It Wasn't A Secret As Much As An Omission

Summary: AU. Future!Fic. Bella can't find Jacob, and enlists a little help from Seth which yields something she didn't expect as she learns about an annual tradition of sorts for her husband to be. Bella/Jacob.

Note: This is really just an obscenely long plot bunny, to be honest. And forgive me for fudging the dates a little, I'm too lazy to really do the math.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All things Twilight belong to Stephanie Meyer.

"Hey," I smiled at Seth, surprised to see him sitting around the kitchen. "I'm glad I ran into you, Seth. I was just over at Jacob's and he wasn't there. Any idea where he went?"

"You don't know?" Leah walked into the kitchen, sounding as surprised as Seth looked uncomfortable.

I shook my head feeling like I'd missed something huge. One of those things that everyone knew-everyone except oblivious Bella Swan. Nee Black. I tacked it on in my head all the time, and when I did, I could feel the embarrassed warmth that rose to my cheeks, but I just tried to pretend I didn't.

Leah raised an eyebrow. "You'd think a guy would do the little things once he asks a girl to marry him, wouldn't you Seth?"

Seth turned around and made a face at his sister. "That's Jacob's business, Leah, you're not being fair."

"I'm just saying, most guys open up to the women they're in love with."

Seth's eyebrows furrowed together, and the both of them gave me too much time to think of all the worse possibilities as they bantered about Jacob.

"I don't see you taking your boyfriend to dad's grave!"

Leah slammed the fridge door, previously wide open, shut with a slam.

"Classy, Seth." Her tone was icy. "You're a class act. Just like your big 'brothers'."

She stormed out of the kitchen and I looked to see the guilty way that Seth's eyes flickered.

"Are you okay?" I asked. Seth looked so down trodden after his altercation that I was distracted from my search for Jacob at the moment.

"Fine." He mumbled, shaking his head and giving me proof to the contrary as he ignored the sandwich that he'd dove into earlier. "It's just..."

Seth sighed, shaking his head. "Some things aren't everyone's business, right Bella? Aren't there some things we should just be allowed to keep to ourselves?"

He shrugged, not waiting for a reply. "I just wish Leah would stop. It's so hard to defend her sometimes when she's so..."

"Seth," I interjected as gently as I could as his voice trailed off. "I'm confused. How does any of this deal with Jacob?"

"I guess its not really a secret." Seth took a long drink from his glass of iced tea. "Everyone knows-not just the pack. I think that was what Leah was hinting at..."

Hinting was a generous way of putting it, I thought.

"It's Jacob's mom's birthday." Seth said, and in a rush I pieced together the 'secret', I picked up on his remark to Leah about their dad's grave. "He always goes to the cemetery today...to see her."

I nodded my head slowly. This was the one part of Jacob's life I hardly knew anything about. What was there to say? Besides, it didn't seem right to pry if that was something he wanted to keep to himself.

"It's at the end of the Rez." Seth said, "You'd still catch him there. He's there for hours when he goes."

I got up slowly, wondering if it was really any of my business.

"He's alone." Seth said as I walked away, "Just so you know."

"Thanks," I called back to Seth quietly.

I looked back at him, seeing him pick at his sandwich. "Thank you, Seth."

"Jacob loves you, Bella."

Seth said it in a sad way that made me worry about him, it sounded like a reminder-was there really any need to tell him that was something I could never forget? Still, I was concerned about my step-brother, he wasn't usually so serious.

I made a promise that when I got back-tomorrow, tomorrow at the latest-I'd talk to him, and make sure things were okay with him.

The cemetery was small, much smaller than the three in Forks, and so compact that when I pulled up and parked I could see a dark figure past the tombstones. I couldn't be sure from the distance that it was Jacob, but I didn't suppose many people were trolling the cemetery now.

I walked through quietly, wondering why he hadn't told me this was where he was going today. I supposed that it could just be an oversight, or maybe this was something he wanted to keep to himself. I hoped it was that latter, or else I didn't think my trip would be appreciated.

Most of the tombstones were gritty and crumbling, none of them looked fresh or new. But maybe they weren't supposed to. I didn't really have much to go on. The only time I'd ever really been in a cemetery was for my Gran's funeral and that was in Phoenix; the only parts I remembered were of a shiny granite slab with some words etched into it along with her name. I'd never gone back to visit it, even though I loved her dearly, and I didn't think my mom did either. She told me she hated cemeteries, they were too depressing and scary for her.

I'd joked with her, telling her that maybe she'd seen Pet Cemetery one time too many, and we'd both laughed a little.

A few feet away from where Jacob was, I hit a particularly wet patch of grass with which my rubber soles didn't seem to agree with and slipped, landing so ungracefully on my behind with an outcry of surprise. As always, I hadn't expected to go down. One would think I did expect it by now though.

Jacob shot up from the ground, and turned to look at me. As he met my eyes, hurrying over even though I'd already scrambled back up from the ground, I could see that he was surprised-I just didn't know in what sort of way.

"Bella," Jacob glanced me over as if checking for himself that I was, in fact, okay.

I blushed. "I'm fine, just…a wet patch of grass…" I bit my lip, feeling an unusual awkwardness between the two of us.

"I probably shouldn't have some here like this it was just…" A sigh escaped, and as Jacob stayed quiet, I felt like I was crashing and burning. "I probably shouldn't have."

