A/N: Thank you for reviewing guys. You rock! Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 2 - Fighting it

Songs inspiring Chapter 2:

Ariana Grande - Dangerous woman

Alessia Cara - Wild things

Hawthorne Heights - Saying sorry

Taylor Swift - New romantics

Disclaimer: Twilight is the sole property of Stephanie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.

BPOV

Bella slept fitfully that night. Her dreams were plagued by the angry but equally attractive Jacob Black. She dreamt about the two of them happily married with a bunch of dark haired kids running around the house. But the weirdest thing was the wolves that played such an integral part in her dreams. They were always around - everywhere she looked. Especially the larger russet wolf. Maybe it was because of the forest she'd driven past just before the crash. Or the fact that she could see it from her window now, illuminated eerily by the light of the moon. Another possibility was that she was slowly losing her mind due to the recent stress overload her body had to cope with.

Bella woke around three (according to her cellphone) with a massive need to pee, but there was no way she was going to wake anyone up to take her to the bathroom. Especially Jacob. He was angry enough as it were, without her waking him in the middle of the night for a trip to the bathroom. She'd try to manage by herself. She had to start getting used to doing things by herself.

Bella threw the covers from her body and edged carefully out of bed - her leg was really hurting and she didn't want to hit it against anything. Trying to keep her balance as best she could, she hobbled on one leg to the door, hoping she wouldn't trip over some unknown object in the dark room and steadied herself against the wall. Dammit! Her hopping up and down made her leg throb angrily. She hoped to god the bathroom wasn't too far away. She hopped three more times, before stopping again to take a deep breath, holding onto the door jamb for support. She ground her teeth with determination - she just had to push through the pain. She had no other choice. The alternative meant wetting herself right here in the hallway. With the next hop, Bella's foot slipped and she lost her balance, crashing loudly to the floor with a squeak. Oh god. She probably woke up the whole house now. Perfect.

Suddenly the light flicked on in the passage and an angry looking, shirtless Jacob appeared before her. Oh sweet heavens! What a sight he was to behold with those huge biceps and abs, like russet silk stretched tightly over steel. And he was so insanely tall. If she had to hazard a guess, she'd say he was about 6'7. She wasn't a very tall woman, but he was still abnormally tall by any standards. Bella swallowed thickly, trying to tear her eyes away from the 'v' that peeked from shorts hanging low on his hips and pointed to hidden pleasures, like a flashing neon sign.

"What the fuck are you doing?" He scolded her but hurried to help her up.

Mmm. He smelled so good - like pine needles and fresh rain on a hot summer day. His skin burned against hers and it was a heady sensation. Her body reacted to the feel of him, hormones coursing through her veins and making her heart jackhammer in her chest and her lady bits pulse with want. She wondered if he could hear her traitorous heart? "I was trying to go to the bathroom." She mumbled, trying to hide the blush that crept up her neck, staining her cheeks bright red as she looked into his nutmeg eyes.

Jacob stared at her for a moment, a frown spoiled his beautiful face, before - just for a millisecond - a lopsided smirk hitched it's way up his lips. But a steely mask slid over his face just as swiftly as his smile had come and gone - like dark clouds rolling in and bringing thunder and storms with it . "Why didn't you ask for help?"

"What happened?" Jacob's mother and father also came to inspect.

"She tried to go to the bathroom by herself." Jacob grumbled, lifting her up into his strong and able arms. It felt so good.

"Sorry. I really tried not to wake you." Bella apologized. She bet these people were starting to regret letting her stay the night.

"Oh, sweetheart. You should have called for one of us. Jacob is a really light sleeper. His ears miss nothing." Sarah said, giving Billy a peculiar look - like they were sharing an inside joke.

She shrugged it off and focused on the embarrassing situation she now found herself in. "If you could just deposit me in front of the bathroom, I'll find my way back." She asked Jacob.

He nodded in acknowledgement.

"Do you need some more pain medication, Bella?" His mother asked.

"No. I'm okay, thanks." She lied, shaking her head furiously. She'd caused enough of a disturbance. She didn't want to hassle these people any more than necessary. They've been kind enough as it were.

"Okay then. Sleep well." Sarah smiled sweetly and turned back to her room, trailing behind Jacob's father.

