SM's characters, my story

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This was betaed by the wonderful getshorty. This story wouldn't exist without her help. Special thanks to whenpoetryrises for reading it over for us!


Contentment with our lot is an element of happiness, The Crab and the Fox, Aesop

It was with a heavy heart that I watched the tow truck haul the beast off. It had seen me through the last year and a half of high school and four years of college, and I had loved it dearly. Granted, it was older than my father, Charlie, but it had been perfect for me; a big, red truck, brand new sometime in the nineteen-fifties, and solid as a rock. Luckily, Jake was willing to lend me his old VW Rabbit until I found myself a car, which hopefully would be tomorrow. He just laughed that it was what friends did, and since he was now working for the force down in La Push, he got to drive around a shiny new police cruiser. We would be spending this weekend in Seattle shopping the lots in hopes that something would fit my meager budget and still be reliable.

I had graduated from the University of Washington and accepted a job here in Forks at the local library so I could be close to Charlie. After a few months there, I had decided to start my own business: a small bookstore, complete with wi-fi, a few computers, couches, and an espresso machine. There was no Starbucks here, and with little competition I was doing fine. Mom and Phil were happily ensconced in Jacksonville, but still traveled a great deal with the team. While I had hated it when I moved here six and a half years ago, it was always stable and comfortable; similar in feeling to sitting by a warm fire, reading a good book. The only thing missing was having someone's head in my lap as I stroked my fingers through his hair. Jake had offered to be that someone at one time, but we both decided friendship was better suited to us.

I felt the weight of Jake's arm as he settled it on my shoulders and whispered to me, "Don't be sad, Bells. She lived a good long life. I only hope yours will be as long."

I just chuckled. Jake was always saying weird things like that. "How about you?" I teased, "Aren't you planning to at least hit sixty?"

He mumbled something I didn't quite catch, looking out into the dark of the forest. I began to sweat with his arm around me; he had more body heat than any other guy I knew! Whenever I felt chilled I would just ease over next to him and be warm in a minute. Even though the fall air was chilly, I felt the need to shed some layers just from being near him. He noticed a sheen of sweat form on my brow and, with an apology, removed his arm. "Are you ever going to tell me why you are so hot all the time?" I asked him.

"Nope. Just knowing you think I'm hot makes me happy though." Laughing, I swatted at him, gently. I knew from experience that if I hit him too hard, it would break my hand. I had learned that the one time he had kissed me during my senior year of high school. That's when we made the decision to be friends. Or, I made the decision, and he had to agree. Luckily, over the years he seemed to settle into the idea and now had no trouble with it. He even occasionally set me up on blind dates with guys. He wasn't kidding though, he was hot. Standing at six foot seven, muscles rippling like cords of steel over his arms and down his chest. I should be turned on just looking at him, especially since he usually liked to run around in barely any clothes when he wasn't on duty, but all the affection I felt for him was brotherly.

"You are hot, Jake, and will one day make some girl very happy. I know that."

"I know, Bells, I know. At least I'll know when I finally find her." He looked down and patted me on the head as he continued, "Someone will come for you one day as well. Well, if he ever passes the test of the La Push boys, anyway," he laughed.

Ah, the La Push boys. They were all built like Jake. Charlie was forever teasing Billy, Jake's dad, about what they were feeding them. I knew what it was, EVERYTHING! Those boys could pack away more food than anyone I knew. Just the group of them could keep a single grocery store in business. Sadly, none of them appealed to me, and even though I was friends with them all, the same was true for them.

"Why are we mooning over nonexistent loves while watching the beast get dragged away anyway?" he asked me. I just shrugged as I watched it disappear around a corner. "Well, I'm famished." I just snorted a laugh, when wasn't he? "I'm gonna run to the diner for something. Do you need anything?"

I thought about the turkey sandwich in my lunch sack and compared it in my mind to the thought of a greasy burger and fries. I steeled my resolve to stay healthy and shook my head. "No thanks, Jake, I'm set for food." Then a thought crossed my mind that caused me to giggle. "You got enough money? Last time you were there you just about cleaned them out of food."

He just shrugged, "I'm only going for a snack. A few burgers should do me fine." A few burgers was a snack? I just shook my head. Surely that metabolism would slow down one day, but it didn't look to be anytime soon, so I just waved him off with a smile and returned to work.

