A/N: So welcome to my new story. This is my "what if Bella would have chosen Jacob" story. We begin in the Swan's kitchen on the infamous cliff diving day. Jacob gets his kiss in before the phone rings.

We'll see a strong Bella emerge faster and a smarter Charlie. But, vampire antics ensue. And let's not forget that Jake and Bells are just teenagers.

MarinaNamaste is my wonderful beta from down under and I love her. She helps me so much.

My head was still full of Alice. She'd never said his name, but she'd conveyed that he wasn't doing well and he was the reason that she hadn't answered any of my messages.

The jump off the cliff had brought her. She thought I was trying to kill myself. Funny enough, that had never crossed my mind. I just wanted to feel something.

It was Jake that pulled me out. It was Jake who always saved me. He hadn't found me in the woods; that was Sam. But Jake brought me back to life.

When I shivered in the truck, he warmed me with his heat, even after I refused his kiss—again. God, I wanted to kiss him. I did. I loved the passion that burned in his eyes. I loved the heat he radiated through me. I loved that he wasn't afraid to tell or show me how he felt about anything.

And here we stood in my kitchen after I'd sent Alice away. I hadn't made up my mind about this yet. But his lips inched closer to mine, his heat radiating around me warming my cold, dark world.

What was I waiting for? Edward did nothing for me but make me feel inferior and unsure of myself. In his absence, I ceased to function as a human being.

What was that?

I jumped off a cliff to try to hear his voice? See his image? Feel something. I'd become that girl. That dependent kind of girl my mother always warned me about and refused to become.

And, in front of me was this gorgeous specimen of a human who warmed me inside and out. He made me feel something, though I'd spent months in denial. He made me feel good about myself; like, I was worth something. I looked up into his eyes. Those dark chestnut eyes were flecked with gold since his change. They were so sincere; so eager.

If I didn't choose Jacob, I was an idiot.

Jacob's love presented me a choice: him over the nothing I had lived for over half a year. The fact was—I was getting older. And I was wasting my life. I was wasting my life waiting for a boy, who was frozen in time; who always thought he knew what was best for me without considering my thoughts or feelings on matters.

I had to make this decision now. I licked my lips, and instead of pulling away, like I'd done on several occasions including earlier this evening, I leaned in.

Jake wasn't expecting that. But it made it sweeter. His bottom lip brushed mine. It was hot but sweet. His hand inched behind my neck, under my hair, pulling my face closer to his.

"Bella," he whispered, before pressing his lips to mine more firmly. I felt myself reacting. My arms slid up and my hands clasped around his neck. I was feeling something, alright, from the tips of my fingers to the ends of my toes. A knot formed low in my belly and begged for pressure. His lips molded around mine and were so soft. I nibbled on his bottom one, relishing in the difference from my previous experience. He seemed to like that a lot.

The kitchen phone's shrill ring made me yelp and I felt Jacob smile against my lips. He reached over with one hand while planting another peck on my swollen lips before speaking into the receiver.

"Swan residence," Jacob said, his eyes trapping mine so the intensity of the moment didn't fade away. His other arm tightened around my waist. "He's not here right now, he's planning a funeral."

Jacob hung up the phone without another word and his lips were on mine again. He pushed me back against the counter and lifted me up onto it so I was more level with him.

His kisses became more passionate; more demanding. Again, it was nothing like I'd experienced before. Jake was showing me how he felt and unleashing the passion I know I'd forced him to bottle up for weeks and months. I went right along with it. I uncorked the bottle of my emotions, too. I was tired of repressing them and saving them for someone who refused to reciprocate or accept them. So it was time to lavish them on someone who did.

Jake's lips took a little detour down my jawline while my hands slid down his bare back. He'd changed so much in the past few weeks, physically. I hadn't had time to truly appreciate it. I was sure he was more than willing to let me do that now. When his lips made it to the bottom of my neck I felt his tongue slide up the trail he'd just made and back through my lips which were parted in a gasp.

