A few minutes had passed before she spoke back up.

"So there's no electricity, it's raining its' butt off outside…and there's us. What exactly are we going to do about it?" she piped up, wondering if maybe he did understand what she meant. Even she wasn't fully understanding what she was talking about.

Jake raised an eyebrow at her and shrugged.

"I think I'm just going to go sit on the couch. Unless you can think of something else we can do?" she said, not knowing where all this was coming from and whatinthehell was going on with her subconscious taking over her mouth?

"Well, I have a deck of cards. Other than that, I dunno what we can do."

"Know any good card games?"

Even in the dark, she could see him smirking.

"What's so funny, Jake?" He shook his head quickly, as if he wasn't just grinning like an idiot.

"Nothing. We can play go-fish or something I guess."

"Seriously, what is it?" she repeatedly poked him in his stomach.

"We could play…no it's too bad for your little ears."

She put her hands on her hips in frustration.

"Oh come on, I'm the older one here. What the heck is it? I'm game! Let's play." She said, acting tough while feeling like there was something lost in translation.

Jacob laughed at this.

"You sure? Because I'm not sure you'd agree if you knew the stipulations. Really Bells, just forget it."

"It's because you're afraid I'll beat you, right?" she asked, pursing her lips. Her curiosity was getting the best of her and now her interested was piqued.

A low chuckle came from Jacob, who was now searching through one of the kitchen drawers for something.

"Yeah, you are exactly right. In this game though, I don't think there are any losers. At least, not really," he explained, pulling up a chair backwards to take a seat in. Motioning to the table, he pulled out a pack of cards and spread them out on tablecloth.

At this new explanation, she hesitated, not sure if she should follow his lead after all. He caught on quickly to this, mocking her by flapping his arms like a chicken.

Bella scowled, flopping down in the chair across from him. He grinned like the Cheshire cat, causing her to shift uneasily.

"Do know how to play Blackjack?" he asked, starting to shuffle the cards around. He divided them a few times, shuffling them inwards then outwards, happy at himself with his card tricks.

"Yeah, I think so…what's so crazy about Blackjack?"

"Well, around here, we call it JakeBlack. Ha-ha- yeah, my dad made it up years ago. It's like Blackjack except whenever someone gets Jake-Black, they have to order the other card players to drink. JakeBlack twice in a row means you get to establish a 'rule'.

Okay so…the drinking is a more recent modification to the game that Quil actually thought of- but still. You up for it?" he asked, pulling out a tall glass bottle from the lower cabinet beside him.

Bella took in the scene quickly again, scanning the room from one side to the other. Her eyes kept falling back on him.

"Is that such a good idea when we have no clue as to when your dad is supposed to be back?" she asked sounded slightly on edge. This day was getting stranger and stranger.

"He'll probably be back around midnight. He went to visit Old Quil and his family. Old Quil's daughter- Ana, came to pick him up, so he may even stay the night over there. So I don't think there'll be a problem." Jacob answered, waving the bottle around.

Now, it wasn't because Bella was a goody two-shoes or anything like that, but she really never got into the whole teenage-drinking, wild-times thing. She went to a couple of parties back when she lived in Arizona, had a couple of drinks and all…but she hadn't played a drinking game or drank enough to be considered 'drunk'. She knew she'd be safe here with Jake and that in any case, he wouldn't take advantage of her…but still she felt weird about drinking with him. And not to mention she sucked at card games.

"It won't be a big deal. Seriously. I'm really bad at cards…and a cheap drunk. Although, it's been a while since we've played this, so I'm not sure how it would work…me being a werewolf and all…" he started, still shuffling and cutting the deck. Shuffle, cut. Shuffle, cut.

"Alright," she said a little agitated and a little worried at what she would be getting herself into.

Jacob grinned again causing her agitation to melt away quickly. He couldn't just keep smiling over and over at her, especially while they were still in the dark kitchen now with the addition of a bottle of alcohol.

He got up and walked out of the room for a minute, letting her know he was trying to find some kind of light to see with.

Great, she thought. Now we're adding candles to the mix? What in the world does this all mean exactly?

Jake was back, toting a small object in his hand.

"This was the only thing I could find. I'll just set it on the table facing the deck and cards. At least we'll be able to see those," he said, turning on the flashlight and positioning it to shine on the cards and bottle. She could see that it was a huge bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey. Bella cringed.

The game started, Jake letting her go first, after going over the rules with her. The point was to reach 21 points (JakeBlack) without going over. If you went over, you had to take a half-shot of Jack Daniels, out of your cup. If you got JakeBlack, the other person had to drink. If you got JakeBlack twice, you got to make up a rule.

On her very first try, Bella went over 21, so she had to take what Jacob called a 'baby-sip' of whiskey. It was a whole gulp and enough to make her almost puke into the trash can that Jacob so kindly provided her. This was not turning out to be that great of a game, after all.

