hurt you.

Then I realized I wasn't afraid of his anger. I was afraid I might lose him.

I heard the passenger door creak open and let out a squeak. Edward was already in the car, with the door shut, by the time I looked over. His eyebrows were scrunched together, his mouth turned down in a frown. He was upset, and I could guess why.

He looked me straight in the eye. "Alice called me. Bella, why did our wedding plans suddenly disappear?"