Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to the Twilight saga books or the movies. All I am doing, is borrowing the characters so I can temporary silence my muse.

A/N: Here I am yet again, with yet another Bella/Jacob one piece. I've had it on my computer for a little while, the writing process slow and the story coming together paragraph by paragraph, but I think I'm finally done with it. I hope you'll enjoy reading it and get some piece of this story stuck in your head, even for a little while. *sighs* I wish I could just ask for a real life Jacob for Christmas... :p xoxo

On the Line

"You only get one shot, so don't watch this moment go by as love is on the line."

Bella remembered what had happened at the movie theater vividly, because it had been the last time she had seen him. It was supposed to be an awkward night out, her sandwiched between Jacob and Mike, and that was exactly how it had gone, although the night's ending was unexpected. It was as if something inside Jacob had snapped, the way he turned on Mike and then her, yelling at her how she should stop leading him on and using him as a substitute. He was worth more and now she was afraid that she had lost him.

She waited for Jacob to call her and apologize, though he didn't really owe her one; his accusations were true, but she hoped to at least talk to him. When he didn't reach out, she reached out to him by calling, but with each phone call she became more and more certain that he was purposely shutting her out. It scared her and caused her to panic, history repeating itself, but the nightmares didn't return; instead she dreamt of him… heated dreams, burning hot, blazing, a heat wave that crashed down on her and washed over her body, causing her to wake up panting and sweating, calling for him: "Jacob... "

She wasn't aware that it wasn't a secret at all, not to him, and that he heard her call his name and that he followed her voice until he found himself standing underneath her window. His back was against the wall and his eyes were closed as he pictured her sitting in her bed, grasping her covers to her heart like he was holding his fists to his chest. He heard her struggle with his absence and it hadn't gotten better, it caused her heartache, the same she had felt when Edward had abandoned her, only Jacob was still here… He collected himself, not bothering with his appearance as he began to slowly move from his stoic position. It was more than that. He pulled at the fray around the hole in his jeans and ran his hands through his hair and down the front of his white shirt, separating fantasy from reality before pulling himself into the tree and jumping into her room, her window always open, almost like a silent invitation, hope, and a fantasy come true…

He heard her gasp in surprise as he silently found his footing. Their eyes simultaneously sought each other out, hers narrowing while his widened apologetically. Very much aware that the roles were reversed, him having put on more clothes than he normally wore, and her dressed down to her girl boxers and flimsy tank top, they kept their distance.

She clutched the blankets and pulled them closer. "Jake… finally came to apologize?" her gaze pinned him to the spot in a challenging manner.

"Depends… you ready to admit you were using me as a stand-in?"

Bella bit her bottom lip, nodding in acknowledgement of that they were both looking for different reasons. She dropped her covers with a sigh and rose from her bed.

"I'm sorry." She crossed her arms in front of her chest, shivering slightly at the cool breeze that lightly nipped at her bare skin. "It wasn't like that anymore though. I genuinely liked spending time with you, being with you," she purposely chose her words.

He crept closer, the heat he was radiating protectively taking her in. "I'm sorry for accusing you like that, so out of nowhere… I wasn't myself that night, I haven't been."

She shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I haven't seen you since then."

"And there's a reason for that."

"But you couldn't tell me right?" She turned her eyes away from him. "And you still can't."

"Bells…" he said her name with a sigh, regretting the truth. "I can't, I literally can't. Those are the rules."

"The rules," she repeated, her tone bitter as she took a determined step towards him. "Well, why did you come here then if you can't explain a thing?!" she cried in frustration. "I don't care about your rules, Jacob and I don't want to play whatever game they belong to, so just leave okay, just leave… Please." She gestured toward the window.

But he didn't and she sighed, giving herself an invisible pat on the back, at least she had tried. She re-crossed her arms in front of her chest, trying not to shiver as she moved closer until she was standing right across from him, knowing that his defense was coming, and his reason for staying. If only she knew it was her after all.

"Bella…" He breeched the distance between them, leaving hardly any behind and she held her breath, not wanting to give in so easily. "If only you knew how bad I want to tell you," he spoke gently to her, his breath hitting the side of her face as she turned her head from him, not allowing him total access, not yet. "But I can't, I'm not allowed to. It doesn't matter though. You already know because I've already told you, you just have to try and remember. It'd be so much easier on us."

Her eyes snapped back to his and in a daze of emotion she tried to vocalize her response,"I don't know what you're talking about, and if it's just a ruse to delay—" Her breath hitched, getting caught in her throat as she felt the light weight of his hands on her hips, gently guiding them closer to his until it were only his fingers that kept them from touching. "It's not," he assured her. "Remember the story I told you when you just got here? We went for a walk on La Push beach…" his voice trailed off as he gave her a moment to gather her thoughts and him the time to savor their vicinity.