Jacob took my hand, smiling. "It's okay, Bella."

He led me back to the tombstone he'd been lingering in front of when I saw him.

"I thought of asking you if you wanted to come…" Jacob shrugged, "It seemed silly. I mean, why would you want to come and hang around a cemetery and listen to me talk to my mom….it's stupid…right?"

"No." I could see in Jacob's eyes how important this was to him, and I knew before just in the way Seth talked about it how important this was to Jacob. "Its not stupid at all…"

If I was in his place, I'd probably be doing that same thing. I couldn't even imagine not having my mom to turn to when I wanted to talk to her.

I glanced up at him. "I think its probably really nice for her that you come back, that she can see what a great guy her son grew up into."

Jacob's face trembled a little, and he pressed his lips against mine. His hands were at my hips, holding my firmly against him, and for a moment, I considered how awkward this was-was this really the way Jacob's mother was being introduced to her future daughter-in-law?

When he pulled back, moving his hands up and hugging me, I shared my thought.

"Do you think you're mom is okay with the fact that you just made out with some girl in front of her?"

Jacob made a face, rolling his eyes, and a bemused smile crossed his face. I loved being the one to make him smile after the years he'd put into making me smile.

"I think she'll forgive me, seeing as how it's not just some girl off the street…" Jacob looked me in the eye, "But the love of my life."

I smiled, feeling my cheeks flush red. As silly as it might be, nothing made me as happy as when Jacob reminded me of that. Of the happy, perfect future we were going to have together, and of the love we shared.

When I turned to look at the tombstone, Jacob's arms encircled my waist, and his chin rested gently on the top of my head. We fit together so well-perfectly.

Sarah Black

May 18, 1973-February 2, 1998

When you were born you cried and the world rejoiced.

Live your life in such a manner that when you die,

the world cried and you rejoice.

"I never really knew her." Jacob admitted, as if it was his fault his mother had been snatched away from him when he was so young. "My sisters remember some things but…I don't know…"

"You were…six?" I did the math quickly in my head, leaning back into Jacob and feeling a pang of guilt as I realized it had been days since I talked to my mom, and all I had to do was pick up a phone.

Jacob nodded his head. "I think the things I remember are more like a mesh between real stories and what people tell me."

I felt his hand in his pocket, and when it resurfaced his wallet was in his hand. "I have a picture in here you can see…"

He spoke while rifling through his wallet. "She'd really like you, you know." I turned to see Jacob smiling, "Billy says it all the time."

He handed me the picture.

Jacob looked about two in the picture, and his mom didn't look much older than I was. They were sitting in the middle of a room that decorated differently, but was indefinitely Billy Black's living room. He was on the floor, seemingly crawling and the woman in the picture, Sarah , his mother had a smile on her face that just beamed satisfaction and happiness. But she also had this air of beauty. Long dark hair, swept up behind her head that showed her perfect features…as a matter of fact…

I glanced up at Jacob.

"You look just like her…" I handed him back the picture that he put back into his wallet. "She's beautiful."

Jacob nodded his head, and smiled. "I guess I get my taste from my dad."

I smiled, "Or I just got lucky."

Jacob laughed. "When has luck ever had anything to do with us, Bella?"

"My mom agrees," he said solemnly, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Now that's not fair, Mrs. Black, you're biased." I played along.

Jacob's eyes twinkled. "She says to call her Sarah, and she thinks its fate, and we're meant to be together."

I glanced toward the stone, the sadness of it hitting me for a moment. It wasn't fair how it ended sometimes.

"You're right then, Sarah . We're meant to be together for forever." I smiled up at him, "Your mom is a wise woman."

"Too bad it doesn't run in the family." Jacob kissed me on the cheek. "We should get back, are you hungry? I'm starving."

I nodded my head. I was actually.

Jacob glanced back to the stone. "Love you, mom."

There was something so wistful and sad in the way he said his goodbye I made my own promise to her. I'll take good care of your son, I promised silently, I love him more than you can imagine.

Jacob took my hand, leading me down the small hill back to my truck.

As he opened to door for me, giving me a quick kiss, and I got behind the wheel I thought again about Renee and how much I felt like I'd taken her for granted lately. She was doing so much to try and make my wedding beautiful and I'd hardly shown her any appreciation for it. Mostly, all I'd done was complain about what a huge thing she was making it into.

"Drive safe." Jacob told me, and then gestured to the rabbit. "I'll be right behind you."

"Okay." I smiled back at him. "Lets meet back up at Sue's, I think everyone has plans to be out-I'll make you dinner."

"And if they're not?" Jacob grinned mischievously.

"Angela told me about this good new place that opened in Forks." I told him, "It's tiny, and a hole in the wall, but she says the food is really great."

"Sounds like a plan." Jacob closed the door, and when he lingered after I leaned out the window, and waited.

"Bella," he said slowly, "I'm really glad you came out here."

"I am too." I told him.

Jacob leaned in and kissed me again. "Okay…" He sighed, pulling back. "I guess I really have to let you go now."

Never, I thought.

"Jake," I said, trying to force myself to actually leave, "I love you."

Jacob took a few steps back, "I love you too, Bella."

In my mirror I watched while the ignition turned over, as Jacob walked back to his car.

I was so lucky. Or fate had been really generous, I didn't know what it was, and I didn't exactly care. All I knew was I had Jacob, and that was all I needed.