I had been thrilled when I was able to purchase a small store-front in Forks and open my own business. Granted, the bookstore was small, and woefully under stocked, but just walking into the tiny building amongst the dusty smell of old paper and the hum of the computers made me smile. I had been lucky enough to finish my degrees in English Literature and business just as the old owner had retired, and she had wanted to sell the storefront to someone who would use it to better the community. It had been a fabric store before, and the boys had gutted it for me and built everything in it. My dad had thought the bookstore wouldn't be profitable, and I was thrilled to prove him wrong. Granted, it didn't earn me much, but I had a job reading. What could be better?

Besides, Angela, my one really good friend from high school, was my assistant. We got on well together, and it was fun to watch her pregnancy progress. She and Ben had married half-way through college and had returned here to raise their family. They liked the small town feel and low crime rate, not to mention having family nearby, and were as content as I was.

It was a Friday afternoon and the school kids weren't heading to the bookstore in search of fun, in spite of the computers, free wi-fi, and comfy couches we had interspersed amongst the stacks, so to say it was dead quiet was an understatement. Crypts had more noise. If it wasn't my own business, I would go home early, but there certainly wasn't any reason for Angela to stay. All the books were sorted, filed, pulled and coded. Since it was so small, we were closed on weekends. I looked over to see Angela nodding off at her desk. I restrained a chuckle, wadded a piece of paper and threw it at her to wake her up.

"Why don't you head on home?" I asked when she glared at me, and was pleased to see the look change to a smile.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, there's only another hour left, and you and I both know that no one is coming in. I'm sure I can cover even if someone has less of a life than I do. You look like you could use some sleep. Put your feet up and make Ben rub them."

She laughed at the last, shaking her head as she gathered her purse from her desk drawer. "I wish. He prefers to rub my belly for luck while playing Xbox." That really made me chuckle. She was barely nine weeks along, so not really showing. I knew how excited Ben was to be a dad, and if Angela would just ask, he would have been happy to give her a foot massage. It seemed I would need to run interference. Ben had given me his cell number in case anything happened to Angela at work, so I sent him a quick text as a suggestion after she left.

It was only a couple minutes before I got a reply. Game console away, getting out oils. Thanks for the heads-up. Men may be oblivious, but if you give it to them straight they usually do what they should, and Ben was no exception.

With Angela gone, I booted up my personal email and sent my mom a quick note. I knew if I wasn't preemptive then she would start hounding me about writing. Usually asking questions involving my non-existent love life, and wondering why I had broken up with my last boyfriend. He had been a nice guy, but I was never that excited to see him, a sure sign we were not a match. He didn't give me that feeling of home that I was wanting, so after about five months I had called it off. Instead, I just informed Renee about my truck and that Jacob and I would be going shopping tomorrow for a new one. I made sure to include that this wasn't a date, because I knew she would ask.

It was about five minutes until closing time, and I was curled up on one of the couches with a book when Alice Cullen walked in. We hadn't been close in high school, and I had heard that she had gone off to Dartmouth with Jasper, joining Emmett and Rosalie there. They had also come back to Forks, but everyone knew they weren't working as they were blessed with family money. I wish I had been so lucky. Thankfully for Forks, they did spend their time and money wisely, supporting the local Boys and Girls Club and the pet shelter in the area. They all were so close that I wasn't surprised they had simply moved back in with their parents.

I waved to her when she looked over to me. I didn't think I had ever seen her in the store before. That's not to say she wasn't smart, she went to Dartmouth, but probably got all her books off Amazon, and so didn't need to drop by.

Most people, when they come in, head straight for the stacks, perusing for something to read. She surprised me by walking straight to me and sitting down next to me on the couch.

"How've you been, Bella?" she trilled in her soprano voice. "I haven't seen much of you around."

Okay, now I was floored. One of the reclusive Cullens was not only talking to me, she was doing it in such a manner that she thought of us as friends. Granted, you can't have too many friends, but they had always been so standoffish. So, I just gave a noncommittal shrug and answered her. "I've just been working, living with Charlie until I have enough for my own place, and hanging out in La Push, so I'm fine. What have you been up to?"