God, where'd he learn to do that? It's like he knew all the places to touch me to wake up the parts I thought were dead with no hope for resurrection. Maybe I wasn't broken like a car that would never run right. Maybe Jake could fix more than broken down cars. We tested and teased each other for a few more moments before Jacob pulled away.

"Dammit!" he breathed out, his head snaking around to look behind him. His hand remained possessively on my hips.

"What?" I asked, frightened I'd done something wrong.

"They always find a way to fuck things up," he answered, turning his body so he was standing in front of me, shielding me from whatever he heard through the door. I peeked around his bulging bicep which shook with pre-phase trembles.

"Bella," the little high pitched voice called and then I understood Jake's stance, "what did you do?" She ghosted into the room and saw, I'm sure, my swollen lips and the way I was sitting on the counter with my legs parted to accommodate Jake's massive body. I knew they could smell arousal and I had to reek of it.

"Nothing Alice, why?" Jake said in a tired, frustrated tone.

"I can't see her future anymore," Alice said, eyes wide. "It just completely disappeared and with it so did Edward's. What did you decide? What did you do?" Jacob's body began a vibration I knew would lead the destruction of Charlie's kitchen if I didn't stop this soon. I reached around Jake's waist and rested my hand on his hard stomach.

"Jake, stop. I got this, okay?" I kept my voice soft and soothing. I leaned up and kissed his shoulder blade and nuzzled my nose back and forth a few times and that seemed to calm him down. Alice's keen eyes watched the exchange.

"Fine," he responded, though tightly and through clenched teeth. I suspected that was more for intimidation than it was for uncontrolled anger that led to phasing.

I pushed lightly on his back and he took a step forward so I could hop down off the counter top. I walked around Jake who kept an arm possessively around my waist.

"I decided, Alice," I finally answered. "I finally decided to do what Edward told me to do and move on and live my life. I chose Jacob who pulled me back to life."

"It's not that," Alice shook her head, though I noticed her eyes flicker to Jake's hand on my waist and the slight disapproving look that crossed her face. "I knew you were going to choose him sooner or later. I saw that ages ago. What happened when Edward called? I can't see past the moment the dog answered the phone."

Edward was the one who called? I didn't know how to feel about that. Pain. Pain was definitely there. Anger, hurt, rage, longing, love, sadness—it was all there and I couldn't sort through it all.

"Edward didn't call," Jacob scorned. "Dr. Cullen called. Not Edward. He asked for Charlie."

"No, you simpleton!" Alice exclaimed. "That was Edward trying to see if Bella was still alive, what did you say to him?"

Thunder crashed in my world as lightning struck and sparks flew, illuminating some newly discovered truths. Had this happened five minutes earlier—just five minutes and before I'd chosen to kiss Jacob—it would have sent me reeling. I would have felt anger towards Jacob for not telling me who was on the phone. But that kiss, those kisses, they changed everything. They opened my eyes to so many things.

"You told him he was planning a funeral," I said, looking up at him. To his credit, he looked a little horror struck. But I didn't want Jake to feel bad. Edward had misrepresented himself. Again. If Edward would just learn to be honest with people, then his life, and the lives of everyone he touched, would be so much easier. But he didn't know how to do that. He drew me into it and I had begun lying to everyone I knew. He made everything so difficult. Maybe the ability to read everyone else's minds kept him from being open with anyone else. No matter the reason, I just couldn't take that any more.

"It doesn't matter," I said, reaching down and grabbing Jacob's hand and intertwining my fingers with his. "Edward chose to leave me for dead in the forest so it doesn't matter if I actually died or if I survived. Jake didn't do anything wrong." There was purpose in my voice that was rooted in some vine of strength I'd just discovered. It was reaching for the light and I wasn't going to let Edward's fib smother my hope again.

"You heard her," Jake said. "Run along and go save your brother again." He pulled me in closer, wrapping his other arm around my waist and I leaned into him for support. It was there like a solid oak. Jake made everything better, warmer, and just…doable.

A/N: So tell me what you think. I'll try to update once a week.

Leave me some love.