AN: Thank-you so much for the reviews and favourites-I really appreciate them!
Disclaimer: Titles are songs names from the album 'Started a Fire' Many thanks to One Night Only for having such good song names! And band name… haha.
Sorry this chapter is short-I promise more in chapter three!
Start Over
"Yeah, 'course..." Jacob replied as he turned back to Bella. She grinned, skipping over to the doorway. "Where are you going?" he protested quickly, wondering if, already, Bella was leaving him.
"Well, are we going to see Sam and Emily or not?" she asked, laughing at his stupidity.
"Oh, yeah. Sure..." Jacob pulled on a shirt, and then shrugged on his thick coat-you couldn't be too careful with the weather. Bella pulled on her own coat and, after waving goodbye to Billy they left.
"Can we take the truck?" she asked, breathless with excitement.
"Sure, Bells." he laughed, wondering how Bella had become so full of energy "But I'll drive if that's okay." she nodded happily and climbed into the red truck. He chuckled to himself
"That was easy..." he made is way around the Chevy to the driver's seat, and got in.
"Okay, then," Jacob said suddenly, grabbing the wheel and taking the key to the ignition when Bella handed it to him. "Thanks." She smiled sweetly at him, and Jacob had to look away, blushing. How was it, that now she was giving him attention he became embarrassed?
Jacob's mind was working quickly, he wasn't sure what had happened before now and if, if there was no Edward anymore...had he fixed the bikes with Bella? He wondered what had changed, but this was an illusion...an illusion he had complete control of...
They reached Sam's house quickly, and piled out of the car. Bella waited for him carefully, and when he joined her on her side of the car they walked up the drive. She took his hand lightly in hers, and Jacob was so pleased he almost forgot to look where he was going. She stared up at him unblinkingly, more than a little embarrassed and smiled uncertainly. He grinned back.
"Jake! Bella!" Emily exclaimed happily when she answered the door. Her poor, partially disfigured face, displaying genuine excitement upon seeing the pair. "Come in,"
The entered behind the girl and were greeted by a grinning Sam and Embry sitting on the sofa, eating what appeared to be the contents of the fridge...or possibly two.
"Jake!" Sam greeted him warmly; Embry merely waved a preoccupied hand towards them and continued to devour his spoils.
They spent the next hour enjoying a baseball match, where Bella had to sit on Jacob's lap because there wasn't enough room on the sofa...possibly a premeditated move on the part of the rest of the pack. Jacob only suspected this because Embry had insisted his food needed the entire other sofa to sit on, and Sam and Emily and made sure there was no room for Bella to sit between anyone.
Not that Jacob minded terribly about it, in fact, to him it was like heaven. If only Edward Cullen really had died, maybe he would have had more of a chance than he had ever dreamed.
Jacob still had an entire twenty three hours, he knew it may seem like a lot, but he couldn't bear to waste time he could spend with Bella. After the baseball, he stood up, moving Bella gently from his lap and onto the sofa. She looked up at him pathetically, he groaned inwardly-she was far too cute for her own good.
"Are you leaving?" he nodded sullenly, and was surprised when she sighed. Jacob walked into the kitchen and thanked Sam and Emily for having being so hospitable.
"Jake, you're one of the pack-we're family. Don't be stupid, there's no need to thank us." Sam laughed. He shrugged, a little embarrassed, and was rewarded by a kiss on the cheek from Emily. Jacob grinned at her gratefully.
"You win that girl over, Jake. Bella likes you too" he chuckled, if only they knew the half of it in the real reality. There, Bella loved Edward Cullen, and only Edward Cullen- a blood sucker and, in Jacob's opinion, all around sissy boy.
"Sure thing, Em. It's what I've always planned to do." She patted his arm lightly and he turned, leaving the tidy kitchen behind him.
Bella sat a little uneasily on the edge of the sofa, starting at her hands, he couldn't help but smile. He stood there for several minutes, just looking before he did anything. He grabbed his own coat, then walked over, depositing her own coat on her head.
"Huh?" squeaked the girl from beneath her waterproof, tugging it off her hair she turned to see him. Jacob cross his arm bemusedly.
"Staying here then? " he asked jokily, Bella shook her head and jumped to her feet.
"I didn't think you wanted me to come too," he chuckled
"Firstly, Bella, it's your truck we came in, and secondly, why wouldn't I?" she blinked several times, then decided to look at her feet, shifting her weight from one to the other hypnotically.
"I don't know..." she mumbled, Jacob grinned. He was glad she was this embarrassed and still he felt slightly bad for causing it.
He was amazed to find how different Bella was when she wasn't either weeping over Edward leaving, on a mission to save Edward, or depressed about the rain. All in all, he was seeing the Bella he loved. The shy, happy girl, who never did anything she thought would upset people...well, unless it involved Edward Cullen-then, it didn't seem to matter who she hurt.
He didn't blame her, though. He blamed Edward!
They left the house, shouting swift goodbyes to Emily, Sam and Embry before getting back into the Chevy. He sat in the driving seat for several moments, considering what he could do today with Bella to show her how much he cared-and perhaps make her chose him this time. After all, the other Cullens had said she might remember, well, without doing anything rash- because he didn't trust them not to keep watch, even when they had said they wouldn't- he might just be able to change whom she would chose.
He smiled to himself. La push...perfect.
He had another twenty three hours of the day left, he would make every one count as much as possible. He turned the ignition and they left.
Here was where everything would begin that day, everything he could change, he would start to change now...