"Nothing much," she said to me shyly. "Was that your truck I saw being hauled off? Did it finally die?"

"There's no missing my truck, Alice, so yes, it was." I sighed deeply. The thought of haggling with salesmen tomorrow loomed gloomier than the ever-present clouds. "I'm going with Jake tomorrow to Seattle to look for another new one."

I was taken aback by her grimace when I said Jake's name. "Is there a problem?"

She looked off with a vague expression and whispered, "I don't know." Then she turned to me again and smiled, "Just don't go to the Volvo dealership. I don't think they have anything good there."

There was simply no way I was going to be able to hold in my laugh at that suggestion. "Seriously, Alice, how much money do you think this store makes? Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but it's not what you would consider a wealthy career path."

Her soft smile lightened up her face. "I know, Bella, but they also have used cars, and I just thought you might like to know I didn't think you would find anything good there."

It was really sweet of her, so I leaned over and patted her hand, surprised by how cold I found it. "That's sweet of you, and I'll keep it in mind. Are you warm enough?"

She trilled a laugh, "Yes, I am. I just have poor circulation." The look on her face seemed to indicate she had said some sort of joke, but I didn't get it. She stood up from the couch and looked down on me with a strong look, the corners of her mouth raised slightly in a smile to offset the severity of it. "I just wanted to give you some advice about car shopping. Do stay away from the Volvo dealership." Then she waved and walked out.

I had always liked Alice Cullen. She had been the friendliest of the family, but that might have been because we were in the same grade. She always smiled at me and was kind. Still, I couldn't remember when she actually said more than a few words to me. Sometimes I thought she was on the verge of talking to me, or perhaps even becoming my friend, but something held her back. I simply couldn't imagine what could have brought on today's conversation. It was easily the most she had ever spoken with me. With a shrug, I shut down the store and headed home.

That night was a quiet one with Charlie, just like every night. We talked while eating leftovers and then he went to sit in front of the game. After I had the kitchen cleaned up I called to him that I was heading to bed, to which he just waved. While I was anxious to have my own place, it was simply to assert my independence. Living with Charlie was easy and he seemed to actually enjoy the fact that I had come home to him. I suspected it might have been because of my cooking.

Lately, though, he had been spending time with Sue Clearwater. In fact, I think they were dating, although when I asked him he just blushed and was noncommittal. The blush was enough to know I was on the right track. Just another reason to get my own place; I'm sure they would want to be alone together. Those were my last thoughts before I slipped into sleep.

Saturday was a typical fall day in the northwest, cloudy and misty with a chill in the air. It was likely to be this way on the other side of the sound, so I dressed in layers, dark blue sweater over a white tank paired with a raincoat and the ubiquitous jeans. Finished off with sneakers, I knew that no matter what the weather or temperature, I was covered. Jake, unsurprisingly, made it over in time for breakfast. Charlie laughed that he was going to be eaten out of house and home once Jake consumed about a dozen eggs, but I knew he was pleased to have him there.

We spent hours walking the car lots of Seattle finding nothing. How hard could it be? All I wanted was a small car, good gas mileage, in good repair. I was thankful for Jake many times. Sometimes the salesmen would talk down to me, or try to convince me that a car was a good buy, until Jake popped the hood and started asking rather pointed questions. Other times they would hit on me, until they saw his hulking mass wrap an arm around my shoulders. The women were just as bad. They would hit on him, and I would laugh at his embarrassment. He would still wrap his arm around me to try to give them the hint he wasn't interested, but there were a couple that didn't work on. Of course, it could have been my laughing at him that clued them in that we weren't, in fact, a couple.

We were down to the Toyota and Volvo dealerships. I had thought I would listen to Alice. Her family always drove really nice cars and I figured she would know what was out there. I was hungry, tired, and sick of looking. Jake was in a deep discussion over a car with the salesman, and this one seemed to actually respect Jake and was talking to him in car speak. He had even gotten the last diagnostic that had been done and was showing it to Jake. I could tell Jake was impressed, and this one would probably be the car I ended up with. It was a Prius, a pretty medium brown color with a tan interior. Okay, so the color wasn't great, but it was a car, in my price range, in good condition. Besides, I liked brown. I would be happy with it.

