DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything. I'm just a fan.

A/N: This is what happens when I get bored...

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When had Edward left, I took a few moments to compose myself. After a few minutes, I ran downstairs to find Charlie awake and watching ESPN.

"I'm going to Jake's!" I yelled, hardly giving him anytime to respond or protest. I was already rushing out the door by the time he looked up from the game he was watching.

It had stopped raining, although I was sure that my truck would be barely able to keep up with the muddy terrain. When I finally reached La Push and Jacob's, my truck was making a kind of rumbling noise that I was sure was not good.

My truck must have been louder than I thought, because as I rolled up the drive, Jacob came sprinting out to meet me. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, looking as sturdy and grown-up as ever.

"I knew you'd be back!" He called as I hopped out to meet him. As soon as I got over to him, Jacob pulled me in and hugged me tightly, the overwhelming warmth of him making my knees buckle and my body shake. I ignored his last comment as I squeezed him back, all the while pushing all thoughts of Edward as far back into my memory as they would go and concentrating on enjoying being with Jacob.

After what seemed like a long time, he pulled back and looked down at me with a towering gaze. "Bella, what are you doing here?"

"I came to see you!" I replied, snuggling into him and talking as though my statement had been the most obvious thing in the world.

"You did? The bloodsucker let you?" He sounded shocked.

I rolled my eyes at his favorite word to describe Edward, but otherwise ignored it. "I kind of…ended it." I mumbled. My words were almost incoherent.

"Nice!" he chuckled. "Why?"

"I surrendered." I paused to throw my hands up and wave an invisible white flag, before crossing my arms against my chest. "You said I'd come to my senses and…I did."

Jacob raised an eyebrow.

Boys. Sometimes they could be so dim. Didn't he understand that this was hard for me? My day already hadn't gone so great and now I was being made to do the talking. This was definitely not my strongest suit

I took a few steps back before speaking. "I'm in love with you." I said simply. "You're," I paused and made quotations in the air with my index and middle fingers as I spoke. "-'the one'."

"I- well-" Jake didn't seem able to continue…or make any sense for that matter.

"You don't have to give a speech, Jacob." I held his name longer for emphasis, then reached up and stroked his cheek.

Jacob beamed, leaned down closer to me and the next thing I felt was his breath on my face and his strong arms snaking their way around me. His lips found mine and, slightly parted, moved gently against my own.

I separated myself from him after just a few seconds. "Jacob…" I half-scolded him, keeping a somewhat teasing tone.

"Yes?" he asked me, sounding distracted.

"Can we just…" I paused. "-slow down? Please." Knots were beginning to form in my stomach as I spoke.

He nodded and lessened his grip on me. "What-"

"I don't- I don't want to hurt him," I cut in. I knew I didn't have to explain to Jacob who I meant by 'him'.

"It's not like he can see us, Bella. He doesn't know." Jacob spoke as though he was trying to comfort me. His words were hardly doing their job.

I hesitated and kissed him again, quicker this time. "You don't know that." I warned him.

"Bella." Jacob was trying to reason with me now. "It's all right. Everything is fine."

"I'm not so sure." I admitted, sighing and staring down at my feet.

I rapidly felt as though I was becoming trapped, trapped in a mess that I had created. I was torn between being here with Jacob and not wanting to hurt Edward.

"What are you talking about?" Jacob asked me.

"I don't know," I confessed. "I just suddenly got really confused…"

"Do you love me, Bella?"

I turned and stared at him blankly. "What?"

"Do-you-love-me?" he separated each word.

I dawdled once again. "…Yes."

"There you go. Problem solved."

I shook my head. "No Jacob. The problem is NOT solved."

Suddenly he grabbed me by the shoulders, so forcefully that I was nearly yanked off of the ground. We were face to face, mere centimeters apart.

"Bella, listen to me. If it's me that you love, you shouldn't care what that- what he thinks."

I spoke only after he'd put me down. I was slightly shaken, but not scared. I knew that Jake would never hurt me. "I don't want to be responsible for hurting him or anyone else."

"You didn't seem to care when you-" he appeared to think better of what he was about to say and started over. "He has the rest of eternity to find someone else, to heal whatever mental wounds he's got. We don't, Bella. We just have now."

I nodded. "I have to go." I said abruptly. "I'll see you later, okay?"

I kissed his cheek, turned, waved goodbye and hurried over to my truck. I'd use the drive home to clear my head and try to think things through.

I watched Jacob in the rearview mirror as I drove away, and only as I turned the corner did I lose sight of him.

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As I opened my front door, I was immediately confronted by the smell of grease and melting cheese. Charlie was still sitting on the couch when I entered, although I could see that he had gotten up at some point.

"I ordered pizza." He said, nodding in the direction of the kitchen.

"I'm not hungry." I replied, starting to make my way up to my room.

He stopped me. "Come here, Bella." Charlie called, turning off the TV as I walked over to him.

"Sit down."

I sat.

"How'd it go?" he asked me.

"How'd what go?"

"Well," he paused. "You were in a hurry to get to the Black's. Everything all right?"

"Yeah, Dad. Everything's great. Just wonderful." I was careful of the level of sarcasm I allowed in my tone.

"What happened?"

Charlie was heading into 'concerned Dad' mode. There was no telling when this conversation would be over.

"Nothing, Dad. Jake and I just talked."

"What about Edward?" Charlie asked somewhat sternly.

"We broke up." I said, flatly. I wanted this discussion to be over. Quick and relatively painless, like ripping off a band-aid.

Charlie looked as though he was trying to hide some sort of relief.

"I'm sorry, Bella." He said in what he apparently thought was a consoling manner.

"It's okay Dad." I mumbled. "You don't have to be sorry. You were right. He was rotten for me."

There was a long and awkward pause.

"So…" my father continued a little too eagerly, "What about you and Jake?"

"Dad-" I was cut off by the sound of the phone ringing.

Charlie stood up from the couch and went to answer. "Bella, it's for you." He held the receiver out in my directions.

I stood up, confused, and took it. "Hello?" I asked as I pressed the phone to my ear.

"Bravo." The voice on the other line said. "Wonderful job."

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review!