Jacob took a few large but careful strides to what she assumed was the bathroom and gently put her down at the door. "I'll wait for you." He said, motioning for her to go.

Bella hopped in, pushed the door closed and made her way to the toilet, careful not to fall again. Her leg was screaming in pain.

She did her business as fast as she could, washed her hands and splashed some cool water onto her flushed face. Bella startled when she looked up at herself in the mirror and saw her appearance. A large gash to the side of her forehead - stitched up perfectly - stood out against her pale skin, angry and red. Her one eye was quite swollen and dark bruises marred her cheek and jaw and her hair stood out in all directions, some of it clumped together with pieces of dried blood. She looked terrible. She wondered what Jacob thought of her?

Taking care not to hurt herself again, she dried her face with the hand towel draped over a rail against the wall and gave herself one last look in the mirror before hopping to the door.

Jacob was waiting for her when she opened the bathroom door, just like he said he would. He looked so tired. His eyes were closed and his hair was disheveled. Jacob's gargantuan frame leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. That delectable chest. What the hell was wrong with her? She wasn't the type of girl to swoon over a gorgeous man. In fact, she usually steered clear of them. She'd always been more focused on her job as a teacher and rarely made time to date. She'd been burned enough by now to know that men were trouble. All of them. So why was she so bloody attracted to Jacob?


JPOV

He found it sort of comical to witness Bella eyeing his bare chest so openly. He wondered if it was just a female thing, or if she were feeling the effects of the imprint as well? He could smell her arousal - it smelled like honey and jasmine, mixed together in a potent cocktail that turned him on so fucking much. But he knew that was just a side effect of the imprint. Everything about her, from her looks to her smell, was carefully designed by nature to pull him in. And the same applied to him. The fact that Bella was so blatantly aroused by him bore testament to that. Jacob found it very disconcerting and enticing at the same time. His wolf wanted to claim her. Over and over. Fuck her right here against the wall until she came so desperately around him that she couldn't think or walk straight, despite the fact that his parents could walk in on them at any moment.

Jacob shook his head to clear his thoughts, instead focusing his attention to her bruised face, trying to prevent sporting a raging hard-on for this girl, right there in front of the bathroom. It worked. Concern for her well-being, though it was forced, trumped his arousal for her. He could see that she was in pain. She'd lied to his mother about it. Why, he didn't know?

"Let's get you back to bed, shall we." He scooped her tiny, fragile body into his arms and gritted his teeth against the onslaught of emotions barreling through his body at the feel of her silky skin against him as he carried her to her room. "God dammit, Jacob, focus! She's a pale face." He scolded himself mentally. But a little voice in the back of his head whispered in response, reminding him that, though it might be true, she was still his imprint.

Jacob deposited Bella onto the bed with great care and pulled the covers over her body. "I've asked my mom to leave you something for the pain." He said and held up a small pill cup and a glass of water. "I can see that you're in pain. No point in lying. It's written all over your face."

She looked up at him, mouth agape.

"Drink up." He held the pills and glass out to her. She took it willingly, tipping the pills into her mouth and taking a big gulp of water.

"Thank you."She gasped and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She was being sincere.

"No problem." He shrugged it off.

"No. Really." Her eyes locked with his, demanding his full attention. "Thanks for everything. You don't even know me, but you've really been so kind to me. I appreciate it. And I promise I'll get out of your hair first thing tomorrow morning."

Jacob gulped audibly. It was rare to find a pale face as kind as her. She probably took after her father. He supposed they were good people. Jacob nodded at Bella in acknowledgement. "Good night, Bella." He turned, leaving her room and flipping the light switch off on the way out.

In his bed, he lay wide awake despite being dog tired. For the life of him, he couldn't fathom why it bothered him so immensely that she was leaving tomorrow. Somehow he wanted to make sure that she would be okay. That she wouldn't struggle alone, with nobody to help her. Fucking imprint - that's what was messing with his mind. He shook his head at himself. He didn't owe her anything. She needed to sort out her own shit. He didn't need to drag himself into this. Jacob sighed in frustration. He really didn't want to care. He had enough to worry about as it were and the only way he could prevent her from distracting him, was for her to get the hell out of his life and off the Reservation. If she'd stayed in Forks like she should have - not driving around to places she had no right to be - he would never have met her. Then he'd still be blissfully miserable - like he preferred.