He felt his heart thump rapidly against his chest, something that had happened many times before when he thought of her, but now she was around to hear it as well, and he wondered if she did, if she was aware of the effect she had on him. Another breeze came in from the window and this time she was like him, barely feeling it because of the warmth that had a hold on her as long as he was near. Still, it brought her attention back to the real life situation she was currently in: a guy, who's ripped physique was evident even through the clothes he had so thoughtfully put on, had his hands on her bare legs, his fingers only inches away from where she had only imagined his hands to be, and her, practically asking for it in her underwear and sheer tank. She gasped, her eyes instantly finding his as they sought one another out.

The corner of his mouth twitched and his grip on her tightened just a little as he asked her, "You remembered, didn't you? See, I knew you would."

"Uhm… yeah," Bella stalled, raking her brain for the bits and pieces and putting them together as quickly as she could, her eyes widening in sudden realization and locking on to Jacob's more fiercely. "You're a…" She shook her head and her hands flew up to his chest, a mere excuse to touch him if it weren't for her genuine shock. "The muscles… Your hair! Sam…" She shook her head again in disbelief and took a step backwards. "You're a…"

"Werewolf," Jacob finished for her, taking a step towards her and reaching for both of her hands so he could pull her against him and she let him, like a ragdoll she rested all of her weight against him.

"You okay? I mean, I figured you wouldn't take it so hard since you dated a vampire," he joked, wanting to take it back the second the words left his mouth. She tensed up underneath him and he heard her catch her breath before separating herself from him.

"It won't change anything, will it?" he asked, a little worried.

She shrugged and hugged herself. "Not anymore than they already have." She gave him a pointed look and turned her back to him, heading toward her bed.

"Bells, you have to forgive me. I wanted to tell you immediately and be near you, but it was too dangerous. I didn't even know what was happening to me and I couldn't risk putting you at risk—"

"It's cold," she cut him off and he hung his head, but didn't say as he dragged his feet over to the window. He looked back at her, already back in bed, her expression mixed, unsure of her decision to want him out of her room. Her eyes looked to him in a frenzied state of want and desperation as she clutched her covers to her heart, her mouth opening to say something, though none of the words she had intended to say came out. Jacob took his chance and closed the window, already on his way over to her by the time she had realized his change of heart.

Her mouth opened again, but before the words came tumbling out, his body came crashing down on top of her. After a frantic few seconds, their bodies settled on top of each other, his hands cupping her face while hers pulled at his shirt that shouldn't have been there in the first place. The blanket ended up on the floor, Bella having something better to keep her warm. She timidly began to wrap her legs around his waist, though he brought a hand down to her thigh and pulled her closer to him, letting her know that whatever she wanted to do was more than good with him. While she had trouble catching her breath and she touched every inch of him that she could get to, he kept his calm and focus, his eyes never straying from hers and his lips never leaving her face.

His kisses were deep and full when he was kissing her on her mouth, but light and ever moving as he trailed them to her cheeks, forehead, and down to her neck and collarbone. He didn't rush her or himself, giving her ample time to show him any sign of changing her mind, but she didn't withdraw from him in any way. The only thing that did change was the nature of their contact, it went from being sexual to seeking comfort and clinging on to him for her dear life because she had missed him and didn't want him to leave her sight without her consent. He felt the swift in her body as her breathing evened out and her touches become softer. He felt her arms circle his neck and her head find a soft spot on his shoulder. He gave her her much needed moment and didn't so much as flinch, keeping most of his weight off her by leaning on his arms. He smiled into her hair as he heard her call out his name. Sensing what she was looking for, he shifted his body so that he was lying next to her, circling his arms around her so he was cradling her as close to his body as he could.

"Stay with me?"

He brushed his lips against her forehead and whispered, "Always, Bells. I am a little worried about your dad's reaction though when he finds me."

"I don't care," she rebelled with a faint pout that caused him to smirk.

"You sure?" he asked, placing a butterfly kiss on her bare shoulder.

He felt her nod her head. "I need you, Jake. I always did, I just didn't know it until… until my world came crashing down."

"Well, I've always done well in a crisis."

There was a short silence between them that she broke, knowing what he wanted to hear and she needed to assure him of, "It's more than that. You're my Jacob."

He chuckled, but affectionately gazed down at the girl in his arms, looking vulnerable but so sure of what she needed and wanted: him. "And you're my Bella, the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew that."

She wriggled one of her legs in between his and laced her fingers into the fabric of his shirt, pulling herself as close as she could, the connection sexual and stirring up every part of her and his body, but tonight wasn't the time, nor would the next few nights be, but that wasn't the point. The point was that they had found each other and that she could claim him as her own and he could do the same.

So, that night, they slept together in the same bed and when the sun rose and they opened their eyes, they were both still there and that all that mattered.

Please review? I'd really appreciate your thoughts on this little piece, good or bad, since I'm always looking to improve my writing. Thanks for reading and merry xmas! (we had lots of snow here in Holland, but then right before xmas it all melted... some cruel joke played on us by mother nature...) :) x