Jacob, of course, was a total liar about being bad at card games and ended up getting JakeBlack on his first try. She blanched when she realized that this meant she had to down another sip of that disgusting liquid. Bella wasn't so sure that she could keep it down this time. Being the nice gentleman he was, he offered to take her sip for her, but she wasn't going to just give up. Pinching her nose to lessen the sting of the whiskey, she took a big gulp from her cup. Blech.

After about six or seven games (Bella had lost count), there were two rules already in place; one given by her and one given by Jacob.

Her rule was that Jacob had to sing any time one of them drank. His rule was that Bella had to tell him a secret no one else knew, every time Bella pulled a king. She wasn't so keen on his rule, as she was on her own.

But she was enjoying the view of the light suddenly swirling around them, from the flashlight.

It seemed to be encasing the two of them in it as well…or at least it looked like it, in this new, fuzzy vision of hers. She felt the sudden urge to have to use the restroom, so she stood up to try to find it.

Jacob claimed her to be drunk as she tripped over the trash can by her feet and toppled to the floor, in a fit of laughter. Laughing loudly right next to her, he stumbled to help pull her back up.

Bella returned a few minutes later, to find that Jacob had moved the game into the living room, along with the flashlight. She tried to gracefully slide onto the couch next to him, but failed miserably, ending up on the arm of the couch, almost falling into Jacob's lap. Eager to help her onto the cushion beside him, he tried to pull her over him.

"Oh no you don't mister! I am still sober enough to use my crazy defense skills to take care of myself, thankyouverymuch," she giggled, uprighting herself onto the couch arm.

The next game was full of Jacob singing and Bella telling him her deepest, not so darkest secrets. After a rousing chorus of "Hungry Like The Wolf" from Jake, it was now her turn to confess something to him. Even in a drunken stupor, she was trying hard to think of something that wouldn't give Jacob the wrong idea. As if getting drunk with him was the right idea.

"Okay then….I have this birthmark on my shoulder-blade that's kinda in the shape of a heart. It's not a big secret, because if someone saw me in a bathing suit, they pro'lly saw it too. But it's one of my favorite things about myself," she admitted, leaning up from the back of the couch.

Jacob nodded, looking over her shoulder in recognition.

"That's cool. I don't think I have any cool birthmarks or stuff like that," he replied.

"Yup…you wanna see it?" she slurred, already pulling up the back left side of her shirt, to reveal the mark she was talking about. Jacob nodded too quickly, causing him to rub his temples from the motion. She pointed to her left shoulder-blade, where at the very bottom of it, right underneath her bra-strap, was the birthmark. She shivered when she felt Jacob's finger lightly trace over it.

"It's so pretty. Like, that's really cool how it's shaped like that," he whispered, pulling her shirt back down. Bella grinned.

"Thanks! It's not x-ray vision or anything, but it's a whole lot better than nothin'."

Their game continued, both continuing to drink until Bella's stomach turned in disapproval. She could feel her skin starting to get clammy and too-cold.

"Jake?" she murmured, leaning up against him for support.

"Hmm?"

"I don't think I feel good. I don't wanna drink any more. 'Kay?" she asked, holding her stomach.

"Mmkay. Do you need the trash can?"

"No, but I'm cold. Where's a blanket?" she replied, feeling behind her, for one.

Jacob straightened up, pulling her into his lap. She slumped up against his chest, her head lolling on his shoulder. She knew this was probably bad, but he was still so warm and his skin was kind of soft, even for a werewolf. She breathed in deeply, feeling her head spinning around faster and faster. She groaned from the aching feeling behind her forehead, causing him to tighten his grip around her.

Bella could feel him turning to look down at her, his warm breath like a breeze of summer air, on her cheek and ear. It felt so right to just fall asleep right here. She'd be safe and warm.

She giggled as she tried to remember their conversation earlier.

"What's so funny?" he asked, settling back into the couch, still with her in his lap.

"I was wrong. You are kind of easy to snuggle with at night," her words hung in the air, by invisible forces unknown to them both.

***********************************

Bella was lying here, in his arms, whispering things he thought he'd never hear.

Jake, I feel so funny right now.

(It's the alcohol, honey.)

Jake, I'm so tired, can we go lay down?

(If you want to. Your place or mine? Haha)

Jake, your face is so nice in the dark. Haha, in the light too, silly.

(Not as pretty as yours. Never as pretty as you.)

If I really was a bird, would you be one too? So I wasn't lonely?

(I'd be whatever you wanted me to be. You would always have me.)

Did you know I'd be drunk? Did you plan this?

(I kinda figured. No, not really.)

Why do you still stick around? Doesn't it kinda suck being around me?

(Because that's what friends do. No, it never sucks. Ever.)

Are you always always always gonna be my best friend, no matter what?

(Always. That won't ever change.)

What if you imprint and never want to see me again?

(I don't think…that would ever happen. I'd always want to see you.)

Did you know that I would love you?

I do. I just dunno what I'm gonna do about it, Jake.

(Me either, Bells. But you got plenty of time to figure it out.)