JPOV

Despite the fact that it was weekend, Jacob couldn't sleep late. He had to deal with the 'Bella situation' and then start patrolling. Somewhere in the woods a vampire was hiding. And he needed to find out why, before he killed it. But first he needed coffee to function properly.

On his way past Bella's room, he peeked in to see if she was still sleeping. She wasn't. She was busy getting out of bed. Again. Didn't this girl learn her lesson?

"Planning on falling again so early in the morning?" He startled her.

"Jesus Christ, Jacob!" She breathed, clutching her chest. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"You didn't answer my question." He stated, leaning against the door jamb, arms crossed over his chest, observing Bella's struggle to get out of bed.

"Bathroom. Again." She offered up with a blush.

"Right. Well, let me help you." He moved over to her and scooped her up, just like he had last night. It almost felt like a routine in the making. If she were staying - which she wasn't. He would make sure of that.

"You do know that you don't have to pick me up every time. I could just walk with your help."

"It's quicker this way." He said. He didn't have forever to wait for her to get to the bathroom.

"Fine." She sighed in annoyance.

"How's the leg?" He wondered out loud, despite himself.

"Hurts like a bitch." She scowled.

"I bet it does." He chuckled.

"Glad it amuses you. " Bella mumbled sourly. She had the most adorable pout.

"I'm not laughing because you're in pain. I'm laughing because I didn't expect a swear word out of your mouth."

"Ha!" Bella barked out a laugh. "Believe me, I can do way better than that. "

"Here you go." He set her down in front of the bathroom. "Go do your thing." He waved her away with his hand.


BPOV

"So what happened to my truck?" Bella asked as Jacob placed her in a chair at the kitchen table. She looked around the room, almost green with envy. What she wouldn't give to have a kitchen like this.

"It's at Sam's auto shop. He'll start working on it first thing Monday." He turned away from Bella and reached into a cupboard for two mugs. He was so freakishly tall that he didn't even have to stretch. The muscles in his back coiled and released deliciously under his russet skin, like a viper viciously striking it's prey. She wondered what it would feel like to stroke her fingers over those taut, bulky muscles while she lay under him, writhing in bliss. She frowned at herself. Where were all these crazy thoughts coming from? Jacob placed the mugs in front of him, flipped on the kettle and turned back to her, appraising her with cold, hematite eyes. He said nothing.

"He doesn't have to rush. It's not like I'll be using my truck soon, anyway." She pointed out.

Jacob shrugged. "I suppose."

The kettle clicked off as the water reached boiling point and once again he turned away, busying himself with making coffee. He didn't even ask how she liked hers.

Bella fished her cellphone out of her pants and googled the number for a taxi service. "What's your address?" She asked him.

"Why?" He demanded.

"I want to call for a taxi." Everything she said and did had to be questioned by him and it irked her immensely.

"Seventeen River Street." He answered in a clipped tone.

Bella found a number and dialed it. A friendly female voice answered, asking how she could help.

"Hi. I'd like a taxi for seventeen River Street, please?"

"On the Reservation. La Push?" Bella could hear the woman typing away furiously on her computer at the other end.

"Yes, please."

"And who am I speaking with?"

Jacob placed a steaming mug in front of her and she thanked him with a small smile. "Bella Swan."

"What time should the taxi pick you up?" The woman inquired.

Bella checked the time on a large clock hanging on the wall in the kitchen. "Nine o'clock, please." She'd have about a half an hour to still enjoy her coffee and thank Jacob's parents again before she left. She could see that Jacob didn't want her there and she didn't like overstaying her welcome. Best to get out of his hair as soon as possible.

"Okay." She said. "You're taxi is booked."

"Thank you very much." Bella hung up.

Jacob looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't. What was his problem with her?

"If nine is too long for you to wait for me to get out of your hair, I'd be happy to wait outside for my taxi?"

"I didn't say anything." He grumbled.

"Oh, but you didn't have to." Bella said sweetly. "It's written all over your face."

"Morning." The chipper voice of Jacob's mother effectively prevented an all out word war between her and Jacob. It was probably for the best.