The wind was blowing fitfully, and had suddenly shifted direction when Jake's head shot up and looked across the street to the Volvo dealership. I could see him shaking and breathing deeply, as if he was trying to control his anger. I looked over to see what was upsetting him and there stood the most gorgeous guy I had ever seen. I couldn't withhold a gasp as I took in the sheer beauty of him. He wasn't as tall as Jake, but where Jake had beautiful copper skin, this guy's was pale, almost ghostly white. His hair was auburn, and he had a lithe build; I could see the way his shoulders filled out his black t-shirt from here. He had on dark sunglasses, odd in the half-light of the day, and seemed to be gripping onto a nearby car as if he was holding himself still. And still he was; like a marble statue breathing deeply.

It seemed as if he was staring at me, and I felt transfixed. Then slowly he shifted his gaze to Jake. A smirk appeared on his face, his lips moved quickly, and I swore I heard Jake growl. A cough from the salesman brought us out of whatever it was we were held in, and I looked at him.

"Are you interested, Miss? I'm willing to give you an extended warranty. It really is a good little car. Granted, the color isn't the best, which is why it's been on our lot so long. My manager will be glad to be rid of it, and so I could probably get you a good deal on it."

"Um, can I drive it?"

"Sure, I'll run and get the keys, but I'll need to make a copy of your license." I handed the card to him and Jake went with him to fill out some paperwork, asking me to stay put and that he would be right out. I was surprised to see him look over again to the other lot, as if to see where that guy had gone.

Taking a moment to relax from the stress of shopping, I was leaning on the car next to the one I was considering when I heard a musical voice next to me. "He's being honest with you, a rare trait in a salesman."

With a gasp, I spun to the source of the voice and there stood the guy from the other dealership. One hand went immediately to my mouth, while the other went to my chest in an attempt to still my wildly beating heart. I stumbled in my quick turn, and felt his arms reach out and take hold of my waist to steady me, pulling me closer to him in the process. He chuckled as he held me squarely and I could see his eyes through his sunglasses peering down at me. I was about to say something when his head shot up, "Your protector is on his way back. Perhaps we will meet again sometime." With that, he was gone faster than my eyes could follow, leaving only a sweet smell in his wake.

I turned to look for Jacob and could see him running as quickly as he could, calling my name. He had a frantic look on his face, as if he had seen a ghost or something. When he got to me he started asking me questions in quick succession, "Are you all right? Did he hurt you? I can smell he touched you! What did he say? What did he want? What –"

I held my hands up, laughing, "Jacob, I'm fine. He startled me is all. Why are you so upset?" Then one of his questions struck me, "What do you mean you can smell he touched me?"

"Nothing," he mumbled, his eyes searching around us for the stranger.

The salesman came up behind him. "Is everything all right? You ran out of there as if someone was hurting your friend. Are you all right Miss?"

"I'm fine. Jacob's just being overprotective. He saw some guy talking to me whom he didn't know and apparently freaked out," I said while glaring at Jacob. I mean, that guy was being nice, and I could have probably gotten a date, but Jake scared him off.

"Was someone accosting you in the lot?" the salesman asked, his voice full of concern.

"No, he only spoke to me. I promise I'm fine. Do you have the keys?" I asked impatiently, suddenly exhausted from a day of shopping and an overprotective Jacob. I just wanted to put this behind me and test-drive my soon-to-be new-to-me car.

After driving a bit around the city, and testing the speed on I-5, I decided it was perfectly adequate transportation. Enough get up and go for me, without having to worry about gas. That would be a welcome change. We went in and settled on a price; the salesman had been right, his manager was anxious to get rid of the car. It wasn't that ugly, but I appreciated the guy's honesty; he had managed to get his boss to make a nice deal for me.

As I pulled out of the lot with Jacob following behind in the Rabbit, I looked across the street once more. The guy was standing next to a silver Volvo and he was watching me leave. His eyes roamed over to where Jacob was and I could see him chuckle. He then turned to his own salesman and handed him a black credit card. I couldn't get him out of my mind the entire drive home.


First, there will be no love triangle! That's not to say Jacob won't be trying to protect her, he is a werewolf, after all.

Second, please review? I would love to know what ya'll think!