"Good morning, Mrs. Black." She greeted Jacob's mother.

"It's Doctor Black." Jacob corrected her.

Bella rolled her eyes at him and gave his mother an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I didn't know."

"Of course not." Jacob retorted. "Why would a pale face like you ever think that one of our people could be a doctor?"

"Seriously? You're gonna keep bringing up the fact that I'm a white snob, are you?"

"Don't pay him any mind, honey." Sarah smiled at her and turned her gaze toward Jacob, flashing him a warning look. "I don't know what's gotten into Jacob. He isn't usually like this."

"It's fine. I should get going anyway." Bella waved it off and drained her mug. She pushed her chair back with the only properly functional leg she had at her disposal, getting up and hobbling to the sink to deposit the coffee mug there. "My taxi will be here soon." She turned toward Jacob's mother, steadying herself against the sink.

"What do you mean?" Sarah frowned.

"I'm going home, Dr. Black." Bella smiled to hide her worry. She had no idea how she was going to manage on her own, but she had no other choice. She simply had to.

"Call me Sarah, please." She requested, but frowned.

Bella nodded.

"Who's going to take care of you?" Sarah asked.

"I'm extremely grateful for your help, but I'll manage at home." Bella assured her.

"You mean you'll be alone?" Jacob's mother asked, worry wrinkling her forehead.

"I'll be fine. Really." She soothed the beautiful, dark haired woman. "I'm tougher than I look."

Jacob snorted with derision, earning himself a dangerous, tight lipped glare from Sarah.

"Won't you please reconsider, Bella? You are more than welcome to stay here until you've recovered."

A loud honk from outside signaled to Bella that her taxi had arrived - a little early but just in time to spare her any more awkwardness.

"Thanks again, Sarah." Bella declined. " But I'll be just fine. I promise." She gave Sarah what she hoped was a convincing smile. "And thank you, Jacob." Bella turned to him. He wore a deep scowl as he leaned back against the kitchen cabinets with his arms folded over his chest. This seemed to be a common pose for him. "I'll be forever in your debt for saving my life." She grabbed her cellphone and purse and hobbled from the kitchen toward the front door as fast as she could manage, not to let the taxi wait for her too long.


JPOV

His mother was giving him a death glare. "Why are you so cold and mean? The girl's done nothing to you. Now she'll have to struggle on her own, with nobody to help her. You saw what happened last night when she tried to go to the bathroom by herself. Not to mention the fact that she doesn't have any proper pain medication for that leg of hers. I don't even want to think of the pain she'll have to endure."

Jacob sighed and scrubbed his face with his hands in frustration. "Fine." He bit out. "I'll go get her."

"Thank you." Sarah gave Jacob a pointed look, shaking her head at him in exasperation.

He stomped loudly from the kitchen and out the front door, forgoing the five porch steps in a hurried attempt to stop the taxi. Thanks to Bella's slow pace, she was only opening the taxi door by the time he reached her.

Jacob grabbed her arm to stop her. "Wait."

She yanked her arm from his grip. "What do you want, Jacob?" She fixed him with an irritated glare.

"Stay." He asked unconvincingly.

"Are you out of your goddamn mind?" She asked with her mouth agape in annoyance. "You just insulted me. In front of your mother no less. And now you expect me to believe that you actually want me to stay?"

"I guess." He shrugged, giving her an apologetic smile.

"Make up your fucking mind, Jacob Black. Besides, I'm not sure I want to stay here with you. My pale skin obviously offends you."

"Whatever. Do what you want then. I don't care." He held up his hands in defense, taking a step back. If she wanted to be difficult, she could struggle at home, by herself. It wasn't his problem.

"Jacob Ephraim Black." His mother shouted from the porch. "I don't care if you're twenty-seven years old. I swear to god I'll spank your ass if you don't behave."

"Oh oh." Bella's eyes widened in mock horror. "Widdle Jacob Black is in twouble now!" She taunted him in a whispered voice so his mother couldn't hear.

"Fuck you!" He mouthed at her.

"Best not let mommy hear that potty mouth of yours, or you'll probably be grounded for a month, on top of everything else." She still kept her voice low.

"Look," the driver of the taxi spoke up in irritation. "Do you still need the taxi or not?"

"No, thank you." Jacob pulled his wallet from his pocket and fished out a fifty, handing it to the driver.

"I could have paid him myself." She complained.

"Well, I paid him. Now shut it." She was so fucking infuriating, challenging him around every turn. He reluctantly scooped her up into his arms and carried her back into the house, where his mother and now also his father were waiting for them.

"I really don't want to impose, Mr. and Mrs. Black." Bella said as they re-entered the house.

"Billy and Sarah." His mother corrected Bella. "And you're not imposing. We'd love to have you here for the next six weeks."

Oh Jesus. Six weeks of this hell. He had to speed up the remodeling of his house so he could move back as soon as possible. He really needed to get away from Bella.


BPOV

On their way to Bella's house to go and collect some of her things, she had asked Jacob to stop at the store for her. She wanted to buy some groceries for Jacob's parents. Things like washing powder, dishwashing liquid, bread, milk, chicken and eggs - things that would be used on a regular basis. Though she knew they sure as hell weren't poor in the least, she at least wanted to contribute. She wasn't a freeloader.

"Keep your groceries. We don't need your charity." He refused when she told him what she had in mind.

"Oh fuck you! It's not like that!" She bit back. He continuously had her on the defensive. She didn't need to justify her intentions for buying them groceries. It was like he was constantly waiting for her to say something that he could twist into impure motive and use against her. She was never one to be bothered by a person's race, culture or traditions. What mattered to her was the person's soul. And right now, she didn't like what she saw in Jacob, despite the fact that she was undeniably attracted to the man. God knows why, because his personality sucked. She hated the fact that he made her analyze every word in her mind before she spoke it. But to hell with it. He was going to find a reason to despise her anyway, so why bother trying to filter her thoughts to please him?

"Then, by all means, set me straight. Because you pale faces always think that we're disadvantaged and that we can't take care of ourselves."

"Boy! You really do have a chip on your shoulder, don't you?" She rolled her eyes at him. "You pale faces." She quoted him. "Really?"

Jacob sighed and looked away from her.

"I only want to buy my share of groceries for your parents. I refuse to sponge off you guys. I'm not like that. So go buy the things I wrote down on the list for you, or I'll go in there myself. And god knows how long that will take."

"Fine." He spoke through gritted teeth.

While Bella waited for Jacob, she searched for his music collection. He had to have some decent music. She found a bunch of CD's in the glove compartment. "Huh?" She jutted out her bottom lip as she flipped through the CD's. She was actually pleasantly surprised. He had the same music taste as she did. Paramore, Band of Horses, The muse, One Republic, Live, to name a few. And then he had music from System of a down, Slipknot and Metallica - not quite her taste. She supposed he had music for every mood.

Bella took out Paramore and popped it into the slot on the radio and 'Careful' started to play. How appropriate. She closed her eyes and relaxed back against the seat, wondering idly how she was going to survive the next six weeks with Jacob staying under the same roof as her. There was a distinct possibility that they might kill each other before the month and a half was over.

"Fuck!" Bella cursed a while later when she heard the heavy clunk of groceries being placed on the back of the truck. Jacob opened the driver side door and found her holding his music collection. She felt a little guilty for snooping.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He snatched up the CD case from her lap. "Do you think it's okay to go through my stuff without my permission?" He pointed the CD case at her as he scolded her, looking irritated as all hell.

"I was bored." Bella defended. "And I really didn't think you'd mind. Besides, you have surprisingly great taste in music."

"That was my ex's CD." He shrugged. "I don't like Paramore."

"Oh, well." Bella shrugged. "Guess everyone has their flaws." She joked. To Bella's utter surprise, Jacob actually smiled back at her for a brief moment. He looked so much younger when he smiled.

"Well, if you want to listen to decent music, you definitely won't go wrong with One Republic." He said as he got in and switched CD's.

"I agree." She nodded as the music began to play.

The drive to Bella's home was filled with blessed silence on both their parts. It wasn't an awkward silence. They just both lost themselves in the music. The only time Bella spoke was when she had to give Jacob directions to her house.

A/N: Did you like the chapter? Please review ;) xxx